Five adults drowned one after another in the Scioto River in Powell, Ohio, after jumping in to save a struggling swimmer, leaving their young children stranded on the bank, screaming for help no one could give in time. The chain of deaths began around 9 p.m. on a Sunday evening when one member of a […] The post Five friends drowned in Ohio river rescue chain as children watched from shore appeared first on American Almanac .
Five adults drowned one after another in the Scioto River in Powell, Ohio, after jumping in to save a struggling swimmer, leaving their young children stranded on the bank, screaming for help no one could give in time. The chain of deaths began around 9 p.m. on a Sunday evening when one member of a group of friends waded into the river and started fighting the current. Two others rushed in to help. When they, too, went under, the final two adults entered the water. None of the five made it back to shore. On the nearby bank, children who had come with the group watched it all happen. One child ran along a road in a panic until a passing motorist spotted the boy and called 911. Emergency radio traffic captured the scale of the disaster in…Open
Republican lawmakers say they have almost no details about the party's unprecedented midterm convention scheduled for September in Dallas, even as organizers sell VIP packages topping $250,000 and pitch the event as a turning point for the 2026 elections. The two-day gathering, set for September 9 and 10 at American Airlines Center, is supposed to […] The post GOP senators admit they're flying blind on party's first-ever midterm convention in Dallas appeared first on American Almanac .
Republican lawmakers say they have almost no details about the party's unprecedented midterm convention scheduled for September in Dallas, even as organizers sell VIP packages topping $250,000 and pitch the event as a turning point for the 2026 elections. The two-day gathering, set for September 9 and 10 at American Airlines Center, is supposed to rally the Republican base ahead of November's midterm contests. President Trump himself announced the event in late June, calling it "a truly Historic Event" that has "never been done before." But with roughly six weeks to go, GOP senators who spoke to the Daily Mail offered a striking range of responses, from vague enthusiasm to outright bewilderment. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, whose home state…Open
Missouri's Republican attorney general filed a federal lawsuit alleging Kansas City's minority business contracting program discriminates against white people and men, and the city's Democratic mayor fired back, calling it a "political stunt." Attorney General Catherine Hanaway brought the suit this week on behalf of a Kansas City salvage company and its owner, claiming the […] The post Missouri attorney general sues Kansas City over race-based contracting program appeared first on American Almanac .
Missouri's Republican attorney general filed a federal lawsuit alleging Kansas City's minority business contracting program discriminates against white people and men, and the city's Democratic mayor fired back, calling it a "political stunt." Attorney General Catherine Hanaway brought the suit this week on behalf of a Kansas City salvage company and its owner, claiming the city's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The program, which has existed in some form for more than three decades, sets goals for how much contracting money flows to businesses owned by minorities and women. Hanaway wants a federal judge to permanently bar the city from considering race…Open
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced sharp pushback from Republican lawmakers and a Trump administration official after claiming the House defense bill would fuse American and Israeli military forces, a characterization multiple officials called flatly dishonest. The New York Democrat posted on X ahead of the House vote on the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, […] The post Ocasio-Cortez draws bipartisan fire over misleading claim that defense bill would 'merge' U.S. military with Israel's appeared first on American Almanac .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced sharp pushback from Republican lawmakers and a Trump administration official after claiming the House defense bill would fuse American and Israeli military forces, a characterization multiple officials called flatly dishonest. The New York Democrat posted on X ahead of the House vote on the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, warning that the legislation "includes a provision to merge parts of our military with the IDF." She called the measure "an existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy" and urged every member of Congress to vote no. The House passed the sweeping defense bill on a 219, 206 vote with the contested provision, Section 219, intact, Fox News Digital reported…Open
The ACLU has jumped into a federal lawsuit over biological males in girls' restrooms at a rural Wisconsin school district, filing a friend-of-the-court brief that dismisses the Supreme Court's recent ruling against males in girls' sports as irrelevant. The civil liberties organization submitted a revised amicus brief on behalf of the Gay Straight Alliance for […] The post ACLU intervenes in Wisconsin restroom lawsuit, argues Supreme Court trans sports ruling has no bearing on locker rooms appeared first on American Almanac .
The ACLU has jumped into a federal lawsuit over biological males in girls' restrooms at a rural Wisconsin school district, filing a friend-of-the-court brief that dismisses the Supreme Court's recent ruling against males in girls' sports as irrelevant. The civil liberties organization submitted a revised amicus brief on behalf of the Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools, or GSAFE, in the case against the New Richmond School District, a lawsuit brought by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of parents and female students who say the district's bathroom policy violates Title IX. The ACLU's central argument: the Supreme Court's June 30 decision in B.P.J., which upheld state bans on biological males in women's sports ,…Open
A Chicago plumbing contractor that helped build the Obama Presidential Center has closed its doors and laid off 25 union workers after racking up nearly $4 million in losses on the project, and the Obama Foundation says the construction manager, not the foundation, handles payments. Mike Owen spent months trying to resolve the money quietly. […] The post Obama Presidential Center subcontractor shuts down, lays off 25 workers over $4 million payment dispute appeared first on American Almanac .
