Space Launch Delta 45 and the Florida Army National Guard's 44th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team recently partnered for a multiday training exercise designed to ensure both organizations remain prepared to respond rapidly to chemical, biological or radiological hazards.
Typhoon Dolphin barreled over Japan's southern islands on Friday, closing Okinawa's main airport and driving 240 people into evacuation shelters, while residents on the mainland scrambled to protect homes already damaged by last week's earthquake. Naha Airport, the primary air hub on Okinawa Island, shut down Friday as the storm moved through, and authorities canceled […] The post Typhoon Dolphin shuts down Okinawa's main airport, forces hundreds into shelters appeared first on American Almanac .
Typhoon Dolphin barreled over Japan's southern islands on Friday, closing Okinawa's main airport and driving 240 people into evacuation shelters, while residents on the mainland scrambled to protect homes already damaged by last week's earthquake. Naha Airport, the primary air hub on Okinawa Island, shut down Friday as the storm moved through, and authorities canceled every domestic and international flight in and out of the facility. The Japan Meteorological Agency placed the typhoon just north of Okinawa's main island by Friday afternoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 89 miles per hour, strong enough to ground all air traffic and send residents indoors, NBC News reported . Three men in their 70s sustained minor injuries. Okinawa…Open
James Talarico, the Democratic seminary student running for U.S. Senate in Texas, spoke at a 2021 Pride event that billed an 11-year-old boy as "the absolute cutest & youngest of our drag performers", a record his campaign now declines to discuss. The June 26, 2021, festival in Taylor, Texas, a small, conservative town about 50 […] The post Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico headlined Pride festival featuring an 11-year-old drag performer appeared first on American Almanac .
James Talarico, the Democratic seminary student running for U.S. Senate in Texas, spoke at a 2021 Pride event that billed an 11-year-old boy as "the absolute cutest & youngest of our drag performers", a record his campaign now declines to discuss. The June 26, 2021, festival in Taylor, Texas, a small, conservative town about 50 miles from Austin, was organized by a local LGBTQ group called Taylor PRIDE. It was held at the Texas Beer Company and featured live music, adult drag acts, a "Youth Drag Show," and a children's story hour. Talarico, then a state representative, was the headlining speaker. The event's promotional Facebook post named him alongside a preteen drag performer who goes by the stage name Kween Kee Kee, the Washington Free…Open
Cuba's electricity grid has collapsed six times this year, leaving residents on the communist-run island scrambling to cook, wash, and pump water during unpredictable bursts of power that sometimes arrive in the middle of the night. Leidis Rodríguez, a 72-year-old Havana resident, found herself boiling beans at 3 a.m. one morning this week after hours […] The post Cuba's grid collapses six times in 2026 as U.S. oil pressure leaves Havana cooking beans at 3 a.m. appeared first on American Almanac .
Cuba's electricity grid has collapsed six times this year, leaving residents on the communist-run island scrambling to cook, wash, and pump water during unpredictable bursts of power that sometimes arrive in the middle of the night. Leidis Rodríguez, a 72-year-old Havana resident, found herself boiling beans at 3 a.m. one morning this week after hours of unbroken darkness. When the lights flickered on, she shouted to her family. The Associated Press reported that a 20-minute return of electricity now counts as a small event worth celebrating in Cuba's capital, a city where outages stretch 12, 30, or more hours at a stretch with no schedule and no warning. The crisis has been building for five years, fed by a crumbling energy grid,…Open
Six months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was forcibly taken from her Tucson-area home, Arizona's monsoon season may have shifted the desert landscape enough to unearth evidence, and investigators are back outside her door searching the brush. Law enforcement officers were recently spotted combing through vegetation and terrain outside Guthrie's home in the Catalina Foothills, a […] The post Arizona monsoon rains may have exposed new evidence in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping appeared first on American Almanac .
Six months after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was forcibly taken from her Tucson-area home, Arizona's monsoon season may have shifted the desert landscape enough to unearth evidence, and investigators are back outside her door searching the brush. Law enforcement officers were recently spotted combing through vegetation and terrain outside Guthrie's home in the Catalina Foothills, a community north of Tucson. The renewed search comes as the Pima County Sheriff's Office publicly released two ransom notes sent to the Guthrie family in the days after her February 1 disappearance, notes that demand $4 million and, in one chilling passage, claim the elderly woman "is buried in nature now." No suspects have been arrested. Nancy Guthrie's fate,…Open
Federal prosecutors heading into an October retrial say the man accused of igniting the 2025 Palisades Fire, the third most destructive wildfire in California history, was motivated by deep-seated hatred of the rich and a desire for "societal revenge." Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old former Uber driver and U.S.-French dual national, faces up to 45 years […] The post Prosecutors say Palisades Fire suspect was driven by anti-capitalist rage and resentment of the wealthy appeared first on American Almanac .
