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July 7 (UPI) — A group of more than 1,200 former Justice Department employees signed a letter asking senators to reject the nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general.

Justice Connection, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Justice Department civil servants, sent the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. Signees argue that Blanche’s only goal as attorney general is to show loyalty to President Donald Trump, displaying political bias in an apolitical department.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to consider Blanche’s nomination is scheduled for July 15 and 16.

“Since his confirmation as Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche has shown time and again that his guiding star is fealty to the president, not the Constitution,” Stacey Young, executive director and founder of Justice Connection, said in a statement.

“That fealty led to the purge of thousands of experienced career employees, a loss that will have a generational impact on the Justice Department’s ability to carry out its mission and maintain credibility with the courts and the American people.”

The letter highlights Blanche’s management of the department, his role in mishandling the congressionally ordered release of the investigation files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and support for Trump’s plan to pay Jan. 6 rioters and other allies.

Under Blanche, more than 16,000 employees have left the Justice Department, Justice Connection says, including more than one quarter of its attorneys. Signatories include civil servants who worked under Republican and Democratic administrations.

Blanche was nominated by Trump to succeed former Attorney General Pam Bondi last month.

“The consequences of Blanche’s attacks on DOJ’s apolitical workforce radiate beyond the halls of Main Justice, affecting the entire country,” the letter reads. “They’ve meant that much of the department’s vital work isn’t being done, or isn’t being done well — leaving communities less safe, Americans’ rights less protected, and our national security more vulnerable.”

July 6 (UPI) — The White House marked Independence Day by releasing a scathing report on the Smithsonian Institution, particularly the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, for what it called “extreme political activism.”

The report, “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage,” accuses the museum of anti-white bias and claims it “no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit and discourage our citizens.”

The report takes exception to display language that “refuses to affirm the exceptional courage of the American people” and displays that connect the Founding Fathers with slavery, along with many other complaints.

It also says the museum endorses illegal immigration, advocates transgender issues and focuses on Christianity as “an instrument of conquest, exclusion or cultural erasure.”

Julissa Marenco, a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, said in a statement, “For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed todoing so,” The New York Times reported.

The report was written by the Domestic Policy Council, a White House organization tasked with the president’s domestic agenda. Vince Haley, its leader, was in charge of the administration’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The report particularly criticizes Anthea Hartig, the Smithsonian’s director, saying she has “advanced an ideological agenda contradictory to museum’s founding purpose of fostering patriotism.”

According to the Smithsonian’s website, the institution was founded in 1846 to be “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” It oversees 21 museums and The National Zoo.

This new report is a follow-up to President Donald Trump‘s executive order in March 2025. In that order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” Trump tasked Vice President JD Vance with overhauling the Smithsonian with Congress.

The White House also ordered the institution to turn over thousands of pages of documents, threatening it with budget cuts. The Smithsonian has been independent of the president and executive branch but derives more than half of its budget from federal sources.

Trump’s executive order in 2025 ordered Vance to “prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.”

July 6 (UPI) — A woman who once dated Senate candidate Graham Platner says that he forced her to have sex with him about five years ago.

Jenny Racicot, 41, said she had an on-and-off relationship with Platner for more than two years, Politico reported. She said he was intoxicated when he entered her home in Maine one night in 2021 and assaulted her while she told him repeatedly to stop.

“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” she told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice.’ “

Platner, a Democrat, denied the accusations Tuesday, saying any claim of non-consensual behavior is “categorically untrue” and that the allegations are “troubling, serious and false.”

He said, however, that he is “mindful of the political reality (the allegation) will inflect” and that he is taking “time to reflect on the best path forward.”

He is the Democratic nominee running against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. The party has until July 13 to replace him with another candidate if he withdraws, The New York Times reported.

Racicot previously told The Times that Platner came to her house in 2021 while drunk and said his behavior was “reckless” and “unsettling.” She did not elaborate at that time. Politico published the new interview Monday.

