Current Events

Jason Arday, the Cambridge professor who resigned after being accused of plagiarism, has died, according to the university.

In a statement Friday, Deborah Prentice, the Vice-Chancellor Professor at the University of Cambridge, confirmed Arday's death, saying "we are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news" and "our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

The Metropolitan Police in London said officers responded to a man's home Friday afternoon after receiving a report that he was found unresponsive. Police declared the man dead at the scene and notified his next of kin without releasing Arday's name publicly.

A Florida woman fatally shot her mother and two of her children before taking her own life after she got into a heated argument with her husband over porn found on his phone ... according to police.

Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills held a press conference Thursday after investigators concluded their investigation into the May 3 murder-suicide.

Mills said Hailey Dempsey fatally shot her mom, Valerie DeBoe, at their residence in the Tampa Bay area and then ran away with her three young daughters. Dempsey then allegedly shot and killed her 4-month-old and 4-year-old and also tried to shoot the 2-year-old but missed.

McKenna West says she couldn't go through with terminating her pregnancy, despite Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed insisting she do so ... even though she previously stated she talked it over with a psychologist and was willing to do so if they wanted it done.

A new legal filing includes the surrogacy agreement the parties signed back in August 2025 ... and one section clearly states there "shall be a termination of the pregnancy for a fetal abnormality" upon request of Gilkar and Ahmed.

As we reported ... the baby, who West named Gabriel, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- a congenital heart defect -- during the 20-week fetal scan.

McKenna West claims she was facing the threat of a six-figure fine under her surrogacy contract if she didn’t abort the baby she was carrying for a California-based couple ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained the lawsuit McKenna filed against Worldwide Surrogacy over the baby she was carrying for Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed. As we've previously reported, the parents wanted the baby aborted due to health issues doctors found.

McKenna refused and gave birth on August 12 in Texas to a baby boy she named Gabriel ... which the couple says is not the child's name.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton spoke out in favor of McKenna ... and took steps to ensure two Texas hospitals would provide medical care.

Surrogate McKenna West sent an emotional plea to the surrogacy clinic and the biological parents, saying she was not sure she could live with herself if she went through with an abortion, days before the procedure was scheduled.

The biological parents wanted to terminate the pregnancy, per the surrogacy agreement, after an ultrasound revealed the fetus had a serious heart issue.

According to letters filed in court documents, obtained by TMZ, McKenna notified Worldwide Surrogacy on May 4, 2026 to say she could not go through with the scheduled termination ... writing, "After careful thought, I have decided that I cannot terminate this pregnancy. This baby is in my body, and I care for him very much."

9:28 AM PT -- Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges related to Thompson's shooting death ... one count of interstate stalking resulting in death and one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.

He admitted to stalking Thompson to a healthcare conference and shooting him with a gun he printed on a 3-D printer. As Luigi pled guilty, Thompson's widow Paulette was visibly emotional and other members of his family were seen fighting back tears.

Mangione said ... "I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan. I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal."

After Friday's court hearing, Thompson's family issued a statement saying ... "Today's guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family. While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable. Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime."

Luigi Mangione will have Brian Thompson's family looking on as he faces a federal judge Friday ... with the slain UnitedHealthcare CEO's loved ones sitting front row.

Thompson's mother, widow and several other family members entered the Manhattan federal courtroom ahead of Mangione's highly anticipated hearing ... taking their seats together in the first row.

Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office have been pissed off at Luigi Mangione's team for trying to sabotage its case by striking a plea bargain with the feds.

The judge in the state case just unsealed docs, one of which was a letter to the court, dated July 2, 2026, in which Assistant D.A. Joel Seidemann wrote that his office had heard rumblings of a plea bargain in the federal case.

As TMZ reported, if Luigi were to plead guilty to stalking in the federal case, the state case would be dismissed based on double jeopardy.

The biological parents of the baby born to a surrogate who refused to have an abortion against their wishes have custody of the child for now ... at least according to their lawyer, who says the political theater surrounding the birth "devastated" them.

Lee Budner of Calabrese Budner, counsel to the baby's biological parents, tells TMZ ... their son -- named Gabriel by surrogate McKenna West -- was born Wednesday morning and is now in their physical custody while he receives medical care.

The couple's lawyer adds ... his clients are placing the baby's health first and following the advice of his medical team.

