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Prince William faces 'work-shy' criticism but is secretly running monarchy like a CEO, expert says

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:59 -0400

Prince William has been branded "work-shy" for years, but one royal expert says the heir to the British throne is quietly executing a CEO-style strategy designed to secure the monarchy's future.

Dan Wakeford, founder of Celebrity Intelligence, told Fox News Digital that the father of three isn't fazed by critics as he continues to prioritize his family while placing less emphasis on tradition and more on key engagements aimed at strengthening the institution.

"William is extremely good at setting boundaries and not working during the holidays, protecting his kids’ privacy and his wife’s mental health," said Wakeford. "There’s some criticism of that. Some critics snipe at that and think that he’s ‘work-shy’ or a little bit lazy. But I think William is working more like a CEO and being very strategic with his time."

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"He studies the monarchy in a way to help make it survive and keeps a boundary around his real life and his relationships so that he doesn’t get burned out, and he can do the best job possible," Wakeford shared. "And the poll numbers show that he’s extremely popular, and he’s doing a good job."

The royal family’s working ranks have grown increasingly slimmed down in recent years. In 2019, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor stepped back from public duties following a disastrous televised interview in which he attempted to explain his friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He lost his title of prince and other honors in 2025.

In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made their exit as working royals and moved to California. While King Charles has maintained a full schedule, he continues to undergo cancer treatment.

WATCH: PRINCE WILLIAM'S BOUNDARIES ARE STRENGTHENING THE MONARCHY: EXPERT

Catherine Mayer, author of "Divide & Rule," previously told People magazine that the senior royals "are all stretched thin — and none of them are young," adding that "William and Catherine carry the whole thing."

"William is the very antithesis of 'work-shy,'" Christopher Andersen, author of "Kate!" told Fox News Digital.

"The Prince and Princess of Wales want to make a real impact by raising awareness of mental health, cancer research and other causes they're prioritizing," Andersen said.

"Does William want to be the first king to run the monarchy like a CEO? Well, it's been called 'The Firm' for decades, hasn't it? The royal family is worth billions, including extensive prime real estate holdings. To say it should be taken seriously as a business enterprise is a colossal understatement."

William has long faced criticism for taking on fewer engagements than other senior royals, earning the "work-shy" label. Last year, The Sunday Times reported that Princess Anne wanted her nephew to take on more "bread-and-butter" engagements as he prepares for the throne, citing unnamed sources close to the princess. Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment at the time.

Journalist Emily Andrews previously reported that William once confronted her about an article she wrote titled "Work Shy Wills." According to Andrews, William told her there were "a lot of things we hadn't seen behind the scenes."

"Princess Anne will always do more engagements," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. "That’s her job. But William has the monarch’s permission to prioritize his young family. And in 2026, that stability is part of the job.

"Preparing to run the monarchy like a CEO doesn’t mean less work. It means different work. Forget 400 meet-and-greets. We’re getting 10-year projects. We’re talking about big goals, big partnerships and measurable, real outcomes."

"King Charles is like the custodian," Chard continued. "His mission is to preserve and consider a slimmed-down monarchy. Prince William, the strategist, is making the monarchy indispensable for the next 50 years. The traditional charity work is not going anywhere. Charities still need royal visits to raise money and profile. However, there will be more efficient, targeted visits."

Wakeford noted that William's workload cannot be judged solely by the number of public appearances he makes.

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The royal family's website says the Prince of Wales carries out official duties in support of the king while overseeing charitable projects in Britain and abroad. He leads long-term initiatives, including Homewards and the Earthshot Prize. He's also responsible for leading the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Times also reported that William plans to sell about 20% of the Duchy of Cornwall's estate over the next decade to help fund housing, environmental and renewable energy projects.

"A major part of his duty is to raise a future king," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "His focus on being a good father to Prince George is critically important. Prince William and his family present a strong visual image, which is a significant asset in the age of social media."

"Princess Catherine is by his side, emphasizing family stability. Their appeal lies not so much in the volume of events but in making the monarchy more modern and stable."

Some royal experts have cautioned that if the monarchy becomes too focused on metrics, branding and management, it could risk losing the mystique and tradition that make it unique.

"The question needs to be asked: Does Britain want a royal family run like a business?" royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.

"Why should William wish to change the principles of royalty devised over 800 years? The view I come back to constantly is that the royal family should never forget. It is the blood, sweat and tears of the British taxpayers who finance the royal family. Although King Charles understands this, the jury is out on William. The lazy label attached to William in the past may have spurred him into action. But his alleged new style for the future could change many things."

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William's reported plans to modernize the monarchy won't spell the end of royal pomp and pageantry, Andersen argued.

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"William and Kate are both keenly aware of how important it is to keep up appearances and centuries-old traditions," he said. "No matter how business-savvy William is as king, or how smoothly the monarchy runs, the public probably won’t see it. What they’ll see, what the royal family wants them to see, is the familiar, magical fairy tale."

Primary showdown: Conservative firebrand Marsha Blackburn eyes governor's office in Tennessee

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:58 -0400

Conservative firebrand Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee is aiming to change her work address from Washington D.C. to Nashville.

The former longtime congresswoman and two-term senator with a robust national profile thanks to her regular cable news appearances is the front-runner in Thursday's Republican gubernatorial primary, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Bill Lee.

The Republican face-off for governor of Tennessee, where Democrats haven't won a gubernatorial election in two decades, takes top billing as the red-leaning southeastern state holds nominating contests for state and federal offices.

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Blackburn is considered the frontrunner in a race that also includes four-term Rep. John Rose, who like Blackburn is a staunch Capitol Hill supporter of President Donald Trump, and state Rep. Monty Fritts.

Even though the president handed out endorsements in other GOP gubernatorial primaries this cycle, Trump remained neutral in the Tennessee contest.

"Unfortunately, she’s running for governor. She’s running for governor of Tennessee. I’d love her not to, I begged her," Trump said in January. "‘I said, ‘Marsha, don’t. We don’t want to lose you in the Senate.’"

But the president has said Blackburn would be a good governor, and also noted that Rose has been a staunch loyalist.

Even though she didn't land Trump's endorsement, Blackburn has showcased her support for him.

"As President Trump sends power and authority back to the states, I'm ready to deliver for the people of the Volunteer State and make our state America's conservative leader," she wrote on the eve of the primary in a social media post that included a photo of her and Trump.

Five Democrats, including Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green, are bidding for their party's gubernatorial nomination.

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Tennessee's other U.S. senator, Republican Bill Hagerty, is unopposed in the GOP primary as he seeks a second six-year term in the Senate.

Five Democrats are vying to challenge Hagerty in the general election. Then-Sen. Al Gore's re-election 36 years ago was the last time a Democrat won a Senate contest in Tennessee.

In U.S. House battles, Memphis voters will cast ballots for their Democratic and Republican nominees using a new GOP-drawn congressional district map that created an extra right-leaning seat and forced longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to not seek re-election.

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Meanwhile, two-term Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, a major Trump ally in the House who is backed by the president, is facing a stiff primary challenge from Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, who was endorsed earlier this week by Lee. The race has seen a large infusion of money from outside groups.

Madison Brooks’ mom slams attempt to ban pink at trial for slain LSU student: ‘We wear it to honor her’

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:56 -0400

"It's not about anyone except for Madison," says Ashley Baustert.

She is the mother to the Louisiana State University student Madison Brooks, who was allegedly gang-raped before she was hit by a car and killed after a night out in 2023.

She wants to ensure her daughter's accused attackers are held accountable.

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Brooks, 19, was a student at LSU when she was hit by a car and killed after a group of men allegedly raped her, then dumped her out of a vehicle on a Baton Rouge, Louisiana highway in 2023, and drove off.

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The driver of the vehicle that hit her stayed on scene and was cleared of charges.

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"Maddie felt safe that night, she thought these were her friends and I think a lot of selfish choices were made that night and ultimately it led in a horrific ending," Baustert told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

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On top of the unimaginable grief of losing her child, Baustert has been dragged through an ongoing legal marathon in her fight to hold her daughter's alleged attackers accountable.

"It's very challenging," Baustert said. "I have to just keep the course and stay positive and pray that justice will in the end prevail."

Desmond Carter, 21, one of the men accused of raping Brooks, is asking an East Baton Rouge Parish judge to ban spectators from wearing pink in court. His defense claims the color—which supporters wear to honor Brooks—could bias or intimidate the jury.

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Baustert is strongly pushing back against the motion.

"We are not disruptive, we are very peaceful, and it's really just about Maddie's favorite color," Baustert said. "We wear it to honor her. It's not about anyone except for Madison."

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A judge will make a decision on Thursday, Louisiana First News reported.

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"I hope that she disagrees with the defendant's attorney and allows us to peacefully wear pink. I feel that if she agrees with them, I think it's going to cause more of an outrage," Baustert said.

WATCH: Madison Brooks case: Nancy Grace previews exclusive new Fox Nation special, 'Left for Dead'

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Brooks was a sophomore at LSU and was pursuing a communications degree when she was killed.

Prior to her enrollment at LSU, she "graduated from Saint Scholastica Academy in 2021, where she was an honor roll student, cheerleader, member of Doves for Life, Spirit Club, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes," the LSU Foundation says.

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Baustert said, "Nothing will bring Madison back, but we remain committed to honoring her life and ensuring that her voice is never forgotten."

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Carter's attorney.

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He is scheduled to appear before a judge on Aug. 17.

‘The Shack’ author expects more Christian criticism with sequel, but will take it in stride

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:52 -0400

Some Christians dismissed author William P. Young’s novel "The Shack" as heresy for its portrayal of the Holy Trinity, and he said he expects more pushback on his sequel.

"The Shack," which was also adapted into a major motion picture in 2017, tells the heartbreaking story of a father, Mack, whose daughter is kidnapped and killed while on a camping trip. In the midst of his grief, Mack discovers a letter in his mailbox from God, who implores him to visit a shack. Once there, he meets a diverse Holy Trinity. Papa is a middle-aged Black woman, Jesus is a Middle Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit is an Asian woman named Sarayu.

Some Christians balked at the unorthodox portrayals, saying Young sorely misrepresented the nature of God. America magazine's David E. Nantais wrote at the time that the book had become "both a fascination and an object of contempt to millions of Christians" because it literally portrayed the Trinity as three persons.