The Platner campaign also issued a statement saying that the candidate “vigorously denies” the allegations, which it called “coached and coordinated by out-of-state establishment operatives.”

“For a year, opponents of this campaign have thrown everything they can at Graham —calling him a Nazi, a war criminal, a communist,” the campaign statement said. “None of it has been true, and this is no different.”

Politico said it interviewed Racicot three times over the past two weeks, interviewed another person she confided in and reviewed documents including emails between Racicot and her therapist and messages between Racicot and an acquaintance she warned about Platner.

Collins said in a statement that the “allegations are appalling,” The Times reported.

Other Democratic candidates and politicians, including Rep. RoKhanna, D-Calif., a supporter of Platner’s, called on him to drop out of the race Monday.

End Citizens United, an organization that looks to reduce the role of large campaign donations in politics, rescinded its endorsement of Platner and called on him to end his campaign.

July 6 (UPI) — Stock in Dell Technologies jumped Monday morning after President Donald Trump promoted the company while opening the stock exchange from the Oval Office.

Dell CEO Michael Dell and Susan Dell were in the Oval Office along with investor Brad Gerstner, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as Trump rang the opening bell. The president used the moment to encourage the purchase of Dell computers, preceding a 7% increase in Dell stock.

“Go out and buy a Dell computer,” Trump said. “Michael and Susan Dell, they are truly incredible.

The Dells donated $6 billion to the Trump Accounts program for children. Public financial disclosures show that Trump actively traded Dell stock in 2025, making 24 trades and purchasing stock 16 times.

We’re going to get him that money back one way or the other,” Trump said. “Then I’ll ask for another $6 billion. We’ll start the whole process all over again.”

Monday’s Oval Office event recognized the opening of the Trump Accounts on Saturday. The accounts are available to children 18 or younger and include a $1,000 contribution from the U.S. Treasury Department for babies born from 2025 through 2028.

“The American dream belongs to every child, and today we are equipping the next generation with the right to claim their rightful share of it,” Bessent said.

New York Stock Exchange president Lynn Martin was also in attendance in the Oval Office.

July 5 (UPI) — Mallory McMorrow, a state lawmaker who made in early splash in the race for the Democratic nod in Michigan’s key U.S. senate race, suspended her campaign on Sunday in a surprise move.

McMorrow, who positioned herself between the national party leadership favorite Rep. Haley Stevens and progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed, said in a social media post she is pulling out of the race “with a deep, deep sense of gratitude.”

“For our thousands of volunteers, for everyone who donated what you could — building a campaign with zero corporate PAC dollars,” she said, adding that while she is suspending her campaign, “I am not leaving the fight.”

McMorrow reiterated her call for “new leadership and a better Democratic Party,” whose top voices, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have endorsed Stevens to take on the Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in November’s general election.

Her withdrawal leaves Stevens and El-Sayed as the remaining candidates for the Aug. 4 primary, which is now shaping up to be a major test of whether El-Sayed can extend progressives’ winning streak against more establishment figures in Democratic primaries.

“Whoever wins this primary on August 4th will have my full support,” she declared.

The Michigan race is seen as a key in the Democrats’ hopes of capitalizing on the unpopularity of President Donald Trump and flipping the Senate from Republican control in November. To do so, they must keep it in the “blue” column as it is being vacated by Democrat Gary Peters.

McMorrow was an early front-runner in the race and had raised more than $8.6 million by the end of March but has since fallen behind El-Sayed and Stevens in the polls, the Detroit Free Press reported.

El-Sayed, a former Detroit public health official who has the backing of progressive stalwarts Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has seen a surge of support since May and last month won the endorsement of the United Auto Workers.

Four-term congresswoman Stevens, meanwhile, is picking up backing from some of McMorrow’s supporters, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who on Sunday called Stevens “a seasoned fighter for Michigan who knows how to work in a difficult environment to get essential policies across the finish line.”

