Salem News Channel

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are set to begin a fourth day of deliberations Tuesday as they decide whether the Massachusetts mother should be held criminally responsible for killing her three young children in 2023. The jury began deliberating behind closed doors last Thursday in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Since then, jurors have not sent any communications to the judge indicating where they stand or whether they are struggling to reach a verdict. Clancy, 36, has admitted to killing her children at the family’s home but has pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility. Her defense argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and was unable to understand the nature or wrongfulness of her actions. Prosecutors contend Clancy knew what she was doing and should be held criminally responsible. Jurors must weigh competing testimony about Clancy’s mental state as they determine whether to convict her or find her not criminally responsible. Deliberations are expected to continue Tuesday.

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A Utah judge is expected to decide Tuesday whether the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk will stand trial on an aggravated murder charge that could make him eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors spent five days in July presenting evidence they say links 23-year-old Tyler Robinson to Kirk’s fatal shooting at Utah Valley University last September. Robinson turned himself in the day after the shooting and has not yet entered a plea. Investigators testified that DNA evidence linked Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, a bolt-action rifle. Prosecutors have also pointed to messages and a handwritten note they allege show Robinson admitted responsibility for the killing. Robinson’s attorneys have challenged some of the prosecution’s evidence and are seeking to prevent the case from proceeding on the aggravated murder charge. They have also argued against prosecutors seeking the death penalty. District Judge Tony Graf is expected to hear final arguments Tuesday before announcing his decision from the bench. The judge could send Robinson to trial for aggravated murder, allow the case to proceed on a lesser murder charge or dismiss the charges. Prosecutors are also seeking potential sentencing enhancements based on their allegation that Kirk was targeted because of his political beliefs.

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Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, marking the latest leadership change within the U.S. military. The White House announced Driscoll’s departure Monday but did not provide a reason for his decision to leave the position. Driscoll’s exit comes amid reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a period of significant change within Army leadership. An ally of Driscoll was removed as the Army’s top uniformed leader in April, and the service has also moved away from a drone modernization program Driscoll had championed. Driscoll, an Iraq War veteran, was confirmed as Army secretary in February 2025. He is also a longtime friend of Vice President JD Vance, whom he met while attending Yale Law School. The White House has not yet announced a permanent replacement for Driscoll.

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A Las Vegas jury has found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, marking the first and only conviction in the decades-old case. Prosecutors accused Davis of orchestrating the drive-by shooting that fatally wounded Shakur near the Las Vegas Strip in September 1996. Shakur was riding in a vehicle with music executive Marion “Suge” Knight when a Cadillac pulled alongside them and gunfire erupted. The 25-year-old rapper was shot multiple times and died at a hospital six days later. Davis is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s killing. The investigation remained cold for decades before statements Davis made in interviews and his 2019 memoir helped revive the case. The verdict brings a major legal conclusion to one of the most closely followed unsolved killings in music history.

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Rescue teams are searching through mud and debris for thousands of people still missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal and China left more than 1,000 people dead. Nepal’s disaster agency has reported 987 deaths and 3,916 people missing, including 583 foreigners. Chinese authorities have reported at least 16 deaths and 546 people missing. The scale of the disaster is complicating rescue efforts across the region. Landslides and destroyed roads have cut off remote communities, making it difficult for emergency crews to reach survivors. In Nepal, rescuers are also racing to reach hundreds of hydropower workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels. The disaster began Aug. 26 high in the Himalayas when a glacial collapse sent massive amounts of rock, ice and meltwater into valleys below, triggering powerful flooding downstream. International rescue teams are assisting as the search for survivors continues.

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The USS Abraham Lincoln is heading to Thailand for a port call as the aircraft carrier makes its way back to the United States following an extended deployment in the Middle East. The carrier supported U.S. military operations during the war with Iran and spent more than 250 days at sea, setting a record amid concerns about crew fatigue, mental health and supply shortages. Officials in the coastal city of Pattaya are preparing to welcome the carrier and its crew this week. Local authorities are increasing the police presence and making other preparations ahead of the sailors’ arrival. Thai officials are also hoping the visit provides an economic boost to Pattaya, a major tourism destination known for its beaches, restaurants and nightlife. The port call will give sailors an opportunity for rest and recreation before the Abraham Lincoln continues its journey home following the lengthy deployment.

