A Massachusetts jury began deliberating whether a mother who strangled her three young children was criminally responsible for their deaths, a question that hinges on whether postpartum psychosis stripped her ability to tell right from wrong. Lindsay Clancy, 36, sat in a Plymouth, Massachusetts, courtroom on Thursday as prosecutors and her defense attorney delivered closing […] The post Jury weighs whether Lindsay Clancy bears criminal responsibility for strangling her three children appeared first on American Almanac .
A Massachusetts jury began deliberating whether a mother who strangled her three young children was criminally responsible for their deaths, a question that hinges on whether postpartum psychosis stripped her ability to tell right from wrong. Lindsay Clancy, 36, sat in a Plymouth, Massachusetts, courtroom on Thursday as prosecutors and her defense attorney delivered closing arguments after more than four weeks of testimony. Clancy does not dispute that she killed five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan with exercise bands in the basement of the family's home in Duxbury, a coastal town south of Boston, in January 2023. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. If the jury…Open
Catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border have killed at least 359 people and left more than 1,400 missing, including 90 Americans, as governments worldwide scramble to account for their citizens. The disaster struck Wednesday when a glacier collapsed from roughly 17,000 feet in Tibet, sending a wall of ice and water through the border […] The post Flash floods along Nepal-China border kill hundreds, leave nationals from over 30 countries missing appeared first on American Almanac .
Catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border have killed at least 359 people and left more than 1,400 missing, including 90 Americans, as governments worldwide scramble to account for their citizens. The disaster struck Wednesday when a glacier collapsed from roughly 17,000 feet in Tibet, sending a wall of ice and water through the border region's narrow valleys and river corridors. By Thursday, Nepal's disaster management authority reported 910 people still missing on its side alone, including 517 foreign nationals. On the Chinese side, state broadcaster CCTV reported 558 missing in Gyirong County, Tibet, with 260 of those identified as foreigners. At least three deaths were confirmed in Tibet, while the Associated Press…Open
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth upgraded military awards for three Marines who held their ground during the deadly 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, a ceremony that also surfaced new questions about classified documents allegedly hidden from investigators. On August 26, 2026, the fifth anniversary of the ISIS-K suicide attack that killed 13 American service members […] The post Pentagon upgrades valor awards for three Abbey Gate Marines after five-year delay appeared first on American Almanac .
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth upgraded military awards for three Marines who held their ground during the deadly 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, a ceremony that also surfaced new questions about classified documents allegedly hidden from investigators. On August 26, 2026, the fifth anniversary of the ISIS-K suicide attack that killed 13 American service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians, Hegseth pinned upgraded medals on three retired Marines at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. Retired Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby and retired Lance Corporal Jordan Houston each received the Bronze Star Medal with a "V" device for valor. Retired Corporal Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a "V" device. All…Open
Sen. Ted Cruz is betting that the full story of Justice Clarence Thomas, from rural Georgia poverty to the nation's longest-tenured sitting justice, is one most Americans have never actually heard, and he spent nine hours with Thomas to tell it. Cruz, R-Texas, appeared on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" to discuss his […] The post Ted Cruz makes the case for Clarence Thomas in new book built on nine hours of interviews appeared first on American Almanac .
Sen. Ted Cruz is betting that the full story of Justice Clarence Thomas, from rural Georgia poverty to the nation's longest-tenured sitting justice, is one most Americans have never actually heard, and he spent nine hours with Thomas to tell it. Cruz, R-Texas, appeared on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" to discuss his new 336-page book, Going Further: The Incomparable Clarence Thomas, published by Sentinel the day before. The book draws on exclusive sit-down interviews Cruz conducted with the 78-year-old justice, conversations the senator says cover Thomas' childhood, his intellectual formation, and three decades of Supreme Court opinions that have reshaped American constitutional law. Cruz told Newsmax the project has…Open
House Oversight Chairman James Comer has subpoenaed the founder of a South Florida company called "Have My Baby in Miami", a business that openly marketed U.S. citizenship to pregnant foreign nationals. Comer, a Kentucky Republican, sent the subpoena to Dr. Wladimir Lorentz on Tuesday after Lorentz's attorney refused to make him available for voluntary testimony. […] The post House Oversight subpoenas Miami doctor who ran birth tourism business appeared first on American Almanac .
House Oversight Chairman James Comer has subpoenaed the founder of a South Florida company called "Have My Baby in Miami", a business that openly marketed U.S. citizenship to pregnant foreign nationals. Comer, a Kentucky Republican, sent the subpoena to Dr. Wladimir Lorentz on Tuesday after Lorentz's attorney refused to make him available for voluntary testimony. The attorney cited a pending criminal probe by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida as the reason Lorentz could not cooperate with the committee. Comer was unmoved. The subpoena orders Lorentz to appear at a September 1 congressional hearing on birth tourism, and the chairman's letter made clear that a federal investigation does not excuse a witness…Open
Warmer ocean temperatures driven by El Niño may push one of the world's most venomous sea snakes into Southern California beach waters, and the region's punishing heat wave suggests conditions are ripe. Scientists warn that the yellow-bellied sea snake, a highly toxic predator normally found in tropical stretches of the Pacific and Indian oceans, could […] The post Venomous yellow-bellied sea snake could slither into Southern California waters as El Niño heats the Pacific appeared first on American Almanac .
