The U.S. Coast Guard has unveiled fresh images showcasing the seizure of a sailboat owned by Brian Hooker, as the investigation into his wife’s mysterious disappearance continues.

Officials from the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) took control of the sailboat named Soulmate, owned by Brian and Lynette Hooker, approximately 40 nautical miles off Melbourne, Florida. According to a recent press release, the vessel was confiscated between May 8-10, as previously reported by a source to Fox News Digital.

Brian Hooker informed authorities that his wife, Lynette, fell from a dinghy near Hope Town, Bahamas, around 7:30 p.m. on April 4. He attributed her fall to turbulent waters. After the incident, Brian Hooker managed to paddle to shore, reaching Marsh Harbour by 4 a.m. on April 5, officials reported.

The couple, who enjoyed a lifestyle of sailing around the U.S. and Caribbean as documented on their social media, were en route back to their sailboat, which served as their retirement residence, when Lynette went overboard.

The Coast Guard has shared new photographs capturing the confiscation of the sailboat “Soulmate.” (Courtesy of the Coast Guard)

Brian Hooker hasn’t been charged with a crime.

The Coast Guard said the seizure was part of a “complex surveillance and interdiction operation.” Soulmate was taken to Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce, where investigators are processing the boat for potential evidence.

The Coast Guard on Thursday evening released new pictures after the agency seized Brian and Lynette Hooker’s sailboat. (Coast Guard)

“The vessel Soulmate is currently in the custody of CGIS as part of an active criminal investigation,” the Coast Guard said.

Images taken by Fox News Digital on Tuesday show Brian and Lynette Hooker’s sailboat taped off as it sits at the U.S. Coast Guard’s station in Fort Pierce.

Lynette Hooker and Brian Hooker seen in a picture taken in 2023 on a small boat. (John Waters)

The boat’s seizure comes about a week after the Coast Guard sought the public’s help in finding the owner of a sailboat that was moored near Brian and Lynette Hooker’s Soulmate sailboat in the Bahamas.

Brian Hooker left the island for the U.S. to tend to his ill mother, his Bahamian attorney previously said.

Coast Guard officials said the sailboat was seized 40 nautical miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida. (Coast Guard)

Coast Guard officials said the sailboat’s seizure is part of a criminal investigation. (Coast Guard)

His Michigan-based attorney previously asked Americans to give him the benefit of the doubt in an interview with ABC News.

“I would ask those watching to treat him the way you would want to be treated, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and to consider that not all of us, nor you, considering your own relationships, the way you speak to one another, we all handle things in different ways,” Crystal Marie Hauser said.

On Friday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Kelly Ripa humorously hinted that she might need to keep her husband, Mark Consuelos, at a distance from one of her cherished hobbies.

Ripa, who has grown passionate about playing mahjong, enthusiastically shared the numerous “mental health benefits” the game offers, beginning with “connection and emotional wellbeing.”

She playfully elaborated, “It’s about community and belonging. It’s social and promotes mindfulness. It even helps with emotional regulation—every time I manage not to scream when someone else wins at mahjong, that’s a win for me,” Ripa joked. “The game fosters cultural engagement, reduces stress, and encourages a flow state for your brain.”

Mark Consuelos chimed in, pointing out an additional benefit: “You put your phone away.”

Ripa agreed, emphasizing the game’s strategic nature and mentioning its “tremendous emotional, mental, and social benefits.”

Consuelos acknowledged his wife and co-host’s love of mahjong, telling Ripa he thinks “it’s great” for her. Ripa felt that she has something to learn from the game “win or lose,” which means she’s “happy” no matter what.

“And at the end of the day… you have to be lucky,” she clarified, before citing its other benefits. “It’s also intergenerational relationships. So it’s older people playing with younger people, it’s men playing with women, it’s everything. And it’s great for your brain.”

While Consuelos insisted that he “will try” to play mahjong “this summer,” Ripa shared her reservations about him picking up mahjong, claiming that he “will become unstoppable.”

“You’re very competitive, and also you’re very good at tile games So I think that once you play this — the best tile game of them all — you will be insufferable. So maybe I won’t teach you,” she quipped. “But I think you’ll be very good at it.”

