In a significant bust this week, California law enforcement intercepted an estimated $800,000 worth of cocaine during a routine traffic stop, officials announced.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), a canine officer from the Central Division flagged down a 2025 Honda CR-V in Merced County on August 12 for a suspected traffic infraction.

As the investigation proceeded, the officer noticed numerous signs hinting at potential criminal conduct, as reported by the CHP.

Upon conducting a thorough search, officers allegedly discovered a bag containing roughly 30 pounds of what is believed to be cocaine, with its street price projected at $817,200, according to CHP statements.

The driver was arrested and booked into the Merced County Main Jail on charges of possession of cocaine for sale and transportation of cocaine across non-contiguous counties, according to authorities.

The Merced Area Gang Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET) is handling the investigation.

The seizure comes after federal authorities last month uncovered more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine hidden beneath the floorboards of a commercial truck entering the U.S. from Mexico, marking one of the largest drug busts in Southern California this year.

FEDS SEIZE $6.4M WORTH OF COCAINE ABOARD OIL TANKER AT PORT OF LOS ANGELES, ARREST SUSPECTED CARTEL SMUGGLER

According to the Justice Department, more than a half-ton of cocaine was discovered concealed in the floorboards of a truck and flatbed trailer at the Calexico Port of Entry along the California-Mexico border. Authorities estimated the cocaine had a street value exceeding $20 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also announced last month that officers discovered more than $3.7 million worth of cocaine concealed in a shipment of cucumbers.

CBP officers at the Pharr International Bridge in Texas discovered 112 packages inside a tractor-trailer after a canine inspection and nonintrusive imaging scan detected anomalies in the vehicle.

The packages contained a total of 278.88 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $3,723,654, according to CBP.

Authorities in Indiana have reported that at least five individuals have lost their lives this week due to the fierce storms and extensive flooding sweeping across the state. Rescue teams, employing boats, scrambled on Saturday to assist those stranded by swelling waters in neighborhoods along the White River in Indianapolis.

Relentless downpours recently have plagued Indiana, causing rivers to surge to unprecedented heights and forcing many residents to retreat to safer, higher terrain.

Numerous counties, exceeding a dozen, have declared states of local disaster. The bulk of recent flood damage is along river corridors stretching from Hamilton County into the northern suburbs of Indianapolis.

In a bid to aid the affected regions, President Trump authorized an emergency declaration, unlocking federal disaster relief for Indiana, according to a statement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency released on Saturday.

Residents evacuate as water rises

Joe Hogsett, the Mayor of Indianapolis, remarked that the current flooding is the worst the city has encountered in over three decades, emphasizing the rapidly changing and severe nature of the situation.

Hundreds of homes in neighborhoods that were located between the river and parallel canals were evacuated Saturday, as first responders used boats to rescue people who were already stranded.

Rita Reith, a spokesperson with the Indianapolis Fire Department, put the number of rescues at 95 people and 45 pets as of late afternoon. Dispatchers had received hundreds of calls for service throughout the day.

The governor’s office reported more than 350 evacuations have occurred in Delaware County and that a senior mobile home community in Tipton County was being evacuated. Rescues and welfare checks also were happening in Fayette County.

Indiana authorities said Saturday at least five people have died as a result of the severe weather over the past week. That includes a boy killed when a tree fell on his home, a woman who was swept away after driving into floodwaters and a teen who was reported missing after jumping in to a river on Wednesday.

“My heart is with the families and loved ones of the five Hoosiers we have lost and every family whose life has been changed by these storms,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a statement issued Saturday. “Please continue to take flooding seriously and stay away from floodwaters.”

Rivers and creeks surge after days of rain

Jacob Spence, director of Marion County Emergency Management, called it a once-in-a-lifetime type flood.

“This is an unprecedented event, and unfortunately we’re setting some new records,” he told The Associated Press.

The National Weather Service reported that more than 11 inches (28 centimeters) of rain fell over a two-day period in some areas. The White River crested at more than 24 feet (7.32 meters) in the communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.

