Latest & Breaking News | Fox News

The deadly home invasion happened on June 3.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

The two suspects were arrested days apart after law enforcement secured warrants for their arrests on July 28. U.S. Marshals, along with Milford and New Haven police, arrested Lopez-Reyes two days later.

DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS

On Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NYNJRFTF) announced they had arrested Barias-Florimon, 24, in the Bronx.

GOT A TIP?

According to DHS, Barias-Florimon entered the United States in 2007 as the son of a lawful permanent resident.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

Lopez-Reyes entered the country on a visa in November 2016 during the Obama administration. DHS said he was arrested in 2021 on charges of criminal mischief and criminal obstruction of breathing and was ultimately convicted of disorderly conduct.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

DHS said Lopez-Reyes was granted lawful permanent resident status in October 2022 during the Biden administration.

WHO IS AHMAD VAHIDI? IRAN’S NEW IRGC CHIEF TIED TO GLOBAL ATTACKS AND ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ IDEOLOGY

"Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right," DHS said. "Under our nation's laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused."

Nuclear experts urge Trump not to let Iran steer talks away from regime's atomic threat

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:32:19 -0400

As negotiations continue over the Strait of Hormuz experts are urging the Trump administration to keep their eye on the ball when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to news of reported comments from IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi, warning that Israel would continue preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with or without a diplomatic agreement.

The remarks in question by Vahidi, which were first seemed to be reported in 2025 in an interview with an Iranian-regime-linked outlet, went viral on Wednesday, but after further investigation they seem to have come from an interview when he was interior minister and an adviser to the IRGC.

He reportedly told ILNA that the country's official line was that building a bomb was not on the table but "iran’s hand is open…Iran can take actions if has not taken until now," in an account published by Khabar online, and shared with Fox News Digital.

In reaction to the remarks that were amplified by Israel’s Ch. 14 on X, Netanyahu said during his speech that, "Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘continue,’ as he put it," Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the reinterment of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of the founder of modern day Zionism, Theodor Herzl."

"Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too, am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons," he said.

Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s greatest friend in the White House and expressed appreciation for the two countries’ joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

"Israel’s existence is not subject to negotiation," Netanyahu said. "With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined — we are all determined — to do whatever is necessary to ensure our security and our future."

NETANYAHU'S ISRAEL GRAPPLES WITH TRUMP-IRAN DEAL AS DETAILS REMAIN UNCLEAR

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office for clarification of his remarks.

The comments came as nuclear experts urged Trump to keep Iran’s nuclear program at the center of negotiations, warning that Tehran could use the Hormuz crisis to secure sanctions relief and other concessions before addressing its remaining nuclear capabilities.

Trump told "Fox News at Night" Tuesday that military force remained an option if Iran abandoned the talks, while insisting Tehran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"If they back out again, they’re going to get hit really hard," Trump told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher. "They know that. They understand that. I have no choice. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.

"The hard hit is yet to come, and hopefully we won’t have to use it."

Trump said negotiators held an "all-day negotiation" Tuesday and described the discussions as "very good." He has said the talks would initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before turning to Tehran’s nuclear program.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN WILL BE HIT 'REALLY HARD' IF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE AGAIN

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, said that sequence could play directly into Iran’s strategy.

"It is in the Iranians’ interest to steer the negotiations toward the issues that they most care about," Stricker told Fox News Digital, including securing major U.S. concessions over Hormuz and "maintaining control of that crucial waterway that has proven a lifeline for Tehran to survive this war."

She said Iran would also seek oil sanctions relief and potentially relief from all U.S. sanctions, before addressing the nuclear file.

"If Tehran is able to structure the talks that way — and I’m concerned that Trump appears to be going along with that approach — there may be little left in terms of leverage to get big concessions from the Iranians on the nuclear file down the line," Stricker said.

There is evidence that Tehran has sought to sequence the talks in its favor. Axios reported in April that Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war before beginning nuclear negotiations, potentially reducing U.S. leverage over enrichment and Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile.

The Washington Post later reported that Tehran was focused on preserving its leverage over Hormuz rather than engaging deeply on major nuclear restrictions.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, agreed Iran is seeking to capitalize on the leverage it gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The current focus on the Straits of Hormuz is not surprising. Iran is looking to capitalize on leverage gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the waterway and test if Trump is willing to negotiate in good faith," Davenport told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN'T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL 'WIN' AS TALKS FADE

She said Tehran understands that any durable agreement will ultimately have to address its nuclear program but said, "At the end of this conflict, Iran will still possess the capabilities necessary to build a bomb," Davenport said, "The relevant knowledge and nuclear expertise cannot be bombed away.

"Tehran retains key materials and technologies necessary to build a bomb," she added. "If left unchecked, the nuclear program will be a source of instability and renewed conflict, even if Iran does not resume more proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities."

A proposed agreement between Iran and Oman could give Tehran some control over ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters Wednesday. One regional source described the arrangement as a concession that had already been made, although the precise meaning of Iranian "control" remained under negotiation.

Iran is also seeking fees from ships traveling through the waterway, according to Reuters, while Washington has opposed both Iranian control and mandatory transit charges.

Stricker said postponing the nuclear issues would allow the regime to preserve its remaining enriched-uranium stockpiles and avoid fully dismantling its nuclear infrastructure.

She said Iran also wants to avoid accounting for its past nuclear weapons-related work or committing to end uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.

"Leaving them as a last-order issue in the negotiations likely means that we will not see the Iranians make big concessions and make a solid nuclear deal," Stricker said.

Davenport said the administration should prioritize restoring access for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency before beginning detailed nuclear negotiations.

"The IAEA has not visited key Iranian nuclear sites in more than a year," she said. "It remains unclear how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains and where any gaps might be in trying to account for Iran’s nuclear materials."

She said renewed inspections would give Washington a clearer picture of Iran’s remaining facilities and materials, while helping negotiators design a verification regime capable of addressing any gaps.

Davenport also recommended pairing sanctions relief with specific, verifiable Iranian steps rather than negotiating one sweeping package.

"A series of smaller deals could build confidence in the process," she said.

Stricker urged the administration to link every concession involving Hormuz, sanctions or the U.S. blockade to a measurable Iranian step on the nuclear file.

JUDGE ALLOWS MADISON BROOKS SUPPORTERS TO WEAR PINK DESPITE DEFENSE OBJECTIONS BEFORE RAPE TRIAL

"The best approach to ensure a solid deal is to make the nuclear issues just as important as the Strait of Hormuz, removing the blockade and other top Iranian priorities," she said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify remarks by IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, which were previously taken out of context and amplified as comments made this week.

Madison Brooks judge faces heat after docs reveal her son is sexual predator, suspect says she’s ‘on our side’

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:36 -0400

The judge overseeing the cases against the men accused of gang-raping LSU student Madison Brooks before her death has a son of her own who is a convicted sexual predator, records show.

One of the men accused of raping Brooks before her death is set to stand trial on Aug. 17, when 21-year-old Desmond Carter faces a jury, with Judge Gail Ray presiding over the case. Carter is the first of three suspects in Brooks' alleged attack to stand trial.

Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU student at the time, was allegedly gang-raped after a night out in 2023, then struck and killed by a car.

Court records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that the judge's son, 46-year-old Nelson Taylor, was convicted of several counts of forcible rape in 1997. Taylor is currently trying to get those convictions overturned, creating a debacle between the district attorney's office and the 19th Judicial District Court, as his mother is a sitting judge.

Taylor admitted to raping several girls who went to high school with him between October 1995 and April 1996.

All judges within the 19th Judicial District Court recused themselves from the case in December 2025. Taylor's attorney filed a motion to have the convictions overturned in a November 2025 motion. While the motion was filed in November, the conflicts of interest prevented it from being heard by a judge until late July.

District Attorney Hillar Moore, who's prosecuting the men accused of raping Brooks, filed a motion to recuse Ray from presiding over the state's case against Casen Carver, whose trial is set to begin in November. Carver is charged with video voyeurism, first-degree rape and third-degree rape.

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

Moore's office filed the motion to recuse Ray from Carver's case in November 2025, arguing she couldn't judge fairly after the suspect waived his right to a jury trial, making her the sole decider of the case.

Prosecutors pointed to Ray's previous exposure to evidence about Brooks' alleged sexual history, which is being excluded from the trial, and previous rulings that went against them. Those included her order for the state to turn over data from Brooks' cellphone, her initial ruling that evidence of Brooks' activities in the 72 hours before the alleged rape would be admissible, and her decision ordering the state to produce items from Carver's phone.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

However, the prosecutor's central argument for Ray's recusal was a series of text messages between Carver and his father, where the rape suspect claimed "we are friends with" Ray, adding that "she knows to help us," given the judge's son is a convicted rapist.

In another text message, Carver told his father that "judge is on our side" and was "going to rule in our favor."

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"These are not the 'musings' of a teenager who was hoping for the best outcome in his case. These are affirmative statements that show that Mr. Carver believed that the judge 'knew to help him' because of an alleged friendship with him or someone he knew and the judge's son's interactions with the criminal justice system," 19th Judicial District Judge Bradley Myers wrote in his ruling.

GOT A TIP?

The unusual combination of evidence, combined with Ray's previous rulings and her son's criminal history, is what prompted prosecutors to seek the recusal.

Ray was initially recused from the case in November 2025, but the Louisiana Supreme Court would later allow her to preside over Carver's case.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Former Louisiana prosecutor Franz Borghardt explained to Fox News Digital why the text messages weren't enough to get a recusal.

COLLINS DROPS THE HAMMER ON TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD DOJ, JEOPARDIZING PATH TO CONFIRMATION

"So the standard in Louisiana for recusal is, does the judge have a bias or a personal interest such that they can't be fair and impartial to both sides?" Borghardt said. "And while those text messages on their face certainly present that, if someone says, 'hey, this judge is a friend,' doesn't necessarily mean that they're gonna be fair or impartial. And in fact, oftentimes judges that are friends will rule against you just as quickly as judges that dislike you."

Fox News Digital reached out to Ray's office and Taylor's attorney for comment.

GOP senator deals crushing blow to Trump's AG nominee after Alaska lobbying blitz

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:01:46 -0400

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just lost the last little bit of cushion he had left to survive confirmation.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced that she would not support Blanche’s nomination to be the nation’s top prosecutor and law enforcement official, dealing another blow to his rocky confirmation process.

Her defection, despite a heavy lobbying effort by Blanche that saw him make the trek to Alaska, means that Senate Republican leadership can’t afford to lose anymore votes to get him across the finish line, given that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., though now back home, has still not returned to the Senate.

Murkowski acknowledged Blanche’s visit to Alaska and heavy lobbying effort throughout the last few weeks, but it’s his connection to President Donald Trump’s nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund, and broader concerns of a weaponized Justice Department, that proved the nail in the coffin for her.

"The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it," Murkowski said in a statement. "I take issue with the handling of the release of the Epstein files; the sweeping immunity protections granted to the President, his family, and their businesses; the statements that have been made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. Senators."

