Category: U.S. News

WASHINGTON — The freshly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which features a newly painted “American flag blue” bottom, has already turned a murky green color due to an algae bloom — and that’s just days after its more than $14 million makeover was completed.

While the Washington Monument can once again be seen reflected in the refilled pool, President Donald Trump’s dream of a brilliant blue stretch of water between two of Washington’s most famous landmarks has run headlong into the stubborn realities of chemistry and biology — the same ones any homeowner with a backyard pool knows all too well. Making matters more complicated is the sheer size of the structure, which is larger than ten Olympic swimming pools combined and which Trump has referred to as a lake, as well as its water source: the frequently murky Tidal Basin.

Algae has been a persistent problem at the site since it first opened more than a century ago. But Trump made tackling the issue a priority as part of his broader effort to spruce up the nation’s capital ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary. Contracts totaling at least $14.8 million have been awarded for the project, which Trump announced in April after a friend visiting from Germany told him the pool looked dark and disgusting.

On Tuesday, teams of National Park Service employees and outside contractors deployed chemicals along with ozone nanobubbles — a water purification method that reduces the need for harsh chemical treatments — in an effort to get the algae under control. Similar methods had been used to treat the pool before the renovation even began.

Cochise Wanzer II, president of the Pool Service Company in Arlington, Virginia, didn’t mince words about the situation. “What do you expect?” he said. “You’re basically taking natural, untreated river water, pumping it in and expecting it to do something different from what it would do out in the open.”

Wanzer also pointed out that the new dark paint on the pool’s floor is actually making the algae problem worse. “Now that the bottom is nice and dark, it elevates the temperature and the algae grows better,” he explained.

In addition to the nanobubble treatment, workers used a swimming pool-style vacuum to physically remove algae from the bottom of the pool. The result was a patchwork of clean blue patches surrounded by large green-covered areas — a sight anyone who has vacuumed a carpet in sections would recognize. The National Park Service also confirmed it is applying hydrogen peroxide to the water, a gentler alternative to chlorine that is commonly used in spas and natural swimming pools. In a statement, the agency noted, “There are no harmful side effects to marine life or to the environment.”

At one point during the cleanup effort, a contractor removed his shoes and socks, rolled his pants up to his knees, and waded directly into the pool to position an ozone nanobubble tube — all while tourists and local visitors looked on during a sunny morning.

Among those at the pool was a Las Vegas couple, Rick and Ariana Pettit, who are traveling the country in their RV. The two stopped to take photos at the historic site, which has served as the backdrop for countless protests and marches over the decades. Ariana, wearing American flag-themed leggings and a Make America Great Again leotard, turned to her husband — dressed in a Veteran for Trump American flag button-up shirt — and said: “Look, it’s already looking more blue.”

Wanzer offered a straightforward prescription for getting ahead of the algae problem long-term: “They may want to drain it, hose it all down, and start from the beginning with fresh water and treat it as the water comes in.”

Federal agents say they stopped a deadly attack before it could unfold at a UFC Fight Night event hosted on the White House grounds, with investigators alleging the scheme also included plans to go after members of Congress known for their support of Israel.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that five individuals were involved in the alleged conspiracy. Court documents state the group planned to carry out the attack during the June 14 event held on White House property.

According to an FBI criminal complaint, 19-year-old Tycen Proper allegedly helped identify potential targets by circulating material from TrackAIPAC.com — a website that tracks lawmakers based on their ties to pro-Israel political action committees and their positions on Israel-related issues.

Court records allege that during a May 13 conversation with other suspects, Proper suggested targeting U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn. When questioned about why she was chosen, he allegedly said, “She’s taken money from the Israel pro-Israel [sic] lobby and supports them.”

The complaint also alleges that Proper later sent a text message stating, “These are people we’re going to focus on,” along with photographs of two U.S. senators and two members of the House of Representatives.

Investigators say the attack was designed to use drones to create panic among the crowd, driving fleeing spectators toward a pre-positioned sniper. Court filings further allege that a “second wave” of attackers was planned to storm the White House gate.

The event drew approximately 4,300 invited guests to the South Lawn, with around 85,000 more people watching from a nearby fan zone. Fourteen mixed martial arts fighters competed during the Sunday program.

The investigation into Proper was launched after his mother contacted local law enforcement on the night of June 10, raising alarms about large firearms purchases and online communications she had seen.

During the course of the investigation, Proper’s father and grandmother told authorities that he had recently expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and had been posting antisemitic content on social media, according to the complaint.

Law enforcement stepped in before the attack could be carried out, preventing what authorities describe as a potentially catastrophic event.

Chicago police announced Tuesday that a suspect is now in custody in connection with the burning of a large cross discovered earlier this month in one of the city’s most iconic public spaces.

The cross was found ablaze on June 9 in Grant Park — the same location where Barack Obama addressed the nation after becoming the country’s first Black president following his 2008 election victory.

A man who identified himself to WMAQ-TV as a 21-year-old college student said he was the shirtless individual shown in a photo that police had distributed while searching for a suspect. However, Chicago police did not confirm Tuesday whether he is the person now in custody. The man maintained that his actions were a form of political protest directed at President Donald Trump, and not a racially motivated act.

“I did know about this historical relevance beforehand. But I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,” the man told the television station. “Cause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.”

Cross burnings in the United States carry a deep and painful history, long associated with racial terror and intimidation against Black Americans, and frequently linked to the Ku Klux Klan.

The Chicago Police Department’s communications office confirmed a person was being held in connection with the incident but declined to release further details. A request for comment was also sent Tuesday to the prosecutor’s office.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is Black, responded to the incident and the man’s televised remarks with a pointed statement. “I can’t speak to anyone’s motives. We can only speak to the impact. And the impact was devastating,” he said.

The man told WMAQ-TV that his target was the “ruling class” and Christian nationalists who back Trump. He explained that he placed a red hat on the cross to represent a MAGA hat associated with the president’s supporters. He insisted that what he did should not be classified as a hate crime.

“I understand why it was interpreted that way, and I apologize for that, but no, the intent was not there,” he said.

Gina Miranda Samuels, faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, said the man appeared genuine in claiming he did not intend to send a hateful message toward Black people. Even so, she said the episode highlights how uninformed some people can be about powerful symbols, adding that it reveals a troubling willingness “to use a symbol of hatred and terror in this way.”

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, senior pastor of The Faith Community of Saint Sabina, a local Catholic church, expressed skepticism about the man’s stated ignorance. In a Facebook post, Pfleger wrote: “Your Lawyer Schooled you well.”

Representatives from the church had previously posted on social media offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the cross burning.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the man told WMAQ-TV the hat placed on the cross was red, intended to represent a MAGA hat. It was not an actual MAGA hat.

Many broken appliances get tossed out even when all they really need is a minor repair. A group of dedicated volunteer tinkerers is changing that by stepping in to fix those items and put them back to good use.

Instead of letting repairable household appliances end up in a landfill, these volunteers take the time to diagnose the problem, make the fix, and then donate the restored items to individuals in need.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it stopped an alleged plot targeting attendees of a UFC fighting event held at the White House this past Sunday.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the bureau intervened to disrupt the threat before any harm could occur. The event, which took place at the White House grounds, drew attention after Patel went public with news of the foiled plan.

Additional details about the nature of the alleged plot or any suspects involved have not yet been made public.

For nearly two months, one San Juan, Puerto Rico resident has been living without something most people take for granted — running water.

The daily reality of this ongoing water crisis has created enormous hardship, as the resident describes the personal toll of managing basic needs without reliable access to water in their home.

Their experience highlights the broader challenges facing residents of San Juan, where the absence of running water has disrupted daily routines and quality of life over an extended period of time.

A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress involved in a deadly crash at a California Air Force base made a sharp right turn, nearly completed a full 180-degree turn, and then plummeted to the ground at close to a mile per minute, according to limited flight tracking data released Tuesday.

All eight people aboard were killed when the bomber went down in flames Monday at Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft was taking part in a routine mission connected to a broader program aimed at keeping the long-serving plane operational for decades to come. The cause of the crash shortly after takeoff remains unknown, and officials at the base said the investigation could take as long as six months to wrap up.

The airfield was still closed as of Tuesday. Crews were working to make the crash site safe enough for search and recovery teams to enter, following fires that continued burning overnight. Mike Paoli, a spokesperson for the 412 Test Wing at Edwards, provided that update.