After Ripa received a round of applause from the studio audience, Consuelos inquired as to whether there’s “any smack talk during the game.” Ripa told him that “it depends on who you play with,” noting that she and her friend Nancy “smack talk a lot” when they play.

“We smack talk,” she explained. “We’re relegated to our own table. Like, we have our own table, and the people that can handle the smack talk sit with us. And if they can’t, they leave.”

Live with Kelly and Mark airs on weekdays. Check out their website for your local listings.

Julia Manchester, reporting for The Hill, shares the latest update from President Donald Trump regarding the anticipated opening of the White House ballroom. Scheduled for completion in September 2028, this new addition is set to debut toward the conclusion of Trump’s second term.

Trump announced the development on Truth Social, stating, “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.” Accompanying his message was a photo of Trump alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping taken during his recent visit to Beijing.

Updated: May 15, 2026 / 07:11 AM CDT

(The Hill) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the White House ballroom is scheduled to open in just over two years, in September 2028, near the end of his second term.

“China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, along with a picture of him walking alongside Chinese President Xi during his trip to Beijing this week. 

“Thank you for all the support I have been given in getting this project going. Scheduled opening will be around September of 2028,” he continued. 

The statement marks the first time Trump has floated a targeted opening date for the structure and comes after construction crews started building the ground floor this week.

The project has been the subject of intense criticism after Trump tore down the White House East Wing to make way for the ballroom. 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to stop the construction, arguing there was a lack of public review for the plans. However, a federal appeals court ruled in April that construction could continue for the underground portion.

Meanwhile, Democrats and some Republicans have balked at the price tag for the project. On Tuesday, the White House submitted a spending plan to Senate Republicans explaining how the allocation of $1 billion would be used for ballroom security after the measure was included in a budget reconciliation proposal released last week by the Judiciary panel and the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Conservative podcaster Michael Knowles is stirring up significant conversation within right-wing circles due to his steadfast decision: he refuses to publicly criticize his friend and former Daily Wire colleague, Candace Owens.

Since the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk in September, the 36-year-old Knowles has been navigating a landscape fraught with tension, as many figures in the conservative podcasting community find themselves at odds with one another.

After departing from the Daily Wire in 2024, Owens embarked on her own media endeavor, which has quickly gained a massive following, largely through sparking public outrage.

Recently, Owens has been vocal in her criticism of Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, who assumed the role of CEO at Turning Point USA, a significant political organizing entity. Owens has even suggested that Erika might have had a hand in her husband’s untimely demise.

Amidst this swirling controversy, Knowles finds himself at the center, holding firm to his decision not to denounce Owens despite the mounting pressure.

He was a friend of Charlie Kirk and is close to Owens and her husband George Farmer. He’s godfather of one of their daughters and after Owens converted to Catholicism in April 2024, she and her family began attending the same Catholic church as Knowles in Nashville, Tennessee.

Knowles is also a friend and supporter of Erika Kirk and he frequently appears at Turning Point USA events. 

Now in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Knowles said that as the conflicts between prominent conservatives escalate, he is trying to maintain his friendships with everyone.

Michael Knowles is creating a firestorm on the right for what he says he will never do: Publicly condemn his friend and former colleague at the Daily Wire Candace Owens (Pictured: Knowles and Ownes on the set of Daily Wire’s Candace in 2021)

Owens has publicly criticized Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk after she took over as CEO of the behemoth political organizing group Turning Point USA (Pictured: Kirk at Turning Point USA event in December)

Though his intentions, he argues, are practical, not platonic.

‘I guess my tactical observation on this is you’re not going to get a podcaster to stop talking about something, stop stating an opinion, or a desire, or whatever by yelling at them all the time on your own podcast,’ he said.

The new media ecosystem, he explained, ‘thrives on attention’ and that feeding into that would have a ‘paradoxical effect’ on their efforts.

Knowles, a graduate of Yale, moved into political podcasting at the Daily Wire in 2017. Amidst the rise of angry, uncensored, and conspiratorial podcasters, Knowles is unique for his urgent but friendly demeanor. He’s a cigar aficionado who also posts videos where he plays a mandolin for his audience. 

‘I’m not going to dance like a puppet for the podcast wars,’ he famously told Ben Shapiro in an argument with his Daily Wire colleagues, when they urged him to publicly condemn Owens.

