Category: U.S. News

NEW YORK — A national coalition of charitable foundations is urging its members to shine a light on the good they do for everyday Americans, launching a campaign tied to the country’s 250th anniversary in response to what the group describes as heightened scrutiny from both the federal government and populist movements.

The Council on Foundations, an advocacy organization representing around 1,000 nonprofits, says public misconceptions — that philanthropy is simply a playground for the ultra-rich to push political agendas or commit fraud — have left the sector open to political attacks that threaten critical community services. The group launched its “Generosity Builds” campaign on Monday, hoping to close what CEO Kathleen Enright describes as a “perception gap.”

Enright says most Americans don’t realize just how much they depend on nonprofit organizations. A 2023 report from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that only about 1 in 20 adults said they or a family member had used nonprofit services in the past year.

“This week, I got an MRI at Georgetown University Hospital, I participated in my church at St. Columba’s, my daughter was inducted into National Junior Honor Society. Four or five nonprofits have been instrumental in my life this week,” Enright said. “Folks just aren’t putting that tag on it.”

That recognition is becoming more critical, Enright noted. During last year’s debate over President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation, proposals surfaced that would have imposed new taxes on private foundations — measures Enright said could have drained resources away from communities had they become law.

The broader debate over what nonprofits actually do has intensified under the Trump administration, which has dismantled longstanding partnerships with nonprofit organizations. The White House froze, cut, or threatened a wide range of social service grants, characterizing them as “government largesse that’s often riddled with corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse.” More recently, the Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center — a civil rights nonprofit that Republicans have accused of targeting conservatives through its extremist-tracking work — with defrauding donors via payments made to informants.

Vice President JD Vance, speaking as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2021, called the Ford Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Harvard University endowment “cancers on American society,” telling Tucker Carlson that “we are actively subsidizing the people who are destroying this country and they call it a charity.”

“All across our country, we have nonprofits — big foundations — that are effectively social-justice hedge funds,” Vance said that same year during a talk on “woke capital.”

Enright countered that stories portraying nonprofits as “overly politicized” or wasteful are “extreme minority stories” that don’t accurately represent how the philanthropic sector works.

Surveys consistently show that public trust in nonprofits remains higher than in most other sectors. Still, measuring and communicating their impact can be difficult. According to Kathryn Thomas, vice president of communications for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan, the sector hasn’t faced conditions this difficult in nearly 60 years.

Thomas pointed to congressional efforts to raise taxes on foundations’ investment income and acknowledged the impact of the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts.

“In an era when everything is under partisan attack and there’s so much polarization, we really have to do a better job of emphasizing why we exist,” Thomas said.

Enright pushed back on the idea that philanthropy is about a wealthy person riding in to “save the day.” She acknowledged growing unease about billionaires’ outsized influence, which she said is feeding skepticism about what motivates major donors. Some critics argue that the charitable sector lets wealthy interests determine how tax-exempt dollars are spent, bypassing elected officials.

The campaign will instead highlight that the majority of donors “have just a little bit more than they need and therefore want to give back,” Enright said, particularly at the local level.

“Money does not solve problems. It’s a tool that creative people and institutions inside communities use to solve problems,” she said. “The real heroes of most of these stories are nonprofit leaders, religious leaders, civic leaders who just roll up their sleeves and get something done — but do it with some financial underpinning by charitable foundations.”

One example featured in the campaign comes from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation in Sarasota, Florida. Last year, the foundation helped open a 10-unit affordable housing complex specifically for military veterans.

Jon Thaxton, the foundation’s director of policy and advocacy, said the Sarasota area has an “embarrassingly high” number of unhoused veterans, many of whom have been priced out of a market that has increasingly become a luxury destination with steep real estate costs.

Local donors had been working toward a similar project when they came to the foundation for assistance in 2020. Thaxton helped secure land already designated for affordable housing, assembled $2.2 million in private donations, obtained $800,000 from the city, and gained support from their U.S. representatives.

Foundation leaders say their established reputation made that success possible. President and CEO Phillip Lanham noted the project was completed across multiple election cycles and through a pandemic, arguing that community foundations are uniquely positioned to “play the long game.”

“Most people think that foundations like us deal with money and donors. We really don’t. We deal with relationships and trust,” Thaxton said. “That’s our commodity. That’s what we earn. That’s what we save. And that’s what we contribute back to the community.”

As part of its broader case for philanthropy as a fundamental “part of the American story,” the Council on Foundations will also highlight early, ordinary givers from the nation’s history.

Enright pointed to an 18th century sailor who launched the country’s first charity hospital by leaving his estate to establish a Boston facility for sick and injured sailors. She also cited a formerly enslaved man who donated land in North Carolina that became an African Methodist Episcopal church — one that still serves as a cornerstone of its local community today.

Lillian Kuri, president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, welcomed the campaign’s focus on everyday philanthropists. The Cleveland Foundation is widely regarded as the nation’s first community foundation, established in 1914 by attorney Frederick Harris Goff as a vehicle for creating lasting change in the city.

The foundation is exploring new ways to broaden the circle of people committed to improving their communities. This week, it announced new investments in a fund aimed at converting vacant industrial land into job-ready work sites. It also launched a fund allowing donors to invest in major companies in Northeast Ohio, with the goal of growing those contributions into larger sums that can eventually be donated to nonprofits.

“Generosity cuts across everybody,” Kuri said, adding that community foundations provide “a way for everyday people — not just the largest, wealthiest people — to participate in the change they want to see in their communities.”

Twelve people are presumed dead after a single-engine turboprop plane carrying skydivers went down Sunday near Butler, Missouri, according to authorities.

Officials say the victims include 11 skydivers who were aboard the aircraft along with the pilot. All 12 are presumed to have perished in the crash.

A newly released survey is painting a striking picture of how Asian American and Pacific Islander adults view the United States amid the current immigration climate — and the results suggest a significant shift in confidence about America as a destination for immigrants.

The poll, released Monday by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that roughly half of AAPI adults say that either they personally, or someone they know, has experienced notable disruptions over the past year tied to immigration enforcement. Those disruptions include being detained or deported, beginning to carry proof of immigration status or citizenship, canceling travel plans, or making significant changes to daily routines.

The survey results arrive after more than a year of intensified immigration enforcement under the Trump administration — a crackdown that has sparked confrontations between protesters and enforcement officers and contributed to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.

AAPI adults represent one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the country, and the majority were born outside the United States. The poll found that about 6 in 10 AAPI adults believe America was once a great country for immigrants but no longer holds that distinction. Only around 3 in 10 AAPI adults still view the U.S. as a welcoming place for immigrants, while just 5% say it was never a great destination for immigrants to begin with.

Despite this shift in sentiment, AAPI adults are more likely than the general U.S. population to view the blending of cultures and values from across the globe as a defining part of what makes America, America.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data, underscored the gravity of the findings. “America’s success story has depended critically on the role of Asian Americans, but also immigrants in general,” he said. “When you have people who are already in this country, have been here for decades saying, ‘I’m not really sure that this is the best country anymore,’ that’s a warning sign.”

The effects of the administration’s immigration policies have reached even those with legal status. A proposed policy that would have significantly raised fees for certain visa categories was recently blocked by a federal court. Separately, another judge struck down a policy that had “categorically barred” immigrants from 39 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East from receiving final decisions on applications for asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship.

Khoa Tran, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, arrived in the U.S. from Vietnam in 2015 at the age of 15 and became a citizen four years later. In 2023, he sponsored his wife to come from Vietnam. Last year, Tran grew increasingly concerned as his social media feed filled with posts urging even legal immigrants to carry documentation at all times — something the couple had not previously thought necessary.

“It seemed like we needed to do it. It’s literally become like a second form of identification in addition to the driver’s license,” Tran said.

He has also noticed that international students in his community have been postponing visits to family in Asia out of worry over their student visa status. “They’re just scared. They don’t know the law around that,” Tran said. “Better safe than sorry.”

The survey found that about half of South Asian adults — compared to roughly 4 in 10 AAPI adults overall — know someone who has begun carrying proof of legal status or citizenship in the past year. South Asian adults are considerably more likely than East Asian or Southeast Asian American adults to have been born outside the U.S. Ramakrishnan noted that many of those immigrants may hold green cards or have become naturalized citizens, yet still feel “like their presence and their status in this country is under question.”

The poll also revealed that AAPI adults are more likely to say their family’s heritage or country of origin is central to their personal identity than their American identity. Just over half of AAPI adults said family ancestry or country of origin is important to who they are, while 44% said the same about their identity as an American. That trend holds even among U.S.-born AAPI adults — about 59% said their family heritage is important to their identity, compared to 47% who said the same about being American.

By contrast, a separate AP-NORC poll conducted in April found that 55% of U.S. adults overall say being American is important to their identity, while only 37% said that about their family ancestry.

Abigail Jeyaraj, 22, of South Hadley, Massachusetts, was born in Texas to Indian parents who built their lives in the U.S. — a fact she says she never takes for granted. She describes herself not simply as “American” but as South Asian American.

“Especially as a South Asian woman, I’m very sensitive to the fact that I have opportunities that my mother and my grandmother, all the women before that didn’t,” Jeyaraj said. “I really try to honor that culture. I try to maintain really strong connections to my family in India.”

Soonho Kwon, 30, of La Mirada, California, was born in Korea and moved with his family to New Jersey when he was 8 years old. “I think I still feel more Korean. I came right around the age where I had very solid memories from growing up in Korea. My immediate family’s back there now,” Kwon said. “I’m a naturalized citizen. I’m committed to living here, but identity is a different question.”

The poll found that 73% of AAPI adults consider the mixing of cultures and values from around the world to be “extremely” or “very” important to the national identity of the U.S. — compared to 55% of U.S. adults overall in the April AP-NORC survey.

Jeyaraj, who grew up in the Dallas and Houston areas, said those cities gave her the chance to interact with people of many different racial and cultural backgrounds, an experience she credits with shaping her empathy. Current restrictions on immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have left her with mixed feelings about celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary this year.

“I’m proud we made it this far as a country,” she said. “You have recent actors who are trying to undo that progress. They maybe view it as restoring an ideal, but it’s removing so much work that powerful and influential people made to bring us toward an ideal of equality and justice.”

