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Footage released by the Pentagon shows US strikes on two Iranian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military says the vessels were disabled following overnight exchanges of fire with Iranian forces, preventing them from reaching ports in the Gulf of Oman.

“Yellowstone” and “The New World” actor Q’orianka Kilcher has taken legal action against filmmaker James Cameron, Disney and others she says used her likeness in the wildly lucrative “Avatar” film franchise without her knowledge.

Kilcher, 36, filed her complaint Tuesday in California Central District Court and is suing on numerous counts including misappropriation of likeness, invasion of privacy and interfering with possible financial gain. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and a jury trial. The parties involved in the making of the “Avatar” film series “commercially exploited [Kilcher’s] likeness in developing and continuing the Avatar franchise” and “systematically avoided alerting or crediting her,” the lawsuit states.

Disney and a legal representative for Cameron did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Cameron’s production company Lightstorm Entertainment, a California-based laser scanning studio and a New Zealand-based VFX firm are also among the co-defendants.

The claim at the core of Kilcher’s lawsuit is that Cameron in 2005 “extracted, replicated and commercially deployed her facial likeness” from a photo of a 14-year-old Kilcher as Pocahontas in the Terrence Malick film “The New World” and used it to inform the facial characteristics of Neytiri, a key character in the “Avatar” franchise played by Zoe Saldaña. Cameron spoke of Kilcher’s influence on the character in an interview with French YouTube channel Konbini. In the video, published in 2024 and noted in the lawsuit, James references the original sketch work for Neytiri. “The source for this was a photograph that was in the L.A. Times as part of the promotion for ‘The New World,’” he said. “It’s a young actress named Q’orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in ‘The New World.’”

He adds in the video: “This is actually her lower face. She had a very interesting face. And I wound up meeting her years later and I gave her a signed print of this [sketch].”

The lawsuit alleges that the final look of Neytiri featured in the “Avatar” films “was not a fleeting inspiration or vague homage; it was a literal transplant of a real teenager’s facial structure into a blockbuster movie character.” In the 2024 interview, Cameron said the model of Neytiri had come to resemble Saldaña after she was cast. The first “Avatar” film was released in 2009 and grossed more than $2.9 billion.

The complaint also claims that the design process for Cameron’s Na’vi character moved on without Kilcher’s consent and that she was not compensated for influencing Neytiri’s design, further alleging that the film team’s actions “violated child performer laws and privacy laws designed to protect minors.” According to the lawsuit, the team behind “Avatar” did not “even attempt to have Plaintiff audition for the role of Neytiri” and refused the actor after her agent attempted to book a reading for the sci-fi epic.

Kilcher accuses Cameron of “creating a misleading narrative that she was simply unavailable” to appear in the original “Avatar” film and of leading her on with the idea of potentially appearing in later “Avatar” movies. Cameron released “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022 and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” in 2025.

The lawsuit said Cameron and Kilcher crossed paths at a Hollywood environmental charity event in 2010 and he instructed her to later pick up a “surprise gift” at his production offices. According to the lawsuit, Cameron gifted Kilcher a framed and signed print of the original Neytiri sketch with the note: “Your beauty was my early inspiration for Neytiri. Too bad you were shooting another movie. Next time.” Kilcher said she found the note confusing at the time. She had also contacted Cameron over the years, but “nothing concrete materialized,” according to the lawsuit.

The 99-page complaint describes Kilcher as an Indigenous actor-activist, noting she is of Quechua-Huachipaeri heritage. The lawsuit also alleged Cameron’s actions were hypocritical of his films’ messaging and detailed public backlash Cameron and the films faced for its depictions of Native groups.

“The result was a highly lucrative film franchise that presented itself as sympathetic to Indigenous struggles,” the lawsuit said, “all while silently exploiting a real Indigenous youth behind the scenes.”

According to her complaint, Kilcher “learned of the betrayal Cameron had kept from her” in August 2025, after video of the filmmaker discussing Neytiri’s design came across her social media feed. She “was shocked, heartbroken, and felt utterly betrayed,” and was motivated to reexamine and scrutinize archival “Avatar” materials. That included behind-the-scenes footage featured in a recent Blu-ray DVD release and an “Avatar” production art book, which, according to the lawsuit, did not credit the actor. The suit includes several side-by-side photos of Kilcher in “The New World” and various Na’vi characters from “Avatar” material.

In addition to damages and a jury trial, Kilcher seeks a public statement acknowledging her contributions and correcting “any false or misleading statement about her,” and payment of profits attributable to the “unauthorized” use of the actor’s likeness and identity.

The internet’s most controversial looksmaxxer is in hot water again.

Clavicular, born Braden Eric Peters, has been charged in Florida’s Miami-Dade County in connection with a video that circulated on social media showing an alligator, which appeared to be dead already, being shot repeatedly in the Everglades. Two others are also facing charges in connection with the incident: Andrew Morales, 22, known online by the moniker “Cuban Tarzan,” and Yabdiel Anibal Cotto Torres, 26, who goes by “Baby Alien.”

Peters is facing a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place, according to court records obtained by The Times. The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office filed the charges April 29.

Steven Kramer and Jeffrey Neiman, attorneys for Peters, told The Times in a text message, “Our client has been summoned to appear for a misdemeanor charge that stems from following the instructions of a licensed airboat guide. He relied on that guidance. No animals or people were harmed. We are confident that once the full picture is understood, people will see this for what it is.”

The shooting took place at the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area boat ramp dock on or about March 26, court records said. The video shows the men aboard an airboat firing at the alligator more than a dozen times.

“Yeah, it’s definitely dead,” Peters is heard saying after firing.

Shortly after the video went live on social media, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced it had launched an investigation into the incident.

“Florida’s wildlife and waterways deserve respect, not content farming,” Lt. Gov. Jay Collins said March 26 on X. “Under my watch, anyone who abuses wildlife in Florida will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Morales’ attorney Richard Cooper emailed The Times a statement Wednesday. “We urge the public not to rush to judgment. Importantly, there is no allegation that any animal was injured, and the available evidence does not support the sensationalized narrative that has circulated online,” the statement read. “My client relied on information and guidance provided by those in authority and had no criminal intent.”

An arraignment has been scheduled for May 20.

The face of “looksmaxxing,” a subculture hyperfocused on taking extreme measures to perfect one’s physical appearance, Peters has admitted in interviews that he uses appetite-supressing and performance-enhancing drugs, as well as recreational party drugs, and has said he chisels his face by smashing his bones with a hammer.

The same week Peters’ alligator video caught the authorities’ attention, the manosphere influencer was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. He was taken into custody on a warrant issued by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and released soon after on bond. Police allege that in February the 20-year-old internet celebrity instigated a fight between his girlfriend, Violet Lentz, 24, and a 19-year-old influencer at a Kissimmee, Fla., short-term rental. That incident was also live streamed to his hundreds of thousands of followers.

Then in April, Peters was live streaming from a Miami nightclub when he appeared to overdose on camera. In the video, Peters is seen taking a swig of an unknown substance and then subsequently starting to mumble, sway and close his eyes as the camera panned away.

