Synagogue Attack, Treasure Hunter Freed, & "Doomsday" Fish

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Adam Rogers
March 13, 2026

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A suspect drove a truck through the entrance of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, yesterday, exited the vehicle armed with a rifle, and was shot and killed by synagogue security. No students or staff were injured.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the suspect drove down a hallway before being confronted by security. One security guard was knocked unconscious by the vehicle and hospitalized, but is expected to recover. Temple Israel is the largest Reform synagogue in the United States.
In response, the Jewish Federation of Detroit put all Jewish organizations on lockout protocol, and multiple nearby schools entered secure mode. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed federal personnel were on scene, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said antisemitism and violence "have no place in Michigan." A motive has not been confirmed.

Penny production ended last year after the cost to mint each 1-cent coin rose to 3.7 cents. Now, with supplies dwindling, six states — Arizona, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington — have passed rounding bills awaiting governor signatures. Indiana already signed one into law this month.
Most proposals adopt symmetrical rounding: prices ending in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents round down, while 3, 4, 8 or 9 cents round up. But a Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond study found retail prices disproportionately end in eight or nine, meaning retailers would more often round up, costing consumers millions of dollars collectively.
Congress has a federal rounding bill that passed the House Financial Services Committee, but has not been voted on. Without it, Rep. Lisa McClain warns of a "confusing patchwork of state policies." Meanwhile, the nickel now costs nearly 14 cents to produce, making it the next coin in crisis.

Tommy Thompson, the explorer who made history in 1988 by discovering the S.S. Central America, the famed “Ship of Gold,” was released from federal prison last week after a decade behind bars for refusing to reveal the location of 500 missing gold coins.
The Central America sank in an 1857 hurricane carrying thousands of pounds of California Gold Rush treasure, killing 425 people. Thompson later recovered part of the wreck and sold about $50 million in gold, but investors who backed the expedition sued in 2005 after receiving nothing. Thompson fled, spent years as a fugitive, and was eventually tracked to a Florida hotel before being jailed in 2015 for contempt of court.
Federal law generally limits contempt sentences to 18 months. Thompson served 10 years. A law professor who helped secure his release called it "a miscarriage of justice."

A US KC-135 refueling plane crashed in western Iraq for reasons unrelated to hostile fire, the fourth aircraft lost since US operations against Iran began. Rescue efforts are underway. (More)

The Senate passed a major housing bill 89-10 banning large investors from buying single-family homes, but House leaders say the chambers' versions need negotiating. (More)

UFC fighters, including lightweight champ Justin Gaethje, will train FBI agents at Quantico this weekend. (More)

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed Thursday to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz in his first statement. It was issued in writing, his whereabouts unknown after US-Israeli strikes. (More)

The International Criminal Court cleared the US of crimes against humanity over Venezuela sanctions, finding insufficient evidence they caused harm — a case Maduro filed before his own US arrest. (More)

Russia sentenced 15 people to life in prison for the March 2024 Crocus City Hall massacre, where four Tajik gunmen shot and stabbed concertgoers before burning the building, killing 149. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -1.52%, Nasdaq -1.78%, Dow -1.56%) as oil prices continued to climb. (More)

Mortgage rates climbed back to 6.11% this week as markets fret over war, inflation fears, and delayed Fed rate cuts — though home purchase applications still rose. (More)

UPS, Maersk, and airlines are adding fuel surcharges after the Strait of Hormuz closure pushed gas to $3.45 — though markets expect oil to cool by July. (More)

Quarterback Kyler Murray signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. (More)

Court documents in Live Nation's monopoly trial revealed employees joking about "robbing" concertgoers "blind" with fees, days after the company settled with the DOJ without a Ticketmaster breakup. (More)

Noma founder chef René Redzepi stepped down this week after a New York Times report detailed abuse allegations from 35+ former employees, prompting protests outside his $1,500-a-head LA pop-up. (More)

Johns Hopkins researchers found that tartaric acid, the natural acid in grapes, can separate cobalt from nickel during battery recycling, recovering over 95% of each metal in lab tests. (More)

Ravens don't follow wolves to find food — they memorize where wolf kills happen most often and fly straight there, sometimes 155 kilometers, a Yellowstone tracking study found. (More)

Google Maps is getting a major AI overhaul — a conversational "Ask Maps" tool and 3D immersive navigation powered by Gemini — rolling out in the US first. (More)

See what homes looked like the year you were born.

Apple is debuting 8 new emojis.

Why you should cook burgers from frozen, according to science.

Two “doomsday” fish wash up on Cabo San Lucas.

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