July 5 (UPI) — The U.S. military suspended its search Sunday for a missing Naval aircrewman who went missing Wednesday following an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced the suspension of the search in a statement on social media after more than 102 hours.

“The efforts concluded following an extensive search by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. “The Sailor’s name is benign withheld until at least 24 hours after next-of-kin notification is complete in accordance with Navy policy.”

The search spanned more than 14,000 square miles. The military utilized multiple helicopters and other U.S. Air Force aircraft, aircraft carriers and guided-missile to canvas the region.

The missing crewman was aboard a MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter when it crash landed at about 3:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. There were four people in the helicopter. The other three crewmembers were recovered and listed in stable condition.

The helicopter was on a routine patrol when it went down.

U.S. officials said the helicopter’s crash landing was not the result of hostile fire.

July 5 (UPI) — Eight people were shot in Coney Island, N.Y., during a Fourth of July fireworks display Saturday as four children were among the wounded.

Four boys, ages 14, 12, 7 and 6, were shot, as were a 37-year-old man, 33-year-old man, 25-year-old woman and 21-year-old woman. The identities of the victims have not been made public.

“All victims were transported by EMS to local area hospitals where seven people were listed in stable condition, the NYPD said in a statement. “The 21-year-old woman is listed in critical condition.”

The 6-year-old victim was shot in the abdomen and the 7-year-old was shot in both of his legs. Both are expected to recover.

Police responded to the call of a shooting near the Coney Island boardwalk at 10:37 p.m. EDT. They have not named a suspect and have made no arrests as of Sunday morning. The motivation behind the shooting remains unknown.

U.S. News // 16 hours ago

Nancy Pelosi’s husband likely to face charge after California crash

July 4 (UPI) — Paul Pelosi, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, is expected to face charges after he hit a parked car in Napa County, Calif., on Saturday.

July 5 (UPI) — One man was critically injured in a fire in Los Angeles Friday after illegal fireworks went off, setting two vehicles on fire in a motel parking lot.

The 22-room Crescent Inn motel in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles was completely evacuated from the incident. Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Carlos Calvillo said first responders discovered a wounded man near the burning BMW when they arrived on the scene.

“This is a good example of messing with illegal fireworks, fireworks in general, extremely dangerous,” he said. “This person’s body was severely traumatized from this incident.”

Investigators said commercial grade fireworks were found near the burning vehicles.

Emergency responders were called to a report of two vehicles on fire at about 8:30 p.m. PDT Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department also responded to the scene.

A single family home next to the motel was also evacuated. Twelve people, including two children, were displaced by the fire.

The cause of the fireworks going off has not been determined. Fire officials say they believe the man was smoking in the BMW.

July 5 (UPI) — President Donald Trump called the United States’ 250 years an “unmatched achievement” during his Fourth of July speech in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Trump’s address was delayed late into the evening due to severe storms that caused a two-hour evacuation of the National Mall. The storms followed on the back of a heatwave on the east coast.

The president took to the podium at 11:15 p.m. EDT. His speech echoed his past speeches, touting the “golden age of America,” repeating unfounded claims of election fraud and calling for the passage of the SAVE Act in Congress.

“We want to keep America great, and we will do so by approving the Save America Act,” Trump said. “You won’t have cheating on the elections anymore. It’s very simple.”

As Trump listed off a series of U.S. military achievements, he included the January operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the war in Iran, which he compared to the sinking of the Spanish Armada in the Anglo-Spanish War in 1588.

“Much like our recent victory, by sinking the entire Iranian navy,” Trump said. “One hundred and fifty-nine ships to the bottom of the sea, all done in just a moment’s time.”

Trump also focused his attention on communism, which he called a threat to the United States.

“We don’t want communists in our country,” Trump said. “It never worked and it never will work.”

July 4 (UPI) — The Trump administration officially launched “Trump Accounts” on July 4, which have been set up for parents to save money for their children.

