Mount Kīlauea roared back to life Wednesday morning with its 51st fountaining episode, hurling lava nearly a thousand feet into the air and sending a massive smoke plume more than three miles above sea level over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The United States Geological Survey reported that Episode 51 began at 8:30 a.m. Hawaiian Standard […] The post Mount Kilauea's 51st eruption sends lava 950 feet high as Hawaii braces for ash fall appeared first on American Almanac .
Mount Kīlauea roared back to life Wednesday morning with its 51st fountaining episode, hurling lava nearly a thousand feet into the air and sending a massive smoke plume more than three miles above sea level over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The United States Geological Survey reported that Episode 51 began at 8:30 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time. Within minutes, lava fountain heights jumped to 950 feet while molten rock spread at roughly 400 cubic yards per second, a staggering volume pouring from the volcano's summit. The National Weather Service tracked the smoke plume to 18,000 feet above sea level and issued a Special Weather Statement for the surrounding region, warning of falling ash driven by winds up to 13 mph. Light amounts of…Open
A slow-moving storm system has dumped more than two feet of rain on parts of south-central Texas since Monday, killing at least two people, triggering dozens of water rescues, and leaving more than 2.5 million residents in the path of still-falling rain as the week grinds toward its close. The National Weather Service issued Flash […] The post Deadly floods pound Texas Hill Country as governor declares emergency across 59 counties appeared first on American Almanac .
A slow-moving storm system has dumped more than two feet of rain on parts of south-central Texas since Monday, killing at least two people, triggering dozens of water rescues, and leaving more than 2.5 million residents in the path of still-falling rain as the week grinds toward its close. The National Weather Service issued Flash Flood Emergencies Friday morning for the Ozona area in Crockett County and for Sonora, where floodwaters threatened portions of Interstate 10. Those emergencies, the most urgent flood alerts the NWS can issue, followed at least five similar declarations on Thursday alone, as rivers across the Texas Hill Country surged to catastrophic levels. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency covering 59 counties…Open
A former vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party faces two felony charges after allegedly breaking into an ex-partner's Phoenix home while armed with a knife and duct tape, then telling police the whole thing was a prearranged role-play scene communicated through "subliminal messages" on Instagram. Brianna Westbrook, 41, a transgender rights activist who previously […] The post Former Arizona Democratic leader charged with forcing entry into ex's home armed with knife and tape appeared first on American Almanac .
A former vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party faces two felony charges after allegedly breaking into an ex-partner's Phoenix home while armed with a knife and duct tape, then telling police the whole thing was a prearranged role-play scene communicated through "subliminal messages" on Instagram. Brianna Westbrook, 41, a transgender rights activist who previously ran for Congress in Arizona, was arrested after Phoenix police responded to a call on July 10 at 6 p.m. The woman who called said Westbrook had shown up at her door holding a knife in one hand and black tape in the other. Westbrook now faces felony third-degree burglary, aggravated assault using a simulated deadly weapon, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. A preliminary…Open
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake shook Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning, its epicenter running along the Yellowstone River roughly 24.2 miles from Mammoth, squarely inside the footprint of one of the most closely monitored volcanic systems on Earth. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at approximately 1:20 p.m. UTC, 8:20 a.m. Eastern, at a […] The post Magnitude 3.3 earthquake strikes Yellowstone near the supervolcano that keeps geologists watching appeared first on American Almanac .
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake shook Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning, its epicenter running along the Yellowstone River roughly 24.2 miles from Mammoth, squarely inside the footprint of one of the most closely monitored volcanic systems on Earth. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at approximately 1:20 p.m. UTC, 8:20 a.m. Eastern, at a depth of 6.5 kilometers, or about four miles beneath the surface. No injuries, structural damage, or park closures were reported. By itself, a 3.3-magnitude tremor is modest. Most people nearby would feel little more than a brief rumble. But location matters, and few locations carry the geological weight of Yellowstone. The park sits atop a supervolcano that has produced three…Open
An intruder slipped past security guards at NBC's Studio 1A inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza, reached a restricted staircase, and lunged at Today show anchor Craig Melvin while shouting a racial slur, an encounter that lasted roughly eight to ten seconds and is now being prosecuted as a hate crime. Andrew Truelove, 41, was charged with […] The post Security failure at NBC's Studio 1A lets intruder reach Craig Melvin in hate crime breach appeared first on American Almanac .
An intruder slipped past security guards at NBC's Studio 1A inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza, reached a restricted staircase, and lunged at Today show anchor Craig Melvin while shouting a racial slur, an encounter that lasted roughly eight to ten seconds and is now being prosecuted as a hate crime. Andrew Truelove, 41, was charged with hate crime menacing, hate crime burglary, hate crime criminal trespass, and harassment after the Thursday breach. He had not yet been arraigned as of the latest available reports. A judge issued a protective order mandating Truelove stay away from both Melvin and co-anchor Al Roker, Fox News reported . The incident raises a blunt question: How does a man walk past security guards stationed at a vestibule…Open
Three major broadcast and cable networks declined to air President Donald Trump's primetime address on election security, relegating a presidential speech to their streaming platforms and websites while their main channels ran regular programming or commentary instead. Trump, mid-speech, turned his fire directly on ABC and NBC, calling them "fake news" and demanding their broadcast […] The post ABC, NBC, and CNN refuse to carry Trump's primetime election security speech — and he fires back appeared first on American Almanac .
