Jones officially signed off from Infowars on Thursday night, ending27 years of broadcasting from his Austin, Texas studio, per a report by The Daily Caller. The Infowars website went dark early on Friday, displaying only the message “Off Air.”
The shutdown stems from years of legal fallout from Jones’s claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax and that the victims’ families were “crisis actors.” Juries ordered Jones and Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, to paymore than $1 billion in defamation damages to the families. Jones filed for personal bankruptcy in 2022, but the company’s assets remained subject to court-ordered liquidation.
🎉ALEX JONES RETURNS!!!🎉
Less Than A Day After A Soros/Democrat Party-Run Court Order Shut Down Infowars, Alex Jones & Crew Return LIVE To The Airwaves With The Launch Of The Alex Jones Network!
A Texas state receiver wasappointed in August 2025 to liquidate Infowars assets to pay the judgments. The receiver stopped funding Infowars’ operations — including rent, internet, and satellite —forcing Jones out of his studio, per NPR. “He’s not paying the bills, like the rent or the Internet, the satellite, so we have to shut down,” Jones said.
In a bizarre twist, the satirical news site The Onion, whose parent company is Global Tetrahedron, made multiple bids to acquire Infowars and transform it into a self-parody operation. A 2024 bankruptcy auction named The Onion the winning bidder, but NPR reported that a federal judgerejected that sale over procedural flaws. In April 2026, The Onion struck a new licensing deal with the court-appointed receiver, agreeing to pay$81,000 per month to license the Infowars brand and domains for six months, with proceeds earmarked for Sandy Hook families, as the Gateway Pundit reported.
The final days were marked by legal chaos. On Thursday, theTexas Third Court of Appeals issued a last-minute emergency stay, temporarily blocking The Onion’s licensing deal while the case is reviewed. Sandy Hook families’ attorneys appealed to the Texas Supreme Court to reverse that pause, but the effort failed before the midnight deadline. Gateway Pundit reported that a new hearing isscheduled for May 28.
Despite the studio closure, Jones is not finished broadcasting. He held a defiant final livestream surrounded by his crew, toasting to the end of an era. According to the Daily Caller, Jones has announced plans to continue operations under theAlex Jones Network. His legal appeals, including one pending at the Texas Supreme Court, remain active.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
Frisby, author of The Secret History of Gold: Myth, Money, Politics and Power, brings more than 25 years of experience studying and investing in gold, offering insights that connect ancient human behavior to today’s global financial system.
Frisby’s journey into gold began in the early 1990s when he was trying to understand economic imbalances, particularly why housing prices in London seemed disconnected from incomes. His research into fiat money, debt, and manipulated interest rates led him to gold and to a broader philosophy centered on sound money.
Frisby argues that gold’s role in human society stretches much further back than commonly believed. While many sources claim copper was the first metal used by humans, he points to evidence showing gold was used tens of thousands of years ago. Archaeological findings in Paleolithic caves in Spain suggest the use of gold dating back as far as 50,000 years.
In those early societies, gold served familiar purposes. It was used to store wealth, display status, and likely facilitate early forms of exchange. Frisby emphasizes that modern discussions of money often focus too heavily on its role as a medium of exchange while overlooking its function as a store of value and unit of account. In those areas, gold has proven far more stable than fiat currencies over long periods.
He argues that gold provides a consistent benchmark across time. Measuring value in dollars from different decades is misleading due to inflation and policy changes. Gold, by contrast, offers a stable reference point for comparing the real value of goods and services.
Fiat Money and the Growth of Government
Frisby draws a direct connection between fiat currency systems and the expansion of government. When governments can create money at no cost, while citizens must earn it through labor, an imbalance develops that encourages unchecked growth.
He points to the steady expansion of programs such as welfare, military spending, subsidies, and regulatory systems. Without the discipline imposed by sound money, governments can grow beyond sustainable limits. This dynamic, he argues, creates inefficiencies and distorts economic incentives across society.
Gold and the Arc of Human History
Gold has been one of the most powerful drivers of human behavior throughout history. Frisby suggests that after basic needs like food, shelter, and reproduction, the pursuit of wealth, often represented by gold, has motivated exploration, innovation, and conflict.