"I am also keenly aware that the Department’s nearly $2-billion dollar slush fund—which likely would have rewarded January 6 protesters—is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage," she continued. "Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds."

TRUMP'S AG PICK SURVIVES — FOR NOW — AS REPUBLICANS QUESTION IF WHITE HOUSE DEAL WILL HOLD

To Murkowski’s latter issue, several lawmakers in both sides of the aisle acknowledge that though Blanche and the Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to permanently rescind the fund in writing to Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, there’s nothing stopping Trump from reviving it.

And he’s on several occasions made clear he wants to see it come back.

Before making her decision, Trump already took a snipe at her during an interview with Punch Bowl News published Friday morning.

TRUMP THREATENS TO YANK HIS OWN AG NOMINEE AS GOP REVOLT GROWS

"I’m against Murkowski," Trump said. "I do more for Alaska than any president in history. No president’s done for Alaska what I’ve done. She’s not good."

Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether the Senate will actually vote on Blanche on Friday, which could be the upper chamber’s grand finale of the summer before it exits Washington, D.C., for the remainder of August.

And there’s still one more Republican that hasn’t weighed in on how they’ll vote: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

HIDDEN UNDERGROUND CHAMBER REVEALED BENEATH HOME OF LEGENDARY ROMAN EMPEROR

If he defects, and McConnell is still gone, it will be a 50-50 vote. That means Vice President JD Vance would need to break the tie. But for now, only Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, are publicly opposing Blanche’s confirmation.

"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."

Ghostly outline of long-lost garden at Winston Churchill's birthplace revealed in aerial photos

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:13 -0400

Sweltering heat in the United Kingdom has revealed the remains of a long-lost 18th-century garden at a major tourist attraction.

Aerial photos show the outline of the 300-year-old formal garden at Blenheim Palace, an estate about eight miles northwest of Oxford, England, news agency SWNS reported.

Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 1705 and 1722, is famously the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, as well as the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough.

The outline was revealed during the latest heat wave this summer after prolonged dry weather created parch marks, or dry patches in the grass, across the grounds.

A spokesperson from Blenheim Palace told Fox News Digital the marks will be visible "until cooler temperatures arrive and sufficient rain falls to green up the shallow-rooted grass."

"There isn't currently any rain in the forecast for the next few weeks, so it will be visible for a while yet," the representative added.

The patches, officials say, reveal the outline of the original garden, giving a glimpse of what it looked like 300 years ago.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER SPRAWLING ROMAN ESTATE BURIED FOR CENTURIES BENEATH FARMLAND

It was originally created in 1705 by royal gardener Henry Wise and was once protected by a high stone wall with bastions.

The garden was dismantled in 1760s, SWNS said, when Blenheim Palace's gardener Lancelot "Capability" Brown redesigned the palace grounds.

The technical term for the garden is a "parterre," from the French term par terre, meaning "on the ground."

Pictures show that the parterre consisted of symmetrical flower beds and paths.

DNA CRACKS CENTURIES-OLD MURDER MYSTERY INVOLVING ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST FAMOUS FAMILIES

In a statement, Blenheim Palace head gardener Andy Mills said the parch marks "allow us to trace the intricate design and scale of the original parterre."

"The excessively dry weather has given us a fascinating bird's-eye view into Blenheim’s past," said Mills, as SWNS noted.

Mills added, "It’s a brilliant reminder of the formal gardens that came before and the layers of history that continue to shape the palace’s landscape."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

The palace is popular among tourists for its opulent State Rooms and extensive gardens, as well as the room where Churchill was born.

Blenheim Palace welcomed 980,678 visitors in 2025, according to visitor data compiled by Historic Houses.

Fox News Digital reached out to Blenheim Palace for further comment.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

The discovery follows other recent historical finds shedding light on life in 18th-century Britain.

Last summer, archaeologists unveiled the remarkably well-preserved wreck of the British warship The Northumberland, which sank off the coast of Kent, England in 1703.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Earlier this year, construction workers in England unearthed a 300-year-old cannon during routine work in the city of Kingston upon Hull.

Knockout at Maui beach caps turbulent stretch for Democratic candidate facing felony allegations

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:03 -0400

A Democratic congressional candidate knocked unconscious in a Maui beach fight now faces felony charges in three separate cases, including allegations he threatened a county employee with what appeared to be a gun and assaulted a hospital nurse.

Kirill Basin, 40, was charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening after the Aug. 1 confrontation at Keawakapu Beach in South Kihei.

Video captured an argument over music that escalated when Basin shoved Kama Homan and swung a beach chair at him. Homan pushed the chair away and knocked Basin unconscious.

HAWAII DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATE FACES FELONY THREAT CHARGES AFTER BEACH FIGHT CAUGHT ON VIDEO

A criminal complaint alleges Basin later threatened Homan with a knife. At Tuesday’s court hearing, a judge maintained Basin’s $1 million bail, ordered him not to contact Homan or four others and barred him from Keawakapu Beach and its parking lot.

But the beach confrontation was not Basin’s first trip through the criminal justice system this year.

Four days later, prosecutors used the beach arrest to seek revocation of Basin’s bail in a separate case accusing him of assaulting a Maui Memorial Medical Center nurse.

Prosecutors said Basin threatened beachgoers, telling them, "I’ll put you in the ground" and "I’ll kill you."

HAWAII DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATE FACES FELONY THREAT CHARGES AFTER BEACH FIGHT CAUGHT ON VIDEO

He then allegedly reached into a small black bag and said, "Do I have a gun? I’ll kill you," before producing and brandishing a knife as a beachgoer tried to de-escalate the confrontation, the Aug. 5 court filing says.

In the new beach case, Judge Christopher Dunn found probable cause to support a first-degree terroristic-threatening charge, the filing says. In the separate hospital-assault case, a judge issued a $400,000 bench warrant.

That filing connected the beach confrontation to a criminal case that had been pending since June, extending a court record that began months before Basin was knocked unconscious on the sand.

Basin’s first court case this year began May 2, when police arrested him on a disorderly-conduct charge. Prosecutors say he fought or threatened people, made too much noise or used offensive language, even after he was told to stop.

Later that month, a Maui grand jury indicted Basin on two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening over a May 29 encounter with a County of Maui employee.

Prosecutors alleged in a July court filing that Basin pulled a tan-and-green handgun from a backpack and made threats involving the weapon while two other county employees watched.

"On May 29, 2026, [Basin] approached a County of Maui employee … pulled out a tan and green colored handgun from his backpack, and made verbal threats about using the handgun," prosecutors wrote.

Read the filing here:

"Further, two other County of Maui employees were also present and both felt threatened for their lives due to [Basin’s] actions," the filing said.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

Basin’s lawyers sharply disputed that version. In a later filing, they said police reports and surveillance footage showed Basin briefly displayed a muzzle-down pellet gun, did not point it at anyone and told witnesses to call police.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Within two weeks, Basin was facing a second felony case, this one over an alleged encounter at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Basin was charged with second-degree assault and two counts of harassment after the hospital incident.

Prosecutors wrote that Basin had been admitted to Maui Memorial’s behavioral-health unit for evaluation, became aggressive and attempted to leave the emergency room before discharge. When nurses tried to restrain him, prosecutors alleged, Basin kicked one of them in the thigh.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Basin pleaded not guilty. On July 20, the court granted his request to leave Hawaii for inpatient treatment in Arizona, subject to conditions that included surrendering his passport, following a court-approved itinerary and appearing remotely for hearings.

Read the filing here:

By July 27, the court was told Basin was in the Maui Recovery program in Lahaina. But after the Aug. 1 beach arrest, the court issued a $400,000 bench warrant in the hospital-assault case as prosecutors sought to revoke his bail.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS FINALLY BACK AFTER MONTHS OF NCAA LAWSUITS, NIL DRAMA AND CONGRESSIONAL FIGHTS

Fox News Digital has requested Maui Police Department reports, body-camera footage, dispatch audio, witness statements and evidence logs tied to the four criminal incidents. Fox News Digital also reached out to Basin’s attorney, Brandon Segal, for comment.

Which teams are overrated or underrated in new preseason college football Coaches Poll?

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:41:59 -0400

The release of the preseason Coaches Poll means one thing: college football season is almost here. And it's time to start the arguing.

That arguing this offseason has mostly centered on the fight for supremacy between the SEC and Big Ten Conferences, thanks to the Indiana Hoosiers winning the National Championship and closing out an undefeated 16-0 season. That was just a few months after Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said undefeated teams were a thing of the past in the NIL era.

But 2026 is a new season, and thanks to the transfer portal and NIL, it's harder than ever to gauge the strength of a team or roster from year to year. This upcoming season might be even harder than most, considering the turnover among coaches at top-tier programs.

The Florida Gators have a new head coach in Jon Sumrall. Lane Kiffin fled Ole Miss for the LSU Tigers, while Pete Golding took over in Oxford. Auburn hired Alex Golesh from USF. Penn State replaced James Franklin with Matt Campbell. Kyle Whittingham left his longtime home at Utah to run a Michigan Wolverines program beset by turmoil after the departure of Sherrone Moore. Morgan Scalley is the new head coach in Salt Lake, while UCLA brought in Bob Chesney to try and revitalize the program.

So how did the coaches, or more accurately, the staffers who actually do the voting in the poll, do in evaluating all of these changes heading into 2026?

The short answer? Not too bad, actually.

To evaluate it, we can compare it against a potentially less biased source: analytics-driven ranking systems. These polls, which rely on efficiency numbers on offense, defense, and special teams, adjusted for opponent, are often a better indication of a team's underlying quality. Though it's up to human voters to weigh the importance of wins and losses, relative to how a team played.

THREE TEAMS RANKED OUTSIDE THE TOP-12 OF THE COACHES POLL WHO WILL MAKE THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

For example, if say, LSU racks up 700 yards on offense, allows 75 yards on defense, but fumbles at the 1-yard line every drive, the Tigers would get credit for the efficiency they demonstrated on offense and defense, even if they lose 3-0. Evaluating the importance of how a team played to wins and losses is one of the most important things poll voters, and now the selection committee, can do. And they often do it poorly.

OUTKICK IS NOW ON THE FOX APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

But to test these preseason rankings, we can compare it to SP+, created by Bill Connelly and housed at ESPN. One of the best of this type of metric-driven ranking systems, SP+ released its preseason "poll" ahead of the 2026 season, evaluating last year's performances, returning production, and recruiting rankings.

Impressively, the top three are almost identical. Ohio State and Oregon are the top two teams in SP+, and the top two teams in the Coaches Poll. Georgia sits third in the poll, and fourth in SP+. They're followed by Texas and Notre Dame in the poll, though the Irish are third in SP+ and Texas is just sixth.

So the top five or six teams are fairly close, implying that the poll does a good job of reflecting which teams are expected to be the strongest in 2026. Though some of the divergence towards the middle part of the poll does reflect a common, and often predictable, bias.

