Ronald L. Fischer, once featured on “America’s Most Wanted,” meticulously planned his disappearance over 20 years ago. New court documents reveal his strategies, including correspondences with his attorney, a scrapped flight to London, and guides on altering identities discovered at his residence.

Now 69, Fischer was apprehended on Thursday while aboard a sailboat off the coast of New Jersey. His capture marks the end of his long evasion since vanishing from a Rhode Island sexual assault trial over two decades prior.

An online sleuth provided the crucial tip that led to this breakthrough, as confirmed by the FBI last week. The information guided the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service to Fischer’s hideout, where he lived under the pseudonym Richard Graydon, resulting in his eventual capture.

In April 2005, Fischer vanished mid-trial and never returned to the Rhode Island Superior Court. A jury convicted him of first-degree sexual assault in his absence, triggering a relentless two-decade search that finally concluded last week with his apprehension.

The newly reviewed affidavit provides the first detailed account of what investigators uncovered in the days after Fischer disappeared.

A federal affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island says Fischer emailed his attorney on April 23, 2005, telling him he was fleeing the country.

Later that evening, he called each of his daughters and said he was leaving the U.S. Investigators also determined Fischer contacted a New York travel agency before purchasing an American Airlines ticket from Boston to London, then canceled the reservation before boarding the flight.

Hours later, surveillance cameras captured Fischer returning a rental car to an Enterprise location in Boston shortly after midnight before walking away carrying two travel bags over his shoulder.

Investigators wrote that Fischer spent the days before his disappearance putting his affairs in order. He transferred vehicles to each of his daughters, instructed them to remove their belongings from his home and disposed of a Jaguar before vanishing.

Authorities also reviewed an email Fischer allegedly sent to attorney Robert Mann in which they said he explained he had decided not to risk being convicted in state court and instead planned to leave the U.S. to enjoy what he described as “a good, safe, secure and comfortable life.”

A search of Fischer’s home uncovered literature explaining how people could change their identities and disappear.

Fischer’s ex-wife, Dr. Nancy Stein, told investigators he was well traveled, had friends in other parts of the world –including Brazil –and believed he might attempt to charter a boat.

The U.S. Marshals Service told News Media investigators believe Fischer likely left the U.S. by boat after disappearing in 2005. Authorities also believe he paid more than $1 million for the 56-foot sailboat “Silver Lining,” though they have not yet confirmed when or how he acquired the vessel.

Investigators believe Fischer had been using the alias Richard Graydon since at least 2017, adding he may have adopted it earlier. Authorities also said Fischer may have alternated between living aboard the sailboat and staying on shore during his years as a fugitive.

Federal authorities ultimately obtained an unlawful flight warrant, alleging Fischer had traveled in interstate or foreign commerce to avoid prosecution.

Fischer’s years on the run ended Thursday when investigators intercepted the 56-foot sailboat “Silver Lining” off the New Jersey coast after what the FBI described as “a tip from an online sleuth.”

He was taken into custody without incident during a coordinated operation involving the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for additional information about where Fischer spent the past two decades, when he first adopted the alias Richard Graydon or how he acquired the sailboat where he was ultimately captured.

Aaron Rodgers has finally mended ties with his family, reconnecting after a prolonged estrangement.

Sharing heartfelt family moments, the NFL star took to Instagram on Monday, delighting fans with photos from what he described as “another bonding week” with his family.

Ending his post on a sweet note, the 42-year-old athlete concluded with the hashtag “fam.”

In the first image, the quarterback beams with happiness as he embraces his mother, Darla Rodgers, against the backdrop of a sun-dappled driveway.

The slideshow continued with a snapshot of Aaron alongside his father, Ed Rodgers, captured at the same cherished spot.

Subsequent shots showed the Pittsburgh Steelers player sitting on a couch with brother Luke Rodgers and helping him put together a child’s toy.

The social media upload concluded with a glimpse of Aaron hanging out with his niece and nephew.

