Tuesday, August 18th

Hayden Panettiere, the 36-year-old actor known for “Heroes” and “Nashville,” died in Greenville, South Carolina, her father, Skip Panettiere, announced through a representative. Police and EMS responded around 1:50 p.m. Sunday to a report of an unresponsive female at a Greenville residence, where medical aid was unsuccessful. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Panettiere had been found in cardiac arrest; the cause of death remained pending, with no signs of trauma or foul play reported. Panettiere’s credits included “Remember the Titans,” “Scream VI” and “Nashville,” and colleagues including Connie Britton, Viola Davis and Selma Blair paid tribute.

President Donald Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” U.S. participation in Ulchi Freedom Shield, the 10-day joint exercise with South Korea involving 18,000 South Korean troops plus U.S. and U.N. forces. Trump announced the change on Sunday, hours before the drills were scheduled to begin, citing costs, Seoul’s refusal to support U.S. action against Iran, and his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. South Korea said on Monday it hoped U.S.-North Korea diplomacy would resume to ease tensions on the peninsula.

The Supreme Court on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s petition for rehearing in E. Jean Carroll’s 2023 civil case, leaving intact a $5 million jury verdict against him. The justices had already refused in June to review Trump’s appeal, and the new unsigned order gave no explanation. The jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll at a New York department store in the mid-1990s and defaming her in 2022. Carroll’s representatives said she has received the money.