Oklahoma and Ole Miss, both playoff teams in 2025, sit ninth and 10th in the poll, but just 12th and 16th in SP+. And that's where the "human element" comes into play. Analytics systems weren't as high on either team as humans were in 2025. But both play in the SEC, which frequently means they're ranked higher than they should be in preseason polls. See Florida and LSU in 2025, which were 15th and ninth in the preseason AP Poll in 2025, only to finish 4-8 and 7-6 respectively. Big program names and passionate fan bases may "mean more," but they don't always translate to on-field success.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

On the other hand, a few SEC teams might feel a bit undervalued by the coaches, including, oddly enough, LSU. The Tigers are 13th in the poll, but 10th in SP+. The numbers expect big things from their big transfer portal class, especially with the quarterback quality and depth they'll have in Kiffin's first season. Tennessee, too, is a bit underrated, coming in 18th in the poll, but 15th in SP+. The Volunteers had some impressive performances last year, though weren't able to get the job done in big games. While that'll have to change to return to the playoff, they're on the bubble, quality-wise.

Another underrated team? The Texas Tech Red Raiders. Perhaps no team has utilized NIL and the portal as well as Texas Tech to rebuild its program overnight, and it worked swimmingly in 2025. Yes, the Red Raiders were shut out by Oregon in the playoff, but they are expected to have a top-10 offense, and top-11 defense. That's a pretty good combination, which is why they're seventh in SP+, but just 12th in the poll.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST SPORTS NEWS

The biggest miss? Houston, of all teams. The Cougars sit at No. 24 in the poll, but just 36th in SP+. That Houston-Texas Tech game in Week 3 will likely be a matchup of two "ranked" teams, but one is very different than the other.

Still, all in all, the Coaches Poll isn't as bad as it could be. Yes, there are some misses, but for the most part, teams are within a few spots of where they'd be with a more advanced form of ranking than just guessing based on 2025. And hey, for fans of those teams in the 10-20 range, remember Indiana started last season at No. 19, before going 16-0 and winning a title. That's the best part of college football, you just never know.

Trump’s Smithsonian clash exposes striking pattern among museum curators and more top headlines

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:24:14 -0400

Good morning and welcome to Fox News' morning newsletter, Fox News First. And here's what you need to know to start your day ...

TOP 3

1. Curators behind controversial Smithsonian exhibit built careers on race

2. Lawsuit claims Maryland rushed redistricting ballot plan after legal deadline passed

3. Crowd chants 'nobody wants you' as Mamdani cuts remarks at police event short

MAJOR HEADLINES

'COULD BE SOON' — Trump hints at breakthrough with Iran but says one danger remains front and center. Continue reading …

THE LONG GAME — Bryan Kohberger's post-conviction relief bid enabled by flawed plea deal. Continue reading …

VOTER VERDICT — Conservative firebrand who went viral with anti-CCP ad survives key primary. Continue reading …

PARTY FRACTURE — Centrist Democrats sound alarm on socialist surge, roll out $15M counterattack. Continue reading …

NIGHTMARE NEXT DOOR — Mother and daughter shot dead after neighbor’s frustrations boil over. Continue reading …

POLITICS

FOLLOW THE MONEY — Harris megadonor's $2M bid to unseat a Republican incumbent pays off. Continue reading …

FIREBRAND VICTORY — AOC flew to Memphis to rally for him — now voters have rendered their judgment. Continue reading …

VISA VERSA — Trump unveils new birthright citizenship push with fresh legal strategy. Continue reading …

PAPER TRAIL COVER — FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe code name ignites suspicion something deeper was at play. Continue reading …

Click here for more cartoons…

MEDIA

PARTY FRACTURE — John Fetterman stands by Israel support against Jon Stewart in heated showdown. Continue reading …

EXIT STAGE LEFT — James Carville says he'd leave Democratic Party under one major condition. Continue reading …

SISTERS HOLD FIRM — Nuns fighting assisted suicide law in New York with religious freedom at stake. Continue reading …

MAGIC DISPUTE — Disneyland and new workers' union in tense dispute over employee benefits. Continue reading …

OPINION

JONATHAN TURLEY — Fauci's contempt of Congress is challengeable, but not his contempt for the public. Continue reading …

NICHOLAS ELLIOT — AI has an opinion and it usually leans left. You have a right to know its agenda. Continue reading …

IN OTHER NEWS

COURT TENSIONS — Aces star targets heckling Fever fans before Chelsea Gray stuns Caitlin Clark in OT thriller. Continue reading …

AISLE ETIQUETTE — Experts warn that peeling back husks at the store may backfire badly. Continue reading …

CROWN DIVIDED — Prince Harry's most controversial royal plan could still become reality. Continue reading …

DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — What was James Carville's red line? Where did Miss USA winner have title stripped? Take the quiz here …

LISTEN

Tune in as we explore the growing debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports, the backlash surrounding the WNBA, and what it means for the future of sports. Check it out ...

PODCASTS

Perez Hilton talks about his regrets, redemption and finding faith on 'Hang Out with Sean Hannity'. Check it out…

'Ruthless' hosts laugh through this week's funniest political moments. Check it out…

New episode of ‘The Riley Gaines’ show drops at 10am ET. Check it out...

FOX WEATHER

What's it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading…

Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday.

Smug Megan Rapinoe goes on unhinged rant, attacks Riley Gaines and Sophie Cunningham over women's sports

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:05:48 -0400

Megan Rapinoe is back, taking shots at women's sports advocates and once again insisting the differences between male and female athletes shouldn't matter in women's sports.

Speaking on her "Why Are You Like This?" podcast — a question sports fans have been asking about her for years — the former USWNT star went after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and OutKick's own Riley Gaines after the two posed for a photo following the Fever's game against the Minnesota Lynx.

Rapinoe supports allowing biological males to compete in women's sports, yet frames women who object, and even athletes who simply stand beside them, as the villains.

MEGAN RAPINOE SAYS EFFORTS TO BAR TRANS ATHLETES FROM WOMEN'S SPORTS ARE 'ATTACK ON WOMEN IN SOCIETY'

"I want to address the controversy that is happening right now around trans women in sports," Rapinoe opened.

"As you know, I've talked about this a lot and will continue to keep talking about this."

She went straight after Cunningham, a fan-favorite WNBA guard now popular with young girls across the country.

Cunningham's big offense? Posing for a picture with Gaines, an athlete who watched female swimmers get robbed of trophies by a biological male and pledged to stop it from happening to anyone else.

In fact, when Gaines attended that game, arena security singled her out as the only person in the building forced to put down a simple sign supporting Cunningham ("Sophie thank you - a Girl Mom").

That selective censorship shows just how directly Gaines and Cunningham are running counter to the WNBA's enforced agenda.

"I don't know Sophie, so I can only project what I see about her beliefs based on her actions, and seeing a picture of her with Riley Gaines after the game told me everything I need to know about what's happening," Rapinoe scoffed.

Rapinoe then demanded ideological conformity from the WNBA star, treating a single post-game photo with Gaines as proof of Cunningham's beliefs rather than addressing anything Cunningham herself had said.

Zero facts, zero conversation. Just pure guilt by association, which is a classic Rapinoe move.

"Sophie has claimed both to love trans people and support Title IX. And this is where I think the accountability with having a major platform is extremely important."

RILEY GAINES SAYS WNBA IS 'HELLBENT' ON BEING AN ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION OVER A BASKETBALL LEAGUE

Rapinoe then turned her attention to Gaines.

"Riley Gaines has made it her life's mission to exclude trans people from public life," Rapinoe claimed.

"She's directly tied to the Heritage Foundation, the authors of Project 2025 and now 2026, who have now published a report that suggests that they want to repeal Title IX, the very piece of legislation that allowed athletes like Sophie and myself to compete in sports."

What Rapinoe conveniently forgets, or deliberately omits, is that Gaines was in the water, competing head-to-head against a MAN (Will "Lia" Thomas) at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Activists like Rapinoe cheered for Will Thomas' inclusion in the pool and the women's locker room.

It's classic Rapinoe spin. Wipe away Gaines' actual experience in the pool, frame her as a political operative, and ignore the real damage inflicted on female sports. Rapinoe wants fans to pretend Gaines's actual experience doesn't exist while dragging Cunningham through the mud over a simple picture. Facts take a backseat in Rapinoe's world. It's not about what happened in the pool or with other female athletes who've competed against men and echoed Gaines' sentiments.

SOFTBALL HALL OF FAMER SENDS BLUNT WARNING TO THOSE DEFENDING INCLUSION OF BIOLOGICAL MALES IN FEMALE SPORTS

"You can hear it even in the language being used that the root of trans exclusion is to protect young girls from men," Rapinoe said. "To be clear, I would love to have that conversation and it's much needed in this country. But it frames the conversation as if we're protecting young girls from men being in WNBA locker rooms, not happening. It villainizes trans girls as if they're somehow magically older than their peers. Or are men, when in reality, they are also young girls. These laws are excluding kids. Kids from playing youth sports."

She dismissed concerns at elite levels, claiming, "If we want to have a conversation around elite sports, there are effective policies that have been in place for many years that no one noticed because they worked."

She finished her rant by scoffing at anyone who dares disagree. "So, if anybody is taking these talking points as legit or believing they're protecting young girls in sports? I just have to ask, are you serious?"

Yes, people are serious.

Parents, female athletes and fans are serious about protecting single-sex sports, the very purpose Title IX was created to guarantee.

Rather than grapple with why Gaines entered this debate or why Cunningham chose to stand beside her, Rapinoe portrays both women as the problem.

LIVING LONGER COULD HINGE ON ONE SURPRISING DIETARY CHANGE, STUDY REVIEW SUGGESTS

Unhinged Rapinoe can defend her position, but Gaines and Cunningham are standing up for female athletes and the young girls dreaming of a level playing field.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

Eating too much protein could backfire, experts warn after longevity review

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:41 -0400

A recent scientific review challenged the idea that consuming more protein necessarily leads to better health, suggesting that the optimal amount depends on factors such as age, activity level and overall health.

After reviewing more than 350 studies, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison concluded that while higher protein intake can support muscle growth and other health benefits, consuming more than the body needs may offer little advantage.

In fact, it could even reduce longevity in some sedentary adults, particularly when protein comes from certain sources or amino acid profiles, they concluded.

For those wondering how to adjust their own diets in light of these findings, the answer lies in personalization, activity level and food sources, according to experts.

"We are hearing conflicting things from doctors ... and influencers," Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital.

"The message lately has been to increase your protein," said the expert, who was not involved in the research.

"However, we do know that excess protein is associated with negative effects. It can put a strain on your kidney health, and it can interfere with bone and calcium homeostasis."

For sedentary individuals, cutting back on excess protein isn’t the only option, according to Freirich. Increasing physical activity can also help the body use nutrients more effectively.

"If you are moving your body — strength training, building muscle or doing sports — you probably do need a little bit more protein," she noted.

