The Washington Times AI News Desk

Olivia Rodrigo tells festival critics they don’t have to buy a ticket

Singer OLIVIA RODRIGO says her all-women Daisy Chain Fields festival was political and that people who disagree with its message "don't have to buy a ticket."

October 8, 2026

Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ now projected to lose $250 million

Tom Cruise's "Digger" is projected to lose Warner Bros. about $250M by the end of its run, even after post-theatrical revenue is counted. Some have described it as the biggest loss of Cruise's career.

October 8, 2026

The $4 flea-market frame that hid a first printing of the Declaration of Independence

A wooden frame purchased for $4 at a Pennsylvania flea market held something far more valuable than its damaged country-scene painting. When the buyer removed the canvas, he found a folded sheet of paper tucked between the picture and its backing.

October 8, 2026

Trial set for Ohio blogger charged over profane Shrek image sent to senator

An Ohio political blogger who spent 23 hours in jail after texting a state senator a profane altered image of the cartoon ogre Shrek is scheduled to stand trial Thursday on a misdemeanor harassment charge.

October 7, 2026

Aerosmith ends touring retirement with two Hollywood Bowl shows

Aerosmith will return to the stage for two nights at the Hollywood Bowl later this month, two years after the band said it was retiring from touring because of frontman Steven Tyler's vocal injury.

October 7, 2026

Studios put 42% of film budgets into U.S.-shot productions, down from 74% in 1999: Study

STUDIO STUDY: Major Hollywood studios now spend 42% of their film production budgets on movies shot mostly or partly in the United States, down from 74% a quarter-century ago.

October 7, 2026

Glen Powell: ‘Politics divide people,’ and he wants no part of it

Actor GLEN POWELL says he's not interested in speaking about politics: "Over time, I realized that politics divide people."

October 7, 2026

Sydney Sweeney, Marilyn Monroe are distant cousins, genealogy study finds

Actress Sydney Sweeney and screen legend Marilyn Monroe are ninth cousins, once removed, according to genealogy research.

October 7, 2026

Texas clinics, owner pay $20M to resolve False Claims Act COVID-19 allegations

A physician and his two Plano, Texas, clinics have agreed to pay the federal government $20 million to resolve allegations that they billed a COVID-19 relief program for evaluation and management services that were never performed, the Justice Department announced.

October 7, 2026

Disney raises some theme park ticket prices, Disney World passes

Disney raised prices Tuesday on some tickets at Disneyland and Walt Disney World and on all Walt Disney World annual passes.

October 7, 2026

AIDS Healthcare Foundation to pay $1.44M to settle Medicare Advantage billing claims

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit, has agreed to pay $1.44 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting or failing to delete false or invalid diagnosis codes to increase its Medicare Advantage payments, the Justice Department announced.

October 7, 2026

Who gets hit hardest by Isaias? Forecasters point to Mississippi-to-Panhandle coast

Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the Gulf on Wednesday and is forecast to become the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, with the coast from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle facing the worst of the storm surge when it strikes late Friday or early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.

October 7, 2026

Mia Goth files for divorce from Shia LaBeouf, seeks custody of daughter

Actress Mia Goth has filed for divorce from actor Shia LaBeouf, citing "irreconcilable differences" and listing July 28, 2025, as the couple's date of separation.

October 7, 2026

Florida man convicted in $15M Medicare scheme targeting seniors with unneeded blood tests

A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida has convicted a Coral Springs man of a scheme that billed Medicare more than $15 million for blood tests elderly patients did not want or need, the Justice Department announced.

October 7, 2026

13 eye-popping Halloween decorations to make trick-or-treaters scream with delight

A memorable Halloween display does not require a professional haunted-house budget. A few well-placed decorations can turn an ordinary front walk, window or living room into a scene that makes trick-or-treaters stop and look twice.

October 7, 2026

Killer of Phoenix hiker, who told police she was ‘what I would want to look like,’ pleads guilty

A man who wrote of struggling with his gender identity and sexuality, according to a police report, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2023 stabbing death of Phoenix hiker Lauren Heike, under an agreement that removes the death penalty and calls for a natural life sentence. The man said to police of Heike, "That's what I would want to look like."

October 7, 2026

OpenAI publicist interrupts Sam Altman interview over question on woman’s suicide

An OpenAI publicist tried to steer Sam Altman away from a question about a young woman's suicide during an interview.

October 7, 2026

Ex-TD Bank employee pleads guilty to laundering $4.8M to Colombia

Gerardo Aquino, 40, of Hollywood, Florida, has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and laundering more than $4.8 million to Colombia while employed by TD Bank, the Justice Department announced.

October 7, 2026

Jack White: Trump ‘worst American of all time’ after rally remark

Musician JACK WHITE condemns Trump as "the worst American of all time."

October 7, 2026

Actor Eddie Deezen draws backlash after post about asking out 16-year-old: ‘An honest mistake’

Eddie Deezen, the actor who played Eugene Felsnic in the 1978 film "Grease," is facing online criticism after he described in a Facebook post how he asked out a 16-year-old girl at a Starbucks, then compared the reaction to homophobia.

October 7, 2026