For Tran, who works as a math teacher, the milestone anniversary feels less meaningful. “I don’t think this country is ‘founded’ at some point in time. It just changes from one form to another,” he said. “Even the Native Americans (were) a long time here. I’m pretty sure that was more than 250 years.”

The poll surveyed 1,075 U.S. adults who identify as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. It was conducted April 20–28 using a sample from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to represent the AAPI population. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The poll is part of a larger ongoing project focused on the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders — groups that are frequently underrepresented in standard national surveys due to small sample sizes and limited language representation.

A key access point to Interstate 95 southbound is currently shut down for construction work, and the closure is expected to last well into next year.

The on-ramp to I-95 southbound from North Jackson Street is closed and will remain that way until June 16, 2026, according to traffic officials.

Drivers who typically use this ramp to get onto the southbound interstate will need to seek an alternate route during the construction period. The extended timeline suggests significant work is being carried out at this location.

Motorists are encouraged to check for real-time traffic updates and plan their routes accordingly to avoid delays.

When skydiving planes go down, investigators frequently find that poor maintenance played a role — and federal safety officials have long warned that weak oversight of the skydiving industry allows dangerous problems to go undetected.

It remains far too early to determine the cause of Sunday’s deadly crash, which occurred shortly after a plane departed from a small airport roughly an hour south of Kansas City, Missouri. All 12 people aboard were killed, and some of their family members witnessed the tragedy from the ground at Butler Memorial Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board will spend the next year or more investigating before releasing its final findings, though preliminary details are expected within the coming month.

Remarkably, just two years ago, another skydiving aircraft went down near that same airport. In that earlier incident, however, all those on board managed to parachute to safety before the crash. The NTSB determined that a handle used to deploy an emergency parachute became snagged on something, sending the skydiver into the plane’s horizontal stabilizer as he jumped — ultimately causing the aircraft to go down.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti says skydiving crash investigations too frequently expose a pattern of poor maintenance and a weak culture of safety. He pointed to Federal Aviation Administration regulations that can allow such problems to grow because skydiving operations are not held to the same safety standards as charter flight companies or commercial airlines.

“These skydiving operations don’t have the best maintenance to make sure they’ve got airworthy airframes and engines because they don’t undergo the normal scrutiny that an air charter service does,” said Guzzetti, who previously worked as a crash investigator for both the NTSB and the FAA.

Following a 2019 crash in Hawaii that claimed 11 lives, the NTSB concluded that the FAA’s regulatory framework was not strong enough to guarantee the safety of skydiving flights. In that case, investigators discovered that the plane’s wing had been damaged and twisted during a prior incident years earlier and was never fixed. FAA inspections conducted before the fatal crash had failed to identify the compromised left wing.

In an earlier review of 32 skydiving accidents spanning from 1980 to 2008, the NTSB identified repeated failures in aircraft maintenance and inspections, as well as inadequate pilot training programs. Despite those findings, the FAA never acted on the recommended steps to tighten safety standards for skydiving operators.

The skydiving industry points to its overall safety record with pride. According to the United States Parachute Association, only 16 civilians died while skydiving last year out of 3.47 million total jumps completed across the country, with most of those fatalities resulting from simple human error. That amounts to a rate of 0.46 deaths per 100,000 jumps. The annual death toll from skydiving reached its peak in the late 1970s and has been on a gradual decline ever since.

The plane involved in Sunday’s crash was a single-engine turboprop Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a model commonly used in skydiving because the nine rear seats can be quickly removed to make room for jumpers. The aircraft’s New Zealand-based manufacturer, NZAero, states that the 750XL can take off and land within 800 feet (244 meters) and carry a payload exceeding 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms) even in hot weather conditions, which typically make it harder for planes to become airborne. The model can also be legally flown by a single pilot. FAA records show the specific plane that crashed was built in 2010.

The aircraft was operated by Skydive Kansas City, which is part of an organization called Bucketlist Experience. The group’s website promotes its mission of “Helping Make Safe Skydivers” by guiding newcomers through the fundamentals of safety and technique so they can experience what it describes as “the exhilarating freedom of flying through the sky.”

A battle is brewing in Philadelphia over an exhibit dedicated to the enslaved individuals who lived and worked inside George Washington’s presidential home.

Activists are demanding the restoration of the display, which highlights the stories of those who were held in bondage at the former presidential household. The controversy has gained added significance as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.

Supermodel and television personality Tyra Banks has taken Netflix to court, filing a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court on Saturday over a docuseries examining the legacy of her long-running reality competition show.

The lawsuit targets Netflix, directors Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, and EverWonder Studio — the team behind “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model.” Banks, who created and hosted the original show, claims the production team took roughly 3.5 hours of her interview footage and whittled it down to just 16 minutes, manipulating the remaining clips to craft what she calls a completely false and damaging story.

“The accountability Ms. Banks took ended up on the cutting room floor. It was there, but viewers were never given the opportunity to see it,” her attorneys wrote in the filing.

At the heart of the lawsuit is an allegation that the documentary’s editing made it appear as though Banks knowingly allowed a contestant to be sexually assaulted on the show, then exploited that trauma for ratings, and later pretended not to remember it during her interview. Her legal team argues she was never told about the assault during the interview and was never asked about it directly.

“Defendants edited the Netflix Series to make it appear that Ms. Banks knew she was being asked about a sexual assault and was intentionally trying to evade the topic,” the lawsuit stated.

Banks’ attorneys also noted that she was not allowed to preview the docuseries until just one day before its February 16 release. She was not contacted for fact-checking after her interviews wrapped, and she was given no opportunity to respond to statements made by other participants. According to the lawsuit, at least one other former judge from the show — someone her lawyers say holds a personal grudge against Banks — served as a consultant and helped shape the documentary’s direction.

“Had Ms. Banks known these individuals were so deeply involved in the formulation of the Netflix Series, also serving as consultants shaping the editorial direction, and that she had been excluded from such a role, it would have raised a red flag,” the lawsuit read. “She would have known she was being set up. She would not have participated.”

In March, Banks’ legal team formally requested that Netflix hand over the complete, unedited footage from her interviews. Both Netflix and EverWonder refused, according to the lawsuit.

The fallout from the documentary has been significant. The lawsuit notes that public backlash has been “swift, harsh, and directed squarely at Ms. Banks” — even her ice cream shop, SMiZE & DREAM, located in Sydney, Australia, has reportedly been targeted with negative reviews on Google.

Banks is seeking financial damages as well as a court order blocking the use of her image in connection with the docuseries’ soundtrack, which was released as an album.

“America’s Next Top Model” first aired in 2003 and ran for 24 seasons. In recent years, the show has faced mounting criticism over allegations of body shaming, contestant manipulation, and controversial photoshoots. Banks had previously acknowledged “the insensitivity of past ANTM moments” and “some really off choices.”

Her attorneys say those admissions — the very accountability she came prepared to discuss — were left out of the final cut entirely.

“Every other conversation about ANTM’s legacy — including the candid reflection Ms. Banks came prepared to have — is now drowned out by an accusation she was never given the chance to answer,” her lawyers wrote. “This lawsuit is that answer — particularly after her efforts to resolve the matter directly with Netflix and the producers were refused.”

Representatives for the defendants had not responded to requests for comment as of Sunday.

The White House South Lawn has been transformed into something never seen before at the nation’s most famous residence — an eight-sided, wire-mesh fighting cage hosting a full UFC event to mark President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

The event, called UFC Freedom 250, features seven fights and kicked off Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern. It doubles as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with all male fighters competing under the Freedom 250 banner.

The festivities are unfolding against a troubled backdrop: a three-month-old U.S. war with Iran that has proven deeply unpopular with Americans, persistently high gas prices, inflation at its highest point since April 2023, and sliding job approval numbers for Trump. Critics say the lavish White House spectacle is a deliberate attempt to shift public attention away from those troubles.

Mike Fontaine, a classics professor at Cornell University, drew a direct comparison to the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome, where public combat was used by rulers to boost their popularity and suppress unrest.

“This is all distraction,” Fontaine said. “This is a classic strategy. In ancient Rome, the phrase would be, ‘bread and circuses.’”

The event is the high point of a long and mutually beneficial relationship between Trump and UFC CEO Dana White. White’s very first card as UFC president was held back in 2001 at the Trump Taj Mahal casino. Since returning to office, Trump has attended four UFC events as a sitting president, entering arenas to rock music and patriotic cheers much like the fighters themselves. White, in turn, introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions and attended the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April, which was cut short by a shooting.

Trump has maintained that the UFC organization is covering the cost of the event, though the full financial picture has not been made public. However, a court filing from the National Park Service — which oversees the South Lawn — revealed that more than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been invested in the production. Seven federal government agencies have also “allocated significant resources and manpower” to the effort.

Adding another layer of complexity, UFC announced Friday that it had brought on World Liberty Financial as an official event partner, establishing a special $250,000 bonus pool for Sunday night’s winners. The cryptocurrency firm is co-owned by the Trump family, was founded alongside the president’s special diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff, and is operated by his son, Zach. The partnership raises fresh questions about the overlap between the Trump family’s business interests and events the president has championed using government resources.

The lead-up to Sunday’s fights included a news conference Friday night at the Lincoln Memorial, where competitors made their entrances past the towering marble statue of America’s 16th president and descended the memorial’s steps to cheers from thousands of fans who had braved lightning, humidity, and insects to be part of the historic weekend.

Among those in attendance were Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi, who drove up from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to cheer on American fighter Justin Gaethje in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian fighter Ilia Topuria.

“You will hear an eagle screaming when Justin Gaethje wins,” the elder Philbeck said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, the war with Iran continues to simmer. Negotiations toward a potential agreement appear to be making progress, though critical details remain unresolved. Earlier this week, Iran and the U.S. and Israel exchanged fire over three days, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. U.S. Central Command reported late Friday via social media that it had intercepted multiple Iranian attack drones targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

New Yorkers who still had energy left after the Knicks championship had no shortage of reasons to celebrate Sunday, as the National Puerto Rican Day Parade brought vibrant music and color to the streets of Manhattan.

