Los Angeles to speed up gun licensing process to settle US government lawsuit

2026-08-13 9:55 PM UTC / Reuters

By Jonathan Stempel

August 13, 2026 9:55 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

A view of the skyline of downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 13 (Reuters) – The Los Angeles County sheriff’s department agreed to speed up licensing for people who want to carry concealed weapons, to ​settle a U.S. government lawsuit accusing it of systematically and ‌unconstitutionally denying Californians’ Second Amendment rights.

A settlement of the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit, opens new tab was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles federal court, and requires a judge’s ​approval. The sheriff did not admit wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

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While ​Republican President Donald Trump’s administration is regularly at odds with ⁠officials in Democratic-led California, its lawsuit last September focused more on ​bureaucracy issues than policy differences.

Los Angeles officials were accused of violating citizens’ ​right to bear arms by typically waiting nine months to review license applications, and sometimes more than two years to interview applicants.

According to the complaint, the sheriff ​received 3,982 applications for new concealed carry licenses between January 2024 and ​March 2025 but approved just two.

The Justice Department said Los Angeles has since “drastically” reduced ‌wait ⁠times and now meets applicable state deadlines, including that reviews begin within 90 days.

Thursday’s settlement requires the county to continue meeting those deadlines and maintain a licensing regime consistent with New York State Rifle & Pistol ​Association v. Bruen, the ​2022 U.S. ⁠Supreme Court landmark that expanded Americans’ rights to arm themselves in public.

That decision said “lengthy wait times in processing ​license applications” could prove unconstitutional.

Neither the sheriff’s department nor ​its lawyers ⁠immediately responded to requests for comment.

“The sheriff acknowledged the problem and devoted substantial additional resources, including new processing software and additional personnel, to cutting ⁠waiting times ​dramatically,” Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice ​Department’s civil rights division, said in a statement.

Los Angeles County had about 9.7 million people ​in 2025.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis

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Is Trump’s name going back on the Kennedy Center?

2026-08-13T22:30:29.416Z / CNN Politics

By Jake Tapper, CNN

Published 6:30 PM EDT, Thu August 13, 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/13/politics/video/trump-name-kennedy-center-lead-jake-tapper

Is Trump’s name going back on the Kennedy Center?

The Lead

CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty reports on The Lead.
2:55 • Source: CNN

This week on “Sunday Morning” (Aug. 16)

2026-08-13T17:05:00-0400 / CBS News

By David Morgan

The Emmy Award-winning “CBS News Sunday Morning” is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. “Sunday Morning” also streams on the CBS News app beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.)

Hosted by Jane Pauley

COVER STORY: A summer of extremes: Weathering a hotter worldJuly was the hottest month ever in the Lower 48 States, breaking a record last set during the Dust Bowl – just another step in the escalation of our world into a hotter, more dangerous planet. Correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti talks with climate journalist Jeff Goodell and atmospheric scientist Maria Molina about how changes in Earth’s climate are increasing the likelihood that extreme weather events – such as heat waves, wildfires and hurricanes – will become more common and more extreme.

For more info:

• “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet” by Jeff Goodell (Little, Brown & Co.), in Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
• Jeff Goodell (Official site)
• Maria Molina, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park

ALMANAC: August 16“Sunday Morning” looks back at historical events on this date.

A championship bull rider trophy belt buckle. CBS News

FASHION: Trophy belt buckles: The highly-prized currency of cowboy cultureFrom bull riding to barrel racing, trophy belt buckles, worn by champion rodeo riders, tell stories of grit, accomplishment and honor. Correspondent Ian Lee visits the Professional Bull Riders World Championship in Fort Worth, where an elite group of cowboys competes to win a trophy buckle; and talks with the artisans of Montana Silversmiths, who carry on this century-old tradition.

