Archaeologists digging beneath a historic hospital on Paris's Île de la Cité have uncovered a 65-foot Gallo-Roman wall that France's culture ministry calls a "major breakthrough" in tracing the city's founding settlement. The stone-and-wood structure, discovered this summer during excavations beneath the Hôtel-Dieu, a landmark hospital steps from Notre Dame Cathedral, bears traces of fire […] The post Ancient wall unearthed beneath Paris hospital may pinpoint where the city began appeared first on American Almanac .
Archaeologists digging beneath a historic hospital on Paris's Île de la Cité have uncovered a 65-foot Gallo-Roman wall that France's culture ministry calls a "major breakthrough" in tracing the city's founding settlement. The stone-and-wood structure, discovered this summer during excavations beneath the Hôtel-Dieu, a landmark hospital steps from Notre Dame Cathedral, bears traces of fire and dates to somewhere between 10 B.C. and 200 B.C., based on carbon dating of charred material. French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said the find could reshape what historians know about Lutetia, the ancient settlement that eventually became Paris. If confirmed as a fragment of Lutetia's ramparts, the wall would place the original Gallic…Open
A geologist affiliated with the SETI Institute has published a study arguing the moon may harbor microscopic traces of extraterrestrial technology billions of years old, and that NASA's upcoming Artemis missions could be the vehicle to find out. Lewis Pinault, a geologist working with the nonprofit famous for scanning deep space for radio and laser […] The post SETI researcher proposes searching the moon for ancient alien technology appeared first on American Almanac .
A geologist affiliated with the SETI Institute has published a study arguing the moon may harbor microscopic traces of extraterrestrial technology billions of years old, and that NASA's upcoming Artemis missions could be the vehicle to find out. Lewis Pinault, a geologist working with the nonprofit famous for scanning deep space for radio and laser signals from advanced civilizations, wants to flip the search closer to home. His study, published on the preprint server arXiv and submitted to the International Journal of Astrobiology for peer review, proposes that the lunar surface, specifically the fine, powdery soil known as regolith, could contain microscopic "engineered particles" deposited over billions of years from across the solar…Open
Jamar Goff, the 23-year-old foster son of Food Network star Ree Drummond, was detained in May 2025 for allegedly biting a correctional officer's hand, months before police arrested him on assault and drug charges at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Court paperwork tied to the May 2025 incident listed a phone number connected to […] The post Ree Drummond's foster son faced prior detention for allegedly biting officer before September arrest appeared first on American Almanac .
Jamar Goff, the 23-year-old foster son of Food Network star Ree Drummond, was detained in May 2025 for allegedly biting a correctional officer's hand, months before police arrested him on assault and drug charges at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Court paperwork tied to the May 2025 incident listed a phone number connected to Drummond as Goff's family contact and identified the 57-year-old "Pioneer Woman" host as his foster parent, Page Six reported . At the time of that detention, Goff was homeless and working at McDonald's. Drummond and her husband, Ladd Drummond, began fostering Goff in 2018, when he was a teenager. The couple also has four biological children, Alex, Paige, Bryce, and Todd. Drummond has not spoken publicly…Open
A World War II-era Wehrmacht motorcycle and the remains of two German soldiers have been recovered from the Danube River in central Budapest, and more than 80 years after the war ended, no one knows who they were or how they got there. The German War Graves Commission announced the discovery in August after the […] The post WWII motorcycle and remains of two German soldiers pulled from the Danube, identities still unknown appeared first on American Almanac .
A World War II-era Wehrmacht motorcycle and the remains of two German soldiers have been recovered from the Danube River in central Budapest, and more than 80 years after the war ended, no one knows who they were or how they got there. The German War Graves Commission announced the discovery in August after the motorcycle and human remains surfaced from the riverbed sometime this summer. Two military identification tags were found alongside the bodies, both still intact, preserved by decades of harbor mud mixed with gas oil. The motorcycle was identified as a DKW NZ 350-1, a model the Commission described as "considered particularly robust and reliable at the time." But intact tags have not meant quick answers. The Commission is still…Open
Alleigha Botner took the stand in a Miami County, Ohio, courtroom and told jurors she believes Caleb Flynn, a former pastor and one-time "American Idol" contestant, murdered his 37-year-old wife, Ashley Flynn, after months of texting his mistress about wanting Ashley dead. Botner, 24, testified Wednesday that Flynn, 40, regularly told her he wanted his […] The post Former mistress tells Ohio jury she believes ex-'American Idol' contestant killed his wife appeared first on American Almanac .
Alleigha Botner took the stand in a Miami County, Ohio, courtroom and told jurors she believes Caleb Flynn, a former pastor and one-time "American Idol" contestant, murdered his 37-year-old wife, Ashley Flynn, after months of texting his mistress about wanting Ashley dead. Botner, 24, testified Wednesday that Flynn, 40, regularly told her he wanted his wife "gone" or "dead" during the roughly year-long affair the two carried on while Flynn served as a worship leader at the Ohio church where Botner had once interned. Hours before Flynn dialed 911 on February 16 to report what he called a burglary and shooting at the couple's home in Tipp City, a small city north of Dayton, prosecutors say he texted Botner three words that now sit at the…Open
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass collected more than $22 million in donations from corporations with active city lobbying operations, routing the money through nonprofits tied to her office while her own 2023 ethics rules were supposed to prevent exactly that. An investigation by The Center Square found that Bass solicited more than 300 so-called behested […] The post Karen Bass solicited $22 million from corporate donors despite her own lobbying restrictions appeared first on American Almanac .