Tens of thousands of people packed the sidewalks along Fifth Avenue beneath clear, sunny skies to cheer on marchers dressed in red, white, and blue. Among this year’s featured honorees were rapper and singer Daddy Yankee, who took on the role of grand marshal, and actor Anthony Ramos, known for being part of the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani made an appearance that drew enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, waving a small Puerto Rico flag while wearing a Knicks jersey layered over a shirt and tie.

Billed as the largest cultural celebration in the United States, the parade pays tribute to the achievements and contributions of Puerto Ricans both on the island and across the globe. The event has been a fixture on New York City’s June calendar since the late 1950s.

U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and jazz musician Charlie Sepulveda were each honored with lifetime achievement awards during the festivities.

The parade route stretched along Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street, covering a total of 35 city blocks through the heart of Manhattan.

Ahead of Sunday’s parade, a National Puerto Rican Day Parade Scholarship Gala took place Friday evening, spotlighting student achievement and academic excellence.

BUTLER, Mo. — All 12 people aboard a small plane — a pilot and 11 passengers headed out for an afternoon of skydiving — were killed Sunday when the aircraft crashed and burst into flames near a Missouri airport, authorities confirmed.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said troopers responded to the crash site to assist the Butler Police Department and Bates County Sheriff’s Office. The wreck happened near Butler Memorial Airport, located in the small town of Butler — a community of roughly 4,300 residents situated about 65 miles south of Kansas City.

Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said the plane had been taking passengers up to skydive when it went down. Emergency crews received a call around 11:30 a.m. Sunday reporting that a plane had crashed and was fully engulfed in flames.

“It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing said.

At the scene, a crumpled mass of blue and silver wreckage could be seen lying in the grass near the airport, with a large line of emergency vehicles parked along the adjacent roadway.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were making their way to the crash site Sunday afternoon, according to the Missouri State Patrol.

Dennis Jacobs, who serves as both the acting airport manager and director of the Bates County Emergency Management Agency, identified the aircraft as belonging to Skydive Kansas City.

“It had just taken off and made a left turn” before going down, Jacobs said. “In my opinion I think it was losing power, and he was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose first and caught fire.”

Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze shortly after the crash, Jacobs said, describing what he witnessed as “brutal.”

First responders swept the area beneath the plane’s flight path and found no indication that anyone had attempted to jump from the aircraft before it went down, Jacobs said.

The aircraft involved was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop commonly used by skydiving operations but also suited for cargo transport, aerial surveying, and medical evacuation flights. The model can accommodate up to 17 skydivers and is designed to operate from shorter runways. FAA records indicate the plane that crashed was manufactured in 2010.

Ewing noted that the small airport serves around 30 privately owned planes, including those used by crop dusting companies and skydiving operators.

Skydiving businesses in the area typically operate eight or nine months out of the year, generally running from late March or early April through October or November. A person who answered the phone at Skydive Kansas City declined to comment to the Associated Press.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, Ewing said, and investigators with the NTSB will be working to find answers.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti noted that poor aircraft maintenance has played a role in several past skydiving plane crashes, partly because skydiving companies are not held to the same rigorous standards as charter airlines under FAA regulations. He explained that skydiving operators must follow only the same rules that apply to private plane owners — not the stricter requirements governing charter flights and commercial airlines.

“There’s been a whole history of skydiving accidents for inadequate maintenance and deficient safety culture,” said Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the NTSB and FAA.

Twelve people lost their lives when a plane went down Sunday in Butler, Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The highway patrol announced the fatalities via social media, though no additional details about the circumstances of the crash have been made public at this time.

Three major events are set to converge on June 14 — Flag Day, a high-profile UFC fight event at the White House, and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

A formal proclamation from the White House has designated June 14 as Flag Day and the seven days that follow as National Flag Week. The declaration recognizes the Stars and Stripes as a powerful symbol of American freedom, democracy, and national unity.

As part of the observance, the president has instructed appropriate government officials to raise the US flag over all federal buildings. Citizens across the country are also being encouraged to display the flag at their homes and businesses and to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The proclamation traces the holiday back to June 14, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the first official Flag Resolution.

Also taking place that Sunday is Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. The event’s name is a nod to the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, a milestone often referred to as the semiquincentennial.

During the Freedom 250 event, the Department of War is set to unveil its very first television commercial, a short video titled “Peace Through Strength.” Organizers say the ad is designed to celebrate the men and women of the US armed forces and will be shown to the audience during the program.

The festivities round out with a personal milestone — June 14 also marks President Trump’s 80th birthday, making it a day packed with national, sporting, and personal significance.

NEW YORK (AP) — Steven Spielberg’s newest film, “Disclosure Day,” kicked off its theatrical run with an estimated $44 million in domestic ticket sales over its opening weekend, according to studio figures released Sunday.

The film performed largely in line with projections, pulling in $92.9 million globally during its debut weekend. For the 79-year-old Spielberg, who developed the story behind the film, it marks his best opening weekend ever for an original movie — not adjusted for inflation.

Spielberg is widely credited with creating the modern blockbuster era, but “Disclosure Day,” released by Universal Pictures, is his first summer film in a decade. The movie arrives in a vastly changed theatrical landscape compared to the days of “Jaws” or “Jurassic Park.” Its closest box office rival was the independent horror film “Obsession,” helmed by YouTuber-turned-director Curry Barker — who is more than 50 years younger than Spielberg.

Jim Orr, Universal’s distribution chief, noted the film’s broad appeal across North America. “It played very, very evenly across all of the U.S. and Canada,” he said. “It did not come across as a coastal big-market movie. It resonated with everybody.”

Despite concerns that a widely watched NBA Finals game might pull viewers away from theaters — particularly in New York — Orr said Saturday night ticket sales in the city showed no notable drop-off.

While younger moviegoers have been driving attendance in recent weeks, “Disclosure Day” attracted a somewhat older crowd. About 41% of the film’s audience was 45 years of age or older.

Orr expressed optimism about what that demographic means for the film’s long-term performance. “What’s encouraging is that we had this big an opening with that audience demographic and with the fact that it’s an original film,” he said. “So if we’re opening this well, and we think we’re going to have great word-of-mouth, and we have an older audience that doesn’t necessarily rush out on opening weekend, all of that points to a great run through the summer.”

The movie brings Spielberg back to the topic of extraterrestrial life. Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colman Domingo lead the cast in a story centered on a race to expose government-held evidence of UFO encounters. The film carried a production budget of $115 million.

Like most original films, “Disclosure Day” will need to hold strong at the box office over the coming weeks to be considered a full success. Critics have responded positively — the film holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — though general audiences were somewhat less enthusiastic, giving it a “B” grade on CinemaScore.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, offered a measured take on the debut. “It’s off to a solid start,” he said. “Let’s see how it plays in the coming weeks. If it holds like some of these other films have, like ‘Project Hail Mary,’ ‘Michael,’ ‘Obsession,’ it will be in good shape. Staying power has been the bread and butter of this year and this summer.”

The indie sensation “Obsession” shows no signs of fading. The Focus Features release, which originally opened to $17.2 million, has now topped that figure in four consecutive weekends. This past weekend it brought in $19 million, lifting its total North American earnings to $188.3 million and its worldwide gross to $286.5 million. The film cost less than $1 million to produce, and Focus acquired it for $15 million — making it one of the most profitable releases in recent memory.

Last weekend’s chart-topper, “Scary Movie,” slipped to third place with $14.5 million. The Paramount Pictures release — the sixth installment in the horror spoof franchise, produced by Miramax — fell sharply from its opening weekend, down 73%. Still, with a production budget of just $30 million, the film has already proven to be a notable financial success, accumulating $88.6 million domestically over two weeks.

A24’s “Backrooms” added $11.3 million in its third weekend of domestic release, bringing its global total to $262.3 million. Amazon MGM’s “Masters of the Universe” continued to struggle in its second weekend, dropping 71% to $8.7 million. Its two-week domestic total now stands at $46.7 million.

Looking ahead, The Walt Disney Co.’s “Toy Story 5” is set to open next weekend with considerable box office expectations.

The following estimated ticket sales cover Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, per Rentrak, with final domestic figures due Monday:

1. “Disclosure Day” — $44 million
2. “Obsession” — $19 million
3. “Scary Movie” — $14.5 million
4. “Backrooms” — $11.3 million
5. “Masters of the Universe” — $8.7 million
6. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” — $4.7 million
7. “Michael” — $4.1 million
8. “The Furious” — $2.8 million
9. “Stop! That! Train!” — $2 million
10. “The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act” — $1.8 million

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a former Yosemite National Park ranger who was let go after hoisting a massive transgender pride flag on one of the California park’s most recognizable landmarks.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston issued her ruling on Friday, determining that Shannon “SJ” Joslin — who identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronoun they — is required to work through the process established under the Civil Service Reform Act. Because Joslin was still in a probationary period when they were terminated last year, that process means filing a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, which Joslin has already done.

According to court documents, the Office of Special Counsel rejected Joslin’s initial request to pause their termination while an investigation into potential Park Service violations takes place. A final decision is expected in August.

Joslin, who worked as a biologist studying bats, said they helped hang a 66-foot-wide transgender pride flag on El Capitan for roughly two hours on May 20, 2025, before voluntarily taking it down. The flag was displayed on Joslin’s day off, not during working hours.

In a previous interview with The Associated Press, Joslin explained their motivation, saying the act was their way of expressing, “We’re all safe in national parks.”

The termination letter Joslin received in August 2025 accused them of “failing to demonstrate acceptable conduct” and pointed to the flag display as the reason. The letter stated, “You participated in a small group demonstration in an area outside the designated protest and demonstration area without a permit … and thus circumvented rules applicable to all park visitors.”

Many national parks have set aside designated “First Amendment areas” where groups of 25 or fewer people may demonstrate without needing a permit. Yosemite has several such zones, including one in Yosemite Valley, the area where El Capitan stands.

Joslin’s lawsuit names the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and other defendants, alleging constitutional violations including infringement of free speech rights. Court filings describe the termination as “vindictive, retaliatory, intended to communicate disapproval of a particular point of view.” Joslin also noted that while others have flown flags on El Capitan before, they are unaware of anyone else facing punishment for doing so.

