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Kristin Cavallari gets rave reviews for her first pitch at Cubs game, 7'6 15-year-old basketball player & MEAT

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:31:58 -0400

The sun is out for now, the Canadian wildfire smoke isn't supposed to be back until tomorrow and it's time for a dog days of summer edition of Saturday Screencaps where we scrape for content during these quiet times.

Let's start by going to Chicago where Kristin Cavallari's first pitch had the Cubs mascot a total mess. I have to give Cavs credit. She has been a complete drama queen over the years, but I'd be lying if I said she hasn't provided us with millions of pageviews. She's an absolute content hall of famer and last night was just another notch on the belt.

Remember, this woman turns 40 in January. She's in rarified air. Typically, at this age, the B and C-listers typically turn into self-help gurus who suddenly start praying to some butterfly goddess while on a retreat in Costa Rica. I've seen it way too often where celebs will waste about a decade from 35-45 b----ing about the government, Trump, etc.

PAULINA GRETZKY CAUSED WHIPLASH AT TAYLOR SWIFT'S WEDDING, MORE CAITLIN CLARK DISRESPECT & KRISTIN CAVALLARI!

Not Cavs. Just this week, she made headlines where she said her kids can sit in coach while she's in first class on planes. Now she's throwing out a first pitch in shredded jorts. THIS IS CONTENT 101. Keep the content flame burning. Thank you, Cavs.

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Why are local TV weather people always over-smiling in photos? Is this a thing from your weather people? Just once, give me a normal smile on Facebook. I don't need an open mouth smile every single time you take a photo. Tone it down just a bit. There's no way you're that happy.
While I'm at it, just think of how miserable golf Big Js are. At every turn, they want to CRUSH Bryson. Last night, it was a feeding frenzy over a guy who has made them a ton of money while they constantly chase validation from Rors. The outrage last night over Bryson mashing down the wheat field behind his ball was hilarious. I'm left wondering which one is a bigger circlejerk: Golf media or football media?

This is a headline this morning from Canada's national news outlet CBC: "Minister says nothing went wrong with Ottawa's response to Ontario wildfires." In other words, buckle up because this is going to go on every summer for the foreseeable future. The lady in charge has the following title: Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister Responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.Not kidding.
I find myself wanting to attend the Tour de France and stand on the road where the fans get so tight that only a single procession of riders can pass through the crowd. Last night, I spent part of the night watching Friday's race where the riders had to climb up a mountain where there were thousands of fans going absolutely crazy. I want to feel that adrenaline. Have any of you ever been as a fan in that environment?
We watched Jurassic Park this week with Screencaps Jr. and I was shocked how well it has held up over 33 years. The CGI actually looks pretty good.
I stand corrected on bowling alleys using cords to set pins. The inbox went nuts Friday. I guess it's now a thing that the private equity guys figured would save them on maintenance. I cannot believe what this world has come to.

– Michael V. says: Hello Joe, hope all is well. Yes I have been to a bowling alley that has pins held up by plastic cords. It was a lucky strike (not sure if that counts as a real bowling alley) close to my house. I prefer bowling on a regular lane because I find the plastic cords get tangled and cause delays in play. AMF offers a great summer deal (#notsponsored) where you pay $50 per person and can play up to 2 games a day everyday until labor day. The pass pays for itself after 3 visits. My daughter and I have done it the past few summers and some of her friends join us now as well. Topgolf has a similar deal that is a bargain as long as you dont buy a lot of food and drinks when you go.

– Chris from California writes: Reading today's column and Justin in Sherwood Park name checked my state and brought up how he feels our state government's mismanaging of things has lead to more wildfires. Sadly, he couldn't be more right.

I've lived in Southern California my entire life and year after year the wildfires seem to be getting worse and worse, yes some of it is environmental and based on the way a bunch of areas have been developed but a huge factor is the way our idiot government does things. I feel like there's three major factors at play, one; there's less controlled burns, clearing of brush, etc. all in the name of helping the environment (that then burns to the ground), two; a lack of oversight and holding utility companies accountable for faulty powerlines, infrastructure and that sort of thing and finally the way we handle water. The most cursory of Google searches will lead you to countless articles about the truly moronic way our state handles water, not routing it where it's truly needed and can actually help the parts of my state that tend to be really dry. At this point, like with most things California does I'm not sure I can even logically explain to use the reasoning behind why any of this is done. I'd like to think I'm a relatively smart, educated person but most of the policies and laws enacted by this state and the reasoning behind it bounce off my brain because they simply don't make any sense. It's like a toddler throwing a box of crayons at a wall and then saying they painted a Picasso.

The only solace I can take is that my state seems to be slowly waking up to just how poorly we are run. There is an honest to God shot at a Republican being elected Governor and with each passing day, as Gavin Newsom gets closer to announcing his run at the Presidency, Republicans are frothing at the mouth and Democrats are trying to gird themselves because they all know if he runs he will get utterly destroyed. All anyone running against him has to do is bring up where California was 8 years ago and where it is now because of his mind-numbingly terrible leadership and he'll be laughed into obscurity.

Also, to chime in on the pool thing, as well as something else that was brought up this week.

I own a pool and I have 3 boys, 14, 12 and 10 so I have a bunch of idiot teenager or almost teenagers over all the time. They all know they can act like idiot teenagers, but there's a rules and limits to make sure they are safe and no one walks away with more than a skinned knee or a wedgie. Their parents all know and support this and likewise if my kids go over to their friends' houses, they know not only do my rules apply, but whatever other rules the people that are hosting them might have as well.

This brings me to the other thing someone brought up about respect and being called, Mr., Mrs., etc. I'm not sure how I got so lucky but I've been very fortunate that all the parents that are part of my kids' friend circles have the same views and rules I do for my kids. You treat all adults with respect and call them Mr. or Mrs. unless they tell you otherwise. You shake hands when you meet them, you follow their rules, etc. It took a bit of getting to know everyone and maybe we all gravitated towards each other because we had the same expectations for our kids and the way they are supposed to interact with society and we subconsciously excluded people that don't hold those same views, but we all feel perfectly comfortable when they are over at each other's houses because we all know there's rules and a level of respect that each of them will observe. This has allowed us to create a nice "bubble" for lack of a better term where they can be moronic teenagers but within limits. It's one thing to throw each other around on the giant trampoline in the backyard, boys will be boys, but the moment someone says stop or an adult tells you to do something, you do it. You treat every house like your own, you clean up after yourself without being asked, you say "please" and "thank you" every time, it's just basic stuff that makes sure no matter the situation or the place they will be civil, respectful and responsible and that it's okay to have fun, but not be dumb about it.

Kids don't have to but when a young man comes up to me, looks me right in the eye, shakes my hand and calls me Mr., that goes a long way towards me being okay with my kids hanging out with him because I know the person that taught the kid that is gonna be pretty inline with my thinking. I'm pretty certain they think the same thing when my kid does it to them. It's a small thing, but it's those small things that add up to a complete, competent, productive, well-rounded member of society.

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– Carl was there: I was at the Blue Angels practice on Wed when the low flyover took place. It was incredible and everyone there loved it. They have two separate groups that practice. First, 4 planes practice (#1,2,3 and 5), then an hour later, they go home and #4 and #6 fly. There was another low pass over the pier that everyone thought the plane was going to hit the pier because it was so low. However, there were no people that far out on the pier because they restrict them to beginning of it. I missed the Thursday practice but people are saying the Blue Angel #3 wasn't there. That is the same plane that did the low flyover. Also, Blue Angel #6 is the loudest, absolutely deafening! The Blue Angels are absolutely amazing.

###############

That is it this morning. I have a weekend facing me down. It's time to get this published so I can close the laptop. Let's get out there and create some new storylines for next week.

Pratt takes Walz to task in scathing X post over pardoned child rapist: 'Have your hard drives checked'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:25:15 -0400

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate and reality TV star Spencer Pratt took aim at Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in a post that was widely praised by conservatives on social media.

"If you find yourself defending a child molester, saying: ‘WE can’t be judged by OUR worst day’, you probably need to have your hard drives checked," Pratt posted on X on Friday.

Pratt was responding to a clip of Walz defending the pardon of a convicted child rapist, contending that his deportation by the State Department did not make the U.S. safer.

"Did that make us any safer?" Walz questioned. "Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?"

TIM WALZ OFFERS STRANGE DEFENSE FOR PARDONING CONVICTED CHILD RAPIST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTED

Pratt’s post quickly spread on social media from other conservatives bashing Walz.

"I couldn’t agree more, @spencerpratt," Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, posted on X. "Tim Walz has ZERO morals. He is disgrace to Minnesota!"

EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’

"To think... he was almost the Vice President," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., posted on X.

"I didn’t used to understand the phrase, 'bring common sense to DC,' but it becomes more apparent every day that it’s missing at every level of government," Florida Republican congressional candidate Tim Wilkins posted on X. "This is insanity."

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

The Minnesota Board of Pardons, composed of Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, granted clemency to Laotian national Tou Lue Vang, 42, on June 10. Vang was scheduled to be deported from the United States before the pardon.

Vang was convicted for repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004, and told authorities after he was arrested that "it is a cultural thing... to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12."

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped in to terminate Tou Lue Vang's legal status in the U.S. and ensure that Walz's actions would not create roadblocks for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removing him from the country before Vang was ultimately deported.

Pratt has been increasingly active in politics on social media since finishing third in the Los Angeles mayoral primary and recently met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office which increased speculation that another political run could be in his future.

"I will never stop fighting for my community," Pratt captioned the photo of the meeting on X.

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.

US forest service workers kidnapped, ziptied for hours by father-son duo: California AG

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:12:05 -0400

A father-son duo in California allegedly kidnapped a pair of U.S. forest service workers, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a press conference.

Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son Phoenix Henrichsen allegedly took the two federal workers hostage inside a trailer in a rural area near Mt. Shasta.

The FBI deployed a hostage negotiator from Quantico to coordinate with local authorities. The authorities negotiated the hostages' release after hours of talks with the kidnappers.

The elder Henrichsen demanded to speak with the FBI after ziptying the hostages and holding them inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake in northern California's Shasta Trinity National Forest.

HOFFA FAMILY URGES FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL TO KEEP INVESTIGATION OPEN AND 'NAME NAMES'

A Forest Services employee called authorities shortly before 11 a.m. local time on Thursday to notify them of the kidnapping. The FBI secured the release of one of the hostages at 1:50 a.m. on Friday and the second hostage 15 minutes later. The alleged kidnappers surrendered themselves to the FBI at 2:30 a.m.

FAMILY STOPPED ALLEGED CHILD KIDNAPPER AS POLICE SAY STAFFING SHORTAGE DELAYED RESPONSE UP TO 40 MINUTES

"I’m grateful beyond words that both of our Forest Service employees taken hostage on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest are home safe," Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said in a statement.

"This was a frightening experience for everyone involved. Their well-being continues to be our highest priority. We’re staying close to them and their loved ones, making sure they have the support and the space that they need after what they’ve been through," he concluded.

The FBI does not yet know what the kidnappers' motivation is or why they requested to speak with the FBI.

"The United States Attorney's Office intends to charge both men by criminal complaint with kidnapping a federal employee under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1201(a)(5)," Grant said during a Friday press conference.

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Fox News Digital contacted the FBI and the US Forest Service for additional comment.

Weight-loss drugs may improve job prospects and dating odds for one group

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:50 -0400

A recent study suggests GLP-1-related weight loss may improve some women’s relationships and employment status.

Rebecca Diamond, professor of economics at Harvard University in Boston, independently published research that found an association between weight-loss medications and a change in women’s social and economic outcomes.

Diamond used the Understanding America Study, a panel survey from the University of Southern California, to compare women who started GLP-1s for weight loss to those who wanted to start but had not yet done so.