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President Donald Trump announced a new round of drug-pricing agreements with international pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotech firms Monday, expanding his administration’s effort to lower prescription drug costs for Americans. The agreements are part of Trump’s push to bring U.S. prescription prices closer to those paid in other developed countries. The administration has argued for years that Americans often pay significantly more for the same medications sold overseas. Under the initiative, participating drugmakers are expected to offer lower prices on certain medications while the administration works to reduce disparities between what pharmaceutical companies charge American patients and consumers abroad. Trump has made lowering prescription drug costs a major part of his healthcare agenda, using negotiations with manufacturers and his “most favored nation” pricing strategy to pressure companies to reduce prices in the United States. The administration says additional agreements with pharmaceutical companies are expected as the initiative continues.

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The significant increase in California's education budget over the past decade has not translated into improved student outcomes. Despite spending more than $350 billion this year, enrollment has decreased, and academic performance remains poor, with less than half of students able to read properly and only a third proficient in math. The speaker emphasizes the need for reform, including banning out-of-pocket expenses for school supplies.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project while his administration appeals a judge’s order halting the work. The justices intervened Monday after lower courts found work must stop because the project doesn’t have congressional approval. The decision replaces a temporary order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts hours before a court-ordered halt was set to go into effect. It allows the construction to continue as the lawsuit plays out, a potentially lengthy process. It's a win for Trump as he flexes unprecedented executive power and remakes the capital in his image.

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BUENOS AIRES, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi, who captained Argentina to World Cup victory in 2022 and the final in 2026, is retiring from international football, he said on Monday. The record eight-times Ballon d'Or winner is his country's record appearance-maker and scorer with 125 goals in 207 games, having transformed a complicated relationship with the national team into a story of redemption and triumph. "It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football," the 39-year-old Messi wrote on Instagram. "Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here. "I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — alongside my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of," Messi added. NO FAIRYTALE FAREWELL Defeat in this year's World Cup final by Spain denied Messi a fairytale farewell, but his place among the game's greats had long since been secured. After years of disappointment with Argentina, including defeat in the 2014 World Cup final and successive Copa America finals, Messi won his first major international trophy at the 2021 Copa America before leading his country to glory at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The former Barcelona and Paris St Germain forward, who now plays for Inter Miami, added another Copa America title in 2024 and arrived at his sixth World Cup hoping to complete an extraordinary final chapter. A 1-0 loss to Spain after extra time ensured that did not happen, but Messi, who made his Argentina debut in 2005, walks away having emerged from the shadow of 1986 World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona to forge a legacy of his own as another defining figure in his country's football history. The Argentine Football Association posted on Instagram: "Thank you for giving us the most beautiful journey of our lives. Your legacy and professionalism will remain forever etched in our hearts. Thank you, Captain. We love you."

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PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial have ended a third day of deliberating without a verdict. They're deciding whether the Massachusetts woman is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023. The jury spent Monday deliberating and will return Tuesday. Clancy, a former nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children but claims postpartum psychosis led to her actions. Prosecutors argue she knew what she was doing. The jury could find her guilty of murder or manslaughter, or acquit her if they believe psychiatric problems were to blame. Her sentence could range from life in prison to confinement in a mental health facility.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers return to Washington on Monday with a short to-do list after five weeks back in their home districts. The first order of business is likely a vote on a stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections. With election season getting underway, votes are also expected on measures designed to amplify the GOP’s messaging strategy going into November, most notably a resolution condemning socialism. Lawmakers will also have their first chance to act on a recommendation from the House Ethics Committee that Repblican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina be censured for engaging in inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides.

