The tragic shooting that claimed the life of Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and left his partner injured has sparked renewed debate over potential amendments to the Illinois Safe-T Act.

Alphanso Talley, the suspect in the shooting, has a criminal history as a seven-time felon. At the time of the incident, he was under electronic monitoring and had previously failed to appear in court in March for charges related to carjacking and armed robbery.

The Safe-T Act, which significantly reformed the pretrial detention system in Illinois, includes the controversial elimination of cash bail. This legislation has been under scrutiny following recent events.

Among those advocating for changes to the Safe-T Act is Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran from Downers Grove.

“The Safe-T Act was intended to ensure that individuals facing non-violent charges are not held in jail solely due to financial inability to post bail amounts as low as $100 or $200. That aspect of the Act is effective. However, we are failing in how the Act handles repeat violent offenders who show a consistent pattern of violence,” Curran stated.

Curran says there is a way to make the existing law better. He says the trouble is with suspects who are on pretrial release and ankle monitoring, who are then arrested for other crimes.

“So, you’re talking a small subset of those in the criminal justice system. But these are the most dangerous individuals in the criminal justice system and pose the greatest risk to public safety,” he said.

Curran says right now, it’s the end of the legislative session, but there are discussions about his proposal.

Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie of Savanna has filed identical legislation.

Curran hopes by the end of May, the legislature will pass their proposed change.

Speaking about the Safe-T Act and the shooting of Officer Bartholomew, Governor JB Pritzker said, “Well, what played a role here was that the judge who had the ability to keep the person in jail, didn’t.”

Sharone R. Mitchell Junior is the Cook County Public Defender. He says the Safe-T Act has impacted the people his office represents.

“I think what it’s done is create a better hearing process for when this important decision needs to be made,” Mitchell said. “Before you had these hearings that would last a minute. And the final determination would be how much money a person had. The changes to the Safe-T Act have made these hearings far longer. Far more expansive. Far more informative. And it’s given judges more information to make this really important decision.”

He says the Safe-T Act is “far better than the status quo.”

Mitchell says the decisions that judges make won’t always be perfect.

As for the proposal by State Senator Curran he said: “The problem with that proposal is that it’s completely unconstitutional. There has to be a hearing to determine whether a person is going to get their rights taken away. What we’re talking about is a person accused of an offense. And accountability happens when there’s a trial. When there’s evidence presented. And a judge or jury makes a decision or a person pleads guilty.”

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the iconic film “Top Gun” is soaring back into cinemas.

The classic 1986 movie will be showcased at AMC Theatres across the nation for a limited engagement starting on May 13.

Adding to the excitement, audiences will also have the chance to enjoy a special double feature that includes the 2022 blockbuster sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.”

This re-release offers a golden opportunity for fans who missed seeing “Top Gun” on the big screen to now enjoy both films in their full cinematic glory.

When “Top Gun: Maverick” hit theaters, fans were thrilled to see Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprising their legendary roles as Capt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky.

However, many fans of the original were disappointed to learn that most of the stars from the first installment would not be making it for the second film.

Top Gun is returning to movie theaters in celebration of its 40th anniversary

It is set for a limited one-week return to AMC Theatres locations nationwide beginning May 13 as the original was released in 1986 (Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise seen in the original film)

For some characters, it makes sense for them not to return. Anthony Edwards played Maverick’s notorious alley Goose who died during the film. 

Audiences first met Maverick and the rest of this cast of characters in the original 1986 version of Top Gun in which he is recruited to train in the prestigious Top Gun Naval Fights Weapon School. The reckless rebel struggles to fit in and ruffles some feathers, especially those of Iceman. 

Now Daily Mail looks at the cast of the original Top Gun film and reveals where they are now…

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise was already a fast rising star by the time he was cast as protagonist  Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in the 1986 blockbuster.

The now 63-year-old actor had since cemented himself as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood and has consistently become one of the highest-paid actors in the world for decades.

His breakthrough leading role came three years before Top Gun as he starred in 1983’s Risky Business.

Cruise did not stop his rapid rise to the top as he went on to close out the 1980s starring in  The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989).

Tom Cruise was already a fast rising star by the time he was cast as protagonist Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in the 1986 blockbuster

Cruise did eventually return for his iconic role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick which was a critical and commercial success grossing $1.486billion worldwide

He cemented his legacy as a top leading man the next decade with a run including A Few Good Men (1992), the thriller The Firm (1993), the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), and the sports comedy-drama Jerry Maguire (1996). 

Cruise reached even higher levels in the 2000s with roles including: Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Knight and Day (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), Oblivion (2013), Edge of Tomorrow (2014).

However, arguably his biggest role came as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible film series which began in 1996.

However, arguably his biggest role came as Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible film series which began in 1996

He has starred in a total of eight films from the franchise over three decades including Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015; pictured)

The actor himself is a blockbuster machine as he holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100million-grossing movies with 11 films from 2012 to 2025 (Cruise is pictured in Las Vegas last month)

He has starred in a total of eight films from the franchise over three decades including: Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Mission: Impossible III (2006),  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025).

Cruise did eventually return for his iconic role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick which was a critical and commercial success grossing $1.486billion worldwide.

The actor himself is a blockbuster machine as he holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100million-grossing movies with 11 films from 2012 to 2025. 

Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer sadly died at the age of 65 on April 1, 2025 after a battle with throat cancer.