Aaron and Luke’s younger brother, Jordan Rodgers, did not appear in the pictures.

Jordan, notably, is married to Season 12 “Bachelorette” lead JoJo Fletcher, and the couple share a 6-month-old daughter named Romy.

This is a developing story…

Over the weekend, a family snapshot taken during the World Cup Final captured the uncanny resemblance between Tom Brady’s daughter, Vivian, and her mother, Gisele Bündchen.

On Monday, the legendary NFL figure, now 48, posted a gallery of moments on Instagram, highlighting his summer adventures with his 13-year-old daughter Vivian and his two sons, 18-year-old Jack and 16-year-old Benjamin.

In one particular photo, Brady is seen standing with his three children, notably featuring Vivian in the center. She gazes at the camera with an expression reminiscent of her mother, her long locks parted neatly down the middle.

Jack, Brady’s son with former partner Bridget Moynahan, mirrors the quarterback’s own appearance, while Benjamin shows traits of both Brady and Bündchen, combining their features seamlessly.

Reflecting on his travels, Brady expressed his gratitude for the cherished ‘memories’ created while he journeyed from one city to another across the United States, attending World Cup matches leading to the grand finale on Sunday.

All three of his kids were featured in his photo series, in which they were seen wearing different country jerseys at various games throughout the 39-day tournament. 

‘What a finale to one of the greatest month long sporting events we’ve ever seen,’ Brady wrote in his caption. ‘So happy to share it with my favorite crew.’

He also gave a shoutout ‘to everyone who made this month what it was, friends, family, and the athletes from around the world who stepped in the arena.’

‘These are the memories we’ll be talking about for the rest of our lives and I’m glad I made them with you,’ Brady continued. 

‘Sports have given me everything. But watching this one from the other side reminded me why any of us fall in love with sports in the first place,’ he added. ‘Thank you for the memories @fifaworldcup, see you in 4 years!’

The cover photo was the most recent and showed Brady alongside all three of his kids, who wore matching Spain jerseys, standing in the stands and posing in front of the pitch for Sunday’s final match. 

The last photo in his slideshow featured him and his daughter at the Brazil–Morocco game on June 13. 

Vivian was wearing a Brazil jersey to rep her mother’s native country. 

Brady also shared a family snapshot of him standing proudly with his three kids during the match. 

Benjamin and Vivian wore Brazil jerseys in the group photo. 

Brady also included a photo of him and Jack celebrating a goal after they later put on Brazil jerseys too.

The remaining slides included more giddy group photos as well as a captured, sweet and candid moment of him and his sons celebrating a goal. 

At one point, Brady was also standing on the pitch for a close-up view of the game. 

His Instagram post included a candid snapshot of him and the FIFA secretary general having a chat. 

Brady’s post comes just a couple of days after Bündchen shared photos via Instagram from a tropical getaway abroad. 

Her post from over the weekend showed her soaking in the sun with her husband, jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente, and their toddler son in Tahiti while vacationing in the French Polynesian islands. 

The 45-year-old model, who secretly tied the knot with Valente late last year, was seen cozying up to her husband and sharing sweet moments with their baby in her photos. 

In the caption of the post, the star penned to her followers: ‘What a special place!☀️✨ Que lugar especial!’ 

In a significant escalation, Ukraine carried out one of its most substantial drone offensives of the conflict, targeting Moscow and its surrounding areas. The attacks reached an oil depot and various logistics centers situated over 250 miles from Ukraine’s border, according to statements from both Ukrainian and Russian officials.

Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, reported that upwards of 400 Ukrainian drones were dispatched towards the Moscow region from Sunday night into early Monday. Among them, 85 were intercepted as they neared the Russian capital. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its military forces had intercepted 381 drones, not only in Russian territories but also over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

However, these claims from the Russian side remain unverified by independent news sources.

