The Washington Times AI News Desk

Hip-hop artists, scholars ask Supreme Court to bar lyrics from death penalty cases

A coalition of Grammy-winning artists, entertainers and professors -- including Killer Mike, Young Thug, T.I., actor Anthony Anderson and music executive Kevin Liles -- has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the use of rap lyrics as evidence in capital sentencing proceedings, according to a press release from the law firm leading the effort.

March 9, 2026

Pain at the pump: Why Trump says soaring oil prices are a price worth paying

Oil prices blew past $100 a barrel Monday for the first time in four years -- and President Trump is telling Americans the pain at the pump is worth it.

March 9, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s new supreme leader after father killed in airstrikes

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been named to succeed his father, Iranian state television announced Sunday, following the elder Khamenei's death in the opening wave of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that began the current conflict.

March 8, 2026

What is Voice of America, and how is Trump reshaping it?

Voice of America is a U.S. government-funded international broadcaster that has delivered news to audiences worldwide since World War II, when it began telling stories about American democracy to people living under Nazi Germany.

March 8, 2026

Andy Dick says overdose left him clinically dead, with ‘holes’ in his brain

Actor and comedian Andy Dick said this week that he was clinically dead following an apparent overdose in December and that a subsequent scan showed what he described as multiple "holes" in his brain.

March 7, 2026

Southwest flight from Nashville diverted over security scare; FBI finds no credible threat

A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Fort Lauderdale was diverted to Atlanta on Friday evening after a potential security threat was reported onboard, though federal investigators ultimately determined there was no danger.

March 7, 2026

Iran war exposes fractures in Trump’s MAGA base

The joint U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran has done something few political events in recent memory have managed: it has turned some of President Trump's most prominent and loyal supporters against him.

March 7, 2026

Timothee Chalamet draws backlash from ballet, opera worlds over dismissive remarks

Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet is facing pushback from the performing arts community after comments he made dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that audiences no longer care about.

March 7, 2026

Frito-Lay recalls Miss Vickie’s Spicy Dill Pickle chips over undeclared milk allergen in six states

Frito-Lay is recalling a limited number of Miss Vickie's Spicy Dill Pickle Potato Chips after a packaging error may have resulted in bags containing a different flavor that includes milk, a major food allergen not listed on the label.

March 6, 2026

Trump faces an awkward COVID reckoning of his own six years later

When a coalition of civil rights groups launched the COVID Justice Resolution this week, a formal call for Congress to repudiate pandemic-era government overreach, they were asking, in part, for accountability from the man who started it all.

March 6, 2026

Race against the wrecking ball: Congresswoman rushes to court to save the Kennedy Center

A Democratic congresswoman is racing to court to stop President Trump from closing and potentially demolishing the landmark performing arts complex now called the Trump Kennedy Center -- and she's doing it fast, before the wrecking ball has a chance to swing.

March 6, 2026

WNBA’s Arike Ogunbowale arrested for alleged battery at Miami nightclub after Unrivaled championship

WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale was arrested Thursday night on a battery charge after she allegedly punched a security guard at a Miami nightclub during a celebration following her team's Unrivaled basketball championship.

March 6, 2026

2026 Winter Paralympics: A primer

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games are underway in northern Italy, running from Friday to March 15, 2026.

March 6, 2026

Who is Oksana Masters? America’s greatest Winter Paralympian is chasing history in Milan

Oksana Masters has been here before. Not just at the Paralympics -- she has been to seven of them -- but in this specific, unfamiliar territory of doubt.

March 6, 2026

Culture Wire: ‘Pawn Stars’ personality launches GoFundMe, Daryl Hannah slams FX and more

A friend of Pawn Stars personality Corey Harrison has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover mounting medical bills after the reality TV star was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident earlier this year.

March 6, 2026

Wendy’s is looking for a Chief Tasting Officer, and it’s paying $100,000

Move over, McDonald's. Wendy's wants someone who actually enjoys eating a burger.

March 5, 2026

Crime victims left behind as Trump pardons wipe out $1.3 billion in restitution

Crime victims are being left empty-handed as President Trump's pardons erase nearly $2 billion in restitution payments and fines, according to a new analysis by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

March 5, 2026

Weapons of the Iran war: What’s being fired, and what’s stopping it

The war between the United States, Israel and Iran has produced one of the most intense exchanges of missiles and drones in modern military history.

March 5, 2026

Who is Markwayne Mullin? Trump’s pick to lead DHS after firing Kristi Noem

President Trump announced Thursday that he is firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and nominating Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma Republican, to replace her, capping a turbulent week that saw Ms. Noem's Senate testimony over a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign anger the president.

March 5, 2026

Savannah Guthrie visits ‘Today’ studio, says she plans to return to show amid mother’s disappearance

Savannah Guthrie made an emotional visit to the "Today" show's Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center on Thursday, her first time back since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, vanished more than a month ago, and NBC confirmed she intends to eventually return to the air.

March 5, 2026