The accounts, which include $1,000 for each child who is born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 — President Donald Trump‘s current term in office — can now be set up by parents after their authorization in last year’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The federal savings program is available for any child under 18, and can accept up to $5,000 in contributions per year, although the $1,000 seed funds for the accounts are only available to children born during Trump’s current term.

The Treasury Department said in a press release that more than 50 companies have committed to also contributing to accounts established for their employees’ children, regardless of their eligibility for the government contributed $1,000.

“Trump accounts are now live, giving every child a stake in the American Dream from day one,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on X.

“The Trump Accounts app is now updated with the full suite of account capabilities: you can start funding your child’s account, exploring financial education modules and more,” Bessent said.

The administration said that the accounts are aimed at “helping children start with a foothold in the American from birth or early childhood” with an investment account, which is part of a program that includes educational programs for both parents and children on how investment markets work.

July 4 (UPI) — Paul Pelosi, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s husband, is expected to face charges after he hit a parked car in Napa County, Calif., on Saturday.

Pelosi allegedly hit an unoccupied, parked car, with Napa County Sheriff’s Office deputies later finding his brown convertible parked behind a California Highway Patrol Vehicle and partially blocking a road, KCRA and NBC News reported.

Pelosi has previously been found guilty for driving under the influence, but the sheriff’s office said that an alcohol test did not find alcohol in his system.

“The witness provided deputies with the direction the suspect vehicle was last seen traveling,” police said.

“A short time later, deputies observed a vehicle parked behind a brown convertible car,” which had “significant damage” and was “consistent with the recent crash,” police said.

Because DUI is not suspected, Pelosi, 86, was not arrested after the crash, which the sheriff’s office said is common for a misdemeanor accident.

“Pelosi admitted to hitting something, but said he did not know what he had hit, so he kept driving,” police said.

“He drove until his car became disabled and was no longer able to continue driving,” they said.

Pelosi apologized to the owner of the parked car and said that he would take responsibility for the damage to the vehicle, a family spokesperson said.

July 4 (UPI) — President Donald Trump pardoned 11 people, including nine Clean Air Act violators, claiming they were just “fixing their car.”

The pardons were mostly for men who were prosecuted under the President Joe Biden administration for using, installing or selling “defeat devices,” software used to bypass emissions controls.

“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car.’ While I know this sounds ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact, and part of the Weaponization and Stupidity that our Country had to endure during four long years of Sleepy Joe Biden. I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” the president posted on Truth Social Friday afternoon.

Lawyer Stewart Cables and lobbyist Jeff Daugherty, who represent five of the defendants, identified them to CBS News. They said Ryan and Wade Lalone, Matt Geouge, Tim Clancy and Mac Spurlock received pardons.

A White House official later confirmed the pardons to CBS News and said that five others had also been pardoned, three for similar pollution violations. Along with those already mentioned, the official identified the others as Joshua Davis, Barry Pierce, Aaron Rudolf, Adam Kidan, Jack Harvard and Jonathan Achtemeier.

“Thanks to God for putting it on Trump’s heart to approve these pardons, and thank God for Donald Trump,” Daugherty told CBS. He said Trump “is the only president who would have taken an interest in these parties, and the reason is he’s the only president to face such ferocious weaponization himself.”

A press release from the Justice Department in February 2025 announced the conviction of Achtemeier, saying “From the comfort of his home, this defendant caused environmental damage across the country, tampering with pollution controls on diesel trucks so that they spewed 30 to 1,200 times the pollutants of a legally configured truck,” Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller said. Miller now works in private practice.

Trump last fall granted clemency to Troy Lake, a Wyoming mechanic who served seven months in prison for violating federal emissions laws for disabling air pollution-control equipment on diesel engines.

In January, the Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop all cases and investigations related to the defeat devices.

Two of those pardoned Friday were convicted of crimes not related to pollution.

