Month: June 2025

Actor Jonathan Joss, whose varied career notably included roles on “King of the Hill” and “Parks and Recreation,” has died. He was killed Sunday in a shooting in San Antonio, according to police.

According to an incident report shared with The Times, officers responded Sunday evening to a shooting at the 200 block of Dorsey Drive where they found Joss near the roadway. First responders “attempted life saving measures” until EMS officers arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He was 59.

Police did not disclose details about what led to the shooting, but said officers found and arrested the alleged shooter. Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, was booked Monday morning on suspicion of murder. His bond is set at $200,000, according to TMZ, which broke the news of Joss’ death.

The Times could not reach a legal representative for Alvarez Ceja. San Antonio police said it is investigating the shooting.

The actor’s husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, alleged in a Facebook post shared Monday that he and Joss suffered “openly homophobic” harassment and threats prior to the fatal shooting, which he claimed was also motivated by homophobia. Gonzales wrote that he and Joss had returned Sunday the site of the actor’s San Antonio home — which burned down in January — to check their mail. The actor also lost three dogs in the fire. The men “discovered the skull of one of our dogs and its harness placed in clear view” and “began yelling and crying in response to the pain of what we saw,” Gonzales wrote.

A man approached them, “started yelling violent homophobic slurs” and “raised a gun from his lap and fired,” Gonzales wrote. He said Joss pushed him out of the way, saving his life, and added that his husband “was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”

“I was with him when he passed,” he wrote. “I told him how much he was loved.”

Joss, born December 1965, is best known for voicing John Redcorn, Hank Hill’s neighbor on the hit Fox animated series “King of the Hill.” Joss lent his voice to the series from 1997 to 2009, taking over from original voice actor Victor Aaron. He also voiced John Redcorn for the show’s video game tie-in in 2000.

Joss spoke about his ties to his longtime character in April as he lamented not being invited to an event promoting the “King of the Hill” revival. Hulu announced Friday that Season 14 of “King of the Hill” will premiere in August. The voice cast touts Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlon, Johnny Hardwick, Stephen Root, Lauren Tom, and Toby Huss. Joss recorded lines for the revival prior to his death, according to Variety.

“This show was a part of my life for many years,” he wrote on Facebook. “That character, that voice, that story…they were my home, my pride, my connection to something bigger than myself.”

Joss, who studied acting at Our Lady of the Lake University, began acting in the mid-1990s with minor roles in TV projects including “Walker, Texas Ranger” and the miniseries “Dead Man’s Walk.”

In addition to “King of the Hill,” Joss is known for portraying Wamapoke elder and casino owner Chief Ken Hotate in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” where he appeared alongside star Amy Poehler. In the series, Joss’ Ken dissuades Poehler’s peppy protagonist Leslie Knope from hosting a local festival on sacred burial grounds.

“There are two things I know about white people,” he jokes in the series. “They love Matchbox Twenty and they are terrified of curses.”

His television credits also include the Paramount+ drama “Tulsa King,” “Ray Donovan,” “Friday Night Lights,” “ER” and “Charmed.”

Joss’ resumé includes films “The Magnificent Seven,” “True Grit” and “8 Seconds,” among others. He also lent his voice to several video games, including “Red Dead Redemption,” “Days Gone,” “Wasteland 3” and “Cyberpunk 2077.”

The actor embarked on several fan events, including meet-and-greets and Q&As, in the months before his death. On Sunday morning, he recalled meeting fans at Tribe Comics and Games in Austin: “Last night’s gig was amazing — huge thanks to everyone who came out and showed us love!” In the same post, Joss told followers he was seeking a ride to San Antonio.

Joss is survived by his husband. They got married this year on Valentine’s Day. Joss referenced the devastation of losing his home in April, writing in his Facebook post he has since “been rebuilding, piece by piece, soul by soul.”

He added, addressing fans: “You’ve been the ones to lift me up, to remind me of the impact I’ve made, and to carry me through some of the darkest day[s] of my life. Your love means more than I can ever say.”

Gonzales wrote in Monday’s statement he and Joss were were in the process of finding a new home and “planning our future together.” He thanked Joss’ fans for their support and vowed to protect and carry on the actor’s legacy.

“Jonathan saved my life. I will carry that forward. I will protect what he built,” Gonzales wrote.

A claim by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that an immigrant threatened the life of President Trump has begun to unravel.

Noem announced an arrest of a 54-year-old man who was living in the U.S. illegally, saying he had written a letter threatening to kill Trump and would then return to Mexico. The story received a flood of media attention and was highlighted by the White House and Trump’s allies.

But investigators actually believe the man may have been framed so that he would be arrested and deported from the U.S. before he got a chance to testify in a trial as a victim of assault, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Law enforcement officials believe the man, Ramon Morales Reyes, never wrote a letter that Noem and her department shared with a message written in light blue ink expressing anger over Trump’s deportations and threatening to shoot him in the head with a rifle at a rally. Noem also shared the letter on X along with a photo of Morales Reyes, and the White House also shared it on its social media accounts. The letter was mailed to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office along with the FBI and other agencies, the person said.

As part of the investigation, officials had contacted Morales Reyes and asked for a handwriting sample and concluded that his handwriting and the threatening letter didn’t match and that the threat was not credible, the person said. It’s not clear why Homeland Security officials still decided to send a release making that claim.

In an emailed statement asking for information about the letter and the new information about Morales Reyes, the Department of Homeland Security said “the investigation into the threat is ongoing. Over the course of the investigation, this individual was determined to be in the country illegally and that he had a criminal record. He will remain in custody.”

His attorneys said he was not facing current charges and they did not have any information about convictions in his record. The revelations were first reported by CNN.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s records show Morales Reyes is being held at a county jail in Juneau, Wis., northwest of Milwaukee. The Milwaukee-based immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera, which is advocating for his release, said he was arrested May 21. Attorney Cain Oulahan, who was hired to fight against his deportation, said he has a hearing in a Chicago immigration court next week and is hoping he is released on bond.

