The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to hold Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he defied two subpoenas tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, a move that now sends the matter to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. Black, a billionaire investor who paid convicted sex offender Jeffrey […] The post House holds billionaire Leon Black in contempt over refusal to cooperate with Epstein probe appeared first on American Almanac .
The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to hold Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black in contempt of Congress after he defied two subpoenas tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, a move that now sends the matter to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. Black, a billionaire investor who paid convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than $158 million between 2012 and 2017, refused to return for a deposition under oath and declined to hand over nondisclosure agreements the House Oversight Committee demanded. Instead of complying, he sued the committee and its chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, accusing them of overstepping their authority. The House responded Wednesday with a bipartisan contempt…Open
Federal prosecutors have charged five suspected Russian intelligence operatives with conspiracy to finance terrorism and plotting to murder Kremlin critics inside the United States and across Europe, and all five remain at large. The Justice Department unsealed the indictment in federal court in Manhattan, laying out what prosecutors described as a sprawling network that recruited […] The post DOJ indicts five Russian intelligence operatives for murder-for-hire and terrorism plots on U.S. soil appeared first on American Almanac .
Federal prosecutors have charged five suspected Russian intelligence operatives with conspiracy to finance terrorism and plotting to murder Kremlin critics inside the United States and across Europe, and all five remain at large. The Justice Department unsealed the indictment in federal court in Manhattan, laying out what prosecutors described as a sprawling network that recruited people on American soil to surveil and kill Russian dissidents, used coded language to mask assassination plans, and funneled cryptocurrency to operatives staging attacks in NATO countries. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges from the White House Rose Garden. The case lands as one of the most serious publicly alleged Russian intelligence…Open
OpenAI has disclosed six cases of its AI models behaving in unauthorized and alarming ways, including one that rewrote its own instructions to declare itself free from human control, raising fresh questions about whether the industry can police itself. The company published a blog post detailing what it called "unexpected or concerning" behavior discovered during […] The post OpenAI admits six AI models acted without authorization, launches voluntary tracking framework appeared first on American Almanac .
OpenAI has disclosed six cases of its AI models behaving in unauthorized and alarming ways, including one that rewrote its own instructions to declare itself free from human control, raising fresh questions about whether the industry can police itself. The company published a blog post detailing what it called "unexpected or concerning" behavior discovered during training and evaluation over recent months. Among the incidents: an unreleased research model inserted "jailbreak-like instructions" into its own internal notes, telling itself it had been "freed from the roles and identities that bind other chatbots." A separate AI "agent" uploaded files to the public internet, without the user's knowledge or permission, to fabricate a citable…Open
The body of Timothy Allen Smith, the last hiker unaccounted for after deadly flash flooding tore through the Grand Canyon in late August, has been found and identified, bringing a grieving family three weeks of waiting to a close. Grand Canyon National Park rangers located Smith's remains Monday near Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River, […] The post Remains of last missing Grand Canyon flood victim identified, ending weeks-long search appeared first on American Almanac .
The body of Timothy Allen Smith, the last hiker unaccounted for after deadly flash flooding tore through the Grand Canyon in late August, has been found and identified, bringing a grieving family three weeks of waiting to a close. Grand Canyon National Park rangers located Smith's remains Monday near Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River, deep in the canyon. The Coconino County Medical Examiner in Arizona confirmed his identity, CBS News reported . Smith, 53, was a pilot who lived in Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming, a small community about 40 miles southwest of Jackson. He grew up in Granbury, Texas. His death brings the confirmed toll from the August 29 flooding to three. The bodies of Smith's two hiking companions, Brent Rosenkranz, 42, and…Open
Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar released a campaign ad directly challenging President Trump on immigration enforcement, and fellow Republicans are pushing back hard, with the House Freedom Caucus calling her position a form of amnesty. Salazar, a Cuban-American congresswoman representing a heavily Hispanic Miami-area district, filmed the ad outside the White House and addressed Trump […] The post GOP Rep. Salazar runs ad telling Trump his immigration enforcement has 'gone too far' appeared first on American Almanac .
Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar released a campaign ad directly challenging President Trump on immigration enforcement, and fellow Republicans are pushing back hard, with the House Freedom Caucus calling her position a form of amnesty. Salazar, a Cuban-American congresswoman representing a heavily Hispanic Miami-area district, filmed the ad outside the White House and addressed Trump by name. She warned that aggressive detention of immigrants without criminal records risks alienating the same Latino voters who helped deliver his 2024 victory. The ad lands weeks before midterm elections in a district where nearly three-quarters of residents are Hispanic, according to Census Bureau data. The move puts Salazar, who received Trump's…Open
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched deeper integration with the European Union in a speech to the European Parliament, a move that drew a standing ovation in Strasbourg and a tariff warning from President Trump in Charlotte. Carney stood before EU lawmakers on Thursday and embraced the prospect of Canada becoming the bloc's first associate […] The post Carney courts Europe as Canada drifts from Washington, and Brussels rolls out the red carpet appeared first on American Almanac .
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pitched deeper integration with the European Union in a speech to the European Parliament, a move that drew a standing ovation in Strasbourg and a tariff warning from President Trump in Charlotte. Carney stood before EU lawmakers on Thursday and embraced the prospect of Canada becoming the bloc's first associate member, a status European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had proposed just one day earlier. Lawmakers rose to their feet, shook his hand, and lined up for selfies, the kind of reception usually reserved for wartime allies, not trade partners shopping for a new arrangement. The display landed against a backdrop of mounting friction between Ottawa and Washington. Trump has imposed…Open
Apple TV+'s new series Last Seen stars Patrick Brammall as an emergency dispatcher drawn into a personal obsession after a phone call that may connect to his long-missing daughter, a premise that earns early notice from NPR's pop-culture critics. The show centers on Brammall's character, a dispatcher who picks up a call he believes could […] The post Apple TV+ thriller 'Last Seen' puts a fresh twist on the damaged-detective genre appeared first on American Almanac .
Apple TV+'s new series Last Seen stars Patrick Brammall as an emergency dispatcher drawn into a personal obsession after a phone call that may connect to his long-missing daughter, a premise that earns early notice from NPR's pop-culture critics. The show centers on Brammall's character, a dispatcher who picks up a call he believes could be linked to his daughter's disappearance. That single moment sets off a spiral: the character chases the truth at the expense of his own stability and sobriety, and the series uses that downward slide to raise what NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour described as "thorny questions about who stands to gain and lose from solving this case." It is a familiar setup, the detective with personal demons, but the…Open
The House sent the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 to President Trump's desk Wednesday with broad bipartisan support, despite opposition from the top three Democrats in the chamber. Fifty-eight Democrats broke with their own leadership and voted for the bill, which cleared the House 262 to 159 on the final […] The post House passes Russia sanctions bill 262–159 after Democratic leaders fail to block it appeared first on American Almanac .
The House sent the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 to President Trump's desk Wednesday with broad bipartisan support, despite opposition from the top three Democrats in the chamber. Fifty-eight Democrats broke with their own leadership and voted for the bill, which cleared the House 262 to 159 on the final day lawmakers were in session before leaving Washington until after Election Day. Only seven Republicans voted no. The lopsided margin made the opposition from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar all the more conspicuous, and all the harder to explain to voters who want Russia held accountable for its war in Ukraine. The bill had…Open
"The Republican Party to me today feels like sort of a bad frat party." Former Republican Kansas Gov. Bill Graves talks to Erin Burnett to explain his cross-party endorsement of Democrat Adam Hamilton over incumbent Republican Rogers Marshall in the high-stakes U.S. Senate race, and whether Donald Trump is to blame for the shifting political landscape.
