NASA said on Monday that it will work with other federal agencies to investigate the deaths and disappearances of 11 nuclear and space scientists, raising concerns in Washington about whether they were targeted for their work.

“NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens wrote on X. “At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Hours earlier, the White House press secretary was asked by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy about the matter.

“In light of the recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, and President Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential patterns,” Karoline Leavitt later wrote on social media.

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At least 11 people have either died or vanished since 2022. The vast majority were involved in nuclear science and space research, with some connected to the study of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs).

Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, all died between 2023 and 2026. Each played a key role in vital scientific research, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The causes of death for Hicks and Maiwald remain unknown. Grillmair was gunned down outside his home on Feb. 16, and Freddy Snyder, 29, was subsequently charged with his murder. Loureiro was also fatally shot at his Massachusetts home.

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The body of Jason Thomas, an associate director of chemical biology at Novartis, was discovered in Lake Quannapowitt, Mass., three months after he was last seen walking from his home late at night. Eskridge, a Huntsville, Alabama–based researcher, died June 11, 2022, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, were all reported missing between 2023 and 2026. All the disappearances occurred under suspicious circumstances.

On Sunday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., warned that “something sinister” could be involved.

“We’ve put a notice out to the Department of War, the FBI, NASA, and the Department of Energy. We want to know everything they know about what happened with these scientists, because those four agencies were predominantly the ones these 11 individuals were affiliated with,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “We want to try to piece this together.”

Comer said he plans to bring leaders from NASA, the FBI, and other federal agencies before Congress. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has vowed to investigate the occurrences.

“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump told reporters last week. “I just left a meeting on that subject.”

Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita, Max Becall and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Cher filed a petition for a temporary conservatorship over her son and claimed his life has “significantly deteriorated” since a prior request was proposed in 2023, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

The “I Got You Babe” singer claimed Elijah Blue Allman has “no concept of money” and almost exclusively spends funds on “drugs, expensive hotels, and limousine transportation.”

Allman is currently in custody at a “psychiatric hospital” in New Hampshire on multiple criminal charges stemming from arrests in February and March.

Her request for a conservatorship over her son is the second attempt in three years to receive a court order.

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Cher acknowledged that Elijah is entitled to regular distributions from a trust, but expressed concerns that his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues prevent her son from making reasonable decisions.

“After he receives his trust distribution, he checks into a hotel, usually the Chateau Marmont, buys and does drugs until he runs out of money, ends up in the hospital, or overdoses,” documents stated.

“Based on this pattern, if Elijah were to receive his trust distribution, he will use it [to] buy drugs.”

Cher argued that in order to avoid the proposed conservatorship in 2023, Elijah conceded to an inability to responsibly manage his finances, and claimed he was hiring a business manager in addition to relying on his spouse “for his betterment and recovery.”

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His defense, Cher claimed, turned out to be “nothing more than words.”

“Not only did the proposed conservatee not hire a business manager, but he, as explained in detail below has lived wildly beyond his means and continued to go to expensive hotels he cannot afford,” she wrote.

“Frankly, those problems are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Allman’s estranged wife, Marieangela King, is “not a viable option for support” and would  only reappear for a proceeding if it were “financially advantageous” for her, documents stated.

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King is now also a “major creditor” of Allman after a court awarded her $6,500 per month in spousal support retroactive to July 1, 2025, in addition to a $10,000 legal bill.

Cher claimed the only support her son has received is from “longtime friend Kayti Pease, who by all accounts, has kept him alive.”

However, Elijah has “caused Kayti significant emotional and financial loss,” the petition stated. “Without the financial support of Kayti and others, the proposed conservatee would not have any money to pay for any of the massive damages he has recently caused.”

A summer of “known problems” Elijah has caused or faced in the last year included thousands of dollars in damages to 14 Airbnb’s rented for her son in Kayti’s name.

“The most recent Airbnb stay, Elijah caused over $50,000 in damages and landed Kayti in a lawsuit with Airbnb,” according to the request. “Elijah has been thrown out of a total of 18 hotels because he has made guests feel uncomfortable, screaming obscenities, and acting erratically.

“In sum, Elijah’s situation has become dire on multiple fronts. His mental health has severely deteriorated, his financial situation is terrible, and his drug dependency is at its worst.”

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Jason Rubin petitioned as a professional fiduciary to be appointed conservator over Allman. Documents showed his license expires in January 2027 and that prior to his affiliation with the case, he had no prior relationship with the proposed conservatee, his family or friends.

Cher’s representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Allman, 49, was charged in March with burglary, two counts of criminal mischief and breach of bail stemming from a residential break-in involving forced entry in New Hampshire.

