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There was an unexpected change that happened with the plea deal offered in the Idaho case involving Bryan Kohberger, who allegedly killed four college students.

According to the Idaho Statesman, the defendant recently accepted a plea agreement, presented late in the 30-month case, that excluded the death penalty. This came as a shock since he was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and a count of felony burglary in connection with the stabbings of four University of Idaho students in November 2022.

What led to Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal excluding the death penalty?

The families of the victims, students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin recently received a letter from Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and Ashley Jennings, his senior deputy, explaining the final offer they extended to Kohberger. Ahead of the finalized plea deal, the relatives met with prosecutors to discuss the negotiation, which they said “weighed heavily” in the outcome.

“We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,” the letter read, per the Idaho Statesman. “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family. This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals.”

The defense team for Kohberger requested a plea deal that removed the death penalty, and in return, their client would plead guilty to all five charges, would never be able to file an appeal, and have a chance for parole. 

Additionally, the letter sent to the victims’ families stated Kohberger will appear at the Ada County Courthouse on Wednesday at 11 a.m. for a change of plea hearing.

How did the families of Bryan Kohberger’s victims react to the death penalty being taken off the table?

Goncalves’ parents were vocal about the outcome they hoped for from the justice system, which was the death penalty, given the extent of the crime. Following the letter they received, they published a post on their family Facebook profile expressing their disappointment in their local legal system.

“It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected,” they wrote. “We appreciate all your love and support. #heartbroken #kayleejade4ever.” 

However, the father of Madison, Ben Mogen, expressed a more accepting stance on the plea agreement. He shared with the Idaho Statesman that if skipping a lengthy trial means sparing him and his family from reliving their pain, he’s at peace with the decision.

Bryan Kohberger will likely receive his sentence in late July

It’s anticipated that Kohberger will plead guilty at the upcoming court hearing and will probably receive his sentence in late July, with a life prison term as the agreed-upon outcome.

As Blavity reported, Goncalves, Mogen and Kernodle were all roommates staying in an off-campus home. Chaplin, who lived 15 minutes away and attended Washington State University, was staying the night with his girlfriend, Kernodle, when the incident occurred on Nov. 13, 2022.

That morning, Kohberger intruded into the home and brutally assaulted them with a knife, which led to their deaths. Two additional female roommates who also lived in the house weren’t attacked. The Idaho State Police, the FBI, and the Latah County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with over 100 officials to find the murderer. After a seven-week-long search, the murderer was found and arrested at his parents’ home on Dec. 30, 2022.

Lululemon has filed a lawsuit against Costco, accusing the wholesale retailer of selling “dupes” of its $128 pants, hoodies, jackets, and other similar products at significantly lower prices.

What is Lululemon accusing Costco of?

The Vancouver-based athletic apparel brand filed the complaint in federal court in California on Friday, alleging that Costco used its private-label Kirkland Signature brand to trade on the company’s “reputation, goodwill and sweat equity by selling unauthorized and unlicensed apparel featuring knockoff versions” of its products, according to the 49-page suit.

‘They are difficult to distinguish from authentic lululemon products’

Lululemon, founded in 1998, offers customers “innovative, unique and high-performing” athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories renowned for their quality and performance. The company’s products have become sought after by athletes and individuals seeking products that align with their active lifestyles. Signature styles include Lululemon’s SCUBA hoodies and sweatshirts, DEFINE jackets, and ABC pants, according to the complaint.

The company said its products are so popular that other retailers have tried to replicate its styles, with the hashtag “#Lululemondupes” trending on TikTok as users share cheaper alternatives from different brands.

“Upon information and belief, some customers incorrectly believe these Infringing Products are authentic lululemon apparel while still other customers specifically purchase the Infringing Products because they are difficult to distinguish from authentic lululemon products, particularly for downstream purchasers or observers,” Lululemon said in the suit.

Costco’s Kirkland products are identical to the athletic brand’s

The brand cited articles from The Washington Post and The New York Times that described Costco’s $20 pants as nearly identical to those of Lululemon. The suit claims that Kirkland-branded dupes account for more than a third of Costco’s sales and alleges that the retailer misleads consumers by not disclosing the actual source, leading some to believe that the athletic brand manufactures the products.