Morales Reyes had been a victim in a case of another man who is awaiting trial on assault charges in Wisconsin, the person familiar with the matter said. The trial is scheduled for July.

Morales Reyes works as a dishwasher in Milwaukee, where he lives with his wife and three children. He had recently applied for a U visa, which is carved out for people in the country illegally who become victims of serious crimes, said attorney Kime Abduli, who filed that application.

The Milwaukee Police Department said it is investigating an identity theft and victim intimidation incident related to this matter and the county district attorney’s office said the investigation was ongoing. Milwaukee police said no one has been criminally charged at this time.

Abduli, Morales Reyes’ attorney, says he could not have written the letter, saying he did not receive formal education and can’t write in Spanish and doesn’t know how to speak English. She said it was not clear whether he was arrested because of the letters.

“There is really no way that it could be even remotely true,” Abduli said. “We’re asking for a clarification and a correction from DHS to clear Ramon’s name of anything having to do with this.”

Balsamo, Bauer and Licon write for the Associated Press.

A TEAM of scientists claims to have debunked one of Jesus Christ’s most famous miracles — saying the Son of God may not have fed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish after all.

Instead, researchers believe it could have been a freak natural event in Israel’s Lake Kinneret — known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee — that brought a massive haul of fish to the surface for easy collection.

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The story of the “Feeding of the 5,000” is told in all four Gospels, where Jesus is said to have blessed a small amount of food and miraculously distributed it to feed a vast crowd.

But in a 2024 study published in Water Resources Research, scientists monitored oxygen levels, water temperature, and wind speed across Lake Kinneret — and say they discovered evidence of sudden mass fish die-offs caused by unusual weather patterns.

Strong winds sweeping across the lake, they say, can churn the water and cause an “upwelling” of cold, low-oxygen water from the bottom, which kills fish and sends them floating to the surface.

According to the researchers, to anyone watching from the shore, it would look like fish were suddenly appearing by the thousands — creating the illusion of a miracle and allowing them to “be easily collected by a hungry populace”.

The team believes this could explain the Gospel passage where Jesus tells his disciples — after a fruitless night of fishing — to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, suddenly hauling in a bounty.

However, Biblical scholars aren’t buying it.

Critics slammed the theory for missing the point entirely, pointing out that no fish were caught during the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

The article on AnsweringGenesis.org hit back, saying: “Jesus simply took the five loaves and two fish, thanked God, broke the loaves, handed everything to his disciples, and the disciples handed the food out. No fish were caught!”

According to Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus “saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

When his disciples told him to send the people away to find food, he replied: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

After blessing the five loaves and two fish, the Bible says: “they all ate and were satisfied.

“And they took up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”

Despite the backlash, the researchers argue that understanding how fish may have mysteriously appeared in huge quantities doesn’t take away from the spiritual message of the event — which many see as symbolic of generosity and faith.

Still, religious sceptics say the study adds weight to theories that Jesus’ wonders may have had natural explanations — while believers insist some things just can’t be explained away by science.

It comes after a stunning AI-generated video claims to reveal the true face of Jesus Christ — using images based on the mysterious Turin Shroud.

Believers say the Shroud of Turin was the burial cloth wrapped around Jesus after his crucifixion.

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Now, photos of the ancient linen have been processed through Midjourney, an AI image generator, to create a realistic image and video of Christ.

The video shows Jesus blinking, smiling, and praying — potentially as he did before his crucifixion around 33AD.

He appears with shoulder-length brown hair, a beard, brown eyes, a straight nose, and high cheekbones.

His skin tone is pale, which has sparked debate among academics and online.

Last year, The Sun also used AI to recreate the Son of God’s appearance.

The Gencraft tool was fed the prompt “face of Jesus based on the Shroud of Turin” and returned images of a man with hazel eyes, a gentle expression, a neat beard, clean eyebrows, and long brown hair.

Under his weary eyes, signs of exhaustion were visible.

Many researchers agree that the man wrapped in the Shroud appeared to be between 5ft 7in and 6ft tall, with sunken eyes and a full beard.

The markings on the cloth also show what some believe to be crucifixion wounds — including injuries to the head, shoulders, arms, and back, consistent with a thorn crown and Roman whips.

The Bible recounts that Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers, crowned with thorns, and forced to carry his cross before dying in agony.

When is the “fastest” something of a slow roll?

How about last week when pitcher Chris Sale was crowned the fastest to reach 2,500 career strikeouts?

Not to diminish Sale’s accomplishment: It took him fewer innings (2,026) to record No. 2,500 than any other pitcher in history. But because of injuries and a reduced workload — both huge, flashing signs of the times — he didn’t achieve the feat until his 16th season.

Sale was appropriately humble, telling reporters, “I appreciate it for what it is, but I try not to get too caught up in stuff like that right now.”

Perhaps he realizes it took others far less time to reach the 2,500 milestone, including the top two strikeout artists of all time: Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.

Strikeouts are a single lens in viewing the substantive changes over the last 100-plus years in how pitchers are utilized, record outs and withstand the burden. But they can be an instructive one.

Catch a whiff of this: A certain Dodger currently on the injured list strikes out more batters per nine innings than any other pitcher in baseball history, which in effect is another way to express Sale’s “fastest” title.

Blake Snell averages a record 11.1679 strikeouts per nine innings, edging out Sale, who is second all-time at 11.1056 among pitchers who average at least one inning per team game.

The believe-it-or-not distinction might explain why the Dodgers gave Snell a five-year, $182-million free agent contract last offseason. His wicked stuff that features a 96 mph four-seam fastball also could help explain why he’s on the injured list for the eighth time in the last eight seasons, this time out since April 6 with left shoulder inflammation.

Snell is the epitome of a highly valued starter in today’s game: He accumulates strikeouts at a higher rate than anyone else, gives up fewer hits than anyone else, and elicits only shrugs when someone points out that he has a grand total of one complete game in 213 career starts.

It is revealing that 13 of the top 20 pitchers on the all-time strikeout per innings list are active. The only one who didn’t pitch in the 21st century is Ryan at No. 19, just ahead of another believe-it-or-not name, Lucas Giolito.