From ancient myths like Jason and the Argonauts to historical events such as the California Gold Rush, gold has shaped civilizations. The California discoveries helped fund the Union during the American Civil War, while massive finds in South Africa, which accounted for about 40 percent of all gold ever mined, played a major role in global wealth flows.
Frisby also argues that this abundance of gold may have contributed to Britain’s decline in the 20th century. The financial cushion it provided allowed for costly decisions, including the funding of two world wars.
Who Holds the Gold Today
In today’s world, gold ownership remains a key indicator of economic power. The United States officially holds around 8,100 tonnes of gold, but Frisby notes that these reserves have not been fully audited since the 1950s.
China presents a striking contrast. While its official holdings are reported at roughly 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes, Frisby estimates total Chinese gold could be between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes when accounting for domestic mining and imports. China has mined about 8,000 tonnes this century and does not export its gold, meaning it continues to accumulate.
Even if only a portion of that gold is state-owned, it could rival or exceed U.S. holdings. This quiet accumulation, he argues, is one of the most important and underreported developments in global finance.
De-Dollarization and the Rise of Gold
Frisby sees de-dollarization as an ongoing and logical process. Central banks are gradually reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar and increasing their gold reserves. Events such as the freezing of Russian assets after the Ukraine invasion accelerated this trend.
Currently, gold accounts for about 30 percent of central bank reserves, while the U.S. dollar makes up roughly 50 percent. Frisby believes gold could surpass the dollar within the next decade, especially if prices continue to rise.
He frames this shift as a return to more balanced reserve holdings rather than a sudden collapse of the dollar. For many countries, holding gold is simply prudent diversification. Unlike fiat currencies, gold carries no counterparty risk and is not dependent on any government.
Gold, Bitcoin, and the Future of Money
Frisby takes a balanced view of the debate between gold and Bitcoin. Born in 1969, he sees himself at the intersection of generations. Older investors tend to prefer gold, while younger ones gravitate toward digital assets.
He argues that both have roles to play. Bitcoin offers advantages in speed and global transactions, while gold remains unmatched as a long-term store of value. The key principle for him is sound money, regardless of form.
Gold in the 21st Century
Despite claims that gold is outdated, its continued relevance is clear. Central banks are still accumulating it, investors continue to hold it, and its price rose by roughly 60 to 70 percent in the previous year.
Frisby argues that gold’s core function has not changed since prehistoric times. It remains a reliable way to store and display value. While it may not dominate everyday transactions, it continues to serve as a foundational asset in the global financial system.
A Timeless Asset in a Changing World
Frisby’s book The Secret History of Gold explores the many ways gold has influenced human civilization. Praised by Adam Fleming, nephew of Ian Fleming and former chairman of Harmony Gold, as one of the best books ever written on the subject, it aims to uncover insights that are often overlooked.
The conversation highlights a central idea. Gold is not just a relic of the past. It is a constant force that has shaped history and continues to play a critical role in an evolving financial world.
(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill spent years dismissing Republican warnings about voter fraud as baseless. On Monday, her administration offered a sweetheart deal to a Democrat politician accused of orchestrating a massive voter fraud scheme.
That candidate, Dr. Henrilynn Ibezim, ran for the Democratic nomination for mayor in Plainfield, N.J., against incumbent Mayor Adrian Mapp. Plainfield is known as the “Queen City” and boasts roughly 55,000 residents, serving as a bedroom suburb in the New York metropolitan area.
Ibezim pleaded guilty to attempting to submit fraudulent voter registrations to Union County election officials. According to a state grand jury, the Democrat politician showed up at a local post office with a trash bag containing 954 fraudulent voter registration applications.
Ibezim initially faced second-degree felony charges of election fraud and trafficking in personal identification information, along with a slate of third-degree charges including forgery, attempted false registration, tampering with public records, hindering apprehension and tampering with witnesses and information. He also faced a fourth-degree charge of falsifying or tampering with records.
Each second-degree charge carried a sentence of up to 10 years in state prison and fines of up to $150,000, while third- and fourth-degree charges carried potential penalties of up to five years and 18 months, respectively.
