Two major earthquakes have struck the Atlantic Ocean, prompting an expert to warn that a wider seismic “chain reaction” could eventually reach fault lines near the United States.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude 6.9 earthquake along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the undersea boundary between Africa and South America, at 8:23 a.m. ET.

The tremor followed a magnitude 6.7 earthquake at 1:44 a.m., less than seven hours earlier and roughly 50 miles to the north. Both earthquakes struck along the same seafloor fault system, where the ocean floor is gradually pulling apart.

Geophysicist Stefan Burns told the Daily Mail that the closely spaced earthquakes were unusually powerful for the region and could form part of a seismic “chain reaction” unfolding in 2026 as activity shifts toward fault lines closer to North America.

Burns, who says he successfully forecast several earthquakes months before they occurred this year, warned: “If there is going to be fallout close to land, it would be like something big happening in North America.”

The earthquake analyst said the Caribbean plate has already experienced a series of major seismic events in 2026, including devastating earthquakes in Colombia, Venezuela and Panama.

In Burns’ assessment, Tuesday’s Atlantic earthquakes show that stress accumulated along the Caribbean plate may now be influencing the neighboring South American and African plates. He described the development as a seismic “knock-on effect” that could transmit energy through connected plate boundaries, with the North American plate potentially next.

Research has documented how major earthquakes can influence faults thousands of miles away, offering a possible scientific explanation for the distant triggering mechanism Burns described.

A study published in the journal Nature found that powerful earthquakes can generate seismic activity thousands of miles from the original rupture.

Researchers from UC Berkeley and the USGS reported that a magnitude 8.6 earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2012 triggered tremors around the world, including a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Baja California. In some cases, faults ruptured as long as six days after the initial event.

Roland Bürgmann, a co-author of the study, said seismic waves can sometimes set off a sequence of smaller earthquakes that ultimately leads to larger ruptures. He characterized distant triggering as extremely rare, but said it remains “a real possibility if the right kind of earthquake happens.”

“Until now, we seismologists have always said, ‘Don’t worry about distant earthquakes triggering local quakes,’” said Bürgmann, a professor of earth and planetary science at Berkeley.

Burns said the Mid-Atlantic Ridge “doublet”—two strong earthquakes occurring near one another within a short period—signals substantial movement between the South American and African plates. He linked the activity to more than a year of seismic unrest along the nearby Caribbean plate.

He also pointed to a series of powerful South American earthquakes, all exceeding magnitude 7.0, and said the broader sequence can be traced back to a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck the Cayman Islands in February 2025.

Burns said Tuesday’s Atlantic earthquakes were among the strongest recorded along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the past five decades. The magnitude 6.9 event was the third most powerful earthquake documented there since 1976.

“Generally, anything close to magnitude 7.0 on a mid-ocean ridge is incredible,” he said.

Burns wrote on X that he would not be surprised if the apparent progression of major earthquakes along the tectonic plates surrounding the Americas produced another significant seismic event before the end of the week.

Although USGS scientists have argued that geological events like earthquakes cannot be predicted well in advance, Burns has gone on the record repeatedly this year, warning of major earthquakes in South America weeks and even months before they took place.

The popular YouTube commentator who focuses on earthquake science first predicted that a major earthquake could strike Colombia on June 24, nearly two months before the magnitude 7.4 disaster in the city of San José del Palmar on August 10, 2026. 

He said in a YouTube livestream that the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes in Venezuela that same day would be sending out waves of seismic energy that could cause another fault to rupture several weeks or months later.

The scientist also noted at the time that these massive seismic events appeared to be moving north towards Panama, Mexico and the US.

Burns told the Daily Mail that October 9’s magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Panama was ‘exactly’ what recent seismic trends had been showing, adding that the pattern continued to show movement towards a major disaster hitting vulnerable fault lines in California.

Burns also theorized that the sun plays a major role in causing earthquakes.

On October 10, he predicted that a high-speed solar impact would set off a major quake within one to three days after the doublet erupted along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The head of a Los Angeles nonprofit that supports domestic violence survivors and homeless people has reportedly lived in Hawaii for at least a decade while receiving costly benefits from the organization, including a luxury apartment in Santa Monica and a BMW.

Carol Adelkoff, CEO of the 1736 Family Crisis Center, received about $1.6 million over a two-year period, making her the highest-paid homeless services executive in Los Angeles, according to the LA Times.

Adelkoff told the newspaper that nearly half of that total came from a payout for unused vacation time accumulated during her more than 40 years with the organization.

However, her compensation was not the only expense that drew scrutiny.

The nonprofit, which runs domestic violence shelters throughout Los Angeles, reportedly paid $6,500 a month for an upscale apartment near the beach in Santa Monica for Adelkoff to use when visiting Southern California.

Records reviewed by the outlet also indicate that the organization leased a BMW for Adelkoff’s personal use in Hawaii, where she has lived for at least 10 years. The nonprofit has no shelters or clients in the state.

