A young rancher from Montana found himself at the heart of a miraculous rescue on the Yellowstone River, thanks to divine timing and his well-honed cowboy skills. At just 14, the aspiring rancher, who had diligently practiced his lassoing, managed to save a drowning man after a rafting trip went dangerously awry.

On July 5, Jory Thomas and his family were enjoying a camping trip near Greycliff, Montana, when their peaceful evening took a dramatic turn. Cries for help echoed through the air, alerting them to the unfolding crisis.

“We all heard, ‘Help, help,'” Jory recounted to KTVQ. As he surveyed the scene, he noticed a group of people fighting against the river’s current, one man in particular hanging on to a cooler, wordless and struggling.

The incident unfolded when a raft and a paddleboard collided with a bridge pillar, plunging four individuals into the icy waters. While three of them managed to reach safety, one man drifted farther downstream, his lifeline a simple cooler.

Thomas said there was no time to wait.

“This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” he said. “Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone go in front of me.”

He emptied his pockets, crossed a waist-deep side channel and ran along the bank. Then he grabbed a 12-foot lariat he’d brought from home — something his grandmother told the station he’d never packed for a camping trip before.

“My first instinct, I thought, was try and rope him and drag him out before he gets too far down the river,” Thomas said. “Luckily, I caught him first try.”

Thomas pulled the man toward shore through chest-deep water until first responders arrived.

The teenager said he’d only started taking roping seriously this year while helping with cattle on the family ranch, telling the station that his skills improving the more he roped cattle.

Thomas said he believes his faith guided him to act.

“God was basically putting me in the place of all this,” he said. “God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, ‘Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.'”

He later reflected that he never expected the same skills he learned on the ranch would save a person’s life.

“I just thought I could help with cattle,” Thomas said. “Not really helping humans and stuff like that. But I’m glad I was here to help.”

The Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office later honored Thomas with a Certificate of Achievement. Sheriff Alan Ronneberg and Undersheriff Ron Swanson recognized the teen for rescuing the man near Pelican Fishing Access.

“Well done, Jory!” the sheriff’s office wrote in a social media post.

In San Francisco, a city known for its progressive values, residents are increasingly backing the expanded use of surveillance technology by law enforcement. This shift in public opinion is revealed by a recent poll which indicates that a significant majority of San Franciscans support the deployment of cameras, drones, and other surveillance tools to catch criminals.

According to the survey conducted by GrowSF, a political advocacy group based in San Francisco, 72% of respondents expressed either strong or moderate approval for the use of cameras and drones in response to 911 calls. This support underscores residents’ desire for effective tools to aid ongoing criminal investigations.

Moreover, the poll highlights that 66% of participants favor real-time video monitoring in crime-prone areas such as the drug markets of the Tenderloin district. They believe this measure could significantly help reduce crime and hold offenders accountable.

Currently, San Francisco police are permitted to monitor live video feeds only under specific, restricted conditions. However, public sentiment appears to be shifting towards an openness to broader use of this technology.

The poll also reveals that a similar proportion of residents supports utilizing surveillance for other purposes, like combating illegal dumping, with 67% approval, and monitoring high drug-use locations to prevent overdoses, garnering 69% support. This reflects a growing acceptance in the community towards leveraging technology to tackle different social issues.

The GrowSF poll suggests San Franciscans broadly support giving cops more leeway in catching suspects: 66% support giving police tasers, while an overwhelming 75% are in favor of police dispersing drug markets.

The new survey appears to reflect a sharp turnaround in police surveillance sentiment in San Francisco, which became the first city in the US to ban the use of facial recognition tech in 2019.

In the wake of the George Floyd police murder in 2020, ex-mayor London Breed sought to redirect funds from the police department to initiatives supporting the city’s black communities.

Crime is down in San Francisco across many categories, including auto thefts and property crime, although murders have spiked this year.

Police have credited surveillance tech like Flock Safety cameras now blanketing the city with helping to quickly apprehend criminals.

However, civil liberties advocates have raised alarms about the expansion of surveillance technology.

A number of cities nationwide have pushed back on the growing use of Flock technology, canceling or declining to renew contracts over concerns about privacy and police surveillance.

According to DeFlock, an anti-surveillance group, 98 cities have rejected automated license plate readers, while some 124,800 such cameras have been mapped nationwide.

