The Washington Times AI News Desk

‘Second family’ turns on Michael Jackson estate: Cascio siblings say pop star abused them for years

Five siblings who spent decades defending Michael Jackson -- with members of the family among his defenders during his 2005 criminal trial and appearing on Oprah Winfrey's talk show -- now say the pop star repeatedly sexually abused them as children, according to a federal lawsuit and a New York Times interview published Friday.

April 24, 2026

Live Nation offering $30 concert tickets for more than 4,000 shows this summer

Live Nation has launched its annual "Summer of Live" promotion, giving fans the chance to buy $30 all-in tickets to more than 4,000 concerts across the U.S. and Canada.

April 24, 2026

Costco recalls nearly 208,000 heated socks after customers suffer burns

Costco is pulling nearly 208,000 pairs of battery-powered socks from shelves after customers reported suffering first- and second-degree burns while wearing them.

April 24, 2026

Aldi rolls out new store format across U.S. in 50th anniversary year

Aldi is overhauling the look and feel of its American stores as the German discount grocery chain marks a major milestone in the United States.

April 24, 2026

Tornadoes tear through Oklahoma, injuring at least 10; Vance Air Force Base shut down

Powerful tornadoes ripped through north-central Oklahoma late Thursday, injuring at least 10 people, flattening dozens of homes and forcing Vance Air Force Base to close as damage assessments continued Friday morning.

April 24, 2026

Who has the longest ‘Jeopardy!’ streak? Jamie Ding wins his 29th game

"Jeopardy!" champion Jamie Ding extended his winning streak to 29 consecutive games on Wednesday, April 22, emerging victorious even after missing the Final Jeopardy clue, and he says when the run finally ends, he plans to spend much of his earnings on others.

April 23, 2026

5 questions about the EU’s Ukraine loan package

The European Union approved a 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) loan package to support Ukraine's economy and military needs for two years.

April 23, 2026

Stefanik says data shows her new book outsold every nonfiction book in America, accuses NYT of bias

Rep. Elise Stefanik says her new book outsold every other nonfiction hardcover in the country -- and is accusing The New York Times of deliberately undercounting its sales to deny her a No. 1 ranking.

April 23, 2026

FBI arrests Chinese national accused of illegally documenting planes at U.S. air bases

A Chinese national has been charged with illegally documenting military aircraft at a key U.S. Air Force installation in Nebraska, federal prosecutors announced.

April 23, 2026

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas: ‘Privileged’ Zionists talk ‘like Black people during slavery’

The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas sparked controversy this week after claiming that "American Zionists" enjoy the benefits of white privilege while speaking as though they are the oppressed -- remarks that came days after his band used its Coachella set to condemn U.S. and Israeli military actions in Iran and Gaza.

April 23, 2026

Atlanta man sentenced to 7 years for stealing $3.8M in pandemic unemployment benefits

A multi-convicted fraudster was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in pandemic-era unemployment benefits, federal prosecutors in Atlanta announced.

April 23, 2026

Russell Brand admits to ‘exploitative’ sex with 16-year-old amid rape trial

Russell Brand has acknowledged having what he called "exploitative" consensual sex with a 16-year-old girl when he was 30 years old, making the admission during an appearance on the "Megyn Kelly Show" as he awaits trial on rape and sexual assault charges in Britain.

April 23, 2026

Feds charge five in connection to alleged D.C. auto theft ring

Federal prosecutors unsealed a 15-count indictment Tuesday charging five individuals -- with a sixth remaining a fugitive -- in connection with an alleged auto theft ring operating in the Washington metropolitan area and Pennsylvania that allegedly stole at least 20 vehicles, transported them across state lines, and sold them to buyers in the United States and Ghana.

April 23, 2026

Savannah Chrisley: Charlie Kirk ‘would have been the greatest president’

Reality TV personality Savannah Chrisley paid tribute to the late Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA campus tour stop at Ohio State University Tuesday, telling the crowd that Kirk "would have been the greatest president of our lifetime."

April 23, 2026

Supreme Court weighs green card deportation case — and a win for immigrants could make things worse

Returning green card holders with criminal records could face deportation under a case before the Supreme Court. The catch: winning might make things worse.

April 23, 2026

Man accused of plotting Jazz Fest mass shooting arrested in Florida

Florida authorities have arrested a North Carolina man who allegedly planned to carry out a mass shooting at a New Orleans festival and then be killed by police, an arrest that came just as the city's Jazz & Heritage Festival was set to open.

April 23, 2026

Who is Hung Cao, the new acting Navy secretary?

When the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday that Navy Secretary John Phelan was "departing the administration, effective immediately," the man tapped to replace him brought something his predecessor never had: a uniform, combat deployments and a refugee's intimate understanding of what it means to lose a country.

April 23, 2026

Navy Secretary John Phelan leaves Trump administration, replaced by Undersecretary Hung Cao

Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan has departed the Trump administration effective immediately, the Pentagon announced Wednesday, with Undersecretary Hung Cao stepping in as acting secretary.

April 22, 2026

‘Storage Wars’ star Darrell Sheets dead at 67

Darrell Sheets, the beloved "Storage Wars" cast member known as "the Gambler," was found dead Wednesday at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in what police believe was a suicide. He was 67.

April 22, 2026

Bill Maher, Woody Harrelson blast California cannabis taxes on ‘4/20’ podcast episode

Bill Maher and Woody Harrelson used their shared cannabis dispensary as the backdrop for a pointed critique of California's marijuana tax policy Monday, recording the latest episode of Mr. Maher's "Club Random" podcast at The Woods, their West Hollywood pot shop, on what is informally observed as the marijuana holiday.

April 22, 2026