Warmer ocean temperatures driven by El Niño may push one of the world's most venomous sea snakes into Southern California beach waters, and the region's punishing heat wave suggests conditions are ripe. Scientists warn that the yellow-bellied sea snake, a highly toxic predator normally found in tropical stretches of the Pacific and Indian oceans, could drift northward into waters off the Southern California coast as El Niño drives ocean surface temperatures well above average. Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff Ocean Initiative at UC Santa Barbara, told USA Today that unusual species are already showing up as the ocean warms. The snake's venom packs a combination of powerful neurotoxins and myotoxins that the Australian Museum…Open
Shaun Mackelprang, Missouri's deputy attorney general, was rescued Wednesday morning after spending six days stranded in Wyoming's Wind River Range, dehydrated, disoriented, but alive after summiting the state's tallest peak. Mackelprang, 55, had set out alone from the Green River Lakes Trailhead on August 20, 2025, aiming to reach the top of Gannett Peak, a […] The post Missouri deputy AG found alive after six days lost in Wyoming mountains appeared first on American Almanac .
Shaun Mackelprang, Missouri's deputy attorney general, was rescued Wednesday morning after spending six days stranded in Wyoming's Wind River Range, dehydrated, disoriented, but alive after summiting the state's tallest peak. Mackelprang, 55, had set out alone from the Green River Lakes Trailhead on August 20, 2025, aiming to reach the top of Gannett Peak, a 13,804-foot summit and the highest point in Wyoming. He made it. A summit register confirmed he reached the top on August 22. But something went wrong on the way down. Thunderstorms and strong winds hit during his descent, the New York Post reported , leaving Mackelprang disoriented and unable to find his way back to the trailhead. His vehicle sat untouched at the parking area. When…Open
President Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Thursday that he isn't concerned that Russia will attack NATO countries. Why it matters: European leaders have grown extremely concerned and warned publicly that Moscow could test NATO's resolve — and Trump's commitment to Article 5, the alliance's collective-defense clause — through a limited attack or other military provocations. - CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a covert trip to Moscow on Tuesday and met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin. - Several media outlets reported that the visit was an effort to warn Moscow not to attack a NATO country. - But Trump disputed those reports, telling Axios Ratcliffe delivered no such warning. What he's saying: "I am not…
President Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Thursday that he isn't concerned that Russia will attack NATO countries. Why it matters: European leaders have grown extremely concerned and warned publicly that Moscow could test NATO's resolve — and Trump's commitment to Article 5, the alliance's collective-defense clause — through a limited attack or other military provocations. - CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a covert trip to Moscow on Tuesday and met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin. - Several media outlets reported that the visit was an effort to warn Moscow not to attack a NATO country. - But Trump disputed those reports, telling Axios Ratcliffe delivered no such warning. What he's saying: "I am not…Open
The Trump administration is in talks with Venezuela's interim government about taking an ownership stake in the South American country's enormous oil resources, two U.S. officials tell Axios. Why it matters: The historic deal would more than double U.S. oil reserves by drawing from a country that has the world's largest proven reserves. - "Calling this deal huge would be an understatement," one of the officials said. "It is massive." - Adding pressure to get the deal signed: the wars in Iran and Ukraine, which have disrupted global oil supplies and raised prices. - The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is now at a 40-year low . Zoom in: Details are still being hammered out, but the discussions involve more than a dozen productive oil…
The Trump administration is in talks with Venezuela's interim government about taking an ownership stake in the South American country's enormous oil resources, two U.S. officials tell Axios. Why it matters: The historic deal would more than double U.S. oil reserves by drawing from a country that has the world's largest proven reserves. - "Calling this deal huge would be an understatement," one of the officials said. "It is massive." - Adding pressure to get the deal signed: the wars in Iran and Ukraine, which have disrupted global oil supplies and raised prices. - The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is now at a 40-year low . Zoom in: Details are still being hammered out, but the discussions involve more than a dozen productive oil…Open
OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and more than 100 other companies warned Thursday that the organizations now only have months to prepare for AI-enabled cyberattacks. Why it matters: Hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure will face a swarm of hacking threats as AI makes sophisticated cyber capabilities cheaper and more accessible to attackers, the group write in an open letter . Driving the news: "We have a limited window to strengthen cyber defenses," the letter says. - The group is calling for "collective action" and urges organizations to use their shrinking window to secure critical infrastructure and make it more expensive and difficult for hackers using AI tools to break in. -…
OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and more than 100 other companies warned Thursday that the organizations now only have months to prepare for AI-enabled cyberattacks. Why it matters: Hospitals, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure will face a swarm of hacking threats as AI makes sophisticated cyber capabilities cheaper and more accessible to attackers, the group write in an open letter . Driving the news: "We have a limited window to strengthen cyber defenses," the letter says. - The group is calling for "collective action" and urges organizations to use their shrinking window to secure critical infrastructure and make it more expensive and difficult for hackers using AI tools to break in. -…Open