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Tag: statement

  • 2 Pennsylvania state police officers shot during vehicle chase, suspect dead

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    Two state police officers in Pennsylvania pursuing a vehicle were shot Wednesday in an exchange of gunfire with a suspect who was killed, authorities said.The troopers were airlifted by a medical helicopter to WellSpan York Hospital to be treated, according to investigators. They are in critical and serious condition, Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement.Officials have not yet released the names of the injured troopers. They were responding to a theft call at a sporting goods store. Several suspects had fled in a vehicle, the statement said. The troopers saw the vehicle and there was a pursuit.Spike strips stopped the vehicle. Two women came out and were taken into custody, the statement said.A man in the vehicle “began shooting at troopers, striking two of them,” the statement said. “Troopers returned fire, fatally wounding the male.”Gov. Josh Shapiro said he and his wife, Lori, were praying for the officers and asked others to join them.“Pennsylvania’s law enforcement officers are the very best of us — running towards danger every day to keep our communities safe,” Shapiro said in a post on the social platform X.The shooting took place in southern Franklin County, which is about 85 miles northwest of Baltimore.

    GREENCASTLE, Pa. —

    Two state police officers in Pennsylvania pursuing a vehicle were shot Wednesday in an exchange of gunfire with a suspect who was killed, authorities said.

    The troopers were airlifted by a medical helicopter to WellSpan York Hospital to be treated, according to investigators. They are in critical and serious condition, Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement.

    Officials have not yet released the names of the injured troopers.

    They were responding to a theft call at a sporting goods store. Several suspects had fled in a vehicle, the statement said. The troopers saw the vehicle and there was a pursuit.

    Spike strips stopped the vehicle. Two women came out and were taken into custody, the statement said.

    A man in the vehicle “began shooting at troopers, striking two of them,” the statement said. “Troopers returned fire, fatally wounding the male.”

    Gov. Josh Shapiro said he and his wife, Lori, were praying for the officers and asked others to join them.

    “Pennsylvania’s law enforcement officers are the very best of us — running towards danger every day to keep our communities safe,” Shapiro said in a post on the social platform X.

    The shooting took place in southern Franklin County, which is about 85 miles northwest of Baltimore.

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  • President Trump is sending 300 Cal Guard to Oregon and Newsom says he’ll sue

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    Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Portland, Oregon, after a federal district court blocked the attempted federalization of Oregon’s National Guard:“In response to a federal court order that blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon. They are on their way there now. This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents.This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power. The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.” —Governor Gavin NewsomTrump illegally sends California troops to OregonDespite a federal court order finding no legal basis to deploy state National Guard troops to the streets of Portland and ordering that control of the Oregon National Guard be returned to state command, the Trump Administration is now sending 300 federally controlled members of the California National Guard to Portland to take their place. The troops had originally been federalized months ago in response to unrest in Los Angeles — conditions that never necessitated their deployment in the first place, and have long since subsided anyway. Courts rebuke Trump’s lawlessnessIn its ruling yesterday, the federal judge appointed by President Trump rejected the Trump Administration’s justification for deploying federalized troops, writing in its order: “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation.”The court found that the President’s own statements regarding the deployment of federalized National Guard were not “conceived in good faith” and were “simply untethered to the facts.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom today issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Portland, Oregon, after a federal district court blocked the attempted federalization of Oregon’s National Guard:

    “In response to a federal court order that blocked his attempt to federalize the Oregon National Guard, President Trump is deploying 300 California National Guard personnel into Oregon. They are on their way there now. This is a breathtaking abuse of the law and power. The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words — ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents.

    This isn’t about public safety, it’s about power. The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.” —Governor Gavin Newsom

    Trump illegally sends California troops to Oregon

    Despite a federal court order finding no legal basis to deploy state National Guard troops to the streets of Portland and ordering that control of the Oregon National Guard be returned to state command, the Trump Administration is now sending 300 federally controlled members of the California National Guard to Portland to take their place. The troops had originally been federalized months ago in response to unrest in Los Angeles — conditions that never necessitated their deployment in the first place, and have long since subsided anyway.

    Courts rebuke Trump’s lawlessness

    In its ruling yesterday, the federal judge appointed by President Trump rejected the Trump Administration’s justification for deploying federalized troops, writing in its order:

    “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power — to the detriment of this nation.”

    The court found that the President’s own statements regarding the deployment of federalized National Guard were not “conceived in good faith” and were “simply untethered to the facts.”

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  • Report: Lynx star Napheesa Collier tore ligaments in collision

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    (Photo credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images)

    Minnesota Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier’s injury in the WNBA semifinals has been determined to be a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in her left ankle as well as a muscle in her shin, ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon.

    Collier injured her left ankle in the final seconds of Game 3 on Friday when no foul was called on the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas, who stripped the ball from her and made a steal.

    The Mercury won the game 84-76 and then eliminated the short-handed Lynx — who were without Collier and head coach Cheryl Reeve (suspended by the league for her conduct and comments about officiating regarding the play Collier got injured on) — in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix to advance to the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces.

    Collier had said Tuesday that she would not have been able to play if the top-seeded Lynx, who had the league’s best record in the regular season, had gotten past the Mercury.

    The injury, which requires a minimum of six weeks of recovery, per ESPN’s report, might not impact her availability next WNBA season. However, her involvement as a player for the Lunar Owls of the Unrivaled League, which returns in January, could be affected.

    Collier co-founded the professional 33 basketball league for women that began play in January 2025 with New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart.

    A face of the WNBA and runner-up for league Most Valuable Player for the second season in a row, Collier on Tuesday also criticized the league office for what she perceives as a ‘lack of accountability.’

    ‘I want to be clear this conversation is not about winning or losing,’ Collier began, referencing a written statement in front of her at her season-ending press conference. ‘It’s about something much bigger. The real threat to our league isn’t money, it isn’t ratings or even missed calls or even physical play. It’s the lack of accountability from the league office.’

    Collier said in reading from a prepared statement lasting more than four minutes that ‘We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world.

    ‘Since I’ve been in the league, you’ve heard the constant concerns about officiating and it has now reached levels of inconsistency that plague our sport and undermine the integrity of which it operates,’ Collier said, who turned 29 on Sept. 23.

    ‘Whether the league cares about the health of our players is one thing, but to also not care about the product we put on the floor is truly self-sabotage. Year after year, the only thing that remains consistent is the lack of accountability from our leaders.’

    The league office released a response from commissioner Cathy Engelbert later Tuesday afternoon.

    ‘I have the utmost respect for Napheesa Collier and for all the players in the WNBA,’ Engelbert said. ‘Together we have all worked tirelessly to transform this league. My focus remains on ensuring a bright future for the players and the WNBA, including collaborating on how we continue to elevate the game. I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver.’

    Collier has averaged 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 blocks in 193 regular-season games (all starts) in her career. She is a five-time All-Star in seven seasons, all with Minnesota. She was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2019 and first-team All-WNBA in 2023 and 2024.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Feds sue L.A. County sheriff for ‘unreasonable’ delays in issuing concealed gun permits

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    The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Robert Luna, claiming the department violated county gunowners’ 2nd Amendment rights by delaying thousands of concealed carry permit application decisions for “unreasonable” periods of time.

