Police in California grappled with an existential question as they attempted to fine a self-driving car caught performing an illegal U-turn in the middle of the street. Officers in San Bruno pulled over a vehicle during a DUI operation, only to discover it was an autonomous Waymo taxi, which are in use throughout the Bay Area. “Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldn’t be issued (our citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot’),” the force explained in a post on Facebook, adding that it had alerted Waymo of the glitch and that “hopefully the reprogramming will keep it from making any more illegal moves.” Waymo issued a statement confirming they were “looking into” the situation and are “committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience,” The Guardian reports. Last year, California passed a bill that will allow police to issue a “notice of noncompliance” if a self-driving car breaks traffic rules, but the ruling does not take effect until July 2026. There are around 2,000 Google-owned Waymo taxis on the streets of San Francisco, although 1,200 had to be recalled last year due to software glitches that caused the cars to crash into chains, gates, and roadway barriers.
A man has died in the same area of Colorado where two hunters were killed more than a week ago. Dispatchers in Conejos County said they received an emergency call from hunters in the South San Juan Wilderness around 11.30 p.m. Friday, who said they were already performing CPR on a member of their party—a 54-year-old man from Tennessee, who has not yet been publicly named. Tragically, the man had already died by the time rescuers were on the scene. “Due to hazardous nighttime conditions, it was not safe to conduct a recovery mission with the Flight for Life helicopter,” officials from the local sheriff’s office clarified in a statement. It comes after elk hunters Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, both 25, were found dead following what’s thought to have been a lightning strike in the same region, having suffered injuries consistent with an “intense electrical jolt,” according to the county coroner. The cause of death for the man who died on Friday has not been released.
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Dozens of people onboard a cruise from San Diego have fallen ill in a massive outbreak of norovirus. The outbreak hit 71 passengers and one crew member on the Royal Caribbean Serenade after it had left San Diego en route to Miami via Mexican riviera, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal and Cartagena, Colombia. All 71 have been confined to their rooms to help contain the spread of the gastrointestinal illness, whose primary symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting. The 13-night voyage departed on Sept. 19 and is disembark its more than 2,000 passengers in Miami on Oct. 2. “The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” the Royal Caribbean Group said in a statement. “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.” Following the outbreak, Royal Caribbean had “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures,” the CDC reported. Nineteen gastrointestinal outbreaks have been reported on cruise ships this year, 14 of which were caused by the norovirus.
No one makes headlines, warps reality, or bends the world to his will quite like Donald Trump. But what actually fuels the most powerful—and polarizing—man alive?
Inside Trump’s Head is a new twice-weekly Daily Beast podcast that unpacks everything that’s really going on in the psyche of the man the world can’t stop watching. Each episode, Michael Wolff—the definitive Trump biographer, who has spent more time studying Trump’s thoughts and patterns than nearly anyone else alive—joins our Chief Creative and Content Officer, Joanna Coles, to fearlessly dissect the President’s moves, motives, and madness to understand what’s actually driving his decisions.
From hidden health issues to alleged Epstein connections to all of the chaos still to come, Inside Trump’s Head brings you unfiltered analysis you can’t find anywhere else. Episodes drop on Tuesday and Thursday on YouTube and Wednesday and Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast players. Subscribe now—because looking away isn’t an option.
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South Africa’s ambassador to France plunged to his death in Paris after the “secure window” of his 22nd-floor hotel room was “forced open,” according to French prosecutors. Emmanuel Nkosinathi Mthethwa, 58, had been reported missing on Monday after his wife received a “worrying message.” Police initially scoured nearby woods, fearing he had died via suicide, but his body was discovered Tuesday “right next to” the four-star Hyatt Porte Maillot in the northwest of the capital, Le Parisien reported. “The secure window was forced open,” the prosecutor’s office said. French outlet Le Figaro reported that initial findings suggest Mthethwa jumped, though investigators have opened a full inquiry. Mthethwa, appointed ambassador in February 2024 and South Africa’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, had a decades-long political career. His death came amid scrutiny in South Africa where an ongoing inquiry is probing allegations of political and criminal syndicates meddling in police affairs. He was the former Minister of Police. A police commissioner had accused Mthethwa of attempting to influence the inspector general of intelligence to drop charges against a former head of police crime intelligence.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
Authorities have seized 14 ancient Egyptian artifacts being “illegally smuggled” into the U.S., prosecutors have said. Prosecutors said the items were transported to various airports from overseas between August 2020 and April 2021. Among them was an “Old Kingdom Limestone Funerary Statue,” believed to be from Saqqara or Giza, and worth approximately $6 million. The items were allegedly bound for private collectors, with at least one known to be in Maryland. They included “amulets, stone figurines,” and a vase. U.S. Customs and Border Protection looked at “numerous parcels from overseas shippers transiting through airports in Anchorage, Alaska, Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York City,” a Maryland Attorney’s Office statement said. They were labeled misleadingly, it added, purporting to contain erroneous items such as “home decor,” “stone garden statue,” and “decoration.” Evan Campanella of Homeland Security said, “The deceptive practices used to smuggle these treasures into the United States not only violate our import laws but also undermine efforts to preserve and protect the integrity of cultural history.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland secured a default judgment for forfeiture of the smuggled treasures.
