Desmond Milligan

Key PointsWeapons star Amy Madigan explained why she and husband Ed Harris didn't clap for Elia Kazan at 1999 Oscars. "There was no way we were going to do that," Madigan said in a new interview. Kazan, who directed On the Waterfront, testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee. Weapons actress Amy Madigan is currently courting Oscar buzz for her role as Aunt Gladys in the breakout horror hit, but she's also addressing an Academy Awards controversy she was present for nearly three decades ago. Following an introduction by Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese at the 1999 Oscars, stars like Warren Beatty and Kathy Bates were shown standing to applaud On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan's acceptance of an Honorary Award from inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. However, a shot from the live broadcast showed Madigan and her husband, actor Ed Harris, looking stone-faced as they watched Kazan accept his statuette in the room. Oscars/YouTube Elia Kazan accepting his Honorary Award at the 1999 Oscars"Yeah, there was no way we were going to do that. No way," Madigan, 74, said during a recent interview with the New York Times, though the quote was not included in the final piece, and instead posted to social media by journalist Kyle Buchanan. Madigan touched on Kazan's House Un-American Activities Committee testimony in 1952 amid the blacklisting of Hollywood figures suspected of being communists during the Red Scare. "My father, who’s not with us anymore, he was a political analyst and a journalist and he was working on Capitol Hill when McCarthyism was going on and it really, really affected him deeply," Madigan continued. "And yeah, that whole thing was really bringing it back to me. I was like, 'Nope.'" Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Madigan and Harris for additional comment. Kazan became a pariah in some Hollywood circles following his HUAC testimony, during which he named eight people who'd participated in Communist Party activities alongside him. In a 1997 interview with the Times, Kazan reflected on pushback he received over the years. Alan Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock Ed Harris and Amy Madigan at the 1999 Oscars"You want to know the truth? Not one bit," he said when asked if he was bothered by the anger against him nearly five decades after his HUAC testimony. "I've had so much praise in my life. Some of it deserved, some of it not deserved. What does it matter?'' Kazan continued, ''That whole time wasn't very nice. People were really hurt by what went on. I was part of it, I suppose. I spoke my mind and I had a right to do it.'' Though Kazan died in 2003 at 94, his Hollywood legacy lives on through his son, Matilda and Bicentennial Man writer Nicholas Kazan, and his actress granddaughters Maya (The Knick) and Zoe Kazan (Olive Kitteridge). In a recent interview with EW, Madigan additionally reflected on her Weapons success. Writer-director Zach Cregger's horror hit has earned $150 million at the global box office after only 10 days in release. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. "It's not that I discount it, but in this business, nothing's real till it's real," she said about the thought of returning for a sequel, comparing the buzz to chatter about her potential Oscar nod for the film. "I just had such a great time working with Zach and being inside that brain of his. That's really the gift of how the movie came out. The other stuff has to do with all sorts of conversations that I would never be privy in and business things like that. But, you know, I love Gladys, so I'll leave it at that." Weapons is now playing in theaters nationwide. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly View the full article

NEED TO KNOWColton Underwood and Kaitlyn Bristowe tell PEOPLE about losing their virginity as they gear up for the series debut of Hulu's virgin dating show Are You My First? on Aug. 18 While Bristowe recalls having "misconceptions" about sex, Underwood reveals he had a "complicated" experience being known as a virgin on TV before coming out as gay Underwood also reveals that his admission about being a virgin aired on The Bachelorette before he could tell his friends or family himself They say you never forget your first! Ahead of the series premiere of Are You My First?, Hulu’s new dating series featuring a cast of all virgins, hosts Colton Underwood and Kaitlyn Bristowe are thinking back to when they were in the same position. Bristowe, 40, tells PEOPLE that she had an entirely different idea of sex before she lost her virginity, so she wanted to help contestants on the show set realistic expectations. “My misconception was that it was going to be romantic and beautiful and we were going to cry and have a cigarette after — I don't know,” she laughs. “I just saw what I saw in the movies. Then I was like, ‘Oh my God, that was terrible.’ And we need to talk about this more about people's first times. Maddie on our show said, ‘Penises are scary.’ And I'm like, ‘I agree. It's scary.’ So I feel like that was a misconception. Nobody told me it was going to be terrible.” Jason Davis/WireImage Kaitlyn BristoweUnderwood, 33, was known for being a virgin during his time on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette, and his subsequent run as the season 23 Bachelor.At that time, he had not yet come out as a gay man, which he says made that part of his life “very, very layered and complicated.” “I think there was a lot of shame, and just for me, just this guilt that you have, especially when you're closeted and really struggling with your sexuality,” he shares. “And I think that is also why I love a show like [Are You My First?] where it's sort of giving them the permission to be patient with themselves and with one another and allowing them that space.” He also reveals that he hadn’t told anyone that he was a virgin before he said it on TV, and the news ended up getting out before he could share it himself.“I don't know if I've ever publicly shared this, but the first time, when I went on The Bachelorette, I had this whole plan,” he explains. “We had a launch party for the show at my dad's house, and I was like, ‘Okay, at some point before episode six, I have to tell them I'm a virgin,’ because I remembered I told Becca.” “We're all gathered there and they play a supertease at the beginning of the season that talks about me being a virgin,” he recalls. “And that's how my family and my friends found out I was a virgin, is because it was on the super tease.” While it was awkward in the moment, Underwood admits that he was relieved to know he no longer had to anticipate how he was going to tell everyone. “Honestly, it was a better way for me just to rip the band-aid off instead of having so many conversations with my family and friends,” he adds. Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Colton UnderwoodBristowe notes that Underwood being a virgin became a “highlight reel” on The Bachelor franchise, which added stress that the contestants on Are You My First? didn’t have to deal with.“I think what helped this group of humans was the fact that they didn't have to admit anything,” she says. “They already knew they were going in as virgins and surrounded by other people who shared that same title or value as them. And so it kind of took away that intimidating factor of like, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to have to tell them? When do I tell them?’” “Nobody had to hide behind that or be shameful of it,” she continues. “They all kind of bonded over it.” https://people.com/app/scene?sceneId=9de86c07-a15a-409e-8382-c1ab68eaf839&shortlink=kz7l4cuf&c=People.com%20Featured%20Link%20link&pid=People.com&af_xp=custom&source_caller=ui Underwood agrees, reflecting on the reactions he would get when he used to tell people he was dating that he hadn’t had sex with anyone before. “I've sat there in front of girls when I had to say, ‘Hey, I'm a virgin,’” he says. “You could just sort of see them thinking through like, ‘Okay, this changes the dynamic. There's a lot of pressure in this. It's a responsibility that I'm going to hold being his first. Is he ready? Is he not?’ So to have that, what Kaitlyn was saying, to have that shared thing in common is really powerful and just helps with confidence.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Are You My First? premieres Monday, Aug. 18 on Hulu. Read the original article on People View the full article

