The Washington Times AI News Desk

Education Dept. opens Title IX probe into Smith College over transgender admissions policy

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation Monday into Smith College, one of the nation's largest all-women's colleges, over its policy of admitting transgender women, raising questions about whether the Massachusetts institution can continue to claim federal protections reserved for single-sex schools.

May 5, 2026

Spike Lee calls Supreme Court’s Louisiana redistricting ruling an ‘attack on voters’

Director Spike Lee has criticized the Supreme Court's decision striking down Louisiana's congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, calling the ruling an attack on voting rights.

May 5, 2026

Delta to end food and beverage service on roughly 450 short-haul flights

Delta Air Lines will stop serving complimentary food and drinks on hundreds of daily flights beginning May 19, the carrier announced, in the latest sign of belt-tightening across the U.S. airline industry.

May 5, 2026

5 questions about J.D. Vance’s Iowa visit

Vice President J.D. Vance is traveling to Des Moines to campaign for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who faces a competitive race to hold his seat in the November midterm elections.

May 5, 2026

Miami man gets 57 months for role in $5M South Florida jewelry heists

The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for his role in a string of jewelry robberies and thefts across South Florida that caused more than $5 million in losses, prosecutors said.

May 4, 2026

Puerto Rico waste company burned unpermitted materials, evaded EPA inspectors, feds allege

A federal grand jury in San Juan has indicted a Puerto Rico biomedical waste company and two of its principals on criminal charges alleging years of illegal emissions from a commercial incinerator, prosecutors said.

May 4, 2026

Texas man pleads guilty to selling $8.4M in recreational inhalants mislabeled as cleaning products

A Texas man pleaded guilty to two federal conspiracy charges related to the misbranding and sale of volatile alkyl nitrites -- commonly known as "poppers" -- which were falsely labeled as cleaning products to conceal their intended use as recreational inhalants, the Justice Department announced.

May 4, 2026

Pakistani man pleads guilty in smuggling ring using fake film companies

A Pakistani man pleaded guilty to leading an international human smuggling conspiracy that used fake film production companies as cover to bring Pakistani nationals illegally into the United States, federal prosecutors announced.

May 4, 2026

Trump vows deeper Germany troop cuts as his own party revolts

Top Republicans broke with President Trump over his plan to deepen U.S. troop cuts in Germany, warning it emboldens Putin. Trump, meanwhile, hinted that strikes on Iran may not be over.

May 4, 2026

5 questions about the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship

A suspected hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship killed three people and left at least five others seriously ill, including two crew members requiring urgent care.

May 4, 2026

Trump vows to cut far more than 5,000 troops from Germany amid Iran war fallout

President Trump has vowed to pull far more than 5,000 American troops from Germany, escalating a public feud with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and deepening rifts within his own party over U.S. military strategy in the wake of the Iran conflict.

May 3, 2026

Prosecutor says bullet that hit Secret Service agent came from suspect’s shotgun

The federal prosecutor leading the case against Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, said Sunday that the government has overwhelming evidence of premeditated intent and can prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

May 3, 2026

Fetterman warns of ‘small Communist takeover’ in Maine as Platner nears Democratic nomination

Sen. John Fetterman sounded the alarm Friday about the leftward drift of his own party, warning that a "small Communist takeover" is underway in Maine as Graham Platner closes in on the Democratic Senate nomination.

May 2, 2026

California Gov. Newsom calls WHCD shooting ‘evil,’ blames Trump for political climate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner "evil" during a Friday appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," while arguing that President Trump bears responsibility for the country's political tone.

May 2, 2026

Epstein suicide note sealed in New York courthouse for nearly 7 years, report says

A suicide note allegedly written by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has been quietly sealed in a New York courthouse for nearly seven years -- kept from investigators and the public even as millions of pages of government records on Epstein were released, The New York Times reported Thursday.

May 2, 2026

Nurse Sarah Danh recovering after Japan honeymoon collapse

Sarah Danh, 27, a labor and delivery nurse, is off life support and breathing on her own, according to her uncle. Danh and her husband, Luke Gradl, married in March and flew to Tokyo in April, where she fell ill and was rushed to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with acute liver failure, among other serious conditions, and placed in the ICU.

May 1, 2026

Sydney Sweeney posts first public photos with music manager Scooter Braun on Instagram

Sydney Sweeney made her relationship with Scooter Braun official on her Instagram grid Friday, sharing a carousel of photos from their weekend together at the Stagecoach music festival in Indio, California.

May 1, 2026

Black voters could lose congressional seats after Supreme Court guts Voting Rights Act protection

The Supreme Court's gutting of a key Voting Rights Act protection is threatening to erase hard-won congressional representation for Black voters in Louisiana and Alabama -- and Democrats are racing to court to stop it.

May 1, 2026

Trump retirement order expands access built by Biden law

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the Treasury Department to launch TrumpIRA.gov, a federal portal connecting workers to private-sector retirement accounts -- but the matching benefits at the heart of the initiative were created by a law signed by his predecessor, President Biden.

May 1, 2026

Kathy Griffin rallies to Kimmel’s defense as Trump presses ABC to fire host

Comedian Kathy Griffin came to the defense of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel this week, drawing on her own turbulent experience with presidential scrutiny after Kimmel's joke about first lady Melania Trump ignited a firestorm that has since drawn in federal regulators.

May 1, 2026