DR OZ LINKS OBESITY TO CHRONIC DISEASE SURGE, SAYS GLP-1S CAN 'JUMPSTART' BETTER HEALTH

The comparison considered body mass, health, income, employment, partnership status and well-being before treatment.

The study focused on women because they are more likely to use GLP-1s than men. It excluded people taking GLP-1 drugs for diabetes, as their use is driven by a medical condition rather than weight-loss demand.

Women who successfully lost weight with GLP-1 medications experienced changes across several life outcomes, including employment, marriage and cohabitation, according to the study.

Marriage and cohabitation rose 29% for single women after about 18 months.

DIVORCEES AND WIDOWS SHARE CONCERNING MENTAL HEALTH TRAIT, RESEARCHERS FIND

Among women who were not employed at the start of the study, job prospects increased by 27% after the same amount of time. Those who were already employed did not display any clear upward progress in their careers, however.

Diamond argues that these findings suggest part of the "female obesity penalty" comes from how people are judged when being matched up, either in a new relationship or a new job.

Dr. Peter Balazs, MD, a hormone and weight-loss specialist from New York and New Jersey, commented on these findings.

"The effects showed up during ‘new match’ situations, such as job interviews or dating, and not within existing jobs or relationships," Balazs, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "This says more about societal bias than it does about the medication itself."

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Balazs said his patients often report feeling more confident and "visible" after weight loss, which could translate into better interview performance and networking.

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"Weight loss (commonly) improves confidence, which opens new business and relationship opportunities," he went on. "Weight loss has hormonal impacts as well, so the normalization of hormones and the profound metabolic and psychological relief that comes with it can be a factor, too."

Dr. Krishna Vyas, a plastic surgeon at Blechman Plastic Surgery in New York, told Fox News Digital in a separate interview that many patients seek breast lifts or body contouring after significant GLP-1 weight loss, after which they find themselves "re-engaging with life."

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"That confidence effect is real in the exam room," said the surgeon, who also was not involved in the research. "This study, however, showed no clear improvement in depression, loneliness or life satisfaction, even as marriage and employment rates climbed dramatically."

"The opportunities opened, yet the women didn't report feeling better, which suggests it was largely the gatekeepers who changed, not the women."

Potential limitations

Because this was an observational study rather than a randomized clinical trial, it could only show an association — not cause and effect. The findings are also considered preliminary because the paper has not yet been peer-reviewed, the author acknowledged.

"Additionally, since the study only looked at women, that introduces another layer of potential bias," Balazs noted. "I'd be interested to see whether the findings would be the same if the study included men or compared them directly."

Another limitation is that the information from the individuals studied was self-reported, the expert noted.

The researchers were also unable to determine whether people who found new jobs were earning more money.

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"Additionally, even though GLP-1 users appeared to have better outcomes on paper, they did not report greater overall life satisfaction," Balazs added. "That raises important questions about whether these external changes translate into meaningful improvements in well-being."

Fox News Digital reached out to the study researcher and multiple human resources organizations requesting comment.

Bakery owner who went viral with response to critical influencer speaks out on why she defended her business

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:00:07 -0400

An Arizona bakery owner went viral after calling out incorrect claims an influencer made about her pastries in October after she turned down a collaboration.

Jenna Leurquin, the owner of Jenna Leurquin Patisserie, known as JL Patisserie, spoke with Fox News Digital about why she made the viral video and the importance of transparency among the new trend of influencers reviewing small businesses, even offering financial incentives for marketing.

JL Patisserie was opened by Leurquin, an immigrant from Belgium, in 2018, and now has three locations, two in Phoenix and one in Scottsdale.

SHE DIDN’T EXIST, BUT THE MONEY DID: A REAL INFLUENCER SOUNDS THE ALARM ON AI DECEPTION

Aurora Griffo, who has reviewed restaurants on her TikTok account Glamorama, (now @glamoramaaaaa); stirred some controversy that many have called "pastry gate" after her review of JL Patisserie.

"I do not mind spending $10 on a pastry if they are really good, but you cannot use fake-a-- ingredients," she said in the now-deleted review.

Specifically criticizing the pistachio croissant, Griffo said, "That pistachio color is about as natural as my boobs, a-- and waistline."

She added, "With all of that being said, I think if you stay away from the expensive ingredients, like deez nuts, you can definitely enjoy delicious, rich pastry here." Griffo's review did not initially go viral, but it caught the eye of the bakery owner.

Leurquin expressed respect for different opinions. She felt the need to address the claims to defend her bakery, in a TikTok that now has over 73 million views.

Leurquin explained to Fox News Digital why she responded.

"So it felt that this video misrepresented our business, our culture and really what we are passionate about and what we really work hard to do. We really pride ourselves in the methods and like the artisanal methods of making everything that we make, all of our croissants, all our breads, our sourdough."

Leurquin hit back on the false ingredients claim in the video, sharing that most of the ingredients are imported from Europe.

"It felt the review specifically tried to hurt us because she didn't get what she wanted, she said. "And so she was stating facts that were not true about us. And so I just wanted to speak out and demonstrate really who we are and what we do."

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR TURNS HUMBLE DESSERT SHOP INTO RAPIDLY EXPANDING EMPIRE

This comes as more stories continue to demonstrate conflicts that arise from influencers reviewing restaurants.

"Restaurant owner goes viral after calling out influencer asking for $1,800 to eat there," one story published on Yahoo Creators said.

"These L.A. Restaurants Are Speaking Out After The Influencers They Paid Ghosted Them," reads another by L.A. Taco.

"Social media influencer arrested for skipping out on nearly $400 restaurant bill after live streaming meal," another story from The Independent reports.

Although Leurquin acknowledged that influencers can be powerful, she had to turn down the offer to collaborate due to what her budget allowed at the time.

"She had originally DMed us and asked to work in a collaborative way for her to come in our restaurant or bakery and try some of the products. And I told her immediately when she reached out, ‘Hey, unfortunately, right now I have zero budget for social media or influencer marketing.’"

After the conflict took the internet by storm, Griffo changed her username and deleted her review videos.

Griffo posted a response amid "Pastry Gate," disputing Leurquin's claims that she requested payment for a review.

Although screenshots Griffo shared on TikTok appear to show she did not request monetary compensation, they also indicate she asked for her meal and gratuity to be comped and said she would not publish a review if her experience was poor.

Leurquin's statements matched up with the screenshots regarding the request for comped food.

Griffo also claimed in her response that the bakery "punched down" because they have a larger social media presence than she did.

MILITARY HUSBAND GOES VIRAL SHARING SIMPLE LIFE HACK WITH HIS WIFE

Before agreeing to anything, Griffo showed up to her restaurant anyway to film a review.

"We realized who she was early on in the interaction," Leurquin said. "And then she asked to turn the music down because one of my team members is French and he speaks with a bit of a French accent. And she said she couldn't understand him well. So we turned down the music. And then she complained about a few things. So we offered her drinks on the house. We were trying to be nice and accommodating. Obviously, we turned the music down and all of that stuff. So then she went to sit outside and she started recording."

According to Griffo, she was provided a shot of espresso.

After Griffo accused the bakery of using fake ingredients, Leurquin took to TikTok to set the record straight. Including showing the pistachio paste made out of pure pistachios and flour imported from Europe.

As a result of the viral incident, according to Leurquin, they saw an increase in customers. The bakery owner said the support came after a "rough" 2025 summer.

"I think the community really came and supported us," she said. "It also helped us tremendously.

Leurquin said she believes this conflict may have impacted how people use influencers and the desire for authenticity.

"I do think prior to this really big moment, some people started realizing that influencers were a little bit biased," she said. "And so I think this was an opportunity for them to really see what's going on behind closed doors and how those influencers actually do engage with the restaurants."

The bakery owner acknowledged that influencers make money from content and collaborations, but shared that this expense can be difficult for small businesses trying to make ends meet.

As for Leurquin, she uses TikTok to demonstrate the behind-the-scenes of what goes into running a bakery, from interacting with customers and days spent making pastries.

"I think my approach in my social media is to showcase people what it takes to do what we do and the labor that's behind it for people to really truly appreciate it," she said.

The TikTok page has over 690K followers and nearly 24 million likes across all videos.

INTERNET INFLUENCER CLAVICULAR DITCHES 'LOOKSMAXXING' TREND FOR DIFFERENT AVENUE OF ‘GEOMAXXING’

Griffo shared an apology on social media after posting the response video, that said in part,

"First and foremost. I want to address the 'fake a-- ingredients' comment. When I tasted the pistachio pastry, I noticed a strong pistachio flavor that reminded me of extract or flavoring so I assumed that's what was used to enhance the taste. Maybe it was added, maybe it wasn't. But I want to be clear they do use real ingredients as well, and I should have been more thoughtful with my wording."

RESTAURANT OWNER SAYS DINING ROOM IS 'NOT A PLAYGROUND' AS ETIQUETTE EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON VIRAL DEBATE

"My review was not revenge for being turned down for a collaboration I had already planned to visit and review the bakery regardless, paid or not," Griffo wrote. "But I understand with how things unfolded, it might have looked like I did it out of spite. That’s not who l am, and that was never my intention."

Griffo added, "When the collaboration didn't work out, I completely respected that and went in as a regular paying customer. My goal was still to give an honest review, but I see how that message, followed by a negative video, made it seem like I only wanted free food or felt entitled and that's not true. That was never my mindset, and I truly regret that it came across that way."

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She apologized directly to the bakery as well:

"To the bakery, I’m sincerely sorry for any harm my words may have caused. I respect the time, effort, and heart that goes into running a small business, and I genuinely wish you nothing but success moving forward," she wrote. "At the end of the day, we’re all human. Sometimes we mess up publicly and all we can do is take accountability, learn, and grow from it."

Kai Trump reveals new celebrity crush after ditching 'Outer Banks' star Drew Starkey

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:56:39 -0400

Kai Trump is pushing "Outer Banks" star Drew Starkey to the side and filling her celebrity crush spot with the one and only Theo James.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, Kai – who is President Donald Trump's granddaughter – explained that her taste has evolved since she revealed that Starkey was her celebrity crush in 2024.

"I think Theo James now, yeah, Theo James, I would say, so it's changed," Kai began. "I mean, like, I still like him [Starkey], but it's just changed a little."

TRUMP FAMILY FIRES BACK AT 'LAWFARE,' WARNS THE WORLD THEIR POLITICAL FUTURE IS WIDE OPEN

When asked why James has taken her number one spot, the 19-year-old gushed over his looks.

"He's very attractive," Kai said of James, 41.

WATCH: KAI TRUMP REVEALS WHO HER NEW CELEBRITY CRUSH IS

Two years ago, Kai took to her YouTube channel to answer questions that her fans submitted on X. In a clip titled "Get to know me better…Q&A," one social media user asked, "Celebrity crush?"

Before responding, Kai asked for her phone, noting she "had to look up" her celebrity crush. Upon glancing at the screen, she said, "Oh my God, I know. Why do I need my phone? His name is Drew Starkey. Do you guys know him — ‘Outer Banks?’"

"All right, my celebrity crush — Drew Starkey from ‘Outer Banks.’ I love him, so yeah, that’s my celebrity crush."

"I'm gonna blush right now!" Kai added as her cheeks turned red, and she fanned herself with her hand.

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Kai told Fox News Digital that having her grandfather in office has made her dating life "tricky."

"It's not easy, to be honest with you, but you know, you gotta live life," she said. "You gotta just keep on doing normal stuff, you know? At the end of the day, I was in high school, lived a normal high school life, and now I'm going to college, so just kinda live as normal of a life as possible."

During her interview with Fox News Digital, Kai shared that "a lot" of celebrities have given her praise for her YouTube channel.

WATCH: KAI TRUMP SHARES ADVICE THAT A CELEBRITY GAVE HER ABOUT HER YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Kai has 1.5 million subscribers and her channel offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at her life as a competitive golfer, college student and member of the Trump family through vlogs featuring travel, golf, family moments and major public events.