Flight tracking data from AirNav Systems shows the bomber turned to the northeast immediately after liftoff, nearly completing a sharp turn before going down on another runway. The tracking system used — known as multilateration — does not provide precise altitude or speed readings, but it does indicate the aircraft dropped at a rate of 5,056 feet (1,541 meters) per minute. That is nearly ten times faster than a typical plane descends when coming in for a landing.

The plane was supporting a radar modernization program, according to Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 Test Wing, who spoke Monday. In 2025, Boeing delivered a B-52 to Edwards equipped with an upgraded radar system that is central to keeping the bomber airworthy through at least 2050 — nearly a century after it first entered military service.

A test team had planned to carry out both ground and flight test activities on the aircraft throughout 2026 to inform a production decision, the Air Force stated in a 2025 news release. The new Active Electronically Scanned Array, or AESA, radar replaced the plane’s outdated radar system. It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft involved in Monday’s crash was the same one used in that program.

The AESA system replaced radar technology dating back to the 1960s and provides improved navigation and targeting capabilities, according to a 2023 news release from Raytheon, the company that designed the new system for the entire B-52 fleet.

The B-52 is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955 and is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons. It has been deployed in U.S. military conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Iran.

In addition to the radar upgrade, the fleet of 76 B-52s is scheduled to receive a range of other improvements, including new engines, crew compartments, communication systems for both conventional and nuclear operations, avionics, and weapons. The military’s goal is to have the B-52 serve alongside the Air Force’s newest strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider.

Aerial footage of the crash site showed virtually nothing remained of the aircraft, which went down at the base located in the Mojave Desert roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. Officials said after reviewing crash footage that survival was not possible, according to Hayes, who spoke at a news conference.

Those aboard the aircraft included both government contractors and active military personnel. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among those killed.

Edwards Air Force Base is home to a significant share of the U.S. Air Force’s aircraft testing and development work. The 412th Test Wing, which oversees operations at the base, handles developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software, and components — both before purchase and throughout their operational lives. The base is also historically notable as the location where Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947, reaching Mach 1.05.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the way the B-52 crashed so rapidly after takeoff — without gaining much altitude or distance — leads him to suspect some type of flight control malfunction. He suggested the controls may have been improperly set following maintenance, or that a catastrophic engine problem or a failure in equipment being tested could be to blame.

“I think it was definitely a controllability issue. Now, whether that was tied to an engine failure, a flight control failure, or some new testing device failure, I’m not sure,” said Guzzetti, who previously investigated crashes for both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Fatal Air Force training accidents in recent years have included an instructor pilot killed in 2024 when an ejection seat activated while the aircraft was still on the ground in Texas, an Air Force ROTC cadet who died in a 2022 Humvee accident during a training exercise in Idaho, and two Air Force pilots killed when a trainer jet crashed near an Alabama airport in 2021.

WASHINGTON — An Afghan national accused of ambushing two National Guard soldiers near the White House — killing one and seriously wounding the other — appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to charges in a new federal indictment that could put him on death row if convicted.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal was arraigned on 17 counts, including first-degree murder, after a federal grand jury in Washington handed up the new indictment. He had originally entered a not guilty plea in January to nine charges related to the November 2025 shooting that claimed the life of Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and left Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe critically injured.

Before the Justice Department decides whether to pursue the death penalty, Lakanwal’s defense team will have the opportunity to meet with prosecutors and present any mitigating evidence they believe should weigh against such a sentence.

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were members of the West Virginia National Guard serving as part of a federal law-enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., that began in August under orders from President Donald Trump.

Prosecutors allege that Lakanwal drove from Bellingham, Washington, to the nation’s capital while carrying a stolen firearm, then ambushed the two soldiers outside a subway station just three blocks from the White House.

According to a police report, another Guard member nearby heard the gunshots and watched as Beckstrom and Wolfe fell to the ground while Lakanwal fired his weapon and shouted, “Allahu Akbar!”

Lakanwal, who sustained a gunshot wound during the incident, appeared in a wheelchair at Tuesday’s arraignment. He remained silent throughout the proceedings, with one of his attorneys entering the not guilty plea on his behalf.

Lakanwal came to the United States in 2021 through a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans following the U.S. military withdrawal from that country. CIA Director John Ratcliffe has stated that Lakanwal previously worked with the American government, including the CIA, “as a member of a partner force” in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Lakanwal is scheduled to return to court on September 16. No trial date has been set in the case.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled charges against 15 people accused of obstructing federal immigration agents during a sweeping enforcement operation carried out earlier this year in Minnesota under the Trump administration.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced at a press conference that the investigation focused on two Minneapolis-based groups he described as “antifa” organizations whose members had been trained in “surveillance, operational planning and rapid mobilization against law enforcement.”

The charges arrive as the Trump administration has ramped up its focus on “antifa” — a broad term referring to a loosely organized movement of militant left-wing activists. President Donald Trump has characterized the movement as a domestic terror group.

Rosen said some of the individuals arrested had self-identified as “antifa” and used various methods to disrupt the immigration operation, including what he called “stalking” federal agents and placing blocks of ice in the path of their vehicle convoys. When asked whether any federal agents were physically hurt, Rosen declined to answer directly.

“Whether or not they actually, at the end of the day, cause bodily harm is not the measure of whether or not they committed a serious federal crime,” Rosen told reporters.

Of the 15 charged, 12 were arrested Tuesday, one was already in custody, and two remain at large. The identities of those arrested and the specific charges they face were not immediately released.

The case stems from the administration’s “Operation Metro Surge,” which brought thousands of federal agents flooding into the Twin Cities area. The operation triggered widespread protests and resulted in the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens.

During the crackdown, convoys of federal agents in unmarked SUVs moved through residential neighborhoods — in some cases forcing their way into homes, waiting near schools, and demanding that residents show proof of citizenship.

In response, a large and largely informal network of Minnesota residents quickly organized — mainly through anonymous neighborhood messaging platforms — with everyday citizens and activists using whistles and car horns to draw attention to the masked and heavily armed agents.

Border czar Tom Homan had signaled at the time that federal authorities were already looking into “the organization and funding of the attacks on ICE.”

“They’ll be held accountable,” Homan said. “Justice is coming.”

Last September, President Trump signed an executive order formally classifying antifa as a domestic terror organization and instructing federal agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle” its affiliates and those who fund them.

The designation has drawn criticism from Democrats and multiple First Amendment advocacy groups. While the federal government has the authority to label foreign organizations as terror groups, no formal legal mechanism exists to apply that same classification to domestic groups.

Trump has repeatedly used the “antifa” label broadly, at times directing it toward political opponents and peaceful demonstrators who do not hold anarchist views.

Eight people lost their lives Tuesday when a B-52 bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California, making it the deadliest accident involving that type of aircraft since 1982.

The B-52 Stratofortress — an eight-engine jet built to carry both nuclear and conventional weapons — went down during what military officials called a routine test mission. The aircraft had lifted off from the remote base at 11:20 a.m. local time before the crash occurred.

At a press conference, Col. James Hayes addressed the tragedy head-on. “Today, Edwards Air Force Base experienced a terrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans,” he said. Hayes went on to describe the victims as a “mixed crew of military, government civilians, and government contractors.”

Earlier in the day, the base had released a statement saying initial indications suggested the crash “was not survivable.” Military officials confirmed that response efforts have since transitioned fully to recovery operations. Black smoke rising from the crash site could be seen from miles away.

Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, confirmed that two of its employees were among those on board. “We are in contact with their families and are offering support,” the company said in a statement.

The tragedy drew condolences from high-ranking officials across the country. Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink and House Speaker Mike Johnson both took to social media to express their sympathies. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also offered his condolences to “the entire Edwards Air Force Base community” and praised the first responders who answered the call.

Col. Hayes said military investigators will work to piece together what led to the crash, but cautioned that detailed findings are not expected to be made public for roughly six months.

No information about the identities of the victims or the specific circumstances of the crash has been released. Authorities say the priority right now is recovery, followed by a thorough investigation into one of the worst B-52 disasters in decades.

A court hearing in the state murder case against Luigi Mangione was postponed by one day after prosecutors neglected to notify the jail that he was needed in court, forcing a delay in what had been an anticipated ruling by the judge.

Judge Gregory Carro had set the hearing for Tuesday, but the proceeding was adjourned about half an hour after its scheduled start time when Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann informed the judge that the prosecution had failed to deliver the necessary paperwork to the jail.

“It’s on us,” Seidemann told the court. “We got the writ signed but we failed to serve it.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Judge Carro responded.