Taking Oregon as our summer bet to win the College Football Playoff last season seemed like a good idea for the remaining months, weeks, and days of 2024, as the Ducks ran the table during the regular season, beat Penn State convincingly to end their first Big Ten season as league champs and earned the CFP No. 1 seed. Then 2025 hit, the Rose Bowl started, and minutes later, it became clear that Oregon was overmatched against Ohio State. What can you do? The goal for betting anything that won’t be decided for four months or more, is to capture odds now that will improve over the course of the season (just like the Ducks did) because the team’s path to winning gets easier in that time. Last year’s debut of the 12-team playoff changed the calculus for that road to a title, as the Buckeyes were able to suffer not just an early loss (at Oregon), but an earth-shattering upset at the hands of Michigan, and still not just remain a contender, but garner a top-8 seed and crucial home-field advantage in their quarterfinal matchup with Tennessee. College Football Playoff oddsThe betting market will tell you who it thinks will make the College Football Playoff (and how likely they are to win it), and you can draw a literal line after 12 teams: Odds for top teams to make and win the College Football Playoff (Matt Russell)The chart above (provided by BetMGM) shows that there’s a different probability in making the playoff from the Big Ten (Oregon) compared to the ACC (Clemson), and even SEC teams like South Carolina and Tennessee have different odds to make the playoff, despite the same odds to win it all. Interestingly, while we have the teams ordered by national championship odds, the “to make the CFP” odds aren’t in lockstep. Florida is one of the 12 most-likely teams to win it all, but three other teams are apparently more likely to make it. Best bets to make the College Football PlayoffWith a whopping sample size of one season, we’ve seen that there are some long shots to be found. Last summer, SMU had 11-1 odds to make the College Football Playoff, while neither Indiana nor Arizona State even made our chart prior to 2024. That brings hope for teams like Missouri, North Carolina, Baylor, Kansas, BYU, TCU, Iowa, Duke and Washington. Live a little – pick a long shot. Notably, there were multiple routes to a surprising CFP berth, as the Sun Devils did it by winning the Big 12, while the Mustangs finished a close second in the ACC and the Hoosiers qualified as the fourth-best team from arguably the best conference. Meanwhile, the SEC only got three playoff teams, seemingly because the committee couldn’t decide between Ole Miss, Alabama and South Carolina. Fundamentally, the whole thing is built on how clean your resume is, and managing the opportunities and threats to what could eventually be a playoff-caliber CV. FavoriteClemson Tigers (-185) Let’s start with some math. And yes, I know you were told there’d be no math. At odds of -110 at BetMGM, Clemson is perceived to be better than 50/50 to win the ACC ( (52.5%), which feels about right. Odds of -185 to make the CFP imply that Clemson should make the playoff just shy of 65% of the time, which feels low for Yahoo’s No. 1 ranked team. That 12.5% “tax” measures the scenario where Clemson loses the ACC title game, but makes it into the CFP anyway. If you think that probability is higher than 1-in-8, then the Tigers are a valuable bet in this market instead of the conference championship. The reason to believe that is two-fold: The ACC showed they could pull two CFP bids last season, as SMU made it with an 11-2 record, and not much in the form of quality wins. Clemson has two non-conference opportunities to build its resume – favored over LSU at home, and South Carolina on the road. Wins over either, plus a berth in the conference title game (thanks to a soft league slate) should be enough to make sure a team that’s already held in high regard gets back into the playoff … without having to win the ACC title game in Charlotte. UnderdogsOklahoma Sooners (+500) Oklahoma going 9-3 with the schedule in front of them might be a long shot, but +500 is just enough of a potential payout to coax us into a bet on the chances the CFP committee recognizes how incredible that record would be given what the Sooners have to deal with. Brett Venables finally produced a dominant defense last season, but in order to keep his job, it appears he’s not allowed anywhere near the offensive side of the ball, except for whatever input he had in bringing in the offensive coordinator-quarterback combination of Ben Arbuckle and John Mateer from Washington State. Arbuckle did wonders at Western Kentucky before working with Cam Ward the year before he went to Miami. With a potential non-conference home win over Michigan, Oklahoma should be 5-0 before the Red River Rivalry. Playing the AP No. 1 close in the Cotton Bowl, should keep them in the conversation. From there, if the Sooners go 4-2 in six games against South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU (five currently ranked teams), that translates into a resume with at least five big wins – one coming on the road, and a strong finish. The brutal SEC schedule may keep the best version of Oklahoma from getting to the conference title game, but will give it enough opportunity to impress a committee who might be feeling some regret about eschewing good teams with three losses for inferior ones with a better record last season. Utah Utes (+500) Both Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Iowa State were chagrined by not being considered for the CFP last season, but the Cyclones could have just not blown a home game to Texas Tech in the final two minutes. Had it been a 1-loss team with a win over Iowa in the non-conference, Iowa State would have potentially gotten in, even after losing to Arizona State in the Big 12 title game. It wasn’t that long ago (three years) that TCU made it into the (four-team!) playoff, even after losing to Kansas State for the conference championship. Utah’s +500 odds here aren’t far off from its +550 odds to win the Big 12, so why not pay a small tax for the backup plan – that the Big 12 can get two bids. After all, there’s a bigger gap between the other Big 12 contenders’ odds in those two markets. (e.g. Kansas State is +700 to win Big 12, but +400 to make the playoff) Without a notable non-conference showdown on the schedule, the TCU route — an outstanding regular-season record — might be the way that Utah can run up the rankings before arguably their trickiest road game, at Kansas in Week 14. Long shotVirginia Tech Hokies (14-1) In honor of Indiana, SMU, and Arizona State, we need one “just for fun” long shot for 2025. In 2023, those three teams combined for a 17-21 record — buoyed by SMU’s 11-3 mark in the American. A year ago, the case for those three teams would have been flimsier than making a case for the Hokies, who were considered something of a sleeper in the ACC. A disappointing 6-6 record was the product of a season-opening loss to Vanderbilt that looked less catastrophic just a couple weeks later, and four more one-possession defeats. Plus, Virginia Tech was in a dogfight with Clemson — shutting out the Tigers in the first half, only to lose Kyron Drones to injury for the season. A year later, they still have the mercurial Drones, an opportunity to get noticed with a home game against South Carolina in Week 1 and a schedule that’s relatively cozy, with Georgia Tech as their toughest trip (Miami and Louisville come to Blacksburg). If the bad record in close games isn’t a function of poor coaching, a turnaround won’t be so surprising. Group of FiveMemphis Tigers (+850) UNLV Rebels (18-1) On paper, it’s a race between 64 teams from five conferences, competing for the committee’s one token Group of Five (G5) CFP spot, but with all due respect to the MAC and Conference USA, it’s not happening. The path to the No. 1 G5 ranking requires a convincing conference championship and one of two other resume points: Play another CFP candidate and be competitive in a loss (eg. Boise State vs. Oregon in 2024), and finish with one loss Beat a Power Five conference opponent to get noticed and finish with one loss or less Looking at the top candidates in American, Mountain West and Sun Belt, here are the top non-conference opponents of each contender, and the projected point spread in that game: Odds for Group of Five teams to win their respective conference, and lines for their biggest game of the season. (Matt Russell)If the equation is “show-out in your big non-conference game” and “win your league”, every team but Memphis and UNLV has a big hurdle (to be competitive) before they even get to their league schedule, so it’s worth splitting a unit across the Tigers and Rebels to generate the same payout. Example: 0.35 units on UNLV to win 6.3 units (net 5.65) 0.65 units on Memphis to win 5.5 units (net 5.25) The Tigers are +825 (10.8% implied probability) compared to +550 (15.4%) to win the American, and their schedule has all its most difficult opponents coming to Memphis. There’s massive turnover for Ryan Silverfield’s group, but that creates an element of uncertainty that we want in a long shot. Especially when it’s a program that’s been historically among the favorites to emerge from the Group of Five. UNLV’s “uncertainty” comes from Dan Mullen taking over in Vegas. Mullen oversaw quick turnarounds in his first seasons at both Mississippi State and Florida, taking over a 4-7 team and going 10-3 in Gainesville. Rather than bet UNLV at +700 for the Mountain West, if they can convert being a projected favorite into a win over UCLA, even a loss at Boise State could still result in a title game rematch. Winning that game would give the Rebels a legitimate argument to be included in the College Football Playoff. Best bets to miss the playoffGiven that just eight teams are favored to make the CFP, the odds reflect how difficult it still is to get in. There are plenty of good teams not favored who intend to put up a significant challenge. So, who’s vulnerable to get “their” spot stolen? Ohio State (+250) To pick against a team that’s “supposed to make it” is never easy since any one of them is a perennial powerhouse. The only case against a team like Ohio State (relative to the odds), is that there are enough tough games that might not go the Buckeyes’ way that they don’t qualify for the 13th data point that a conference championship game provides. Ohio State didn’t need to get to the Big Ten title game last year, but with Texas in the opener and Penn State also coming to Columbus, they face the top two teams in the AP poll. If they went 0-2 in those, would anyone be shocked? If they lose both, not only will their at-large candidacy be in jeopardy, but making it to Indianapolis will be too. Especially, with a road slate that includes Washington, Illinois, Wisconsin and, yes, Michigan. With a new quarterback and coordinators on both offense and defense, a nine-win season would be understandable, and even the “wrong” 10-2 record might not be enough, depending on how things shake out elsewhere. You can find more valuable bets and analysis from Yahoo Sports betting contributor, Matt Russell, at THE WINDOW. View the full article

The Los Angeles Rams got some excellent news Monday. After weeks of uncertain injury updates, quarterback Matthew Stafford finally returned to practice. The Rams got out in front of the news, immediately tweeting out a picture of Stafford taking the field in a red practice jersey. The news should come as a welcome surprise for Rams fans, who have been given murky updates about the quarterback's injury status throughout training camp. Head coach Sean McVay teased Stafford's return a few times during camp, inviting plenty of questions when the quarterback failed to take the field after McVay indicated Stafford would be back. Stafford is dealing with a back injury. While his absence from training camp caused some to wonder whether Stafford's Week 1 status was in jeopardy, his return suggests he'll be fine for the start of the regular season. This story will be updated. View the full article