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"I met this one celebrity one time, I was hanging out with him at the Masters, and he also said that what I'm doing, just continue being yourself and just kind of block out the haters and just keep on being you," Kai said without revealing the star's identity.

"That kind of stood out to me, especially when you're with someone that's that high profile, and they say that to you," she concluded.

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Federal employees can download TikTok on government devices after ByteDance's divestiture, DOJ says

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:55:32 -0400

Federal employees can now download TikTok onto their government devices after a yearslong ban, according to a memo from the Department of Justice.

This reversal comes after ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, transferred control of the app's U.S. user data and operations to TikTok U.S. Data Security (TikTok USDS), a majority American-owned joint venture. The deal was finalized in January.

A 2022 law banned federal workers from having TikTok on government devices due to national security concerns, but an opinion from the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel said the restructuring eliminated the risks that prompted the ban.

The opinion, addressed to the deputy counsel to President Donald Trump, said the American-controlled version of TikTok "poses no such risk."

TRUMP, BONDI SUED OVER TIKTOK DEAL THAT ALLEGEDLY 'SUBVERTED' CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY

"We understand you have since instructed that employees of Executive Branch agencies may download TikTok onto their official devices, subject to the agency’s discretion and consistent with all applicable workplace policies," the opinion said.

American and global investors own 80.1% of the new joint venture, while ByteDance owns 19.9%, according to the divestiture agreement.

"The fact that ByteDance Limited remains a minority shareholder in the joint venture operating TikTok USDS makes no practical difference," the DOJ said in the opinion.

UK TO BAN TIKTOK, YOUTUBE, OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA APPS FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16, STARMER SAYS

ByteDance's divestiture from TikTok was prompted by a 2024 law that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress.

The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April of that year, required ByteDance to divest control of TikTok’s U.S. operations or risk having the app barred from U.S. app stores and internet-hosting services.

TikTok attempted to challenge the constitutionality of the law, arguing that it violated the free speech rights of its tens of millions of users.

TIKTOK AFTER THE US SALE: WHAT CHANGED AND HOW TO USE IT SAFELY

On Jan. 17, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the right to impose a sell-or-ban ultimatum to address the "well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary."

The law was supposed to take effect on Jan. 19, 2025, but Trump delayed its enforcement after returning to office the following day.

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Trump repeatedly delayed enforcement of the law last year to allow enough time for investors to express interest in taking over TikTok, which is used by around 200 million Americans.

Oracle, Silver Lake and Emirati investment firm MGX emerged as the most prominent investors. The new venture said in January that U.S. user data would be protected in Oracle’s secure cloud and that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm would be retrained using U.S. user data.

Reuters contributed to this report.

World Series champion Mookie Betts says athletes shouldn't be seen as political figures: 'We go out and play'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:25:44 -0400

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts just wants to be a baseball player, not a political figure or a political vehicle for people to push their agendas.

Betts, 33, visited the White House after the Dodgers won the World Series in 2024, but will not be going this year. The four-time World Series champion said he just had a baby and wanted to spend time with his family, and insisted the decision was not politically motivated.

The American League MVP winner questioned why athletes are viewed as political figures in today’s day and age.

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"I don't know why the world sees athletes as these political figures or these people that can make change or these people that can do this, that, and the other. We go out and play our sport," Betts told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

"I'm sure there are some guys in there that that love politics and want to be in it, but I'm not sure why the world sees us that way. But it kind of is what it is."

The eight-time All-Star said athletes are in a tough position when it comes to visiting the White House because someone is guaranteed to be upset with the decision.

"Athletes, we’re in positions where, you know, especially myself, where I'm kind of damned if I do or damned if I don't," Betts told Fox News Digital in an interview on behalf of LGND, his glove company.

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Knowing that backlash will come regardless of his decision, Betts decided to do what was best for him and his family.

"So instead of trying to make other people happy, it's let me just make myself happy, you know, make myself happy and get to spend some time with my family. Like I said, I got a new baby, so get to spend some time with her," Betts continued.

"I don't really worry about it too much. Like I said, my stance is really that if I'm going to make everybody mad, make somebody mad, then at least I'm gonna make myself happy. So, that's where I'm at."

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Betts is in the 13th season of his illustrious career but has struggled this year compared with previous seasons. The Nashville native is a career .288 hitter with 302 home runs and 944 RBIs, but is hitting just .235 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs this season.

The six-time Gold Glove winner will look to get back on track in the second half and help lead the Dodgers to a third straight World Series title.

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Birth tourism crackdown expands as House chairman raises criminal conspiracy case

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:20:05 -0400

A House task force chairman says companies helping foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth so their children obtain U.S. citizenship could be engaging in a criminal conspiracy.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who chairs the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, told Fox News Digital that his panel has subpoenaed several so-called "birth tourism companies" as it investigates firms advertising services to help foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth.

"Right now, under current law, birth tourism is illegal. You cannot come into the United States for the purpose of giving birth," Gill said.

TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT COMES ROARING BACK WITH 'INVADERS' PLAY AFTER KAVANAUGH ROADMAP

"And I believe that there's a compelling legal case to be made that these businesses that are facilitating this process -- facilitating somebody coming into the United States to give birth -- lying on their immigration forms or on their visa forms -- are engaging in a form of criminal conspiracy, and that's what we're going to get to the bottom of," Gill said.

State Department regulations prohibit foreign nationals from obtaining visitor visas when consular officers determine that their primary purpose is traveling to the United States to give birth so their child obtains U.S. citizenship.

While Gill’s task force has been quietly looking into several companies since at least 2025, the national scrutiny intensified after photographs circulated in July of a billboard advertising for the Women’s Center at Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission, Texas – a stone’s throw from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The Spanish-language billboard advertised a now-defunct "Have My Baby In Texas" website, and quoted Mission Regional providing births for $3,950 and Caesarean Sections for $5,525. It also displayed a phone number that included "001" – the country code required for international calls to the U.S.

MAINE GOP HOPEFUL VYING FOR TRUMP ENDORSEMENT PREVIOUSLY RAN BIRTHING CLINICS CATERING TO MIGRANT WOMEN

Gill and others have since issued responses to the controversy, with the State of Texas also launching its own investigation of the hospital.

"I think it's astounding," Gill said. His task force is investigating several similar operations, including one in Miami, and has requested records from that business and three others nationwide.

Gill said birth tourism is an "obvious and clear abuse" of the U.S. immigration system and of the benevolence of the American people and the nation’s institutions.

TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FIGHT COMES ROARING BACK WITH ‘INVADERS’ PLAY AFTER KAVANAUGH ROADMAP

"We are the ones who often end up picking up the tab for a lot of these services," he said, arguing that birthright citizenship was intended for former slaves and their children when the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified in 1868.

"It had nothing to do with hordes of illegal aliens crossing our southern border and giving birth in America and using those babies to anchor illegal aliens into our country. And for all of America's history, we've always had a very clear understanding that there are certain people who are born within America's boundaries, within America borders, who are not American citizens, the children of an invading army."

The latter point was captured by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and put into legislation Fox News Digital exclusively broke earlier in the week.

That proposal would codify President Donald Trump’s executive order deeming the illegal immigration crisis an "invasion" and cite the 1898 Wong Kim Ark Supreme Court case’s exemption of citizenship for people not "bound to render obedience to the sovereign (U.S. government) whose domains are being invaded."

Gill said he had heard about but not fully read Banks’ bill – but underlined he believes it to be a "phenomenal" plan of action.

"I think that that is the type of legal clarification that could help us out quite a bit in the long run," he said.

"Remember that the goal is to make sure that our children's birthright isn't being taken away from us because foreigners are coming in and having babies in our country and then buying up our homes and taking American jobs and using welfare that the American people are paying for."

Gill said the crisis touches on the biggest issue from the 2024 election cycle, which he considered to be the illegal immigration crisis writ-large.

"In this case; seeing people cross the border so that their children can be anchored into the United States. That is such an obvious abuse of the American People economically, socially, culturally. It's a huge risk to America's national defense."

A Mission Regional spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday the hospital remains an "award-winning, nonprofit" infirmary that has been operating as such since 1954.

"We recognize that a very limited marketing campaign may have caused unintended misunderstanding and was immediately discontinued. The campaign was meant to highlight services available to the communities we serve and was never intended to encourage any unlawful activity and Mission Regional Medical Center remains committed to serving the Rio Grande Valley with integrity, compassion, transparency, and full compliance with all applicable laws," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the billboard campaign returned very little patient volume and no financial benefit to a community they said has a high uninsured-patient rate and limited maternity care.

"The hospital does not support or facilitate unlawful activity and has never operated its obstetric program with the intent of attracting individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States, promoting birth tourism, or encouraging travel to the United States for the purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child," the spokesperson added.

Citing a separate order from Austin, the spokesperson said 99% of all emergency and inpatient patients who responded to a state-required survey were legal U.S. residents or citizens.

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"Birth tourism should never be big business in the United States. This tactic exploits U.S. immigration law, and those who willfully mispresent their intentions to temporarily come to the U.S. are breaking the law," Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the greater Oversight Committee said in May.

In a concurrence to the Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling striking down Trump’s birthright citizenship order, Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicated that Congress could still act through legislation. Gill, Banks and other lawmakers have said they plan to pursue that route as they seek to restrict birthright citizenship.

Liberal law professor breaks with Obama judge over Trump lawyer crackdown: ‘I refuse to teach’ it

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:56 -0400

Legal minds across the political spectrum are admonishing an Obama-appointed federal judge for suggesting that bar associations should look into sanctioning lawyers working for the president or the Justice Department, with one liberal constitutional law professor refusing to teach his students that such a move is acceptable.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams formally referred Trump attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar in an opinion released Monday and ordered the ruling sent to authorities considering existing disciplinary complaints involving Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. The disciplinary actions stem from Williams’s ruling in a case involving a settlement that shielded Trump, members of his family and affiliated businesses from certain federal tax audits and claims.

Bar associations have the ability to suspend the law licenses of individuals practicing law in their jurisdictions, giving them significant power over the ability of lawyers — including powerful DOJ officials — to do their work.

"The court would also have litigants believe that, in such a circumstance, it is not only appropriate to dismiss the case but also to sanction and deprive litigants and their counsel of their reputation, license, or money," constitutional law professor Christian Lee Gonzalez-Rivera, who identifies as a liberal, told Fox News Digital. "As a law professor, attorney and former judicial law clerk, I refuse to teach the former or accept the latter."

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES TRUMP ADMIN IN LATEST COURTROOM SHOWDOWN, REFERS ATTORNEY FOR BAR REVIEW

The existing complaint against Blanche alleges that he mishandled evidence linked to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, used the DOJ to attack Trump’s personal enemies and failed to properly represent the interests of the United States during the negotiations that led to the creation of the now-defunct $1.8 billion weaponization compensation fund.

Woodward, meanwhile, faces a bar complaint alleging that his approval of the creation of the weaponization fund constituted a conflict of interest as he had previously represented Jan. 6 defendants and Trump associates who could potentially benefit from it.

Gonzalez-Rivera, who teaches law at a Catholic university in Florida, said that the judge's order "effectively sanctions the bringing of debatable, if losing, arguments in high-stakes first impression cases," arguing that it would have been ridiculous if judges recommended professional punishments for lawyers who were on the losing sides of other high-profile, historical court cases.

LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATS

Jeffrey Clark, a former DOJ official now serving as the vice president of litigation at a right-wing watchdog group, cautioned that Williams’s order — if allowed to become the norm — could seriously damage the legal profession by empowering a small number of bar association insiders.

"This nonsense has to end. The State and local bars are not the superior officers of or the equivalent of a school-marmish national Principal's Office that sits in supervision of two highest-ranking leaders of the Justice Department," he wrote on Monday.