For more info:

• Professional Bull Riders World Championship, Fort Worth
• Montana Silversmiths, Columbus, Mont.
• Cooper Davis on Instagram
• Flint Rasmussen (Official site)
• John Crimber on Instagram

Lovina Hershberger Zook left the Amish behind, and joined the online world as a social media influencer. CBS News

FOOD: How Lovina Zook left the Amish and found an online audienceTwenty-three-year-old Lovina Hershberger Zook is an unlikely social media influencer: she grew up in a conservative Amish community and had never used a cell phone or computer or driven a car. But she left the faith, and her family, five years ago, and today shares stories and recipes of the Amish with her six million online followers. Faith Salie reports on a very un-traditional TikTok sensation.

RECIPE: Amish Peanut Butter Pie

For more info:

• Lovina Zook (Official site)
• “Lovina’s Amish Cookbook: 230+ Authentic Amish Recipes” by Lovina Hershberger Zook (Lovina’s Kitchen Co.), in Hardcover and eBook formats

POLITICS: Rahm EmanuelRobert Costa reports.

PASSAGE: In memoriam“Sunday Morning” remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.

FASHION: Short pants: The long and the short of itThe summer of 1936 saw a heat wave so dangerous at least five thousand people died. It also saw the popularization of a cooler fashion alternative: shorts. Correspondent Mo Rocca looks at the long history of short pants; how at one time, in Yonkers, N.Y., the wearing of shorts was illegal; and how hot pants and Daisy Dukes became high fashion.

For more info:

• “The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America” by Geoff Williams (Pegasus Books), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
• Mayor Mike Spano, Yonkers, N.Y.
• Erin Black, associate arts professor, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts

HARTMAN: Mom

Don Henley of the Eagles. CBS News

MUSIC: Don Henley on the Eagles’ “Long Goodbye” farewell tour, now longerThe Eagles, one of the greatest old-school bands on Earth (and whose “Greatest Hits” compilation is the bestselling album in history), have extended their farewell tour, currently in residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Eagles co-founder Don Henley talks with correspondent Tracy Smith about the band’s half-century relationship with their fans; the legacy of his late bandmate Glenn Frey; and how his pre-performance regimen has changed with age. (Originally broadcast Feb. 8, 2026.)

You can stream the Eagles’ album “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):

WEB EXCLUSIVE:Extended Interview – Don Henley (Video)

Singer-songwriter Don Henley reflects on the Eagles’ decades-long career, the larger-than-life legacy of his late bandmate Glenn Frey, and the emotional moment he saw Frey’s son Deacon perform in his father’s place. He also emphasizes the importance of connecting with fans, saying “music is medicine. And people need some medicine right now.”

For more info:

• The Eagles: The Sphere performance schedule and tickets
• “Henry David Thoreau” (executive produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley) on PBS

SUNDAY SHORT: TBD

Data from iNaturalist users helps track the migration of invasive species, like the spotted lanternfly. CBS News

TECHNOLOGY: The iNaturalist app – Mixing science with funThe iNaturalist cellphone app not only helps users identify plant, animal and insect species; it also provides invaluable data to scientists studying biodiversity, species decline, and habitat loss. It also provides opportunities for fun: David Pogue joins iNaturalist fan Martha Stewart in a “bioblitz” – a timed competition with other users to spot and ID species. (Originally broadcast March 22, 2026.)

For more info:

• iNaturalist app
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• marthastewart.com

MISCELLANY: This ‘n’ ThatJane Pauley with updates for “Sunday Morning” viewers.

NATURE: Sunflowers in South Dakota

WEB EXCLUSIVES:

A love letter to Hawaii from “CBS Sunday Morning” by CBS Sunday Morning on YouTube

MARATHON: Aloha, welcome to Hawaii (YouTube Video)Come learn about the Aloha State as “CBS Sunday Morning’ highlights its beauty, its history, its food and more. Featuring:

• Ancient art of lei-making
• The controversial legacy of Captain James Cook
• The history of surfboards
• The Olympics of hula
• Breadfruit, a stable food of the tropics
• Georgia O’Keeffe, Visions of Hawaii at the Botanical Garden
• The Lanai Cat Sanctuary
• In Hawaii, Spam goes with everything
• Mick Fleetwood plays to the future in Maui
• Mauna Loa volcano sights and sounds