Among the 33 pitchers to average more than a strikeout per inning, the only one whose career began in the 1950s has a statue outside Dodger Stadium: Sandy Koufax.

Koufax and Snell are two of 10 Dodgers among the 33, a clue as to what the Dodgers front office values in mound performance. Several of the names are less than luminary.

The others, from bottom to top: Lance Lynn (No. 32; 9.04), Rich Hill (No. 29; 9.12), Andrew Heaney (No. 25; 9.33), Clayton Kershaw (No. 16; 9.72), Trevor Bauer (No. 15; 9.82), Pedro Martinez (No. 12; 10.04), Yu Darvish (No. 7; 10.59) and Max Scherzer (No. 5; 10.65).

Note: Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani averaged a mammoth 11.40 strikeouts per nine innings in six seasons with the Angels but hasn’t pitched enough to qualify for the all-time list. He has recovered from elbow surgery and is expected to return to the mound after the All-Star break for the first time since August 2023.

Sale’s accomplishment, then, is sustaining a near-record rate of strikeouts per nine innings for more than 2,000 innings, certainly worthy of note.

An equally valid definition of “fastest” to reach a strikeout milestone would be how long it took to get there. The pitcher that the 6-foot-6, left-handed Sale surpassed was his boyhood idol: Johnson, a 6-10, left-handed flamethrower who ranks second to Ryan on the career strikeout list with 4,875.

Johnson notched No. 2,500 in inning No. 2,108 — 82 more than it took Sale. But he did so in only his 11th season, five seasons “faster” than Sale.

Incidentally — and incredibly — Johnson was only halfway through his career. He retired in 2009 after 22 seasons with 4,135.1 innings and 303 wins.

Granted, Johnson was an anomaly, the only hurler ever to amass more than 200 innings and 300 strikeouts in multiple seasons well into his 30s. At ages 35-38 from 1999-2002, he averaged a staggering 354 strikeouts and 258 innings a season.

The only comparable hurler was Ryan (record strikeout total: 5,714), who also reached No. 2,500 in his 11th season, the milestone whiff coming in inning No. 2,287 when he struck out Andre Thornton of Cleveland while pitching for the Angels in 1978.

Ryan’s longevity was even more impressive than Johnson’s: 27 seasons from 1966-93, 5,386 innings and 324 wins. No current pitcher will come close to those numbers.

On the other end of the strikeout spectrum are Hall of Fame pitchers from more than 100 years ago who logged vast numbers of innings while striking out far fewer batters per inning. Velocity wasn’t nearly as high or as prized as it is today and pitchers were expected to complete games they started.

Sale ranks No. 40 on the all-time strikeout list, and he next will pass Christy Mathewson, who needed a prodigious 4,788 innings to log 2,507 strikeouts from 1900-16. Mathewson is far down the list of strikeouts per nine innings, checking in at No. 689 with 4.71.

Walter Johnson, the legendary “Big Train” out of Fullerton Union High, is third all-time with 5,914 innings and ninth with 3,509 strikeouts in a career spanning 1907-27. But he averaged just 5.34 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking No. 520, a few notches ahead of the less than legendary former Dodgers swingman Elmer Dessens.

Other fabled names associated with blazing fastballs compiled surprisingly low strikeout rates as well. Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller, for example, sits at 6.07 strikeouts per nine innings.

Kershaw, meanwhile, is on the cusp of reaching a milestone that very nearly guarantees entry into the Hall of Fame: 3,000 strikeouts. The career Dodger in his 18th season has 2,974, and he’s inching toward the finish line, having struck out six in three abbreviated starts since coming off the injured list two weeks ago.

Although Kershaw has consistently downplayed the significance of reaching 3,000, he told Tyler Kepner of the Athletic last week that it’s on his mind.

“Yeah, I’d be lying if I didn’t want to do it,” Kershaw said. “But I think the coolest part is the company you get to be a part of. You know what I mean? There’s just some really special names.”

They include, of course, Ryan and Johnson. Nineteen pitchers have reached the milestone and 17 are in the Hall of Fame, with Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling falling short for reasons that had nothing to do with strikeout totals.

Kershaw is considered a Hall of Fame shoo-in, his earned-run average of 2.51 the lowest of any active pitcher that meets the innings qualification and his 212 career victories an impressive number in today’s game.

Snell’s candidacy falls into the “way too early to tell” category. Yes, he is the only pitcher to win a Cy Young award in each league, and his 3.18 career ERA sparkles. And, of course, striking out more batters per nine innings than anyone else in history stands out on his resume.

Yet Snell is in his 10th season and he has just 77 wins. Hall of Fame starters with the fewest MLB wins are Dizzy Dean (150) and Koufax (165), the careers of both cut short by arm injuries.

Snell’s career should be far from over. He’s only 32 and his lucrative Dodgers contract doesn’t expire until after the 2029 season. But to have a shot at the Hall, Snell must fulfill the promise that prompted the Dodgers to sign him.

The only active pitchers besides Kershaw considered Hall of Fame locks are Justin Verlander and Scherzer, both hard throwers with the requisite strikeout totals.

Verlander, 42, has 3,457 strikeouts while averaging 8.98 per nine innings. He also has 262 wins — 46 more than Scherzer and 50 more than Kershaw, the next two active pitchers on the all-time list. No one else is close to 200.

Scherzer ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.65, trailing only Snell, Sale, Robby Ray (another believe-it-or-not name) and Jacob DeGrom. Scherzer’s career total of 3,408 ranks 11th, just behind Verlander.

Gerrit Cole, 34, appeared on a Hall of Fame track before undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. He won’t pitch again until early next season, putting a long pause on his current totals of 153 wins, 2,251 strikeouts and 10.37 strikeouts per nine innings.

The only recently retired starter who might be rehearsing his Hall induction speech is another former Dodger, Zack Greinke, who posted 225 wins and 2,979 strikeouts along with a 3.49 ERA before retiring in 2024 after 20 seasons.