Under the terms of the plea deal, Ibezim will admit to a third-degree forgery charge, and prosecutors will recommend probation at sentencing, which is scheduled for June 18, 2026.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, appointed to her position by Sherill earlier this year, defended the resolution as an example of election integrity enforcement despite the lenient outcome.
“My office is determined to ensure elections are fair and that their outcomes are determined by the will of the voters,” she said in a statement. “It is crucial to our system of government that those who engage in illegal and bad faith conduct during elections be held accountable. Failing to do so opens the door to a loss of public confidence in the democratic process.”
Sherrill was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2026, after serving in the House of Representatives from January 2019 until she was elected governor on Nov. 20, 2025.
(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) Both the House and the Senate passed a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which gives the federal government the power to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans.
The Senate passed the 45-day extension by unanimous consent, and the bill then passed the House by a vote of 261-111. Without the extension, Section 702 would have expired at midnight.
A day earlier, the House passed a three-year extension of the spying power, but the bill included a ban on the Federal Reserve issuing digital currencies, which the Senate rejected.
Section 702, which was first enacted in 2008, authorizes warrantless surveillance of non-Americans and allows the collection of a massive amount of data, including communications with Americans, which are stored indefinitely.
President Donald Trump has been calling for Congress to pass the Section 702 extension even though his 2016 campaign was targeted under FISA. In one post on Truth Social, the president said he was willing to give up his “rights and privileges” to extend the spying power, an acknowledgment that it violates civil liberties.
“While parts of FISA were illegally and unfortunately used against me in the Democrats’ disgraceful Witch Hunt and Attack in the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA Hoax, and perhaps would be used against me in the future, I am willing to risk the giving up of my Rights and Privileges as a Citizen for our Great Military and Country!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
(José Niño,Headline USA) Two CIA officers killed in a vehicle crash in Mexico were wearing uniforms of Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency during a raid on Sinaloa Cartel methamphetamine labs, according to reporting by veteran journalist Ioan Grillo on Substack.
The incident occurred on April 20 when a convoy was returning from a two-day operation thatdismantled one of Mexico’s largest clandestine meth lab networks in the remote Sierra de Chihuahua region. One SUV plunged off a narrow mountain road into a ravine and burst into flames, per CBS News. Four people died: the director of Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency, Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes; one of his officers, Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes; and the two Americans,per the Los Angeles Times and CNN.
According to Al Jazeera, the uniform detail directly contradicts Chihuahua state attorney general César Jáuregui’s initial claim that the Americans were merely “instructors” stationed hours away from the raid sitewho were picked up by the convoy on its way back — “giving their US counterparts a lift to the airport, nothing more,” as his office put it. A US government source confirmed to Grillo that the agents were operationally embedded in the raid itself and wearing local uniforms to blend in,as the Los Angeles Times also reported.
A separate US agent interviewed by Grillo described this as a longstanding if unofficial practice. “We have always been there,” the agent said, noting that US personnel have embedded with Mexican law enforcement on operationsgoing back to the 1970s as Grillo highlighted.
The Los Angeles Times noted that Mexican officials at the scene briefly discussed concealing or moving the CIA agents’ bodies in a moment of panic before the incident went public.
According to the Associated Press, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her security cabinet had no knowledge that CIA operatives were running joint operations with the Chihuahua state government. “There cannot be agents from any U.S. government institution operating in the Mexican field,” she stated. She placed blame on Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos, whose administration is controlled by the opposition PAN party, calling it a violation of national sovereignty,as reported by Mexico News Daily.
The Los Angeles Timesreported this was at least the third CIA operation in Chihuahua this year alone, carried out in coordination with state officials but without informing Mexico City.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
(Esther Wickham, The Center Square) National teachers unions have spent over $1 billion on political activity and advocacy since 2015, according to a new report by Defending Education.
Both reports, shared with The Center Square, found the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association together directed $669 million in federal political spending and an additional $336 million in state and local spending.
The total includes member dues, political action committee contributions and Committee on Political Education funds. Teachers’ unions collect COPE and PAC dollars separately from their dues and fees.
Defending Education says the funds were directed to political campaigns, nonprofit advocacy groups, school board races and efforts opposing school choice legislation.
Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that the findings raise concerns about how unions allocate their funds and the impact at the state and local levels.
