5 Big News Stories Overnight - Monday, June 15, 2026

White House Fight for Trump's 80th Birthday

UFC fight takes place at White House after a weather delay.

ESPN reports:

If there is one thing the UFC's first trip to the White House showed us, it's that the company knows how to put on fights. Between logistical challenges and a weather delay, the production, atmosphere and stunning finishes in all seven fights made for one of the most entertaining shows of the year.

Two new champions, picked by almost no one to win, were crowned as well, possibly changing the trajectories of their careers.

Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim explore those topics and give their top takeaways from UFC Freedom 250.

The event was staged for President Trump's 80th birthday.

PHOTO: White House

11 skydivers and pilot killed in US plane crash

BBC reports:

Eleven skydivers and one pilot have been killed in a plane crash in the US state of Missouri, officials said.

The airplane, which was leased by a skydiving company, took off around 11:20 local time on Sunday, according to a Bates County Emergency Management spokesperson.

After failing to gain altitude, it made a sharp left turn and crashed about 200 yards away from Butler Memorial Airport, the spokesperson told the BBC. All 12 people on board died, he said.

"We are treating that ... as a mass casualty," Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said during an afternoon news conference.

The sheriff said the plane was not a commercial airliner, and rather "a local airplane that took off from our local airport."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the plane was a Pacific Aerospace P750 and crashed while departing the airport.

Backlash Is Growing Over Kevin O’Leary’s Data Center. He Is Blaming China.

WSJ reports:

Kevin O’Leary is trying to build one of America’s largest data centers. That is, he said, if he can stop the Chinese government from interfering.

O’Leary aims to develop a natural-gas and data-center project covering thousands of acres in the Hansel Valley. For weeks, he has encountered furious pushback from people across the state, largely over the potential impact on the Great Salt Lake, which has been receding for years.

The entrepreneur-turned-TV personality said there is more to some of his local opponents than meets the eye. They are part of a propaganda campaign waged and funded by communist China to stymie U.S. progress in the race for AI global dominance, he asserts.

He has made his case during regular appearances on cable-news shows and through social-media accounts.

O’Leary hasn’t provided conclusive evidence of Chinese-government involvement, and some said his blame-China campaign is meant to discredit his opponents.

"Trump says Netanyahu ‘has no f**king judgment’ after Beirut strike"

Times of Israel reports:
US President Donald Trump lashed out at Israel on Sunday after the IDF struck a Hezbollah target in Beirut, angering Tehran and potentially risking the deal Washington is trying to finalize with the Islamic Republic.

Reportedly accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having “no fucking judgment,” the president also declared that the IDF should be prevented from carrying out any more attacks on any part of Lebanon moving forward, not just Beirut. The suggestion was said to raise concerns among Israeli officials that the prospective US-Iran deal could sharply curb Israel’s military freedom of action.

“This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a peace deal with Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

France’s far-right front-runner rejects Trump’s backing

Politico reports:

If Jordan Bardella becomes France’s next president, don’t expect him to be Donald Trump’s man in Europe.

The 30-year-old leader of France’s far-right National Rally — and the favorite to replace Marine Le Pen if she is barred from running in 2027 — sought during a 45-minute exclusive interview with POLITICO to put distance between himself and the U.S. president he once openly admired.

Trump’s behavior is “not only erratic but also extremely unsteady and constantly shifting,” said Bardella in the interview, which will be released in its entirety Monday. Asked how he views the American president, he said: “It depends on the day. There’s a Monday attitude, a Tuesday attitude, a Wednesday attitude.”