Young's sequel, "Return to the Shack: A Journey into Redemption," is out on bookshelves in October. And he expects Christians to again make some noise because of the subject matter.

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"You know, I don't brace for any of it," Young told Fox News Digital. "Yes, it'll probably happen. But yes, if you're going to have something out in public purview, you'll always find people who don't like it. And that's fine with me. I think — and I did get considerable but not overwhelming pushback from my own people — because of my history as a missionary kid, a preacher's kid."

An additional aspect of his new novel that may raise eyebrows is how the child murderer, simply named J, is portrayed. J is now a death row inmate, and Young gives him a more humanized storyline in the sequel, including references to his childhood and abusive father. Young said he decided to go that route because of what he experienced through his own broken relationship with his dad.

In candid interviews since "The Shack" was released, Young has described his father as angry, distant, and strict. His novel helped him repair their relationship and show mercy toward his father.

"He was allowed only to be a failed father," Young told Fox News Digital. "And so I finally released him from my expectations and allowed him to become something greater than a failure to my expectations and greater than being my dad. And that was to finally become a human being. And when that happened, suddenly his story mattered."

Young shared that some of the prisoners in the sequel are modeled after death row inmates he befriended at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, so he felt compelled to view them through a sympathetic lens, too.

"That's just one of the layers that's going on," Young said. "But I think that death row inmates would be one of the most related to as animals, put into category. Like the guys say, 'We're only known for the worst day of our lives.'"

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"We're talking about human beings who've come from very diverse backgrounds and situations and trauma being a very centerpiece, abuse being a centerpiece," he added.

Young says, however, that people should not use that as an excuse for the choices they make. He surmised that some of the Christians who took issue with his first book have "a fear-based religion."

"And there is no fear in love, that's a Scripture out of the New Testament," he said. "So any degree of fear, that's in your sense of the transcendent, in your sense of the higher power, your sense of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Any fear indicates that your theology, your religion is seriously flawed. And because people are afraid, they're going to react out of their fear."

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Young sympathized with some of the reaction, however. Over the years, he's admitted to marital infidelity and how that impacted his own walk with God.

"If it hadn't been for that kind of monumental failure — when you get caught you have to either run or face it. I think it's by the grace of God that I faced it," Young told Oregon Live in 2015.

"And I get that, because I've been there and done that," he told Fox Digital. "You know, I went through enough crap and did enough harm and had to deal with the consequences of that in my own life, that I know who I am now. And I'm not a book, and I'm not a movie. That's not my identity."

"My identity is outside of that," Young continued. "And so, you know, sometimes I think if people are bothered by something, it means something is in them that needs to be addressed and it becomes an invitation. And I'm excited for that to happen in people's lives. If I can walk on the holy ground of their story a little bit, I'm honored."

Young said he "absolutely" believes in miracles, like Mack receiving a letter from God.

"I absolutely believe something like that could happen," he said. "Like I've said, I've never heard God speak audibly, but I believe that God is in union with every single person who's ever been conceived. And God is not mute, but God is not coercive. And if you want to see what the character and nature of God is like, look at Jesus, read the Gospel, read John or one of the gospels, and you'll see how love lives in this world."

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"So I'm one of those who is — I don't like a purpose-driven life — I like a spirit-indwelt, moment-by-moment participatory life," he continued. "And I'm good with that."

Gen Keane questions whether Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar can be trusted in Iran talks

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:38 -0400

Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane questioned whether Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia can be trusted to help shape negotiations with Iran, accusing the regional partners of steering President Donald Trump away from military pressure while leaving the United States and Israel to bear the risks of confronting Tehran.

Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst and former Army vice chief of staff, said during a Monday appearance on Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom" that Pakistan and Qatar were "compromised" as mediators because, in his view, they favor Iran over the United States.

"It is well known in the Middle East region, by our intelligence services, by all the players, that the Pakistanis and the Qataris are compromised because they favor Iran at the expense of the United States," Keane said. "This is historical. This is not new."

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Keane’s criticism contrasts with Trump’s public praise for Islamabad.

Trump said April 26 during a phone interview with Fox News that he had "great respect for Pakistan" because its officials had "been terrific" and "really tried" to advance negotiations with Iran. He added that Pakistan would remain involved in the process.

While speaking to reporters after the G7 summit in France June 18, Trump also credited Pakistan and Qatar with helping advance the negotiations that produced the U.S.–Iran memorandum of understanding.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also defended the administration’s regional partners, telling Fox News Digital that, "President Trump has great relationships with leaders from Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and he appreciates the involvement of all of our regional partners who are assisting with negotiations."

"If Iran cannot agree to a good deal with the United States, the fault will lie squarely with the regime, who will suffer the consequences," Kelly added.

Mediators were preparing a second memorandum focused exclusively on the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday reports indicated, potentially separating the immediate maritime crisis from the broader dispute over Iran’s nuclear activities.

Keane, a former four-star general, argued that their involvement may have contributed to Washington misunderstanding Iran’s intentions.

"And yet they’re mediators," Keane said. "So their influence here, I think, had played a part in misleading the United States in terms of Iran’s real intentions."

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Pakistan and Qatar have played formal roles in the diplomatic process.

A June 22 joint statement from the two countries said they were mediating talks between the United States and Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. The framework established working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions, monitoring and dispute resolution, as well as a mechanism intended to prevent incidents involving commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan declined to comment on Keane’s criticism. The Saudi and Qatari embassies in Washington did not respond by the time of publication.

Raza Rumi, editor-at-large of Pakistan’s The Friday Times, disputed Keane’s characterization, arguing that Islamabad’s working relationship with Tehran does not make it a compromised mediator.

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"Successful mediators are often those that enjoy channels of communication with all sides," Rumi told Fox News Digital, saying Pakistan’s approach is shaped more by geography, security and economic concerns than ideological alignment with Iran.

He noted that Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and wants to prevent further instability, while also maintaining longstanding ties with the United States and close partnerships with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Rumi also pointed to the exchange of strikes between Pakistan and Iran in January 2024 as evidence that relations between the neighbors are not uniformly close.

"The suggestion that Pakistan somehow caused Washington to misunderstand Tehran’s intentions is difficult to substantiate," Rumi said. "It would be a considerable stretch to attribute any American misreading of Iran’s intentions to Pakistani mediation."

Keane directed even sharper criticism at Saudi Arabia, saying that Riyadh denied the United States access to Saudi airspace and a U.S. air base during preparations for a possible operation to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He also claimed Saudi officials had repeatedly persuaded Trump not to resume major military operations against Iran.

"The fact of the matter is, the Saudis are not willing to sacrifice to rid the Middle East region of Iran’s aggression," Keane said, describing the potential costs as casualties and damage to Saudi oil infrastructure.

"They’re willing for us to make that sacrifice, for sure," he added. "They’re willing for Israel to make that sacrifice, for sure."

His remarks highlighted a broader debate over whether Saudi caution represents an unwillingness to confront Tehran or a strategic effort to prevent an open-ended regional war.

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Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, rejected the suggestion that Riyadh is unwilling to confront Iran, saying the Kingdom distinguishes between credible deterrence and military action without clear objectives.

"Saudi Arabia supports confronting Iranian aggression, but not an open-ended regional war without clear objectives or an endgame," Al-Ansari told Fox News Digital.

"Riyadh favors diplomacy backed by credible deterrence, but any agreement must be enforceable and verifiable, addressing Iran’s nuclear program, its proxies, and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

A Gulf affairs analyst who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue offered a different assessment, saying Saudi leaders fear that a wider confrontation would expose the Kingdom’s critical infrastructure to Iranian retaliation.

"Saudi Arabia believes it should appease Iran because it is deeply concerned about the consequences of a broader confrontation," the analyst said. "Riyadh fears the damage Iran could inflict on the Kingdom’s infrastructure and has therefore favored restraint and negotiations over a decisive military campaign."

The analyst described a widening divide among Gulf states, arguing that Saudi Arabia and Qatar favor accommodation while the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait support stronger pressure on Iran.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank and former National Security Council official, said during a separate Fox News appearance Wednesday, that Washington continues to depend on Saudi infrastructure even as disagreements persist over military strategy.

"When we talk about the Gulf states, we talk about Saudi Arabia and General Keane’s comments, remember, we also are relying on Saudi Arabia with their overland pipelines to keep us in the game here," Goldberg said. "The fact that they’re at maximum capacity moving through the Red Sea also allows us to continue the strangulation strategy."

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The debate comes as the United States and Iran continue negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia all have been involved in the diplomatic effort, while reports Wednesday indicated that mediators were working on an interim arrangement that could establish separate shipping routes through Iranian and Omani waters as broader nuclear negotiations continue.

The central question is whether those negotiations can produce an enforceable agreement or merely allow Tehran to preserve its leverage over the waterway.

Keane said he remained doubtful that Iran was prepared to surrender meaningful control.

"They are not going to give up the Strait of Hormuz," he said. "They think it’s a strategic asset."

He predicted Iran would seek to retain some degree of control over the waterway and warned that reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program would be even more difficult.

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"My gut feeling here is no," Keane said when asked whether Iran was prepared to reach and implement a substantive agreement. "The president is not going to make a bad deal here."

Senate moves to unshackle America's drivers from California's 'climate zealots'

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:30 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are launching a multi-front effort targeting the legal framework they say allows California to exert outsized influence over vehicle and equipment emissions standards beyond its borders, creating economic and consumer consequences.

Republicans argue California has become the nation's de facto emissions regulator — as manufacturers rarely create separate product lines for the Golden State and instead are inclined to build to California’s standards, creating implicit national requirements.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. — a top member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) — is leading the effort alongside Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb. They argue EPA waivers granted to California during the Obama and Biden administrations under the Clean Air Act have turned narrow environmental exceptions into de facto climate regulation advancing the state's sweeping climate agenda.

"California's climate zealots have run roughshod over the rest of the country for too long," Lummis told Fox News Digital.

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"Under Governor Newsom, Sacramento has decided it can dictate what Wyoming families drive and what equipment our small businesses use. That ends today."

Last year, lawmakers successfully rescinded three Biden-era EPA waivers allowing California to create emissions standards for trucks, cars and buses that they said gave the state outsized regulatory control. Thursday’s package goes a step further by targeting earlier EPA decisions they say laid the legal foundation for those now-rescinded regulations.

Each resolution uses the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify a different EPA waiver. The CRA gives Congress the power to check agencies' executive power.

