Screengrab Social Media/X by Diana Zapata • News Writer /Editorial Specialist Published August 15, 2026 A massive explosion ripped through an ammunition manufacturing facility near Rome, Italy, sending a towering blast into the sky and [...]
AI:A massive explosion has struck an ammunition manufacturing facility located near Rome, Italy, directly impacting a critical node within the logistics network used to supply artillery shells to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This kinetic disruption at a key production site underscores the growing vulnerability of European military supply chains and highlights the escalating risks faced by domestic industrial targets as they remain integral to foreign warfare efforts.Open
Listen to the audio version of The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell from the Aug. 14th broadcast.
AI:Lawrence O'Donnell hosted an episode of The Last Word on MSNBC that served as another vehicle for the network's scripted, partisan narrative. The broadcast utilized typical liberal talking points to push a specific political agenda rather than addressing substantive national realities. This latest installment follows a pattern of opinion-driven commentary aimed at distracting the public through recycled rhetoric and establishment viewpoints.Open
AI:MSNOW released a highlight reel for August 14 featuring various interviews and segments from its programming lineup, continuing its pattern of partisan punditry and sensationalized coverage of the current political landscape.Open
“Never have we seen such a horrible candidate running for U.S. Senate out of Texas… He represents everything people are frustrated with, including Republicans,” says Republican strategist Susan Del Percio. The DNC focuses on flipping the Senate as midterms near and fundraising efforts peak. Basil Smikle, MS NOW Political Analyst, Professor of Practice at the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University, and former Executive Director of the New York State Democratic Party, and Susan Del Percio, MS NOW Political Analyst and Republican strategist join The Weekend to discuss.
AI:Republican strategist Susan Del Percio has slammed Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate campaign, labeling him a fundamentally flawed candidate who represents the very frustrations currently plaguing the GOP base. As the DNC ramps up its fundraising blitz to flip the Senate ahead of the midterms, the Texas race is devolving into a circus characterized by internal Republican fractures and leadership failures. While the leftist media remains preoccupied with Democratic momentum, Paxton's inability to unify his own party highlights a growing volatility that could jeopardize Republican efforts in one of the most critical battlegrounds.Open
Earlier this week, Jacob Soboroff asked "Connect" viewers what they wanted us to cover on the show this weekend. We received hundreds of responses, with many people asking us to report on the crisis happening aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. We could not agree more. Here's a quick report on what's happening aboard the ship, the alarming conditions over 5,000 service members have been struggling with, and an update on potential relief coming to the sailors, courtesy of MS NOW's Priya Sridhar.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is calling on current Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary ceremonies honoring the victims of the September 11 attacks, a demand that puts the city's first Muslim mayor at the center of a growing fight over who speaks for Ground Zero. Giuliani made the […] The post Giuliani says Mayor Mamdani has no place at Ground Zero on the 9/11 anniversary appeared first on American Almanac .
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is calling on current Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary ceremonies honoring the victims of the September 11 attacks, a demand that puts the city's first Muslim mayor at the center of a growing fight over who speaks for Ground Zero. Giuliani made the remarks during a Friday appearance on the Newsmax program "Finnerty," where he argued that Mamdani's presence at the ceremonies would be an affront to the families who lost husbands, wives, and children in the 2001 attacks. The former mayor, who led New York through the worst terrorist strike on American soil, did not mince words about why he believes Mamdani should not attend. The broadside lands as Mamdani faces mounting…Open
AI:Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has issued a blistering demand for current Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary ceremonies at Ground Zero, arguing that the city's first Muslim mayor has no place representing the memory of the September 11 victims. During an appearance on Newsmax, Giuliani characterized Mamdani’s presence as an affront to grieving families and framed the political struggle as a broader battle against the infiltration of Sharia law into American society. The conflict intensifies as Mamdani faces mounting criticism for his previous decision to skip the 1993 World Trade Center bombing memorial, his rhetoric regarding Israel, and controversial associations that have led many to question his…Open
An Iranian court handed 56-year-old Kolthoum Akbari ten separate death sentences for systematically marrying and killing elderly men across multiple towns, a killing spree she herself says may have claimed as many as 15 lives. Akbari, whom Iranian media have dubbed the "Black Widow," drugged her victims with sedatives, rubbing alcohol, and diabetes medications before […] The post Iranian woman sentenced to death ten times after killing at least 10 husbands over two decades appeared first on American Almanac .