Chevrolet introduced the last of its recent round of Corvette concepts at The Quail on Friday, and you could argue they saved the best for last. The Corvette CX and CX.R Vision Gran Turismo are made without limits except to remain true to the vision of what a Corvette should be in the future. Scroll through and see what you think. ChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevroletChevrolet View the full article

Canada's labor tribunal on Monday declared a strike by Air Canada's flight attendants illegal, a decision that could end a work stoppage which has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide. Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight on Saturday, insisting the airline had failed to address their demands for higher wages and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding. Canada's national carrier, which flies directly to 180 cities domestically and abroad, said the strike had forced cancellations impacting 500,000 people. Over the weekend, federal labor minister Patty Hajdu invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration. Following Hajdu's intervention, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), a regulatory tribual, ordered the flight attendants back to work on Sunday. The flight attendants' union said it would defy the order, forcing Air Canada to walk back plans to partially restore service late Sunday. CIRB regulators upped the pressure on Monday. It ordered the union "to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities," Air Canada said in a statement. The tribunal gave the Canadian Union of Public Employees until 12:00 pm (1600 GMT) to communicate to members that they "are required to resume the performance of their duties," Air Canada further said. - Carney 'disappointed' - Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Ottawa Monday it was "disappointing" that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union did not produce an agreement. "We recognize very much the critical role that flight attendants play in keeping Canadians and their families safe as they travel," he said. "It is important that they're compensated equitably." But, he added, Canada faced a situation where hundreds of thousands of citizens and visitors were facing travel uncertainty. CUPE had over the weekend earlier slammed the Canadian government's intervention as "rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted." "This sets a terrible precedent," it said. Labor minister Hajdu said over the weekend that she had hoped a deal could have been reached through bargaining, but "it has now become clear that this dispute won’t be resolved at the table." "Canadians are increasingly finding themselves in very difficult situations and the strike is rapidly impacting the Canadian economy," she added. On Thursday, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027. CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as "below inflation (and) below market value." In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage would exacerbate the economic pinch already being felt from US President Donald Trump's tariffs. bs/sms View the full article

Hamas has accepted a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza without requesting amendments, a source from the group told AFP Monday, after a fresh diplomatic push to end more than 22 months of war. Mediators Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, have struggled to secure a lasting truce in the conflict, which has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. But after receiving a new proposal from meditators, Hamas said it was ready for talks. "Hamas has delivered its response to the mediators, confirming that Hamas and the factions agreed to the new ceasefire proposal without requesting any amendments," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Israel has yet to respond. A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said mediators were "expected to announce that an agreement has been reached and set a date for the resumption of talks", adding guarantees were offered to ensure implementation and pursue a permanent solution. Another Palestinian official earlier said mediators had proposed an initial 60-day truce and hostage release in two batches. The proposal comes more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to expand the war into Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, which has sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition. - 'Confronted and destroyed' - An Islamic Jihad source told AFP the plan envisaged a 60-day ceasefire "during which 10 Israeli hostages would be released alive, along with a number of bodies". Out of 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Islamic Jihad source said "the remaining captives would be released in a second phase", with negotiations for a broader settlement to follow. They added that "all factions are supportive" of the Egyptian and Qatari proposal. US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!" "The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be." Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "will agree to an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war". Meanwhile, in a now familiar scene in Gaza, AFP footage from the southern city of Khan Yunis showed crowds of mourners kneeling over the shrouded bodies of their loved ones who were killed seeking aid the day before. - 'Beyond imagination' - Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, visiting the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Monday, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was visiting "to consolidate our existing common efforts in order to apply maximum pressure on the two sides to reach a deal as soon as possible". Alluding to the dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living in the Gaza Strip, where UN agencies and aid groups have warned of famine, Abdelatty stressed the urgency of reaching an agreement. "The current situation on the ground is beyond imagination," he said. Egypt said on Monday it was willing to join a potential international force deployed to Gaza, but only if backed by a UN Security Council resolution and accompanied by a "political horizon". - 'Deliberate' starvation - On the ground, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 11 people across the territory on Monday, including six killed by Israeli fire in the south. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was "not aware of any casualties as a result of IDF fire" in the southern areas reported by the civil defence. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. Rights group Amnesty International meanwhile accused Israel of enacting a "deliberate policy" of starvation in Gaza and "systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life". Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into Gaza, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 62,004 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable. az-my-acc/ds/dv View the full article

NEW YORK (AP) — Two of the three people killed in a bar shooting in the New York City borough of Brooklyn were among the four shooters who opened fire inside the building, the city's police commissioner said Monday. Jamel Childs, 35, and Marvin St. Louis, 19, both of Brooklyn, were seen on surveillance video arguing in the Taste of the City Lounge in Crown Heights shortly before 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. About 10 minutes later, St. Louis approached Childs and opened fire, and Childs and two other men fired back. Both Childs and St. Louis were shot multiple times and were pronounced dead at a hospital a short time after the shooting. The third man killed, 27-year-old city resident Amadou Diallo, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Diallo appears to have been an innocent bystander. Two other men who also opened fire in the bar remained at large Monday, Tisch said, but she did not disclose further details about them. A possible motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but authorities have said it appears to be gang-related. Besides those killed, 14 others were shot in the incident, but none of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday. Investigators found at least 42 shell casings from 9 mm and .45-caliber weapons and a firearm in a nearby street following the shooting. The violence was the second mass shooting within weeks in New York City during a year that has otherwise seen declining gun violence. On July 29, a man stalked through a Manhattan office tower with a rifle, wounding one person and killing four others. Didarul Islam, a New York City police officer, was among those who died in that shooting. His wife gave birth late Sunday night to a boy, their third child together. Adams said Sunday that both shootings reinforce “why we do this work of going after guns off our streets.” View the full article

KINSHASA (Reuters) -The Congolese government and M23 rebels have missed Monday's deadline to reach a peace agreement in Doha, raising fears that tensions between the two parties might derail talks and reverse progress made to end the conflict. Fighting in eastern Congo has intensified this year, with the M23 group launching an offensive that allowed it to capture the two largest cities in the region. Under a mediation effort hosted by Qatar, Congo and the rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in which they vowed to start negotiating a deal no later than August 8 with the goal of reaching it by August 18. The AFC-M23 Movement said in a statement on Sunday that only the full implementation of the declaration of principles, which includes the release of prisoners, would enable the next round of talks to proceed. A senior AFC source said on Monday that while rebels didn't expect significant progress from the talks, they would send a small delegation in the coming days due to Qatar's pressure as negotiators. "Our delegation will simply reinforce the need to implement these measures before we can engage in negotiations," the source said. A governmental source said authorities had received a draft agreement from the mediation team, and both parties are working on their comments before delegates return to Doha later this week. It added that the release of prisoners is a complicated prerequisite because it can be a subject of negotiations rather than a condition to continue talks. A Qatari official told Reuters on Sunday that while the timeline outlined in the declaration of principles had not been met, both parties expressed a willingness to continue negotiations. (Reporting by Ange Kasongo in Kinshasa, Giulia Paravicini in Nairobi and Andrew Mills in Doha; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Ayen Deng Bior, Jessica Donati and Sharon Singleton) View the full article

Marf@COLLAR邱彥筒今日（18/8）現身西九文化區M+2出席時裝揭幕禮。對於Ivy So早前公開自己有過百萬儲蓄，又指COLLAR成員如急需借錢，亦會出手幫助。 Marf稱沒有過百萬存款。（陳順禎攝）Marf接受《香港01》訪問時表示：「佢有咁多錢？咁我下次要借吓啦，不過講就咁講啫。我係聽講過，其實借錢某程度對財運唔係幾好嘅。（你有冇借過錢俾人？）咁又冇喎，因為我身邊嘅朋友都好獨立，佢哋會自己諗辦法，變咗好難去到嗰一步，始終借錢都要勇氣。（你存款有冇過百萬？）咁梗係冇啦，唔過百萬啦，如果過咗我就唔使做啦。」 Marf今日出席時裝騷揭幕禮。（陳順禎攝）Marf今日出席時裝騷揭幕禮。（陳順禎攝）Marf今日出席時裝騷揭幕禮。（陳順禎攝）莊子璇激減4Kg身形Fit爆　親爆上圍縮水唔擔心：舒服就得潘靜文運動會跑步跌親　白滑美腿受創恐留疤痕：啲血滲晒出嚟姚焯菲否認家人施壓到美國升學4年　7字大爆真實感受何廣沛公布婚訊前通知公司高層　大爆對方竟然有咁嘅反應謝安琪演出走音遭網民狂轟 自爆患創傷後壓力症：失眠同埋會喊李家鼎山頂餐廳受北上消費影響生意跌3成：內地租金、伙記都平 View the full article