    In a statement, the Justice Department claimed that the Sheriff’s Department “systematically denied thousands of law-abiding Californians their fundamental Second Amendment right to bear arms outside the home — not through outright refusal, but through a deliberate pattern of unconscionable delay.”

    The complaint, filed in the Central District of California, the federal court in Los Angeles, cites data provided by the Sheriff’s Department about the more than 8,000 concealed carry permit applications and renewal applications it received between Jan. 2, 2024, and March 31 this year.

    During that period, the Justice Department wrote, it took an average of nearly 300 days for the Sheriff’s Department to schedule interviews to approve the applications or “otherwise” advance them.

    As a result, of the nearly 4,000 applications for new concealed carry licenses it received during those 15 months, “LASD issued only two licenses.” Two others were denied, the Justice Department said, while the rest remained pending or were withdrawn.

    The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately provide comment Monday. In March, when the Trump administration announced its 2nd Amendment investigation, the department said it was “committed to processing all Concealed Carry Weapons [CCW] applications in compliance with state and local laws.”

    The department’s statement said it had approved 15,000 applications for concealed carry licenses but that because of “a significant staffing crisis in our CCW Unit” it was “diligenty working through approximately 4,000 active cases.”

    Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said Monday that the Justice Department was working to safeguard the 2nd Amendment, which “protects the fundamental constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms.”

    “Los Angeles County may not like that right, but the Constitution does not allow them to infringe upon it,” Bondi said. “This Department of Justice will continue to fight for the Second Amendment.”

    The federal agency’s complaint alleged that the practice of delaying the applications in effect forced gun permit applicants “to abandon their constitutional rights through administrative exhaustion.”

    In December 2023, the California Rifle and Pistol Assn. sued the Sheriff’s Department over what it alleged were improper delays and rejections of applications for concealed carry licenses. In January, U.S. District Court Judge Sherilyn P. Garnett ordered the department to reduce delays.

    In the new complaint, the Justice Department called on the court to issue a permanent injunction.

    Gun rights groups heralded the move by the Trump administration.

    “This is a landmark lawsuit in that it’s the first time the Department of Justice has ever filed a case in support of gun owners,” Adam Kraut, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to see the federal government step up and defend the Second Amendment rights of citizens and hope this pattern continues around the country.”

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    Connor Sheets

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  • Bad Bunny to perform at halftime of 2026 Super Bowl

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    Bad Bunny will bring his Latin trap and reggaeton swagger to the NFL’s biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show in Northern California.The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Bad Bunny will lead the halftime festivities from Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.The Puerto Rican superstar’s selection comes amid another career-defining run: He’s fresh off a historic Puerto Rico residency this month that drew more than half a million fans and is leading all nominees at the Latin Grammys in November. He has become one of the world’s most-streamed artists with albums such as “Un Verano Sin Ti,” an all-Spanish-language LP.“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”Roc Nation founder Jay-Z said in a statement that what Bad Bunny has “done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”The 31-year-old artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has won three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys. He has become a global ambassador for Latin music, starred in films such as “Bullet Train,” “Caught Stealing” and “Happy Gilmore 2,” and collaborated with top fashion houses. He’ll enter the Latin Grammys as the leading nominee with 12, dethroning producer and songwriter Édgar Barrera.Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.Last year, Kendrick Lamar performed with guest SZA in New Orleans, setting the record for the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show with 133.5 million viewers. His performance surpassed the audience for Michael Jackson’s 1993 show.

    SANTA CLARA, Calif. —

    Bad Bunny will bring his Latin trap and reggaeton swagger to the NFL’s biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show in Northern California.

    The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Bad Bunny will lead the halftime festivities from Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

    The Puerto Rican superstar’s selection comes amid another career-defining run: He’s fresh off a historic Puerto Rico residency this month that drew more than half a million fans and is leading all nominees at the Latin Grammys in November. He has become one of the world’s most-streamed artists with albums such as “Un Verano Sin Ti,” an all-Spanish-language LP.

    “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”

    Roc Nation founder Jay-Z said in a statement that what Bad Bunny has “done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”

    The 31-year-old artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has won three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys. He has become a global ambassador for Latin music, starred in films such as “Bullet Train,” “Caught Stealing” and “Happy Gilmore 2,” and collaborated with top fashion houses. He’ll enter the Latin Grammys as the leading nominee with 12, dethroning producer and songwriter Édgar Barrera.

    Paul R. Giunta

    FILE – Bad Bunny performs during “The Most Wanted Tour” at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on May 15, 2024.

    Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.

    Last year, Kendrick Lamar performed with guest SZA in New Orleans, setting the record for the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show with 133.5 million viewers. His performance surpassed the audience for Michael Jackson’s 1993 show.

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  • Former Bishop Moore High School coach arrested on human trafficking charges

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    Thomas Joseph Wasman, 68, a former Bishop Moore Catholic High School coach, was arrested on Thursday for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department. Investigators told the diocese that no Bishop Moore students or any other diocesan schools were involved.Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach, according to a statement from Bishop Moore High School.Wasman was arrested in 2015 for a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute in Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.He was found not guilty by a jury in the 2015 case. Statement from Bishop Moore Catholic High SchoolBishop Moore High School was recently notified, as a courtesy of the Altamonte Springs Police Department, that Mr. Tom Wasman was arrested for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18.Investigators have confirmed no students from Bishop Moore or any diocesan schools were involved. Mr. Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach. In 2015, Mr. Wasman had been placed on administrative leave after being charged with Solicitation to Commit Prostitution.After being found not guilty by a jury and the judge’s decision to expunge his record, the Diocese conducted an additional background check and determined that Mr. Wasman could be reinstated.With this recent arrest, Mr. Wasman has been terminated effective immediately.

    ORLANDO, Fla. —

    Thomas Joseph Wasman, 68, a former Bishop Moore Catholic High School coach, was arrested on Thursday for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.

    Investigators told the diocese that no Bishop Moore students or any other diocesan schools were involved.

    Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach, according to a statement from Bishop Moore High School.

    Wasman was arrested in 2015 for a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute in Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

    He was found not guilty by a jury in the 2015 case.

    Statement from Bishop Moore Catholic High School

    Bishop Moore High School was recently notified, as a courtesy of the Altamonte Springs Police Department, that Mr. Tom Wasman was arrested for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18.

    Investigators have confirmed no students from Bishop Moore or any diocesan schools were involved. Mr. Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach. In 2015,

    Mr. Wasman had been placed on administrative leave after being charged with Solicitation to Commit Prostitution.

    After being found not guilty by a jury and the judge’s decision to expunge his record, the Diocese conducted an additional background check and determined that Mr. Wasman could be reinstated.

    With this recent arrest, Mr. Wasman has been terminated effective immediately.