Federal prosecutors heading into an October retrial say the man accused of igniting the 2025 Palisades Fire, the third most destructive wildfire in California history, was motivated by deep-seated hatred of the rich and a desire for "societal revenge." Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old former Uber driver and U.S.-French dual national, faces up to 45 years in prison on three federal charges: destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and timber set afire. He has pleaded not guilty. His first trial ended in a mistrial in June after jurors deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquittal following 14 hours of deliberation. A retrial is set to begin October 19, 2026, before U.S. District Court…Open
A network of openly communist, socialist, and left-wing activist organizations mobilized supporters from across the country to fuel weeks of protests, street fires, and clashes with police in Madison, Wisconsin, following the fatal shooting of a homeless man by officers, and at least one key group behind the unrest collects millions in taxpayer money. Madison […] The post Socialist and communist groups organized Madison protests after fatal police shooting of Corey Ruiz appeared first on American Almanac .
A network of openly communist, socialist, and left-wing activist organizations mobilized supporters from across the country to fuel weeks of protests, street fires, and clashes with police in Madison, Wisconsin, following the fatal shooting of a homeless man by officers, and at least one key group behind the unrest collects millions in taxpayer money. Madison police officers fatally shot Corey Ruiz on July 22 after responding to reports of theft. Officers said Ruiz fled on a bicycle, was caught, pulled a knife, and injured one officer during a struggle before another officer shot him. Within hours, a coalition of activist groups, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation's Madison chapter, Freedom Inc., and the Freedom Road…Open
Martha Stewart used a new People magazine interview to lay out every filler appointment, facial, and peptide she credits for her appearance at 85, and slipped in a pointed critique of Meghan Markle's shift from actress to homemaking television host. Stewart told the magazine she sees New York City dermatologist Dr. Dan Belkin roughly once […] The post Martha Stewart, 83, details her cosmetic routine and takes a swipe at Meghan Markle's lifestyle pivot appeared first on American Almanac .
Martha Stewart used a new People magazine interview to lay out every filler appointment, facial, and peptide she credits for her appearance at 85, and slipped in a pointed critique of Meghan Markle's shift from actress to homemaking television host. Stewart told the magazine she sees New York City dermatologist Dr. Dan Belkin roughly once every four months for filler touch-ups but drew a firm line at anything more invasive. She has not had plastic surgery, she said, and does not plan to start. "I have not had any plastic surgery at all. I don't think I need it," Stewart told People. She added: "I'm not getting boobs done and hips and butts and stuff like that." The interview, first detailed by the Daily Mail , landed days after Stewart…Open
Hilary Duff rushed her 5-year-old daughter Mae to the emergency room for stitches Wednesday morning, then took the stage at a sold-out Madison Square Garden that same night. The 38-year-old singer and mother of four disclosed the medical scare mid-concert, telling the crowd her children were in the audience and that the day had started […] The post Hilary Duff took her daughter to the ER for stitches hours before selling out Madison Square Garden appeared first on American Almanac .
Hilary Duff rushed her 5-year-old daughter Mae to the emergency room for stitches Wednesday morning, then took the stage at a sold-out Madison Square Garden that same night. The 38-year-old singer and mother of four disclosed the medical scare mid-concert, telling the crowd her children were in the audience and that the day had started in a hospital, not a rehearsal space. Page Six reported that Duff addressed the audience directly from the stage, folding the morning's chaos into a moment of gratitude. "My kids are here tonight. I can't believe I get to show them this. We were in the ER this morning getting some stitches for my 5-year-old." Duff told the crowd the situation was under control. She followed the disclosure with a simple…Open
The long-running soap opera General Hospital wrote out the character Ethan Lovett on Tuesday after bringing him back earlier this year, and fans want to know why producers bothered recasting the role just days before pulling the plug. Ethan Lovett, the son of legacy characters Luke Spencer and Holly Sutton, departed the ABC soap in […] The post Ethan Lovett exits 'General Hospital' after a baffling recast that lasted barely a week appeared first on American Almanac .
The long-running soap opera General Hospital wrote out the character Ethan Lovett on Tuesday after bringing him back earlier this year, and fans want to know why producers bothered recasting the role just days before pulling the plug. Ethan Lovett, the son of legacy characters Luke Spencer and Holly Sutton, departed the ABC soap in an episode that aired August 4, 2026. Actor Christian Howard played the role in his final scenes, a hotel-room confrontation set in Norway, even though he had debuted as the character only eight days earlier, on July 27. The abrupt timeline left viewers questioning the show's creative decisions. The exit capped a return arc that began in April 2026, when Nathan Dean, the actor who originated the role in 2009,…Open