UNITED STATES

A Venezuelan national accused of threatening Arizona residents at gunpoint while claiming control over part of a Maricopa County community is facing multiple felony charges, including terrorism, authorities said.Arizona Department of Public Safety investigators allege Javier Enrique Erazo-Zuniga, 27, claimed control over part of Maricopa and threatened residents with deadly weapons in an effort to extort money, according to reporting by InMaricopa and statements from state authorities.DPS spokesperson Bart Graves told InMaricopa detectives began investigating Erazo-Zuniga in December after receiving information that he was "claiming Hidden Valley in Maricopa as his territory and demanding money from victims."Investigators allege Erazo-Zuniga was

The National Park Service reportedly removed a sign informing visitors of the threat of climate change at the historic Fort Sumter site in South Carolina, where the Civil War began.The New York Times reported on Thursday that earlier this month, the Park Service removed a sign informing visitors that "as the earth’s climate changes, rising seas could inundate most of the fort’s walls," warning that the ground would be "constantly submerged" if Charleston Harbor's sea level rose by four feet.The article cited three anonymous federal employees, who suggested that the sign's removal was in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive

A Nevada judge announced her retirement on Thursday just days after a court granted a protective order to an attorney she was accused of stalking for more than a year.Washoe County Judge Bridget Robb, 63, was allegedly stalking Gaming and Administrative Law attorney Kelci Binau at different locations around Reno, including residences and workplaces, according to court documents, News 4 reported.The documents describe dozens of alleged encounters and suggested there could have been hundreds of such incidents.The attorney alleges Robb had displayed a "willful, repeated and patterned" course of conduct between May 2024 and the issuance of a temporary protective order last

Former special counsel Jack Smith testified during a hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill, where he faced searing criticism from Republicans and praise from Democrats over his two prosecutions of President Donald Trump.The hearing gave Smith, a career prosecutor of nearly three decades, a rare chance to speak publicly about his work. He defended his indictments against Trump related to the 2020 election and classified documents as by-the-book and apolitical."If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so, regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat," Smith said.JACK SMITH

Indiana football claimed the school’s first-ever national championship earlier this week. The Hoosiers’ stunning rise has sparked questions about which program could be next.Urban Meyer, who coached Florida and Ohio State to national championships, made his pick. The college football studio analyst believes Rutgers could be the next program to take the sport by storm, saying the Scarlet Knights are in prime position to become the "next Indiana.""Give me three programs that could be the next Indiana, meaning teams that are used to losing, have really bad records and can somehow rise from the ashes to become national champion," Meyer

Former first lady Michelle Obama bemoaned on Wednesday how the media highlights fashion choices, shortly after joyfully touting her choice of outfit.Obama appeared on the feminist "Call Her Daddy" podcast on Wednesday, where she touted her new autobiographical book, "The Look." Its description on Amazon summarizes, "Michelle Obama explores the joy and the purpose of fashion and beauty and how—when wielded with grace and care—they can uplift and affirm the values one holds most dear."The former first lady recalled her early trajectory in the public eye, connecting with the American people as she supported her husband, saying, "as my popularity

An Oklahoma teenager is behind bars after allegedly calling 911 to tell authorities he stabbed his brother to death after becoming "enraged" over a video game. Oklahoma City police were called to the scene of a domestic stabbing at Southeast 44th Street and Bryant Avenue around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to FOX 8. When they arrived, officers learned two brothers, 19-year-old William Spencer and 25-year-old Nicholas Spencer, were reportedly playing video games when William Spencer became angry and allegedly stabbed his brother. MOM KILLED SHIELDING KIDS AFTER HUSBAND ERUPTS IN RAGE OVER NFL GAME: POLICE"The calling person called in and said they

Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Thursday made her first move ahead of likely launching a 2026 race for governor in her home state of Minnesota.The senator's first steps came a couple of weeks after the stunning announcement by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to end his re-election bid amid political fallout from the blue-leaning state's massive fraud scandal.Klobuchar, who less than 15 months ago was handily re-elected to a fourth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board."This is a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run. The senator will make

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said podcasters and comedians Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang were saying "the quiet part out loud" in their criticism of her Senate bid, suggesting the statement was about her race."I really do think that the host said the quiet part out loud, which basically was: If a White man couldn’t do it, then why would a Black woman even have the audacity to think that she could?" Crockett said in an interview in January, according to the Washington Post. "I don’t know however many White men, and they’ve all lost. The only thing we know for