TMZ obtained the audio from a 911 call alerting emergency services to the possible overdose of a 20-year-old man. Additional videos, taken by bystanders, showed Peters being carried out of the nightclub.

A source close to Peters told The Times that he was hospitalized for the overdose and checked himself out the following morning. Within hours of his release from the hospital, he was back on streaming platform Kick and telling his followers he would be out at a nightclub that night to promote its grand opening.

Free agent NFL receiver Stefon Diggs has been found not guilty of felony strangulation and not guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery in connection with an alleged dispute with his private chef over money she said he owed her for her services.

Diggs remained stoic in the courtroom as the verdicts were announced, following less that two hours of deliberation by the jury.

Diggs was charged Dec. 30 and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment at Massachusetts’ Dedham District Court on Feb. 13, five days after playing in Super Bowl LX with the New England Patriots.

Diggs did not take the stand during the trial, which started Monday in Norfolk County District Court in Dedham, Mass.

His accuser, Jamila Adams, told the jury that the 11-year NFL veteran “smacked me with an open hand” and wrapped his arm around her neck during an incident that is alleged to have occurred at Diggs’ house on Dec. 2.

“When I went up to block him, he took his arms and came around my neck and he began to choke me,” said Adams, who became emotional during her testimony.

Defense attorney Andrew Kettlewell told jurors there was no evidence of an assault, with no one in the house reporting anything of the kind and no medical records, photos or video that documented any injuries.

Adams said she did not take any photos or video that showed any marks on her body that could be used as evidence because she “was in shock.”

According to Adams, her employment dynamic with Diggs was “complicated.” The two of them have known each other for more than four years, she said, and had previously been in a sexual relationship, although they were not at the time of the alleged assault. As Diggs’ private chef, she lived in his home and prepared him meals and snacks, she said.

In reporting the alleged incident to police Dec. 16, Adams said she and Diggs had a dispute over payment she thought she was owed. Kettlewell told jurors that Adams had sought money from Diggs after reporting the alleged incident, in amounts that increased over time and culminated in her attorney seeking $5.5 million.

“She was furious and she wanted Mr. Diggs to pay in every sense of that word,” Kettlewell said.

Asked Tuesday about the $5.5-million claim, Adams answered at various points, “I can’t speak on that,” “I don’t understand the question” and “I don’t know how to answer the question.”

At times during the trial, Judge Jeanmarie Carroll instructed jurors to disregard parts of Adams’ testimony that the judge said went beyond the scope of the questions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US President Donald Trump said Iran should ‘wave the white flag of surrender’ in the war, and accused Iran’s leaders of playing games in negotiations. He also said higher oil prices are a ‘small price to pay’ to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon.

3. Tonton Zolo Moukoko (Championship Manager 01-02)

“We went to a small village in Malaysia,” Tonton Zola Moukoko told me. “I gave my passport to the officer. He was shocked. ‘Are you really Tonton Zola Moukoko?’ he asked. ‘You can’t be the one that was playing at Derby!'”

Moukoko’s legend travelled far and wide, carried on fans’ forums and whispered between Championship Manager anoraks. And there was truth in its roots.

Derby beat AC Milan and Bologna to sign the 15-year-old from Djurgardens in Sweden, where he moved from Democratic Republic of Congo to live with his brother after losing both parents.

He was a fledgling star in County’s academy, whose attributes on the game would see him grow into a skilful number 10 in the mould of Lionel Messi, often ending up at Europe’s biggest clubs.

At real-life youth or reserve games, fans would ask for his signature. But Moukoko never made a senior appearance at Derby. The death of his older brother saw him return to Sweden, and he spent his career in the lower Scandinavian leagues.

“Things happened around me which changed me a lot, changed my football career,” he said. “I didn’t really enjoy football any more.

“I found it very difficult to sleep for a long time after my brother died. Football was not the right thing for me after that.”

Moukoko is happy, though, that his legend endures among those who signed him on the game: “Still now, I have people calling from Australia, France, all over the place.”

“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” filmmaker Pavel “Pasha” Talankin will soon be reunited with his Oscar statuette after it went missing amid his recent travels.

A spokesperson for European airline Lufthansa confirmed Friday in a statement shared with outlets that the coveted golden statuette has been located and is “safely in our care.” Lufthansa spoke on the missing Oscar after Talankin’s co-director Dave Borenstein raised the flag Thursday on social media. “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” won the documentary feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards in March.

According to Borenstein, Talankin arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York “to fly home to Europe” and had the Oscar in tow as a carry-on. Airport security allegedly stopped Talankin from bringing the Oscar on board, citing concerns it could be used as a weapon. Borenstein said the film’s executive producer tried to smooth things but ultimately, “TSA put the Oscar in a box and sent it to the bottom of the plane” because Pavel did not have a check-in bag to place it in. He shared a photo of the cardboard box and Deadline published video of airport workers wrapping the statuette in bubble wrap and yellow tape.

Borenstein concluded his post noting the Oscar “never arrived” in Frankfurt, Germany, and speculated whether his co-director was on the receiving end of unfair treatment. “Would Pavel have been treated the same way if he were a famous actor? Or a fluent English speaker?” he wrote, tagging the Instagram account for the Transportation Security Administration. He also tagged Lufthansa and urged them to assist.

In response, Lufthansa commented on Borenstein’s post that it was on the missing Oscar case, and they are taking it “super serious.” Less than a day after their comment, the airline’s spokesperson said in their statement that it is “in direct contact with the guest to arrange its personal return as quickly as possible.”

“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner,” the spokesperson added.

Borenstein celebrated the development on Instagram, posting a clip of his interview with the BBC about the update and thanking a Lufthansa rep for their help and followers for spreading the word.

“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” features Talankin, a schoolteacher near the Ural Mountains, as he documents Russian propaganda efforts — from chants and songs — to energize young students around the war in Ukraine. During the Oscars in March, Talankin delivered a poignant message in Russian.

“In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now,” he said through a translator.

THE black leather biker jacket George Michael wore for the music video of 1987 hit Faith fetched £176,400 at auction.

Organisers said “a fan” bought the item, made by London fashion brand La Rocka, and confirmed it would remain in the UK.

The jacket, which George also wore on his 1988 Faith tour, features a BSA logo on the back embellished with crystals.

When first sold in La Rocka’s London shop, the jackets cost £290.

Also sold at the Propstore auction in London was a Gibson Les Paul ’59 once owned by Slash of Guns N’ Roses.

It fetched £233,100, a record for a guitar at auction.

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It was one of 327 rare instruments, handwritten lyrics, stage-used pieces, and iconic personal artefacts sold at the event, which achieved an auction total of £1.9m.

Further success came from the sale of Peter Hince’s Queen collection, which realised a total of £350,000.

Lots from the former roadie for the legendary rock band were led by Freddie Mercury’s Gold Shure 565 SD Microphone Award, the first of his microphones with direct provenance to come to market, which sold for £151,200.

