Top News From WTOP - 6AM UPDATE - August 15, 2026

What's the secret recipe to making money topics interesting? I think you start off by relating money to your everyday life, like more vacations, more living, less worry about your next paycheck. And that's how we built the Stacky Benjamin Netanyahu Show, the personal finance show. It's full of good times, great laughs, and big lessons. Whether you're paying off debt, building wealth, or just trying to stop hemorrhging money at the grocery store. We got you. Find the Stacky Benjamin Netanyahu Show wherever you get your podcasts. The greatest money show on earth, now part of the Gamut Podcast Network. from ABC News. I'm Sherry Preston. The family of Brian Thompson, including his widow and executives from United Health Care, are expected to be in the courtroom today, as Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty to federal stalking charges in Thompson's murder. ABC chief investigative correspondent Aaron Kuterski has more. Luigi Mangione has maintained he is not guilty, but sources tell ABC news he is prepared to change his plea as he faces a mountain of evidence, including video of Thompson's murder, the killer approaching from behind and shooting him. the back. Police also said they pulled the murder weapon from his bag. Some legal experts say a guilty plea to federal charges could complicate the state murder trial which is expected to begin next month. New researches have been deployed in Indiana because of widespread flooding. ABC's Alex Perez is in the city of Richmond. The National Guard called in after the governor declared a statewide disaster emergency following days of relentless storms. Flash flooding, swallowing entire neighborhoods, roads vanishing underwater. Rivers bursting from their banks, racing through communities around Indianapolis. Rescue crews working around the clock searching for anyone still trapped, and at least three people dead because of the severe storms. In Japan, record-breaking rainfall flooded cities east of Tokyo overnight, killing at least five. Congressional Democrats are calling for more information about the long deployment and deteriorating living conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. The USS Abraham Lincoln is waiting for relief after nearly nine months of relentless combat operation. and reports of worsening conditions on board. The Lincoln has been at sea for more than 250 days, including one stretch of more than 200 days in between ports of call. ABC's Martha Radd. It's just in from the Commerce Department retail sales down. 0.6% last month, the biggest drop since May of 2025. This is ABC News. Welcome back in. 902. Good morning. It's 77 degrees at WTOP. We're going to expect some showers today. Happy Friday. I'm Kristen Diaz. I'm John Dome and our top local stories. Well, the long-term goal is to improve commutes on some of the busiest roads in the area. It's a disaster intersection right now, and the changes they're making tonight could affect you through the weekend. We're talking about Maryland Route 4 in Suitland Parkway.

WTOP's Neil Loginstein with what you need to know. A new traffic patterns going into effect Monday to allow construction of the new Suitland Parkway Interchange Project, but tonight and this weekend, you might want to avoid that area. We have to do a lot of lane closures, a lot of lane shifts, turning restrictions, detours, and that's going to start at 7 o'clock Friday. Charlie Gishler with the Maryland State Highway Administration. If you do have to go there, build in a lot of extra time, because there's going to be a lot of... moving parts associated with this traffic switch. If for some reason we get inclement whether it's going to be happening the following weekend of the 21st. Stay with WTOP traffic for the latest. Neil Orgenstein, WTOP News. Watch out for car thieves. Prince William County Police now sending out a warning after busting their second chop shop this year. Detectives recently found stolen cars, forged registrations, altered vins, and fake state inspections. And along with that, police see. cocaine and safes containing THHT products, scales, and DMV documents. Police say thieves can steal your car in less than 30 seconds by using tools that pick up on the frequency of your key fob even while you're inside your home. Once inside the car, they can reprogram a blank key to turn it on and drive away. Sergeant Aaron Noble says there's a few ways that you can protect yourself, like using a VIN number etching service. You can bring your car by, and they can etch your windows, which makes it very hard for these chop shops to resell different parts of your car. You can also block your keys frequency by putting it inside a special protective bag when it's not in use. You also have locks for car wheels that can also help you. out there. A body has been found in the search for a missing man in Lake Anna. Spatylvania County emergency crews responded to a call around 740 last night for a 24-year-old man who was boating with a group of people when he went into the water and never resurfaced. First responders searched the area with help from divers and crews from Louisa County and the State Department of Wildlife Resources. A body was recovered just before midnight. Authorities are not releasing the victim's identity until the next of kin is notified. A northern Virginia nonprofit and regional partners are providing training in suicide prevention that will be available to schools and communities across the area. More from WTOP's Kate Ryan. Dr. Bill Hazel is the CEO of Claude Moore opportunities. Our role has been to think about how we can match people who are looking for meaningful careers in health care with the education and training that prepares them for jobs in today's health care environment. This week, the nonprofit is teamed up with the George Mason University Center for Community Mental Health and Loudoun County's Ryan Bartell Foundation to provide a four-day training session for 30 participants in... a suicide prevention program called Sources of Strength. Once they've completed the training, participants can be eligible for certification to provide the program in schools and community organizations across Virginia. Kate Ryan, WTOP News. It's a little early and a little hot to start feeling like Christmas, but tickets are already on sale for this year's ice at the Gaylord National Resort. WTOP's Luke Gert.

