Gayle King renews deal with CBS News, ending speculation about her exit

As CBS News plots an overhaul of its morning show, Gayle King has renewed her contract to remain at the network, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.

"I'm excited about continuing at 'CBS Mornings.' As always, I'm open to new adventures here and ready to go," King said in a statement.

The contract renewal keeps one of the network's best-known stars in place at a time of tremendous upheaval at CBS and in the television industry writ large.

CBS News, a unit of Paramount, has new leadership; editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has been brainstorming how to reinvigorate the third-place morning show, according to people familiar with the matter.

And Paramount hasstruck a dealto take over Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN, foreshadowing apotential mergerof CNN and CBS News sometime in the future.

Paramount is pursuing regulatory approval of the deal and hoping to complete the process in the third quarter of this year.

Last fall, shortly after Weiss arrived, Variety magazinecast doubtabout King's future on "CBS Mornings," the program she has helmed since 2012.

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Variety said she was "expected to depart" the show and "may shift to a different role at the news division," potentially with "a deal to produce her own programming for the network."

CBS disputed the report at the time. And on Wednesday, King alluded to it in her statement, saying that "rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated."

"CBS News is my longtime home," King continued, "and I am committed to our mission."

Weiss touted the news by sharing King's quote in a post on X. She also said in a comment tothe Wall Street Journal, which broke the contract renewal news, that King and CBS will work together on "new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences."

King and Nate Burleson co-host the weekday morning show, joined by featured host Vladimir Duthiers and other CBS journalists.

King and Burleson's morning colleague Tony Dokoupil recently shifted to nights as the new anchor of the "CBS Evening News."

In the mornings, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said Wednesday, King and Burleson "are fantastic partners on the show and morning TV is more vibrant than ever. We are excited to continue to evolve 'CBS Mornings' and can't wait for what's to come."

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 04, 2026

Gayle King renews deal with CBS News, ending speculation about her exit

As CBS News plots an overhaul of its morning show, Gayle King has renewed her contract to remain at the network, a spokes...

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Ex-Prince Andrew Surrenders Lease on Another Royal Residence

The former Prince Andrew was asked to surrender the lease of East Lodge, a cottage near Windsor that he has rented since 1998

NEED TO KNOW

• The former Duke of York recently moved out of his longtime home at Royal Lodge

• The news follows scrutiny of Andrew's finances and his historic arrest on Feb. 19

The formerPrince Andrewis giving up another royal residence.

On March 3, theBBCreported that the former Duke of York, 66, has been asked to surrender the lease of East Lodge, which he has rented since 1998 from the Crown Estate.

PEOPLE has contacted the Crown Estate for comment.

East Lodge is a Grade II-listed, thatched cottage that Andrew began leasing in February 1998 for a staff member on commercial terms, who continues to live there, according to aresponsefrom the Crown Estate submitted to the Public Accounts Committee in November 2025.

The Crown Estate is an independent, commercial business with a vast portfolio including land, seabed and urban centers around the U.K. It is not owned byKing Charles,and its profits go to the Treasury.

As of August 2025, Andrew had been paying about $17,293 in annual rent for the property, a fraction of the cost for an area where two to three-bedroom apartments could cost as much as $10,000 per month to rent, the BBC said.

Its latest lease terms are thought to have been due to end in July 2027, and the early eviction may have been spurred after the BBC submitted a Freedom of Information request in January about the residence.

"Since then… we have received a request for us to consider an early termination of the lease," the Crown Estate told the outlet.

The legal process now kicks in for Andrew to surrender the lease,The Timesreported.

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It was announced in October 2025 that King Charles' brother wasevicted from Royal Lodge, his longtime home andcontentious residence where he allegedly paid "peppercorn rent,"when the monarchstripped his royal titles. King Charles made the move amid renewed scrutiny of Andrew's ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier and convicted sex offender who died while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in August 2019.

Andrew's alleged connections to Epstein sparked hisstep back from his royal rolethat November following a tell-all BBC Newsnight interview, though he has denied any wrongdoing regarding their relationship. Queen Elizabeth laterstripped Andrew of his military titles and patronagesin January 2022 after a judge rejected his attempt to have Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre'ssexual assault lawsuitagainst him dismissed; he settled with Giuffre out of court the following month.