DENVER (AP) — Conservative network Newsmax agrees to pay $67 million in defamation case over bogus 2020 election claims. View the full article

Former Attorney General Bill Barr arrived on Capitol Hill on Monday for a deposition by the House Oversight Committee about matters related to Jeffrey Epstein, the first of 10 high-profile Democratic and Republican witnesses subpoenaed by the committee to testify on the case. The move by the panel comes as the case has roiled the House – with many Republicans calling for more transparency and the release of records related to the matter. The committee has also issued a subpoena to the Justice Department calling for it to provide Congress any Epstein files in its possession, with victims’ names redacted. Barr’s appearance comes one day before the DOJ is supposed to turn over those records to the committee. But the committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, told reporters when he arrived that he does not expect the DOJ to meet that deadline because the department is still trying to compile the records. He said he expects to get them “very soon.” “You can imagine, how many documents there are. I think we’ll receive the documents very soon,” the Kentucky Republican said. “They’re compiling everything together. I think we’re working together in a good-faith effort and everything’s coming along.” Barr served in the top job at the Department of Justice during President Donald Trump’s first term and was in the role when Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing underage girls. Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal detention facility. Barr did not speak to reporters as he arrived about an hour earlier than when he was scheduled to begin his deposition. Shortly after Epstein’s death, Barr said that he was “appalled” and “angry” to learn of the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s “failure to adequately secure this prisoner,” and announced that the FBI and the Justice Department’s internal watchdog would investigate Epstein’s death. In 2023, the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General issued a scathing rebuke of the Bureau of Prisons detailing multiple failures that led to Epstein’s death but found no evidence to contradict the “absence of criminality” in his death. House Speaker Mike Johnson took steps to delay until September a vote of the full House to publicly release the DOJ’s Epstein files. The Louisiana has said he supports transparency in the case but wants to give the administration room to handle the matter. The Republican-led panel additionally subpoenaed nine other individuals for private depositions between August and mid-October. Those are: former Attorneys General Merrick Garland, Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder and Alberto Gonzales; former FBI Director James Comey; former special counsel and FBI Director Robert Mueller III; former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton; and former President Bill Clinton. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com View the full article

US presidents are driven in a heavily armored limousine nicknamed "The Beast." It features a secure communications system and fridge stocked with the president's blood type. Military cargo aircraft transport the presidential limousine for use abroad. When US presidents aren't flying on Air Force One or taking helicopter trips in Marine One, they're driven around in a presidential limousine nicknamed "The Beast." Weighing in at 20,000 pounds and outfitted with advanced security and communications systems, the newest model of "The Beast" debuted during the first Trump administration in 2018. It reportedly cost around $1.5 million to build. The vehicle made headlines in August when Russian President Vladimir Putin rode in the limousine alongside President Donald Trump as the two met in Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine. Take a look inside the famous vehicle. US presidents travel in a secure limousine nicknamed "The Beast." The Presidential limousine "The Beast" waits on the tarmac as President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One at Helsinki-Vantaan International Airport in Helsinki, Finland Wednesday, July 12, 2023.Official White House Photo by Adam SchultzUS presidents rode Lincoln limousines for most of the 20th century until the 1980s, when the Reagan administration switched to Cadillacs. The latest model of the presidential limousine was commissioned by the US Secret Service in 2014 and used for the first time in 2018 by President Donald Trump. Designed to look like a longer version of a Cadillac XT6, the chassis of the car is actually that of a Chevrolet Kodiak truck produced by General Motors, NBC News reported. The vehicle weighs around 20,000 pounds and cost around $1.5 million to build. The heavily armored vehicle is bulletproof, blast-resistant, and sealed to withstand biochemical attacks. Members of the US Secret Service opens the doors to the presidential limousines known as "The Beast" as US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One prior to departure from Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, February 4, 2024, as they travel to Las Vegas, Nevada.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesWhile details about the limousine's security measures remain classified, NBC News reported that the vehicle features a night-vision system, tear gas firing capabilities, and door handles that can be electrified to prevent intruders. The windows are believed to be 3 inches thick, and the vehicle's armor is around 8 inches thick. "The Beast" is also equipped with medical supplies, including a refrigerator stocked with the president's blood type. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pose for a photo as they ride in the Presidential limousine from Emory University in Atlanta Friday, March 19, 2021, to Peachtree Dekalb Airport.Official White House Photo by Adam SchultzThe limousine's secure communications system is able to dispatch the launch codes for nuclear weapons. The presidential seal appears throughout the design of the car. The presidential seal is seen inside the door of US President Joe Biden's limousine as he arrives at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on January 30, 2024. Biden is in Florida to speak at campaign receptions.ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)The seal, featuring an eagle holding an olive branch and 13 arrows in its talons below a banner reading "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one"), appears on both the interior and exterior of the passenger door. The limousine can seat up to seven people. President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden wave as they ride in the Presidential limousine Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, en route to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, s, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.Official White House Photo by Adam SchultzThe interior features water bottle holders and plush leather seats. Previous presidential limousines have also included a fold-out desk, according to the US Secret Service. "The Beast" travels with the president. The president's limousines are loaded aboard a US Air Force C-17 in preparation for a trip.US Secret ServicePresidential limousines are transported by military cargo aircraft, such as US Air Force C-17s, for use during the president's travels, according to the US Secret Service. When abroad, the presidential limousine flies the American flag and the flag of the host country. The United States Presidential State Car, nicknamed 'The Beast', seen at Windsor Castle as U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden meet with Queen Elizabeth II on June 13, 2021 in Windsor, England. Queen Elizabeth II hosts US President, Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle. The President arrived from Cornwall where he attended the G7 Leader's Summit and will travel on to Brussels for a meeting of NATO Allies and later in the week he will meet President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.Pool/Max Mumby/Getty ImagesWhen Biden visited the UK in June 2021, the presidential limousine flew both the American flag and the Union Jack. On Inauguration Day, Secret Service agents change the car's license plates as a new president takes power. Secret Service agents change license plates on the presidential limousine at the U.S. Capitol as Donald Trump takes the other of office and becomes the 45th president of the United States, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington.Alex Brandon/APSome presidents have used the Washington, DC, "End Taxation Without Representation" license plates, while others have removed the slogan, Axios reported. On President Donald Trump's second Inauguration Day, Secret Service agents gave "The Beast" a good shine. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The presidential limousine sits outside the White House ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States.Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesBiden and Trump rode to the 2025 inauguration ceremony together in the presidential limousine. Accompanied by the presidential motorcade, "The Beast" remains an instantly recognizable symbol of the power of the presidency. President Joe Biden looks out the window of the Presidential limousine Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, as he travels by motorcade during the inaugural parade through Washington, D.C.Official White House Photo by Ana Isabel Martinez Chamorro"It is safe to say that this car's security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world," the assistant director for the US Secret Service's Office of Protective Operations said of "The Beast, " according to the US Secret Service's official website. Putin and Trump rode in "The Beast" together. Trump and Putin entered The Beast after they arrived for a meeting in Alaska.Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesAhead of a meeting on August 15, 2025, to discuss the war in Ukraine, Trump and Putin unexpectedly rode in the car together. The ride lasted fewer than 10 minutes, NBC News reported, and offered the leaders the opportunity to talk privately. Putin can be seen smiling from within the vehicle. 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Tight on time? This story is for you. It's an abbreviated, text view of what's happening with Hurricane Erin. Click here for more details and to see the latest spaghetti models. Sign up to get weather alerts via text based on your interests or location. Projected path for Hurricane Erin 8 a.m. Aug. 18, 2025.Hurricane Erin — the fifth named storm of the season — formed early Friday, Aug. 15, marking the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season before exploding overnight and strengthening into a Category 5 storm by afternoon Saturday, Aug. 16. It is only the fifth hurricane on record to reach Category 5 strength this early — and the first to do so outside the Gulf or Caribbean. The system strengthened to sustained winds of 160 mph, but later that day an eyewall replacement cycle caused Erin to weaken slightly. Will Hurricane Erin hit North Carolina?The Cat 4 Hurricane Erin is now moving northwest and is expected to remain off the U.S. coast and dissipate into the open Atlantic by Saturday, Aug. 23. What impacts will Hurricane Erin have on North Carolina?Though Hurricane Erin is not forecast to make landfall on the U.S., the storm’s rapid intensification has prompted increased emergency measures in North Carolina, and the Outer Banks are now under a state of emergency. Officials mandated evacuations for Hatteras Island as forecasters warned of life-threatening rip currents, large swells, coastal flooding and road washouts: Visitors must leave by 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 18 Residents must leave by 8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 North Carolina Outer Banks evacuation routesDare County has two primary evacuation routes: U.S. 64 West and U.S. 158 North. Emergency management officials are urging residents and visitors — particularly those evacuating Hatteras Island, Nags Head and Roanoke Island — to use U.S. 64 West whenever possible. See more about evacuation routes on the Dare County website. Where is Hurricane Erin right now?As of 5 a.m. Aug. 18, Hurricane Erin was located about 90 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. How strong is Hurricane Erin?Maximum sustained winds were at 130 mph at 8 a.m. and additional strengthening is expected. Winds are forecast to reach 145 mph later Aug. 18. "Erin will remain a large and dangerous major hurricane through the middle of this week," the National Hurricane Center said. How big is Hurricane Erin?Hurricane Erin is a very large storm. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles. Do not focus on the cone!The cone you see from the National Hurricane Center shows a consensus based on models on where the center could be over the next several days. Track forecasts can be off by an average of 60 to 70 miles. Direct impacts can be felt sometimes hundreds of miles from the center of the storm. Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the United States as the Weather Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at [email protected]. This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Cat 4 Hurricane Erin prompts Outer Banks evacuations. What to know View the full article