According to the suit, the company is seeking to recover fully for the monetary damages and significant harm to Lululemon’s brands and reputation caused by Costco.

“As an innovation-led company that invests significantly in the research, development, and design of our products, we take the responsibility of protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights very seriously and pursue the appropriate legal action when necessary,” Lululemon said in a statement obtained by CNN.

Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor Sr., whose baby was decapitated during delivery at a Georgia hospital in July 2023, were awarded a multimillion-dollar settlement against Dr. Jackson Gates, the pathologist who performed the infant’s autopsy and shared video footage of it online.

A grand jury awarded the Georgia couple $2.25 million in damages Wednesday, WVLT reported.

How did the couple’s baby die during childbirth?

Ross initially filed the lawsuit in September 2023 in Clayton County against the Southern Regional Medical Center and its staff members. At the time, she and her boyfriend claimed the medical center tried to cover up how their son, Treveon Isaiah Taylor Jr., died in the center’s care, Blavity reported.

According to the couple’s attorneys, then-20-year-old Jessica Ross was delivering a full-term baby boy when complications arose, and the infant later died. When the couple asked to see and hold their child, hospital staff allegedly denied their request, raising suspicions about the medical center’s handling of the birth.

The suit also stated that shoulder dystocia occurred during the delivery, which is when the baby’s shoulder becomes stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone during childbirth, preventing delivery with standard techniques and requiring additional medical maneuvers, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Ross’ then-physician, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, is listed as a defendant in the suit and accused of “negligently” applying “excessive traction” and failing to follow proper medical practices.

Gates performed a private autopsy on the couple’s son

After some time, the hospital allowed the couple to view the deceased child, who was wrapped tightly in a blanket with his head propped in a way in which they could not tell it was decapitated, according to the family’s spokesperson, per Blavity.

The couple later hired Gates to perform a private autopsy on their infant son, but he uploaded graphic footage of the autopsy to his Instagram account without their permission. According to the lawsuit, Gates’ actions amounted to an invasion of privacy and caused emotional distress to Ross and Taylor, WVLT reported.

Last year, Gates told WANF that he did not identify the baby in the past and that the shared footage was for educational purposes.

“I understand the law. Not to divulge patients’ private confidentiality, any information, including the deceased. So if you notice, I routinely post images to teach the public and inform the public of some of the barbarism going on in medicine,” Gates told the outlet.

‘This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby’

On Wednesday, the couple’s attorney’s shared a statement after the jury’s ruling: “While we are pleased that a jury punished Dr. Jackson Gates for his reprehensible behavior, nothing can ease the pain that the parents, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., have experienced in losing their baby boy in such a horrific way,” WVLT reported.

The attorneys continued, “After the decapitation of their baby, Gates poured salt into the couple’s already deep wounds when he betrayed them. This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby. Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.”

They also stated that the jury sent a “powerful message that doctors must always consider the feelings of their patients and in this case their clients.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture‘s Food Safety and Inspection Service has recalled several bologna products produced by Gaiser’s European Style Provisions Inc. The department announced that it has recalled 143,416 pounds of the deli meat product because some of the packages have been mislabeled. Per the USDA, the label doesn’t mention that the product may contain pork, beef or chicken.

What were the recalled bologna products from Gaiser’s?

The USDA states that the recalled products include “Vacuum-packed packages of Family Tree Bologna Veal containing undeclared pork.” Several other products also may contain pork. That includes Plastic-wrapped packages of Babushka’s Recipe Chicken Bologna, Gaisers Bologna Veal, Gaisers Turkey Bologna and Chicken Bologna Kypoyka Paba. Other products that may have chicken or beef include Fancy Bologna and Gaisers Russian Brand Doktorskaya.

Where was Gaiser’s recalled bologna sold?

The recalled bologna products from Gaiser’s was sold at major retail stores nationwide between March 20 and June 20, 2025, according to AllRecipes. Some of the products were weighed, wrapped and labeled in the stores when customers made the purchases, the USDA stated. The Office of Inspector General investigated the product after getting a complaint through its hotline. The investigation determined that some of the products were not labeled correctly.