Kilmer was known for his role as Iceman in Top Gun and as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 1995 Batman Forever. 

Despite his permanently damaged voice, he made a brief return to the screen in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, reprising his role as Iceman opposite Cruise. It was his final big screen appearance.

Viewers were reduced to tears at the emotional scenes at the time and fans have been re-watching the poignant moment after the news of Kilmer’s death. 

In his 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry, he wrote that he thought he was going to die and even confessed that he ‘begged’ to be in the Top Gun sequel.

‘Tom was Maverick, but Maverick’s nemesis was Iceman. The two went together like salt and pepper,’ he wrote.

Val Kilmer sadly died at the age of 65 on April 1, 2025 after a battle with throat cancer (Val seen in 2019) 

Kilmer was known for his role as Iceman in Top Gun (seen in 1986)

‘It didn’t matter that the producers didn’t contact me. As The Temptations sang in the heyday of Motown soul, “Ain’t too proud to beg,”‘ he added.

The Los Angeles native also famously played musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors. 

Kilmer underwent both radiotherapy and chemotherapy for his cancer as well as a tracheostomy a procedure to create an artificial hole in this neck to help him breathe.

The latter permanently damaged his vocal cords and consequentially forever altered his speaking voice.

Kilmer reported in 2020 that he had been cancer-free for four years.

He also played Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 1995 Batman Forever (pictured in a still)

Surprisingly Kilmer will be returning to the big screen in a posthumous role thanks to AI as he had already signed on to star in As Deep As The Grave prior tohis death 

Surprisingly Kilmer will be returning to the big screen in a posthumous role thanks to AI as he had already signed on to star in As Deep As The Grave prior tohis death. 

Kilmer was unable to film because of his health, so filmmakers decided to use AI to see Kilmer portray Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist Father Fintan. 

While many stars have rallied against the use of AI actors in movie roles, the decision was made with the blessing of Kilmer’s estate and his two children Mercedes and Jack, who provided younger images and footage of his final years to help with the AI rendering. 

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan played Goose’s wife, Carole, in Top Gun at 25 years old, as pictured left, but wasn’t asked to return for the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick

Ryan went on to become one of the most successful rom com stars of the 90s, appearing in leading roles in a slew of major movies, including When Harry Met Sally (left, 1989), Sleepless in Seattle (center, 1993), and You’ve Got Mail (right, 1998)

Meg Ryan was just 25 years old when she played Carole Bradshaw, one of Maverick’s co-pilot Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw’s wife. 

After Top Gun, the now-64-year-old went on to become the queen of rom coms during the 90s, starring in When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle.

She became one of the biggest names in Hollywood, but her career took a nose dive after receiving harsh criticism for her 2003 erotic thriller In the Cut. 

However, the backlash didn’t get her down too much. ‘I think the feeling with Hollywood was mutual, she told The NY Times in 2019. ‘I felt done when they felt done, probably.’ 

The former actress felt ‘burnt out’ and admitted that becoming an actress was never a lifelong dream of hers.

‘I felt in a crazy way that, as an actor, I was burning through life experiences,’ she told the outlet. ‘I was burned out. I didn’t feel like I knew enough anymore about myself or the world to reflect it as an actor. I felt isolated.’

Even though she felt burnt out by the time In The Cut hit the big screen, she continued to take on small roles in TV shows and movies including Serious Moonlight, Fan Girl and Ithaca. Her most recent credit is from the sereis Picture Paris in 2018.

Ryan decided to leave Hollywood after her 2003 film In the Cut flopped

The 64-year-old, pictured above in March 2026, felt ‘burnt out’ by acting and felt she was done with Hollywood after criticism of her films and plastic surgeries

She also came under fire for the extensive plastic surgery she has gotten done. Fans first started to notice a drastic change in her face in 2016. 

Plastic surgeon Mark Youssef weighed in on the surgery at the time to with HollywoodLife, claiming, ‘She may have done too much’ and that she ‘doesn’t look like the Meg Ryan that we all love.’ 

‘The most obvious thing that she’s had done is some sort of filler or fat transfer to her cheek,’ he explained.

He added: ‘It’s definitely too much because the apple of her cheek is too full and too large. When she smiles, all of that filler moves up and makes her eyes look smaller.’ 

‘The reason she looks masculine is because of the placement of the volume in her cheeks. The volume of the filler should have been placed more laterally to give her a softer look.’

Since Ryan herself admitted her Hollywood career has been over for a while, it’s no surprise that she wasn’t asked back for Top Gun: Maverick. 

Kelly McGillis

Kelly McGillis, who starred in Top Gun when she was 29 years old, has claimed that she’s too ‘age-appropriate’ to be in the Top Gun sequel, pictured above in 2014 at 56 years old

Kelly McGillis, 68, who played Maverick’s love interest, Charlotte Blackwood, and Meg Ryan, 60, who played Goose’s wife, Carole Bradshaw, weren’t asked to return for the sequel, and it was due to a decision made by the creative team.

Not only are there new cast members this time around, but there’s a new director. 

Joseph Kosinski filled in place of the film’s original director, Tony Scott, who died from suicide in 2012. 

Kosinski was clear about his intentions for going in a new direction with Top Gun: Maverick and didn’t ask plenty of members of the new cast back for the sequel.

During an interview with Insider, he explained why McGillis and Ryan who played Anthony Edwards’ character Goose’s wife, weren’t asked back for Top Gun: Maverick.

