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Elon Musk fires back at reporter, claims more people 'hate you and the media than you realize'

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:05:31 -0400

Elon Musk fired back at The Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes during a Thursday interview from Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas after she said people loathed him over his efforts to influence European politics.

"I think a lot more people hate you and the media more than you realize," Musk told the journalist.

Beddoes confronted the Tesla and SpaceX CEO after challenging his support for right-wing European political parties and arguing that his wealth, ownership of X and following on the platform gave him unusual power to shape politics abroad.

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"Why should you be able to shape European politics? You don’t even live there," Beddoes said.

"But do you see why this makes people think that this man who has all this power, he’s the world’s richest man, he thinks he has a right to influence our politics?" Beddoes said. "It’s why people loathe you. I mean, some people do loathe you."

Musk dismissed the criticism by pointing to his roughly 250 million followers on X as evidence that he had more supporters than detractors.

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"Maybe some people do loathe me, and that’s probably true. I don’t care," Musk said. "But the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t."

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO argued that distrust of the press was greater than opposition to him and asked Beddoes whether she recognized the media's standing with the public.

"Do you realize the media is despised?" Musk said. "Do you realize that journalists, the view of journalists is like, it’s like a favorable view of journalists is like 15%?"

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Beddoes acknowledged that trust in American journalism was low but argued that polarization on social media contributed to the problem.

"I think in part there have been mistakes by journalists and journalism. I totally acknowledge that," Beddoes said. "But I also think that the kind of polarized environment, particularly on social media, fostered by the kinds of things you are pushing on X, actually helps make this worse."

Musk rejected her argument and insisted the public disliked journalists more than him.

"The shoe is on the other foot. They hate you. They hate you far more than they hate me," Musk said. "I think you’re the problem. The media."

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The exchange followed a lengthy disagreement about Musk's warnings that Britain could face civil war and his backing of European parties Beddoes described as far right. Musk rejected the label and framed his positions around border security, public safety and government spending.

"I literally said, look, I believe in safe cities, secure borders and sensible spending with respect to government," Musk said. "That doesn’t make me right wing at all in the least."

Musk urged Germans to vote for the Alternative for Germany party and interviewed its leader, Alice Weidel, on X before Germany's 2025 federal election. He promoted the party in at least two dozen posts over two months, Reuters reported.

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Public confidence in the news media has fallen sharply. A 2025 Gallup poll found that 28% of Americans had a great deal or fair amount of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly, a record low.

Amazon college essentials under $25 every student needs

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:01:54 -0400

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Jewish leaders fault Mamdani rhetoric as Upper West Side stabbing, hate crime probe continues

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:51:15 -0400

Jewish leaders in New York City are accusing Mayor Zohran Mamdani of " fanning the flames of hatred and division" as an investigation is continuing Friday into a pair of stabbings in Manhattan’s Upper West Side that are being looked at as potential hate crimes.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said both victims in Thursday’s attack are currently in stable condition. The suspect, identified as Raul Morales, 51, is accused of yelling "Allahu Akbar" while stabbing two men on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.

"When the mayor of New York repeatedly uses his platform to relentlessly single out and demonize Israel, the world's only Jewish state, and calls those who support it monsters, he contributes to a climate in which Jewish New Yorkers are increasingly targeted and unsafe," Eric Goldstein, the CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, said Friday.

"Mayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division. The consequences are not abstract. They are playing out on our streets. But make no mistake, we're not going anywhere. The Jewish community of New York, the largest in the world outside Israel, will continue to walk the streets of the Upper West Side and all the streets of New York openly and proudly," he added.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY YELLING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,' STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACK

Rabbi Yosie Levine of The Jewish Center also said Friday that, "When public officials repeatedly cast the Jewish community as a stand-in for actions of the Israeli government, they create a climate in which Jews become targets."

"You know when I was growing up, the only time we saw security outside of my synagogue or outside of my Jewish day school was when the mayor came to speak. The police were there to protect him. Today, every time the mayor speaks, we need the police to protect us," he added. "Jewish life in America is starting to feel like Jewish life in Europe. Armed guards, bulletproof glass, and the constant fear that yesterday's rhetoric will turn into today's assault."

When asked by Fox News Digital for a response, Mamdani's office highlighted remarks the mayor made to NY1 on Friday, in which he said, "There's no tolerance for antisemitism or hatred of any kind in this city."

"This is a city that believes in the beauty and the breadth of all of its five boroughs and everyone who calls it home. And if anyone is perpetrating this kind of a bigotry, that kind of hatred, they will be held fully accountable," Mamdani told the station.

"When it comes to my comments about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they are critiques not based on my personal analysis but rather on objective facts," he added. "They are critiques of a political leader not of people of a specific faith or a religion or a background and my responsibility as the mayor of this city is to keep every New Yorker safe, no matter where they come from, what they believe in, or frankly, even if they agree with my politics. My job is to keep them safe."

WITNESSES RECOUNT 'SCARY' NYC STABBING AFTER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY YELLED 'ALLAHU AKBAR' DURING ATTACKS

The victims were identified in media reports as Chok Sung, 57, and Moshe Grunhaus, 50.

"So many people know Moshe, so many people care about him. He was just trying to pray at his synagogue, and now we're the ones praying for his recovery," Levine said. "To have been stabbed 200 feet from the Jewish center evokes all the worst images of the Jewish past. If a Jew can't feel safe walking home from shul in broad daylight on a Thursday afternoon on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, then something has gone profoundly wrong, not only for the Jewish community, but for our city."

Goldstein added that Mamdani's recent video in which he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" was "political grandstanding."

"This is the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel. His words have profound real world consequences on us and shame on him. Shame on him for doing this for perceived political benefit when it has real world consequence for the Jews of New York. He must stop," Goldstein said.

James said after speaking with the NYPD commissioner and local district attorney, "they have asked me not to draw any conclusions as a result of last night's event."

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"What I do want to say is that it's really critically important that individuals understand that anti-Semitic acts have been growing in the city of New York. It's really critically important," she said. "And then also acts against the Asian community have also been on the increase. So it's important that I stand with my Jewish friends, that I stand with my Asian friends, that I let everyone know that there should not be any space between any of us, that we should stand together against any form of hate, any act of hate in the city and the state of New York, that it will not be tolerated."

‘McCarthy trials’: Hasan Piker, far-left figures erupt over subpoenas in $39M Singham probe

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:48:51 -0400

Prominent far-left figures, including livestream influencer Hasan Piker, are rallying around a pro-China media outlet within the sprawling network bankrolled by communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham – casting recent congressional subpoenas as leading a "McCarthy-style" witch hunt against the left.

As Fox News Digital first reported Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee sent subpoenas to three nonprofits, including media outlet BreakThrough News, as part of a wider investigation into alleged malign foreign influence by China in U.S. politics. The three groups have received about $39 million from Singham, who left the U.S. several years ago to live in China.

The other two groups are the People’s Forum Inc., a New York-based activist and political-education hub, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, a think tank that says its work is anchored in "national liberation Marxism."

The committee said it is examining whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence and whether Congress needs to strengthen them. It also accused the three groups of failing to produce "a single responsive document" following earlier requests for information.

HOUSE PANEL SUBPOENAS 3 LEFT-WING GROUPS IN PROBE OF $39M TIED TO MARXIST TYCOON NEVILLE SINGHAM

Piker, CodePink rally behind subpoenaed outlet

Hours after Fox News Digital reported the subpoenas, pro-communist influencers and organizations mounted a social media defense of BreakThrough News, echoing similar-phrased attacks on the congressional investigation.

Among them were Piker, a prominent Twitch streamer and political commentator, and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, a pro-communist, pro-China nonprofit that has received Singham money.

Piker called the subpoenas "the McCarthy trials," invoking the anti-communist Congressional investigations of the 1950s, led by Sen. Joe McCarthy.

"They will come for you," Piker warned on X.

Responding to BreakThrough News host Rania Khalek appeal for support and donations, Benjamin called the move a "terrible attack on independent journalism," adding, "We stand with you!!!"

Benjamin co-founded CodePink with Jodie Evans, who married Singham in 2017, the year he sold his technology company, ThoughtWorks, for an estimated $785 million. He has subsequently poured money into a network of pro-communist, pro-China organizations.

In March, Piker, Benjamin and Evans traveled to Cuba to rally support for the island nation’s communist government. Fox News Digital previously reported that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is investigating whether they violated U.S. sanctions restricting dealings with Cuba, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

Their warnings about political repression come despite longstanding restrictions on dissent and independent media under the communist governments of Cuba and China.

The three organizations occupy different roles within the Singham network.

Breakthrough BT Media Inc., which runs BreakThrough News, is based at the People’s Forum W. 37th Street address in Manhattan. It serves as a propaganda arm of the network, producing media and protest coverage and "agitprop," or agitation propaganda. It’s often the first on the scene of major hotspots, like Glam Doll Donuts in Minneapolis, where a local activist, Alex Pretti, was killed by U.S. immigration agents earlier this year.

The People’s Forum organizes demonstrations and political programming, often the first to arrive at protests, handing out pre-printed signs from an affiliated group, the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Tricontinental, led by Singham friend Vijay Prashad, supplies Marxist research and ideological material and hosts events like a "Global South" conference last November in Shanghai, where Singham spoke, expressing support for the "new world order" of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

GOP LAWMAKERS URGE TREASURY TO PRESS AHEAD WITH PROBE OF HASAN PIKER OVER CUBA TRIP

As Fox News Digital first reported, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton from has separately launched a grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and other financial improprieties by Singham in financing these organizations. Meanwhile, the State Department issued a report on Monday, naming People’s Forum and CodePink as "fellow travelers" in Cuba’s foreign influence campaign to sell communism.