Seidemann pointed out that the judge overseeing Mangione’s federal case, Margaret Garnett, had issued an order to the jail allowing him to appear in court wearing a suit — but acknowledged that order alone was not sufficient to have him physically transported to the courtroom.

Mangione, 28, is currently held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn while he awaits trial in both state and federal proceedings stemming from the December 4, 2024, killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He has entered not guilty pleas in both cases and faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted in either.

Judge Carro had been expected to issue a ruling Tuesday on an unspecified matter following a closed hearing held two weeks prior. Carro sealed that virtual proceeding at the defense’s request but offered no further explanation at the time. Any ruling from the judge will now be issued Wednesday.

Mangione’s state trial is scheduled to begin September 8, while his federal trial — which includes stalking charges — is set to get underway October 13.

Thompson, 50, was shot and killed as he walked toward a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual investor conference. Surveillance footage captured a masked gunman firing at him from behind. Investigators say the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” were found written on the ammunition — a phrase commonly associated with tactics used by insurance companies to avoid paying out claims.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was taken into custody five days after the shooting at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, roughly 230 miles — or about 370 kilometers — west of Manhattan.

At a hearing last month, Judge Carro ruled that both a firearm and a notebook found in connection with Mangione can be used as evidence at trial. Prosecutors say the weapon — a 3D-printed pistol — is consistent with the gun used to kill Thompson. The notebook, they say, contains writings about wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and references to fighting back against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.”

NEW YORK — The next generation of Hollywood directors isn’t coming from traditional film schools. Increasingly, they’re arriving with millions of online subscribers and a proven ability to capture an audience’s attention.

The back-to-back success of two films — “Obsession” and “Backrooms” — both helmed by filmmakers in their 20s who got their start on YouTube, has shined a bright light on a growing trend in the entertainment industry.

Studio executives are now actively combing through platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram in search of the next great directing talent. These digital spaces aren’t just where young creators hone their skills — they’re also where those creators build loyal, engaged fan bases that can follow them straight to the multiplex.

Mike De Luca, co-chair of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, spoke about the phenomenon at a conference last month. “These filmmakers are in a dialogue with their audience from the word ‘Go’. Their subscribers have direct input in each iteration of these things,” he said. “By the time you get to the movie, they’ve had a billion test screenings.”

This isn’t entirely new territory. Issa Rae and Bo Burnham are among the well-known names who first found their footing on YouTube. But the number of today’s independent filmmakers with digital roots continues to grow. Here’s a look at some of the creators who have already made the leap — and a few who appear to be on their way.

Known online as “Kane Pixels,” 20-year-old Parsons is the director behind the A24 horror hit “Backrooms.” A native of Petaluma, California, he started posting videos online when he was just 9 years old. A video series he created based on the creepypasta Backrooms internet meme eventually led to his feature film debut, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. The film has earned $250 million at the worldwide box office, and a sequel is already in the works.

At 26, Barker grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and briefly attended film school in Los Angeles before shifting his focus to YouTube sketch videos. He later produced a horror short called “The Chair” and a found-footage horror film titled “Milk & Serial” — made for just $800. After Tea Shop Productions saw “The Chair,” the company backed Barker’s next project, “Obsession,” with a $750,000 budget. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Focus Features picked it up for $15 million. It is expected to surpass $300 million in global ticket sales soon. Barker has already completed his next film, “Anything But Ghosts,” for Blumhouse Productions, and A24 has tapped him to direct a reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Mark Fischbach — better known online as Markiplier — is 36 years old and built a YouTube following of more than 38 million subscribers through video game playthrough content. He branched out into series and podcasts before making his directorial debut earlier this year with “Iron Lung,” a sci-fi horror film he also wrote and edited. Based on a 2022 video game, the film was made for under $5 million and self-distributed, yet it pulled in more than $50 million at the box office.

At 34, Firstman grew up in New Jersey and first gained attention through a series of comedic short skits posted on Instagram Live during the pandemic. As a comedian, writer, and actor, he followed a more conventional path toward filmmaking — co-starring in the 2025 HBO series “I Love LA” and serving as a consulting producer on the animated series “Big Mouth.” In May of this year, Firstman made his directorial debut with “Club Kid” at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, in which Firstman plays a gay nightclub promoter who learns he has a son, was a standout at the festival. Following a bidding war, A24 acquired it for $17 million.

Clark, who is from northern Virginia, has spent the past eight years posting horror short films on YouTube. He is now developing his most popular short, “Portrait of God,” into a full-length feature, with Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi on board as producers. Clark has also been chosen by Lionsgate and Blumhouse to direct a new version of “The Blair Witch Project.”

In April, Neon announced that Evenson will direct a feature-length adaptation of his viral 2014 short film “Mora.” The 12-minute short, which has been viewed nearly 5 million times on Evenson’s YouTube channel, Grimoire Horror, follows a struggling artist searching for a bloody, disfigured woman who keeps appearing in AI-generated images. Roy Lee, producer of “Weapons,” is attached to produce. The project will serve as Evenson’s directorial debut, though he already has an extensive visual effects resume that includes credits on “Dune: Part Two” and “The Last of Us.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Just days before his movie hit theaters, 26-year-old director Curry Barker struck a friendly wager with his manager and agent: if “Obsession” opened above $20 million at the box office, they would all get tattoos.

The film came close but missed the mark, debuting at $17 million. Still, nobody was complaining. Barker had made the horror film for just $750,000, making even that opening a remarkable achievement. But what happened next surprised everyone. The second weekend, the film cleared $20 million — and then did it again. And again. And nearly a fourth time, displaying a staying power that is virtually unheard of in the film industry.

“It was just like: Holy cow. I didn’t think that was an option,” Barker said. “Now we’ve said if it hits $300 million, we’ll all get the tattoo. We had to make a new milestone. And I think we’ll reach it.”

Over the past month, “Obsession” has rattled the entertainment industry. The microbudget thriller has now pulled in $286 million worldwide and is still drawing audiences. During its fifth weekend in theaters, it ranked second only to Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” earning $19 million. In North America, it has outperformed “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.” It stands as the biggest release in the 24-year history of Focus Features, which has had to push back its video-on-demand release date. By any measure, it ranks among the most profitable films ever produced.

Barker, who cultivated a following through sketches and short films on YouTube, is now living the dream that countless aspiring filmmakers chase. Life, he acknowledged in a recent interview, has changed considerably.

“My day to day is pretty much the same. It’s just that when I go out in public, it’s a lot different,” he said with a laugh. “I actually feel a little unsafe sometimes.”

That’s a somewhat ironic turn for the man behind a film that has been frightening audiences across the country. In “Obsession,” a character named Bear Bailey (played by Michael Johnston) uses an antique toy called a One Wish Willow to wish that his crush, Nikki (played by Inde Navarrette), would fall in love with him. The spell — loosely drawn from an old “Simpsons” Halloween episode — works in deeply unsettling ways.

The film’s remarkable run has sparked widespread conversation across Hollywood. Alongside the A24 hit “Backrooms,” directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, it has highlighted YouTube as a launching pad for the next wave of filmmakers.

The film has also drawn younger Gen Z audiences — already a significant and growing portion of regular moviegoers — back into theaters. Summer box office has long been ruled by established franchises, but “Obsession” may signal a shift in that trend.

“If there’s a lesson from ‘Obsession,’ I think it’s about audiences,” said Peter Kujawski, chairman of Focus Features. “We have a generation that grew up online, approaches culture with enormous curiosity and playfulness, and is far less concerned with where a filmmaker comes from than whether the story connects. They’re engaged, incredibly film-literate and eager to champion new voices and original stories.”

Barker grew up in Mobile, Alabama, before relocating to Los Angeles at age 18. He says he feels a deep connection to his generation and believes the response to “Obsession” speaks to something many young people are feeling.

“I get it because I think we’re a little tired of being at home. Our generation is the COVID generation,” Barker said. “I was fortunate enough to have all four years of high school experience. My brother, Riley, lost two years of that. We’re sick of the phones.”

Before filmmaking, Barker had dreams of becoming an actor. An early encounter with “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” at age 11 helped steer him toward horror, though his earliest passions were quite different.

“I was a huge Harry Potter fan growing up. Huge. I was obsessed,” Barker said with a smile. “I had all the wands. I would dress up.”

Barker spent a year at a Los Angeles film school, where he connected with Cooper Tomlinson, who would later become a co-star and producer on “Obsession.” The two eventually charted their own course on YouTube and TikTok, building an audience through a comedy sketch series called “That’s a Bad Idea.”