Knowles also told the Daily Mail he has nothing but sympathy and support for Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika, whom he considers a friend.

‘Erika is a national hero, not just a wonderful person, but a national hero who deserves all of our sympathy and support,’ he said. ‘She has suffered and demonstrated grace in a way that I’m not sure I’ve really seen anyone do in my lifetime.’

At the same time, he wishes Owens would stop attacking her.

‘People, and obviously Candace, have gone after Erika quite a lot on her podcast. The reasoning for that, I obviously don’t agree with, and I very much wish she would not do that,’ he said.

Conservative political commentator Michael J. Knowles speaks during Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest conference 

Meanwhile, Owens continues to attack Erika Kirk and criticize Turning Point USA leadership, drawing more controversy and more attention.

‘I’ve been in the minority view,’ Knowles told the Daily Mail. ‘Just about everyone else has done the opposite, and their strategies haven’t worked. So I would humbly suggest again that we take a second gander at my strategy.’

Part of Knowles’ understanding of the issue, he explained, was the way that Charlie Kirk handled personality driven disputes behind the scenes.

He recalled that Kirk would tirelessly communicate with people behind the scenes, encouraging them to put aside their differences to hold the coalition together.

‘I was involved in some of it. I got a number of calls and texts from Charlie, because he was so hands-on, I mean, on every issue, on every event,’ he said.

Knowles has also refused to criticize another provocative right-wing personality: Tucker Carlson.

Carlson recently disavowed President Trump, accusing him of betraying his voters by waging war against Iran.

‘I think reasonable minds on the right, principled conservatives, can disagree over the action in Iran and so I certainly wish that this was not the sole issue that pushed Tucker out of supporting the president, with whom he’s been friends for a long time,’ said Knowles. ‘But, Tucker’s his own man and if that’s his decision, clearly my views failed to persuade.’

Knowles’ careful positioning has earned him growing support in the conservative movement. 

In October, he testified at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on political violence. In March, he was invited to give a speech at the Conservative Political Action conference.

Podcast Candace Owens has drawn criticism and anger from conservative podcasters for attacking Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika

Erika Kirk has publicly expressed her frustration with Owens 

Several young people attending the conference told the Daily Mail they made the trip to Dallas just to see Knowles speak.

‘I’ve been a big fan for a long time,’ Luke, 20, a student from Cincinnati Ohio said in an interview. ‘I think he’s a more serious person. I think people in conservative media tend to get too crazy sometimes and caught up in conspiracy theories.’

Knowles told the Daily Mail he wants to keep up Kirk’s legacy of communicating openly with young people.

Together with fellow Daily Wire host Matt Walsh, he appeared at a Turning Point USA event in Idaho last month to speak with students and take their questions as Kirk once did.

He was delighted with the results. The crowd was packed with young people and students from all over the country drove from hundreds of miles away to participate. 

‘I’m so pleased to say there was such a seriousness of purpose, there was such a wonderful, hopeful attitude in the venue at Idaho,’ he said. ‘The questions that were being asked during a very lengthy Q&A were serious, they were substantive, they mattered. They weren’t cheap or frivolous.’

Knowles told the Daily Mail he came away from the event with new optimism that the online banter and chatter that consumed his social media feeds daily is only a sideshow.

‘I conclude the kids are all right and the country is looking up and there really is a chance that the general coalition that came together, that elected President Trump with a popular vote, and that populated every TPSA event, is not going anywhere, and in fact, could grow,’ he said.

Netflix’s latest documentary, “The Crash,” delves into the perplexing and tragic events surrounding a car accident that led to a teen being charged with murder.

The film examines the 2022 incident in Strongsville, Ohio. On July 31 of that year, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla was driving when she suddenly accelerated to nearly 100 miles per hour in a residential area before crashing into a building. Her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and his friend Davion Flanagan, 19, were passengers in the vehicle and tragically lost their lives in the crash.

Mackenzie, the only survivor, suffered significant injuries, including three fractured ribs, a broken femur, and a lacerated liver.

During a bench trial in August 2023, the judge determined that Mackenzie had deliberately caused the crash. She was subsequently convicted of murder and received a life sentence, with the possibility of parole after serving fifteen years.