The synchronized defense illustrates how organizations and personalities tied to the Singham network can rapidly mobilize around a common message, just as they’ve done in the past to oppose everything from data centers to President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the war with Iran, Israel and the U.S. arrest of Venezuela strongman Nicholas Maduro.

Rather than addressing the committee’s allegations about foreign-linked funding, financial transparency and compliance with congressional document requests, many of the network’s most prominent voices characterized the investigation as political persecution, invoking themes of the "red scare," "McCarthyism," "censorship" and a broader "war on the left."

Messaging and fundraising push spreads

The wider campaign began Wednesday evening with a coordinated petition and fundraising push, before spreading through the Singham-linked network overnight and into today.

At 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, the People’s Forum launched the messaging counterattack, sharing a new petition and a fundraising appeal on the platform Give Lively LLC, requesting tax-deductible donations to finance its legal response and "mass organizing work."

A few hours later, at 9:44 p.m, Khalek, the BreakThrough News host, urged her social media followers to "sign, share, donate" to the outlet’s new fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform and sign a petition, "Tell Congress: Drop the Witch Hunt Against BreakThrough News!"

The petition is hosted on Action Network, a big Democratic Party organizing platform. BreakThrough News said it sought "emergency funds to fight back."

"We’re not going anywhere," Khalek wrote on X. "We’re going to fight this assault on our journalism. The only rights we have are the ones we’re willing to defend."

According to Breakthrough BT Media’s tax filings, Khalek received $101,449 in 2024 and $108,160 in 2023 for "consulting."

Khalek hosts the outlet’s "Dispatches" program and co-hosts "The Freedom Side." Fox News Digital previously reported that she promoted the Chinese government’s claimed "eradication of extreme poverty" during a 2021 program with Tings Chak, a China-based researcher at Tricontinental, linking the media output of one subpoenaed organization to the ideological work of another.

WATCH: How funding from Marxist tycoon Neville Roy Singham flows to organizations

SINGHAM-BACKED, PRO-CHINA GROUP DROPS HUGE SUM ON MANHATTAN HQ AS FEDS PROBE SHADOWY NETWORK

About an hour later, at 10:52 p.m, Hartzell Gray, a congressional candidate in Missouri supported by Democratic Socialists of America and CodePink’s Benjamin, declared: "Truth isn’t partisan. Journalism isn’t a crime."

Soon after, at 11:45 p.m., Benjamin replied to Khalek, expressing her support, and at 11:51 p.m., Piker posted his condemnation of the subpoenas.

By 2:11 a.m. the next day, socialist congressional candidate Kshama Sawant, a former Seattle City councilwoman, shared Khalek’s message and told followers she had signed the petition supporting BreakThrough News. She described the subpoenas as a "shocking increase in repression of independent media and left activists."

Later that morning, at 9:34 a.m., the campaign had spread to propagandists for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a University of Tehran professor and former adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, shared BreakThrough News’ response and declared: "The US is an intolerant and authoritarian regime."

Marandi’s accusation comes against the backdrop of Iran’s own crackdown on dissent. A United Nations fact-finding mission said the Iranian government had intensified its repression in a "concerted effort to crush dissent," while Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 177th out of 180 countries for press freedom in 2026.

About an hour later, at 10:39 a.m, Craig Mokhiber, a former senior U.N. human-rights official who previously directed the New York office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called the subpoenas an "outrageous attack" by the "US-Israel Axis." He said they threatened freedom of opinion, expression and information.

Foreign-linked funding at heart of probe

At the heart of the committee’s inquiry is the network’s layered financial architecture.

The panel alleges that Singham’s money traveled through shell companies and donor-advised funds before reaching the three tax-exempt organizations. Such arrangements, the committee said, can move foreign-linked funding through layers of intermediaries that "by design, obscure the original source of the contribution."

Fox News Digital previously documented $278 million flowing from Singham into six core nonprofits in a wider transnational network spanning media operations, activist organizations and ideological think tanks. The committee’s current investigation focuses on about $39 million it says reached BreakThrough News, the People’s Forum and Tricontinental.

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The committee requested records concerning foreign-linked funding and projects whose finances the groups managed. It also sought contracts involving foreign individuals or organizations, communications with Singham about the groups’ finances or operations, contacts with other foreign interests, information about foreign donors who contributed more than $5,000 and records of grants sent overseas.

By Thursday night, the counterpropaganda campaign went global with the World Socialist Website, a pro-communism platform, parroting the rhetoric of the Singham network and blasting the "anti-communist witchhunting" to its readers.

Netanyahu to visit Trump at White House, attend 'dear friend' Lindsey Graham's memorial service

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:44:20 -0400

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to meet with President Donald Trump and attend the memorial service of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., his office announced Friday.

The office said Netanyahu will leave Israel on Monday and meet Trump the following day. Graham’s communications director said last week that the late senator's "life and legacy" will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 28, in Washington, D.C., and on Wednesday, July 29, in Columbia and Pickens County, South Carolina.

Netanyahu, in a post on X paying tribute to Graham, described him as a "dear friend."

"In our recent meeting, I said, ‘Lindsey is a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine. We have no better friend than Lindsey.’ Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable," Netanyahu said. "He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world."

'AMERICA AND THE WORLD HAVE LOST A DETERMINED LEADER': TRIBUTES POUR IN AFTER SEN LINDSEY GRAHAM'S DEATH

"Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend," Netanyahu added.

The U.S. and Israel jointly launched Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion against Iran on Feb. 28.

ISRAEL'S NEW EXHIBIT EXPOSES YEARS OF HAMAS TERRORIST PLANNING BEFORE OCT 7 MASSACRE

Over the last 13 days , U.S. Central Command has carried out repeated airstrikes against Iranian military targets , while the Israel Defense Forces said they have been pushing back against provocations from Hezbollah , an Iran-backed terrorist group based in Lebanon .

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Lindsay Clancy judge shields 911 call, autopsy photos in mom’s triple-murder trial

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:40:39 -0400

A Massachusetts judge has partially granted a grieving father’s request to shield some of the most graphic evidence expected to surface at the murder trial of his now-ex-wife, who is accused of strangling their three young children inside the family’s home.

Plymouth Superior Court Judge William Sullivan ruled Friday that the media and public may not record, display, reproduce or distribute Patrick Clancy’s initial 911 call or autopsy photographs of 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan Clancy.

The evidence may still be presented to jurors during Lindsay Clancy’s trial, which is set to begin Monday with opening statements.

LINDSAY CLANCY’S HUSBAND COULD TESTIFY FOR HER AT TRIAL OVER DEATHS OF THEIR THREE CHILDREN

Reporters may also describe what is heard or shown in court but cannot broadcast or publish the recording or images themselves, according to the two-page order.

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Lindsay Clancy is charged with murder in the January 2023 deaths of her three children inside their Duxbury, Massachusetts home.

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Prosecutors allege Clancy strangled the children inside the family’s home before attempting to take her own life. Her attorneys have argued that she was suffering from severe mental illness and postpartum psychosis at the time.

Leavitt vows Trump will deliver 'entertaining' speech at his return to White House Correspondents' Dinner

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:39:10 -0400

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that President Donald Trump will deliver an "entertaining" speech Friday night at the White House Correspondents' Dinner after gunfire abruptly ended the original event in April.

"The President’s speech will be a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time, if you can imagine that," Leavitt said on Friday about the president’s upcoming address at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C.

"One thing I can assure you, it will be entertaining," she added.

The annual dinner has historically been held at the Washington Hilton. Chaos, however, broke out at this year’s banquet when an armed suspect, Cole Allen, stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president.

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPODENTS' DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

The incident prompted Secret Service agents to rush the president and first lady from the room as guests scrambled for cover, abruptly ending the dinner.

While first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be in attendance Friday due to prior commitments, many Cabinet officials will be present.

WHITE HOUSE REVEALS WHO'S JOINING TRUMP AT CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER – AND WHO CAN'T ATTEND

FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are among those attending.

"In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which violently ended rather abruptly on April 25th, will be rescheduled to July 24th. This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling," Trump had written on Truth Social in June.

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"I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out," Trump added.

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

Second lady Usha Vance shares family photos featuring newborn who is less than 1 week old

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:36:25 -0400

Second lady Usha Vance on Friday shared a picture of her newborn infant and two family photographs featuring the second couple and their four children.

"Thank you for all the good wishes as we settle into life as a family of six," she wrote, adding a heart emoji in the social media posts.

"Meet Alec — and enjoy these attempts at taking a decent family photo with four kids!" she added.

JD VANCE AND WIFE USHA WELCOME FOURTH CHILD, REVEAL BABY BOY'S NAME

It has been less than a week since the baby was born.

"We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning. Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother," the second couple first announced in a statement on Sunday.

JD VANCE'S WIFE USHA DETAILS HOW CHARLIE KIRK'S DEATH INFLUENCED DECISION TO HAVE FOURTH CHILD

"The incredible military doctors and staff members of Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit have been a blessing. We are deeply thankful for all they have done for our family," the statement added.

NEW POLL COMPLICATES VANCE'S STATUS AS TRUMP'S LIKELY 2028 HEIR APPARENT

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President Donald Trump declared in a Monday Truth Social post, "Congratulations! A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family."

His post included a photo of the infant and two children.

Eleven indicted in alleged Texas smuggling scheme that left 7 migrants dead in shipping container

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:36:19 -0400

Eleven people were indicted this week for allegedly participating in a years-long human smuggling operation that left seven illegal migrants dead in May after they were trapped for hours inside an unventilated shipping container in Texas.