Barker wrote and directed a 2023 short film called “The Chair,” which caught the attention of Tea Shop Productions. Producer James Harris approached him about expanding it into a feature, but Barker had a different idea — he wanted to make “Obsession,” a film that drew on similar themes. Around the same time, he also produced an $800 found-footage horror film called “Milk & Serial.” When he couldn’t find a distributor, he uploaded it directly to YouTube. It went viral and earned him representation.

“Obsession” was selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, giving it a prestigious platform. A bidding war followed, and Kujawski and Focus Features ultimately acquired the film for $15 million.

“What stands out about Curry is that he isn’t working from an inherited playbook,” Kujawski said. “Whether you look at his earlier work or ‘Obsession,’ there’s a consistency of vision and a confidence in his storytelling that immediately sets him apart. He knows exactly what he wants to say while being absolutely committed to making every minute of his work as entertaining as possible, and he’s willing to take real risks in service of that vision.”

Barker’s rapid rise has made him a symbol of a new kind of filmmaker — one who sharpened his skills as a digital creator and arrived in Hollywood with a built-in fan base. Jason Blum, the chief executive of Blumhouse Productions, has drawn comparisons between Barker and his peers and the generation of bold American filmmakers who emerged in the 1970s, describing them as “making edgy movies that are connecting in theaters in a crazy way.”

“When you really step back, my journey is not really that different than Christopher Nolan or David Fincher or Steven Spielberg,” Barker said. “You can watch their early short films and see their work before they were given a chance. I think YouTube is just a path, a platform we can use now to show the industry what we’ve got.”

Today, Barker is among the most in-demand directors working in Hollywood. He has already completed his next feature, “Anything But Ghosts,” starring Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard, for Blumhouse. Two months ago, A24 announced that he will write and direct a reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Adjusting to the spotlight has been a process. Acclaimed directors including Ari Aster, Zach Cregger, and even Spielberg have reached out personally to praise the film.

“That’s when you start to feel this impostor syndrome of like: What? It’s not that good,” Barker said with a laugh. “All I see when I watch ‘Obsession’ is the problems.”

A sequel is essentially already a given. “A sequel isn’t hard for this movie,” Barker acknowledged. He described how future installments could follow different characters making wishes on One Wish Willows, each story centered on a different human vice — greed, fame, or something else entirely.

As much as it might be tempting to draw parallels between Barker’s success and the wish-granting premise of his own film, the reality is closer to the opposite. In “Obsession,” the main character’s fatal flaw is hesitation — waiting too long to act on his feelings, assuming there will always be more time. Barker, by contrast, never waited. He wanted to make films, so he made them.

“Anyone that asks what advice you have for young filmmakers, I always say the same thing,” Barker said. “I went to a film school for a year out in L.A. and I watched people paralyze themselves with the pressure of: I’ve told people I’m a director so now I have to direct something that has to be good. If it’s not good, everyone’s going to judge me. The result of that thinking is two years on one short film.”

“You can’t put too much pressure on an idea,” he added. “You just got to make it.”

Federal authorities have disrupted what the FBI director called “planned attacks” aimed at a UFC cage-fighting event that took place at the White House this past weekend, with several suspects now behind bars, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Tuesday.

The specific nature of the alleged threat had not yet been made public, with officials indicating more details would come once formal charges were unsealed later in the day.

A law enforcement official familiar with the situation, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the information had not yet been officially released, said five individuals were arrested across multiple states, including Ohio, Missouri, and California.

According to Patel, the FBI first became aware of the possible threat on June 10 — four days before the mixed-martial arts event on the White House’s South Lawn. “Thanks to the rapid action of the FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold,” Patel wrote in a post on X Tuesday morning.

President Donald Trump, who turned 80 years old at the UFC event on Sunday, had framed the fights as part of broader celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

A major California university is facing scrutiny over how it hands out student grant money, after research by the Washington Free Beacon revealed a striking imbalance in funding allocations at Stanford University.

According to the Beacon’s findings, Stanford awarded $175,000 to its Muslim Student Union — a sum that actually exceeds the total amount given to every Christian student group on campus combined.

The funding disparities don’t stop there. The university also chose to give $50,000 to a student drag queen organization, while the campus veterans group received just $10,000 — one-fifth of what the drag group was granted.

The Washington Free Beacon’s research has drawn renewed attention to how elite universities prioritize student organizations when distributing financial resources.

FORT WORTH, Texas — After touring a Catholic school, Maria Contreras desperately wanted to enroll her 7-year-old son. But she had a pressing question for the principal first: Her second grader struggles to stay focused, doesn’t follow teacher instructions, and can’t seem to stay in his seat. Would he be at risk of expulsion?

Families across the United States are increasingly exploring private school options as states — and soon the federal government — roll out taxpayer-funded scholarships designed to steer children away from public education. Within the near future, roughly half of all American schoolchildren could be eligible to apply for government money to fund a private education, with many states making those funds available even to higher-income households.

While these programs are designed in theory to open doors for children who otherwise couldn’t access private schooling, an AP analysis reveals a different reality: the students most likely to benefit are those who are already enrolled in private or home schools.

The reasons behind this trend are layered. Many public school families simply aren’t aware these scholarship programs — commonly called vouchers or education savings accounts — even exist. Others face transportation challenges. Some parents worry their children won’t adapt to stricter disciplinary environments at private schools. And in places like Texas, the newest addition to what is already a $10.5 billion school choice movement, the law itself is structured in ways that favor families already experienced in navigating complex educational systems.

Contreras and her husband both grew up Catholic in Mexico before relocating to Texas, where he found work as a welder. Over time, the couple obtained green cards and were largely satisfied with the Fort Worth public schools their three older children attended.

Their youngest, Ian, was a different story. He was reading well below his grade level, and Contreras asked his teacher in the fall to have him tested for a learning disability — not realizing there was a formal, legally required process for making that request.

Months passed without any testing. Ian wasn’t alone in falling through the cracks. At his elementary school, where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged homes and most are still learning English, only 4% of students have been identified with learning disabilities — far below the 14% districtwide rate.

What Contreras didn’t know at the time was that without a documented disability, her options for funding a different school for Ian would be severely limited.

She first heard about private school scholarships at church. During a Mass announcement, a man asked in Spanish whether anyone wanted $10,000 to attend Catholic school. Ian raised his hand.

Texas is launching its sweeping new program this fall, committing approximately $1 billion in public funds to help cover private school and homeschooling costs. The program uses education savings accounts — a broader type of scholarship that covers not just tuition, but also textbooks, music lessons, transportation, and technology.

Republican-led states including Indiana, Florida, and Arizona have offered taxpayer-backed private school scholarships for years. But the movement has gained major momentum under President Donald Trump, who has tapped into rising public skepticism toward traditional public education.

Texas had long resisted such a program, with Democrats and rural Republicans blocking earlier attempts over fears that public school funding would be drained. Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, accelerated the creation of Texas Education Freedom Accounts last year, with backing from Trump, who personally called Republican lawmakers to push for the legislation.

To secure enough votes, Texas Republicans dropped a provision that would have directed 80% of first-year Freedom Accounts to students transferring out of public schools. Without that safeguard, evidence from other states strongly suggests the majority of scholarships will go to students already in private or home school settings.

In Alabama last year, for example, former public school students accounted for just 13% of scholarship recipients, according to the AP analysis. Fewer than half of public school students offered a scholarship actually used it, compared with 94% of students already attending private schools.

Alabama intends to eliminate income limits on its scholarship program next year, following states like Arizona that have opened eligibility to all income levels. In Arizona, the AP found that scholarship usage is nearly three times higher in wealthy ZIP codes than in lower-income areas.

In the final version of the Texas law, priority went to students with documented disabilities and their siblings — provided their family income falls below $165,000 for a family of four. The next priority tier covers lower-income families earning less than $66,000 for a family of four.

Ian’s family, earning around $70,000 per year, landed in the third group — effectively near the back of the line. To move up, Ian would need a documented disability, a growing focal point in state voucher programs. Nine states now offer taxpayer-funded scholarships specifically targeting students with special needs.

But special education advocates have long cautioned against families leaving public schools for private ones. Private schools are not legally required to admit students with disabilities, and Contreras was surprised to discover they also aren’t obligated to provide the same support services that public schools must offer by law.

Despite decades of school choice research, there is little academic study on how students with disabilities are actually faring in traditional private schools under these voucher arrangements.