According to regional authorities cited by Reuters, at least 10 individuals were injured in the Moscow area, among them three Chinese nationals. Seven of these injuries occurred in Domodedovo, where a residential building suffered damage, and a subsequent fire ignited at an industrial park near one of Moscow’s major airports.

The extensive nature of this attack indicates a shift in Ukraine’s strategy, suggesting an intention to move beyond isolated symbolic strikes on Moscow. Instead, it appears to be advancing toward a sustained effort targeting the infrastructure that fuels Russia’s military operations.

By simultaneously targeting oil facilities, transportation networks and logistics hubs hundreds of miles from the front, Kyiv is seeking to disrupt the flow of fuel and supplies to Russian forces, reduce revenue available to the Kremlin and force Moscow to divert air-defense systems away from the battlefield. 

Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries had doubled since the beginning of 2026, Reuters reported, contributing to refinery shutdowns and reduced production of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces targeted logistics facilities and an oil depot in the Moscow region.

“Our long-range sanctions have produced results against logistics facilities and an oil depot,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that the targets were more than 400 kilometers (roughly 250 miles) from Ukraine’s border. “We are responding, justly, to every Russian strike against our cities and communities.”

Wildberries, a company known as “Russia’s Amazon,” said its logistics center in the Podolsk district of Russia was temporarily evacuated as a precaution before resuming normal operations, East2West News reported. Ukraine has accused the company of selling supplies used by the Russian military.

Ksenia Svetlova, associate fellow at Chatham House policy institute based in London,argued that the disruption caused by strikes on fuel infrastructure and companies such as Wildberries is unlikely, by itself, to change President Vladimir Putin’s approach to the war.

“The hardship of the Russian citizen who suffers because of fuel shortages, the strike on a Wildberries warehouse, or forced recruitment does not interest him,” Svetlova said “The war machine is operating at full force, and he has neither the desire nor the ability to stop it.”

Svetlova said Putin remains reluctant to announce another mass mobilization after large numbers of young Russians fled the country during the Kremlin’s previous call-up. At the same time, she said, Russia’s military still needs additional troops after recruiting heavily from its prison population and is increasingly pressuring ordinary civilians accused of relatively minor offenses to sign military contracts.

The sweeping Ukrainian operation followed one of Russia’s largest ballistic missile attacks of the war against Kyiv. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 41 missiles of various types in the overnight barrage, which killed at least one person and wounded 16, Reuters reported Sunday.

The Russian attack also spread into the Black Sea, where a Russian missile attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Golden Leo killed 10 people near Odesa, Reuters reported Monday.

Ukrainian officials said the vessel, which was carrying corn, was struck by three cruise missiles and caught fire. Nine crew members and a Ukrainian maritime pilot were killed, while eight other crew members were rescued. The ship’s crew included Indian and Syrian nationals, according to Reuters.

The escalation comes as Zelenskyy faces growing domestic pressure over his removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a 35-year-old reformer credited with expanding Ukraine’s drone capabilities and seeking to modernize military procurement and management. Fedorov’s supporters viewed him as a rare official willing to challenge entrenched practices, improve oversight of defense spending and push a technology-centered approach to the war.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered following Fedorov’s dismissal, demanding his reinstatement and the removal of commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi. Protesters have accused Syrskyi of resisting modernization and retaining a rigid command structure that they say contributes to high troop losses. Syrskyi has defended his wartime record and called for unity.

Fedorov publicly accused Syrskyi of blocking his initiatives and sabotaging his work. Zelenskyy said their relationship had deteriorated so badly that the two could no longer work together, but provided little additional explanation for removing Fedorov.

Zelenskyy indicated Monday that consultations over Ukraine’s military leadership were continuing, saying he had spoken with Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi about ensuring that the experience of every branch of Ukraine’s defense forces was applied in a coordinated manner. He did not announce any decision on Syrskyi’s future.

Political organizations often vehemently deny being a menace to the constitutional framework, yet the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) seem to embrace this notion as a core element of their identity.