"If this trend continues, no future Republican lawyer is going to agree to enter the U.S. Justice Department to carry out the President's law enforcement orders as the Constitution intended," Clark continued. "Power will instead be monopolized and moved only to the Left … The Framers would be shocked to learn that the real boss of Executive Branch legal power is not the singular President of the United States, but instead committees of insular coastal elite lawyers purporting to wield the meta-power of legal ethics."

MIKE DAVIS: WHY SENATE MUST IGNORE OBAMA JUDGE'S ATTACK ON AG NOMINEE TODD BLANCHE

Clark has also faced disciplinary proceedings in Washington, D.C., where a disciplinary board recommended he be disbarred over his role in a proposed DOJ letter to Georgia officials after the 2020 election — allegations he has denied and cast as politically motivated.

"DOJ has the power to put an end to this nonsense by issuing regulations preempting state/local bar weaponization," he added.

While Williams ordered the clerk to forward her opinion to disciplinary authorities reviewing existing complaints involving Blanche and Woodward, she formally referred Brito to the Florida Bar after finding that he advanced the case in "bad faith."

Williams said Trump's lawsuit surrounding his tax immunity settlement was used to give judicial legitimacy to a legally baseless settlement; she flagged conflict concerns involving Blanche and Woodward’s prior clients and ordered the opinion sent to their bars, while formally referring Brito to the Florida Bar because he signed the complaint that launched the case.

"I find it absurd that federal judges continue to attack DOJ lawyers, to include and especially Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with roots in nothing more than the political viewpoints of those supposed unbiased judges," Jay Town, the former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, told Fox News Digital.

Williams was appointed to the bench in 2011 by President Barack Obama. She previously issued a ruling against "Alligator Alcatraz," a detention center operated by the state of Florida to house illegal immigrants awaiting deportation, but was overruled by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

"On the bright side, this and the likely more orders like this one we may see out of other district courts nationwide ... may nevertheless present higher courts — perhaps our highest one, too — with a chance to revisit judge-made doctrines like justiciability, which increasingly show their ability to be weaponized not only from outside but also from within the judiciary itself," Gonzalez-Rivera told Fox News Digital.

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Conservative lawyer Mike Davis has called on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overrule Williams’s ruling in this case.

"The federal Judge in Florida clearly strategically timed her referral of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the New York Bar to come just before his confirmation hearing to be elevated to the Attorney General's Office," Clark told Fox News Digital. "This is flatly unconscionable non-judicial conduct."

Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee disgustingly buries Bryson DeChambeau after British Open penalty

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:46 -0400

Let's go ahead and add another chapter to the Bryson DeChambeau-Brandel Chamblee saga that's captivated — or annoyed — golf fans for a decade now.

Shockingly (not really), the longtime Golf Channel analyst absolutely buried DeChambeau in the wake of Friday's controversial penalty at The Open.

For those who missed it, DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty hours after the fact when officials deemed he improved his position on the fifth hole by trampling down thick fescue behind his ball.

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Nothing was said at the moment, of course.

Because nothing can ever be normal in golf, this penalty was only assessed after officials saw a fan video making the rounds on social media. They looked into it as Bryson was finishing his round — he originally shot a 66 and was in second — and then took DeChambeau BACK to the fifth hole after the round to investigate the crime scene.

Again, nothing can ever be normal in golf. What a wild sport.

Anyway, DeChambeau clearly didn't agree with the decision, and appeared to tell an official he wouldn't play tomorrow (today) during the heated conversation.

OK, we all caught up now? Good! Now, let's see what Bryson's best friend, Brandel Chamblee, had to say about the whole thing:

Bryson Dechambeau on the range triggers Brandel Chamblee

"There were multiple infractions here," Chamblee said during an incredible diatribe that was more dramatic than a daytime soap opera. "He just danced all over the path behind the golf ball ... He did everything but take a weed wacker to the tall grass.

"It is really hard to stomach the silliness that we've seen here from Bryson. You accept this like a man. You look at the evidence and you're like, 'You're right. I did break the rule.'"

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU CALLS OUT LIV GOLF MEXICO CITY COURSE CONDITIONS AMID FUNDING CONCERNS

Lordy. Brandel Chamblee just despises Bryson DeChambeau, and it's so painfully obvious. Do we think he'd go that hard on Rory McIlroy? Come on. We all know the answer.

Of course not! Rory has these guys wrapped around his finger. They all bend the knee to him. They love him. They treat him with kid gloves.

But when it comes to Bryson? Those gloves come off, and they come off in a hurry.

Brandel Chamblee has feuded with DeChambeau for years now, and it all came to a head with Bryson joined LIV a few seasons ago. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Remember this famous tweet from Brandel?

"He signed up for this when he signed on to be a puppet for a murderous dictator and to play a tour that does not value the best conditioned courses, but those that will hold events for a murderous dictator."

THAT was in response to a post about Bryson complaining about the bunkers during some LIV event. Brandel was just waiting to unleash that little post, and boy, he did it.

Look, you can argue about the penalty all day long. Folks have, and folks will continue to do so during today's third round. Bryson DeChambeau still has a real shot to win this thing, and the controversial two-stroke penalty will be the topic for the rest of the weekend. I get it.

But let's not be silly, Brandel. He did not "do everything but take a weed-wacker" to the spot behind his ball. Come on. You know that's not true. He did not "dance" behind his ball.

"I think there’s an aspect to [his team] that’s trying to curate his image all the time," Chamblee continued late last night, adding that Bryson was "childish" and "immature" while he was smashing golf balls at the range at 10 p.m. local time.

"I agree, I think he’s going to play, but let’s just say he may not — there’s a 1 or 2 percent chance he does not — I think this is purely performative to get the world to talk about him all night."

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Performative? Perhaps. I'll give Brandel that one. Bryson has YouTube content to make, you know? The business never stops!

But let's be honest ...

They were both being performative.

Onto Round 3.

Florida man who allegedly lured women with dating app could have more victims: authorities

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:40 -0400

Palm Beach County authorities are asking women to come forward if they’ve had encounters with a Florida man who allegedly met victims through online dating platforms.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office made the request on July 14, five months after responding to a sexual battery investigation at a Florida hospital. The victim said she’d met her alleged attacker, Stephen Hakim, on Hinge. Detectives later matched Hakim’s DNA to specimens found on the victim, according to court documents.

Toxicology testing detected multiple sleeping drugs in samples of the woman’s blood and urine. She didn’t take those substances, she told deputies.

Hakim, of Delray Beach, was arrested and charged with sexual assault on July 8. He was released the next day on a $25,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty.

ARIZONA MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WOMAN AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA FIRST DATE ENDS IN DESERT GRAVE

After matching with Hakim on Hinge, the woman told deputies they exchanged messages on the app for about an hour. Then, the conversation moved to phone texts and video calls, reports show.

The alleged victim and Hakim, 27, agreed to meet later that day without "any expectations or pretenses" for "a relaxed evening to talk," deputies who reviewed the messages reported in court documents. The woman told deputies that Hakim picked up her up in his car around 11 p.m. to go to a bar, court records show. But instead, he drove her to his apartment.

She recalled riding in his black Tesla as he sped along at "90 to 100 miles per hour," court documents show. She reported that his "very clean" apartment had very little furniture and no television or pets. The woman told deputies they drank four beers and discussed topics like work. Then, Hakim offered to give her a massage, the alleged victim told deputies. It was then that she became "super tired" and "couldn’t get up" before being assaulted, she told deputies. Afterward, she was "very upset" and told Hakim that he’d raped her, she told deputies. She reported that Hakim asked what she was talking about in "gaslighting" behavior, records show.

Hakim’s attorney provided a statement to multiple news outlets saying his client denies allegations that his actions were "unconsented." The firm did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

STEPDAD ACCUSED OF SEX ASSAULT AS COPS WIDEN PROBE INTO GIRL’S LETHAL BENADRYL INGREDIENT DOSE

‘Stay safe on the internet’

About 53 percent of adults ages 18 to 29 have used a dating app, a 2023 Pew Research report showed. Since the late 90’s, the online dating industry has "transformed" the way that some adults find potential matches, study researchers wrote. Dating apps aren’t inherently dangerous, said Megan Cutter, chief of victim services for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

Many relationships that begin on dating apps go on to be healthy and long lasting, she said. But perpetrators also use dating platforms to further criminal behavior, Cutter said.

Only about one in three victims report their sexual assault to law enforcement, she said.

Sometimes, that’s because abusers and perpetrators threaten to hurt victims and their families if they contact authorities, Cutter said.

One in 6 women in the United States has experienced attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, according to RAINN. Women ages 18 to 24 are at the most risk of being victims of sexual assault than any other age group. "We really want to think about how we stay safe on the internet" when using online dating services, Cutter said. Profiles that don't have many details, links to social media, and aren’t "built out" should raise concern, she warned.

"Matches" who quickly want to exchange contact information and move conversations off the app also should spark wariness.

NEW JERSEY WOMAN ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING CHILD, POSTING VIDEO ON SNAPCHAT: POLICE

"Once they have your email or your phone number, they might use that to figure out where you live or find your social media."

She warns users to post different photos on a dating profile than they would on personal social media. That’s because reverse image searches now quickly can link photos to other places they can be found online, such as on social media posts that could share personal information.

Removing the metadata from posted photos also decreases the risk of personal information being acquired, she said. Metadata is hidden information attached to digital files that can be accessed and may provide information, such as location and date. Online dating is "something millions of people use all the time," Cutter said. "People find really lovely, healthy, successful relationships online. The risk is really when perpetrators misuse that tool and hurt people."

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Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators believe there "may be additional victims who have not yet come forward," the agency wrote in a post on social media.

The Special Victims Unit is "asking for the public's help in identifying anyone who may have had encounters with Stephen Hakim, who allegedly met victims through online dating platforms."

Skip two years of college debt and give your family a lifetime of wealth

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:25 -0400

My grandfather advised my dad to skip buying coffee and to set that money aside for retirement. My dad taught me the same lesson. Given the cost of everything today — and the relatively paltry cost of coffee compared to healthcare and housing — it can be hard to take that advice seriously. This is especially true for elder Millennials and Gen X parents who are sending their kids off to four-year schools that cost over $100,000, plus interest.

The good news is that these parents do have a simple solution — one that can not only secure their own financial future but also set their kids up for retirement a half-century from now. They should seriously consider the value that community college and blue-collar certification programs will bring to the entire family's financial legacy.

Let's start with the sticker shock. The annual cost of an undergraduate degree is over $38,000. Annual attendance at a community college costs, on average, about $3,890 — roughly 10% of the price of a four-year school. Students earning a two-year associate's degree could save almost $70,000 for virtually the same first two years of education their peers receive at "prestigious" institutions.

But the raw tuition savings don't tell the whole story. Over half of student loans are federally backed, and last school year's lowest interest rate on those loans was 6.39%. Paying back the difference — $68,220 — these loans at $500 a month would cost an additional $53,851 in interest — a total of over $122,000 repaid to get back to zero.

BESSENT CREDITS TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICIES WITH HELPING RETURN JOBS TO AMERICANS AS WAGE GAINS RESUME

Compare that to paying under $8,000 cash for two years of community college. That's a $114,000 swing over the roughly 20 years it takes to pay off the first two years of a borrowed four-year degree.

Instead of making banks richer, parents and their children would be set up for the American Dream, whatever that looks like for them.

ARKANSAS STUDENTS OUTPERFORM NATIONAL AVERAGE AFTER UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE EXPANSION, GOVERNOR SAYS

Now, consider the kid who starts earning at 20 because he pursued a certification program that gave him a strong starting wage, real benefits and something white-collar workers can no longer take for granted: job security in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

Plumbers made a median income of $62,970 in 2024, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting steady pay growth through 2034. That income and security come for the average cost of around $3,000 in training plus the requisite tools and licensing – still a lot cheaper than a debt-laden college education. Electricians require a bit more educational investment but have double the job growth projected by 2034, along with high income potential when their career is still very young.