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Because the CRA bars agencies from issuing rules that are "substantially the same" without new authorization from Congress, Republicans argue overturning the waivers would prevent future administrations from simply reinstating them — which targets the legal foundation of such carveouts.

Collectively, the package targets California's authority over gas-powered lawn equipment, passenger vehicle emissions standards, the Advanced Clean Cars program and the original 2009 EPA waiver allowing Sacramento to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.

In the 1960s, the Clean Air Act gave California a narrow carve-out to seek EPA waivers for emissions rules that could be stricter than federal standards — but critics say the exemption, originally intended to address severe Los Angeles smog, has been weaponized to force manufacturing changes that reverberate across the country.

Andrew Bray, an executive with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, whose members rely on small off-road engines affected by the waivers, said he supports a responsible transition to lower-emission equipment — but underlined that it must come from "practical innovation" and not government mandates.

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"This resolution is a critical step in securing the flexibility businesses need while technology continuess to advance," Bray said. Michael Lee of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America added that the legislative process, not state-specific fiats with "nationwide consequences," is the way to address the situation.

The four lawmakers leading the fight said in a release that California regulators have "abandoned any pretense of addressing local air quality and turned the waiver process into a backdoor for imposing a radical climate agenda on the entire country… without a single vote in Congress."

Lummis' resolution would rescind a 2025 waiver granted just before President Donald Trump took office that she said allowed California to phase out gas-powered small engines such as chainsaws and leaf blowers.

In doing so, manufacturers would no longer be inclined to transition to electric or zero-emission models.

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Lummis' resolution targets a 2025 EPA waiver that allowed California to move toward phasing out new gas-powered small engines such as chainsaws, leaf blowers and lawn mowers. Supporters say repealing the waiver would remove regulatory pressure encouraging manufacturers to transition those products toward zero-emission technology.

Husted’s resolution targets a 2022 EPA waiver that restored California’s authority to continue its Advanced Clean Cars program.

"Ohioans shouldn’t be forced to follow California’s lead when it comes to policies that make everyday life more expensive and less convenient," he told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Ricketts said the situation is proof that the Obama-Biden era of "overregulation and red tape" continues to cost Nebraskans and Americans writ large millions of dollars, citing his state's massive agricultural industry as an example of regulatory reverberations from Sacramento.

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"They used California policies as a backdoor EV mandate and even tried to control how we cut our grass," he said. His CRA resolution targets an Obama-era waiver originally authorizing the clean car program, while Schmitt seeks repeal of a waiver granted just months after President George W. Bush left office that allows California to enforce greenhouse gas emissions standards for new passenger vehicles beginning with the 2009 model year.

Schmitt said the waivers allow Sacramento to "continue to punish" manufacturers around the country and affect consumer choice and costs through their "climate alarmist rules."

Together, Republicans say the four resolutions represent Congress' broadest effort yet to unshackle states and manufacturers from California's emissions framework by targeting not only individual regulations but the EPA decisions they argue made those regulations possible.

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Opponents are expected to counter that the effort would undermine California's longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act to adopt stricter environmental standards.

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Fox News Digital reached out to former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for comment.

EXCLUSIVE: Illegal immigrant's hit-and-run on 'kind' elderly woman triggers ICE action: 'Could hear screaming'

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:30:54 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant’s alleged hit-and-run that critically injured an elderly woman outside her Miami-Dade home prompted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to urge local authorities to "cooperate with us and not release this criminal from jail."

Seventy-four-year-old Geraldine Byrd, whom neighbors described as "kind" and friendly, is on life support in critical condition after authorities say she was run over by illegal immigrant Tomas Raymundo Brito, according to CBS Miami.

The outlet reported that Brito allegedly struck Byrd twice outside her home early Sunday morning. Byrd had stepped out of her car to open her gate when Brito allegedly struck her vehicle, causing it to spin into Byrd before his truck allegedly struck her again, trapping her underneath the vehicle.

Neighbors were reportedly alerted to the crash by the sound of a loud boom. One neighbor, named Kristina Diaz, told NBC 6 South Florida that "we could hear screaming, we could hear everybody yelling, ‘Where is she? Oh, she’s underneath the car. Call 911.’"

MAN CHARGED IN CRASH THAT KILLED MOTHER AND TWO YOUNG SONS HAS ICE DETAINER, PRIOR DWI CONVICTIONS

The same neighbor told the outlet that Byrd "would always send my daughter gifts for her birthday. So, she was a very kind woman." Speaking in Spanish, another neighbor, Flor Ortiz, told CBS Miami that although she and Byrd "do not speak the same language, but we always greet each other. She is a good person."

After the incident, Brito allegedly got out of the truck and fled the scene. A family member of Byrd’s reportedly chased him down and found him hiding in a shed. After his arrest, Brito reportedly admitted he was the driver and said he drank five beers before the incident.

Byrd was airlifted to a nearby hospital and remains on life support in critical condition, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Brito was charged with leaving the scene of a crash causing serious bodily injury and driving without a license.

ICE LODGES DETAINER FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF TRYING TO DISARM VIRGINIA POLICE OFFICER

Fox News Digital learned that ICE lodged a detainer with the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center the same day Brito was arrested.

Brito entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location, according to DHS. He is a Guatemalan national.

"This criminal illegal alien from Guatemala is charged with hit-and-run after a drunk-driving accident that sent a 74-year-old woman to the hospital in critical condition in Miami-Dade County," Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"He should have never been allowed in our communities or on our streets," Mullin continued, adding, "ICE is asking officials in Miami-Dade County to cooperate with us and not release this criminal from jail, and to turn him over to ICE custody so we can remove him from our country."

Mullin added that "thanks to the strong leadership of President Donald Trump, ICE is unleashed to go after criminal illegal aliens like this one so that we can make America safe again."

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department confirmed with Fox News Digital that the department had received ICE's request and that Brito is currently in custody.

The spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "Miami-Dade County honors these detainer requests in accordance with the law by holding the individual for the authorized 48-hour period."

The spokesperson said that "if ICE does not take custody of the individual within that timeframe, the individual is released as required by law."

"Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department comply with all applicable laws regarding immigration detainer requests and do not deny detainer requests submitted by federal authorities," the spokesperson added.

NEW MAINE LAW LIMITS POLICE COOPERATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS

Miami-Dade County is not a sanctuary jurisdiction, and Florida law prohibits sanctuary policies. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office also participates in ICE's 287(g) program under state law.

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Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, has previously criticized ICE’s "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center, which closed down this June. Upon the center’s closure, Cava released a statement alleging that "people, including some of our own residents," had been "held there without meaningful due process."

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She added that "immigrants helped build Miami-Dade County, and our community has always believed that public safety, the rule of law, and respect for human dignity can go hand in hand."

Rand Paul predicts Fauci contempt vote will pass, vows swift DOJ referral

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:30:44 -0400

Senate Republicans are readying immediate ramifications for Dr. Anthony Fauci's refusal to testify last week in the upper chamber, and the leader of the push believes the votes are there to pull it off.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and his Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs are slated to decide whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for declining to answer lawmakers’ questions after being subpoenaed to testify, and, instead, invoking the Fifth Amendment on Thursday morning.

"I think there is a very good chance that we will win the vote," Paul told Fox News Digital.

RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES

And if successful, Paul wants to get the Department of Justice (DOJ) involved swiftly.

"The next step will be when we send the referral over directly to the Department of Justice," he said.

Paul unveiled the contempt resolution on Tuesday, which stipulated that once reported from committee, it would be sent to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

The Kentucky Republican has spent years challenging Fauci, who previously served as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director and played a major role in the country’s policy and messaging on COVID-19 during the pandemic.

WATCH: RAND PAUL SAYS THERE'S ONE THING AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM FAUCI

He’s charged that Fauci should be thrown in prison and sought to compel him to admit that the virus sprang from a lab leak in Wuhan, China, in connection to risky research allegedly funded under his direction.

Last week’s hearing was meant to be the ultimate battle between the two and the pinnacle of Paul’s yearslong crusade against Fauci. But that didn’t happen when Fauci, under advice from his lawyers, pleaded the Fifth Amendment well over 100 times during the hearing.

"Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government, and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions," Fauci said.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI'S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS

Those became the last words that the former chief medical advisor to the president uttered in the hearing beyond invoking his constitutional rights.

That prompted Paul to tee up a vote on contempt charges against him in a bid to compel Fauci to speak. The lawmaker also cast doubt on whether Fauci’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment comported with his sweeping pardon from former President Joe Biden on his way out of office.

Biden granted Fauci a full and unconditional pardon for all actions taken between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025.

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"I think there's another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon, and that is whether or not a presidential pardon offers you complete immunity," Paul said as the hearing closed.

When asked to expand on the legal question looming over Fauci’s pardon, Paul declined. "It’s a good legal discussion, and we will make those legal points to DOJ in sending the referral over," Paul said.

STEVE MOORE: The IRS became judge, jury and executioner in a tax-code witch hunt against Americans

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:00:32 -0400

I’m a flat tax guy like Steve Forbes, Chairman & Editor-In-Chief, Forbes Media and author of "Flat Tax Revolution," so in an ideal world, we wouldn’t stuff the IRS tax code with special tax breaks and instead would have one simple, low rate of 18% for everyone.

But if Congress passes tax laws steering people and businesses into certain activities, it can’t just snatch those incentives away indiscriminately. This is called a "bait-and-switch" trap, and here’s a perfect example of such a misdeed.

More than 60 years ago, the IRS created a program called a conservation easement through a revenue ruling. Its goal was to protect nature, stop development, and save working lands. Landowners received a tax incentive for voluntarily setting aside a portion of their land from development. The law has been in effect since 1976 — nearly 50 years. The tax break was made permanent in 1980 and has been part of the tax code ever since.

To further encourage this land preservation policy, individuals, business partnerships, and corporations were permitted to donate to these land easements in exchange for a tax write-off. The result? Tens of millions of acres have been conserved.

IRS RAISES BUSINESS MILEAGE DEDUCTION RATE AMID FUEL PRICE SURGE

Then, in late 2016, IRS officials who disapproved of these syndicated conservation-easement transactions unilaterally changed the rules of the game. Notice 2017-10 did not formally abolish the conservation-easement deduction, but it branded a broad category of transactions as "listed transactions," imposed burdensome disclosure requirements, and opened the door to an aggressive campaign challenging taxpayers who used them.

