Latest & Breaking News | Fox News

Congress to put American Bar Association in hot seat over DEI rules tied to law school accreditation

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:41:00 -0400

Congress is calling a hearing to examine whether the American Bar Association (ABA) has used its dominant role in law school accreditation to push diversity, equity and inclusion policies throughout the legal profession.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, chairman of the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Constitutional Abuses, scheduled Wednesday’s hearing to question ABA President Michelle A. Behnke about the organization’s influence over law school accreditation.

"DEI is a cancerous ideology that promotes unlawful discrimination and steals opportunities from Americans who would otherwise earn jobs and law school admissions spots on merit," Gill said in a statement. "The ABA has abused its accreditation power to force harmfully racist and often illegal DEI policies and coursework in law schools across the nation."

Gill added that the ABA's "promotion of DEI has created poorly trained lawyers who prioritize political activism over following the law."

CALIFORNIA COUNTY APPROVES REPARATIONS PLAN AS NEIGHBORING SCHOOL DISTRICT ‘BLACK THRIVING’ EFFORT STALLS

The task force has laid out the goal of exploring "how Congress can help permanently eliminate DEI policies within American institutions, including the legal profession and academy."

The ABA’s accreditation system gives it considerable influence over legal education. Its Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is the only accreditor of Juris Doctor programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and graduation from an ABA-approved law school is the standard path to taking the bar exam in most states.

In the hearing, Behnke is expected to argue that the council operates independently of the broader ABA, a distinction she made clear in a June 1 statement.

Despite the council's decision in May to repeal certain diversity and inclusion standards for law schools, Behnke said the ABA still has an "unwavering" commitment to DEI, comments that Gill and other committee members are likely to scrutinize.

RED-STATE SENATOR DROPS HAMMER ON DEM MAYOR OVER NEW ‘WOKE’ DEI ORDINANCE WHILE VIOLENT CRIME SURGES

"The legal profession is strongest when it draws on the experiences, talents and perspectives of people from every background and every community," Behnke said last month. "Diversity does not weaken our profession. It deepens it. It broadens understanding, strengthens public trust and helps ensure the law serves all people fairly and fully."

President Donald Trump has put pressure on law firms and other American companies to end DEI practices.

However, even before Trump returned to the White House last January, the ABA accreditation council was already considering revising Standard 206 of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools. A November 2024 revision called for removing sections including a requirement for law schools to "demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion by having a faculty and staff that are diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In August 2024, the council began revising Standard 206 to remove language expressly permitting the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions.

The revisions also clarified that law schools were not required to consider race or other identity characteristics in individual admissions decisions.

In May 2026, the ABA’s accreditation council voted to repeal Standard 206, which had already been suspended since February 2025.

Treasury hails success of anti-fraud process that flagged and prevented $99 million in payments to dead people

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:38:26 -0400

The Treasury Department announced Tuesday morning that it has successfully implemented new safeguards to prevent government payments to dead people in an effort to reduce waste and fraud.

The verification system includes screening 885 million federal payments against expanded death records, effectively auditing payments totaling nearly $2.7 trillion. It has already flagged and stopped payments totaling roughly $99 million that had been marked to be sent to dead people.

"Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump’s mandate to stop improper payments and fraud before money leaves the Treasury, and strengthen the integrity of the federal payment system," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "Together with Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this new safeguard addresses a longstanding vulnerability and helps ensure every dollar the federal government spends reaches its intended recipient. Treasury will continue efforts to modernize the federal payment system, strengthen safeguards against fraud and improper payments, and protect taxpayer dollars."

ELON MUSK SAYS MILLIONS IN SOCIAL SECURITY DATABASE ARE BETWEEN AGES OF 100 AND 159

The move tallies a victory for President Donald Trump's March 2025 Executive Order 14249, "Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse."

More than 4,900 payments linked to deceased payees were returned to the federal agencies that initiated them for further review.

The effort relies in part on Treasury’s expanded access to the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File, which contains death information used to identify potentially ineligible recipients before payments are issued.

Congress initially gave Treasury temporary access to the database under a three-year pilot program authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Treasury projected the program would produce about $330 million in net benefits from 2024 through 2026 by reducing improper payments.

TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH EXPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEAD PEOPLE ON NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLLS

Access was made permanent in February 2026, when Congress passed and Trump signed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, introduced by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

Treasury said it will continue expanding the verification system across the federal government as part of a broader effort to prevent questionable payments before taxpayer money leaves federal accounts.

Elon Musk, when he started the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the first month of the second Trump administration, famously called out the more than 20 million listed on Social Security with ages 100 and higher, including more than 3.9 million in the 130-139 age range, more than 3.5 million in the 140-149 range and more than 1.3 million in the 150-159 range.