An Iranian court handed 56-year-old Kolthoum Akbari ten separate death sentences for systematically marrying and killing elderly men across multiple towns, a killing spree she herself says may have claimed as many as 15 lives. Akbari, whom Iranian media have dubbed the "Black Widow," drugged her victims with sedatives, rubbing alcohol, and diabetes medications before suffocating them, authorities in Mazandaran Province said. She targeted elderly men through Iran's "sigheh" system, a form of temporary marriage under Islamic law, then collected gold, cash, and dowry wealth before moving on to the next husband in a different town. The geographic spread kept anyone from connecting the deaths for roughly twenty years. Her run ended in 2023,…Open
AI:An Iranian court has handed down ten separate death sentences to 56-year-old Kolthoum Akbari, a serial killer known as the "Black Widow" who terrorized elderly men for two decades. Exploiting the sigheh system of temporary marriage to gain access to victims' homes and finances, Akbari used a lethal combination of sedatives, rubbing alcohol, and diabetes medication to drug her husbands before suffocating them with towels. While prosecutors secured convictions for ten deaths, Akbari herself confessed to potentially killing as many as 15 people to steal gold, cash, and dowries across multiple towns in Mazandaran Province. The investigation finally unraveled following the death of her final husband in 2023, leading families to demand…Open
Dr. Anthony Fauci has rejected a request to appear before a second Senate panel investigating his pandemic record, dismissing the inquiry as political harassment just days after Republicans voted to hold him in contempt. Fauci's lawyer sent a letter to Sen. Ron Johnson on Friday declining the Wisconsin Republican's invitation to testify voluntarily before the […] The post Fauci refuses second Senate appearance after contempt vote, calls inquiry political harassment appeared first on American Almanac .
Dr. Anthony Fauci has rejected a request to appear before a second Senate panel investigating his pandemic record, dismissing the inquiry as political harassment just days after Republicans voted to hold him in contempt. Fauci's lawyer sent a letter to Sen. Ron Johnson on Friday declining the Wisconsin Republican's invitation to testify voluntarily before the Senate subcommittee on investigations. The letter accused Johnson of trying to "impermissibly harass or degrade Dr. Fauci for political purposes," the Associated Press reported . The refusal came less than a week after the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted along partisan lines on August 6 to hold the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director in…Open
AI:Dr. Anthony Fauci is doubling down on his refusal to cooperate with congressional oversight, rejecting a second Senate appearance regarding his pandemic record and labeling the inquiry "political harassment." This defiant move comes immediately after the Senate Homeland Security Committee voted to hold him in contempt following a previous hearing where he invoked the Fifth Amendment 100 times. Senator Rand Paul has argued that Fauci’s reliance on self-incrimination is legally invalid because a preemptive pardon issued by former President Biden stripped away his immunity from prosecution, thereby eliminating the constitutional basis for his silence. While Fauci's legal team continues to dismiss these investigations as attempts to degrade…Open
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early Saturday morning, killing at least 47 people and flattening buildings across multiple provinces, with authorities warning the death toll will likely climb as rescuers push toward remote villages still cut off by landslides and communication failures. The quake hit at 5:58 a.m. local time, centered roughly 68 […] The post Magnitude 7.7 earthquake kills dozens in Indonesia as rescue teams struggle to reach hardest-hit areas appeared first on American Almanac .
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early Saturday morning, killing at least 47 people and flattening buildings across multiple provinces, with authorities warning the death toll will likely climb as rescuers push toward remote villages still cut off by landslides and communication failures. The quake hit at 5:58 a.m. local time, centered roughly 68 kilometers north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. It struck at a shallow depth, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre initially measured it at magnitude 6.9 before upgrading it to 7.7. Fifteen minutes later, at 6:13 a.m., a second earthquake measuring 6.3 rattled the same region, followed by dozens of aftershocks that rippled…Open
AI:A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia early Saturday morning, centered near the city of Ende and devastating provinces including East Nusa Tenggara, Sikka, and Manggarai. The shallow tremor triggered a massive landslide in the village of Reok that killed 16 people alone, contributing to a rising death toll that has already reached at least 47 fatalities with dozens more injured. The disaster flattened hundreds of homes, destroyed critical infrastructure, and paralyzed communication networks across remote regions like Nagekeo, leaving survivors isolated and making it difficult for rescue teams to reach those trapped under rubble or cut off by landslides. This catastrophe follows a recent string of major seismic events…Open
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport scrapped a proposal to install Islamic ablution washing stations after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed a review of state grants to the airport and referred it to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. Abbott announced the move Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, calling the planned […] The post DFW Airport abandons Islamic washing station plan after Gov. Abbott orders grant review appeared first on American Almanac .
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport scrapped a proposal to install Islamic ablution washing stations after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed a review of state grants to the airport and referred it to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. Abbott announced the move Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, calling the planned facilities at the government-owned airport unconstitutional. He ordered a review of all state grants to entities operating both DFW and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, warning that funding could be revoked and future grants denied. He also referred both airports to the USDOT for a federal probe. Hours later, DFW reversed course. The airport said it had "accelerated its…Open
AI:Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has officially abandoned its proposal to install Islamic ablution foot-washing stations in Terminal D following decisive intervention by Governor Greg Abbott. After a regulatory filing revealed the $300,000 project was intended for use at the government-owned facility, Abbott declared the move unconstitutional religious favoritism and ordered a review of all state grants provided to the airport, while also referring the matter to the U.S. Department of Transportation for investigation. The airport, which attempted to claim the project would be privately funded before later admitting it would use airport revenue, reversed course just hours after Abbott threatened to revoke funding, claiming the…Open
