San Francisco’s Fourth of July celebration this year was expected to be a spectacular event, drawing people from far and wide. Unfortunately, the eagerly anticipated festivities took a surprising turn, proving memorable for all the wrong reasons.

An impressive estimated 100,000 spectators flocked to the city’s waterfront to witness a historic fireworks display launched from the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. However, the grand show turned into a disappointment as thick fog engulfed the display, obscuring the fireworks for much of the night. Alongside the weather, logistical hiccups in transit and sanitation compounded the challenges faced by attendees.

One major issue was the severe shortage of restrooms, which left many in uncomfortable predicaments. With only 127 toilets available, the ratio was a staggering one toilet for every 787 people. This essential shortfall hit particularly hard in the city’s bustling areas where crowds gathered in droves to celebrate.

The National Park Service acknowledged that the restroom deficit considerably affected the Presidio, Marina, and northern waterfront. These were some of the most popular spots for viewing the first-ever Independence Day fireworks launched from the Golden Gate Bridge, marking just the third fireworks display in the bridge’s storied history.

Despite efforts by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to accommodate the crowds with 27 permanent restrooms and an additional 60 portable toilets, the facilities were far from sufficient. The subpar sanitation situation left many questioning the city’s preparedness for hosting such a large-scale and highly anticipated event.

The City of San Francisco supplied about 40 more portable toilets at Crissy Field and Fort Mason, according to Joshua Winchell, chief of communications and special park uses for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

“These 127 toilets were not nearly enough to support our July 4 visitors,” Winchell told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We will work with the City of San Francisco and our other partners to ensure that enough bathrooms and other resources required for enjoyable park visits will be in place for future large-scale events, such as Fleet Week.”

The bathroom blunder is the latest black eye for what was billed as a once-in-a-generation patriotic celebration.

While the city spared little in staging a first-of-its-kind Independence Day spectacle, the basic logistics failed to keep pace with the massive turnout.

Dense fog rolled over the bay just as the fireworks began, leaving many spectators staring at little more than flashes of light and the lower bursts breaking through the mist after waiting hours for the show.

Longtime locals, however, said none of it came as much of a surprise.

Some residents noted that anyone who has lived in San Francisco for more than a year knows Fourth of July fireworks are a “total crapshoot,” adding that 2025 was an unusual exception with clear skies.

They said the Golden Gate Bridge launch was a unique draw, but that anyone familiar with the city also expected the traffic nightmare and simply planned around it.

Getting home proved to be another ordeal.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency apologized for widespread delays, saying the transit system struggled to absorb an additional 41,000 riders on America’s 250th birthday.

Many attendees reported sitting in traffic, waiting extended periods for buses or walking long distances home.

Mayor Daniel Lurie blasted the transit breakdowns as “unacceptable” and said the city must fix the problems before Fleet Week, another major waterfront event expected to attract huge crowds in October.

An angry San Franciscan left a blunt but honest comment on Lurie’s Instagram post about the Fourth of July festivities: “No wonder everywhere smells like pee. There were almost no restrooms for these crowds!”

Another slammed him as the “worst mayor ever.”

Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Bilal Mahmood have requested reviews of the city’s planning, including transit service, emergency access and whether autonomous vehicles contributed to the gridlock.

The restroom shortage is also expected to come under scrutiny. 

Sherrill, whose district includes the Marina, has called for a hearing before Fleet Week to examine what went wrong and what needs to change before the next major waterfront event.

Industry planning standards suggest the city fell dramatically short.

For a crowd of 100,000 people, widely used Portable Sanitation Association International guidelines recommend about 1,000 toilets for an event lasting up to four hours without alcohol, roughly 1,300 to 1,500 for longer events and 1,500 to more than 2,000 if alcohol is served.

By that measure, San Francisco was short by at least 873 toilets even under the most conservative recommendation.

For a longer event or one serving alcohol, the shortfall climbs to more than 1,373, leaving attendees with less than 13% of the sanitation infrastructure typically recommended for a crowd that size.

Parts of Missouri find themselves in the grip of a state of emergency as what meteorologists have termed a ‘once-in-a-millennium’ deluge has unleashed catastrophic flooding. The torrential rain has caused rivers to swell to unprecedented levels, resulting in devastating consequences that have collapsed structures, stranded families, and necessitated daring rescues from the swift currents.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood emergency, affecting thousands, while reports from the Reynolds County sheriff’s office indicate that emergency responders have already executed more than 90 water rescues.

The relentless storm system unleashed between six and 12 inches of rain particularly hard-hit areas like the Black River region in southeastern Missouri. As a result, roads have become impassable, campgrounds inundated, and entire communities submerged.