While some floodwaters were receding north of Indianapolis, flash-flood warnings and watches remained in place Saturday across a swath of central Indiana.

Forecasters expected the White River to crest Saturday evening in the Indianapolis area, where National Guard vehicles were among those helping with the rescue efforts. Rita Reith, a spokesperson with the Indianapolis Fire Department, put the number of rescues at 95 people and 45 pets as of late afternoon.

Earlier this week, severe storms wreaked havoc across other parts of the Midwest, causing tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding.

Storm damage was reported from the Chicago area all the way to western Pennsylvania. Power had yet to be restored for some residents in other parts of Indiana.

Cleanup begins for upstream communities

Residents posted videos on social media that showed submerged homes, vehicles stranded in high water, a power pole being toppled by rushing water and roads being washed away.

There were ominous clouds over Noblesville on Saturday morning, but the river already had marked its historic crest the night before, leaving homes standing in water, parking lots flooded and corn fields saturated.

The community’s historic covered bridge — Potter’s Bridge — was still standing.

“This is crazy for all of us,” said Matt Doudt, the city’s photographer, who was out early to document the aftermath. He pointed to a grassy commons area that usually hosts farmers’ market and concerts. That was under water. So was a brand new memorial and flower garden recently installed by the city.

He said Noblesville, with its historic charm and brick streets, didn’t get much rain in recent days but that the flooding was caused by the downpours that happened in communities upstream. All that water had no where to go but rush down to Noblesville — and now Indianapolis, he said.

Still, Doudt and others are thankful.

“We have a lot of damage,” he said, “But we didn’t lose any lives and everybody got rescued and our city is taking care of people pretty well.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez have made their first public appearance since quietly exchanging vows in a covert ceremony.

The couple, who became engaged a year ago, celebrated their nuptials in a ‘private and intimate’ setting just last week, with their five children on hand to witness the special moment.

The newlyweds, alongside their children, were spotted enjoying the view from the VIP box at the Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, during the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Nassr and Al-Fateh.

The 41-year-old football legend, Ronaldo, was off the field, still regaining his rhythm with the team following a hiatus due to the World Cup—a break further extended by his recent wedding in Portugal.

Meanwhile, Georgina, who is 32, exuded relaxed style in a satin bomber jacket. She was spotted in full mom mode as she comfortably held Alana, eight, while twins Eva and Mateo, nine, engaged with the game.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, looked tense as he watched the game unfold but was pictured clapping at one point.  

The footballer shared that he and Georgina had tied the knot after ten years together by sharing a snap of their wedding bands on Instagram.

He captioned the post: ‘C❤️G.’

A representative for Ronaldo also confirmed news of the union, saying: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez were married today in a civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, and are now officially husband and wife. 

‘The ceremony was a private and intimate moment attended by their five children.’

Jornal de Noticias published a copy of the couple’s marriage certificate late on Thursday, saying only four witnesses were present as well as their children.

Cristiano’s mother Dolores Aveiro and his three siblings Hugo, Elma and Katia, were not present at the intimate civil ceremony.

His family found out he was marrying his long-term girlfriend just moments before he married Georgina, a local report has claimed.

It was Portuguese television presenter Cristina Ferreira who claimed the footballer’s family’s absence from his big day will ’cause problems’.

Speaking on TVI programme Dois at ten, she said: ‘It will cause a lot of problems because the family wasn’t present.

‘And they shouldn’t even have known. Or if they did know, it was 30 seconds beforehand.’

Claudio Ramos added on the programme: ‘I really hope that what we said here, which had to do with the impressions we get from what exists on social media, did not actually cause sadness in the family, that things were not as they apparently seem.’

Dolores, who has had to refute claims over the years of a bad relationship with her daughter-in-law, gave her blessing to the star couple’s union.

Shortly after they announced they were married she posted a heart emoticon on Cristiano’s official social media alongside the snap he published of their rings.

Cristiano’s sister Katia, who is based in Brazil but travelled to her native Madeira at the weekend to meet family and friends, did the same.