"Now, let's say you were a super active person and unfortunately had an injury and have gone down to a very sedentary level — you should modify your protein because your body is not utilizing it in the same way."

Exercise may also support longevity in ways that go beyond nutrition, Freirich noted, by helping people stay active and independent.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

"Adding exercise is always a good idea because it is associated with having fewer falls, having more joy in life and protecting you from injury," she said.

For those looking to rebalance their nutrition without doing a total overhaul, Freirich offered the following five tips.

No. 1: Focus on plate proportions: Aim for 50% of your plate to consist of vegetables, 25% protein and 25% starches or whole grains.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

No. 2: Do the quick math: A general guideline is to consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for adults with lower activity levels, while those who are more physically active may benefit from about 1.0 gram per kilogram per day.

No. 3: Eat the rainbow: Incorporate fruits and vegetables across various colors to ensure a diverse intake of vitamins and micro-nutrients.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

No. 4: Switch to plant proteins: Shift a portion of animal protein toward plant-based alternatives like lentils, beans, chickpeas and seeds. "A lot of people who were on protein-restricted diets and saw better health outcomes were eating a lot of their proteins from plants," Freirich noted.

No. 5: Stick to whole foods: Unprocessed foods support natural satiety signals. "Moving away from really processed foods to more unprocessed foods actually helps your body regulate a lot better," Freirich advised.

Ultimately, dietary choices shouldn't be governed by a single headline or study, according to the expert.

TRUMP ADMIN WANTS TO STOP ILLINOIS CITY'S REPARATIONS EFFORT FOR 'SIMPLY HANDING OUT MONEY BASED ON RACE'

"Research is ever-evolving," Freirich said. "Everyone should think about their personal situation and discuss it with healthcare providers to figure out the best route for them."

Justice Department threatens investigation into university professors' BIPOC-only geology camp

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:24 -0400

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon threatened a Justice Department investigation into reports of a Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) outdoors camp hosted by public university professors after it faced backlash on Tuesday.

Dhillon responded to a video shared by the Libs of TikTok X account, which appeared to have been deleted from YouTube and other social media, featuring two Central Washington University (CWU) faculty members promoting an upcoming geology retreat that appears to be catering exclusively to a race-restricted minority.

"So is this open to everybody? Not really," CWU senior lecturer Nick Zentner said in the video shared on X, which was edited as evidenced by the abrupt cut-off after he said "not really." "But there’s a growing number of people who are younger and are from much more diverse backgrounds who typically don’t go to those events for a bunch of reasons. So this is a BIPOC community event."

CWU assistant professor of geology Hannah Shamloo also promoted the organization hosting the event, the Bronze Chapter, and celebrated its efforts "to increase the participation of BIPOC members in the outdoors."

"Historically, members of BIPOC haven’t had the same opportunities for safe engagement with the outdoors, and so Nick and I are here to really extend a warm welcome and encouragement to members of BIPOC to come join us and engage with the geology that we love so much," Shamloo said.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION VOWS TO STOP REPARATIONS PROGRAMS, ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF 'VIRTUE SIGNALING' TO GET 'VOTES'

In a comment to Fox News Digital, Central Washington University denied any affiliation with the camp or retreat, though it expressed support for the faculty members involved.

Shamloo and Zentner didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Central Washington University is not affiliated with the nonprofit organization, the Bronze Chapter, and has no direct involvement, financial or otherwise, in the August 21 event that the organization is hosting. However, CWU supports our talented faculty members who volunteer their own time and share their knowledge and expertise with communities outside of CWU," the statement read.

A NEW YORK UNIVERSITY FACES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION OVER 'BLACK MALE INITIATIVE'

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Bronze Chapter and the Justice Department for comment.

TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER 'WOKE' HISTORY UNFOLDED

The geology event, called Rock and Role, is scheduled to take place between Aug. 21-23. Though the Bronze Chapter's website does not explicitly restrict people based on race, the event is described as a "POC-centering geology sleepover summer camp" and also provides a BIPOC and Mixed-Race Individual and Family Sponsorship for families of up to ten people.

Smithsonian's taxpayer funds face chopping block as GOP demands accountability for 'woke' history

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:20 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are threatening the Smithsonian's federal funding amid GOP outrage over the museum system's presentation of American history.

"The Smithsonian is accountable to the taxpayers. So defunding them in certain ways, or tying their funds to requirements, I think is probably the best way to ensure that we bring the Smithsonian back to its required mandate," Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. "And that is to tell the truth about the American story, and to tell about the exceptionalism of this country and its people."

Congress allocates roughly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to the Smithsonian Institution every year, which oversees 21 museums and the National Zoo. It also receives private funding.

But Republicans have heaped scrutiny in recent weeks on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, accusing its curators of long painting an overly critical and "woke" picture of the country's past while ignoring its triumphs.

Clyde, who is on the House Appropriations Committee — which is one of two panels on Capitol Hill tasked with mapping out how Congress spends part of the yearly budget — suggested that using the legislative branch's power of the purse could compel museum curators to change that.

"We can tie funding to specific requirements, and I think that might be the most effective way to go — saying that... 'You have to highlight the exceptionalism. You have highlighted the good things that [the Founding Fathers have] done. You know, there's no perfect country because there's not a perfect person. But we are the best there is on the planet Earth," Clyde said.

Another House Appropriations Committee member, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Fox News Digital, "The Smithsonian’s role is to teach historic facts, not to put our country under a political kaleidoscope of woke ideology."

WATCH: SMITHSONIAN DIRECTOR ADMITS SHE SEES HISTORY AS ‘TOOL’ OF ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE’ AFTER EXPLOSIVE HEARING

"As Congressional Appropriators, it is our duty to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly. If the Smithsonian is unable and unwilling to have an objective view of our Nation’s history, House Republicans will have to act," Cline said.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a third House appropriator, told Fox News Digital that stricter guardrails on Smithsonian funding are "justified."

"Congress has the responsibility to ensure those funds are used to celebrate and preserve Amrican history, not distort it," Cloud said.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order late last month directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to utilize existing avenues "to restore trust in the Smithsonian Institution," including installing "temporary exhibits or signage on [federally owned] sidewalks, walkways, and land used by the public that corrects inaccurate information presented in the Museum."

The issue came before Congress in July when Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, led a hearing where Republicans accused the National Museum of American History of promoting a politicized agenda on issues of race, class, gender and sexuality, at the expense of accurate teachings.

The Committee on House Administration, led by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., led a similar hearing scrutinizing the Smithsonian's teachings.

TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Democrats, on the other hand, have accused Republicans of trying to "whitewash" controversial moments in history while erasing the struggles and contributions of the country's minority populations.

"They want to rewrite the history of this country and take away the resources and leadership of people who have fought, marched and served this country for generations," Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said during Gill's hearing. "We refuse to let historians, artists, scholars, and people who love these institutions with their entire hearts to be punished by an administration that is trying to exercise...political control, and rewrite American history."

The House and Senate are both working through proposals to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins on Oct. 1. The House proposal would allocate roughly $961 million to the Smithsonian Institution, an 11% reduction from the current level.

But there's still a long way to go before both chambers strike a deal, with time for House conservatives to push for new guardrails or even less funding.

THE GREAT BETRAYAL: HOW RADICAL PROGRESSIVES ARE DYNAMITING THE BLACK-JEWISH ALLIANCE

Fox News Digital reached out to the House Appropriations Committee for comment.

What our students learned at Auschwitz could help end hate in higher education

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:07 -0400

Some of the most important lessons universities can teach are not on any syllabus.

This past June, each of us sent students to Poland as part of a joint program. In a small shop in Warsaw, a Polish clerk refused to place change directly into the hand of a young Wilberforce University student. She had traveled four thousand miles to study the machinery of hatred at Auschwitz, but she did not need the field trip for bias and hatred to find her. It met her at the cash register.

What happened next is the reason the trip was organized in the first place. This young woman’s peers, consisting of Black students from the nation’s oldest private historically Black university and Jewish students from the largest university under Jewish auspices in America, closed ranks around her. For the rest of the trip, they walked as one group. They got looks. They kept walking.

What we learned, and what we believe every university in America needs to hear, is that the answer to hatred and division on campus is not another statement, task force or training. It is to give students the opportunity to encounter obstacles and learn how to overcome them.

Students who live history together, who grieve, eat and walk through it side by side, build the kind of understanding that no seminar can teach and no demagogue can easily undo. Universities have always had the power to create those encounters. Too few choose to.

The problem we set out to address is one every campus leader recognizes. American campuses are fractured. Students increasingly sort themselves into groups that share their identity, their background and their grievances. Meanwhile, antisemitism has surged, racism persists and students of different backgrounds can pass four years on the same campus without ever truly encountering one another.

We lead two universities that, on paper, have little in common: one founded to strengthen Jewish heritage, the other founded in 1856 to educate Black Americans a decade before slavery’s end. Yet both institutions educate diverse student bodies and share a commitment to serving humanity.

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOULD NOT MEAN BACK TO FEAR FOR JEWISH STUDENTS

This summer, we brought our students together through the RISE Leadership Initiative, conceived by Jack Simony, president of the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation. They met first in New York, where they sat with Holocaust survivors in Brooklyn, and then in Poland. They traveled to Warsaw, where they shared a Sabbath dinner within hours of landing; to Treblinka, where none of the machinery of death remains; and to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where so much still does: 80,000 pairs of shoes, the luggage and the ashes that guides say still surface when the wind blows.

This experiment suggests a different path, and the evidence from that week speaks for itself.

On that first Friday night, our students were strangers seated at a common table: Jewish students explaining the Kiddush and the challah to peers who had never attended a Sabbath meal. Seven days later, at a final dinner in Kraków, those same students sat together in tears, unwilling to let the evening end. What happened in between was not simply a program. It was an encounter.

A young woman realized that the metal strips she had been scootering across in the sidewalk traced the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto. She had been gliding, unknowingly, in and out of a graveyard of sorts where 400,000 Jews had been forced to live in squalor within 1.3 square miles.

In Kraków, students shared lunch with a survivor, so the journey that began in the presence of living memory in Brooklyn ended in it, too. At Birkenau, walking through the barracks after the crematorium, one Wilberforce student turned to the Jewish classmates beside her and said simply, "I know this is personal to you. Now I too have seen and felt it and can bear witness."

The learning ran in both directions. Our Jewish students, who grew up with the Holocaust as a family legacy, included two grandchildren of survivors. They heard their Black peers describe a different kind of erasure: Enslaved Africans were deliberately stripped of their histories, their lineages and their very names.

One group carries the memory of everything that was lost, while the other carries the loss of memory itself. Standing together in Poland, our students understood viscerally what no seminar could teach: although their histories are different, they rhyme.

This should not be a novel idea. Black and Jewish Americans built one of the great alliances of the 20th century, marching together, organizing together and standing together in the struggle for civil rights. That alliance has frayed in recent decades, picked apart by those who profit from division. Rebuilding it will not happen through joint statements. It will happen the way it happened the first time: through shared experience, shoulder to shoulder.

