service

The U.S. Army is aiming to have new palletized short-range air defense systems in service before the 2029 calendar year comes to a close. The service expects these systems to be fielded on crewed and uncrewed vehicles, as well as deployed in static positions. The goal is to give combat units a more flexible array of point defenses against aerial threats, especially drone swarms, but it could also be used against ground targets.

New details about what the Army formally calls the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense Increment 4 (M-SHORAD Inc 4) program are included in briefing slides recently released online. The presentation was originally produced for an industry day event held in Huntsville, Alabama, last month.

The overarching M-SHORAD program traces back to the late 2010s. Increment 1 produced a new mobile short-range air defense system based on the Stryker 8×8 light armored vehicle, which is now called the Sgt. Stout.

Increment 2 has been focused on operationalizing counter-drone directed energy weapons, and laser-based designs in particular. Increment 3 was originally centered on the Next Generation Short-Range Interceptor (NGSRI), a replacement for the venerable Stinger short-range surface-to-air missile. It also now covers work on the 30mm XM1223 Multi-Mode Proximity Airburst (MMPA) round for use in ground vehicles armed with the M914 cannon, like the Sgt. Stout. Development of another 30mm airburst round for use in the M230 cannons on AH-64 Apache attack helicopters falls outside of the M-SHORAD umbrella.

Increment 4 first emerged in 2025. The Army previously said it was looking for systems that could reasonably be fielded sometime between Fiscal Years 2027 and 2029. Schedule layouts in the newly released briefing slides show the goal now is to reach Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in Fiscal Year 2030. More specifically, the Army wants to hit the First Unit Equipped (FUE) milestone with a battalion-sized element in the first quarter of the 2030 fiscal cycle, which runs from October 1 to December 31 of 2029.

The Army wants the Increment 4 system to be capable of defeating a wide range of uncrewed aerial systems, from small quadcopters up to longer-range one-way-attack drones like Iran’s Shahed 136, operating individually or in swarms. It also has to be able to provide point defense against traditional helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft making attack runs on friendly ground units. The newly released briefing explicitly highlights a secondary “direct fire capability for ground targets,” as well.

No mention is made of cruise missile threats, which the Army is currently working to address through other air defense systems. However, it is possible that future M-SHORAD Increment 4 systems could be able to engage lower-end cruise missiles in certain flight profiles.

Increment 4 systems have to come in a “vehicle-agnostic” palletized format, or what the Army describes as a Self-Loading Equipment Dock (SLED), that can be readily mounted on and dismounted from light vehicles. The service has named its 4×4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) and Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV), as well as uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV), as potential hosts. The Army does not want options that require additional trailers. As palletized systems, they could also be offloaded at forward sites for static point defense.

Regardless of how they are configured, the Army wants the Increment 4 systems to “be able to operate for 72 hours independently, and semi-independently with supported force for 3-7 days,” per the recently released briefing. It also lists “C-130 loadable in normal SLED & vehicle configuration without special equipment; air droppable, sling-load and dismount capable” as key requirements.

When it comes to sensors and effectors for Increment 4, the Army continues to leave the requirements wide open for prospective vendors. The recent briefing simply notes that the systems have to feature a “reconfigurable multi-effector MEP [mission equipment package] integrating kinetic effects (e.g. missiles, direct-fire guns), and non-kinetic defeat.”

Several defense contractors – L3Harris, Leidos, Leonardo DRS, MDH Strategic Services, Moog, MSI Defense Solutions, SAIC, and the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), to name a few – have already publicly shown relevant designs. Versions of L3Harris’ VAMPIRE (Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment) systems and the Electronic Advanced Ground Launcher System (EAGLS) from MSI are already in at least limited use within the U.S. military. VAMPIRE, as well as the BRAWLR (Battery Revolving Adaptive Weapons Launcher-Reconfigurable) from SNC, are also now combat-proven as a result of service in Ukraine.

Leonardo DRS Explains How Army Counter-UAS Mission Is Evolving

Many of the systems highlighted above feature guns like the aforementioned 30mm M914 cannon or 7.62x51mm M134 Miniguns. Stingers and AGM-114 Hellfires are commonly featured interceptors, too. SNC’s BRAWLR, which the company is also pitching for maritime applications, is notably designed to accommodate traditional anti-air missiles like the AIM-9X Sidewinder, as well.

