US news

US news

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All seven on board were killed when Challenger broke apart following liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986. At the Kennedy Space Center memorial ceremony, Challenger pilot Michael Smith's daughter, Alison Smith Balch, said through tears that her life forever changed that frigid morning, as did many other lives. "In that sense," she told the hundreds of mourners, "we are all part of this story."

Absolutely no truth to it, he said in a statement to TMZ on Tuesday. I haven't seen this, but with A.I. anything is possible. The image at the center of the viral claims was included in the Justice Department's records on the investigation into Epstein and features a framed photo that shows the disgraced financier with a little girl perched on his shoulders. Despite the fact the girl's face has been redacted, users on TikTok have implied she bears a striking resemblance to JonBenet.

In the corner of the internet where memes and law enforcement collide, a small-town police department in Maine has become an unlikely social media star. The Clinton Police Department's Facebook page is a mix of photo edits, tongue-in-cheek winter traffic advisories ("Drive normal. Or walk home reflecting on your choices"), and patrol playlists written in the prose of an angsty, chronically online teen.

The NYC snowstorm market is @Kalshi's largest ever climate market, a spokesperson tells me, with more than 17,000 traders participating and $5.3m in volume. One New York-local trader I talked to got his edge by measuring snowfall on a parked car. pic.twitter.com/VP1HOFXUqr - Nick Devor (@nickdevor_) January 26, 2026

Even as auto industry executives, analysts and policy experts warn of an electric-vehicle slowdown in the United States, one crucial part of the EV transition didn't slow down at all in 2025: the nation's fast-charging network. America's EV public fast-charging network grew at a staggering pace last year, the charging analytics firm Paren reported Wednesday. The record-breaking year saw more than 18,000 new fast-charging ports installed nationwide.

In February 2025, three individuals, including Chávez, were indicted for their roles in this animal-fighting venture, which violated the federal Animal Welfare Act. Alongside HSI, the case involved multiple agencies, including the Potter County Sheriff's Office, Texas State Game Wardens, the Amarillo Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which conducted the investigation, along with support from the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Since the collision on January 29, 2025, between an American Airlines flight from Wichita and a military helicopter on a training ride, military pilots have had to broadcast their precise GPS-based location data to other aircraft and to air traffic control, something they frequently skipped before the crash. The FAA has also barred all but the most essential helicopter traffic along the Potomac near the airport.

Around 3:50 p.m., an officer assigned to the San Francisco Police Department's Community Violence Reduction Team tried to stop the suspect in the 800 block of 47th Street, SFPD said in a news release. The Oakland Police Department said the suspect was wanted for multiple felonies. The suspect attempted to flee and hit the officer with his vehicle, San Francisco police said. The officer was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

I like doing it I like being along the water,

Recently released data from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation (1) shows that about 25% of U.S. adults surveyed say they use recommendations from social media influencers when making investment decisions. Among people aged 35 and younger, the share jumps to 61%. Even more concerning: 57% of people with less than two years of investing experience reported relying on social media for financial guidance.

The Big Ten Conference announced on Tuesday the opponents new head coach Bob Chesney and the Bruins will face during the 2026 season. Whether the games will be played at the Rose Bowl or SoFi Stadium remains to be determined, but the Bruins will not be suiting up against Curt Cignetti and defending national champion Indiana. UCLA will hard launch the Chesney era on the road against rival California on Sept. 5 at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

The final game of the night was Crespi pulling out a 65-61 win over Loyola when Isaiah Barnes scored while falling down with 15 seconds left for the game-clinching basket. Despite the loss, Loyola claimed fourth place in the seedings while finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with Crespi and St. Francis. The Cubs, though, are 14-14 and will need a win Saturday against the winner of Thursday's Bishop Alemany (No. 8) vs. St. Francis (No. 5) game to keep alive their Southern Section playoff hopes. You need a .500 or better record to be considered for an at-large berth.

The Department of Justice has reportedly withdrawn its request for an arrest warrant for ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon in connection with a Minnesota church protest, but he may not be out of the woods yet. Prosecutors dropped the bid to charge Lemon and four others after a judge rejected criminal complaints them for entering the Cities Church in St. Paul on January 19 while a service was going on, CNN reported.

A former West Coast biotech CEO has just been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for misleading investors and stealing millions of dollars, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland announced on Monday. According to court documents and news releases, 62-year-old Oregon resident Nader Pourhassan, who was once the CEO of CytoDyn, defrauded investors from 2018 to 2021 regarding the commercialization of CytoDyn's product, a monoclonal antibody called Leronlimab.

Wendel Seney, 32, is charged with strangulation or suffocation, two counts of assault and battery on a family or household member, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and a firearm possession felony, court records show. Earlier this month, Seney's law enforcement certification was suspended by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Commission. He was ordered to surrender his Massachusetts State Police credentials and equipment, according to the Jan. 14 suspension order.

Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok Inc., Snap Inc., and YouTube LLC appear unlikely to completely knock out a group of federal cases set for trial this summer that allege the platforms harmed the mental health of students and strained school resources. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers at a marathon hearing Monday in Oakland, Calif., federal court said the public school districts have provided a "reasonable articulation" of how social media features like SnapChat's "streaks" or Instagram's beautification image filter cause specific harm to students and schools.

It's just about showtime for the thousands of athletes who qualified for the Winter Olympics next month in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The XXV Winter Olympiad runs from Feb. 6-22 and will include Northern California stars such as Oakland figure skater Alysa Liu and the youngest member of Team USA's ski/snowboard roster, 15-year-old Abby Winterberger of Truckee, who competes in freestyle halfpipe skiing. In all, eight Northern California athletes will represent the United States, including three from the Bay Area.