The US Department of Justice has decided to drop the case against Olympian David Hearn. They found new evidence showing the damage to the Reflecting Pool was caused by a bad installation by the contractor, not by Hearn.
Key Facts
David Hearn is an Olympian.
He was accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.
The US Department of Justice handled the case.
New evidence showed the damage was due to poor work by the contractor.
The DOJ is dismissing the charges against David Hearn.
The Reflecting Pool is a well-known landmark in Washington DC.
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In Tucson, Arizona, dog trainers use electronic collars to teach dogs to avoid venomous rattlesnakes. This training helps protect dogs from dangerous snake bites, which can be deadly or costly to treat.
Key Facts
Dogs receive a mild shock from an electronic collar when they approach a rattlesnake, teaching them to stay away.
The rattlesnakes used in training have their venom glands removed and are not dangerous during the sessions.
About 150,000 dogs in the U.S. are bitten by venomous snakes each year.
In Arizona, veterinary centers treat several dogs daily for rattlesnake bites.
Snakebite survival rates for pets are around 94% with quick medical treatment.
Snakebite treatments can be expensive, involving antivenom and hospitalization.
Trainers say electronic collars are the most effective method for rattlesnake avoidance.
Research on rattlesnake-aversion training is ongoing at the University of Arizona’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
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The Trump administration is speeding up immigration court hearings to clear a large backlog. This has led to many immigrants missing their court dates and receiving quick deportation orders without enough time to prepare their cases.
Key Facts
Immigration courts are holding many large group hearings called "mega" master hearings, with over 1,300 in June 2026.
The time immigrants have to prepare for hearings has dropped from about six months to just over one month.
Many immigrants miss their hearings and are ordered deported quickly, often before their asylum claims are heard.
Supporters say faster hearings fix a long-standing problem of endless court delays.
Critics worry that rushing cases may harm judges' performance and deny fair legal process.
The Justice Department says judges are working to handle all cases fairly while resolving them faster.
Mega hearings can mean long waits in crowded and hot court lobbies.
Detained children in court are accompanied by caregivers and legal helpers.
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President Donald Trump has been pushing the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, calling it "Rocket Fuel" for the economy. However, since the war in Iran began, interest rates have gone up, making borrowing more expensive for families and the government. Despite higher rates, Trump insists the economy is doing well.
Key Facts
President Trump wants lower interest rates to boost economic growth and make loans cheaper.
Interest rates have actually increased since the war in Iran started in February.
Higher borrowing costs are making mortgages and auto loans less affordable for families.
The U.S. government has spent $827 billion this fiscal year just paying interest on its national debt.
Kevin Warsh, the Federal Reserve chair appointed by Trump, said inflation remains high and gave no clear plan to fix it.
Long-term U.S. Treasury bond rates are at their highest in nearly 20 years, contradicting Trump’s promises.
Trump continues to describe the economy as strong despite slow growth of 1.5% over the past three months.
Republicans worry that rising interest rates and costs could hurt their chances in the upcoming midterm elections.
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Podcast host Joe Rogan said there is no clear way to end the U.S. military conflict with Iran. His comments come as President Trump’s approval rating on the Iran war has dropped, with many voters opposing military action.
Key Facts
Joe Rogan expressed doubts about the U.S. military campaign against Iran, saying there is no clear resolution.
Rogan mentioned concerns about U.S. weapon supplies running low and bases being attacked by drones.
He said attacks on Iran make America less safe by creating enemies who want to strike back.
Rogan has criticized President Trump’s military strategy regarding Iran, calling it confusing.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows only 34% of voters support U.S. military action against Iran, while 60% oppose it.
President Trump’s approval rating on his Iran policy dropped to 28%, with 66% disapproving according to that poll.
Rogan’s criticism is notable because he has supported President Trump on other issues and endorsed him before the 2024 election.
Experts say Rogan’s comments reflect wider public doubts about the success of the war in Iran.
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The Big Ten and Southeastern college sports conferences have agreed to support a Senate bill aimed at regulating college sports. Their backing improves the bill's chances of passing in the Senate before the summer break.
Key Facts
The Big Ten and Southeastern conferences voted to support the Senate college sports bill.
School presidents approved the support after last-minute changes were made to the bill.
Changes included adjustments on rules about deals involving athletes’ names, images, and likenesses.
The bill aims to regulate how college sports operate, especially around athlete endorsements.
The bill needs 60 votes in the Senate to move forward for a final vote.
Support from these large conferences ends a week of difficult negotiations.
The Senate hopes to vote on the bill before the summer recess next Friday.
The bill is bipartisan, meaning members of both political parties support it.
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An F-35B fighter jet crashed near the Miramar airbase in San Diego, California. The pilot ejected safely and was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.
Key Facts
The crash happened on a Friday near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.
The pilot ejected and is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Firefighters responded to a nearby vegetation fire caused by the crash.
