In an unexpected turn of events, a Spirit Airlines pilot received a memorable farewell orchestrated by a competing airline and his son, following the airline’s sudden shutdown that cut his retirement flight short.

Captain Jon Jackson had been preparing for his final flight with Spirit Airlines, set to arrive at Baltimore-Washington International on Saturday. However, in an unexpected twist, the budget airline ceased operations overnight, leaving him grounded.

Stranded due to the abrupt closure, Captain Jackson managed to secure a ride with Southwest Airlines from Fort Lauderdale, where his son Chris, serving as a first officer, was able to lend a helping hand, as reported by CNBC.

In a heartwarming gesture, Chris leveraged his connections with the Southwest crew to create a special farewell for his father.

“Chris casually mentioned to the flight’s pilots that this was meant to be his dad’s retirement flight. They jumped at the chance to make the day unforgettable for Capt. Jackson,” Southwest shared on Instagram.

A dispatcher at BWI arranged for firetrucks to greet the plane upon landing, giving Jackson a water cannon salute.

The blue commercial jet passed under the two arching sprays from the airport fire department.

Jackson was showered with applause from a mixture of workers and travelers when he stepped off the plane and into the terminal, according to video shared by Southwest.

In Jefferson County, Alabama, authorities are probing a shooting incident tied to domestic violence that took place on Wednesday evening.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies were called to UAB St. Vincent’s East Hospital around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. They responded to a report concerning an adult woman who had been shot.

Initial investigations revealed that the 29-year-old woman was involved in a domestic dispute with her husband at their home on the 1700 block of 6th Place NW in Center Point. The confrontation escalated when the husband allegedly fired a gun, injuring her.

According to the sheriff’s office, following the shooting, the suspect forced the injured woman into his vehicle and drove her to the hospital, where she received medical care for serious injuries.

The suspect has been identified as 40-year-old Anthony Canada.

On Thursday, April 30, detectives located and arrested Canada in the 5400 block of 12th Court in the Wylam area. He was taken into custody without incident.

Canada has been charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling or vehicle and domestic violence in the first degree. He is being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact the JCSO at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

A high school principal from New York City, known as ‘Creepy Bill’, might have his criminal charges dismissed if he decides to retire, according to recent reports.

William Bassell, aged 67, faces accusations of sexual abuse and forcible touching involving both staff members and a student at the Academy of American Studies in Queens, New York.

Despite allegations suggesting that Bassell used the school as his “personal playground for sexual fulfillment,” he may only face civil lawsuits. The New York Daily News reports that his criminal charges could be dropped if he chooses to retire.

As part of the agreement to avoid prosecution, Bassell would also be required to complete a sex offender counseling program, the report further details.

Prosecutors mentioned that the decision has the backing of some of Bassell’s alleged victims, which include a former student, two teachers, and an assistant principal.

Former student and alleged victim Khaibet Leal said she demands to know if Bassell – who earned more than $226,000 in 2025 – would be allowed to keep his pension if he chooses to retire. He has served as principal for 31 years. 

‘While I am grateful that the defendant is required to resign from the DOE, I am eager to know whether he will receive his pension,’ she said. 

‘The idea that NYC taxpayers would foot the bill for Bassell’s pension makes my blood boil.’

William Bassell, 67, the principal of the Academy of American Studies school in Queens, New York City, who is accused of being a serial sex abuser, will have criminal charges against him dropped if he retires, reports say

Bassell’s accusers include a former student, two teachers and an assistant principal, with one alleging the principal sent her over 30,000 lewd or inappropriate messages, such as one allegedly reading: ‘You know what you can do with that tongue… don’t you’ 

It was reported that Bassell was handed a lenient ‘adjournment contemplating dismissal’, which would allow the criminal charges against him to be dropped if he retires. 

While the criminal charges may be dropped, Bassell will still face allegations in civil court, with two lawsuits filed last year accusing him of being a serial sexual predator. 

The lawsuits alleged that Bassell’s school was his ‘personal playground’ for more than a decade, with the Department of Education also accused of blocking reports about the principal. 

One of the lawsuits brought by four women said Bassell’s reputation for ‘sexually harassing, degrading and assaulting female staff and students’ led him to be given the nickname ‘Creepy Bill.’ 

The lawsuit alleged that Bassell ‘regularly groped women on their inner thighs and other intimate areas of the body, leered at women’s breasts, made unwelcome, vulgar, and sexually charged comments to women, and sent them lascivious text messages.’ 

In another civil lawsuit, an anonymous school staffer alleged that the Department of Education ignored her complaints when Bassell allegedly sent her more than 30,000 text messages, and also allegedly inappropriately touched her. 

In texts revealed in the lawsuit, Bassell allegedly sent in one text: ‘You know what you can do with that tongue don’t you.’ 

The principal also allegedly begged the woman to give him a ‘hug’ away from school cameras, and for her to send him pictures of herself, the lawsuit alleged. 

While the criminal charges may be dropped, Bassell will still face allegations in civil court, with two lawsuits filed last year accusing him of being a serial sexual predator

Bassell earned over $226,000 in 2025, and is one of the longest serving principals in New York at 31 years

Bassell was arrested in May 2025 on allegations that he sexually abused two of the accusers in that lawsuit, an assistant principal and a teacher. 