Russian officials announced today that a drone attack by Ukraine on a busy beach has resulted in six fatalities and injured 40 individuals.

Video evidence from the scene at Arkhipo-Osipovka, close to the popular Black Sea tourist destination of Gelendzhik, depicts a missile smashing onto a beach full of sun-seekers before detonating.

In response to the explosion, a team of medical disaster experts was mobilized to provide emergency care.

This incident follows just hours after Ukraine executed one of its most extensive drone offensives against Russia since the conflict erupted in 2022.

The attack affected numerous sites, including oil processing facilities, storage warehouses, and a plant manufacturing drones.

The resort is situated just a few miles from president Vladimir Putin’s ‘billion dollar’ holiday palace.

Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region where Gelendzhik is located, said: ‘What happened today was a deliberate attack by the Kyiv regime on the civilian population, which has no connection whatsoever to military infrastructure.’

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of resorting to terrorism. Kyiv has not commented on the strike and it is not yet clear what the drone’s intended target was. 

Footage from the beach showed the drone hurtling towards the ground, before detonating in what appeared to be a dense crowd of people. It was unclear whether the device had been shot down by Russian air defences. 

Beachgoers were heard screaming just before impact and those in the water quickly returned to shore. 

One witness told local media: ‘We were on the beach at the time. I’m in complete shock. 

‘We were on the beach, didn’t have time to leave, hid behind a ledge, covered ourselves with sun loungers, and didn’t see where it exploded.’

Another said: ‘While we were parking, we saw crowds of people leaving the beach, cars driving away.

‘A friend called me and said we had to turn around and leave because a drone had crashed. We saw a man with a bloody shoulder.’

A local resident, meanwhile, said: ‘We were already home when we heard a barrage of gunfire, like a machine gun, and an explosion. Everything shook.’ 

The Kremlin last month accused Kyiv of killing 11 people, including four children, in an attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-held part of Ukraine’s ‌Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia itself has repeatedly struck targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, displacing millions and laying waste to swathes of the country. Thousands of civilians have so far died in the war, most of ​them Ukrainians killed in Russian attacks.

Ukraine has stepped up long-range attacks across the border in recent months, mainly targeting oil refineries and e-commerce warehouses, in what it says is a campaign to make Russians feel the cost of the war.

In Belgorod, just 20 miles from Russia’s border with Ukraine, a drone factory was targeted by drones. 

Footage shared online showed the factory being blown up and a woman was heard saying: ‘Everything’s on fire there, everything. It’s a disaster, that’s where they make drones and teach you how to fly them. It’s ****ed, it’s all blown up.’  

The beach attack came as Ukraine launched possibly its most intense bombardment of the war.

Two major oil refineries were blown up, as well as a warehouse owned by Wildberries – Russia’s equivalent of Amazon – while the Engels-2 military airbase that houses strategic bombers was also hit. 

Ukrainian forces also targeted fuel trucks heading to Russian-controlled Crimea. 

‘A fire broke out at one of the company’s logistics sites in the Vladimir region following an attack,’ Wildberries said in a statement, adding that warehouse staff had been evacuated.

Regional governor Alexander Avdeyev said the attack on the warehouse was carried out by drones.

‘There is damage and a fire,’ he posted on the Russian messaging app Max, adding that ‘a young man was injured’.

Since mid-July, Ukraine has struck around 20 sites belonging to Wildberries across various parts of Russia and Crimea.

The initial attacks overnight on July 18 left eight people dead and nearly 90 wounded at sites in the Moscow and Tambov regions.

Since then, Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted sites near St Petersburg, Simferopol in Crimea, Krasnodar, Volgograd and Samara.

Wildberries is a highly popular online retail platform in Russia. The attacks on its warehouses are part of a campaign of long-range Ukrainian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in Russia, which has been waging a large-scale offensive in Ukraine since February 2022.

Kyiv says its aim is to force the Kremlin to negotiate an end to the war.

Russia said this morning that it was stepping up protection of ships in the Azov-Black Sea basin while also developing alternative cargo routes, in a move that follows a sharp escalation of attacks at sea by both sides in the war.

The Kremlin’s transport ministry said that in response to ‘the tense situation in the Sea of Azov stemming from hostile drone attacks on maritime vessels’, it had set up a task force to find new routes and switch cargo flows to other modes of transport.