Marathon: Bookstores by CBS Sunday Morning on YouTube

MARATHON: Bookstores (YouTube Video)To honor National Book Lover’s Day (August 9), “CBS Sunday Morning” pulls some stories off the shelf about treasured bookstores, and the bibliophiles who love them. Featuring:

• A visit to Powell’s, the nation’s largest independent bookstore, in Portland, Ore. (1999)
• Ann Patchett: Writer, and purveyor, of books (2017)
• Grolier, in Cambridge, Mass., a bookshop devoted to poetry (1983)
• Hay-on-Wye, the Welsh booktown that is a reader’s, and author’s, paradise; featuring Martin Cruz Smith, P.D. James and Doris Lessing (1996)
• Dickman’s, one of the largest booksellers in the country, housed in the middle of Iowa farmland (2008)
• A new chapter for the Book Thing, a charity “bookstore” in Baltimore (2017)
• The Massachusetts town of Stoughton pickets a store selling adult books (1983)
• How independent bookstores (like New York City’s Strand, and EyeSeeMe, an African-American children’s bookstore in St. Louis) found ways to cope during the COVID pandemic (2020)
• Hobart, a tiny town in upstate New York, where bookstores rule (2024)
• A moving bookstore finds helping hands – hundreds of them (2025)

Summer music highlights of 2026 121 photos

GALLERY: Summer music highlights of 2026Summer is the time to enjoy live music, indoors and out. Scroll through our gallery of some of 2026’s leading musical acts, featuring images by CBS News photojournalist Jake Barlow and photographers Ed Spinelli and Kirstine Walton.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/extended-interview-don-henley/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVMxSZO4FfY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daBTG5Cd93o

Resurfaced assault report puts Dem Senate nominee in GOP crosshairs: ‘Graham Platner 2.0’

2026-08-13 17:15:50 EDT / Fox News

The resurfaced report details a late-night brawl when Jackson was 19, which he says was resolved with a $50 fine

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published August 13, 2026 5:15pm EDT

Dems pressed on support for Maine nominee after disturbing family report

Multiple Democrats who were questioned by Fox News Digital about Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson denied knowing anything about a report that the Democrat, who recently replaced scandal-plagued Graham Platner as the party’s nominee, allegedly fathered two children with his second cousin.

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Republicans are targeting Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson after a newly resurfaced 1988 police record detailed accusations that he assaulted a man and pushed his longtime partner during a late-night confrontation in Fort Kent, Maine.

Jackson, a one-time logger and a former state Senate president, was chosen a couple of weeks ago by Maine Democrats to replace embattled oysterman Graham Platner, who won the June Democratic Senate nomination in a landslide before imploding and dropping out of the race last month amid rape allegations that he denied.

Jackson is challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-stakes race that’s among a dozen that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority.

MAINE DEMOCRATS CROWN TROY JACKSON AS PLATNER REPLACEMENT FACES INTENSE SCRUTINY

Troy Jackson speaks as he became the Maine Democratic Party’s choice to be their U.S. Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner on the ballot in November on July 25, 2026, in Bangor, Maine.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Collins is the only GOP incumbent running for re-election in a state President Donald Trump lost in the 2024 election. A Fox News poll in Maine released on Wednesday indicated Jackson holding a slight two-point edge over Collins, which was within the survey’s sampling error.

“Troy Jackson is Graham Platner 2.0: Violent and unhinged,” the Republican National Committee charged in a social media post.

Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, referring to Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, wrote on X, “Is this incredibly disturbing report of violence and abuse not enough for you to drop Troy Jackson?”

WHAT THE NEW FOX NEWS POLL IN MAINE’S CRUCIAL SENATE RACE SHOWS

Graham Platner speaks at his Primary Election event on June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine.(CJ Gunther/Getty Images)

The Bangor Daily News reported that the police report accused Jackson of assaulting another man during a late-night brawl on March 12, 1988.

The brawl was over Jackson’s longtime partner Lana Pelletier, who, according to records, is also his second cousin. Jackson and Pelletier share two adult children.

