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WASHINGTON — The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, three people familiar with the matter said.

The bureau last spring had reassigned the agents but has since fired them, said the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel matters with the Associated Press. The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20.

The photographs at issue showed a group of agents taking the knee during one of the demonstrations after the May 2020 killing of Floyd, a death that led to a national reckoning over policing and racial injustice and sparked widespread anger after millions of people saw video of the arrest. The kneeling had angered some in the FBI but was also understood as a possible deescalation tactic during a period of protests.

The FBI Agents Assn. confirmed in a statement late Friday that more than a dozen agents had been fired, including military veterans with additional statutory protections, and condemned the move as unlawful. It called on Congress to investigate and said the firings were another indication of FBI Director Kash Patel’s disregard for the legal rights of bureau employees.

“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law,” the agents association said. “But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process.”

An FBI spokesman declined to comment Friday.

The firings come amid a broader personnel purge at the bureau as Patel works to reshape the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.

Five agents and top-level executives were known to have been summarily fired last month in a wave of ousters that current and former officials say has contributed to declining morale.

One of those, Steve Jensen, helped oversee investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol. Another, Brian Driscoll, served as acting FBI director in the early days of the second Trump administration and resisted Justice Department demands to supply the names of agents who investigated Jan. 6.

A third, Chris Meyer, was incorrectly rumored on social media to have participated in the investigation into President Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. A fourth, Walter Giardina, participated in high-profile investigations like the one of Trump advisor Peter Navarro.

A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll and another fired FBI supervisor, Spencer Evans, alleged that Patel communicated that he understood that it was “likely illegal” to fire agents based on cases they worked but was powerless to stop it because the White House and the Justice Department were determined to remove all agents who investigated Trump.

Patel denied at a congressional hearing last week taking orders from the White House on whom to fire and said anyone who has been fired failed to meet the FBI’s standards.

Trump, who was twice impeached and is the only U.S. president with a felony conviction, was indicted on multiple criminal charges in two felony cases. Both cases were dismissed after he was elected, following long-standing Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Tucker writes for the Associated Press.

We now have our first look at the U.S. Air Force’s two flying B-21 Raider stealth bombers together at Edwards Air Force Base. The second pre-production B-21 arrived at Edwards yesterday after making its maiden flight from the Air Force’s Plant 42, which TWZ was first to report.

Both of the pre-production B-21s delivered to date are now assigned to the 420th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards, which forms the core element of the B-21 Combined Test Force. Edwards has long been a central hub for Air Force test and evaluation efforts, but saw significant expansion of its facilities starting in the late 2010s, in large part to prepare for the Raider’s arrival.

At least two non-flying Raider airframes are also being used to help with ongoing testing. Four more pre-production Raiders are in various stages of construction at Northrop Grumman’s facility at Plant 42. As of January, Northrop Grumman had received two contracts for low-rate initial production of additional B-21s, as well.

Unlike the first pre-production B-21, which took to the skies for the first time back in November 2023, the second example is still largely devoid of uniquely identifying markings, like serial number, two-letter base code, and unit crests. We can now see that there is a motif on the inside of the nose landing gear bay door featuring an ancient Greek-style helmet with wings spread behind, as well as what looks to be crossed spears below. We have reached out to the Air Force and Northrop Grumman for more information about these symbols and their significance.

The first B-21 has the nickname Cerberus and a silhouette of that three-headed dog from ancient Greek (and later Roman) mythology is painted on the outside of its nose landing gear door. The aircraft also has a bird silhouette painted underneath the nose, an homage to past Northrop corporate logos.

The picture of the two B-21s together at Edwards, as well as other new Raider imagery the Air Force has released in the past day or so, also further underscores the aircraft’s unusual cockpit window arrangement. TWZ has explored the design of the cockpit windows, including the visibility limitations they impose, in detail in the past.

We also now have our first look at the second pre-production B-21 in flight, which offers a new view of the bomber’s conformal inlets. The bomber’s inlets are one of the most exotic known features of the design, as you can read more about here. In general, low observable inlets are among the most critical aspects of a stealthy aircraft, and it has been publicly disclosed that the ones found on the Raider presented significant challenges during development.

The first flight of the second B-21 had already afforded the best look to date of the Raider’s broad underbelly, including its weapons bay configuration. As TWZ wrote yesterday:

“The high-resolution image of the underside of the second B-21 is particularly notable in that it shows a single main bay. The other two sets of outboard door apertures are seen sealed shut with fasteners lining their perimeters. They also appear to be at least configured for radiofrequency (RF) sensor apertures. Together, this all points to the Raider only having a single large central weapons bay, not a pair of smaller additional ones on the side, a possibility that had been raised in the past. You can read about speculation regarding these bays here. Regardless, this could possibly change in the future, but, at this time, these appear to be access doors to the engines and other systems, not auxiliary weapons bays.”

In a press release yesterday, the Air Force touted the testing benefits that will come from now having two B-21s at Edwards.