Boeing is in the early stages of developing a replacement for the 737 MAX, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. It cites sources at the airplane manufacturer who say “early-stage” plans for a new narrow-body plane are in the works. CEO Kelly Ortberg is reported to have met with U.K.-based firm Rolls-Royce about a new engine, while a new flight deck is also being designed. The Journal reports the move is “a sign that the company is betting that a cutting-edge plane design could power its business for the next few decades.” It comes after a slew of high-profile incidents for the premier U.S. plane manufacturer. In January 2024, a door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland to Ontario, California. Before that, in 2018 and 2019, a pair of similar incidents claimed the lives of 346 people. An internal Lion Air flight in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight between Ethiopia and Kenya both crashed due to the MAX’s internal flight control system, called MCAS. The incidents led to the entire MAX fleet being grounded, sparking concerns among travelers and investors alike about the model’s safety. A Boeing spokesperson told the Daily Beast the company remains “focused on our recovery plan, including delivering on our existing backlog of nearly 6,000 commercial airplanes” and certifying new models. “At the same time, as we have done over the decades, our team evaluates the market, advances key technologies, and improves our financial performance, so that we will be ready when the time is right to move forward with a new product,” the spokesperson added.
The newly minted Sir Gary Oldman was among those knighted by Prince William at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, in recognition of his services to drama. The Oscar-winning actor, known for his versatility, has played roles as diverse as Dracula, Winston Churchill, Lee Harvey Oswald and Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious throughout his career, in addition to becoming a household name in the 2000s due to his memorable appearances in the Harry Potter franchise and Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Oldman released his directorial debut, Nil by Mouth, in 1997—a semi-autobiographical piece that received widespread critical acclaim. After mostly building his reputation playing villainous and supporting roles, Oldman finally cemented himself as a leading man with his portrayal of Churchill in 2017’s The Darkest Hour, which saw him win an Oscar, a Bafta, and a host of other accolades. The actor is currently nominated for an Emmy for his role in the Apple TV drama Slow Horses, which the actor was previously told was a hit amongst the royal family after meeting Queen Camilla at a private event.
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Sleep can be hard to come by these days. From city noise and snoring partners to late-night scrolling and spiraling thoughts, there’s a lot that can get in the way of a good night’s rest. In fact, research suggests that one in three adults doesn’t get enough sleep. (Hello, fellow insomniacs!) Luckily, you don’t have to accept exhaustion as your default—Ozlo Sleepbuds can help improve sleep hygiene sans habit-forming treatments or sleeping in separate rooms (aka ‘sleep divorce’).
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Failed presidential contender Mitt Romney has revealed he pleaded with the Joe Biden administration to pre-emptively pardon Donald Trump over investigations into his alleged handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “Why? Number one, I don’t want the anger and the hate and the vitriol,” the former presidential candidate told CNN’s Dana Bash during an event at Drew University in New Jersey. “But number two: We just can’t begin to be prosecuting political opponents,” he added, as Trump now charges ahead with a campaign of prosecutions against his political opponents. “What did they say back to you?” Bash queried. “They didn’t do that,” Romney replied with a grin. He then added that President Trump was now doing exactly what his opponents most feared he would last year. “He said he was gonna have revenge and retribution, and he is,” he said.
The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood has no regrets about her decision to call out a Saturday Night Live sketch mocking her. The Brit, 31, attacked the April skit, labelling it “mean and unfunny.” Sarah Sherman portrayed Wood’s character, Chelsea, ripping on her with large prosthetic teeth and joking about fluoride. Speaking to the BBC, she says her decision to speak out was akin to standing up to schoolyard bullies. “I don’t regret saying it because it was breaking a pattern, which is what I would usually do,” she said. “What I did when I was younger and got bullied.” She said she was confronted with a decision: “I have a choice here to go in and be embarrassed about it and just say ‘I didn’t like that. It was mean.’” She added, “No matter what chaos came from it, I’m still happy for me and my personal journey that I said something.” “White Potus” centered on key MAGA characters in the setting of The White Lotus, featuring Jon Hamm as RFK Jr. and Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump.