Trending SummaryBrief at 2:50 p.m. EDT

The trending briefing at 2:50 p.m. EDT spans entertainment, space, and auto-safety stories in a single afternoon snapshot. Shia LaBeouf pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery for punching people outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras and was sentenced to probation with required alcohol treatment. Video from the Feb. 17 incident shows a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one man to the ground and striking another, with police reporting a possible nasal dislocation. NASA confirmed its Mars Maven spacecraft is dead after six months of radio silence, ending a 2013 mission to study the red planet's atmosphere.

Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 420,000 vehicles because a seat belt may lock unexpectedly, while more than 4,600 Bronco Sport and Maverick units carry a do-not-drive warning. The recall spans Expedition and Lincoln Navigator models from 2018 through 2022, and records indicate two warranty claims and two field reports, including one injury. Separately, a bear attack in northeastern Japan left four people injured in a residential area, underscoring ongoing human-wildlife conflicts in the region. These diverse stories illustrate the broad range of safety and public-interest topics featured in today’s midday update.