"According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE! Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security," Musk joked on X in February 2025.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Vance-led effort to root out government waste, fraud and abuse will have more developments to report Tuesday as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz will join leaders from the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force and the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) for an 11 a.m. news conference on new federal actions to protect taxpayer dollars.

Marxist organizer leads campaign against Virginia AI data center as foreign influence concerns mount

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:07 -0400

A grassroots organizer opposing AI data center development in Virginia is also a member of the Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a Marxist-Leninist group that has drawn scrutiny for its political ties and overlap with a Chinese-linked network, digital records show.

Jack Tensley, who has described himself as an "organizer" with PSL, testified before the Frederick County Planning Commission in January, raising concerns about the plans’ cost, energy use and liability.

"My really big fear here is the security risk. We have infrastructure attacks and failures, cyberattacks that happen — I want to know if this puts a target on the back of Frederick County," Tensley said. "I see a lot of risk here."

Alongside his many concerns, Tensley’s testimony — taken in light of his connection to PSL and, by extension, the China-based Singham network — is emblematic of larger questions about data center expansion.

As America races to build the infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence, community fights over zoning and electricity have raised concerns that larger political groups are attempting to amplify opposition to U.S. AI infrastructure through local influence campaigns.

TOP ENERGY GROUP WARNS WEALTHY FOREIGNERS ARE POTENTIALLY BANKROLLING ANTI-DATA CENTER CAMPAIGNS ACROSS US

PSL, in particular, has come under scrutiny.

The group describes itself as a political party that organizes around anti-war, labor immigration and socialist causes, according to its website.

"The Party for Socialism and Liberation exists to carry out the struggle for socialism inside the United States," PSL states. "Capitalism is a failed system that, in its insatiable appetite for ever greater profits, threatens global ecological destruction."

The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), a nonpartisan cryptocurrency think tank, found that PSL has organized anti-data center campaigns in at least 14 states, opposing roughly $23.6 billion in AI investments.

But more than that, BPI highlighted ties with Shanghai-based businessman Neville Roy Singham, citing overlapping leadership between PSL and several nonprofits Singham has funded. Singham, 72, has faced congressional scrutiny over his reported ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Singham sold his tech company for $800 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai. He has been accused of funding pro-Chinese Communist Party groups that operate in the U.S. In the past, he has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. These groups regularly organize and participate in anti-ICE, anti-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations.

Some lawmakers, like Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., have asked the Department of Justice to probe the network.

LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM'S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S.

"Alarming reports indicate that a network of foreign actors, led by the Chinese Communist Party, is attempting to manipulate U.S. policy and public opinion on data centers," Cotton wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

"Among them is a network of U.S. nonprofits funded by Neville Roy Singham, a Shanghai-based American expatriate under U.S.-government scrutiny for his ties to the Chinese Communists."

Despite their shared personnel, it’s unclear if Singham is directly funding PSL. Taken together, the Bitcoin Policy Institute slammed PSL as a political arm for data center opposition.

"PSL functions as the movement’s ground game — supplying rallies, petitions, public hearings local candidates and neighborhood organizing necessary to stop projects on the ground," BPI wrote.

For his own party, Tensley has also drawn scrutiny for a digital footprint online. Apart from his support of PSL, he's also donated to political figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., contributing $172 to his 2020 presidential campaign, according to FEC records.

Meanwhile, he continues to oppose Frederick County's data center plans — an opposition that, in recent months, looks to have succeeded.

He is affiliated with Protect Frederick County from Data Center Development, having signed its petition to the county board of supervisors to reject the development plans.

FIRST ON FOX: POWERFUL HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS CHAIR THROWS HAMMER DOWN ON 'FOREIGN-ALIGNED INFLUENCE NETWORK'

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In June, the board voted 10 to 0 to recommend denial for a 220-acre development in Clearbook, Virginia. Similarly, the board voted 7 to 1 to reject a second 71.8-acre project in Winchester.

Fox News Digital repeatedly reached out to Tensley for comment.

Preston Mizell contributed to this report

Shania Twain says she's finally 'getting it right' in her 60s after starting life ‘on the tough side’

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:19 -0400

Shania Twain is looking back on her long journey from an impoverished childhood in rural Canada to international superstardom and finally coming to terms with her past in her 60s.

During a recent interview with "CBS Mornings," the 60-year-old singer opened up about her difficult upbringing and how she has gained a new outlook later in life.

"I started life out a little bit on the tough side," Twain said. "In my 60s now, I feel like I've really gotten it, or I'm just now getting all of that right."

When asked by CBS correspondent Seth Doane about why her 60s had given her that perspective, Twain had a simple answer.