Virtually all of the potential contenders for M-SHORAD Increment 4 incorporate anti-air optimized 70mm laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets. Originally designed as an air-to-ground weapon, APKWS II has now firmly established its place as a lower-cost counter-drone interceptor capable of being used in surface-to-air and air-to-air modes. The Ukrainian military was the first to employ these rockets in combat in the counter-drone role, but they are now in widespread U.S. military use in this capacity, too. A growing number of other countries are now moving to field APKWS II, as well as other similar laser-guided rockets, as anti-air weapons, as well.

Whatever specific types of Increment 4 systems the Army ultimately acquires, the requirement that they be palletized will offer inherent mobility and flexibility, even when not mounted on a particular host vehicle. Those attributes, in turn, could be especially beneficial for future expeditionary or distributed operations.

“Think of like a pallet or a sled that I could put in the back of any vehicle — whether it’s an ISV, a Humvee, a JLTV, or even a technical vehicle like a Toyota truck — and I can have that self-contained capability that allows the maneuver commander to have a menu of options,” then-Army Col. Marc Pelini said about Increment 4 at a panel discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) main annual convention in 2025. “When I talk about [a] menu of options, I’m talking about being able to pull off a radar like an X-band radar and put a Ku-band radar on, or pull a Coyote [counter-drone interceptor] pod off and put a Stinger pod on.”

At the time, Pelini was the military deputy for the Fires Future Capability Directorate within the Army’s Transformation and Training Command (T2COM). Pelini has since been promoted to brigadier general and is now the Army’s top air defense artillery officer.

“And then, as we look at the various capabilities that are out there, from a sensing perspective, you have acoustic sensors, you have bistatic sensors, you have active radar, you have EO/IR [electro-optical/infrared] cameras. So coming up with a way that we can fuse those at the platform and at the tactical edge, and then eventually bring that up into the cloud, where we can do fusion across the entirety of the AOR [area of responsibility],” Pelini added back in 2025. “The system itself, or the pallet itself, recognizes that and automatically changes the user interface for the operator to engage those threats. So the way that we’re taking that is through an open hardware and software – really kind of a plug-and-play approach to it.”

The networking component here is particularly important as it will allow air defenders to employ Increment 4 systems in a more effective manner even if they are dispersed across a broad area. Since the systems may not all be configured in the same way, this will give operators more options to employ the effectors best suited to the incoming threats they are faced with, too. The Army currently has a network designed primarily for use with shorter-range air defense systems called Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2). The service is in the process now of transitioning to the newer and more expansive Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) network.

IBCS a Revolutionary C2 System

As mentioned at the start of this story, the kind of massed effects and fused capabilities that Increment 4 promises to this overarching architecture is seen as particularly important to helping address large volumes of drones operating in their own networked swarms.

“Right now, there is not one system that’s going to be able to defeat that swarm,” now-retired Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, then commander of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), said during a separate panel at the AUSA conference in 2025.

For a decade now, TWZ has been sounding the alarm on the drone swarm threat, and pointing to deeply layered air defense concepts with mixtures of different effectors and soft-kill systems like electronic warfare jammers as the only way to put up an effective defense. We have drawn attention to this in the past specifically within the context of larger short-range air defense gaps facing the U.S. military. The M-SHORAD effort, overall, has been at the center of Army efforts in recent years to close those gaps.

Increment 4 has always been planned to be just one layer in a still-expanding next-generation Army air defense architecture. The Army is in the process of acquiring a slew of new higher- and lower-end anti-air interceptors, as well as launchers to fire them. Laser and microwave directed energy weapons are also set to be part of this ecosystem. New and improved radars and other sensors are included in this broader air defense modernization push, too.

If the Army’s current plan for Increment 4 holds, the palletized systems will start joining its larger air defense arsenal right before the end of the decade.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Last week, sports drama series “The Greatest” debuted on Prime Video, detailing the life of Muhammad Ali and how he grew from Cassius Clay, the Olympic champion, to one of the biggest sports and civil rights icons of all time.

The show has gotten high marks from critics and counts Michael B. Jordan and Ali’s widow, Lonnie, as executive producers. But what might not be known is the role another major sports heavyweight played in its inception.

