Category: Middle East

In a remarkable sign of the turmoil at CBS’s top-rated “60 Minutes,” correspondent Scott Pelley said CBS News head Bari Weiss of “murdering the show” and accused its new producer of having “slender qualifications” for the job, according to reports.
Pelley made his accusations in an introductory meeting Monday between the newsmagazine’s staff and Nick Bilton, the new executive producer named by Weiss last week, according to a detailed report on the Status website, which said it had heard a recording of the meeting. Weiss herself was not present, according to the report. Status specializes in media news and analysis.
Status reported that Pelley, the longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent, began grilling Bilton at the 10 a.m. meeting about the firings last week of Bilton's predecessor, Tanya Simon, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Status also reported that Pelley told Bilton, a former technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, t..

A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a woman to death on an Atlanta commuter train in an apparently random attack.
John Elijah Matthews was arrested around noon Saturday, moments after he stepped off the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority train at the Oakland City Station.
First responders tried to resuscitate Margaret Swan, 66, but she died at the scene, MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher said.
Matthews waived a bond hearing set for Monday morning, and a defense attorney named in his court documents did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Matthews has not yet had the opportunity to enter a plea.
Kreher said video from the train depicted an unprovoked and chilling attack on an apparent stranger, and that Swan was stabbed up to 20 times.
“There's no evidence at this time to suggest they knew each other — this was merely a random act of violence,” Kreher said.
“He walked over, stood next to her, and within 30 seconds he h..

A MAGA supporter told how his wife was reduced to tears after he bought her a Trump-branded watch that arrived with a major typo.
Tim Petit, from Middletown, Rhode Island, treated his wife Melanie to a $640 pink limited-edition Trump-themed timepiece from GetTrumpWatches.com, NBC10 reports.
When it arrived, the couple was disappointed to discover that instead of the words “TRUMP” on the face, the watch read “RUMP.”
“I’m very disappointed. I wanted to do a special thing for her,” Petit told the news outlet. “And we expected that it would have the integrity of the President of the United States and good follow-through.”
“An apology would be nice for making my wife cry,” Petit added.
open image in galleryA MAGA supporter told how his wife was reduced to tears after he bought her a Trump-branded watch that arrived with a major typo (AFP/Getty)After being contacted by NBC10, the company apologized and said they would immediately replace the watch, in addition to offering the couple an $800..

A Pennsylvania man is facing a slew of charges after he allegedly tried to demolish his own house with an excavator while his family was still inside.
Erik Pierwsza, 48, has been charged with three counts of recklessly endangering another person, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of causing a catastrophe, according to USA TODAY.
Pierwsza allegedly used an excavator to smash portions of his home in Buffalo Township while his wife and two daughters were inside, according to the Buffalo Township Police Department.
Investigators were concerned about the structural integrity of the home due to the extent of the damage caused by the excavator, CBS News reports.
A police report said that Pierwsza and his wife were arguing about the potential end of their marriage before the incident.
A man in Pennsylvania allegedly used an excavator to destroy part of his home while his wife and daughters were still inside (CBS Pittsburgh)The wife told police that her husband threatened to r..

A sonic boom that left people across New England looking to the sky was likely a meteor, according to meteorologists.
On Saturday afternoon, police departments in Massachusetts began receiving calls of a loud boom coming from the sky.
The source of the sound was likely a meteor or a bolide, which is a meteor that explodes in the Earth's atmosphere, according to NBC 10 meteorologist Pamela Gardner.
“Big explosion/boom around Boston,” she wrote on X. “GLM from GOES 19 shows possible meteor or bolide entering the atmosphere. There is no lightning in this current storm, no earthquake from USGS.”
WBZ-TV Chief Meteorologist Eric Fisher is also attributing the sound to a meteor.
NOAA satellite imagery showing the moment a meteor exploded in the Earth's atmosphere near Boston, causing a sonic boom that was reported across New England (NOAA)He pointed to satellite data mapping lightning in the atmosphere.
“Basically, when [a meteor] enters the atmosphere and explodes, it shows up..

More than a dozen Republican senators have reportedly asked President Donald Trump’s top aides to get rid of the nearly $1.8 billion so-called “slush fund” that could allow allies, such as January 6 rioters, to obtain millions in taxpayers’ money.
Lawmakers, politicians, commentators and members of the public have expressed outrage at the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” created by the Justice Department, that would permit those who believe they were unfairly prosecuted under the Obama and Biden administrations to seek payments.
But as the president faces a record-low approval rating, some allies have expressed concern that the image of the multi-billion-dollar fund, amid high gas prices and rising grocery costs, could hurt Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Even loyalists, such as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have privately urged Trump to drop the fund, according to the report.
Publicly, some Republicans ha..

Three climbers have died after falling near a perilous pass on Alaska’s Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest peak.
A fourth climber who fell is in critical condition after being evacuated from the mountain, Latvian Mountaineering Association said in a statement.
The climbers fell Wednesday as they traversed a route notorious for its exposed sections, where numerous injuries and fatalities have been recorded.
The National Park Service confirmed the climbers were part of a Latvian expedition and fell near Denali Pass, situated approximately 18,200 feet (5,550 meters) above sea level.
Mount McKinley itself stands at about 20,310 feet (6,190 meters). Their bodies have not yet been recovered, as Denali National Park and Preserve rangers awaited clearer weather conditions before attempting to reach the site.
The three were part of a seven-person group on the mountain. Their deaths were confirmed by the Latvian mountaineering group Friday.
Three other members of the climbing party tende..

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is sending state police to bring order to an immigration detention center in Newark that has been the site of violent demonstrations and arrests in recent days.
The Democrat announced Friday that police will create designated protest zones and set up vehicle checkpoints to regulate traffic outside Delaney Hall. She said the decision comes as clashes between protesters and federal immigration enforcement officials have intensified.
“It has grown unsafe, and that’s completely unacceptable,” Sherrill said at a news conference along with the state attorney general and state police leaders. “Our top priority is public safety, and we need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature.”
Spokespersons for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the GEO Group, the private firm contracted to run the facility, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The protests began last Friday after immigrant advocates said detainees inside launched a hu..

Las Vegas has seen a sharp rise in kidnapping and abduction reports this year, with new police data showing that cases have surged by more than 40 percent compared with the same period in 2025.
Police investigated more than 150 kidnapping or abduction cases as of May 24, up from 108 reported during the same timeframe last year – which is roughly a 42 percent increase, according to data collected from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, KSNV reported.
The spike comes as several recent high-profile cases in the Vegas area – some involving accusations sexual assault or deadly carjackings – are also being investigated for alleged kidnapping. Experts say the numbers may also reflect the wide scope of Nevada’s kidnapping laws.
Under the state’s law, kidnapping can include a range of situations in which a person is taken, detained or moved against their will. State statute defines kidnapping as unlawfully seizing, confining, abducting, concealing or carrying away a person for purpo..

Trump says he doesn't care about midterms when asked about Iran negotiationsUS officials have said they do not have “unlimited patience” as negotiations over a potential ceasefire extension continue between Tehran and Washington.
Speaking on Thursday, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent blamed delays in getting an agreement over the line on “trouble communicating” with the Iranian government.
He claimed the US delegation is being “patient” but said such patience is not unlimited and that Donald Trump had not relented on his three key demands. The US president has previously insisted any deal include the Strait of Hormuz being opened, Iran committing to not pursue a nuclear programme, and giving up its supply of enriched uranium.
It came after several media outlets reported a 60-day memorandum of understanding had been agreed in principle and is with President Trump for approval.
US officials said the MOU will allow “unrestricted” shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran w..