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass collected more than $22 million in donations from corporations with active city lobbying operations, routing the money through nonprofits tied to her office while her own 2023 ethics rules were supposed to prevent exactly that. An investigation by The Center Square found that Bass solicited more than 300 so-called behested payments, donations made at a public official's request, to the Mayor's Fund Los Angeles and the Getty House Foundation starting in December 2022. The donors included Charter Communications, PepsiCo, AT&T, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, all of which employ city lobbyists and hold or seek city contracts. California law requires officials to disclose any such payment above $5,000. Bass…Open
Taylor Swift gave fans a 13-second glimpse of her upcoming "Patient Zero" music video, featuring Hollywood stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in what appears to be a dramatic love triangle set against snowy graveyards and modernist mansions. The teaser, screened Thursday on CBS Mornings, showed Swift, Johnson, and Farrell in a series of somber, […] The post Taylor Swift teases fictional love triangle with Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in new music video appeared first on American Almanac .
Taylor Swift gave fans a 13-second glimpse of her upcoming "Patient Zero" music video, featuring Hollywood stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in what appears to be a dramatic love triangle set against snowy graveyards and modernist mansions. The teaser, screened Thursday on CBS Mornings, showed Swift, Johnson, and Farrell in a series of somber, cinematic shots. Johnson, 36, and Swift stand together in front of a grave in a snowy cemetery. Farrell, 50, glowers in a sharp black outfit. Swift appears beside a Greek-style statue, staring out a window inside a modernist concrete home. Whether Farrell's character is the one who dies in the clip remains unclear, the Daily Mail reported . The full music video is set to debut at the MTV VMAs…Open
Israel's top diplomat at the United Nations wants New York City's mayor arrested for supporting Hamas and inciting hostility toward Jews, turning Zohran Mamdani's own arrest rhetoric back on him. Ambassador Danny Danon made the demand in an exclusive interview with the Washington Free Beacon during UN General Assembly week, accusing Mayor Mamdani of far […] The post Israeli ambassador calls for Mamdani's arrest, accuses NYC mayor of backing Hamas and courting Iran appeared first on American Almanac .
Israel's top diplomat at the United Nations wants New York City's mayor arrested for supporting Hamas and inciting hostility toward Jews, turning Zohran Mamdani's own arrest rhetoric back on him. Ambassador Danny Danon made the demand in an exclusive interview with the Washington Free Beacon during UN General Assembly week, accusing Mayor Mamdani of far more than political grandstanding. Danon alleged that Mamdani's administration tried to arrange a meeting between one of its senior officials and Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, a meeting the U.S. State Department stepped in to block. The confrontation marks a sharp escalation in a months-long feud between Mamdani and the Israeli government. Mamdani made arresting…Open
A Somali migrant newly elected to Sweden's parliament has taken a leave of absence while police investigate alleged voter fraud in his district, a probe that could flip control of the government if it triggers a new election. Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, a Left Party candidate who won a seat representing the Borlänge area in Dalarna […] The post Somali-born lawmaker steps aside as voter fraud probe threatens to upend Sweden's razor-thin election appeared first on American Almanac .
A Somali migrant newly elected to Sweden's parliament has taken a leave of absence while police investigate alleged voter fraud in his district, a probe that could flip control of the government if it triggers a new election. Mohamed Abdukardir Ali, a Left Party candidate who won a seat representing the Borlänge area in Dalarna County, stepped back from the Riksdag after Swedish police opened a preliminary investigation into irregularities during this month's general election. A second Left Party candidate in the same district, Ahmed Abas Omar, is also a focus of the inquiry, Breitbart reported . The investigation centers on Borlänge, a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. The left-wing bloc won six of the county's eleven…Open
A Biden-appointed federal judge handed New York Attorney General Letitia James a legal setback, tossing the multi-state lawsuit challenging DOGE's access to Treasury Department systems, a case that collapsed after the very team it targeted no longer existed. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Wednesday that the claims brought by James and a coalition of […] The post Federal judge dismisses Letitia James' DOGE lawsuit after Treasury team disbands appeared first on American Almanac .
A Biden-appointed federal judge handed New York Attorney General Letitia James a legal setback, tossing the multi-state lawsuit challenging DOGE's access to Treasury Department systems, a case that collapsed after the very team it targeted no longer existed. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Wednesday that the claims brought by James and a coalition of 18 other states were moot, finding that the Treasury DOGE team had already been disbanded and no DOGE-affiliated employees remained at the department. With no active access to enjoin, the court found nothing left to litigate. Fox News Digital reported that Vargas also separately dismissed the states' challenge to an automated payment-review system, ruling the coalition had not…Open