‘A number of stevedoring companies have already expressed their readiness to handle additional cargo volumes and accelerate shipment rates at their terminals, within the limits of their operational capabilities,’ a statement read.

Together with the defence ministry, ‘additional measures are being implemented to ensure navigational safety and to protect maritime vessels in the Azov-Black Sea basin’.

Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, and Ukraine, also a major agricultural exporter, have been attacking each other’s agricultural export facilities and commercial vessels in the Black Sea area in recent weeks, driving wheat prices higher on global markets.

Moscow’s main grain lobby group warned on Friday that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian ships and ports could shut down grain exports through the Black Sea in the near future, pushing up prices and causing hunger in Africa and the Middle East.

Kyiv’s largest farming union, the Ukrainian Agrarian Council, has also warned in recent weeks that Russian strikes on shipping near the southern port of Odesa were restricting exports in the key harvest period and could affect global food supplies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is gearing up to initiate a sweeping reform of the Head Start program, aimed at drastically cutting back its extensive quality standards. Insiders privy to the discussions reveal this move could significantly alter the foundational elements of the program that has provided early education opportunities for low-income children for years.

Originally launched in the 1960s as a pivotal tool in combating poverty, Head Start is regarded as a premier early learning initiative. The program’s comprehensive regulations, spanning over 100 pages, meticulously cover aspects such as teacher-to-student ratios, health screenings for children, and family involvement.

However, the current administration plans to condense these exhaustive guidelines into a mere dozen pages, delegating the finer details to state and local jurisdictions, according to sources familiar with the change. These individuals, speaking under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information and fear of retaliation, indicate that the overhaul reflects a notable paradigm shift.

In a recent post on X, the Department of Health and Human Services, which manages the Head Start program, announced that new rules are anticipated to be unveiled this week. Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the department, affirmed in an email on Monday that the administration is dedicated to enhancing Head Start. The aim is to preserve federal investments while advocating reforms to boost access, offer local flexibility, slash unnecessary administrative tasks, and ensure effective service delivery to families in need.

With operations in all 50 states, Head Start has traditionally garnered strong bipartisan endorsement. Nevertheless, a faction of prominent conservatives has been pushing for its dismantlement, arguing that the federal government should pivot away from involvement in education across all tiers. The proposed deregulatory measures could represent a victory for this perspective, aligning with the Trump administration’s broader agenda to eliminate regulations it deems burdensome or excessive.

Head Start is designed to target poverty, experts say

Head Start serves more than half a million low-income babies, toddlers and preschoolers nationwide. For families that qualify, it offers free preschool and screenings to identify developmental delays. It also offers supports for families.

If the changes take effect, they could make Head Start unrecognizable, said Khari Garvin, who ran the Office of Head Start under President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

“We’d have the carcass of Head Start,” Garvin said. “You might have a program that’s called Head Start, but in substance it will not be.”

The proposed rules were originally reported in The Bulwark.

Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said the organization has yet to see the proposed rules. But he said the potential for a massive overhaul has left the organization on edge.

“We’re very anxious,” Sheridan said. “When it does come out … we’ll be ready to fight back where we need to fight back.”

Still, he emphasized that Head Start centers might not be impacted for months, if the rules get on the books at all. Once the proposal is made public, federal law requires the administration to give at least a month for the public to weigh in on it. Then, once finalized, it may take more time for the rules to take effect. There’s also the potential for a lawsuit to halt implementation.

Current rules cover dental screenings and staff-to-student ratios

Head Start was created as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and targets the myriad challenges that low-income households face. It serves children and adults alike, coaching parents on reaching their goals, connecting them with services and even employing them.

Head Start operators, which include school districts and nonprofit organizations, are required to provide medical, dental and vision screenings for children and to monitor them for developmental delays. There’s also a curriculum framework and prohibitions on physical and emotional abuse of children.

Many of the features that make Head Start distinct from mainstream preschools are spelled out in 122 pages of performance standards. The Trump administration’s proposal would toss most of that rule book and replace it with a much shorter version that eliminates or loosens many requirements, the people familiar with the proposal said. But the proposal also calls for some new regulations, such as requiring all instruction in English.