Prosecutors say the migrants were loaded into the container near Del Rio before it was transported by train across the state. Six were later found dead inside it in Laredo and a seventh was discovered near railroad tracks at the San Antonio stop, according to authorities.

The victims — four Mexican nationals and three Honduran nationals — had no chance of escape because the container could not be opened from the inside, according to prosecutors.

"The ultimate destination for these aliens who began their journey in Del Rio was likely San Antonio. Once the train got to San Antonio, this alien smuggling organization that facilitated the movement of these individuals opened the train car doors," U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons said at a press conference on Friday.

SIX ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, INCLUDING 14-YEAR-OLD, FOUND DEAD IN SHIPPING CONTAINER ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER

"There was one individual inside that then fell out of the car. They left that individual for dead there by the tracks in San Antonio, closed the door to the container and sent the train on its way, the train ultimately ending up in Laredo, Texas, where the other six bodies were found," Simmons added.

One of the victims was a 14-year-old child, while another individual inside the car "frantically contacted their family as they were dying from the sweltering heat in that container," Simmons said.

The 11 defendants — four of them from the U.S. and seven from either Mexico, Honduras or Guatemala — allegedly ran a human smuggling organization from around April 2023 until May 2026, according to the indictment.

The group allegedly used cargo trains to get migrants further into the interior of the U.S. after getting them across the border, per the indictment.

MEXICAN NATIONAL SENTENCED IN BORDER CHILD SMUGGLING CASE INVOLVING THC-LACED CANDY

Prosecutors allege that toward the end of April this year, the organization began facilitating the travel of the group of seven migrants who would later die in the shipping container.

Each of the victims paid the smugglers between $1,500 and $10,000 to be transported from Acuña, Mexico, into the U.S., according to the indictment.

On the afternoon of May 9, the migrants made it into Del Rio, where the smugglers allegedly used a bolt cutter to snap the lock off a Conex shipping container that was aboard a stationary Union Pacific train, prosecutors said.

Once inside the container, the migrants were dealing with outside temperatures of 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, according to investigators.

The train traveled along U.S. 90 to San Antonio, about 150 miles away from Del Rio, where the smugglers caught up with the migrants and found them "in peril," prosecutors said.

‘BAKED TO DEATH’: HOMAN RIPS MEDIA WHILE SHARING HORRIFIC SCENES FROM BORDER ENFORCEMENT CAREER

According to the indictment, the smugglers that were there allegedly left one of the migrants who had already died near the railroad tracks before abandoning the rest of the migrants inside the shipping container as it traveled to Laredo.

The next day, a worker at the Union Pacific Railyard in Laredo saw a leg sticking out of the container, leading to the discovery of the dead migrants, the indictment said.

San Antonio authorities later discovered the body of the migrant who had been left by the railroad tracks, prosecutors said.

Nine of the 11 people charged in connection with the smuggling and the deaths of the migrants have been arrested and are now in federal custody.

Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio, was the first to be arrested on May 12.

Last week, eight other defendants charged in the indictment were arrested in central and south Texas as part of a Homeland Security Task Force operation.

Those arrested from the U.S. were Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio; and Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass, Texas.

Another two defendants arrested were from Honduras — Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, and Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30.

Three more were from Mexico — Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56; Damian Huerta Analucas, 55; and Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26.

Finally, Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, of Guatemala, was also arrested in the Homeland Security operation.

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Two of those charged remain at large, including 37-year-old Karina Garcia of Del Rio and 35-year-old Seferino Huerta-Casillas of Mexico.

All the defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of aiding and abetting transport of illegal aliens resulting in death. They face a maximum of life in prison.

Measles surge hits new milestone as US cases surpass last year's total

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:28:29 -0400

Measles has reemerged as a persistent public health challenge in the U.S. over the past two years — and the spread isn't slowing down.

According to a Johns Hopkins University tracker that compiles local and state health data, there were 2,295 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. as of July 22.

This figure has officially surpassed the 2025 numbers, which totaled 2,286 measles cases nationwide.

MEASLES-INFECTED TRAVELER MAY HAVE EXPOSED PASSENGERS AT LAX AND NEARBY HOTEL, HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN

Cases have been reported across the country, but concentrated outbreaks have worsened in some areas of Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Utah, Texas and Arizona. In 2025, Texas had the largest outbreak, totaling 803 cases throughout the state.

In the latest CDC measles update on July 17, there were 34 new outbreaks reported in 2026, compared to 48 outbreaks in 2025. Most cases were associated with local outbreaks, while some were linked to international visitors.

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Both this year and last year, 93% of all measles patients were either unvaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), or had an unknown vaccination status, data shows.

Most cases have occurred in children and young adults between the ages of 5 and 19. There have been no deaths reported in 2026, according to the CDC, but there were three deaths in 2025.

The rise in cases comes more than two decades after health agencies reported that the disease was eliminated in 2000.

Measles can be spread through direct contact with infectious droplets, or can be airborne when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, according to health officials. The virus can remain infectious in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.

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Symptoms usually appear within a week or two, and may include a high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

A few days later, flat, red spots appear on the face and then spread down the neck to the rest of the body. People are most contagious in the four days before and four days after the rash appears.

Community protection

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, emphasized the highly contagious nature of measles.

"Measles is so contagious that up to 90% of susceptible people who are exposed to an infected person will become infected," he told Fox News Digital, noting the importance of community protection. "We need a 95% vaccine coverage rate to ensure herd immunity," he said.

The herd immunity threshold is a mathematical estimate based on how contagious a disease is and how effectively immunity from vaccination or prior infection prevents its spread, according to Siegel.

"In this case, two-dose vaccination is almost 100% effective, and natural immunity after a measles infection is generally lifelong," the doctor said. "This isn’t about personal choice, it’s about community protection. We need to protect those who can’t have a live virus vaccine because they are immunocompromised or pregnant."

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The doctor also cautioned that the U.S. could be at risk of losing its measles elimination status, as the number and duration of outbreaks suggest sustained local transmission within the U.S., rather than isolated cases linked only to international travel.

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The CDC recommends that everyone receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, calling vaccination the best protection against measles.

Anyone who is showing measles symptoms or thinks they’ve been exposed should self-isolate and contact their doctor before showing up to a medical center and infecting others.

CBP intercepted biological materials tied to U.S.–China virus network before COVID, new documents show

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:27:18 -0400

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has released another batch of documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest records show that U.S. officials intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to a U.S.–China coronavirus research network as early as 2018, likely in an attempt to avoid international tensions and regulatory scrutiny, Paul said.

The documents, which include a Department of Homeland Security intelligence report, primarily focus on a network centered around University of Minnesota virologist Fang Li.

SLACK MESSAGES RELEASED BY RAND PAUL APPEAR TO SHOW AUTHORS OF KEY COVID-19 ORIGIN PAPER HELD PRIVATE DOUBTS

In the years leading up to the pandemic, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to this network of American and Chinese coronavirus researchers centered around Li, whose lab has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Paul stated in a news release.

In April 2018, Zhengli Shi, a scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), asked Li to have a student transport antibodies for SARS research from the United States back to China.

Li told Shi that was not a good idea, given the "current tension between the USA and China," according to the documents. He suggested another scientist ship the antibodies instead.

CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS

In October of that same year, Qibin Geng, a student in Fang Li's lab, offered to send live PEDV—a swine coronavirus—along with a growth protocol to Ralph Baric, a prominent American researcher.

Geng requested Baric's shipping address for the live virus. Geng had previously earned a degree from an institution affiliated with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), but did not disclose any military service or affiliation on his visa application.

In November 2018, CBP agents at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport intercepted three undeclared vials concealed in paper towels and wax film from a courier, who named Yusen Zhou of China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMS) as the source.

RAND PAUL BRINGS CIA WHISTLEBLOWER TO SENATE HEARING ALLEGING 'DEEP STATE' COVID-19 CONSPIRACY

In June 2021, the same courier was stopped again at the Detroit airport while traveling out of China, carrying 132 vials and a laptop belonging to someone else.

CBP reported that the vials likely contained a species of fly commonly used as a model organism in biological research. The courier was also carrying a laptop issued by a U.S. research institution to another individual, along with login credentials.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Li.

As Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Paul has released several batches of internal documents through his public archive, "The Reading Room."

Previous releases highlighted private doubts expressed by the authors of the "Proximal Origin" paper regarding the virus's source, as well as how the FBI halted a planned border inspection of another virus researcher.

WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham's player exclusive Adidas shoe sells out in less than an hour online

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:23:06 -0400

Sophie Cunningham has quickly become arguably the second-most popular player in the WNBA, only behind Caitlin Clark, of course. She is a viral star on TikTok, one of the most efficient three-point shooters in the league, Clark’s defender when she’s bullied, a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, and recently, an unapologetic defender of keeping women’s sports female. She’s the whole package, and many companies are taking advantage of her stardom, including Adidas.

On July 10, Adidas announced a player-exclusive Sophie Cunningham shoe that would be available for purchase in 10 days. The Crazy Energy "Sophie Cunningham" PE, a pink gradient colorway, released Friday morning for a retail price of $120.

JENNIFER SEY REVEALS ALLEGED COMMUNICATION WITH SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM AMID RECRUITMENT PITCH FOR XX-XY ATHLETICS

Friday morning, in collaboration with Adidas, Cunningham posted a video of her in an unmarked van full of her new sneakers with the caption: "today's the day. who's ready for the drop?", which has attracted over half a million views across Instagram and X in its first three hours of posting.