An Australian family slept as a thief emptied their entire 4-car garage that contained $1 million AUD, or about $650,000 in USD, worth of cars. According to Victoria Police, the crime took place over the course of about three hours. The alleged theft took place in the Melbourne, Victoria, Australia suburb Balwyn North on August 15. According to police, at approximately 1:30 am that morning a thief broke into the home and stole four sets of car keys. He also swiped a wallet and a pair of air pods, but the car keys were the main prize. As the family slept the thief took a 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista out of their garage. The 710-horsepower collectible supercar can be worth well over $500K. But the man was not satisfied with that score, so he returned and took a 2024 BMW M3 Wagon. Then he came back for a third time for a 2009 Mercedes CLS63. You might think that after taking those high-powered luxury cars the thief would be done for the night. However, the cold-blooded crook completed his heist when he made off with the family’s 2011 BMW 135i. At this time, none of the cars have been recovered and no arrests have been made. Police have released an image of the suspect as well as the stolen Ferrari and BMW. Boroondara Crime Investigation Unit detectives are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car View the full article

Manual transmissions haven't quite gone extinct, but they're definitely an endangered species among today's new cars. A select few enthusiast-focused performance cars still offer them, and even fewer are available only with a manual. We've come up with a list of manual-only cars—including specific trim levels that come only with a stick. The idea is, if you're an eagle-eyed car enthusiast and you spot one of these in the wild, you can be sure that it has a third pedal. More Car Rankings: Cars That Don't Have a Manual That Should | Best Cars that Still Offer a Manual | Cheapest Cars with Manual Transmissions | Best Cheap Sports Cars Subaru WRX tSBase price: $48,875 It's not quite a WRX STI, but the tS is the current top dog in the WRX lineup. Unlike the other WRX trims, which are offered with an optional CVT automatic (no thanks), it's only available with a six-speed stick. It has the same turbo-four engine as other WRXs, but benefits from numerous suspension and brake upgrades. Tested: 2025 Subaru WRX tS Patrick Ernzen Subaru BRZ tSBase price: $39,530 Subaru figures that anyone looking for the sharpest version of the BRZ rear-wheel-drive sports car doesn't want to bother with the optional six-speed automatic transmission. So that's why the tS variant, which comes with chassis upgrades, comes only with a stick. It has the same 228-hp 2.4-liter flat-four as the rest of the lineup. Review: The BRZ tS Is One of the Greats Mike Shaffer / Subaru Honda Civic SiBase price: $32,190 While the base Honda Civic is no longer available with a manual at all, the Civic's performance variants are both manual-only. The Si is the middle child of the lineup, and it comes with a 200-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four and a six-speed stick as standard. Tested: 2025 Honda Civic Si Zac Palmer Honda Civic Type RBase price: $47,090 The Civic doesn't get much better than this, and the Type R hot hatch gets the manual transmission it deserves in the slick-shifting six-speed that pairs beautifully with the turbo 2.0-liter inline-four. This beast is one of the best front-wheel-drive performance cars out there, and we're glad that Honda agrees that an automatic would sully the experience. Civic Type R vs. Acura Integra Type S honda Acura Integra Type SBase price: $54,095 The Integra Type S is like the Honda Civic Type R's more mature older sibling, but don't think that means it's gone soft. It's still available only with a six-speed stick, and it has a distinctive driving character all its own. It even won our Performance Car of the Year award in 2024. The Integra Type S Feels Special Even Among Supercars Greg Pajo BMW M3 and M4 (Base)Base price: $79,575 This one might seem like a bit of a stretch, as most versions of the M3 sedan and M4 coupe come with automatic transmissions. But if you opt for the base RWD model, with a 473-hp twin-turbo inline-six, a six-speed manual is the only transmission choice. The more powerful Competition variants are automatic-only, but if you spot a current-generation M3 or an M4 without the Competition or xDrive badges, you'll know it's a manual. We Compare the Manual M3 with the Ioniq 5 N DW Burnett Porsche 911 Carrera TBase price: $140,950 Porsche offers manual transmissions across the 911 range, but the Carrera T is special in that you cannot opt for the PDK dual-clutch automatic in this model. This enthusiast's special comes with the 388-hp base version of the flat-six, rear-wheel drive, and a six-speed manual transmission—just as the 911 was intended to be. Review: The 911 T Is a Minimalistic Masterpiece PorscheYou Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car View the full article