The organization’s board approved the Santa Monica apartment in 2018, while financial records show that the nonprofit was paying the rent the following year.

It remains unclear how long the arrangement continued or whether the nonprofit is still covering the apartment’s costs, the LA Times reported.

In a letter defending the expense, the organization’s attorney, Kerry Garvis Wright, said maintaining a residence for Adelkoff was more affordable and predictable than repeatedly paying for hotel stays during her trips to Southern California.

Wright also argued that the property offered the CEO added security because she had concerns about her personal safety.

Employees had raised concerns about the nonprofit’s spending well before the expenses came under wider scrutiny.

In 2019, three senior staff members hired attorney Dorsey Kleger-Heine to question what they viewed as the improper use of charitable funds for Adelkoff’s personal benefits, according to the LA Times.

Kleger-Heine detailed the employees’ allegations in a letter sent to the nonprofit’s board in December 2019.

Several weeks later, she brought the issue to the California Attorney General’s Office, filing a complaint with its charities division over the organization’s spending practices.

The 1736 Family Crisis Center operates domestic violence shelters, crisis hotlines and homeless programs across Los Angeles and Orange counties. According to its latest tax filings, it receives about $15 million in annual revenue, with approximately 94% coming from taxpayer-funded government grants.

Adelkoff defended the approximately $1.6 million in payments, saying the figure was primarily driven by the cashing out of decades of unused vacation rather than a sharp increase in her salary.

“The salary didn’t jump like that,” Adelkoff told the LA Times.

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She said her base salary had remained around $405,000 for several years and that about $824,000 of the money paid over the two-year period reflected vacation time accumulated over decades.

The organization’s finance director, the next-highest-paid employee, earned $206,000.

“It was simply a matter of reducing accrued vacation liability on the books and paying it out,” Adelkoff said.

The nonprofit’s attorney, Kerry Garvis Wright, said the board worked with legal and financial advisers to reduce the growing vacation liability before Adelkoff’s eventual retirement.

Wright said the executive had accumulated the leave because the demands of leading the organization made it difficult for her to take time off over her 40-year tenure. 

Still, nonprofit governance experts questioned both the payout and the oversight behind it.

“The bigger question is, was it appropriate for a person to be able to accrue that much money and suddenly get it paid out?” said Brian Mittendorf, an Ohio State University expert in nonprofit accounting.

Laurie Styron, CEO of nonprofit watchdog CharityWatch, called the payout “highly unusual.” “How was this decision made?” she asked. 

Experts also noted that while California employers cannot force workers to forfeit unused vacation, most nonprofits cap how much paid time off employees can bank.

The Times reported 1736 Family Crisis Center capped vacation accrual for other employees — but not for Adelkoff. The executive has also been living far from the nonprofit’s headquarters.

Adelkoff has listed the Big Island of Hawaii as her primary residence for more than a decade, according to the outlet.

Property records show she owns a 3,700-square-foot, four-bedroom home, and court records include testimony from her daughter that she was raised in Hawaii and that her mother lives there “year-round.” 

Adelkoff declined to confirm where she lives, telling the newspaper that revealing her location could pose a security risk because the nonprofit serves victims fleeing abusive situations. She also did not answer questions about how often she travels to Southern California for work or who pays for those trips. 

Other nonprofit leaders told The Times that while some executive duties can be handled remotely, regularly visiting shelters and meeting with staff, donors and clients is a key part of running community-based organizations.

“I’m sure that that’s an operational challenge,” Mittendorf said. “My big question would be, does it create more of a financial burden on the organization?” 

The nonprofit said Adelkoff works an average of 70 hours a week and that her pay has returned to its historical level now that the vacation payouts have been completed.

The Post reached out the the non profit for comment.

A transgender woman accused of fatally stabbing a Chicago man 13 times after he allegedly mocked her gender reportedly left part of the knife embedded in his skull.

Kelly Day, 32, faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the Oct. 7 stabbing of Larry Young, 50, near a gas station on Chicago’s South Side, the Chicago Police Department said in a news release obtained by News Media.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the attack occurred in front of Day’s 7-year-old stepson after an argument over comments Young allegedly made about Day’s gender.

At a detention hearing Saturday, prosecutors said surveillance footage from the gas station showed Day stabbing Young 13 times in the head, neck and shoulders.

An autopsy later determined that part of the knife blade had broken off and remained lodged in the victim’s skull, according to the Tribune.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Young as a Chicago resident and said he died at 7:26 p.m. on Oct. 7 from multiple sharp-force injuries. His death was ruled a homicide.

Day told investigators she acted in self-defense, alleging that Young used a slur, threatened violence against her and her wife, and made a gesture indicating he might have a gun, the Tribune reported.