During Contreras’s tour of Saint Rita Catholic School, she paused the conversation mid-tour to tell staff about Ian’s difficulties sitting still and paying attention. Principal Kindra Johnston, a former counselor who brings her golden retriever to school each day, responded without hesitation.

Edwards Air Force Base, located in Southern California’s Mojave Desert roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles, has long been one of the most storied flight research facilities in the United States. But on Monday, tragedy struck when a B-52 bomber went down shortly after takeoff and burst into flames, claiming the lives of all eight people aboard.

The base has a rich history of aviation firsts dating back to the early 1940s. In 1942, test pilot Bob Stanley flew the first jet-powered aircraft in U.S. history, launching from the base’s dry lake bed — a naturally expansive stretch of flat terrain that proved critical for early turbojet engines that were prone to “flaming out.”

Five years later, in 1947, Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager made global aviation history by pushing an orange, bullet-shaped Bell X-1 rocket plane to Mach 1.05, officially breaking the sound barrier. That milestone was kept under wraps for nearly a year — during which time the world believed the British had achieved the feat first.

Then in 1981, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen landed on that same dry lake bed, completing the first flight of an orbiting space vehicle that launched on rocket power and returned to Earth gliding on wings like a conventional aircraft.

Today, the base is described as an “irreplaceable national asset” and continues to serve as a central hub for Air Force aircraft testing and development. All Air Force aircraft undergo testing there, along with select Navy and Army aircraft. The base itself has stated that “arguably, more major milestones in flight have occurred at this base than anywhere else in the world.”

Operations at the base are overseen by the 412th Test Wing, which handles developmental testing of Air Force weapons systems, software, and components — both before they are purchased by the military and throughout their operational lifespan.

In 2025, Boeing delivered a B-52 to Edwards equipped with a new, modernized radar system. According to an Air Force news release from that year, a test team was scheduled to conduct ground and flight tests on the aircraft through 2026 to inform a production decision. The updated Active Electronically Scanned Array, or AESA, radar replaced the plane’s older, outdated system. It remains unclear whether that aircraft is the same one involved in Monday’s crash.

Military officials confirmed the B-52 went down during what was described as a routine test mission. Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards, told reporters at a news conference that the aircraft was supporting the “radar modernization program” at the time of the crash.

Among those killed were both government contractors and uniformed military personnel. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were on board.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and an official investigation is currently underway.

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Paris Hilton walked back onto the grounds of a Utah boarding school Monday where she says she endured abuse as a teenager, this time to stand with two families who filed lawsuits that same day claiming their children were harmed at the same facility.

Hilton was at Provo Canyon School in Springville to lend her voice to new legal action against the institution, where she spent nearly a year in the late 1990s. The hotel heiress and media personality has alleged that staff members physically beat her, watched her shower, gave her unidentified pills, and placed her in solitary confinement without clothing.

“I dreamed of becoming strong enough, successful enough and powerful enough to come back and be the hero that I needed when I was a little girl locked inside,” Hilton said. “Today is that day, and I am not backing down.”

The school is currently under new ownership, and its administration has stated it is unable to address anything that occurred prior to the ownership change, including the period when Hilton was enrolled there.

Hilton, who is 45 years old, is urging Utah licensing authorities to close the school permanently. Over the years, she has testified about her experiences before Congress and in state legislatures across the country, contributing to the passage of protective laws for minors in Utah and 15 other states. Utah has long been a significant hub for what is called the troubled teen industry — a network of private, for-profit residential programs for young people with behavioral challenges.

State health officials placed restrictions on Provo Canyon School’s operating license in May after determining that staff failed to seek prompt medical care for a student who suffered serious injuries. Those restrictions, which include a ban on accepting new students, are scheduled to expire Thursday.

One of Monday’s lawsuits was filed by Aleah Corona, the mother of the injured student. She alleges that after another resident slammed her 13-year-old son’s head into the ground, the school did not respond quickly enough. The boy suffered a fractured jaw and a traumatic brain injury, according to her account. A second family alleged that their daughter endured severe stomach pain and nausea for more than a week before the school arranged appropriate medical care, after which she experienced kidney failure, according to their lawsuit.

The school declined to comment on the specific cases, citing patient privacy laws, but released a statement saying: “At Provo Canyon School, the safety, dignity, and well-being of those entrusted to our care are our highest priorities.”

As she approached the campus, Hilton walked with both middle fingers raised, telling The Associated Press she would not be intimidated by a place where she once feared for her life on a daily basis.

She also cautioned that parents, including her own, can be misled by the marketing used by facilities like this one, which often present themselves as safe environments for struggling teens.

“These places really just pray on parents who are just looking for help for their children,” Hilton said. “I wasn’t a bad kid, I was just sneaking out at night, getting bad grades. I had ADHD, so I wasn’t doing well in school, but this was definitely not the place that I should’ve been sent. My parents had no idea.”

MIAMI (AP) — A teenager accused of sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister while aboard a Carnival Cruise ship turned himself in Monday after a federal judge reversed an earlier ruling that had allowed him to remain free before trial, now that he faces charges as an adult.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami confirmed that Timothy Hudson is now in custody. U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued the order revoking Hudson’s pretrial release the previous Wednesday, though the order remained sealed until Monday afternoon. According to the order, Hudson was directed to surrender to U.S. Marshals at the federal courthouse in Tampa on Monday morning.

Back in February, the judge had permitted the then-16-year-old to reside with an uncle and wear an electronic monitoring device. However, once the case was transferred to adult court in April, prosecutors pushed for Hudson to be jailed.

The judge ultimately concluded that Hudson’s pretrial detention should be handled as though he were an adult, though he will be housed in an approved juvenile facility.

“The Government has established, by clear and convincing evidence, that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of the community going forward,” Torres wrote in his order.

Hudson has entered a not guilty plea to charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in connection with the death of Anna Kepner. His federal public defenders have declined to make any public comment on the case.

It is uncommon for minors to face prosecution in federal court, but this case ended up there because Kepner apparently died in international waters, placing it outside the jurisdiction of any individual state.

Kepner had been traveling aboard the Carnival Horizon in November with her family, which included Hudson. Before the ship was set to return to Florida, her body was discovered hidden beneath a bed in a cabin she shared with Hudson and another teenager, according to a criminal complaint.

The cause of Kepner’s death on November 6 was determined to be mechanical asphyxia — a condition in which an object or physical force prevents a person from breathing.

Attorneys on both sides presented arguments regarding Hudson’s detention at a May 27 hearing, but Torres indicated he wanted to consult with the U.S. Marshals Service about the possibility of holding Hudson in central Florida, closer to his family, rather than in South Florida where the trial will be held. Hudson left the courthouse following that hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandra Lopez argued at the hearing that the severity of the alleged crimes made it too great a risk to allow Hudson to remain free. Prosecutors said an autopsy found that Kepner had been pinned down and forcibly raped. Lopez also pointed out that it likely took three to five minutes for Hudson to allegedly strangle Kepner to death.

The prosecutor further argued that Hudson posed a significantly higher flight risk now that he faces a possible life sentence as an adult. Under juvenile proceedings, he would have been released at age 21 regardless of the outcome.

Evan Kuhl, with the Federal Public Defender’s office, told the judge during the hearing that Hudson had followed all conditions of his release for months without any problems.

Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, previously issued a statement saying the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity.”

“The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family,” Kepner said.

Anna Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, roughly 40 miles east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, those who loved her asked attendees to wear bright colors rather than traditional black, “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit brought by singer Dawn Richard against hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, ruling that the majority of her allegations — including claims of physical and emotional abuse and groping — were not filed within the legally required one-year window following the events described.

Judge Katherine Polk Failla issued the ruling on Friday, with it becoming available to the public on Monday. The judge said Richard is permitted to refile one of her claims in state court, but other claims that missed New York’s legal filing deadline by more than a decade cannot be refiled.

In her written ruling, the judge used notably strong language, stating the decision “exists independently of its disapprobation of the factual allegations, which, if true, are execrable” — meaning the court’s decision was based solely on legal procedure, not on whether the judge personally approved or disapproved of what Combs stands accused of doing.

Richard’s attorney, Arick Fudali, confirmed the singer plans to refile her main claim in state court under the gender-motivated violence act. “We certainly agree with the Judge that the allegations in this case are execrable,” Fudali said in an emailed statement — noting that “execrable” means extremely bad. “We intend to continue to fight for Dawn until justice is achieved.”