Requirements around staff-to-student ratios and safety standards would be erased. Operators instead would be instructed to follow local and state laws, which are often far more permissive. And the new proposal also says nothing about suspensions and expulsions, the people said, making it easier for programs to kick out kids with disabilities who are difficult to educate.

Head Start is under threat

Head Start, which has enjoyed robust bipartisan support for decades, has faced several threats since Trump took office last year. Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint authored by the official who is now Trump’s budget chief, called for the federal government to get rid of the program altogether. Last year, in a draft budget, the administration proposed exactly that, saying: “The federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations, and performance standards for any form of education.” After public outcry, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose department oversees Head Start, told Congress the program’s funding was safe.

Funding for the program was disrupted not long after Trump took office, leading some programs to have to shutter temporarily. It was once again halted after a government shutdown in October that led some centers briefly to close their doors.

Earlier this year, Trump officials also erased a Biden-era rule that mandated raises and greater benefits for Head Start employees. When the rule went in to effect in 2024, Head Start teachers, the majority of whom have bachelor’s degrees, earned less than $40,000 a year on average.

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A man from Ohio, suspected of shoplifting, made a daring move by jumping onto a woman’s vehicle as she sped down a highway, in a bid to evade law enforcement. This heart-pounding scene was captured on video.

On July 27, police in Miami Township stopped two Ohio men believed to have stolen from a Kroger store. One of these men, identified as Kaamil O’Berry, chose to make a run for it, abandoning the car and taking off on foot, as reported by WKRC.

The pursued suspect was caught on camera dashing onto the on-ramp of I-75 while attempting to escape the police’s grasp.

In a shocking turn of events, as O’Berry allegedly pushed on in his escape attempt, he scrambled onto the interstate and leapt onto the hood of a woman’s car, which was still in motion.

The suspect clung to the hood of the woman’s car until both vanished from the highway camera’s view, allegedly attempting to take control of the car. He broke her windshield in the process as well.

Eventually, O’Berry fell off the woman’s windshield and was arrested. He was transported to a nearby hospital, according to the report.

O’Berry was arrested on charges of obstructing official business, theft and aggravated robbery.

David Sutter, who was in the car with O’Berry, was charged with complicity to theft.

Senator Bernie Sanders, known for his far-left stance, delivered a sharp critique of the Democratic establishment, declaring them to be “way, way out of touch” with the American public. Sanders argued that this disconnect has spurred the growing success of socialist figures like himself in primary contests.

During an appearance on the MeidasTouch podcast “On Sunday,” Vermont’s independent senator was questioned by host Jack Cocchiarella regarding the notion that democratic socialists, who advocate for policies like open borders and the abolition of prisons, shouldn’t register as Democrats.

Sanders responded with a thought-provoking counterpoint, suggesting, “Well, maybe the converse is true. Maybe the Democratic establishment should begin to understand they are way, way out of touch with where the American people are. That we don’t need a party anymore which is dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.”

In agreement, Cocchiarella responded enthusiastically, “Yes!”

Continuing his critique, Sanders accused Democrats of being overly influenced by billionaire donors. He expressed skepticism about the sway of the donor class, stating, “You know, the donor class said ‘you or you should be the candidate for the Senate’…’You should be running for the president of the United States.’ I don’t think that’s where the American people are.”

“I think what the Democratic Party should become is a party of working people, of young people, of people of color, of people who understand what it’s like to struggle, who are prepared to take on the oligarchs, who want to see an economy that works for all, not just the few,” Sanders continued. 

“We have got to raise simple questions,” he added, questioning the country’s handling of education, healthcare, climate change and AI regulations.

“Those aren’t radical questions,” he said. “Those are the questions on the minds of working people, and if the Democratic leadership can’t ask those questions, because they are busy getting campaign contributions from the very billionaire class, we will see where the Democratic party goes. But I think the future is with us.”

His full-throated defense of democratic socialists follows recent New York City primary wins by Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez – both of whom were backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – against more established political rivals.

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) members Adam Bojak and Maurice Brown also won their primary races for state Assembly seats in western Buffalo and Syracuse, respectively.

In a recent interview with Fox News host Shannon Bream, Megan Romer, co-chair of the DSA, responded with an unabashed “Yes!” when asked if democratic socialists want to eliminate the Senate, replace the Supreme Court, defund the Pentagon, open the borders, abolish prisons and seize public companies.