Peter Hince said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with how the auction has turned out, especially seeing Freddie’s gold microphone achieve such a strong price.

“It means a lot to know these pieces are going to fans who truly appreciate what Queen meant and still means today.”

A poster signed by John Lennon, one of the last four items he signed, was sold for £75,600 and Oasis hitmaker Noel Gallagher’s Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary Guitar also sold for £34,650.

The fedora worn by Michael Jackson in his 1987 Pepsi commercial sold for an eye-watering £34,650.

Guardians fan Evelyn Moore got a pretty cool souvenir from Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays — a two-run home run ball hit by Cleveland second baseman Daniel Schneemann.

The 11-year-old softball player from New Philadelphia, Ohio, almost got the ball right after Schneemann hit it in the bottom of the fifth inning.

But, as seen in video footage that quickly went viral on social media, a man appeared to snatch it away as Evelyn was trying to pick it up near the rail in the left-center field stands at Progressive Field.

He eventually gave it to her, however, and now the girl’s mother wants folks on social media to leave him alone.

“This man’s life shouldn’t be ruined over this,” Nikki Moore-DeVore said. “Jokes and memes are one thing, but it’s getting excessive. It’s too much.”

Moore-DeVore said her family — which also includes her husband, Jon DeVore, and her son, Theo Moore, 9 — attend several Guardians games a year. They sit in the outfield stands, where Evelyn — an avid baseball fan and baseball card collector — likes to take her glove down to the rail and try to persuade Cleveland outfielders to toss her a ball.

Video of Schneemann’s home run shows the ball flying over the left-center field wall, where a bearded man wearing a throwback Cleveland Indians hat and T-shirt tried to catch it in the air. Instead, it bounced off his hands toward the rail to his left.

Cleveland Guardians’ Daniel Schneemann, right, is greeted at the plate by teammate David Fry after hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in Cleveland.

(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)

Evelyn ran down from her seat two rows up, dropped to the ground and attempted to secure the ball in front of her. The man ran over and also dropped to the ground next to her, starting a brief struggle for control of the ball.

The man eventually emerged triumphantly.

“I did not really see how the ball came over to us. I just saw it bounce in our direction and my daughter go down to get it,” Moore-DeVore said. “And I saw the scuffle kind of from behind, but I couldn’t see much of the hands or anything like that. I just saw the shoulders shifting around.

“And then she got up empty-handed, and people started booing. The guys sitting in front of me were like, ‘That was her ball!’ My husband was booing. He was not happy, but we didn’t want to ruin the game.”

Evelyn also was upset by the turn of events, her mother said, “but she didn’t cry.”

“She actually took it like a champ,” Moore-DeVore said. “Every inning, she still went up to the rail to try to get one of the players to throw a ball to her. She didn’t give up.”

Meanwhile, Theo approached the man to request he return the ball to his sister. Moore-DeVore said her son told her the man politely refused.

“I was just proud of him for going over there and taking it upon himself to try to help his sister,” Moore-DeVore said.

The Rays broadcast of the game showed the incident involving Evelyn and the man, with the announcers taking the girl’s side. On social media, fans shared the video and shamed the man for his behavior, with some looking to make his identity public.

Later in the game, Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass visited the family at their seats and presented both kids with baseballs.

That’s when Evelyn became emotional.

“She cried happy tears,” her mother said. “I think she just felt seen. The incident made her feel small, and Ryan made her feel seen.”

Bass posted about the moment on X.

“We had to make it right,” Bass wrote, adding in a separate post: “We got the chance to make a sweet little girl’s night. There’s nothing better. Kindness is free. Always remember that.”

Before the bottom of the eighth inning, Evelyn went down to her usual post at the rail to try to persuade an outfielder to toss her a ball. She returned with the home run ball from three innings earlier.

“She came back with the biggest smile on her face: ‘Mom, he gave it back to me!’” Moore-DeVore said. “The guys in front of me were like, ‘yeah, he’s, like, getting a lot of social media flack.’ … I’m sure he realized eventually that it was probably the wrong action to take, just not good etiquette.”

In return, Moore-DeVore said, Theo offered the man — whose name has not been revealed despite the internet’s attempts — one of the balls that Bass had given him and his sister.

“He respectfully declined,” she said, “so my son gave it to another kid.”

Moore-DeVore said both of her kids are “on cloud nine” over how everything turned out — and she wants everyone else to get over it as well.

“I don’t want this one moment to ruin this guy,” she said. “And my kids, they wouldn’t want that. They’re sweet kids. I feel like, if kids their age can forgive and offer him a peace offering, grown adults and other fans can, too.”

On the same day that the Chief of Naval Operations answered our question about the future of the F/A-XX sixth-generation naval fighter program, stating a final selection between the offerings from Boeing and Northrop Grumman will be coming in August, the latter of the two firms has released a new teaser video. Previously, we only had one rendering of Northrop’s notional F/A-XX concept. Now we have a more detailed panning video and a new head-on perspective view.

The video clip, posted on Northrop Grumman’s X account this evening, as seen below, states: “We’re bringing tomorrow’s horizon into focus, faster, stronger, and ready when the warfighter needs it.”

What we see in the clip is the same general design we saw in the still image earlier, but much more of it. This includes a head-on shot, showing the aircraft’s stealthy and efficient tailless design and rear-set dorsal inlets, as well as its very broad nose and canopy.

The aircraft in the new stylized video clip has some interesting proportions. The size of the landing gear and especially the canopy give it something of a smaller overall appearance than what one would expect from a heavy sixth-generation naval fighter that will be stuffed with fuel and weapons. Of course, this could be due to the somewhat ‘cartoonish’ nature of this new glitzy clip, and how accurate this rendering is to the actual Northrop Grumman F/A-XX is still unknown. At the very least, some of the aircraft’s features (such as its inlets) will have been significantly changed for security issues pertaining to its sensitive design elements.

We also see the wings, which look like they have a bit of camber on the outer sections and possibly a bit of ‘crank’ too. We also see the wings folded in the first part of the clip.

What could be a weapons bay with its doors open is also visible in some of the angles seen in the clip. At first glance, this appeared to be for the jet’s very stout-looking landing gear, but they are curved inward. There are additional doors on the centerline, as well, pointing to two separate bays.

Overall, because of the size of the canopy, it is hard to tell if this is a single-seat or a two-crew aircraft. The canopy is so large in these renders that a side-by-side crew arrangement may even be possible, although that seems unlikely.

Once again, we don’t know how close this computer-generated model is to the real thing, but considering this aircraft will have to carry a sizable weapons load and have something approaching a combat radius of 1,000-miles, while still fitting well within the confines of a supercarrier, it should be firmly in the heavy fighter class.

Maybe Northrop Grumman will share more on its F/A-XX at the annual Sea-Air-Space convention in Washington this week, and we will be ready to report it from the scene if they do.

We have reached out to Northrop Grumman with questions, and we will update this post if we hear back.

Contact the author: Tyler@twz.com

AN eye-watering amount of cash is stuffed into suitcases, with Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews’ name printed onto a label stuck on top of the thousands upon thousands of $100 bank notes.