At ice, you'll see 10 scenes carved out of massive blocks, all telling the story of how the Grinch stole Christmas. You'll get to see the Grinch on top of Mount Crumpet. You'll get to see Cindy Lou and all the other who's in Whoville. Josh Coppins, the director of special events and entertainment here at the Gaylord National, says 30 artists from China. We're coming to sculpt these scenes out of 6,000 blocks of ice that weigh 2 million pounds. If you want to see them. Dress appropriately. We keep the attraction at nine degrees Fahrenheit. So, yeah, bring, bring gloves. Also be a slide room and a chance to see these ice sculptors at work. Ice opens November 14th, but early bird tickets are already on sale. Look, Looker, WTOPP News. Time now for Money News, and we say good Friday morning to John Wardock. Oh, good morning, John and Kristen. July proved to be a tough month for retailers. The latest retail sales report from the government came in worse than expected. As an ouch, experts were calling for a slight increase in sales. Instead, sales last month dropped 6 tenths of a percent. This is the first drop in retail sales in 14 months. Market Watch points out, you can blame the Amazon. prime hangover as shoppers spent less money online last month. And a new survey just out from the outplacement firm Challenger Gray and Christmas finds layoffs plunged last month. There were some 33,000 job cuts in July. That is down some 27% from June. A mixed picture for stock features right now, Dow features down 77. S&P futures are up seven and the NASDAQ features are gaining 80 right now. John Werdock, WTOP News. Coming up. Jaden Daniels is completely right about LSU, but he's also completely wrong. D.C. Sports filtered is next. The Washington commanders start their preseason against the Miami Dolphins tonight. But the burgundy and gold are making headlines for other reasons. Commanders quarterback, Jaden Daniels, sent LSU a cease and desist after the school led another player wear his old jersey number five. And in the latest D.C. sports filtered, Rob Woodfork says the story got flattened into the wrong arguments. There are two Jaden Daniel stories here, and they got mashed into one. Let me separate them. Story one, the legal move. Daniel's NIL deal let LSU use his name and face for 180 days after his last college game. That window closed a long time ago, and LSU kept using him anyway for free. His lawyer telling them to stop isn't petty. That's a valuable brand enforcing an expired contract, same as any business rightfully would. On the law, Daniels is dead right. Now, story two is where he lost me. His camp put out a statement that doesn't jive with the letter. He feels profoundly disrespected that a sophomore corner is wearing his old number five jersey, which was never retired and actually promised to the kid two years ago to land him over rival programs. Jaden's camp reportedly asked the school to hand back its copy of the Heisman Trophy over this. Here's what doesn't sit right.

Daniels wears number five in Washington only because he was given to him by Tress Way, a pro bowler and the longest tenured and most popular player who teared up handing over the first number that ever made an undrafted punter feel wanted in this league, and he did it for free to make a rookie feel at home. Daniels accepted the gracious version of the same thing he's now upset about. So enforce your contract, Jaden, but let the rest go. I'm Rob Woodfork, and that's DC Sports Filtered. From ABC News, Tech Trends. Google is looking to put more information about your health right on your wrist. At the same made-by-Google event where the latest lineup of pixel phones were introduced, it showed off the new Pixel Watch 5. Dr. Jacqueline Trebati is a cardiologist and leads the clinical team at Google and says the watch is the first in the world to track insulin resistance trends. Insulin resistance is the earliest sign that your body is struggling to pull energy from food, and 40% of adults live with it without ever knowing. It will also keep an eye on your... blood pressure. Blood pressure is one of the most important health signals, but it's a signal you can't always feel. I see so many patients in clinic who had no idea theirs had crept up. Also introduced a brand new tracker dubbed the pixel tag. Google designer Isabel Olson. You can track its precise location and it's slim enough to slip into your wallet or clip to your keys so you know exactly where in your house you left them. With Tech Trends, Dave Packer, ABC News. All time to break away from this work week with some Friday freebies. It's not about...

