Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused her reelection opponent, Spencer Pratt, of “exploiting the grief” of the LA wildfire victims. In an interview with left-wing podcast host Katie Phang, Bass criticized Pratt’s outspoken advocacy, claiming that he was capitalizing on the tragedy even though he was among those who lost a home in the Palisades wildfire.  “Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt. But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible,” Bass said. “I think he’s about his own celebrity; he’s famous now again.” “I think he could benefit by a basic civics course, because I don’t think he understands the basics of how any government works,” she added. LA Mayor Karen Bass: Well, honestly, before this, I had never heard of Spencer Pratt. But the thing I am concerned about is that I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades. And I think that’s reprehensible. pic.twitter.com/PGbn9UKmkZ — Acyn (@Acyn) May 2, 2026 The attacks come after Pratt, a former reality TV star, posted a viral advertisement blasting Bass and other city leaders. In the campaign video, Pratt films himself outside the mansions belonging to Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman. The scene then cuts to a homeless encampment as Pratt narrates, “They don’t have to live in the mess they created. Where you live,” he says. “This is where I live,” Pratt adds while posing outside a trailer at the site of his burned-down home. “They let my home burn down. I know what the consequences of failed leadership are. That’s why I’m running for mayor. For my sons, and the rest of us Angelenos that want to stop these corrupt politicians from destroying our city. We are gonna get the golden age of Los Angeles back,” he concludes. They not like us pic.twitter.com/78hducHDUE — Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) April 29, 2026 In January 2025, wind-whipped flames tore through homes and devastated entire neighborhoods in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades, an upscale community near the Los Angeles County coastline. Firefighters and emergency crews worked for weeks to fully contain the fires, which burned 50,000 acres and destroyed nearly 16,000 homes. The fires, among the deadliest in California’s history, directly resulted in at least 31 deaths, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. A more in-depth analysis by the Boston University School of Public Health, however, estimated that the fires were responsible for 409 excess deaths. “The additional 409 deaths that were excluded from official death records likely resulted from partially attributable factors such as lung or heart conditions due to increased exposure to air pollution from smoke and burning objects, as well as indirect factors such as disruptions in other critical healthcare or mental health emergencies,” the researchers said. Mayor Bass, who was representing the Biden Administration in Africa as Los Angeles communities were reduced to rubble, came under scorching criticism for her handling of the fires. Returning from her overseas trip, Bass was caught flat-footed and literally speechless at Los Angeles International Airport. “Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning, and do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?” Sky News reporter David Blevins asked Bass at the airport. “Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?” he added. Pratt is a first-time candidate facing more than a dozen other contenders in the nonpartisan mayoral primary in June, including Bass, who is seeking re-election. Prediction markets currently favor leftist Nithya Raman. ‘Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent whilst their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department’s budget? @skydavidblevins questions the mayor of LA, Karen Bass, as she faces backlash regarding the California wildfires.https://t.co/Nkz8onjC7V pic.twitter.com/WwRwp6Imqz — Sky News (@SkyNews) January 8, 2025

President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated photo of himself lounging in the Reflecting Pool on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall. The photo showed Trump floating in a gold-colored pool inflatable alongside a smiling Vice President JD Vance, who gave a thumbs-up. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also appeared in the photo, along with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.   The Reflecting Pool has been drained in recent days to allow for construction workers to come in and repaint the bottom with a protective coating — in “American Flag Blue” — ahead of this summer’s events celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday. The coating is supposed to stop a number of leaks and help to avoid more costly repairs to the monument in the future. The updates, according to the White House, are expected to take about one week to complete and have a price tag of $2 million — and add to the series of major renovations and updates being made by the Trump administration all around the White House and the nation’s capital. Not everyone is happy with the updates, however. Charles Birnbaum, former coordinator of the National Park Service’s Historic Landscape Initiative, complained that the blue color made the reflecting pool look more like a swimming pool than a historical monument. “The reflecting pool is hallowed ground,” he told POLITICO. “It shouldn’t resemble a swimming pool.” “It will look far more beautiful than it did in 1922,” Trump argued, adding, “It was filthy dirty, and it leaked like a sieve.” The Department of the Interior, headed by Burgum, also championed the effort to “restore and preserve America’s most iconic landmarks.” The Reflecting Pool, according to the National Park Service, is classified as a memorial and is designed solely for viewing. Wading or swimming in the pool are illegal, as is walking in the shadow water.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday blamed the Biden Administration’s rejection of the Spirit-Jet Blue merger for the company’s collapse. Over the weekend, Spirit Airlines customers woke up to a blunt message inside the airline’s app: every scheduled flight is canceled, effective immediately. Shutting down operations has disrupted travel for thousands. The low-cost airline had dozens of routes, including nonstop flights between major cities such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville, New Orleans, and Newark.  Viral videos on social media show empty and deserted Spirit check-in counters at airports across the country. Spirit Airlines is shut down at Orlando International Airport. pic.twitter.com/SgIfidaKp4 — Murfam Post

