WASHINGTONPOST (Brady Dennis) - Teenage school shooter in Georgia is sentenced to life without parole
Colt Gray last week pleaded guilty to a 2024 rampage that left four dead at a high school outside Atlanta.
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed refuses to apologize for 'ogre on a pike' remark, says Fetterman was the target
Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed doubled down on his "ogre on a pike" metaphor at the final primary debate, drawing condemnation from members of his own party just days before the August 4 primary. El-Sayed, a progressive candidate and former Wayne County Health Department director, used Monday night's debate to clarify that his now-infamous […] The post Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed refuses to apologize for 'ogre on a pike' remark, says Fetterman was the target appeared first on American Almanac .
Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed doubled down on his "ogre on a pike" metaphor at the final primary debate, drawing condemnation from members of his own party just days before the August 4 primary. El-Sayed, a progressive candidate and former Wayne County Health Department director, used Monday night's debate to clarify that his now-infamous remark was aimed at Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, not at his primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens. He declined to apologize. The clarification did little to quiet the backlash from fellow Democrats, gun-control advocates, and even some on the left who called the language unacceptable. The controversy traces back to a Zoom call with Democratic donors. Audio obtained by Politico…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Gavin Newsom's ex-lover recalls crude remark he made before their affair began
Ruby Rippey says Gavin Newsom commented on her "pregnancy weight" at a dinner with her then-husband, his own top aide, a year before the two began a sexual relationship that nearly ended his political career. Rippey, the ex-wife of Newsom's close friend and senior adviser Alex Tourk, published a first-person essay in Vanity Fair detailing […] The post Gavin Newsom's ex-lover recalls crude remark he made before their affair began appeared first on American Almanac .
Ruby Rippey says Gavin Newsom commented on her "pregnancy weight" at a dinner with her then-husband, his own top aide, a year before the two began a sexual relationship that nearly ended his political career. Rippey, the ex-wife of Newsom's close friend and senior adviser Alex Tourk, published a first-person essay in Vanity Fair detailing the arc of the affair from its earliest spark to its unraveling amid cocaine use and a family intervention. The essay marks the first time she has told her story in detail, after years of declining reporter requests and staying silent while Newsom's career advanced from San Francisco City Hall to the governor's mansion in Sacramento. The account lands as Newsom's second gubernatorial term winds down and…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Jack Newsome) - Magnitude 7.1 earthquake collapses mall in southern Japan, leaves at least nine missing and feared dead
A powerful earthquake struck Japan's southern Kyushu island on Monday afternoon, collapsing the second floor of a shopping mall, trapping workers at a paper factory, and leaving police reporting "a lot of deaths" as rescue crews worked into the night. The quake hit at 4:27 p.m. local time, 2:27 a.m. Eastern, and registered magnitude 7.1 […] The post Magnitude 7.1 earthquake collapses mall in southern Japan, leaves at least nine missing and feared dead appeared first on American Almanac .
A powerful earthquake struck Japan's southern Kyushu island on Monday afternoon, collapsing the second floor of a shopping mall, trapping workers at a paper factory, and leaving police reporting "a lot of deaths" as rescue crews worked into the night. The quake hit at 4:27 p.m. local time, 2:27 a.m. Eastern, and registered magnitude 7.1 on the Japan Meteorological Agency's scale, the agency's highest possible intensity rating of 7 on the Shindo scale. The U.S. Geological Survey measured it slightly lower, at 6.8. Either reading placed it among the strongest to strike the country this year, and the damage on the ground bore that out within minutes. In Kashima, a city in Kumamoto prefecture, the second floor of an Aeon Mall shopping center…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - DNC drowns in debt while Ken Martin faces revolt — and Democratic candidates rake in cash without him
The Democratic National Committee is $18 million in debt and has mortgaged its own headquarters to stay afloat, yet individual Democratic candidates are hauling in record fundraising numbers, exposing a party machine that its own members say is broken at the top. Federal Election Commission filings show the DNC held just $16 million in cash […] The post DNC drowns in debt while Ken Martin faces revolt — and Democratic candidates rake in cash without him appeared first on American Almanac .
The Democratic National Committee is $18 million in debt and has mortgaged its own headquarters to stay afloat, yet individual Democratic candidates are hauling in record fundraising numbers, exposing a party machine that its own members say is broken at the top. Federal Election Commission filings show the DNC held just $16 million in cash as of late June while carrying $18 million in debt. The Republican National Committee, by contrast, reported $128 million in cash on hand and zero outstanding debt. That gap, more than $100 million, lands fewer than 100 days before the 2026 midterms, and it has turned DNC Chairman Ken Martin into a lightning rod for Democratic frustration. NOTUS reported Monday that the DNC quietly used its Capitol…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Acting DNI Pulte announces 30% staff cut at intelligence office as Senate moves to confirm Clayton
Acting Director of National Intelligence William Pulte announced a fifth wave of staff reductions at the nation's top intelligence office on Tuesday, the same day the Senate prepared to vote on confirming his permanent replacement. Pulte, who took over the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on June 19 at President Trump's direction, posted […] The post Acting DNI Pulte announces 30% staff cut at intelligence office as Senate moves to confirm Clayton appeared first on American Almanac .
