Pete Buttigieg, the former Secretary of Transportation, recently found himself embroiled in a controversy after an anonymous tip led law enforcement on a wild goose chase. Authorities later declared the report false and Buttigieg shared that the incident caused him to be separated from his four-year-old twins overnight.

Buttigieg expressed his distress in a Substack post, mentioning that a Michigan State Police officer informed him there was no evidence supporting the anonymous claim. He suspected political motives behind the false alarm, describing the 24-hour period as “among the darkest hours of my life.”

According to a statement from the Michigan State Police, they responded with child protective services to the “anonymous report,” but quickly concluded that it was baseless.

According to Buttigieg, a Michigan State Police officer and a child protective services worker came to his home after receiving an anonymous report alleging he posed a danger to his children. He said authorities arranged forensic interviews for his twins and instructed him not to be alone with them until the interviews were complete.

The following day, Buttigieg said investigators told him the anonymous caller claimed he had confessed years earlier to violent crimes during a chance meeting in Alabama. Buttigieg said he had never been to the town where the meeting allegedly occurred. He said police told him the allegation would not be referred to prosecutors, while Child Protective Services found nothing to substantiate the report.

“I cannot describe the mix of rage and sadness that I feel at the idea that someone brought our children into this,” writes Buttigieg. “They are four years old. Four. They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is.”

Buttigieg, who is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, has long been the target of anti-LGBTQ attacks.

In recent years, conservative activists and some Republican officials have opposed efforts to portray same-sex parents as ordinary families in schools and public life. June — widely recognized as Pride Month — is Strong Families Month in Alabama, intended to coincide with Father’s Day. Gov. Kay Ivey’s proclamation says fathers are “the head of the household” and “homes led by a father and mother provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed throughout life.”

Buttigieg wrote that the incident occurred soon after he shared photos of his family online for Father’s Day.

Buttigieg drew criticism from some Republicans for taking paternity leave after he and his husband, Chasten, adopted their twins while he was serving in the Biden administration. Buttigieg also wrote that he has faced death threats during his career.

“But this is the ugliest thing that has happened to me since my career in service began,” he wrote.

Public officials from across the political spectrum have increasingly been targeted by swatting, which is the act of making a false call to emergency services to prompt a response at a particular address. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to show up. Law enforcement agencies have warned that the incidents divert resources from other pressing tasks and pose risks to both law enforcement and the victims.

Buttigieg said the incident reflected a broader escalation in political attacks.

“Everyone knows politics is ugly these days,” he wrote. “It’s always been ugly, but now it feels more and more like bloodsport.”

“Even so, this is different.”

David Vander Meer, a former youth pastor turned yoga instructor from Las Vegas, passed away while in custody just days after his arrest by U.S. Marshals. He was alleged to have murdered his wife, according to officials.

According to News Media, Vander Meer died while he was awaiting a court hearing that was scheduled for Thursday. The Clark County Office of the Coroner has noted that he passed away on Thursday and stated that his death is currently “pending investigation.”

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that on Wednesday, a 49-year-old male inmate at the Clark County Detention Center was transported to University Medical Center for treatment of self-inflicted injuries. The individual was not named, but it was confirmed that he died on Thursday.

The unnamed inmate had been held at the detention facility since June 22 and was a fugitive from another state, stated police officials. They mentioned that the coroner would release the inmate’s identity along with the cause and manner of his death.

Vander Meer was accused of killing his wife Bernadette Vander Meer.

Investigators say she was killed when she “fell” while on a hike with her husband in Zion National Park in Utah, back in 2006.

The case was closed then reopened nearly 20 years later in 2025.

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A senior pastor at a church where Vander Meer had worked alerted authorities that he did not think Bernadette’s death was accidental, a probable cause affidavit says.

A possible social media account for Vander Meer says he also worked as a school counselor.

The affidavit goes on to say, “At the time, due to a lack of evidence, and limited investigation, Bernadette Vander Meer’s fall was ruled an accident and the case was closed — although investigators felt the circumstances were suspicious.”

U.S. Marshals arrested Vander Meer on charges of murder and insurance fraud on Monday. After a lengthy investigation, prosecutors charged him with murder and insurance fraud.

Vander Meer was due in court on Thursday. Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman announced in court Thursday morning that Vander Meer was dead, local news outlet KLAS reported.

The suspect was jailed at Clark County Detention Center and awaiting extradition from Nevada to Utah, according to the outlet.

Brittany Mahomes has shed light on how her husband, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, has provided vital support as she faced public scrutiny while navigating the couple’s journey to prominence.

Over the years, Brittany, now 30, has frequently found herself at the center of various controversies, an unavoidable aspect of life in the public eye.

One notable incident occurred in 2022 when Brittany faced criticism for celebrating a Kansas City Chiefs victory at the Bills vs. Chiefs game by spraying fans below her with champagne in freezing temperatures, drawing mixed reactions online.

Just months later, accusations of rudeness were levied against her following the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory over the Baltimore Ravens in 2024. The backlash erupted after a video surfaced that reportedly showed an awkward encounter between Brittany and a staff member at M&T Bank Stadium.