What about Sale, whose rebound from four years of debilitating injuries to win a Cy Young award with the Atlanta Braves was one of baseball’s best stories of 2024? He finished in the top five of Cy Young voting seven years in a row from 2012-2018, and his 3.04 career ERA is lower than any active starter besides Kershaw and DeGrom.

“He’s kind of doing Hall of Fame stuff,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters. “That guy is probably as big a baseball fan as anybody, just the history of the game and the competition. He’s a ballplayer, and it’s really cool to watch.”

Yet Sale has only 141 wins, and that perceived blemish could be an interesting litmus test for Hall voters who profess to recognize that wins are much more difficult to accumulate now that teams routinely limit starters to six or fewer innings.

Strikeouts are king these days, and the Dodgers clearly know it.

June 2 (UPI) — German police have launched new searches for Madeleine McCann in the same area in southern Portugal where the 3-year-old from England was last seen 18 years ago.

Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, from a resort in Praia da Luz, a town in the Algarve. Her parents, medical doctors Kate and Gerry McCann, had gone to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her 2-year-old twin siblings.

On Monday, Portuguese police confirmed to the BBC that a search will be carried out from Monday through Friday on warrants issued by German prosecutors.

Searchers last looked in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz, The Guardian reported.

The prime suspect is Christian Bruecker, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005. He has denied any involvement in the girl’s disappearance and is due to be released from prison in September.

In October 2024, Bruecker was acquitted of rape and child sex abuse charges in Portugal between 2000 and 2017 after an eight-month trial by Braunschweig District Court judge Uta Engemanndue, who threw out the case due to lack of evidence.

The new search will focus on the area between the Ocean Club resort where the McCann family was staying and the house where Bruckner lived.

In 2022, a German documentary found evidence that Bruckner occasionally worked at the Ocean Club as a handyman. German prosecutors also have linked his mobile phone data and a car sale to their case against him.

“We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA [German federal police] in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Metropolitan police said. “The Metropolitan police service is not present at the search. We will support our international colleagues where necessary.”

In April, British ministers approved more than $135,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating her disappearance.

She would be 22 years old now.

“The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to ‘leave no stone unturned’ is unwavering,” Kate and Gerry McCann and other family members said in marking the 18th anniversary of her disappearance last month. “We will do our utmost to achieve this.”

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Elon Musk may have resigned from the Department of Government Efficiency, but few believe he’s stepping away from power. In under a year, DOGE brought Silicon Valley-style disruption to Washington, consolidating federal data and dismantling oversight. Now, Musk is expected to channel what he gained into a private AI venture – with public systems still in reach.

Molly-Mae Hague has reportedly signed up for a reality show – her first since she went on Love Island several years ago – amid her reunion with partner Tommy Fury

Molly-Mae Hague has reportedly signed up for a huge reality show – her first since Love Island. The reality star turned businesswoman and influencer appeared on the 2019 series of the ITV dating show where she met Tommy Fury.

Molly-Mae and Tommy’s relationship was loved by fans and the pair enjoyed a long romance following the show, even welcoming their daughter Bambi. However, they split last year – before eventually rekindling their romance.

She has since appeared on her own ‘behind-the-scenes’ documentary series, where – in the first part – she documented her split from Tommy. In the second part of the series, she discussed being back with Tommy.

Molly-Mae recently confirmed she was back with Tommy after their holiday. She said: “Dubai was picture perfect, like it was just the best trip ever. It literally just felt like everything I wanted it to be, and more.

“It was exactly what we needed. All the noise of everyone just switched off, everyone’s opinions. Nothing mattered. It was just like us in our bubble. She [Bambi] had the best time ever.”

She then added in her Amazon Prime series: “Things are looking so much better for us. I’m gonna start spending more time at Tommy’s house, keeping things slow and not rushing anything. But as always, I always say I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t think it’s gonna be a plain sailing future. I don’t. That’s just me being honest. I think we’re still gonna have bumps.”

Now, Molly-Mae has reportedly signed up for the celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off. She is appearing on the Stand Up To Cancer special alongside some other big names.

“She will be a great addition to the line-up and bring a healthy helping of Love Island glamour to the tent. Molly’s now one of Britain’s biggest TV stars and has seen her fame steadily grow since she first appeared on the dating show back in 2019,” a source told The Sun.

During the documentary, Molly-Mae’s sister expressed her concern that Tommy wasn’t able to handle his drinking problems – which both him and Molly-Mae have spoken out about in the path.

“Yeah, obviously he knows it’s the drink. He’s not drank now, like for what four months. But no, I don’t think the drink’s gone away forever. Could drink still be a problem for us? Potentially yes. But the break-up showed I was serious,” Molly-Mae said.

“I love Tommy so much and I love our family so much that I’m willing to ride the wave. And that’s not something that everyone wants to do, but it’s something that I’m willing to do because I want my family.”

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Israeli forces have opened fire again on Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid from a distribution site in Gaza, killing at least three people and injuring more than 30, as the United Nations demands an independent investigation into the repeated mass shootings of aid seekers in the strip.

The shooting erupted at sunrise on Monday at the same Israeli-backed aid point in southern Gaza where soldiers had opened fire just a day earlier, according to health officials and witnesses.

“The Israeli military opened fire on civilians trying to get their hands on any kind of food aid without any kind of warning,” Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

“This is a pattern that’s been widely condemned by international aid organisations because it enhances the breakdown of civil order without ensuring humanitarian relief can be received by those desperately in need.”

Witnesses said Israeli snipers and quadcopter drones routinely monitor aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and the United States.

A Red Cross field hospital received about 50 people wounded in the latest shooting, including two who were dead on arrival, said Hisham Mhanna, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Most had been hit by bullets or shrapnel. A third body was taken to Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis.

Moataz al-Feirani, 21, said he was shot in the leg while walking with thousands of others towards the food site.

“We had nothing, and they [the Israeli military] were watching us,” he told The Associated Press news agency, adding that surveillance drones circled overhead. The shooting began about 5:30am (02:30 GMT)  near the Flag Roundabout, he said.

The pattern of deadly violence around the GHF aid distribution site has triggered mounting international outrage, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday demanded an independent inquiry into the mass shooting of Palestinians.

