AP Trending SummaryBrief at 10:14 a.m. EST | National News

‘Pizzagate’ gunman killed by police in North Carolina after traffic stop, authorities say

Authorities say the man who traveled armed to a pizzeria in the nation’s capital nearly a decade ago because of a fake online conspiracy theory has been shot and killed by police in North Carolina. Police say Edgar Maddison Welch was pulled over Saturday night as a passenger in a traffic stop because he had an outstanding warrant. Authorities say Welch then pulled a gun out when officers approached the car. The officers were said to have ordered him to drop the weapon. The department says the officers shot him after he refused. He later died from his injuries. Welch was sentenced about a decade ago after he shot inside the pizzeria at the center of the false “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory.

Life of da party: Snoop Dogg to host NFL Honors, which celebrates highs of the 2024 season

NEW YORK (AP) — Grab a gin and juice, Snoop Dogg is hosting the next episode of NFL Honors. He’s sure to be the life of da party. Snoop Dogg will take center stage at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans for the primetime awards show that recognizes the NFL’s best players, performances and plays from the 2024 season. The annual event will take place Feb. 6, three days before the Super Bowl.

An albatross couple shares egg duty in this captivating low-drama reality show

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A popular New Zealand bird “reality show” that each year follows a pair of northern royal albatrosses as they breed and raise a chick has drawn a global audience of devoted fans in its current 10th season. Millions have watched the 24-hour livestream of the birds’ breeding season at Taiaroa Head – a rugged headland on New Zealand’s South Island – since it began in 2016. A community of online viewers has sprung up to discuss the show. New Zealand’s royal albatross breeding program is a conservation success story, but the species is under threat from warming seas and plastic pollution.

Australian woman who says she is the Philippine president’s half-sister appears in a Sydney court

SYDNEY (AP) — An Australian woman who says she is the half-sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appeared in a Sydney court on charges of causing a drunken disturbance on an airliner. She pledged not to drink alcohol at airports or on planes while she is on bail. Analisa Josefa Corr is accused of assaulting a fellow passenger outside a plane’s toilet after she and her husband allegedly consumed alcohol they had brought onto the flight and became intoxicated. She says she is the daughter of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising, and the half-sister of the current president. Marcos Jr. has previously dismissed reports of Corr’s relationship with his father as “rumors.”

Woman who stabbed classmate to please Slender Man can be released from psychiatric hospital

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a Wisconsin woman who stabbed her sixth grade classmate to please the horror character Slender Man can be released from a psychiatric hospital. Morgan Geyser, now 22, has filed four requests with Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren seeking release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Geyser withdrew her first petition in the summer of 2022. Bohren denied her second request in April 2024. Bohren decided Thursday to grant her release. Geyser and Anissa Weier were 12 in 2014 when they lured Payton Leutner to a Waukesha park. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier egged her on. Leutner barely survived.

Researchers confirm ‘Music City Miracle’ star Frank Wycheck had CTE

Frank Wycheck, the NFL tight end best known for throwing the lateral that started the “Music City Miracle” and launched the Tennessee Titans’ run to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl appearance, had stage III chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he died in December 2023 at his Chattanooga home. His family announced the diagnosis Thursday. Researchers at Boston University confirmed Wycheck had CTE stage III, with stage IV the most severe form of the disease. Wycheck died at the age of 52 after apparently hitting his head in a fall at home. He had made clear his wishes to work with experts for CTE research and on-going brain injury.

Spacecraft buzzes Mercury’s north pole and beams back stunning photos

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos yet of Mercury’s north pole. The European and Japanese robotic explorer buzzed the planet’s polar region Wednesday. The European Space Agency released the snapshots Thursday, showing the permanently shadowed craters at the top of of our solar system’s smallest, innermost planet. This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the spacecraft, named BepiColombo, since its launch in 2018. It put the spacecraft on a course to enter orbit around Mercury late next year.

Michelle Obama doesn’t attend state funeral for Jimmy Carter

Former first lady Michelle Obama didn’t attend the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter. Except for Michelle Obama, all of the living former presidents and their spouses were at the funeral Thursday. That includes former President Barack Obama. Those dignitaries sat in the front pews of Washington National Cathedral. Michelle Obama’s office confirmed that she was absent but didn’t say why or where she was. CNN reported that the former first lady had a scheduling conflict and was in Hawaii, where she’d been on an “extended vacation.”

2 people have died and 20 injured in snow and ice storm in northern France

PARIS (AP) — Authorities in northern France say two people have died and 20 others are injured from a cold snap bringing snow and ice across northern Europe. A statement Thursday from authorities in the Nord region said one of those killed slipped outside and violently banged their head. They said the other person had no fixed address and was found dead in the town of Valenciennes. The icy weather first hit Wednesday. Across the English Channel, weather warnings were in force across the U.K., where temperatures were expected to plummet to -16 degrees Celsius or 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit in some places later on Thursday. Manchester Airport briefly closed its runways due to heavy snow on Thursday morning before reopening.

Meloni says Italy is exploring deals on telecoms security, but denies private talks with Musk

ROME (AP) — Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni says her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk. Responding to questions from reporters at her new year’s press conference, Meloni said: “I never talked about this with Musk. It’s not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends.” She stressed that national interest was “the only lens” through which she judged such potential contracts with SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite system.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.