TV News LIES

A divided Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the creation of the nation's first religious charter school, a major loss for those advocating a greater role for religion in public life.

The court split 4-4 over whether to allow St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School, keeping in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision that a religious charter school would violate the Constitution’s clause aimed at keeping religion separate from government.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate in the decision, leaving the nine-member court evenly divided. Although she didn't give a reason, Barrett is close friends with the Notre Dame Law School professor who was an early legal adviser to the Catholic Church in Oklahoma, which wanted to open St. Isidore.

The court issued its one sentence decision announcing the deadlock three weeks after hearing oral arguments. The announcement did not include how each of the participating justices voted.

Because neither side had a majority, no precedent was established by its decision.

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Two planes traveling between Honolulu and southern California were diverted due to safety concerns, one for a bomb threat, another for a “security concern” found written on a bathroom mirror.

United flight 1169 left Daniel K Inouye international airport at 9.40pm on Tuesday night, headed for Los Angeles international airport. Data from FlightAware shows the airplane reversing course east of Hawaii, and headed back to Honolulu.

United gave slim details in a written statement, and stated that all 339 passengers and 10 crew members made it back to Honolulu, and were rebooked on later flights.

Fans of the classic TV sitcom Cheers are raising a beer stein for one of its beloved cast members, actor George Wendt. He played Norm Peterson, a beer-loving regular at the bar "where everybody knows your name." Wendt's publicist, Melissa Nathan shared a statement from his family who confirmed on Tuesday that the 76-year-old actor died peacefully in his sleep at home.

"George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him," his family wrote. "He will be missed forever."

Wendt was born on the South Side of Chicago, and got his start in the 1970s performing with the prestigious improv comedy troupe The Second City. After that, he began appearing in bit parts on iconic TV shows including Taxi and M*A*S*H.

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An explosion at a fertility clinic in the upscale California city of Palm Springs appears to have been intentional, local authorities said. One person was found dead, and the FBI said it was sending investigators, including bomb technicians, to the scene.

Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said in a statement Saturday that the blast “appears to be an intentional act of violence” and that several buildings damaged, some severely.

“There has been one fatality, the person’s identity is not known,” Mills’ statement said.

The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, said two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation. One of the officials told AP that investigators believe the person who died is likely the person who set off the explosion, but cautioned the investigation is still in its early stages. Authorities have not disclosed a motive.

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Ten people in custody at the New Orleans jail, including a man convicted of four killings, escaped early on Friday morning.

While at least two were apprehended within hours, the escapes prompted local, state and federal officials to launch a “full-scale search operation” for eight who remained at large Friday night – and to warn community members to be on the lookout for “armed and dangerous” individuals.

“Folks, take it seriously,” the New Orleans police superintendent, Anne Kirkpatrick, said at a news conference late on Friday morning. Sheriff Susan Hutson, whose agency operates the jail, said: “We are urging the public to remain alert.”

At first, officials said 11 people had escaped. But during a press conference on Friday afternoon, the New Orleans sheriff clarified that one man, who authorities thought had escaped, was in a different cell.

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Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Charles Strouse has died. The creator of the hit musicals Bye Bye Birdie, Applause and Annie died at his home in New York City on Thursday, according to a press release shared with NPR by The Press Room. Strouse was 96.

His four children, Benjamin, Nicholas, Victoria, and William, shared the news of his passing. He was predeceased by his wife, choreographer Barbara Siman, in 2023 after six decades of marriage.

Strouse was a musical chameleon, said theater historian Laurence Maslon. "Strouse was a great craftsperson. He adopted and adapted his vocabulary to whatever the needs of the particular genre were."

He could write songs in the style of early rock and roll, like "One Last Kiss" from Bye Bye Birdie, or Depression-Era New York, like "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" in Annie, or ultra-groovy 1970s New York, as in "But Alive" from Applause.

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