SHANIA TWAIN'S LIQUID DIET HELPS HER AVOID A ‘NIGHTMARE’ CONCERT MISHAP

"You know what it is? It's called time," she said. "I'd love to have been able to get it right in my 50s, but I just – that wasn't enough time. I needed to be in my 60s to start getting it right, you know?"

Born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, Twain was raised in the small town of Timmins by her mother, Sharon, and adoptive father Jerry Twain after her biological parents divorced when she was 2 years old.

TAYLOR HICKS CREDITS FAITH AND BLUE-COLLAR BIRMINGHAM ROOTS FOR KEEPING HIM GROUNDED AFTER 'AMERICAN IDOL' WIN

Twain's family struggled financially, and the singer has spoken candidly about growing up in poverty and witnessing domestic abuse at home.

While speaking with "CBS Mornings," Twain recalled that she was forced to grow up quickly, taking on burdens that far exceeded those of a typical child.

"When I was younger, I was so over-responsible for the household," she remembered. "My mother was depressed a lot of the time. She spent a lot of her days in bed. She lived off coffee and cigarettes that I would bring her in bed just to see if she was still alive."

VANILLA ICE SAYS HE NEARLY JOINED THE ‘27 CLUB’ BEFORE QUITTING DRUGS FOR GOOD

"There was a lot of violence in the house," Twain added. "And we didn't eat well a lot of the times. We weren't clothed properly a lot of the time."

Long before becoming one of country music's biggest stars, Twain performed in bars as a child to help support her family, including her mother, stepfather and four siblings.

The singer shared that her early performing years led her to develop stage fright, which would plague her for most of her career regardless of her audience size.

"The amount of people is not necessarily what affected me over the years with stage fright," Twain said. "It was starting so young in bars that were, you know, I was 8 years old, and the bars were smoky, and everyone was intoxicated. I don't know what I'm actually singing about, because I'm singing about divorce, and I'm eight."

Twain explained that she did not realize how deeply those experiences had shaped her until much later in life.

"This was just an uncomfortable place to be as a child, and I carried that with me," she said. "And only in my 50s, I finally just said, 'Whoa. I've got my voice. I have an audience. I have everything to just celebrate.' And the fear just dropped away."

Twain's challenges did not end with her difficult childhood. In 1987, when she was 22, her mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident. While both Twain and her older sister Jill were already adults, their three younger siblings, including sister Carrie-Ann and brothers Mark and Darry, were underage and needed a legal guardian.

At the time, Twain was trying to establish herself as a singer-songwriter after moving to Toronto to pursue music. However, Twain put her career on hold and moved back to Ontario to care for her younger siblings.

During a 2023 appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Twain recalled the difficulties that she faced after becoming her siblings' primary caregiver.

GOLDIE HAWN THINKS KIDS LACK 'GRIT' FROM TOO MUCH SCREEN TIME, NOT ENOUGH REAL-WORLD PROBLEM SOLVING

"That was a different type of parenting because now there was nobody to blame because now they’re gone," she said. "All of a sudden, I’m responsible for making decisions about my parents’ mortgage. I didn’t know they had a mortgage, I didn’t know what it was, I didn’t know anything about how they ran their business or debts or insurance. I had to learn overnight. My parents died — three days later I’m in lawyer’s offices and insurance company offices."

Twain told "CBS Mornings" that with the benefit of time, she is now able to look back on those experiences with gratitude instead of focusing solely on the hardship.

"When I reflect back on those times, I'm reflecting on them from where I am now, which is a very good place," Twain said. "Like, I made it out of there. It's like, 'Whoa, I'm just celebrating all of that.' And what makes me feel so accomplished, is staying connected to where I came from. It's the contrast that makes it feel so good."

After her siblings were older and living independently, Twain finally turned her attention back to her own dreams. In 1991, she moved to Nashville and signed a recording deal with the legendary country music label Mercury Nashville.

Twain's breakthrough came in 1995 with the release of her Grammy-winning sophomore album, "The Woman in Me." Two years later, she skyrocketed to global fame with "Come On Over," the best-selling album by a female artist of all time.

JANE SEYMOUR, 75, SHARES HOW SHE APPROACHES AGING WITH VITALITY: 'BEST I CAN BE'

Over the course of her career, Twain has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, won five Grammy Awards and cemented her status as a country music icon.

However, Twain faced new obstacles even after reaching superstardom, including divorce and a battle with Lyme disease.

In 2003, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which affected her vocal cords and threatened her singing career. The ordeal contributed to a 15-year gap between studio albums before she returned with 2017's "Now," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 2018, Twain underwent open-throat surgery and returned to touring. During her appearance on "CBS Mornings," she reflected on regaining her voice after her health struggles.

"Once I made a sound, it was just there," Twain recalled. "I feel lucky. I don't want to make it sound easy! It wasn't easy, it was a very long road, but I just feel very grateful and very lucky that I have it back."