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  • Ricky Hatton, former world boxing champion, dies at 46

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    Former world boxing champion Ricky Hatton, who rose to become one of the most popular fighters in the sport, has died. He was 46.Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester, Britain’s Press Association reported Sunday.Police said they are not treating the death as suspicious.”Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement. “There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”Police would not reveal the identity of the man, but said they were working with his family to provide a statement for media.Friends of Hatton were quick to pay tribute Sunday morning. “Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton,” said another former world champion, Amir Khan on X.”Rip to the legend Ricky Hatton may he rip,” former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said in an Instagram post, with photos of the pair together. “There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. can’t believe this so young.”News of Hatton’s death comes two months after he announced he would make a return to boxing in December in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight.He rose through amateur and domestic levels and at the height of his career shared the ring with the best boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.Hatton’s down-to-earth demeanor also endeared him to fans across the world, and he was open about the mental health issues he endured upon his retirement from the ring.”As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong — we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind,” Khan added on X. “Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.”Hatton went on to become a trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.

    MANCHESTER, England —

    Former world boxing champion Ricky Hatton, who rose to become one of the most popular fighters in the sport, has died. He was 46.

    Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester, Britain’s Press Association reported Sunday.

    Police said they are not treating the death as suspicious.

    “Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement. “There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”

    Police would not reveal the identity of the man, but said they were working with his family to provide a statement for media.

    Friends of Hatton were quick to pay tribute Sunday morning.

    “Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton,” said another former world champion, Amir Khan on X.

    “Rip to the legend Ricky Hatton may he rip,” former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said in an Instagram post, with photos of the pair together. “There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. can’t believe this so young.”

    News of Hatton’s death comes two months after he announced he would make a return to boxing in December in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.

    Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight.

    He rose through amateur and domestic levels and at the height of his career shared the ring with the best boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

    Hatton’s down-to-earth demeanor also endeared him to fans across the world, and he was open about the mental health issues he endured upon his retirement from the ring.

    “As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong — we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind,” Khan added on X. “Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.”

    Hatton went on to become a trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.

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  • Israeli military extends regional campaign with strike on Hamas in Qatar

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    BEIRUT — Israel announced it conducted “a precise targeted strike” on Hamas’s leadership on Tuesday, without elaborating on the strike’s location even as blasts rang out in the Qatari capital Doha and Qatari authorities condemned the “cowardly Israeli attack.”

    The attack comes as Israel is ramping up for a full invasion of Gaza City, even as stalled negotiations with Hamas officials in Doha appeared to have regained some momentum after the weekend.

    “The members of the leadership who were struck led the terror organization’s activities for years, and are directly responsible for carrying out the Oct. 7 massacre and waging the war against the State of Israel,” said a statement from the Israeli military.

    The statement referred to the date in 2023 when the Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people — two-thirds of them civilians — and kidnapped 251 others to Gaza, according to Israeli figures. More than 64,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, Palestinian authorities say, have been killed in Israel’s subsequent campaign on the enclave.

    Videos and television broadcasts showed black smoke rising from a series of buildings in Doha’s Katara district, a normally quiet residential area where Hamas and several of its top-ranking members have lived for years. One video depicts pedestrians in Katara running and screaming in fear as a pair of explosions echo through the neighborhood.

    Qatari security personnel were seen swarming the area and setting up roadblocks.

    Qatar agreed to host a political office for Hamas at the request of the U.S. government, it says. Hamas is one of several groups it has allowed on its soil as part of its growing reputation as a regional facilitator. It has hosted repeated mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel over the last 23 months of the war.

    An unnamed Hamas source speaking to Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera said the attack targeted negotiators meeting to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal issued by President Trump. There were conflicting reports as to whether anyone survived, but the meeting is thought to have included senior Hamas officials Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Mishaal, Zaher Jabarin and Muhammad Darwish.

    In its statement, the Israeli military said “measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence.”

    But Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, in a furious statement issued on the messaging platform X on Tuesday, described the strike as “a criminal assault [that] constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.”

    “While the State of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty.”

    The strike on Doha adds to a growing list of Arab countries Israel has struck in the last month, emphasizing the Israeli government’s more belligerent post-Oct. 7 strategy against its longtime adversaries in the region. Aside from its expanding campaign in Gaza, the Israeli military has over the last few weeks conducted strikes in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and now Doha.

    The attack coincided with the Israeli military issuing an evacuation order encompassing the entire city of Gaza, the first time it has done so in the run-up to its planned full invasion of the largest urban center in the eponymous enclave’s north.

    An unnamed White House official told the BBC that the Trump administration was informed ahead of time of the strike on Qatar, which is home to Al Udeid, the largest U.S. base in the Middle East and the regional headquarters for U.S. Central Command. Some 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed there.

    An Israeli official, speaking to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, said President Trump gave the green light for the operation.

    But Netanyahu issued a statement on Tuesday saying “today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility,” the statement said.

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    Nabih Bulos

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  • Rudy Giuliani injured in New Hampshire car crash, his spokesperson says

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    Rudy Giuliani is recovering from a fractured vertebra and other injuries following a car crash in New Hampshire in which he was a passenger, a spokesperson for the former New York City mayor said Sunday.Giuliani was being driven in a rented Ford Bronco by his spokesperson Ted Goodman when their vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V driven by a 19-year-old woman late Saturday evening, New Hampshire State Police said in a statement.Troopers witnessed the crash, which caused both vehicles to hit the highway median and left them “heavily damaged,” state police said. Goodman and the 19-year-old suffered “non-life-threatening injuries” and were taken to hospitals for treatment, the agency added.State police said they are investigating the crash and no charges have been filed.Giuliani, 81, was taken to a nearby trauma center and was being treated for a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg, according to a statement posted on X by Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security.Giuliani “sustained injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously,” Ragusa said, adding: “This was not a targeted attack.”Prior to the accident, Giuliani had been “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident” and contacted police assistance on her behalf, Ragusa said. After police arrived, Giuliani continued on his way and his vehicle was hit shortly after pulling onto the highway in a crash that was “entirely unrelated” to the domestic violence incident, Ragusa told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.State police said troopers were investigating a domestic violence report on the southbound Interstate 93 highway shortly before 10 p.m. and observed the crash, which occurred on the northbound lanes. Troopers and fire personnel quickly crossed to provide help.New Hampshire State Police declined to comment on whether Giuliani had contacted the agency regarding the account of a domestic violence incident.Goodman did not respond to requests for comment and Giuliani’s team did not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding the crash.“Thank you to all the people that have reached out since learning the news about my Father,” Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani’s son, wrote in post on X. “Your prayers mean the world.”The crash follows some rocky years for the onetime Republican presidential candidate, who was dubbed “America’s mayor” in light of his leadership in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.Giuliani later became President Donald Trump’s personal attorney for a time and a vocal proponent of Trump’s allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.Two former Georgia elections workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets. He ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers. ____Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York City contributed to this report.

    Rudy Giuliani is recovering from a fractured vertebra and other injuries following a car crash in New Hampshire in which he was a passenger, a spokesperson for the former New York City mayor said Sunday.

    Giuliani was being driven in a rented Ford Bronco by his spokesperson Ted Goodman when their vehicle was struck from behind by a Honda HR-V driven by a 19-year-old woman late Saturday evening, New Hampshire State Police said in a statement.