Well, if you're looking for a creative way to spend your Friday, Martha's Table is hosting a free guided art workshop today at its Commons Hub in Southeast D.C. You can go there to try out some painting, sculpting, and jewelry making, and they will bring all the supplies there for you. This is a guided workshop that runs until noon, and then after that you can continue creating under your own pace. And then tonight, ahead to Dreaming Out Loud, Marion Bari Weiss Market and... Cafe and Anacostia for the free Summer Dreams Block Party. The event runs from 4 to 9 p.m. that includes music, vendors, crafts, activities, samples, treats, and giveaways. The event is free for guests 21 and older with registration required. Go to WTOP.com for more. Now a quick look at the top stories that we're working on here at WTOP. Graffiti and soap bubbles left all over the World War II Memorial. The search continues for a suspect. Congress wants answers dealing with the extended deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The U.S. is warning of unprecedented economic pressure with the Iran War and says that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could continue indefinitely. Keep it here. We'll have full details on these stories and more coming up in the minutes ahead. The Congressional Black Caucus calling for a federal investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells. Wells disappeared after a 4th of July boat trip with friends to Mississippi's Horn Island, and his body was found several days later. No one's been charged. The local sheriff says there was no initial indication of a crime, but a private autopsy commissioned by Wells family found that his cause and manner of death are still undetermined. The case expected to go before a grand jury once the local investigation is complete. The Justice Department says it has received the request for a federal review and is looking into it. New court filings are raising questions about how far Homeland Security agents went in monitoring protests in Minnesota. The protest erupted after two U.S. citizens were killed. Those filings are part of a criminal case against 15 people accused of conspiring to impede or injure federal officers. So we get the latest from ABC's Justice Justice correspondent, Alex Malin. The reason that we are learning about this is because of one of the defendants in that 15-member case against these alleged Antifa members named Isaac Sant. His attorney has obtained a lot of evidence from the Justice Department's case. And according to excerpts that he included in this filing where he's seeking more evidence from the department, he alleges that the government essentially waged a vast surveillance operation four days after the killing of Alex Pretty called Operation Puppet Master, which he says was essentially used to go through all of the people that were not... only just on the ground, but to try and tie them to various left-wing organizations, including labor unions, teachers' unions. All the defendants there have entered Not Guilty Please. Now, after a flood of bad publicity over its policies concerning both data retention and who can access that data, surveillance technology company Flog Safety says changes are coming.

The company operates a vast nationwide network of automated cameras that record the license plate numbers and other characteristics of every vehicle that passes by every day. The measure includes cutting down on how long it holds movement data in their system from one month to now one week, as well as deploying a system that flags and locks out users with some abnormal search behavior. We've seen cases of that. These changes in a handful of others will come into effect for all flock customers next year. That's News Nation. Alicia Nieves, the CEO of Flock, is also apologizing for the times its data was misused by law enforcement officers. The Washington Post documented dozens of cases where the license plate camera network was used to help police officers stalk women. Time for Sports on WTOP, brought to you by Amentum, delivering advanced solutions for space and defense. Diane John Roberts. We're talking commanders. You know, they play their first preseason game tonight hosting the Dolphins at Northwest Stadium. Not clear just yet whether Jaden Daniels will play. If he does, he's expected to see limited action. Fans would love to see him in the newest commander, Whiteout Stefan Diggs, have a little connection there. Here's QB1 on chemistry with the entire receiving corps. Well, I just have an open communication about how I see routes being ran, who's good at what, what their strength, what their weaknesses are, how can I put this type of throw for this specific person and stuff like that? So you just go out there and just have a conversation about that. You put it into full tuition out there on the field. 7 p.m. kickoff at Northwest Stadium. Number one draft pick Fernando Mendoza threw a titty pass for the Raiders and their loss to the Cardinals. Number three draft pick Jeremiah Love carried the rock 11 times for 58 yards in the win. The National shut out the Cubs 7-0. Cade Cavalli took a no-hitter into the 7th and completed eight innings for the first time in his career. He allowed one hit while striking out 10. The Nats start a nine-game road trip tonight against the Mets. Orioles were off yesterday and they started a four-game set with tops in the eight. AL, the Tampa Bay Rays down in Florida. Phillies beat the Twin 7-1 at the Field of Dreams game in Diersville, Iowa. In basketball, Mystics fall to the Aces, 8376. And with that win, the Aces clinched a playoff spot. Diane John Roberts, WTOP Sports.