Within minutes of the social media promotion, most men's and women’s sizes were sold out. In less than an hour, they were all gone.

This is further proof that Cunningham’s marketability is skyrocketing. She’s on billboards, in commercials, a prominent voice in the culture war, and now, she has a best-selling shoe.

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In a league where only all-stars like Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese, and A’ja Wilson get shoe deals, Cunningham is breaking the mold and changing the game.

CAITLIN CLARK PASSES LEBRON JAMES IN JERSEY SALES, FURTHER EXPOSING WNBA'S MARKETING PROBLEM

As for Clark, the Nike Caitlin 1 is scheduled to release on October 1, 2026, marking Caitlin Clark's first signature basketball shoe with Nike, after making the public wait almost three full seasons before a release. Nike officially announced the shoe and its accompanying signature apparel collection on June 17, 2026.

Rahm Emanuel warns ‘Bernie bros’ could sink Democrats by saddling moderates with socialist agenda

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:18:24 -0400

Former Obama White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel warned Thursday that "Bernie bros" and democratic socialist candidates could hurt the Democratic Party in November's midterm elections by forcing moderates in competitive districts to answer for unpopular progressive positions.

Emanuel wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion column that Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates could divert attention from the issue he believes Democrats should make central in the campaign.

"In the name of ‘authenticity,’ the DSA and others are saddling the Democratic Party with nominees whose wildly unpopular positions will protect Republicans from having to pay the price of Donald Trump’s corruption and economic incompetence," Emanuel said.

He compared the current political environment with 2006, when he led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) as the party gained 31 House seats. He said Democrats succeeded by recruiting candidates who eased voters' concerns that the party was culturally out of touch and weak on national defense.

RAHM EMANUEL WARNS NEW GENERATION OF DEM SOCIALISTS DON'T LIKE AMERICA

The former Chicago mayor said efforts to elect socialists in safely Democratic districts have now created problems for candidates elsewhere.

"When the DSA attempts to turn safe Democratic states and districts a darker shade of blue, Democratic candidates in swing districts are put at a distinct disadvantage," Emanuel said.

Emanuel pointed to DSA member Darializa Avila Chevalier’s victory over Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District. The Mamdani-backed candidate narrowly defeated the five-term incumbent and Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman in June’s Democratic primary. Emanuel said Republicans could use the positions promoted by socialist candidates in heavily Democratic districts against moderates nationwide.

"What happens in the 13th District doesn’t stay in the 13th District," Emanuel said.

RISING SOCIALIST STARS ON TRACK TO CONGRESS: WHO ARE DARIALIZA AVILA CHEVALIER, BRAD LANDER AND CLAIRE VALDEZ?

Emanuel also blamed socialists for promoting positions that he said contributed to Democrats' recent electoral losses.

"It was socialists who led the charge to defund the police, open the borders, abolish prisons, release violent criminals onto the streets and degrade the flag," he said.

Emanuel cited Nebraska Democratic congressional nominee Denise Powell, whom the state Republican Party has labeled as "DSA Denise." Powell is running against Republican Omaha City Councilman Brinker Harding for an open seat in Nebraska's competitive 2nd Congressional District.

He argued that Powell should be able to focus on Harding's record instead of spending campaign resources separating herself from the socialist movement.

"Candidates in competitive districts have to spend time and effort differentiating themselves from the DSA’s agenda when they should be focusing voters on Mr. Trump’s corruption," Emanuel said.

He identified Powell as a "bright star perfectly positioned to flip" Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District but said Republicans were unfairly labeling her.

Powell’s campaign denied any connection to the socialist organization in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"Denise Powell is not a member of the DSA. She is a small business owner and working mom who is laser focused on lowering costs for Nebraskans and ending the rampant corruption in DC," campaign manager Ryan Longenecker said.

On Tuesday, Emanuel got into a heated clash with The New Yorker's David Remnick over why the potential 2028 Democratic candidate wasn't emphasizing left-wing culture war topics like transgender issues.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS AIM TO TURN DEMOCRATIC CIVIL WAR INTO MIDTERM WEAPON

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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was asked Friday on CNN's "The Situation Room" whether he agreed with Emanuel's argument. Buttigieg said moderate Democrats should focus on presenting their own agenda.

"Yeah, I think those of us who are more moderate in the party should concentrate our efforts on talking about what we’re for," he said. "Just like the Democratic Party as a whole has to be about more than just being against Republicans."

Buttigieg did not address Emanuel’s individual policy criticisms, instead promoting affordable healthcare, tax fairness and campaign finance reform.

"This is the kind of agenda that I think can be unifying, and I’m much more interested in that than any kind of factional project inside or outside the Democratic Party," Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg campaigned with Powell in Omaha earlier this month, WOWT reported. The DCCC has also placed Powell in its Red to Blue program, which supports Democratic candidates in competitive Republican-held districts.

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A poll released Wednesday found Buttigieg in a close second to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New Hampshire as a potential 2028 contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.

GOP rift grows as Thune hits brakes on Trump's election bill to avert shutdown

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:14:56 -0400

The wheels are in motion for Republicans to take another swing at President Donald Trump’s top election priority, but in the Senate, the main focus is keeping the government open.

House Republicans advanced their framework for another party-line budget reconciliation package that, among other funding priorities, includes a rough sketch to find a way to pass part of the SAVE America Act in the Senate.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is prioritizing another issue: preventing Senate Democrats from getting the opportunity to shut down the government ahead of the midterm elections in the fall.

JOHNSON DELIVERS BIG FOR TRUMP, BUT FRUSTRATION GROWS ACROSS RAZOR-THIN GOP MAJORITY

Thune plans to hold the House’s budget framework until the Senate can move a funding extension, known as a continuing resolution. Doing so, however, delays reconciliation, and in turn, trying to pass the SAVE America Act.

Negotiations on a continuing resolution between Republicans and Democrats are already underway in the Senate, but some in the GOP worry that Thune’s maneuver opens the door for betrayal.

"I support (Thune), I like him. I don't agree with him on this," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., an appropriator, told Fox News Digital. "I've seen this vampire movie before. He wants to negotiate with the Democrats. I respect that, but right now, if you turn the other cheek to Chuck (Schumer), he’s just gonna stab me in the neck."

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital she understood Kennedy’s position, but that Republicans needed to strike on funding the government while the opportunity was there.

"I believe that, particularly in the last year, we've seen Democrats getting more and more comfortable with not doing their job and finding a pathway forward," Britt said. "I do think we all have a duty and an obligation to try to find one here."

HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS

Kennedy also is unhappy with the slowdown in passing the SAVE America Act, a sentiment shared by his colleagues in the House.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., contended that the Senate could, and should, do both at the same time.

"Well, we all should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," Scalise told Fox News Digital before the vote Tuesday. "In fact, this week, we're doing both. We're passing the reconciliation bill that will move SAVE America, and we're passing a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels."

The House did pass a continuing resolution earlier in the week, but the Senate is working on a plan that could score Democratic votes, which, given the 60-vote filibuster threshold, is a necessity in the upper chamber.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital he was largely open to whatever could help Republicans avoid a shutdown ahead of the all-important midterm elections.

"Obviously, we would consider anything they had," Cole said. "A lot depends on what's in it and whether or not, if we'd lost Republicans, are they going to replace them over here with Democrats? But no, I think the more talking about getting this done, the better off we are, the less chance of a shutdown."

Thune also floated attaching the continuing resolution to the reconciliation bill sent over by the House as a means of bypassing the 60-vote threshold, which Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., called "problematic" because they are two separate aspects of government funding that are not traditionally paired.

REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP'S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY 'DEAD' IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

"I would suggest that Leader Thune do exactly what the House is doing," Clyde said. "Putting a continuing resolution on the budget reconciliation is problematic because you've got mandatory and discretionary funding mixed, literally for the entire Congress."

But the SAVE America Act may not even survive the strict rules that allow Republicans to use reconciliation. It also might not have the 50 votes needed to pass, either.

Thune, when asked about the criticism of his plan and the concerns holding up the SAVE America Act, told Fox News Digital, "as I've said before, we gotta get to 50."

"And I can't count to 50 right now on a budget resolution," Thune said. "But we'll see. I mean, we'll have those conversations at the conference. The priority is funding the government. And, so, to me, that's the thing we've got to keep our eyes on."

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Republicans across the chambers agree on the latter point to find a way to keep the lights on and prevent yet another government shutdown.

But still, those not completely bought into Thune’s plan think that both issues can be completed.

"We need to do government funding, he’s right on that," Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "We should also make sure our elections are secure, we should support the military, and so I think the reconciliation bill should move forward as well. But you know what, the Senate’s the Senate, they’ll do what they want to do."

Another top Seattle mayoral aide exits as Katie Wilson administration faces continued staff turnover

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:12:41 -0400

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's press secretary is leaving City Hall after less than seven months on the job, marking the latest high-profile departure from an administration that has already faced significant staffing turnover during its first year.

Local outlet PubliCola reported Wednesday that Sage Wilson made the call after "deciding he’d be more effective as an advocate for progressive causes outside the mayor’s office than inside it."

"Wilson, who previously worked in media relations for the labor advocacy group Working Washington and the progressive policy group Civic Ventures, doesn’t have a job lined up yet; his last day will be in early August," the report continued.

On his LinkedIn page, Wilson identifies himself as Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s deputy communications director.

SOCIALIST MAYOR KATIE WILSON SILENT AMID PROTESTS OVER ‘HUMAN DUMPING GROUND’ AHEAD OF US WORLD CUP MATCH

Sage Wilson's departure is the latest in a series of staffing changes inside Mayor Katie Wilson's office. PubliCola previously reported that the mayor's communications director, Seferiana Day, resigned in June after the mayor requested her resignation following several weeks of negative publicity.