“The addition of the second aircraft expands the Air Force’s testing capabilities beyond initial flight performance checks, enabling progression into critical mission systems and weapon integration testing phases. This advancement marks a significant step toward operational readiness of the nation’s sixth-generation stealth bomber,” according to the release. “The presence of multiple test aircraft at Edwards AFB also provides Air Force maintainers invaluable hands-on experience in managing simultaneous aircraft sustainment operations, testing the effectiveness of maintenance tools, technical data and the logistical processes that will support future operational squadrons.”

A separate press release from Northrop Grumman also highlighted plans to demonstrate an “enhanced software package” that will allow it to “deliver seamless upgrades to the B-21 fleet, ensuring its mission capability and weapons evolve to outpace any threat.” Beyond opening up a more streamlined path to integrating new and improved functionality down the line, the Raider’s heavy use of open-architecture, software-defined mission systems has already been a boon to the aircraft’s initial development.

“We are capitalizing on the revolution in digital [processes] – models-based systems engineering, open mission systems architecture software,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, then Director of Strategic Plans, Programs, and Requirements at Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), offered as an example back in 2022. “As an example, the software for the fuel control system, which is a pretty complex thing, is completely done on an aircraft that hasn’t even flown yet as a test article, because of how we’re able to do models-based systems engineering. And they actually built a fuel systems model and tested the software, and the software is ready to go.”

Armagost is now commander of the Eighth Air Force, which oversees all of the Air Force’s operational bomber fleets.

The Air Force’s current stated goal is to begin fielding the B-21 operationally before the end of the decade. The service plans to buy at least 100 of the bombers, though there are growing signs that the final fleet size could be larger, as you can read more about here.

“Concurrent with the expanded flight-testing effort, fiscal year 2026 will see the launch of extensive military construction projects at all three designated B-21 main operating bases,” the Air Force noted in its press release yesterday. “Ellsworth AFB, S.D., the first base set to receive operational B-21 aircraft, is already progressing rapidly on numerous infrastructure projects to ensure readiness when the aircraft arrive.”

With the help now of a second B-21, the test force at Edwards will continue to expand its work helping to pave the way toward future Raider operations.

Contact the author: [email protected]

A recently emerged image shows a very large, low-observable, flying-wing aircraft in the air in China. While the identity of the aircraft cannot be definitively established, it matches, in many respects, the appearance of the huge drone that TWZ was first to identify in satellite imagery dating from earlier this summer, and which you can read more about here.

The new image of the aircraft in flight shows its rear aspect, with the landing gear down, large main undercarriage doors, and with B-2-style split rudders deployed on the outer wing, consistent with takeoff or landing. From this angle, we can see that its blended wing-body includes a broad center section, with a distinctly flattened top. No cockpit is visible, but that is a possibility that cannot be ruled out entirely. The shape of the center section also suggests this is a twin-engine design, with slot-like exhaust nozzles, but once again, the low resolution limits the degree to which these details can be made out.

At this point, it’s worth remembering that the emergence of this image was very possibly approved, tacitly or otherwise, by the Chinese government, and it may also have been manipulated at some point, potentially also for information warfare purposes.

While we can’t be sure, the aircraft seen in flight may well also be the same drone that was noted in satellite imagery parked at China’s secretive test base near Malan in Xinjiang province earlier this year. The image of the drone seen at this location, which is known to play a leading role in the country’s uncrewed aircraft development efforts, was provided to TWZ by Planet Labs archive and was taken on May 14, 2025. Based on the satellite image, the aircraft has a span of about 170 feet, which compares to 172 feet for the B-2 Spirit. Since its appearance, the drone has been dubbed WZ-X by some observers, pending any more details about its true designation or its manufacturer.

Both the aircraft in the new image and that seen in satellite imagery at Malan feature a very long tapering wing, longer than that found on China’s CH-7 stealthy flying-wing drone, which also features a notably deeper, curved center section than seen in the new image. The CH-7 is significantly smaller than the WZ-X, as well. At the same time, the design of the CH-7 has already been altered in the past, and the aircraft seen here might conceivably be a further development of this platform.

There are two possible features of the WZ-X that cannot be made out in the new image. The first of these is an apparent domed section on top of the center barrel. In contrast, the aircraft in the new image is noticeably flat on its upper surfaces.

There is also the suggestion that the Malan drone could possibly have a small set of angled vertical tails, which would help with stability, as you can read about here. While the presence of retractable fins cannot be ruled out in the new image, it’s also worth pointing out that the presence of shadows and possible distortion on the satellite image means that we can’t make definitive conclusions about its physical details.

Both the aircraft in the new image and the WZ-X also have a general similarity to the flying-wing aircraft that was spotted passing over the Philippines in 2021.

