By Jade Walker

The Defense Department inspector general last week expanded its investigation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his use of Signal. In March, Hegseth and other top officials discussed a US military attack on Houthis in Yemen during a group chat on the commercial messaging app, a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. In April, it was revealed that Hegseth had created a second group chat on his personal phone and allegedly shared details about those same airstrikes with at least 12 people, including his wife, brother and lawyer. Investigators are also looking into how information about the military strikes was transferred from his secure communication system to Signal. 

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More than 2 million people attended Lady Gaga's open concert Saturday on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, according to city authorities. Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images

Lady Gaga

Police in Rio de Janeiro foiled a possible attack on a Lady Gaga concert over the weekend. The free performance on Rio’s Copacabana beach was attended by roughly 2.1 million concertgoers. Two people were arrested on suspicion of planning the attack to gain “notoriety on social media.” According to authorities, the pair pretended to be fans of Lady Gaga and allegedly tried to recruit teens to use improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails on LGBTQ+ people at the event. The suspects were part of an online hate group that aims to radicalize young people and promote “the dissemination of hate crimes, self-harm, pedophilia and violent content,” police said. The alleged leader of the group was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm, while a teenager connected to the thwarted assault was arrested for possession of child pornography. 

Alcatraz

President Donald Trump has announced plans to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz to “house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” In a post on his social media site, Trump said he was directing the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, the FBI and Homeland Security to reopen the infamous former prison. Located on an island off the San Francisco coast, Alcatraz closed in 1963 because it was too expensive to run. According to the Bureau of Prisons, it would take an estimated $3 million to $5 million to restore and maintain the prison — and that doesn’t include daily operating costs. Currently, Alcatraz serves as a tourist destination run by the National Park Service. In a conversation with reporters later Sunday, Trump appeared to downplay his post and said reopening Alcatraz was “just an idea” he had because of “radicalized judges” who want to ensure migrants being deported have due process.

Trump budget

The White House has unveiled its budget blueprint, which highlights the president’s priorities of pumping more money into defense and homeland security while cutting foreign aid and domestic programs. The “skinny budget” would increase defense spending by 13% to $1 trillion. It also proposes providing $175 billion to “fully secure the border." To afford this, Trump’s budget recommends making additional cuts to the National Park Service, climate science research, foreign economic and disaster assistance, UN peacekeepers, certain education funding to schools, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, clean energy and EV charging programs, nuclear energy and waste management, rental assistance and the IRS.

Weather forecasting

As the next hurricane season approaches, current and former meteorologists say the National Weather Service is in tatters. Since the start of Trump’s second term, the NWS has lost more than 550 people. With so much institutional knowledge gone, experts are worried that the nation’s forecasting agency will be unable to provide accurate forecasts and timely life-saving warnings. Of the NWS’ 122 weather forecast offices, 30 lack a chief meteorologist. Many of these offices are responsible for covering major population centers in Cleveland, Houston, New York City and Tampa. “The (meteorologists-in-charge) are the critical linchpin in the operation of our weather forecast offices,” said former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad. Multiple offices have reduced or eliminated daily weather balloon launches, which provide critical data for computer models used by forecasters. And several NWS offices are expected to soon stop operating 24/7.

Mike Pence

Former Vice President Mike Pence received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Sunday for refusing to overturn the results of the 2020 election despite being repeatedly pressured by President Trump to do so. Amid the chaos and violence of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol — some of which was directed at Pence — he oversaw the election’s certification. “January 6 was a tragic day,” Pence said while receiving the award. “But it became a triumph of freedom. And history will record that our institutions held.” Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and grandson Jack Schlossberg presented the award to Pence. “At the time, I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job,” Caroline Kennedy said. “Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now.”

Israel approves Gaza ‘conquest’ plan and new aid system, source says
Israel’s security cabinet has voted to expand military operations in Gaza, according to two Israeli officials. The vote came hours after the military said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists, strengthening its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory. One Israeli official said the new plan for Israel’s war in Gaza involves “the conquest of territory and remaining there.” 

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One of Pope Francis’ final wishes will come true
Before he died, the pontiff asked for one of his “popemobiles” to be converted into a mobile healthcare unit and sent to the Gaza Strip. The new clinic will feature medical equipment for diagnosing, examining and treating children and be staffed by doctors and medics.

Baseball fan on the mend after fall
Kavan Markwood, 20, who fell from the 21-foot right field wall and onto the field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh last week during the seventh inning of the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs game, is awake, alert and getting better. “He still has a long road ahead of him,” a family friend wrote, “but today brought a moment of hope that we’ve all been holding onto.”

Swing, batter batter… Swing, Kody!
Minnesota Twins’ infielder Kody Clemens hit a home run against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend — something his father, MLB legend Roger Clemens, never managed to do during his storied career. Even better, his dad was in the stands to see it.

Sorry, gamers. The wait continues …
Take-Two Interactive announced on Friday that the release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” has been delayed until May 26, 2026. One of the most highly anticipated titles in video-gaming history, the newest "GTA" was previously scheduled for a fall 2025 launch.

Superheroes are back on top
Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” debuted at No. 1 at the box office this weekend, beating expectations with $76 million in domestic sales. The re-release of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” edged Warner Bros. Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios’ “The Accountant 2” for the No. 2 spot. (Warner Bros. Pictures, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.)

World’s oldest person dies at 116
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun who loved soccer, credited her Catholic faith as the secret to her longevity.

18

That’s how old Andrea Kimi Antonelli was last week when he became the youngest driver to claim an F1 pole position in any race format. 

“I don’t know.”

— President Trump, when asked during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker” whether he needs to uphold the Constitution, three months after swearing an oath to do so.

Hawaii volcano erupts in rare pattern
Kilauea has been seen hurling lava upwards of 300 feet into the air.

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