Attorneys representing Combs had not responded to requests for comment at the time of this report. When the lawsuit was originally filed in September 2024, Combs’ representatives stated he was “shocked and disappointed” by the legal action and questioned why Richard would have continued working with him for so long if his behavior was truly that harmful.

Richard was a member of the Bad Boy Records groups Danity Kane and Diddy — Dirty Money between 2004 and 2012. She appeared as a witness at last year’s New York trial in which Combs was convicted on prostitution-related charges, though he was acquitted of the more serious sex trafficking counts.

During her testimony in Manhattan federal court, Richard told jurors she personally witnessed Combs physically assault his girlfriend in 2009 and that he later threatened her to keep quiet about what she had seen.

Her lawsuit alleged that over the course of her eight years working with Combs, she was subjected to ongoing abuse, manipulation, and violence, and that Combs routinely used degrading language when referring to women.

The lawsuit further claimed that Combs regularly denied Richard and her fellow bandmates food and sleep, and humiliated her when she asked him to get dressed after he held meetings while wearing only his underwear. It also alleged that Richard was repeatedly exposed to drug-fueled gatherings where Combs and associates performed sexual acts on incapacitated young women.

According to the lawsuit, Combs frequently flew into violent rages, throwing cell phones, laptops, food, and studio equipment. Richard also alleged she witnessed him choking and strangling his protege and long-term girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.

Ventura herself testified over several days at the trial that ended with Combs receiving a prison sentence of four years and two months.

A former Louisville, Kentucky police officer is now facing criminal charges after a grand jury indicted him Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of an unarmed naked man last month.

The grand jury handed down two charges against Nathan A. Stotts — second-degree manslaughter and reckless homicide — stemming from the May 30 shooting death of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr.

According to Louisville police, Stotts was dispatched to a neighborhood following reports that three women had been assaulted. Officers were informed that the suspect had no clothing on and was seen running in the street.

Body camera footage released by the department shows Stotts approaching a nude man seated in the road with his weapon already drawn. The man stands up and begins walking toward the officer. Despite commands to stop, the man keeps moving forward, and Stotts fires a single shot. The video ends with the man falling to his knees and going still.

Nitzken was pronounced dead at the scene.

At a news conference held earlier this month, Police Chief Paul Humphrey described Nitzken as “naked, stumbling and unarmed.”

“Sometimes we have to make decisions to take people’s lives, and this was not one of them,” Humphrey stated, adding that he believed nonlethal force should have been used as the victim moved toward the officer.

Humphrey had indicated he intended to terminate Stotts following the release of the body camera video, but Stotts submitted his resignation first. He had joined the Louisville police force in 2024.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina Whethers announced Monday that while the grand jury did indict Stotts, it stopped short of charging him with murder.

The second-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of five to ten years in prison, while the reckless homicide charge carries a maximum of one to five years.

As of Monday, no attorney for Stotts had been identified in court records. Louisville police issued a statement saying they “remain committed to transparency, accountability, and cooperation with all reviewing agencies,” but declined to comment further due to ongoing criminal and internal investigations.

The Louisville police department has been working to rebuild public trust in recent years following the 2020 fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor inside her apartment. Earlier this year, a federal judge agreed to dismiss all charges against two former Louisville officers who were involved in obtaining the warrant used to enter Taylor’s home the night she was killed.

A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after leaving the runway Monday morning at a U.S. Air Force installation in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, according to military officials.

The aircraft went down at approximately 11:20 a.m. at Edwards Air Force Base, the military announced via the social platform X. As of the initial report, there was no word on whether anyone aboard was injured or killed.

Footage captured at the scene showed a large column of black smoke billowing up from the desert floor.

By shortly before 1 p.m., the base had closed its airfield and was redirecting all incoming aircraft elsewhere. Officials also announced that all non-commercial visitor passes to the installation had been suspended, saying the move was necessary “to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations.”

The aircraft involved, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, is a long-range bomber that has been in service since 1955. It is normally operated by a crew of five and was built to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. The aircraft has seen combat use across decades of American military operations, from the Vietnam War to more recent engagements in the Middle East.

Edwards Air Force Base sits roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles and serves as a major hub for U.S. Air Force aircraft testing and development. The 412th Test Wing, which oversees the base, is responsible for developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software, and components — both before they are purchased by the military and throughout their operational life. The base also holds a place in aviation history as the site where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947.

This incident comes nearly a year after a separate B-52-related close call, when a regional airliner flying over North Dakota made an abrupt maneuver last July to avoid a potential midair collision with a military B-52 that had entered its flight path.

A child is dead and one other person is injured following a shooting involving a Mississippi police officer who fired at a vehicle during a response to a shoplifting call, according to authorities.

The incident took place Sunday after three individuals, one of them a child, left a Walmart in Senatobia and got into a vehicle, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which has taken over the case.

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver steered it in the direction of the officers, nearly striking one of them, the bureau said. An officer responded by firing at the vehicle, which then fled the scene.

The three occupants drove themselves to a nearby hospital, where the child was pronounced dead. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has not confirmed whether the child sustained gunshot wounds.

The Senatobia Police Department addressed the situation on Facebook, writing, “As the investigation progresses and facts are verified, we will share as much information as possible.” The department had not responded to media inquiries at the time of this report.

The Tate County Sheriff’s Office, which also had personnel on scene during the shooting, declined to offer any comment on the matter.

Walmart released a statement saying the company is cooperating with law enforcement throughout the investigation. “We’re saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store,” a company spokesperson said.

Senatobia is located roughly 40 miles — about 65 kilometers — south of Memphis, Tennessee.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on a significant constitutional question: can states legally use juries of just six people in criminal cases, rather than the traditional 12? The case putting this issue before the nation’s highest court involves a Florida chiropractor in an unlikely but pivotal legal battle.

The justices will hear arguments this fall in the case of Hamed Kian, a 45-year-old chiropractor who contends that being tried by a six-person jury violated his constitutional rights. Kian was convicted of continuing to see patients after his license was suspended.

Court records show Kian’s license was pulled after three female patients complained that he had either kissed or touched them inappropriately. Despite the suspension, prosecutors gathered evidence that Kian kept operating out of his office in Jupiter, Florida. He was ultimately found guilty by a jury of six people.

Florida routinely uses six-person juries for all criminal cases not involving the death penalty. Five additional states — Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Utah — also conduct some criminal trials with juries of that smaller size.

Kian’s legal team argues the six-person jury runs afoul of the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees defendants the right to “a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state.” While the amendment doesn’t spell out a specific jury size, his attorneys argue that when the amendment was ratified in 1791, the word “jury” was universally understood to mean a group of 12 people. More than a century later, the Supreme Court affirmed that standard.

However, in 1970, the court reversed course in a 7-1 ruling — also stemming from a Florida case — determining that 12 jurors were not constitutionally required. Justice Thurgood Marshall was the lone dissenter in that decision.

In recent years, the Supreme Court has placed greater weight on the original meaning of the Constitution. In a related Sixth Amendment ruling in 2020, the court determined that criminal juries must reach unanimous verdicts, effectively overturning a 1972 decision that had allowed non-unanimous convictions in Louisiana and Oregon.

Kian’s attorneys drew a direct line between that ruling and the current case. “The same reasoning applies to the historical right to a jury of twelve,” they wrote in their appeal. “When the People enshrined the jury trial right in the Constitution, they did not attach a rider that future judges could adapt it based on latter-day social science views.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier urged the court to let Kian’s conviction stand, defending the 1970 precedent as correctly decided. He warned that overturning it “would imperil thousands of criminal convictions in Florida and five other states that for more than 50 years have relied on its rule.”

A federal immigration judge has awarded asylum to a 56-year-old California woman who was orphaned in Iran during the 1970s and later adopted by an American military veteran — the same woman immigration authorities threatened to deport earlier this year to a country the U.S. is now in conflict with.

The ruling by Judge Andrew Fishkin likely brings an end to a months-long nightmare for the woman, who is among thousands of international adoptees never granted U.S. citizenship due to gaps between adoption law and immigration policy.

The woman has resided in the United States since she was brought here as a toddler by her adoptive American parents and has no criminal history. The Associated Press has chosen not to identify her, as she fears her legal status could still be challenged if the government appeals. A federal judge has permitted her to go by the pseudonym “Ms. S” in her legal battle over her immigration status.

In February, she received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security ordering her to appear for deportation proceedings. Officials claimed she was eligible for removal because she had overstayed a visa in March 1974 — when she was just four years old.

