Author: rpnadmin

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is many things. Murky. Peaceful. Stinky. The backdrop for protests, vigils, celebrations and stunning sunrise photos. Beset by gnats and algae. Scenery for a run. A key part of the capital’s carefully designed monumental core. The location of an iconic scene in “Forrest Gump.” One thing it’s generally not: a strictly enforced police zone. Entering the pool has always been illegal, but, in general, the most someone wading into the water might expect is a direction from a police officer to get out. People walk along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Tuesday, June 23, 2026,…

The U.S. Navy and its defense industry partners are moving beyond the prototyping phase and toward production of cutting-edge drone boats, a key Pentagon official said this week, with expected increases in defense budgets set to help fund a revolution in unmanned maritime technology. Rebecca J. Gassler, the Navy’s portfolio acquisition executive for robotic and autonomous systems, told an audience in Washington on Wednesday that the Navy specifically needs medium unmanned surface vessels, generally defined as vessels between about 40 and 170 feet long. “The time is now,” Ms. Gassler said during a panel discussion on autonomy at this week’s…

A man who was accused of faking his own death in 2020 and fleeing to Europe to evade rape charges in the U.S. has died after he was taken to a hospital from a Utah prison, authorities said Friday. Nicholas Rossi was serving at least 10 years in prison for two sexual assault cases that went to trial in Utah in 2025, following a yearslong global saga to find him and then extradite him from Scotland. A judge had described him as a “serial abuser of women.” Rossi, 38, died Thursday night from “complications of an existing medical condition after…

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come, there are signs of tension as the justices near the end of the term. A misunderstanding led to a highly unusual exchange for the restrained and traditional atmosphere after the nation’s highest court took the bench Thursday to hand down their decisions. Those rulings included two major immigration wins for President Donald Trump. After conservative Justice Samuel Alito finished his reading of the majority’s ruling limiting how people can seek asylum at the southern border,…

The Utah judge in the murder case over Charlie Kirk’s killing held prosecutors in contempt of court on Friday over comments they made to media organizations about defendant Tyler Robinson. Judge Tony Graf said the comments violated his restrictions on what the two sides can say about the case outside of court. But Graf denied a defense request to take the death penalty off the table as a sanction for the violation. He said the problem could instead be resolved through the screening and questioning process for potential jurors, which is intended to weed out people who could be biased…

Thomas Jefferson, the face of the nickel, is now the face of 250,000 special quarters the United States Mint is releasing to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. They feature Jefferson on one face along with the words “In God We Trust,” “1776-2026” and the motto “E Pluribus Unum,” and a ringing Liberty Bell and the words “The Declaration of Independence” on the other side, along with a special “July 4th” privy mark, mint officials said Tuesday. The “July 4th” mark sets the 250,000 quarters apart from other Declaration of Independence-themed quarters, which will instead have the usual Philadelphia or Denver mint…

LOS ANGELES — An appeals court on Friday upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2022 rape and sexual assault conviction in California, but ordered his trial judge to resentence him. A three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal unanimously issued the decision. “We are disappointed by today’s decision and respectfully disagree with the Court of Appeal’s conclusions regarding the fairness of Mr. Weinstein’s trial,” Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said in an email. “At the same time, the court correctly recognized that his sentence cannot stand.” The decision came a day after prosecutors in New York decided Weinstein would not face a…

A poll worker said two federal officers visited her at a voting location during New York’s primaries to confront her about a social media post she’d written criticizing the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. Paigelynne Gonyea said the confrontation happened Tuesday while she was working at a polling place in Syracuse. Two officers gave Gonyea a written notice stating that she might be in violation of federal laws that prevent publicly posting personal information about federal officers, she said. Gonyea said the warning stemmed from a post she made on social media in January in which…

A Florida tattoo shop owner is facing intense criticism after posting on Facebook that he would refuse service to active-duty military members and veterans, calling the armed forces “a bunch of war criminals.” The Tuesday post from Revival Tattoo Collective in Largo, Florida, read in part: “People all in their feelings because I expressed my opinion of the military and law enforcement. My opinion is that the military is a bunch of war criminals and law enforcement kills babies and unarmed citizens in the street.” The post told current and former service members not to visit the shop, warning they…

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency and banned the use of fireworks statewide through July 5 because drought conditions have increased the threat of wildfires. A historic drought has turned vegetation into kindling and already led to hundreds of wildfires, over 75% of which were caused by people. “Nothing about this decision was easy,” said Gov. Cox, a Republican. “Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different. We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before.” Utah State…