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Latest developments and key stories from across the United States
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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The US government proposed that Arizona, California, and Nevada reduce their water use from the Colorado River to address shortages. The plan aims to prevent a crisis by setting flexible cuts based on current water conditions and avoiding immediate cuts for the other four states relying on the river.
Key Facts
The Colorado River serves more than 40 million people across seven US states, tribal nations, and Mexico.
Arizona, California, and Nevada may have to cut water use by up to 3 million acre-feet annually until 2036.
Water reductions will be reviewed and possibly adjusted every two years, depending on water availability.
The proposal allows cuts in drier years and gives states more time to agree on managing water jointly.
Priority water rights affect how cuts are divided, with Arizona and Nevada having taken reductions before.
The two largest reservoirs on the river, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are at their lowest levels since filling started.
The proposal comes after years of negotiation deadlocks and a federal review; binding rules are expected by October 1.
State officials have mixed reactions: Arizona calls it flawed, California sees it as progress, and Nevada says cuts are unrealistic.
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George Santos agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a federal investigation about suspicious trades he made on a prediction market. He did not admit wrongdoing but accepted a ban from trading for three years and repayment of earnings linked to these trades.
Key Facts
George Santos settled with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for $35,000.
The settlement includes repaying $17,000 he earned from the trades plus a $17,500 fine.
Santos received a three-year ban from trading on such platforms.
The investigation focused on trades Santos made betting he would not attend President Trump’s State of the Union address.
Santos had publicly said he planned to attend but later said he was stuck at the airport and missed the event.
The prediction market Kalshi reported Santos to regulators and plans to take its own enforcement actions.
Santos said he intended to attend and booked travel but was delayed by a winter storm.
Santos was expelled from Congress and faced other federal charges unrelated to this case.
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The Justice Department asked the court to drop criminal charges against Olympian David Hearn, saying damage to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool was due to poor work by the contractor, not Hearn. Officials found the pool liner was damaged before Hearn visited, and a witness confirmed the pool needed repairs regardless of Hearn’s actions.
Key Facts
David Hearn faced felony charges for allegedly damaging the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
The Justice Department now says the damage was from faulty installation by the contractor.
Documents showed a rushed project before America 250 celebrations in 2026 caused damage.
Hearn touched the pool water briefly on June 19 but was detained for five hours afterward.
A witness testified the reflecting pool was already damaged before Hearn’s visit.
The pool leaked over one million gallons of water per week and had a liner rip before the incident.
Hearn pleaded not guilty and his trial was set to begin on September 28 in Washington DC.
Officials said the pool turned green and had issues even before the renovation started.
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The Department of Justice has decided to drop the criminal case against a former Olympian accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Officials now say the pool was damaged due to a faulty and hurried installation by the contractor, not intentional destruction.
Key Facts
The DOJ filed to end the criminal case related to damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
A former Olympian had been charged with destroying the pool.
The damage was caused by overspraying (spray going beyond the target area) and delamination (layers separating), linked to poor work by the contractor.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office stated the installation was rushed and badly done.
The decision to drop charges was made official through a new court filing on Friday.
The case focused on whether the damage was deliberate or accidental due to contractor errors.
The Reflecting Pool is a significant monument located at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
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US prosecutors dropped vandalism charges against David Hearn, a former Olympian accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC. New evidence showed that the damage was caused by poor work done by contractors hired by the Department of Interior as part of a rushed repair before the 250th US independence anniversary.
Key Facts
David Hearn was accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool and faced up to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors now say the damage came from a rushed and bad installation job by contractors.
The repair project was overseen by the Department of Interior under President Donald Trump's administration.
The project aimed to improve the pool before the 250th anniversary of US independence on July 4, 2026.
Hearn was arrested after touching the pool following a bike ride; several others were also arrested or cited for vandalism.
The pool has had ongoing issues like leaks, structural problems, and algae growth.
Despite costing about $13 million, parts of the pool's sealant peeled off shortly after being applied.
The Reflecting Pool has been drained twice in three months and remains empty for further repairs.
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Bev Craig from the Labour Party has been elected as the new Mayor of Greater Manchester, replacing Andy Burnham. Craig won after second-preference votes were counted, securing a large lead over her closest rival, Sian Astley from Reform UK.
Key Facts
Bev Craig will succeed Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester’s Mayor.
Andy Burnham stepped down to become a Member of Parliament and then Prime Minister.
Craig is the first female metro mayor in the UK.
She was previously deputy mayor for economy, business, and inclusive growth.
In the first round, Craig got 46.5% of votes; Astley got 22.2%.
Craig won after adding second-preference votes, with 309,525 votes to Astley’s 157,178.
Turnout was under 25% of more than two million eligible voters.
Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell congratulated Craig on her election win.
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Police in Arizona have shared two ransom notes related to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of U.S. TV presenter Savannah Guthrie. Nancy was taken from her home near Tucson six months ago, and investigators are asking the public for help identifying the note writer.
Key Facts
Nancy Guthrie, aged 84, disappeared from her home near Tucson on January 31.
Two ransom notes were sent shortly after her abduction; one demanded $4 million in Bitcoin.
The first note promised Nancy’s safe return if ransom was paid within seven days.
The second note claimed Nancy died shortly after being taken, possibly from heart-related issues.
Police have not confirmed Nancy’s death and the case is still open.
The notes were addressed to Savannah Guthrie and her family and sent to a local TV station.
Investigators hope someone will recognize the unique language style in the notes to help find the kidnapper.
Savannah Guthrie publicly asked the kidnappers to return her mother safely.
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