‘Those weren’t stories that we were throwing around,’ Kosinski told the outlet of the actresses’ characters. ‘I didn’t want every storyline to always be looking backwards. It was important to introduce some new characters.’

Even though Kosinski just revealed the true reason they weren’t included, McGillis had admitted that she hadn’t back in 2019. 

When asked if she had received a call about the sequel, she responded, ‘Oh my God no they did not, and nor do I think they would ever.’

‘I’m old and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is. And that is not what the whole scene is about.’ 

‘To me, I’d much rather feel absolutely secure in my skin and who and what I am at my age as opposed to placing a value on all that other stuff,’ she concluded.

Top Gun: Maverick’s director, Joseph Kosinski, explained that he didn’t recast McGillis, as pictured in Top Gun with Tom Cruise, and Ryan because he ‘didn’t want every storyline looking backwards’ 

‘I’m old and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is,’ McGillis, pictured in 2010, said of why she feels she wasn’t asked to appear in Top Gun: Maverick

Even though McGillis took a step away from Hollywood after Top Gun, she continued to act in smaller roles and projects like in the 2015 film Blue, seen above 

She may not have been too heartbroken about not receiving the offer since she had made the decision to step back from Hollywood anyway after Top Gun came out in 1986.

 ‘I think just my priorities in life changed,’ she told ET. ‘It wasn’t like a major decision that I made to leave, it was just that other things became more important.’

 ‘It was very challenging for me to have any kind of sense of self or self-identity or real self-worth other than what I did for a living.’

 ‘And it just — it didn’t become a priority; what became the priority initially was raising my girls and being the best sober parent I could be,’ she explained.

Even though she stepped back from Hollywood, she didn’t step away from it entirely. Over the past four decades, she has starred in TV movies like Blue and played guest roles on TV shows like The L Word.

Most recently, she appeared in the 2020 limited series Dirty John. 

Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards, 63, famously portrayed LTJG Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw in the 1986 flick.

He portrayed the best friend and intercept officer of Tom Cruise’s character Maverick and famously perished in the film.

For obvious reasons he did not return for 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick but was featured in flashback scenes.

His character’s spirit was a major part of the film as his son Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw was played by Miles Teller.

Anthony Edwards, 63, famously portrayed LTJG Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw in the 1986 flick

Edwards best known role was not actually Top Gun, however, as he played Dr. Mark Greene on the first eight seasons of iconic medical drama ER from 1994 to 2002

His latest role was starring as Dr. Chauncy Everett in one episode of Tales of the Walking Dead in 2022

Edwards best known role was not actually Top Gun, however, as he played Dr. Mark Greene on the first eight seasons of iconic medical drama ER from 1994 to 2002.

The role earned him a golden Globe Award and six Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was even nominated for four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards.

He has enjoyed a long-running career including roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Zodiac, Gotcha!, Miracle Mile, Revenge of the Nerds, Thunderbirds, Planes, Northern Exposure, and Designated Survivor.

His latest role was starring as Dr. Chauncy Everett in one episode of Tales of the Walking Dead in 2022. 

Michael Ironside

Michael Ironside played Jester in Top Gun, pictured left, and knew when talks for Top Gun: Maverick started he wouldn’t be getting a call

Michael Ironside, 76, didn’t return because of his contentious relationship Jerry Bruckheimer, who served as a producer for Top Gun and returned for Top Gun: Maverick. 

In Top gun, Ironside played Rick ‘Jester’ Heatherly, a naval aviator and one of the instructors who taught Maverick and the other trainees. However, he won’t be back for round two.

‘I’m not going to be in this film,’ he told THR of the sequel back in 2018 when it was first announced. ‘The one person still in charge is Jerry Bruckheimer and Mr. Bruckheimer and I don’t really get along, or didn’t get along.’ 

‘He offered me a project 10 or 12 years ago and … I said no to it,’ he said of the origin of their beef. 

Ironside, pictured in 2015, suspected he wouldn’t be cast in Top Gun: Maverick because he had beef with the one of the producers

Ironside starred in Desperate Housewives in 2005 and has gone on to have a successful career despite his tense relationship with Top Gun producers Jerry Bruckheimer

He added: ‘The next time I saw him at a hockey game… I went up and said, “Hey Jerry,” and he just turned around and I figured, “Well that relationship is over with.”‘

Even though he may have burned his bridges with Bruckheimer, Ironside still went on to have a successful career. 

He starred in some of his biggest gigs in the 90s including  Starship Troopers and Total Recall. 

He’s still active in the industry and has appeared in movies and well-known shows like Desperate Housewives. He also has many projects in the works and his most recent film role was starring as Dr. Jonathan Myers in the film Marrow released earlier this year.

Tom Skerritt

Tom Skerritt, who is now 92 years old as pictured right, played Viper, pictured left, and filmed for Top Gun: Maverick but ‘doesn’t think he’ll be in the film at all’

Tom Skerritt, 92, played Mike ‘Viper’ Metcalf, who is not only one of Maverick’s instructor but a good friend of his father.

Admittedly, Skerritt had a feeling he wouldn’t be asked to return for the sequel before casting even went under way.

During an interview with Deluxe Edition: A Classic Pop Culture Podcast, he admitted that he thought ‘the only way I’d be in the film I’m sure would be just simply 30 years later, that they would be coming to my character’s funeral.’

Ironically, he was asked to film for a funeral but it wasn’t his character’s. 