In her ruling, Judge Thurston acknowledged that the federal civil service process leaves probationary workers like Joslin with very few options when a termination decision goes against them. However, she noted that allowing probationary employees to bypass that process and go straight to the courts would actually give them more avenues than employees with full tenure have.

The day after Joslin’s flag display, Yosemite put in place a new rule banning the hanging of banners, flags, or signs larger than 15 square feet in areas of the park classified as “wilderness” or “potential wilderness.” According to Yosemite’s website, that classification covers 94% of the park.

The new rule came in the wake of another notable demonstration that took place in February 2025, when a group of protesters hung an upside-down American flag on El Capitan to protest the dismissal of National Park Service employees by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The death of a Haitian woman seeking asylum has been classified as a homicide by a medical examiner following her release from federal immigration custody. The woman’s family attorney says relatives plan to file a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding her death.

Daphy Michel, age 31, passed away on March 2 after being discovered at a bus shelter. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office determined hypothermia caused her death and classified it as a homicide, “indicating the death was caused by the actions of another individual” and should not be interpreted as a declaration of criminal guilt, according to the office’s statement. These findings were made public on Friday.

Michel came from Haiti and was pursuing asylum in the United States following her 2022 arrival at the southern border, according to Joseph Patrick Murphy, the family’s legal representative. She had received humanitarian parole due to urgent humanitarian circumstances, though she passed away before attending a hearing that was set for two weeks following her death, he explained.

According to the medical examiner’s office, Michel was considered a vulnerable adult “suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier” when she was released on February 27.

Murphy explained that Michel was taken into custody last summer for shouting at people who weren’t there due to her mental health condition. She remained in Washington County Jail for six months, during which time she received numerous psychiatric evaluations while waiting for her initial hearing, he stated.

A magistrate determined he couldn’t hold her for trial since she was threatening people who didn’t exist, Murphy reported. Following this decision, ICE took her from her jail cell, fitted her with an ankle monitor, and transported her 25 miles away to Pittsburgh, where she remained at a bus shelter during winter conditions for several days, he said.

“She was in September clothes and it was February, and the weather overwhelmed her and she went into hypothermia,” Murphy stated.

The medical examiner’s homicide determination differs from criminal charges, meaning “somebody did or failed to do something that brought about her demise,” Murphy explained. He anticipates Michel’s relatives will pursue legal action against ICE related to her death.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis responded via email, stating “ICE had NOTHING to do with this woman’s death. She passed away THREE days after ICE encountered her.”

Bis referred to Michel as “an illegal alien from Haiti” who entered removal proceedings following her arrest.

According to Bis, Michel possessed all her personal items and a charged phone upon release, with public transit options available. ICE discovered the day following Michel’s death that her ankle monitor “had been tampered with,” though county medical examiner personnel “refused to cooperate or even talk with” ICE representatives, she stated.

ICE contacted the U.S. Marshals Service, who collected the ankle monitor but were denied information regarding Michel’s condition, Bis reported. ICE became aware of her death through news reports, she added.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato released a statement calling Michel’s death “a tragedy and appears that with a little humanity, it could have been completely avoidable.”

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., described her death as preventable, saying “she deserved care, shelter, language access, and medical support.”

ICE has discontinued reporting detainee deaths occurring within 30 days of custody release, terminating a 2021 Biden administration policy. Medical professionals argue this change will undercount actual deaths while failing to address healthcare concerns.

Authorities in a Northern California community are advising residents who are vulnerable to smoke exposure to remain inside their homes while emergency crews continue fighting a massive blaze at a medical supply warehouse that has been raging since Thursday.

The fire at the Medline facility in Tracy has created air quality conditions rated as “unhealthy” on the southern portion of the city, home to approximately 100,000 residents, based on readings from air quality monitoring equipment.

South San Joaquin County Fire Authority Fire Chief Randall Bradley indicated in a public statement that crews anticipate smoky conditions will persist for several more days as they work to extinguish the flames inside the structure.

“The local fire marshal was investigating, and officials are meeting with company representatives, structural engineers and others to assess the building,” Bradley said.

Arrangements are being developed to allow workers to collect their cars from the location. Fire officials are also warning residents to stay away from the vicinity and avoid handling any debris that may have scattered from the incident.

The company manufactures and distributes medical and surgical supplies including protective gloves made of latex, face coverings, and surgical tools.

The fire at the massive facility, spanning 1 million square feet and located roughly 55 miles east of San Francisco, has sent burning debris across a wide area.

Emergency responders have faced significant challenges due to malfunctioning sprinkler equipment and fire hydrants that provided minimal or no water flow. Officials determined the issue stemmed from problems with the building’s internal fire prevention systems rather than municipal water infrastructure.

An independent contractor had tested the sprinkler equipment in January and found no problems at that time, according to fire officials.

Multiple states nationwide are temporarily easing their alcohol regulations while the World Cup soccer tournament takes place. NPR’s Elissa Nadworny conducted an interview with Corean Reynolds, Boston’s Director of Nightlife Economy, discussing the city’s approach to managing these temporary policy adjustments.

The 1976 film “Rocky” perfectly captured America’s bicentennial spirit when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed entered the ring dressed as George Washington, recreating the famous Delaware River crossing with Statue of Liberty-costumed models leading the procession.

After switching to an Uncle Sam outfit, Apollo pointed at Rocky Balboa and declared “I want YOU!” before the two fighters engaged in their Philadelphia bicentennial match.

This scene represented the essence of America’s 200th birthday celebration – lots of spectacle and fireworks, but little deep reflection on two centuries of independence.

For many Americans who lived through the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal, the bicentennial offered a chance to celebrate despite lingering skepticism about government. The generation coming of age in 1976 had witnessed both national triumphs like the moon landing and devastating political scandals.

In Virginia’s Historic Triangle region near Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg, bicentennial excitement ran high. President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty toured Colonial Williamsburg by carriage, foreign dignitaries visited, and the living history museum presented regular reenactments of events leading to the Declaration of Independence.

Ford joined other officials in New York for what he described as “the greatest Fourth of July any of us will ever see.” Operation Sail featured a maritime parade with 16 tall ships and over 100 smaller vessels from nations worldwide, including the Soviet Union. The event boosted New York City’s morale, demonstrating that “New Yorkers could get along, even during difficult times,” according to the Gotham Center for New York History.

History enthusiasts who couldn’t travel east could visit the American Freedom Train, a massive 26-car exhibition that toured all 48 contiguous states. The traveling museum showcased two centuries of American artifacts including George Washington’s Constitution copy, the original Louisiana Purchase document, Judy Garland’s “Wizard of Oz” dress, and a moon rock. Country singer Merle Haggard even recorded a song about the train.

Beyond official celebrations, the bicentennial sparked a merchandising bonanza. The government issued special quarters, stamps and license plates, while Madison Avenue marketed bicentennial cereal, candy, beer and soda. 7-Up produced different commemorative cans for each of the 50 states.

Even the Pet Rock creator attempted a bicentennial version, though this follow-up to the 1975 phenomenon failed to capture public interest. Pez dispensers featuring Paul Revere or Betsy Ross proved more popular.

Television coverage remained relatively modest across the three major networks. ABC’s “Schoolhouse Rock!” launched “America Rock,” best remembered for the civics lesson “I’m Just a Bill.”

CBS News ran “Bicentennial Minute” nightly in prime time starting July 4, 1974, presenting historical events from exactly 200 years earlier. The segment became so ubiquitous that “All in the Family” referenced it, while “Saturday Night Live” created a parody called “Bisexual Minute.”

On July 4, 1976, all three networks provided extensive coverage. Walter Cronkite anchored 16 hours of CBS programming, while NBC aired “Bob Hope’s Bicentennial Star-Spangled Spectacular” featuring Sammy Davis Jr., Captain & Tennille, and Donny and Marie Osmond.

Not all Americans embraced the celebratory mood. Comedian Richard Pryor released an album titled “Bicentennial” followed by an ethnic slur, featuring a monologue from a 200-year-old slave perspective that concluded “I ain’t gonna never forget it.” In “Bicentennial Prayer,” Pryor declared, “We are celebrating 200 years of white folks kickin’ ass.”

Popular music largely avoided patriotic themes. Elton John’s 1975 song “Philadelphia Freedom” became an unofficial anthem, despite focusing more on personal independence than the city itself.

Instead, the music charts reflected a disco-driven escape mentality with hits like Johnnie Taylor’s “Disco Lady,” The Sylvers’ “Boogie Fever,” The Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing,” and KC and the Sunshine Band’s “(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty.”

Album charts featured California’s post-hippie introspection with the Eagles’ “Hotel California” and Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender.” Meanwhile, New York’s emerging punk scene produced aggressive debuts from the Ramones and Blondie. The Ramones’ eagle logo holding an olive branch and baseball bat, plus their future stadium anthem “Blitzkrieg Bop,” embodied a uniquely American sound.

In cinema, the year’s funniest film “The Bad News Bears” showcased baseball played by foul-mouthed young troublemakers coached by Walter Matthau’s surly, alcoholic character. Like Rocky, the Bears didn’t win, but they enjoyed themselves.

Hollywood’s dramatic films reflected ongoing post-Nixon paranoia. While the studio system released the patriotic World War II epic “Midway” in June, it quickly disappeared from theaters. “The Omen,” about a child who turns out to be the Antichrist, dominated July 4th box office receipts.

Prestigious films continued exploring political distrust. “All the President’s Men” dramatized The Washington Post’s Watergate investigation. “Taxi Driver” followed a Vietnam veteran plotting presidential assassination. “Network” featured a television anchor encouraging viewers to shout “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

All three films earned Best Picture Oscar nominations and are considered classics today. However, “Rocky” defeated them all for the top prize.

The architect who maintained a double life while committing the Gilgo Beach serial murders has been living in isolation for three years, consuming crime fiction and receiving occasional visits from legal counsel and family members, according to the sheriff overseeing his detention facility.

Rex Heuermann has also engaged in a short written exchange with Keith Hunter Jesperson, the notorious “Happy Face Killer” who admitted to murdering eight women nationwide during the 1990s, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon revealed.

