Judge allows

UFC fights

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled the White House is allowed to stage a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Friday that organizers can use the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event. The nonprofit Public Integrity Project had sued to challenge Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event.

The White House calls the lawsuit baseless, saying the UFC event is no different from many other events hosted at public forums in the capital.

Shooting

suspect dead

(AP) — Authorities in Texas say a man who opened fire in a shooting that left one dead and 10 injured had shot at police just days earlier during a chase.

Texas officials say the suspect began firing shots at officers and bystanders in Midland, Texas, on Friday morning before barricading himself inside an abandoned veterinary clinic.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified him as 45-year-old Victor Mata Villarreal.

Police say he was found dead a few hours after the shooting began. Police have not said how he died. No officers were hurt.

Gene Shalit

dies at 100

NEW YORK (AP) — Gene Shalit, a movie critic and arts reporter for the “Today” show over four decades who was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns, has died. He was 100.

Shalit’s family announced the death Friday to NBC News, saying in a statement that he “passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.”

Shalit joined “Today” as a contributor in 1970 and became arts editor in 1973, later settling in for his segment, “Critic’s Corner.” When he left the show in 2010, he was one of the last high-profile film critics on a major network.