BALTIMORE – A shooting inside a senior living facility in East Baltimore on Thursday morning left one man dead and another critically injured, prompting a lockdown at two nearby schools, according to police and Baltimore City Schools officials.
Officers responded to reports of a double shooting at the Pleasant View Gardens senior apartments, located in the 100 block of North Central Avenue, around 11:07 a.m., Baltimore Police Commissioner Rich Worley said. Upon arrival, police found a 79-year-old man dead inside an apartment. A 72-year-old man, critically injured, was transported to a hospital for treatment.
A SWAT team was deployed to sweep the building, and officers took a 65-year-old resident into custody. Authorities have not yet released information on potential charges or a motive for the shooting.
As a precaution, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and the National Academy Foundation, both located near the scene, were placed on lockdown. Police confirmed that the incident was not connected to the schools.
A scheduled news conference featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine was abruptly canceled, a Ukrainian official said, reportedly at Washington’s request.
The U.S. side had not agreed to the formal format of the media event, according to sources, making the cancellation highly unusual, as no public statements were allowed. Instead, media were only permitted to film retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg entering a meeting room at the presidential palace to greet Zelenskyy, with no questions taken.
The development comes amid escalating tensions between Kyiv and Washington following a series of critical remarks from Trump, who recently labeled Zelenskyy a “dictator.” Concerns also remain over Kellogg’s standing within Trump’s circle, with a Ukrainian source suggesting he may have been sidelined.
The American envoy arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday and is set to depart on Friday evening. Zelenskyy has invited him to visit the frontline, though it remains unclear whether the trip will take place.
Mexico will not tolerate any U.S. military intervention on its soil, President Claudia Sheinbaum declared Thursday after Washington officially designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
“This cannot be an opportunity for the U.S. to violate our sovereignty,” Sheinbaum said. “With Mexico, there is collaboration and coordination—never subordination, intervention, or invasion.”
The Trump administration on Wednesday classified eight Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, including the country’s two most powerful drug organizations, the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order upon returning to the White House, stating that the cartels pose a “national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime.”
The designation has fueled speculation about potential U.S. military action against cartel operations in Mexico. Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has taken on a significant role in the Trump administration, suggested on social media that the designation “means they’re eligible for drone strikes.”
While experts believe direct military action remains unlikely, Trump’s unpredictable decision-making leaves the possibility open.
Authorities evacuated a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Florida after an employee reportedly fell ill upon contact with a mysterious white powder. Emergency crews in hazmat suits responded to the scene in Miramar, just north of Miami, around 8 a.m.
Witnesses said people waiting for appointments were forced to leave the building as officials investigated. One bystander told Fox affiliate WSVN that they saw an employee become dizzy before being rushed out of the facility.
Shortly after, another witness reported seeing a different employee being carried out on a stretcher. The individual appeared conscious, but their condition remains unclear.
People with scheduled appointments waited outside at a safe distance as police officers, firefighters, and other emergency personnel secured the area, according to WSVN.
Officials later confirmed that the situation had stabilized, and people were seen reentering the building. However, authorities have not disclosed how the substance entered the facility or how it came into contact with staff.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Miramar Police Department for further updates.
Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were instructed to avoid using words such as “woman,” “disabled,” and “elderly” in external communications, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The directive, part of a broader list of restricted terms, was reportedly issued in response to a White House executive order. However, a spokesperson for the administration said the directive misinterpreted President Donald Trump’s policy.
A document titled “Prohibited Words” has been circulating among FDA employees since at least last week, sources said. Two scientists with direct knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity due to concerns over professional repercussions, confirmed the existence of the list.
The directive has sparked confusion within the FDA, an agency already facing upheaval amid sweeping personnel changes under the Trump administration. The two sources said they were unaware of who issued the ban or the reasoning behind the inclusion of over two dozen words.
“I don’t understand why we can’t use a word like ‘woman,’” one FDA scientist told Reuters. “These restrictions make it nearly impossible to do our jobs.”