Despite the ongoing rescue operations, officials cautioned that the threat was far from over as evening approached on Friday. River levels were still climbing, and forecasts suggested further flooding was imminent, with the river peaking at a record 28.7 feet that very day.

One of the most striking examples of human perseverance came when approximately 20 people were rescued from peril at the Bearcat Getaway campground. A building there, undermined by the forceful waters, gave way beneath them, plunging campers into the turbulent river.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Eddie Young said the group had climbed onto the structure before it gave way, forcing emergency responders to rescue them from the flood.

The extreme weather also endangered first responders. During one rescue mission, a Missouri State Highway Patrol boat became entangled in a submerged line.

The two troopers aboard were forced to abandon the vessel and enter the floodwaters before both safely made it ashore without injury.

The floods came after several inches of rain fell overnight on Thursday and into the morning across a long swath of central and eastern Missouri. 

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings as thunderstorms piled on the area one after another, explained Matt Beitscher, a lead meteorologist with the NWS office in St. Louis.

‘It’s very, very popular place for recreation,’ said Beitscher of the affected counties.

‘So there are campgrounds there. There are float trip locations there. A lot of vulnerable populations that would be susceptible to flash flooding.’ 

Dozens were evacuated from multiple campgrounds along the Black River in Lesterville. Some people were forced to climb trees to escape rising floodwaters.

One photo saw a family’s camper van lying on its side as the strength of the waters tossed it aside. 

Governor Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency as the crisis escalated, activating one of Missouri’s urban search-and-rescue teams while National Guard helicopters were dispatched to reach residents cut off by floodwaters.

A family reunification center has also been set up.

Several major roads became impassable, and authorities established a family reunification center as rescue operations continued.

Joe Holt took video of flooding in Lesterville. Footage from the air saw several major roads made impassable due to flooding and damage.

Houses were also flooded in Annapolis, Missouri as rising waters from the creek washed over roads and bridges. 

Meteorologists described the deluge as a ‘once-in-a-millennium’ rainfall event, warning that swollen rivers would continue rising even after the rain eased, raising fears that the worst flooding may still be ahead.

Parts of southeastern Missouri have already picked up at least 12.25 inches of rain since Thursday.

The Missouri Department of Transportation Southeast District said Highway 21 in Reynolds County sustained major damage because of the flooding and would be closed until further notice.

There is still a risk of flash flooding early into next week as the weather front continues to move slowly south and east, reports Fox Weather.

In other significant news, a 26-year-old man has been taken into custody under suspicion of murdering Ann Widdecombe. The former British member of Parliament and reality television figure’s sudden death has sent shockwaves through the country.

The 78-year-old Widdecombe was discovered dead in her home, nestled near the scenic Dartmoor National Park in southwest England, on Thursday. According to authorities who spoke to Reuters, she succumbed to severe injuries, leaving the community in a state of mourning.

As the investigation unfolds, the identity of the suspect remains undisclosed, keeping the public on edge as they await further developments.

“This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.”

Investigators don’t believe the killing was politically motivated, Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said.

“Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace,” ​Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement.

Starmer said the security of lawmakers was “of the utmost importance,” and urged people to rise above political differences.

Widdecombe served in Parliament, but found fame after leaving office as a contestant on the Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother reality television shows. She later joined the Brexit Party and became a spokeswoman for the anti-mass migration Reform UK party.

In a post on X, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Widdecombe “a heroic Brexiteer and a great speaker who could move Tory audiences to such ecstasy that she was a very hard act to follow.”

Cloud9 Management, which represented Widdecombe for more than a decade, said her life was driven by her “strong Christian values and commitment to public service.”

“She loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day across numerous radio and television programmes (sic). Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities,” the company said in a social media post.

In the past decade, two serving British members of parliament have ​been murdered.

In the midst of the Brexit campaign of 2016, Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a Nazi-obsessed loner. Conservative lawmaker David Amess was fatally stabbed in 2021 by a man inspired by the ‌Islamic State terror group.

It appears that the so-called “Tinder Swindler” has finally wriggled free from the legal complications tied to his notorious online dating escapades.

Shimon Hayut, an Israeli native, adopted the alias Simon Leviev and masqueraded as a member of a renowned billionaire diamond dynasty. Multiple women have alleged that he exploited this fabricated identity to charm and swindle them out of substantial sums of money.

In 2022, the actual Leviev family initiated legal proceedings against Simon in Israel, accusing him of damaging their reputation and misleading both women and various enterprises by misusing their family name, which they claimed severely affected their businesses.

Page Six has learned that, as of Thursday, Simon and the Leviev family have come to an agreement to resolve their conflict.