    Troopers witnessed the crash, which caused both vehicles to hit the highway median and left them “heavily damaged,” state police said. Goodman and the 19-year-old suffered “non-life-threatening injuries” and were taken to hospitals for treatment, the agency added.

    State police said they are investigating the crash and no charges have been filed.

    Giuliani, 81, was taken to a nearby trauma center and was being treated for a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg, according to a statement posted on X by Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security.

    Giuliani “sustained injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously,” Ragusa said, adding: “This was not a targeted attack.”

    Prior to the accident, Giuliani had been “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident” and contacted police assistance on her behalf, Ragusa said. After police arrived, Giuliani continued on his way and his vehicle was hit shortly after pulling onto the highway in a crash that was “entirely unrelated” to the domestic violence incident, Ragusa told The Associated Press in an emailed statement.

    State police said troopers were investigating a domestic violence report on the southbound Interstate 93 highway shortly before 10 p.m. and observed the crash, which occurred on the northbound lanes. Troopers and fire personnel quickly crossed to provide help.

    New Hampshire State Police declined to comment on whether Giuliani had contacted the agency regarding the account of a domestic violence incident.

    Goodman did not respond to requests for comment and Giuliani’s team did not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding the crash.

    “Thank you to all the people that have reached out since learning the news about my Father,” Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani’s son, wrote in post on X. “Your prayers mean the world.”

    The crash follows some rocky years for the onetime Republican presidential candidate, who was dubbed “America’s mayor” in light of his leadership in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

    Giuliani later became President Donald Trump’s personal attorney for a time and a vocal proponent of Trump’s allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.

    Two former Georgia elections workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets. He ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.

    ____

    Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York City contributed to this report.

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  • WATCH: Video shows boy walking on monorail tracks at Pennsylvania amusement park

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    Video shows a boy walking on the monorail tracks at Hersheypark before being rescued by an adult.Watch the video in the player above.The video, sent to sister station WGAL, shows a panicked crowd trying to direct the child to a nearby roof, where a man is waiting to grab him.The man then hops up on the monorail from the roof of the nearby building, picks up the boy and carries him to safety. The child was reported missing around 5:05 p.m. Saturday after becoming separated from his parents, according to a statement from a spokesperson for Hersheypark. While employees were searching for the boy, he entered a secured area for the monorail and remained there for almost 20 minutes before briefly walking along the track. The monorail was not in operation, and the ride was chained off as the child walked on the tracks, according to the park. The park said a guest quickly noticed the child walking on the tracks and helped the child off the track to safety.

    HERSHEY, Pa. —

    Video shows a boy walking on the monorail tracks at Hersheypark before being rescued by an adult.

    Watch the video in the player above.

    The video, sent to sister station WGAL, shows a panicked crowd trying to direct the child to a nearby roof, where a man is waiting to grab him.

    The man then hops up on the monorail from the roof of the nearby building, picks up the boy and carries him to safety.

    The child was reported missing around 5:05 p.m. Saturday after becoming separated from his parents, according to a statement from a spokesperson for Hersheypark.

    While employees were searching for the boy, he entered a secured area for the monorail and remained there for almost 20 minutes before briefly walking along the track.

    The monorail was not in operation, and the ride was chained off as the child walked on the tracks, according to the park.

    The park said a guest quickly noticed the child walking on the tracks and helped the child off the track to safety.

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  • Authorities believe sheriff who inspired movie “Walking Tall” killed wife in 1967

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    Authorities in Tennessee announced Friday that they believe a sheriff who inspired the movie “Walking Tall” is responsible for his wife’s death in 1967.During a news conference Friday, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there were “inconsistencies” in statements from Sheriff Buford Pusser following the 1967 murder of his wife, Pauline. “It’s been said that the dead can’t cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so. In this case, that duty has been carried out 58 years later,” said District Attorney General Mark Davidson for the 25th Judicial District.Blood splatter patterns on the vehicle also contradicted statements from Buford Pusser, officials said.Buford Pusser reported that his wife volunteered to ride along in the dark early-morning hours of Aug. 12, 1967, on a disturbance call. He claimed that a car pulled alongside his and fired several shots, killing Pauline and injuring him in what he claimed was an ambush intended for him and carried out by unknown assailants.Buford Pusser recovered from his injury. No viable suspects were developed, and no charges were filed.After receiving a tip that an autopsy was never performed on Pauline Pusser, the TBI exhumed her body in February 2024. Davidson said the investigation revealed that Pauline Pusser was more than likely shot outside the vehicle and then placed inside the vehicle. Cranial trauma suffered by Pauline Pusser, depicted in crime scene photographs, does not match interior crime scene photographs from the vehicle.TBI officials also said the autopsy determined that Pauline Pusser had a nasal fracture before her death. Investigators now believe the physical evidence points to a staged crime scene and that Buford Pusser’s gunshot wound was likely self-inflicted.“There is probable cause to believe that Pauline’s death was not an accident, not an act of chance, but, based on the totality of the TBI investigative file, an act of intimate, deliberate violence,” Davidson said.Law enforcement officials said the discoveries would be sufficient to seek a grand jury indictment of Buford Pusser if he were alive today.Buford Pusser died in 1974 after a one-vehicle crash. He served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970 and was known for his crackdown on crime along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line.

    Authorities in Tennessee announced Friday that they believe a sheriff who inspired the movie “Walking Tall” is responsible for his wife’s death in 1967.

    During a news conference Friday, officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there were “inconsistencies” in statements from Sheriff Buford Pusser following the 1967 murder of his wife, Pauline.

    “It’s been said that the dead can’t cry out for justice. It is the duty of the living to do so. In this case, that duty has been carried out 58 years later,” said District Attorney General Mark Davidson for the 25th Judicial District.

    Blood splatter patterns on the vehicle also contradicted statements from Buford Pusser, officials said.

    Buford Pusser reported that his wife volunteered to ride along in the dark early-morning hours of Aug. 12, 1967, on a disturbance call. He claimed that a car pulled alongside his and fired several shots, killing Pauline and injuring him in what he claimed was an ambush intended for him and carried out by unknown assailants.

    Buford Pusser recovered from his injury. No viable suspects were developed, and no charges were filed.

    After receiving a tip that an autopsy was never performed on Pauline Pusser, the TBI exhumed her body in February 2024.

    Davidson said the investigation revealed that Pauline Pusser was more than likely shot outside the vehicle and then placed inside the vehicle. Cranial trauma suffered by Pauline Pusser, depicted in crime scene photographs, does not match interior crime scene photographs from the vehicle.

    TBI officials also said the autopsy determined that Pauline Pusser had a nasal fracture before her death. Investigators now believe the physical evidence points to a staged crime scene and that Buford Pusser’s gunshot wound was likely self-inflicted.

    “There is probable cause to believe that Pauline’s death was not an accident, not an act of chance, but, based on the totality of the TBI investigative file, an act of intimate, deliberate violence,” Davidson said.