But rather than a show of his apparent wealth, today The Sun can reveal Lee’s boastful videos share the hallmarks of high-level scams – with his ex-fiancee Alana Percival warning that his time evading the heavy hand of the law may be running out.

Former glamour model Katie, 48, flew back to Dubai over the weekend to join Andrews, 41, in the country at a £36million mansion which he claims he bought in cash.

It will be the first time she has seen the businessman since he boasted he was buying a majority stake in Chelsea Football Club for £2billion.

The shameless brag, like most that come from his lips, is not true and the London football club have had no dealings with Andrews.

No doubt, like many women, Katie may have seen the suitcases stuffed to the brim with what appears to be millions of pounds in cash.

His alleged vast fortune is, he claims, from complex deals with foreign embassies and treasuries that he’s spent the past nine years developing.

Sharing the two videos with The Sun to prove his “wealth”, Lee alleges he ships the cash to Africa for institutional investment.

However, our analysis found that the clips are almost identical to the dubious proof-of-funds videos often used by fraudsters to convince people they have large sums of money.

In one video, Lee’s name is written on a sheet of A4 paper along with the date, while the man filming references a fictitious code that The Sun has discovered does not exist in the real world banking system.

The wads of $100 notes are bound by plain bands labelled “BEP” (Bureau of Engraving and Printing).

To the untrained eye, it would seem Lee is sitting on a fortune.

But those BEP labelled bands are most commonly found on film sets, binding together fake wads of cash seen in blockbuster movies.

Authentic BEP bands include the institution’s name, a routing number, and a branch ID.

Andrews’s bands include none of those.

The videos are known as “Black Money Scams” – and are often seen in fraud cases.

Metal briefcases, locked with padlocks, labelled “FRAGILE – HANDLE WITH CARE” — are designed to look like a secure, official shipment of cash.

Stacks of $100 bills are then laid out in an open case with a note to make it look personalised and real.

In fact, where these scams exist it’s all faked – the money is not real.

Andrews’ former fiancee Alana has warned the net may be closing in on him and claimed last week that a warrant was out for his arrest in Dubai.

And now those close to Katie tell The Sun they hope she can finally start to see what is happening.

“Alana is saying a warrant is out for Lee’s arrest in Dubai, he still appears to be taking money off women, but Katie still can’t see what he’s doing,” a friend tells The Sun.

“It’s exasperating. Those around her think Lee is bad news.

“The brags about his wealth, the videos of the fake cash, the claims he’s bought a £36million mansion in cash – it’s all laughable.

“Kate is usually shrewd but when it comes to matters of love, she thinks with her heart and not with her brain.

“It is painful for her friends and family watching her consort with this man.”

Alongside the videos supposedly proving his income stream, Andrews also provided three documents.

One of these is a payment guarantee letter for a $100m transaction, the first payment of a proposed $5bn.

It is signed by Mr Sikakaew, allegedly from the Thai bank Kasikorn, who holds a “Supreme SSID License”—a term not recognised in banking, as SSID is actually a name for a Wi-Fi network.

In the document, a scanned image of Lee’s passport appears to have been digitally manipulated and features glaring mistakes such as an upside-down photo and backward font.

A second document is a Memorandum of Understanding, which is a non-legally binding statement of intent to work with another party.

It mentions a “UN license for a mixed currencies redemption program”, something that also does not exist.

The letter, which outlines the transfer of $5bn to the Royal Thai Embassy in Kenya, is signed by American Joseph John Garrity, with no record of such a person being involved in high-level international finance.

The third document is a Capital Readiness Program prepared for Lee by Hachi Capital LLC — a business with no legitimate record.

A similarly named UK company called Hachi Capital Ltd was dissolved in 2013 and coincidentally featured Craig Boddington as director, the same name managing Lee’s account.

The program promises financial returns well beyond any realistic measure, claiming a 500 per cent return on investment per monthly cycle and as much as 100 per cent per 10-day cycle on “bullet trades”.

Further red flags include the business not being licensed or regulated by any major financial authority and has hallmarks of investment scams with six-figure set up fees designed to get clients to part with cash before realising any profits.

A number of women have spoken to The Sun after falling for such Andrews’ investment promises.

One woman, Crystal Janke, invested £123,000 in his Aura Worldwide Holdings Ltd, after being promised a return of up to £1m.

The money has since disappeared, with Crystal filing a police complaint in the US.

Andrews denies the claims but Crystal to date is still insistent she’s not had a penny, after sharing with The Sun her bank statements which prove the transactions into Andrews’ account.

Earlier this year The Sun revealed that his company, Aura Worldwide Holdings Ltd, was actually dissolved in 2024.

But Andrews is still claiming it is open, despite paperwork proving otherwise, and is pushing his schemes upon women he meets on social media and women he knows through business.

Last month, another woman came forward to tell The Sun she had invested $1,000 but still had no return.

When she confronted Andrews, she claims he fobbed her off and made excuses about the whereabouts of her funds.

A friend of Katie’s told The Sun: “Why Katie cannot see what is going on under her nose is scary.

“None of this is legitimate and everyone is just praying for the moment the penny finally drops and she gets the hell out of this marriage.”

Andrews previously denied all the allegations brought against him by The Sun.

He later claimed his inflated LinkedIn CV was the result of errors by his former assistant and swiftly removed some of his false work history.

Among them was that he was a Member of the Board of Advisors for the Labour Party and Director of Philanthropy at The King’s Trust.

He said: “I think that’s been hyped up and made to look better than what it is and it needs to come down.

“I can’t take the showmanship of it, but I’ll take the accountability.

“The PA no longer works for me now anyway, for other reasons — probably because of that.”

More recently he claimed to have made secret “back and forth” visits to the UK where he met wife Katie’s eldest children Harvey, Junior and Princess.

He told us: “People don’t know I’ve met Harvey and two of the kids, I haven’t seen the young ones.

“I’ve been back and forth, I just don’t f***ing tell anyone. I lead a very private life. I tell people what they want to hear, the rest they can make up, you know.”

A representative for Katie later told The Sun this claim was a lie and that Andrews had never met her children.

WASHINGTON — A night devoted to celebrating the 1st Amendment and journalism turned into a breaking story of its own.

The attendees at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner Saturday took cover under the tables in the Washington Hilton ballroom when they heard gunshots outside, which led to the evacuation of President Trump and many of his Cabinet officials at the gala.

But instinct kicked in swiftly, and many of the journalists in the crowd of 2,600 people were using their phones to capture video. Uploading pictures to social media was a challenge as the internet coverage in the ballroom was poor, but they would eventually provide a detailed chronicle of the night.

“I reached for my phone as soon as I could and started shooting video to capture as much of the moment as I could,” said Sara Cook, a CBS News producer and press association board member seated on the dais near the president, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who were hustled out while a SWAT team swarmed the stage.

“I could hear Secret Service officers saying, ‘Where is it coming from?’” Cook said. “They seemed to be quite confused onstage about exactly what was happening, where the threat was coming from and if there still was a threat.”

