Author: rpnadmin

WASHINGTON — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, the White House said Monday, in the latest departure of a top military leader during the Trump administration. No reason was given for the departure of Driscoll, who is a friend of Vice President JD Vance, but tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been widely reported. It marks the latest in a series of shakeups of top military leadership, with the Army especially seeing major upheaval. “Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the…

A 17-year-old North Carolina girl who recorded a livestream of a shooting that killed three people at a San Diego mosque and disseminated the attackers’ white-supremacist writings has been charged with murder by aiding and abetting, a district attorney said Monday. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said at a news conference in Winston-Salem that the girl, whose name was not mentioned during the news conference, was arrested last week. On Monday, just before she was due to begin the school year, a grand jury indicted her on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Under North Carolina…

Chicago witnessed its largest mass shooting of the year this weekend, when police said two masked gunmen killed one person and wounded 14 others after opening fire on a crowd at a South Side park. Authorities said the shooting erupted Saturday night as police were trying to clear out a packed Washington Park at about 11:30 p.m. A police report said a man among the park-goers returned fire at the gunmen, who fled. No arrests were announced, as of Monday. “Every time a tragedy like this happens, it is not only disruptive and incredibly traumatic, It’s horrifying and frightening for…

A White House-commissioned study found that people who more strongly believe in gender ideology, such as transgenderism, were more likely to think political violence was justified. The study, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, also found that this same group was more likely to support left-wing authoritarianism, which researchers outlined as “aggression toward perceived oppressors,” “enthusiasm for top-down censorship paired with institutional enforcement” and hostility toward “conventional sex and family norms.” Researchers from Rutgers University, the Network Contagion Research Institute and conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute said the correlation between gender ideology and political violence was…

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — More rain and thunderstorms were possible Monday at the Grand Canyon following a major flash flood that left one person dead and about 15 others missing or unaccounted for, with scores of visitors evacuated and the only water pipeline for tourists and residents destroyed. Emergency water restrictions that began Monday prevented tourists from staying overnight at lodges and hotels within the park. Year-round residents were asked to conserve water. A flood watch was in effect. Visiting the Grand Canyon – a crown jewel of the national park system – can be particularly dangerous in the summer because…

A South Carolina police officer died and a second was injured in a “gunfight” Saturday in a park, following a call about a domestic dispute, Columbia police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook said. The suspect, a 33-year-old man with a lengthy criminal record, also died, Holbrook said at a news conference in the capital city. The deceased officer, 29-year-old Christopher DeLong, had been with the police department for two years and leaves behind a wife and two young children, Holbrook said. “Our hearts are broken this evening,” he said, appearing choked up at times. DeLong’s wife, in a social media post,…

NEW YORK — Hundreds of people gathered near New York City’s popular Washington Square Park Sunday to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest. The winner, Amadeo Fusca, was the crowd favorite, wearing a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks underneath a suit. Fusca also had a haircut and facial hair similar to Mamdani, taking home a $100 prize. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January, has amassed a large following on social media and among younger residents. The event was sponsored by the social media app, Sonder. Mamdani’s agenda as mayor is centered on refocusing…

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A major flash flood at the Grand Canyon forced the evacuation of dozens of people and swept large boulders, metal structures and other debris into the Colorado River that runs through it, the National Park Service said. The flooding in Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the river, happened Saturday afternoon. Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over the creek and significantly altered the landscape, widening the creek bed and creating what appeared to be a new river rapid. The park service said it was seeking information about more than 20 people who may be missing or…

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — Volunteers carried out a more than 15-hour operation to rescue a man who got off route in the Sierra Nevada and was stranded on a small ledge, the Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team said. A four-person team carried out the rescue last weekend near Mammoth Lakes, California, in a precarious gully. The challenge came in having no time to spare with thousands of feet of vertical exposure below, said team spokesperson Mitchell Quiring. The stranded climber had only one foot fully on the 6-inch ledge and was shaking out his legs and switching them…

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Karina strengthened into a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday and could become a major storm this week, forecasters said. The cyclone’s center was far out at sea and was not threatening land. Karina had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said, making it a Category 1 hurricane. A major hurricane is Category 3 or greater. The storm was located about 820 miles southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula and was moving northwest at 15 miles per hour a forecast path farther out into…