To be sure, one trip does not solve campus division, and we do not pretend a few dozen students constitute a movement. But the elements that made it work — shared history, honest conversation over a meal, difficult places and time spent together — cost far less than the crisis-management apparatus universities have built instead. What is missing is not simply money. It is the willingness to build programs that foster authentic human connection.

That is why the exchange cannot run in only one direction. The next chapter will take these same students to Ghana, where they will encounter the history and legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. Jewish students who invited their classmates into the history of the Holocaust will become guests in another people’s historical memory. That reciprocity is not an addition to the model. It is central to it.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

We invite our fellow presidents from Jewish institutions, historically Black colleges or universities and every university in between to build their own versions. Pair your students. Take them to the places where history happened. Let them grieve together, eat together and walk together through streets where they may be challenged together.

SUPER BOWL-WINNING COACH MIKE TOMLIN LANDS NBC ROLE ON 'FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA' BROADCAST

Because our students learned something in Warsaw that no task force will ever produce: when prejudice refused to put change into one student’s hand, every hand in the group reached out.

Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, Sr., is president of Wilberforce University, the first private historically Black college and university (HBCU) in the United States.

Debut of former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on NBC SNF had highlight moments but was too careful and rehearsed

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:33:12 -0400

It took almost the entire NBC Sunday Night Football pregame show, but just before the Hall of Fame Game began, new studio analyst Mike Tomlin was asked which division he believes is the NFL's toughest.

"Yeah, that's easy," the former Pittsburgh-Steelers-coach-turned-analyst said, "I thought you had a tough one: That's the NFC West, man. It's 'The Game of Thrones' out west.

"Everyone dies."

Tomlin earlier discussed what he's expecting out of his first NFL season away from the sideline.

"I'm looking forward to going undefeated," he joked.

And with that we got a glimpse why there are such high expectations for Tomlin in his rookie season on the pregame show prior to NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast.

In those moments, Tomlin was Tomlin. He was candid, pithy, insightful and even funny.

But to say the once dynamic coach and leader was that during the rest of this one-hour broadcast is wrong. He wasn't. He was, instead, kind of scripted.

Rehearsed.

Tame.

So, he's got some growing to do.

We have no idea if Tomlin will tell producers to spare him their stay-safe broadcasting advice and give himself time to grow and loosen up. He might decide this season's work with NBC is a one-and-done experience and return to an NFL sideline next offseason.

But for the 22 shows NBC will broadcast from September through January, the hope is Tomlin does on air what he wanted his players to do on the field:

Go to work with his hair on fire.

Let loose.

Be himself.

(Confession: I'm a Tomlin admirer. Once the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl, and having taken his Steelers to two Super Bowls, 13 postseason berths and eight AFC North titles without a losing season, I'll vote for Tomlin's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day.)

But the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame? Let's agree he's off to a slow start.

Weighing Tomlin's hits against his misses shows he needs to understand we don't need to hear the obvious. Because we know the obvious, like when he was discussing the trade that sent two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams.

"I speak for everyone in three cities in the northeastern part of the United States [that have AFC North teams]," Tomlin said. "They're glad he went west."

Well, no kidding, coach. So, keep going.

Did Browns GM Andrew Berry make a mistake? Did he get robbed by the Rams? Who won that trade?

Coach Tomlin last year criticized Berry for trading Joe Flacco to the AFC North division rival Cincinnati Bengals and giving that team life. But analyst Tomlin didn't go anywhere near giving us his feelings about this trade.

At halftime, the analysts discussed the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots to open the regular season on Sept. 9, a game NBC will broadcast.

Tomlin offered this: "When the games start, winning matters ..."

Got it. Thanks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Look, the NBC pregame show is maybe 90 percent entertainment and 10 percent journalism.

They talked about Bill Belichick not being among the Hall of Fame Class that will be enshrined on Saturday and mentioned all his accomplishments, of which there are many, including a record six Super Bowl victories as the head coach.

But they didn't mention Spygate, which was a major reason Belichick did not make it on his first ballot.

And since entertainment is the emphasis, Tomlin will shine once/if he loosens up because he has as colorful a way of expressing himself as anyone on the planet. Will he do that and convince us he knows what he's doing as an analyst like he did when he was a coach?

"Ask me in about six months," Tomlin told Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in a rare unscripted moment of candor.

FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO

Church protesters could face tougher penalties under rare bipartisan crackdown

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:30:22 -0400

There's a rare show of bipartisan unity in the House of Representatives this week, as lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle come together to crack down on destructive protests targeting houses of worship.

Reps. Brad Knott, R-N.C., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., are introducing a bill to make it a crime to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending a religious service.

That includes demonstrations taking place within 100 feet "from any pedestrian or vehicular entryway of any house of worship, during the period beginning 1 hour before the start of and ending 1 hour after the conclusion of a scheduled religious service," according to legislative text obtained by Fox News Digital.

VIDEO SHOWS MOB OF TEENS INVADING NYC CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN SOCIAL MEDIA STUNT

A violation of those guidelines would carry a $2,500 civil fine on the first offense, a $5,000 penalty on the second offense, and $10,000 for a third.

The bill does carve out limitations, however, such as demonstrations that are taking place with a federal, state, or local government-issued permit.

The text's language also specifically classifies disruptions based on things like volume, duration, and impact, rather than the content of speech — meaning the First Amendment is still protected.

"Today, many Americans are unable to worship without fear of harassment, assault, or other forms of intimidation. The right to worship freely is foundational to our nation and was one of the motivations for its founding. No American should ever feel that their choice is between worshiping in fear and not worshiping at all," Knott said.

FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP DOJ REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH PRO-LIFE PROTESTER TARGETED BY BIDEN ADMIN

Suozzi said he supports people's right to peacefully protest but "attendees of religious services should not be harassed, threatened, intimidated, or targeted for practicing their faith."

INSIDE AMERICA'S LASER REVOLUTION AS THE MILITARY NEARS BIG BATTLEFIELD BREAKTHROUGH

At least four states adopted laws banning the disruption of religious services earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.

It followed an incident in which Minnesota demonstrators upended service at a church where a federal immigration official was reportedly a pastor.

Fatal air ambulance crash exposes growing GPS danger facing US flights

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:30:10 -0400

Federal investigators say a fatal New Mexico air ambulance crash unfolded after the crew lost GPS navigation while the U.S. military was conducting a scheduled jamming exercise — a chain of events that is raising new questions about whether civilian aviation is prepared for an era of electronic warfare.

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report found the Beech King Air crew reported losing GPS capability minutes after departing Roswell, New Mexico, May 14 as the military conducted a planned GPS-denial exercise. Air traffic controllers twice asked officials to halt the jamming while assisting the flight, though investigators have not determined whether the interference caused or contributed to the crash.

The crew took off from Roswell, New Mexico, shortly before midnight on an air ambulance flight to Ruidoso, New Mexico, according to the preliminary report. Before the flight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a notice to airmen warning that a scheduled military GPS jamming exercise could disrupt satellite navigation across a radius of hundreds of miles around White Sands Missile Range.

Minutes after departure, the pilots reported losing GPS capability and requested assistance from air traffic controllers, who twice asked the military to suspend the jamming exercise. Three other aircraft in the area also reported GPS outages.

The crew later reported the airport in sight and requested a visual approach. After the military resumed the exercise, the aircraft descended toward the runway but struck the Capitan Mountains, killing both pilots and two flight nurses. The National Transportation Safety Board has not determined whether the GPS interference contributed to the crash.

The crash comes as aviation authorities worldwide warn that GPS interference is becoming a growing operational hazard. The FAA now advises pilots to be prepared to fly without GPS because intentional jamming is "of greater and growing concern," while the U.N.'s aviation agency has warned that interference can affect aircraft far beyond conflict zones.

In its 2026 guidance, the agency said the hazards associated with GPS jamming and spoofing have "rapidly spread" in recent years and cited industry data showing reports of GPS loss increased 65% in the first half of 2024 compared with the previous year. The agency warned that interference can cause pilots to deviate from assigned flight paths, misreport their position, lose situational awareness and struggle to transition safely to backup navigation.

Todd Humphreys, director of the University of Texas' Radionavigation Laboratory, said the crash also raises questions about whether the navigation technology used in many civilian aircraft has kept pace with evolving GPS jamming threats.

Humphreys said many FAA-certified cockpit GPS receivers rely on older technology that is more susceptible to jamming than newer commercially available systems.

"The iPhone that the pilot carried was almost certainly a better GPS receiver inside than the FAA-certified receiver providing navigation guidance to the aircraft," Humphreys told Fox News Digital.

Unlike illegal consumer GPS jammers, military electronic warfare systems are designed to deny satellite navigation across large operational areas so troops can train in conditions resembling combat. In the New Mexico exercise, the FAA warned GPS disruptions could extend hundreds of miles from White Sands Missile Range.

Humphreys argued that while newer GPS technology has become more resilient to interference, aviation certification has moved too slowly to keep pace with the evolving threat from jamming and spoofing.

Humphreys' concerns echo warnings from international aviation regulators. In March 2025, the International Civil Aviation Organization, along with the International Telecommunication Union and International Maritime Organization, warned of increasing GPS jamming and spoofing incidents that can affect aircraft "far beyond the immediate affected area," creating safety risks across multiple flight regions.

Paul Deres, vice president of operations at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute, said the focus should remain on pilot preparation and proficiency, noting that today's general aviation fleet includes a wide range of older and newer avionics designed to improve situational awareness.

"Technology can always fail, and it does," Deres said.

European regulators have repeatedly updated guidance for pilots and air traffic controllers in response to growing GPS interference, most recently in July after analyzing additional jamming and spoofing incidents.

The FAA declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, but said it issues notices alerting pilots to planned GPS disruptions and maintains backup navigation systems to help aircraft navigate during satellite outages.

Asked about Humphreys' criticism that FAA-certified GPS receivers have not kept pace with newer technology, the agency did not directly address the claim.

GPS interference has become a growing challenge for commercial aviation in parts of Europe and the Middle East, where airlines routinely encounter jamming and spoofing linked to regional conflicts.

"There are some in the community who believe that we have passed the point of peak safety in aviation, maybe four years ago," Humphreys said, pointing to the rise of GPS jamming, spoofing and other forms of hybrid warfare that can disrupt aircraft navigation.

But it remains relatively uncommon in U.S. airspace outside of military testing.

In March 2025, multiple commercial airliners approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near the nation's capital received false collision alerts that forced several crews to perform go-arounds. Congressional testimony later revealed the alerts were triggered by Secret Service and U.S. Navy counter-drone testing.

Regardless of whether investigators ultimately link the GPS outage to the crash, the report documents how quickly a routine medical flight became a complex navigation emergency after the crew reported losing satellite guidance. The National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report describes a chain of events in which the crew lost GPS shortly after departure, requested assistance from air traffic control, and later opted to continue visually toward the airport before striking terrain.