Authorities identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance. He was apprehended after rushing a security checkpoint one floor above the ballroom. Law enforcement officials said Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.

After guests were told the evening program would not proceed, many of the TV anchors and correspondents in the crowd headed to their Washington studios. Many didn’t wait. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who was returning from a restroom on the floor where the incident occurred, delivered an eyewitness account from the Hilton lobby using a Webex app on a smartphone.

There was at least one fog-of-war moment as well. CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins reported on air that the armed suspect was killed by the Secret Service, attributing it to security for Education Secretary Linda McMahon. She had to correct the report after Fox News said Allen was alive and detained by agents.

“CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Doukopil and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss walked several blocks from the Hilton to waiting vehicles that took them to the network’s offices and studios on M Street. (Weiss granted a reporter’s request to go behind the scenes to observe the news-gathering operation.)

Matt Gutman, Nancy Cordes, Tony Dokoupil and Bari Weiss at the CBS News Washington bureau on April 25, 2026.

When Doukopil and Weiss arrived at the bureau, CBS News national correspondent Matt Gutman and Nancy Cordes, chief White House correspondent, were already on the air with a special report, showing video shot by its journalists in the ballroom.

Doukopil joined his colleagues, all still dressed in formal wear, and took over the coverage. The newsroom soon filled with executives and producers arriving from the Hilton, several dressed in long gowns and carrying their high-heeled shoes.

CBS News President Tom Cibrowski stood over a large multiview screen, monitoring his network’s broadcast alongside the competition.

When Cibrowski was on the floor of the ballroom when the commotion began, he texted his family to let them know he was OK. He then called David Reiter, the executive producer of special events for CBS News, to alert him that they would be breaking into regular programming on the network, a rarity lately with so many 24-hour news sources available.

Reiter left his seat at a Broadway show and headed to the CBS News studios on the west side of Manhattan to get the feed on the air.

Weiss walked over to the Washington set and consulted with Doukopil, Cordes and Gutman during a break, providing a bipartisan list of government officials and activists who were subjected to politically motivated violence in recent years. She settled in at a workspace to turn out a memo to staff, acknowledging the rapid work of getting its images from inside the ballroom on the air.

“This is what we do,” wrote Weiss, a digital entrepreneur who has dealt with criticism over her lack of experience in TV news since taking on her high-profile role in October. “Most importantly, we are thankful that everyone is safe.”

Later, she led a lengthy meeting to plan further coverage, which included Norah O’Donnell interviewing Trump for Sunday’s edition of “60 Minutes.”

After Doukopil finished his special report, he was off to prepare a segment to air on “CBS Sunday Morning.”

“It’s very strange to go from drinking wine to drinking coffee,” Dokoupil said as he departed the set.

Every journalist in the ballroom left with a story.

Tom Llamas, anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” was seated next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio when Secret Service agents pulled Rubio and his wife away as White House officials were evacuated. Llamas had to alert the agents that another, less high-profile Cabinet member, Energy Secretary Christopher Wright, and his wife were at the table as well.

Llamas made his way from the hotel to the NBC News bureau with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker and veteran Washington correspondent Andrea Mitchell. The anchor took over the network’s special report and felt compelled to explain his attire.

“NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas reports on the shooting at the dinner on April 25, 2026.

“It is unusual to come on the air in a tuxedo, but this is a very unusual night,” he told viewers.

Llamas praised the performance of his peers who have seen the image of their profession take a beating in recent years.

“There was a while there, we did not know what was going on,” he said. “For all the crap that is written about our industry, I saw people jump into action immediately, and it was incredible. I was proud of all my colleagues.”

The canceled dinner created a predicament for MS NOW and NBC News, which both planned lavish after-parties late Saturday evening. Many of the big-name on-air talent stars and executives expected to attend were working on the story.

After a half-hour of deliberations, both networks decided their parties would go on. But planned stunts for the MS NOW soiree at DuPont Underground — such as a performance by a university drum line — were scrapped.

NBC’s event at the home of the French ambassador was billed as “The After Party.” A text message told attendees to expect a more subdued affair described as “a gathering for people who wanted to convene, eat and drink and be with community.”

Privately, one network executive explained why the festivities moved forward. “Nobody died,” he said.

Videos and other imagery bearing witness to the awesome destructive power of nuclear detonations remain some of the most enduring legacies of the Cold War. But of the more than 2,000 nuclear weapons tests that have been carried out since 1945, only very, very few have involved a live weapon dropped from a fighter-bomber.

A nuclear strike performed by the Su-7

At least one such test took place in the Soviet Union, however. On his X account, Sam Wise, an aviation analyst at Janes, brought our attention to footage that purportedly shows that test, or at least portions of it.

The test in question was especially notable in that it involved a free-fall tactical nuclear bomb that was delivered by a crewed fighter-bomber, specifically a Su-7 Fitter attack jet, in an end-to-end test.

Of those 2,000-plus nuclear tests, only a small fraction involved bombs dropped from aircraft of any kind — roughly 200 to 250 according to records compiled by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. Those tests almost always involved bombers, aircraft with multiple engines, several crew members, and, often, dedicated to delivering nuclear weapons.

The vast majority of nuclear tests were conducted underground, at sea, or on land. In the latter case, the devices were typically detonated from an elevated position, either atop a tower or suspended from a balloon. This better replicated the conditions of a typical nuclear detonation, with the weapon engineered to explode in an air burst above the ground, for maximum effect.

One reason for the relative scarcity of air-dropped nuclear bomb tests was the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963, which pushed testing underground.

At the same time, dropping a live nuclear weapon from a crewed aircraft brings additional risks for relatively little benefit.

At the beginning of the nuclear age, air-dropped tests were useful to prove that bombs could be delivered, but they were inefficient in terms of scientific measurement and riskier to conduct from a safety point of view. Dropping a nuclear device from an aircraft adds variables (altitude, speed, trajectory) that complicate measurements. If something goes wrong, you risk losing a plane, or worse, an accidental detonation or contamination spread.

Based on the available information, it appears that the U.S. military never tested a live tactical nuclear bomb dropped by a tactical combat jet, despite the very many platforms, both Air Force and Navy, that were cleared to carry them operationally.

It should be noted that the U.S. Air Force did detonate one tactical nuclear weapon after launch from a fighter. However, this involved an air-to-air rocket, the nuclear-tipped Genie, which was fired on this occasion from an F-89 interceptor, in 1957’s Operation Plumbbob John.

Project Genie : Air-to-air rocket nuclear testing

France does appear to have conducted a live test of an air-dropped tactical nuclear bomb, with an AN52 dropped from a Jaguar attack jet in August 1972, to help prove that weapon for service.

Returning to the Soviet Union, on August 27, 1962, pilot Lt. Col. A. I. Shein took off in a single-seat Su-7B, with a live 244N nuclear bomb carried on the centerline station below the fuselage. He then headed for the Semipalatinsk test site on the Soviet steppe. Also known as “The Polygon,” the Semipalatinsk range was the main test site for Soviet nuclear weapons. It is in the Abai region, in what is now Kazakhstan.