Jensen Huang of Nvidia has said skilled manufacturing trades will earn six-figure salaries. But even if you don’t believe the billionaire with a vested interest, that trend was already on its way before data centers. Blue-collar workers of all types already had decades of critical employment in front of them due to supply and demand (few Millennials work with their hands) and the backlog of deferred maintenance in homes, schools, commercial buildings, highways and bridges.

After all, you can't train a model to snake a drain.

Picture your kid at 35, debt-free, with a solid 15-year career under his belt already. Maybe he’s thriving in his starter home, with an easy mortgage payment. Maybe he’s already got a couple of kids running around because debt didn’t intimidate him out of starting a family.

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Instead of spending tens of thousands on the promise of a white-collar career that may be disrupted by AI, parents can watch their kids earn tens of thousands of dollars before they are allowed to drink.

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Grandpa's coffee lesson was always just to show that small, consistent financial decisions compound into life-changing outcomes. The difference now isn't a few dollars a day — it's a few thousand a year, with interest payments stretching into middle age, versus a $3,890 golden goose.

That’s worth a celebration. Tell Grandpa you’re taking him out for a latte.

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Secret cache of 130-year-old wine uncovered beneath medieval castle chapel floor

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:20 -0400

Officials recently unveiled a collection of 130-year-old wine that was covertly hidden beneath a chapel floor in a medieval castle.

The wine cache was found at Bečov Castle in the western Czech Republic, a nearly-700-year-old medieval fortress dating to the early 14th century.

After careful restoration by the prestigious French winery ‌Château d'Yquem, the bottles were put on display at the castle earlier in June.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER FREEZE-DRIED POTATOES OLDER THAN THE US IN 'EXCELLENT' CONDITION

The collection consists of 133 bottles dating from 1892 to 1899, Reuters reported, and the alcohol was likely hidden there at the end of World War II.

Bečov Castle, near the German border, was confiscated by then-Czechoslovakia after World War II because its owners, the Beaufort-Spontin family, were labeled Nazi sympathizers.

Toni El Khawand, Château d'Yquem's cellar master, told Reuters that the wine benefited "from very good conditions of conservation."

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The wine was stored in an old underground chapel with thick walls that was "very humid and very cold" — conditions that El Khawand said were ideal for preserving it.

"It preserved the moisture and temperature in a very constant way," he said. "Those were excellent conditions to store a wine."

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The restoration was so careful that preservationists even kept the dust that had accumulated on the bottles, El Khawand said.

Though the display is new, officials have known about the wine for quite some time.

The bottles were discovered in 1985 after an American businessman hired by the Beaufort-Spontin family sought permission to recover a hidden object, prompting authorities to uncover the cache.

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In 2016, experts tested the wine's quality by extracting a sample with a Coravin device, which uses a needle to pierce the cork without damaging it.

Discoveries involving centuries-old food and drink are rare but not unheard of.

Earlier in 2026, experts in Utah used a Coravin device to extract a sample from a 150-year-old bottle of alcohol unearthed at a former mining town.

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After additional research, experts concluded the Utah bottle most likely contained apple cider rather than beer.

Reuters contributed to this report.

WWE Saturday Night's Main Event in New York City match previews, predictions and more

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:55:18 -0400

WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event comes to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday night.

The event is expected to feature the company’s top stars going at each other with possible additions to the Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam on the line.

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New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is also supposed to be in attendance and having an angle with world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns. Brunson, who has appeared in a WWE ring before, said during the NBA playoffs that he and a trainer acknowledge Reigns before every game.

It’s unclear, but it appears there’s a chance Brunson could become an honorary Bloodline member. But we’ll see about that.

Read below for a list of matches for Saturday Night’s Main Event and predictions.

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Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh in a No DQ match

The Judgment Day have been upset with Danhausen for several weeks after he took Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh’s money without cursing an opponent for them. Mysterio and McDonagh stole the Knicks jersey that was given to Danhausen for "uncursing" them as New York won the NBA championship. The stakes were raised on Monday when it turned into a no disqualification match.

Prediction: You can’t let Danhausen lose in front of the New York crowd. It will be Danhausen going over McDonagh.

Paige and Brie Bella (c) vs. Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship

Paige and Brie Bella have been the WWE women’s tag team champions since WrestleMania 42. But their reign may be on the ropes as they take on Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley with the title on the line. Reid and Henley, members of Fatal Influence, have been on a tear since making their main roster debuts. There’s a good chance Reid and Henley will leave New York with the tag belts.

Prediction: Fatal Influence take the tag team titles.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Lyra Valkyria and Bayley were once friends but a tag team title loss saw Valkyria turn on Bayley a few weeks ago. On Monday, Valkyria came out broken. She blamed Bayley for holding her back as a competitor. Their feud will come to a head in the ring in Madison Square Garden.

Prediction: Valkyria will pick up a huge win over Bayley.

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CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther and Sami Zayn

The big-ticket match will be a tag team brawl among CM Punk and Cody Rhodes and Gunther and Sami Zayn. Rhodes, Gunther and Zayn have been involved in a major feud for more than a month, which saw Zayn become the undisputed WWE champion at Night of Champions in June. However, his title reign only lasted nine days as Punk made a dramatic return to "Monday Night Raw" and beat Zayn for the title. Punk and Rhodes agreed to a match for the belt at SummerSlam but the competitors could increase for that match based on the result on Saturday night. If Gunther and Zayn win, they will be added into the fracas. It raises the stakes for what should be an interesting tag team match.

Prediction: Punk and Rhodes work together to fend off Gunther and Zayn.

Argentina's controversial World Cup banner got into the stadium by way of some dude's underwear

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:39:32 -0400

I kind of feel like people tried to dance around it before the match, but as soon as I saw that Argentina and England were playing each other in the World Cup semifinals, I thought, "Someone is going to bring up the Falklands."

And, sure enough, they did. That someone was the entire Argentine roster who unfurled a banner that read "Las Malvinas son Argentinas," or "The Falklands are Argentinian."

However, the banner — referencing a long-time feud between Argentina and Great Britain over the South Atlantic islands that led to a brief war in 1982 — had to get into the stadium somehow, and that "somehow" was in some dude's underpants.

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According to The Daily Star, a fan named Santiago brought the banner — which was really a hotel bedsheet with black paint that he bought for a few bucks — into the stadium by stuffing it into his crotch.

"I folded it as much as I could, put it in my private parts to get through security checks, and in the end we managed to get in," he told Argentina's Todo Noticias.

Alright... but what if Argentina had lost?

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That would be a bad time to break out the banner. You can't lose and then be like, "You know those islands we've been fighting over, even though most of the people on the island side with you guys? Yeah, those are ours."

Just wouldn't have the same power, and that would've meant that Santiago would've left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a politicized bedsheet crammed into the front of his pants.

But that's not what happened, and Santiago whipped out his crotch banner and threw it to the Argentines, who had no idea where that thing had been.

That might be the greatest crime of all.

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In the UK, they were not impressed by the banner. In fact, UK Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey demanded that the players involved be banned from Sunday's final against Spain.

Something that Spain would probably be a-okay with.

Incoming UK PM Andy Burnham rejects Thatcher-era policies, signals leftward shift

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:38:36 -0400

Britain’s incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first speech as Labour leader Friday to condemn the economic model established in the 1980s by Margaret Thatcher and promise greater public control of essential services, signaling a shift to the left from outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Burnham, who will formally become prime minister Monday, said that Britain had taken "a series of wrong turns in the 1980s," when political power was centralized and economic power was transferred to private companies. He was unopposed to run as party leader, having been nominated by 379 Members of Parliament to lead it.

"The country surrendered control of the essentials — housing, water, energy, transport — and left people exposed to higher costs," Burnham said during the July 17 speech in London, according to a transcript of his remarks.

WHO IS ANDY BURNHAM? THE TRUMP CRITIC SET TO BECOME THE U.K.'S NEXT PRIME MINISTER

He declared that four decades of neoliberal economic policy had "not been kind" to the working-class and industrial communities that traditionally supported Labour and described his ascent as the country’s most significant political turning point in 40 years.

"The government I lead will confidently lay that path out starting next week," Burnham said. "That is why this change today is the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, said Burnham’s speech offered a clear ideological signal but little detail about how his government would carry it out. "With Burnham, there is a lot of light and heat, but not much actual substance," he added. "We are all still waiting to see what that substance might be."

Mendoza said, "If he thinks Britain has been on the wrong track for the last 40 years, what is the right track? Is it socialism of a past kind? Is it some form of statism? What does he actually intend to do?"

Burnham's speech offered the clearest indication yet that the former Greater Manchester mayor intends to move the party away from Starmer’s more cautious economic positioning and toward greater state ownership, expanded council and social housing, giving more power to regional government and increased state involvement in essential services.

FARAGE SAYS MASS MIGRATION HAS CHANGED THE UK ‘LITERALLY BEYOND RECOGNITION,’ BELIEVES PARTY CAN WIN ELECTION

Burnham said Labour would no longer attempt to imitate the right and far-left parties. "We won’t try to out-Green the Greens or out-Reform Reform."

Although he did not explicitly advocate returning Britain to the 1970s or refer to the late Lady Thatcher by name, free-market critics portrayed his attack on her reforms as an effort to revive the state-dominated economic policies that preceded her government.

Britain experienced the Winter of Discontent in 1978-79, when millions of workers participated in widespread strikes over pay that disrupted daily life. The strikes left trash uncollected, reduced hospital services and affected public transportation. The unrest is widely seen as a major factor in the election of Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives in 1979 as voters turned against the unions and the Labour government of that time.

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The Adam Smith Institute responded to his speech by publishing a lengthy defense of the Thatcher era, highlighting reductions in income and corporate tax rates, privatizations, rising homeownership and fewer days lost to labor strikes.

"Since you mentioned the 1980s, Andy Burnham, here’s a reminder of what was achieved," the free-market think tank wrote before listing economic indicators it said improved during the period.

According to the free-market think tank, the top rate of income tax fell from 83% to 40%, the basic rate dropped from 33% to 25%, and corporation tax was reduced from 52% to 35%. It said inflation declined from a peak of 21.9% in 1980 to 2.4% in 1986, while the number of working days lost to strikes fell from 29.5 million in 1979 to 1.9 million in 1990. The institute also said homeownership rose from 55% to 67%, the number of individual shareholders increased from 3 million to 11 million, and national debt fell from 47% of gross domestic product to 28%.

Emma Schubart, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society who previously worked at the Adam Smith Institute, told Fox News Digital that Burnham’s speech demonstrated what she described as a fundamental misunderstanding of taxation and economic incentives.

"The biggest takeaway is that he comes across as pretty economically illiterate," Schubart said in an interview Friday. She called Burnham’s "demonization" of Thatcher polices "strange and needless."

Schubart argued that Burnham’s message was internally contradictory because he presented his leadership as a national renewal while proposing to dismantle reforms associated with the 1980s.

"He keeps saying he’s bringing a renewal to the U.K. and a new chapter," she said. "But then he also says, ‘We’re going to go back to the ’70s.’ You have to pick one."

Burnham nevertheless insisted he would be a "pro-business leader," while calling for greater public control of essential services, new powers for regional governments and closer cooperation with private businesses.

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The ideological shift presents an immediate political gamble. Burnham must unite Labour’s competing factions, reassure financial markets and respond to Reform UK’s growing challenge — all while taking office without winning a national election.

Mendoza warned that Burnham’s effort to appeal to the left could complicate relations with the Trump administration. "The government could most definitely clash with the United States under Burnham’s vision, because the voters he is trying to bring back into his tent include many of those who are deeply hostile to America.

