The Washington Times AI News Desk

LeBron James’ 76ers move sends social media into frenzy

LeBron James announced Friday that he's signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8M deal, and the internet did not waste any time weighing in.

July 24, 2026

‘Reacher’ star Alan Ritchson rages at Trump over Epstein files

"Reacher" actor ALAN RITCHSON on Trump and the Epstein files: "Give me the f---ing manila envelope. Don't you want to see what's in there so that we can hold people accountable? These f---ing rapists. That bitch has the keys to the nuclear codes. He's like all up into 13-year-olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail."

July 24, 2026

Diddy tossed in solitary after prison fight at Fort Dix

Sean "Diddy" Combs got into a physical altercation with a fellow inmate at his federal facility in New Jersey and was subsequently placed in solitary confinement.

July 24, 2026

USA Today writer apologizes for Emmett Till comparison to Caitlin Clark

A USA Today sports columnist apologized Thursday for invoking the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till in a column arguing that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's on-court behavior and the reaction it draws from some fans contribute to unsafe conditions for Black and queer WNBA players, touching off a wave of criticism from media figures across the political spectrum.

July 23, 2026

First Nancy Guthrie ransom note read aloud on true-crime podcast

The sender of the first ransom note in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance opened with a direct warning to her daughter, "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, telling her that her mother's life "is in your hands."

July 23, 2026

Johnny Depp returns to major studio roles as Scrooge in ‘Ebenezer’

Johnny Depp is stepping into one of literature's most famous roles this holiday season, playing the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in "Ebenezer," a new big-screen take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from horror director Ti West. For Depp, "Ebenezer" marks one of his highest-profile major studio roles since "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" in 2018.

July 23, 2026

Long John Silver’s lost dozens of locations last year, filing shows

Long John Silver's closed about 30 restaurants across 18 states last year, according to a newly issued franchise disclosure document, though the opening of 10 new locations left the chain with a net loss of 23 outlets.

July 23, 2026

White House backs WNBA star Sophie Cunningham on women’s sports remarks

KAROLINE LEAVITT defends WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, who said biological men should not play in women's sports: "Men should not be playing in women's sports. It's completely ludicrous that anyone could support that ... The backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing. They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue..."

July 23, 2026

Marijuana drives sharp rise in workplace drug positivity, new report shows

Nearly 1 in 5 workers tested positive for illicit drugs last year, as rising marijuana use fueled a broader increase in "persistent long-term" substance abuse across the American workforce, according to a new report from Quest Diagnostics.

July 23, 2026

Geraldo Rivera says masked ICE agents reflect a ‘horrible’ task

GERALDO RIVERA on ICE: "The FBI doesn't wear masks. The sheriffs don't. The cops don't. Why is it unique? Unique to this force that they have to hide their identities? It's because the ... sorrowful, horrible task that they have been given is so antithetical to most people's sense of decency."

July 23, 2026

Fetterman calls Mamdani a ‘clown’ over Netanyahu arrest threat

FETTERMAN on Mamdani's threats toward Netanyahu: "You are a mayor, dude ... You can fix a pothole. You can take out the trash. But you can't order people to arrest anybody, any more than I could have him arrested if he goes to Pennsylvania ... and I know you're angry at Netanyahu because he killed a lot of people you admire, whether, like, it's Sinwar or Nasrallah or [Khamenei] in Iran."

July 23, 2026

Obama Center subcontractor shuts down amid $4 million dispute over unpaid work

A plumbing subcontractor who says he is owed nearly $4M for work on the Barack Obama Presidential Center has suspended operations and laid off 25 union workers, weeks after the Chicago campus's star-studded opening.

July 23, 2026

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic turned down seven-figure offer to perform in Saudi Arabia

"Weird Al" Yankovic on turning down the Riyadh Comedy Festival and a seven-figure payment: "I don't need to take any amount of money if it makes me feel icky..."

July 23, 2026

Colman Domingo roasts Musk’s AI ‘historically accurate’ ‘Odyssey’

Actor COLMAN DOMINGO blasts Elon Musk's idea for an AI-generated "Odyssey": "...by 'historically accurate,' he means whiter than Christmas at Cracker Barrel. Of course this is all because Elon and his Musketeers are upset over the diversity casting of 'The Odyssey.' And I don't wanna get technical here, but you can't make a historically accurate version of something that is totally made the f--- up. I mean, 'The Odyssey' is fiction. You know, like 'The Hunger Games,' or the president's cognitive exams."

July 23, 2026

Rockabilly pioneer Vernon Taylor, a Sun Records artist, dies at 88

Vernon Taylor, a 1950s rockabilly musician whose brief run with Sun Records later made him a cult favorite among genre devotees, has died at 88.

July 23, 2026

5 questions about Texas’ new flood warning systems

Newly installed flood sirens and alert systems saved lives in Texas this week -- but for some residents, the warnings still didn't come in time.

July 23, 2026

Memphis pizzeria sees business surge after National Guard refusal

Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza, a Memphis pizza restaurant that drew national backlash after refusing to serve National Guard members, says the boycott effort has backfired, with supporters packing the restaurant nightly in what locals are calling a "buy-cott."

July 22, 2026