Good morning.
A shooting sent crowds fleeing from a major food festival near Seattle’s Space Needle, President Donald Trump is rejecting reports that America’s military campaign against Iran has strained its ammunition supplies, and four Somali migrants have admitted stealing more than $2 million from a housing program while using artificial intelligence to help cover their tracks.
Child Among Four Wounded Near Seattle Food Festival
At least four people, including a toddler, were wounded Sunday evening in a shooting at the Seattle Center, an entertainment complex near the Space Needle that was hosting the annual Bite of Seattle food festival.
Police and emergency crews rushed to the area around 6 p.m. and began evacuating the grounds as frightened attendees scrambled for safety.
Harborview Medical Center admitted four victims: a toddler, a 23-year-old man and two adult women. One patient remained in critical condition.
Witness Estan Wakonabo said he and his girlfriend were waiting in line for a photo booth when someone shoved him from behind and the crowd suddenly began running.
“People were hiding, were pushing, people were falling on the ground, baby strollers were falling,” Wakonabo said.
He initially did not understand what was happening. Then he heard several gunshots.
“Once I heard a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ that’s when I knew it was a shooter,” he said.
After escorting his girlfriend to safety, Wakonabo returned and saw multiple victims lying on the ground.
Police urged the public to avoid the area while investigators processed the scene. Authorities had not released information about a suspect or motive.
The shooting disrupted one of Seattle’s largest annual community events. Bite of Seattle began in 1982 and attracts an estimated 350,000 visitors during its three-day celebration of food, drinks and local businesses.
Trump Says America Has More Than Enough Munitions for Iran Conflict
President Trump is denying against reports that declining ammunition stockpiles have constrained America’s military options against Iran.
The president told the Wall Street Journal that the United States has “far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need.”
His comments followed reports that concerns about Patriot missiles and other air-defense interceptors factored into discussions over whether to expand the campaign against Tehran.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz offered a similar defense of the military’s readiness Sunday, insisting he had verified that American forces possessed everything necessary to continue the operation effectively.
Waltz acknowledged that years of weapons transfers to Ukraine and operations against the Houthis had placed pressure on certain inventories. He argued, however, that the Trump administration was rebuilding those supplies while investing in cheaper weapons and emerging technology.
The public reassurances come as Trump weighs the possibility of a broader strike campaign against Iran while giving diplomatic talks more time to develop.
Military planners had reportedly prepared options for an expanded operation lasting as long as two weeks.
United States Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper also reportedly recommended ending the existing bombing campaign near the Strait of Hormuz unless Washington intended to move into a larger war. Most of the targets associated with the current operation had already been struck, according to the report.
Minnesota Defendants Admit Using AI to Conceal $2.2 Million Fraud
Four Somali men have pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $2.2 million from a Medicaid-funded housing program and using artificial intelligence to fabricate records when insurers began asking questions.
Moktar Hassan Aden, Mustafa Dayib Ali, Khalid Ahmed Dayib and Abdifitah Mohamud Mohamed operated Brilliant Minds Services LLC from an office in St. Paul.
The company enrolled as a provider in Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program, which was created to help people with disabilities and addictions find and maintain housing.
Instead, prosecutors say the defendants billed the government for services that were never provided and exaggerated the amount of time spent on legitimate work.
Brilliant Minds claimed to have provided services to approximately 350 beneficiaries, generating $2,253,385.06 in payments.
Employees created false client notes to document appointments that never happened or inflate the duration of services that did occur. When insurers questioned the claims, the defendants used artificial intelligence tools to generate additional fabricated records and conceal the fraud.
The Justice Department described the case as part of an emerging trend in which fraudsters use AI to make false documentation appear more convincing.
“These defendants stole funds intended to support vulnerable Minnesotans who rely on housing and recovery services,” U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said.
Minnesota officials announced last year that the Housing Stabilization Services program would be terminated after credible allegations of widespread fraud emerged.
The guilty pleas also come as the Trump administration defers more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to Minnesota and California as part of a broader federal campaign against fraud in government benefit programs.
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