As drones become more prevalent, GPS jamming as a form of counter-drone operations only will become more common.

"Nation states have woken up to the fact that this is one of the ways they can protect themselves from drones," he said. "We've got to move more quickly on the aviation side to build better systems, better receivers, better antennas to deal with this so that flights can be safer again."

JASON CHAFFETZ: AMERICA NEEDS A DRONE DEFENSE PLAN BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES

Humphreys said the United States has so far avoided the level of disruption seen in Europe, but argued regulators need to modernize aviation technology before GPS interference becomes a more routine operational challenge.

SQUAD-BACKED ‘TENNESSEE THREE’ LAWMAKER WINS HOUSE PRIMARY IN NEWLY REDRAWN DISTRICT

"The FAA, I think they've just got to move faster. They've got to wake up and recognize that sticking to their old rules about you know, certification that takes years and millions and millions of dollars to get through is not at the service of safety anymore, because the environment has changed. "

Trump-backed incumbent ousted in House primary as GOP redistricting push set to reshape Tennessee

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:32 -0400

President Donald Trump’s clout with Republican voters was put to the test in Tennessee Thursday, as voters headed to the polls for the state’s first primaries under a newly redrawn congressional map designed to bolster Republicans’ chances of expanding their thin majority in the U.S. House this fall.

The night delivered a split verdict for Trump in two of the state’s closely watched Republican House primaries. Trump-backed state Sen. Brent Taylor captured the GOP nomination in the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, while former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher toppled Trump-endorsed incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles in the 5th District.

Taylor’s victory sets up a November showdown against AOC-backed progressive state Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the so-called "Tennessee Three" lawmakers who gained national attention after he was expelled following a gun control protest in 2023.

Elsewhere, Sen. Marsha Blackburn captured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, putting her on course to potentially become Tennessee’s first female governor and eventually create an opening for another U.S. Senate appointment.

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tennessee! One year ago, we set out on this journey with one goal: to make Tennessee America's conservative leader and show the nation what strong, bold, conservative leadership looks like," Blackburn said following her win Thursday night. "I am humbled and honored that you've chosen me as your Republican nominee for Governor. Together, we've taken a major step toward that goal. I won't let you down. On to November."

Ogles’ defeat was a glaring setback for Trump on the night. The president threw his support behind the conservative House Freedom Caucus member and stepped in as the race tightened, praising Ogles as a strong businessman and America First lawmaker during a virtual tele-rally last month. Hatcher, endorsed by term-limited Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, handed the two-term incumbent an upset defeat despite Trump’s intervention.

Ogles, backed by Speaker Mike Johnson in addition to Trump, faced a high-dollar outside effort to knock him out of the race. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a clean-energy super PAC largely bankrolled by California crypto billionaire and major Democratic donor Chris Larsen, spent roughly $1 million opposing Ogles and supporting Hatcher before purchasing another $700,000 in advertising ahead of the primary, according to a Fox News Digital review of federal filings.

Ogles accused the group of trying to punish him for opposing Biden-era clean-energy subsidies and suggested his close ties to Trump had also put a target on his back.

The Trump-backed incumbent was also running on unfamiliar terrain after Tennessee Republicans dramatically redrew his 5th District. While the change made the district significantly more Republican for November, it left Ogles to face a significantly new GOP electorate than what had elected him in the past.

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

Ogles’ district was not the only one transformed. Tennessee Republicans redrew the state’s congressional lines this spring, breaking apart the Democratic-controlled 9th District and giving Republicans a chance to turn Tennessee’s current 8-1 GOP delegation into a 9-0 sweep.

The effort prompted longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to abandon his reelection bid in that Memphis-area district, which was transformed from a district that previously favored Democrats into one that now tilts Republican.

Thursday's primaries now set up a particularly nationalized fight for that seat.

DARLINE GRAHAM CONSIDERING RUNNING FOR FULL A SENATE TERM AS MEMORIAL SERVICES SET FOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: REPORT

Taylor, who won the GOP 9th district primary Thursday, carries Trump’s endorsement, while Pearson, the winner of the 9th district's Democratic primary, has been embraced by members of the far-left "Squad" on Capitol Hill, including, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Taylor will try to deliver Republicans the final seat needed for a clean sweep of Tennessee’s congressional delegation, while Pearson will attempt to preserve a Democratic foothold in the Memphis-area district despite a less favorable map.

Blackburn, meanwhile, defeated Rep. John Rose in the Republican gubernatorial primary to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Lee, clearing a major hurdle between her and the governor’s mansion in the heavily Republican state. If elected in November, Blackburn would become Tennessee’s first female governor.

THREE PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTH CAROLINA SHOOTING, OFFICIAL SAYS

Her victory could also produce consequences in Washington. Blackburn was reelected to a six-year Senate term in 2024, meaning she did not have to surrender her seat to run for governor, as Rose had to. But, she would have to give up her seat if elected governor, which would create a Senate vacancy and another round of political jockeying over who could succeed her.

Sports cartoons of the day

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:08:52 -0400

Student perpetrates deadly shooting at Thailand high school, authorities say

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:12:56 -0400

A student opened fire at a high school in Thailand on Friday, killing at least six and injuring others, police reported.

The attack took place at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province northwest of Bangkok, Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan indicated to The Associated Press.

A witness told reporters that students hid inside a classroom while they heard gunshots from another building before police officers knocked on the door and cleared a way for them to leave the building.

Authorities provided conflicting numbers of casualties in connection with the attack.

Trairong told news broadcaster Channel 3 that the attacker was being hospitalized in serious condition, while 15 other individuals had been hurt, including two in critical condition — he reported that three teachers and three students had been killed.

OFF-DUTY TROOPER AND ARMED CITIZEN HAILED AS HEROES AFTER RETURNING FIRE ON IN-N-OUT GUNMAN

Thailand Health Minister Pattana Promphat indicated that 22 individuals were hurt with nine in critical condition. Some were hurt due to causes like falls, and it was unclear how many were gunshot victims.

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee indicated to reporters that five teachers passed away and that the perpetrator took the lives of his two grandparents at home prior to heading to the school. He reported that the attacker died at a hospital.

FATHER WHO BOUGHT AR-15 FOR GEORGIA SCHOOL SHOOTER LEARNS FATE IN FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND CONVICTION

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

Trairong reported that the weapon was thought to have been taken from a member of the shooter's family.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Prince Harry's most controversial royal plan could still become reality, author says

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:32 -0400

One royal author believes Prince Harry's controversial "half-in, half-out" proposal may still have a future within the monarchy.

Simon Vigar, author of "The Four Wives of Windsor," told Fox News Digital that while Buckingham Palace quickly rejected the proposal in 2020, he believes a similar model is ultimately inevitable.

"Harry did think that there was a hybrid version that they could do," said Vigar. "And I think in years to come, there will be a hybrid version. I think he's right. There has to be a hybrid version of this where people don't get accused of cashing in but can support their cousins or their brother or whatever."

"[The Sussexes] thought they could have a hybrid role of having a business life and a private life, while also spending a few months in the U.K. supporting the queen," he shared. "Harry believed that was an option, which was whipped away from him."

In 2020, Harry attended the Sandringham Summit at Queen Elizabeth II's Norfolk estate, where senior royals decided the terms of his and Meghan's departure from royal life.

According to People magazine, it was there that the late queen drew a firm line. After intense discussions, the answer was made clear to Harry: There would be no "half-in, half-out" role for the Sussexes. They couldn't be working royals while also pursuing independent, income-generating ventures.

WATCH: PRINCE HARRY BELIEVED ROYAL FAMILY COULD HAVE ALLOWED A ‘HYBRID’ ROLE: AUTHOR

That year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals, citing intrusive coverage by the British press and a lack of support from the palace.

In the couple's Netflix series, "Harry & Meghan," the prince said the decision to step down was his.

"In fact, it was my decision," he said. "She never asked to leave. I was the one that had to see it for myself. But it's misogyny at its best."

In a statement, the queen publicly confirmed the decision, making it clear that it was "not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service." The Sussexes responded with a statement of their own: "We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

In the Netflix docuseries, Harry claimed that William "screamed and shouted" at him during the "Sandringham Summit."

"It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in," he said.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

In "Spare," Harry wrote that he arrived at Sandringham with the impression that the family would consider five options for the Sussexes. "Option Five" was a full departure. After an hour, the queen's private secretary, nicknamed by Harry "The Bee," distributed drafts of a statement announcing "Option Five." Harry said he was stunned.

"Wait. I'm confused," he wrote. "You've already drafted a statement? Before any discussion? Announcing Option Five? In other words, the fix was in this whole time? This summit was just for show?"

Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he believes the palace made a mistake by not considering the option.

"The half-in, half-out approach advocated by Harry and Meghan is the modern-day method of how royal families should operate," he said. "The late queen was extremely badly advised not to accept the formula laid out by Harry as he attempted to protect Meghan from the ravages of sustained attacks."

But not everyone agrees. Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that while Harry may eventually have a better personal relationship with his family, a return as a working royal — especially under a "half-in, half-out" model — is highly unlikely.

"There's always room for Harry to support his family privately as a son and brother," Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube's "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital. "That's very different from supporting the monarchy publicly as a working royal. The monarchy has successfully adapted to a smaller working team."

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

"We continue to see King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke of Gloucester carrying out official duties," she pointed out. "While it's a leaner operation, it has demonstrated that it can function without reopening the constitutional questions raised in 2020."

After moving to California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare," further strained his relationship with his family.

On July 10, Charles hosted Harry and met with his family for the first time in years as they attempted to repair their rift. At Highgrove House, Charles' country estate, Harry and Meghan, along with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, reunited with the king and Queen Camilla.

Harry had arrived in the U.K. for several charity events that were overshadowed by speculation about whether he would meet with his father. The 41-year-old prince has said he wants to reconcile with the monarch, 77, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Father and son met briefly for tea in September 2025, marking the first time they had seen each other in well over a year.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to visit the U.K. in September of this year. The Sun reported that the king will offer his younger son a room at Buckingham Palace during his stay. Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Archewell, which oversees the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for comment.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Harry's issue isn't that he left," said Schofield. "It's what he did after he left. Between the Oprah interview, the Netflix series, ‘Spare,’ and years of public criticism, he established a pattern of taking private family matters and turning them into commercial products. That's exactly the type of risk the late queen was trying to avoid."

"If anything, Harry's conduct since 2020 has validated her decision rather than undermined it," she argued. "In any professional organization, that wouldn't strengthen your case for rejoining the leadership team. It would be cited as evidence that you cannot be trusted with confidential information or institutional responsibilities."

"The monarchy runs on trust," Schofield continued. "Harry has spent the last several years demonstrating a pattern of monetizing privileged access to the royal family. The palace would have to ask itself whether Harry could be trusted to represent the institution. I think the answer to that question is no."