‘So as it happens, they asked me down to be at the funeral of Iceman,’ he continued.

Skerritt went on to have a career after Top Gun and one his biggest projects was the 1997 film Contact, pictured right, and 2006’s Brothers & sisters, pictured left

Skerritt (pictured January 2019) isn’t acting as much these days he did have a small role in 2025 western film Broke alongside Dennis Quaid and Wyatt Russell

However, just because he filmed for Top Gun: Maverick, it doesn’t mean he made it into the film. 

‘So I went down there for a day and I was in that scene [but] I don’t think that I’ll be in the film at all. It’s just me in the crowd of people,’ he explained.

Even though fans may not be able to see him in Top Gun: Maverick, they can re-watch his 1997 film Contact and his role on MASH which he filmed before his Top Gun days.

His acting career has slowed down a bit but he did have a small role in 2025 western film Broke alongside Dennis Quaid and Wyatt Russell.

EXCLUSIVE: With a photo clutched tightly in her hands, Wang Chunyan revealed each of the 21 faces captured in the image to the camera. Her hands trembled as she recounted the stories behind the smiles: a married couple, a university lecturer, a young engineer, and friends she made during her time in prison.

According to Chunyan, some of these individuals met their end while in detention, others succumbed after enduring years of mistreatment, and some simply vanished within China’s extensive security apparatus, never to return unchanged. “Over 25 of my friends have perished due to this persecution,” she shared, her voice quivering. “I only have pictures of 21 of them.”

For more than twenty years, the 70-year-old practitioner of Falun Gong explained, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) systematically dismantled her existence. They took away the business she had nurtured, the home she had shared with her loved ones, and ultimately, claimed seven years of her life through imprisonment.

Yet, the greatest loss she feels is of her husband, whom she believes was also taken by this relentless persecution. “My beloved husband died because of the persecution,” Chunyan stated during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

In a poignant moment, Chunyan held up the photographs of those she says perished during the CCP’s crackdown on the Falun Gong movement, sharing her story with Fox News Digital. (Fox News)

Her account comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to China next week for meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with trade, security and regional tensions expected to dominate the agenda. Yet behind the geopolitical rivalry lies another conflict: Beijing’s decades-long campaign against religious and spiritual groups the Communist Party views as threats to its authority.

Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback believes Wang’s story reflects a much broader struggle unfolding inside China. “Either the world changes China or China will change the world,” Brownback told Fox News Digital.

Brownback recently chronicled Chunyan’s story and the experiences of other survivors in his book China’s War on Faith, arguing that personal testimony can often reveal the reality of persecution more powerfully than statistics alone. “Stories are more powerful than data,” he said.

Photograph shown by Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan during a Zoom interview with Fox News Digital depict friends and fellow practitioners she says were persecuted during the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on the spiritual movement. (Fox News Digital)

The book examines what Brownback describes as an increasingly sophisticated system of surveillance and repression targeting Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners. He argues the Chinese Communist Party views independent faith communities as a direct threat to its authority.

“They fear religious freedom more than anything else. More than our aircraft carriers, more than our nuclear weapons, more than anything else because they think it is the biggest threat to the regime.”

Protesters chant slogans and hold posters of victims during a demonstration against China’s crackdown on Uyghurs in front of the Chinese consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 30, 2022. (Khalil Hamra/AP)

Chunyan story started in the late 1990s, when she suffered from severe insomnia, sometimes sleeping only two or three hours a night. Then her older sister introduced her to Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice ,she says, is centered on meditation exercises and teachings rooted in “truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.”

The movement spread rapidly across China during the 1990s, attracting tens of millions of followers before Beijing banned it in 1999, portraying it as a threat to Communist Party control.

Chunyan says Falun Gong helped improve her “physical condition.” She said, “My business was booming. My family was happy. My life was perfect.”

Chunyan became convinced the practice had saved her life. She owned a successful company selling chemical production equipment and had become wealthy by Chinese standards, but after the crackdown began she felt compelled to publicly defend Falun Gong against what she believed were government lies.

She bought a printing press and began distributing leaflets. Soon afterward, she said, surveillance followed everywhere.

“The buildings where I worked were under constant surveillance,” Chunyan recalled. “I left to escape and was afraid to come home.”

A pro-democracy activist holds placards with a picture of Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan outside the Chinese central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong on Dec. 28, 2020. Zhang was released from prison after serving four years for charges related to reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, according to a video statement she released Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Kin Cheung/AP)

For years, she lived in hiding, using prepaid calling cards and public telephones to secretly arrange meetings with her husband, Yu Yefu, in restaurants, coffee shops and hotels across the city. The two tried, briefly, to maintain some sense of normalcy.

Yu himself never practiced Falun Gong, but police repeatedly pressured him to reveal where his wife was hiding. He never did. Then, in 2002, Wang stopped hearing from him.

When she finally returned home, she found him unconscious. Doctors could not save him. “He protected me,” she said in tears.

He was 49 years old when he died. Their daughter was still in college.

The devastation spread through the family afterward, Chunyan said. Her mother-in-law stopped eating and later became paralyzed. Her father-in-law died from grief. Her sisters were also imprisoned and tortured.

Then came Chunyan’s own imprisonment.

The flag of China is flown behind a pair of surveillance cameras outside the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam defended national security legislation imposed on the city by China last week, hours after her government asserted broad new police powers, including warrant-less searches, online surveillance and property seizures.  (Roy Liu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

She described years of forced labor, sleep deprivation and physical abuse. At one point, she said, the torture became so severe that she fainted three times in a single day.

One memory still haunts her most. Shortly before her release from prison, Wang said authorities conducted unexplained blood tests and medical examinations. At the time, fellow inmates told her the government was simply checking on Falun Gong prisoners before release. Only later, after learning about allegations of forced organ harvesting involving detained Falun Gong practitioners, did she begin to fear why the testing may have happened. “I was horrified,” Chunyan said.

Falun Gong practitioner Wang Chunyan recounting the death of her husband, whom she says was persecuted by Chinese authorities for refusing to reveal her whereabouts. (Fox News)

Today, Chunyan lives in the United States, having left China in 2013 and eventually making her way through Thailand before arriving in America in 2015.

Yet decades later, the losses remain immediate to her.

“There are millions of families in China like ours,” Chunyan wants the world to know, “Persecuted by the CCP.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu rejected the allegations and defended Beijing’s actions against Falun Gong. “The aforementioned remarks are nothing but malicious fabrications and sensational lies,” Liu said. “Falun Gong is a cult organization that is anti-humanity, anti-science and anti-society. It is hostile toward religion, endangers the public, and serves as a malignant tumor within society.” Liu argued that “the Chinese government outlawed the Falun Gong cult in accordance with the law, thereby safeguarding the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the vast majority of the Chinese people.” 

In the early hours of Sunday morning, downtown Los Angeles was lit up by a massive blaze that called over 100 firefighters into action. The dramatic scene unfolded as first responders, including the Los Angeles Police Department, rushed to tackle the emergency.

The alarm was raised at 4:20 a.m., with reports of a fire on the 1200 block of South Hope Street, as relayed to the California Post by local authorities. The affected structure was identified as a two-story commercial building, complete with a mezzanine, which quickly became engulfed in flames.

With safety as a top priority, all personnel were ordered to evacuate the building, as heavy smoke and flames began to pour from the roof and roll-up doors. The situation escalated, prompting the firefighting team to shift their strategy from offensive to defensive, aiming to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further.

On the ground, approximately 124 officers were stationed, with the LAPD playing a crucial role in managing traffic and ensuring the safety of the surrounding area. The collaboration between the fire and police departments was pivotal in controlling the chaotic scene.

“Heavy fire showing from the roof and heavy pressurized smoke from roll-up doors,” firefighters said in an update, noting the fire had transitioned from offensive to defensive mode.

The flames and smoke caused at least two nearby high-rise apartment buildings to be evacuated, preliminary information indicates.

By 6 a.m., crews had contained the blaze. No injuries were immediately reported.

What started the fire was not known.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

American passengers on a cruise ship affected by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak found themselves anxiously waiting on board as Spanish officials focused on evacuating their own citizens first.

After a tense wait, the evacuation of both passengers and crew from the luxury liner has commenced, with plans underway to send everyone back to their home countries despite local residents expressing strong objections.

According to Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García, a group comprising 13 Spanish tourists and one crew member was the first to disembark from the MV Hondius, departing in a small vessel en route to Tenerife at around 9:30 AM.

Following the Spaniards, the 17 American passengers will be allowed to leave the ship. Arrangements have been made for their repatriation flight back to the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska, where they will undergo health assessments and quarantine procedures.

Overall, the ship housed 147 passengers, and officials anticipate that the entire operation to return each individual safely will span approximately a week.

Ferries were seen carrying groups from the infected cruise ship at the Port of Granadilla to the island, where they were filed onto buses and transported to the airport.

Government officials emphasized that the evacuated groups would have no contact with the public, despite reports that the passengers were not showing symptoms of the virus. 

The World Health Organization recommended a 42-day quarantine for those onboard the boat, which saw its first confirmed case of the outbreak on May 2. 

In an update on Friday, WHO confirmed that eight passengers no longer on the ship had fallen ill, with six of them confirmed to have contracted the hantavirus. Four remain hospitalized in South Africa, the Netherlands and Switzerland. 

Groups onboard the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship disembarked on Sunday after the vessel docked in Tenerife, and the week-long process to send the 147 passengers home has begun

In an update on Friday, WHO confirmed that eight passengers no longer on the ship had fallen ill, with six of them confirmed to have contracted the hantavirus. Four remain hospitalized in South Africa, the Netherlands and Switzerland

Ferries were seen carrying groups from the infected cruise ship at the Port of Granadilla to the island, where they were filed onto buses and transported to the airport

The US, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands are some of the nations which will send aircrafts to return the passengers and crew members home 

A suspected case in Germany tested negative, while a Spanish woman, who had flown on the same flight as a patient who later died from the virus, tested negative on Saturday. 

Before the boat evacuated, medical officials ran tests on those onboard the ship, García said, CNN reported. 

Three people – a Dutch couple and a German national – were reported to have died from the virus, a rare disease typically caused by exposure to infected rat waste, after the cruise ship left Argentina last month. 

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed on Friday that a British national disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius on to the island, where they live, with a suspected case of hantavirus. 

A specialist team from the British Army have been parachuted on to the British overseas territory Tristan da Cunha – the world’s most remote inhabited island – with medical personnel, aid and equipment to treat the Briton suspected to have hantavirus who disembarked there. 

Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade parachuted, while oxygen supplies and medical aid was dropped on to the remote island, which is normally only accessible by boat.