The police report indicates that Pelletier told officers at the time that Jackson “pushed her around,” a statement she now denies making.

According to the report, the then-19-year-old Jackson went to a home in Fort Kent, Maine around 2 a.m.

After the occupant of the house told Jackson to go away, the report says the future state lawmaker “kicked the door in” and grabbed his rival by the throat before punching him in the face, causing the victim’s glasses to leave a cut. The report added that a friend broke up the ensuing fight.

DEMOCRATS STAND BY JACKSON AFTER LATEST CONTROVERSY

Former State Senator Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Maine and gubernatorial candidate, speaks during a Fighting Oligarchy event with Graham Platner(Sophie Park / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Jackson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, “Nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now.”

“But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman. This happened nearly four decades ago, and I assure Mainers this incident in no way reflects the man I am today or the life I’ve led in the years since,” the Democratic Senate nominee added.

Pelletier told Fox News Digital in a statement, “I do not remember making the statements attributed to me and they are not accurate. This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago. Troy and I have built a life and family together and I know the person he has been through the decades since, both as a caring partner and father.”

“I understand Maine voters want to learn about Troy as he seeks to represent them but personal attacks on my family are unacceptable,” she added. “In the 40 years since he made a mistake as a 19-year-old kid, Troy has grown to be a passionate advocate for Mainers and dedicated his life to making things better for our state while Susan Collins has been in Washington enriching herself at our expense.”

WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN: CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine tours a food bank in Harrison, Maine, on May 5, 2026. The food bank was able to expand thanks to federal funding that the senator helped obtain.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Meanwhile, the Jackson campaign told Fox News Digital that Troy “acknowledges going to the residence and getting into a physical confrontation with another man. The case was resolved with a $50 fine.”

On Thursday, the conservative-leaning Maine Wire reported that a man from Allagash, Maine, who says he’s known Jackson for decades alleged that he witnessed Jackson strike Pelletier, in a separate incident, years ago.

Jackson, who hails from the remote northern tip of Maine, is a one-time conservative Republican who became a Democrat over two decades ago.

As he quickly became the front-runner in the abbreviated race to replace Platner, he faced a slew of reports over his alleged temper and workplace conduct, as well as reported claims of mortgage improprieties and other potential liabilities, including his past strict anti-abortion stance.

Asked by Fox News Digital last month about any vetting concerns, Jackson said, “I think a lot of this obviously is Sen. Collins trying to make sure she win can the election on a really bad record. But, for me, I’ve been in the legislature for 20 years. I do believe I’ve been vetted, I’ve been tested. People know exactly what I’m fighting for. I have their back. And they know they can trust me.”

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The scrutiny and negative reports are raising concerns by some in the party that Democrats landed another unvetted nominee after the Platner implosion.

“This is a bit of a rocket vetting process,” a Democratic strategist who works on Senate races who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News Digital. “Maine Democrats have made their choice, and they’re just going to have to ride with it.”

The NRSC, in a series of social media posts directed at Democratic senators and Senate nominees who have endorsed Jackson since he landed the nomination, ask if those politicians will “call on Troy Jackson to drop out?”

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Video

Jackson, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, campaigned alongside Platner during the primary. And he quickly made the case that he was the best equipped candidate to grab the mantle of the progressive and populist movement that had backed Platner.

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Similar to Platner, Jackson is running on a platform aimed at working-class voters. He backs raising taxes on billionaires, the universal healthcare system known as “Medicare-for-all,” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and he opposes military aid to Israel at a time Democrats are increasingly divided on support for America’s longtime Middle East ally.

Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402115611112

‘Cyber privateers’: Trump issues order allowing US companies to hack overseas groups under certain conditions

Aug 13, 2026, 5:30 PM ET / CNN

By Sean Lyngaas

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on August 6, 2026.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images/File

The Trump administration is enlisting private companies to conduct cyberattacks on foreign cybercriminals in a major policy shift that experts say could come with legal risk for the companies.