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WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new round of drug-pricing agreements with international pharmaceutical companies and some smaller biotechs on Monday, part of a push to make healthcare more affordable for Americans. Deals were signed with nine companies including Astellas, BeOne Medicines, CSL, BridgeBIO, Sun Pharmaceutical, Teva and UCB SA. These companies have offered drugs to state Medicaid programs at most-favored-nation prices, Trump said in an Oval Office event with executives of the companies, describing this as "a tremendous discount, which should bring down the cost of your medical care by tremendous amounts." U.S. patients currently pay by far the most for prescription medicines, often nearly three times more than in other developed nations, and Trump has been pressuring drugmakers to lower their prices to what patients pay elsewhere. The deals will build on agreements the administration struck with 17 of the world's largest drugmakers, including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Amgen, starting last year. The drugmakers agreed to offer lower prices comparable to what is paid in other developed countries, referred to as "most-favored-nation" pricing. Those companies agreed to cut some prices for federal health programs and sell some medicines directly to patients through a Trump-branded website, in return for tariff relief. SMALL DRUGMAKERS HAVE DELAYED DEALS Smaller and mid-sized drugmakers had been slow to sign onto drug-pricing deals, Reuters has reported. A Reuters report in June found that only Japan's Astellas had confirmed applying for the Medicaid pricing program by that point, with executives at companies such as Ionis Pharmaceuticals saying they saw little financial benefit in joining. It is not yet clear how much the deals will save the government or patients. Medicaid already gets steep discounts from drugmakers under existing law, and most people covered by the program pay little out of pocket for prescriptions. The White House has held several high-profile events with pharmaceutical executives this year to promote its efforts on healthcare costs, part of a broader push to highlight affordability before this year's midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The administration has said its broader drug pricing push, including the earlier deals with large pharmaceutical companies, could save $64.3 billion in federal and state spending over the next decade, but that number is speculative.

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MIAMI (AP) — The National Hurricane Center posted a tropical storm warning on Monday for the Gulf of Mexico coast near the Texas-Louisiana state line. Forecasters expect a potential tropical cyclone will strengthen into a named storm by Monday night as it swirls toward Texas and make landfall sometime Tuesday. In the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Lowell was expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane by Monday night and reach the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands later this week. Elsewhere in the Pacific, Hurricane Karina became a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Monday. It isn't threatening land but could send high surf to parts of California and Mexico.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of people showed up near New York City's Washington Square Park to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest. Nine contestants sought a $100 cash prize in Sunday's contest sponsored by a social media app, Sonder. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January, has amassed a large following on social media and young fanbase. The winner was Amadeo Fusca, who wore a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks jersey underneath a suit. Other contestants wore suits, dress shoes, rings — and had haircuts and facial hair similar to Mamdani's.

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BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews with water-dropping aircraft attacked a small wildfire that prompted new evacuations Thursday along California's remote Big Sur coast, where a much larger blaze has been burning for nearly three weeks. The Plaskett Fire erupted the previous day in steep terrain in Monterey County near Highway 1. Officials briefly closed a portion of the scenic coastal route Thursday afternoon as firefighters scrambled to keep the flames from running through canyons. A handful of isolated properties were under evacuation orders and warnings. The fire had no containment so far, and its cause was under investigation. About 40 miles (60 kilometers) to the north, officials closed another section of the highway where the Timber Fire has been active since Aug. 8. Crews performed back-burning operations, deliberately setting fire to brush to keep the bigger blaze from advancing toward populated areas of Big Sur. The larger fire was nearly 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), with more than 20% containment. Fire danger is high in much of California due to an increased risk of lightning and gusty winds from the remnants of a tropical storm in the Pacific.

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In this episode of Hugh Hewitt: Abdul El-Sayed discusses the pitfalls of cancel culture and emphasizes the importance of focusing on the ideas and policies rather than individual personas. El-Sayed shares his views on how cancel culture can distract from meaningful discourse and political progress. He explains that while he disagrees with certain viewpoints, the essence of his campaign lies in collaborative efforts for healthcare reform, financial justice, and ending futile wars. El-Sayed also clarifies that his campaign is not aligned with every opinion of every influencer, but rather with the core principles of positive change and community-driven politics.

