Biggest news you missed this weekend
U.S. troops kill top ISIL commander
Senior Islamic State leader Abu Sayyaf, also known as Mohammed Shalabi, was killed overnight Friday when U.S. Special Operations forces carried out a major raid deep inside eastern Syria, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Saturday. Abu Sayyaf was involved in the extremist group's military operations and helped direct its illicit oil, gas and financial operations, Carter said in a statement. The ISIL leader's wife was captured. No U.S. servicemembers were killed or injured during the raid. In an odd twist, Syrian state media claimed a similar operation in the same oilfield as the U.S. operation.
American Pharaoh wins Preakness
The rain was coming down sideways Saturday and the wind shaking tents, but American Pharaoh skipped through the slop and pulled away from his seven rivals, backing up his grinding Kentucky Derby win with a seven-length Preakness romp before a record crowd of 131,680. He will now head to Belmont Park on June 6 trying to do what 13 horses since Affirmed in 1978 have tried and failed to do: win the Triple Crown. Yes, horse racing has its new star — for now.
FBI: Computer expert made a plane fly sideways
A computer security expert named Chris Roberts hacked into a plane's in-flight entertainment system and made the plane briefly fly sideways by telling one of the engines to go into climb mode. Roberts told the FBI he had hacked into planes "15 to 20 times," according to court documents first made public Friday. Roberts also used software to monitor traffic from the cockpit, according to the search warrant request. He told the FBI he was furnishing the information "because he would like the vulnerabilities fixed."
All bodies recovered, identified in U.S. chopper crash
Six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers who died in a helicopter crash while they were on a mission to deliver aid in earthquake-hit Nepal have been identified. The eight were aboard the UH-1Y Huey helicopter when it went missing Tuesday, following a magnitude-7.3 earthquake. The wreckage was found Friday following an intensive search. The Joint Task Force 505 identified the dead Marines as Capt. Dustin R. Lukasiewicz of Nebraska; Capt. Christopher L. Norgren of Kansas; Sgt. Ward M. Johnson IV of Florida, Sgt. Eric M. Seaman of California; Cpl. Sara A. Medina of Illinois and Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Hug of Arizona. Nepal's army identified its soldiers as Tapendra Rawal and Basanta Titara and said all eight bodies have been flown to the capital of Kathmandu, the Associated Press reported.
GM unleashes new, smaller Chevrolet Camaro
General Motors introduced the new, sixth generation of its Chevrolet Camaro on Saturday. The new car is slightly smaller and lighter than the one it replaces, which allows for better fuel economy. But don't forget about performance: "It will go faster, stop shorter and turn quicker. It has lower inertia everywhere," says Aaron Link, lead development engineer. Surpassing the old model is nice, but any Camaro fan will tell you that what really matters is beating the Ford Mustang. That won't be easy.
Matthew McConaughey film booed at Cannes
Critics booed the first viewing of Matthew McConaughey's new film, The Sea of Trees, on Friday evening, according to multiple press reports. That's right, booed. Trade publication Variety called it a "chorus of boos." Deadline Hollywood wrote that the film "got audibly booed during the end credits by one portion of the audience." But don't worry, McConaughey will be all right, all right, all right. Saturday night there was a healthy three-minute ovation. At a Saturday news conference, McConaughey had brushed off the snub: "Anyone has as much right to boo as to ovate," he said.
Contributing: Emiliy Brown, Doug Stanglin, Jim Michaels, Jane Onyanga-Omara, Chris Woodyard, Bryan Alexander, Elizabeth Weise, Paste BN; Dan Wolken, Paste BN Sports; Greg Gardner, Detroit Free Press