"If he adopts U.S.-friendly policies, he risks alienating the voting coalition he is trying to create," he continued. "But if he decides to pick fights with the United States, he risks damaging British national security and the alliance with America, which matters far more to the country than any electoral coalition."

Burnham is expected to be sworn in as prime minister on Monday by King Charles III.

Tom Brady, Logan Paul get into heated confrontation at Fanatics Fest in New York

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:15:36 -0400

Tom Brady’s rivalry with Logan Paul took a new twist on Saturday as the two came face-to-face on stage at Fanatics Fest in New York City.

The two competitors met on stage with New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns coming in between them. The NFL legend then attempted to slap the WWE star before they were pulled apart before things could really escalate.

COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL

Paul and Brady responded to the incident on X afterward.

"This happened bc I was roasting Tom for beating him in flag football. And he tries to smack me ?? Horrible example for the kids," Paul wrote on X. "Aura -100 + Blocked. With a torn tricep."

Brady called him a "dork."

"I tried America… will try again next time I see this nerd," he added.

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Brady and Paul have been feuding since the seven-time Super Bowl champion said the YouTuber wasn’t a real athlete because he competed in WWE and not on the gridiron like him.

The former New England Patriots star made the initial remarks during Super Bowl week. The two had it out during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.

Brady suggested in an interview on WWE star Cody Rhodes’ podcast "What Do You Wanna Talk About?" that he would want to get involved in a match.

"I need to get an invite. I've been waiting for (WWE president) Nick Khan to come up with some storyline for me to get in the mix," Brady said Thursday. "I feel like I'm retired from football, and I have an opportunity to go out there and still showcase that I'm a little bit of an athlete."

Brady told Fox News Digital in April 2025 that he might show up at WrestleMania 41.

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"I may be there," he said at the time. "But it’s amazing what’s going on there and it’s amazing what’s happening with WWE and all the different things surrounding that."

BROADCAST BIAS: MS NOW marks 3 decades of empowering Democrats, not American democracy

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:00:50 -0400

MSNBC debuted on cable television on July 15, 1996, and now, MS NOW is weirdly putting on the screen a celebration of MS NOW’s 30th anniversary, when it just changed the moniker last November. An announcer proclaims: "Celebrating 30 years… Delivering journalism that informs, empowers and strengthens our democracy."

When it began, it really came across as an NBC News farm team. "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw was still proud to be associated with it. On Oct. 29, 1996, Brokaw interviewed former Soviet dictator Mikhail Gorbachev on the show "InterNight," hailing him as a "courageous, far-seeking prophet" who ended the Soviet Union. Brokaw even gushed: "Perhaps one day again we'll see you in political office in Russia. We know that you've devoted your life to peace and to changing your country and those of us who have gotten to know you count ourselves among the privileged."

MSNBC in the early days was much more ideologically diverse than it is now, with conservative hosts like politician Alan Keyes, Laura Ingraham and that guy who hosted "Scarborough Country," who now hosts its left-wing version, "Morning Joe." Pat Buchanan and liberal Bill Press had a "Crossfire"-style show.

MS NOW'S NICOLLE WALLACE REVEALS SHE STOPPED AIRING TRUMP PRESSERS IN FIRST TERM, LAMENTING THEY 'HURT' HER

MSNBC hated the Iraq War and loved the protesters. Reporter David Shuster announced to "Hardball" host Chris Matthews in 2003: "The size of the demonstrators, at least here, at least in Europe, seems to underscore, Chris, that there are now perhaps two world superpowers. There’s the United States and then there are those millions of people who took to the streets opposing U.S. policy."

The shift to the left became defined by rants from hosts Keith Olbermann and Matthews. Olbermann routinely accused George W. Bush of fascism, and loved to interview former Watergate co-conspirator John Dean, like this one in 2006 about Dean’s book "Conservatives Without Conscience": "It deals with psychological principles that are frightening and that may have faced other nations at other times, in Germany and Italy in the ‘30s coming to mind in particular. But what—how does it apply now? And to what degree should it scare us?" He added, "What kind of danger — are we facing a legitimate threat to the concept of democracy in this country?"

In 2008, Olbermann famously yelled at the camera at President Bush to "shut the hell up."

SCARBOROUGH SAYS 'HYPOCRITICAL' REPUBLICANS SHOULD 'SHUT UP' OVER CRITICISM OF DEMS' EARLY SUPPORT FOR PLATNER

This is why it remains eternally amusing that in 2008, when Matthews uttered what might be the quintessential MSNBC moment, that Obama’s speech gave him a "thrill up my leg," Olbermann responded with, "Steady." Matthews insisted he was serious: "He speaks about America in a way that has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the feeling we have about our country. And that is an objective assessment."

Matthews stuck to his thrills through the Obama presidency, like this silliness in 2015: "He’s done everything right. He’s been immaculate in the presidency. Nobody has accused him of any corruption. His kids are perfect. His wife is perfect. He’s done everything that these right-wing, white conservatives say we’re supposed to be in this country. He’s done everything right."

When it was time for Hillary Clinton to be president in 2016, "AM Joy" host Joy Reid was the cheerleader: "If you look at Hillary Clinton’s qualifications, I mean, my God, since the Founding Fathers, has anyone tried to run for president with more on their resume?" Longtime NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell replied: "John Quincy Adams, maybe." Reid: "I mean you have to go back literally to the 18th century to find somebody with a more packed resume than Hillary Clinton."

COLBERT CALLS TRUMP 'AUTHORITARIAN' BUT REJECTS 'PARTISAN' LABEL IN EXIT INTERVIEW WITH NY TIMES

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When Hillary lost, MSNBC star Rachel Maddow extolled Obama’s legacy: "I think he’ll go down in history as both a consequential and excellent president, viewed from the beginning of the country until now. I think that his economic record alone, in terms of saving us from the Great Depression, if that’s the only thing you knew, even if he hadn’t been the first African-American president doing it, that alone will put him in the top 10 presidents in U.S. history."

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Maddow is also the leader in Trump the Dictator analogies, exemplifying the never-ending Democracy Dies in Darkness tone of "MSDNC." Last August, she warned: "Life in the United States is profoundly changing. It’s profoundly different than it was even six months ago, because we do now live in a country that has an authoritarian leader in charge. We have a consolidating dictatorship in our country." She and "Last Word" host Lawrence O’Donnell and the rest love to say fascism is already here. This is what their ads claim is democracy-empowering journalism.

The alleged Trump autocracy hasn’t shut down any of the relentlessly anti-Trump networks. Merely suing them for defamation is cartooned as a censorship maneuver. Networks like these need to settle the lawsuits, because digging into their fact-defying malice against Trump would make for an easy week in court.

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King Charles kept Prince William, Kate Middleton in the dark about secret Harry and Meghan reunion: report

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:00:38 -0400

Prince William and Kate Middleton were kept in the dark about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s top-secret reunion with King Charles.

Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair royal correspondent, reported that, according to sources, "not even the Prince and Princess of Wales were made aware that the meeting was taking place."

Nicholl also reported that the king, "who has sworn his youngest son and daughter-in-law to secrecy," insisted that nothing about their July 10 meeting be leaked. Only palace aides were permitted to confirm the reunion took place after the Sussexes left Highgrove House, Charles' country home, without being seen.

PRINCE HARRY LONGS FOR HIS OLD ROYAL LIFE AS AMERICA ISN'T WHAT HE EXPECTED, EXPERTS SAY

Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.

"I don't see this as Prince William losing influence," Kinsey Schofield, host of "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital. "I see it as King Charles recognizing that Prince Harry is his relationship to manage."

"Prince William's priority is protecting the future of the monarchy," said Schofield. "Charles can afford to make emotional decisions that William, as the next king, probably cannot."

WATCH: PRINCE WILLIAM UNLIKELY TO RECONCILE WITH PRINCE HARRY SOON: EXPERT

The king hosted Harry and Meghan for the first time in years as they tried to repair a rift that has persisted since the Sussexes stepped back as senior working royals and moved to California.

The couple and their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, met with the monarch and Queen Camilla, Buckingham Palace confirmed. A source close to Charles told Nicholl that the hour-long meeting was "completely cloak-and-dagger, orchestrated by the king."

"The king wanted to see Harry and the children," said the source. "A time was agreed for the Sussexes to come to Highgrove... and it was uncharacteristically last-minute for the king. Everyone was sworn to secrecy so that the meeting could remain private."

The insider said Camilla, who was staying at her Ray Mill House estate, drove to Highgrove for the meeting in "quite a hurry."

"Charles wanted Camilla to be there for moral support because she had been a pillar of strength for him throughout all the drama with Harry, and she dropped everything," the source told Nicholl. "She told no one, not even her family. She just got in the car and headed over. They were all on a mission to keep the meeting as watertight as possible."

"Personally, I feel Camilla played a hand in this, too," royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. "She would have encouraged Charles to support a meeting, provided that none of the issues discussed would be made public."

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Noticeably absent from the reunion were William and Kate. The Princess of Wales was supporting her husband as he saddled up to participate in the DMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 at Guards Polo Club in Windsor. The estranged brothers did not see one another.

"The king's dealings with the Sussexes are personal family negotiations," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.

"This is not institutionally or monarchy-led. This is about Charles' personal relationship with his son and grandchildren. He makes his own call on family. However, Prince William will not be enamored with the private meeting. He wants nothing to do with his brother or be burdened with the Sussex drama, a drama that he no doubt will have to manage one day as monarch."

A source who knows William and Harry told People magazine that the relationship between the brothers is "so broken."

"I thought it would have perhaps eased a little bit by now, to be honest," said the insider. "But there has been no movement, especially on William's side. There is no contact."

The source noted that there was no expectation the brothers would meet while Harry was in the U.K.

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The strain between the brothers, once close, deepened when Harry and Meghan made their royal exit in 2020. It only worsened when Harry’s memoir, "Spare," was published in 2023, in which he detailed the ongoing sibling rivalry.

"The consistent message I've heard is that Prince William isn't focused on reconciliation," Schofield said.

"He's focused on protecting his family and the institution he'll eventually lead. I've never gotten the impression William is driven by revenge. I think he's driven by caution. I'm told he's actually very sensitive, and after years of interviews, documentaries, a memoir and public accusations, he simply doesn't see enough evidence that the pattern has changed in Harry."

"I think Prince William has reached a point where actions matter infinitely more than words," Schofield continued. "Before there's ever a meaningful reconciliation, there would have to be a sustained period in which private conversations remain private and confidence is gradually rebuilt. Right now, that appears to be the biggest hurdle."

"Sadly, one can see how polarizing the Sussex debacle is, not just within public opinion but within the royal family itself," British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital. "Prince William and King Charles have completely different outlooks. They are operating from two different places."

Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that the king, who is undergoing cancer treatment, was eager to spend time with his young grandchildren. Harry, who has been vocal about wanting reconciliation, was willing to accept his father's terms.

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"[The Sussexes] are keeping the meeting top secret," a source close to the Sussexes told Nicholl. "They haven't said anything to anyone. The agreement was made before they met the king that nothing would be shared — no photos, no details. It was a top-secret arrangement, and they pulled it off, and frankly, they are delighted about that."

"... Don't expect to hear anything about what was said," said the source. "That was the promise Harry made to his father. It's critical because this is the first time the families have met in four years. Harry was very pleased it happened because everything was up in the air."

Schofield said William has different priorities.

"King Charles can forgive someone for hurting him," she said. "Prince William also has to consider the repeated attacks on Princess Catherine and on the institution he’ll inherit. Those aren’t identical relationships. I’ve long believed Prince William’s issue isn’t anger. It’s confidence. Once trust has been broken repeatedly, another meeting doesn’t automatically solve the underlying problem."

Chard said keeping William uninformed about the meeting could cause more harm than good for any peace talks.

