Late Wednesday, President Donald Trump addressed the calamity that had just unfolded in Venezuela, stating that the powerful earthquakes which struck the nation resulted in what he termed as “a devastating number of deaths,” while officials remained hard at work evaluating the full impact of the disaster.

Following the aftermath, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed at least 164 fatalities with more than 971 individuals injured due to these natural disasters.

The series of quakes had hit Venezuela earlier that day, unleashing severe destruction across the country. The capital city, Caracas, was not spared as numerous buildings were damaged. Rescue teams were tirelessly clearing through the rubble, hoping to find survivors amidst the ruins.

In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump remarked on the widespread devastation prompted by what he referred to as a pair of “massive” earthquakes, underscoring the severity of the catastrophe.

“The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths,” Trump wrote.

Trump said the United States was prepared to assist with the ongoing response.

“The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!” Trump said. “I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.”

Trump added that early reports from Venezuela were “not good.”

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an initial magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck at 6:04 p.m. ET, with its epicenter about 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe.

Just 39 seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 quake struck with its epicenter about 14 miles southeast of Yumare.

“High casualties and extensive damage are probable, and the disaster is likely widespread,” the USGS said in a rare red alert statement.

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Officials said the earthquakes were among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency Wednesday after the earthquakes, which were followed by nearly two dozen aftershocks.

In a televised address later that day, Rodríguez urged Venezuelans to remain calm.

“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez said. “We urge unity.”

On Thursday, Rodríguez announced that at least 164 people had been killed and 971 others injured in the earthquakes.

“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez said. “We urge unity.”

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X that American officials were in contact with Venezuelan authorities and working to deliver assistance to the South American nation.

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“The U.S. stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening’s devastating earthquakes,” he wrote. “We’re in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance.”

The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said it was tracking developments following the powerful earthquakes.

“The U.S. Government is closely monitoring the aftermath of a large earthquake in Venezuela,” the bureau said in a statement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also detailed to reporters Thursday multiple specific ways the U.S. is providing support.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and are committed to supporting the people of Venezuela during this difficult time,” the statement continued.

“We’re already deploying a search and rescue teams from Fairfax County, Virginia and Los Angeles. There will be some others we’ll add. That’s their most immediate need right now, is search and rescue efforts. They have much of collapsed buildings. And so they’ll need a lot of help in terms of digging through that. The airport there is badly damaged, so we’ll have to rely on the Department of War to deploy assets there. And then we’re also helping them with some overhead imagery, especially in coastal areas where they don’t have full visibility over what the damage has been and what the impact has been,” he said while speaking to reporters in Bahrain.

Rubio also revealed that a number of other countries have reached out to the U.S. to offer support to Venezuela, including Qatar, El Salvador, Chile and others. 

“We’ll also have to manage what we expect is gonna be a surge in private donations. I can imagine that there’s going to be a lot of people from the United States and entities in the United States, we’ve already been in touch with some of the leading charities, but I know at the local level, particularly in places like where I call home in south Florida there’ll be a lot of people that are gonna want to step forward and help and provide assistance and we just need to find the way that we can step in and provide logistical support from that,” Rubio also said.

Rubio further revealed the the Department of War will play a major role in delivering aid because of the Department’s ability to land aircraft in unconventional places considering the earthquake significantly damaged the airport in Venezuela’s capital Caracas.

The bureau also urged U.S. citizens in Venezuela to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and monitor embassy updates.

Ann Blyth, renowned for her Oscar nomination and as one of the last luminaries of Hollywood’s Golden Age, has passed away at the age of 98.

Blyth’s death occurred on Wednesday, June 24, due to natural causes. The news was shared by George Pennachio of KABC through a Facebook post on Thursday, noting that she was nearing her 99th birthday by just two months.

Her journey into stardom commenced as a child actor in the 1930s, starting with radio before she transitioned into films. Throughout her extensive career exceeding 70 years, Blyth featured in numerous classic movies.

Among her most memorable roles was playing the daughter to Joan Crawford’s character in the iconic 1945 film noir, “Mildred Pierce.”

This melodrama, brought to life by director Michael Curtiz, catapulted Blyth into stardom and garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Blyth was just 16 when she appeared in the film as Veda, the spoiled, money-obsessed daughter of Mildred Pierce, a divorcée who struggles as a waitress to pay for her daughter’s desires, until she’s forced to make greater and greater sacrifices.

The film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Actress, Screenplay and Black-and-White Cinematography.