Court documents, translated for Page Six, reveal that as part of the settlement, Simon has agreed to refrain from representing himself—either directly or indirectly—as a member of the Leviev family or as having any connection to the Leviev family businesses, including LLD Diamonds USA, LLC. In exchange, the Levievs have agreed to withdraw the remainder of their lawsuit.

The matter was resolved without any determination of guilt.

It’s the last of the legal challenges facing Simon.

He served two and a half years in a Finnish prison after he was found guilty of defrauding the women. He also served 15 months in an Israeli prison after being convicted of four fraud charges, but was released after five months.

TMZ was first to report on the settlement.

The tale was covered in a hit Netflitx documentary, the “Tinder Swindler,” in 2022. It showed how he flaunted a luxurious, jet-setting lifestyle to convince the women he was an ultra-wealthy scion, only to come up with dire emergencies that, he claimed, he needed loans from the women to escape from.

Chagit Leviev, CEO of Leviev Group USA and daughter of Israeli diamond billionaire Lev Leviev, previously told Page Six that the family had spent years trying to stop him.

“We have suffered from the ‘Tinder Swindler’ for years,” she said in 2022. “We knew he was defrauding companies and other women who reached out. We tried so hard to make him stop, fought him, and reported him to the police.”

On Friday Leviev framed the settlement as a vindication.

“If they had evidence like that, I would be sitting behind bars right now,” he told Page Six. “I’m not. I’m sitting in the most expensive hotel in Brazil.”

His lawyer, Sharon Nahari, also said extradition proceedings in Germany have been closed and that there are no remaining criminal cases against him in Europe.

He also argued that public opinion turned him into a villain before the facts were fully examined.
“The world likes to find this villain, this bad guy that everybody likes to hate,” he said. “But I’m not this guy. Sorry to disappoint everyone.”

Leviev says the Netflix documentary changed his life, bringing him worldwide fame and new business opportunities.

The wife of former NFL player Marcellus Wiley, who is currently facing significant personal challenges, made her first public appearance since the start of their messy separation drama.

On Monday, Annemarie, Wiley’s spouse, initiated divorce proceedings and sought a restraining order against the 51-year-old former Pro Bowl athlete.

She attributed the decision to irreconcilable differences, alleging that Wiley engaged in ongoing and intensifying behaviors, including physical and sexual violence, verbal and emotional mistreatment, financial manipulation, and intimidation. Wiley has refuted these allegations.

This legal action followed Wiley’s arrest at the Orange County Jail on Saturday, July 4, in connection with a reported conflict in Orlando during the holiday weekend.

Annemarie, who gained fame as a former star on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, was seen publicly on Friday for the first time since these startling accusations emerged.

The 42-year-old was seen without her wedding band on her left ring finger as she stepped out of a black SUV. 

She wore a grey matching tracksuit and a simple pair of neutral-colored sneakers, while a deep blue Goyard Saint Louis Tote bag was the only pop of color in her look. 

Annemarie cut a casual figure with her blonde braids pulled back into a sleek bun and minimal makeup. 

Her stripped-back appearance comes after her filing earlier this week alleged Wiley’s abuse started back in 2012 and included a number of incidents of physical violence and four alleged rapes.

Annemarie is also seeking sole legal and physical custody of their three children, and an order denying Wiley visitation.

‘Marcellus subjects me to constant criticism, cruel and sarcastic remarks, and intimidation,’ Annemarie claims in the application.

‘His verbal and emotional abuse is constant, and his physical abuse occurs approximately once a month, and at times more frequently. I am afraid of Marcellus, and I fear for my own safety and for the safety of our children.’

That prompted Wiley to write a lengthy statement in defense, which he sent to The California Post. He called Annemarie’s allegations ‘lies’ and claimed he has ‘videos, photographs, text messages, emails, and other evidence’ that directly contradict the former reality TV star’s ‘baseless claims’.

‘I love my children with everything I am,’ Wiley said in the statement. ‘My highest priority has always been protecting them and preserving the relationship they have with both of their parents.

‘Because of the public allegations made against me by Annemarie, I have been forced to respond with evidence rather than emotion. More importantly, I owe it to my children to truthfully document what they and I have endured.’

Wiley claimed he has proof of Annemarie’s infidelity, including ‘an affair with her pregnant friend’s husband’. She was a full-time cast member on season 13 of Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’.

He continued: ‘To be frank, many friends, family members, and fans have opined that after she was kicked off “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”, she lost her mind! Unfortunately, I must agree.

‘I never wanted my family’s issues and struggles to become public for any reason, including divorce leverage. But I unfortunately knew this day was inevitable.