Ukraine’s future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting Monday at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brings an extraordinary cadre of European leaders with him to show U.S. President Donald Trump a united front against Russia. The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday in Alaska, and they're looking to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. Monday’s showing is a sign both of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Friday summit, as many of Europe’s leaders are descending on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine’s interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force. Here's the latest: Putin reaches out to global leaders in run-up to Zelenskyy’s White House visit Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with the leaders of India, Brazil and South Africa Monday to discuss the results of talks between Russia and the U.S. in Alaska, the Kremlin said, just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived to speak with President Donald Trump at the White House. He also spoke with key allies, including leaders in Central Asia and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko, in a series of calls Monday and Sunday. Putin made similar calls to world leaders following his meeting with special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff in early August. On that occasion, he also spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping. European Council president announces video summit of European Union leaders for Tuesday António Costa announced the meeting to discuss Monday’s White House meetings in a message on X. He wrote: “Together with the US, the EU will continue working towards a lasting peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.” Further details of the meeting weren’t immediately announced. Zelenskyy was expected to be accompanied in Washington by European political heavyweights French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni talks to reporters ahead of White House meeting Meloni has long positioned herself as a “bridge” between the Trump administration and Europe and said the meeting was important because “finally” Russia had given a sign it was ready for dialogue. In comments to reporters in Washington, Meloni said Moscow’s openness was thanks to the “situation of stall on the battlefield” that was due both to the courage of Ukrainians to fight but also the West’s united stand supporting Kyiv. She said she was pleased with the proposal of security guarantees for Ukraine inspired by NATO’s Article 5. “Clearly we have to build, work on this. But the work we are doing today, from my point of view, is important work. Clearly there are no easy solutions when talking about ending a war and building peace. We have to explore all possible solutions to guarantee peace, to guarantee justice, and to guarantee security for our countries,” she said. What will Zelenskyy wear for his meeting with Trump? Zelenskyy’s decision to wear a long-sleeve t-shirt with a Ukrainian military insignia, instead of a suit, became a point of contention during his disastrous Oval Office encounter with Trump earlier this year. Ahead of Monday afternoon’s meetings at the White House with Trump and European leaders, the Ukrainian leader met with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, wearing a dark half-sleeve t-shirt, according to video of the engagement Zelenskyy posted on X. Zelenskyy has set aside the typical uniform of the dark suit and tie since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of his country began in 2022. He’s said the choice is to show solidarity with soldiers fighting the Russian army. But his clothing choice became an issue during the difficult February meeting with Trump. “He’s all dressed up,” Trump said to reporters as he greeted Zelenskyy upon his arrival at the White House for the February meeting. At the beginning of that last Oval Office meeting with Trump, a conservative journalist told Zelenskyy his attire was considered disrespectful by many Americans. Zelenskyy responded, in part, by saying, “I will wear a costume when this war is finished.” Texas Democrats say they’re ending a two-week walkout over gerrymandered US House map plan Texas Democrats say they’re ending a two-week walkout that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts to satisfy President Trump’s demands for a greater GOP advantage. Democratic leaders say they’ll return for a second special legislative session after seeing California Democratic leaders proceed with plans to redraw their own U.S. House maps to neutralize Republican gains in Texas. The nation’s two most populous states have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has sought to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first presidency, when Democrats regained House control and used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him. Downtown DC on alert as Trump hosts Ukraine talks With Zelenskyy and several European leaders in town for hastily arranged meetings, the area around the White House bulged with security. A line of black SUVs stretched up 16th Street from Lafayette Park. Motorcycle cops stood by. Some roads were blocked off by police and dump trucks, and there were extra checkpoints to screen people approaching the White House. Pennsylvania Avenue, usually crammed with tourists taking pictures of the north side of the president’s residence, was vacant. Trump calls for Hamas to be ‘confronted and destroyed’ for hostage return The U.S. president says the remaining hostages held in the Israel-Gaza war will only be released “when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” “The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site Monday morning. Zelenskyy calls latest Russian attacks ‘demonstrative and cynical’ “Everyone wants a just peace and true security. And at this very moment, the Russians are striking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy region, Odesa, residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” he wrote. Zelenskyy said the energy infrastructure object struck in Odesa belongs to an Azerbaijani company. “This is a blow to our relations (with Azerbaijan) and to energy independence.” “The war must be brought to an end. And it is Moscow that must hear ‘stop,’” Zelenskyy said in conclusion. Texas Republicans set to resume push Monday for redrawn US House maps The redrawn district maps would carve out a bigger GOP advantage in the 2026 midterm elections after state Democrats indicated they were ready to end a two-week walkout. In response, California Democrats are also moving ahead with their own reshaping of congressional districts to counteract Texas, putting in motion a potentially widening and unusually timed redistricting battle nationwide. The redrawing began in Texas but has been stalled since dozens of Democrats, who are the minority in each chamber, left the state Aug. 3, with most of them going to Illinois. The absent lawmakers had signaled they were ready return to Austin after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ended a first special session and California moved forward with its own plan. Abbott put redistricting on the agenda at the urging of President Trump, who wants to shore up Republicans’ narrow U.S. House majority to avoid losing control of the chamber. ▶ Read more about the redistricting effort in Texas Europe’s security is also at stake in the talks European leaders see Ukraine’s fight as a bulwark against any Kremlin ambitions to threaten other countries in eastern Europe and beyond. French President Emmanuel Macron described Ukraine as an “outpost of our collective defense if Russia wanted to advance again.” “If we are weak with Russia today, we’ll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too.” Macron said Sunday. The European political heavyweights expected in Washington are Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Ukraine won’t surrender land to Russia Zelenskyy has rejected Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he can’t cede Crimea either. Instead, freezing the front line — which snakes roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from northeastern to southeastern Ukraine — seems to be the most the Ukrainian people might accept. Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Trump’s schedule, according to the White House — 12 p.m. ET: European leaders will arrive at the White House — 1 p.m.: Trump will greet and meet with Zelenskyy — 2:15 p.m.: Trump will greet European leaders — 3 p.m.: Trump will meet with European leaders Putin wants the Donbas As a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely. In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region. As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO’s collective defense pledge, according to a senior U.S. official. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called that a “game-changing” step though he offered few details on how it would work. Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again. Trump previews executive order on voting Ahead of a critical meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, Trump made it clear he has other things also on his mind. He said in a social media post Monday morning that he’ll be issuing an executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.” Saying he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, Trump added in all-caps: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.” When Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the two men agreed on the “dishonest” nature of using mail-in ballots, the U.S. president said. “He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now,” Trump said Putin told him of the process. Trump recounted that conversation during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. Russia continued to pound Ukraine with missiles and drones ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, killed six civilians late Sunday. Among the victims was a toddler and a 16-year-old, according to local officials. The strike also injured 20 people, including six children, authorities said. Russian aerial attacks also targeted the northeastern Sumy region and the southern Odesa region. In Zaporizhzhia, a city in the southeast, 17 people were injured in an attack Monday, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched a total of four Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 140 Shahed and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, of which 88 drones were intercepted or jammed. Trump’s pre-meeting warning to Zelenskyy Ahead of Monday’s critical meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders, Trump seemed to pressure the Ukrainian president to agree to concessions and suggested Ukraine could not regain Crimea. Crimea was a part of Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote Sunday night on social media. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Attendance list for Zelenskyy’s White House meeting includes major European leaders Key European leaders are gathering at the White House for President Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They include: -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen -- French President Emmanuel Macron -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz -- Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni -- Finnish President Alexander Stubb -- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump’s team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack. View the full article

The 28-year-old son of Norway's crown princess has been charged with raping four women and several acts of violence, and risks up to 10 years in prison, a prosecutor said on Monday. Marius Borg Hoiby, who was born from a relationship before Crown Princess Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon, has been under investigation since his arrest on August 4 last year on suspicion of assaulting a girlfriend. He is accused of raping four women while they were sleeping. In at least three of the cases, he met the women the same day and had consensual sex before the alleged rapes, public prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told reporters. Hoiby is also charged with filming their genitals without their knowledge. Henriksbo said investigators had video clips and photographs as evidence. The four rapes allegedly took place in 2018, 2023 and 2024, the last one after the police investigation began. Other charges against Hoiby include domestic abuse against a former partner and several counts of violence, disturbing the peace, vandalism and violations of restraining orders against another former partner. The only victim identified by the prosecution was Hoiby's ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland, whom he is accused of physically and psychologically abusing in 2022 and 2023. - 'clenched fist' - "The violence consisted, among other things, of him repeatedly hitting her in the face, including with a clenched fist, choking her, kicking her and grabbing her hard," the prosecutor said. The maximum penalty for the offences in the indictment is up to 10 years in jail, he said. "These are very serious acts that can leave lasting scars and destroy lives." The palace remained tight-lipped after the announcement. "It is for the courts to consider this matter and reach a decision," spokeswoman Sara Svanemyr said in a comment emailed to AFP. The prosecutor said that Hoiby, as a member of the royal family, would not be treated "more lightly or more severely" than anyone else in similar circumstances. Hoiby has already admitted to assault and vandalism in the August 2024 incident. In a public statement 10 days after his arrest, he said he had acted "under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument", having suffered from "mental troubles" and struggling "for a long time with substance abuse". A tall blond who cultivates a "bad boy" look with slicked back hair, earrings, rings and tattoos, Hoiby has been in the eye of a media storm since his arrest. When the rape allegations emerged in November, he spent a week in custody -- unprecedented for a member of Norway's royal family. After his release, he reportedly went to rehab in London. - 'Gilded cage' - Hoiby is the child of a brief romance between his mother and Morten Borg -- who has also been convicted of abuse and drug-related crimes. They were together at a time when the future princess was part of Norway's house music scene, known for its abundance of hash and ecstasy. He was propelled into the spotlight at the age of four when his mother married Norway's crown prince, with whom she went on to have two more children. Hoiby was raised by the royal couple alongside his step-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, now aged 21 and 19. Unlike them, however, he has no official public role. "He has been put in a virtually impossible position: one foot in, one foot out. He is not technically part of the royal household but he grew up in it," said Sigrid Hvidsten, royals commentator at the newspaper Dagbladet. "He has lived in a grey zone, a kind of gilded cage," she told AFP in December 2024. A cage that has not kept him away from controversy in recent years. According to media reports, he hung out with gang members, Hells Angels bikers and members of Oslo's Albanian mafia. In 2023, police contacted him to have a cautionary talk after he was seen moving in the same circles as "notorious criminals". It emerged last year that Hoiby had already been arrested in 2017 for using cocaine at a music festival. cbw/po/tw View the full article