Recently, the DSA unveiled an ambitious agenda envisioning the dismantling of long-standing institutions in the United States. Their program not only imagines a classless society but also boldly proposes eliminating the US Senate, presidency, and Supreme Court.

This agenda represents a true revolutionary shift, aiming to reshape an American political system that has stood firm since the birth of the nation in 1789.

Such radical proposals echo the dramatic actions one might anticipate from insurgents taking to the streets of Washington, DC, with intentions to overthrow the established government.

Next to these audacious ideas, suggestions like abolishing the filibuster seem minor, while even the contentious topic of court-packing starts to appear relatively conservative.

The proposal to kill off the world’s greatest deliberative body has gotten the most attention.

The DSA’s co-chair, Gustavo Gordillo, went on Fox News to explain that the Senate is “undemocratic,” while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has said that she opposes the filibuster and elements of the Senate that “were founded on Jim Crow.”

Contra Gordillo, the Senate is a democratic institution; no one wins a Senate seat without getting more votes than his or her opponent. 

Yet, part of its role in our system is to serve as a check on popular passions.

At the institution’s inception, state legislatures appointed senators.

Those days are long gone (the 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, requires direct election), but six-year terms and staggered elections give the Senate more insulation from the transient currents of public sentiment than the House of Representatives. 

Then, there are the Senate rules that put an emphasis on consensus and delay.

AOC sounded confused when she cited Senate practices created under Jim Crow, the system of formalized racial discrimination that arose about 100 years after the creation of the Senate.

It’s true that the filibuster was used as a tool to attempt to block landmark civil-rights legislation, without ultimate success.

But the filibuster is an instrument of every minority party in the Senate trying to block the agenda of a president of the opposing party, very much including the Senate Democrats arrayed against President Donald Trump today. 

The Senate has another function: giving small states equal representation with large states in Washington, DC.

This is the source of the charge that it’s undemocratic: Why should Wyoming, population roughly 600,000, have as many senators as California, population nearly 40 million?

This is meant, though, to keep large states from having overwhelming influence on the nation’s governance, and to give easy-to-ignore places a say in the nation’s affairs.

For proportional representation, there’s the House; California has 52 members of Congress, whereas Wyoming has only one. 

All this said, regardless of the merits, the Constitution deems the provision of equal senators for the states un-amendable: “No State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.”

This suggests that the dissolution of the constitutional system couldn’t be achieved by constitutional means, since the Founders didn’t supply a readily available self-destruct button for their brilliant handiwork. 

Not that the DSA cares.

What they are seeking would, in some ways, be a return to the Articles of Confederation, under which we had a unicameral legislature and neither a presidency nor federal courts.

But this made for a very weak central government, and the DSA wants an overweening Washington shorn of the inherent checks on the popular will that come with a multi-layered federal system. 

In short, it hopes for what Lord Hailsham, in his criticism of the British parliamentary system, famously called an “elective dictatorship.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a speech last week in which he inveighed against left-wing extremists who seek to destroy rather than build, targeting “the physical embodied symbols of power and invention and achievement.”

He might have added, with a nod to the DSA, the US constitutional order. The socialists have met the enemy — and it is our own longstanding, highly successful governing institutions.

X: @RichLowry

In a striking episode amidst celebratory chaos, a New York City resident faces charges for allegedly igniting a school bus in Times Square during the Knicks’ NBA Championship festivities.

Authorities apprehended Jonathan Strahs, a 30-year-old Brooklyn native, on Monday. He is charged with federal arson for reportedly setting fire to a school bus, which was destined to transport World Cup fans to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, during the early hours of June 14.

As the Knicks triumphed over the San Antonio Spurs, thousands of elated sports fans thronged Times Square. Meanwhile, others poured into Manhattan, eagerly anticipating World Cup events.

The school bus, contracted to ferry World Cup spectators between the Port Authority Bus Terminal and MetLife, came to a standstill for pedestrian traffic on West 42nd Street. Surveillance footage reportedly captured Strahs boarding the halted vehicle.