"I have more, like, of a fry to my voice, you know, a little gravel," she continued. "I don't mind that. I've embraced it. It's now part of my sound."

Twain explained that she has adapted to the changes in her voice since resuming her career.

"I've taken a different approach to singing my older songs," she said. "In fact, I've found new placements in my voice that I enjoy, you know, that I didn't have before."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

"I love to experiment. I think it's the same with any art form," Twain added. "You have to experiment a little bit to get just the right – whatever's satisfying you the most at that time, you know?"

Twain recently fulfilled a longtime dream when she surprised fans with a performance at Toronto's legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

After taking the stage on Friday night, she told the crowd, "I grew up in Northern Ontario and the dream in my little bar bands at the time, all through my youth and my teens, even in my 20s, was to play the Horseshoe Tavern."

"But we weren’t recognized … we just weren’t established enough, so we never made the hire here," she continued. "So this is my first time in the Horseshoe Tavern."

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

"I guess I’ve finally made it after all these years," Twain added as the crowd cheered. "It was really a big deal to be able to play the Horseshoe Tavern. We all talked about that up North, ‘Oh, maybe someday we can play the Horseshoe Tavern.’ And now I’m playing here. I feel like it’s a very full-circle moment,"

"My home province, with all you beautiful people, in this historic bar. This is so historical. So it’s a privilege to be here, finally."

While speaking with "CBS Mornings," Twain explained how viewing her past struggles through a new lens had inspired her new album "Little Miss Twain."

"'Little Miss Twain' is me, now, looking back at my child's self and the journey that child went through, from starting out in those bars at 8 years old, right up to when I got my recording contract in Nashville," she said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Though she acknowledged that it took decades to feel like she had"gotten it right," Twain said she is content with the timing.

"That's fine," she said. "I plan to live to be 200 anyway!"

Startling mystery revealed in centuries-old royal tombs at powerful queen's monastery

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:08 -0400

When researchers in Barcelona recently opened centuries-old royal tombs, they uncovered a startling mystery: Several contained the wrong people.

The exhumations took place at the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain, a nearly 700-year-old Gothic monastery founded by Queen Elisenda of Montcada.

The wife of King James II of Aragon, Elisenda, founded the monastery in 1326 — and to mark its 700th anniversary, researchers wrapped up a multidisciplinary investigation into its medieval tombs.

HIDDEN UNDERGROUND CHAMBER REVEALED BENEATH HOME OF LEGENDARY ROMAN EMPEROR

Local officials have now shared the first results of a three-year excavation and research project, which produced several unexpected discoveries.

They found that many of the remains did not belong to the people assigned to the tombs.

"One of the project's most significant findings is that the opening of several tombs showed that the identities historically assigned to them do not necessarily correspond with the remains found inside," the release noted, which was translated from Catalan.

"In the tomb of Artau de Foces, researchers found no male individual. Instead, they discovered the remains of five people: two adult women and three children."

The sheer number of skeletons found was surprising, said Enric Puga, communications officer for the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes.

1,740-YEAR-OLD ROMAN COIN BEARING EMPEROR'S NAME FOUND AS ENGLAND RAIL DIG REVEALS CLUES

Puga told Fox News Digital that researchers were not expecting to find the remains of 25 people in eight tombs — and were even more surprised to find over 200 archaeological samples, including funerary offerings and preserved plants.

"The openings have shown re-openings and subsequent alterations, which means that we do not always find the person identified with the tomb," he said.

"This is the case of the tomb of Francesca Saportella, second abbess of the monastery, where at least nine individuals of late chronologies have been found, some with edge weapon wounds, as well as a female trunk mummified with fetal remains," added Puga.

"The abbess is not there, in any of the identified remains."

MYSTERY DEEPENS AFTER 2,700-YEAR-OLD BRONZE SWORD EMERGES STANDING UPRIGHT

He said it was "reassuring" to find that the wooden box preserving the queen's tomb dated to the medieval period and remained in excellent condition.

Researchers found that Queen Elisenda was buried in simple, modest clothing, despite being a queen — and that her remains showed health conditions commonly associated with old age.

"Thanks to archaeobotanical analysis, we have been able to identify several different funerary rites, with plants associated with body preparation, such as rosemary, but also floral offerings with a symbolic component," he added.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

"The subsequent reopening of some tombs gives us a lot of information about the funerary culture. ... Inside some tombs, some wrapped in bundles, we have found many objects from the daily life of the period."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Additional DNA testing is planned through 2027.

So far, researchers have recovered about 6% of Queen Elisenda's genome, allowing them to make preliminary estimates about some of her pigmentation traits, according to the project.