According to the outlet, City Hall later brought in political consultant Crystal Nicole Fincher as a temporary communications advisor and Seattle Department of Transportation spokeswoman Dawn Schellenberg to assist with media relations.

On Thursday, the Everett Post reprinted a story from The Center Square that quoted Schellenberg as saying that the turnover is to be expected.

SEATTLE CLEANED UP FOR THE WORLD CUP BUT ONLY WHILE THE WORLD WAS WATCHING, COMMENTATOR SAYS

"It is common for new administrations to have some turnover and restructuring during the early phase as staff settle into their roles and address the priorities voters elected them to do," Schellenberg said.

Before taking office, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson urged Seattle residents to boycott Starbucks in support of a baristas' union protest at one of the company's local stores. She later softened her stance after Starbucks announced it would establish a regional headquarters in Nashville and relocate some Seattle-based jobs there.

"I had the pleasure of visiting the Pike Place Market Starbucks a little while ago, and I ordered – I think it was a blueberry muffin latte that was like a staff creation," Wilson said during a June interview with FOX 13 Seattle co-anchor Hana Kim, who had asked Wilson if she still supports a boycott of Starbucks.

"I guess I broke my boycott," Wilson added. "And yeah, but I, you know, I don’t know. What do you want me to say about that?"

In a May Wall Street Journal opinion piece, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz criticized Wilson's "socialist rhetoric," arguing it reflected an anti-business climate contributing to companies leaving Seattle.

SEATTLE MAYOR’S STARBUCKS BOYCOTT CALL SLAMMED BY LOCAL RADIO HOST AS COFFEE GIANT ADDS NASHVILLE-BASED ROLES

"Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, has chosen to cast business as a foil rather than a partner," Schultz wrote in the op-ed. "Her socialist rhetoric vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue. She has encouraged residents who disagree with her policies to leave."

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News of Sage Wilson’s departure quickly prompted criticism from political opponents on social media, many of whom pointed to the administration's earlier staff changes as evidence of broader instability. Others wished the departing spokesman well and speculated about the demands of the job.

Fox News Digital reached out to Sage Wilson for comment.

'America's Most Wanted' ex-cop fugitive returned after 20 years on the run to face murder, child sex charges

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:09:11 -0400

A former South Carolina police officer accused of killing his wife before disappearing for more than two decades has been returned to the United States from China to face murder and child sex charges, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Thursday.

Dan Hiers Jr., 53, was taken into U.S. custody in Shanghai on Wednesday after deputy U.S. marshals traveled to China to escort him back to the United States.

Hiers is wanted in South Carolina on a Goose Creek warrant charging him with murder and a Dorchester County warrant charging him with criminal sexual conduct with a minor, the Marshals Service said.

MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE ON WEDDING NIGHT BROUGHT BACK TO US AFTER YEARS ON THE RUN IN MEXICO

Investigators allege Hiers shot his wife, 24-year-old Ludimila Hiers, in the back of the head while she slept inside the couple's Goose Creek home on March 15, 2005.

Authorities said the killing came just hours before Hiers was scheduled to surrender to face additional child sex charges in Dorchester County.

Dorchester County Sheriff Sam Richardson said his office has been notified that Hiers is being returned to face justice on the criminal sexual conduct with a minor charge filed in 2005.

"Daniel Hiers was entrusted to serve the public as a police officer. Instead, he is accused of betraying that trust and preying upon a child," Richardson said. "No badge, title, or position will ever place someone above the law."

Hiers, a former Charleston Police Department officer, had been suspended in 2004 after he was accused of sexually abusing a minor. He was arrested Nov. 24, 2004, on a charge of committing or attempting a lewd act upon a child under 16, according to South Carolina court records.

WOMAN ADDED TO FBI'S TEN MOST WANTED LIST ARRESTED HOURS LATER AFTER TIPS POURED IN FROM FLORIDA: PATEL

Additional charges were filed in March 2005, but Hiers failed to appear in court. The case has remained unresolved ever since.

The U.S. Marshals Service placed Hiers on its 15 Most Wanted list in June 2005, identifying him as one of the agency's highest-priority fugitives.

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"Dan Hiers was in a position of public trust, but he betrayed that trust in the worst possible way," U.S. Marshals Director Gadyaces S. Serralta said in a statement. "Placing him on our 15 Most Wanted list made his capture a priority for this agency. His return to South Carolina is both significant and rewarding, and we thank our domestic and international partners for their tireless persistence in bringing this fugitive to justice."

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A Marshals Service wanted poster described Hiers as "armed and dangerous" and noted he was a former police officer with 11 years of law enforcement experience who was trained in police tactics and martial arts.

The poster also said Hiers had allegedly stated he would not go to prison and might force an armed confrontation.

'AMERICA'S MOST WANTED' FUGITIVE CAPTURED ON SAILBOAT OFF NJ COAST AFTER 20 YEARS ON THE RUN

The Marshals Service said the operation to return Hiers involved China's Ministry of Public Security, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and the FBI.

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Goose Creek police said Hiers' return marks the end of a decades-long effort to bring him back to South Carolina.

"The extradition of Dan Hiers means that justice can finally be served for the lives he destroyed," the Goose Creek Police Department said in a statement. "We are deeply appreciative of the U.S. Marshals Service for never wavering in its efforts to bring this fugitive back to the United States, and for keeping us updated over these long years of waiting."

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"We also thank the State Department, Justice Department, and the FBI for their assistance," the department added. "We knew that there was a possibility Mr. Hiers would never be brought back to the U.S. — the fact that he has is a credit to the United States' commitment to justice."

The international operation also drew praise from the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, which helped coordinate Hiers' return to the United States.

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"The Diplomatic Security Service was proud to stand alongside the U.S. Marshals Service and our Chinese law enforcement counterparts to ensure Dan Hiers finally answers for his crimes," Nicholas Collura, principal deputy assistant secretary for diplomatic security and director of the Diplomatic Security Service, said in a statement.

Richardson also praised the federal agencies involved in securing Hiers' return from China, saying their "extraordinary collaboration ensured that a wanted fugitive who attempted to evade justice by fleeing overseas has been returned to face the criminal justice system."

The Hiers case was featured multiple times on "America's Most Wanted" and "The Hunt with John Walsh" as investigators searched for him over the past two decades.

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It was not immediately clear when Hiers would make his first court appearance in South Carolina.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service, Goose Creek Police Department and the Charleston Police Department for additional information about Hiers' return to South Carolina and the status of the pending criminal cases.

Best Amazon weekend deals: Up to 79% off air conditioners, polos, tower fans and more

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:36:12 -0400

Amazon's weekend deals are packed with discounts on everything from back-to-school essentials to late-summer must-haves. Save up to 79% on portable air conditioners, lightweight pajama sets, Carhartt T-shirts and more, with prices starting at just $14. Some of our favorite picks have dropped to their lowest prices in months, making them worth grabbing before they sell out.

Trending Amazon weekend deals

Mesh beach bag: $8.99 (55% off)
Skechers men's Vigor 2.0 memory foam sneakers: $51.20 (42% off)
adidas Defender backpack: $34.80 (40% off)
Folding wagon cart: $39.98 (33% off)
Levoit tower fan: $54.93 (27% off)
Bissell PowerClean FurGuard stick vacuum: $229.99 (23% off)
Apple AirTag (2nd Generation), 4-pack: $89 (10% off)

Deals on FOX readers' favorite picks

These are the products FOX readers can't stop buying.

Wireless sports bra: $8.49 (79% off)

At 79% off, this wireless sports bra ranks as one of Amazon's best apparel deals of the year, so far, and it's also a FOX News reader favorite. The stretchy fabric gives you a barely-there feel, while wider straps deliver comfortable support.

Mini chainsaw: $29.99 (40% off)

Original price: $49.99

Trim branches and tackle light yard work with this cordless mini chainsaw. It cuts through branches up to 6 inches thick and comes with two batteries, extra chains, safety gear and maintenance tools, so you can get started right away.

Short-sleeve pajama set: $14.99 (58% off)

Original price: $35.99

Stay comfortable on warm nights with this short-sleeve pajama set. The button-up top looks more polished than a standard sleep tee, while the matching shorts feature a stretchy fabric designed for lounging. More than 1,000 Amazon shoppers bought a set this month, and it's a sleepwear pick our team also recommends.

Levi's men's 505 regular fit jeans: $49.99 (33% off)

Original price: $74.95

Stock up on Levi's 505 jeans while select washes are discounted up to 65%. The classic fit provides room in the thigh and a straight cut past the ankle. Pair them with T-shirts, button-downs and more year-round.

OXO Brew 9-cup coffee maker: $150 (40% off)

Original price: $249.99

Skip the coffee shop and brew at home with OXO's top-rated drip coffee maker. It's designed to brew at an ideal temperature and extraction time for a balanced cup, while the nine-cup capacity makes it a practical choice for households with multiple coffee drinkers.

Best Amazon home deals

Refresh your home with discounted upgrades on mattress toppers, air conditioners and more.

Portable air conditioner: $429.99 (56% off)

Original price: $979.99

Keep larger rooms cool with this 14,000-BTU portable air conditioner, designed for spaces up to 700 square feet. Built-in wheels make it easy to move between rooms, while app, voice and remote controls let you adjust the settings with ease. A 72-hour evaporation system helps reduce the need for frequent draining.