“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he said. “I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians, claiming its soldiers fired “warning shots” at individuals who “posed a threat”.

The GHF has also denied the shootings occurred although doubts about its neutrality have intensified since its founding executive director, former US marine Jake Wood, resigned before operations even began after he questioned the group’s “impartiality” and “independence”.

Critics said the group functions as a cover for Israel’s broader campaign to depopulate northern Gaza as it concentrates aid in the south while bypassing established international agencies.

Aid is still barely trickling into Gaza after Israel partially lifted a total siege that for more than two months cut off food, water, fuel and medicine to more than two million people.

Thousands of children are at risk of dying from hunger-related causes, the UN has previously warned.

At least 51 people killed in 24 hours

Elsewhere in the territory, Israeli air attacks continued to hammer residential areas.

In Jabalia in northern Gaza, Israeli forces killed 14 people, including seven children, in an attack on a home, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence agency. At least 20 people remained trapped under the rubble.

Two more Palestinians were killed and several wounded in another attack in Deir el-Balah, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, while a drone attack in Khan Younis claimed yet another life.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that at least 51 Palestinians have been killed and 503 injured in Israeli attacks across the territory in the latest 24-hour reporting period alone.

Despite growing international condemnation, Israel’s military on Monday ordered the displacement of even more civilians from parts of Khan Younis, warning it would “operate with great force”.

Roughly 80 percent of the strip is now either under Israeli military control or designated for forced evacuation, according to new data from the Financial Times, as Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are crammed into an ever-shrinking patch of land in southern Gaza near the Egyptian border.

Israel has made little secret of its aim to permanently displace Gaza’s population as officials openly promote “voluntary migration” plans.

The Financial Times reported that the areas Palestinians are being pushed into resemble a “desert wasteland with no running water, electricity or even hospitals”.

Satellite images showed Israeli forces clearing land and setting up military infrastructure in evacuated areas.

Analysts who reviewed dozens of recent forced evacuation orders said the trend has accelerated since the collapse of a truce in March.

“The Israeli government has been very clear with regards to what their plan is about in Gaza,” political analyst Xavier Abu Eid told Al Jazeera.

“It is about ethnic cleansing.”

Suffering a shock loss in the Roland Garros last 16 is a mark of how far Draper has come in the past year.

Twelve months ago in Paris, the 23-year-old Englishman suffered a chastening first-round defeat to 176th-ranked Dutchman Jesper de Jong while still figuring out what his most effective game style was.

Realising he was trying to be too aggressive, Draper sought a better balance.

Winning his first ATP title just a few weeks later helped boost his confidence before he enjoyed a run to the US Open semi-finals.

Improved fitness has also been a key factor.

After winning the biggest title of his career on the Indian Wells hard courts in March, he quickly set about using his most potent tools – first serve and forehand – on the clay.

Reaching the Madrid Open final showed he had the ability to be succeed on the surface and the fifth seed played maturely in his first three matches in Paris, before being thrown off-kilter by Bublik.

“I struggle to put things in perspective, but I am proud of the effort I’ve done on the clay. I think I’ve really improved,” Draper said.

“This year I’m leaving number five in the world, I’ve made the fourth round, I’m playing consistently really good tennis week in and week out.

“I always use the fuel and the hurt to better myself.”

Eighteen months in the making, Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web saw hundreds of AI-trained drones target military aircraft deep inside Russia’s borders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Sunday’s attacks will go down in history.

He followed them up with a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire as the two sides met in Istanbul.

The European Union is preparing its 18th package of sanctions on Russia, while US President Donald Trump has threatened to use “devastating” measures against Russia if he feels the time is right.

So, is the time right now?

And after the audacious attack, does Zelenskyy finally hold the cards?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Hanna Shelest – Security studies programme director at the Ukrainian Prism think tank

Pavel Felgenhauer – Independent defence analyst

Anatol Lieven – Eurasia programme director at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Russia and Ukraine have concluded talks in Istanbul with no ceasefire deal, but agreed to an exchange of prisoners and fallen soldiers. The talks took place amid escalated attacks by both sides in recent days.

MORE than half of Brits who used to watch Doctor Who say they turned off because it had become “woke, boring rubbish”.

That is the result of an ­independent survey conducted as star Ncuti Gatwa exited the Tardis with a paltry 2.3 million viewers on Saturday.

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In a shock twist, he appeared to regenerate into the Doctor’s former companion Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper — but many are not convinced she is the Time Lord’s 16th incarnation.

The Sun exclusively revealed last month that Ncuti, 32, would be leaving the role after two series — the shortest tenure of any actor in the role since Christopher Eccleston, who left the rebooted BBC show after one series in 2005.

The survey quizzed 2,135 adults and found 42 per cent of current and former viewers said it had got worse since its relaunch two decades ago, with ­stories increasingly preachy and worthy.

Even one in three current viewers think it has got worse.

Plotlines over the past three years have featured trans heroines, non-binary baddies and drag-queen villains — and the Doctor coming out as gay, and crying in most episodes.

James Johnson of pollsters JL Partners said: “This is the first ever major poll done on attitudes to Doctor Who and the results are bleak.

“The public believe a once-great show has lost its way — and their biggest complaint is it puts pursuit of wokeness above entertainment value.

“The main words associated with it are rubbish, boring, and woke.

“If the BBC want to grow the show’s audience once more, they will need a total revamp.

“And to get back to telling entertaining stories rather than preaching lessons that simply do not have an audience among the British public.”

The poll found 46 per cent of current viewers think it puts social justice and woke issues above quality, compared with 37 per cent who believe the show puts quality first.

Those who have stopped watching say it puts social justice and woke issues first by a ratio of three to one.

The average age of current viewers is 42, compared with 51 for ex-fans.

They are also heavily Labour voters compared to a more politically diverse former audience.

The wokery ratcheted up after Doctor Who was taken over for a second time by showrunner Russell T Davies in 2023.

He was the man who rebooted the show in 2005 with Eccleston, followed by David Tennant.

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Who has starred in Doctor Who?

Which actors have portrayed the famous Time Lord over the years?