    Law enforcement officials said the discoveries would be sufficient to seek a grand jury indictment of Buford Pusser if he were alive today.

    Buford Pusser died in 1974 after a one-vehicle crash. He served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970 and was known for his crackdown on crime along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line.

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  • Trump administration presses rollback of ‘Roadless Rule’ on wildlands

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    The Trump administration on Wednesday took formal steps to rescind a decades-old rule that protects 58.5 million acres of wild areas in national forests, including 4.4 million acres in California.

    United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency will publish a notice of intent in the Federal Register on Friday to roll back the so-called Roadless Rule, initiating a 21-day public comment period and moving the process closer to reality.

    “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands,” Rollins said in a statement. (The USDA oversees the U.S. Forest Service.)

    The rule was enacted by the Clinton administration in 2001 after years of work and record-breaking input from the public. It established lasting protection for specified wilderness areas within national forests by prohibiting road construction and logging, which can destroy or disrupt habitats, increase erosion and worsen sediment pollution in drinking water, among other outcomes.

    Rollins previously announced the agency’s intention to eliminate the Roadless Rule in June, saying at the time that the action would enable the federal government to better manage fire risk and timber production in the national forests.

    The action is in keeping with the Trump administration’s efforts to loosen environmental regulations. Trump in April issued an executive order to immediately expand timber cutting in the United States, while the Environmental Protection Agency has announced more than 30 actions to repeal rules on power plants, vehicle emissions, air pollution and efforts to curb planet-warming greenhouse gases.

    “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America,” Rollins said Wednesday. “It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come.”

    The Roadless Rule touches forest areas in more than 40 states. In her announcement, Rollins said the rescission would not apply to Colorado and Idaho, which underwent separate rulemaking processes to create state-specific roadless rules. In total, the rescission would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the nearly 60 million acres of inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest system, she said.

    In California, the rule encompasses about 4.4 million acres across 31 national forests, including the Angeles, Tahoe, Inyo, Shasta-Trinity and Los Padres national forests. Roadless Rule areas are distinct from designated wilderness, such as the six wilderness areas in the Angeles National Forest, which are established by acts of Congress and can only be undone by acts of Congress.

    Environmental groups were outraged by the development. The nonprofit group Defenders of Wildlife noted that roadless areas provide a critical safe haven for wildlife — supporting more than 220 species protected under the Endangered Species Act, which the Trump administration has also moved to narrow.

    “The Roadless Rule is one of the best ideas the U.S. Forest Service has ever had and repealing it is one of the worst,” said Vera Smith, national forests and public lands program director at Defenders of Wildlife, in a statement. “This move will literally pave the way for the timber industry to clearcut backcountry forests that house endangered wildlife and are source waters for important fisheries and communities.”

    Chris Wood, president and chief executive of the conservation group Trout Unlimited, said roadless areas account for only 2% of the land base of the United States but provide unprecedented access to the outdoors and a safe haven for about 70% of native trout and salmon. Wood, who helped develop the Roadless Rule while working as a senior policy advisor at the Forest Service, said he would welcome a transparent and collaborative process to determine whether tweaks to the rule could improve it.

    “Rather than rescinding the Roadless Rule and allowing that chaos to unfold, we encourage the Forest Service to work with stakeholders to develop solutions that continue to protect roadless areas and intact fish and wildlife habitat,” Wood said.

    The Roadless Rule underwent considerable public input when it was implemented in 2001, receiving a record 1.6 million public comments, and tens of thousands of people participated in hundreds of public meetings, according to the Environment California Research and Policy Center.

    “California’s wild forests are essential and beloved public lands and the Forest Service should not open them up to roads and development,” the group’s state director, Laura Deehan, said in a statement. “The still-wild parts of our national forests enable us to fully immerse ourselves in nature, whether hiking in the Sierras, stargazing in Lassen or spotting wildlife in Mendocino.”

    Deehan added that the Roadless Rule also promotes healthy fish populations, and that unspoiled forests serve as better filters for clean water.

    “It is more important to protect these lands than to get a little more pulp for paper, or to build one more mine or one more road,” she said. “Let’s keep our wild forests wild.”

    The public will be invited to comment on the USDA’s proposal until Sept. 19.

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    Hayley Smith

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  • US midfielder Weston McKennie subject to racist abuse after season-opening win in Italy

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    U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie was subjected to racist abuse after Juventus completed a 2-0 season-opening win over Parma in the Serie A, the Italian club said Sunday.Juventus posted a statement on social media saying McKennie was the target of “discrimatory racist remarks by individuals in the away section” while he was warming down with teammates on the pitch.Video above: Car drives through crowd of Liverpool soccer fans”Juventus strongly condemns this incident and any form of racism, and will ensure full cooperation with the sporting justice authorities to identify those responsible,” Juventus said in the statement.McKennie, who joined Juventus in 2020, went on as a late substitute in the match in Turin, where Canada forward Jonathan David scored in his Serie A debut for Juventus.In 2023, Fiorentina was hit with a suspended partial stadium ban after fans directed racist and discriminatory chants at McKennie and other Juventus players.Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of racism allegations in European soccer.FIFA President Gianni Infantino last week described two incidents of alleged racist abuse which marred German Cup games as “unacceptable.”Infantino’s comments were in the wake of allegations Schalke’s Christopher Antwi-Adjei was subjected to racist abuse in a cup game at Lokomotive Leipzig and a Kaiserslautern substitute was racially abused while warming up in a game at RSV Eintracht.British police arrested a man on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during a Premier League game on Aug. 16.The man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after Semenyo, who is Black, reported to the referee that he was racially abused by a spectator in the first half of Bournemouth’s match against Liverpool at Anfield.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

    TURIN, Italy —

    U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie was subjected to racist abuse after Juventus completed a 2-0 season-opening win over Parma in the Serie A, the Italian club said Sunday.

    Juventus posted a statement on social media saying McKennie was the target of “discrimatory racist remarks by individuals in the away section” while he was warming down with teammates on the pitch.

    Video above: Car drives through crowd of Liverpool soccer fans

    “Juventus strongly condemns this incident and any form of racism, and will ensure full cooperation with the sporting justice authorities to identify those responsible,” Juventus said in the statement.

    McKennie, who joined Juventus in 2020, went on as a late substitute in the match in Turin, where Canada forward Jonathan David scored in his Serie A debut for Juventus.

    In 2023, Fiorentina was hit with a suspended partial stadium ban after fans directed racist and discriminatory chants at McKennie and other Juventus players.

    Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of racism allegations in European soccer.

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino last week described two incidents of alleged racist abuse which marred German Cup games as “unacceptable.”

    Infantino’s comments were in the wake of allegations Schalke’s Christopher Antwi-Adjei was subjected to racist abuse in a cup game at Lokomotive Leipzig and a Kaiserslautern substitute was racially abused while warming up in a game at RSV Eintracht.

    British police arrested a man on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during a Premier League game on Aug. 16.

    The man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after Semenyo, who is Black, reported to the referee that he was racially abused by a spectator in the first half of Bournemouth’s match against Liverpool at Anfield.