1:12 PM PT -- McKenna West will have no authority over the baby according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

10:33 AM PT -- The biological parents of the newborn baby born into surrogacy who refused to have an abortion against their wishes, now have temporary custody of their child.

A surrogate who refused to abort the baby she was carrying -- despite the wishes of the boy’s biological parents -- reportedly gave birth early Wednesday amid a bitter legal battle with the intended parents.

Here's the sitch -- McKenna West, a surrogate from Alaska, was carrying a baby for a California couple. At the fetus' 20-week scan, doctors discovered it had hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare birth defect where the left side of the heart does not grow correctly ... and it needs 3 surgeries to correct when the child is born, per Boston Children's Hospital.

The surrogacy agreement had a clause that allowed the couple to choose to terminate the pregnancy if there was an "anomaly" found ... but McKenna refused and fled to Texas, where she would be seen as the birth mother, The Dallas Morning News reports.

An attorney for Nolan Wells' family says they're ready to examine his phone ... but they're waiting on the Jackson County DA's Office to set the date.

Liza Park -- a member of Ben Crump's team -- said Thursday the DA's office, the family's forensic team and possibly the FBI have agreed to jointly download and examine the device.

The plan, according to Park, is to examine the phone one time with everyone present ... but they're still waiting for prosecutors to provide the time and place.

Miss North Carolina USA winner Brittany Boltinhouse says she isn't sorry about using the n-word in the past ... even if she had to cough up her crown.

In a new interview with Daily Mail, the scandalized pageant queen was asked if she thought she should apologize for using the slur, but she doubled down, saying ... "No. Not at all."

She told the outlet she felt like she was "unfairly targeted," saying ... "It's a constitutional right, it's your First Amendment right to express yourself ... and I feel like I was ripped of that as a proud American."

Get ready for a new White House Press Secretary ... President Trump says Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from the job.

Trump announced Karoline's upcoming career move in a Truth Social post Wednesday ... saying she's leaving the gig at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her kids and family.

Karoline gave birth in May to a daughter ... her second child.

Trump says Karoline will be one of his top outside advisors and continue to be an influential voice within the GOP.

Emotional outburst from Lindsay Clancy ... she broke down sobbing in court while the medical examiner testified in her triple-murder trial.

When Dr. Barbara Olson took the stand on Wednesday, Lindsay started crying so hard that the judge had to call a break and get the jury out of the room.

Dr. Olson was describing 5-year-old Cora's autopsy ... mentioning bruising and discussing the pain and damage associated with dying from strangulation.

MAJOR twist in the Luigi Mangione case ... his legal team is in serious negotiations with federal prosecutors, sources tell TMZ, and it could have a dramatic impact on his fate.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the negotiations are "real," and it involves a possible guilty plea to murder, but the twist comes with sentencing. We're told one of the "possibilities" is an open plea where sentencing is not negotiated, but left to the judge after an extensive hearing. That would allow the defense to present mitigating factors -- including Luigi's strong feels about health care and corporate greed that altered his mental state -- that could lead to a sentence more favorable than life in prison.

The implications here are dramatic. When someone is charged in both federal and state court for the same offense and the federal case resolves first, the state cannot prosecute based on double jeopardy. Paul Manafort successfully made this argument in a New York state court when he was prosecuted for fraud back in 2019.

California bald eagle Jackie may soon soar over Big Bear once again ... with local officials considering several public tributes following the beloved bird’s death ... TMZ has learned.

A spokesperson for Visit Big Bear tells TMZ ... officials are working to incorporate Jackie into the community's Labor Day drone show, potentially illuminating her likeness and name in the sky.

We're told officials are also discussing a sunset memorial at Big Bear Lake and a permanent statue honoring Jackie, who became a local icon alongside her longtime mate, Shadow.

3:51 PM PT -- The suspect surrendered to authorities. The driver, appearing to be a woman, pulled over in Ontario, CA and was arrested, ending the pursuit ... according to Fox 11.

California Highway Patrol are chasing a suspect through Los Angeles ... you can stream the high-speed pursuit right here.

Earlier, authorities were chasing the car on the I-10 freeway in the East San Gabriel Valley area, where the vehicle was reportedly clocked going 100 MPH.

At one point during the pursuit, aerial footage showed the passenger door open as a person did a tuck-and-roll out of the moving car.