• First Doctor: William Hartnell (1963 – 1966)
• Second Doctor: Patrick Troughton (1966 – 1969)
• Third Doctor: Jon Pertwee (1970 – 1974)
• Fourth Doctor: Tom Baker (1974 – 1981)
• Fifth Doctor: Peter Davidson (1982 – 1984)
• Sixth Doctor: Colin Baker (1984 – 1986)
• Seventh Doctor: Sylvester McCoy (1987 – 1989)
• Eighth Doctor: Paul McGann (1996)
• Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston (2005)
• Tenth Doctor: David Tennant (2005 – 2010)
• 11th Doctor: Matt Smith (2010 – 2013)
• 12th Doctor: Peter Capaldi (2014 – 2017)
• 13th Doctor: Jodie Whittaker (2018 – 2022)
• 14th Doctor: David Tennant (2023)
• 15th Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa (2023 – present)

A respectable 5.1 million tuned in to see his “comeback episode” with David returning to play the Doctor for a second time in 2023.

The actor then handed over to Ncuti who had his first full series as the Fifteenth Doctor last year.

One Whovian writing on X/Twitter, said: “Thanks to RTD (Russell T Davies) Ncuti is tainted and ‘15’ will be remembered as the worst Doctor with the worst era in the history of Doctor Who.”

The Sun revealed BBC bosses were considering a hiatus for the show, though execs maintained they would not make a decision until the second series had aired.

Russell T Davies teased a return on Saturday, saying: “After 62 years, the Doctor’s adventures are only just beginning!”

But that seems optimistic given their current multimillion-pound deal partnership with Disney+ is facing an uncertain future — and the viewing figures for one episode of the last series fell as low as 1.6 million.

A spokeswoman for Doctor Who said: “Doctor Who remains one of the biggest dramas on the BBC and is the most watched drama for under-35s, as well as being one of the most popular brands on BBC iPlayer.

“As we have previously stated, a decision on any future deal between the BBC and Disney+ regarding Doctor Who is yet to be made and any other claims are pure speculation.”

Judges say Berlin broke EU law by refusing Somali asylum seekers entry.

A Berlin court has ruled that Germany violated asylum law when it deported three Somali nationals at its border with Poland in a decision that challenges Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s aggressive new migration stance.

The three asylum seekers – two men and one woman – were turned back by border police at a train station in Frankfurt an der Oder, a city on Germany’s eastern border.

“The applicants could not demand to enter Germany beyond the border crossing,” the court said in a statement on Monday. “However, the rejection was unlawful because Germany is obliged to process their claims.”

Officials cited the asylum seekers’ arrival from a “safe third country” as grounds for their refusal.

But the court determined the expulsion was illegal under European Union rules, specifically the Dublin regulation, which requires Germany to assess asylum claims if it is the responsible state under the agreement.

It marks the first such legal ruling since Merz’s conservative-led coalition took office in February, riding a wave of anti-immigration sentiment that has helped boost the far-right Alternative for Germany party, now the country’s second largest political force in parliament.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the deportations, saying the asylum system was failing under pressure. “The numbers are too high. We are sticking to our practice,” he told reporters, adding that the court would receive legal justifications for the government’s position.

Migration policies in doubt

But opposition lawmakers were quick to capitalise on the ruling. Irene Mihalic of the Greens called it “a severe defeat” for Merz’s government, accusing it of overstepping its powers “for populist purposes”.

“The border blockades were a rejection of the European Dublin system and have offended our European neighbours,” she said.

Karl Kopp, managing director of Pro Asyl, an immigration advocacy group, said the expulsion of the Somalis reflected an “unlawful practice of national unilateral action” in asylum policy and called for their return to Germany, the Reuters news agency reported.

The ruling also casts doubt on Merz’s wider migration agenda. In May, his government introduced a directive to turn back undocumented people at Germany’s borders, including those seeking asylum – a sharp departure from former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s more open policy during the 2015 migrant crisis.

Last month, the European Commission proposed a bloc-wide mechanism that would permit member states to reject asylum seekers who passed through a “safe” third country. The measure, widely criticised by rights groups, still awaits approval from national parliaments and the European legislature.

Several Vietnamese American-owned nail salons in Orange County have sued California, alleging the state’s labor code is discriminating against their businesses.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Friday, alleges that the state’s labor code violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law by forcing nail technicians to be classified as employees.

The suit argues that professionals in the beauty industry for years have operated as independent contractors, renting space in a salon and bringing in their own clients. That changed at the beginning of 2025, when nail technicians under the labor code became required to be classified as employees, the lawsuit said.

State Assemblyman Tri Ta (R-Westminster), who represents Little Saigon and surrounding communities, said his office has fielded much concern from Vietnamese American nail salon owners.

“Their lives have turned upside down overnight,” Ta said at a news conference Monday morning. “It is not just unfair, it is discrimination.”

The switch in labor law came in 2019 when Assembly Bill 5, a sweeping law governing worker classification rules across various industries, was approved. It codified a California Supreme Court decision creating a stricter test to judge whether a worker should be considered an employee rather than an independent contractor.

AB 5 sought to crack down on industries in which many workers are misclassified as independent contractors, who are not afforded protections including minimum wage, overtime pay and workers’ compensation that employees have access to. But various industries have said AB 5 targets them unfairly, creating an uneven playing field for businesses.

Some professions received carve-outs, including doctors, accountants, real estate agents and hairdressers. Others such as truckers, commercial janitors and physical therapists must abide by the tighter classification rules.

Some implementation of the law was staggered to give industries, including nail technicians, time to adapt.

But Ân Tran, who owns two franchisee locations of Happy Nails & Spa that are among the businesses suing the state, said the law remains burdensome. Hiring employees is more costly, and it’s unfair that businesses hiring hairdressers, aestheticians and other beauty workers aren’t subject to the requirement, he said.

“We don’t have customers all the time. That’s going to cost us a lot more to pay them for the downtime when they don’t have any customers,” Tran said in an interview.

The requirement also defies the flexible work culture and control over their clients that many manicurists prefer, Tran said.