The move gives vetted companies a prominent role in hacking operations that have historically been the dominion of US law enforcement, spy and military agencies.

Companies can use cyber tools to surveil foreign criminals and disrupt their networks under the “control and oversight” of the new federal program, according to a memo issued Wednesday by President Donald Trump.

The program’s goal is to punish foreign criminal groups that cause Americans billions of dollars in annual losses. The program’s remit is foreign criminal groups, not governments.

“American businesses’ innovative capabilities have historically been underutilized in efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks operating in cyberspace,” the memo says.

The US government is already doing a lot of hacking on foreign targets. The new program risks having too many cooks in the kitchen, some former officials said.

“The real risk is that you end up with a bunch of cyber privateers running around without any clear coordination or direction at the federal level,” said Andrew Schoka, a former Army officer at US Cyber Command.

Deconflicting in cyber operations “is already a major challenge for federal agencies, but now you’re adding in the complexity of private sector firms with a lot more capability and speed,” Schoka told CNN.

The new program could free up US government resources. Chinese government-backed hackers outnumber FBI cyber personnel 50-to-1, according to former FBI director Christopher Wray.

“Having private sector help to counter cyber criminals allows the US to disrupt more groups and frees up agencies like FBI and Cyber Command to focus more on countering nation states like China,” said Cynthia Kaiser, a former senior FBI cyber official.

“But the devil is in the details,” Kaiser told CNN. “Before they sign up, companies will need more explicit information about liability protections, types of government oversight, and foreign criminal use of US infrastructure, among other concerns.”

An explosion of scams targeting every type of American in recent years has prompted some private citizens to hack back and compromise the networks of the scammers.

Chris “Weld Pond” Wysopal, co-founder of cybersecurity firm Veracode, said the new federal program would be a more organized way of dealing with the problem. But he also worried about the potential consequences of a government-sanctioned hacking operation carried out by a private firm that goes awry. Hacking a data center in a foreign country to target scammers could, for example, inadvertently affect a hospital, he said.

Foreign governments may also see employees of companies participating in the new hacking program who travel abroad as legitimate targets for detention or questioning, Wysopal said.

Officials from the departments of Justice and Homeland Security will oversee the new hacking group. Any program activity “directed at a United States person” must undergo extra legal scrutiny, including from the Justice Department, the memo says.

But Jason Kikta, a former Cyber Command official, said the new memo didn’t lay out a clear process for ensuring cyber operations uphold the civil liberties of American citizens.

“There is no clear oversight or review process on the determinations that will be made by unnamed political appointees,” Kikta said. “Defenders (of the memo) will say that it still requires activity to be constrained by DOJ and DHS authorities. But this order pushes liability on to the companies.”

Trump orders Navy to abandon carrier launch system, return to steam catapults

August 13, 2026 9:37 PM UTC / Reuters

U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford conducts flight operations in support of Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran, from an unidentified location, released March 9, 2026, in this still image taken from a handout video. DVIDS/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 13 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered ‌the Navy to abandon a complex system for launching jet fighters from its ​aircraft carriers and instead go ​back to using steam catapults, the ⁠White House said on Thursday.

Trump ​signed a national security memorandum directing ​the change which would require the removal of the electromagnetic catapult system used on ​Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers and ​is expected to cost billions of dollars. Huntington ‌Ingalls (HII.N), opens new tab ⁠is the primary contractor building Ford class aircraft carriers.

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Trump has frequently criticized the Navy’s electromagnetic launch system as ​being more ​expensive ⁠and not as effective as steam catapults.

“Billions of dollars ​more they spent on electric ​catapults ⁠and they’re not good. They’re not nearly as good, too complex,” Trump ⁠said ​at a defense summit ​in Pennsylvania last month.

Reporting by Carlos Méndez in ​Mexico City; Editing by Franklin Paul

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Jury set in Las Vegas trial of man accused of ordering Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing

August 13, 2026 5:48 PM EDT / AP

A jury of six men and 10 women was selected Thursday to hear the case against an ex-gang leader accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s killing nearly 30 years ago in one of hip-hop’s most pivotal moments.