Prosecutors said Day, who was assigned male at birth and identifies as a woman, had earlier been mocked for using the women’s restroom at a McDonald’s, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Prosecutors said the earlier incident upset Day, who later discussed the ridicule with her wife.

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Young, who reportedly did not know Day, approached the family as they walked along East 87th Street.

An argument began after Young allegedly made comments about Day’s gender. Day’s wife tried to intervene, but the confrontation continued. Prosecutors said Young eventually pushed Day before walking toward a gas station across the street.

Prosecutors said Day followed Young, and the confrontation then escalated into violence.

After the stabbing, Day allegedly called 911 and said she had been injured while defending herself. She left the scene before officers arrived.

Prosecutors said Day discarded the knife, which investigators later recovered with part of the blade missing.

Day later made another 911 call, telling authorities she had been cut while cooking, prosecutors said.

Chicago police and members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Day at approximately 10:50 p.m. on Oct. 7, fewer than four hours after the stabbing.

During Saturday’s detention hearing, Judge John Hock ordered Day held in custody pending trial, citing the severity of the alleged attack.

Day was scheduled to return to court Tuesday.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Greece, resigned Tuesday amid allegations of improper conduct, while declaring that she would “vigorously defend” herself.

The Trump administration said earlier in the day that it had asked Guilfoyle to step down after she faced mounting scrutiny over claims of improper and potentially unlawful behavior before and during her time in Athens.

The announcement followed several days of public speculation and came in response to a question posed to newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia during her first media briefing Tuesday morning. Zacharia described Guilfoyle as “a wonderful asset to the team” and said the administration wished her well.

Guilfoyle’s exit had been foreshadowed over the weekend in reporting by The Associated Press. Trump also voiced his displeasure Monday over reports concerning the ambassador’s alleged conduct.

Asked at the White House whether he was considering firing Guilfoyle, Trump replied, “Well, we’re looking at it,” adding, “We’re not happy.”

Trump’s remarks came a day after the AP, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “extremely pissed off” by the allegations and were expected to decide Guilfoyle’s fate during the week.

The Wall Street Journal has published a series of reports since late last month detailing alleged questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. The claims include threatening an official from the host country, accepting inappropriate gifts and services, and offering to use her influence within the Republican administration in exchange for payment of a substantial credit card bill.

Guilfoyle denies the accusations and cites her ‘decades of public service’

Guilfoyle rejected the accusations in a social media post, writing, “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”

“I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” she wrote. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”

In a statement issued late Sunday, Guilfoyle’s attorneys, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, denied any wrongdoing. They said money she sought from a Trump donor was compensation for unpaid public appearances and speaking engagements that took place before her nomination as ambassador.

The lawyers also disputed allegations involving Guilfoyle’s use of private aircraft. They said she had “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations” before each flight.

The allegations began surfacing weeks ago

Rubio initially defended Guilfoyle after the first report but later stopped addressing the allegations publicly. Last week, he said, “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

After another report emerged, however, Rubio sharply criticized journalists who questioned him about the claims. Speaking Thursday before departing Athens, he said he did not know whether the allegations were accurate and would not comment on matters he could not verify.

“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio said near his plane as Guilfoyle watched him leave.

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A second U.S. official could not confirm whether a formal inspector general investigation had been opened. Inspectors general frequently begin with informal reviews of complaints involving staff members, and those inquiries do not always lead to a full investigation. Formal proceedings can result in disciplinary measures, including dismissal.

The State Department has declined to comment on whether its inspector general is examining the allegations.

The Greek government and Cabinet members did not immediately respond to Zacharia’s announcement.

Before Tuesday’s announcement, Greek opposition parties had urged the Foreign Ministry to summon Guilfoyle and demand an explanation. “This, most importantly, is an issue of national dignity,” Sia Anagnostopoulou, a former deputy foreign minister, told parliament Friday. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said Guilfoyle had been treated “the same way as every other ambassador” and maintained that a formal summons was unnecessary.

Just hours before the announcement, Guilfoyle shared photos from a meeting with Spain’s ambassador to Athens and posted birthday wishes for Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law. The message was set to Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” featured on the soundtrack of the 2023 film “Barbie.”

Democrats call for an investigation

Senior Democrats in Congress have already called for an investigation. They include Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, respectively, along with Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform.

Since late September, the Journal has detailed numerous accounts of questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. Its first report said that she had told guests at a reception that the United States could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

While Rubio was in Athens, the Journal reported — citing text messages — that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor and supporter to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.

The Journal then reported that Guilfoyle had been enraged about not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year and demanded to attend while boasting about luxury travel to France with energy company executives.

Another report, from the British tabloid The Daily Mail, said that Guilfoyle had alienated staff at the U.S. Embassy in Athens and had pushed the bounds of behavior appropriate for the top representative of the U.S. government to Greece.

Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was married to Democrat Gavin Newsom when he was San Francisco’s mayor, before he became California’s governor. She later was engaged to Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr.

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AP journalist Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed.