Airplane Bathroom Camera

FILE - In this photo provided by the law firm Lewis & Llewellyn LLP, an iPhone is taped to the back of a toilet seat on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston, Sept. 2, 2023.

BOSTON (AP) — A former American Airlines flight attendant has pleaded guilty to secretly recording video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom and having recordings of four other girls using the lavatories.

Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

0
0
0
0
0

(0 Ratings)
AP

Research by the charity English Heritage suggests it may have found a portrait of England's shortest-reigning queen Lady Jane Grey. It said Friday that there is “compelling” evidence that a portrait loaned from a private collection could well one of Jane. If true, it would be the only portrait of Jane painted during her lifetime. Jane governed for nine days in July 1553. She was deposed nine days later after her support melted away in the wake of her older sister Mary’s uprising. Jane was subsequently convicted of treason and sentenced to death. She is undoubtedly one of the most tragic figures in English regal history.

AP

Friday marks three weeks since Pope Francis was hospitalized for bronchitis, which then led to double pneumonia. He was also treated for a complex lung infection and has since suffered several respiratory crises requiring further treatment, including machines to help him breathe. Doctors not involved in the pope’s care say the road ahead could be tricky, even if His Holiness fully recovers. They say a recovery could take months and that there could be long-term consequences, like muscle weakness and memory problems.

AP

Protest marches in Serbia’s capital Belgrade and a northern city have seen tens of thousands of people respond to a call from university and high school students to strike as part of a monthslong struggle against corruption in the Balkan country. The massive marches Friday are part of a nationwide anti-graft movement that started after a concrete canopy crashed in November at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people and triggering protests against the populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic. Many in Serbia believe that the huge concrete construction fell down because of poor renovation work fueled by government corruption in infrastructure deals with Chinese state companies.

AP

Economy and foreign ministers of Japan and Britain agreed Friday to promote free and open international trade at their first “two-plus-two” dialogue on economy held in Tokyo amid growing concern about U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. The talks come amid Trump’s tariff threats against Canada, Mexico and China and their vows of retaliation. The ministers emphasized the importance of developing robust international rules and norms and effectively utilizing existing tools to ensure a global level playing field.

AP

Matt Weston’s lead in the men’s skeleton world championship grew to 1.65 seconds going into the fourth and final run later Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Weston arrived at the track Friday with a lead of 0.89 seconds. The British slider had the fastest time in each of Thursday’s first two heats and was first down the track Friday, with a nearly mistake-free run that padded his lead even more. He had a track-record time of 52.80 seconds in his third run, topping 75 mph on his way down the chute in the headfirst-sliding sport.

AP

European Union leaders are trumpeting their endorsement of a plan to free up hundreds of billions of euros to inject into their defense budgets. It was agreed late Thursday after the Trump administration warned Europe to look after its own security, including Ukraine. The 27 leaders signed off on a plan that would ease budget restrictions for defense spending, funnel some of the EU’s unused funds toward security priorities and provide $162 billion in loans for military purchases. Spending priorities are air and missile defense, artillery systems, ammunition, drones and air transport. The war in Ukraine was top of the agenda. Hungary vetoed a joint statement, but the 26 other member countries pressed on without it.

AP

Lady Gaga has returned. The pop star's latest album is “Mayhem.” In her review, Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman writes that Gaga has reclaimed her early dark-pop sensibilities and ushered them into her 2025 reality. Lady Gaga sounds like she is having fun here. Sherman says that “Mayhem” will sound familiar to Gaga listeners, there’s no doubt about that. But they will hear an evolved version. “Mayhem” is not an easy play at nostalgia. It is also not an artist appeasing contemporary trends. It is Gaga staying true to herself, as she has been known to do.

AP

Cadillac’s Formula 1 team has received official approval to join the grid in 2026 and its owners insist the team will be ready to compete. Although the grid expansion was approved last November, it was not until Friday that governing body FIA and Formula One Management said the Cadillac F1 effort meets all the requirements to become the 11th team in the series next season. The team will function out of locations in Silverstone, England, the Indianapolis area and in Concord, North Carolina. Team owners say they have a 2026 car built that has already been in the wind tunnel.

AP

A Japanese high court has ruled that Japan’s refusal to legally recognize same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, a latest victory for the same sex couples and supporters seeking equal rights. Friday’s decision by the Nagoya High Court in central Japan marks the ninth victory out of 10 rulings since the first group of plaintiffs filed lawsuits in 2019. The decision was also the fourth high court ruling in a row that found the current government policy unconstitutional after similar decisions in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Sapporo. After another high court ruling in Osaka, the Supreme Court is expected to make a decision.

AP

Picture this: A sliding athlete wins an Olympic medal in Lake Placid next winter, then is chauffeured down to New York for an award ceremony at Rockefeller Center a few days later with thousands of people there to cheer on both moments. It could happen. The element of incorporating New York into the Olympics is just one of the unique details inside Lake Placid’s plan if the two-time Olympic host gets asked to be the site of the sliding events for next winter’s Milan-Cortina Games.

AP

ESPN says it has agreed to a five-year extension with Stephen A. Smith after nearly a year of negotiations. ESPN did not announce financial terms but a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that it is at least $100 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss financial matters. Smith’s contract with ESPN was slated to expire in July. The extension makes Smith ESPN’s highest-paid talent. Fox Sports NFL analyst Tom Brady remains the top sports host or commentator with a 10-year deal that averages $37.5 million per year.