Opening statements at the murder trial in Las Vegas are expected to begin Monday.

Family members and fans of the legendary rapper have been waiting for decades to learn the truth behind the 1996 drive-by shooting that left Shakur dead at the height of his career.

Shakur was just 25 when he was shot near the Las Vegas Strip at a time when he was in the middle of a fierce battle for dominance in a music scene shaped by rival gangs.

Authorities three years ago charged Duane “Keffe D” Davis with murder, describing him as the “shot caller” who orchestrated the killing. Davis has pleaded not guilty and could be sentenced to life in prison if he’s convicted.

Rapper Tupac Shakur poses for photos backstage after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois, in March 1994. Raymond Boyd / Getty Images

Sixteen jurors were picked for the trial, which is expected to last about a month. During the selection process, potential jurors were asked about their favorite books and movies, if they had any strong feelings about gangs, and whether they had listened to Shakur’s music.

Shakur is still considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. More than 75 million of his records have been sold worldwide, with hits like “California Love” and “Dear Mama,” including several albums released after his death.

He was in the passenger seat of a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight on Sept. 7, 1996, when shots were fired from a Cadillac at a red light. Knight survived, but Shakur died six days later.

Prosecutors have not accused Davis, now 63, of pulling the trigger that night, instead saying that he made the calls that led to Shakur’s death and provided the gun.

Duane Davis appears in court during the third day of jury selection in his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, on Aug. 12, 2026, in Las Vegas. Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP, Pool

In Nevada, a person can be convicted of murder for helping another person commit the crime.

Davis is the only person still alive who was in the car where prosecutors said the fatal shots originated.

The case against Davis was revived when Davis published the book “Compton Street Legend,” about the shooting and his time in the Crips, in 2019 as well as his statements during police and media interviews.

Davis’ attorneys unsuccessfully fought to block from the trial details written in the book and said during a 2008 police interview. They argued the book was fictionalized and had a co-author, making it impossible to know which parts Davis wrote.

They also argued Davis’ previous interview with a federal task force was supposed to be confidential and not used against him.

Among those who could be called to testify in the trial is Knight, the rap music mogul whose label represented Shakur. He has continually said that he wants no part in the trial.

Knight, who is serving a 28-year sentence for running over and killing a Compton businessman in 2015, is the only surviving person who was in the car with Shakur at the time of the shooting.

Prosecutors expect to call between 35 and 45 witnesses, ranging from people who saw Shakur moments before he was shot to those who were associates of both Shakur and Davis at the time. Sean “Diddy” Combs, who Davis claimed wanted Shakur and Knight dead, will not be one of those witnesses, attorneys said.

Dem Senate nominee admits ‘I take responsibility’ after police report alleges he broke down door, punched man

2026-08-13T16:15:01-04:00 / Fox News

The NRSC tagged Senate Democrats, including Schumer and Warren, demanding they condemn Jackson over the 1988 report

By Jasmine Baehr Fox News

Published August 13, 2026 4:15pm EDT

Fox News contributor Bill McGurn and host Brian Kilmeade analyze new polling data revealing a dead-heat Maine Senate race between Susan Collins and Troy Jackson. Registered voters surveyed in August rank inflation and high prices as their top issue at 32%, followed by border security.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson acknowledged to Fox News Digital that he got into a fight with another man nearly four decades ago, and Senate Republicans reacted to a newly surfaced police report detailing the violent confrontation.

“Nearly 40 years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now,” Jackson told Fox News Digital.

“But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman,” Jackson added. “This happened nearly four decades ago, and I assure Mainers this incident in no way reflects the man I am today or the life I’ve led in the years since.”

FORMER PLATNER ALLY TROY JACKSON LOCKS DOWN DELEGATES AS TOP RIVALS FOR DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION DROP OUT

Troy Jackson speaks July 25, 2026, in Bangor, Maine, after he became the Maine Democratic Party’s choice to be its U.S. Senate nominee to replace Graham Platner on the ballot in November.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is calling on Democrats to condemn Jackson over the report as he campaigns to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.