What are the health effects of the mislabeled bologna products?

The FSIS doesn’t expect any serious health effects from the mislabeled bologna products. The recall is categorized as Class III, meaning the risk of any health impact is minimum. So far, there haven’t been any illnesses reported from the recalled meat. Still, people are advised to avoid consuming any mislabeled products. Restaurants are also urged to throw away any meat that may be mislabeled.

Consumers can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or email [email protected]. 

The Trump administration is canceling the protected status of Haitians residing in the United States due to danger and turmoil in their home country. The move, seemingly contradicting other recent declarations about the continuing lack of safety in Haiti, means that over 500,000 Haitians could face deportation beginning in September.

Withdrawing Temporary Protected Status for Haiti

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday that it was ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for approximately 500,000 Haitians residing in the United States. TPS is a special status granted by the U.S. government to citizens of countries facing acute dangers, such as natural disasters or political turmoil, that make it unsafe to reside in those countries until the crisis has been alleviated. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has determined that circumstances in Haiti, which has been rocked by political violence and natural disasters in recent years, have improved such that Noem “determined that conditions in Haiti no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements.” With this decision, Haiti’s TPS designation will end on Sept. 2, meaning that Haitians in the country under TPS could potentially be deported if they remain in the United States after that date.

Contradicting past and current assessments of risks in Haiti

This latest move follows a February decision by the Trump administration to remove a temporary legal status that President Joe Biden had granted to the Haitians then in the U.S. because of the dangerous conditions in their home country. The Trump administration’s decision seems to contradict other policies and guidance toward Haiti. The country was one of 12 countries targeted by a new Trump administration travel ban earlier this month, in which the government claimed that Haiti and other nations on the list posed a national security threat. The Trump administration has also maintained the 2024 designation of a “Level 4” travel advisory for Haiti, which recommends that Americans “do not travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.”

Political crisis in Haiti and political manipulation in the U.S.

Haiti was plunged into a political crisis in 2021 with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Since then, the political situation in the country has largely deteriorated, with gang violence becoming endemic in areas such as Port-au-Prince. The presence of Haitians in the United States became an issue during the 2024 presidential campaign, as Republicans, including President Donald Trump and JD Vance, began spreading unfounded racist rumors against the Haitian population in Springfield, Ohio, as part of their larger rhetoric against immigration.

With the Trump administration continuing to crack down against both unauthorized and legal immigration, it appears that Haitians are now the latest target of this nativist agenda. The latest move by the government could put hundreds of thousands of people at risk, as Haitians will no longer be able to reside in the United States as a safe haven.

England’s Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, a major summer event featuring top musical acts from the U.K., U.S. and beyond, has become a topic of political controversy over comments made by two acts concerning the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the British government. The musicians, as well as the BBC network that broadcast their Glastonbury performances live, now face anger from members of the public and British politicians, as well as a potential legal investigation.

‘Death to the IDF’ and ‘‘’F**k Keir Starmer’ chants cause controversy

The most controversial moments from this year’s Glastonbury festival came during the Saturday performance by English rap/punk duo Bob Vylan, who led the crowd in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF,” referring to the Israeli Defense Forces.

BBC director : “Cut Kneecap, show someone else, use anyone.”BBC editor : “That Vylan guy?”BBC director : “Anyone!”Bob Vylan : [crowd chanting] “Death, Death to the IDF, Death Death to the IDF”🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/7g8zQot15G— Julian Sayarer (@JulianSayarer) June 28, 2025

Who are Bob Vylan as a group?

Bob Vylan is a London-based punk-rap duo made up of vocalist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan. Known for their raw, politically charged lyrics and high-energy performances, the group blends elements of grime, punk, and hardcore to tackle issues like racism, police brutality, and systemic injustice.

The Glastonbury performances from Bob Vylan and Kneecap

Bob Vylan’s performance followed the Irish rap trio Kneecap. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other politicians had called for the group to be removed from the lineup due to one of its members facing criminal charges for allegedly expressing support for the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, which he denies.During Kneecap’s set, one of the band’s members told the crowd, “The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so f**k Keir Starmer,” with members of the crowd repeating the expletive toward the Labour Party leader.