Authentic Brands Group, which owns the likeness of Ali, was inspired by the post-NBA career and platform of Shaquille O’Neal in thinking about how to tell Ali’s story to a new generation. Authentic also owns the likeness of O’Neal, who is a significant owner of the New York-based brand management company, and saw how he leveraged his basketball fame into all manner of endorsements after his retirement, from pitching Epson printers and Carnival Cruise Line to DJing at music festivals. (O’Neal also spoke with Lonnie Ali regularly, and was instrumental in helping to make her feel comfortable with the project and production team.)

“He’s still incredibly popular, and his businesses are doing amazing. It’s really all because of his platform,” Corey Salter, chief executive of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, told me. “So what we wanted to do with Muhammad Ali, and this was a long time in the making, is what is Muhammad’s platform? How do we make that come to life again?”

Authentic Brands Group has an extensive portfolio, ranging from clothing brands (Quiksilver, Champion and Forever 21, to name a few) and media (Sports Illustrated), to likenessess of celebrities such as O’Neal, Marilyn Monroe, David Beckham and Elvis Presley. (The company recently filed lawsuits with other Presley music rights holders against AI companies Anthropic and Suno, alleging copyright infringement. Salter said the lawsuit is ongoing and that the company will “vigorously defend” its intellectual property.)

In 2023, Authentic Brands Group launched its film, TV, audio and commercial production arm that’s focused on telling stories around the company’s intellectual property.

In many ways, the origin story of “The Greatest” exemplifies how Authentic Studios thinks about its projects and why they’ve embarked on the production business.

Though Ali died in 2016, “The Greatest” will allow him to remain in the cultural zeitgeist, Salter told me.

“We are giving platforms for our living legends and our icons,” Salter said. “It just really brings him back to people that unfortunately didn’t get to see him in his prime and what he accomplished in his lifetime.”

The genesis of the studios segment goes back to the 2022 release of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.”

Years earlier, Authentic Brands had licensed the Elvis IP to Warner Bros. and built a good working relationship with the Australian film director Luhrmann. But as the team sat as guests in the mezzanine section during the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the group realized there could be more opportunities in being directly involved in production, rather than just licensing their IP.

“If we make compelling, interesting and great content, the brand should get that lift,” said Colin Smeeton, president of Authentic Studios. “It’s just a way for us to expand the reach and scope of the brands.”

The Authentic Studios banner has four labels: O’Neal’s Jersey Legends Productions, Beckham’s Studio 99, Sports Illustrated Studios and Authentic Productions, which includes all of the other Authentic-owned brands. The studio is based in Beverly Hills and has about 35 employees. The entertainment segment of Authentic Brands Group makes up about 25% to 30% of the company’s overall business, and the studio is profitable, Smeeton said.

Among the projects that O’Neal’s production company has released are a three-part docuseries on the life and career of NBA legend Allen Iverson and a Netflix show called “Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal,” about his and Iverson’s plans to revitalize the Reebok brand. The company also has produced commercials.

“When a project comes to me, I like to do what’s known in my office as ‘Shaq it up,’” O’Neal told me in an interview. “You’ve got to allow the writers and everybody else to have their creative process, and then I’ll make it Shaq.”

What exactly does Shaqing it up entail?

“A lot of humor has to be involved,” he said. “When you get home and you turn on the TV, I want to make you smile.”

As I’ve written, IP has become the name of the game in Hollywood. With reboots and sequels, the entertainment business is betting that people will flock to familiar stories and names. Just look at the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery — a major draw for bidders Skydance and Netflix was the company’s extensive portfolio of IP, which includes “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings” and DC Studios.

Expanding that thinking to brands is a logical next step. After all, the success of 2023’s “Barbie” may be the best recent example of harnessing a brand name with a compelling storyline. And, for a while, that film boosted sales of Mattel’s Barbie dolls.

Authentic Studios wants to expand into digital, build on its YouTube footprint and explore vertical storytelling. The studio is developing projects based on the brand Quiksilver’s origin story and the story of retail brand Guess.