“Disgusting and inexcusable,” the NRSC wrote in a post on X. “Troy Jackson is violent, unhinged, and has no place in the Senate.”

The NRSC also tagged a handful of Senate Democrats in posts specifically mentioning the 1988 incident, including Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.; and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The NRSC also tagged Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper; and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

The Bangor Daily News first obtained and reported on the 1988 Fort Kent Police Department report, which the outlet said describes Jackson breaking down a door and punching a man at a Fort Kent home.

According to the newspaper’s account of the police report and a handwritten witness statement, Jackson went to the home shortly before 2 a.m. March 12, 1988. After an occupant told him to leave, Jackson allegedly “kicked the door in.”

INTERNET ERUPTS OVER REPORT THAT PLATNER’S REPLACEMENT IN KEY SENATE RACE FATHERED CHILDREN WITH SECOND COUSIN

Maine Democrats picked progressive former state lawmaker Troy Jackson as their new U.S. Senate nominee, giving them another shot at the crucial race after previous pick Graham Platner dropped out.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Jackson then allegedly grabbed the man by the throat and swung at him, striking his glasses and cutting his face, according to the BDN’s account of the records. The witness said Jackson warned the man to “stay away from Lana Pelletier or else.”

The police report also notes Pelletier, Jackson’s longtime partner, told an officer that Jackson had pushed her after the confrontation and that she planned to seek “cease harassment papers,” according to the BDN.

Pelletier disputed that account in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I do not remember making the statements attributed to me, and they are not accurate. This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago,” Pelletier said. “Troy and I have built a life and family together, and I know the person he has been through the decades since, both as a caring partner and father.”

The NRSC called on multiple current and former far-left lawmakers to condemn Jackson, specifically mentioning the 1988 incident.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The BDN reported that it found no record Pelletier ever sought such an order.

A surviving court summary shows Jackson entered into an agreement to pay the man $50 to resolve the case, according to the BDN. The newspaper reported that the underlying court file has since been destroyed under the state’s records-retention schedule.

The BDN also reported that its background check found Jackson does not have a criminal record and that the 1988 case was the only criminal case it located involving him.

Fox News Digital has made multiple attempts to independently obtain the underlying records and contacted the Fort Kent Police Department and District Court seeking the original police report. Fox News Digital additionally submitted a request through Maine’s state criminal background check system, finding no viewable corresponding results.

The Fort Kent Police Department responded to Fox News Digital’s request Thursday afternoon, saying the town has “sought advice from its attorneys as to whether the documents can be released.”

The controversy comes shortly after Jackson secured the Democratic nomination to challenge Collins following the collapse of Graham Platner’s ill-fated campaign.

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Fox News Digital also reached out to Sen. Collins’ office for comment.

Jasmine Baehr is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, legal debates surrounding life and family policy, as well as faith and culture.

Epstein judge: ‘The public has a right to know what the hell is going on’

2026-08-13T21:53:54.989Z / CNN

By Katelyn Polantz

PUBLISHED Aug 13, 2026, 5:53 PM ET

This photo illustration shows redacted documents from the Epstein Library files released by the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on February 18.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

A federal judge gave a chilling warning to Justice Department lawyers fighting the further releases of documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein: If they don’t comply with court orders, contempt proceedings could ruin their futures.

Judge Emmet Sullivan of the DC District Court has demanded answers from the Justice Department as to why they haven’t released some records from the investigations into the late sex offender. On Thursday, the judge warned the department that the answers it has given so far, including in the courtroom Thursday, weren’t enough and invoked an infamous botched criminal trial of a sitting US senator.

“The public has a right to know what the hell is going on in this case. The victims have a right to know. The court has a right to know,” Sullivan said at the hearing, coolly pressing a Justice Department lawyer on whether he could provide any more answers. “The law is still in full force and effect. The court is just ensuring compliance.”

The case, filed by journalist Katie Phang, seeks to force the release of some FBI documents related to Epstein and to lift some redactions of names of people emailing him. Sullivan questioned why handwritten notes FBI agents took during some witness interviews years ago aren’t part of the millions of pages the Justice Department previously released.

