July 30, 2026
July 30, 2026
Ceuta, a small Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, is facing a sharp rise in irregular migrant arrivals from neighboring Morocco. The territory sits on a narrow peninsula of roughly 18.5 square kilometers, bordered by Morocco to the south and surrounded by sea on the other sides. It lies just across the Strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain-about 14 to 17 kilometers away-and, together with Melilla farther east, forms the European Union's only land borders...
If you needed evidence that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is an anti-semite, this is it. The Mayor's newly appointed Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary has drawn sharp criticism after it was revealed that none of its roughly 18 members are Jewish, despite the historically high representation of Jewish attorneys in the city's legal profession. The panel screens and recommends candidates for judgeships in New York City courts. Jewish bar associations, including...
On July 30, 2026, reality TV personality and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt shared a video on X of a woman appearing to be in labor on a sidewalk in an area consistent with Skid Row. Overlaid text and narration in the video claimed the woman was attempting to use a pipe (described as crack) during contractions, that emergency responders indicated limited ability to intervene until after birth under California rules, and that the infant was later found dead in a...
SAN DIEGO - Emergency crews have responded to multiple dangerous incidents at Sunset Cliffs this week involving illegal cliff activity, prompting renewed warnings from authorities about the risks of jumping or climbing the popular Point Loma bluffs. On Sunday, a 17-year-old was injured while attempting to jump into the Pacific Ocean from the cliffs near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Froude Street. Video circulating online shows the teen running toward the edge and leaping, only...
Russian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight into July 30, 2026, striking multiple cities including the capital Kyiv and the western city of Lviv, with confirmed civilian casualties. Air raid alerts sounded across most of the country as ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones, targeted urban areas. Explosions were reported in Kyiv starting around 1:18 a.m. local time. Ukrainian officials and emergency services reported fires...
SANTA MONICA - A 35-year-old man has been charged with murder in the July 25 killing of a 27-year-old woman at The Manor, an adult residential facility at 1905 Pico Boulevard that houses people with mental illness and developmental disabilities. The victim has been identified as Cheyenne Zampino, 27. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, she died from sharp force injuries to the neck in a bathroom at the facility. Police responded around 5:21 p.m. on...
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - A pack of coyotes has taken up residence in an unfinished condominium complex in West Hollywood, prompting safety concerns among nearby residents and action from city officials, amid a broader rise in sightings across parts of Los Angeles County. Residents near the intersection of Romaine Street and North Spaulding Avenue have nicknamed the stalled construction site the "coyote condo." Neighbors report seeing as many as six animals, including adults...
SANTA MONICA - City officials are trumpeting the latest Point-in-Time Count as proof their approach is working. The 2026 tally found 718 people experiencing homelessness in Santa Monica, down 94 from 812 the year before - an 11.6 percent decline and the lowest total since LAHSA began running the city's count in 2024. Unsheltered numbers fell even more sharply, dropping about 18 percent to 389 people. Vehicle-based homelessness, which had driven last year's increase, reversed...
SANTA MONICA - SaMoShel, the city's longtime 60-bed congregate shelter sitting at a bus depot near the freeway and well away from most housing, is headed for decommissioning. Staff want to replace the dormitory-style facility with a city-controlled "Housing Focused System of Care" that emphasizes non-congregate rooms in motels and other scattered sites. The idea, they say, is greater local control from intake to permanent housing instead of depending on Los Angeles County....
ANAHEIM - Guests at Disneyland Park and Downtown Disney faced a chaotic evening Tuesday when a city of Anaheim infrastructure problem caused a major drop in water pressure and partial outages, leaving the popular resort without running water. According to reports from visitors on the ground, the outage left restrooms completely unusable across the park and Downtown Disney district. Restaurants and bars were unable to seat guests due to health code requirements that mandate...
SANTA MONICA - A person was found deceased Monday evening in a driveway near the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Kansas Avenue in Santa Monica, according to multiple neighborhood witnesses. Police and the coroner's office responded to the scene, which was located across from 2600 Virginia Avenue and next to a preschool. Witnesses reported that a motorist pulling into a driveway discovered an individual on the ground and contacted authorities. Santa Monica Police...
