Chronological News (1141446-1141437)

AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Mexican military finds 135 exotic animals — including Bengal tigers and jaguars — during fuel smuggling raids near U.S. border Fri Aug 28 21:24:47 2026

A Mexican military operation targeting cartel fuel smugglers in the border state of Tamaulipas uncovered a private ranch holding 135 exotic and endangered animals, exposing yet another layer of the criminal enterprise bleeding Mexico's state oil company dry. Soldiers raiding five properties on Thursday found Bengal tigers, jaguars, bison, hyenas, mandrills, and a camel among […] The post Mexican military finds 135 exotic animals — including Bengal tigers and jaguars — during fuel smuggling raids near U.S. border appeared first on American Almanac .

What is the significance of the arrest of Ernesto Ruffo in relation to fuel theft in Tamaulipas?

Ernesto Ruffo, a former governor of Tamaulipas, was recently arrested on fuel theft charges, which serves as an indication that corruption tied to the stolen-fuel trade extends from cartel operatives to the highest levels of state government.

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What methods do cartels use to steal fuel and crude oil from the Mexican state oil company, Pemex?

Cartels steal fuel and crude oil from Pemex through the use of bribed insiders, tapped pipelines, siphoned refineries, hijacked tanker trucks, and the intimidation of employees.

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Who was formally charged with fuel smuggling by Mexico's attorney general's office on the same day as the Tamaulipas raids?

Fernando Farias, described as a high-ranking officer who had been expelled from Argentina the previous week, was formally charged with fuel smuggling.

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According to the U.S. Treasury Department, how does the profitability of fuel theft compare to drug trafficking for Mexican cartels?

The U.S. Treasury Department has determined that fuel theft has risen to become the second most profitable revenue stream for Mexican cartels, trailing only drug trafficking.

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How many of the exotic animals found at the Tamaulipas ranch were classified as endangered species?

Out of the 135 exotic and endangered animals found at the ranch, 35 of the creatures were classified as endangered species.

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What was discovered by the Mexican military during fuel smuggling raids on five properties in the state of Tamaulipas on a Thursday?

The Mexican military uncovered a private ranch holding 135 exotic and endangered animals, including Bengal tigers, jaguars, bison, hyenas, mandrills, and a camel. Additionally, the sweep seized 18,000 gallons of diesel fuel, fuel tanks, pumps, firearms, and tools, resulting in one arrest on site.

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A Mexican military operation targeting cartel fuel smugglers in the border state of Tamaulipas uncovered a private ranch holding 135 exotic and endangered animals, exposing yet another layer of the criminal enterprise bleeding Mexico's state oil company dry. Soldiers raiding five properties on Thursday found Bengal tigers, jaguars, bison, hyenas, mandrills, and a camel among the animals kept at the ranch, with 35 of the 135 creatures classified as endangered species. The same sweep seized 18,000 gallons of diesel fuel, fuel tanks, pumps, firearms, and tools, and ended with one arrest on site. The raids came the same day Mexico's attorney general's office formally charged Fernando Farias, a high-ranking officer who had been expelled from…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Hamptons car collectors spend big on luxury garages that double as private retreats Fri Aug 28 21:24:47 2026

Wealthy car enthusiasts on Long Island's South Fork are pouring tens of thousands of dollars, and sometimes seven figures, into bespoke garages built less for parking than for living, entertaining, and showing off prized collections. Arthur Aidala, a New York trial attorney who started collecting cars when he bought a 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider for just over $3,000 at age 25, now keeps a rotating stable of six vehicles in a 500-square-foot garage at his Quogue home. The other nine cars in his 15-vehicle collection sit in off-site storage. He estimates he has spent roughly $25,000 turning that modest garage into something closer to a private lounge, designer flooring, a flat-screen television, a refrigerator, and a cigar station, the New York…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Hedge fund billionaire quietly bankrolling Harry and Meghan's return to Britain Fri Aug 28 21:24:46 2026

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's much-discussed move back to the United Kingdom is being financed by a billionaire hedge fund manager whose personal tragedy mirrors one of Harry's deepest wounds, raising questions about who is really underwriting the Sussexes' reinvention. Ian Wace, the 63-year-old founding partner and CEO of Marshall Wace LLP, one of the world's largest hedge fund firms, is helping pay for the couple's transatlantic relocation, two sources told Page Six . Wace, whose estimated net worth sits around $1.2 billion, has deep personal ties to both Harry and Meghan that stretch back years. His representatives declined to comment. Reps for the Sussexes did not respond to requests for comment. The financial arrangement, whose…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Jonah Adams) - New Jersey father died outside ER after nurse allegedly dismissed his breathing crisis as faking Fri Aug 28 21:24:43 2026

A 35-year-old father collapsed and died just feet from a New Jersey emergency room after a nurse allegedly told officers he "pretends to be sick", and his family later collected a $15 million settlement kept secret for years. Jerome White walked into Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, on the night of June 3, 2020, struggling to breathe. Staff treated him, then sent him out. He never made it home. White collapsed on the pavement outside the emergency room doors, his lips turned blue, and his body went limp. Sixteen days later, he was dead. A police incident report obtained by NJ.com lays out what happened in the minutes before White stopped breathing. Camden County sheriff's officers on the scene watched White deteriorate…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Ina Garten trades cable TV for YouTube with new video podcast Fri Aug 28 21:24:42 2026