    ___

    AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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  • Trump can’t deny funds to L.A. and 30 other ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions, judge rules

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    The Trump administration cannot deny funding to Los Angeles and 30 other cities and counties because of “sanctuary” policies that limit their cooperation with federal immigration agencies, a judge ruled late Friday.

    The judge issued a preliminary injunction that expands restrictions the court handed down in April that blocked funding cuts to 16 cities and counties, including San Francisco and Santa Clara, after federal officials classified them as “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

    U.S. District Judge William Orrick of the federal court in San Francisco ruled then that Trump’s executive order cutting funding was probably unconstitutional and violated the separation of powers doctrine.

    Friday’s order added more than a dozen more jurisdictions to the preliminary injunction, including Los Angeles, Alameda County, Berkeley, Baltimore, Boston and Chicago.

    Mayor Karen Bass’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    In a statement, a spokesperson for the White House said the Trump administration expected to ultimately win in its effort on appeal.

    “The government — at all levels — has the duty to protect American citizens from harm,” Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement. “Sanctuary cities interfere with federal immigration enforcement at the expense and safety and security of American citizens. We look forward to ultimate vindication on the issue.”

    The preliminary injunction is the latest chapter in an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to force “sanctuary cities” to assist and commit local resources to federal immigration enforcement efforts.

    Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice published a list of what it determined to be sanctuary jurisdictions, or local entities that have “policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

    “Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” Atty. Gen. Pamela Bondi said in a statement accompanying the published list.

    Several cities and counties across the country have adopted sanctuary city policies, but specifics as to what extent they’re willing — or unwilling — to do for federal immigration officials have varied.

    The policies typically do not impede federal officials from conducting immigration enforcement activities, but largely keep local jurisdictions from committing resources to the efforts.

    The policies also don’t prevent local agencies from enforcing judicial warrants, which are signed by a judge. Cooperation on “detainers” or holds on jailed suspects issued by federal agencies, along with enforcement of civil immigration matters, is typically limited by sanctuary policies.

    Federal officials in the suit have so far referred to “sanctuary” jurisdictions as local governments that don’t honor immigration detainer requests, don’t assist with administrative warrants, don’t share immigration status information, or don’t allow local police to assist in immigration enforcement operations.

    Orrick noted that the executive orders threatened to withhold all federal funding if the cities and counties in question did not adhere to the Trump administration’s requests.

    In the order, the judge referred to the executive order as a “coercive threat” and said it was unconstitutional.

    Orrick, who sits on the bench in the Northern District of California, was appointed by former President Obama.

    The Trump administration has been ratcheting up efforts to force local jurisdictions to assist in immigration enforcement. The administration has filed lawsuits against cities and counties, vastly increased street operations and immigration detentions, and deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles as it increased immigration operations.

    The U.S. Department of Justice in June sued Los Angeles, and local officials, alleging its sanctuary city law is “illegal.”

    The suit alleged that the city was looking to “thwart the will of the American people regarding deportations” by enacting sanctuary city policies.

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    Salvador Hernandez

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  • Prominent Al Jazeera journalist among several killed in Israeli strike on Gaza press tent

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    AMMAN, Jordan — Israel’s military targeted a tent for journalists in Gaza City late Sunday, killing seven people, including Anas al-Sharif, a reporter for Al Jazeera who drew millions of followers on social media and emerged as a top voice in the Arab world for his chronicling of the war in Gaza over the last 22 months.

    Killed alongside the 28-year-old Al-Sharif were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and their assistant Mohammed Noufal. A sixth journalist, freelancer Mohammad al-Khaldi, who was in a nearby tent, was also killed, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

    In a statement, Al Jazeera, which is funded by the government of Qatar and has long had a fraught relationship with the Israeli government, described the killings as a “targeted assassination” that was “yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom.”

    “The order to assassinate Anas al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza,” the statement said, referring to the Israeli government’s recently approved plans for its military to take over the Palestinian enclave.

    “Al Jazeera emphasizes that immunity for perpetrators and the lack of accountability embolden Israel’s actions and encourage further oppression against witnesses to the truth,” the broadcaster’s statement said.

    Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani also excoriated Israel, saying in a statement on X that “the deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination.”

    Israel’s military confirmed it conducted the attack, issuing a statement shortly before midnight Monday saying it struck “the terrorist Anas Al-Sharif” who it said “posed as a journalist” but “served as the head of a terrorist cell” in the militant group Hamas.

    It claimed that “previously disclosed intelligence information” and “many documents found in the Gaza Strip” confirmed Al-Sharif’s involvement with Hamas. The documents, which the statement said included personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, among others, “provide proof of the integration of the Hamas terrorist” within Al Jazeera.

    The documents were first released in October 2024 and accused six Al Jazeera journalists of involvement with Hamas or the Islamic Jihad militant group.

    At the time, Al Jazeera, along with a United Nations expert, the Committee to Protect Journalists and other groups cast doubt on the veracity of the documents. The U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, denounced Israel’s accusations against Al-Sharif in July as “unfounded” and a “blatant attempt to endanger his life and silence his reporting on the genocide in Gaza.”

    The Israeli military has previously made unsubstantiated claims that journalists it targeted and killed in Gaza were terrorists. In March, Israel killed Al Jazeera correspondent Hossam Shabat; in July 2024, it killed Ismail Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi.

    Chief correspondent Wael al Dahdouh lost his wife, son, daughter and grandson in an Israeli airstrike in October 2023. Weeks after that, he was injured in a strike that killed Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa.

    Israel has barred international journalists from entering Gaza even as it has targeted local reporters. Health authorities in Gaza say 237 journalists have been killed since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 186 have been killed.

    Sunday’s drone attack came weeks after Israel stepped up its attacks on Al-Sharif, with the military’s Arabic-language spokesman accusing the Al Jazeera correspondent in July of spreading “propaganda” and taking part in “a false Hamas campaign on starvation.”

    Later that month, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “gravely worried” about Al-Sharif’s safety. The group’s Middle East and North Africa director, Sara Qudah, warned that the smear campaign against Al-Sharif represented “an effort to manufacture consent to kill Al-Sharif.”

    In a statement on Monday, Qudah said, “Israel is murdering the messengers.”

    “If Israel can kill the most prominent Gazan journalist, then it can kill anyone. The world needs to see these deadly attacks on journalists inside Gaza, as well as its censorship of journalists in Israel and the West Bank, for what they are: a deliberate and systematic attempt to cover up Israel’s actions.”

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “gravely concerned” over the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza; Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and other groups also issued condemnations. The U.S. government did not immediately provide comment.

    Al-Sharif’s killing drew tributes for a journalist who for many across the region came to embody Gaza’s suffering.

    On social media people shared poignant moments from his coverage, including when he covered his father’s killing in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza City in December 2023; a video when he was reunited with his daughter this year; or when he almost broke down on air, his voice cracking.

    “Keep on going, Mr. Anas,” says an unseen passerby. “You are our voice.”

    Video posted to social media showed crowds massing at the Sheikh Radwan Cemetery for the journalists’ funeral. Video depicted mourners crying and embracing each other, while others in the crowd carried Al-Sharif’s shrouded corpse and chanted, “With our soul and blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Anas.”