In recent weeks, another federal health agency was also instructed to remove terms such as “gender,” “transgender,” “LGBT” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender), and “nonbinary” from its communications. The changes align with executive orders recognizing only male and female sexes and eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
As part of the policy shift, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed publicly available health data, including HIV-related statistics, and pulled research papers under review for publication in scientific journals. The changes were reportedly ordered for review by Trump administration appointees.
Public health experts have expressed concern that eliminating such terms could hinder efforts to address diverse medical needs, particularly for populations affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
A broader list of restricted words circulating within the FDA, reviewed by Reuters, includes terms such as “underrepresented,” “underserved,” “understudied,” “sex,” “identity,” “diverse,” “promote,” “continuum,” “ideology,” “self-assessed,” “special populations,” “elderly,” and “disabled.” The list was reportedly distributed without explanation.
A White House spokesperson told Reuters that most of the terms listed by the FDA did not need to be removed. The spokesperson suggested that FDA officials may have misinterpreted an executive order aimed at limiting “gender ideology” in federal health policies. However, the spokesperson confirmed that certain words—such as “gender,” “inclusion,” “identity,” “diversity,” “transgender,” and “equity”—must be excluded to comply with the administration’s policies.
An FDA spokesperson denied that the agency has an official list of banned words and declined to comment on whether the White House’s restrictions apply.
The two FDA sources said the directive appeared to have originated within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, a division of more than 2,000 employees responsible for regulating medical devices. They warned that restrictions on language, combined with recent staff dismissals, could slow the approval process for medical devices and impede scientists from raising safety concerns before products reach the market.
The White House confirmed that more than 1,000 FDA employees have been dismissed across multiple divisions, out of nearly 20,000 agency staff members. The layoffs are part of broader federal workforce reductions led by the Department of Government Efficiency, overseen by Elon Musk.
The directive and mass firings have raised concerns among public health officials and researchers about the future of federal health agencies under the administration’s policies.
Hamas returned the bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel on Thursday, nearly nine months after they were abducted during the October 7 attack on Israel. The two were the youngest captives taken by Hamas and had become symbols of the crisis.
Red Cross vehicles transported four black coffins from the handover site in the Gaza Strip. Each casket bore a small picture of the hostages. Armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms surrounded the area during the exchange.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk condemned the display of bodies in Gaza, calling it “abhorrent and cruel” and stating that it violated international law. “Under international law, any handover of remains must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families,” Turk said in a statement.
After the Red Cross received the remains, Israeli authorities scanned the coffins for explosives before transporting them into Israel. Along the route near the Gaza border, mourners gathered in the rain to pay their respects as the convoy passed.
“We stand here together with broken hearts. The sky is also crying with us, and we pray to see better days,” said a woman identified only as Efrat.
In Tel Aviv, people assembled at Hostages Square outside Israel’s defense headquarters, some in tears. “Agony. Pain. There are no words. Our hearts—the hearts of an entire nation—are shattered,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Hamas had previously claimed in November 2023 that the Bibas children and their mother, Shiri, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israeli authorities never confirmed their deaths. The Bibas family was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities in the attack.
The return of the bodies is part of a ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States. The exchange follows weeks of negotiations and marks the first time Hamas has handed over deceased hostages during the truce.
Israel is expected to conduct DNA testing to confirm the identities of the remains. The repatriation of the Bibas brothers comes ahead of another planned exchange on Saturday, when six living hostages are set to be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
Negotiations for a second phase of the agreement are ongoing, with talks expected to focus on the return of approximately 60 remaining hostages. Less than half are believed to be alive. The discussions may also address a potential full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza to bring an end to the war.
The October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel killed around 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 individuals, according to Israeli sources. Since then, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has left approximately 48,000 dead, according to Palestinian health officials, and has devastated the region.
The latest exchange signals a crucial moment in ongoing ceasefire efforts, with pressure mounting for a resolution to the months-long conflict.
A midair collision between two small planes at Marana Regional Airport in southern Arizona killed two people Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Federal aviation officials reported that each plane carried two occupants when they collided over the airport, located on the outskirts of Tucson. One aircraft landed safely, while the other crashed near a runway and caught fire, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is leading the investigation.
Marana Police Department officials confirmed that the two people who died were aboard the aircraft that crashed. Emergency responders did not have the opportunity to provide medical treatment. Sgt. Vincent Rizzi stated that the two occupants of the other plane were unharmed.