After the performances, the Campaign Against Antisemitism announced that it was filing a formal complaint over the “outrageous decision” by the BBC to air the Bob Vylan performance. Local police have also stated they’re investigating whether either of the festival acts committed a crime. Starmer reiterated his opposition to the musicians’ message, saying, “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech.”

He added, “I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.”

The prime minister also criticized the BBC for airing the performances, saying, “The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.”

What festival organizers said

Festival organizers released a statement saying, “With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.”

They, however, clarified that they were “appalled” by the anti-IDF comments.

“Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

Glastonbury is a major, 5-day-long music festival held most summers in Pilton, Somerset, England. This year’s lineup included Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart, Charli XCX, Shaboozey and Doechii, among many others. Several other acts referenced Palestine during their performances. Singer CMAT, band the Libertines and footballer Gary Lineker all yelled “Free Palestine” during their appearances, while other acts displayed Palestinian flags or keffiyeh scarves. In the aftermath of the performances and complaints made by the Israeli embassy, British Health Secretary Wes Streeting agreed that the “death” chant was “appalling” but added, “I’d also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank.” Streeting criticized Israeli policy, saying, “I think there’s a serious point there by the Israeli embassy I take seriously. I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously.”

It remains to be seen whether the Glastonbury performances will lead to charges against Bob Vylan or additional legal trouble for Kneecap. Deadline reported that United Talent Agency has dropped Bob Vylan. The Trump administration also revoked the group’s United States visas just as they were set to do stateside shows.

The controversy is one of the major stories to come out of this year’s festival, with the harsh words and political debates demonstrating the impact of the war in Gaza and the larger Israeli/Palestinian conflict that continues not only in that region but around the world.

A gang member convicted of delivering the fatal stab in the gruesome killing of 15-year-old Bronx teen, Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, died Friday at a New York correctional facility.

PIX 11 reported that Jonaiki Martinez-Estrella, 31, was found dead in his cell at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility around 1:16 p.m., according to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision website.

A spokesperson for DOCCS confirmed that state coroners and medical examiners will determine Martinez-Estrella’s official cause of death.

In May, Martinez-Estrella was resentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in Guzman-Feliz’s death. He was initially convicted of first-degree murder on Oct. 11, 2019, for delivering the fatal stab wound that killed the 15-year-old and was sentenced to life without parole. The Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in March 2023, per PIX 11 and Blavity.

Martinez-Estrella was one of five defendants convicted in the fatal stabbing of Guzman-Feliz on June 20, 2018. Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez Santiago, Jose Muniz, Manuel Rivera and Elvin Garcia were also convicted and remain in prison.

Police initially arrested 13 men in connection with the attack, and all are currently serving their respective prison sentences.

Martinez-Estrella remained in prison on a second-degree murder charge, in addition to conspiracy and gang assault, ABC 7 New York reported.

Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman-Feliz’s death explained

The deadly confrontation occurred on June 20, 2018, after Guzman-Feliz was mistakenly identified as a rival gang member seen in a sex tape circulating on social media, allegedly involving the sister of a Trinitarios gang member. He was killed at 11:40 p.m. that night after exiting Cruz and Chiky Grocery, located at 526 E 183rd St. in the Bronx, New York.

Several men from the Dominican gang approached the teen and began stabbing him repeatedly with machetes, which was also captured on surveillance footage. The men later admitted on Facebook that they had killed the wrong person and apologized for what happened.

Since then, Guzman-Feliz’s death has affected not only the Bronx community but all of New York City and nationwide. People rallied on social media with the renowned hashtag #justiceforjunior, hoping that would lead to some relief for the teen’s mom, Leandra Guzman, and his older sister, Genesis Collado-Feliz, who was 19 at the time.

Keeping Junior’s memory alive

In November, Guzman-Feliz was honored in a ceremony outside of the 45th precinct in the Bronx, New York, held by the NYPD, along with family and friends, in celebration of what would have been the teen’s 22nd birthday, Blavity reported. The teen had signed up for the NYPD’s Explorers Program just days before his death.

At the time, his mother shared that she wanted to keep her son’s memory alive and that people wouldn’t forget him.