“When you tie in money coming from the state and local level and the political game plan of teacher unions, it’s just one giant political machine that is trying to take control of everything,” Staley told The Center Square.
According to the findings, unions and affiliated groups spent approximately $7.2 million opposing school choice initiatives in Kentucky, $4.3 million to repeal similar policies in Nebraska and more than $4.2 million to oppose school choice efforts in Maine.
The report also noted that the unions contributed over $1.3 million to a Los Angeles Unified School District school board race.
Staley said the influence of teachers’ unions extends beyond traditional labor concerns, particularly at the local level.
At the state and local level overall, teachers’ unions spent more than $135.8 million, the report found.
“These are proxies for the teachers’ union,” Staley added. “These unions are taking lots of money, and they’re pouring it into these local groups who are having massive impacts at the local level.”
A majority of public school districts do not reimburse union dues. They are paid by members via payroll deduction from taxpayer-funded salaries.
“If the union is taking their cut regardless if they’re a member or not and they’re getting that money, especially before a teacher even gets their paycheck, that is taxpayer dollars,” Staley said.
Staley added that unions take dues and move them into COPE accounts, which are then funneled into political campaigns.
The report also points to union involvement in broader political and social movements, including activities tied to May Day demonstrations, where some groups promoted student participation in protests related to immigration enforcement.
Staley said students are being used as “propaganda” for unions to show participation in protests, but “they’re not really engaged.”
“The teachers’ unions are very unique because they are teachers who are directly involved with children, and a lot of this is meant to develop their next generation of political allies,” Staley added.
The National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the country, has also contributed millions to advocacy organizations, according to the report. Midwest Academy has received more than $1.7 million since 2015.
The Center Square reached out to the NEA and AFT by email and phone for comment, but did not receive a response.
(Liam Hibbert, The Center Square) California Thursday officially exceeded an average gas price of $6 a gallon for the first time since the start of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.
The new high came just one week after a short-lived drop in the cost of a gallon, according to AAA. Various gas stations in California have been near or at the $6 mark for several weeks, but AAA said the average price was hovering below $6 a gallon. That changed on Thursday when AAA reported an average of $6.01 in California, up 16 cents from one week ago, with Mono County along the Nevada border at $6.95.
At the same time, Nevada saw the average price hit $5.13, up 17 cents from one week ago.
Colorado rose to $4.25, up 29 cents in one week, and Arizona was at $4.67, up six cents from April 23.
Drivers throughout the Southwest are seeing some of the nation’s highest prices amid the conflict in Iran, which began Feb. 28. The average U.S. gas price has gone up nearly $1.50 since the start of 2026.
California consistently has had the nation’s highest gas average for several years, and that remained the case on Thursday as the entire country deals with spikes in prices during the Mideast conflict.
“It’s a really unpredictable situation the way that things are emerging,” said Patrick De Haan, Gas Buddy head of petroleum analysis.
“A lot of the direction for gas prices is going to be very significantly impacted by the conditions moving forward – whether the Strait [of Hormuz] is closed or reopened,” De Haan told The Center Square Thursday. “It’s very hard to predict.”
Despite what AAA called a “bit of relief at the pump” just last week as the average price per gallon neared $4, gas prices have surged once again across the U.S. The average gas price nationally was $4.30 a gallon Thursday, up 27 cents a gallon from one week ago, with WTI Crude oil prices having recently rushed past $100 once again. The result is more uncertainty over gas prices.
“There was an overnight shift of about 11 cents,” AAA Northern California spokesperson Doug Johnson told The Center Square of the first spike earlier this week. “And I think that’s the market reacting to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday saying it would leave OPEC.”
The United Arab Emirates is one of 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the oil cartel that heavily influences the global price for oil. OPEC says it’s one of the world’s largest oil producers.
The fluctuation of prices is “showing destabilization in the oil markets, and anytime there’s any sort of destabilization, as we saw in the conflict in Iran, that can have an impact on prices at the pump locally,” Johnson said.
There is still some distance to be covered before the national average reaches the all-time high of $5.02 per gallon, set in summer 2022. But four months ago, the average price was $2.82.
“Stable national average to start the year, lowest since 2021,” read the AAA headline at the time. Since then, the average price of a gallon of gas has increased by $1.49.
