Author: DispatchTimes News Desk

Taylor Swift made a surprise cameo in an Emmys sketch featuring Law & Order: SVU character Olivia Benson, despite not attending the ceremony in person. The pre-recorded segment starred host Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T, with the performers joking about whether Swift would appear at television’s biggest night. The sketch centred on the search for Swift, with her cat — named after Hargitay’s SVU character — presented as a co-detective. Swift did not attend the Emmys. Instead, she was shown supporting her husband, Travis Kelce, as the Kansas City Chiefs played their first game of the season. The appearance gave Hargitay’s…

The Milwaukee Police Association has rejected claims that the fatal Milwaukee police shooting of Printis Smith amounted to a “cold killing”, insisting body-worn camera footage shows the 23-year-old was holding a gun and engaged in a close-range struggle with an officer. Smith was shot and killed on Tuesday, September 8, after officers pursued a vehicle in the area of North 39th Street and West Meinecke Avenue. Police said the car matched the description of one wanted in connection with a shots-fired incident in nearby Glendale. Both occupants fled when the vehicle stopped near North 37th Street and West Wright Street.…

Mitch McConnell has returned to the US Senate for the first time in three months, appearing frail and speaking slowly from a wheelchair after being hospitalised following a fall at his home. The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican briefly addressed reporters outside the Senate chamber on Monday, smiling as he acknowledged the intense interest in his prolonged absence. “I wasn’t sure how many reporters would be here,” he joked, after avoiding questions about his condition for much of his absence. Mr McConnell later disclosed that he had been “briefly unconscious” after the fall and had also been treated in hospital for mild…

Taylor Swift made her first appearance at a Kansas City Chiefs game since marrying Travis Kelce, watching the team’s season opener from his luxury suite alongside Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. The 36-year-old singer was seen at Arrowhead Stadium as the Chiefs faced the Denver Broncos on Monday night, marking her first visit to the tight end’s suite as his wife. Swift and Cruise were shown in conversation during the first quarter of the nationally televised game. The actor has no known connection to the Chiefs, but played football-related roles in the films Jerry Maguire and All the Right Moves. Swift’s…

The US Supreme Court has blocked Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict mail-in ballots, but the ruling has not halted the president’s wider campaign to bring state-run elections under greater federal control. The decision prevents the administration from requiring states to provide lists of voters approved to receive postal ballots, which the US Postal Service would then have used to screen ballot envelopes before delivery. Two lower-court judges had already found that the changes were probably unlawful and should not be introduced so close to November’s elections. Several states had begun sending ballots before the Supreme Court reached its decision. Election…

Brian Hickerson was allegedly blamed for Hayden Panettiere’s death during a confrontation at a bar in Greenville, South Carolina, shortly before police were called to the scene. A person at the venue allegedly told Hickerson: “You killed her. You probably beat her to death.” Hickerson and his brother, Zach, strongly deny any involvement in the actress’s death. People close to the brothers said Zach had encouraged Hickerson to leave the house because he had been devastated by Panettiere’s death and had lost about 40 pounds while grieving. The pair had reportedly gone to a local restaurant for a quiet evening…

Business leaders in the Puget Sound region have warned that Washington state is losing its economic advantage, calling for urgent action from local authorities to prevent further job losses and restore confidence among employers. The warning comes as Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson faces pressure over public safety and a significant budget shortfall, with business groups seeking assurances that the city will become easier and more predictable for companies to operate in. Former Washington governor Chris Gregoire and the business coalition Challenge Seattle have launched the Partnership for a Competitive Puget Sound, backed by more than $1 million in funding. The…

HYROX has apologised after Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk defecated during a race in Beijing and continued competing, prompting criticism over the impact on fellow participants and the event’s hygiene standards. Wietrzyk, the current world number one in the women’s singles division, was taking part in the HYROX Women’s Pro division. Images and video circulated on social media showing her completing — and winning — the race with faecal matter on her arms and legs. The footage led to questions over why race officials had not intervened or required her to stop. Some spectators also called for Wietrzyk to be disqualified…

President Trump is urging Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, with University of Arkansas head coach John Calipari backing the proposed legislation. The bill would establish new guidelines and protections for name, image and likeness payments in college sport. It would also seek to regulate the transfer portal and the amount teams can spend on their rosters, according to the proposal outlined by the president. Calipari has joined the discussion to explain his support for the Protect College Sports Act.

A Russian convoy has delivered supplies to Syria’s Tartous port for the first time since Moscow and Damascus reached a military facilities agreement in August, signalling that Russia is continuing to support its bases in the country. The four-vessel convoy arrived on 7 September, with supplies destined for the facility at Tartous and the Hmeimim air base in western Syria. The movement follows 18 months of negotiations and a memorandum of understanding announced by Syria in early August. Under the agreement, both sites are to become “joint training and capacity-building centres”, according to the Syrian foreign ministry, while Damascus assumes…