The Washington Times AI News Desk

Red Lobster’s longest-running location to shut doors Sunday after 56 years

Red Lobster's oldest continuously operating restaurant -- a Tallahassee, Florida, location that survived the seafood chain's 2024 bankruptcy -- will permanently close Sunday, ending a 56-year run.

May 19, 2026

Stephen King slams Trump over ‘not even a little bit’ Iran remark

STEPHEN KING: "Trump says he doesn't care 'even a little bit' if Americans suffer rising costs. Of course he doesn't ... Will you MAGA Trumpaholics never learn?"

May 19, 2026

ICE used the honor system to track millions of released migrants — most never showed up

ICE lost track of at least 70% of migrants paroled at the southern border under President Biden. Here's how an "honor system" became the government's primary tracking method -- and why it failed.

May 19, 2026

Ireland changed deportation flight menus after pork sausages served to Muslim detainees

Ireland's air charter contractor revised its in-flight catering procedures after a government-appointed human rights monitor flagged that a deportation flight to Pakistan had served pork sausages -- prohibited under Islamic dietary law -- to 24 Muslim men being removed from the country.

May 19, 2026

DOJ charges Iraqi national in connection with 20 attacks across U.S., Europe and Canada

Federal prosecutors on Monday announced the arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national described as a senior member and commander of Kata'ib Hizballah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, charging him with six terrorism-related counts for his alleged role in nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe, the United States and Canada.

May 18, 2026

$1.7 billion in taxpayer money, no court oversight: Trump’s new DOJ fund draws bipartisan fire

The Trump administration has created a $1.7 billion taxpayer-funded account at the Justice Department for political allies. Critics call it a slush fund -- and it replaces a promise Trump made to give the money to charity.

May 18, 2026

California man charged with smuggling protected turtles to Asia

A Daly City, California, man was arrested this week on federal wildlife trafficking charges after prosecutors said he conspired to illegally export hundreds of protected turtles to Asia using fraudulent paperwork.

May 18, 2026

Michigan woman convicted in $1.6M Medicare home health fraud scheme

A federal jury in Michigan has convicted a home health care agency owner of running a $1.6 million Medicare fraud scheme built on bribery, stolen patient records and falsified claims, the Justice Department announced.

May 18, 2026

Trump’s Beijing visit aims to reverse 25 years of U.S. economic vulnerability, ambassador says

President Trump wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing on Friday, the first trip to China by a sitting U.S. president in nine years, with both sides hailing the meetings as productive but announcing no major breakthroughs on trade, Taiwan or the Iran conflict.

May 17, 2026

Warner Bros. reboots ‘Westworld’ film, leaving HBO series behind

Warner Bros. is developing a feature film reboot of Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi thriller "Westworld," hiring screenwriter David Koepp to adapt the property -- a move that raises fresh questions about the fate of the acclaimed but canceled HBO television series.

May 16, 2026

Kristen Stewart rails against Hollywood studio system: ‘Less making billionaires more billionaires’

Actress KRISTEN STEWART on Hollywood: "There needs to be more work, more output, more connection and less fear and less bureaucracy and also less making billionaires more billionaires."

May 16, 2026

Kentucky Derby winner skips Preakness, leaving Triple Crown bid off the table for 2026

The 151st Preakness Stakes will run Saturday without the one horse capable of chasing history.

May 16, 2026

Bruce Springsteen bypasses Chris Christie’s handshake in viral clip

Bruce Springsteen appeared to snub former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at a Brooklyn concert Thursday, walking past the Republican politician's outstretched hand in a moment that quickly went viral on social media.

May 15, 2026

31 things to do in Washington, D.C. this weekend: May 15-17, 2026

From concerts and cultural festivals to baseball, theater and blockbuster museum exhibitions, the District is packed with activity this weekend

May 15, 2026

Hit Zero dies after collapsing at Laurel Park on Black-Eyed Susan Day

A racehorse, Hit Zero, suffered a fatal cardiac event Friday at Laurel Park on Black-Eyed Susan Day, casting a somber note over the opening of Preakness Stakes weekend.

May 15, 2026

Flags fly at half-staff Friday for Peace Officers Memorial Day

American flags across the nation are flying at half-staff Friday in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day, an annual tribute to law enforcement officers who have died or been injured in the line of duty.

May 15, 2026

Hegseth’s Poland troop cancellation draws fire from Republicans

Pete Hegseth ordered the cancellation of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team's nine-month rotation to Poland in a move that blindsided both congressional allies and the European nation the Trump administration has publicly called a "model ally."

May 15, 2026

‘Duck Dynasty’ couple opens up about affair, reconciliation ahead of Lifetime film

Al Robertson, the eldest son of "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson, says he and his wife, Lisa, chose faith over divorce after she had an extramarital relationship -- and are now sharing that story on screen in a new Lifetime movie

May 15, 2026

CIA removed JFK assassination files from Tulsi Gabbard’s office, lawmakers demand answers

The CIA removed 40 boxes of JFK assassination and MKUltra files from Tulsi Gabbard's office -- and still hasn't explained why. Now two Republican lawmakers are demanding answers.

May 15, 2026

Toddler emerges from overturned car after Arkansas police chase; pursuit scrutiny grows

A 3-year-old boy climbed out of an overturned vehicle in rural Arkansas after his mother led state troopers on a high-speed chase, the latest in a series of dramatic pursuit incidents drawing renewed attention to the dangers of police chases across the country.

May 15, 2026