While less visible to consumers, the biggest impact of the sharp rise in gas prices this year could be felt from the near all-time high price of diesel.
The current average gallon is $5.50, which was $3.52 in January according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The all-time high of $5.82 was set in the summer of 2022.
Johnson said that two Bay Area California cities, San Francisco and San Rafael, broke an all-time national record earlier this month by breaking $8 for a gallon of diesel.
“The U.S. economy is powered by diesel from trains and trucks to tractors, so the elevated price of diesel is going to impact the economy in a pretty negative way here in the weeks ahead as prices remain just below their all-time record highs,” De Haan said. “This is likely to lead to a rise in inflation here in the months ahead.”
With summer nearly here and Memorial Day on May 25, many Americans are still expected to take road trips and flights despite the higher fuel prices, according to AAA. Along with checking that your car is fully serviced and running smoothly, Johnson said driving speed can have a major impact on fuel efficiency.
“Fuel economy peaks at around 50 miles per hour on most cars, and then as you start to drive faster, it decreases,” said Johnson. “So if you drive the recommended speed limit, you can actually increase your fuel economy between 7-14%.”
(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) President Donald Trump said he will remove the 10% tariff on Scotch whisky imports and lift restrictions on the barrel trade between Scotland and Kentucky, a move the industry called a “significant boost” that ends months of economic losses.
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post Wednesday as King Charles III and Queen Camilla departed Washington after a four-day state visit tied to the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence.
“In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon,” Trump wrote. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!”
Trump imposed a 10% baseline tariff on all imports in April 2025 as part of his “Liberation Day” trade agenda. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down that tariff regime in February 2026, the administration immediately reimposed a 10% global import duty under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. That rate applied to imported goods, including Scotch whisky.
The Section 122 duty exempted certain categories of goods from the 10% rate, including critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, energy products, and passenger vehicles. Scotch whisky was not among the exempted categories. The White House did not immediately provide details on the timing or mechanism for implementing the removal.
Mark Kent, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said the announcement delivers relief to an industry under significant financial pressure.
“This deal is a significant boost for the Scotch Whisky industry in our most valuable export market,” Kent said. “Distillers can breathe a little easier during a period of significant pressure on the sector. For months, many have worked tirelessly to return zero-for-zero tariff trade for whisky and bourbon.”
Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, said the announcement restores a key trade partnership.
“This action restores reciprocal, tariff-free trade between our historic spirits and is especially important for Kentucky, as Scotch distillers have long been the largest export market for Kentucky’s used Bourbon barrels,” Gregory said in a statement. “Kentucky Bourbon is a cornerstone of our state’s economy, contributing over $10.6 billion annually and supporting nearly 24,000 jobs across the Commonwealth.”
The United Kingdom is Kentucky’s second-largest export destination, with nearly $5.4 billion in products shipped there in 2025, according to data from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office. Kentucky set an all-time export record of $50.6 billion that year.
The announcement specifically addresses the barrel trade at the heart of the Scotland-Kentucky commercial relationship. By law, Kentucky Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels used only once. Scottish distillers are major buyers of those used barrels, making Scotland a critical market for Kentucky cooperages and distilleries.
Beshear had publicly called on Trump to “roll back the tariffs” as recently as February 2026, citing the importance of trade partnerships to Kentucky’s record export growth.
Kent said the removal of the tariff would reinvigorate a commercial partnership spanning generations.
“The special relationship that the Scotch Whisky and American Whiskey industries share will be reinvigorated by this announcement,” Kent said. “While challenges in our sector remain, we can now redouble our efforts to boost the benefits our two great industries bring to communities across Scotland and the US.”
The royal visit marked the first time a sitting British monarch has visited Washington since Queen Elizabeth II called on President George W. Bush in 2007. King Charles III addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, the first monarch to do so since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, citing $430 billion in annual U.S.-UK trade and defending the NATO alliance.
(Headline USA) The Pentagon said Friday that it has reached deals with seven tech companies to use their artificial intelligence in its classified computer networks, allowing the military to tap into AI-powered capabilities to help it fight wars.
Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, OpenAI, Reflection and SpaceX will provide their resources to help “augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments,” the Defense Department said.