‘I was willing to endure anything – even hell itself – if it meant being with my children every single day. I am their hero, and now I am fighting to make sure the positive and real image they know of me is the one that endures.

‘I am prepared to address these allegations and related matters through the legal process and with evidence. My focus remains on my children, my integrity, and the truth. Thanks for your understanding.’

The July 4 arrest affidavit alleges that Wiley threatened to kill his wife and became physical with her in front of their seven-year-old daughter in a hotel room at World Marriott.

The affidavit claims their three children, who were at the venue to attend a basketball tournament, were in the hotel room when the police arrived.

Annemarie told police that on the morning of July 3, Wiley stood over her and ‘used one finger to sternly and intentionally poke her in the cheek’, before threatening to kill her.

She also told the authorities that Wiley has an unreported history of violence towards her in the past, an allegation he denies.

After being interviewed by deputies, Wiley was released from custody on $1,000 cash bond on Sunday night.

However, in a fresh blow, it emerged earlier on Friday that he is reportedly being ordered to repay more than $500,000 that he owes to a bank.

TMZ reported that court documents show Wiley must pay up for a loan plus interest, attorney fees, late fees and other costs that total $549,429.82.

Preferred Bank reportedly sued Wiley back in December – before his recent legal troubles – and alleged he took out the loan in May 2023 and promised to repay it within a year but never did.

Wiley was originally selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft out of Columbia University.

He spent a full decade competing in the professional league, playing as a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

He earned a Pro Bowl selection and Second-team All-Pro honors in 2001 after recording a career-high 13 sacks during his tenure with the Chargers.

Following his official retirement from professional football in 2006, Wiley transitioned into a national media career.

He became a familiar fixture on sports television, serving as a co-host for several prominent daily debate programs.

His broadcasting resume includes a lengthy stint at ESPN, where he co-hosted the afternoon television program SportsNation alongside a daily Los Angeles radio show.

His arrest comes just months after Wiley faced fresh allegations of sexual assault from four new accusers.

The claims, filed in New York, broaden the litigation that began in 2023 when three women accused Wiley of rape during his time at Columbia University .

Among the new accusers is a former ESPN production assistant who alleges that Wiley lured her into a hotel room under the guise of a work meeting in 2009.

Wiley has consistently and vehemently denied all sexual assault allegations.

A former deputy press secretary during the Obama administration has been dismissed from his role in Minneapolis for allegedly engaging in theft from city colleagues. The accusations suggest he took cash and credit cards from them to buy an herbal supplement designed to alleviate opioid withdrawal symptoms.

Adam Fetcher, 42, who held a communications position with the city for one year, was reportedly involved in this misconduct after his return from a sanctioned, multi-week rehabilitation program. The revelations were first published by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The case is currently under review by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, according to their spokesperson. Efforts have been made to contact Fetcher’s legal representative and the attorney’s office for additional insights.

Fetcher was captured on surveillance cameras at a Minneapolis smoke shop purchasing kratom, which is used to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms but carries its own risk of addiction.

He allegedly stole a charge card from a city employee’s purse and made a $481 purchase at the Minneapolis Tobacco & Vapor shop, less than a mile from his home, the newspaper reported. Store manager Hamza Zamara said staff helped investigators identify Fetcher as the man who allegedly used fraudulent cards to make the purchase.

Authorities zeroed in on the shop after a woman called the store claiming that someone had made a purchase using her card without permission. When Fetcher visited the shop again, employees took pictures of him and followed him outside, the news report states. They later gave investigators Fetcher’s vehicle’s license plate number.

OHIO BROTHERS WHO POSED AS MIDDLE EASTERN ROYALTY RECEIVE LENGTHY SENTENCE FOR $21M FRAUD SCHEME

“We told him, ‘Hey, we know what you’re doing,’” Zamara said.

Fetcher, who earned $186,000 annually, was fired on July 1.

“Under Adam’s leadership, the Communications team has reorganized, is fully staffed, and is well positioned to manage the City’s Communications needs,” City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher wrote in an email to staff announcing the termination.

The email did not explain the circumstances of Fetcher’s departure. However, Kelliher wrote in a separate memo that several city employees had reported missing cash, debit, or credit cards, as well as unauthorized charges, noting the incidents happened between mid-May and June.

“I know this information may be concerning and troubling, and I want to assure you that the City takes this sort of report seriously and has acted accordingly,” she wrote, according to the email obtained by the Star Tribune. “Although we cannot provide additional details, we have no reason at this time to believe there is any ongoing risk of theft.”

In addition to serving as deputy national press secretary for the Obama administration, Fetcher went on to hold senior communications roles for Patagonia, Rivian, and Lyft.