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro gave an update on the investigation into Cole Tomas Allen — who opened fire one week earlier at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and said that it was clear the would-be assassin had an inflated sense of his own capabilities. Pirro, the U.S. Attorney assigned to Washington, D.C., spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper about the ongoing investigation in Allen’s actions and motives — and she described the shooter’s actions leading up to the moment he charged a security checkpoint manned by the United States Secret Service. Tapper began by asking Pirro — who was in attendance at the dinner herself — whether the fact that she could have been a potential target meant that she should recuse herself from the case entirely. Pirro was adamant that the two things were unconnected. “Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way … my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there,” she said. TAPPER: “Has it been suggested to you, at any point, by anyone that maybe you need to recuse yourself because you were both a witness and a potential target?” JEANINE PIRRO: “Absolutely not. I mean, there is no way… my ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my… pic.twitter.com/clLO5SJ9DA — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 3, 2026 Pirro went on to address Allen’s behavior and actions leading up to the assassination attempt, much of which was either recovered from his personal effects or captured by security cameras at the Washington Hilton. “Clearly, the president is a target. And make no mistake, it is not just the manifesto. It is his actions,” Pirro said of the suspect, who referred to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin” throughout the manifesto he sent to family. “I mean, this guy thought he was Rambo.” “And he takes a picture of himself. He is smug, he is proud, and he is focused on what he’s doing,” Pirro added. “I think if you read the manifesto … it is very clear who the intended target is. It is very clear, based upon the fact that as soon as this president said that he was going to be at the Hilton for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on March 2nd, [Allen] then made the decision to hatch the plan,” Pirro told Tapper, adding, “I can tell you, we will be able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.” She went on to say that the defense might have a difficult time if they opted to go for an affirmative defense and claim that Allen was insane: “The one issue that people might think about is, is he insane. He is far from insane. He is brilliant. He has a master’s degree. He work[ed] at a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro on case against alleged press dinner gunman: “We have a lot of evidence that indicates his intent… whether it was, you know, following what the president was doing, where he was going, to the day of the of the event at the hotel. Tracking on his phone:… pic.twitter.com/J9NtXGI3HU — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 3, 2026

New video captures the emotional moments as Florida police officers turned to prayer and faith to help talk a suicidal man off the edge of a bridge. The Jacksonville Police Department released body camera footage of an April 12 crisis incident involving a young man preparing to take his own life on top of the Dames Point Bridge. “Whatever you’re going through, man, you can get through it,” Officer Antonio Richardson said. The young man, wearing black slides and gray sweatpants, shrugged his shoulders and stood with his back turned to the officer. “Come on, let’s talk about it for a minute, Richardson said. “Can I at least have a prayer with you?” The appeal to faith appeared to resonate, and the young man turned toward the officer to listen. “You mind if I just hold your hand and pray with you? Come on, man, touch my hand,” the officer said. The 96-second viral video offers only a brief glimpse of a long, 40-minute emotional standoff before the young man ultimately stepped away from the ledge.      “You’re hurting, but if you jump, you’re going to hurt other people,” Richardson told him. “The cycle of hurt has got to stop.” Richardson, an 18-year veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and a pastor of more than 30 years, extended his arm and embraced the crying man into his arms, helping save his life. “I remember reaching out my hand toward him, and at first, he was reluctant and kept looking like he wanted to jump. I kept saying, ‘Come on, man, don’t do it,’ and he finally turned and reached his hand toward me. That was a magical moment,” Richardson said, according to local outlet WTLV.  Officer Creighton-Nelson offered more words of encouragement. “I love you. We all love you. We wear this badge for many reasons. This is the main reason,” Nelson told the man. “To reach those whom the devil thinks he got. He ain’t got you.” In that moment, the Jackson Police Department said their officers “were just people showing how much they care for another person.” “I was praying, and God spared his life,” Robinson told Fox News. “We connected, and as a result of that connection, he didn’t jump, and that’s what it’s all about.”