UNITED STATES

A commencement speaker accused the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of being part of wiping "Palestine from the face of the Earth" Thursday, leading multiple students to walk out.Megha M. Vemuri, MIT's class of 2025 president, praised her classmates for protesting against Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and the ensuing Gaza War."Last spring, MIT's undergraduate body and graduate student union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military. You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. And you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation and

"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo recently revealed how a healthy snack she had with her for a flight was flagged by airport security and led to an incident."I had a bag of sunflower seeds, like organic sunflower seeds from Erewhon, so they were probably the most expensive sunflower seeds money can buy," Pompeo recently told Travel + Leisure.The snack food, which she had in her travel bag during a flight in March, caught the attention of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Pompeo told the magazine, and resulted in her spending an hour in a room with the bomb squad.6 FOODS

A disabled veteran in Volusia County, Florida, is at the center of a heated dispute with his homeowners association (HOA) over a flagpole installed in his yard. According to Fox News affiliate WOFL-TV, the Countryside Villas PUD3 HOA has filed a lawsuit against the unnamed veteran, claiming he failed to obtain the required approval before erecting the permanent structure. Despite the legal friction, community support for the veteran has surged, with neighbors speaking out against what they see as harassment and unnecessary litigation."Leave the veteran alone. He hasn't done anything wrong," Frank Johnson, a veteran himself, told the outlet. "He's called me

Kentucky state Democratic Sen. Robin Webb, who represents Kentucky’s rural 18th Senate district, is switching her party affiliation to Republican after she says the Democrat Party "left me." "First and foremost, I’m a mother, a rancher and a lawyer with deep personal and professional roots in Kentucky’s coal country," Webb explained. "As the Democratic Party continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values."TARIFF POLICY IS MAKING IT 'HARDER' ON AMERICANS, DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR SAYS"It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best

No éclaircissement was needed after 13-year-old Faizan Zaki triumphed in the 21st round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The teen collapsed on the floor with excitement after correctly spelling "éclaircissement" and securing the national title — not to mention a trophy and $50,000. Zaki’s win also coincided with a major milestone: the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.When spelling the "M-E-N-T" in "éclaircissement," Zaki, who hails from Allen, Texas, was understandably thrilled after coming in second place at last year’s competition behind Bruhat Soma, who was 12 years old when he took home the trophy.NATIONAL SPELLING BEE

After nearly 30 years in the spotlight, Lindsay Lohan took a step back from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood and uprooted her life from Los Angeles to Dubai in 2014. Since then, the "Mean Girls" actress, 38, has not only become a wife and a mother, she has found peace within herself. Lohan, who appears on the cover of Elle’s 2025 Summer Issue, opened up about her life overseas and what she's learned about herself, both personally and professionally, since making the move. "It’s hard in L.A. Even taking my son to the park in L.A., I get stressed. I’m like,

Rudy Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, mourned the death of former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard "Bernie" Kerik on Thursday, describing the grief of losing his "best friend" and a "true patriot" as "inexpressible."Kerik died at 69 years old "after a private battle with illness," according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Kerik and Giuliani were prominent figures during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City due to their leadership roles in the city, and they quickly became close friends."On September 11th, Bernie Kerik and I saved

Karen Read’s defense team of heavy-hitting attorneys is ready to begin tearing down the prosecution’s murder case against her after the state rested its case this week.Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, outside an acquaintance's house party just after midnight on Jan. 29, 2022.The prosecution alleges that Read struck O’Keefe with her 2021 Lexus SUV in a drunken ragme after an evening of fighting before leaving him to freeze to death in the front yard of 34 Fairview Road. KAREN READ DEFENSE GRILLS CRASH EXPERT OVER $400K PRICE TAG AND EXPERIMENTATION METHODSSpecial prosecutor Hank Brennan