The Defense Department has been rapidly accelerating its use of AI in recent years. The technology can help the military reduce the time it takes to identify and strike targets on the battlefield, while aiding in the organization of weapons maintenance and supply lines, according to a report in March from the Brennan Center for Justice.
But AI has already raised concerns that its use could invade Americans’ privacy or allow machines to choose targets on the battlefield. One of the companies contracting with the Pentagon said its agreement required human oversight in certain situations.
Such concerns were raised by a company not on the list, Anthropic, and it is now battling the Pentagon in court. The tech company said it wanted assurances in its contract that the military would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful.
Anthropic sued after President Donald Trump, a Republican, tried to stop all federal agencies from using the company’s chatbot Claude and Hegseth sought to label the company a supply chain risk, a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries.
OpenAI had announced a deal with the Pentagon in March to effectively replace Anthropic with ChatGPT in classified environments. OpenAI confirmed in a statement Friday that it was the same agreement it announced in early March.
“As we said when we first announced our agreement several months ago, we believe the people defending the United States should have the best tools in the world,” the company said.
One company’s agreement with the Pentagon included language that said there should be human oversight over any missions in which the AI systems act autonomously or semi-autonomously, according to a person familiar with the agreement who was not authorized to speak about it publicly. The language also said the AI tools must be used in ways that are consistent with constitutional rights and civil liberties.
Those resemble sticking points for Anthropic, though OpenAI has previously said that it secured similar assurances when it made its own deal with the Pentagon.
Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s chief technology officer, told CNBC on Friday that it would have been irresponsible to rely on only one company, an acknowledgement of the friction with Anthropic.
“And when we learned that that one partner didn’t really want to work with us in the way we wanted to work with them, we went out and made sure that we had multiple different providers,” Michael said.
Some of the companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, have long worked with the military in classified environments and it was not immediately clear if the new agreements significantly altered their government partnerships. Others, such as chipmaker Nvidia and the startup Reflection, are new to such work. Both companies make open-source AI models, which Michael has described as a priority to provide an “American alternative” to China’s rapid development of AI systems in which some key components are publicly accessible for others to build upon.
The Pentagon said Friday that military personnel are already using its AI capabilities through its official platform, GenAI.mil.
“Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days,” the Pentagon said, adding that the military’s growing AI capabilities will “give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat.”
(Headline USA) A small plane crashed among trees in Texas Hill Country, killing all five people aboard, authorities said Friday.
The crash happened around 11 p.m. Thursday in Wimberley, a city about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Austin, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,” Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters. “The plane did catch fire. That would indicate some pretty severe damage to the plane.”
The names of the victims were not immediately released. An unidentified woman wiped her eyes and fanned her face with her hands as she stood behind yellow police tape near the crash site Friday afternoon. A man consoled her.
Ray referred most reporters’ questions to federal authorities who will be leading the investigation.
The plane, a Cessna 421C, plane took off from Amarillo, Texas, about two hours earlier and was headed to New Braunfels National Airport, according to the flight history. Aerial photos posted online by the Austin American-Statesman showed the aircraft completely destroyed in a wooded area.
Stacey Rohr, who lives nearby, said she was in bed when she heard a crash and “felt everything vibrate.”
“It was so close I felt like it was the back of my place up in flames,” said Rohr, who immediately called her landlord.
Cecil Keith said he heard what sounded like an engine backfiring — “pow, pow, pow” — when the plane flew over his house moments before the crash.
“Something was definitely wrong,” he told KEYE-TV.
A second aircraft traveling in the area landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of San Antonio, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said.
One pilot said he and the Cessna pilot were flying there together, according to Air Traffic Control audio.
“I haven’t heard anything from him,” the pilot says on the recording.
A controller responds: “He started to move erratically and now his track is disappeared from the scope. So we want to make sure everything’s all right with him.”
At least one pilot in the area confirmed the troubled plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal. The controller called 911.
It was mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash and there was a thunderstorm two hours later, the National Weather Service said.
Wimberley, with a population of about 3,000, and New Braunfels, with a population of about 116,000, are tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country, drawing hikers attracted to the woody rolling hills and others for tubing on rivers in the area.