Niagara Sleep mattress topper: $39.99 (43% off)

Original price: $69.99

Give your bed a softer feel with this plush mattress topper. The cushioned design adds an extra layer of comfort to firmer beds, while deep pockets fit mattresses up to 20 inches thick. It’s also machine-washable for easier care and maintenance.

iRobot Roomba robot vacuum and mop: $169 (47% off)

Original price: $319.99

Take one chore off your to-do list with this iRobot Roomba vacuum and mop. The two-in-one design vacuums and mops in a single pass, while smart navigation helps it clean efficiently around your home. Its slim profile also allows it to reach beneath couches, beds and other furniture.

Air purifier: $99.99 (47% off)

Original price: $252.99

Designed for whole-home use, this air purifier covers rooms up to 2,600 square feet. Its washable filter helps reduce maintenance, while the built-in display monitors air quality in real time and automatically adjusts settings as needed.

Best Amazon outdoor deals

Head outside more this summer with deals on beach and outdoor gear.

Extra-large beach blanket: $18.97 (35% off)

Original price: $28.98

Stretch out in comfort with this extra-large beach blanket that has room for the whole family. The sand- and water-resistant material helps keep everyone dry and comfortable, and then packs into its attached storage for easy carrying when it's time to head home.

10-foot solar lighted umbrella: $44.99 (57% off)

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Light up your patio while adding shade with this solar-powered umbrella. LED lights line the underside of the canopy and provide up to 7 hours of illumination on a full charge.

Solar bug zapper: $65.99 (34% off)

Original price: $99.99

This solar-powered bug zapper lets you spend more time outdoors and less time swatting pests. It attracts mosquitoes, flies and moths with a blue light before eliminating them on contact. The waterproof design is ideal for patios, decks and backyards.

Best Amazon kitchen deals

Refresh your kitchen for summer with discounts on countertop favorites and prep gear.

Temp Pro digital meat thermometer: $8.98 (55% off)

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Mesh shower caddy: $8.99 (44% off)

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Project Cloud flip-flops: $28.90 (42% off)

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Stock up on discounted personal care must-haves like sunscreen and water flossers.

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Shocking mid-flight brawl erupts after takeoff, sending flight back to airport

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:58:20 -0400

A flight was forced to return to the airport after a passenger brawl erupted on board.

The disturbing incident took place earlier this week on a flight from Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, en route to Liverpool, United Kingdom, the BBC and other outlets reported.

Approximately 10 passengers were involved in the brawl, which broke out on an easyJet flight soon after the flight departed, the outlet noted.

WHY A BLOWN-OUT PLANE WINDOW NEARLY SUCKED A PASSENGER OUTSIDE AT 16,000 FEET

Police met the 186-passenger aircraft upon its return, and the flight later continued to Liverpool.

An easyJet spokesperson confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital.

The official said the aircraft "returned to Tenerife South Airport after takeoff due to a group of passengers on board behaving disruptively."

The person added, "The flight then continued onto its final destination."

DELTA FLIGHT FORCED TO DIVERT AFTER PASSENGER GOES INTO LABOR AND DELIVERS BABY MIDAIR

The official added that easyJet's cabin and ground crews are trained to quickly assess and respond to on board disruptions to prevent passenger safety from being compromised.

"We take these incidents very seriously and do not tolerate disruptive behavior toward our staff," the spokesperson added.

"The safety and well-being of customers and crew is always our highest priority."

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A spokesperson for the Civil Guard confirmed all the people involved were British nationals, according to Wales Online.

"Eight people were removed from the plane who had been traveling together, two adults and six minors. … [It appears] a heated discussion started in the airport terminal between two families before they boarded the plane, and those problems obviously continued on the plane, which is why it turned back," the spokesperson continued.

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Commenters on an aviation-focused Reddit forum criticized the passengers for brawling aboard the flight.

"Of all the places, these people decide to fight inside the plane and during the flight," one person said.

Brits also poked fun at the flight's destination in Liverpool.

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"Of course, it was a flight to the U.K.," a Reddit user said.

"Can’t be the Liverpool lads," another person said sarcastically.

The easyJet incident is the latest in a string of recent passenger disruptions aboard airplanes.

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Fox News Digital previously covered another case of disruptive behavior aboard an aircraft when a passenger allegedly yanked open an emergency exit during a lengthy tarmac delay.

Trump allies notch redistricting win as judges find no 'smoking gun' to scrap red state map

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:42:17 -0400

A redrawn Tennessee congressional map expected to give Republicans a 9-0 advantage in congressional seats will remain in place for the state's Aug. 6 primary, handing President Donald Trump and his allies another victory as they work to preserve the GOP's House majority ahead of the midterm elections.

A three-judge panel on Thursday denied a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a group of Black Tennessee voters and civil rights organizations, who argued the map intentionally sought to weaken the power of Black voters.

The lawsuit stems from Tennessee lawmakers redrawing the state's congressional map during a special session in May after the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which made it harder to challenge redistricting plans on racial discrimination grounds. The new map split Memphis and Shelby County into three congressional districts, effectively dismantling Tennessee's only majority-Black district. Republican lawmakers said the goal was to create a map that favored Republicans in all nine congressional districts and help preserve the GOP's majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

TENNESSEE PASSES NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP LIKELY TO FLIP FINAL DEM SEAT AS PROTESTS ERUPT INSIDE CAPITOL

The judges — two Trump-appointed judges and one appointed by President Barack Obama — concluded the evidence pointed to partisan politics as the driving force behind the redistricting.

"At bottom, Plaintiffs won't succeed on their vote-dilution claim because they haven't presented meaningful evidence that race — not politics — motivated Tennessee's May 2026 map," the judges wrote.

The judges contrasted the case with the Supreme Court's 2017 decision in Cooper v. Harris, where the High Court ruled that there was direct evidence that race influenced the redistricting process.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

"Plaintiffs' evidence is a far cry from the 'smoking gun' direct evidence in Cooper v. Harris."

As evidence, the plaintiffs pointed to the map itself, which eliminates the state's only majority-minority district; lawmakers' use of census data containing racial demographics; the unusual timing of the mid-decade redistricting; Tennessee's history of racial discrimination; and affidavits from Black Memphis voters who said the new map diluted their voting strength.

"Plaintiffs present no direct evidence, weak circumstantial evidence, and no path for Tennessee to accomplish its political aims without producing the same effect," the judges wrote.

WHERE TRUMP, GOP VS DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING BATTLE HEADS NEXT IN WAKE OF KEY COURT RULINGS

Amber Sherman, a plaintiff in the lawsuit and an affected voter, called the panel's rejection of the preliminary injunction "painful."

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"The decisions by this court continue to further the disenfranchisement of Black voters in Memphis," Sherman said in a statement. "We deserve the same opportunity to shape our future as anyone else. When our voting power is diluted, our neighborhoods have a harder time making their voices heard on the issues that shape our daily lives."

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While the preliminary injunction was denied, the lawsuit remains ongoing.

Since Trump began urging GOP-led states to pursue mid-decade redistricting, at least eight states have adopted new congressional maps, with Republicans hoping to gain seats in Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee. Democrats have responded with redistricting efforts in California, Utah and Virginia, although Virginia's new map was later struck down by the state's Supreme Court.

Rep Burchett unmasks 'deep state' plot to hide UFO truth after two-hour Pentagon meeting

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:36:27 -0400

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., disclosed new details about his high-level push for UFO transparency, arguing that unelected bureaucrats are defying public calls for full disclosure.

Speaking on the "Planet Tyrus" podcast, the Tennessee lawmaker recounted his ongoing battle for transparency and warned that Washington’s culture of secrecy undermines public trust.

"I had a meeting at the Pentagon this week on the issue, a very high-level [meeting]. I’m not at liberty to say who was there and what was, but I was there over two hours if that tells you anything," Burchett said.

TIM BURCHETT, UFO WHISTLEBLOWER RECOUNT OMINOUS GOVERNMENT WARNINGS AFTER DEMANDING UFO TRANSPARENCY

"And the disclosure is real. And the problem we’re having right now is the deep state is blocking a lot of this," he added.

Burchett, who has previously spoken about reviewing classified photos and videos, blamed unelected defense officials for stonewalling congressional oversight. He noted that staffers have claimed executive leadership is kept in the dark.

"I'm in a security hearing, and a little punk with a man bun tells me that the president's on a need-to-know basis. Now, what world am I living in?" Burchett said.

"You got power, you got control, you've got arrogance. And really those are the things that run Washington, D.C. And you throw in a little corruption," he added.

LONG-HIDDEN UFO INFORMATION AT CENTER OF TRUMP PUSH TO FREE FORMER OFFICIALS

Burchett told Tyrus he had spoken to pilots and service members who witnessed unidentified objects but intentionally destroyed footage to avoid professional retaliation. He added that those who reported such encounters underwent an eight-hour debriefing that became part of their personnel record.

FBI LEADING PUSH TO UNCOVER TRUTH ABOUT MYSTERY OBJECTS NEAR US NUCLEAR FACILITIES, FILMMAKER SAYS

"They had psych evaluations because of it. And they would, they could get pulled from the flight line," he said. "And that's just wrong, man. That's a stigmatizing of anybody. And also it's a cover-up of what the heck's going on. And government does not have the right to decide what I can and cannot handle."

Earlier this month, the administration released its fourth batch of declassified unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) records. The documents include military infrared videos and details about a 2015 unidentified object reported near the nation's primary nuclear weapons assembly facility.

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The release is part of a continued push to expand public access to UAP records while maintaining necessary redactions to protect sensitive military details. In February, Trump posted about his directive to agencies to begin the disclosure process for information related to UAPs and extraterrestrial life.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

White House Correspondents' Association president previews upcoming dinner, 'not gonna be intimidated'

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:30:51 -0400

White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) President and CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang previewed on Thursday what to expect from the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner after an armed suspect stormed the April event.