The Marana Fire Department assisted in extinguishing the flames, authorities said.
Neither of the planes involved—the Lancair and Cessna 172—were based at the airport, according to a statement from the town of Marana.
The collision comes just over a week after a fatal plane crash in Scottsdale, Arizona, killed one of two pilots aboard a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil. That aircraft veered off a runway and struck a business jet.
The accident also follows multiple recent aviation disasters across North America. Among them, a Delta Air Lines jet flipped onto its roof while landing in Toronto, and a commuter plane crashed in Alaska, resulting in fatalities.
In late January, a midair collision over Washington, D.C., between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter killed 67 people, marking the deadliest aviation disaster in the United States since 2001. The following day, a medical transport jet carrying a child patient, her mother, and four others crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, igniting a fire that engulfed multiple homes. Seven people were killed, and 19 others were injured.
Marana Regional Airport has two intersecting runways but operates without an air traffic control tower. A multimillion-dollar project to construct a control tower has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
The airport handles tens of thousands of flights annually. Most general aviation airports in the U.S. do not have control towers, relying instead on pilots to communicate using a common traffic advisory frequency.
“Pilots are responsible for broadcasting their positions and intentions over the radio and visually avoiding collisions,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NTSB investigator. “The absence of a control tower does not inherently make an airport unsafe.”
The United States has officially designated eight Latin American criminal and drug-trafficking organizations as global terrorist organizations, a move that escalates President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and national security.
In a Federal Register notice issued Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the designated groups have committed or pose a risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. However, Rubio did not provide specific details regarding the groups’ alleged terrorist activities.
The broad classification has raised concerns among experts who argue that it could be used to expand presidential powers, including potential military action on Mexican territory or policies that restrict migrants’ legal rights.
The eight groups listed in the designation include Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Carteles Unidos, Cartel de Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana.
While these groups are widely known for engaging in violence and exploitation, analysts emphasize that their motives are primarily financial rather than ideological, distinguishing them from traditional terrorist organizations.
The US already takes significant actions against these groups through surveillance, sanctions, and criminal prosecutions. This designation won’t drastically change enforcement tools, said Stephanie Brewer, director of the Mexico program at the Washington Office on Latin America.
Brewer also noted that the decision comes amid heightened political rhetoric linking migration, crime, and terrorism.
The White House has frequently framed irregular migration as a national security threat, using the term invasion to justify stringent immigration measures. Many migrants traveling through Latin America face extortion and demands for protection fees from criminal groups, a reality that administration officials could use to argue that migrants are inadvertently funding terrorist organizations.
Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, warned that the designation could be misused to criminalize migrants.
You could accuse anyone—from a migrant paying a smuggler to a Mexican business forced to pay cartel extortion fees—of providing material support to a terrorist organization, Freeman said.
He also pointed out that Brazil’s First Capital Command, one of the region’s most powerful criminal organizations, was not included in the designation.
The common link here seems to be that many of these groups operate along migration routes, Freeman added.
The Trump administration has previously floated the idea of using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows for the immediate deportation of foreign nationals from enemy countries during wartime, as a legal basis for mass deportations.
Additionally, Trump has cited steep tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China as a necessary response to what he describes as a national emergency driven by gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illegal drugs entering the US.
The terrorist designations have reignited fears that the US could justify military operations on Mexican soil under the guise of combating terrorism.
Trump has previously claimed that the Mexican government has an intolerable alliance with the cartels, said Brewer. Does this mean the US now considers Mexico complicit in terrorism?
Following the announcement, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, a Trump ally, speculated on social media that the designation could make the groups eligible for drone strikes.
However, both Brewer and Freeman caution that tackling organized crime in Latin America requires more than military force.
To dismantle these groups, the US must target their financial networks, arms suppliers, and corrupt government connections, Freeman explained. Picking fights with Latin American governments could ultimately hinder those efforts.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” following Zelenskyy’s remarks accusing him of being influenced by Russian disinformation. The exchange has further strained relations between the two leaders as the U.S. administration explores diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s post on Truth Social, which contained multiple inaccuracies—including the assertion that Zelenskyy was not elected—coincided with high-level talks between U.S. and Russian officials on a possible resolution to the conflict. The dispute comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, which is facing difficulties securing continued Western support as Russian forces occupy approximately 20% of its territory.