The RAF A400M transport aircraft flew from RAF Brize Norton to Ascension Island, supported by an RAF Voyager, before heading to Tristan da Cunha.

The British Ministry of Defence said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.

A specialist team from the British Army have been parachuted on to the British overseas territory Tristan da Cunha with medical personnel, aid and equipment to treat the Briton suspected to have hantavirus who disembarked there

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘We will continue to work closely with international authorities and the Tristan da Cunha administration, keeping those affected informed and ensuring the right support is in place in the UK and across the Overseas Territories.’

The US, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands are nations included in the operation and will send aircraft to return the passengers and crew members home. 

‘The sequence of disembarkation will be coordinated with arriving repatriation flights,’  Oceanwide said. 

According to CNN, the Centers for Disease Control in the United States announced 17 passengers onboard the infected ship will be taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  

They will then be allowed to return home and be monitored daily, the outlet reported. 

British passengers are set to be repatriated to isolate at the hospital used as the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site, as the UKHSA said the risk to the public ‘remains very low’. 

UKHSA said passengers will be flown to the UK on a chartered flight and transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside. 

Public health officials, while noting that the risk to the public remains low, said that all passengers on board the cruise are considered high-risk contacts. 

Spain’s health ministry also reported that no rats were detected on board the cruise ship. 

Spanish officials said all passengers are set to remain onboard the boat until their aircraft home has arrived, meanwhile 30 crew members will remain onboard while the ship will finally sail to the Netherlands to be disinfected.

WHO sought to reassure ‘worried’ Tenerife residents that they will not encounter passengers of the hantavirus-hit cruise ship set to dock on their island.

In a letter addressed to the people of Tenerife, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he knew residents were ‘worried’.

He said the virus was ‘serious’ but the outbreak was ‘not another Covid’ and the ‘current public health risk from hantavirus remains low’.

He added: ‘Spain’s authorities have prepared a careful, step-by-step plan: passengers will be ferried ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries.’

The outbreak has been connected to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina that two of the passengers went on before boarding the ship.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who arrived in Spain on Saturday and is expected to oversee the ship evacuation, gave the same assurance and thanked the people of Tenerife for their solidarity.

‘I need you to hear me clearly,’ Tedros wrote in an open letter to the people of Tenerife on Saturday: ‘This is not another Covid.’

After arriving in Tenerife, he said he was confident the operation would be a success. ‘Spain is ready and prepared,’ he told reporters.

At the port of Granadilla de Abona early Sunday morning, white tents had been sent up along the quay and the police had secured part of the port.

Despite the situation, daily life appeared largely normal, with some people swimming and others shopping at the market or sitting at cafe terraces.

‘There are worries there could be a danger, but honestly I don’t see people being very concerned,’ said David Parada, a lottery vendor.

Regional authorities have refused to allow the vessel to dock. Instead, it will remain offshore while passengers are screened and evacuated between Sunday and Monday – the only window health officials say the weather will allow.

Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said earlier that ‘all guests and a limited number of crew members’ were expected to begin to leave the ship from around 7am.

‘Once disembarked, they will be transferred immediately to their allocated aircraft,’ the Dutch firm said.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island on Saturday and sought to reassure ‘worried’ locals that the outbreak is ‘not another COVID’

After arriving in Tenerife, Tedros said he was confident the operation would be a success; ‘Spain is ready and prepared’

The MV Hondius sailed from Cape Verde, where three infected people had already been evacuated earlier in the week.

In Madrid, Spain’s health and interior ministers insisted there would be ‘no contact’ with the local population, and that passengers would leave ‘by nationality groups’.

‘All areas [the passengers] pass through will be sealed off,’ the interior minister said, adding a maritime exclusion zone would be in force around the vessel.

The MV Hondius left Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 for a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde.

Provincial health official Juan Petrina said there was an ‘almost zero chance’ the Dutch man linked to the outbreak contracted the disease in Ushuaia based on the virus’s incubation period, among other factors.

In a statement on Sunday, Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the MV Hondius ship, said: ‘Oceanwide Expeditions continues to work with relevant authorities to bring the medical situation on board m/v Hondius to a conclusion.

‘The vessel arrived at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, on Sunday, 10 May, at 6.24am local time. 

‘Led by local authorities, the WHO, and select international governments, the disembarkation of all guests and a limited number of crew members is now underway. This is being performed by launch boats and, if necessary, the Zodiac craft of m/v Hondius. 

The MV Hondius sailed from Cape Verde, where three infected people had already been evacuated earlier in the week

Regional authorities have refused to allow the vessel to dock. Instead, it will remain offshore while passengers are screened and evacuated between Sunday and Monday – the only window health officials say the weather will allow

The US, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands are some of the nations which will send aircrafts to return the passengers and crew members home

‘Upon disembarkation, all individuals will be transferred immediately to waiting aircraft. 

‘The sequence of disembarkation is being coordinated with the arrival of repatriation flights.

‘Oceanwide Expeditions is not involved in the planning and facilitation of guest screening and repatriation. 

‘As outlined by the WHO, in partnership with several international organizations and governments, guests will be transported by air to their respective countries, where they will enter quarantine procedures. 

‘Respective national authorities determine these procedures. No quarantine of non-Spanish nationals will take place in Spain.

‘After all guests and limited crew have disembarked, m/v Hondius will bunker and take on necessary supplies at Santa Cruz, Tenerife. 