She described the months that followed as terrifying and deeply humiliating.

She was raised in a Christian, military household on a Wisconsin farm and grew up with strong patriotic values. Yet government documents labeled her an “alien” and incorrectly stated she did not speak English — a language she has spoken her entire life.

Immigration officials told her she was under arrest, though she was released and required to wear an ankle monitor. She bought new pants to conceal the device and trained herself not to cross her legs during work meetings, afraid the monitor would jeopardize the healthcare corporate position she has held for nearly two decades.

Authorities fingerprinted her and collected her DNA. She said she was visibly crying in the mugshot they took of her.

Bracing for the possibility of detention, she set her bills to autopay and gave friends a spare key to her home.

Her attorney, Emily Howe, said the government had the authority to simply recognize her as an American citizen. “Instead they treated her like a terrorist, like she was the worst of the worst criminals,” Howe said. “It felt very Big Brother, very Orwellian.”

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the case.

The Associated Press had previously featured the woman in a 2024 story about how many international adoptees were left without citizenship because their American adoptive parents never completed the naturalization process.

Her adoptive parents were living in Iran in the 1970s, where her father — a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who had been held as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II — was working for a U.S. government contractor. The couple discovered the toddler at an Iranian orphanage and returned to the United States with her in 1973, completing the adoption shortly after. At that time, adoptive parents were legally required to separately pursue naturalization for their children. Both of her parents have since passed away.

She did not discover she had never been naturalized until she applied for a passport at age 38. She still does not know exactly how the oversight occurred, but found among her late father’s papers a 1975 letter from a lawyer stating he had been working with immigration officials, that “it appears this matter is concluded,” and billing her father for the services.

Earlier this month, she filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the government from deporting her and to compel it to grant her citizenship.

For years, she has believed she should legally be considered a U.S. citizen. She holds a Social Security card and a driver’s license, has been authorized to work, and has paid taxes for decades. Only the immigration agency disputes her citizenship. She suspects her paperwork was lost when militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.

Judge Fishkin appeared to share that view, noting in his ruling that documents from that embassy are unavailable to either the woman or the U.S. government. He declared her a refugee with the right to work in the United States, and his ruling places her on a path toward formal citizenship recognition.

She said she felt a sense of hope when she learned her court date fell on her late father’s birthday. She had always felt a duty to protect not just herself, but her father’s legacy as well — a dedicated military man, she said, who would never have knowingly allowed such a serious oversight to leave his daughter in legal limbo.

A federal immigration agent was struck by a vehicle Monday while attempting to take someone into custody in New Jersey, according to local police.

After being hit, the agent discharged his firearm, possibly hitting the suspect’s vehicle as it fled the area, Stafford Township police announced in an official statement.

“The agent reportedly sustained unknown injuries and it is unknown if the suspect was injured at this time,” police said. “There is no reason to believe there is any concern for the public’s safety.”

A request for comment sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement by email was not answered. Images circulating online showed a masked agent seated on the ground near a vehicle bumper before being loaded onto a stretcher.

The incident took place on Route 72 in the Manahawkin community of Stafford Township, located approximately 60 miles — or about 96.5 kilometers — east of Philadelphia.

A second firefighter has succumbed to injuries he sustained while battling a fire and explosion at a Maine lumber mill last month.

The blaze erupted on May 15 at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, sending massive clouds of black smoke into the sky and drawing hundreds of firefighters to the rural area. Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury, 76, passed away Sunday morning from those injuries, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Woodbury was one of more than 10 people hurt in the fire and explosion. Andrew Cross, 27, a member of the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department, had also previously died as a result of the incident.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills issued a statement honoring Woodbury’s sacrifice. “Wayne gave his life to protect his community, and his sacrifice and example will never be forgotten,” she said. “On behalf of the people of Maine, I extend my deepest condolences to the Searsmont Fire Department, to his community and to all impacted by this devastating loss.”

Authorities said the fire was accidental and started at the base of a silo. According to the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office, combustible particulate material ignited rapidly, triggering an explosion inside the silo that lifted it off its concrete base and released large quantities of sawdust and other debris. The silo then fell over, and the surrounding area was quickly consumed by fire.

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing, the public safety department noted. Lumber mills are known to be significant sources of combustible dust, making them particularly vulnerable to this type of incident.

Maine Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau also responded to the news Monday, saying his “heart goes out to (Woodbury’s) family, colleagues, and all who are affected by this tragedy.”

Robbins Lumber describes itself as a high-tech lumber manufacturer with more than a century of history. The Searsmont facility sits roughly 95 miles northeast of Portland, Maine’s largest city. The lumber and wood products industry is a cornerstone of Maine’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in economic activity annually.

BUTLER, Mo. — A small plane loaded with skydivers went down in flames just after liftoff from a Missouri airfield Sunday, claiming the lives of all 12 people on board, according to authorities.

The aircraft, carrying one pilot and 11 passengers, crashed into a nearby field and burst into flames. Adding to the heartbreak, some family members who had arrived at the airport to watch their loved ones jump witnessed the crash firsthand, according to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.

Kevin Payne, who had previously jumped alongside seven of the victims, described those lost as part of a deeply connected community. “There is a joy and peace and freedom to what we do. That’s what most people never understand,” Payne, of Parkville, Missouri, wrote in an email. “It’s not about the adrenaline. It’s about really flying together with your family in that brief, exquisite instant that people who live their lives on the ground will never understand.”

Payne said the group was made up of very different individuals who were united by what he called a “sky family” bond.

Investigators have not yet pinpointed a cause for the crash, and a final determination from the National Transportation Safety Board could take a year or longer. Weather does not appear to have played a role.

Eyewitnesses reported that the plane was approximately 100 feet off the ground when it made a sudden sharp left turn before going down. Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager at Butler Memorial Airport, said the aircraft appeared to be losing power. He suggested the pilot may have been attempting to reach a nearby highway for an emergency landing before the plane stalled and plunged nose-first into the ground.

The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City. The crash occurred in the small town of Butler, located roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.

The aircraft involved was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop that is widely used in the skydiving industry because it is built specifically for the sport. It can carry parachutists to jumping altitude quickly and is capable of operating on short runways. Flight tracking data from FlightAware shows the plane — built in 2010 — had completed nine successful flights in the days leading up to the crash, including two earlier on Sunday morning.

Federal safety investigators have previously raised alarms about insufficient oversight of skydiving operations. Following a separate crash that killed 11 people in Hawaii, the NTSB stated that the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory framework is not strong enough to guarantee the safety of skydiving flights.

The United States Parachute Association, the governing body for the sport, released a statement saying “a loss of this magnitude is felt profoundly across the entire sport.” The organization also noted that Skydive Kansas City follows the safety standards of the world’s largest skydiving organization, including all FAA-mandated maintenance requirements.

The skydiving industry points to what it considers a strong overall safety record. The association reported that nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed last year, with 16 civilian fatalities — most of which were attributed to human error.

A beagle breeding operation in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin — a small town roughly 25 miles southwest of Madison — is shutting down for good, and the hundreds of dogs still on the property are heading to a rescue organization.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced Monday that it has reached an agreement with Ridglan Farms for the permanent closure of the facility. As part of the deal, the rescue group will take in the farm’s 475 remaining beagles beginning this week.

According to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, some of the dogs will be distributed to other rescue organizations, while the rest will be transported to the group’s campuses in Florida and Alabama. There, the animals will be spayed or neutered and prepared for adoption into permanent homes.

This is not the first time Big Dog Ranch Rescue has stepped in at this facility. Back in April, the organization purchased approximately 1,500 of the farm’s more than 2,000 beagles for an undisclosed sum. The transfer of the remaining dogs is expected to wrap up by August, at which point no animals will remain at the property.

The rescue group is urging protesters to stand down, saying Ridglan Farms has committed to permanently ending its dog breeding, sales, research, and testing operations.

Lauree Simmons, founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, addressed the situation in a statement: “Our focus now should be on supporting these dogs as they transition into their new lives.”

Representatives for Ridglan Farms did not respond to phone or email messages seeking comment on Monday.

Animal rights advocates have spent years pushing for the facility’s dogs to be placed in adoptive homes rather than sold to research labs. Beagles are the most widely used breed in animal testing, largely due to their small size and calm nature, according to Big Dog Ranch Rescue.

