4 Killed in Oregon School Shooting
A teenager went on a shooting rampage at a primary school in Bend, Oregon, on Oct. 15, killing three children and a teacher before being shot by a parent.
Griffin J. John II, 16, a former special needs student at Silver Rail Elementary School, broke in on Oct. 15 with a 12-gauge shotgun and began shooting. He then wrestled with a teacher before a father, who had followed him into the school, engaged and fatally shot him.
Of the victims, the children were aged 5, 8, and 11, and the teacher was 25. One 7-year-old child and another teacher, 54, were taken to hospital with critical injuries.
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Maduro Pleads Not Guilty to New Torture Charges
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Former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro pleaded not guilty on Oct. 15 to new charges of torture.
The indictment, which was filed on Oct. 8, accuses the two of conspiring to commit torture, along with narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses.
Since 1999, the Chavista regime under Hugo Chávez and Maduro allegedly abused its position of power by subjecting thousands of Venezuelans to harassment, imprisonment, torture, and murder.
American citizens have also been subjected to torture while in the custody of the Maduro regime, according to the indictment, which included being drugged, subjected to electric shocks, and sexually assaulted.
Maduro and his wife were arrested on Jan. 3 in his home by U.S. military forces on charges of narco-terrorism.
Law enforcement officials move captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores out of the helicopter, as Maduro heads towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering, and others in New York City on Jan. 5, 2026. Adam Gray/Reuters
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Judge Throws Out DOJ Case Against New York City’s Sanctuary Policies
A judge threw out a federal government case on Oct. 15 against New York’s sanctuary policies, which the Department of Justice filed in July 2025.
The DOJ had accused New York City, through its policies that limit the city’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, of impeding the government’s ability to carry out its federal immigration duties.
Immigration enforcement has been a divisive issue between Republicans and Democrats, particularly during President Donald Trump’s second term.
One of Trump’s main policy priorities since returning to office has been to address the country’s illegal immigration crisis, exacerbated during the Biden administration when millions of illegal immigrants flooded into the country across the southern border.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement stand guard outside of their field office in New York on Sept. 1, 2026. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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New White House Press Secretary Steps Down
New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has left her position five days into the job.
Zacharia drew criticism from the media after her first press briefing on Oct. 13, in which she faced scrutiny for presenting herself as a lawyer. Zacharia graduated with a law degree from the prestigious law school Pepperdine but never passed the bar exam, a legal requirement in the United States to practise law.
Over the past few days, Zacharia gave several interviews, including to Sean Hannity, who questioned her about her legal credentials.
President Donald Trump said to reporters outside the White House on Oct. 16 that she had been treated “pretty nastily” by the media.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during her first press briefing at the White House on Oct. 13, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
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Former Gang Member Sentenced to 40 Years For Tupac Murder
Former Gang member Duane “Keffe D” Davis was sentenced on Oct. 13 to 40 years to life for orchestrating the murder of 90s rap artist Tupac Shakur 30 years ago.
Davis, a former gang leader of the South Side Compton Crips, was found guilty in August of first-degree murder. Following years of public speculation after the case went cold, jurors gave the final verdict that he planned the murder of Shakur and provided the gun to the killer.
Shakur was killed in 1996 near the Las Vegas Strip after what was said to be a retaliatory act against Davis’ nephew.
Duane “Keffe D” Davis appears at Clark County District Court, during jury selection for his trial for his alleged role in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur in a 1996 drive-by shooting, in Las Vegas on Aug. 12, 2026. Steve Marcus/via Reuters
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DOJ Sues California Over Noncitizen Voting
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California on Oct. 15 after discovering 20,000 suspected noncitizens in its voter roll.
The DOJ had sent Californian officials a thumbnail with the list of names of “identified likely noncitizens” and asked them to review the list, which they refused.
[It is] “a federal offense for noncitizens to vote in a federal election. We will not allow California to dilute the votes of American citizens,” first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli wrote on X on Oct. 15.
People vote at a polling location at the Metro Headquarters Building during California’s state primary election in Los Angeles on June 2, 2026. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Tesla Introduces Flying Car
Tesla introduced its flying car in Texas on Oct. 15, bringing the future to the present.
Looking like something out of Back to the Future 2, Elon Musk unveiled the new Tesla Roadster, at his SpaceX test site, where he described it as being powered by an advanced ultra-high-pressure air tank propulsion system.
Using technology from SpaceX, it uses a composite-overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) as its main power source, a design mainly used in rocket technology.
“Turns out the future does have flying cars,” Elon Musk wrote on X on Oct. 15.
Production is aimed for 2028.
A demonstration of the Tesla Roadster. Courtesy of Tesla