Moments after Strahs’s departure from the bus, a fire was detected within the vehicle, leading to further investigation and his subsequent arrest.

The blaze then spread throughout the interior and exterior of the school bus – and even jumped to another vehicle before firefighters were able to douse it. 

FDNY Fire Marshals conducted an origin and cause examination in the aftermath, and determined the fire was set intentionally.

At that point, fire marshals, police officers and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives worked together to review the surveillance footage and identify the suspect.

‘This fire, set on a busy street during a night of celebrations, put the lives of bystanders and first responders at risk,’ Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said in a statement.

‘The work of our agencies has removed a dangerous individual from the streets of New York City, and the FDNY will continue to work closely with our public safety partners to keep New Yorkers safe.’

She then went on to say that Strahs’ arrest ‘reflects the strength of our partnership with the ATF and NYPD and the diligence of our Fire Marshals in following the evidence through an extensive and complex investigation.’

But the bus fire was not the only incident police had to respond to as raucous Knicks fans took to the streets that night.

Mayhem also broke out when officers frantically shoved the jubilant supporters back in desperate attempts to clear the area. 

An officer was captured repeatedly ordering one man to stand back from the street, screaming, ‘sidewalk,’ in his face. 

As the fan refused to back down, instead encroaching closer to the cop and confronting him, the NYPD officer shoved him back. 

It sparked violent scenes as a trio officers pounced on the man, all three tackling him to the ground. 

As he hit the tarmac, more cops piled on top of him as they swarmed around the struggle, fending off other furious supporters looking to join the fray. They could then be seen leading the fallen fan away in handcuffs.

Meanwhile, a police vehicle was reportedly left heavily-damaged after crowds climbed on top of it near MSG, shattering its windshield.

The ambitious in their midst were unable to stay grounded, clambering to the top of subway and train entrances at Penn Station. They inched perilously close to the edge as they jumped in raucous scenes.

Others took to the tops of school buses or lampposts to obtain a better vantage point of the celebrations.

The worst of the debris was left in Times Square, where burnt-out school buses were towed away in the middle of the night.

In one clip, cops can be seen watching on as a tow truck drags away a bus from close to 42nd St, with parts of the vehicle falling off in the process.

Just minutes earlier, a separate clip had shown the driver of a school bus desperately begging fans to stop ripping apart his livelihood. He can be heard shouting, ‘this is coming out of my check’, only to be ignored as they pulled the hood off. 

The Knicks victory had been the first in more than 50 years.

The team completed a fairytale playoffs with the ultimate prize as they produced another epic comeback on the road to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in a dramatic Game 5 in front of a star-studded crowd that included even Prince Harry. 

The Knicks won the series 4-1, rallying from double-digit deficits in all four of those victories. The deficit was 16 on Saturday night but the Knicks remained unfazed as Jalen Brunson spearheaded a comeback – scoring 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter.

The captain could barely contain his tears as he choked up while emotionally declaring, ‘I have no words,’ during the postgame celebrations.

Brunson, fittingly, closed with a flourish. He set a Knicks record for points in a finals game; it had been 38 by Willis Reed against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the 1970 series. It now belongs to the left-handed point guard who changed the franchise’s fortunes when he arrived four years ago.

Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart – the other two parts of the ‘Nova Knicks’ trio that also includes Brunson, three players who were NCAA champions at Villanova and teamed up in New York to try to do the same – combined to score 27 points. Bridges had 14, Hart 13.

‘I don’t know what I’m feeling,’ Brunson said. ‘I’m in awe. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.’

Dylan Harper scored 25 for the Spurs, who got 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots from Victor Wembanyama.

The Knicks improved to 4-0 in closeout opportunities this season, winning them all on the road. It didn’t feel like the road, though – not with thousands of New York faithful having made the trip to Texas to see a moment 53 years in the making.