The farm has been the scene of significant unrest in recent months. In April, law enforcement deployed tear gas and pepper spray against a large group of activists who stormed the property in an attempt to remove dogs. In March, protesters broke into the facility and took 30 beagles, resulting in dozens of arrests.

Ridglan Farms previously agreed in October to surrender its state breeding license effective July 1 as part of an arrangement to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. While the company has denied any wrongdoing, a special prosecutor found that the farm had been conducting eye procedures that did not meet state veterinary standards.

CONCORD, N.H. — Paper may be the traditional gift for a first wedding anniversary, but it turns out it’s also a fitting choice for a 250th birthday — particularly when you’re packing a time capsule meant to honor American independence.

A 2016 law established the nonpartisan America250 commission and required that a time capsule be buried in Philadelphia on July 4, 2026, with instructions not to open it until 2276 — a full 250 years later. Just last week, the massive 900-pound cylindrical capsule was officially sealed, marking the end of years of design work, construction, collaboration with states, and careful review of submitted items.

“Once it was closed, it was a little bit anti-climactic, and then it was kind of really emotional,” said Michael Berilla, who leads the fabrication technology office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and headed the team responsible for designing and building the capsule.

Berilla’s office, which falls under the Department of Commerce, has previously built protective encasements for historical documents — though those are typically kept indoors under tightly controlled conditions. A time capsule buried underground faces a very different threat: water. That concern drove much of the design process.

The capsule is cylindrical rather than box-shaped, since corners and square edges are prone to cracking over time. A second outer cylinder will surround it, creating an air barrier that pushes water away. The capsule’s lid is also lined with a soft metal that compresses when sealed.

“When you smash it shut with the lid, that metal goes into all the cracks and spaces and makes an airtight, watertight seal,” Berilla explained.

The contents inside were stored at 35% relative humidity — moist enough to prevent materials from drying out and crumbling, but dry enough to avoid creating moisture-related damage. The capsule will be placed 10 feet underground, shielding it from temperature swings and storm damage.

“Philadelphia would have to be six feet underwater in order for this time capsule to even possibly take on water,” Berilla said. “And if Philly is six feet underwater, you’ve got way bigger problems in the world.”

The capsule holds contributions from all three branches of the federal government, items tied to ongoing America 250 events and programs, and submissions from all 50 states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Most items are housed in small archival boxes, while paper documents occupy a separate compartment. According to a list published on the America250 website, archival-grade paper was among the most popular choices, with states sending in hundreds of letters, postcards, posters, poems, and other printed materials.

States took very different approaches to their submissions. New Hampshire looked back, contributing a brochure tracing major moments in the state’s Revolutionary War history. California looked ahead, submitting the response it received when it asked an AI chatbot: “Write me a prediction of what California will be like 250 years from July 4, 2026.” According to the AI, highways will disappear, grizzly bears will return, and California will eventually break away to join Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in forming a “Pacific Federation.”

Some states went above and beyond. Utah included 100 cards highlighting historical figures from the state, along with 13 coins, eight documents, eight pins, two granite disks, and a booklet. Arizona used nano-etching technology to engrave the full text of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution onto a stainless steel coin. Other contributions were more unusual — Maine submitted a bone from the endangered North Atlantic right whale, while Arkansas sent an actual diamond.

Tom Medema, a retired National Park Service official who served as project manager for the time capsule, said the range of submissions was remarkable.

“I’m glad there wasn’t really a prescription for it,” he said. “I know that was hard for them, but in the end, it was just up to them to represent themselves.”

Items that could deteriorate or metals that might rust were not permitted. Maryland’s attempt to include Old Bay seasoning was turned away, and a piece of Native American beaded artwork originally backed by elk hide had to be resubmitted on a fabric backing instead.

Medema noted that some submissions reflect difficult chapters in American history, as well as challenges the country faces today. Even so, the overall spirit of the project remained hopeful.

“There’s great hope in what this capsule represents and the messages that are put in it,” he said. “Something about this capsule has been truly uplifting for everyone who’s been involved in it.”

This is not the first time Americans have buried a national time capsule connected to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. A so-called “Century Safe” filled in 1876 was opened by President Gerald Ford in 1976. That same year, an official Bicentennial time capsule was created; it is currently held at the National Archives and scheduled to be opened in 2076. A separate time capsule is also being planned for the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

To make sure the America 250 capsule is actually located in 2276, the National Park Service has incorporated details about it into succession plans that will be handed down over the generations. A capstone marking the burial site will also be installed above it.

For Berilla, reflecting on what America looked like 250 years ago brings one word to mind: resilience.

“And when I think forward to the future, I hope that’s what they see from us,” he said. “That, yes, we had it hard compared to them, but more importantly, we were diverse. We were interesting. We were creative. We worked together.”

The capsule includes a photo of his team along with a letter he wrote on their behalf. “Greetings from the living, breathing hearts and hands of 2026,” Berilla wrote. “We will have long since returned to dust, but our devotion, pride, and unwavering hope for what our world could become are alive right here inside this steel. We built this for you.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump rang in his 80th birthday Sunday with two major moments: announcing an early-stage agreement to bring the conflict in Iran to a close, and hosting a professional cage-fighting event on the historic South Lawn of the White House.

The president had been talking up the emerging Iran deal for weeks, and the ongoing conflict had threatened to cast a shadow over the UFC mixed martial arts spectacle, where fighters inside a wire-mesh Octagon competed to defeat each other through punches, kicks, and grappling.

Before the event got underway, however, Trump announced the agreement to end the fighting “is now complete.” He said the United States would lift its blockade of Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen — though significant details still remain to be worked out in the weeks ahead.

Senior administration officials and Republican congressional leaders were on hand for the fights, among them Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Polish President Karol Nawrocki was also present at the White House.

The evening opened with Trump and UFC president Dana White walking side by side from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to take in the view of the Octagon, standing together as fighter jets roared overhead during the national anthem.

A massive temporary arena was packed with thousands of spectators beneath “The Claw,” a striking metal arch resembling a spacecraft, outfitted with lights, speakers, and giant video screens. Thousands more fans watched the action on large screens from the nearby Ellipse.

“This event is a one of one event, incredible event,” White said during a Friday night preview gathering at the Lincoln Memorial, where fighters faced off for the cameras beneath the marble statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Before the night’s main event, lightweight fighters Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje each made their entrance by walking out of the Oval Office itself before heading to the Octagon — a gesture that had Trump temporarily giving up his own workspace for the spectacle.

American fighter Gaethje went on to defeat Spanish-Georgian Topuria in an upset after four bloody rounds. Trump later entered the cage himself to greet the fighters and stayed to watch a fireworks show that launched well after 1 a.m.

Throughout the night, many victorious fighters offered thanks to both Trump and God from inside the cage. Heavyweight Josh Hokit went further, making an extraordinary and baseless attack rooted in a right-wing conspiracy theory targeting a former first lady: “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?” Hokit also approached Trump and draped a chain around the president’s neck.

Despite the summer heat, Trump wore a suit and tie throughout much of the evening, often watching the bouts stone-faced through the cage’s wire mesh. At one point, he briefly chatted with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

When American fighter Sean O’Malley faced Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, Trump put on a white USA hat. After Zahabi won, he shook the president’s hand and offered a salute. Earlier, Trump was seen speaking with first lady Melania Trump during the opening bout between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia. After Bo Nickal knocked out Kyle Daukaus in the second fight, Nickal walked over to Trump and knelt beside him for a brief conversation.

“I gotta thank President Trump for making this happen,” Nickal said in a post-fight interview as Trump smiled nearby, calling the president a “special person” — after which Trump’s signature song “YMCA” played over the speakers.

Trump framed the event as part of broader celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The fights were so central to his plans that the G7 summit of industrialized nations was pushed back to allow Trump to attend his cage-match celebration before flying to Europe for the meetings.

Crowds repeatedly broke into chants of “USA! USA!” when American fighters squared off against foreign opponents, though those chants didn’t always translate into victories — at least until the final bout. Brazilian fighter Mauricio Ruffy, after winning his match, proposed to his girlfriend in the crowd, who flashed a thumbs-up in what observers noted was a very Trumpian moment.

The evening stood in sharp contrast to how Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, spent his own 80th birthday. Biden marked the milestone in November 2022 with a quiet private family brunch at the White House.

Asked about the difference between the two celebrations, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster issued a statement calling the UFC event “one of the most entertaining nights in American history.”

When Biden turned 80, he was the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, and was just months away from launching a reelection campaign he would eventually abandon following a poor debate performance against Trump and growing opposition within his own party.