They retroactively labeled partnerships participating in the program "presumptively abusive." This aggressive IRS enforcement campaign has swept more than 1,100 syndicated conservation-easement disputes into audits and litigation, including roughly 740 cases docketed in U.S. Tax Court and about 400 transactions still under examination as of May 2026.

The IRS improperly issued Notice 2017-10, branding an entire category of these legal, decades-old transactions presumptively abusive, retroactive to 2010.

No proposed rule. No public comment. No vote by anyone accountable to voters.

Just an IRS notice — followed by an increase to a 100% audit rate for all transactions of this kind. The result was an abusive enforcement campaign that has now clogged the U.S. Tax Court with more than a thousand cases.

TENS OF MILLIONS OF TAXPAYERS MAY BE OWED IRS REFUNDS FROM COVID-ERA

If there are bad actors, of course, they should be punished. A bipartisan Senate Finance Committee investigation identified serious abuses in some syndicated conservation-easement transactions, particularly deals involving inflated land valuations and outsized deductions. But evidence that some promoters abused the deduction does not give the IRS license to presume that every transaction was fraudulent or that every investor knowingly participated in a tax shelter.

By using cookie-cutter metrics and conducting desk audits, the IRS has harassed law-abiding taxpayers, pressured them to pay tens of millions of dollars in unfair "settlement agreements," forced some to file for bankruptcy, and treated them like common criminals despite their having followed the law.

Clearly, the IRS changed tax law after the fact, which is only legal "with respect to criminal and penal cases, but not civil revenue measures." On top of that, the IRS does not make the laws. Congress does. Sadly, the IRS continued this aggressive approach during the Biden administration, when the agency received a major infusion of funding and personnel that expanded its enforcement capacity. Rather than correcting the campaign’s procedural and fairness problems, the administration allowed it to continue against taxpayers caught in these long-running conservation-easement disputes.

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Perhaps the most ironic part is that the IRS itself was caught engaging in illegal activity. In a May 2026 report, the Treasury Inspector General found seven cases involving backdated penalty-approval documents; the IRS conceded more than $68 million in penalties in those cases.

Even so, IRS officials have frightening leeway to make allegations of tax fraud, then serve as judge, jury, and executioner, forcing people to pay tax bills that aren’t actually owed. It is a pattern of abuse that Americans have come to recognize: an agency substituting its own policy preferences for the law Congress wrote, then using its enforcement powers to punish law-abiding citizens who relied on the statute as written.

It’s time for Congress to amend tax laws to prohibit after-the-fact tax changes so that trust and fairness in the tax code can be restored.

In addition, the IRS should issue clear guidance on how to make a proper donation of a conservation easement and how to prudently value the deduction without creating later controversy.

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Finally, the IRS should immediately end the witch hunt against law-abiding taxpayers who were encouraged by Congress and the Treasury Department for decades to participate in conservation easement programs.

Simply put, this is weaponization at its worst — and it is un-American.

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MIKE SARRAILLE: Extortion 17's heroes died once. America must never let them die twice

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:00:24 -0400

PROGRAMMING ALERT: The Fox Nation special "Final Flight: The Men of Extortion 17" is available to stream now on Fox Nation.

Fifteen years after Extortion 17 became the deadliest single incident for U.S. forces in the war in Afghanistan — and the greatest loss of life in Naval Special Warfare history — our duty is to ensure the men aboard are never forgotten.

There is an old saying that a soldier dies twice: first, when he draws his final breath; and again, when his name is spoken for the last time.

On Aug. 6, 2011, some of America’s finest warriors died their first death. It is a cliché to say these men were the best of us, but in this case, it is simply true. Gen. "Wild Bill" Donovan, founder of the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services, once described such operators as "Ph.D.s who can win a bar fight" — individuals possessing brilliant, highly specialized intellects while also having the grit to get their hands dirty.

SEAL TEAM 6 MEMBER EXPLAINS BLUNT REALITY OF COMBAT AND EXPECTATIONS IN THE BLACK OPS WORLD

Thirty-one Americans, including Navy SEALs, Air Force special operators and Army aviation soldiers, alongside their Afghan commando counterparts, boarded a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to answer a call for support. The helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, killing everyone aboard. In an instant, they were gone. But their stories remain.

Extortion 17 is not merely a call sign, a date or an entry in the history of a long war. It was personal. The Navy SEALs aboard that helicopter belonged to SEAL Team 6’s Gold Squadron. I knew these men. They were my brothers-in-arms.

FOREIGN BLACK OPS MEMBER REVEALS THE SECRET AMERICAN UNIT HE LOVED WORKING WITH IN COMBAT

They were among the most elite warriors our nation has ever produced — highly trained men who operated in the shadows, accepted long periods away from their families and carried burdens most Americans will never fully understand.

They were also among the kindest, most empathetic and respectful human beings you could ever meet.

That is the paradox of the American warrior.

These men possessed a rare and necessary ability. They could dim their empathy like flipping a switch, bring overwhelming violence against evil on our behalf and then return home to be dad again. They were the monsters our enemies feared and the fathers, husbands, sons and brothers their families needed.

AS AN ARMY WIDOW, I WILL NEVER FORGET HOW ORDINARY AMERICANS HONORED MY HUSBAND

On that fateful night, Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment were engaged with the enemy in the Tangi Valley and needed reinforcements. When the call came, the men of Extortion 17 did not hesitate.

They did not debate the danger. They did not take a vote. They simply flew off into the night.

In doing so, they upheld a covenant few Americans will ever understand: When your brothers are in harm’s way, you go. Even when the risk is extraordinary. Even when death may await you.

That is a warrior’s life.

We are blessed as a nation that such men and women still live among us — the "damn few" willing to carry the burden for the overwhelming majority.

While filming our Fox Nation special "Final Flight: The Men of Extortion 17," commemorating the 15th anniversary of their deaths, I sat down with former teammates, parents, wives and siblings of the fallen. Fifteen years have passed, but the pain remains fresh. The chairs are still empty. The voices are still missed. The holes left behind have never truly been filled.

SIX AMERICAN HEROES EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THIS MEMORIAL DAY, FROM DELTA FORCE TO A WWII BOMBER CREW

Yet these families have moved forward — not past the loss, but with it. They carry the weight of their loved ones with the same quiet strength those warriors carried for this country. Their sacrifice did not end on Aug. 6, 2011. It continues every morning they wake up and choose to keep going.

America owes them more than a moment of silence once a year.

We owe them remembrance through action. We teach their names. We tell their stories. We teach our children that freedom is not self-sustaining. It demands strength, sacrifice, stewardship and love of country. We remind them that the peace they inherited was purchased by men and women willing to stand between their families and evil.

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Remembrance is not passive. It is a duty — a duty to be worthy of their sacrifice. We cannot repay the men of Extortion 17. But we can refuse to let them die twice.

LCDR Jonas B. Kelsall, 32

SOCM Louis J. Langlais, 44

SOCS Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34

EODCS Kraig M. Vickers, 36

SOC Brian R. Bill, 31

SOC John W. Faas, 31

SOC Kevin A. Houston, 35

SOC Matthew D. Mason, 37

SOC Stephen "Matthew" Mills, 35

EODC Nicholas H. Null, 30

SOCS Robert J. Reeves, 32

SOCS Heath M. Robinson, 34

SOC Darrik C. Benson, 28

SOC Christopher G. Campbell, 36

IT1 Jared W. Day, 28

MA1 John "Jet Li" Douangdara, 26

CAD BART

CTR1 Michael J. Strange, 25

SOC Jon T. Tumilson, 35

SOC Aaron C. Vaughn, 30

SOC Jason R. Workman, 32

SO1 Jesse D. Pittman, 27

SO2 Nicholas P. Spehar, 24

Tsgt John W. Brown, 33

SSgt Andrew W. Harvell, 26

TSgt Daniel L. Zerbe, 28

CW5 David R. Carter, 47

CW4 Bryan J. Nichols, 31

SSG Patrick D. Hamburger, 30

SGT Alexander J. Bennett, 24

SPC Spencer C. Duncan, 21

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MORNING GLORY: Rogers versus El-Sayed is a referendum on the future of America

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 05:00:22 -0400

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Senate Democratic primary Tuesday over Congresswoman Haley Stevens. El-Sayed had a 1% win in a race that featured a third candidate, Mallory McMorrow, who had dropped out but who nevertheless polled around 4% of the total vote.

Mike Rogers is the GOP nominee in the fall against El-Sayed. In 2024, Rogers — a very respected, former seven-term Congressman from Michigan who served as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee — tallied 2,693,680 votes, or 48.30% of the total electorate in the state in a Senate race he lost to Elissa Slotkin. Republicans need only turn out the same electorate as voted in 2024 and Rogers will win the 2026 race.

That sort of turnout is usually, however, a big lift in a non-presidential year, because statewide elections are not as exciting to the average American as presidential contests.

JEWISH MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY WILL VOTE REPUBLICAN IF ABDUL EL-SAYED BECOMES NOMINEE

But Michigan in 2026 may prove to be the exception to the "exciting race" rule because El-Sayed is a radical leftist, an Islamist-supporting extremist whose far-from-the-mainstream positions may energize an off-year electorate the way a presidential campaign charges turnout every four years. El-Sayed is so extreme that he held back from commenting on Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei’s elimination on the first day of the U.S.-Iran battle for fear of upsetting whatever small number of Michiganders who were sad that the American-killing fanatic who ordered the murder of tens of thousands of Iranians in January had himself died on February 28.

That El-Sayed hates the state of Israel is not open for debate. He does. He also routinely attacks Americans who support the state of Israel by repeatedly attacking the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is primarily, though not exclusively, made up of American Jews. El-Sayed, himself a Muslim, will probably energize the estimated quarter of a million Muslims in the Wolverine State as well as the Jewish population of approximately 120,000 people (about 1.2% of Michigan’s population). Most Jews and many non-Jews believe that El-Sayed is simply antisemitic, and certainly the most extreme mainstream party candidate to ever run for, much less serve in, the United States Senate.

El-Sayed will energize all sorts of demographics within the electorate, but given the polarization that follows in his wake, count on the national media camping across the state from now until November and covering every twist and turn in this campaign.

Count on Republicans across the country, as well as supporters of Israel who are not Republicans from all across the country helping Rogers raise funds for his campaign. His campaign website began to cook even before the El-Sayed primary victory was certain.