Puga added that all the research was done with the approval of the monastery's community of nuns.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

"However, [Queen Elisenda's] final will [shall] always be honored, which stipulates that all remains studied must be returned to the monastery to be interred in the same location where they were originally buried," said Puga.

Overall, Puga said the results have provided "significant insights regarding the 14th century."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Once all the samples have been analyzed, this information on the burials of a female power center will enable an understanding of medieval Catalan society," he said.

World Cup chaos avoided by Trump moves he didn’t make, ‘equally as important’ as actions taken: travel exec

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:27 -0400

The 2026 World Cup avoided potential travel chaos not only because of what President Donald Trump’s administration did to speed up visas, tighten security and move foreign fans through airports, but also because of what it chose not to do, according to the head of the U.S. Travel Association, which represents over 1,000 organizations across the industry.

In a letter to Trump obtained by Fox News Digital, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman credited the administration with holding off on several travel-related policies that had been on the table in the run-up to the World Cup, arguing those decisions helped make the tournament a "resounding success."

"In addition to faster visa appointments, the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) did not strain under record volume—processing more than 5 million applications and approvals while maintaining the highest levels of security," Freeman wrote. "Equally as important were several actions your administration did not take prior to and during the World Cup."

GERMAN WORLD CUP FAN BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS AFTER BEING BLOWN AWAY BY KINDNESS OF AMERICANS

The U.S. Travel Association is one of the travel industry’s most influential Washington voices, describing itself as the national nonprofit representing "all components" of the U.S. travel industry and the "leading voice" for an industry it says is worth about $2.9 trillion. The group says it represents more than 1,000 organizations across the travel sector and advocates on issues including visa policy, airport operations, travel security and international inbound tourism, giving Freeman’s letter added weight as the U.S. prepares to host the Summer and Winter Olympics, as well as the Women's World Cup.

The letter, paired with data from U.S. Travel and Morning Consult, casts the tournament as a tourism and public-diplomacy win that reached beyond stadiums and the cities that hosted the games. Freeman wrote that more than 80% of World Cup travelers were interested in venturing beyond host cities. Meanwhile, the data paired with the letter found 81% of Americans said watching international tourists experience American food, culture and attractions made them proud to be American, and 86% said they felt genuine joy watching visitors have a good time.

Freeman cited "the welcome America extended throughout the tournament" as more than just "a moment of hospitality" but also an investment in the economy and the U.S.'s standing in the world.

The letter and data also pointed to the World Cup as a "blueprint" for future global events, with a poll finding 70% of Americans want the U.S. to host more major events such as the Olympics, World Cup and World’s Fair. The U.S. is set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, the 2031 Women’s World Cup and the 2034 Winter Olympics.

US LIFTS COSTLY VISA BOND REQUIREMENT FOR SOME WORLD CUP TRAVELERS, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS

Among the moves Freeman praised the administration for not taking were implementing the $250 Visa Integrity Fee before the tournament, moving forward with proposals involving CBP officers at certain airports and imposing newly proposed travel authorization requirements for Visa Waiver Program visitors.

"Because the Congressionally-created $250 per person Visa Integrity Fee was not implemented, visa-visitors from countries like Argentina had additional money to spend in American businesses like Buc-ee’s or locally owned barbecue restaurants," Freeman wrote. "Because proposals to remove CBP officers from certain airports did not move forward, Americans continued to arrive home from abroad and foreign fans, teams, and other participants could enter the U.S. after being efficiently cleared through proper screening."

"Because newly proposed [Electronic System for Travel Authorization] requirements were not implemented, VWP visitors like Scotland’s 'Tartan Army' arrived in record numbers, underwent strong vetting, and used their social media accounts to post about their love for America and the world-class experience it provided," he added.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The data memo accompanying the letter to Trump underscored why U.S. Travel viewed those avoided hurdles as more than bureaucratic travel fights.

Four-in-five Americans said it is important for international tourists to have a positive experience in the U.S., while 61% said tourism reflects positively on America’s reputation in the world and 50% said visiting the U.S. gives foreigners the most accurate picture of American culture — more than media, news or online sources.

"No other president in history could have pulled off the historic feat that President Trump delivered for the American people and the world," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital. "Thanks to his bold vision and decisive leadership, the 2026 FIFA World Cup generated billions of dollars in revenue, created a massive economic boost across host cities, and delivered a safe, secure, and seamless experience for millions of fans and athletes from around the globe. It will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest and most successful sporting events in history."

Kamala Harris is the 'fairly obvious' 2028 presidential frontrunner, Democratic insiders say

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:49:38 -0400

Multiple Democratic aides and strategists suggested Monday that former Vice President Kamala Harris is the "fairly obvious" frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.