According to the sheriff, Jesperson initiated contact by sending the first letter to Heuermann at the Riverhead, New York detention center, where he has remained since his July 2023 arrest.

While Heuermann responded once, he has ignored subsequent letters from Jesperson, who is currently serving life without parole in Oregon, Toulon told The Associated Press before Heuermann’s Wednesday sentencing hearing.

The defendant is expected to receive life imprisonment without parole after entering guilty pleas for seven murders and confessing in April to killing an additional woman.

Though Toulon noted that “other fanatics” have attempted contact, Heuermann has rejected “all visits or any communication,” including interview requests from media organizations.

Gloria Allred, representing several Long Island victims’ families, condemned both Heuermann and Jesperson as “losers” and “cowards” while calling for commitment to stopping violence against women.

“They both murdered someone’s daughter, someone’s mother, someone’s sister,” she stated. “They chose the most vulnerable victims.”

The majority of Heuermann’s victims were female sex workers whose dismembered bodies were discovered along a secluded ocean parkway near Gilgo Beach, approximately 50 miles east of Manhattan.

Jesperson encountered many of his victims during his work as a truck driver. He earned the Happy Face Killer nickname by drawing smiley faces on threatening letters sent to media outlets and law enforcement.

While Heuermann reads extensively during his incarceration, Toulon expressed concern about the inmate’s attraction to violent crime and mystery novels, including books about serial killers.

Recent library selections include J.D. Robb’s “Portrait in Death,” John Sandford’s “Secret Prey,” Heather Graham’s “Picture Me Dead,” Sue Grafton’s “N is for Noose” and Lisa Jackson’s “Chosen to Die,” Toulon reported.

“He’s not taking out sports books or cooking books, you know,” the sheriff observed. “He’s choosing to read about this.”

Toulon, who won election in 2017 following decades with the New York City corrections department, said Heuermann’s attitude has stayed consistent throughout more than 1,000 days behind bars.

“He doesn’t seem uncomfortable in his cell,” the sheriff noted. “No emotion, no despair.”

“Every time you see him, it’s the same stoic look that he has when you see him in the courtroom,” Toulon added. “There’s no remorse.”

The imposing Heuermann occupies a standard 6-by-9-foot cell containing a metal sink, metal toilet and bed with a “very thin mattress,” Toulon described.

All cells in the housing unit remain visible to correction officers, he said. The department increased staffing following Heuermann’s arrest but deliberately excluded female correction officers from the unit, restricting access to authorized personnel only.

“One of the things that we wanted to ensure when he came into our custody is that justice was served in the courts and not in our jails,” Toulon explained.

Unit inmates receive three daily meals delivered to their cells, Toulon said. Without a common area, they can only view the shared television through cell bars.

Heuermann remains isolated whenever leaving his cell, with officers halting all other inmate movement to prevent interactions, he said.

He showers in solitude and, while permitted fresh air in the jail yard up to six days weekly alone, shows little physical activity, Toulon observed.

“He does not play basketball, doesn’t do any sprints. He does not do any dips, pullups, or situps or pushups,” the sheriff said. “He just basically just walks around in circles in the yard.”

Heuermann meets visitors in a designated area where handcuffs are removed and inmates may embrace or kiss visitors once at meeting start and finish. He has met face-to-face with his ex-wife Asa Ellerup, their adult daughter Victoria, his legal team, his therapist and a few others.

“He does not have an extensive visit list,” Toulon stated.

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office, handling the prosecution, refused to discuss Heuermann’s jail conditions. His family also declined comment.

His ex-wife and two adult children announced through legal representatives they will not attend the sentencing, where victims’ families plan to confront Heuermann with emotional testimony.

“Out of respect for those who have endured unimaginable loss and suffering, she does not wish her presence to distract from the purpose of these proceedings,” said Robert Macedonio, Ellerup’s attorney. “Her thoughts remain with the victims and their loved ones as they continue their pursuit of justice, healing, and closure.”

The President announced on Friday that American military forces have successfully eliminated a high-profile criminal figure from Venezuela in a targeted operation.

According to President Trump’s statement, the strike resulted in the death of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, who was described as “the infamous leader” of the Tren de Aragua gang operating out of Venezuela.

The announcement marks a significant development in ongoing efforts to combat international criminal organizations with ties to South America.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that a rapid U.S. military operation has eliminated Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, described as the top figure of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization.

The United States has designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist group. Federal prosecutors in New York had brought charges against Guerrero Flores in December for racketeering conspiracy and additional offenses, including providing support to terrorists in criminal activities spanning over ten years.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed on X that the operation took place earlier this week at a Tren de Aragua facility in Venezuela.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton previously stated that the organization is behind numerous violent acts, extortion schemes and narcotics trafficking across North America, South America and Europe. Trump selected Clayton on Thursday for the position of director of national intelligence.

The State Department had put up rewards reaching $5 million for tips leading to Guerrero Flores’ capture.

Writing on his social media platform, Trump stated, “Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.” Trump’s message identified Guerrero Flores using his known alias, “Niño Guerrero.”

Hegseth commented, “The operation underscores the shared U.S. and Venezuelan commitment to take the fight to narco-terrorists and deny them any safe haven in our hemisphere.”

Venezuela’s communications ministry has not yet provided a response regarding the military action.

Trump has implemented multiple aggressive measures targeting the organization, including operations against small vessels his administration claims are used for drug smuggling into America. Since early September, when the Trump administration started targeting individuals they label as “narcoterrorists,” at least 207 people have died in boat attacks by U.S. forces in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Trump and his officials have repeatedly identified Tren de Aragua as the primary source of violence and illegal drug activity affecting certain American cities. The president frequently made the assertion — disputed by a declassified U.S. intelligence report — that Tren de Aragua operated with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s backing. The U.S. removed Maduro from Venezuela in January to face American drug-related charges.

Tren de Aragua began over ten years ago in a notoriously chaotic Venezuelan prison housing dangerous criminals in the central Aragua state. The group has grown as millions of Venezuelans have relocated to other Latin American nations or the U.S. seeking improved living situations.

Guerrero Flores was sent back to the Aragua prison for murder and other crimes in 2013, coinciding with Venezuela’s crisis that started when corruption, poor management and falling oil prices devastated the petroleum-based economy. Guerrero Flores and several fellow prisoners recognized a lucrative opportunity as the government abandoned prison oversight.

They seized control and management of the prison, creating a structure that dominated all inmates through violence and extortion. Eventually, they converted the facility into a type of community featuring a zoo, baseball field, casino and dining establishments. Guerrero Flores maintained his own luxurious quarters.

The organization’s membership numbers remain unknown. Nations hosting significant Venezuelan migrant populations, such as Peru and Colombia, have blamed the group for a wave of regional violence. However, unlike other criminal groups from Colombia, Central America and Brazil, Tren de Aragua lacks major involvement in international cocaine smuggling operations, according to InSight Crime, a research organization monitoring Latin American criminal activity.

In Venezuela, gang leadership has historically engaged in diverse criminal enterprises, including gold mining operations.

Trump ran for reelection pledging stricter immigration and crime policies. Although polling indicates his approval ratings have declined regarding economic management, immigration continues to be Trump’s most popular policy area, based on AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research data.

A Pennsylvania medical examiner has determined that a Haitian woman who died shortly after immigration officials released her from custody was killed, according to a ruling issued Friday.

Officials with the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that 31-year-old Daphy Michel died from hypothermia on March 2, just three days following her release from federal immigration detention.

According to the medical examiner’s office, Michel was considered “a vulnerable adult, suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier” at the time immigration authorities let her go.

“Based on all available information during the investigation, the pathologist ruled Ms. Michel’s death a homicide,” stated James Madalinsky, a spokesperson for the examiner’s office.

However, Madalinsky clarified that a homicide determination does not constitute a “declaration of criminal guilt.”

The Office of the Allegheny County District Attorney has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the case.

Immigration officials had previously charged Michel with “terroristic threats and harassment” and had initiated deportation procedures against her before her death.

Lauren Bis, acting DHS assistant secretary, acknowledged Friday that Michel had been fitted with an ankle monitor when she was released from custody, while maintaining that ICE was not responsible for the woman’s death.

This determination follows a comparable ruling issued in April involving a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who was discovered dead in New York following his release from jail into U.S. Border Patrol custody.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama officials on Friday requested permission to carry out an execution using lethal injection just hours after a scheduled nitrogen gas execution was blocked by the courts.

The state attorney general’s office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court for authorization to issue a death warrant for Jeffery Lee, this time specifying lethal injection as the execution method.

“In sum, ADOC has not been barred from executing Lee, only from executing him by nitrogen hypoxia,” state lawyers wrote.

A representative from Lee’s defense team indicated they had no immediate response to the state’s latest action. Lee’s lawyers will now need to file their response with the Alabama Supreme Court.

The court filing occurred just hours after Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall vowed to persist in efforts to carry out Lee’s death sentence.

WASHINGTON — An active-duty military member injured during a shootout near the White House last month continues receiving medical care and has hired legal representation, according to his law firm.

The injured individual, named as Benjamin Del Real, has had surgery and is healing from his wounds, his attorney, Joseph Murphy, announced in a statement.

Pam Menaker, communications partner at Clifford Law Offices, revealed Del Real is 25 years old and has served in the Army for three years. His military position is private first class. Menaker stated through email that Del Real has been getting therapy at a location that has not been disclosed.

Del Real was in the vicinity of the White House on May 23 when he suffered serious injuries during gunfire that erupted when an individual approached Secret Service personnel at a security station near the White House and opened fire. The shooter, named as Nasire Best, 21, died in the incident.

Based on District of Columbia court documents, Best was taken into custody in July 2025 following his attempt to access a separate White House checkpoint without permission, failed to follow officers’ directions to halt, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and expressed he wanted to be detained.

Washington television station NBC4 cited multiple sources in stating that Del Real was struck by Secret Service personnel. Both the Metropolitan Police Department and the Secret Service refused to comment on that account.

During a public safety briefing in Washington, D.C., this summer, interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll stated the ballistics results were not completed to establish who had shot the bystander. He noted Del Real was touring the city as a visitor when the shooting occurred.