AP

South Africa says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit in April for talks on finding “a path to peace” with Russia. A spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says Zelenskyy's visit on April 10 was a continuation of Ramaphosa’s ongoing engagements with both Ukraine and Russia for “an inclusive peace process." South Africa has adopted a neutral position in the war and has attempted to act as a mediator between the sides, although with limited success. South Africa says Ukraine must be included in any peace talks, echoing a call by European leaders after senior U.S. diplomats held bilateral talks with Russia last month.

AP

Lionel Messi likes to play padel in his free time with his Inter Miami teammates. Rafael Nadal was recently seen playing shots off the glass on a padel court at his academy in Spain. So what’s all the fuss about this other racket sport? An American audience is about to find out as the Premier Padel tour makes its debut in the U.S. this month with a tournament in Miami. Padel is a cross between tennis and squash with players allowed to hit the ball off the glass and metallic mesh walls that surround the court. The tournament will be played March 18-23 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

AP

Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan scored a fair-sized sensation with his 1996 Canadian Opera Company production of the Richard Strauss opera “Salome” — the one about the stepdaughter of the depraved King Herod, her Dance of the Seven Veils, Salome’s lust for John the Baptist and the circumstanc…

AP

Kate Mara will be everywhere at this year's South by Southwest. After the world premiere of "The Astronaut" on Friday, the world premiere of "The Dutchman" on Saturday and the U.S. premiere of "Friendship" on Monday, Mara will make her way to Ireland to begin shooting "Bucking Fasterd" for d…

AP

It wasn’t that long ago that Alex Condon was a point guard. Although he was admittedly “pretty uncoordinated” as a teenager playing low-level basketball in Australia, Condon quickly learned how to handle the rock. And he’s maintained those skills while growing into a 6-foot-11 big man and becoming one of Florida’s most important starters. He ranks third on the fifth-ranked Gators with 62 assists. Few big men in college can match his assist-to-turnover ratio that’s slightly better than 2-to-1.

AP

Switzerland has not shown it is meeting the requirements of a landmark climate change decision from Europe’s highest human rights court. The European Court of Human Rights sided with a group of older Swiss women against their government and ruled in April 2024 that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change. The court  found that Switzerland “had failed to comply with its duties” to combat climate change and meet emissions targets.

AP

Some 90,000 Palestinians prayed at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City under tight security by Israeli forces in the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Thousands made their way from the West Bank into Jerusalem for the prayers after Israel allowed men over 55 and women over 50 to enter from the occupied territory for the prayers. Tensions have risen in the West Bank the past weeks amid Israeli raids on militants. But there was no immediate sign of frictions on Friday. This Ramadan takes place as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is in place in Gaza since mid-January – though its future is uncertain.

AP

Panama’s Security Minister Frank Ábrego says Panama will begin the process of issuing humanitarian passes to 112 migrants deported from the United States who have been held in a remote camp in the Darien region since last month. The passes would allow the migrants from a number of mostly Asian nations to move freely about Panama while they determine their next moves. Ábrego said on Friday that the migrants would find their own places to stay while they decide where they are going next. Rights groups have pressured Panama for holding the migrants without their passports or cell phones in harsh conditions. Lawyers had petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on their behalf.

AP

The Buffalo Bills signed starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard to a four-year contract extension in locking up their defensive leader through the 2029 season. The 25-year-old Bernard still has one year left on his rookie contract, and has quickly made an impact since being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Baylor. He won the starting job in his second season and, last year, joined quarterback Josh Allen as being the team’s only two captains. Bernard’s a do-it-all player in Buffalo’s two-linebacker defensive system in teaming with veteran Matt Milano.

AP

Italy’s highest appeals court has ordered the government to compensate a group of migrants who were stranded at sea for days on a coast guard vessel in 2018 due to then-Interior minister Matteo Salvini’s tough anti-migration policies. Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday slammed the court decision as “questionable” and “frustrating.” The Cassation court ruling, which overturns a previous one, ordered the Italian government to pay for damages inflicted to the migrants at the time of the standoff. Judges late on Thursday sent the case back to an ordinary court, asking it to define the exact amount of compensation to be granted. The migrant ship was stranded at sea for about 10 days by Salvini’s orders.

AP

A private lunar lander is no longer working after landing sideways in a crater near the moon's south pole. The Texas company Intuitive Machines announced the news Friday, less than 24 hours after the botched landing attempt. The lander, named Athena, missed its mark by more than 800 feet and ended up in a frigid crater. It managed to send back pictures confirming its position and activate a few experiments, before going silent. Company officials say it's unlikely its batteries can be recharged and the mission is over.

AP

LOS ANGELES — California joined seven Democrat-led states that sued the Trump administration Thursday, seeking to halt hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to teacher training programs designed to increase instructors in direly needed STEM fields as well as educate students who have disab…

AP

A former American Airlines flight attendant has pleaded guilty to secretly recording video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom. Estes Carter Thompson III, of Charlotte, North Carolina, also pleaded guilty to having recordings of four other girls using aircraft lavatories. The 37-year-old former flight attendant pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor. Prosecutors say the investigation also turned up of hundreds of AI-generated images on Thompson’s iCloud account depicting child sexual abuse. He's scheduled to be sentenced June 17.

AP

NEW YORK — An inquiry is underway into the circumstances surrounding the hiring on Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes’ watch of a doctor for a $19,500 contract to perform physicals on people on probation – one of a series of personnel moves attracting scrutiny inside and outside the agenc…