New York Magazine's Intelligencer spoke to several Harris aides regarding her potential chances if she chooses to enter the race after her defeat in the 2024 presidential election.

Despite her loss, some anonymous Democratic supporters believe, according to the report, that Harris has the upper hand over other party candidates based on her name recognition and recent public appearances.

DEMOCRATS WISH KAMALA HARRIS RAN FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR, NOT LOOK TO 2028: REPORT

"She walks in as the front-runner. It is fairly obvious she is followed wherever she goes," one former aide said. "And I don’t want to upset any narratives that any of the other candidates are pushing, but she comes in with 99% name ID and everyone else is going to have to raise money and buy it."

"She is looking for where the wave is going and is determined to ride it," another supporter said. "Her mindset is that I should have won, and I am going to do it my way because my way would have won, and it was all these consultants that were telling me to take this position or that position, and it was their fault."

Though some were concerned that Harris could be bogged down by her past support for the Biden administration and controversial viewpoints, others suggested that voters will be more forgiving of the former vice president after the second Trump administration.

CARVILLE SHREDS DEMS' 2024 AUTOPSY, SAYS HARRIS CAMPAIGN WAS 'MOST INEFFECTIVE $2 BILLION EVER SPENT'

"Look how quickly voters forgot about Trump’s first term," an anonymous Democratic official said. "People have short attention spans and short memories, and for all the criticisms that could be directed at Biden today, who knows what they think 12 or 16 months from now."

However, not every person who spoke with the Intelligencer was optimistic about Harris' chances or whether she should even run again in 2028. One New York donor expressed doubts that she could convince major donors that she could win the White House.

"I hope she runs," Democratic strategist Alex Hoffman said. "Because then she will lose, and we will never have to hear from her again. She will never win an election at a national scale. Never."

JOY BEHAR REJECTS KAMALA HARRIS FOR 2028, TELLS 'THE VIEW' CO-HOSTS THEY'RE NOT LIVING IN 'REALITY'

Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office for comment.

Harris has repeatedly suggested that she is open to the idea of running for president again and has made appearances in several key swing states over the past year.

"I might. I might. I’m thinking about it… I’ll keep you posted," Harris said at the National Action Network’s 35th Anniversary Convention in April.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Intelligencer report came amid speculation that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., could launch a 2028 presidential campaign, an idea the New York representative teased last month.

Lindsey Graham's sister breaks from foreign policy playbook with a different agenda and more top headlines

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:34:00 -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. Lindsey Graham's sister breaks from foreign policy playbook with a very different agenda

2. US military hits Iran in push to degrade regime’s ability to target ships in Strait of Hormuz

3. Trump says first call with new UK PM Burnham went 'very well,' pledges US support

MAJOR HEADLINES

CAMPUS CLASH – DOJ opens probe into Harvard's financial aid for alleged discrimination against American students. Continue reading …

DOUBLE STANDARD – 'The View' host Sunny Hostin urges officers to go easy on son in newly released bodycam video. Continue reading …

‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’ – Top media networks put on notice after refusing to air Trump's primetime address. Continue reading …

'NOT SUBTLE' – Obama warns Vance is pushing 'blood and soil' version of 'We the People' mantra. Continue reading …

POLITICS

POWER GRAB – Nicaragua's Ortega says country will 'never again' hold elections. Continue reading …

POLITICAL MUSCLE – All eyes on Arizona as Trump's endorsements face crucial midterm tests. Continue reading …

MONEY TALKS – Two House races take center stage as conservative PAC launches multimillion-dollar Big Tech push. Continue reading …

RACE RATINGS – What are the Fox News Power Rankings? Continue reading …

Click here for more cartoons…

MEDIA

BELOW THE BELT – Michigan Dem hopeful Abdul El-Sayed jabs CNN giving him 'non-consensual colonoscopy' in recent interviews. Continue reading …

ELECTORAL SHIFT – Colorado's socialist candidate calls for 'more immigrants into office' to stop America's 'exploitative' nature. Continue reading …

POLITICAL DISSENT – Hasan Piker vows never to criticize Mao Zedong in resurfaced video, hails him as ‘great leader.' Continue reading …

OPINION

HUGH HEWITT – Iran's nuclear program obliterated as its military crumbles under US assault. Continue reading …

LIZ PEEK – The Trump economy is doing better than the media want to admit. Continue reading …

IN OTHER NEWS

FLIGHT SCARE – Ryanair CEO says early evidence sheds light on window blowout that nearly sucked passenger out of plane. Continue reading …

TERMINAL TROUBLE – American travelers warned a common packing mistake could lead to prison or hefty fines. Continue reading …

FORGET THE MOJITO – Experts say Ernest Hemingway's signature drink was likely something else. Continue reading …

AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on presidential principles and courtside celebrations. Take the quiz here …

LISTEN

Tune in to the FOX NEWS RUNDOWN PODCAST for today's in-depth reporting on the news that impacts you. 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 Wednesday.