Metropolitan Police Internal Affairs is examining the shooting and will provide its conclusions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Murphy, a former Army officer, stated in the announcement that the law firm was examining the situation as well “and gathering all available facts. We will continue to work with the appropriate authorities to determine exactly what occurred and to ensure a full and accurate understanding of the events that led to our client’s severe injuries.”

Motorists traveling on Jupiter Road are experiencing periodic lane restrictions due to construction work taking place in the area.

The intermittent lane closure affects the stretch of Jupiter Road located between Sun Court and Venus Drive. Drivers should plan for potential delays and exercise caution when passing through the construction zone.

The timing and duration of the lane restrictions may vary as work progresses in the area.

NEW YORK — A federal judge has determined that Blake Lively may collect attorney fees from actor-director Justin Baldoni following their contentious legal battle over the 2024 movie “It Ends With Us,” though she won’t receive additional monetary damages she had requested.

In a written decision issued Friday, Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Lively has the right to recover attorney fees and expenses tied to defending herself against Baldoni’s countersuit, which he filed after she brought legal action against him in December 2024.

Liman referenced a California statute crafted to shield sexual harassment and discrimination survivors from vengeful litigation intended to frighten and silence those who report assault or harassment.

According to the judge’s ruling, this statute mandates that plaintiffs cover defendants’ legal expenses when defamation claims filed in response to lawsuits are thrown out, regardless of whether case facts have been fully explored through evidence collection.

The judge noted that Baldoni and his film company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, would need to demonstrate that Lively sued with malicious intent to avoid paying her legal costs. Liman determined that Baldoni and Wayfarer presented insufficient evidence supporting this argument and failed to establish malicious conduct on Lively’s part.

While the court didn’t specify how legal fees would be calculated, Liman denied Lively’s requests for tripled damages and punitive awards under California law, stating these didn’t align with “carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.”

The former co-stars resolved most of their legal dispute last month just before trial proceedings were scheduled to begin on Lively’s retaliation allegations. While she didn’t receive monetary compensation from the settlement agreement, she retained the ability to seek legal fees.

Neither legal team responded immediately to requests for comment.

Lively filed harassment and retaliation accusations against Baldoni and his production company in late 2024, claiming the actor orchestrated a campaign to harm her public image and reputation.

Baldoni, who both directed and starred alongside Lively in the dark romantic drama, rejected allegations of harassment or running a reputation-damaging operation. He maintained that Lively’s behavioral complaints were fabricated as part of her attempt to gain creative authority over the production. His countersuit alleged defamation and extortion against both Lively and her spouse, “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds.

Last year, Liman dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit and recently threw out Lively’s harassment allegations, ruling she couldn’t pursue them since she worked as an independent contractor rather than an employee during filming.

“It Ends With Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s popular 2016 novel exploring a relationship that turns abusive, hit theaters in August 2024 and performed better than anticipated at the box office.

Lively’s career includes roles in 2005’s “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the television series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, followed by film appearances in “The Town” and “The Shallows.”

Baldoni appeared in the television comedy “Jane the Virgin,” helmed the 2019 movie “Five Feet Apart,” and authored “Man Enough,” a book examining conventional masculinity concepts.

David Hockney, the renowned British painter whose artistic vision helped define contemporary pop art, has passed away at 88 years old. The influential artist was considered one of Britain’s most significant painters across both the 20th and 21st centuries.

Hockney was born July 9, 1937, in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire. His artistic journey encompassed numerous creative mediums, from painting and drawing to printmaking, photography, and theatrical stage design. During the 1960s, he became a prominent voice in the pop art movement and continued his creative work for many decades afterward.

The artist’s creative output transformed through various styles and techniques over time. While he gained widespread recognition for his iconic swimming pool paintings, Hockney also developed innovative portrait work using photo-collage methods, created abstract landscape interpretations, and later incorporated cutting-edge technology into his art, including works that utilized 3D techniques.

Prior to dedicating himself fully to art, Hockney served two years of national service working as a hospital orderly, having declared himself a conscientious objector. In 1959, he began his formal art education at London’s Royal College of Art.

With his signature bleached blonde hair and round eyeglasses, Hockney became a well-known figure in both London and American cultural scenes throughout the 1960s. He maintained close relationships with notable personalities including Andy Warhol, Ossie Clark, and Dennis Hopper.

Despite facing health difficulties, Hockney maintained his commitment to creating art well into his later years. A comprehensive retrospective showcasing his life’s work wrapped up at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris just nine months before his death, yet he remained dedicated to pursuing new artistic endeavors.

Operating from his London studio while using a wheelchair, Hockney persisted with his painting practice even as he navigated various health obstacles.

Speaking with The New York Times prior to the Paris exhibition’s opening in April 2025, he discussed his intention to continue his artistic practice.

“I just go on with my work,” he told The New York Times before the show opened in April 2025. “When I come back from Paris, I’m going to carry on painting.”

Hockney’s artistic legacy encompasses more than sixty years of creative output, featuring contributions to numerous artistic disciplines ranging from conventional painting and printmaking to photographic work and digital artistic exploration.

DEARBORN, Mich. — A historic residence where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights leaders developed strategies during the 1960s movement has been reconstructed at a Michigan museum following its careful disassembly and transport from Alabama.

On Friday, the daughter of the home’s original owners participated in the opening ceremony for the Jackson House at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, near Detroit. The residence joins more than 80 additional historic buildings within the museum’s Greenfield Village.

Hundreds of attendees gathered for the ceremonial ribbon cutting, applauding as Jawana Jackson and museum President and Chief Executive Patricia Mooradian entered through the front entrance of the 3,000-square-foot bungalow.

Jackson noted that Henry Ford, the automotive pioneer and industrialist, created Greenfield Village to chronicle America’s story. “This, the Jackson family home, is part of that story,” she stated.

The residence belonged to dentist Sullivan Jackson and his spouse, Richie Jean, and served as the location in Selma, Alabama, where King and fellow activists in 1965 planned three Selma-to-Montgomery demonstrations protesting Jim Crow legislation that blocked Black Americans from voting.

King was present in the residence when President Lyndon Johnson revealed legislation that would later become the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Jackson House’s contribution proved essential to the Civil Rights Movement. Jawana Jackson reached out to the museum in 2022 requesting they assume responsibility for the home’s conservation and historical legacy. The institution purchased the property in 2023 for an amount not disclosed publicly.

Mooradian described the residence as representing support for everyone and the “pursuit of justice and dignity and equality during one of the most defining chapters in our nation’s history.”

“We’re opening a doorway to history,” Mooradian stated. “A place where an ordinary family chose to risk their lives to do something extraordinary. A place where conviction was tested. A movement was sheltered and nourished in this home, and where parents led with courage for the sake of their little girl.”

During 2023, construction teams started dismantling the structure section by section. It was transported over 800 miles north to Dearborn, where workers meticulously rebuilt the house. Historical items, including the seat King occupied while viewing Johnson’s broadcast announcement, were also relocated north.

Additional period-appropriate items from 1960s households have been incorporated to enhance the display.

Constructed in 1912, the building previously hosted prominent Black intellectuals W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, who conducted “fireside chats” discussing education, faith, arts, community development and economic stability, as documented by the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.

Jawana Jackson, who was 4 years old in 1965 and calls King “Uncle Martin,” drew parallels between the home’s role in 1960s voting rights struggles and contemporary challenges to those same rights.

This past April, the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a crucial component of legislation that had safeguarded against racial voting discrimination. Three years earlier, justices ruled 5-4 to remove the government’s strongest mechanism for preventing voting bias — the Voting Rights Act provision requiring 15 states with historical voting discrimination records, primarily in the South, to obtain federal permission before modifying their election procedures.

“We are still trying to protect democracy,” Jackson remarked Friday. “What Uncle Martin did in this house all those many years ago continues today.”

Fire officials in Northern California report that malfunctioning water safety systems severely complicated their response to a devastating warehouse fire that consumed a massive medical supply facility.

The enormous blaze destroyed a 1 million-square-foot facility in Tracy, California, located approximately 55 miles east of San Francisco. The warehouse, operated by Medline, served as a distribution center for medical supplies including latex gloves, masks, surgical instruments and other equipment used by regional hospitals.

Dense black smoke continued rising from the location on Friday as fire crews worked to extinguish remaining hot spots.

Fire officials report they have not yet determined what caused the water system malfunction during Thursday’s fire, though the problem appears to have originated with the building’s internal systems rather than municipal water supply. The fire started around 1 p.m. Thursday, and responding crews discovered the structure’s sprinkler system was not functioning while on-site hydrants had insufficient water pressure, according to Tracy Deputy Fire Chief Brian Bagley. He reported that a fire official found minimal to no water flow through either system.

Fire crews had to resort to connecting with municipal hydrants as an alternative. The structure became completely engulfed within 40 minutes, Bagley reported.

“We did a defensive approach at that point,” he said.

Workers had evacuated the building and no injuries occurred.

Flying embers from the fire ignited two grass fires and caused pallets and several large trucks at a neighboring FedEx location to catch fire. Fire crews successfully extinguished those blazes.

During overnight hours, crews battled additional fires that erupted in trailers containing supplies.

Bagley stated that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will assist in determining what caused the fire, though officials expect they won’t be able to enter the warehouse for several more days. He noted that an external company had tested the sprinkler system in January without discovering any problems.

The destroyed warehouse sits within a large industrial complex that also contains distribution and fulfillment facilities for Amazon, Home Depot and FedEx.

No residential evacuations were necessary. While Bagley advised residents in the vicinity to remain inside, he indicated that air quality testing had not revealed any “grave concerns.”

MIDLAND, Texas — A gunman responsible for a deadly shooting spree in this West Texas community has died following a tense confrontation with law enforcement officials on Friday, according to city authorities. The violence claimed one life and sent at least nine additional victims to area hospitals.

According to Midland police, the dangerous situation concluded several hours after gunfire first broke out in one section of the community, with the incident ultimately moving to an area close to a veterinary hospital.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death.