Miramar airbase was formerly home to the Navy’s Top Gun training school, moved to Nevada in 1996.
The F-35B is a special version of the F-35 that can take off on short runways and land vertically.
The US military has over 630 F-35 jets across the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force.
Each F-35B jet costs about $109 million.
The overall F-35 program is expected to cost around $2 trillion as more jets are bought and used for many years.
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Robert Bush, a funeral director in Hull, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes including selling fake funeral plans, stealing from charities, and denying proper burials to 30 people. Prosecutors have frozen his bank accounts and assets to recover money taken from victims.
Key Facts
Robert Bush ran Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull.
He was convicted of 67 offences, such as giving families wrong ashes and not properly burying bodies.
Bush stole up to £12,000 from 12 charities.
He sold fake funeral plans to over 200 people without authorization.
Between 2017 and 2024, more than £3.5 million was paid into his business and personal accounts.
Bush lived well during this time, earning £162,000 a year and giving £52,000 yearly to his wife.
Police found the funeral home in poor condition during a March 2024 raid.
Prosecutors aim to confiscate his assets to compensate victims and their families.
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Several workers from catering companies in the UK say they are owed unpaid wages after leaving their jobs. They are seeking help from Acas, an independent organization that resolves workplace pay disputes, but many report difficulties getting their money.
Key Facts
Unpaid wage cases rose by about 17% from 2024 to 2025, according to Acas.
Nearly half of hospitality workers face problems at work involving pay or conditions.
Sonia Garcia Monuz is owed £2,300 in unpaid wages after leaving Viking Catering Ltd.
Joan Fullbrook won a tribunal case for £1,498 in unpaid wages but has not been paid yet.
George Weal was awarded £1,052 for unpaid wages at Chef2Table Ltd, but the company has not paid him.
George left after discovering the company’s delivery van was untaxed and uninsured.
Acas provides free advice to workers and employers to resolve pay disputes.
Chrissy Bell from Acas says even small unpaid amounts can cause serious problems for workers without savings.
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Robert Bush, a funeral director in Hull, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes including failing to bury or cremate bodies and giving families ashes that were not their relatives’. Victims’ families are now campaigning for the UK government to create formal rules and oversight for the funeral industry, which currently has few regulations.
Key Facts
Robert Bush owned Legacy Independent Funeral Directors and failed to handle bodies properly.
Police found 35 bodies at his funeral home months after funerals had taken place.
Bush gave nearly 200 families ashes of strangers and defrauded them of over £500,000.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for 67 offences, including preventing lawful burials.
Funeral industry in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is currently self-regulated with no formal laws or mandatory training.
Victims’ families, including Tristan Essex and his sister Claire, are demanding full government regulation of the funeral industry.
The UK Department for Health and Social Care plans to propose formal regulation and consult families.
Bush admitted that inspections by trade groups have no real penalties for failures and highlighted the industry's lack of regulation.
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A Johns Hopkins University researcher from Cameroon, Fatima Ameaka, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Baltimore-Washington International Airport for overstaying her visa. The university expressed concern and is working to support her with legal help as she remains in ICE custody in Louisiana.
Key Facts
Fatima Ameaka is a Cameroonian researcher working at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
She was arrested by ICE on July 29, 2026, at Baltimore-Washington International Airport for overstaying a visa that expired on June 13, 2024.
Ameaka had a work permit valid until 2029 and an ongoing asylum case.
Johns Hopkins described her as a respected and valued member of their community.
She is currently held at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana.
The university is helping her access legal representation.
Her arrest is part of an increased federal focus on detaining people at airports who have overstayed visas.
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist with her legal defense.
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Gilberto Cárdenas, a respected sociologist and advocate for Latino and Chicano identity through art and academia, died at 79 in Austin, Texas. He was known for documenting the Chicano Movement, creating Mexican American Studies programs, and building a large collection of Latino art that he and his wife donated to several museums.
Key Facts
Gilberto Cárdenas died at age 79 after a long illness.
He grew up in San Gabriel, California, and was involved in the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Cárdenas used photography to document Chicano marches, meetings, and community events.
He earned a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and worked for many years as a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
He founded Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas and later created the Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame.
Cárdenas and his wife collected nearly 20,000 pieces of Latino art and donated about half to the Blanton Museum of Art and other major museums.
President George W. Bush appointed him to two commissions, including one to explore creating a National Museum of the American Latino.
He served on the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) from 1993 to 2012.
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The U.S. State Department is making a visa bond program permanent for citizens of about 50 countries, mostly in Africa. The program requires travelers to pay a refundable bond when applying for certain U.S. visas, and the maximum bond amount has increased to $20,000.
Key Facts
The visa bond program applies to citizens from around 50 countries, mainly in Africa.
Travelers must pay a bond to apply for B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) visas.
The bond amount can be as high as $20,000 under the new rules.
Previously, the maximum bond was $15,000 with lower options of $5,000 or $10,000.