HASAN PIKER UNLOADS ON 'ISLAMOPHOBIC PIECES OF S---' DEMOCRATS AS EL-SAYED FACES PARTY UNITY TEST

Rogers versus El-Sayed is almost certainly the highest-profile race of 2026, and President Trump, Vice President Vance and every other GOP surrogate will be stumping for Rogers — just as will AOC, Bernie Sanders and every other Democratic Socialist of America extremist be campaigning aside El-Sayed. (As will notorious Twitch streamer Hasan Piker whose Tuesday-night profanity laden tirade against Democrats urging El-Sayed to moderate has gone viral thanks to opponents of El-Sayed who want to staple Piker to the candidate and merge the two into one being.

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So a 12-week free for all in Michigan is ahead, one that will tell us much more than who controls the United States Senate for the next two years. The result of Rogers versus El-Sayed will tell us which way the country is headed, to the far left or back to the traditional center-right after a year of Mamdanism running the Democrats.

Much as Buckeyes like me love to give folks from "The State Up North" a hard time, even Ohioans, when pressed, will admit it is as nice and normal a place as every other venue in the Midwest. It’s not full of coastal elites and "one-percenters."

Michigan’s collective common sense will be tested over the next three months: Will they vote for an experienced, responsible, serious legislator who understands the world and America’s role in it and who can fight for the average Michigander, or a radical who cares more for "from the River to the Sea" chants than he does the national security of the United States.

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Bet on Rogers. Folks from Michigan lose their minds on the approach of "The Game" every Saturday after Thanksgiving, when the biggest contest in college football happens, but are otherwise pretty normal Americans. Like Mike Rogers.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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New York gubernatorial candidate urges 9/11 attendees to turn away from Mamdani during ceremony

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 03:06:36 -0400

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate in New York's gubernatorial race, said Wednesday that attendees at this year's Sept. 11 memorial ceremony should turn their backs on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani if he attends.

"I would equate this to a wake. You don't go to a wake if you're not welcome," Blakeman, whose nephew was killed in the South Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, and who currently serves as Nassau County executive, told reporters.

"I think it's completely appropriate if family members ask him not to come, but if he does come, I think there's a respectful and peaceful way to protest that and I would suggest that people turn their back on the mayor," he said.

FIREFIGHTER BROTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM INCENSED BY 'RADICAL' MUSLIMS WINNING KEY DEM PRIMARIES

Blakeman argued Mamdani's refusal to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada" should disqualify him from attending the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

"He's not welcome there because he has yet to say anything in opposition to the global intifada. As a matter of fact, it seems like he supports that phrase, which is part of the reason why we had the tragedy we had on 9/11," Blakeman said.

Mamdani's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

The mayor has said he still plans to attend the ceremony.

9/11 FAMILIES PUSH TO BAN MAMDANI FROM 25TH ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCE OVER 'HOSTILE' RECORD

"I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year's 9/11 commemoration — reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day..." Mamdani said last week.

His comments came after relatives of Sept. 11 victims launched a petition urging the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to bar Mamdani from attending the ceremony in Lower Manhattan.

"Concerns have been raised about Mr. Mamdani's public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric that many perceive as hostile to these shared values," the Change.org petition states.

"Given these concerns, we respectfully ask that the organizers carefully consider whether Mr. Mamdani's participation would align with the intention of the ceremony and the expectations of the families most directly affected by the tragedy."

JEWISH LEADERS FAULT MAMDANI RHETORIC AS UPPER WEST SIDE STABBING, HATE CRIME PROBE CONTINUES

A spokesperson for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum previously told Fox News Digital that the organization has "intentionally worked to keep the commemoration free of politics because remembering those we lost on 9/11 should never be a partisan issue."

"Government officials from across the political spectrum, including every sitting president, governor, and mayor since 9/11, have attended the ceremony simply to bear witness — they do not deliver remarks and are asked to remain in a designated area," the spokesperson added.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki was also asked Wednesday whether Mamdani should attend the ceremony.

"It's my nature to be inclusive, and that is my instinct, but Sept. 11 is different. So, I may have comments on that," Pataki said, according to the New York Post.

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Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Florida man allegedly attacked sister with machete while she was sleeping next to toddler daughter

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:59:40 -0400

A Florida man is accused of slashing his sister with a machete while she was sleeping in bed next to her 1-year-old daughter, according to officials.

Ruben Altidore, 36, repeatedly hacked at his sister in her bedroom in an unsuccessful attempt to kill her on Monday in Margate, which is located about 40 miles north of Miami, according to an arrest report obtained by WPLG.

"Oh my God, why aren’t you dead yet?" he shouted during the attack, according to the arrest report.

Altidore was arrested on Monday in connection with the attack. He was charged with attempted felony murder, aggravated child abuse and violation of probation, according to jail records.

BELOVED TEACHER KILLED AS SHE SLEPT, DAUGHTER STABBED IN ATTACK AS MOTIVE REMAINS UNCLEAR: DA

His sister survived the attack but suffered serious injuries.

She suffered a 10-inch wound that reached the bone on the back of her right thigh, a four-inch laceration to the back of her right hand with the possible amputation of at least four fingers, a near amputation of her left index finger and thumb and a cut to her left palm with a near amputation of her left thumb, according to investigators.

The victim’s 1-year-old daughter was found after the attack lying in the bed covered in blood, though investigators said the child was not injured.

The woman eventually managed to escape and ran to a neighbor for help, WPLG reported, adding that her piercing screams were captured on home surveillance video.

MAN FACING FEDERAL CHARGES AFTER ATLANTA TRAIN PASSENGER STABBED ABOUT 20 TIMES, FBI INVESTIGATING

"My [brother] is trying to kill me," the woman reportedly screamed as investigators arrived at the scene, according to the police report.

A cousin of the victim also told investigators that Altidore attacked his sister with a machete, and a neighbor reported hearing the victim screaming after she ran outside following the attack.

"She ran to the middle of the street and then ran to my front door where she was asking for help," neighbor Luis Pereria told WPLG. "Apparently she was sleeping when this all happened. I was just baffled by it. How can you do that?"

Investigators found a large amount of blood inside the victim’s bedroom that was tracked into the hallway, to a bathroom door and outside the home.

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A machete sheath was discovered in the kitchen, and a machete was found under a bed with what appeared to be "red smudges," investigators said.

Altidore was taken to the Broward County Main Jail and is being held without bond.

A motive for the attack remains unclear at this time.

Taxpayer-funded housing for illegal immigrants in GOP's crosshairs: 'It's got to stop'

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:54:30 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is introducing new legislation that works to restrict illegal aliens from reaping federal housing benefits, blocking loopholes and cutting off access for sanctuary cities to receive federal community development grants.

"[Illegal immigrants] have been allowed to participate in federally subsidized housing programs," Hagerty told Fox News Digital. "They're using American taxpayer dollars to jump to the front of the line while putting Americans at the back of the lines. It's got to stop."

The End Housing Welfare for Illegal Aliens Act is part of a larger effort by both the Trump administration and GOP members of Congress to halt illegal immigrants and sanctuary cities' ability to thrive, which they claim often comes at the expense of benefits for the American people.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO MAKE TRUMP'S BORDER POLICIES PERMANENT

"The Trump administration has taken a look at this," Hagerty said. "The preliminary estimates are 24,000 of these illegals are utilizing HUD programs. Again, crowding out Americans that would be deserving of these programs and, again, putting illegals into these positions."

The bill Hagerty is putting forward codifies the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) efforts to close loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits on taxpayer-funded housing if they are roommates with eligible individuals.

"HUD housing assistance is intended for U.S. citizens and certain eligible noncitizens, yet HUD resources serve only a quarter of eligible households in need," HUD said in a statement. "Meanwhile, a recent HUD and DHS audit of all assisted households identified nearly 200,000 tenants with incomplete or unknown eligibility verification. Furthermore, HUD estimates approximately 24,000 illegal aliens, ineligibles and fraudsters in 20,000 ‘mixed status households’ benefit from HUD assistance."

Hagerty’s bill, if passed, would enforce this proposed rule by HUD Secretary Scott Turner under all administrations.

"This current administration is going to do everything it can, I'm certain, to stop this type of fraudulent behavior," Hagerty said. "But what I want to do is preclude this from happening if there were ever to be another Democrat administration."

GOP SENATORS RALLY AROUND NEW DHS PROPOSAL TARGETING SANCTUARY CITIES: 'SHOULD PAY A PRICE'

Hagerty also said the legislation would eliminate Biden-era incentives for sanctuary cities by denying these cities access to Community Development Block Grants (CBDG), federal funding that supports affordable housing, infrastructure and local services.

He also argued that, under the Biden administration, the adoption of sanctuary city policies was incentivized because those lacking citizenship documentation are still included in population counts when considering congressional representation.

"What the Biden administration did, they were creating incentives for people to come here illegally," Hagerty said. "You think about where they situated sanctuary cities — in blue states, where they're losing population, where they’re losing voters."

"Why?" Hagerty said. "Because you can count these illegal aliens for the purpose of allocating congressional districts. You can count them for the purpose of locating electoral votes. That is the motive behind the crime."

'AMERICA FIRST' IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL BILL WOULD CODIFY TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PROMISES ONCE AND FOR ALL

The bill would require public housing authorities to verify citizenship before providing housing assistance. This would change the law so agencies "shall" verify citizenship, meaning they are legally required to do so, instead of saying they only "may" do so.

It would also specifically bar illegal immigrants from being eligible for both Section 202 and Section 811, which provide affordable housing for low-income elderly and people with disabilities.

"Illegal aliens are pushing out and crowding out people that are disabled, American taxpayers that are disabled, elderly that are disabled," Hagerty said.

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Hagerty’s efforts to crack down on any negligence in restricting illegal immigrants from federal programs comes amid a broader fight by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress to crack down on illegal immigration throughout the country.

"The goal is to pass the legislation," Hagerty said. "And I think if you polled Americans, you'd find this is extraordinarily popular."

Retired NFL standout Roddy White suggests Ryan Clark's outspokenness may have played role in ESPN exit

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 23:20:42 -0400

ESPN’s latest round of layoffs last week included former NFL players-turned-TV analysts Ryan Clark and Cam Newton, as well as reporter Tom Pelissero, who had joined the company from NFL Network. Clark’s exit drew particular attention after more than a decade with the network.