    Al-Sharif is survived by his wife, daughter and son.

    Minutes before the strike that killed him, Al-Sharif posted on X saying there was “intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment” of Gaza City for two hours.

    Al-Sharif’s final message, written in April to be posted in the event of his death, read: “If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.”

    He continued: “I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification — so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.”

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    Nabih Bulos

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  • 3 suspects charged in Liam Payne’s death, including hotel employee and alleged dealer

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    In the ongoing investigation into One Direction singer Liam Payne’s death, three suspects have been charged for their alleged involvement in the pop star’s sudden demise last month.

    The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office of Argentina announced Thursday in a statement shared in Spanish that it has found evidence of “illicit conduct” by three people — including an employee of the hotel where Payne fell to his death. Charges included abandonment of a person followed by death, and supply and facilitation of narcotics. The suspects, who were not identified, were charged last Friday in a 180-page indictment delivered to judge Laura Graciela Bruniard, the statement said.

    Payne, an “X Factor” alum who also pursued a solo musical career after his One Direction days, died Oct. 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires. He was 31.

    In a preliminary autopsy shared a day after the singer’s death, Argentine officials said authorities found substances in the singer’s room that appeared to be drugs in addition to evidence of consumption of alcohol and narcotics.

    Officials carried out nine raids and heard “several dozen” testimonies from people including hotel staff, Payne’s family and friends, medical professionals and other experts, Thursday’s announcement said. Police analysts also reviewed more than 800 hours’ worth of surveillance footage from in and around the hotel, combed through the contents of Payne’s phone (including calls and messages across various messaging and social media apps) and assessed the registry of guests and the singer’s orders from the hotel’s bar and restaurant to understand his drinking and eating habits.

    Officers from the Cybercrime unit also extracted information from the cellphones of hotel reception and volunteer witnesses to corroborate statements.

    Prosecutors allege that one of the defendants accompanied Payne on a daily basis during his stay in Buenos Aires. Payne died two weeks after he arrived in Argentina, where he attended an Oct. 2 concert by former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan. This defendant was charged with abandonment of a person followed by death, and supply and facilitation of narcotics, the statement said. The remaining two defendants were charged with supplying narcotics.

    One defendant is a hotel employee who allegedly provided Payne with cocaine during his stay. The other is a suspected narcotics supplier who had already been accused of dealing drugs in separate incidents, Thursday’s statement said.

    The investigation into Payne’s death is ongoing and the prosecution said it was considering ruling out the possibility of suicide, because “in the state [Payne] was going through, he did not know what he was doing nor could he understand it.”

    In October, officials determined Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. He “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and … he may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” officials said last month.

    Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system in the moments before his death, Thursday’s statement said. Prosecutors confirmed that Payne’s body had been delivered to his father, Geoff Payne.

    Payne’s remains reportedly will be flown back to his native London, one of the cities where One Direction fans gathered last month to celebrate the singer’s life and music.

    Payne’s track “Do No Wrong” was set for a posthumous release last week, but plans were swiftly put on hold after fans pushed back.

    “Today I’m deciding to hold ‘Do No Wrong’ and leave those liberties up to all family members,” Payne’s collaborator Sam Pounds said last week in a since-deleted tweet. “I want all proceeds [to] go to a charity of their choosing (or however they desire).”

    Pounds added: “We are all still mourning the passing of Liam and I want the family to [mourn] in peace and in prayer. We will all wait.”

    Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.

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    Alexandra Del Rosario, Angie Orellana Hernandez

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  • One arrested as UCLA police dismantle ‘Gaza solidarity sukkah’ and disperse student protest

    One arrested as UCLA police dismantle ‘Gaza solidarity sukkah’ and disperse student protest

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    One person was arrested at UCLA on Monday night on suspicion of failing to disperse after the university’s Police Department ordered around 40 protesters to leave Dickson Court North, where they had established a “Gaza solidarity Sukkah” and a handful of tents, authorities said.

    Student protesters erected the sukkah Monday morning to observe the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and demand the university divest from companies that do business with Israel and call for an end to the war in Palestine. By Monday evening, students had also set up a small number of tents.

    At 3:20 p.m., UCPD issued a statement saying that students were assembling in an area not designated for public expression, using unauthorized structures and amplified sound — all of which violate the protest policies enacted in September in response to the massive pro-Palestinian protests that rattled campus in April.

    According to reporting from the Daily Bruin, a group of pro-Israel counterprotesters arrived in Dickson Court North around 8 p.m., and pro-Palestinian protesters began dismantling their tents around 8:20 p.m.

    The department issued an order to disperse about 10 minutes later, after which most of the protesters left the area, according to UCPD. Hired security guards then removed the sukkah, according to the Bruin.

    Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that celebrates the fall harvest and commemorates the biblical story of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years after escaping slavery in Egypt. During this time, Jews eat, dwell and pray in outdoor structures known as sukkahs to remember the fragile structures their ancestors lived in after fleeing Egypt.

    Student protest organizers said they were using the holiday to call attention to the displacement and death inflicted on Palestinians and Lebanese people by Israel.

    “I refuse to observe Sukkot as normal when university investments continue to fund the genocide of Palestinians,” said protest organizer Leah Jacobson in a statement. “The principle of pikuach nefesh, or saving a soul, demands we put other laws aside in order to preserve human life. I am here aligning my Jewish practice with my support for Palestinian liberation.”

    Protesters are demanding the university divest from weapons and surveillance system manufacturers that do business with Israel such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.

    The UC system has repeatedly opposed calls for divestment saying it impinges on the academic freedom of the university community. The UC system also states that tuition and fees are the primary funding sources for the University’s core operations and that none of these funds are used for investment purposes.

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    Clara Harter

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  • Navy identifies two aviators killed in crash near Mt. Rainier as California natives

    Navy identifies two aviators killed in crash near Mt. Rainier as California natives

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    Two Navy crew members who died in an aircraft crash near Mt. Rainier in Washington last week have been identified as female aviators from California, including one who participated in the first all-female pregame flyover at last year’s Super Bowl.

    Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, both 31, were the only aviators aboard a two-seat EA-18G Growler warfare aircraft that crashed during a routine training flight on Oct. 15, the Navy announced in a news release Monday.

    The status of the two pair remained uncertain for several days as search and rescue crews scoured the remote wilderness near Mt. Rainier. The wreckage site was reported to be in steep and heavily wooded terrain at an altitude of 6,000 feet.

    “More than just names and ranks, they were role models, trailblazers, and women whose influence touched countless people on the flight deck and well beyond,” Navy officials said in a statement.

    Evans and Wileman were part of the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. Their squadron was referred to as “Zappers.”

    On Sunday, the Navy announced that the missing crew members had died in the crash, but did not release their names until Monday.

    “It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of the squadron, said in a statement. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our Sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”

    The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

    Evans, a naval flight officer, grew up in Palmdale and attended USC. A veteran of two sea tours, according to the Navy, Evans’s participation in the flyover ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl marked the 50th anniversary of women flying in the Navy.