Blyth and her costar Eve Arden split the Best Supporting Actress category and went home empty-handed, while Crawford won the film’s only Academy Award.

She also played the wife of Burt Lancaster in Brute Force (1947), an even grittier noir crime film that featured some of the most extreme violence featured on screen up to that time.

Blyth was also a talented singer, and her soprano voice made her a popular choice for luscious Hollywood musicals of the 1950s, including director Vincente Minnelli’s Kismet, The Great Caruso, Rose Marie and The Student Prince.

She proved to be adept with more down-to-earth roles in biopics later in the ’50s with The Buster Keaton Story (starring Donald O’Connor as the iconic silent film star and filmmaker) and The Helen Morgan Story.

She played the eponymous 1920s and ’30s torch singer in the latter film, which reunited her with Mildred Pierce director Michael Curtiz and paired her with a young Paul Newman.

Both films were failures – both at the box office and with critics – and Blyth retired from the film industry after their dismal reception, never to make another movie.

Later in the decade, the actress began working in theatre and on television.

She starred in productions of The King And I, The Sound Of Music and Show Boat, all of which showed off her musical talents, while on TV she was a popular guest star on Wagon Train, The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote, among several other shows. 

In a tragic turn of events, the parents of Doug Martin, once celebrated as a former All-Pro NFL running back, have claimed that excessive police force coupled with delayed medical attention attributed to their son’s untimely death. The family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit targeting the city of Oakland, California, numerous police officers, and an ambulance company, seeking justice and answers.

According to the lawsuit lodged on Tuesday in federal court, Martin’s parents, Leslie and Douglas Martin, contend that their son was undergoing a mental health crisis in October of last year when he encountered Oakland police officers. These officers allegedly restrained Martin by holding him face down, applying pressure on his back, a restraint technique the lawsuit argues was a “substantial factor” in his subsequent death.

“The family is very much interested in finding out what happened to their son,” stated John Burris, the family’s attorney. He emphasized that the lawsuit serves as a crucial tool for uncovering the truth, as traditional means have been insufficient in offering clarity or closure.

Doug Martin, who passed at the age of 36, etched his name in sports history with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His impressive career earned him a spot in the franchise’s top 50 players during its 50th anniversary celebration just last August. Originating from Oakland, Martin’s athletic journey began in Stockton, where he showcased his talents on the high school football stage.

Following Martin’s passing, the police released a statement alleging he was involved in a break-in, asserting a “brief struggle” ensued as officers attempted to apprehend him, leading to him becoming unresponsive. However, the department refrained from disclosing further details, leaving lingering questions about the situation’s full context.

The Oakland Police Department said Thursday it does not comment on pending litigation and referred inquiries to the Oakland city attorney’s office, which declined comment. Oakland police also said the investigation into Martin’s death is ongoing.

Leslie Martin had called 911 because she was worried about her son, Burris said in an interview. He had been acting strangely and she “thought that he needed some medical attention,” he said.

Burris said Doug Martin took off after she called. Police officers responding to Leslie Martin’s call and separate reports of a break-in found Doug Martin hiding in a neighbor’s home.

Oakland police released several minutes of officers’ body camera footage and 911 calls in March. In the video, officers called Martin by name.

The officers and Martin struggle briefly and then he is physically restrained face down. There are several minutes not shown in the released video.

The complaint alleges that Martin was later turned onto his side and was unresponsive and says officers initially thought he was “sleeping or pretending to be.” They only requested medical assistance after he remained unresponsive, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also accuses Falck USA, Inc. and its subsidiary Falck Northern California Corp.’s paramedics of taking more than 15 minutes to respond to the call and not promptly providing medical care after they arrived. Messages seeking comment were left Thursday for Falck.

The Alameda County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy report is awaiting test results after extra testing was requested by Martin’s family. Burris said he does not know what additional testing is holding up the report.

Burris said he had a second autopsy conducted, and the pathologist determined tentatively that the cause of death was restraint asphyxiation.

In addition to the autopsy, Burris said Martin’s brain was immediately sent to be examined posthumously for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can affect regions of the brain involved with regulating behavior and emotions and is linked to contact sports such as football. The family also is awaiting those results.

“They’re concerned enough about it that they immediately sent the brain to Boston for examination,” Burris said, though he added the degenerative brain disease might account for his behavior but not how he died that night. Research is done at the Boston University CTE Center.