‘Following this, the vessel will transit to the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands with the remaining crew members aboard. 

‘Further details regarding the vessel’s arrival in Rotterdam will be provided when available. The expected sailing time to Rotterdam is around 5 days.’

The Daily Mail reached out to WHO, the CDC, Spain’s Ministry of Health and Ports of Tenerife for comment.  

Over the weekend, South African authorities embarked on a daring recovery mission to airlift a large crocodile believed to have consumed a local resident.

This operation was initiated following the mysterious disappearance of a 59-year-old businessman from Gauteng last month, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS). Local media outlet Smile FM revealed the individual as Gabriel Batista, who owned the Border Country Inn, situated not far from the river.

A specialized team managed to locate the crocodile on Saturday by the Komati River. The reptile was euthanized and subsequently extracted from the area, officials stated. Examination of the animal revealed human remains in its stomach.

The operation, captured on video, quickly gained traction on social media. Footage shows the dramatic scene of the massive crocodile being hoisted out of the water by a helicopter.

During the aerial removal, a wildlife expert is seen suspended alongside the lifeless crocodile. (Image courtesy of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Mpumalanga Provincial Office)

According to the police, the local businessman went missing late last month after his Ford Ranger became stranded at a flooded low-lying river crossing near crocodile-infested waters.

State media SABCNews reported that the vehicle was swept away as he attempted to cross the bridge.

Following a weeklong search, the team reportedly identified a large crocodile nearby that they believed may have attacked and consumed the victim. 

According to officials who monitored the reptile for several days, the reptile appeared to show signs it had recently fed, including prolonged periods of inactivity, South African outlet ENCA said.

A massive crocodile was spotted near a river in South Africa. (Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Mpumalanga Provincial Office)

“During the search, we saw that this particular crocodile was only about 150 meters away from where the person had washed off the bridge. This crocodile stayed there the whole time. When the helicopter went over it, it wouldn’t move away,” SAPS Captain Johan “Pottie” Potgieter said.

“We know from experience that if crocodiles have had a big meal, they’re not very active, and need to lie in the sun for their digestive system to start working.”

After authorities euthanized the animal with the necessary permissions, Potgieter operated under “extremely dangerous conditions,” being lowered from a helicopter into crocodile-infested waters. 

It was then secured with a rope, hoisted from the water, and airlifted away, SAPS said.

Authorities used a helicopter to transport a massive crocodile from a river in South Africa. (Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Mpumalanga Provincial Office)

During the examination, officials reportedly discovered human remains, as well as six pairs of sandals inside the animal’s stomach, SABC News reported.

The remains have been submitted for DNA testing to confirm the victim’s identity. 

It remains unclear whether the shoes are linked to any missing residents or villagers in the area. 

At first glance, the scoreboard might suggest otherwise.

Yet, the Lakers have undeniably demonstrated resilience, determination, and perseverance.

These claims might sound surprising given that the Lakers have dropped all three of their matchups against the Thunder in the second-round playoff series, with an average defeat margin of 19.7 points. Their latest setback in Game 3, ending with a 131-108 scoreline, is just another part of this narrative.

However, the stark truth remains: the Thunder are simply a powerhouse.

Lakers coach JJ Redick recently lauded them as “one of the greatest teams ever in NBA history.” The reality is that LA was outmatched from the start in this series.

It’s fair to wonder if any team can challenge them this postseason. 

The Lakers are running uphill against a team that’s jogging on flat ground. They’re playing six guys against a roster so deep that they constantly have fresh legs on the court and never dip in productivity. 

That’s the reason LA trails the series, 3-0. That’s the reason they’re one game away from their season ending. 

It’s not because the Lakers haven’t poured out their hearts trying to stay in these games. It’s not because they rolled over without superstar Luka Doncic, who has been sidelined since April 2 because of a strained hamstring. It’s not because they haven’t given this their all. 

The Lakers have done so much right this series.

In Game 2, the score was close for 3 1/2 quarters. In Game 3, it was neck-and-neck for 2 1/2 quarters. 

But the problem is the Lakers were gassed in both games. Their legs gave out. Meanwhile, the Thunder were barely out of breath. 

The Thunder have outscored the Lakers by an average of 18 points per game in the second half of this series. 

In the first half of Game 3, the Lakers outshot the Thunder from beyond the 3-point line, 55% to 33.3%, but they only entered halftime up by two points, 59-57. And two of their role players were nearly perfect over that period, with Rui Hachimura shooting 5-for-7 from the field and Luke Kennard shooting 5-for-6.

But none of that mattered.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers in the third quarter, 33-20. In the fourth quarter, they had a 41-29 advantage — and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander only played 3 minutes.

The Lakers have to be perfect to be competitive.

The problem is they can only sustain that level of play for so long with 41-year-old LeBron James as the head of the snake and a roster that’s not very deep.

As soon as they slow down, the Thunder come roaring into the game, ripping it open.

They’re so good. So deep. So overwhelming.

Lakers coach JJ Redick couldn’t help but throw his hands in the air after Game 3, pointing out that they’ve done an excellent job containing Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been a shell of himself this series after closing the first round leading all postseason scorers with 33.7 points per game.

But that hasn’t made a dent. 

“The MVP [scores] 18 [points in Game 1], 22 [points in Game 2], seven-of-20 tonight [23 points], and they’ve kicked our ass three straight games,” Redick said. “They’re an incredible basketball team. It has been that way all series.”