She has yet to address reports she and other members of Cristiano’s family were absent from the Cascais wedding ceremony.

Georgina’s sister Ivana, Cristiano’s long-time friend Miguel Paixao and a Spanish couple named as Jose Rodriguez Sangil and his wife Monica Goncalez Martinez were the only witnesses.

Registrar Maria Manuel Ferreira de Campos Folhadela de Oliveira travelled from the northern Portuguese city of Porto to Cascais to officiate the ceremony.

And the star couple, who married exactly one year to the day after they announced their engagement on social media, have decided to keep their pre-nuptial assets separate despite tying the knot after a decade-long romance.

They signed a pre-nup agreement to define their property regime on August 10 a day before the ceremony at a public notary’s office in Lisbon.

Recently, Novak Djokovic has publicly addressed a health condition he previously kept under wraps, following a dramatic collapse at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

The tennis legend, who boasts an impressive 24 Grand Slam titles, was seen dropping to his knees and seeking medical attention amidst the stifling heat and humidity.

Despite clearly struggling, Djokovic refused to bow out of the match, though his performance fell short of the vigor he displayed when he clinched the first set in the second-round face-off.

Eventually, Argentine player Thiago Tirante outlasted him in the grueling conditions, securing a victory with scores of 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

This intense contest, which lasted over two and a half hours, marked Djokovic’s return to the court after his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals over a month ago.

The 39-year-old claimed the opening set with little fuss.

He won a brutal 18-minute third game of the second, saving four break points over nine deuces but bending over in distress between points and even dropping to his hands and knees after one particularly gruelling exchange.

Djokovic took a medical timeout after that game, with the trainer and then a doctor coming on court to assist with assessments and ice towels.

After Tirante took the second set, both players cooled off in the locker room. Slightly revived, Djokovic set the pace again in the deciding set.

But it all went wrong in the ninth game, when Djokovic saved three break points before getting it wrong on a drop shot to bring up a fourth break chance that his opponent converted.

Tirante clinched the biggest win of his career in the next game as Djokovic again failed to land a drop shot on match point.

The Serb, who must now try to regroup before the US Open starts on August 30, admitted he might have played his last match in Cincy.

“It looks like I won’t be back, unfortunately, to play here,” he said, confirming that the sweltering weather got the better of him.

“It was a combination of the heat and humidity, all those things,” he said.

“Everything involved makes it worse.”

There were scary scenes when Djokovic appeared to vomit into a towel while sitting in his chair.

The three-time Cincinnati champion was even more honest speaking to international reporters after the match where he revealed he has been managing an undisclosed health condition for multiple years.️

“First and foremost, I congratulate my opponent today,” he said.

“Honestly, it hasn’t been a pleasant match for me. That’s how I’ve felt. It hasn’t been the first time, and it won’t be the last. That’s just how it is.

“The conditions aren’t the problem. It’s because of a health issue I have. I’ve been dealing with it for many years now. It causes me a lot of problems, especially when there’s a lot of humidity and heat.

“I️ knew these conditions were going to affect me, but there are other things too: the nerves and everything that comes with a match like this. All of that makes the situation worse, and that’s what happened.”

Elsewhere, Seventh seed Flavio Cobolli, runner-up at the French Open, defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Martin Landaluce beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach a third-round clash against Tirante.

In the WTA draw, Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala advanced to the third round 6-1, 3-0 as injured Elena-Gabriela Rusequit their match during a weather delay.

The Romanian had received treatment on her right ankle just before play was halted by a thunderstorm.

During the 90-minute delay, Ruse pulled the plug on her effort, sending ninth seed Eala through.

Eala, the emerging WTA star who captured her first WTA title in Washington this month, will next play Amanda Anisimova after the American ninth seed beat Turk Zeynep Sonmez 6-2, 6-3.

PHILADELPHIA — Islam Makhachev has made UFC history with a dazzling 17th consecutive win, cementing his legacy by outmaneuvering Ian Machado Garry in a unanimous decision to retain his welterweight title during UFC 330’s main event on Saturday night.

