The Washington Times AI News Desk

Hollywood production exodus puts L.A. at risk

Everything costs more in L.A., starting with labor. Other states and countries have built their own crew bases, offer more favorable regulations and provide more generous financial incentives. The U.K. alone spent $2.2B on film and television subsidies in 2024. The new "Avengers" films are being made in London. "Spaceballs 2" is shooting in Australia. The "Scrubs" reboot films in British Columbia. The "Little House on the Prairie" revival heading to Netflix in July was shot in Winnipeg, where Canada's 16% labor credit stacks on top of Manitoba's 30% incentive.

June 16, 2026

Mexican national charged with flying drone over FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta

A Mexican national who authorities say is unlawfully present in the United States faces federal charges after allegedly flying a drone over Centennial Olympic Park during the FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

June 16, 2026

Emma Heming Willis corrects misconception about Bruce Willis’ dementia

Emma Heming Willis is pushing back against a widespread misunderstanding about her husband's illness, saying Bruce Willis still recognizes his family despite living with frontotemporal dementia.

June 16, 2026

Ian McKellen invoked Mar-a-Lago to fuel ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ rage

Actor IAN MCKELLEN on reprising Magneto in the new "Avengers" movie: "They told me to look more furious, make it look as if you hate what you're destroying. So, I stood there, and I shouted, 'Mar-a-Lago!'"

June 16, 2026

Behind bars but not off the grid: Famous inmates are posting on social media — and lobbying Trump

Jodi Arias, Sam Bankman-Fried, Elizabeth Holmes and Joe Exotic are all posting on social media from federal prison -- through outside proxies. Here's how they're doing it, and why several are using their platforms to lobby President Trump for clemency.

June 16, 2026

D.C. mayoral hopeful bought $1.19M home after zoning critique

Janeese Lewis George, the democratic socialist District councilmember running for mayor of Washington, purchased a $1.19M single-family home in April, just 15 days after publishing an op-ed arguing that exclusionary zoning perpetuates segregation and drives displacement across the nation's capital.

June 16, 2026

Mexican national sentenced to 87 months for managing border smuggling ring

A Mexican national who served as a manager in an extensive human smuggling operation was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for his role in moving hundreds of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border while robbing them at gunpoint, the Justice Department announced.

June 16, 2026

Poll: Political independents hit decade high as GOP loses ground

POLL: 47% of Americans now call themselves independents, up roughly 10 percentage points since the end of President Trump's first term.

June 16, 2026

Oklahoma jail deputy convicted of civil rights violation in detainee’s death

A federal jury has convicted a former detention deputy at the Garvin County Jail in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, of violating a pretrial detainee's civil rights by ignoring her serious medical needs -- conduct that resulted in bodily injury and the detainee's death, the Justice Department announced.

June 16, 2026

‘Shrek 5’ trailer drops with original cast, new children

Universal Pictures released the first trailer for "Shrek 5" on Tuesday, more than a year ahead of the film's scheduled June 30, 2027, theatrical debut.

June 16, 2026

Bonnie Tyler out of coma but still in ICU, summer tour canceled

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has emerged from an induced coma following emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal, though she remains in intensive care and is still considered "very unwell," her family said Monday.

June 16, 2026

Florida man pleads guilty to child porn charges tied to violent extremist network 764

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material as part of his involvement with a violent extremist network that targets and exploits minors, federal prosecutors announced.

June 16, 2026

Jersey Mike’s dethrones Chick-fil-A as top fast-food chain

Jersey Mike's has knocked Chick-fil-A from the top spot in America's most closely watched fast-food satisfaction ranking, ending the Atlanta-based chicken chain's decade-long reign.

June 16, 2026

Robert De Niro says loving America under Trump like loving an abuser

DE NIRO: "I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser."

June 16, 2026

Rob Schneider vows to cover potential fines for Giants players warned over Bible verses

Comedian Rob Schneider pledged Monday to pay any fines levied against Major League Baseball players who write scripture references on their uniforms, calling the league "anti-Christian" after three San Francisco Giants pitchers were formally warned for doing so during the team's Pride Night game. "I will pay the fines for any @MLB Christian player who wears a Bible verse on their uniform," Schneider wrote on X. "@MLB is ANTI-CHRISTIAN."

June 16, 2026

Elliot Page says ‘healthy masculinity’ means resisting urge to shut down

Trans actor ELLIOT PAGE: "Healthy masculinity, to me, is or even just something I've felt as, like, transitioning, is like leaning away from whenever there is some sort of impulse or expectation you've put on yourself to ... shut down."

June 16, 2026

Sean Penn to direct Jan. 6 drama with Bradley Cooper as Capitol cop

Sean Penn will direct an untitled drama based on the life of a police officer who was present during the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol, with Bradley Cooper in talks to star in the lead role.

June 16, 2026

First human dosed with cellular reprogramming drug in longevity trial

A Boston biotech company has administered what researchers are describing as the first human dose of a cellular rejuvenation drug, a milestone in the effort to treat age-related disease at the epigenetic level.

June 16, 2026

Diddy’s prison release date moved up again to February 2028

Sean "Diddy" Combs is set for release from federal prison on Feb. 23, 2028, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records -- the latest in a series of adjustments to his projected release date since he began serving his sentence.

June 16, 2026

Analysts question whether restocking lost Reaper drones is the right call as Iran war losses mount

The U.S. Air Force has lost nearly one-third of its MQ-9 Reaper drone fleet in Middle East operations since the start of the Trump administration, with no active production line to replace them and no funded congressional plan to do so, according to military, congressional and defense industry officials.

June 14, 2026