ABC NewsSouth Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is defending a controversial account she shares in a new book about killing her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, in an incident she said was decades ago."I can understand why some people are upset about a 20 year old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book No Going Back," Noem, who is speculated to be among the leading contenders to be Donald Trump s choice of a running mate, wrote on X on Sunday."The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned," Noem wrote.Touting her "years of public service," including leading her state during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem went on to write, "My hope is anyone reading this book will have an understanding that I always work to make the best decisions I can for the people in my life."In her new book, "No Going Back: The Truth on What s Wrong with Polit
MGMChallengers, Luca Guadagnino s romantic tennis drama starring Zendaya, opened in first place at the domestic box office, grabbing an estimated $15 million. The film added an estimated $10 million overseas, for a global tally of $25 million.Meanwhile, Zendaya s other release, Dune: Part Two, crossed $700 million at the global box office.The faith-based drama Unsung Hero finished a distant second at the North American box office, earning an estimated $7.75 million in its opening weekend, followed by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, delivering an estimated $7.2 million in its fifth week of release. The latest film set in the so-called Godzilla Monsterverse has racked up $181.7 million domestically and $519.4 million worldwide.Last week s top film, Civil War, dropped to fourth place, grossing an estimated $7 million in its third week of release. The film has grabbed $56.2 million in North America thus far and $86.2 million globally.Rounding out the top five was the horror film Abig
ABC NewsAt least two deaths, including one of a 4-month-old child in Oklahoma, were confirmed Sunday from a severe storm that swept through the heartland, spawning multiple tornadoes across four states, including a powerful pair of twisters that touched down in Nebraska, officials said.Emergency officials in Hughes County, Oklahoma, said the baby was one of two people killed in storms that struck Holdenville.Sunday marks the third day of the severe weather outbreak across the heartland states. More than 22 million people are under a threat of violent storms Sunday in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.Holdenville, a town of about 6,000 people 77 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, was left reeling after a violent tornado touched down near the city late Saturday amid a statewide tornado outbreak.A search for victims and an assessment of damage was launched Saturday night after storms passed through the area, Hughes County Emergency Management officials sai
Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) Southwest Airlines famously allows passengers to select their own seats upon boarding, but the low fare carrier could be changing course.Earlier this week, after the Dallas-based carrier reported a $231 million net loss from the first quarter of 2024, CEO Bob Jordan commented on the "disappointing" results and said they are "evaluating options to enhance our Customer Experience" which he said includes "onboard seating.""We are focused on controlling what we can control and have already taken swift action to address our financial underperformance and adjust for revised aircraft delivery expectations," he continued.On a webcast recording of the earnings call, Jordan said, "It s been several years since we last studied this in-depth, and customer preference and expectations change over time."Jordan later spoke about the potentially massive shift to its open seating cabins as a means to d
Alex Kent/Getty Images(NEW YORK) Student protesters critical of the Israeli government s military actions in Gaza have continued to face accusations of antisemitism, as politicians from across the ideological spectrum react to the widening demonstrations on college campuses.But many of the student groups behind the protests – including Jewish activists voicing their support for a cease-fire in Gaza – said that individuals making inflammatory remarks do not represent their groups or their values concerning the war in Gaza."At universities across the nation, our movement is united in valuing every human life," read a statement from Columbia University Apartheid Divest, one of the groups involved in the protests. "As a diverse group united by love and justice, we demand our voices be heard against the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza."Some Jewish students have long warned against conflating antisemitism with views critical of Israel s government and blanket