Three major broadcast and cable networks declined to air President Donald Trump's primetime address on election security, relegating a presidential speech to their streaming platforms and websites while their main channels ran regular programming or commentary instead. Trump, mid-speech, turned his fire directly on ABC and NBC, calling them "fake news" and demanding their broadcast licenses be revoked. Only Fox News carried the address in its entirety. CBS dipped in minutes after Trump began speaking, then cut away shortly after his attacks on the other networks. The result was a fractured media landscape in which millions of Americans watching network television never saw their president speak, unless they went looking for it online. …Open
Dolly Parton, the 80-year-old country music icon, has spent months largely out of public view, holed up at her 63-acre Tennessee compound while battling kidney stones, immune system problems, digestive issues, and bouts of dizziness that forced her to cancel a high-profile Las Vegas residency. New photographs of the estate, known as Willow Lake Plantation, […] The post Dolly Parton retreats to her $10 million Nashville estate amid ongoing health struggles appeared first on American Almanac .
Dolly Parton, the 80-year-old country music icon, has spent months largely out of public view, holed up at her 63-acre Tennessee compound while battling kidney stones, immune system problems, digestive issues, and bouts of dizziness that forced her to cancel a high-profile Las Vegas residency. New photographs of the estate, known as Willow Lake Plantation, offer a rare look at the sprawling property where Parton has been convalescing. The images show renovated guest houses, outbuildings converted into recording studios, a private chapel, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and a small graveyard plot with three visible plaques, as detailed by The Sun , possibly marking the resting places of beloved pets, including her late Boston Terrier,…Open
Andy Serkis has a message for anyone demanding that his new "Lord of the Rings" movie check demographic boxes: he's not doing it. The actor and filmmaker, who will return as Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," told the BBC that the film's announced cast, every one of them white, […] The post Andy Serkis refuses to bow to diversity pressure over all-white cast in new Lord of the Rings film appeared first on American Almanac .
Andy Serkis has a message for anyone demanding that his new "Lord of the Rings" movie check demographic boxes: he's not doing it. The actor and filmmaker, who will return as Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," told the BBC that the film's announced cast, every one of them white, reflects the world J.R.R. Tolkien built, not a casting spreadsheet designed to satisfy progressive critics. The comments, reported by Variety on July 15 , landed in the middle of a culture-war fault line that has run through Hollywood's fantasy adaptations for years. And Serkis didn't flinch. What Serkis actually said Asked directly by the BBC why every announced cast member is white, Serkis pointed to the source material, not a…Open
William Shatner is not dying. He is, however, going metal. The 95-year-old "Star Trek" icon announced he will take the stage at Riot Fest 2026 in Chicago with his heavy metal band, marking a defiant new chapter just months after he publicly fought back against AI-generated fake news stories claiming he had stage 4 brain […] The post William Shatner, 95, books heavy metal debut at Riot Fest after fighting AI-generated death hoaxes appeared first on American Almanac .
William Shatner is not dying. He is, however, going metal. The 95-year-old "Star Trek" icon announced he will take the stage at Riot Fest 2026 in Chicago with his heavy metal band, marking a defiant new chapter just months after he publicly fought back against AI-generated fake news stories claiming he had stage 4 brain cancer. The booking, first reported by Page Six , puts Shatner on the bill for Sunday, Sept. 20, at Douglass Park in Chicago. The performance will be the first live show for his band, The *uckers, a name that leaves little to the imagination about the group's attitude. Riot Fest announced the booking via Instagram with characteristic irreverence: "After years of writing letters... Riot Fest 2026: Now with 100% more…Open
A new book by British author Catherine Mayer argues that King Charles III regarded Queen Camilla's place in his life as beyond debate long before the public came around, and that the monarchy's own rigid expectations helped create the most painful chapter in modern royal history. Mayer's book, "Divide & Rule," examines history's most misunderstood […] The post King Charles viewed Camilla as 'non-negotiable' after Diana's death, new book reveals appeared first on American Almanac .
A new book by British author Catherine Mayer argues that King Charles III regarded Queen Camilla's place in his life as beyond debate long before the public came around, and that the monarchy's own rigid expectations helped create the most painful chapter in modern royal history. Mayer's book, "Divide & Rule," examines history's most misunderstood royal wives. In interviews with Fox News Digital , the author, who previously wrote a biography of Charles, said multiple anonymous friends of the monarch told her Charles "deemed Camilla's role in his life a 'non-negotiable,'" which led to "painstaking" efforts to rehabilitate her public image over the course of decades. Buckingham Palace declined to engage. A spokesperson told Fox News…Open