The fight concluded with Makhachev earning scores of 49-46 on two judge’s scorecards and 48-47 on the third, a testament to a fiercely competitive match that, while intense, fell short of legendary status.

With this victory, Makhachev (29-1) surpassed UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva’s record of 16 consecutive victories. Undefeated since UFC 192 in 2015, Makhachev claimed the welterweight title at UFC 322 in November 2025 by defeating Jack Della Maddalena. In his first title defense, he faced no considerable threat.

The newly set record, which stood unbroken for 13 years, was nearly clinched in the second round.

During the bout, the 34-year-old Makhachev struck a critical blow with a left-footed headkick that floored Machado Garry. Seizing the moment, Makhachev unleashed a barrage of punches, igniting the crowd who anticipated a swift victory. However, amid a backdrop of expletive-laden chants, Machado Garry resiliently endured the onslaught and survived the round.

Machado Garry (17-2) rallied in the fifth round with seven significant strikes landed to none for Makhachev.

Yet it wasn’t enough to topple one of UFC’s great fighters as Makhachev — who held the lightweight championship — continues to dominate no matter the weight class.

Dern defends 115-pound title on first try

Mackenzie Dern successfully defended the 115-pound championship in her first title defense with a unanimous decision victory over Gillian Robertson that could set her up for a fight with division great Zhang Weili.

Dern (17-5) won the vacant strawweight belt in her last fight at UFC 321 and won a lopsided and lackluster first defense against Robertson.

Dern won 49-46 on two scorecards and 48-47 on the third.

“I wanted to get the submission with Gillian,” Dern said. “I definitely wanted to submit her. That was the goal.”

Dern nearly made Robertson (17-9) tap in the first round with a choke hold that about turned the challenger’s face as pinkish-red as her braided hair. Dern might have won the bout had it stretched even another 30 seconds, but Robertson was saved by the bell.

Too bad the fight didn’t end there.

The next four rounds were relatively uneventful, and the title match slowed to a near complete stop as they mostly locked up on the canvas with barely a strike thrown.

Dern’s 7-year-old daughter peered her head over the barricade from her front row seat and shouted encouragement each time mom got close to her side of the cage. The little girl could be heard well over a rowdy crowd that had about been lulled into passiveness — and eventually, boos in the fifth round — in the humdrum title fight.

Barboza calls it a career after loss at UFC 330

Edson Barboza left his fight gloves on the mat and choked back tears as he retired following a lightweight loss on the main card to Esteben Ribovics.

The 40-year-old Barboza received a standing ovation and was flanked by his family as he officially called it quits after an MMA career that began in 2009. He made his UFC debut a year later and won multiple Fight of the Night honors. He lost the last four fights of his career.

“Every single fight, I promise I did my best,” Barboza said from inside the cage.

Barboza dropped to his knees and bowed his head as he lay down his gloves and was consoled by UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer as he made the final walk back to the locker room.

Different kind of Broad Street Bullies usher in UFC’s return to Philadelphia

UFC held only its third numbered card in Philadelphia and first fight event overall in the city since 2019.

UFC 101 was held in August 2009, and UFC 133 was in August 2011.

Philly fight fans were in the mood to make up for lost time and about packed the arena and were wild for the punishing action the preliminary fights delivered hours before the main card was set to start. It’s a perfect fit for a city that loves their bullies.

The fans got an early reward when 39-year-old Philly fighter Jeremiah Wells — who was booed on his walkout — won via submission on the card’s opening night and won over the inhospitable fans.

Tresean Gore won his middleweight fight, but lost his teeth in a unanimous decision victory over Vicente Luque.

Gore took a knee to his mouth and lost most of his bottom front teeth. They littered the cage and the fight official picked at least one up with his gloved hand. Gore pulled down his lower lip to show the bloody results as he talked to fight announcer Joe Rogan.

Charles Johnson celebrated his submission victory by leading the crowd in an off-key rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.” It helps to pander. He walked out of the cage to a big ovation.