“My son is not coming back,” Feliz said. “Every day, I miss him more and more.”

“I don’t want people to forget him,” she added.

During a recent Health Care and Financial Services hearing, California Rep. Lateefah Simon shut down her colleague’s wrong interpretation of a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote.

As a subcommittee of the government department, the area these representatives oversee and help regulate is federal healthcare policies, according to Atlanta Black Star. On June 25, a preceding event called “Sacrificing Excellence for Ideology: The Real Cost of DEI” was held by the group. A video clip of Simon challenging the remarks from some members of Congress who sided with Trump’s denunciation of DEI laws and initiatives nationwide, deeming them an organizational framework with negative impacts on society, is spreading across the internet.

Why did Congresswoman Simon criticize her colleague’s use of Martin Luther King’s quotes?

Republican Virginia Rep. John McGuire was one of the congressmen who supported the Trump Administration’s stance on DEI. During his 4 1/2-minute speech, he explained his views. 

“To me, DEI stands for ‘didn’t earn it,’” McGuire said before saying DEI programming is “disastrous… Marxist, it destroys innovation and motivation.” 

This led McGuire to reference a section from King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. He asked the panel whether they stood by the activist’s belief that people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

Furious about the lack of education, the recording of Simon’s response showed her addressing the continued tactic by her counterparts of taking King’s words out of context.

“Very few of you have read and studied and have sat in Ebenezer Baptist Church, so I would ask you: You keep Dr. King’s name out of your mouth,” she said.

Additionally, Simon, who is legally blind and made history as California’s first Muslim member of Congress, noted what the hearing revealed from her perspective about the state of American politics under Trump’s leadership as a Black “disabled woman.”

“Today’s hearing says quietly, and actually out loud, who the majority believe is allowed to belong in this country,” she said. “They used Dr. King’s name in deep vein, who has a place in the hierarchy that was never meant to be questioned.”

“It is a bigotry. It is a hypocrisy,” she added. “Republicans, like I said before, will quote Dr. King all day, will bring forth Lincoln and will talk about Frederick Douglass in the same breath that they are gutting civil rights offices in our governments, in the same breath where they seek to ban AP African-American studies that tells the true story of this country.”

Simon received praise in the comments section via Instagram.

“So proud she is my representative!” one person commented.

“THIS!!! TRUTH BE TOLD, QUEEN. 🔥🔥🔥,” someone else wrote.

“SO many strong women coming out blazin I LOVE IT,” another person added.

Beyoncé faced a terrifying mishap during her Cowboy Carter Tour in Houston on Saturday. She was suspended in the air while trying to put on an aerial show for the crowd during the performance of her hit single “16 Carriages.” After she was lifted into the air while sitting in a red Cadillac, Beyoncé was unable to come back down, ABC 13 reported. As Beyoncé noticed that the car was tilting sideways while hovering above the crowd, she said, “Stop, stop, stop.”

A short time later, security rushed to the singer to unbuckle her from the car and bring her back down safely.

What happened after Beyoncé came back down safely at the Houston concert?

Beyoncé continued with the performance after she came back down from the suspended car. She also joked with the crowd after the scary moment.

“I know if I fall, y’all will catch me,” she told the Houston crowd, per ABC 13.

Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, later said in a statement that the interruption happened due to a “technical mishap.”

“Tonight in Houston, at NRG Stadium, a technical mishap caused the flying car, a prop Beyoncé uses to circle the stadium and see her fans up close, to tilt,” the team wrote on its Instagram Story. “She was quickly lowered and no one was injured. The show continued without incident.”

What’s next for Beyoncé?

Beyoncé is set to continue with her 22-show Cowboy Carter tour after performing in Houston on Saturday. Her next stop is at Northwest Stadium in Washington D.C., where she will perform on July 4 and July 7. Beyoncé will then travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the final two performances of her tour on July 10 and July 11.

Cowboy Carter earned three Grammy Awards in 2025. The album earned the award for Best Country Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “II Most Wanted.” It was also named Album of the Year, making Beyoncé the first Black female artist to earn that award since 1999. Lauryn Hill, who won album of the year for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, was the previous Black female artist who earned that recognition.