Emily Micelle was among several manicurists who spoke in support of the salon owners’ lawsuit at the Monday news conference.

“No one forced me to be here today. I chose to be here because I want to express my side of the story,” Micelle said. “Being [an independent contractor] means I can work for myself, I can be my own boss, I can create my own branding within the business, I choose my own hours, I choose my own clients. … The law means to protect us workers, but [being an employee] doesn’t work for everyone.”

The lawsuit describes how the nail salon industry in California became dominated by Vietnamese workers in recent decades, when Vietnamese refugees began fleeing to the U.S. in large numbers in 1975 after the fall of Saigon in America’s failed military intervention in Southeast Asia.

The industry “has become synonymous with the Vietnamese community,” the lawsuit said, with more than 82% of nail technicians in California being Vietnamese American and some 85% women.

The legal action highlights the tension between how small businesses can serve as a pathway for immigrants and others to build wealth, and how workers at times might have little formal recourse for low wages or unsafe work conditions, experts have said.

Researchers with the UCLA Labor Center last year analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data and released a report estimating that the hourly median wage for nail salon workers in 2021 was $10.94, below the then-$13 minimum wage for small businesses.

In 2017, four women sued a salon in Tustin, alleging that the owners had created bogus time records and paychecks to create an illusion that manicurists were paid lawfully by the hour, but instead workers were compensated based on a 60% commission system where their pay was further deducted for using business supplies, such as spa chairs.

Businesses that filed suit include multiple locations of Blue Nail Bar, Happy Nails & Spa and Holly & Hudson Nail Lounge.

Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum was so feared for his impeccable technique that the “four kings” of the 1980s declined to fight him. Nevertheless, McCallum won world titles at super welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.

McCallum, the first Jamaican-born champion, died Saturday in Las Vegas at 68. The Jamaica Observer reported that McCallum fell ill while driving to a gym and pulled off the road. He was found to be unresponsive, and was later pronounced dead.

In the ring, his attention to detail and faultless technique enabled him to post a 49-5-1 record. McCallum earned his nickname by repeatedly punching the body and head. More often than not, bouts ended in knockouts — he recorded 36 KOs and was never knocked out.

The Ring magazine ranked him in 2011 as eighth on its list of the “10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years.”

Not that his inability to secure a bout with the “kings,” Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard or Marvin Hagler, spoiled his mood. It was particularly telling that Hearns wouldn’t fight McCallum, because they were longtime sparring partners before becoming champions.

McCallum was disappointed but remained all smiles outside the ring, consistently carrying himself with a pleasant, if serious, disposition.

“None of ‘The Four Kings,’ wanted anything to do with that guy and I know that for a fact because I tried to make some of those fights,” Hall of Fame boxer Lou DiBella told longtime boxing writer Kevin Iole. “He was the most perfect technical fighter I’ve ever seen, and he wasn’t a pitty-pat guy.”

McCallum became the first Jamaican boxer to win a world title when he defeated Irishman Sean Mannion by unanimous decision in 1984 at Madison Square Garden for the WBA Junior Middleweight crown.

Jamaican Sport Minister Olivia Grange issued a statement upon learning of McCallum’s passing, saying, “It is with utter and complete sadness that I learned of the death of Jamaica’s three-time World Boxing Champion Michael McKenzie McCallum.

“I express my personal condolences to his mother, siblings and his children. On behalf of the Ministry of Sports I take this opportunity to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of this legendary Jamaican.”

Michael McKenzie McCallum was born Dec. 7, 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica, and began boxing as a teenager, racking up as many as 250 amateur bouts before turning pro in 1981. He represented Jamaica at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals.

He boxed professionally until 1997, successfully defending the WBA junior middleweight crown six times, including wins over Julian Jackson, Milton McCrory and Donald Curry before moving up a weight class to middleweight.

McCallum defeated Herol Graham in 1989 to become WBA middleweight champion and defended the belt with wins over Steve Collins, Michael Watson and Sumbu Kalambay. He won his third division title in 1994 by again stepping up in weight class and defeating Jeff Harding for the WBC light heavyweight crown.

He met his match against James Toney, fighting to a draw Dec. 13, 1991, before losing to Toney twice. McCallum also dropped a 12-round decision to Roy Jones in a 1997 light heavyweight title fight.

He retired shortly thereafter and became a successful trainer, taking great pride in teaching his body-punching technique to young boxers.

Jones expressed sadness to Kevin Iole, saying, “Man, we lost another beautiful boxing soul. May he rest in peace.”

Jones also lamented that McCallum was unable to book fights against the four kings.

“In the junior middleweight division, everyone always went around Mike McCallum, and that says a lot about him,” Jones said. “Not even Marvin [Hagler] ever talked much about fighting Mike McCallum. You don’t have to listen to what they say [about him]. You watch what they do and everyone wanted to go around him for a reason.”

In a post on X, the WBC said: “Rest in Peace to the legendary Mike ‘The Body Snatcher’ McCallum. Former WBA world champion and one of the most technically gifted fighters of his era. Thank you for the fights, the lessons, and the greatness.”

June 2 (UPI) — Missing American journalist Austin Tice was imprisoned by the regime of the since-deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2012 with his whereabouts now not known, according to top secret intelligence files uncovered by the BBC.

Former Syrian officials also have confirmed Tice’s detention to the BBC. The material was part of a BBC investigation more than one year ago for a Radio 4 podcast series in accompanying a Syrian investigator to an intelligence facility.

The Assad regime had denied they had imprisoned him, and didn’t know where he was.

The U.S. government believes he had been held by the Syrian government.

Tice was a freelance journalist, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a law student at Georgetown University.

He had gone to Syria to report on the civil war.

Tice vanished near the Syrian capital of Damascus in August 2012, just days after his 31st birthday.

About seven weeks later, a video posted online showed him blindfolded and with his hands bound. He was also forced to recite an Islamic declaration of faith by armed men.

U.S. officials and analysts doubt he was abducted by a jihadist group and the scene “may have been staged.”

Instead, Tice allegedly was held by members of a paramilitary force loyal to Assad called the National Defence Forces.

