Author: rpnadmin

SALT LAKE CITY — The 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University will be in court this week for the most substantial hearing so far in his murder case. Prosecutors will lay out their evidence against Tyler Robinson in a five-day preliminary hearing. When it is over, the judge will decide whether the case will proceed to trial, with the death penalty as a possible punishment if he is convicted. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, and his parents are expected to be in the Utah courtroom, according to a person familiar with the situation…

Three firefighters who were killed battling flames on the Colorado-Utah border are being remembered as brave heroes who were trailblazers in their industries. Wildfires have spread across the West fueled by months of dry weather and a record lack of snow, forcing residents from their homes as crews work to tamp down the flames. Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson were killed Saturday, June 27, and two others sustained burn injuries when they were overcome by flames from fast-moving fires in Mesa County. They deployed emergency protective shelters, which are considered a “last resort” for firefighters when there is…

Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said. The Guard members are part of a federal task force in Memphis created by President Donald Trump, who last year sent troops and federal agents to Democrat-run cities that he described as overrun with crime. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, had deployed the Guard to support the effort. Authorities said the soldiers in Memphis were responding with local police to reports of gunshots around 4 a.m. when they…

Several days of scorching temperatures are suspected to have caused at least 19 deaths in New Jersey as a heat dome that had settled above parts of the central and eastern United States gives way to severe storms that have knocked out power to close to 1 million homes and businesses. New Jersey officials said Saturday that they began seeing what they believe are heat-related deaths as early as Thursday with most occurring in the central and northern parts of the state. “Unfortunately, many of these individuals were found in homes without air conditioning,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington…

NEW YORK — A seaplane made a rough landing in New York City’s East River Sunday, alarming bystanders but resulting in no apparent injuries, according to city authorities. The seaplane carrying 10 people made a “hard landing” around noon, according to the New York City Fire Department. The plane made it upright and was being towed back to dock, the department said. Images shared on social media show a white plane appearing to lean over on its side with the tip of its left wing in the water as a helicopter circled overhead. Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.…

NEW YORK — A shooting at a Fourth of July cookout near New York’s Coney Island beach wounded eight people, including four children, police said. One of the victims, a 21-year-old woman, was in critical condition while the others were described as being stable and expected to survive, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday. The shooting broke out Saturday night in the courtyard of an apartment building about a block from the famed Coney Island boardwalk and not far from the site of the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest held earlier on the holiday. The police commissioner said a…

The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple states as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday. The signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of history’s most celebrated articulations of democratic ambitions, is being marked in myriad ways. President Donald Trump, set to take a central role in festivities, plans to speak on the National Mall in Washington ahead of what’s being billed as a historically enormous fireworks show that will rain down over the nation’s capital. The…

President Trump ushered in the 250th anniversary of American independence on Friday with soaring rhetoric about American exceptionalism before veering into a darkly political speech with warnings about a sinister threat of communism that evoked one of the country’s ugliest chapters. “Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” he said from Mount Rushmore. “It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11.” While the language was similar to several other speeches Trump has given in recent days, it was notable for being delivered in a national park that…

NPR’s Nina Totenberg sent a letter this week apologizing to Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. for wrongly reporting that he had announced his retirement. Ms. Totenberg, who has covered the Supreme Court for nearly five decades, reported Tuesday — the final day of rulings on cases argued this term — that Justice Alito was departing after 20 years on the bench. She quickly retracted the story. “Dear Justice Alito, there are no words to adequately apologize for today’s error in reporting your retirement. It was entirely my fault,” she said in her letter, posted on social media. “I rushed out…

A New York City bar owner says the street closures surrounding Taylor Swift’s and Travis Kelce’s wedding week cost his business thousands of dollars, after the NYPD implemented extensive street closures around Madison Square Garden for the couple’s nuptials. Michael O’Brien, who co-owns O’Brien’s Bar & Grill on 31st Street directly across from the arena, said the bar typically draws up to 150 patrons on a given night but saw a fraction of that as barricades went up ahead of the Friday ceremony. “You’ve wronged us; make it right,” Mr. O’Brien said in an interview with Us Weekly.  Mr. O’Brien…