Shein put the jet into a climb at an angle of around 45 degrees. This was an ‘over-the-shoulder’ toss maneuver, typical for fighter-bombers of this era. This involved the attacking aircraft pulling upward before releasing its bomb to compensate for the weapon’s gravity drop in flight. The result would put the weapon on the target, without the aircraft having to pass over it. Instead, the jet would complete a half roll and (hopefully) avoid the blast effects so it could escape. The launch maneuver sequence, as shown in the video, is apparently simulated, or at the least, heavily edited.

Shein later recalled:

“I take off, the excitement subsides, I enter the combat course, and make an approach. Everything is normal, I make an approach for a combat release, bring the aircraft into a nose-up attitude, and monitor the G-forces. After four seconds, I hear a signal, then a second, a short third, and I press the ‘release’ trigger. The green light goes out, indicating the release has been completed. The bomb’s release is felt by the shaking of the aircraft. I continue the nose-up attitude. For control, I note the release angle; it is almost constant and equal to 44–50 degrees. After passing the top point, I then descend at a 50-60 degree angle, perform a half-roll, increase engine speed and, consequently, aircraft speed, descend to the lowest possible altitude, and try to get as far and as quickly as possible from the target.”

This method required a bomb computer to calculate the release point. For the U.S. Air Force, this was the Low Altitude Bombing System, or LABS, while the Su-7 was fitted with the equivalent PBK-1 device, a separate box that was added to the left side of the instrument panel. In this context, PBK denoted Pritsel dliya Bombometaniya s Kabrirovaniya, or toss-bombing sight.

A video shows a U.S. Air Force B-47 bomber flying the LABS maneuver:

Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Low Altitude Bombing System) LABS Maneuver

After release from the Su-7, the bomb exploded at an altitude of around 800 feet, at the coordinates of 50.4°N and 77.8°E. The detonation had a yield of 11 kilotons.

As for the Su-7, this was the Soviet Union’s first-generation supersonic attack jet. It was rapidly equipping fighter-bomber regiments, and nuclear strike would become one of its most important duties.

The streamlined 244N was the first mass-produced Soviet tactical nuclear bomb specifically intended for carriage by supersonic jets.

A photo showing the earlier, non-streamlined RDS-4 tactical free-fall bomb:

RDS-4 “Tatyana” was a Soviet atomic bomb that was first tested with a yield of 27 kilotons at Semipalatinsk Test Site, on August 23, 1953. The Soviet Union’s first mass-produced tactical nuclear weapon. pic.twitter.com/c7xdODw0tZ

— NUKES (@atomicarchive) August 24, 2023

At this point, it should be noted that there is a possibility that the video shows not the 244N, but an IAB-500, a so-called ‘imitation bomb’ that replicated the shape, dimensions, weight and flight characteristics of the nuclear device. Filled with a mixture of liquid petroleum and white phosphorus, it also produced a large fireball that subsequently turned into a mushroom cloud.

With that in mind, the video could at least show portions of an IAB-500 test, although the location and the original voiceover point squarely to the 1962 Semipalatinsk test. The apparent installation of a camera pod below the Su-7’s wing, to record the detonation, also suggests a nuclear test rather than training.

Regardless, the 244N was successfully tested and was put into operational service in several variants, including with different yields up to a maximum of 30 kilotons. Most of these bombs were deployed by Soviet units stationed close to what would have been the front line in the event of a confrontation with NATO: in East Germany, Hungary, and Poland.

Starting in 1967, Western intelligence began to note training activities involving nuclear weapons at Soviet airbases in East Germany, including Su-7s taking part in LABS-type maneuvers.

In one of its reports from 1967, the U.S. Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) noted that its staff identified Su-7s from Grossenhain Air Base performing at least four LABS practice delivery runs on October 7 of that year.

“The aircraft passed over the airfield at approximately 2,000 feet, pulled up into vertical climb to 3,500 feet, pitched over, flew inverted for several seconds, then rolled over again departing to the west.”

Two days later, the USMLM reported “A very active program of local navigational, touch-and-go landings, LABS maneuvers, and possible range activity flown by Grossenhain-based Fitter and [two-seat Su-7] Moujik” aircraft.

Air-dropped tactical nuclear weapons still play a significant role in Russia’s military strategy, as evidenced by recent moves to station tactical devices in Belarus. Many Russian combat aircraft have variants capable of carrying nuclear bombs, and most Russian air-launched missiles weighing over around 1,000 pounds have the option of a nuclear warhead.

Russia really wants West to see they’re doing a tac nuke exercise. After several exercise videos they put the head of the 12 GUMO in front of a Belarusian Su-25 (possibly at Lida air base) loaded with what is said to be “training nuclear ammunition.” https://t.co/h9rHp2qvGv pic.twitter.com/sTzAqSNd9f

— Hans Kristensen (also on Bluesky) (@nukestrat) June 13, 2024

Starting in the 1960s, the 244N was superseded by a modernized development of the same weapon, the 10-kiloton RN-24, as well as the one-kiloton RN-28. These were carried, among others, by the MiG-21 and Su-7.

These bombs were followed in the 1980s followed by the RN-40 and RN-41, carried by the MiG-23, MiG-27, MiG-29, Su-17, Su-24, and Su-27.

To this day, the IAB-500 also remains in use to train combat jet pilots in nuclear bomb delivery. Alongside it, although much less known, and barely ever seen, are tactical nuclear bombs, the descendants of the 244N that was proven in a unique test back in 1962.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

Israel has violated the so-called Gaza “ceasefire” more than 2,400 times in the more than six months since the agreement was reached. Al Jazeera’s Hala Al Shami gives an overview of the deteriorating situation.

Iran’s revolutionary guard has released a video said to show its forces seizing a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The container ship was one of two captured by Iran on Wednesday.

A group of hikers were forced to flee as Guatemala’s Santiaguito Volcano erupted, throwing rocks into the air around them. Santiaguito is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, featuring frequent, often daily, explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows.

The Department of War has released a video it says shows US forces boarding a sanctioned tanker in the Asia Pacific region as part of their efforts to disrupt vessels providing support to Iran.

New video from the US military is said to show an operation by its forces to seize an Iranian-flagged ship which attempted to bypass the US blockade of Iranian ports. The US says the cargo ship Touska was linked to a sanctioned company, while Iran condemned the move as ‘piracy’ and a violation of the ceasefire.

Alex Cooper just asked Alix Earle what many extremely online people are wondering: “What’s the beef?”

Rumors of a feud between Cooper, the 31-year-old host of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, and Earle, the 25-year-old mega-famous influencer, have been circulating for some time, but this week Cooper addressed the conflict online in a video that invited Earle to finally air out the dirty laundry.

Cooper said in a TikTok video Monday that she was embarrassed responding to the internet-fueled drama, but after being inundated with tags, comments and direct messages, she decided making a statement was long overdue.