PEOPLE confirmed that the former Duke of York, who is now calledAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor, officially moved out of Royal Lodge in early February, leaving the 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park that he called home since 2003.  He was expected totemporarily live at Wood Farmon the Sandringham estate in Norfolk before moving into another property nearby, which is currently undergoing renovations.

On the morning of Feb. 19, his 66th birthday, Andrew wasarrested at Wood Farm on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

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Authorities are investigatinga claim that he shared confidential informationwith Epstei​​n during his time as trade envoy for the U.K. in the 2000s.

Andrew wasreleased after spending about 11 hours in police custodyand now faces an uncertain road ahead. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Andrew's historic arrest and ongoing fallout around his family are the subject ofPEOPLE's exclusive cover storythis week, where royal author Catherine Mayer says, "A stronger intervention earlier on might have prevented all of this."

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 04, 2026

Ex-Prince Andrew Surrenders Lease on Another Royal Residence

The former Prince Andrew was asked to surrender the lease of East Lodge, a cottage near Windsor that he has rented since ...

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2 people rescued from hot air balloon stuck in 920-foot cell tower

Two people are now on land after beingrescued from a hot air balloonthat got stuck in a communications tower more than 900 feet in the air in rural East Texas.

TheLongview Fire Department said in a Facebook postthat around 8:15 a.m. local time Feb. 28, units responded to a "high angle rescue after a hot air balloon basket carrying two occupants struck a cell phone tower at an estimated height of 920 feet near the intersection" in Gregg County.

Longview, the county seat of Gregg County, is some 130 miles east of Dallas.

Firefighters began climbing operations around 8:50 a.m., "using multiple rope systems due to the extreme height and complexity of the incident," according to the post. Rescuers made contact with the occupants at about 10 a.m., and they were both secured and safe inside the nearby tower by 10:58 a.m.

Both occupants were on the ground by 12:47 p.m. that day, the fire department said. Following the rescue, both victims were conscious, and no injuries were reported, it added.

'Not an everyday rescue'

Lt. Stephen Winchell, a part of Longview's Special Operations Team, saidduring a news conference on Feb. 28that this incident was "not an everyday rescue," as 14 emergency responders climbed the tower to help save the two occupants.

"Our ropes are limited at 300 feet at the most," Winchell said, adding that the balloon was sitting "close to 1,000 feet," so it took about "five or so" ropes to get the occupants all the way down to the ground.

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According to Winchell, the only way up the cell tower was physically climbing it.

In aninterview with local news station KLTV, Chris Jackson, who works for the Longview Fire Department, described the collaborative effort involving several agencies.

"They initially told us that there was a hot air balloon stuck. We were thinking probably in a tree or some type of high aerial. When we got on scene, it was much more than that," Jackson said.

Jackson added that at least 50 first responders and several additional tower engineers were involved in the rescue.

"Anything we could do on the ground to make their operation more efficient is what our guys provided," he said.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Video shows dramatic hot air balloon rescue in Texas

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 04, 2026

2 people rescued from hot air balloon stuck in 920-foot cell tower

Two people are now on land after beingrescued from a hot air balloonthat got stuck in a communications tower more than...

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Man dies after sneaking into closed section of popular national park

A 33-year-old Hawaii man is dead after entering a closed section of Kīlauea caldera atHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, triggering an overnight search and rescue operation in steep, hazardous terrain, officials said.

National Park Servicepersonnel responded Feb. 26 to the east side of the caldera. The volcano was not erupting at the time, authorities noted.

Rescue crews searched through the night before locating the man the following day. On Feb. 27, responders airlifted him from the area and transported him to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Park officials said his family was notified, and his name is being withheld pending privacy considerations.

Hikers Stiff Hotel On Unpaid Bill After Treacherous 7-Hour Mountain Rescue Operation, Nonprofit Says

The death comes as officials continue to warn visitors about the risks of venturing beyond designated areas, particularly amid heightened interest inKīlauea's ongoing eruption activity.

