The Washington Times AI News Desk

Will Smith’s ‘King Richard’ co-star defends his Oscars slap of Chris Rock

Actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who co-starred with Will Smith in "King Richard," defended Smith's decision to slap comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, arguing the First Amendment shouldn't "protect a--holes." "I know that he wanted to protect his wife, and I stand by that," she said. "I stand with him for that."

August 14, 2026

Actor Mark Ruffalo says RFK Jr. ‘has killed the lettuce market’ amid outbreak

Actor MARK RUFFALO says RFK Jr. "has killed the lettuce market by not getting to the bottom of these outbreaks and playing politics with everything. We can't trust the CDC or him."

August 14, 2026

State Department cuts DEI reading list that praised looting, reparations

The State Department has ended its DEI training program for foreign service officers, the Trump administration announced Thursday. The scrapped curriculum included lessons on invented pronouns and a reading list defending looting and reparations.

August 14, 2026

Kelly Osbourne slams Dee Snider over Ozzy songwriting claims

Kelly Osbourne is defending her late father's legacy after Dee Snider suggested Ozzy Osbourne relied heavily on bandmates and bassists to write his most celebrated lyrics.

August 14, 2026

Candace Owens concedes no direct proof Israel killed Charlie Kirk in debate with Andrew Wilson

Candace Owens acknowledged she has no direct evidence that Israel was behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk during a nationally streamed debate with online debater Andrew Wilson, even as she laid out a theory she says points to an "Israeli angle" in the case.

August 14, 2026

CNN analysis says Patriot Games ‘overwhelmingly White’

CNN host criticizes Trump's Patriot Games: "The president promised the best of the best student-athletes. I'm not sure that's what we got ... Of the ones who were featured in the Freedom 250 Instagram page, many attend private Christian schools. They also appear to be overwhelmingly White, and the application for the games didn't specify race."

August 14, 2026

Rudy Giuliani says Judge Boasberg could face impeachment over Chinese biotech company ruling

Rudy Giuliani says U.S. District Judge James Boasberg should be investigated and could face impeachment over a ruling that blocked the Pentagon from labeling a Chinese biotech company a "Chinese military company."

August 14, 2026

Rising golf star, 18, dies after brain hemorrhage in Thailand

Jessica Bang, an 18-year-old professional golfer, died Thursday at a hospital in Bangkok after suffering a brain hemorrhage nearly two weeks earlier while preparing for a tournament in Thailand.

August 14, 2026

Comedian Shane Gillis says he dodged a photo op with Trump

Comedian Shane Gillis said he deliberately avoided being photographed with President Trump during a UFC card held at the White House this summer, telling Joe Rogan he stood outside in the rain rather than join other entertainers in a VIP viewing area.

August 14, 2026

5 questions about the Qusra settler siege in the northern West Bank

For five nights, Israeli settlers surrounded Palestinian homes in Qusra and cut off their water and power, a siege so severe that the U.S. ambassador called it terrorism.

August 14, 2026

Stephen A. Smith heaps praise on Rubio, Vance and DeSantis

STEPHEN A. SMITH: "I think Rubio is the real deal."

August 13, 2026

Spanish town’s Socialist council moves patron saint holiday, drawing backlash

A small town in Andalusia has become the center of a national dispute after its Socialist-led council voted to move a centuries-old local holiday off the date tied to its patron saint's festivities, drawing accusations from the opposition that the change is designed to strip the celebration of its religious character.

August 13, 2026

Wine tied to lower death risk than beer, spirits, study finds

STUDY: Wine drinkers may face a lower risk of death than people who drink beer or spirits at the same intake levels.

August 13, 2026

Prichard Colon, boxer left in vegetative state by 2015 blows, dies at 33

Prichard Colon, the boxer whose promising career ended when he was left in a persistent vegetative state after absorbing a string of illegal blows during a 2015 bout, has died. He was 33.

August 13, 2026

Country singer John Rich warns tax hikes could dim Nashville’s Broadway lights

Country star JOHN RICH on Nashville property taxes: "The lights are going out on Broadway."

August 13, 2026

White House may skip naming a permanent Leavitt successor

President Trump's abrupt announcement that Karoline Leavitt is leaving the White House press podium has set off a guessing game over her replacement, but the administration's own recent history suggests there may not be a traditional successor at all.

August 13, 2026

DOJ says California prisons violated Constitution by ignoring inmate sexual abuse

The Justice Department announced that it has reasonable cause to believe the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, along with the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino, are violating the U.S. Constitution by failing to protect female prisoners from sexual abuse and harassment by staff.

August 13, 2026

Spotify to label AI artists, drop them from recommendations

Spotify will begin flagging AI-generated performers with a new "AI Persona" badge starting in mid-September, part of a broader push to separate synthetic acts from real musicians on the platform.

August 13, 2026

Texas man pleads guilty in $43 million IRS tax shelter fraud scheme

A Frisco, Texas, man pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the IRS through a fraudulent tax shelter scheme. The conspiracy caused an approximate $43 million tax loss to the IRS, the Justice Department announced.

August 13, 2026

Can transgender women play in the WNBA? League addresses eligibility rules

No transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA. But after two former NBA players declared themselves eligible for next year's draft, the league is pushing back hard on what it calls "bad-faith" efforts to turn the issue into a fight.

August 13, 2026