“Alix Earle, hey girl, the passive-aggressive reposts and the likes and the commenting on things. I gotta call you out here,” Cooper said. “You’re gonna need to get specific and just say what you gotta say about me. There’s no NDA, no one is stopping you. Stop hiding behind other people, and just say it yourself. What’s the beef?”

Cooper continued that she was tired of waking up and seeing Earle using “fake drama to distract” and that she’s not interested in participating. “I know what happened, and so do you,” she said. “So talk, unless the fake narrative that you’re creating happens to be way more interesting than the truth, I have nothing to hide when it comes to you and me.”

While the cryptic video confirmed the beef, Cooper still didn’t offer any explanation as to what initially caused the turmoil between them. But thanks to internet culture, there are theories, and receipts to back them. The ball is now in Earle’s court.

August 2023

Cooper launched the Unwell Network, a Gen-Z-focused media company spotlighting “unique voices that embrace social challenges and personal insecurities through honest conversation.” One of the first big names to sign with Unwell was Earle, who, according to Cooper at the time, has a unique presence that captivates audiences.

“I feel honored to be at a place in my career where I can pass along knowledge and advice for a new generation of creators to flourish,” Cooper said in a statement.

February 2025

Online speculation that there may be a feud between Cooper and Earle picked up when Earle didn’t attend Unwell’s Super Bowl party in New Orleans, even though she was reportedly in the Big Easy at the time with her friends and then-boyfriend, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios.

February 2025

Weeks after Earle was MIA at Unwell’s Super Bowl shindig, Variety reported that the production company dropped Earle’s “Hot Mess” podcast. Sources told Variety that SiriusXM would no longer sell ads for Earle’s show and that the Unwell Network renounced all rights to “Hot Mess” so that Earle would be able to “freely explore future opportunities.”

A few days after news dropped that “Hot Mess” was nixed, Earle posted a TikTok update responding to the chatter online about her work saying she also had “no idea what’s going on.”

March 2025

Earle posted an update to TikTok regarding the future of “Hot Mess.”

“I have to put a pause on podcasting right now for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Don’t really want to get into the details of it all, and I kind of can’t get into the details of it all right now, but I’ve loved it so, so much, and I’m really proud of what I built with the podcast.” Earle added that she would be pivoting to vlogging for the foreseeable future.

May 2025

The Wall Street Journal published a feature on Earle, writing that the relationship between the influencer and her podcast network had unraveled. Earle told the outlet, “That was, behind the scenes, a little bit of a hot mess.”

“We have plans to bring things back, elevate things,” she said of the show. “It might look a little different, but I’m excited to see what we do with it.”

August 2025

Earle seems to be in the mood for revenge. “My Co–Star told me that I can start…today. I mean, is this my time that I’ve been waiting for to go? I have so much information. We could go,” she said, referring to her horoscope, in a TikTok video as she sipped an iced coffee. “I think I’m losing my mind … but I wake up every day, and I’m like, ‘What should I do, Co-Star?’ And today, it’s like, ‘Revenge. Let’s go get ’em.’”

In the comment section, one fan replied to egg on the content creator, “Yes, tell us what happened with Alex Cooper thank you.”

Earle quipped back, “How much time do you have?”

October 2025

Cooper returns the slight with an Instagram post promoting an Unwell event in Las Vegas that seemingly mocked Earle’s performance on “Dancing With the Stars” by using the same song — “Circus” by Britney Spears — and including a caption that began, “How much time do you have? Cause we could go all night … “

April 2026

Earle reposts a TikTok video that likens Cooper to the grim reaper. The post describes Cooper as an ambulance chaser who preys on people who have just gone through a horrific accident so she can get the exclusive.

April 2026

Cooper catches wind of Earle’s repost and finally addresses the beef in the aforementioned TikTok, telling Earle to “Just say it yourself. What’s the beef?” Earle responded by reposting Cooper’s video with the comment, “Okay on it!!”

Since Earle and Cooper took their fight to the internet streets this week, speculation has flooded social media. Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports who first put “Call Her Daddy” on the map in 2018, also weighed in.

On Monday’s episode of the “Chicks in the Office” podcast, Portnoy, who knows the feuding women well, said that while there have been rumors of jealousy between the women, he thinks the feud stems from conflicting business interests and contract disputes.

“I think people know this about Alex Cooper at this point — she’s a savage,” he said. “She’s a businesswoman, boss lady, savage.”

But will prying eyes across the interwebs ever learn the whole story? It’s anyone’s guess.

Saudi Arabia has ordered schools to close after severe flooding swept through parts of the country. Heavy rain swamped roads around Riyadh and in the Al Ahsa governorate.

“How you feeling, Sabrinawood?” Sabrina Carpenter asked as she gazed out at the tens of thousands of fans she’d gathered into a makeshift city Friday night. “I can’t believe I’m headlining Coachella.

“I mean, I can a little bit.”

Indeed, when Carpenter made her Coachella debut in 2024, the Disney kid turned pop icon vowed that the next time she played the desert festival, her name would be atop the bill.

She returned as promised this weekend as one of music’s biggest acts, with two No. 1 singles and a pair of Grammy-nominated albums under her belt and a story to tell about her rise to stardom.

Heading into Coachella, I’d wondered whether Carpenter, 26, would simply play the same show she’d already brought several times to L.A. (as recently as November) on tour behind 2025’s “Short n’ Sweet” and last year’s “Man’s Best Friend.”

To her credit, though, she created a whole new production, which began with a video in which Carpenter is pulled over by a police offer played by the actor Sam Elliott as she drives toward a new life in Hollywood. In the video, Elliott lets her go, after which she turned up in the flesh at Coachella to strut down a Walk of Fame situation and end up onstage in a detailed simulacrum of the Hollywood Hills.

The first half of the show featured a bunch of songs from the singer’s last two LPs — she sang “Please Please Please” in a mock-up of a recording-studio vocal booth, while “When Did You Get Hot?” sounded like En Vogue’s “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” — as well as an oldie in “Because I Liked a Boy.”

Sabrina Carpenter performs at Coachella on Friday, April 12, 2024.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

Then came a very long appearance by Susan Sarandon, who delivered a monologue about … the trauma of childhood celebrity? Honestly, it was hard to tell — a bit of a miscalculation on Carpenter’s part, as though she’d assumed that everyone at Coachella wanted to hear her deepest (if vaguest) thoughts about the pain of growing up in the Mouse House.

“She better come out in an amazing outfit,” one woman next to me said of Carpenter as Sarandon continued to extend the singer’s costume change.

Once Carpenter was back — wearing leggings and a blue sweater — she did “Go Go Juice” and “Sugar Talking” in a sort of dance-studio setting then interpolated a bit of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana (At the Copa)” into “Feather” before Will Ferrell appeared as an irritated stage tech moaning and groaning about the demands of Carpenter’s show. (Again: kind of a fail.)

Yet she finished strong with speedy versions of “Juno,” “Espresso” and “Goodbye” into “Tears,” which got an elaborate water show that proved Carpenter can provide the right amount of razzle-dazzle when she wants to.