Guarding the Thunder is like playing Whac-A-Mole.

Stop one guy? There are four other guys on the court who can score, and another five guys on their bench who are just as good.

What’s scary is their defense is even better than their offense. 

The Thunder make James look his age. They make Austin Reaves look frenzied. They make the team’s role players look inconsistent. They pick apart everyone with their top-rated defense. 

James had just 19 points on 7-for-19 shooting. Reaves had only 17 points on 5-for-13 shooting. The Thunder’s bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves, 44-31.

Those numbers might not reflect it, but the Lakers are giving this their all.

This isn’t an issue with any particular player. This is an issue with their roster. It’s just not able to contend with one of the youngest and deepest teams in the league.

They’re too top heavy. Too slow. Too outmanned. 

Now they’re staring at a 3-0 precipice, a series deficit so large that no team has ever recovered from it. 

If they can avoid a sweep, that would be a huge accomplishment. 

“Obviously, we gotta [give] everything, s–t,” James said. “Everything and more to beat a team like this. So we gotta be our best. Be at our best on Monday [in Game 4].”

But let’s be real, their best won’t cut it.

It can’t. 

Regardless of how much the Lakers fight, the truth is they’re in the wrong weight class against the heavyweight champions.  

The Lakers have shown a lot of heart. 

But against this team, that’s just not enough. 

Victoria and David Beckham seemingly disregarded their estranged son Brooklyn’s request to be left out of family events by including him in their Mother’s Day festivities.

Mother’s Day was celebrated this past Sunday in the US and Australia, and David took the opportunity to praise his wife on social media, calling her ‘the best mum.’ Victoria later posted on Instagram, sharing a heartfelt image of the gifts she received from David.

The image featured a beautiful bouquet of white roses on display at their Holland Park residence, alongside five casts of children’s hands and feet. Victoria is the mother of Brooklyn, 27, Romeo, 23, Cruz, 21, and Harper, 14.

Back in 2011, just before Harper’s birth, reports emerged that the Beckhams were commissioning gold-plated casts of her hands and feet from London-based First Impressions, with each kit costing about £1,000.

While the post was intended to be sweet, the presence of five casts led to some confusion among fans and followers, who were curious about the identity of the owner of the fifth set.

Victoria and David Beckham included estranged son Brooklyn in a tribute to their children for US Mother’s Day, after David gifted her childhood momentos yet leave fans VERY confused over the present

David’s post comes amid the Beckham family’s feud with their eldest son.

Back in January, Brooklyn announced his disassociation from his family – declaring he was no longer part of ‘Brand Beckham’ and insisting his parents are ‘performative’ as well as accusing Victoria of ‘dancing inappropriately’ at his wedding. 

Brooklyn now shares an endless stream of adoration for his in-laws – Nicola’s parents, Nelson Peltz, 83, and former model Claudia, 71.

On Friday, appeared to take another swipe at the Beckhams amid their ongoing feud as she took to Instagram with a cosy snap on Friday.

Taking to social media Nicola, 31, posted a sweet photo of her and the wannabe chef beaming alongside her billionaire parents Nelson and Claudia. 

She captioned the snap: ‘My whole heart and world in one photo’. 

It comes after Brooklyn also alleged that his family values ‘public promotion and endorsements above all else’, adding that ‘Brand Beckham comes first’.

Appearing on Emma Grede’s podcast Aspire this week, fashion designer Victoria, 52, said building their £500million empire known as ‘Brand Beckham’ was ‘never their intention’ and insisted she wasn’t a ‘pushy parent’.

On Sunday, the US and Australia marked Mother’s Day, during which David shared a post branding his wife ‘the best mum’ before Victoria took to Instagram to share a sweet image of the gifts her husband had bestowed upon her (pictured in July 2011 while pregnant with Harper)

Brooklyn now shares an endless stream of adoration for his in-laws – Nicola’s parents, Nelson Peltz, 83, and former model Claudia, 71 

During the interview, Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Emma asked the Spice Girls star about how she decides what ‘remains personal’ and what is part of Brand Beckham.

The line of questioning appeared to allude to Brooklyn’s scathing six-page statement, in which he claimed he had been ‘controlled’ by his parents for most of his life with ‘performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships’.

Seemingly hitting back, Victoria told Emma: ‘When David and I first met it was never our intention to start a brand.

‘People talk about “Brand Beckham” – that has happened so organically. When I first met David, I mean he was a Brylcreem boy.

‘So David was Adidas and Brylcreem and Pepsi and I was in the Spice Girls and that’s where I learnt so much about how to build a brand and marketing.

In March, David reached out to Brooklyn for his birthday 

‘While he was doing Brylcreem and Adidas, the Spice Girls were doing Walkers crisps, Pepsi, Chupa Chups lollies, deodorant.

‘Do you know? True story, my mother still has a Spice Girls’ pizza in her oven. That pizza’s been in the freezer for thirty odd years. So when, people talk about “Brand Beckham”, that was never something that we even discussed.’

Victoria insisted as their success grew, they remained focused on their separate projects with David working on building his football club Inter Miami, while she created her fashion and beauty empire.

She continued: ‘We don’t have any deals together. David does what David does, I do what I do.

‘That’s the way it’s always been. We have very different interests. I think it was the outside world that really talked about Brand Beckham, that’s never really how we saw it. We’re just doing what we do.’