Ina Garten, the cookbook author who built a culinary empire on Food Network, is leaving traditional television behind and launching a YouTube video podcast called Happy Hour, a move that says as much about the collapse of cable as it does about her next chapter. Garten will film the show at her New York City apartment, hosting guests from the worlds of food, culture, art, entertainment, and sports over cocktails and home-cooked dishes. Vox Media will handle sales, marketing, and distribution for the series, The Hollywood Reporter reported . The format marks a clean break from Garten's decades on cable. She hosted the long-running Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and most recently fronted Be My Guest for Food Network and Discovery+,…Open

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AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Nepal-China border flood death toll climbs past 580 as rescuers pull mud-caked survivors from Himalayan wreckage Fri Aug 28 21:24:42 2026

A glacier collapse in the Himalayas triggered catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border, killing nearly 600 people and leaving roughly 2,500 missing, including about 90 Americans, as rescuers struggle to reach survivors buried under walls of mud and debris. Nepal's disaster-management authority put the death toll at 579 by Friday, while Nepali police offered […] The post Nepal-China border flood death toll climbs past 580 as rescuers pull mud-caked survivors from Himalayan wreckage appeared first on American Almanac .

A glacier collapse in the Himalayas triggered catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border, killing nearly 600 people and leaving roughly 2,500 missing, including about 90 Americans, as rescuers struggle to reach survivors buried under walls of mud and debris. Nepal's disaster-management authority put the death toll at 579 by Friday, while Nepali police offered a lower count of 553. China reported seven dead on its side of the border. The gap between the two Nepali figures remained unexplained, but the scale of the disaster was not in dispute: nearly 2,500 people were unaccounted for across both countries, and more than 100 remained trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Nepal's hardest-hit Rasuwa district. The disaster began…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - 'Sandlot' cast reunites for 'Dugout Dads' YouTube comedy, with Chris Paul backing the project Fri Aug 28 21:24:41 2026

More than three decades after The Sandlot became a staple of American childhood, the film's cast has reunited for a nine-episode comedy series on YouTube, with NBA all-star Chris Paul signing on as executive producer. Patrick Renna, who played the unforgettable Ham Porter in the 1993 film, co-created the short-form series Dugout Dads with Kyle Howard through their production company, Hambino Media. The show dropped on YouTube this week with all nine episodes available to stream. Renna stars as an idealistic father who coaches a Little League team, a premise he drew from his own life, meeting other dads at his kids' games. The reunion brings back a deep bench of the original cast: Tom Guiry, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Quintin…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a mild 2026–2027 winter as El Niño looms Fri Aug 28 21:24:41 2026

The Old Farmer's Almanac is calling for a mostly mild winter across much of the United States, but a strengthening El Niño and an unpredictable polar vortex could still deliver nasty surprises. The almanac released its full winter weather forecast ahead of its print edition hitting shelves September 1, predicting near-normal temperatures and largely unremarkable conditions for most of the country. The outlook, USA TODAY reported , calls for a wetter-than-normal season across much of the West, parts of the South, the Midwest, and Florida, with drier conditions expected in parts of the East, the Plains, and the Desert Southwest. That forecast comes after a brutal prior winter. A massive January storm battered more than 30 states and…Open

AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Charles Barkley rips CNN and the two-party system in blunt on-air rebuke Fri Aug 28 21:24:40 2026

According to Charles Barkley, how do political parties win elections?

Barkley argued that elections are won by swaying a very small margin of voters. He stated that parties only need to sway three to five percent of the people with something they are passionate about or against in order to win elections, rather than focusing on solving problems for the general population.

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What is Charles Barkley's stated political identity?

Charles Barkley identifies as an independent person, stating, "I'm an independent person. I got my own brain." He noted that he does not agree with everything both Democrats and Republicans do and rejected the idea of being forced to pick a team.

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How did Charles Barkley describe the programming format currently used by CNN?

Barkley, who works for CNN and was recently trusted to lead a primetime talk show, criticized the network's partisan programming format. He described watching evening shows where two Republicans and two Democrats scream at each other for an hour without persuading or helping anyone, stating, "That's an hour of my life I can't get back." He suggested the format treats political argument as entertainment rather than providing value.

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What were Charles Barkley's specific criticisms regarding the American political system during his interview with Smerconish?

Barkley criticized the two-party system, stating that the current political culture forces Americans to pick a side—whether as a Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal, or socialist—even if it makes no sense to them. He described Americans as being "brainwashed" into defaulting to party labels rather than evaluating individual issues on their own merits. He further argued that the system is designed to benefit people at the top, creating a dynamic of "rich people against poor people" where political identities are based on race and education rather than solving problems for everyone.

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Charles Barkley used a sit-down interview with Smerconish to tear into CNN's partisan programming format and a political system he says has left Americans "brainwashed", a critique that landed harder because he works for the network. The former NBA star and current sports personality didn't hold back. Barkley, who has previously voiced support for Democrats and whom CNN recently trusted to lead a primetime talk show, turned his frustration on the very network signing his checks, and on a political culture he says forces Americans to pick a side whether it makes sense or not. His core complaint: the entire system is rigged to benefit the people already at the top, while ordinary Americans get sorted into partisan teams that serve no one's…Open

YOUTUBE (MS NOW) - El-Sayed: Trump is an 'existential threat' and Mike Rogers would be a 'rubber stamp' for him Fri Aug 28 21:23:02 2026

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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed joins Katy Tur to share why he believes he can unite Michiganders if he were to win his race against Mike Rogers and his criticism of President Trump's policies.