The Washington Times AI News Desk

61 things to do in Washington, D.C. this weekend: September 4-6

Labor Day weekend marks a seasonal shift in the District, and Washington is leaning into the transition with an packed slate of live music, groundbreaking art, and outdoor traditions.

September 3, 2026

Idaho couple, five others charged in $57 million IRS tax fraud scheme

A superseding indictment has been unsealed charging two Idaho residents and five people from other states in connection with an alleged $57 million tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced.

September 3, 2026

Man pleads guilty in N.Y. sex trafficking case, faces 15-year minimum sentence

Chad Barclay, a 33-year-old Trinidadian national and lawful permanent resident, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and admitted to kidnapping six additional victims, according to the Justice Department.

September 3, 2026

5 questions about the Maduro immunity challenge

Lawyers for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are urging a federal judge to toss the drug trafficking case against them, arguing that as Venezuela's sitting head of state and first lady, they're immune from U.S. prosecution.

September 3, 2026

NASA awards Blue Origin $700 million contract for Mars communications network

NASA awarded Blue Origin a contract Tuesday to develop the agency's Mars Telecommunications Network, according to the agency.

September 3, 2026

What kids raised in the 1960s had that today’s children don’t, according to psychologists

Ask anyone in their sixties about their childhood and a certain pattern emerges. They took bad news without spiraling. They handled setbacks with perspective. There is a steadiness there that younger people often notice and cannot quite account for.

September 3, 2026

What did the Clippers do wrong? NBA strips team of 5 picks, fines Ballmer $30 million

The NBA suspended Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for a year, fined the team $30 million and took away five draft picks over a scheme tied to Kawhi Leonard's endorsement deal -- and now the Clippers say they'll fight it in arbitration.

September 3, 2026

Linqto founder indicted in alleged $450 million fraud scheme

A federal indictment has been unsealed charging William Sarris, founder of pre-IPO investment platform Linqto Inc., with securities fraud, broker-dealer fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy offenses, according to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.

September 3, 2026

Maryland invokes 9/11 in fight against state sanctuary law

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler, who is leading 17 of Maryland's 24 counties in a lawsuit against the state's sanctuary policies, told Congress this week that lawmakers in Annapolis have forgotten the lessons of 9/11, as the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

September 2, 2026

Poll: 13% of Democrats say 9/11 gets too much attention, 25 years later

POLL: Democrats far more likely than Republicans to say the country dwells on 9/11 too much.

September 2, 2026

Elliot Page says he’s landed no new roles since ‘The Odyssey’

Elliot Page says the phone hasn't been ringing since he appeared in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster "The Odyssey," a role that made him the target of a summer-long fight between Hollywood's culture warriors: "I'd really love to do, ideally, good work."

September 2, 2026

‘Wheel of Fortune’ suspends announcer Jim Thornton amid probe

"Wheel of Fortune" announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended from the long-running game show and is being temporarily recast while Sony Pictures Television Studios investigates allegations against him, the studio confirmed this week. "We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton," the studio said in a statement, adding that it is "recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation." Thornton, 61, was not given further detail on the nature of the allegations, and the studio has not said how long the recasting will last.

September 2, 2026

Man fatally shoots cousin over spicier enchiladas claim, police say

A 22-year-old New Mexico man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting his cousin to death during a dinner argument over whose green chile enchiladas were spicier.

September 2, 2026

Friday the 13th screenwriter Victor Miller dies at 86

Victor Miller, who wrote the screenplay for the horror classic "Friday the 13th," died Monday in Alameda, California. He was 86.

September 2, 2026

George Clooney rebukes ‘authoritarians’ in Venice Golden Lion speech

GEORGE CLOONEY: "The first people that authoritarians try to shut down are not politicians. They're journalists who ask questions, they're the artists who refuse simple answers, the filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians who insist that someone you never met is deserving of your empathy."

September 2, 2026

Detroit tax preparer pleads guilty in $7 million IRS refund fraud scheme

A Detroit man pleaded guilty to making a false claim in connection with a scheme involving more than $7 million in fraudulent refund claims submitted to the Internal Revenue Service, according to the Justice Department.

September 2, 2026

SMU cancels CAIR-Texas youth conference over Texas terror designation

Southern Methodist University has scrapped plans to host a Council on American-Islamic Relations youth conference on its Dallas campus, citing the state's designation of the group as a foreign terrorist organization.

September 2, 2026

5 questions about Nepal’s deadly floods and ongoing search efforts

Nepal's death toll from last week's catastrophic Himalayan floods has climbed past 1,100, with nearly 4,000 still missing -- even as families begin holding funerals without bodies and survivors flee to Kathmandu for shelter.

September 2, 2026

Markey’s landslide didn’t come from experience — it came from Bernie and Warren

Sen. Ed Markey defeated Rep. Seth Moulton 64.9% to 35.1% in the Massachusetts Senate primary. Here's why his progressive endorsements mattered more than his 33-year age gap with Moulton.

September 2, 2026

Getaway driver in twin Memphis bank robberies gets 15-year sentence

A federal judge in Memphis sentenced Courtney Trenell, 34, of Memphis, to 15 years in prison for aiding and abetting two bank robberies and joining a conspiracy to rob six banks, the Justice Department announced.

September 2, 2026