In an August 2023 bench trial, the judge concluded that Mackenzie intentionally crashed the car. She was charged with their murder and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after fifteen years. 

Dominic and Mackenzie began dating her freshman year of high school.

“There was talk of getting married,” Mackenzie’s father, Steve Shirilla, explained in the doc. “He was someone my daughter was planning a life with.” 

Mackenzie’s parents let her move in with Dominic when she was 17 and he was 20, because they thought she was “mature enough.”

Dominic’s father, Frank Russo, said onscreen that they were left with haunting questions about what happened the night of the crash since there were no skid marks before the impact. 

Police found a small amount of marijuana and some psilocybin mushrooms in the car.

Prosecutor Tim Troup explained that “it was hard to comprehend that someone could just drive into a wall at that kind of speed.” 

Troup and police investigated whether the car could have malfunctioned, and whether Mackenzie had drugs in her system. 

Surveillance videos of the speeding car “didn’t add up,” he explained, because the car turning looked “too controlled,” and it wasn’t “someone driving with the music loud, throwing beer cans out of the car.” 

When they found no hard drugs in her system, he concluded, “This was not some sort of party gone wrong. She wasn’t high on psilocybin when she crashed.”

Mackenzie allegedly lost her memory of what happened.

Davion’s dad, Scott Flanagan, suggested that the “timing” seemed too “perfect.”

“I don’t understand how you have amnesia that lasts the exact right amount of time to not be able to help the police with their investigation.”

Eventually, Troup and police found evidence that Mackenzie and Dominic had a “toxic” relationship, which included text messages and accounts from friends, and accounts from Dominic’s brother, Angelo.

Angelo alleged that Dominic tried to break up with Mackenzie several times. Dominic also allegedly told relatives that Mackenzie was “being crazy” during their relationship.

Troup even found a text where Mackenzie allegedly threatened to crash the car with Dominic in it — just three weeks before the accident. 

Faythe Walsh, Mackenzie’s childhood friend, claimed that Dominic cheated early on in their relationship, which caused her to constantly ask him who he was with and what he was doing. 

The night before the crash, the couple had a sleepover with their friends — including Rosie Graham.

“There was not argument, there was not one moment of tension,” Graham recalled in the doc. “Not one bad vibe.”

Nearly three years since being put behind bars, Mackenzie is now speaking out about the tragedy.

“I’m not a monster,” she declared in the doc, appearing from prison.

She described her relationship with Dominic as “rocky” but “young love,” and maintained her claim that she doesn’t remember the crash. 

“It sounds crazy, but…I have no recollection of that morning. I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy. But, I’m not a murderer.”

Her parents believe her innocence, and allege that she suffered a medical event as she was driving due to POTS, which can cause brain fog and lightheadedness. 

However, Dominic’s sister, Christine Russo, pointed out that if someone faints while driving, their foot eases off the pedal. The car crash had “100 percent acceleration” the whole time, she said.

Troup also said he wasn’t provided with any medical statement to support the claim that she had POTS during the trial.

Her dad Steve and mom Natalie believe she’s innocent. “We have ironclad evidence that disputes what was said in the trial,” he claimed. Natalie, for her part, added: “She never threatened to crash the car, [Dominic did].”

At the end of her interview, Mackenzie said there’s “not a moment” when she doesn’t think about Dominic and Davion and she can “feel the pain” in her chest.

“I have excessive amounts of remorse. [It] was not intentional.”

She concluded: “I will do everything I can to prove that.”

Mackenzie is now 21, and currently incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. 

Her first appeal was denied. Her first parole hearing is scheduled for September 2037.

“The Crash” is now streaming on Netflix. 

A prominent civil rights activist has taken up the cause of ensuring a “fair trial” for a Black teenager who has confessed to the killing of a high school football star during a track meet in Texas.

Karmelo Anthony faces murder charges in connection with the tragic stabbing of Austin Metcalf. The incident occurred in April 2025 at a high school track meet in Frisco, an affluent suburb located north of Dallas.

The trial for Anthony, who is charged with first-degree murder, is set to commence on June 1 and is anticipated to run for two weeks. If found guilty, the 19-year-old could face a life sentence.