CANCÚN, Mexico - July 27, 2026** - The Dolphin Company, the largest aquatic theme park operator in Latin America, is seeking bankruptcy court approval to sell Mexican resorts along with 87 dolphins, 6 sea lions, and 8 manatees for $20 million, according to reports circulating Monday. The proposed transaction forms part of the company's ongoing Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Leisure Investments Holdings LLC, the U.S. parent...
SAN DIEGO - A 17-year-old boy was rescued and hospitalized Saturday after a cliff jump at Sunset Cliffs went wrong when he struck a protruding rock shelf on the way down, according to authorities and video of the incident. The unidentified teen sprinted toward the edge of the rocky bluffs near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in the Point Loma area and leaped into the Pacific Ocean. He failed to clear a lower rock ledge, slamming into it with his back and backside before tumbling into...
CHICAGO - Four teenagers from the northern suburbs died early Sunday when the pickup truck they were in launched off a viaduct on the city's Southwest Side and smashed into a stationary freight train car while fleeing police. The crash occurred around 2:16 a.m. in the 6900 block of South Cicero Avenue. Authorities identified the victims as Cristofer Lopez Montan, 19, and Yuarem Garcia-Pena, 18, both of Woodstock; Yaritza Martinez Villeda, 17, of Crystal Lake; and Vanessa...
Santa Monica, CA — Water temperatures at Santa Monica Pier reached a balmy 76.8°F on July 25, marking the highest July reading ever recorded at the popular coastal landmark, according to weather tracker Colin McCarthy of US Stormwatch. The unusually warm nearshore waters have contributed to elevated humidity levels across Southern California this summer, making conditions feel more tropical than the typically dry coastal climate many residents expect. Sea surface...
SEATTLE — Three people were killed and four others wounded, including a 2-year-old boy, when gunfire erupted Sunday evening at the annual Bite of Seattle food festival at Seattle Center. The shooting occurred around 6 p.m. local time on July 26, 2026, near the fountain area and outside the Seattle Center Armory in the central grounds of the festival. Witnesses reported hearing rapid gunshots as large crowds of festival-goers panicked and fled. Seattle Police Department...
A woman was found dead in an apartment in the 1900 block of Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica (near Santa Monica College, consistent with reports around 1905 Pico Blvd) on the evening of Saturday, July 25, 2026; it is being investigated as a homicide, and a suspect is in custody. According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), officers responded around 5:20–5:21 p.m. to a call about a woman needing medical assistance inside an apartment. They located an adult female...
NEW YORK - Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced on July 23, 2026, that the city has mailed notification letters to owners of second homes valued at more than $5 million, informing them that a new pied-à-terre tax will soon take effect. In a post on the official mayoral account, Mamdani wrote: "If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you're back in the five boroughs - because you've got mail. Today, we sent notification letters...
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - A heart-stopping horror unfolded in a rural Southern California backyard when a 3-year-old girl was viciously bitten by a rattlesnake lurking beneath an Amazon package dropped right over the family fence. Little Addy Barajas excitedly dashed outside after her mom, Lynn, mentioned a padded brown envelope had arrived - a special gift just for her. As the tot reached down to snatch it up, a sneaky Southern Pacific rattlesnake hiding underneath sank its...
TAIPEI - A high-profile humanoid robot demo powered by Qualcomm's new Dragonwing IQ10 AI chip came to an abrupt and undignified end this week when the machine collapsed face-first onto the stage mid-presentation, folding over in a sudden, limp heap that immediately drew comparisons online to a fentanyl addict mid-nod. The incident occurred during Qualcomm's Computex 2026 showcase of the Dragonwing IQ10 Robotics Reference Design, a premium "brain-in-a-box" platform the company...
Looking for a fun family outing to spotlight this summer? The Cayton Children's Museum at Santa Monica Place is hosting Summer Friday Family Movie Nights, a new weekly after-hours series designed for families with children ages 0–8. Every Friday evening through August 28, families can enjoy exclusive museum access, hands-on play, a kid-friendly movie screening, and complimentary popcorn and drinks-all in one ticket. This year's lineup includes beloved favorites like...