Andrea Mendias, who works at a body shop, reported hearing what resembled a minor blast coming from a shuttered veterinary clinic located adjacent to her workplace. She witnessed numerous heavily equipped law enforcement officers flooding into the parking area, with some appearing to enter the facility.

Mendias also stated she had previously heard approximately 40 rounds of gunfire.

Footage captured by Mendias revealed officers emerging from an armored law enforcement vehicle while police deployed robotic equipment in the vicinity.

Medical officials at Midland Memorial Hospital reported that four individuals were undergoing surgery while five additional patients remained in stable condition.

This community of approximately 140,000 people is located in the center of the state’s petroleum industry and was close to where another fatal mass shooting occurred in 2019.

During that previous incident, an individual who had lost his position at an oil services company took seven lives and injured two dozen additional people while randomly shooting as he traveled throughout the Odessa and Midland regions. These two communities are situated more than 300 miles west of Dallas.

Authorities in Toledo, Ohio have taken a suspect into custody in connection with a weekend shooting that left 12 people injured at a busy community festival.

Twenty-year-old Eljay Crisp-Carr was arrested Thursday and now faces 11 felony assault charges. Court records show no legal representation listed for him, and attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful Friday morning.

The shooting occurred Saturday at the Old West End Festival in Toledo, where a park filled with vendor booths, live music and food trucks was hosting the annual celebration in a neighborhood known for its Victorian architecture. According to police, a confrontation between opposing groups led to gunfire between two individuals, though neither of the shooters was hit by bullets.

Court documents from Toledo Municipal Court detail a detective’s account of surveillance footage that captured Crisp-Carr taking part in the altercation. The detective stated that after someone else began firing shots, Crisp-Carr stepped away from the group before turning back to shoot randomly into the gathered crowd.

The investigating detective explained that witness accounts, social media posts and police photographs helped confirm Crisp-Carr’s identity. Law enforcement has also issued a warrant for the second shooter, Ka Nye Taylor, who remains at large.

The historic Toledo neighborhood, located on Lake Erie’s western shore approximately 55 miles southwest of Detroit, was hosting hundreds of visitors for the yearly celebration. Festival organizers called off the second day of activities following the violence.

The gunfire caused panicked festival-goers to run for safety while others stayed to assist the wounded alongside emergency responders and law enforcement. Those injured included people ranging from teenagers to someone in their 60s.

During a Tuesday press briefing, the police chief and other municipal leaders commended both officers and civilians who quickly aided victims.

“We saw strangers who were shocked and frightened by the violence they just saw, they jumped into action,” said Chief of Fire and Rescue Allison Armstrong. “They helped others by placing tourniquets, dressing wounds, applying pressure and comforting those victims until additional help could arrive.”

A three-day road closure is scheduled for North College Avenue next week as crews perform maintenance work on railroad infrastructure.

The roadway will be shut down at the CSX railroad crossing starting Tuesday, June 16, and continuing through Thursday, June 18. The affected stretch runs from Cleveland Avenue to Main Street.

Officials say alternative routes will be marked with signage to help drivers navigate around the work zone. Drivers are being advised to find alternate paths during the construction period.

LONDON (AP) — Renowned British painter David Hockney, whose vibrant depictions of swimming pools bathed in California sunlight became defining images of modern art, passed away on Thursday, according to his representative. He was 88 years old.

Born in northern England, Hockney spent a significant portion of his career living in Southern California, where the bright, sun-soaked suburban landscapes became a central theme in his artwork.

In his later years, he relocated back to Europe, drawing fresh creative energy from the forested hills of Yorkshire where he grew up and the countryside of France’s Normandy region. He rose to become one of Britain’s most celebrated artists, with his pieces commanding record-breaking prices at art auctions.

Art historian Simon Schama observed that “the popularity and durability of David Hockney’s art, through all his shape-shifts and restlessly inventive experiments, are really no mystery.”

“His work is admired — loved is not too strong a word — by the millions who, worldwide, flock to see it because it presupposes an expectation of pleasure,” Schama wrote in an essay accompanying a 2025 Hockney exhibition in Paris.

His representative, Erica Bolton, confirmed he passed away just weeks before what would have been his 89th birthday.

Recognizable by his signature circular eyeglasses and platinum blonde hair, Hockney became a prominent figure in the dynamic British and American art communities of the 1960s before turning 30. His artwork was equally recognizable, often creating surreal environments of geometric light reflecting off water surfaces and windows, featuring human subjects portrayed in flattened, streamlined forms using matte acrylic paints.

“I’m excited every day,” he shared with the Los Angeles Times in 1979. “London has lots of dreary parts but I never find anything dreary in Los Angeles.”

Born on July 9, 1937, in Bradford, a major industrial center known for wool textile production, Hockney lived there for his first twenty years before attending London’s Royal College of Art. He gained recognition even before completing his studies, and art dealer John Kasmin signed him to his roster in 1961.

His creative inspirations spanned from Renaissance portrait painters to 19th-century English landscape artist J.M.W. Turner, Pablo Picasso’s Cubist innovations, and 20th-century American pop art movements.

During a visit to America in 1963-64, Hockney attracted attention with his contemporary interpretation of “A Rake’s Progress,” updating 18th-century artist William Hogarth’s painting series about a wealthy playboy’s adventures and ultimate ruin. The New York Times noted in 1964 that Hockney “brings Hogarth up-to-date with a vengeance and furnishes a good example of how younger artists like to marry text and picture with benefit to each.”

He shared with fellow pop artists a fascination with the sleek appearance of contemporary life. Similar to Andy Warhol’s use of Brillo boxes and Campbell’s soup cans, Hockney sometimes included commercial imagery, such as a British Typhoo Tea package featured in his 1961 “Tea Painting in an Illusionistic Style.”

Speaking to The New York Times in 1964, he expressed appreciation for New York’s emerging pop art movement while questioning his place within it.

“I’m just an ordinary artist,” he said. “I do admire American pop — in fact it seems that everything fresh-looking and vital in England these days has been coming from the U.S.” However, he maintained that he was still “very much an artist in the English tradition,” as he stated in 1995.

He compared his California relocation to historical precedent, noting that previous generations of English artists had traveled to Italy seeking brilliant light.

As an openly homosexual artist, Hockney examined sensual subjects, applying the same careful attention to young male figures that artists had traditionally given to female nudes for generations. Close friends and romantic partners often served as subjects, and some pieces drew inspiration from photographs in male fitness publications.

Early pieces like “We Two Boys Together Clinging” and “Two Men in a Shower” honored same-sex relationships during a time when homosexuality remained criminalized in Britain.

During his early career, the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired two of his drawings.

“The moment I first sold pictures to earn a living, I felt rich. I’ve been rich ever since,” he shared with The Associated Press in 1995. “I didn’t have much money but I did what I wanted. … You are a rich man if you do the things you want to do.”

This artistic independence brought Hockney both critical praise and financial success, with his pieces selling for unprecedented amounts. In 2018, his 1972 work “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” sold at Christie’s for $90.3 million, setting a record for a living artist at that time. In February 2020, another pool-themed painting, “The Splash” from 1966, brought 23.1 million pounds ($30 million) at Sotheby’s.

Beyond creating paintings of pools, Hockney also physically painted a pool when he designed the bottom of the swimming pool at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.

Though his most famous works featured American settings, he also captured British themes. He created multiple portraits of his parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy,” a 1971 double portrait featuring two English friends and their cat, ranked fifth in a 2005 BBC Radio-National Gallery online survey of Britain’s greatest paintings. It was the sole work by a living painter in the top ten.

Like many classical artists, he viewed drawing as an essential skill and regretted that it wasn’t taught as thoroughly as in the past.

“Human beings are the most interesting things we see, so they’re the hardest to draw,” he explained in a 1996 AP interview, noting that the finest drawings emerge when empathy exists between artist and subject.

His creative work extended beyond drawing and painting. He designed costumes and sets for theatrical and operatic productions, including a renowned “Tristan und Isolde” that premiered in 1987 at the Los Angeles Opera.

As a constant innovator, Hockney worked across drawing, painting, printmaking, photo collage, and video throughout his seven-decade career.

When he explored photography, he blended artistic forms, creating intricate collages like “Pearblossom Highway, 11-18th April, 1986,” composed of separate photographs of a desert road intersection.

“My photographer friends said it was a painting,” Hockney shared with the AP in 2001. “I said it’s a photograph; I used a camera.”

His photographic experiments inspired him to research and publish a 2001 book, “Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters.” He proposed that throughout history, artists employed lenses and optical instruments to assist their drawing far more frequently than most art historians acknowledge.

Eventually, he began creating art on iPads, which became his preferred medium.

In the early 2000s, he revisited the countryside and forests of Yorkshire through a collection of vibrant landscape paintings that merged vivid colors with detailed attention to elements like snow on hillsides or flowers on hawthorn bushes. These works were featured in a 2017 exhibition at Tate Britain in London that drew half a million visitors and later traveled to the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Hockney drew upon English countryside imagery for his stained-glass window design at Westminster Abbey honoring the extended reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Finished in 2018, the Queen’s Window shows a landscape of flowering hawthorn trees in shades of blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and red.

By this period, Hockney was widely regarded as Britain’s foremost living artist and a national icon. In 1997, the queen appointed him a Companion of Honour, a distinction reserved for 65 individuals “of distinction.”

In 2019, he relocated to Normandy, France, where during the 2020 coronavirus restrictions he created cheerful iPad illustrations of springtime for his friends. His message — “Do remember they can’t cancel the spring” — was displayed in neon lights across the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris when it presented a major Hockney exhibition that opened in April 2025.

The exhibition spanned from his first sold painting — a 1955 portrait of his father — through Los Angeles swimming pools to Yorkshire forests, friend portraits, opera stage designs, and numerous images celebrating spring’s arrival in Normandy.

Art curator Norman Rosenthal, who helped organize the Paris exhibition, described Hockney as “the Picasso of our times.”

“When I say that, people laugh at me, as Picasso was the archetypal artist of the 20th century,” Rosenthal explained to the Independent newspaper. “But David Hockney is also an incredibly popular artist whose work changes how we see things.”

