The Washington Times AI News Desk

Iran accuses U.S. of ‘discriminatory treatment’ over World Cup visa denials

Iran's national soccer team arrived in North America under a cloud of diplomatic tension after U.S. officials denied visas to two senior Iranian Football Federation leaders ahead of this month's World Cup, drawing sharp protests from Tehran over what it called politically motivated interference in sport.

June 7, 2026

Madonna marks Pride month with risque bathroom video

Pop icon Madonna kicked off Pride month with a provocative Instagram video that drew a divided response from fans and social media users alike. In the post, the 67-year-old singer -- wearing a silk slip dress, opera gloves, a diamond necklace and matching earrings -- is seen kneeling beside an oyster-shell toilet seat and smoking a cigarette. As she repositioned herself to face the camera, her dress shifted and a wardrobe malfunction occurred.

June 6, 2026

Golden Tempo set for Belmont Stakes after historic Derby win

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will take to the track Saturday evening at Saratoga Race Course for the 158th Belmont Stakes, the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, with post time set for 7:04 p.m. ET.

June 6, 2026

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce plan July 4 weekend wedding at Madison Square Garden, reports say

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are planning to exchange vows at Madison Square Garden over the July Fourth weekend, according to multiple reports published Friday.

June 6, 2026

Sunny Hostin says America is a ‘failed experiment’ on ‘The View,’ drawing White House rebuke

SUNNY HOSTIN: "I am conflicted about this country because I feel that it is, at this point, a failed experiment, quite frankly. I am also discouraged by how this country is viewed by the rest of the world."

June 6, 2026

Porn in the classroom: How Big Tech exploits school internet — and what Washington is doing about it

Big Tech deliberately designed school platforms to addict students, internal documents reveal. Now nearly 1 in 4 teens watch porn on school-issued devices -- and reading scores have been falling for over a decade.

June 5, 2026

McDonald’s to test AI drive-thru system at five locations

McDonald's announced this week that it is piloting a new artificial intelligence-powered operating system called ArchIQ, including a voice-based drive-thru assistant, as part of a broader business strategy unveiled at its Worldwide Convention in Las Vegas.

June 5, 2026

Congo health minister calls U.S. Ebola travel restrictions ‘discriminatory’

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's health minister on Friday denounced travel bans imposed by the U.S. and other nations in response to the country's Ebola outbreak, calling the restrictions "discriminatory" and unsupported by science.

June 5, 2026

Elton John urges LGBTQ community to resist ‘hostility’ during Pride month

ELTON JOHN on Pride month: "The hostility is real, and it is growing. We are seeing rights rolled back, funding cuts, and communities that were already vulnerable being made more so."

June 5, 2026

N.Y. bill would replace ‘mother,’ ‘father’ with gender-neutral terms

The New York Legislature has passed a bill that would strip the words "mother" and "father" from sections of state family law and replace them with gender-neutral alternatives, sending the measure to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature or veto. "Mother" would become "gestating parent," and "father" would become "non-gestating parent."

June 5, 2026

46 things to do in Washington, D.C. this weekend: June 5-7

From a National Gallery block party and an America 250 festival to museum openings, film screenings and major concerts, Washington offers plenty of reasons to get out this weekend.

June 5, 2026

Search for Auburn student missing in Japan enters second week as volunteers join hunt

The family of a 20-year-old Auburn University student, James "Weston" Higginbotham, who vanished in the mountains outside Kyoto last week has enlisted civilian volunteers to press ahead with the search, even as Japanese police say they believe he most likely left of his own accord.

June 5, 2026

YouTuber Jesse Ridgway speaks out after death threats over abortion

Jesse Ridgway, a YouTube personality, is speaking out after he and his wife, Ashley, revealed they terminated a pregnancy following a Down syndrome diagnosis and faced a torrent of online harassment and death threats in response.

June 5, 2026

Anthony Head, ‘Buffy’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ star, dies at 72

Anthony Head, the British character actor whose four-decade career stretched from London's West End to cult American television, died Friday. He was 72.

June 5, 2026

Spielberg says ‘Disclosure Day’ is not science fiction as he declares belief in alien contact

SPIELBERG on his new movie 'Disclosure Day': "It's my first film that will be considered science fiction that I do not consider to be science fiction. It's much more reflective of the world as it is evolving and discoveries that are being made as we speak."

June 5, 2026