Current Events

The Vanity Fair reporter who went viral for her unsettling grin and wink during the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has an explanation for her expressions ... and it's unusual.

Here's the deal ... Brittany Romano stole the show Monday, when a camera panning the courtroom caught her in the front row of the gallery ... she mugged for the camera, with a smile meant for a horror flick ... and she added a wink for good measure.

A streamer caught up with Brittany in the parking lot and asked her why the heck she was grinning ear-to-ear in a setting that was anything but joyful.

Her answer ... she "grew up with Lindsay" ... and also she was mugging for her dad.

A Mexican bull-running festival turned deadly over the weekend ... with two people killed and 11 others injured as raging bulls tore through the streets.

Video circulating online shows one man being relentlessly trampled by a bull ... and in another clip, a bull roughs up a woman, throwing her onto her back.

The man had to be dragged from the street ... and the woman somehow managed to escape on foot.

21 bulls were released in the streets ... and the powerful animals killed 29-year-old Juan Manuel Filomeno Herrera and another man.

A former Catholic school teacher is accused of sexually abusing two teenage boys nearly 40 years ago ... with one claiming she behaved like she was "in a Sabrina Carpenter video."

Sally-Anne Bowen, now 65, was in her mid-20s while teaching chemistry at an all-boys Catholic school in North London ... and she allegedly had sex with one boy 20 to 30 times when he was 14 or 15, according to The Telegraph.

The accuser was referring to Carpenter's controversial "Feather" music video ... which featured the pop star dancing inside a Brooklyn Catholic church and sparked outrage from church officials.

Sam Altman and his sister are going back and forth in court over her submitting to a medical examination over her claims of childhood abuse ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, Ann Altman is opposing the upcoming exam scheduled for August 26, claiming the conditions and scope of the exam were disclosed less than a week beforehand.

She said she never agreed to talk about anything other than her claims of suffering from PTSD, but says the doctor set to examine her is planning to assess "any mental disorder."

Machine Gun Kelly made an unexpected appearance at Lil Durk's federal trial ... showing up at the courthouse to listen in on the proceedings.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... MGK showed up to a downtown Los Angeles court Monday and sat in an overflow room, where he listened to the trial as it unfolded.

We're told MGK's appearance was unexpected, though he and Durk have some history together ... MGK joined Durk onstage during his 2023 Amazon Music Live performance in Los Angeles, playing guitar as Durk performed "The Voice."

An Uber driver in Texas had a couple of unexpected passengers during a late-night shift ... a couple out-of-shape Houston Police Department officers ... and he helped them track down a suspect.

Anthony Baines was stopped at a corner when his dash cam caught a shirtless man running from two female HPD officers. The dude was way ahead of them, and the cop who was dragging behind stopped running and got in Anthony's car, telling Anthony to drive after the perp.

The officer is still trying to catch her breath as she orders Anthony to pick up her partner ... and then they spend a few minutes driving around the neighborhood until they find their suspect.

James Lew, the Hollywood stuntman and martial artist who appeared in dozens and dozens of action and kung fu films over his career, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

His wife, Jordanna, tells TMZ ... James died Sunday in Los Angeles.

We're told he was battling unspecified health issues ... and his cause of death was not disclosed.

James did fight stunts in several classic flicks, including "Big Trouble in Little China," "Rush Hour," "Action Jackson," "Time Cop," "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Star Trek."

The case of a New York City grandma who's been missing for two weeks in Las Vegas took a sad turn Thursday ... and TMZ is learning more about what happened to the 63-year-old.

Alisa Goods was visiting a friend in Sin City, and she left their home on August 8 to go shopping at CVS and vanished. Days after she disappeared, someone began messaging from her phone, asking her family for bitcoin. She was found dead Thursday near Harry Reid International Airport.

Las Vegas Metro PD tells TMZ ... surveillance from the airport shows a woman, believed to be Goods, falling down an embankment -- getting back up and then collapsing on August 8.

A Newport Beach police officer wasn't going to waste any time when he saw a group of dogs baking in a car ... and he quickly busted out a window to save the pooches.

Check out the footage ... as you can see from the cop's body cam from May 18, shared today by the department as a serious reminder of the danger ... the dogs were clearly distressed, with the window only slightly cracked ... while some were in cages.

The pooches were checked out by a vet after they were saved ... and all had body temperature levels that can be deadly for dogs.

One of Lindsay Clancy's supporters says the Massachusetts mom shouldn't be on trial for murdering her 3 children ... she says the mental healthcare system failed Lindsay.

Renee Kimball joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and we asked her what justice looks like for her.

She says Lindsay deserves to get the help she begged for and to be able to move on with her life and help others who are going through postpartum psychosis.

Renee organized Thursday's rally at the Massachusetts courthouse where Lindsay is on trial, and tells us her group's support for Lindsay is not meant to justify the deaths of her children.

The case of a New York City grandma who's been missing for two weeks in Las Vegas -- while a stranger used her phone to ask for bitcoin -- took a sad and bizarre turn on Thursday ... when she was found dead near the airport.

Here's the deal ... Alisa Goods was visiting a friend in Sin City, and she left their home on August 8 to go shopping at CVS and vanished. Days after she disappeared, someone began messaging from her phone, asking her family for bitcoin.

Sadly, police say they discovered the 63-year-old's body on Thursday near Harry Reid International Airport -- a development that raises so many questions.

A federal prosecutor in California was found dead inside an office this week -- and police are now investigating.

The San Diego PD tells TMZ ... Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden's body was discovered Wednesday inside an office at a federal building in San Diego, which is home to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California.

Cops say officers received a report of a man who possibly disappeared Wednesday evening, and then they responded to the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, where they found Haden's body.

Police said they do not suspect foul play ... but the medical examiner will determine the exact cause and manner of death.

The professor who accused former Cambridge academic Jason Arday of plagiarism before he quit his job and was found dead is now in hot water -- he’s been suspended from his job at a Belgian university.

Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher for Ghent University, revealed the news Thursday on X ... adding he believes he will be fired.

In a separate tweet, he said he was under investigation by the university "for discriminating against Arday."

Nolan Wells' mom Christine Wonsley is still digging for answers ... and now she's going straight after the marine towing companies his friends called on the day he disappeared.

TMZ obtained two new subpoenas filed Thursday on behalf of Nolan's estate -- one for Sea Tow Services International and another for Ward Marine Services, which operates as Sea Tow South Mississippi.

For Sea Tow, she wants basically everything connected to the July 4 incident from 2 PM to 8 PM ... including calls, recordings, dispatch records and documents showing who handled the response.

A Colorado man has been charged with murdering his wife after claiming she died by suicide when she was found dead in their bathroom.

Patrick Theodore Barnett was arrested by the Lakewood Police Department in Colorado days after his wife, Lindsey Barnett, was found dead in their bathtub with her throat slit, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

In addition to the first-degree murder charge, he was also charged with tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced. All three charges are felonies.

According to the affidavit, Patrick called 911 and told dispatchers Lindsey had "cut herself and her throat."

He claimed he found her after spending the night in the basement because they had a fight the previous night. He also reportedly told police his wife was suffering from postpartum depression.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle aren't cutting ties with the USA despite their move back across the pond -- we've confirmed they're keeping their SoCal home, because like a former CA gov once said ... they'll be back.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... there are no plans at all to sell their Montecito mansion, and reports claiming otherwise just aren't accurate.

We're told they love their home and the Montecito area ... as well as the great friend group they've built for themselves and their family.