The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. According to the Trump administration, the broad outlines of Vladimir Putin’s proposal to end the war in Ukraine are coming into focus. Ukraine would give Russia control of approximately 6,600 square kilometers, or 12 percent, of the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk regions) in eastern Ukraine—this includes territory that Russia does not now occupy. Russia would leave approximately 440 square kilometers of territory in Sumy and Kharkiv. That “land swap” on its own would be an impossible sell to the Ukrainians. But Donald Trump’s team is touting progress in another area, claiming that Putin would be open to a European security guarantee, including a military presence inside Ukraine, with an “American backstop” (although no U.S. troops would be in Ukraine). European leaders will join President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, D.C., today to flesh out what a security guarantee would look like. A European official with knowledge of the briefings told me that if an agreement can be reached with the Russians on its specifics, negotiations on territorial questions would follow. Trump is pushing for a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky within a week to seal the deal, but the Europeans believe they will need more time—at least a few weeks—to figure out the details and see if there is a viable way forward. As Putin looked at the coverage of the summit and Trump’s optimism that peace may be close, he may well have had the same reaction as Alan Greenspan when he testified to the Senate as the chair of the Federal Reserve: “I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you’ve probably misunderstood what I said.” It’s very possible that, far from achieving a breakthrough, the Trump administration simply misread what the Russians said and they haven’t changed their position at all. That’s the risk of not having the proposal in writing and having negotiators who are not familiar with Moscow’s diplomatic track record on the war. [Anne Applebaum: Trump has no cards] Start with what Russia is demanding. The Financial Times reported that “according to four people with direct knowledge of the talks” in Friday’s summit, Putin “demanded Ukraine withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as a condition for ending Russia’s war but told Donald Trump he could freeze the rest of the frontline if his core demands were met.” The phrase if his core demands were met is crucial. Russia presented a memo at the June 2 talks with Ukraine in Istanbul that contains the basic parameters of a final settlement. In addition to international recognition of Russian sovereignty of Crimea, the Donbas, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, it includes severe caps on the strength of the Ukrainian armed forces and the cessation of Western military aid to Ukraine. These demands, which would amount to Ukraine’s subjugation, are impossible for Ukraine to accept. To date, the Trump administration has rejected them too. In May, Vice President J. D. Vance told Fox News that the Russians were asking for “too much,” adding that “Russia can’t expect to be given territory that they haven’t even conquered yet.” On Friday, if the Trump administration’s account of the talks is correct, Putin seems to have pared back his demands a tiny bit. He is insisting on Ukrainian withdrawal from two regions instead of four. But there is no sign that he is moving away from his demands about limits on the size of the Ukrainian military. Putin’s apparent concession on security guarantees may not be all the Trump administration thinks it is. In the original talks in Istanbul in the spring of 2022, Russia presented a plan for an external security guarantee for Ukraine that would give Moscow an effective veto over whether it is ever invoked. Moscow very likely still has that in mind—in which case, there was no progress in Friday’s summit. Even if it is moving off that idea, it may well link any security guarantee to severe limits on the size of the Ukrainian military. A security guarantee should mean that if Ukraine is attacked by Russia again, the guarantors will join it in the war against Russia. If that guarantee is provided by Europe, it would mean that European states would fight Russia without the support of the United States. The Europeans have worried for some time that this is fraught with peril. Such a war would give Putin the chance to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe, potentially permanently breaking the NATO alliance. This is where the “American backstop” comes in. The idea is that if European forces are attacked, the U.S. would come to their aid. But it’s not clear what that means. If Europe has committed to defend Ukraine in the event of an invasion, then a U.S. backstop would mean that America would join it in fighting Russia, albeit possibly just with air power. That comes very close to a NATO Article 5 guarantee. The U.S. Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, suggested yesterday that the administration is looking at such a guarantee outside of the NATO context, but it is very hard to imagine that Trump will be on board with that. A weaker version of the backstop is that European forces would be present in Ukraine without a commitment to fight Russia if it invaded again. They would instead focus on helping train and equip Ukrainian troops and creating a sense of ambiguity in Moscow about the potential for a wider war if Russia restarted the war. In this case, the Trump administration would likely interpret a backstop as requiring European troops to be given safe haven in Ukraine if Russia attacked, or that the U.S. would help them leave safely. Under present U.S. leadership, a credible external security guarantee for Ukraine seems extremely unlikely. The Europeans will not commit to fighting Russia without the United States, and Trump will never agree to join them. The only credible guarantee for Ukraine in current circumstances is a national one: that the West would help Ukraine build a force capable of defending the country and deterring a future attack. That means a massive military build-up following a cease-fire, including a long-range-strike capability, to demonstrate to Moscow that another invasion would fail and would weaken Russia significantly. If that is secured, a European presence inside Ukraine to help train and equip their forces would be helpful. But there is no sign that Moscow has moved off of its demands for Ukrainian demilitarization. If Moscow’s apparent willingness to allow a small number of European troops into Ukraine is a smoke screen to get Trump to embrace demilitarization, he needs to reject it outright. [Jonathan Lemire: Well, what did you think would happen?] That brings us back to territory. Putin’s demand for the Donbas is tactically clever because it is designed to give the Trump administration false hope that if Ukraine cedes this territory, the war will be over. Already, Trump has abandoned his calls for a cease-fire and his plans to impose additional sanctions on Russia. It also obscures Russia’s other core demands and is designed to drive a wedge between the United States and Ukraine. Ukraine will be extremely reluctant to give up territory and vital defensive lines that Russia would take years to get on the battlefield, if it could take them at all—and by putting Zelensky in a position where he will feel compelled to refuse an unreasonable demand, Putin hopes to convince Trump that it is Zelensky who stands in the way of peace. Instead of trying to figure out how to make a security guarantee work, the Trump administration needs to first clarify Moscow’s position on Ukraine’s demilitarization, preferably in writing. If it is sticking to its June 2 position, the talks are just a ruse to buy time and weaken America’s resolve. If Moscow is willing to accept Ukraine’s right to defend itself, talks could take place on changes to the territorial line of control on a reciprocal basis—for every square mile Ukraine gives up, Russia would give up a square mile of similar value. Ultimately, the diplomatic problem the Trump administration faces is how to persuade Russia to accept an independent and sovereign Ukraine. All the signs from Moscow are that it has not backed off from a maximalist position. The only plausible way to end the war is to create a battlefield reality that convinces Putin that he cannot make more gains, that he will pay a massive price for continuing the war, and that this reality is unlikely to change. That means that the United States and its allies need to, paradoxically, get serious about arming Ukraine for a protracted conflict and putting pressure on Russia. That is the only way to create the conditions for successful negotiations to end the war. Article originally published at The Atlantic View the full article

Russian attacks on Ukraine continued ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meeting with President Trump in Washington on Monday. An overnight wave of air strikes hit cities around the country, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Sumy, according to local media. Ukrainian authorities said a drone attack on a residential area in the city of Kharkiv killed a toddler, a 16-year-old and five other people. "Despite all of the diplomacy and peace efforts, Russia continues to kill civilians," Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said in a social media post. "Russia is a murderous war machine that Ukraine is holding back. And it must be stopped through transatlantic unity and pressure. Moscow must stop the killing in order to advance diplomacy." "This was a demonstrative and cynical Russian strike. They are aware that a meeting is taking place today in Washington that will address the end of the war," Zelenskyy said on social media, adding that dozens more people, including children, had been injured in the attack on Kharkiv. A woman looks at the damaged apartment building after the Russian drone attack on August 18, 2025 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. / Credit: Hnat Holyk/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty ImagesZelenskyy said, separately, missile strikes in Zaporizhzhia killed three people and injured 20. Later, Ivan Federov, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, said the number of the wounded had increased to 30. Eleven apartment buildings, two schools, a kindergarten, a shopping center and a bus complex were damaged in the strike, Regina Kharchenko, the secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, said. The Ukrainian president also said Russia had attacked an energy facility in Odesa owned by an Azerbaijani company, "implying that it was an attack not only on us but also on our relations and energy security." "The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts," Zelenskyy said. "That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings. That is why reliable security guarantees are required. That is why Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war. The war must be ended. And it is Moscow that must hear the word: "Stop." Russian state media reported Ukraine had carried out a drone attack in Donetsk overnight, which killed a 62-year-old woman. Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan on the Trump-Putin summit, sanctions and more Laufey on creating her own sound A robotics activist's remarkable crusade View the full article