Days before, on Feb. 27, Allman was arrested at a New Hampshire private high school and charged with four misdemeanors: two counts of simple assault, criminal trespass and criminal threatening.

We’re nearly a month into the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, and already there have been some major surprises, outstanding performances, and, most importantly, the complete and total dismantling of the “poor” small market owner trope.

And hopefully it provides some positive momentum toward the ridiculous push from those owners and supportive fans to cancel the 2027 season in order to increase franchise values.

In just the first few weeks of the season, we’ve seen several high-profile contract extensions for young prospects in small markets, including one that set a record for the largest monetary guarantee ever given out to a player who’d yet to play in the big leagues.

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Then, the San Diego Padres, who play in one of the smallest markets in the league, sold for an astonishing $3.9 billion to the owner of Chelsea Football Club. That sale price exceeded the price that Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets just five and a half years ago by $1.4 billion. Put simply, there is no longer any reasonable debate: the business of baseball is booming.

But that’s the financial side, which is just one part of the “concern.” The other? The supposed problem with competitive balance in baseball. Well, it’s early, but the start to the season has already demonstrated why those “issues” have been wildly overstated and weaponized by owners pushing for a salary cap. And those same New York Mets have shown how absurd the hand-wringing has become.

That hand-wringing, that small market teams can’t possibly compete with the large payrolls of big market teams, fundamentally misunderstands the gaps between baseball teams. Yes, there are significant advantages to having more money to spend on players. But that money must be spent wisely in order for it to matter. The Mets might be the perfect example of how money can’t fix everything.

The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the league in payroll, and caused mass outrage in the offseason by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz. Yes, the Dodgers are in first place…by half a game over the small market Padres. Diaz gave up three runs without getting an out on Sunday afternoon, pushing his ERA to over 10, and Kyle Tucker has been the 78th most valuable hitter in baseball thus far, behind Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman. The Dodgers have still jumped out to a great start, but it’s mostly been due to exceptional performances from the bottom of the lineup, players like Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, and Miguel Rojas.

The Mets, who are a close second to LA with a $370 million payroll and over $500 million due in payments this year thanks to the luxury tax, have now lost 11 straight games after blowing a ninth inning lead to the Cubs on Sunday. They’re tied for the worst record in baseball, have scored the second fewest runs in the league, and have now fallen a whopping eight games out of first place in the National League East already.

The Mets are also 43-60 since late June 2025, one of the worst records in baseball over that timeframe. Again, this a team that will have spent nearly a billion dollars on payroll over the last two years. They missed the playoffs in 2025, and the poor start has dropped their postseason odds to just 41% this year.

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Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays, who made the 2025 World Series and have the fourth highest payroll in baseball at roughly $290 million, are currently in last place in the American League East at 8-13. They’ve been outscored by 26 runs already.

What about the Philadelphia Phillies, always one of baseball’s biggest spending teams? They rank fifth in team payroll at $285 million, with a $320 million luxury tax payroll. They’re in fourth place in the NL East at 8-13, and their -38 run differential is quite literally the worst in Major League Baseball.

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The Houston Astros rank seventh in payroll at nearly $240 million. They’re in last place in the American League West, having allowed the most runs of any team in the sport. Even worse than the Rockies, who play their home games at Coors Field.

What about the small market “poor” teams?

Well, the Cincinnati Reds are in first place in the NL Central at 14-8 ahead of the big market Cubs, who’ve outspent them by over $100 million. The Athletics are tied for first in the AL West. The Cleveland Guardians are once again defying the run differential gods and sit in first place in the AL Central, despite a payroll well under $100 million. The Tampa Bay Rays are in second in the AL East, just a half game back. Miami, the team with the lowest payroll in baseball, roughly $300 million behind the Mets, sit in second and have outscored the Mets’ offense by 28 runs already.

Does this mean the standings will finish this way? No, not necessarily. The Blue Jays and Astros, for example, have suffered through a rash of pitching injuries and the Mets are missing Juan Soto. But therein lies the point. Injuries, underperformance, and expensive veterans declining as they age can easily derail a season for the richer teams. Yes, the Dodgers have excelled with huge payrolls, but they’ve done it by building up depth through minor league development and targeted small dollar value signings. Mookie Betts is out? Rojas, Alex Freeland, or Hyesong Kim can pick up the slack. Will Smith needs more time off? Dalton Rushing, a former top-35 prospect is the backup. As the extensions and franchise sales have show, there’s plenty of money floating around baseball. And as the standings thus far bear out, higher payrolls don’t always correlate to success. MLB already has competitive balance. We don’t need to cancel an entire season, which despite their arguments, would be exclusively to enrich the league’s owners, to achieve it.