"I don’t want images of my colleagues hiding under a table to be the last images from this year, of all years," Jiang told People magazine.

She added, "I want us to stand together and to show that we are not gonna be intimidated — that we are going to come back stronger, and we are going to recognize all the people who have done such hard work."

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES EVENT BEING RESCHEDULED AFTER SHOOTING

Since then, Jiang described several security measures taken ahead of Friday's dinner in partnership with the Secret Service and a private security firm hired by the WHCA. These measures include moving the location from the Washington Hilton to the Waldorf Astoria ballroom, shrinking the guest list from 2600 attendees to approximately 680 and allowing only one access point through a private entrance.

"I do feel very good about the measures that we’ve taken and really thought through," Jiang said.

Despite the tight schedule to put together a new dinner, Jiang emphasized the importance of celebrating the press during America's 250th anniversary.

TRUMP PRAISES PRESS AFTER WHCD SHOOTING, SAYS UNITY AT DINNER WAS 'BEAUTIFUL'

"Maybe if it wasn’t this year, 2026, it would’ve been easier just to say, ‘Let’s just wait until next year’s dinner,’" Jiang said. "But especially at that time leading up to July 4th, all the country was talking about, all Washington was talking about, was America 250. And the First Amendment is such an important part of that fabric that this year of all years, we have to show the importance of recognizing those freedoms in the First Amendment."

The dinner is largely expected to feature the same speakers and performers scheduled for the original event, such as mentalist Oz Pearlman and President Donald Trump, marking his first time attending the dinner as president.

In addition to honoring journalists and scholarship recipients, the WHCA will award the Secret Service member who survived the April shooting the service award for his efforts. Jiang revealed that the original Washington Hilton staff will also be honored at the dinner.

Though Trump is expected to appear, not all the members of his administration will make a reappearance. First lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be there due to prior commitments.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Trump's appearance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner has drawn backlash from journalists who demanded that WHCA members use their position to "speak truth to power" against the president.

Jiang emphasized that the dinner would be an effort to "normalize relations" between the Trump administration and journalists rather than exacerbate tensions.

"The Correspondents’ Dinner is our most visible event, but we do so much all year round," Jiang said. "We’ve really been able to course correct, because there was so much friction last year between our association and the administration. And my goal coming back was just to normalize relations so that we could find compromises so that we could work together."

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The White House Correspondents' Dinner will take place on Friday.

‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ set decorator slain, husband found dead in family already scarred by home killing

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:28:55 -0400

A new mother who worked on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" TV show was found murdered inside her home in Queens, New York, in an apparent murder-suicide, and reports show she married into a family with a violent past.

The NYPD confirmed to Fox News Digital that 34-year-old Mary Golding was pronounced dead on scene after police discovered her with a stab wound in her back just after midnight Tuesday morning.

According to IMDb, Golding was a set decorator who worked on numerous TV shows, including "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

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Golding also worked on set design for "Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer," "Goosebumps," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," and "Hawkeye," among several other shows.

The victim appears to have attended New York University, according to her Facebook profile.

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Following their discovery of Golding's body, investigators made another gruesome find inside Astoria Park.

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The body of Golding's husband was seen hanging from a tree in what appears to be a possible murder-suicide, according to the New York Post.

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Sources told the Post that Golding's husband, Joseph Azzaretto, 33, confessed to the killing over the phone when he made calls to one of his wife's friends and a family member.

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The friend, who was not named, found the young mother dead inside the home and found the couple's baby nearby in the home.

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Prior to the recent killing, Azzaretto's brother, Nicholas, was accused of shooting and killing their father, Frank Azzaretto, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

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He was reportedly shot in the chest right in front of his wife during a family dispute inside the couple's home in February 2020, the Post reported.

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Nicholas Azzaretto pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in November 2021 and was sentenced to 10 years probation, and two years of electronic monitoring, according to the outlet.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Amazon, which streams "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Abdul El-Sayed scores Sen Tina Smith's endorsement in Democratic primary that exposes party divide

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:28:29 -0400

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., has endorsed Democratic Michigan U.S. Senate primary candidate Abdul El-Sayed, describing him as "a fighter."

El-Sayed expressed his gratitude Thursday for the senator's backing.

"Senator Tina Smith has been a fighter for working people in the US Senate," he said in a statement. "She’s fought for and delivered on an economy that works for all of us. I hope to build on her leadership on women’s health and reproductive rights and access which has paved the way for the future I want for my daughters and every American. I’m deeply grateful for her support."

TOP DEM HOPEFUL FLIPS SCRIPT AFTER YEARS IN SOCIALIST ORBIT WITH PUZZLING CLAIM

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are some of the figures who have endorsed El-Sayed.

"In all due respect to Haley Stevens, everybody knows that this is not an election between her and Abdul," Sanders said during an event last week in support of El-Sayed. "This is an election between Abdul and the billionaire class. That is what this election is about."

The Senate hopeful is running against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary contest.

WARREN DEFIES SCHUMER AS DEM CIVIL WAR EXPLODES OVER MUST-WIN SENATE RACE

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who announced last year that he would not seek re-election, is supporting Stevens to succeed him in the Senate seat.

"Over the last eighteen years, while serving the people of Michigan, I have been surrounded by many extremely talented and dedicated partners who work tirelessly for our state. Haley Stevens has been that partner in Congress," Peters wrote in a statement. "Haley Stevens will be ready on day 1 to fight for Michigan, which is why I am excited to announce I am all in for Haley Stevens."

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is also among those backing Stevens.

DEMOCRATS' CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN

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Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is backed by President Donald Trump, does not face any competition heading into the Michigan Republican U.S. Senate primary.

Trump says Iran will pay — what it takes to end the war remains unclear

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:21:04 -0400

Nearly five months after launching a sweeping campaign against Iran’s nuclear, missile, naval and proxy capabilities, the Trump administration is now fighting to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations have yet to produce a permanent settlement.

The administration says its renewed strikes have a clear immediate objective: "making Iran pay." Less clear is what Iran must do to end the strikes — or what conditions would allow the U.S. to step back from a growing military commitment in the region.

President Donald Trump has threatened to expand the campaign to Iran’s nuclear sites, bridges, power plants and other infrastructure.

ARMY IDS 2 VICTIMS KILLED IN JORDAN AIR BASE ATTACK; TRUMP: IRAN WILL PAY 'MANY TIMES OVER'

In response to questioning on the end goals in Iran, a U.S. official said: "Right now, the President is focused on making Iran pay for their violations of the MOU and their continued acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz," referring to the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.

"In addition, the president will make Iran pay for the recent deaths of U.S. soldiers," the official said.

"These devastating blows will continue until the president deems otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing," the official said. "President Trump has all of the cards and all options at his disposal, and Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon."

The response defined the immediate campaign as punishment for Iran’s actions but did not identify any condition Tehran could meet to halt the strikes beyond Trump deciding that the punishment had been sufficient. Follow-up questioning by Fox News Digital went unanswered.

STEVE FORBES URGES TRUMP TO KEEP THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ OPEN AT ALL COSTS

When Trump launched its military Operation Epic Fury mission on February 28, the White House laid out four sweeping objectives: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, destroying its ballistic missiles and production capacity, annihilating its navy and severing its support for terrorist proxies.

The administration declared those military objectives achieved in April. But Iran retained enough capability to close the Strait of Hormuz, attack commercial shipping and target U.S. forces and allies across the region.

The administration’s immediate focus is now the strait.

U.S. Central Command said Thursday that its latest strikes targeted Iranian maritime capabilities, coastal surveillance sites, air defenses and missile and drone facilities to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels.

TRUMP SEEKS $672M TO STOP IRANIAN NUKES AS NEGOTIATORS WEIGH FATE OF URANIUM STOCKPILE

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has framed the current campaign as an effort to prevent Iran from establishing a "dangerous precedent" by controlling an international waterway, while maintaining that Washington remains open to diplomacy. He said Iran must stop attacking commercial ships and reopen the strait before the United States changes its behavior.

"Their behavior has to change in order for ours to change," Rubio said Sunday.

Yet recent strikes have expanded beyond Iran's maritime capabilities to include bridges and other infrastructure as Trump continues threatening nuclear facilities, raising new questions about how the widening target set fits into the administration's broader strategy.

Meanwhile, the final nuclear agreement envisioned under the June memorandum of understanding has not materialized, even as the White House says talks between Washington and Iran are continuing. The memorandum had envisioned an agreement within 60 days, but renewed fighting has left its timing and prospects uncertain.

Trump has continued threatening Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain facility. But he has also appeared to soften one of the administration’s original demands, saying in June that Iran could retain some ballistic missiles in proportion to neighboring countries.

The administration has not clarified whether the original missile objective was achieved, relaxed as part of negotiations or remains part of a future settlement, nor whether ending Iran’s support for proxies remains a condition for victory.

Publicly, the renewed campaign has a clear immediate military task — protecting shipping and preventing Iran from asserting control over Hormuz — but the connection between that mission, the stalled nuclear process and Trump’s threats to widen the war remains unexplained.

Eighteen U.S. service members have been killed since the war began, while Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Tuesday that the campaign has cost an estimated $37.5 billion.

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute conservative think tank, who served as a senior strategy official in the first Trump White House, argued that the campaign can still be understood around one overriding objective.

"I think the end goal is to prevent them from having a nuclear weapon," Spalding told Fox News Digital. "The goal is very clear. It is: How do you want to go about getting to those goals, and then what are you willing to pay to achieve them? That’s the decision that has to be made."