A committed cigarette smoker who criticized government anti-smoking policies, Hockney protested when a poster for the 2025 exhibition was prohibited from the Paris Metro because it showed him with a cigarette.

Hockney experienced a minor stroke in 2012 and faced increasing hearing loss in his final years — something he claimed enhanced his visual abilities.

“If you lose one sense, you gain other senses, and I feel I could see space clearer,” he shared with the AP in 2017.

He maintained his artistic practice throughout his life.

“It’s my work that keeps me young,” Hockney told the Sun newspaper in 2017. “I’ve been a professional painter for 60 years. Sixty years of getting up every day and doing exactly what I want to do.”

Ten years after the tragic mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, a woman is honoring the memory of her father who was among those killed in the attack.

The daughter is reflecting on her father’s life and the impact of losing him in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

NEW YORK — Making history at age 36, Taylor Swift has earned the distinction of being the youngest woman ever welcomed into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during Thursday evening’s ceremony.

Speaking with a hoarse voice that she blamed on cheering during the night’s musical performances and Wednesday evening’s memorable NBA matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, Swift reflected on her songwriting process. “It was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it,” she explained.

During her emotional acceptance speech, Swift shared how her family relocated from Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was in her pre-teen years to support her musical ambitions.

“I will never be able to express my gratitude,” the artist said while fighting back tears, acknowledging how their sacrifice made her career possible.

Swift encouraged aspiring songwriters with these words: “You really have to prioritize what you love, down to your very core. Because you’ll need that.”

Director Steven Spielberg delivered an unexpected introduction for Swift, speaking about songwriting’s impact. “There is something undeniable about how songs imprint on our souls,” he remarked, then turned his attention to Swift specifically: “Somehow Taylor knows us all too well.”

Swift opened her remarks by recognizing Spielberg’s influence. “Because of examples like Steven’s, I trusted my imagination,” she stated.

Gen Z performer Sombr kicked off Swift’s portion of the evening with renditions of “Cardigan” and “Dear John” performed in her honor.

Swift’s presence has drawn significant attention to this year’s ceremony, and her songwriting has undoubtedly influenced modern pop music directions. While Swift holds the record as the youngest woman inducted, organizers announced from the stage that Stevie Wonder, who began recording at age 13, remains the youngest person overall to receive this honor.

The evening featured multiple memorable moments, with Swift joining other honorees including Kiss members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins, and additional artists.

The ceremony at New York City’s Marriott Marquis Hotel opened with Tamar Braxton delivering an energetic tribute to newly inducted R&B songwriter, producer and rapper Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, performing one of his most recognized works: Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.”

Stewart’s impressive portfolio also includes Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body,” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”

Dallas Austin, a songwriter and producer recognized for collaborations with Boyz II Men and Madonna, presented Stewart’s introduction. “Think about that catalog,” Austin said, highlighting those influential recordings. “Those are cultural moments.”

In his acceptance remarks, Stewart expressed appreciation to God, his family, collaborating artists, and mentors, particularly recognizing Grammy-winning music producer Antonio “L.A.” Reid and legendary singer-songwriter Babyface. “I wanted to be like L.A. and Baby,” he shared.

Kiss co-founders Simmons and Stanley received recognition two and a half years following the band’s final tour for their glam rock anthems “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “I Love It Loud.” The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan delivered a powerful performance of the first song, creating an appropriate fiery introduction for the duo. Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik joined him for the second track.

Stanley attended alone, explaining that Simmons faced a family emergency and couldn’t be present.

“Songs are the messenger,” Stanley observed, describing them as the foundation of “every show.”

Soft rock icon Kenny Loggins (known for “Footloose” and “Danny’s Song”) and alternative rock legend Morissette also received inductions.

For Morissette’s tribute, Brandi Carlile performed “Uninvited” with SistaStrings before introducing the honoree.

“Writing to me is not a hobby,” Morissette declared, calling it essential. “It’s write or die.” She then delivered performances of “Mary Jane” and “You Oughta Know” from her 1995 release “Jagged Little Pill.”

Gavin DeGraw performed “Danny’s Song” to honor Loggins, after which Loggins shared the backstory of that composition during his acceptance speech.

Taylor Dayne and Madison Cunningham presented Tina Turner classics penned by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle to celebrate their induction, while John Fogerty received the Johnny Mercer Award.

“I got my songs back!” Fogerty exclaimed at the conclusion of his nearly 30-minute address, referring to regaining control of his catalog at age 80. He then performed a medley featuring his classics including “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.”

Songwriter Walter Afanasieff, known for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” also received recognition in a segment introduced by actor Jeremy Renner, featuring R&B vocalist Sheléa performing a comprehensive medley of his major compositions, beginning with his holiday hit six months ahead of season.

“I wanted to be The Beatles,” he said about discovering his passion for songwriting. “Sixty years later, I got to produce Paul McCartney.”

British singer-songwriter RAYE was presented with the esteemed Hal David Starlight Award, concluding her speech by advocating that songwriters should receive portions of master royalties.

Previous year’s inductees featured George Clinton, The Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, and Tony Macaulay.

Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame recognizes creators of popular music. Songwriters become eligible for induction 20 years following their first commercial song release.

Current hall members include Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, and Phil Collins.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tens of thousands of Puerto Rico residents are facing critical water shortages so dire that the territory’s governor has deployed National Guard units while emergency officials handle daily distress calls.

Authorities haven’t publicly identified what’s causing the crisis, though shortages are primarily impacting areas within the island’s most densely populated urban centers, including San Juan, the capital. The territory’s water utility draws from rivers, reservoirs and underground water sources that historically have supplied adequate water for the island’s 3.2 million residents.

Citizens are being compelled to purchase drinking water, pay for commercial laundry services and carry heavy water containers up multiple stories to clean dishes, operate toilets and bathe. Elderly and disabled residents face the greatest hardships, with community advocates reporting some have required hospital care due to ongoing water access problems.

Jorge Figueroa, a community advocate for multiple low-income San Juan neighborhoods, stood beside his vehicle recently answering residents’ questions about when the next water delivery truck might arrive.

“They are playing with people’s health and lives,” Figueroa said.

Certain San Juan customers started experiencing sporadic service over a year ago, with the governor recognizing that the infrastructure has suffered from insufficient funding and upkeep for multiple decades.

The water service disruptions became so critical that Mayor Miguel Romero filed a lawsuit against Puerto Rico’s Water and Sewer Authority in late May.

Residents like Jeannette Mercado Rodríguez have endured up to two weeks without water service as Puerto Rico’s intense summer begins and weather experts are issuing heat warnings.

“This is really exhausting; it’s maddening,” she said.

The 52-year-old considers herself fortunate: a water truck remains positioned near her public housing development, Las Margaritas. However, she must still transport five containers and 10 2-liter bottles to her third-floor unit daily. She recently hurt her shoulder during this routine.

“We can’t take it sometimes,” Mercado said, revealing that she has broken down and cried. “There are older people here, bedridden people.”

Close to 40,000 customers experienced water service interruptions during the first weekend of June. This prompted Gov. Jenniffer González to deploy the National Guard, which started distributing water using four trucks holding 2,000 gallons each.

Puerto Rico’s Tourism Company provided additional water trucks with 12,800-gallon capacity to supply hotels and vacation rentals.

The water demand became so urgent that Puerto Rico’s Department of Agriculture cleaned two large milk transport trucks and repurposed them for delivering drinking water.

Even with these efforts, water remains scarce for many throughout San Juan and other areas. At least one fixed tank in a low-income neighborhood remained empty for several days, with residents applauding when the water truck finally appeared, calling city workers “heroes.” Other citizens complain that officials don’t notify them of water truck schedules, causing working residents to miss deliveries.

“This has been a disaster,” said Luz Laborde, president of a neighborhood association in Santurce, a working-class community in San Juan. “This is inhuman … It’s destroying the emotional state of a people.”

Numerous Puerto Ricans of all ages packed a courtroom recently, anxious to hear a decision on the lawsuit San Juan’s mayor brought against the island’s water and sewer authority while wondering when their water service would resume.

“We are exhausted,” said Marcia Soler París, a 61-year-old community leader. “We shouldn’t be living this way. We don’t deserve this.”

Each morning at sunrise, phones buzz as residents in San Juan and elsewhere report whether they have water, just a small flow or no service at all.

Soler contacts the emergency management office every few days requesting a water truck for herself and neighbors. She shares her home with her daughter, who has three sons ages 13, 10 and 4, and they play soccer daily. Like many others, they lack a water storage tank.

“I don’t know what it is to see a stream of water,” said Soler, who recently paid $40 at a laundromat and had to purchase disposable cups and plates for her household.

The additional expenses are stretching budgets across the island of 3.2 million people where over 40% live in poverty.

Soler explained that some neighbors are bedridden and their caregivers must use towels and wet wipes for cleaning. Another neighbor has vision loss, so people carry water to her apartment.

For years, persistent electrical outages have frustrated many Puerto Ricans. Water problems now rank equally high on their concerns.

At Villa Kennedy, a nearby public housing development, Elizabeth Sánchez, 79, described how she hurt her back carrying water buckets. Her husband can no longer assist because he injured his back the same way.

“What we are going through is horrible,” she said as tears began flowing.

In February 2025, Puerto Rico’s governor named Luis González Delgado as executive president of the island’s Water and Sewer Authority.

Months afterward, former regional director Roberto Martínez Toledo was replaced. However, Martínez recently joined a new committee established by a judge to collaborate with the agency on investigating and resolving the persistent water shortages.

The mayor of San Juan, who belongs to the governor’s party, stated that if Martínez hadn’t been removed from his role, “we wouldn’t be here talking about this issue.”

The new water and sewer agency head blamed Martínez for some difficulties.

“(The crisis) could have been avoided if Roberto Martínez had answered the phone the first day I called him,” González told reporters this week, adding that he is willing to work with him.

Some Puerto Ricans are demanding González’s resignation while calling for Martínez’s return to his former position, while increasing numbers blame the governor for the crisis. On Wednesday night, the governor announced that all infrastructure repair projects have begun with a $217 million investment.

Residents without water report they continue receiving bills for service.

“That’s another outrage,” said Laborde, the community leader. “You lose no matter what.”