"Many say reconciliation without William in the room is not family reconciliation," said Chard. "Without a full family council, a true family reconciliation may just fizzle out. The optics don't look good for a united family front. Trust is already thin, and if William is kept in the dark as Charles takes steps to maintain private family moments with the Sussexes, any future healing may become more difficult."

PRINCE HARRY REVEALS HIS FULL-TIME JOB AFTER LEAVING ROYAL LIFE

Dan Wakeford, founder of Celebrity Intelligence, previously told Fox News Digital that William's door is "bolted shut" to Harry and that he refuses to budge on his stance toward his estranged brother.

"He could perhaps have absorbed the criticism of himself, which Harry wrote in 'Spare,' but he cannot get over how much hurt it caused his wife," Wakeford claimed.

"A palace source told Celebrity Intelligence plainly that William was fuming and particularly upset about what was said about Catherine. And so, the relationship ... he's done with it. He's done with the drama."

Retired LAPD detective says Scott Peterson deserves a new trial, claims police overlooked critical witnesses

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 07:00:10 -0400

Nearly 22 years after Scott Peterson was found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife, his legal team says "new evidence" could help overturn his conviction.

The 53-year-old's attorneys with the Los Angeles Innocence Project (LAIP) say they've uncovered what they argue is new evidence that could undermine one of America's most infamous murder convictions. They detail their findings in A&E's new two-part docuseries, "Scott Peterson: The New Evidence."

"When you initially have a missing person's case, there are certain protocols, certain things that must be done, and that is to follow up on every possible lead to determine when and where the missing person was last seen," Ninette Toosbuy, a retired LAPD detective who appears in the documentary, told Fox News Digital.

SCOTT PETERSON'S DEFENSE LOSES BID TO INTRODUCE WITNESS TESTIMONY IN LONG-RUNNING FIGHT TO OVERTURN CONVICTION

"That wasn't done in this case," she said. "That alone, just that alone, got me very interested in looking deeper into the matter. I think that Scott Peterson does deserve a new trial. I think any individual who's not given a fair trial to begin with deserves that. That is our system in the United States. A new trial would be the right course of action."

But Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, isn't buying it. Rocha, who has long rejected claims that Peterson was wrongly convicted, dismissed the documentary's claims outright. "There is no new evidence," People magazine reported. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Modesto Police Department for comment.

Prosecutors said Peterson murdered Laci, who was eight months pregnant, on Christmas Eve 2002 before dumping her body in San Francisco Bay. The remains of the 27-year-old and their unborn son, Conner, washed ashore months later. A jury convicted Peterson and sentenced him to death, though that sentence was later overturned. He is now serving life without the possibility of parole.

WATCH: SCOTT PETERSON'S LONGTIME LAWYER CLAIMS TO HAVE 'NEW' EVIDENCE

The docuseries identifies 15 people who claimed they saw Laci walking her dog, McKenzie, on the morning of Dec. 24 — after the time Peterson told investigators he had already left home for a fishing trip in San Francisco Bay. Toosbuy said investigators' handling of those reported sightings marked a turning point in the case.

"Why wasn't this absolutely exhausted?" said Toosbuy. "Why wasn't this followed all the way through? You've got witnesses, people in the neighborhood, who reached out to Modesto PD once they heard there was a missing person's investigation going on.

"Basic missing person investigation 101 is to track down every one of those leads, interview them and determine whether they're credible, whether they were actually in a position to have seen Laci. And if they, in fact, do seem to have been in a position, take them back to where they last saw her. Physically go to the area and take a look."

"That wasn't done," Toosbuy said. "If you had witnesses who could confirm that they did see Laci at the park or in the neighborhood, and this would've been at the time after Scott already left for the marina, then that would've immediately excluded him as a suspect. If you have multiple people saying the same thing, then he could not have been the suspect or the murderer."

Prosecutors have long argued that many of the reported sightings were unreliable or inconsistent.

Chris Pixley, an Atlanta-based defense attorney featured in the docuseries, said Modesto police largely disregarded the varying accounts, and Peterson’s defense team didn’t call any of the witnesses to the stand, People magazine reported.

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"You have to wonder whether the trial would have had a different outcome," he said.

Peterson's attorneys also say authorities didn't fully investigate a burglary reported at the home of Rudy and Susan Medina across the street from the Petersons on the morning of Laci's disappearance.

A burned-out van containing a mattress with what appeared to be bloodstains was found about a mile from Peterson's home on Christmas Day. Peterson's attorneys argued that Laci could have interrupted the robbery in progress and was then abducted and killed by the burglars.

Toosbuy believes Modesto Police zeroed in on Peterson as a suspect and quickly dismissed other theories.

"I think it's bizarre that you find a van that was burned not far from Laci's neighborhood and do not explore the possibility that it's related," said Toosbuy.

"I'm not saying that we know for sure it's related. Of course not. However, it's suspicious, and you've got a woman who's now missing. Both of those things are unusual in a neighborhood like Modesto. You need to investigate whether there is a connection so that you can either eliminate the van or go further. It just leaves more questions than answers."

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When asked how likely it is to obtain any DNA for testing today, Toosbuy replied, "I don't know how much there is, and the courts would also have to OK it."

"There are some legal procedural things that would have to take place," she said. "But from an investigative standpoint, I think it's really important that we find out what's on that mattress, if the possibility is there."

The two men convicted in connection with the Medina burglary denied involvement in Laci's disappearance and were never charged in connection with her death. Prosecutors have maintained there was no evidence linking the burglars to Laci's disappearance and said the Medina burglary occurred Dec. 26, after she disappeared.

Attorneys for LAIP have argued that only a small portion of the mattress fabric was tested for DNA, which they say is "insufficient to determine whether DNA from Laci and/or Conner was present."

Court filings indicated prior testing did not identify Laci's DNA on the portion of the mattress that was tested. LAIP has argued that the testing was incomplete.

Investigators later learned Peterson was having an affair with massage therapist Amber Frey. Peterson told her he was a widower facing his first holiday season alone.

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"Having an affair is not a nice thing," said Toosbuy. "But having an affair does not automatically make you a murderer, either. It could make you a bad husband, but it doesn't necessarily make you a murderer. Just because he made some bad decisions, that does not necessarily mean he's the person who killed Laci Peterson."

"I'll be the first one to admit that there were things that he did that were really unwise, really dumb things," she added.

The docuseries notes that Laci's remains washed ashore in Richmond, California, and Conner's body was found about a mile away. Hydrologist Ralph Chen testified that, based on wind data, Laci may have been placed in the water between Brooks Island and the Berkeley Marina, where Peterson said he was fishing. It's believed Conner's body separated from his mother's in the water.

However, an expert retained by LAIP used Delft3D hydrodynamic modeling, which simulates wind and water movement, People reported. The expert concluded that Laci could have been placed in the shallows off Albany Bulb, a park accessible only by trail, miles from where Peterson said he went fishing.

There are also handwritten notes. At trial, prosecutors said Peterson purchased a fishing boat on Dec. 9, 2002, and secretly kept it in a storage facility because he intended to use the vessel to dispose of Laci's body. Peterson's attorneys said notes recovered from the home were reviewed by a forensic examiner and appear to indicate Laci knew about the boat and may have been buying equipment for it from marine supply stores.

In April, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill denied Peterson's latest petition, filed on his behalf by LAIP, to overturn his conviction.

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"Judge Hill recognized the most recent attempt to undo the jury's verdict for what it was — nothing more than recycled, repackaged and rebranded arguments," Stanislaus County District Attorney Jeff Laugero said in May. "Laci, Conner and their family deserve the finality that justice promised them."

Peterson’s attorneys plan to appeal to a higher California court.

"I do think there are some really compelling things that have come out of the Los Angeles Innocence Project's efforts," said Toosbuy. "Ultimately, everybody's going to make their own decision about what was done, what was not done."

Mike Waltz, Tim Tebow launch effort to combat online child exploitation: 'It's happening in their backyard'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:30:40 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow on Thursday unveiled a renewed international effort to combat online child exploitation, bringing together government officials, law enforcement leaders and anti-human trafficking advocates like Tebow's foundation to strengthen cooperation against predators operating across borders.

Following the event, Waltz and Tebow answered questions exclusively from Fox News Digital, with Tebow warning parents that the threat isn't confined to distant countries or dark corners of the internet.

"It's happening in their backyard," Tebow told Fox News Digital when asked what would shock American parents most about child exploitation today.

NEW MEXICO SEEKS MASSIVE PENALTY FROM META AFTER JURY FOUND TECH GIANT LIABLE FOR ENDANGERING CHILDREN

The event put a spotlight on how the U.S. is teaming up with countries around the world to rescue exploited children, crack down on human trafficking networks and prosecute child predators. Officials also pointed to recent international operations, new funding from Congress and a U.S.-led U.N. resolution targeting online sextortion.

"The United States is leading the charge to combat child exploitation in partnership with civil society groups like the Tim Tebow Foundation," Waltz said during the event. "Child exploitation criminals operate across borders, so a global response is critical. We need to work together to protect our children from predators."

Tebow said the danger facing children online is something parents should think about every day.

"If it's unprotected, it's similar to dropping them off at a playground knowing that pedophiles are circling that playground," he told Fox News Digital. "You would never do it."

FAMILY STOPPED ALLEGED CHILD KIDNAPPER AS POLICE SAY STAFFING SHORTAGE DELAYED RESPONSE UP TO 40 MINUTES

He urged parents to take advantage of online safety tools and remain engaged with their children's digital activity, saying predators are constantly searching for opportunities to exploit young victims.

"There are so many predators online that are looking for a vulnerability and an access to a boy or girl so that they can exploit, so that they can lure, so they can groom, so that they can sextort," Tebow said. "I really believe it's one of the worst evils in the world."

During the event, Tebow stressed that child exploitation requires international cooperation.

"Child exploitation requires a response as global as the threat itself," he said. "Right now, children around the world are being harmed, and we cannot look away. No child should be invisible, and no predator should be able to hide."

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Asked by Fox News Digital whether some countries are refusing to cooperate with U.S. investigations, Waltz said the larger challenge is that many nations lack the legal tools and investigative resources needed to pursue child exploitation cases.

"I don't know that there's countries refusing to cooperate," Waltz said. "But what I can tell you, there's countries all over the world [where] they don't have the laws on the books that make these things a crime. They don't have the extradition treaties. They don't have the prosecutors or the investigators that know how to handle the electronic evidence in the right way."

He added that U.S. agencies and United Nations partners are working to help countries strengthen those capabilities through training and international cooperation.

Waltz also argued that migration and human trafficking remain closely linked, saying vulnerable girls are often exploited by criminal organizations during migration routes.

Tebow added that investigators around the world continue to face enormous challenges identifying victims because offenders deliberately work to avoid detection.

"When we also talk about this, there are so many places that are underfunded, under-equipped, and it does take some training and understanding of what is happening online so we can best use victim identification," Tebow said. "Those victim identification specialists really are specialists. They're incredible at what they're doing because those that are performing this evil, they're not trying to get caught."

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"So it takes really special people to be able to understand, to find them and then bring them to justice. More importantly, bring that kid into freedom."

The collaboration between the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Tim Tebow Foundation and international law enforcement partners is intended to strengthen cross-border efforts to combat child exploitation through expanded cooperation, technology and coordinated investigations.

Hoffa family urges FBI Director Kash Patel to keep investigation open and 'name names'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:00:47 -0400

The family of Jimmy Hoffa is asking that the FBI not close the missing person case and instead reveal all it knows about who killed the legendary labor leader as the 51st anniversary of the historic disappearance approaches in two weeks.

"We, and likely many other Americans, would rather have the case solved, not shelved," said Hoffa's son, James, told Fox News Digital.

"I'm shocked that the government would close such a prominent case. This case is of national interest to all, and all the efforts of the FBI should continue to go to solving it," he continued. "We want the case solved. The family wants to have accountability for this horrible crime. We want the case solved so that the family can have closure."