“It’s not about doing more; it’s about making sure that the projects that we do make and do develop actually matter and make them count,” Smeeton said. “If we’re going to spend the time and energy, we want to make sure that it is going to be entertaining for the viewer and the fan, but it ultimately is going to be a good outcome for the brand as well.”

Stuff we wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

NBC News data analyst Steve Kornacki has become a mainstay of election coverage. And that paid dividends for the network last week, when its “Kornacki Cam” drew a record 29 million views across all platforms, my colleague Stephen Battaglio reported.

Kornacki’s coverage spanned 10½ continuous hours and was woven into NBC’s election night broadcast.

Final figures showed NBC averaged 6.7 million viewers in prime time, followed by ABC (5.2 million), Fox (4.31 million), CNN (4.1 million), MS NOW (3.7 million) and CBS (2.7 million).

What I’m watching

Other than watching UCLA continue its 9-0 season with a win over Minnesota this past weekend, I caught the first episode of “The Greatest,” as part of my reporting for the newsletter. The season starts with Cassius Clay’s gold medal-winning match at the 1960 Rome Olympics. I thought the acting was strong, and the theme of fighting racism and injustice at home was especially compelling.

The Dodgers are adding former Padres chief operating officer Caroline Perry to their leadership team, the organization announced Monday afternoon.

Effective Nov. 30, Perry will serve as executive vice president and COO, filling a position vacated by retiring longtime Dodgers executive Bob Wolfe, who is transitioning to an advisory role.

In addition, the Dodgers announced they promoted Royce Cohen to EVP and chief business officer, after he most recently served as Senior VP of Business Strategy. Cohen has worked for the Dodgers since 2014 and was a key figure in the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, another one of Dodgers owner Mark Walter’s sports business endeavors.

“Caroline comes to the Dodgers with an exceptional record of service in baseball, and Royce has repeatedly proven his ability to be a step ahead in the sports business world,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. “They both offer a level of knowledge and expertise that is truly enviable.”

Perry spent 16 seasons with the Padres, working her way up from associate general counsel. She became the highest-ranking female employee in Padres history when she was promoted to COO in 2023. She is also one of just three female COOs in Major League Baseball.

“It is a tremendous honor to join the Dodgers,” Perry said in a statement. “On the field, they have set an unparalleled standard of excellence in baseball under the current leadership. Off the field, their historic legacy, passionate fan base and service to the community speak for themselves. While I am incredibly grateful for my time with the Padres and for the colleagues who made those years so meaningful, I am excited to take my place with the Dodgers and to contribute to their continued success.”

Oct. 31, 2026 2:31 PM PT

A federal immigration officer charged with aggravated assault after he ran over a Mexican man with his car in Houston will turn himself in on Monday, according to his attorney.

Mario Alberto Morales, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old construction worker, with his unmarked SUV on Oct. 10, as he chased Parra Hernandez through a parking lot. A grand jury indicted Morales on Friday on a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Morales is planning to turn himself in at a courthouse sometime Monday, his attorney, David Lindenmuth, told the Associated Press. Lindenmuth previously told the AP that the incident was “clearly just an accident” and that local officials had “invented a crime out of thin air.”

Parra Hernandez broke his leg and is recovering at a rehabilitation facility while in federal custody, Harris County Dist. Atty. Sean Teare told reporters Friday.

ICE has said Parra Hernandez ran in front of Morales’ car.

Previously released surveillance camera video shows Morales’ vehicle drive over a median and strike Parra Hernandez as he runs away.

Teare played video from Morales’ body camera on Friday that showed the agent making sharp turns with his steering wheel. He then stops and exits the vehicle and turns toward Parra Hernandez, who is lying on the ground, screaming.

“I was coming in, and I hit him with the car,” Morales can be heard saying after another ICE agent arrives.

Parra Hernandez told deputies that he fled the traffic stop when Morales started pulling on a mask, and Morales “threw the car” at him, according to a Harris County Sheriff’s Office incident report reviewed by the AP. Morales told deputies that he did not brake before he hit Parra Hernandez, but that he did not intentionally strike him, according to the report.

ICE said after the incident that the target of the operation was a man named Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, who the agency said was seen getting into a car with Parra Hernandez. Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter told the immigrants’ rights group FIEL that her father has been dead for nearly a decade.