Minister Dominique Alexander, a civil rights advocate, held a press conference on Thursday, calling on the public to honor the judicial process and ensure that the trial proceeds fairly.

According to The Dallas Morning News, Alexander has expressed concerns over the spread of misinformation on social media, which he claims is exacerbating racial tensions surrounding the case.

‘As an advocacy organization, our role is to ensure that Karmelo Anthony is afforded a fair trial, free from prejudice, bias, misinformation, racial hostility, or any outside influence that could impact the outcome of this case,’ the activist told reporters.

The Anthony family reportedly received multiple death threats in the weeks that followed the stabbing.

Supporters of the Metcalf family held a Protect White Americans rally in the days after his death. The teen’s father condemned the demonstrators for making the case about race.

Civil rights activist Dominique Alexander (right) has stepped in to advocate for a ‘fair trial’ for Karmelo Anthony (left), the teen who killed high school track star Austin Metcalf last year

Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed on April 2 last year at a school stadium in Frisco, Texas

Despite the teenage boys not knowing each other, their deadly encounter has stoked racial tensions and generated enormous interest across the country. 

The case has become a lightning rod for political debate, with supporters rallying behind Anthony saying he has been treated unfairly due to his race. 

Meanwhile, the Metcalf family have been victims of swatting multiple times since the stabbing, the newspaper reported.

Swatting is a crime in which a perpetrator makes a false report to 911 to draw a significant police response at an unsuspecting victim’s residence.

Similarly, the judge who lowered Anthony’s bond was doxxed by internet users who posted his home address online. 

Metcalf’s image has also been used by far-right figures including Jake Lang, despite condemnation from Metcalf’s father who said he was creating ‘more race divide than bridging the gap’.

Anthony’s lawyer Mike Howard said last year: ‘The factual and legal issues involved in this case are not about race. The case involves two kids, one white, one black, so it’s understandable that some people would make it about race or discuss it in terms of race.’

With all the public scrutiny, the judge in the murder case has issued an order tightly regulating public conduct during the criminal proceedings. 

The altercation between Metcalf and Anthony stemmed from Anthony, who did not attend Memorial High school, sitting under the team tent for Memorial High School students, police have stated

Metcalf was stabbed in the chest following a verbal altercation with Anthony

Anthony has been under house arrest since he was released from jail a year ago

‘This Court finds that this case has generated substantial public and media attention and that unrestricted access or activity may compromise courtroom security, juror privacy, and the Defendant’s right to a fair trial,’ District Judge John Roach Jr., who is presiding over the trial, wrote in a court order last month.

The judge ordered that no recording, broadcasting or photography be allowed in the courtroom during the trial. Additionally, only nine members of credentialed media will be allowed in the court room per day, and the court will decide who is credentialed. 

He also set strict rules about decorum of those who attend the proceedings.

Metcalf was fatally stabbed on April 2 last year at a school stadium in Frisco.

Students from several high schools in the Frisco Independent School District were competing in a track race when the stabbing occurred. 

According to an arrest report, a witness said that when Anthony sat under the tent belonging to Metcalf’s team, Metcalf told Anthony to move, and Anthony replied: ‘Touch me and see what happens.’

Metcalf then touched Anthony, and Anthony said to punch him and see what happens, the arrest report said. A short time later, Metcalf grabbed Anthony and Anthony stabbed him with a knife, the report said.

Afterward, Anthony told an officer that he was protecting himself and that Metcalf had ‘put his hands on me,’ according to the report.

Anthony’s first-degree murder trial is scheduled to begin on June 1 and is expected to last two weeks. If convicted, the 19-year-old could be sentenced to up to life prison 

Anthony was arrested shortly after the attack, telling arresting officers who called him the alleged killer, ‘I’m not alleged. I did it.’ 

The killer was 17 at the time of the incident. He maintains he acted in self-defense during the altercation at the high school meet in the affluent Dallas suburb.

However, he has yet to explain why he brought a weapon to a school-sanctioned event.

Anthony was released from jail and placed on house arrest after his bond was reduced. 

His family has asked for $1.3 million to cover legal costs and other expenses ahead of his high-profile murder trial. 

More than $601,000 has been donated towards the goal since the GiveSendGo fundraiser was set up by Anthony’s mother last April, with hundreds of dollars still pouring in every week.