Adding fuel to the fire, Brittany was also scrutinized for interacting with posts on social media that supported President Donald Trump, despite his ongoing criticism of Taylor Swift, a close friend engaged to Chiefs star Travis Kelce. This interaction set off a frenzy among fans, further complicating the public’s perception of her.

And amid all of the public fallout over the years, Brittany is breaking her silence, as she recently told Yahoo! Entertainment that it’s been a ‘big adjustment’ navigating such a public platform. 

‘I’ve had a lot of lessons, hard lessons, to learn,’ the mom-of-three told the outlet.

She gives her husband, Patrick, a lot of credit for helping her to navigate the extra public attention. 

‘He’s constantly been there explaining to me that this stuff doesn’t matter and just stay true to who you are and stay worrying about the things that matter to you,’ she explained to the outlet.

‘He’s got me through it,’ she added.

The former soccer player told Yahoo! that over the years, she’s learned to focus on what really matters to her. 

‘Keeping my eyes and my mind and my focus on my family and the things that mean the most,’ she said.

During the interview, in which she spoke about her co-ownership in women’s soccer team Kansas City Current, she also credited her husband for supporting her in all of her pursuits.

‘I could have truly never gotten to the place I am today without Patrick,’ she said.

‘He truly supports anything and everything that I want to do.’

The interview comes just days before Swift is rumored to be getting married to Kelce in New York City.

The big event is rumored to be taking place at New York City’s 20,000-seat Madison Square Garden arena on July 3. 

The Daily Mail previously reported that the couple will also say ‘I do’ at a private, more intimate ceremony with close family and friends.

Guests are expected to include Swift’s besties, which include the Mahomes, as well as singer Selena Gomez and stylist Ashley Avignone.

Supermodel Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Zoe Kravitz, Ed Sheeran, Suki Waterhouse and, one would assume, her significant other Robert Pattinson, and the Haim sisters – Este, Danielle and Alana – are all rumored to be on the list, too.

While Swift has kept mum about her celebratory festivities, it’s rumored that her closest friends descended on her Rhode Island mansion last week for a last hoorah before she walks down the aisle.

In exclusive photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the 36-year-old singer’s private jet was captured taking off from Groton-New London Airport in Groton, Connecticut.

A source confirmed the pop singer was flanked by her two full-time security guards as she boarded the plane.

It’s unclear if Brittany Mahomes joined them.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Following the conclusion of a mistrial on Friday, the individual charged with inciting the fatal Palisades Fire last year will face a new trial this autumn.

In the previous trial, 10 out of 12 jurors believed Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was not guilty. Consequently, Judge Anne Hwang promptly scheduled a retrial for October 19th and mandated that he remain in custody until that time.

Rinderknecht has maintained his innocence regarding the ignition of one of California’s most devastating wildfires. His defense attorney, Steve Haney, emphasized the jury’s skepticism, noting that many members felt the prosecution lacked compelling evidence for a conviction.

Despite the jury’s uncertainty, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli asserted that their evidence is robust and expressed confidence in securing a conviction in the forthcoming trial.

According to prosecutors, on January 1, 2025, Rinderknecht allegedly used a barbecue lighter to start a fire. This blaze smoldered unnoticed within root systems before re-emerging on January 7, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals and the destruction of entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Malibu. Since then, only 17 homes in Pacific Palisades have been rebuilt and deemed habitable.

Prosecutors never provided direct evidence that Rinderknecht started the earlier blaze. They showed jurors he was in the area when it began and presented a digital trail to indicate he was motivated by a desire to take revenge on society.

His defense said fireworks were the likely cause and that investigators had zeroed in too quickly on Rinderknecht without clear proof.

“This is a big victory, and it feels so unfair that, given the circumstances, the government maintains my son in jail,” said his father, Joel Rinderknecht.

Digital records revealed Rinderknecht’s state of mind

The trial featured a trove of digital records and eight days of testimony from investigators, experts and witnesses.

Security camera recordings helped determine where the Jan. 1 fire is believed to have started: a mountainside spot off a trail in a neighborhood familiar to Rinderknecht. He dropped off his last Uber passenger in the same neighborhood, shortly before midnight, and later called 911 more than a dozen times. His phone’s geolocation data showed him at the clearing and walking down the trail as he reported the fire.

Jurors saw records from his phone, email, Uber, social media accounts and OpenAI. Thousands of comments showed he regularly consulted ChatGPT.

“Why am I so angry all the time?” he said in one exchange.

He vented over wealth inequality and global warming

Rinderknecht inquired about Luigi Mangione, who was charged with the murder of United Healthcare’s CEO, and on Reddit he searched “lets kill all the billionaires.” He looked up the address of DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, asking if he had children or surveillance cameras at home.

He vented about his rejection by a woman he contacted to see if she had New Year’s Eve plans. When she turned him down, he sent her angry and vile messages from another phone.

Rinderknecht also recorded videos of firefighters battling the blaze, pausing to ask ChatGPT if someone would be responsible for a fire accidentally started by a cigarette. And he screen-recorded both the 911 calls and his ChatGPT prompt, which prosecutors said showed he was trying to mislead investigators.