On Hormuz, Spalding predicted that protecting commercial shipping could require a prolonged U.S. presence, comparing it to Operations Northern and Southern Watch, the yearslong U.S.-led enforcement of no-fly zones over Iraq.

"I don’t think that we’re leaving the area anytime soon," Spalding said.

He described that potential mission as "almost an airborne and seaborne occupation of the strait and the Gulf" intended to preserve the free flow of international shipping.

Such a mission could give the current strikes a defined military purpose, but it would not necessarily resolve the nuclear negotiations, eliminate Iran's remaining leverage or produce a political settlement. It could instead leave American forces enforcing access to Hormuz for an extended period while the broader conflict remains unresolved.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, said the administration’s changing public emphasis reflects the absence of a coherent strategy connecting its military actions to an achievable end state.

"The administration does not seem to have a clear strategy," Vaez told Fox News Digital. "It’s been a moving goalpost."

Vaez also argued that the conflict has given Iran a potent new form of leverage: the demonstrated ability to choke shipping through Hormuz and impose economic pain on the United States. He described Iran’s control over the strait as a "weapon of mass destruction."

"For more than four decades, the United States has been able to coerce the Iranian regime economically," Vaez said. "The Iranians never had the possibility of retaliating in kind, of putting pressure on the pocketbook of every American citizen."

The U.S. is now trying to inflict enough pain on Iran that it abandons its insistence on controlling the strait, according to Vaez. But Iran views that control as its most valuable remaining source of leverage and one it cannot surrender without weakening its position in any future negotiations, he argued.

"We are in a zero-sum situation," Vaez said. "The U.S. is trying to remove a tool of leverage from the hands of the Iranians that they believe is essential to their survival."

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Although the United States retains overwhelming military superiority, Vaez argued that neither side has been able to deliver a decisive blow. Washington can continue inflicting damage, he said, while Tehran has a greater willingness to absorb it because it views the conflict as a struggle for the regime’s survival.

"There is no military solution to resolving the problem in the strait," Vaez said. "After much more death and destruction, I think both sides would return to the same logic that led them to agree to the MOU in the first place — which is that neither side is really able to deliver a knockout blow to the other."

18 comfortable sneakers for every budget, from under $60 to $200

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 09:57:19 -0400

To help you narrow down your shoe choices, we've lined up options for all types of activities, whether that's running errands, gym workouts or marathon training. Our list includes brands like Skechers, Brooks and New Balance. Shop budget-friendly picks for less than $60, along with splurge-worthy options priced as high as $200.

Latest sneaker deals

Nike men's Air Monarch IV shoes: $59.50 (30% off)
Under Armour women's Charged Assert 11 running shoes: $56.25 (25% off)
New Balance men's 480 V1 sneakers: $75.06 (25% off)
Nike men's Air Max Excee shoes: $77.38 (23% off)
Reebok Club C 85 vintage tennis sneakers: $65.30 (23% off)
Orthofeet Nira orthopedic women's sneakers: $129 (19% off)

Best sneakers under $60

These bargain picks keep your feet supported without digging into your budget.

Calvin Klein Landy sneakers: $43.60 (60% off)
Cole Haan Grand Crosscourt Modern sneakers: $59.64 (56% off)
Hey Dude Sirocco sneakers: $41.53 (36% off)
Skechers men's Energy Afterburn sneakers: $55.99 (35% off)
adidas Men's Daily 4.0 Shoe: $48.75 (25% off)
New Balance Fresh Foam 520 v9 running shoes: $52.49 (25% off)
adidas men's Run Falcon 5: $54 (17% off)

Skechers women's Go Run Consistent shoes: $49.60 (32% off)

Original price: $73

With foam-heavy insoles that absorb shock, Skechers' Go Run shoes are a versatile choice for walking and running. The chunkier design makes them more durable while remaining lightweight enough that they won't bog you down. When mud sticks, just throw them in the washing machine for a quick clean.

Dearfoams women's lace-ups: $37.95 (16% off)

Original price: $44.99

The Dearfoams Mabel lace-ups for women feel more like slippers but work as a long-lasting sneaker you can toss in the washing machine. There's extra arch padding that also helps relieve heel and ankle soreness.

Skechers men's Go Walk Max Effort sneakers: $34.34 (31% off)

Original price: $49.44

Built for all-day wear, these Skechers Go Walk Max Effort sneakers help keep you supported step after step. The lightweight mesh upper and cushioned insole cradle your feet, while the outsole stays flexible no matter your stride.

New Balance women's 608 V5 cross trainer: $59.95 (25% off)

Original price: $79.99

With NDurance rubber outsoles, the New Balance 608 V5 cross trainers can withstand constant wear-and-tear. The midsole also absorbs impact to relieve pressure as you walk, so you won't need to switch shoes throughout the day.

Skechers Viper Court Smash pickleball sneakers: $49.78 (41% off)

Original price: $84

These Skechers Viper Court Smash shoes are great for pickleball enthusiasts looking for an affordable shoe that keeps up with you on the court. They're incredibly light with a responsive foam cushioning that cradles your feet as you run. The relaxed fit design gives ample room for those with wide feet.

Best sneakers under $100

If you need extra stability, these more premium sneakers provide it.

Rockport men's Chranson walking shoes: $78.23 (37% off)
ASICS men's Gel-Venture 11 trail running shoes: $69.95 (22% off)

New Balance women's Arishi V4 running shoes: $74.94 (6% off)

Original price: $79.99

Running shoes don't need to be expensive, and the New Balance Arishi V4 proves it. At $75, you get a pair of responsive, lightweight sneakers with a mesh lining that keeps your feet cool. The no-sew construction adds durability, and the laces are designed to stay put during long runs.

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star High Top: $65

Converse's Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers are more than just iconic basketball shoes — they're lightweight, high-tops made from durable canvas. They've changed little since their 1917 release, a testament to their popularity.

Columbia women's Strata Trail sneakers: $78.12 (13% off)

Original price: $90

Columbia women's Strata Trail sneakers are waterproof, with a grippy tread that adds stability on hikes and walks. The seam-sealed construction stops water and mud from seeping in, while the lightweight midsole cushions your feet. At 10% off, grab them now while they're under $100.

Merrell men's Morphlite trail sneakers: $60.76

Although Merrell's Morphlite sneakers are made for trail runners, they're comfortable enough for other activities and come in a mix of bold colors and neutrals. Recycled mesh and leather encase the outer body of the shoe, while sticky rubber outsoles keep you steady on a variety of surfaces.

Skechers men's contour foam slip-in shoes: $66 (13% off)

Original price: $76.50

These Skechers slip-ins are ultra-comfortable, thanks to memory foam and a hands-free design. If you're on your feet from sunup to sundown, the cushioned insole helps manage moisture while cradling your foot. With medium and wide options available, there's a size for everyone.

Nike men's Air Max SC shoes: $71.24 (25% off)

Original price: $95

Nike Air Max SC shoes have a low profile that blends well with any look. The trademark Air cushioning keeps them lightweight so they won't drag you down on walks or runs. A mix of real leather and mesh forms a breathable upper, and thick rubber outsoles add lift and traction.

Brooks men's Launch 11 Neutral running shoes: $84.99 (29% off)

Original price: $119.95

The Brooks Launch 11 running shoes are lightweight, with responsive foam cushioning made for comfort. Plush heel support gives you more control during long runs or the days when you're on your feet nonstop.

Skechers women's Go Walk Flex slip-ins: $69.94

Slip into these Skechers Go Walk Flex shoes in seconds. Extra cushioning and a breathable mesh keep your feet cool all day long, while the machine-washable design makes cleanup simple.

Best sneakers under $200

If you’re a runner, hiker or avid walker, you need shoes that can hold up — and these options deliver.

ECCO men's Soft 10 Premier sneakers: $170
Merrell men's Nova 4 sneakers: $104.99 (25% off)
Vivobarefoot men's Gobi II leather barefoot sneakers: $179.95 (14% off)
Brooks women's Glycerin 22 shoes: $148.50 (10% off)

Keen Targhee 3 Oxford casual hiking shoes: $129.99 (10% off)

Original price: $145

Using hides from Leather Working Group-certified tanneries, Keen makes a premium hiking shoe that still looks professional. A mesh lining adds breathability, while the padded tongue and collar keep your feet comfortable. The rubber outsole powers through muddy environments and rocky surfaces, preventing slippage.

ECCO Byway 2.0 slip-on sneakers: $184.95

The ECCO Byway slip-ons have a sleek, office-ready look, along with a durable rubber outsole that offers a reliable grip. Slip them on hands-free, and the breathable design helps keep your feet cool. Soft cushioning makes them an ideal choice for all-day use.

New Balance FuelCell Delray V2 tennis shoes: $109.94

Packed with padding, the New Balance FuelCell tennis shoes work well for any kind of exercise. The FuelCell foam is designed to reduce foot fatigue, while the cotton lining stops sweat in its tracks. Plus, ankle padding minimizes irritation as you move.

Orthofeet women's hands-free sneakers: $129

Orthofeet's hands-free sneakers work for those dealing with plantar fasciitis, diabetes, arthritis and more. With no laces, they slip on hands-free, making them a smart pick for those with limited mobility. Each pair comes with insoles that provide extra arch support.

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Arc'teryx men's Norvan LD 4: $170

Arc'teryx's Norvan LD 4s are comfortable and lightweight, yet built tough. The Vibram Megagrip outsole adapts to all your training needs and keeps you steady over a variety of terrain. Waterproof fabric is a bonus in wet conditions.

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