By Ashley Strickland, Aditi Sangal, and CNN Staff

San Diego, California (CNN), NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening.

The astronauts’ spacecraft hit the Pacific Ocean waters at 5:07 p.m. Pacific Time, 7:07 p.m. Central Time as Mission Control.

The crew’s monumental and risky 10-day journey around the moon and back took them farther from Earth than anyone in human history.

After splashing down, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman provided a good report for crew conditions inside Orion.

“What a journey. We are stable. Four green crew members,” Wiseman said, indicating all four astronauts are in good shape.

As recovery efforts get underway, Artemis mission controllers are likely celebrating that this smooth return sets up NASA’s lunar exploration program to tackle its next big steps.

Artemis II astronauts identified two new craters on the lunar surface and suggested naming one Integrity for their Orion spacecraft, and the other Carroll for Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife. Carroll Taylor Wiseman, a nurse in a newborn intensive care unit, died in 2020 following a battle with cancer. “There was not a dry eye in the control room when they did that,” NASA’s Dr. Nicola Fox told CNN later.

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By Ashley Strickland, Aditi Sangal, and CNN Staff

San Diego, California (CNN), NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening.

The astronauts’ spacecraft hit the Pacific Ocean waters at 5:07 p.m. Pacific Time, 7:07 p.m. Central Time as Mission Control.

The crew’s monumental and risky 10-day journey around the moon and back took them farther from Earth than anyone in human history.

After splashing down, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman provided a good report for crew conditions inside Orion.

“What a journey. We are stable. Four green crew members,” Wiseman said, indicating all four astronauts are in good shape.

As recovery efforts get underway, Artemis mission controllers are likely celebrating that this smooth return sets up NASA’s lunar exploration program to tackle its next big steps.

Artemis II astronauts identified two new craters on the lunar surface and suggested naming one Integrity for their Orion spacecraft, and the other Carroll for Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife. Carroll Taylor Wiseman, a nurse in a newborn intensive care unit, died in 2020 following a battle with cancer. “There was not a dry eye in the control room when they did that,” NASA’s Dr. Nicola Fox told CNN later.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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The post Senior Veterans Take to Skies over Santa Barbara in WWII-Era Aircraft appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—An edgy musical exploring some of the darkest chapters of American history is hitting the stage Friday night in Santa Barbara.

Local non-profit Out of the Box Theater Company is bringing audiences into a thought-provoking production of Assassins—a show that dives into the lives of nine men and women who either killed, or attempted to kill, a President of the United States.

The musical takes a bold look at the darker side of the American Dream, combining history with powerful storytelling and music.

“I do a lot of yelling,” said actor Jim Sirianni, who plays Samuel Byck. “He uses colorful language throughout the show.”

Other cast members say the production gave them a deeper understanding of the people behind the headlines.

“I’ve learned a lot about these individual assassins—what their motives were and how they went through life,” said Nik Valinski, who plays Leon Czolgosz.

But the production isn’t just focused on the past—it’s also bringing together a new generation of performers.

The cast includes local students, including elementary and high schoolers, who say the experience has been both fun and eye-opening.

“It’s a very fun character,” said Theodore Henning, a young actor in the show.
Henning added that performing has allowed him to express a side of himself he doesn’t usually show.
“I get to show this side of me… I don’t really show to anyone except maybe my mom,” he said.

The young performers also say the musical covers a side of American history they haven’t learned in school.

“More than I would ever learn in school,” Henning said. “This is not something you really learn… it has to do with killing people.”

Artistic Director Samantha Eve says the show ultimately raises deeper questions about the American Dream and human behavior.
“I think a lot of it is really about the promise of the American dream… that everyone has the right to be successful and happy,” Eve said. “But when that promise isn't fulfilled… how does that drive us as a human race towards violence?”

The production offers a powerful—and at times uncomfortable—look at history, ambition, and the cost of feeling unheard.

Assassins premieres Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Center Stage Theater. There will be four performances, with the final show scheduled for April 19.

The post Edgy Musical ‘Assassins’ Premieres in Santa Barbara, Blends Dark History with Local Young Talent appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN

(CNN) — IBM reached a settlement with the federal government on Friday, agreeing to pay roughly $17 million to resolve allegations of illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the settlement agreement in a press release.

The DOJ had alleged that the New York-based technology firm “knowingly” made “false claims” about its hiring and employment practices in its federal contracts, according to the settlement. IBM allegedly identified “diverse” candidates for hiring or promotions, while developing race and sex demographic goals.

“IBM is pleased to have resolved this matter,” an IBM spokesperson told CNN over email. “Our workforce strategy is driven by a single principle: having the right people with the right skills that our clients depend on.”

IBM denied that it had discriminatory and illegal DEI practices. The settlement emphasized that the agreement was “neither an admission of liability by IBM nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.”

The Trump administration last year cracked down on DEI practices in public and private sectors, including in federal hiring and contracting. Four days into President Donald Trump’s second term, federal agencies were told to terminate all DEI offices and positions.

The DOJ in May 2025 began using the False Claims Act to target diversity initiatives at colleges and alleged that IBM, as a contractor, violated the act by maintaining “practices that the United States contends were discriminatory employment practices,” according to the announcement on Friday.

“Racial discrimination is illegal, and government contractors cannot evade the law by repackaging it as DEI,” Blanche said in Friday’s press release. “The Department launched the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative to root out this misconduct, hold offenders accountable, and end this practice for good.”

The False Claims Act dates back to the Civil War era and allows the government to recover funds up to three times the damages it incurs, in addition to penalties, according to the DOJ.

The law also allows private citizens to file suit, claiming the government was defrauded and to keep a portion of any money the federal government recovers.

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CNN’s Karina Tsui and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

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