Read On The Fox News App

In December, two trespassers were caught on camera hiking dangerously close to an active eruption inside a restricted zone of the park. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatorytold Hawaii News Nowat the time that no U.S. Geological Survey scientists or other authorized personnel were in that closed area.

Lou Ettore, who runs the eruption-tracking media company Two Pineapples with his wife, Anna, told the outlet the incidents appear to be fueled by social media attention.

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Man Dies At Grand Canyon After Slipping Over Edge, Falling More Than 100 Feet, Sheriff's Office Says

"I think it's really just for the clicks, just for the views to grab attention to themselves," Ettore said.

The couple said they documented nine trespassing incidents over the past year.

"We're seeing it more often now than we have in the past," Ettore added. "There are dozens, if not hundreds, of videos and images, all from out-of-bounds, being posted on all platforms nonstop."

In another close call last June, a 30-year-old Boston man survived a 30-foot fall afterleaving Byron Ledge Trailin an attempt to get closer to erupting lava. A tree broke his fall and likely prevented him from plunging another 100 feet to the caldera floor, according to the National Park Service.

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Kīlauea's eruption, which began Dec. 23, 2024, has drawn a surge of visitors to the park, officials said. During one June episode, lava fountains soared more than 1,000 feet into the air, according to officials. Theactive eruption arearemains closed due to serious hazards.

Kīlauea caldera features unstable cliff edges, hidden cracks and other dangerous volcanic terrain, according to the National Park Service. Officials urge visitors to stay on marked trails and overlooks, avoid climbing over barriers and comply with all warning and trespassing signs.

Original article source:Man dies after sneaking into closed section of popular national park

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 04, 2026

Man dies after sneaking into closed section of popular national park

A 33-year-old Hawaii man is dead after entering a closed section of Kīlauea caldera atHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, tr...

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ICE confirms a measles outbreak in the nation's largest detention facility in Texas

At least 14 cases of measles have been confirmed at the nation'slargest ICE detention facility,an agency spokesperson told NBC News in a statement.

People who tested positive for the highly contagious disease at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, have been "cohorted and separated from the rest of the detained population to prevent further spread," the spokesperson said.

The agency "is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with public health authorities to ensure appropriate medical care and containment measures are in place — the health and safety of detainees, staff, and the community remain a top priority," the spokesperson added.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, whose El Paso district includes the detention center located on the Fort Bliss Army base, said the facility is closed to visitors and attorneys because of the outbreak.

In addition to the 14 people who got sick, 112 other individuals have been isolated in connection to the outbreak, according to Escobar.

"There has been nothing but crisis after crisis inside the walls of this tent city," the Democratic congresswoman said ina statement.

Since Camp East Montana opened last year, three detainees have died while in ICE custody. Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, of Nicaragua,"died of a presumed suicide" inside the facility on Jan. 14. Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48, a detainee from Guatemala, died ofhealth complications from cirrhosis and cardiac hypertrophy.

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Another Camp East Montana detainee, 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos, of Cuba, died on Jan. 3 andhis death was ruled a homicide.

According to ICE, the agency provides comprehensive medical care for detainees, including dental and mental health services, as well as access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.

On Wednesday, Escobar called for Camp East Montana to be shut down and for an investigation into the facility's contractor.

Camp East Montana holds an average of2,954 detaineesinside its soft-sided tent-style structure, which ICE increasingly favors over brick-and-mortar buildings. That's the largest number of ICE detainees so far in fiscal year 2026, according to theTransactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

Acquisition Logistics LLC, a Virginia contractor that had not operated an ICE facility before,was awarded a $1.2 billion contract last summerto build and operate Camp East Montana.

Since then,the small company run by Kenneth Wagner out of his single-family homein Virginiahas garnered national attention.Before the Camp East Montana contract, the company's largest contract, according to public records, appears to have been worth $16 million.

The company'swebsitecurrently has little information aside from an address and a header saying, "Site maintenance in progress." Wagner could not be reached at the phone number listed for his business on Wednesday.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 04, 2026

ICE confirms a measles outbreak in the nation's largest detention facility in Texas

At least 14 cases of measles have been confirmed at the nation'slargest ICE detention facility,an agency spokesperson...

Read More