The moves come as ESPN prepares for one of its most significant NFL coverage seasons yet, a run that will culminate with the network’s first Super Bowl broadcast.

Front Office Sports reported that former All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith is expected to have an expanded role on ESPN studio programming. ESPN confirmed Monday that Jason McCourty will join "Monday Night Countdown," appearing to step into the opening created by Ryan Clark’s layoff. McCourty joined ESPN in 2024 and is now exclusive to the network after leaving his CBS game analyst role earlier this year.

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Former NFL wide receiver Roddy White is among the latest sports figures to weigh in. White, who faced Clark during their playing careers, said Clark’s abrupt ESPN exit stood out because of how highly he regarded the former analyst’s work.

"I think Ryan Clark is exceptional at his job," he said. "It's unfortunate that he got released by ESPN because he is so good at what he does. Usually, guys who are that good don't lose their jobs."

White also pointed to Clark’s outspokenness on issues beyond football, suggesting it may have been a factor in the separation.

"Clark speaks up on a lot of issues outside of football. He is always standing up for the Black community and being on our side. I think this, and his opinionated nature, may have cost him his job because ESPN, as a network, doesn't want people touching on politics and community-related topics. They just want everything to be sports-related."

5 OPTIONS TO REPLACE RYAN CLARK ON ESPN'S SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW

White finished his 11-year career with the Atlanta Falcons with 10,863 regular-season receiving yards.

Clark had been one of ESPN’s more visible NFL voices, regularly appearing on "NFL Live," "First Take," "Get Up" and "SportsCenter." In 2023, at the 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, he took home the Sports Emmy in the Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst category for his work across ESPN platforms.

Clark had also been a fixture on the "Countdown" desk alongside Scott Van Pelt since 2023. His layoff, however, drew added scrutiny because it reportedly happened during an "NFL Live" broadcast, prompting questions about how the network handled the move.

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In 2021, Clark launched "The Pivot Podcast" with former NFL players Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. He has also hosted "Inside the NFL" since 2023.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Trump blasts Democratic socialist candidate as 'full of s---' and Dems are skipping socialism 'for communism'

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 22:05:19 -0400

President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed Wednesday, singling out the progressive candidate as "full of s---" while arguing Democrats are embracing communism.

The remarks came hours after El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, winning by less than one percentage point after The Associated Press called the race early Wednesday.

He will face Republican Mike Rogers in November for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters.

Trump devoted several minutes of his Las Vegas speech to attacking democratic socialist candidates, arguing they are advancing communist ideas and calling communism "the greatest threat" facing the United States.

SOCIALIST SURGE: FAR-LEFT DEMOCRATS TEST NATIONAL PLAYBOOK AFTER BLUE-CITY PRIMARY SHOCKS

"These people are dangerous and frankly, they are lunatics. They're crazy, and we can't let them get into office," Trump said. "Communism is the greatest threat to our country in its history, including even World War One, World War Two, Pearl Harbor, 9/11. I think it's the greatest threat."

The White House later amplified that portion of Trump's remarks on social media, posting simply: "Communism is the greatest threat to our country."

Trump mocked what he said communist policies would mean for Americans.

"Would you like a free house? We'll take one from your neighbor. Would you like free rent? We'll take it from whoever. We'll take your building away from the landlord," Trump said. "What they don't say, and what Republicans should say, is that at the end of the year, you'll have nothing but death, squalor, poverty. You'll have a life of hell."

LIZ PEEK: MICHIGAN CAN STOP THE SOCIALIST FEVER RAGE — OR WATCH IT SWALLOW THE SENATE

The president pointed to Venezuela as an example of what he said happens when communist policies take hold.

"Look at Venezuela, where it was such a rich country 20 years ago," Trump said. "Every time this has happened, you go through squalor ... filth, crime, death, destruction, embarrassment. You lose your home. You lose your apartment."

Trump then singled out El-Sayed by name, drawing one of the loudest reactions of the night.

"When I watch Abdul, he's full of s---," Trump said.

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

El-Sayed's victory gives Democrats a progressive nominee in one of the country's most closely watched Senate races. Backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., El-Sayed campaigned on Medicare for All, getting money out of politics and ending U.S. military aid to Israel.

He has described himself as a capitalist and has distanced himself from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), though Republicans have frequently tied him to the broader democratic socialist movement.

Trump later returned to a familiar theme from the second term of his presidency.

"If you remember, during my State of the Union speech, I made a very strong statement. I said that America will never be a socialist country," Trump said. "I was right."

The president argued Democrats now want to move beyond socialism.

TRUMP HAILS AMERICA AS 'MOST EXCEPTIONAL NATION EVER TO EXIST' IN MOUNT RUSHMORE SPEECH

"What I didn't say is what they're trying to do. They want to skip socialism. They want to go right down to the bottom of the barrel. That's communism," Trump said. "They want it to be a communist country. We're not letting them have it as a communist country, not even for a minute."

Trump closed by vowing to defeat what he called the Democratic Party's leftward movement.

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"Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America once and for all," Trump said. "It's defeated. It's going to go down. It always goes down."

The White House and El-Sayed's campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller, Kiera McDonald, and Robert Schmad contributed to this reporting.

Crowded Russian beach descends into chaos after alleged Ukrainian drone incident kills 7, including 4 children

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:46:12 -0400

Vacationers were sent scrambling for safety Monday after a projectile struck a crowded beach in a Russian Black Sea resort town, killing seven people, including four children, and injuring dozens more, officials said.

Video footage captured the incident in the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik, where the beach was packed with visitors at the time of the strike.

The Russian Mission in Geneva said in a post on X that the "bloody attack" was carried out by a drone launched by Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of targeting civilians.

UKRAINE LAUNCHES WHAT APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS LARGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT

"The attack targeted civilian infrastructure. Emergency and special services are working at the crash site," regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram.

"What happened today is a targeted attack by the Kyiv regime against civilians who have no connection to the military infrastructure. This cynical and inhumane terrorist attack against children cannot be justified."

UKRAINE UNLEASHES MORE THAN 400 DRONES NEAR MOSCOW IN ONE OF WAR'S BIGGEST ATTACKS

Andriy Kovalenko, an officer with Ukraine’s Defense Forces, disputed Russia’s account, saying the deaths were directly caused by Russian air defenses that intercepted a drone, sending debris onto the beach.

"Russian air defense shot down a drone over people lying on the beach," Kovalenko said on Telegram.

In the video, sounds resembling gunfire were heard just seconds before a drone struck the beach, causing a fireball explosion that sent bystanders screaming. As the gunfire was heard, the drone appeared to veer sharply before diving toward the beach.

Preliminary Russian reports also found that several of the deaths were caused by "falling drone debris," Kondratyev said.

ZELENSKYY SAYS PUTIN 'LOST THE INITIATIVE' AS UKRAINE'S TECH INDUSTRY RESHAPES THE WAR

In another Telegram post, Kovalenko indicated that Ukraine uses its weapons against Russian military-industrial infrastructure to affect Moscow’s ability to finance the war.

He further accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating an "illusion" that Russia would remain safe from the war by downplaying daily explosions as falling debris, limiting air raid warnings, and positioning air defenses near populated areas such as the Black Sea resort.

"Putin deliberately killed these people. Because if he had not started the war and struck Ukraine, they would be alive," Kovalenko said.

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"It was Putin, his air defense, who killed these Russians. His decisions in response to their decisions launched a chain of death for Russians."

Florida man accused of cutting off diver's air supply in fight over coveted lobster diving spot

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:44:07 -0400

A battle over a lobster diving spot off the Florida coast allegedly escalated into an underwater nightmare after a man was accused of shutting off another diver's air supply, a confrontation that landed him behind bars on an attempted murder charge.

Michael Joseph Simpson, 51, surrendered Tuesday to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, where he was booked Tuesday evening on an attempted murder charge, according to Miami-Dade jail records. His bond was set at $10,000.

According to Local 10 News, the incident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. on July 29 about a half-mile east of Fisher Island during Florida's annual lobster mini season.

Citing the arrest affidavit, Law&Crime reported that Simpson allegedly approached another boat at a high rate of speed and circled the vessel several times before anchoring about 10 feet away.

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED FOR DUI AFTER TROOPERS ALLEGEDLY FIND 34 OPEN ALCOHOL CONTAINERS IN VEHICLE

Investigators say the confrontation began after Simpson claimed the group was diving in "his spot" and warned that a larger boat was on its way before it arrived and anchored nearby.

Authorities allege Simpson then threatened to turn off the surface-supplied air system providing oxygen to an 18-year-old diver searching for lobsters. Investigators say Simpson jumped into the water and intentionally shut off the unit.

As the confrontation unfolded, witnesses yelled, "We have a diver down there you a--hole!" according to the arrest affidavit cited by Law&Crime.

The diver's boat owner jumped into the water and pulled him to the surface. The diver was gasping for air and appeared disoriented but was not injured, Local 10 reported.

FLORIDA MAN GIVES AN INCREDIBLE INTERVIEW ABOUT HOW HE FOUGHT OFF AN ALLIGATOR WITH A FISHING POLE

Investigators allege Simpson left before deputies arrived. After authorities identified him as the suspect, Simpson voluntarily surrendered Tuesday, according to Local 10.

Simpson's attorney, Howard Srebnick, strongly denied the allegations in a statement to Fox News Digital, arguing investigators ignored evidence and witnesses he says support his client's account.

Srebnick said Simpson was diving from his own boat with friends and his two young children and "never disabled anyone's diving equipment."

Srebnick said video shows one of the accusers becoming entangled in the Brownie's Third Lung air system while Simpson "was nowhere near it."

AMERICAN TOURIST ATTACKED BY SHARK IN VACATION HOT SPOT

He also disputed investigators' allegation that Simpson fled, saying his client instead idled his boat away from the immediate area to avoid escalating the confrontation before cooperating with responding Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and providing a statement.

Srebnick said numerous eyewitnesses aboard two separate boats corroborated Simpson's version of events and criticized the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office for arresting his client before interviewing what he described as exculpatory witnesses.

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"We are optimistic that the State Attorney's Office, after reviewing the video and interviewing all the eyewitnesses, will dismiss the charges, clear his name, and restore the reputation he has spent a lifetime building," Srebnick said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office for additional comment.

