21-year-old man found dead after going missing in Great Smoky Mountains: NPS
View of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are seen in Tennessee. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A 21-year-old man was found dead in Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a multi-day search, according to the National Park Service.
Ryan Lake was last seen in Nashville on Thursday, with officials locating his vehicle on Saturday, the NPS said in a press release on Sunday.
On Monday, park officials said Lakes was found dead at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Sunday in the Big Creek area of the national park.
“Please respect the privacy of the family during this time,” the NPS said in a press release obtained by ABC News.
According to the NPS website, the Big Creek area is a “dense forest” and a “secluded area on the northeast edge of the park near the North Carolina-Tennessee border.”
The area is also known for “numerous streams and waterfalls,” according to the NPS website.
Park officials previously said “several organizations” were assisting the NPS with search efforts.
To learn more about how to stay safe when embarking on a multi-day hike excursion, click here.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use cane sugar in its iconic drink in the U.S.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
In a brief statement on its website, Coca-Cola said: “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon.”
High-fructose corn syrup has been Coca-Cola’s primary sweetener in U.S. products since 1985. The company currently uses cane sugar in products sold in several other markets, including Mexico, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East. The company also sells a limited amount of Coke in the U.S. made with sugar as a kosher option for Passover — distinguished by its yellow caps, instead of red.
A noted Diet Coke enthusiast, Trump’s relationship with the beverage giant has been well-documented.
Ahead of the inauguration for his second term, Trump received a special Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle from Coca-Cola Company Chairman and CEO James Quincey.
Why the change?
Trump didn’t specify a reason for the change. However, the announcement comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative gains traction, which advocates for removing HFCS from American food products. The initiative cites research linking HFCS to various health issues that contributes to obesity and chronic illness.
However, studies are mixed on whether cane sugar is healthier than HFCS, with research suggesting that any added sugars, regardless of what type, increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes and other diseases. Dietitians recommend limiting added sugars of all varieties to less than 50 grams per day for most adults. One 12-ounce can of Coke has roughly 39 grams of sugar.
Coke’s switch from sugar to corn syrup
Coca-Cola’s 1985 transition to high-fructose corn syrup in the United States was primarily a business decision, the company said. The change coincided with rising sugar prices and agricultural policies that made corn syrup a more economical alternative.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
(FORT PIERCE, Fla.) — Jurors in the criminal trial of the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course last year are set to hear testimony Friday from five law enforcement witnesses, concluding a chaotic start to the case that could send the alleged assassin to prison for the rest of his life.
While prosecutors originally estimated needing about three weeks to conclude their case against 59-year-old Ryan Routh, they signaled on Thursday that their case might conclude sooner than planned because of the quick pace of the first few witnesses’ testimony.
Routh, who is representing himself despite not being a lawyer or having any legal training, has not yet objected to any of the questions posed by prosecutors during the direct examination of witnesses, and his cross-examinations have been usually short.
“I’m very simple-minded, yes,” Routh told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon Thursday when she inquired about his plans to cross-examine future witnesses.
Routh has been rebuked several times by Cannon after making unexpected and off-topic comments. During opening statements Thursday, Routh launched into a speech about the origin of the human species, global conflicts, and his political grievances, before the judge cut him off after about six minutes for making arguments that she said have “absolutely nothing to do with the evidence in this case.”
Jurors at the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, heard Thursday from the Secret Service agent who confronted an armed Routh on the golf course before Routh fled, and a witness who identified Routh to police.
Prosecutors allege that Routh put together a methodical plan — including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump’s movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones — to kill Trump based on political grievances.
Hiding in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.
Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff’s office on a nearby interstate.
He faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
(WASHINGTON) — The Federal Communications Commission announced on Thursday the approval of a massive, $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global by Skydance Media.
The deal includes the CBS broadcast network, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said in a statement after the announcement that he welcomed “Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network.”
“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,” Carr said, adding, “It is time for a change.”
Carr added that the merger was a “step forward” in eliminating what he called “invidious forms” of diversity, equity and inclusion measures.
The FCC said in a press release about the acquisition that Skydance had made written commitments to ensure future programming from the company would have a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum. Skydance also said it would hire an independent adviser to evaluate complaints of bias.
The FCC voted 2-1 to approve the acquisition, with Commissioner Anna Gomez casting the opposing vote.
Gomez released a dissent on the merger, saying it would “further erode press freedom.”
“After months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted. Unfortunately, it is the American public who will ultimately pay the price for its actions,” she added.