Acting Director of National Intelligence William Pulte announced a fifth wave of staff reductions at the nation's top intelligence office on Tuesday, the same day the Senate prepared to vote on confirming his permanent replacement. Pulte, who took over the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on June 19 at President Trump's direction, posted on X that his team was "Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago." The announcement came just hours before the Senate was slated to vote on confirming Jay Clayton, the U.S. District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the permanent DNI nominee. The rapid-fire downsizing, five rounds in roughly a month,…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - France evacuates thousands as wildfires consume record swaths of southwestern Europe
French authorities ordered nearly 4,000 people evacuated from Atlantic coast tourist sites as a massive wildfire west of Bordeaux, already four times the size of Paris, threatened to spread under a returning heat wave. Gironde regional officials issued the precautionary evacuation order Tuesday covering campsites, holiday villages, tourist residences, and leisure parks around the Lacanau […] The post France evacuates thousands as wildfires consume record swaths of southwestern Europe appeared first on American Almanac .
French authorities ordered nearly 4,000 people evacuated from Atlantic coast tourist sites as a massive wildfire west of Bordeaux, already four times the size of Paris, threatened to spread under a returning heat wave. Gironde regional officials issued the precautionary evacuation order Tuesday covering campsites, holiday villages, tourist residences, and leisure parks around the Lacanau resort area, including Lacanau Ocean and both shores of Lacanau lake. The move came after firefighters held the blaze in check overnight, beating back flare-ups near coastal dunes, but rising temperatures and falling humidity left crews exposed to conditions that could undo days of grueling progress. The Gironde fire has burned 420 square kilometers,…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Chargers QB Justin Herbert and pop star Madison Beer announce engagement
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and Grammy-nominated singer Madison Beer are engaged after a whirlwind romance that began less than a year ago, and his head coach could not be happier about it. Beer announced the engagement on Instagram on Tuesday, capping a relationship that first surfaced in August 2025 when the two were […] The post Chargers QB Justin Herbert and pop star Madison Beer announce engagement appeared first on American Almanac .
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and Grammy-nominated singer Madison Beer are engaged after a whirlwind romance that began less than a year ago, and his head coach could not be happier about it. Beer announced the engagement on Instagram on Tuesday, capping a relationship that first surfaced in August 2025 when the two were spotted together at a video shoot. The couple confirmed things roughly two months later with a pregame kiss before Herbert's Chargers faced the Washington Commanders. Now, not long after Beer wrapped her Locket Tour with a final show at Madison Square Garden on July 13, the pair are set to tie the knot, though no wedding date has been announced . For Herbert, the engagement arrives at a moment when his…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Detroit sues former HGTV star Nicole Curtis over neglected property after racial slur ended her show
The City of Detroit has filed a civil nuisance abatement lawsuit against former Rehab Addict star Nicole Curtis and her company over a long-neglected house, adding a new legal headache for the renovation personality whose HGTV career collapsed earlier this year after she used a racial slur on camera. Curtis, 49, and her business Detroit […] The post Detroit sues former HGTV star Nicole Curtis over neglected property after racial slur ended her show appeared first on American Almanac .
The City of Detroit has filed a civil nuisance abatement lawsuit against former Rehab Addict star Nicole Curtis and her company over a long-neglected house, adding a new legal headache for the renovation personality whose HGTV career collapsed earlier this year after she used a racial slur on camera. Curtis, 49, and her business Detroit Renovations LLC are named as defendants in the city's complaint, which alleges the property has sat in disrepair despite a 2021 order mandating renovations. The city says the house remains unsafe, citing structural decay and garbage accumulation, and is seeking a court order forcing Curtis's company to complete repairs and pay outstanding violation fines in full. Detroit Renovations LLC has owned the…Open
AMERICANALMANAC (Jonah Adams) - Simone Biles discloses she carries anxiety medication in her handbag
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles showed fans the emergency anxiety medication she keeps in her purse, a casual revelation that drew praise from followers who said her openness about mental health would help others. Biles, 29, posted an Instagram video on Sunday, July 26, emptying the contents of a brown Birkin bag on camera while her […] The post Simone Biles discloses she carries anxiety medication in her handbag appeared first on American Almanac .
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles showed fans the emergency anxiety medication she keeps in her purse, a casual revelation that drew praise from followers who said her openness about mental health would help others. Biles, 29, posted an Instagram video on Sunday, July 26, emptying the contents of a brown Birkin bag on camera while her husband, Indianapolis Colts safety Jonathan Owens, 31, stood beside her. Among the everyday items, a passport, cell phone, charger, compact mirror, ear plugs, Chanel perfume, a phone stand, a digital camera, and handwarmers, Biles pulled out a container of medication she identified as her emergency anxiety prescription. "I also have my emergency anxiety meds, which, there's a story behind that," Biles said in…Open