Schofield pointed to Sophie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, as a cautionary tale. In 2001, she gave up her public relations career after an undercover reporter posing as a prospective client secretly recorded her discussing her royal connections. The controversy reinforced the palace's view that commercial work and official royal duties could create conflicts, and Sophie went on to become a full-time working royal.

Today, she is widely regarded as one of the monarchy's most valuable assets.

Royal experts told Fox News Digital that William and Harry haven't spoken since 2022, when their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, died.

British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that, at most, she expects Harry to be offered "informal, limited and tightly controlled opportunities" while in the U.K. as he continues reconciliation efforts with his family. She said he will continue to participate in events supporting his charitable causes in his home country. However, a functional hybrid role isn't in the cards, she insisted.

KING CHARLES MAKES RISKY MOVE TOWARD PRINCE HARRY AS PRINCE WILLIAM 'REMAINS WARY': EXPERTS

"Prince William has been consistent in his opposition," said Fordwich, referring to the king's heir. "Princess Catherine is by his side on this, as are the courtiers and those whose role it is to protect the monarchy."

The Sussexes continue to raise their children in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito. As Harry continues to rebuild his relationship with his father, Schofield doesn't believe a "half-in, half-out" role would ever be reconsidered.

"The late queen's decision wasn't a personal preference," she said. "It was an institutional decision designed to protect the Crown's impartiality and integrity. I don't see King Charles reversing it.

"The strongest opposition would likely come from those responsible for protecting the monarchy's long-term stability, including Prince William and senior officials who understand the reputational risks. Once you allow one royal to commercially monetize royal status while carrying out official duties, it becomes incredibly difficult to explain why others cannot do the same."

Trump’s Smithsonian clash exposes striking pattern among museum curators

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:29 -0400

The scholars behind a Smithsonian exhibition targeted by the Trump administration have built their careers around the same race, gender, sexuality and social-justice themes now fueling accusations of ideological bias at the museum, a Fox News Digital review found.

Entertainment Nation, which opened in December 2022, is an ongoing exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History that uses artifacts from music, film, television, theater and sports to examine how popular culture has shaped American life.

Every member of the exhibit’s seven-person curatorial team has incorporated themes involving racial injustice, gender inequality, sexuality or other progressive social causes into their academic work, public commentary or prior museum projects. Fox News Digital’s review found praise for communist-linked figures, alignment with progressive activist movements and explicit statements connecting museum work to social justice.

TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Speaking to Fox News Digital previously, a senior White House official accused Entertainment Nation of promoting "fringe or activist ideologies masquerading as history."

John Troutman, the exhibit’s lead curator, told The Washington Post in 2023 that the project was meant to do more than present a conventional history of entertainment, saying it was not intended to serve as "a gallery that provides a history of entertainment," but instead to examine broader social movements reflected in popular culture.

Troutman’s colleagues have similarly examined entertainment through themes of racial exclusion, gender stereotypes, homophobia and other social conflicts commonly emphasized by the political left.

Curator Kenneth Cohen, for example, published "They Will Have Their Game" in 2017, a book examining how the development of sports in the United States "produced a sense of democracy while also reinforcing racial, gender, and class divisions," according to a description from his publisher. The book, per the description, examines how sports contributed to the "creation of the white male republic" in the United States.

"Although competition and risk were central to understandings of ‘sport’ in early Anglo-America, the formation of a sporting culture based on those elements was not inevitable," Cohen's book reads. "It was a purposeful choice, made largely by empowered white men, to construct sporting culture around traits that encouraged engagement within their ranks and helped to define them as a group despite internal class and ethnic divides."

WATCH: SMITHSONIAN DIRECTOR ADMITS SHE SEES HISTORY AS ‘TOOL’ OF ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE’ AFTER EXPLOSIVE HEARING

Cohen’s colleague on the exhibit, curator Krystal Klingenberg, has similarly focused much of her scholarship on music, race, social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.

For another Smithsonian project she worked on in 2022, Klingenberg stated that her goal was to "connect history with the ongoing fight for civil rights and social justice in American society." Klingenberg lists "social justice" as one of her scholarly interests on her CV, alongside a number of scholarly projects related to it.

Among them are an academic discussion she facilitated dubbed "Black Lives Matter: Music, Race, and Justice," a presentation on ethnomusicology she gave titled "American Hate: How Do We Respond?" and another talk she gave called "Teaching Race and Ethnicity Through Music: Intersectionality."

Klingenberg also co-hosted the Collected podcast where she examined "why Black feminist critique remains crucial to understanding the times we are living in."

TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER 'WOKE' HISTORY UNFOLDED

All seven curators have, to varying degrees, examined race, gender, sexuality, inequality or identity in their academic or museum work.

Fox News Digital reached all seven curators and the Smithsonian for comment.

The current conservative crusade against the Smithsonian launched in March 2025 when President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to review the Smithsonian's exhibits and programs.

Allegations of bias in Entertainment Nation drew renewed national attention in July amid a congressional hearing scrutinizing the National Museum of American History and the release of a 162-page White House report documenting what the administration described as evidence of ideological bias across the Smithsonian.

"American taxpayers should not be funding institutions that undermine our country or promote one-sided, divisive political narratives," a White House official previously told Fox News Digital. "The Smithsonian Institution should present history in a way that is accurate, balanced and consistent with the values that make the United States of America exceptional."

The White House official’s criticism followed reports in 2025 of displays within Entertainment Nation that allegedly used left-of-center language to portray America negatively.

SMITHSONIAN AMERICA 250 EXHIBIT FEATURES 3X MORE LIBERAL ITEMS THAN CONSERVATIVE ONES

These displays included a section that claimed circuses "expressed the colonial impulse to claim dominion over the world," a placard arguing that Mickey Mouse’s "outsized facial features, white gloves and trickster temperament were vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy," and a placard describing Alexander Hamilton as an "influential and flawed founding father," language the White House report criticized as unfairly diminishing him.

Some of the curators have publicly commented on their rationale behind procuring specific items for the exhibit.

Ryan Lintelman, another of Entertainment Nation’s curators, was instrumental in acquiring one of the iconic red costumes from the Hulu adaptation of "The Handmaid’s Tale," according to an interview he gave to Variety. The dystopian novel written by feminist author Margaret Atwood depicts a world where America has become a totalitarian theocracy that strips females of their rights and forces fertile women, known as "Handmaids," into reproductive servitude.

Lintelman stated that the costume’s importance to liberal protest movements motivated his work to acquire one for the Smithsonian.

FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM

"I believe that popular culture is a unique and accessible lens to introduce the museum’s audiences to complex narratives involving race, sexuality, gender, identity, representation, economics, migration, social change, and power," he wrote for his Smithsonian biography.

The 2017 Women’s March, where the Handmaid’s costume featured prominently, was seen as one of the most important early expressions of resistance to the first Trump administration. Theodore Gonzalves, another Entertainment Nation curator, also cited the march approvingly in a 2018 essay praising Barbara Dane, a lifelong socialist and former Communist Party USA member.

Dane was an acclaimed folk musician who spent much of her career involved in left-wing politics, most notably defying the United States government by visiting Cuba while it was under the rule of dictator Fidel Castro. She went on to found a record label that produced songs praising communist figures such as Mao Zedong, calling him China’s "savior," and Ho Chi Minh, actively supporting America’s enemy in the Vietnam War.

Gonzalves described Dane as "singing truth to power" and creating music that "reflected the stakes and the hopeful dreams of millions trying to make sense of a world dominated by superpowers with world-ending weaponry."

Gonzalves, whose scholarship has examined historical abuses against Asian Americans, also uses the term "Filipinx" in his work – which is a gender-neutral term for Filipinos similar to the term "Latinx."

Ashley Mayor, another Entertainment Nation curator who specializes in "Latinx and Afro-Latinx music and culture," regularly shares posts from left-wing organizations on social media. Eric Jentsch, the seventh curator, has also written about race and racism in American sports history, Fox News Digital found.

BABY BOOMERS HATE 10 THINGS ABOUT TODAY'S GROCERY STORES

In its July report, the White House charged that the Smithsonian "no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens."

Controversial grocery store move evokes expert's blunt advice: 'If you shuck it, buy it'

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:28 -0400

The arrival of fresh summer corn at grocery stores and farmers markets across the country is reviving a long-running debate: Should shoppers shuck corn before buying it?

Shucking corn involves peeling off the outer green husks and removing the corn silk to get to the edible kernels underneath. Some shoppers shuck ears of corn before they buy it to inspect the kernels for quality and check for insects.

"Some stores encourage customers to shuck corn in the store by providing trash bins beside the corn display," Florida-based etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore told Fox News Digital. "Here's the caveat: If you shuck it, buy it. If the ear of corn is bad, let a manager know or discard it in the trash bin provided."

Partially shucking corn at the market and putting it back can also make it unappealing to the next shopper and increase the chance of food waste.

"If no bin is provided, don't shuck the corn," Whitmore said. "It can be messy and wasteful. Plus, no one wants to buy corn that has already been shucked."

Beyond etiquette concerns about the mess shucking corn can create, sanitation is also a factor. Husks act as a barrier to protect the corn from dirt, bacteria and moisture loss.

By partially shucking corn before buying it, shoppers may expose the kernels to bacteria from hands, shopping carts and store conveyor belts.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Experts advise waiting until just before preparing and eating corn to shuck it, because the husk also preserves the kernels' freshness. Shucking too early exposes the kernels to oxygen, leading to moisture loss. Sugars will also turn into starch more quickly, which will reduce the corn's sweetness.

Shucking corn and discarding the debris is also wasteful, Ohio-based farmer Lee Jones of The Chef's Garden farm told Delish.

"What some people don't realize is that you can use every part of an ear of corn," he said. "Corn is such an iconic American food, and chefs are finding creative ways to use every part of the plant — from the stalk and silk to the husk and cob. Each part of the plant's life adds something unique to the plate."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

Corn husks are used for teas, soup stocks and as wraps for grilling or steaming, Delish reported.

Many Reddit users admitted to pulling back corn husks to examine ears before purchasing them.

"Sometimes the husk hides worms or bad spots that would make you not want to buy or eat it," one user wrote in a forum asking why people are shucking corn in the grocery store.

"Do you know how expensive things are? No one wants to go home and open it to find moldy, gross corn," someone else wrote.

"Shucking? Or just peeking? Because sometimes you have to throw away a whole ear," commented another user.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

"Shucking," another Redditor replied. "Grocery stores around here put a bin at the corn table just for this. That way I don't have to do it at home into my little kitchen trash can and get the threads absolutely everywhere."

Experts say there are better ways to judge an ear's quality without peeling back the husk.

Start by comparing weights and giving the corn a squeeze. Heavier ears generally contain more moisture, making for juicer, sweeter kernels, according to America's Test Kitchen. The ear itself should feel firm, full and plump.

Inspect the corn tassels, or silk, and the husk itself. If the silk is light brown, golden or slightly sticky, the corn is likely fresher, Lisa Lin, a California-based food writer who runs the Healthy Nibbles website, noted in a 2023 post. Black or dried-out silk indicates corn is older.