Morales is among a small group of federal agents who have been criminally charged for wounding people during the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. ICE agent Christian Castro pleaded not guilty last month to charges that he lied to the FBI after he shot and wounded a Venezuelan man as immigration agents swept Minneapolis earlier this year.

Many other ICE shootings, including some that were fatal, have not resulted in charges for the agents involved.

Morales, 34, has served as an ICE agent for a little over a year, according to Lindenmuth.

Teare said Friday that authorities have a “significant amount of information” on Morales, and that, in his experience, law enforcement agencies would not hire someone with his background. He did not elaborate.

Morales was charged with a misdemeanor in 2013 for stealing four DVDs, according to Harris County court records. Those charges were dismissed after he paid a $270 fine and struck a plea deal.

Morales unsuccessfully ran to represent Texas’ 34th Congressional District in this year’s election cycle under the name “Bam Morales,” which Lindenmuth confirmed. Morales served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and later as a corrections officer and law enforcement officer, he wrote in a Ballotpedia candidate survey. He wrote that his top priorities were veterans’ rights, economic issues and service guided by the Christian principles of “compassion, integrity, service, and accountability.” He listed illegal immigration as one of the country’s greatest challenges.

Morales also wrote in the survey that he was endorsed by an organization called Make America Godlier Again.

Morales appeared at a 2024 Christian conference held by televangelist Johnson Suleman. In video of the conference, Morales appears to act as a Spanish translator as Suleman serves free food and “extends his touch of love to migrants.”

“I want to pray for the immigrants,” Suleman said, as Morales translated those words into Spanish. “I bless you. May the Lord grant your request and open your doors.”

Mayes-Osterman and Brook write for the Associated Press.

He went on to say that SpaceX had “done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth” and reiterated his stipulation that Starshield was a different system and controlled by the US government, adding: “What they decide to do is up to them.”

He added in a later post: “[Starlink] can be used for infrastructure that is military, but it cannot be used for unequivocally offensive strikes that make it fair game to be struck back.”

Reacting to Musk’s post, Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that Ukraine “physically cannot use” commercial Starlink for long- and middle-range drone strikes.

There was no immediate comment from the country’s defence ministry.

Ukraine uses both the civilian service Starlink and the more secure Starshield, depending on what communications are needed, both of which run on networks of low Earth orbit satellites launched by SpaceX.

Starlink allows military units to co-ordinate, particularly in remote areas on the battlefield, while Starshield allows Ukrainian drone operators to see targets in real time, as well as operate interceptor drones.

Russia is not authorised to use Starlink, so when Ukraine sends long-range missiles or drones deep into Russia to hit oil refineries, the network does not work.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said earlier on Saturday that the military was now recording a “stable connection”, with drones now able to reach speeds in excess of 400km/h (249mph). Kyiv previously said the connection would cut out above 161km/h.

“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is deferring an additional $1.2 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to California, citing concerns about potential fraud in a state program that helps older adults and people with disabilities with everyday tasks.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said federal officials took action after they grew concerned about the rapid expansion of California’s personal care services program in recent years. State officials were notified of the decision Tuesday, he said.

“California has been growing that program 24% in the last three years. That is twice the rate of every other state average in the country,” Oz said. “Impossible for us to understand how that could be so we are taking major action in California.”

Oz did not provide any evidence of fraud but suggested the state was paying people too much taxpayer money to help with services that could be offered for free, like “paying somebody to carry groceries upstairs for your mom.”

“Many of you would carry groceries upstairs for your mom for free, but in California, they will pay you a lot of money for it,” he said.

The move is the latest in a series of efforts by the administration to withhold federal money from California. In May, the administration held back $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to the state over concerns about “fraudsters” in the state’s hospice and in-home care programs. The actions have been part of a broad effort by the administration to rein in fraud in federal healthcare benefits programs, particularly in Democrat-led states.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the office has been critical of the administration’s past efforts.

In May, Newsom’s office called the action to withhold funds for in-home care programs a “sick” and politically motivated attack on services that are meant to “keep seniors and people with disabilities OUT of nursing homes.”

Those services usually cover assistants who help people with daily tasks such as bathing, laundry or cooking. They also provide needed care such as injections under the direction of a medical professional. A 2020 report by the California state auditor found that nearly three-quarters of In-home Supportive Services caregivers assist a family member.