Trump has repeatedly bashed the rise of the DSA, congratulating Mamdani after the primary elections for his support of “solid Communists” and warning that “With communism, everything turns to s–t!”

In a recent development, producers of the 2027 rendition of Sunday in the Park with George have addressed the unexpected departure of their lead star, Ariana Grande, from the London production.

Ariana Grande, the renowned 33-year-old American singer and actress, revealed through a statement from her team on Sunday that she intends to take a step back following her current tour. The decision comes amid enduring public scrutiny regarding her appearance.

Currently captivated by audiences on her Eternal Sunshine tour, Ariana plans to retreat from the limelight once the tour concludes in London on September 1.

Originally, her upcoming endeavor would have featured a return to the London stage alongside her Wicked co-star, Jonathan Bailey, for a summer 2027 theatrical engagement. However, her representative has now confirmed her withdrawal from the project.

Slated for a debut at London’s prestigious Barbican, the production was planned to grace the stage from July to September of the coming year. This performance was to herald the first significant London revival of Stephen Sondheim’s iconic 1984 musical in two decades.

Inspired by the French painter Georges Seurat’s painting, the musical follows a fictionalized version of Seurat, who immerses himself deeply in painting his masterpiece, his mistress Dot and his great-grandson.

The producers of Sunday in the Park with George have now released a statement confirming the sudden casting change.

‘Following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park with George,’ the statement reads.

‘We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. We wish her nothing but the best.’

The statement confirmed that the production will go ahead and open as planned at the Barbican in summer 2027 with casting ‘announced in due course’. 

Tickets for the show are due to go on sale in the autumn.

Concerns were first raised about whether Sunday in the Park with George was going ahead when ticket sales were halted earlier this summer.

There were said to be growing fears that Ariana, who had just kicked off her Eternal Sunshine tour in America, was ‘oversubscribed’ and eight theatre shows a week would be too demanding for the star. 

A source close to Ariana’s camp confirmed to the Daily Mail at the time though that ‘there’s no doubt she’s still doing it’.

They added: ‘The show is still happening but ticket sales were pushed to September due to her touring and album release schedule.’ 

Ariana’s spokesman told PEOPLE on Sunday that Ariana will ‘be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour’. 

‘She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.

‘This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.’

A source close to the singer explained that Ariana’s tour involves a very physical and athletic performance which she performs at a healthy and high level.

Ariana’s appearance has come under scrutiny in recent months, especially following the release of her new music video, Petal.

She has publicly insisted that she’s healthy but that didn’t stop fans from pointing out how incredibly gaunt she looks in the violent music video.

‘This is like looking at Karen Carpenter and everyone was like [shrug],’ wrote one fan.

‘I am actually so over us normalizing this and acting like this is okay,’ wrote a second.

‘Shocking and heartbreaking’, wrote a third, while a fourth added, ‘For the love of God, please eat something.’

Another wrote, ‘Her bones are literally popping out.’ 

Despite the concerned comments, other fans defended the singer and said that it was inappropriate to comment on her physical appearance. 

‘If y’all actually cared about her you wouldn’t be publicly making comments about her body,’ argued one.

‘The irony of all the girls over 200 pounds saying she’s “unhealthy”. You think being 200 pounds is healthy? Good lord, the jealousy is screaming from you guys!’ wrote another. 

Ariana has hit back at people who have commented on her body multiple times previously.

In her 2024 song, Yes, And? from the album Eternal Sunshine, Ariana addresses the scrutiny over her appearance, singing: ‘My face is sitting, I don’t need no disguise.

‘Don’t comment on my body, do not reply. Your business is yours and mine is mine.

‘Why do you care so much whose – I ride? Why?’

In January, Ariana admitted that it would be ‘healthy’ for her to take a career break.

She told Vogue Japan: ‘I think that it would probably be healthy. I’m not used to taking breaks. But I do know that I grew so much from taking space from music while I was filming Wicked… But yeah, these past few years have been pretty non-stop. And by few, I mean 15.’

The Wicked: For Good actress explained that she is searching for more ‘balance’ in the years to come.

She said: ‘Balance is the goal for the next 15 years. I don’t think they will look like the previous 15 years. I think there will be more balance.’