Jack Harvard was convicted of bank fraud charges in Texas in the 1980s and now runs the Texas Safari Ranch in Clifton, Texas, and Adam Kidan was sentenced to 70 months in prison in 2006. Kidan pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges related to his attempt, along with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, to purchase a casino for $147.5 million with a counterfeit wire transfer document. Kidan is a donor to Republican campaigns.

July 4 (UPI) — Three children were killed Friday when a severe storm capsized a boat in Wisconsin, police said.

The privately owned, recreational motorboat had six adults and four children aboard on Geneva Lake, and all children were wearing life jackets.

When a storm hit, the boaters tried to find their way to safety but were overwhelmed by high winds and waves. The boat capsized and later sank.

Rescuers were able to quickly help the adults and one child out of the water, but three were still missing. After an intensive search, they found all three. Rescuers took lifesaving measures on the scene and on the way to a hospital, but all three children were pronounced dead.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those, not only of those people, but the people who were injured as a result of the storm. We know that there were many injuries, people transported to local hospitals and diversion from the hospitals because of the number of injuries,” Walworth County, Wisc., Undersheriff Tom Hausner said.

The storm hit at about 12:10 p.m., and 911 calls began coming in around the same time, Hausner said.

A source told CBS News Chicago that the three victims are believed to be younger than 13.

The deaths are under investigation by the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

A squall line of storms moved into northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin Friday morning and early afternoon, with wind gusts of up to 60 mph, The New York Times reported. Nearly 514,000 homes and businesses in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin were without power Friday night.

July 4 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming U.S. independence from Britain.

In 1826, in one of history’s notable coincidences, former U.S. Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

In 1863, Union troops defeated Confederate forces in a battle at Vicksburg, Miss.

In 1895, the poem “America the Beautiful,” by Wellesley College Professor Katherine Lee Bates, was published. The poem with music by Samuel A. Ward was published as a song in 1910.

In 1910, American boxer Jack Johnson took on former undefeated heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries, beating him in 15 rounds, to stake his claim as the as the greatest heavyweight in the world.

File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI

In 1939, Lou Gehrig gave his “luckiest man on the face of the Earth” speech in announcing his retirement from the New York Yankees. Gehrig had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a debilitating motor neuron disease. United Press writer Jack Cuddy wasn’t impressed with the Yankees’ “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day,” saying doctors made up his ailment to explain his unexpected retirement.

In 1976, Israeli commandos raided the airport at Entebbe, Uganda, rescuing 103 hostages held by Arab militants.

In 1986, more than 250 sailing ships and the United States’ biggest fireworks display honored the Statue of Liberty in its 100th birthday year.

In 1995, the British Parliament reconfirmed John Majors as prime minister.

In 1997, NASA’s Pathfinder reached Mars to become the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the planet in more than two decades. Pathfinder returned more than 16,000 images and some 8.5 million measurements back to Earth before its final transmission on September, 27, 1997.

File Photo courtesy of NASA

In 2006, North Korea test-launched seven ballistic missiles in what it called “routine military exercises,” causing a firestorm of anger among its neighbors and the United States.

In 2010, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus took command of the Afghan war, acknowledging the “tough fight” ahead for NATO forces while pledging “We are in this to win.”

In 2013, the Statue of Liberty reopened to the public nine months after it was closed because of damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

In 2018, Hong Kong’s high court ruled unanimously that same-sex couples are entitled to spousal visas like married heterosexual couples.

In 2022, seven people died and dozens others were injured in a mass shooting during an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Ill., near Chicago. Far-right activist Robert Crimo III, then 22, was charged with murder for the shooting.

A participant of the March Fourth rally to ban assault weapons holds a sign for Eduardo Uvaldo, a victim of the Highland Park shooting, outside the Senate office buildings at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 13, 2022. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

July 3 (UPI) — The Great American State Fair was temporarily shut down Friday due to extreme heat as temperatures in Washington, D.C., reached 100 degrees.