On January 6, a day before powerful Santa Ana winds rekindled smoldering roots into a conflagration, he recorded a selfie video saying he was having a mental breakdown.

Investigators interviewed him weeks after fire

Rinderknecht also spoke for roughly eight hours with a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent in late January, before he was a suspect.

ATF agent Matthew Beals drove with him to the site, so that Rinderknecht could identify his movements as the fire started — an account that conflicted with the place and time of his 911 calls, the agent testified.

Rinderknecht became “agitated” when asked for details, at one point accusing Beals of interrogating him as a suspect, the agent said. He repeatedly expressed dismay about political matters, and speculated that someone frustrated by inequality might hypothetically start a fire in the wealthy neighborhood.

All such behavior is consistent with that of a “societal revenge motivated” arsonist, testified Kevin Kelm, an expert in arsonist behavior.

His defense blamed fireworks

Haney said investigators never found any searches about arson, the best way to start a fire, or purchases of fire-starting materials. And while his DNA was found on a barbecue lighter in his car, they couldn’t prove a lighter sparked the blaze — only that it began with an “open flame,” he said.

Fireworks were the most likely cause that New Year’s Eve, the defense argued. One firefighter recalled hearing fireworks in the area shortly before and after midnight. And two residents and a security guard testified they either saw flashes of light or heard fireworks. Two saw a group of teenagers running down the trail afterward.

Former LA fire investigator Ed Nordskog accused the investigators of confirmation bias, noting that he often responded to dozens of fires on New Year’s Eve, most of them started by fireworks.

“They’re choosing to look at information in a very sinister way when they should be a little more open about it,” Nordskog said.

Defense witnesses also noted that the fire scene could have been compromised because access was not closed off until Jan. 14, nearly two weeks after the first blaze started.

“Can you convict a man based on a crime scene that was destroyed? Stripped of all evidence? Evidence that could’ve proved his innocence?” Haney asked jurors during closing arguments.

Juror explains why she voted against conviction

Juror No. 4, who identified herself as Syrena and wouldn’t share her last name, said she voted not-guilty.

“There’s just not enough proof,” she said. And even if he did start the Jan. 1 fire, she said he shouldn’t be considered responsible for the entire disaster given the negligence of other parties.

“Shouldn’t the firemen, shouldn’t they have known?” she said.

Rinderknecht’s attorney wanted to argue that the Los Angeles Fire Department had been negligent, but the judge ruled he couldn’t make that case in court.

Juror No. 4 said there wasn’t enough evidence to make her believe the prosecution’s assertion that Rinderknecht was alone in the area before it started.

As for his use of ChatGPT, she said he was “just being human” that that she talks to ChatGPT frequently as well.

“It made me angry that they were putting his character down,” she said.

___

David Stearns, the president of baseball operations for the Mets, has affirmed his commitment to his role despite recent team setbacks. Following the dismissal of manager Carlos Mendoza, Stearns emphasized that he retains the trust and backing of the team’s owner, Steve Cohen.

The decision to part ways with Mendoza came after the Mets hit a rough patch, extending to a six-game losing streak. Mendoza had previously led the team to the NLCS in 2024, but a mid-season slump last year set a troubling tone for 2026, evident in their 34-47 record.

When questioned about not stepping down, Stearns expressed confidence in the long-term vision he is cultivating. “I believe that we are building the foundation of an organization that can deliver what we all want,” Stearns commented. He acknowledged that despite tangible improvements within the organization, the team’s current performance is disappointingly subpar.

For now, Andy Green, who has prior managerial experience with the Padres, is stepping in as interim manager. However, Stearns noted that Green would resume his front-office responsibilities post-season, as the Mets intend to embark on a comprehensive search for a permanent manager.

As intense fighting persists between the two nations, Ukraine mounted a significant nighttime offensive targeting a dozen Russian regions, Crimea under Russian control, and adjacent waters. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, cited by The Associated Press, this operation appears to be one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion years ago.

The ministry disclosed that an impressive 660 Ukrainian drones were intercepted by the country’s air defenses. This exceeds the previous record for such an assault, which occurred on May 17, when 556 drones were deployed.

In a statement, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were successfully neutralized as they targeted the Russian capital, according to the same report.

The AP reported that Ukraine’s air force indicated that the nation’s defenses stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, though four out of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles breached air defenses and hit various places.

But even as the years-long war between the two countries drags on, the bitter enemies engaged in a prisoner swap, according to the AP, which reported that officials said 160 individuals from each side were going home on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted in a Friday post on X, “We continue bringing Ukrainians home from Russian captivity. Today, 160 servicemembers were released from captivity. All of them had been held captive since 2022.”

“Among those released today are servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, National Guard warriors, and border guards. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy sectors,” he continued.

“I thank our entire team, which works every day to bring our people back. Special gratitude to all our units on the frontline who replenish Ukraine’s ‘exchange fund’ and, through their courage, make it possible for us to bring people home. We remember everyone who remains in captivity. We are checking every name. We must bring everyone back – both military personnel and civilians,” Zelenskyy added.