Bodycam video shows Canadian woman allegedly giving false name before deputies discovered 12 fake IDs

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:33:47 -0400

Police body camera video shows the moments Florida deputies arrested a Canadian woman after she allegedly gave a false name during a traffic stop and investigators discovered 12 fraudulent identification cards in her vehicle.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister released the July 29 bodycam footage showing deputies stopping a vehicle in Tampa because its taillights and tag lights were not working.

The driver, Bryce Swanson, 28, initially identified herself as "Brianna Valenzuela" and initially told deputies she had a driver's license but did not have it with her, according to authorities.

SEMITRUCK DRIVER IN DEADLY INTERSTATE CRASH FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED LICENSE, CITIZENSHIP: OFFICIALS

"Swanson told deputies she did not have an ID and had never possessed a valid driver's license, after initially claiming she did," Chronister wrote on X. "A search of her vehicle revealed 12 driver's licenses with her picture, but different names and dates of birth."

According to authorities, Swanson is a Canadian national who overstayed her visa.

The body camera footage shows a deputy questioning Swanson about her identity after she said she was visiting Florida from New York in a rental vehicle.

"I live in New York," Swanson said. "I'm here in Florida literally just visiting friends and stuff right now."

VIRAL BODYCAM CAPTURES FLORIDA DEPUTY'S TRAFFIC STOP UNRAVEL AS HE ACCUSES ONE-HANDED DRIVER OF HOLDING PHONE

The deputy pointed out she did not have any New York identification.

"Your story's not making a lot of sense to me, right?" the deputy said. "You say you live in New York, but you don't have any ID in New York."

When the deputy again asked how she could live in New York without any identification, Swanson replied, "I've never had a driver's license or anything like that."

Deputies then searched the vehicle and found what investigators described as numerous fraudulent identification cards.

MAN FLEEING ICE OFFICERS IN FLORIDA IS STRUCK AND KILLED BY TRACTOR-TRAILER, POLICE SAY

"All these are fake," one deputy said in the video before placing Swanson under arrest.

Swanson was booked into the Orient Road Jail and charged with driving without a valid driver's license and providing a false name to a law enforcement officer.

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She is being held without bond because of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, according to jail records.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.

Federal judge acknowledges Supreme Court ruling clearing path for Trump to end Haiti TPS

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:17:12 -0400

President Donald Trump on Wednesday notched a major immigration victory after a federal judge acknowledged that the court order blocking the administration from ending temporary protected status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians is no longer in effect after the Supreme Court's ruling in Mullin v. Doe.

The ruling marks the culmination of a yearslong legal battle over the Biden administration's expansion of Haiti's TPS designation and delivers a significant immigration victory for Trump, who repeatedly campaigned on ending the Biden administration's expanded TPS protections for Haitians.

The issue became a centerpiece of the 2024 election after Trump and running mate JD Vance blamed the Biden administration's Haiti TPS policies for the influx of Haitian migrants into Springfield, Ohio, where residents raised concerns about traffic safety, strained public services and cultural clashes.

BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS

The controversy later exploded onto the national stage after Trump referenced residents' claims that migrants were taking ducks and geese from parks and eating household pets.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by publication time.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes wrote Wednesday that her earlier order staying the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) termination of Haiti's TPS designation "is no longer in effect" after the Supreme Court's decision and the D.C. Circuit's subsequent mandate.

While the underlying lawsuit will continue, the administration is no longer barred by the injunction from moving forward with ending TPS protections for an estimated 330,000 to 350,000 Haitians living in the U.S.

The remaining litigation centers on whether the administration acted with unconstitutional racial animus in terminating the designation.

LIBERAL COURT STUNS WITH RULING THAT HANDS TRUMP MAJOR IMMIGRATION WIN

The Supreme Court ruled in June that the TPS statute bars judicial review of the administration's non-constitutional decisions to terminate TPS designations and found the plaintiffs' equal protection challenge was unlikely to succeed. The court reversed the lower courts and remanded the case for further proceedings.

DHS General Counsel James Percival pushed back on reports suggesting Wednesday's order itself ended Haiti's TPS designation, arguing the protections effectively expired when the Supreme Court's mandate was issued July 27 and that Reyes' order merely acknowledged that legal reality.

"Haiti TPS ended when the Supreme Court mandate issued on July 27," Percival wrote on X. "I will give Judge Reyes kudos though for taking the L with grace and not doing something bonkers like many of her colleagues."

Haiti first received TPS after the country's devastating 2010 earthquake, but the designation remained in place for 16 years through multiple administrations. The Biden administration later expanded and extended protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians already living in the U.S.

MORE THAN 100 HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS WITH VIOLENT OFFENSE AND SEX CRIME CONVICTIONS DEPORTED: DHS

After reviewing conditions in Haiti, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem determined the country no longer met the statutory requirements for TPS and announced the administration's decision to terminate the designation, arguing the humanitarian program had been extended well beyond its intended temporary purpose. The move triggered the legal challenge that ultimately reached the Supreme Court.

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After the SCOTUS decision, the DHS announced Haiti's TPS designation would be terminated, effective July 27, and that employment authorization documents issued under the designation were no longer valid. The department instructed employers to reverify the work authorization of affected employees.

The State Department maintains a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory for Haiti because of widespread gang violence, kidnappings and civil unrest.

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace and Michael Lee contributed to this report.

Fauci's HHS iPhone turned over to Senate investigators as contempt vote looms

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:08:48 -0400

Fox News Digital has confirmed that a key investigative panel in the Senate has obtained Dr. Anthony Fauci’s pandemic-era cellphone.

The cellphone was transferred from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chaired by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

A spokesperson for the senator told Fox News Digital the subcommittee "obtained a copy of Dr. Fauci’s iPhone that was used during his time at HHS."

Whether the panel has access to the phone remains unclear.

RAND PAUL SEEKS CONTEMPT CHARGES AFTER FAUCI INVOKES FIFTH AMENDMENT MORE THAN 100 TIMES

The committee’s procurement of the phone, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee readies to decide whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. It also follows the HHS' move to dump over 1,000 pages of Fauci's personal diary to the panel just days before the blockbuster hearing.

The hearing, slated for Thursday morning, comes after the panel’s chair, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., subpoenaed Fauci to testify on his alleged role in funding "risky" gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China, where the COVID-19 virus originated.

A source close to Paul's office told Fox News Digital that the lawmaker is also in possession of the phone.

Last week’s testimony was meant to serve as the climatic duel between Fauci and Paul, who has demanded Fauci be thrown into prison for his role in the nation’s pandemic policy and alleged lies to Congress.

But it didn’t turn out that way.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FAUCI'S HEARING: PAUL BOOTS LAWYER, MORENO ERUPTS AS CONTEMPT VOTE LOOMS

Fauci, on advice from his lawyers, opted to plead the Fifth Amendment out of concern about self-incrimination before a panel that he charged was designed to ensnare him.

"Although it pains me to do so because of the respect I have for the legislative branch of government and my decades-long record of cooperating with Congress under the advice of my attorneys, I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions," Fauci said.

What ensued was Republicans on the panel peppering Fauci with questions probing his involvement in an alleged lab leak that led to the virus’ rapid spread to what day of the week it was. Democrats charged that his decision to activate his constitutional rights was the right call given Paul and his colleagues' determination to catch him in a lie.

WATCH: RAND PAUL SAYS THERE'S ONE THING AMERICANS HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM FAUCI

And it culminated in Paul vowing that Fauci would face consequences for declining to comment and questioning whether his pardon from former President Joe Biden could protect him.

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"I think there's another legal question that the courts may have to decide upon, and that is whether or not a presidential pardon offers you complete immunity," Paul said at the time.

Fox News Digital did not immediately receive comment from HHS on Fauci’s pandemic-era iPhone.

Dodgers ruin baseball with sixth straight loss, get swept for second consecutive series by Chicago Cubs

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:57:12 -0400

Discussion on baseball-related social media over the last week has focused on one topic, and one topic only: the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers, back-to-back World Series champions, entered the weekend leading up to the Major League Baseball trade deadline with several major question marks, despite their massive payroll. Starter Blake Snell remained injured, with just three innings pitched in 2026 after only 61 innings in 2025. Tyler Glasnow was also sidelined with a back injury after throwing only 39.2 innings earlier in the season. Emmett Sheehan, after a breakout 2025, had struggled mightily in recent starts, and the injuries had forced LA to turn to journeyman Eric Lauer.

So they did what any team trying to win a World Series should do, and made their roster better. Instead of hoping for the best, LA's front office traded Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith to the Tigers for defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. This set off a firestorm of anger, outrage, hatred, and conspiracy theories, as well as wailing and gnashing of teeth from commentators and fans who demanded that owners lock players out to pocket more money, or acted as though this marked the end of baseball.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS TRADE FOR TARIK SKUBAL HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL'S MASSIVE PROBLEM

Why? Because the Dodgers were now simply too good to be beaten. No team could compete with their combination of talent and depth. The season, and postseason, were effectively over.

And as if part of some divine plan, the Dodgers chose this very week to demonstrate to fans, those commentators, and the "ruining baseball" casuals why they're all hopelessly wrong. LA hosted the Red Sox at Dodger Stadium late last week, and were promptly swept by a surging Boston team. They allowed six straight runs in the late innings of game one to lose 9-4, managed just two runs on 10 hits in a 3-2 loss in game two, then gave up four home runs in game three to lost 8-4.

After that loss, they flew to Chicago to face the Cubs, another team on a hot streak in recent weeks. After jumping out to a 3-0 first inning lead in game one, starter Justin Wrobleski gave up four home runs, leading to a 10-5 blowout loss.

Skubal made his Dodgers debut on Tuesday afternoon, going six innings and allowing just two runs with six strikeouts. The Dodgers lost 5-1, with just a solo home run from Kyle Tucker to show from their vaunted, unbeatable offense.

TARIK SKUBAL'S DODGERS DEBUT ENDS IN DECISIVE 5-1 LOSS TO CUBS AS LA DROPS FIFTH STRAIGHT GAME

Then, on Wednesday, the Dodgers got a leadoff home run from Shohei Ohtani and proceeded to allow seven straight runs to the Chicago offense. Two homers from Pete Crow-Armstrong and a parade of hits from the bottom of the Cubs lineup made it 7-1 heading into the eighth inning. The Dodgers, to their credit, displayed a modicum of fight, putting up five runs in the inning, but came up short in a 7-6 loss.