CrashStealer Mac malware steals passwords and wallets

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:21:15 -0400

A polished installer can make risky software feel routine. You see a familiar Mac window, follow the directions and enter your password when asked. By then, the app may already be working against you.

Security researchers at Jamf Threat Labs have uncovered CrashStealer, a new Mac information stealer that impersonates Apple's crash-reporting software. Jamf first tracked the malware in May 2026 while it appeared to be under development. By early July, researchers detected it in active attacks.

Free live CyberGuy class: Sick of Spam? Join us on July 22.

Join us this Wednesday, July 22, at 1 PM ET for a free CyberGuy Live class that will help you cut down on robocalls, spam texts, junk email and other unwanted messages. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will walk you step by step through simple ways to filter spam, clean up your inbox and recognize the messages that could put your personal information at risk. No technical experience is needed. You’ll also receive our spam-stopping checklist, and every registrant will get a link to the class recording afterward.

Reserve your free spot today at CyberGuyLive.com.

REDHOOK ANDROID MALWARE CAN QUIETLY HIJACK YOUR PHONE

What is CrashStealer Mac malware?

CrashStealer targets information many people rely on every day. It searches for browser credentials, password-manager data and cryptocurrency wallet information. The malware can copy the Mac login Keychain as well. The malware stands out because its developers wrote it in native C++. Many common Mac stealers rely on AppleScript or simpler software wrappers.

CrashStealer also encrypts the files it collects before sending them to an attacker-controlled server. Meanwhile, anti-debugging features make the malware harder for researchers to examine. However, the first app a victim sees isn’t called CrashStealer. The attack begins with a disk image branded as "Werkbit Setup."

How CrashStealer Mac malware infects computers

The Werkbit Setup disk image contains a polished installer. Its directions tell the user to right-click the app and choose Open. That action often appears in instructions for software that needs to get around a Mac security warning. In this case, the installer already carried a valid Apple Developer ID and a notarization ticket. Therefore, it could clear Gatekeeper on its first launch. Jamf also found that the disk image itself had been signed, which researchers called unusual for malicious Mac delivery.

The website that distributed Werkbit Setup required a meeting PIN. That setup may have helped the attackers limit access to people who received the correct code. It also made the download feel more exclusive and potentially more believable.

Once opened, Werkbit Setup contacted GitHub for an initial command. It then downloaded a script from the attackers' infrastructure. Next, the script installed a second disk image named CrashReporter.dmg in a hidden temporary folder. The payload used the name CrashReporter and the bundle identifier com.apple.crashreporter. Those details were chosen to resemble an Apple system component. The malware then launched quietly in the background.

How the malicious Mac installer cleared Gatekeeper

Apple uses Gatekeeper alongside Developer ID signing to reduce the risk from downloaded software. Its notarization process checks an app for known malicious content when developers submit it. Gatekeeper can also check whether Apple has revoked the signing certificate. Still, a notarized label should never replace your judgment about where an app came from.

A harmful app can slip through before researchers or Apple identify its behavior. Attackers can also use a trusted first-stage installer to retrieve a different payload after launch. Jamf reported the Developer Team ID connected to Werkbit Setup to Apple after confirming that it had distributed malicious software. The report did not say how many people had been infected.

CrashStealer uses a fake Mac password prompt

After CrashStealer launches, it displays a password prompt designed to resemble a legitimate macOS authorization request. The malware checks the password locally with a built-in Mac directory service command.

If the password is wrong, the prompt returns. If it is correct, CrashStealer stores an obfuscated copy and uses the credential to unlock the login Keychain.

The malware can then copy the Keychain database into its collection folder. That makes the prompt one of the most important warning signs. A password request can look convincing, yet the timing may feel wrong. An online meeting installer should not need your Mac password to display a call or download ordinary content.

What data CrashStealer steals from a Mac

CrashStealer searches broadly across the Mac. Jamf found code and activity tied to Chromium-based browsers, Safari data and Firefox credential files. The malware also checked wallet extensions such as MetaMask and Phantom. In addition, it targeted password managers that included 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass and Dashlane. Jamf observed roughly 80 cryptocurrency wallet extensions and 14 password managers in the target list.

A separate file-search tool scans locations such as Documents and Downloads. However, it skips many large installers, apps and media files. That filtering suggests the thieves want compact files that may contain credentials or financial records. Other personal documents may also appeal to the attackers.