SACRAMENTO — The fallout over sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell grew Saturday as his fellow gubernatorial candidates faced a new race and Democrats were forced into a rapid test of how they respond to accusations of sexual misconduct.

Within hours of the accusations against Swalwell being made public, the Northern California congressman’s campaign began to unravel and a chorus of top Democrats urged him to drop out. Staff members resigned, his fundraising website went offline and allies moved quickly to distance themselves from a candidate who had been gaining momentum as a front-runner in the race to lead the Golden State.

The repercussions extended beyond Swalwell’s campaign for governor. The Manhattan district attorney’s office opened an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Swalwell by a former staffer and issued a statement Saturday that urged “survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division.” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) posted a video on X saying that she plans to force a House vote next week to expel Swalwell.

Swalwell has denied the allegations, calling them “flat [out] false.”

The upheaval has created an opening for lesser-known contenders to gain traction just as voters are beginning to turn their attention to the race — a spotlight now intensified by the controversy.

The speed and severity of the response underscores how quickly political support can erode — and reflects a broader shift in how such allegations are handled in the post-#MeToo era, which has been intensified by the scrutiny surrounding the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Ask any woman staffer over the age of 45 what her experience was like, and this was a fairly prevalent sort of situation,” said Elizabeth Ashford, a veteran Democratic strategist. “It was allowed. I really think it shows a lot of growth on the part of political professionalism, that these things are taken seriously.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Swalwell ignored calls to drop out of the race and resign from Congress, even as outrage and criticism swelled. A Bay Area fundraiser was canceled and major institutional backers abandoned the campaign. The California Labor Federation withdrew its endorsement, SEIU California rescinded its backing and urged Swalwell to exit the race, and the California Police Chiefs Assn. suspended its support.

Speculation swirled Saturday about Swalwell’s whereabouts after the congressman announced that he intended to spend time with his wife.

A man who opened the door of Swalwell’s rental home in Livermore early Saturday refused to talk to a Times reporter. Swalwell has claimed that he rents space in the one-story house, located on a quiet cul-de-sac. He also owns a home in Washington, D.C., but no one inside responded when a reporter rang Saturday.

Livermore residents couldn’t escape news of the scandal. “Swalwell faces assault claims,” read the front page of the East Bay Times, stacked up at the Lucky grocery story around the corner from Swalwell’s rental home.

The most serious allegation against Swalwell is from a woman who worked for the congressman who said their relationship was at times consensual, but that he sexually assaulted her twice when she was too intoxicated to consent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Three other women have also accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including sending unsolicited nude photos, according to CNN.

The allegations prompted several members of his campaign to abruptly walk away from their jobs. One senior campaign staffer said they resigned after hearing the seriousness of the allegations, adding that they didn’t want to be put in a position where they were using their own credibility to defend Swalwell.

Former staffers in Swalwell’s congressional office traded messages in group texts after the news reports, with many expressing shock and horror at the allegations, according to two former employees.

A group of senior staff in Swalwell’s congressional office and campaign said in a statement Saturday that they “stand with our former colleague and the other women who have come forward” and that others “should stand with them, too.”

Kyle Alagood, an attorney who worked for Swalwell’s congressional office and his short-lived presidential campaign, told The Times he was “disgusted and pissed off.”

“I pray he has the decency to resign for the sake of his wife and kids,” said Alagood, adding that Swalwell must also “face the full legal consequences of his actions.”

Rob Stutzman, a longtime GOP strategist, said the impact of Swalwell’s political advisers quitting and his endorsements being yanked has sunk his chances in the governor’s race whether he stays in or not.

Stutzman advised former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during the 2003 recall when The Times reported allegations of inappropriate behavior with women during his bodybuilding and film career. Stutzman said the severity of the allegations against Swalwell makes the situation very different from that involving Schwarzenegger, who didn’t lose endorsements.

“If this had been the circumstances … I would have quit,” Stutzman said. “They’re just not the same.”

While Swalwell’s political future hangs in the balance, political insiders are closely watching who will be the beneficiary of the chaos. There are eight Democrats running: billionaire Tom Steyer, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, state schools Supt. Tony Thurmond, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, San José Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former state Controller Betty Yee and Swalwell. There are two GOP candidates: Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Loyola Marymount University law professor Jessica Levinson said that with key endorsements, such as labor, now back up for grabs, anyone can jump to the front of the pack. She said the safest bet on who will gain an advantage is Porter and Steyer, who with Swalwell have been the top candidates in recent opinion polls.

“But, I think this is a race where there is no heir apparent,” Levinson said. “You can’t rule out surprises anymore in this race.”

Paul Mitchell, a veteran Democratic strategist, agreed that the upheaval benefits Porter and Steyer, adding that Swalwell’s chances have been reduced to zero.

“First off, I think that staying in the race is not tenable,” Mitchell said. “And so if he does drop out of the race, what it means is that you’re going to have a lot of progressive voters looking for somebody else to go to and the primary beneficiaries should be Porter and Steyer right now, because they’re the other two that are in that kind of first tier of Democratic candidates that have been splitting up that progressive base.”

Allegations of inappropriate behavior by Swalwell had circulated for weeks on social media and in political circles. Once the San Francisco Chronicle and CNN posted stories with details from women accusing Swalwell of sexual misconduct, including rape, the swift rebuke was likened by one political strategist to a bomb detonating.

Those media outlets reported that the staff member accusing Swalwell of rape was 21 when she began working for him in 2019 in his Castro Valley district office. She said Swalwell, who is nearly two decades older, quickly began sending her messages and then nude pictures on Snapchat, a platform in which messages and images disappear after being viewed.

She said that in September 2019 she had drinks with the congressman, blacked out and could tell she had had intercourse when she woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel bed, according to the report. In a separate encounter years later, she said he forced himself on her while she was too intoxicated to consent and despite her protests.

She said she did not report the incidents to police, citing fears she would not be believed and concerns about professional repercussions.

Another woman who began messaging with Swalwell about her interest in Democratic politics last year said she met him for drinks and that she was attempting to fend off his advances without hurting potential job opportunities when she began feeling “really fuzzy” and intoxicated, according to CNN. She told the outlet that she ended up in Swalwell’s hotel room without a memory of how she got there.

Social media creator Ally Sammarco said Swalwell sent her unsolicited nude pictures in 2021, when she was 24 years old. Another woman in her 20s, who works in marketing, said the congressman sent her unsolicited videos of his penis.

Swalwell, who is married with three young children, posted a video on Instagram on Friday in which he called the accusations of inappropriate behavior “flat [out] false,” while also acknowledging unspecified poor behavior.

“I don’t suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I am a saint,” he said in the video. “I’ve certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife. And to her I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”

Elias Dabaie, an attorney representing Swalwell, sent cease-and-desist letters to at least two people demanding that they stop accusing the congressman of sexual assault, according to CNN. Dabaie was asked by CNN whether the congressman’s comments can be construed as acknowledging that he cheated on his wife, while denying doing anything illegal.

“I’m not going to get into the details of that,” Dabaie said.

Times staff writers Melody Peterson and Gavin Quinton contributed to this report.