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GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — More storms and flooding are possible at the Grand Canyon where a major flash flood left at least two people dead and about 15 more missing. Scores of visitors were evacuated after heavy rain caused water to rush through Bright Angel Creek on Saturday. Emergency water restrictions began Monday after the only water pipeline for tourists and residents in the canyon was destroyed. Tourists are barred from staying overnight at lodges and hotels inside the park and year-round residents must conserve water. The National Weather Service warned of an elevated risk of flash flooding through Monday. More than 60 people have been airlifted to safety.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his administration has entered a sweeping agreement with Venezuela that, if realized, could give the U.S. access to vast amounts of the South American country’s untapped oil reserves, at cost. Trump said in a social media post Friday that the agreement was negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The president calls it "THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!” Rodríguez’s government says the deal involves the development of 17 fields with a proven potential of 65 billion barrels. It says it could draw $100 billion in investment into Venezuela’s oil industry,

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DUBAI/ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted on Monday as promising to "hit them hard" after Iran launched missiles overnight at two U.S. air bases in Jordan in response to a U.S. attack on Iran's Larak island. "We're going to hit them hard," a Fox News reporter quoted Trump as telling the channel. "There will be a response." A senior Iranian source, speaking to Reuters, described the overnight hostilities between the United States and Iran, the first since late July, as a "limited and contained confrontation" but added that Tehran would deliver a harsh response if attacked again. Trump also said U.S. air defences had shot down all Iranian missiles that could have caused any damage and said that tough new U.S. economic sanctions on Iran were having a big impact, Fox News reported. PILING ON ECONOMIC PRESSURE Washington has recently stepped up efforts to punish Tehran and its business partners with costly secondary sanctions, with diplomacy in stalemate six months into a war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, echoing Trump, said on Monday the resumed exchanges of fire showed that Iran was "lashing out" now because the new sanctions were taking a heavy toll on its already battered economy. "They're taking it very seriously...they're in shock at the state of their economy," Bessent told reporters at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in North Carolina. "I would think that they are lashing out kinetically because they are losing economically." Bessent told Reuters on Sunday new secondary sanctions were likely to be unveiled weekly in the effort to pressure Iran, with an initial focus on banks. US HIT IRANIAN ISLAND IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ U.S. forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island, a U.S. official said, after "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz". Three people were killed in the U.S. attack, Tasnim news agency reported. The state-affiliated Nournews said two of them had been identified as members of the Revolutionary Guards Navy. Larak is a small island in the strait near the strategic Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The Strait of Hormuz, which normally handles a fifth of global crude oil shipments, has been effectively blocked since the start of the war. In a statement, the U.S. Central Command said it took "limited, precise" action against minelaying forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guards that posed an "imminent threat" in the strait. It gave no details. In response, as well as attacking the U.S. bases in Jordan, Iran's army said it had struck the Al Minhad air base in the United Arab Emirates early on Monday. However, the UAE's defence ministry dismissed that report as false. The UAE defence ministry later said its air force engaged a drone that had come from Iran over its territorial waters. It provided no further details. Iranian state TV quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying a supertanker had caught fire and was brought to a complete halt after being struck by two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military later dismissed the claim as false. PRESIDENT SAYS IRAN STILL WANTS NEGOTIATED END TO CONFLICT The senior Iranian source, who has direct knowledge of Iranian decision-making and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said conditions in the Strait of Hormuz would "become worse for vessels that violate" rules set by Tehran for passage through the waterway. The source added that no target was beyond Iran's reach. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a milder tone on Monday, telling India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Kyrgyzstan, that his country still sought a negotiated resolution of the conflict. "... we are still trying to achieve an agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is in no one's interest, neither ours, nor the region's, nor humanity's," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying. 'BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS!!!' Trump had annoyed Iran overnight by posting on his Truth Social platform an AI-generated video clip that he said showed Iran's oil hub Kharg Island being "blown to smithereens!!!" There was no evidence of any such attack and a U.S. official said on Monday the military had not targeted Kharg Island in overnight strikes. An Iranian official dismissed Trump's post as "laughable". Reuters confirmed that the video clip showing dramatic explosions was most likely synthetically generated, using software that detects AI-manipulated imagery. The White House and the U.S. Defense Department did not respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours. Kharg handled 90% of Iran's oil exports before the war launched by U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, and attacking it ?would severely disrupt energy trade and put huge pressure on the economy. Trump has yet to achieve the objectives he set out at the start of the war: dismantling Iran's nuclear program, curbing its ability to attack regional rivals and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers.

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