In his post, Trump criticized Zelenskyy, calling him a “modestly successful comedian” who convinced the U.S. to send $350 billion in aid to Ukraine. He also claimed that without American assistance, Zelenskyy would be unable to reach a settlement with Russia. Trump suggested that Ukraine’s leader was clinging to power, writing, “A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”
The remarks sparked mixed reactions from Republican lawmakers. Vice President JD Vance labeled Zelenskyy’s criticism of Trump “disgraceful,” arguing that it would not influence the president’s policy decisions. Some GOP senators distanced themselves from Trump’s comments but refrained from outright condemnation. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she did not agree with Trump’s statement, while Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin, not Ukraine, initiated the war.
White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz defended Trump’s approach, stating that his administration was actively seeking a diplomatic resolution. Waltz also pointed to the resistance from some officials regarding U.S. investment in Ukrainian infrastructure and access to rare earth minerals as part of post-war negotiations.
Zelenskyy responded to Trump’s claims by reaffirming that Ukraine’s war effort relies heavily on American military aid and warning against diplomatic decisions made without Ukrainian input. He dismissed Trump’s assertion that his approval rating stood at 4%, citing a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll showing that 57% of Ukrainians trust him.
Ordinary Ukrainians expressed unease over Trump’s remarks and his administration’s outreach to Moscow. “I don’t like Trump’s flirting with Putin,” said Fedir Logvynenko, a 49-year-old Kyiv resident. Another Ukrainian, real estate agent Yuliya Antonyuk, emphasized the necessity of U.S. support, stating, “We couldn’t cope without American weapons and aid.”
The dispute follows a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia, where the two discussed potential pathways to end the war. The talks, which did not include Ukrainian representatives, have raised concerns among Kyiv officials and European allies.
Trump has framed his administration’s negotiations as an effort to bring a swift end to the war, asserting that Zelenskyy “probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going.” The Kremlin responded positively to the shift in U.S. foreign policy, with Lavrov praising Trump as the first Western leader to acknowledge that NATO expansion contributed to tensions in Ukraine.
As the U.S. redefines its approach to the war, the ongoing clash between Trump and Zelenskyy underscores the geopolitical stakes, with implications for both American foreign policy and Ukraine’s future.
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order that significantly expands presidential authority, bringing independent federal agencies under White House control and limiting congressional and judicial oversight. The move, based on the unitary executive theory, aims to centralize decision-making power within the executive branch.
The order reclassifies several independent agencies—including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)—under direct presidential oversight. It grants the White House authority to set policy priorities, review agency budgets, and establish performance standards for agency heads.
Russell Vought, former director of the Office of Management and Budget, has been tasked with overseeing agency compliance with the executive order. The directive also authorizes Vought to assess agency efficiency and ensure alignment with presidential objectives. Trump has dismissed the heads of the National Labor Relations Board and the Office of Government Ethics as part of this restructuring.
The order further mandates that agency employees follow legal interpretations set by the president and attorney general, sidelining independent legal analysis. Trump stated the measure is intended to make the government “truly accountable to the American people.” However, critics argue that the move could weaken the system of checks and balances.
Trump has issued numerous executive directives in recent weeks, many of which face potential legal challenges. The latest order is expected to be contested over concerns about its impact on the separation of powers.
Elon Musk has emerged as a central figure in Trump’s government efficiency efforts. He is leading the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with reducing federal spending, eliminating waste, and streamlining operations. The initiative has already canceled billions in contracts tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs while prioritizing immigration law enforcement.
During a joint interview with Trump, Musk downplayed his role in the administration, calling himself “tech support” and emphasizing that his focus is on implementing Trump’s policies efficiently. Trump praised Musk’s ability to bypass bureaucratic hurdles, stating that he had been seeking a highly competent partner to expedite government operations.
The executive order represents a significant shift in federal governance, raising debate over its constitutional implications and potential long-term effects on U.S. government institutions.
