Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty in UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing
Mangione, 28, allegedly stalked, then shot and killed Bryan Thompson in a New York Street in the early hours of Dec. 4, 2024. He was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
He pleaded guilty to one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, and one count of cyberstalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.
The sentencing date will be Dec. 18, and Mangione faces a maximum potential sentence of life imprisonment.
A previous charge of murder through use of a firearm, which carries the death penalty, was dropped in January.
Mangione also faces New York State charges, including second-degree murder, with a trial date set for September.
Meta Platforms Begins Trial in Major Youth Addiction Case
A federal trial has begun against Meta Platforms, filed by 29 states challenging the Big Tech giant on the engineering of its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, that are designed to be addictive to children.
The trial, being held in Oakland, California, makes two claims.
The first claim, filed by all 29 states, accuses Meta of illegally collecting and using children’s data without parental consent, violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
The suit follows a previous payout by Meta only last week, in which a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million in compensation into a fund that addresses psychological harm done to young people by the company’s social media platforms, which was in addition to a $375 million payment in March to address failure to warn people of the potential risks of social media platforms.
White House Press Secretary to Step Down
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her post at the end of the month to spend more time with her family; it was announced on Aug. 12.
Leavitt, 28, became the youngest White House press secretary when she took the job last year, as Trump entered his second administration. She has worked with Trump since 2018, including on his second presidential campaign. She gave birth to her second child in May.
She will continue as an outside advisor to Trump, the president said.
Surveillance Firm Flock Announces Platform Changes Amid Scrutiny
U.S. Surveillance Firm Flock Safety, a major provider for U.S. law enforcement, has announced changes to its platform after public outcry over its alleged misuse.
Flock provides a range of services and equipment for law enforcement, including Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), video cameras, gunshot detection, and the FlockOS data integration platform.
Flock has recommended a seven-day retention period for its ALPR cameras, as well as increased security and auditing of its surveillance technology.
Trump Confirms Secret Flight Switch in Turkey
A Hollywood-style incident occurred in Turkey last month in which President Donald Trump hid in a catering truck to secretly switch from Air Force One to an alternate jet due to a security threat, the president confirmed on Aug. 11.
The situation occurred at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, when the Secret Service alerted Trump to a potential threat.
“It’s only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do. So, I go by the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane,” Trump said on Aug. 11, after the incident was reported the day before by the Washington Post.
Kennedy Center Votes to Add Trump’s Name
The John F. Kennedy Center, a cultural venue for the performing arts, has voted to place President Donald Trump’s name on the building and to close for renovations following months of controversy.
The name change will involve the front reading “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump,” with the main site changing to the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
An initial name change to “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” was announced in December 2025 by the center’s board.
However, on May 29, a District judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name, stating that only Congress could change the venue’s name, and ordered a halt to the venue’s planned two-year closure, which Trump had announced in February.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the center, with the closure plan, had violated its programming obligations.
The board has kept a separate building on the campus called the REACH, open for limited programming.
The new plan awaits the judge’s decision.
US Establishes Birth Tourism Task Force
This task force will review the activities of visa holders worldwide and investigate any instances of suspected activity.
This is part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to curb illegal immigration into the United States.
The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Aug. 12 that the task force had already revoked 600 visas.