Martin was the 31st overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft after a standout career at Boise State. He rushed for 1,454 yards, scored 11 touchdowns as a rookie and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He also was named first-team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl again in 2015.

Martin played six seasons with the Buccaneers and one season with the Raiders.

Victor Cruz turned an ordinary Thursday evening into a momentous occasion.

The former New York Giants star and Super Bowl winner asked for Orange Calderon’s hand in marriage. Calderon, known for her work as an artist, record producer, and DJ, delighted fans by sharing images of the proposal on Instagram.

In her caption, Calderon playfully noted, “Mrs. Cruz” pairs well with her new 💍.

At 39, Cruz chose a dazzling oval-cut diamond to signify the next chapter of their romance, which first blossomed last year.

The couple fueled dating rumors with appearances at notable events like Coachella in April. Their social media has been filled with snapshots from recent travels, further hinting at their blossoming love.

Cruz, a Knicks fan, was also seen with the musical artist on celebrity row throughout the historic season that was capped off by an NBA title — a first in 53 years.

He was in attendance for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, witnessing OG Anunoby’s show-stopping game-winning tip-in that gave the Knicks a commanding 3-1 series lead.

“Still not over this! @nyknicks,” Cruz wrote on Instagram after the game.

The engagement comes five years after Cruz’s split from ex-girlfriend, actress Karrueche Tran, in February 2021.

The two were an item for three years before calling it quits due to long distance. At the time, Cruz lived in New Jersey with his daughter, Kennedy, while Tran was in Los Angeles.

Israel expressed strong disapproval following the release of a fresh report from the United Nations’ Commission of Inquiry, which accused the nation of intentionally targeting Palestinian children.

Earlier statements from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which includes East Jerusalem and Israel, have previously faced backlash, being labeled as antisemitic and accused of promoting violence.

In the most recent document published on Wednesday, the Commission, after reviewing evidence and aligning it with previous findings, asserted it had substantial grounds to believe that Israeli authorities and security forces continued committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes within the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israel’s representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, conveyed to the press that “this document does not constitute an investigation but rather is a political attack masquerading as a U.N. report. The commission routinely arrives at conclusions without thoroughly examining the evidence, aiming solely to defame Israel. Instead of confronting the atrocities committed by Hamas, including the October 7 massacre and the use of hostages and civilians as human shields, the commission has once more opted to put Israel on trial.”

Danon added that “Israel will continue to defend its citizens and fight terrorism, regardless of how many false reports are published by fringe actors within U.N. institutions.”

Representatives from the COI and Human Rights Council did not respond to News Media’s requests for comment on the concerns addressed about the report.

Asked for a reaction from U.N. chief Antonio Guterres to the report, his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, told News Media “it’s not his report to comment on.”

Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission told reporters during a press briefing that, “The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces.” He said “Even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law.”

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Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices and Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told News Media that the COI’s “sham ‘inquiry’ makes the totally unjustified claim of legal authority, while at the same time systematically violating every conceivable legal rule of fairness, impartiality, and due process. Since its creation in 2021, every call for submissions, every consultation and every hearing held, has been contrived to take seriously the allegations of only one side – trashing literally millions of data points both historical and current to the contrary.”

She said, “the first COI report focused on children…fails to even mention the sickening murders of 9-month-old Kfir Bibas and 4-year-old Ariel Bibas.” She says that “also ignored in the COI report are the hundreds of thousands of Israeli children traumatized by October 7th, by the subsequent mass displacement, and by the excruciating longing for parents absent while defending their country against an inhumane foe.”

Bayefsky complained that though the current COI report “was produced weeks ago,” the COI members “deliberately withheld” the report when appearing before the Human Rights Council last week. “They didn’t publish it until June 23, minutes prior to holding a stage-managed press conference designed to avoid accountability for their wild, unverified accusations,” she claimed.

Another member of the commission told reporters in Geneva that, “There can be no doubt in anyone who reads today’s report that every international legal norm has been violated by the actions of the Israeli authorities towards Palestinian children and they need to be held accountable.”

Jonathan Conricus, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, told News Media that the latest report contains “no evidence to support any of the claims against Israel” and is filled with “inconsistencies in methodology.”

He said the report represents “an escalation, and it marks maybe the most severe attempt by the U.N. ecosystem to delegitimize Israel.”