Freedom 250 announced Friday afternoon that the event on the National Mall was suspended until 5 p.m. Friday due to the heat, which reached 100 degrees at 2 p.m. Friday with a heat index of 111.

“The safety and well-being of our guests, volunteers, performers, vendors, and staff is our highest priority. Conditions are expected to improve later this afternoon, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back at 5:00 p.m. as preparations continue for this evening’s festivities,” Freedom 250 said on social media just before 1:30 p.m.

A follow-up post confirmed the gates would reopen at 5 p.m.

Friday evening’s events at the fair include performances by Hugo Castillo, Mickey Smith Jr. and Grace Moody Miller.

“Complimentary water distribution stations will be available throughout the fair site, with food and beverages available for purchase,” organizers wrote.

July 3 (UPI) — The Justice Department on Friday called on states to investigate whether businesses and individuals are artificially inflating gas prices amid complaints from President Donald Trump that costs are too high.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. along with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to state attorneys general asking them to join federal investigators in probing potentially illegal practices.

“Recent volatility in crude oil prices does not suspend either the antitrust laws or state consumer protection laws, and it does not authorize companies to manipulate retail prices or collude with their competitors,” the letter read.

“We also encourage State Attorneys General to use all tools available under your state laws to investigate and prosecute any misconduct causing unjustified prices increases — particularly conduct that violates state antitrust and consumer protection statutes.”

Gas prices have been on the rise since late February when the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran. Tehran, in return, largely shut down the Strait of Hormuz to traffic, crippling the the transport of oil through the waterway. About one-fifth of the world’s gas supplies pass through the strait.

An agreement between the United States and Iran reopened the strait, but Trump took to Truth Social on June 23 to complain that gas prices had not dropped fast enough.

“The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,” he wrote. “Those prices are dropping like a rock! In other words, customers are being ‘gouged.’

“I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this. Gasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I’m seeing!”

AAA reported Friday that the current national average gas price was $3.82 per gallon for regular gasoline, down from $4.26 a month prior. One year ago, it was $3.16 per gallon.

July 3 (UPI) — The 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest introduced this year’s slate of competitors, including 17-time champion Joey Chestnut, at a weigh-in ceremony Friday.

The Friday ceremony at the flagship Nathan’s Famous location in Coney Island, Brooklyn, introduced the 14 men and 10 women who will compete to see who can eat the most hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes at Saturday’s annual Fourth of July contest.

Chestnut, a 17-time champion and the current holder of the coveted Mustard Belt, predicted he will emerge victorious again this year.

“I’m hungry, and I’m going to dominate,” Chestnut, who downed 70.5 hot dogs in last year’s contest, said at the weigh-in.

Miki Sudo, the reigning women’s champion with 11 titles to her name, also predicted a repeat of her 2025 performance, where she finished 33 hot dogs and buns.

“It’s hot, but I’m bringing the heat,” she said. “I was born for this.”

The field of competitors this year features eaters from across the United States, as well as eaters from Britain, Australia and the Czech Republic.

July 3 (UPI) — Authorities in Pennsylvania’s Berks County declared a mass casualty incident when more than 100 people waiting to see a train were treated for heat-related symptoms.

A crowd of thousands gathered Thursday afternoon at the Reading & Blue Mountain Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township to glimpse Big Boy, the world’s largest steam-powered locomotive, which is currently on tour for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The train’s arrival was delayed for more than an hour as local temperatures climbed to 106 degrees.

Berks County 911 started to receive 911 calls about 1:30 p.m., and ambulances and firefighters from surrounding counties were summoned to assist.

More than 100 people were treated for heat-related maladies, and 45 of those were transported to local hospitals. One patient went into cardiac arrest, but was resuscitated before being transported to hospital.

Officials said children and the elderly made up the majority of those affected.

Big Boy rolled through the station around 2:30 p.m., before continuing on toward Philadelphia.