Newsom’s office, however, has argued that the program saves taxpayers money, saying IHSS care costs $30,000 a year, while nursing home care costs $137,000 a year.

California’s hospice industry has had problems in the past and authorities have tried to crack down on the issue. A Times investigation in 2020 found that providers were billing Medicare for hospice services and equipment for patients who were not actually dying while the industry boomed.

The Trump administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, has tried to focus attention on the issue of waste, fraud and abuse as a centerpiece policy platform to bring down healthcare costs.

On Tuesday, Trump and Vance announced a $25-million whistleblower program designed to pay out cash to people who tip off the federal government about fraudsters. The program will offer a 1% commission for tips that lead to a successful conviction. Trump said he would be the sole arbitrator of who gets to keep the money.

“I’ll determine whether or not the person is deserving, and I will be very generous believe me. We are not looking to save on that,” Trump said. “I promise you I will be fair.”

Trump said the money will be handed out “expeditiously and fairly.”

“I promise there is nothing in this for me,” he said.

The White House referred comment about the decision to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The federal agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It’s been nearly 40 years since the dread-filled tones of the “Unsolved Mysteries” theme song first hit network TV airwaves.

In that time, the celebrated documentary series has been through nearly every iteration of the TV business — and is about to embark on a new one.

Next week, “Unsolved Mysteries” will launch a video podcast in partnership with the audio and entertainment firm Audacy. The weekly podcast, which will be available on YouTube and on all podcast platforms, will release new episodes starting Oct. 29 that explore cases such as mysterious deaths and unexplained disappearances.

The podcast will be hosted by actor and TV host Jordan Murphy and will include interviews with the people involved in the case, “Unsolved Mysteries” co-creator Terry Dunn Meurer told me in a recent interview.

“We’re still trying to expand the brand and pivot,” she said. “It just feels like that’s where the industry is heading. The YouTube audience is the biggest audience out there, and we are looking for the biggest audience because we’re trying to help solve these cases. So the more viewers we can get with these episodes, the better.”

“Unsolved Mysteries” isn’t the only Hollywood player to bet on video podcasts. Spotify has bet big on video podcasts, and Netflix has added them to its platform, both of which are attempts to compete with YouTube, diversify their offerings and keep consumers tuned in.

For “Unsolved Mysteries,” the move is just the latest way the show has tried to evolve with the TV industry’s ups and downs.

The show debuted in 1987 as a series of specials NBC used to fill holes in its lineup, Dunn Meurer said. That kind of pinch-hitting meant there was no marketing or publicity to get audiences excited about the show, but viewers started tuning in anyway.

Eventually, the specials became a weekly show that aired on NBC for nine seasons before moving to CBS. “Unsolved Mysteries” also had a syndication run on cable channels Lifetime and Spike TV.

Throughout its TV lifetime, the show would highlight stories of mysterious disappearances, escaped fugitives, lost connections and even the occasional paranormal story. “Unsolved Mysteries” made appeals to viewers, urging them that someone out there “knows the truth” and encouraged them to write in with tips or new suggestions for investigation, which has resulted in tens of thousands of submissions over the years.

More recently, “Unsolved Mysteries” was revived on Netflix for three seasons, with a format focused on a single story. The series also previously had an audio-only podcast.

In addition to the video podcast, “Unsolved Mysteries” also recently produced a full-length documentary on new evidence surrounding the so-called Tylenol Killer, a 1982 case in which seven people died after unknowingly taking cyanide-filled pill capsules.

Though the method of delivery has changed, Dunn Meurer said the show’s mission remains the same. Over the years, the series has helped to directly solve more than 260 cases, she said, though many are so-called lost love cases of missed connections, as well as fugitive whereabouts and some murders.

“There’s so many mysteries out there that need attention, cases that have gone cold,” she said. “For me personally, it’s hard to not keep putting those stories out there and helping these families and law enforcement that need the help to solve these cases.”

‘Musk’ advertising controversy

In notable media news, the TikTok ad account for Bleecker Street’s documentary “Musk” was “permanently suspended” Friday, the day the film opened nationwide, a spokesperson for the indie studio confirmed.

But on Sunday, a spokesperson for TikTok said the account was restored “after an error.”

The documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, follows billionaire Elon Musk and the effect he has had on politics and his support for the GOP and President Trump.

The ban raised suspicions in Hollywood as TikTok is now partially owned by Oracle, which was co-founded by billionaire Larry Ellison. Ellison, who still serves as executive chairman of the tech company, is briefly mentioned in the documentary when he offers to help Musk finance his acquisition of Twitter, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The documentary will make its streaming debut on HBO Max, which is owned by Ellison’s son, David.

In its second weekend in theaters, “Musk” grossed about $306,700 across 472 screens in the U.S. and Canada, for a $650 per-screen average. The film has notched a 97% critics rating on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

A24’s “You Can See Everything” brought in $15 million at the domestic box office over the weekend, a huge feat for the nearly three-hour documentary that delves into the life of disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes shortly before she reported to federal prison for defrauding investors.

The documentary, directed by deadpan comic Nathan Fielder and “Primetime” filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, got a ton of buzz after its surprise debut at the Telluride Film Festival last month. The $15-million opening is even more impressive given that it was available only on 855 screens.

That was good enough for second place at the weekend box office. In first was Skydance-owned Paramount Pictures’ “Street Fighter,” which scored $31 million domestically for a worldwide gross of $51.1 million.

What I’m watching

During a busy (news) week like last week, sometimes you just need a comfort watch. For me, that’s HGTV.

There’s nothing more calming than watching people try to redo their houses into the home of their dreams. But because it’s spooky season, I ended up watching “Scariest House in America,” a hilarious home makeover competition hosted by “Parks and Recreation” comedian Retta, where homeowners show off their creepy, strange or wildly dilapidated houses in hopes of winning a renovation. After watching the travails of people who chose to live in a former jail or a self-constructed giant gingerbread house with a rickety single-person elevator, I was oddly soothed.

A decorated Air Force service member of 15 years died after a rappelling accident that took place during a salute to the military Saturday before the Navy-University of Texas at San Antonio game at the Alamodome.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson was a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, Joint Base San Antonio, according to a news release by Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs.

“This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing,” U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott C. Mills, 57th Wing commander, said in the release.

“Tech. Sgt. Patterson and his service mattered immensely to our wing, and to the family, friends, and teammates who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. Our team is now focused on standing beside Ian’s family, loved ones, and fellow Airmen as we navigate this profound loss together.”

Patterson received several medals for his service and achievements, according to the Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs, including the Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters. In 2022, he was named the Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year at the Headquarters Air Force level.

Details surrounding the accident are under investigation, according to the news release.

Video on social media appears to show Patterson rappelling from the arena’s rafters on a rope, and plummeting fast to the ground. He was treated on the field for several minutes and then taken away on a gurney.

Patterson later died at a local hospital, according to Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs.

The football game between the two American Conference teams proceeded after a brief delay. The decision to play was made after a meeting that included conference commissioner Tim Pernetti, representatives from Navy and UTSA, Alamodome management and local authorities, according to a statement released by the American Conference.

“At the time of those discussions, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs had not publicly confirmed the service member’s condition,” the statement reads. “… In accordance with conference bylaws and with the support of both participating member institutions, the conference made the decision to continue the game. Respect for the family’s privacy and adherence to the military’s notification process guided the decision to mitigate speculation about the service member’s medical status and avoid additional distress for his family.”

The conference added that it extends “our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates and members of the 57th Wing who had the privilege of serving with him. We honor his service and join the military community in mourning his loss.”

UTSA president Taylor Eighmy also released a statement expressing “profound sadness.”

“In moments like these, words can offer only so much comfort,” Eighmy wrote. “But I hope the service member’s family, his fellow airmen and all those grieving know that they are in our thoughts and prayers. We stand together in sadness, united by our compassion for one another and our heartfelt support for all those whose lives have been touched by this tragedy.”

The UTSA vice president for intercollegiate athletics, Lisa Campos, said in a statement: “Moments like these remind us that we are all part of something much greater than a game. They remind us of the importance of standing together, supporting one another and finding strength in the bonds that unite us, especially in times of profound sadness. Today, our hearts are with this service member’s family, his fellow airmen and everyone impacted by this heartbreaking tragedy.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.