Regardless of the connection between these generally mysterious aircraft, the aircraft in the new image would appear to fall into a similar category as the WZ-X in terms of overall physical characteristics and size, although the second point is harder to determine. At the very least, a comparison of the size of the landing gear and the rest of the aircraft suggests a very large aircraft. China is currently working on a range of flying-wing type drone designs of various sizes, including large HALE drones. At least until now, the WZ-X was the largest Chinese design we have seen in this category.

Judging by what we can see of it, the aircraft appears likely to be a very large, high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) stealth drone. This may well put it in a category similar to the supposed U.S. RQ-180. The long wing would also seem to point to a design that’s been optimized for endurance at altitude.

As stated previously, the center section of the aircraft may not be noticeably deep, but it is broad, pointing to significant internal volume for sensors. Most likely, its mission would be very long endurance penetrating wide-area reconnaissance, with strike being far less likely for an aircraft in this class. Bearing in mind the probable long-range missions expected of it, the center section likely also accommodates beyond-line-of-sight communications systems.

It is also intriguing that the image has appeared at this point. In recent weeks, there has been a flurry of imagery leaked from China showing new crewed aircraft and drones, land systems, missiles, and naval weapons. Much of this is related to the huge upcoming military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II, scheduled to take place in Beijing on Sept. 3.

Whether the flying-wing aircraft is expected to take part in the parade in some form is unclear, but it’s certain that the emergence of the image is unlikely to be an accident. In the past, imagery of this kind has often been taken of new aircraft operating from a factory airfield. That might be more likely than it being photographed overhead Malan, which is a remote and secretive test facility. However, until more imagery emerges, we won’t know for sure.

Once again, it will be some time before we can conclusively determine the relationship between this aircraft and the WZ-X, although there are certainly strong similarities between them.

Meanwhile, it’s now increasingly clear that China is looking to field large, stealthy flying-wing aircraft designs as part of its future air combat ecosystem. As well as drones of this class in various sizes, other key projects include the tri-engined J-36, the J-XDS fighter, and possibly other crewed tactical jets. Then there is a host of smaller drones, including a growing fleet of ‘loyal wingman’-type collaborative drones. Perhaps most enigmatic of all is the H-20 stealth bomber, which is yet to break cover, and that is also expected to use a flying-wing design.

As regards the H-20, the size of the center fuselage and other features suggest this aircraft is something different. While the size and form of the H-20 remain elusive, any large flying-wing HALE drone could also influence the development of the bomber, if it’s not flying already.

Once again, the appearance of the new image of the aircraft underscores China’s rapidly accelerating next-generation air combat programs, which now include potentially several designs for very large, low-observable, flying-wing, long-endurance aircraft.

Contact the author: [email protected]

An avenue which looks eerily haunting also has its own ghostly goings-on according to visitors – thousands of whom have been flocking there to photograph it after it appeared in Game of Thrones

This image of a tangled avenue of trees deep in the countryside is drawing thousands of visitors every year and some people are saying it’s not just for the views.

Known as The Dark Hedges, this creepy pathway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland might be one of the UK’s most photographed roads, yet it also holds the title as possibly the spookiest. The twisted beech trees lining Bregagh Road were planted more than 200 years ago by the Stuart family to impress guests approaching their grand estate, Gracehill House. Today, the walkway is an international tourist hotspot, helped in part by its appearance as the “Kingsroad” in Game of Thrones.

Travel experts at City Tours Belfast say the number of visitors to The Dark Hedges continues to climb each year, particularly those travelling from England and Scotland in search of the perfect picture.

But while it looks like something from a storybook during the day, The Dark Hedges takes on a completely different feel after sunset.

As the light disappears and shadows stretch across the twisted trunks, the mood quickly turns from magical to unsettling.

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The hedges are haunted by the Grey Lady, a ghostly figure said to drift silently between the trees before vanishing into thin air, according to local legend.

Some believe she’s the spirit of a maid from the nearby mansion while others think she may be from an abandoned graveyard hidden nearby. Visitors have reported unexplained lights, strange sounds, and a strong feeling of being watched, even when no one else is around.

British tourist Hannah Wells said: “I came during the day for the photos, but we stayed until dusk. As we walked back to the car, I suddenly felt cold, even though it was summer. My friend swears she saw something move across the road, but there was nothing there.”

Despite its eerie reputation, The Dark Hedges has become a popular backdrop for Instagram and TikTok, with influencers and content creators flocking to capture moody, gothic-style shots under the crooked branches.

At sunrise and sunset, the trees cast long shadows that create a natural tunnel of light and dark, perfect for atmospheric photos.

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“People often think we edit our pictures,” said local tour guide Sean Donnelly. “But that’s just how the place looks when the fog rolls in. It’s beautiful and haunting at the same time.”

The Dark Hedges are located in County Antrim, near the village of Armoy, around 80km from Belfast.

They’re most easily reached by car, but visitors are warned: mobile signals can be weak in the area, and there are no major shops or cafés nearby.

Travel experts at City Tours Belfast recommend visiting early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the tour bus crowds and to enjoy the best chance of seeing the twisting branches in low light.

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