The $5,000 bond option has been removed in the new rule.
The bond is refundable if the visa is denied or if the traveler follows visa rules after approval.
The decision to make the program permanent followed a review lasting almost a year.
Additional countries may be added to the program in the future.
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A 10-year-old girl who went missing after being swept into the Passaic River in New Jersey was found dead after a two-day search. Two other children were also caught in the river; one, an 11-year-old girl, escaped, while a 10-year-old boy was found dead earlier.
Key Facts
Three children were swept into the Passaic River near a boat ramp at Pulaski Park in Passaic.
The children were playing near the water on Wednesday evening when the incident happened.
An 11-year-old girl got out of the river safely by herself.
A 10-year-old boy's body was found late Wednesday night.
The 10-year-old girl's body was found on Friday evening under the Market Street Bridge.
Search teams used boats, sonar, drones, and cadaver dogs to cover about nine miles of the river.
All three children are from Garfield, New Jersey; the 11-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy are siblings.
The names of the children have not been made public.
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The federal government proposed that Arizona, California, and Nevada reduce their water use from the Colorado River to address a severe water shortage. The plan would require up to 3 million acre-feet less water annually through 2036, with actual cuts decided every two years based on water conditions.
Key Facts
Arizona, California, and Nevada would share mandatory water cuts from the Colorado River.
The cuts could total up to 3 million acre-feet per year, enough water for over 25 million people.
The proposal allows deeper cuts in drier years and aims to give states more time to manage water collectively.
Four other Colorado River states are not facing mandatory cuts under this plan.
California generally gets priority water rights compared to Arizona and Nevada, affecting how cuts are divided.
The plan could impact agriculture, cities, tribes, and increase groundwater use and water prices.
The Colorado River supplies water to over 40 million people across seven states, tribal nations, and Mexico.
Reservoirs Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at record low levels, threatening water supply and hydropower production.
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The Trump administration has decided to drop criminal charges against Olympic athlete David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. New information showed that the damage was caused by poor installation during renovations, not vandalism.
Key Facts
David Hearn was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool but is now cleared of charges.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the damage happened because of bad installation by contractors.
The renovation project was rushed to finish before the July 4th celebrations for the US 250th anniversary.
Initial police reports lacked important details, causing the wrongful charges against Hearn.
The Trump administration has been carrying out several public works projects in Washington, DC, including the Reflecting Pool renovation.
The Reflecting Pool is a historic site known for events like Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech.
President Trump aimed to fix the pool with a special “American Flag Blue” surface.
The rushed renovation led to leaks and installation problems that were not fixed before the project was declared complete.
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The U.S. government dropped the felony charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian, who was accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This means the case against him will not continue in court.
Key Facts
David Hearn is a former Olympic athlete.
He was charged with a felony for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool.
The Reflecting Pool is a large water feature on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) decided to drop the case.
Dropping the case means the charges were dismissed and there will be no trial.
The decision was announced through CBS News.
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President Donald Trump spoke at a Cabinet meeting held at Camp David, where he said Minnesota's governor should be blamed for recent cyberattacks on the state's water systems. U.S. officials have suggested that Iran might be behind these cyberattacks, but the President disagreed with this view.
Key Facts
President Trump held a Cabinet meeting at Camp David.
Cyberattacks targeted Minnesota’s water systems.
U.S. officials suspect Iran may be responsible for these attacks.
President Trump blamed Minnesota’s governor instead of Iran.
The water systems affected are important for public safety.
The President expressed his views during a public briefing.
The issue involves concerns about cybersecurity and state safety.
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Police departments in the United States are using podcasts to help solve unsolved murder cases. These podcasts tell the story of the crimes and ask the public for new information that might lead to justice.
Key Facts
California police caught a murder suspect in Mexico after launching a podcast about the case.
In Illinois, a podcast helped lead to the discovery of a woman’s body that had been missing for over 40 years.
The Aurora Police Department in Colorado released a podcast about a 10-year-old unsolved murder of Chelsea Yasser.
True crime podcasts are very popular, which helps police reach a larger audience.
Police podcasts let departments control the information shared and encourage people to provide tips.
These podcasts often feature detailed storytelling similar to famous true crime shows like Serial.
DNA and new forensic genealogy techniques are used alongside podcasts to investigate cases.
The approach is relatively new but is expected to grow as a tool for solving crimes.
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The Pima County Sheriff's Office shared two ransom emails connected to the case of Nancy Guthrie, who was kidnapped. The emails claim that Nancy Guthrie died soon after her abduction.
Key Facts
Police released two ransom emails related to Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping.
The emails were sent by the kidnapper.
The emails state that Nancy Guthrie died shortly after being taken.
This is the first time the police have made these emails public.
The case is being handled by the Pima County Sheriff's Office.
Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping is an ongoing investigation.
The information was reported by Tom Hanson for CBS News.
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