Texas Democrats returned to their state on Monday as California lawmakers are set to convene in the state capitol to kick off a rapid push to get voters to approve a new congressional map that could add as many as five Democratic seats in the US House. The California effort is in response to Texas’s effort to redraw the congressional map there to add five Republican seats. On Friday, Texas Republican governor Greg Abbott called a second special session after Democrats remained out of the state for two weeks, denying Republicans a quorum to conduct legislative business. The Democrats said last week they would return once California moved ahead with its effort to offset the Texas plan, all but ensuring that Texas’s new maps will pass. Related: How did we get all this gerrymandering? A short history of the Republican redistricting scheme In a statement on Monday, Gene Wu, the chair of the Texas house democratic caucus, called the two-week quorum break a success. “We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation – reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,” he said. “We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left. Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses.” The new California map, released on Friday, would create three new safely Democratic districts and two new districts that are Democratic leaning, but still competitive. Legislators need to send the plan to a statewide referendum in November because the California constitution requires districts to be drawn by an independent redistricting commission. If voters approve the plan, it would take effect until the end of the decade, when mapmaking power would return to the independent commission. Internal polling presented to lawmakers showed voters favored the measure 52% to 41%, with 7% undecided, according to the local television station KCRA. The legislature could hold floor votes to send the measure to voters for approval as soon as Thursday, KCRA reported. Republicans currently hold a razor-thin three seat majority in the US House and Donald Trump has pushed to redraw district boundaries ahead of next year’s midterm elections, in which the president’s party typically loses seats. Republicans are also poised to redraw congressional districts in Ohio, Missouri, and Florida, as well as potentially Indiana. Democrats have signaled they will try to redraw districts in other states where they hold power at the state level, like New York and Maryland, though they don’t have as many opportunities to draw districts as Republicans do. View the full article

Did your college make the grade? Niche.com, a website that reviews colleges, released its list of best colleges in New Jersey. And as many know, there are some great ones in the Garden State. But what are the best? According to the site “Best Colleges ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni,” the website says. “The ranking compares more than 1,000 top colleges and universities in the U.S. This year's rankings have introduced an Economic Mobility Index, which measures the economic status change for low-income students. ACT/SAT scores have been removed from rankings to reflect a general de-emphasis on test scores in the college admissions process.” With so many great institutions in the Garden State, it wasn’t easy, but here’s the top 20 colleges according to the site. We named 21 since three schools earned a B-minus. NJ best college rankingsPrinceton University (Grade: A+) Rutgers University, New Brunswick (Grade: A) Stevens Institute of Technology (Grade: A-) New Jersey Institute of Technology (Grade: A-) The College of New Jersey (Grade: A-) Rutgers University (Grade: A-) Seton Hall University (Grade: B+) Rutgers University – Camden (Grade: B+) Montclair State University (Grade: B+) Kean University (Grade: B+) Rowan University (Grade: B) William Paterson University of New Jersey (Grade: B) Stockton University (Grade: B) St. Elizabeth University (Grade: B) Ramapo College of New Jersey (Grade: B) Monmouth University (Grade: B) Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus (Grade: B) Rider University (Grade: B) Drew University (Grade: B-) Berkeley College, Woodland Park (Grade: B-) Caldwell University (Grade: B-) The full list is available on Niche's website. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What are the best colleges in New Jersey? Top 21 according to Niche View the full article

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit against popular online gaming platform Roblox over its lack of protection for child users on Thursday, Aug. 14. The lawsuit alleges that Roblox has failed to implement strong safety protocols for children, putting them at risk of interacting with predators online. Roblox is also being accused of creating a platform that allows millions of users to easily create accounts with fake birthdays. Louisiana Attorney General sues Roblox over child safety protocolsThe lawsuit asserts that Roblox's lack of age verification when creating accounts allows adults to pose as children, and children are able to bypass controls intended for users under 13. A news conference was held on Thursday Aug. 14, where Murrill discussed Roblox and reasons for suing the platform. "Roblox has and continues to facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material and the sexual exploitation of Louisiana's children," said Murrill during the news conference. How Roblox lures sexual predatorsMurrill says that, while Roblox is the number one gaming site for children and teens, it's also the number one site for sex predators. "Roblox fails to implement basic safety controls and to protect child users from predators. Roblox knowingly and intentionally fails to provide notice to parents and child users of its extreme dangers. And it created, curated and perpetuated an online environment where child sex predators thrive, unite, hunt and victimize kids," said Murrill during the new conference. The 42-page lawsuit holds that a number of sexually explicit "experiences" have occurred on Roblox, such as “Escape to Epstein Island,” “Diddy Party” and “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe,” NBC News reported. "It's very dangerous what they're perpetuating. They know it, and they have made choices to not use the tools that they could be using to protect children and they've done that for profit," The lawsuit also alleges unfair trade practices, negligence and unjust enrichment. While the suit doesn't specify damages, it does seek a permanent order that would bar Roblox from violating Louisiana's unfair trade practices act or promoting its safety features as adequate, NBC News reported. "We're going to take it out of the profit and we're going to also do whatever we can to make sure their structural controls put in place to protect our kids," said Murrill during the conference regarding the lawsuit. Roblox's response to Louisiana lawsuitThis picture taken on February 1, 2019 shows the online gaming service Roblox displayed on a tablet screen in Paris. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP) (Photo credit should read LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images)"Roblox as a policy does not comment on pending litigation. However, the company would like to address erroneous claims and misconceptions about our platform, our commitment to safety, and our overall safety track record," reads a response statement released by Roblox on Aug. 15. Roblox says that the platforms has rigorous safety features built in, and that its policies are purposely stricter than those found on social networks and other user-generated content platforms. "Any assertion that Roblox would intentionally put our users at risk of exploitation is simply untrue. No system is perfect and bad actors adapt to evade detection, including efforts to take users to other platforms, where safety standards and moderation practices may differ. We continuously work to block those efforts and to enhance our moderation approaches to promote a safe and enjoyable environment for all users," said Roblox in its response. Roblox expressed in the response that it dedicates substantial resources to help detect and prevent inappropriate content and behavior through community standards, restricted experiences, a Trust & Safety Team and a Roblox Sentinel, which is an AI-powered system designed to help detect child endangerment interactions. What is Roblox?Roblox is a massive online game platform and creation system that allows users to design and play games created by other users, with user-generated experiences spanning across various genres. Users can also customize avatars, interact with others, as well as create and sell virtual items via the platform's virtual currency, Robux. Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at [email protected] This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Is Louisiana Attorney General suing Roblox? What to know about lawsuit View the full article

Courtesy of Christina Hines While the Democratic race to claim Michigan’s 10th Congressional District remains a full field, the race has now narrowed, with a former candidate for the position offering his endorsement to his previous competitor. U.S. Army National Guard and Navy Veteran Tripp Adams announced in late July he would be suspending his campaign in order to prioritize his mental health. On Monday, Adams offered his support to former special victims prosecutor Christina Hines. “I want to endorse Christina as a friend, and as the leader that Macomb and Oakland counties need,” said Tripp Adams, “As a veteran and as a small business leader, when I sat down with Christina, I felt heard and seen. Christina has the plan, the leadership, and experience as a warrior fighting for us as a prosecutor to win this race and take care of the people in our community – not just Democrats, but people from all walks of life. That’s why I’m excited to endorse her campaign today.” Congressional candidate Tripp Adams | ScreenshotHines noted her gratitude for Adams’ endorsement, with the two becoming friends in their time on the campaign trail. “I have deep respect for Tripp’s service to our country, his commitment to our democracy, and his determination to fight for everyone in our community. I’m glad to have him as an advisor and friend,” Hines said. While Michigan’s 10th Congressional District is held by U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township), James’ decision to seek the governor’s seat in 2026 has left the battleground seat open to competition. According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, the seat leans Republican, however Michigan 10 has been listed as a key target for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Two Republicans have stepped up to succeed James in holding the district for Republicans: Michigan Open Carry Inc. President Casey Armitage and former Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Lulgjuraj. With Adams exiting the race, four candidates are expected to face off in the Democratic primary. Alongside Hines, former state Rep. Tim Greimel, attorney Eric Chung and U.S. Army veteran Alex Hawkins are vying for the nomination. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX View the full article

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