Following reports that Bassell would avoid being criminally prosecuted in exchange for retiring, Assistant District Attorney Bradley King said the two accusers ‘are aware of the proposed disposition and support it.’ 

Former student Khaibet Leal said her demands to know if Bassell would be allowed to keep his pension were key, but said she was ‘grateful’ that he would be out of the school. 

In a civil lawsuit, Leal alleged that Bassell inappropriately touched her on a field trip to the Metropolitan Opera in February 2015, accusing him of rubbing her inner thigh when she fell to the floor with a migraine and stomachache. 

In a statement on Thursday, Department of Education spokeswoman Chyann Tull said: ‘This alleged behavior is reprehensible and wholly unacceptable. 

‘This individual was immediately removed from students upon learning of these allegations.’ 

The Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Education over whether Bassell will be allowed to keep his pension. 

When Bassell was arrested last year, his attorney said he denied the ‘baseless and vindictive criminal allegations’

Brendan Brosh, a spokesman for Queens D.A. Melinda Katz, added in a statement: ‘Following an extensive review of the facts in this case, including conversations with the complaining witnesses, the defendant will enroll in a mandated treatment program, which typically lasts six months, and begin the process of resigning from the Department of Education.

‘If the defendant fails to complete the required treatment in full, he will face trial. We thank the complainants for coming forward which allowed for the just resolution of this case.’ 

When Bassell was arrested last year, his attorney said he denied the ‘baseless and vindictive criminal allegations’, and said he was cooperating with police ‘to ensure the truth is brought to light.’ 

The Daily Mail has contacted the Assistant Attorney’s office, the Academy of American Studies, and Bassell’s attorney for comment. 

In a firm message to China, Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the sovereignty of the Western Hemisphere is not open to negotiation. This statement comes after the United States, alongside regional partners, accused Beijing of detaining ships flying the Panamanian flag as part of a larger conflict over control of canal ports.

In collaboration with Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. released a joint statement condemning China’s actions against Panama-flagged vessels. They described these moves as a “blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade” and a violation of regional sovereignty. This situation is being framed as a crucial test of strategic influence over one of the globe’s vital commercial passages.

Although the conflict over Panama involves the detention of ships rather than a physical blockade, it is increasingly being compared to other geopolitical hotspots like the Strait of Hormuz. Observers see it as part of a larger struggle between Beijing and Washington over who will set the rules for global trade and energy routes.

The backdrop to this confrontation is a decision by Panama’s Supreme Court in early 2026, which nullified the legal framework that had allowed Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to control the Balboa and Cristobal terminals. These terminals sit astride the Panama Canal, a key maritime chokepoint that facilitates about 5% of global trade.

Containers and cranes stand at the ready at the Port of Balboa, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal in Panama City, as seen on February 25, 2025. This strategic location has become a focal point in the evolving geopolitical tensions.

U.S. regulators have monitored nearly 70 Panama-flagged vessels detained by Chinese authorities since March 8, according to Reuters — a surge American officials say appears designed to retaliate against Panama and pressure global shipping.

“China has used Iran to destabilize the Middle East. In effect, Iran has been China’s proxy,” China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital, arguing Beijing’s actions in Panama fit a broader global pattern in which China uses economic leverage, trade pressure and regional partners to expand influence while condemning similar tactics from Washington.

Chang said Beijing is now facing growing resistance as the U.S. increasingly moves not only against China directly, but also against governments and geopolitical flash points he argues have strengthened Beijing’s hand.

“Trump apparently decided that he would counter this sly tactic by taking China’s proxies — Venezuela, Cuba and Iran — off the board,” Chang said.

An aerial view shows the port of Rodman in Panama City Jan. 30, 2026. (Martin Bernetti/AFP)

He also framed pressure on Iran and threats to the Strait of Hormuz as part of a larger strategic effort aimed at both Tehran and Beijing.

“Closing the Strait of Hormuz is a two-fer, starving Iran’s regime and shaking China’s already fragile economy,” Chang said. “Trump is using energy to reorder the world.”

Chang also accused Beijing of hypocrisy over trade.

“China’s Communists invented hypocrisy. Nobody does hypocrisy better than the Chinese Communists,” he said, arguing that China long benefited from a global trading system it increasingly weaponized for geopolitical purposes.

“The elemental truth is that China started this cycle of action and retaliation,” Chang said. “If China had not threatened America, America would not have leaned on Panama. If America had not leaned on Panama, China would not have detained Panamanian vessels.”

Two cargo ships enter the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City on Jan. 22. (Martin Bernetti/AFP)

China has rejected accusations that it is politicizing trade, with its foreign ministry arguing U.S. criticism reflects Washington’s own strategic ambitions around the canal.

China’s Foreign Ministry called the statement on Wednesday “entirely baseless and misleading”, said it would take steps to safeguard China’s interests in Panama, and accused the United States of politicizing ports, according to Reuters.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Fox News Digital that, “Chinese competent authorities conducted routine inspections of vessels in accordance with laws and regulations. The allegations are completely unfounded and merely a distortion of facts. It is the United States that has framed normal affairs concerning relevant terminals as issues about politics and security, making pretenses and slandering others with rumors. China’s position on the Panamanian ports issue is clear and will firmly defend its legitimate rights and interests. We urge relevant countries not to be blinded and utilized by those with ill intentions.”

Reuters contributed to this article.