JIMMY HOFFA’S SON: WHO KILLED MY DAD, WHY, AND WHAT IT DID TO MY FAMILY

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital to FBI Director Kash Patel, James Hoffa writes that he and his sister, Barbara Crancer, would find closing the case "disturbing," and urged Patel to let all the information the bureau has on his father's disappearance be made public.

"It is important to us, and the country, that the truth about my father's disappearance [be] told and those involved in his disappearance, even if they are deceased, be exposed," he said. "My sister Barbara and I urge the FBI to keep the case open and active, and to continue the investigation."

PRODUCER'S NOTEBOOK: TRACKING THE FATE OF JIMMY HOFFA

Jimmy Hoffa vanished July 30, 1975, on his way to what he thought was a meeting to help in his bid to regain the Teamsters union presidency.

He was last seen in the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, at about 2:30 p.m. local time getting into a car that whisked him away.

Jimmy Hoffa's remains have never been recovered and no one has been charged in connection to his disappearance.

In the documentary series, "Riddle, The Search for James R. Hoffa," streaming on Fox Nation, one theory speculates Jimmy Hoffa was picked up at the restaurant by Detroit mob capo Vito "Billy Jack" Giaclone and mobster Anthony "Tony Pal" Palazzolo, and driven to a nearby home owned by mobster Carlo Licata, where he was killed.

The theory states his remains were then possibly disposed of in a mob-run sanitation facility in Hamtramck.

JIMMY HOFFA'S FAMILY CALLS ON TRUMP TO RELEASE FBI FILES

Jimmy Hoffa was allegedly told that he would be meeting with Giacalone’s brother, powerful Detroit mobster Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone, and New Jersey Teamsters local president Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano, a bitter union enemy who was also a capo in the New York City-based Genovese crime family.

He needed the support of Provenzano's 10,000-member New Jersey local in his campaign for the union's top job.

While there have long been conflicting theories about Jimmy Hoffa's fate, Fox Nation reported that an informant told the FBI that he was present when Jimmy Hoffa died and said that Vito "Billy Jack" Giacalone was the person who killed him.

Such information would have been documented in FBI records, called 302s. But so far, the information has not been made public.

"We and likely many other Americans would rather have the case solved, not shelved. We seek closure, not millions of documents that continue the mystery," Hoffa’s son wrote to Patel.

The status of the criminal case is unclear.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the FBI said it is "dedicated to deliver[ing] transparency to the American public."

"The release of these historic files on Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance is yet another step in that direction," the FBI said.

The bureau previously released thousands of documents, but most are heavily redacted and hide potentially vital information.

James Hoffa suggested the unredacted files could be turned over to the National Archives, without the case being shut down.

"We want the case solved, we don't want tons of redacted paper sent to us," James Hoffa said.

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The FBI's Detroit field office has taken over the case, and the bureau has said it continues to take the investigation seriously.

"The FBI has worked for five decades to investigate every lead and process evidence related to this investigation," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "FBI offices across the country have assisted over the years and we have received countless tips and information from the public, which has been of tremendous help to the FBI. We appreciate the public, and more importantly, the Hoffa family's assistance and support over the years."

James Hoffa said, "It is time for the FBI to solve the case and to hold people accountable and name names, even if they are deceased, to solve this national mystery."

The eight-part series "Riddle, The Search for James R. Hoffa," is streaming on Fox Nation.

House Republicans aim to turn Democratic civil war into midterm weapon

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:00:36 -0400

NEW CITY, N.Y. - The battle for the House majority will be won or lost in congressional districts like New York-17, NY-3, and NY-4, three crucial swing seats in suburban New York City.

And as Republicans work to hold onto their razor-thin House majority in this autumn's midterm elections, they view the ongoing battle between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party as political ammunition as they portray Democrats as radicals.

"Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight," Republican Rep. Mike Lawler argued in a Fox News Digital interview.

Lawler, a two-term lawmaker who represents NY-17, which covers much of New York City's northern suburbs, spoke soon after three far-left Democrats backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated more moderate, establishment-backed rivals in showdowns that drew outsized national attention.

MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Two of primary winners were aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and two of the defeated candidates were congressional incumbents.

"My district is impacted significantly by what happens in New York City. Many of my constituents work in the city, they're cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers," Lawler said.

He charged that "these radical socialists are taking over the Democratic Party, not just for Congress, but the state legislature. And as I said last year, Zohran Mamdani would become the face of the Democratic Party and its leader, and that is precisely what he is doing."

Lawler's Democratic challenger in the midterms is not backed by either the DSA or two other far-left groups, the Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY CIVIL WAR HITS DEBATE STAGE IN CRUCIAL PRIMARY SHOWDOWN

But Lawler, pointing to Democratic nominee Cait Conley's stance on key issues, argued, "The fact is that she agrees with them from a policy standpoint, even if she doesn't couch herself in the same title of socialist."

"My opponent would be a rubber stamp for the radical socialists who are coming, and she wouldn't have the ability to stand up to these people and push back, and the fact is the Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight," he charged.

But Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that any GOP push to paint Democrats as far left radicals are "desperate attacks."

"The midterms will ultimately be a referendum on who is going to lower costs and help improve the lives of everyday Americans - which House Republicans have failed spectacularly to do. In the purple, majority making districts, " DelBene argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

She charged that "Republicans already know they’ve lost the American people, and that’s why they are resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues, but just baseless spin that falls flat with voters who are eager to reject Republicans."

Conley, a West Point graduate and military combat veteran who was awarded three Bronze Stars during six deployments to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, pushed back on Lawler's criticism.

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"Voters are sick of political insiders, politicians, political operatives who care more about their next reelection than they do solving the actual problems with the time they are given to represent their people," Conley told Fox News Digital, indicating Lawler, a political strategist before serving as a state lawmaker and then winning election to Congress.

Conley emphasized that "we need new leaders, not people who are part of the political insider network."

The race in NY-17 is among two to three dozen across the country that will determine if the GOP holds its razor-thin House majority.

So are the showdowns in NY-3 and NY-4, which are located in New York City's eastern suburbs on Long Island.

"I think it will definitely affect us in Nassau County since we're a border county," Jeanine Driscoll, the GOP nominee in NY-4 told Fox News Digital, as she referred to the far-left Democratic victories in neighboring New York City. "Bringing in three ultra left wing people who are proclaiming themselves to be socialists, really communists, is going to wake people up."

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Driscoll, the receiver of taxes in the town of Hempstead, America’s largest township by population, is challenging Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped the district two years ago.

Just to the north, in NY-3, Republican nominee Mike LePetri is facing off against veteran Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who narrowly topped LePetri in 2024.

"Frankly, the people of Long Island and northeast Queens are scared. They're concerned about the future of America if you have the Democrat Party take over the House of Representatives," LePetri told Fox News Digital.

Gillen and Suozzi are among a group of moderate House Democrats who earlier this year launched the "Promise to America," a centrist political pledge that rejects socialism, supports secure borders, and promotes fiscal responsibility and economic growth.

"I call myself a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat. Someone who believes in the traditional values," Suozzi said in a recent "Fox and Friends" interview.

Suozzi emphasized, "We’re for capitalism, not socialism. We’re for safety, not lawlessness. We’re proud of America. Not ashamed of America. And we need to be promoting those things."

"There are people in the Democratic Party that are left of center that don’t agree with the far left. And we just need to do a better job organizing because you’ll see big rallies for people who are extremists, far right, far left, but if I show up and say ‘hey lets work together to solve the problems that we face in our country,’ you’re not going to get a big rally for that," Suozzi said.

But LePetri charged that Suozzi "is two faced. He says one thing, but votes exactly with his conference."

And Driscoll, speaking of Gillam, argued, "they claim they're moderate. If you look at her voting record, her voting record is not moderate."

Top Republicans are using the recent victories by the far-left as a cudgel to bash Democrats in competitive races.

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President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned of a "communist" threat.

Vice President JD Vance argued recently on Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle" that Democrats have "a view that the United States is an evil country that must be dismantled from the ground and then built back up. That's communism at its core, and you see more and more momentum in that direction from the Democrat Party."

But CJ Warnke, communications director at the Democrat-aligned House Majority PAC, told of Fox News Digital that "Republicans are grasping for straws because they have no record of success to run on. They've spent the last year supporting tariffs, health care cuts, and the Iran War — all of which have caused prices to skyrocket. Their poll numbers are sinking and this is a desperate ploy to save their campaigns — and it will fail."

OnlyFans model seeks dead boyfriend’s animal-cruelty warrant in self-defense murder trial: Docs

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:00:36 -0400

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney is trying to turn the tables on prosecutors before her murder trial, asking a Miami-Dade judge to block the state from using a string of alleged prior violent incidents to paint her as the aggressor.

Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused in the 2022 death of Christian Obumseli, will argue she acted "in self-defense and as a battered spouse," according to newly filed defense motions in Miami-Dade criminal court reviewed by Fox News Digital.

In a July 1 filing, her lawyers asked a Miami-Dade judge to allow them to bring up Obumseli’s 2020 Austin arrest warrant if the state opens the door by describing him as peaceful, gentle, passive or nonviolent.

COURTNEY CLENNEY'S DEFENSE INSPECTS KNIVES AT CENTER OF ONLYFANS MODEL'S MURDER CASE AHEAD OF TRIAL: REPORT

The warrant, attached to the defense filing, accused Obumseli of cruelty to a nonlivestock animal, a Class A misdemeanor, in Travis County, Texas. It lists an offense date of Nov. 2, 2020, but does not show how the case was resolved.

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Clenney’s lawyers claim the records behind the warrant describe apartment staff finding Obumseli’s dead dog, Halo, confined inside a kennel in a closet after an apartment had been abandoned. Investigators allegedly found food in the kennel but no water, and feces surrounding the animal.

A veterinary pathologist concluded the dog’s most likely cause of death was dehydration from water deprivation, and investigators believed Halo had been dead for five to seven days before being discovered, the defense motion says. The filing also claims Obumseli gave "vague, confusing, and conflicting" accounts about the dog’s death.

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The animal-cruelty fight is part of a broader pretrial battle over how jurors will see the couple’s volatile relationship. The evidence fight also includes the publicized elevator video prosecutors allegedly want to use to show Clenney as the aggressor.

In a separate June 29 filing, Clenney’s lawyers argued prosecutors are presenting a misleading snippet of the February 2022 elevator video. The state, according to the defense, says the video shows Clenney striking Obumseli, pulling his hair and continuing to hit him before the doors open and he can escape.

COURTNEY CLENNEY'S DEFENSE INSPECTS KNIVES AT CENTER OF ONLYFANS MODEL'S MURDER CASE AHEAD OF TRIAL: REPORT

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But the defense says prosecutors start the video too late.

Clenney’s lawyers claim earlier footage shows her entering the elevator from her residential floor partially clothed, barefoot and without shoes, keys, wallet or phone. When she reached the lobby, her foot was bleeding, the filing says.

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The defense says Obumseli later entered the elevator, saw blood on the floor and wiped it away with his foot.

When Clenney later got back into the elevator, Obumseli followed her, the defense says. Her lawyers argue she repeatedly pressed elevator buttons in an apparent effort to close the doors before he could enter.

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Once inside, the filing claims, Obumseli maneuvered around Clenney, reached for the key-fob reader and appeared to put her in a headlock while trying to activate the elevator and gain access to the apartment.

Clenney’s lawyers say she struck him during the struggle in an effort to stop him from getting upstairs. Prosecutors have disputed her account, citing the Miami-Dade medical examiner’s conclusion that the fatal wound was inconsistent with her description of what happened.

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Clenney was arrested four months later at a rehabilitation facility in Hawaii and charged with second-degree murder. She has pleaded not guilty. Fox News Digital has reached out to Clenney's attorneys for comment.

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