The files, which are labeled “Austin Tice,” include communication from different branches of Syrian intelligence. Law enforcement verified their authenticity.

In one “top secret” communication, he was held in a detention facility in Damascus in 2012. A Syrian official confirmed to the BBC he was there until at least February 2013.

The BBC reported Tice briefly escaped by squeezing through a window in his cell, but he was later recaptured.

Tice had developed stomach issues from a viral infection.

A man who visited the facility told the BBC that Tice “looked sad, and that the joy had gone from his face.”

A former member of the NDF told the BBC that Tice was a “card” that could be played in diplomatic negotiations with the United States.

After Assad’s ouster in December 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden and mother, Debra Tice, said they believed he was alive. She said he was “treated well,” according to a “significant source.”

Rebel forces stormed his regime-run jails in Damascus and other Syrian regions and freed them. Tice was not among them.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has registered 35,000 cases of people who have gone missing in Syria in the past 13 years. Syria’s Network for Human Rights put the number of Syrians “in forced disappearance” at 80,000 to 85,000 killed under torture in Assad’s detention centers.

Only 33,000 detainees have been found and freed from Syria’s prisons since Assad’s ouster, according to human rights network.

On May 14, Trump met with the Syrian Arab Republic’s new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Trump told reporters, “Austin has not been seen in many, many years,” and gave no other details.

MARCUS RASHFORD has emerged as a target for Inter Milan – as they look to bounce back from their Champions League final horror show. 

The Manchester United forward, 27, spent the second half of the season on loan at Aston Villa, with his red-hot form securing him a place back in the England squad.

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But Villa, who narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot for 2025-26, are unlikely to make a permanent move for Rashford due to the player’s sky-high wages.

Unai Emery and Co are now firmly focused on other targets and hope to keep hold of Ollie Watkins, who has been linked with an exit from Villa Park. 

Sources close to Rashford told SunSport he doesn’t see a future at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim. 

The pair reportedly fell out last season with the Portuguese manager unhappy with Rashford’s attitude during training and off the field.

And that means Rashford is frantically searching for a new club, which has put Inter Milan on red-alert.

The Italian giants are looking to rebuild their side in the wake of the Champions League final demolition at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

Inter were thrashed 5-0 in a defeat which came on the back of them throwing away the Serie A title late in the season, opening the door for Napoli.

Club chiefs believe that Rashford could be a key acquisition and would excite supporters.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

And although Man Utd would prefer a permanent deal, Inter are also exploring the option of a long-term loan move. 

A source said: “Marcus is open-minded to a move abroad, and a fresh start.

“Lots of players have made the move from the Premier League to Serie A in recent years and performed very well. That’s why the idea of such a switch excites both the player and Inter.”

Rashford is one of a number of players in limbo at United.

Team-mates Jadon Sancho and Antony both ended the campaign on loan at other clubs and are deemed surplus to requirements.

But United face a challenge in offloading all of them due to their massive wages.

Two were killed, nearly 200 injured and more than 500 arrested after riots erupted in Paris following Paris Saint-Germain’s first-ever Champions League win. Footage shows police firing tear gas on crowds as looting, fires and clashes engulfed the Champs-Élysées.

Walt Disney Co. launched another deep round of layoffs on Monday, notifying several hundred Disney employees in the U.S. and abroad that their jobs were being eliminated amid an increasingly difficult economic environment for traditional television.

People close to the Burbank entertainment giant confirmed the cuts, which are hitting film and television marketing teams, television publicity, casting and development as well as corporate financial operations.

The move comes just three months after the company cut 200 workers, including at ABC News in New York and Disney-owned entertainment networks. At the time, the division said it was cutting its staff by 6% amid shrinking TV ratings and revenue for traditional television.

Disney declined to specify how many workers were losing their jobs. The cutbacks come after Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger acknowledged to Wall Street that Disney had been pumping out too many shows and movies to compete against Netflix. The programming build-up accelerated as the company prepared to launch Disney+ in late 2019, and it bulked up its staff to handle the more robust pipeline.

But the company since has retrenched, recognizing the need to focus on creating high-quality originals that meet Disney’s once lofty standards.

ABC News shed about 40 employees last October. The company’s TV stations also lost staff members.

The ABC television network and Disney-owned entertainment channels have seen dramatic audience defections as consumers switch to streaming services, including Netflix, Paramount+ and Disney+.

Hollywood trade site Deadline first reported the news.

CNN’s chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, whose 2021 story on a military contractor led to a defamation suit loss in court, announced Monday he is leaving the network.

“Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” Marquardt wrote on X. “Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad.”

Earlier this year, a Florida jury awarded $5 million to former CIA operative Zachary Young after a jury found he was defamed in a November 2021 report by Marquardt on how Afghans were being charged thousands of dollars to be evacuated after the U.S. military withdrawal from their country.

After deliberations began on punitive damages, CNN attorneys reached an undisclosed settlement with Young.

A CNN representative declined to comment on Marquardt’s departure, calling it a personnel matter. One network insider who was not authorized to comment publicly said there was a feeling among many people at CNN that Marquardt had to go after the loss in court.

Marquardt has served as CNN’s chief national security correspondent since 2017. He was previously a foreign correspondent for ABC News.

Young lives in Vienna and has his business based in Florida. He was seeking $14,500 for getting people out of Afghanistan after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal. He claimed his services were limited to corporate sponsors.

The business was described in Marqurdt’s report alongside interviews with Afghans who spoke about desperate efforts by people to escape, but they had no connection to Young.

Young’s suit said his inclusion in the story, which used the term “black market” in an on-screen banner, implied that his activity was criminal, even though Marquardt’s segment made no such charge. “Black market” was also used in the introduction of the report when it first ran on “The Lead With Jake Tapper,” other CNN programs and the network’s website and social media accounts.

CNN lawyers argued that the term “black market” was used to describe an unregulated activity, even though the dictionary definition describes it as illegal.

Young claimed the story destroyed his reputation and ability to earn a living — driving his annual income from $350,000 to zero — and caused severe emotional and psychological distress.