Salo Aizenberg, director of media watchdog group HonestReporting, who has researched and debunked many of the claims made by those claiming genocide in Gaza, told News Media that the COI’s “report is built on a fictional battlefield where Hamas and [Palestinian Islamic Jihad] do not exist, and where hospitals are treated as purely civilian spaces despite extensive evidence of their military use and infiltration by Hamas operatives. It then accuses Israel of deliberately targeting children without producing a single incident supported by evidence of intent.”

Conricus said the report erases “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad from the battlefield to create the false kind of perception that Israel was operating out of wanton aggression in a vacuum without there ever being a need for Israeli operations and this is a reoccurring theme.” He also noted that this report and others “use the statements of medical professionals as evidence, even when it’s way beyond their medical expertise, specifically when it comes to how wounds were inflicted.”

Jake Reiner, son of the late Rob Reiner, re-emerged in the public eye for the first time in over six months. His appearance comes after the harrowing loss of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, who were victims of a tragic double murder.

On Tuesday, 35-year-old Jake attended a red carpet event at the Hollywood Legion Theater in Los Angeles. The occasion was the premiere of “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” a project created by Larry David, a close associate of his late father.

Despite the overwhelming sorrow of his circumstances, Jake appeared composed. This marks his first public outing since the horrific incident on December 14, when his parents were fatally attacked in their Brentwood, California home.

The tragedy deepened as Jake’s brother, Nick, was arrested and charged with the double murder. Nick has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Jake donned a black suit with a grey sweater and black shoes in the red carpet appearance for the show, noting in an Instagram post Thursday that he would be appearing on it. 

In a social media post, Jake mentioned his attendance at the premiere, saying, “Attended the premiere of Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness this week. Comes out Friday on @hbo @hbomax, look out for me in the first episode.” This poignant statement signals his tentative step towards normalcy amidst familial upheaval.

Jake opened up about the traumatic experience of learning his parents had been killed late last year, which came as he was at a celebration of life ceremony for a confidante who had died months before.

He said in an April Substack post, ‘I received a call from my sister Romy telling me our father was dead. Minutes later, she called back telling me our mother was also dead.’

Jake said that ‘the 45-minute Lyft ride from downtown to the west side was unendurable’ and he was ‘in a trance’ upon learning the horrific news.

He continued, ‘The only thing I could focus on was that I needed to get to my childhood home. 

‘I needed to get to my sister. I needed to figure out what the hell just happened.’

Jake said that he ‘was robbed of so many things that day,’ noting a number of milestones left empty in the wake of his parents’ tragic deaths.

‘My parents won’t be at my wedding, they won’t get to hold their future grandchild, and they won’t get to see me have the successful career I’m still seeking,’ he said. ‘It simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me.’

Jake said that ‘nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to lose both parents instantly at the same time,’ saying that ‘it’s too devastating to comprehend’ and has left him in a ‘living nightmare.’

Speaking about the deadly incident, Jake said he’s thought about ‘how frightened they must have been’ adding, ‘They were the last people in the world to deserve what happened to them.’

Nick Reiner, 32, earlier this month said he was seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him amid his defense against charges that he killed them.

A petition filed by Nick Reiner’s civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on June 9 says that trustees overseeing the funds have denied them to him without legal justification, and he needs and should get them now.

‘Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation,’ the petition says. ‘Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.’

Reiner retained high-profile private lawyer Alan Jackson to represent him, but less than a month later Jackson left the case for reasons he said he couldn’t share. 

The new filing reveals that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but reversed course.

In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said ‘my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner’ if the funds become available.

The filing says that apart from the larger Reiner family trust, which is not at issue, Rob and Michele Reiner established smaller individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings. 

It says they left ‘unambiguous instructions’ in Nick Reiner’s trust, established in 1993, that he was to receive half its money when he turned 30 and the rest at 35.

But, the filing says, Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to at 30, and that the trustee overseeing them since February – attorney Paul R. Kanin – has given ‘a shifting series of excuses and justifications’ to deny Reiner the money.

They include concerns about Reiner’s competence that have no bearing on a payout that is mandatory.

Reiner says he should also get the money he was to receive at 35 immediately because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it.

The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but that Kanin will not share the exact amount of its value.

Proceedings in Reiner’s murder case are moving slowly. He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing in September. 

He is eligible for the death penalty, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said his office has not yet decided whether to seek it.

Authorities have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides. 

A court order has kept most details of the autopsy secret. Many of the most basic questions about the killing remain unanswered publicly.

On the day he left the case, Jackson, speaking outside court, declared adamantly that ‘pursuant to the laws of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder.’

Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. 

His credits included This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men and When Harry Met Sally… during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.