    “I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans said in a statement at the time. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.”

    Her experience as a pilot and instructor earned her the title of Growler instructor of the year, according to the Navy.

    Both Wileman and Evans participated in combat operations in Yemen in 2023 and 2024. They spent nine months aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of the Carrier Air Wing 3 (or CVW-3) and operating mostly from the Red Sea.

    Both earned multiple decorations for their combat performances.

    Wileman was just starting her Navy career, according to officials.

    “Outside the cockpit, Wileman made everyone smile,” officials with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island said. “She would brighten up any room and was known for her genuine care and compassion for those around her. She always brought a sense of calm, in the good times and bad, whether it was through a joke, a game of cribbage, or a giant bear hug for a Sailor in need of one.”

    She was married, having met her husband, Brandon, during flight school, according to the Navy. Her hometown in California was not provided.

    Capt. Marvin Scott, commander of CVW-3 who served with both women in training and combat operations, described Evans and Wileman as tenacious and outstanding for their contributions and positive energy they brought to the Navy.

    “Every member of the CVW-3 Battle Axe Team is heartbroken at the loss of these exceptional warriors; Dug and Miley truly represent the best that Naval Aviation has to offer, and they will absolutely be missed,” Scott said in a statement.

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    Nathan Solis

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  • Newsom signs bill to expel six food dyes from California public schools

    Newsom signs bill to expel six food dyes from California public schools

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    Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, M&Ms and other items made with certain synthetic food dyes will be expelled from California public schools, charter schools and state special schools under a bill signed into law Saturday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

    Assembly Bill 2316, which will go into effect starting Dec. 31, 2027, spells the end for snack foods that contain the dyes known as blue 1, blue 2, green 3, red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6. All are common industry staples that can give foods unnaturally vibrant colors in an effort to make them more appealing.

    “Our health is inextricably tied to the food we eat,” Newsom said in a statement. “Today, we are refusing to accept the status quo, and making it possible for everyone, including school kids, to access nutritious, delicious food without harmful, and often addictive additives.”

    The chemicals have been linked to developmental and behavioral harms in children, according to the bill’s authors, who cited a 2021 report from the California Environmental Protection Agency. They expressed hope that the new law can have ripple effects beyond the Golden State.

    “California is once again leading the nation when it comes to protecting our kids from dangerous chemicals that can harm their bodies and interfere with their ability to learn,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), who introduced the legislation.

    The new law “sends a strong message to manufacturers to stop using these harmful additives,” he added in a statement.

    Flamin’ Hot Cheetos contain three of the six newly forbidden chemicals: red 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6. The ingredient list for M&Ms includes those three dyes as well as blue 1 and blue 2.

    Other food items that could disappear from cafeterias and school vending machines as a result of this law include Cheetos, Doritos, sports drinks and sugary breakfast cereals such as Froot Loops and Cap’n Crunch.

    For Gabriel, the bill is personal. He told The Times in March that he had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child. His son also has the neurodevelopmental disorder.

    Last year, Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation ban on food additives found in popular cereals, candy, sodas and drinks, including brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3. That law will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and impose fines of up to $10,000 for violations.

    California lawmakers hope the bans will prompt manufacturers to reformulate their recipes.

    AB 2316 faced opposition from the American Beverage Assn., the California Chamber of Commerce and the National Confectioners Assn.

    The groups said food additives should be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, not evaluated on a state-by-state basis.

    But how or when the FDA will take action on the issue remains to be seen, said Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at Environmental Working Group, which co-sponsored the law.

    “The FDA should certainly also take action on these dyes, but that’s no reason to wait to make sure that kids in California are safe,” Benesh said after the bill passed the Legislature.

    “There are plenty of alternatives to these chemicals,” Benesh said. “I think it’s on industry to find a way to reformulate and market their foods without using chemicals that may hurt our kids.”

    In addition to the ban on food dyes, Newsom also signed a bill that aims to standardize information about the expiration dates on food products. AB 660 is designed to give consumers more clear and consistent information about the freshness of their food in the hope that it will reduce food waste.

    “Having to wonder whether our food is still good is an issue that we all have struggled with,” the bill’s author, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks), said in a statement. The enactment of this bill is a “monumental step to keep money in the pockets of consumers while helping the environment and the planet.”

    Erica Parker, a policy associate with Californians Against Waste, which co-sponsored the bill, said the legislation will get rid of the confusion consumers face when examining products that have the words “sell by,” “expires on” or “freshest before” printed on their packaging.

    The result of that confusion “is a staggering amount of food waste. Californians throw away 6 million tons of food waste each year — and confusion over date labels is a leading cause,” she said in a statement when the bill was sent to Newsom’s desk.

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    Nathan Solis, Susanne Rust

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  • Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds

    Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds

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    Reports of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks at California dairy herds are continuing to rise as the nation’s largest milk producer scrambles to contain the spread.

    On Monday, officials reported that the number of infected dairy herds in the Central Valley had doubled over the weekend, rising from 17 to 34.

    A spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture said they expect more cases to be announced in the coming days and weeks, as testing continues.

    With roughly 1,100 dairy herds in California — and 90% located in the San Joaquin Valley — concern is palpable, say industry insiders. Outbreaks interrupt milk production at affected dairies. Not only are the infected herds quarantined, but special testing must be conducted at nearby dairy farms as well.

    “Farmers are genuinely worried about the virus and do not feel it’s under control,” said Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies, the trade association of California dairy farmers. She added the industry is hoping a vaccine for cows will be developed “that would protect our animals” and be compliant under trade agreements.

    The threat to humans is considered low. However, infectious disease experts worry that the longer the the virus remains present in dairy farms, the greater the likelihood it could mix with a human virus and pose a greater risk to people.

    Both state and federal health officials say milk is safe to drink, as long as it has been pasteurized.

    Steve Lyle, an agriculture department spokesman, said the agency’s call to to test dairies within six miles of infected herds, as well dairies that share share personnel or equipment with infected herds, has allowed officials to detect infected dairies “at about the time or just before they are showing clinical signs –- during their incubation period.”

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working on a bovine vaccination for bird flu, but noted in a statement that this does not mean efforts to control the virus have failed.

    “The pursuit of bovine vaccine development does not mean that biosecurity measures have failed,” the agency said in a prepared statement. “Nor does it mean that USDA believes the virus is here to stay. Vaccine development is one part of an overall strategy that includes enhanced and strengthened biosecurity efforts to contain the virus and help mitigate spread.”

    The statement went on to say that a vaccine could prove helpful in eliminating the virus from the nation’s dairy cattle, but it’s just one tool.

    “We continue to deploy all available efforts, including biosecurity and mandating the testing of lactating dairy cattle moving across state lines,” the statement said.

    It is still unclear how the virus got into the state, but genetic sequencing suggests the virus is similar to that found in infected cattle in other states — and that it did not come from wild birds.

    It is also unclear what impact the disease will have on milk production in the state, although Raudabaugh said it will not affect milk prices.

    “Dairy is a ‘loss leader’ at the grocery store,” she said, and is often the major incentive for other items in the store.

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    Susanne Rust

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