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Six straight losses. Just two wins in their last eight games. LA also fell to 8-13 in their last 21 games, and has yet to win in August. The best case scenario would be a win on Friday, meaning they'd have gone more than a week without a win. Should the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres later Wednesday evening, their once insurmountable 14-game lead over second place will drop to eight games. Ahead of a weekend series between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in Phoenix.

Over their last six games, the unbeatable LA juggernaut has been outscored 42-22 by the opposition. While they once had a stranglehold on the first overall seed in the National League and the first round bye, they're now several games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and could fall behind the Atlanta Braves into the third seed, should Atlanta hold their lead against the Miami Marlins.

Which means that were the season to end today, the Dodgers would be playing in a wild card series. Ruining baseball indeed.

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Again, this is the problem with that talking point. Are the Dodgers better than the Cubs or Red Sox? Sure, probably. But over the course of an entire season, 162 games, the gap in winning percentage between those teams might be as little as 5%. Meanwhile, in the NFL, the Patriots and Seahawks won 82.4% of their games in 2025. The Chiefs won 88% of their games in 2024. The gap between teams in baseball, despite the lack of a salary cap, is much smaller than in most other sports. Which is why the best team frequently wins the Super Bowl, and doesn't always, or even often, win the World Series in baseball.

Instead of acknowledging this, the Skubal trade has given rise to conspiracy theories from Brewers fans that the Tigers took the Dodgers offer because of some type of hypothetical collusion. Or something. Even though the Tigers wanted MLB-ready controllable starting pitching, which the Dodgers offered, and the Brewers reportedly didn't. It's given rise to many within and outside baseball demanding a salary cap, which will have little impact on the outcome of the games, but a tremendous impact on the ability of owners to pocket more profits.

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And it's made many ignore that for all their talent, the Dodgers have plenty of flaws too. Kyle Tucker has been a tremendous disappointment, having the worst offensive season of his career. Mookie Betts has been a well-below-average hitter this year. Edwin Diaz has allowed nine runs in 8.2 innings. Yes, Snell and Glasnow are expected to return soon, but are frequently injured and no guarantee to stay healthy. Roki Sasaki has been wildly inconsistent. Their bullpen has been among baseball's worst for the past month.

Does this mean LA won't win the World Series? No. But it does demonstrate that nothing in baseball is a foregone conclusion. That there's no way to predict outcomes in a postseason series in August. And that acting as though LA is unbeatable or ruining baseball is as wrong and delusional as believing owners care about the "health" of the game or anything but higher profits.

Halle Berry sizzles in racy lingerie look for sunset beach stroll during Fiji getaway

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:41:11 -0400

Halle Berry is enjoying a tropical reset ahead of her 60th birthday.

The 59-year-old actress shared a series of Instagram photos from a tropical getaway in Fiji, offering glimpses of quiet mornings, poolside relaxation and sunset walks along the beach.

Berry posed near the shoreline in an animal-print cover-up layered over a black lace lingerie bodysuit as the sun dipped toward the ocean.

The flowing black-and-white wrap featured wide sleeves and tassel detailing, while her short, tousled hair blew across her face as she smiled for the camera.

KRISTIN CAVALLARI FLAUNTS HER TONED FIGURE IN BIKINIS DURING EUROPEAN SUMMER VACATION

"The only bad thing about this trip is that each day must come to an end," she captioned the post.

A separate Instagram post captured the Academy Award winner in silhouette beneath sheer fabric draped around an outdoor daybed. Berry arched backward as the setting sun streamed through the material, with palm trees, an infinity pool and the ocean visible beyond the shaded retreat.

In a separate poolside image, the "Catwoman" star reclined along the edge of the water in a gold bikini. A wide-brimmed straw hat rested across her torso as she stretched one arm across the wooden deck and displayed several rings and stacked bracelets.

Berry also shared an artful reflection photographed through a glass window. The layered image showed the actress appearing to relax inside a rounded bathtub while the surrounding ocean, palm trees and outdoor pool reflected across the glass.

GISELE BÜNDCHEN CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY IN LEOPARD-PRINT BIKINI AS SHE REFLECTS ON GRATITUDE

The actress appeared to be enjoying the laid-back pace of the trip, joking in another caption, "We got drunk last night, and still drunk today 🤪."

Berry’s vacation comes as she prepares to celebrate her 60th birthday and continues challenging expectations about how women should approach aging.

During a July appearance on Hoda Kotb’s "Making Space" podcast, Berry said the milestone feels far different than she once imagined.

"I’m so happy to still be here, you know. When I was growing up and I thought of 60, it felt so old, you know. And now that I am 60, um, it doesn’t feel old at all," she said. "You know, I’m like, this is 60. Well, that’s not so bad."

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Berry said she feels more comfortable and confident in herself than she has in years.

"I feel really great actually. If I’m honest, I feel, I think, better than I have in a very, very long time," she said. "Um, I feel more of myself. I feel all of myself."

The Oscar winner explained that growing older has allowed her to stop worrying about satisfying everyone else’s expectations.

"You do stop managing everybody’s expectations," Berry told Kotb. "You do start to realize you’re usually the oldest person in the room. And, so, with that, you know, that carries some weight. You get to do what you wanna do.

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"You get to be who you wanna be, say what you want to say. You know, you’re no longer walking on eggshells, and that’s a really wonderful place to arrive."

Berry also pushed back against the idea that reaching a certain age should mean stepping away from her career permanently.

The actress said people have asked whether she intends to continue making movies before suggesting she has already accomplished enough.

"'Are you still going to keep working in movies?'" Berry recalled being asked. "And I say, ‘Yeah, why should I not?’"

She said others have questioned whether it is time for her to "quit all that and sit down somewhere and just be on a permanent vacation."

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Berry rejected the assumption that women should withdraw from professional life as they grow older, arguing that meaningful work continues to provide purpose and connection.

"Why do I wanna? After I’ve worked my whole life so hard and it’s made me feel all of myself, it’s validated who I was, it’s, it’s given me a sense of purpose," she said. "Why should I now sit down and give that all away? And then what?"

The actress said she encourages her 18-year-old daughter, Nahla, to pursue work she genuinely loves so that retirement never feels like the ultimate goal.

"Choose what you love so that you never feel like you want to retire because working and being active and contributing is what keeps us young as we go down the path of life," Berry said.

"It keeps us connected to life, to ourselves, to the others. You, you never want to stop doing that thing that you love so much."

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Masked man caught on camera smashing Virgin Mary statue with a hammer outside NYC church

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:35:31 -0400

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating the destruction of a Virgin Mary statue outside St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City as a possible hate crime after a man climbed over a fence and repeatedly smashed it down using a hammer.

In surveillance video released by the Diocese of Brooklyn, the masked man violently hits the statue outside the church in what Catholic officials say is the latest in a string of attacks targeting the parish.

In a press release, church officials said it is the fourth reported vandalism incident targeting the parish since 2024, and the New York City Police Department is investigating the latest vandalism as a possible hate crime.

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According to the Diocese of Brooklyn, the incident happened at around 1:42 a.m. Aug. 1.

The video shows the man, who is wearing a dark T-shirt and shorts, climb over the fence into a courtyard where a statue of the Blessed Mother stood.

The suspect removes a hammer from his pocket and repeatedly strikes the statue before knocking it off its pedestal. He then climbs back over the fence and walks away.

The Diocese said in a statement the attack was the fourth vandalism incident at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church since 2024.

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Past acts of vandalism at the parish include the destruction of a 60-year-old stained-glass window and graffiti that defaced a statue of St. Francis of Assisi and the sidewalk.

There was also damage done to a statue of St. Jude inside the church.

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The Diocese of Brooklyn told Fox News Digital no arrests had been made.

"This week, the NYPD also issued a crime stats update and hate crimes are up by 9.4% over the same 7-month period (Jan-July) of last year," John Quaglione, deputy press secretary for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said.

Illegal immigrants among 70 arrested in Mississippi child exploitation crackdown: Feds

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:46:06 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Seventy people were arrested across Mississippi during a two-week Homeland Security Investigations operation targeting child exploitation offenders and previously convicted sex offenders, including illegal immigrants, federal officials announced.

The two-week operation, Operation Muddy Waters, was the work of several federal, state and local agencies and generated new child exploitation charges ranging from illegal immigrants who allegedly crossed state lines to abuse minors to others accused of trading child sexual abuse material.

The following people were arrested on charges during Operation Muddy Waters, according to the Department of Homeland Security:

Cristian Abel Argueta Giron: An illegal immigrant from Honduras who allegedly traveled from Tennessee to Mississippi "for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor."

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Rahul Mondal: An illegal immigrant from Bangladesh on a student visa at the University of Alabama who allegedly "established communication with a 14-year-old male via social media."

Jose Arevalo Garcia: An illegal immigrant from Mexico who is allegedly a non-compliant sex offender previously convicted for sexual assault in 2010.

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Enrique Bravo Gonzalez: An illegal immigrant from Mexico who is allegedly a non-compliant sex offender who was previously convicted for a felony sexual offense against a child in 2022.

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Justin Tyler Scott: A U.S. citizen who allegedly "established communication with a 14-year-old male via social media to have sex."

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Yves Jean Baptiste Cook: A U.S. citizen who allegedly "established communication with a 14-year-old female via social media, sent masturbation videos and requested nude images."

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Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told Fox News Digital in a statement that one child was saved from a sextortion scheme in progress.

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"For two weeks, federal, state and local law enforcement have been working together to find the predators who hide in plain sight in our communities. And the outstanding number of arrests made during this operation point to the power of this partnership," Fitch said.

"But the most important number coming from this operation is the one child victim that was saved from a sextortion scheme in progress. The work done in this operation made all the difference to this child and to countless others who are a little safer online right now."

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The operation involved participation from the U.S. Attorney’s offices for the Northern and Southern districts of Mississippi; the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office; the Mississippi Department of Public Safety; the U.S. Marshals Service; sheriff’s offices in Marshall, DeSoto, Harrison, Pearl River, and Forrest counties; the Oxford Police Department; and other federal, state and local partners.

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"Those who choose to hide behind a computer screen to exploit children will not remain hidden," said Matthew Reidell, assistant special agent in charge of HSI Gulfport.

"Operation Muddy Waters demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children, supporting victims and holding offenders accountable. We will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to bring these crimes to light, pursue those responsible and help prevent further harm."