Sullivan also took issue with the Justice Department not releasing documents related to Epstein that are in written in foreign languages, and for not saying when it plans to publish explanations for redactions it made in the Epstein files in the Federal Register, which is required by Congress.

Sullivan had previously ordered the Justice Department to explain to him why it hasn’t released some Epstein records and describe why it couldn’t say more.

“I have nothing else to say,” DOJ lawyer Andrew Block told Sullivan on Thursday.

The hearing then took an unusual turn. Sullivan gave the Justice Department lawyers a history lesson one of the darkest episodes in their agency’s history – in a case he presided over nearly two decades ago.

Related article Trump’s urging the country to move on from Epstein — but a year later frustrations are boiling over 11 min read

Speaking off the cuff to a silent but full courtroom, Sullivan described for nearly a half hour how he had held Justice Department prosecutors in civil contempt of court in the criminal case against then-Sen. Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican. The prosecutors hadn’t been transparent, and a whistleblower unearthed for the judge prosecutorial misconduct.

The situation was so severe that it has shaped Sullivan’s approach to government lawyers, the DC District Court and the Justice Department since.

In 2008, Stevens was convicted of corruption. He lost his reelection bid later that year. But later, the guilty verdict was wiped away because Sullivan discovered the Justice Department withheld documents from Stevens’ defense before the trial. (Stevens died in a plane crash in 2010.)

“I told the attorneys I had no choice; I was holding each one of them in contempt,” Sullivan said to the three Justice Department lawyers at counsel’s table on Thursday. “I had no choice … how else was I going to ensure that justice was administered?”

In the past, Sullivan said he was a judge willing to sanction Justice Department lawyers and refer them to bar discipline if he believed they hadn’t complied with his orders.

The black mark of a contempt proceeding, Sullivan added on Thursday, could hurt the lawyers for the rest of their careers.

“That’s not a threat. It’s a promise. No one’s in trouble. I’m just bringing it to your attention,” Sullivan said.

He said, repeating several times, that the Justice Department lawyers in Phang’s case were “not in trouble.”

“I’m just putting everyone on the same page,” Sulivan said. “I’m just having a conversation.”

He then opened the floor of the courtroom for responses from the lawyers in the case. No one stood up.

韩咏红：一代改革者朱镕基

2026-08-14 05:00 / 联合早报

在中国首都北京，一名男子星期四（8月13日）在报摊购买商品，摊上陈列着刊登中国前总理朱镕基讣告的报纸。朱镕基在星期三（8月12日）逝世。 （路透社）

高龄98岁的中国前总理朱镕基去世了。这个消息星期三（8月12日）中午就开始在中国境外社媒上传开，到傍晚6时，中国官方发出正式讣告证实，这位曾经名震中外的中国前总理、“铁血宰相”病逝了。

在用词极为讲究，又高度重视规范的公文传统下，中国官方为朱镕基逝世发出讣告，在规格上与已故前总理李鹏、李克强相同，对三人的历史评价更是完全一致，都是“中国共产党的优秀党员，久经考验的忠诚的共产主义战士，杰出的无产阶级革命家、政治家，党和国家的卓越领导人”。

但细品之下，朱镕基讣告里的细节仍透露出差异，对他的评价更全面与深入，并包含对朱镕基品格的赞扬。比如，讣告强调朱镕基担任副总理和总理期间，是中国“从计划经济体制向社会主义市场经济体制转变的关键时期”，并列出多项朱镕基当年“主持”“推进”“建立”的工作，包括“主持了财税体制改革”、“主持实施社会保障体制、医药卫生体制、投融资体制等一系列重大改革”，“主持完成我国加入世界贸易组织的艰苦谈判”，“推动建立社会主义市场经济体制的基本框架”。朱镕基的为人还被评价为：“敢于说真话，不怕得罪人，不搞特殊化，以强烈的责任担当主动挑重担子、啃硬骨头，全力推进为人民群众办实事”。

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