July 3 (UPI) — The Louisiana Supreme Court granted a stay on state Attorney General Liz Murrill’s indictment, less than 24 hours after a grand jury approved charges.

The New Orleans grand jury charged Murrill, a Republican, with 16 felony counts of malfeasance in office and public intimidation related to alleged threats contained in a letter she sent to Orleans Parish leaders in May.

The letter allegedly threatened recipients, including Democratic Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, that they could lose their positions if they opposed a new law to combine New Orleans’ criminal and district clerks of court. The eliminates the position of newly-elected Clerk of Court Calvin Duncan, a Democrat.

The Louisiana Supreme Court halted the criminal proceedings Friday morning, citing potential conflicts of interest tied to special prosecutor Laurie White’s past actions representing Duncan.

The court’s ruling also questioned reports of incidents during the grand jury proceedings, including allegations that journalists were forcibly removed from the proceedings in handcuffs.

“While the record before this Court is undeveloped, there is considerable support for the view that the Attorney General is likely to succeed on the merits of a motion to quash this indictment on either a legal basis or due to apparent procedural irregularities,” The Hill quoted the ruling as stating.

“The Attorney General makes a compelling argument concerning the disturbing defects in the grand jury proceedings and in the trial court’s handlings of those proceedings. This indictment appears to turn the law on its head and flows from what appear to be extraordinary procedural defects and improprieties.”

Murrill praised the development in a statement posted to social media.

“I’m grateful to the Louisiana Supreme Court for swiftly issuing a stay in this matter. The constitution and laws of Louisiana impose a wide swath of duties on the Attorney General. I will continue to carry out those duties to the best of my ability,” she wrote. “This matter is not over. I will still need to file the necessary motions to seek a dismissal, which will be forthcoming.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, R, had earlier pledged to pardon Murrill.

“I would like to inform the great citizens of Louisiana who care about the rule of law, that our fabulous Office of the Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill will not have to worry about having her reputation tarnished by this kangaroo grand jury or the Orleans Kangaroo court as I will pardon her as fast as the law allows. The criminal justice system is a circus at its finest in Orleans and we will not have any of that,” he wrote on social media.

July 3 (UPI) — A California man has pleaded guilty to sending phony ransom requests to the family of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing for five months, federal prosecutors said.

Authorities have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie as a kidnapping and ransom scheme since she was reported missing from her Arizona home on Feb. 1.

In his plea deal, announced Thursday, 42-year-old Derrick Callella of Hawthorne, Calif., admitted to calling and texting a demand for a bitcoin transfer to a member of Nancy Guthrie’s family on Feb. 4, while acknowledging that he knew there had been an earlier ransom demand.

He also admitted that he meant to harass the family by seeking information about the 84-year-old woman and the investigation into her disappearance.

Authorities have said that Callella is not connected to the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.

After Nancy Guthrie went missing, her adult children, including Savannah Guthrie, posted a video to social media urging the kidnappers to contact them.

According to the complaint, not long after the video was published, two people identified in the document as A.C. and A.C.’s husband, T.C., who are believed to be Annie Guthrie, one of Nancy Guthrie’s daughters, and Tommaso Cioni, separately received text messages, stating: “Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction.”

Authorities said the messages were sent with the use of voice-over-Internet-protocol and a smartphone application that allows users to obtain a separate phone number for the device other than the one they were assigned.

Despite the efforts to obfuscate the origin of the text messages, authorities were able to trace the messages back to Callella in California, the complaint states.

The FBI arrested Callella a day after the text messages were sent.

When sentenced, Callella faces up to a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for each of the two counts of harassment using a telecommunications devices he pleaded guilty to.

Callella pleaded guilty amid renewed interest into the case following reports stating authorities believe notes from the purported kidnappers claiming Nancy Guthrie had died were legitimate.

On Wednesday, the FBI’s Phoenix field office appeared to be undercutting those reports, issuing a statement stating that some of the ransom notes they have received over the course of their investigation have not been legitimate.