Spotlight
Colombian paramilitary member gets over a decade in prison for cocaine trafficking
A high-level member of a Colombian paramilitary organization was sentenced to 150 months in prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, federal prosecutors announced.
Ukraine-Israel dual citizen gets 4 years in $3 million investment fraud scheme, DOJ says
A dual citizen of Ukraine and Israel was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in an international investment fraud conspiracy that defrauded American victims of millions of dollars, the Justice Department announced.
Maryland man pleads guilty in multi-state kidnapping, murder spree
Monroe Merrell, 29, of Westminster, Maryland, pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from a multi-state violent crime spree involving kidnapping, murder and witness tampering causing death, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
PragerU CEO ties classroom ‘adultism’ push to socialist agenda
A growing "ethnic studies" push in American classrooms is teaching students that ordinary parenting amounts to oppression, PragerU CEO Marissa Streit warned in a recent interview. She said the curriculum leans heavily on the term "adultism," a concept that originated in sociology to describe age discrimination against children.
Jared Leto accused of criminal sexual conduct by four women
Actor and musician Jared Leto has been accused of criminal sexual conduct by four women in a new BBC documentary, which aired Wednesday. In total, 10 women spoke to the BBC for the film, nine of whom said they were sharing their accounts publicly for the first time. Some claim they were underage at the time of the alleged misconduct. Leto has denied the accusations.
Florida ticket wins $800 million Mega Millions jackpot
A single ticket sold in Florida matched all six numbers in Tuesday night's drawing to claim an estimated $800M Mega Millions jackpot, the 10th-largest prize in the game's history.
Before COVID, a Chinese army scientist quietly sent this to a U.S. lab
Declassified Senate documents show a Chinese military scientist secretly shipped coronavirus vials to a Minnesota lab in 2018, over a year before COVID-19 emerged. Here's what the newly released records reveal.
5 questions about the Salamanca School District’s AI robot controversy
A rural New York school district's plan to bring a humanoid artificial intelligence robot into the classroom hit a snag over data privacy fears and its maker's ties to a sex doll company.
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ eyes one of biggest box-office openings ever
Superhero fatigue may be real, but it isn't slowing down Peter Parker. Some outlets predict that "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" could take in an estimated $250M in its opening weekend, which would rank among the largest openings in box-office history.
Francesca Hong, Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate, disavows 2021 post calling to abolish U.S. Senate
Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democrat running for governor, is distancing herself from a 2021 social media post calling for the U.S. Senate's abolition, with her campaign saying she does not recall writing it.
Rosie O’Donnell’s therapist urged her to dial down Trump obsession
Rosie O'Donnell is once again insisting President Trump is "obsessed" with her, even as her therapist has urged her to stop posting about Trump for periods of time for her own well-being.
Second apparent experimental explosion recorded off Florida coast
A seismic event registered off Florida's Atlantic coast on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after a similar reading rattled the same stretch of ocean.
Kansas teacher says she’ll keep using students’ preferred pronouns despite probe
A science teacher with Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, says she has no intention of stopping her use of students' preferred names and pronouns, even as the district faces the possible loss of federal funding over the practice. The teacher said: "If your child was born Nicole, and one day they ask me to call them Nick so they feel more comfortable, then I am going to call them Nick and keep it moving. That is not indoctrination. That is a teacher being a safe place for ALL kids. Period."
Cartel leader’s ex-wife pleads guilty to violating U.S. sanctions over school tuition
The ex-wife and current partner of a leader of the Mexican cartel Los Cuinis pleaded guilty to violating U.S. counternarcotics sanctions, according to the Justice Department.
Bootleg copies of Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ flood X despite takedowns
Pirated copies of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" spread rapidly across X over the weekend, racking up millions of views before Universal Pictures moved to take them down, a piracy wave that so far hasn't dented the film's record-setting box office run.
Michigan woman admits to $539,000 Medicare psychotherapy fraud scheme
A Michigan woman pleaded guilty to billing Medicare for psychotherapy services that were never provided to residents of her adult day care center, the Justice Department announced.
Trump pledges White House invitation for teen lifeguard’s dramatic rescue
President Trump said Monday he plans to invite a 16-year-old California lifeguard to the White House after video of the teenager battling powerful surf to save a drowning boy went viral, saying the teen would receive what he called a "High Civilian Honor."
Cayman resident sentenced to 37 months for hiding $7 million from IRS
Justin Ryan Schmidt, a Cayman resident formerly of Austin, Texas, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax evasion after renouncing his U.S. citizenship and making false statements about his finances and tax compliance, the Justice Department said.
Wisconsin brewery that offered free beer if Trump dies faces permit revocation
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has issued notice that it intends to revoke the brewer's permit for Minocqua Brewing Co., a left-wing brewery that gained national attention for pledging free beer the day President Trump dies.
E-bike takeover of downtown Orlando streets leads to charges
Hundreds of teenagers on e-bikes and motorized scooters swarmed downtown Orlando streets earlier this month, running red lights and blocking an ambulance in a scene that led to detentions and citations.