A Chicago plumbing contractor that helped build the Obama Presidential Center has closed its doors and laid off 25 union workers after racking up nearly $4 million in losses on the project, and the Obama Foundation says the construction manager, not the foundation, handles payments. Mike Owen spent months trying to resolve the money quietly. He negotiated with Lakeside Alliance, the joint venture managing construction at the center in Jackson Park on Chicago's South Side. When those talks went nowhere, he went public. When a promised $100,000 payment failed to arrive before the center's grand opening on June 19, he pulled the plug. On June 25, Owen suspended operations at Adamson Plumbing Contractors, sent home 25 union workers, walked…Open
ESPN's highest-paid personality publicly backed the network's decision to cut staff, including his own colleague Ryan Clark, calling the era of endless hiring "long gone" even as he admitted the move stung. Stephen A. Smith used his personal YouTube show and podcast, "Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith," on Tuesday to address ESPN's latest round […] The post Stephen A. Smith defends ESPN after latest layoffs: 'Business is business' appeared first on American Almanac .
ESPN's highest-paid personality publicly backed the network's decision to cut staff, including his own colleague Ryan Clark, calling the era of endless hiring "long gone" even as he admitted the move stung. Stephen A. Smith used his personal YouTube show and podcast, "Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith," on Tuesday to address ESPN's latest round of layoffs head-on. The "First Take" star defended the network's leadership, acknowledged the financial pressures driving the cuts, and singled out NFL analyst Ryan Clark, one of the employees let go that day, as someone he personally fought to keep. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, meanwhile, sent an internal memo attributing most of the job losses to the network's recent merger with NFL Network,…Open
Sharon Osbourne has described the year since Ozzy Osbourne's death as devastating for the entire family, even as she presses ahead with a Sony Pictures biopic and an Ozzfest revival. The 73-year-old television personality and music manager lost her husband of nearly 46 years roughly one year ago, and the grief has not softened with […] The post Sharon Osbourne calls first year without Ozzy an 'emotional nuclear bomb' as biopic takes shape appeared first on American Almanac .
Sharon Osbourne has described the year since Ozzy Osbourne's death as devastating for the entire family, even as she presses ahead with a Sony Pictures biopic and an Ozzfest revival. The 73-year-old television personality and music manager lost her husband of nearly 46 years roughly one year ago, and the grief has not softened with time. A close family friend in Los Angeles told The Sun that Ozzy's death left a void no project or public appearance can fill. "There is no other way of describing Ozzy's passing other than total devastation within the family," the friend said. "Ozzy was simply the centre of their universe." Sharon has spent much of the past year in Los Angeles, leaning on her children, son Jack Osbourne, 40, and daughter…Open
Matt Damon revealed that a female stunt performer doubled for him in key scenes of Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey*, praising her physique and crediting her contribution to the film's massive opening weekend. Damon made the disclosure on the *Happy Sad Confused* podcast with host Josh Horowitz, explaining how Nolan's production team used an old-school filmmaking […] The post Matt Damon used a female stunt double in 'The Odyssey' — and says she earned the screen time appeared first on American Almanac .
Matt Damon revealed that a female stunt performer doubled for him in key scenes of Christopher Nolan's *The Odyssey*, praising her physique and crediting her contribution to the film's massive opening weekend. Damon made the disclosure on the *Happy Sad Confused* podcast with host Josh Horowitz, explaining how Nolan's production team used an old-school filmmaking trick, forced perspective, to make the mythological Laestrygonian giants look enormous on screen without relying on computer-generated effects. The technique required pairing very tall stunt performers with very short ones, and Damon's stand-in fell into the latter category. The result: a woman stood in for one of Hollywood's most bankable leading men. And Damon, to his credit,…Open
Two of Robin Williams' three children posted heartfelt tributes on Instagram to mark what would have been the legendary comedian's 75th birthday, a reminder that his loss still reverberates more than a decade after his death. Zelda Williams, 36, shared an Instagram story featuring a photo-booth strip of herself and her father laughing and making […] The post Robin Williams' children mark what would have been his 75th birthday with Instagram tributes appeared first on American Almanac .
Two of Robin Williams' three children posted heartfelt tributes on Instagram to mark what would have been the legendary comedian's 75th birthday, a reminder that his loss still reverberates more than a decade after his death. Zelda Williams, 36, shared an Instagram story featuring a photo-booth strip of herself and her father laughing and making silly faces together. Zachary Williams, 43, posted a publicity photo of his dad in character as the alien Mork from the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy, which aired from 1978 to 1982. Both posts went up Tuesday, the Daily Mail reported . Williams died at age 63 inside his home in Paradise Cay, California. The coroner ruled his death a suicide. He had suffered from severe depression and symptoms tied to…Open