The husk should be bright green and wrap tightly around the ear if the corn was harvested recently. Faded or brittle husks could mean the corn has been sitting around. Also look for holes in the husk, which can be a sign of insect damage, Australia-based horticulturist Toni Salter wrote on her website.

BRYAN KOHBERGER GETS NEW ATTORNEY APPOINTED AFTER HE ASKS COURT FOR POST-CONVICTION RELIEF IN IDAHO MURDERS

If you don't plan to eat corn right away, keep it cool and covered. Always wash produce before consuming it to remove dirt, bacteria and potential pesticide residue, according to Everyday Health.

Bryan Kohberger's post-conviction relief bid enabled by flawed plea deal, psychologist argues

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:24 -0400

The forensic psychologist who publicly warned last year that Bryan Kohberger's plea agreement was part of the killer's calculated "long game" plans is arguing that prosecutors missed a critical opportunity by not requiring Kohberger to fully explain the Idaho student murders as part of the deal, leaving him room to reshape his story as he returns to court despite waiving his right to appeal.

"It was a real mistake and series of heavy mistakes by the DA's office to enter into this deal, because now here we are, putting the victims through all this again with having gotten nothing," said Dr. Kris Mohandie, a police and forensic psychologist and expert on violent behavior.

Kohberger, who took a deal to escape the potential death penalty, is serving four consecutive sentences of life without the chance of parole, plus another 10 years.

Last month, however, he filed a petition for post-conviction relief, claiming that he had ineffective counsel and that he'd been misled — while insisting that he's innocent of the murders.

Police found his DNA on a knife sheath recovered from the crime scene, in a bed with two of the four University of Idaho students Kohberger admitted to killing in a July 2025 change of plea hearing.

Mohandie said prosecutors should have required Kohberger to provide a full account of the killings before accepting the plea, even if, as Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said after sentencing, they believed he would lie.

"Well, that's a lame excuse, in my opinion, because at least you've got him admitting something," Mohandie said. "This way, he can pull back and say, 'I didn't admit to doing anything...I said nothing. There are no stories or statements related to me. And I was coerced into this. I had terrible counsel.' It enables him to have a complete playing field for him to dance around. With now an infinite array of lies. So pin him to a story is part of why you do this."

KOHBERGER DEFENSE EXPERT WANTS HIS LAWYERS UNDER OATH AFTER KILLER CITES FINDINGS IN BID TO UNDO GUILTY PLEA

Mohandie said the absence of any detailed confession now gives Kohberger room to challenge the case while forcing victims' families to relive the proceedings.

"It was ill-conceived, it was poorly designed, and at the end of the day, you know the victims are being re-traumatized by all of this," he said.

The psychologist also argued that Kohberger's handwritten post-conviction petition and attempts to regain the spotlight for himself are consistent with the personality traits he has long associated with the convicted killer.

BRYAN KOHBERGER'S CHOICE OF 'A HOUSE FULL OF WOMEN' MAY HOLD THE KEY TO THE IDAHO MURDERS' BIGGEST MYSTERY

"First and foremost is his desire to get away with things and to outsmart the system, and I do believe that notoriety and fueling his notoriety, continuing to fuel that, is the secondary gain as well," Mohandie said.

Illustrating that was Kohberger's decision to call a reporter from prison before filing the petition, he said.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"He is a common archetype, if you will," Mohandie said. "He's not special, but he believes he's special, which is the commonality among these people — the belief that you're special when you're not; the belief that you're smarter than other people and can outwit them."

Mohandie said that's why he believes the public should resist looking at killers as fascinating figures.

"They are terrible people and monsters," he said.

Fox News Digital's News Quiz: August 7, 2026

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:21 -0400

Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz, featuring James Carville's red line for the Democratic Party and a stripped Miss USA title in one state.

Looking for another challenge?

A WNBA suspension and a record-breaking run atop the Billboard Hot 100 were featured in last week's News Quiz.

Test your knowledge of popular personalities, retro revivals and more in this week's American Culture Quiz.

600 GROUPS WITH $2B IN REVENUE MOBILIZE 3,000 MAY DAY PROTESTS IN A 'RED-BLUE' ALLIANCE, PROBE FINDS

If you're looking to play even more, you can find all of our quizzes by clicking here.

Check back next week for the latest News Quiz from Fox News Digital. Thanks for playing!

Communist, socialist network helped fuel Madison protests after Corey Ruiz shooting, investigation finds

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:01 -0400

A coalition of communist, socialist and left-wing activist organizations helped drive nearly two weeks of protests and a sprawling encampment in Madison, Wis., following the fatal police shooting of homeless man Corey Ruiz, with the demonstrations later escalating into clashes with police, street fires and blocked intersections, a Fox News Digital investigation has found.

Among the most prominent groups backing the protests are the Madison chapter of the openly communist Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Inc., a Madison-based "social justice" nonprofit, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a Marxist-Leninist political organization, all of which have publicly backed the protests.

Together, the groups have organized demonstrations, maintained a sprawling protest encampment, demanding the officer's arrest and repeatedly referring to him as a "killer cop." Freedom Inc. also publicly said it bailed out dozens of protesters following recent arrests.

The mobilization reflects a broader pattern in which communist and socialist organizations have used local confrontations with law enforcement to build protest movements and advance broader political agendas, national security experts say.

Before city crews dismantled the encampment Tuesday morning, it had expanded to include dozens of tents, four portable toilets, food distribution areas and memorial displays. Organizers also brought a raised-fist sculpture from Minneapolis' George Floyd Square to the encampment.

The initial demonstrations erupted after Ruiz was fatally shot on July 22 after police said officers responded to reports of theft before Ruiz fled on a bicycle. After several officers caught up with him, authorities said Ruiz pulled a knife, injured one officer during a struggle and was fatally shot by another officer.

Protesters have accused law enforcement of using excessive force and, during several demonstrations, drawing parallels to the 2020 death of Floyd by while he was being restrained by Minneapolis police.

The Madison unrest culminated late Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday when protesters allegedly threw projectiles at city workers, set five street fires and clashed with officers, according to the Madison Police Department. Police said the unrest resulted in at least 22 arrests, while officers also recovered a handgun from a juvenile protester arrested on unrelated charges.

WISCONSIN PROTESTER BRANDS MADISON AS 'CORRUPT CITY' DURING ANTI-POLICE TIRADE FOLLOWING DEADLY SHOOTING

The Party for Socialism and Liberation

Among the organizations helping drive the demonstrations was the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which Fox News Digital has previously identified as a key organizer of nationwide protest movements within the broader activist ecosystem surrounding organizations funded by Marxist tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, who lives in Shanghai.

Earlier this year, a Fox News Digital investigation documented roughly $285 million flowing from Singham into a global network of nonprofits, activist organizations and media operations.

Since the shooting, the Madison chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation has used its social media accounts to mobilize supporters with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly referring to the officer involved as a "killer cop," The group has helped organize demonstrations, urged followers to "take the streets" and pressured elected officials through coordinated phone and email campaigns demanding the officer's arrest.

After city crews dismantled the protest encampment Tuesday morning, the Party for Socialism and Liberation posted an Instagram video showing officers clearing flowers, candles and memorial items from the intersection where Ruiz was shot before urging supporters to attend another evening demonstration outside Madison City Hall.

WATCH: Protests over police shooting lead to fiery night after Madison encampment cleared

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

The accompanying caption accused city officials of protecting the officer, stating: "Killer cop … is still walking free. Still on the streets. Still getting paid," the post read, while identifying the officer by name.

The group concluded the post by writing: "You can destroy a memorial, but you cannot destroy a movement."

Hours after the Party for Socialism and Liberation promoted the evening demonstration, protesters returned to the streets, where officers reported multiple arrests, street fires and blocked intersections.

While the activist group has repeatedly identified the officer involved and demanded his arrest, Madison police have declined to publicly identify any of the four officers involved in the encounter. All four remain on administrative leave while the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigates the shooting, according to local reports.

Freedom Inc.

Another prominent organizer is Freedom Inc., a Madison-based activist nonprofit that advocates abolishing police, defunding law enforcement and broad criminal justice reforms.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Freedom Inc. claimed it had "bailed out 50 people" from the Dane County Public Safety Building following the previous night's arrests and had "shut down Doty Street directly in front of the jail while working to get people released."

Fox News Digital was unable to independently verify Freedom Inc.'s claim that it bailed out 50 protesters and has reached out to the organization for comment. Fox News Digital also sought comment from the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

IRS filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show Freedom Inc. reported roughly $4.9 million in revenue in 2024, including about $1.24 million in government grants, after reporting roughly $4.2 million in revenue in 2023, including about $1.13 million in government grants.

The overlap between Freedom Inc. and the Madison chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation was evident Wednesday morning, when they jointly published an Instagram post calling supporters to another protest outside the Dane County Courthouse.

The poster declared, "All out for Freedom, Inc.! Don't arrest me, arrest the cops!" while the caption urged supporters to attend, declaring: "Jail killer cops! Justice for Corey Ruiz! Dare to struggle, Dare to win!"

On social media, Freedom Inc. identified itself as the organizer of Monday night's "mass mobilization" that saw protesters climb onto Madison City Hall and hang a giant banner reading "Arrest the Killer Cop" across the front of the building. They also threw balloons filled with red liquid at the building, according to local media outlet WKOW.

Following the encampment's removal, Freedom Inc. accused Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway of "sending armed militia to raid the memorial site."

The rhetoric reflected Freedom Inc.'s broader platform. In a February Instagram post pinned to its page, the group called to "Abolish Police," defund police and ICE, end deportations and close jails, prisons and ICE detention centers.

The organization wrote that "Police and ICE are tearing families apart, racially profiling our people, criminalizing poverty, and inflicting violence on Black, Brown, immigrant, and working-class communities," adding that communities deserve "safety without surveillance" and "care without criminalization."

DEM SOCIALIST RUNNING FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR PUSHED 'ABOLISHING THE POLICE'

The wider network

Freedom Inc.'s organizing also drew support from Fight Back! News, which jointly published an Instagram post with the group highlighting its organizing at the protest encampment. The post described individuals and organizations traveling to Madison from "around the country" to "help organize on the ground" and highlighted a four-day educational series and postcard-writing campaign by Freedom Inc. demanding the officer's arrest, defunding the police, strengthening civilian oversight and expanding community control of policing.

Fight Back! News openly states on its website that some of its writers and staff are members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, another far-left organization that has appeared alongside the Party for Socialism and Liberation in previous Fox News Digital reporting on protest movements from Minneapolis to Los Angeles.

Freedom Inc.'s organizing also extended nationally. On July 22, the group jointly published an Instagram post with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression calling for "Justice for Corey Ruiz" and "Community Control of the Police Now!"

Meanwhile, state Rep. Francesca Hong, who is running for governor and has previously called for "abolishing the police," appeared at the memorial site shortly after Ruiz's death. Hong does not appear to be affiliated with any of the groups.