How CrashStealer hides stolen data

CrashStealer stores stolen material inside hidden folders under the user's home directory. It encrypts each collected item with AES-256-GCM. Then it packages groups of encrypted files into hidden ZIP archives before uploading them. Encryption helps the attackers conceal the contents of the stolen files while they sit on the Mac. It also means a leftover archive can confirm that collection occurred even when an investigator cannot read the data inside it.

The malware then copies itself into the Mac's Library cache folder. It creates a LaunchAgent that starts the copied app when the user logs in. The LaunchAgent uses an Apple-like name, which can make the entry blend in during a quick inspection.

HALLUSQUATTING AI ATTACK COULD HIJACK YOUR COMPUTER

Warning signs of CrashStealer Mac malware

You may have encountered this campaign after downloading Werkbit Setup. The risk rises if the website requires a meeting PIN. An unexpected CrashReporter password prompt is another red flag. Be more suspicious when the prompt appears right after installing unrelated software or joining an online meeting.

Also, watch for an unfamiliar app asking for Full Disk Access or permission to reach Documents and Downloads. CrashStealer's configuration included permission messages designed to make broad file access sound necessary for "system administration." Security teams can also look for the hidden CrashReporter locations and LaunchAgent described in Jamf's technical report. However, most home users should avoid digging through system folders unless they know exactly what they are changing.

Ways to stay safe from CrashStealer Mac malware

A few careful habits can help you spot a suspicious Mac installer before it gets access to your passwords and personal files.

1) Download Mac apps from verified sources

Use the Mac App Store when possible. Otherwise, type the developer's official website address yourself. Avoid downloading software from a meeting link, private message or unexpected pop-up unless you can independently confirm the source.

2) Do not override Mac security warnings automatically

Be wary when an installer tells you to right-click and choose Open or use the Open Anyway button. Apple recommends overriding a security warning only when you trust the app's source. You should also confirm that nobody altered the download.

3) Pause before entering your Mac password

Look at which app triggered the prompt and why it needs authorization. Cancel the request when the reason does not match what you are doing. Then close the app and verify the download with the company through a separate channel.

4) Review powerful Mac app permissions and login settings

Open the Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security. Review Full Disk Access, Files & Folders and Accessibility for apps you do not recognize. Turn off access for anything suspicious.

Next, open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Review the apps listed under Open at Login and Allow in the Background. Remove or disable unfamiliar entries.

You can also check System Settings > General > Device Management for profiles you do not recognize. This option may appear only when a profile is installed. Do not remove a work or school profile without contacting the administrator first.

5) Install the latest macOS security updates

Open the Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update . Install available updates promptly because they include current security protections.

6) Use strong antivirus software on your Mac

A trusted antivirus program can help detect known malicious files, suspicious persistence and harmful network behavior. Keep real-time protection enabled and allow the software to update automatically. Jamf says threat-prevention tools can help block and report similar Mac threats. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

7) Act quickly if you installed Werkbit Setup

Disconnect the Mac from the internet. Do not enter another password on that computer. Run a full scan with trusted security software. You should also contact Apple Support or your workplace IT team.

Next, use a clean device to change the password for your Apple Account, primary email account and password manager. Change passwords for banking, shopping and other sensitive accounts that were saved on the affected Mac. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) where available and sign out of devices or active sessions you do not recognize.

After the Mac has been cleaned, change its login password because CrashStealer may have captured and validated that credential.

If you use cryptocurrency wallets on the affected Mac, treat their private keys and recovery phrases as exposed. Move remaining funds to newly created wallets from a clean device. Never reuse the old recovery phrase.

If security software cannot confirm that CrashStealer has been fully removed, contact Apple Support or a qualified technician about erasing the Mac and reinstalling macOS. Restore personal files carefully from a backup created before the infection, when possible.

FBI HELPS TAKE DOWN AI PHISHING RING

Kurt's key takeaways

CrashStealer shows how attackers can wrap harmful software in a convincing Mac experience. The signed Werkbit installer gave the campaign a layer of credibility. Then the fake crash reporter used a familiar password prompt to reach valuable data on the computer. Your best defense begins before the password prompt appears. Verify the source of every installer and stop when the instructions ask you to bypass a warning. Strong antivirus protection and current macOS updates add another barrier.

Would Apple notarization earn your trust, or would you still question a polished Mac installer? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.

For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com - trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.

Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.

Could a paint-on electronic tattoo spot heart attacks?

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:14:08 -0400

A colorful shark painted on your hand might look like a temporary tattoo. However, the design could also monitor the electrical activity of your heart. Penn State engineers have developed a paint-on electronic tattoo made from conductive ink. Researchers apply the ink directly to the skin, where it dries into a working electrode.

The team can add food dye to create almost any color or design. Therefore, a medical sensor could look more like face paint than a clinical patch. Penn State has filed a provisional patent for the technology. The researchers published their findings earlier this month, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

WOULD YOU TRUST A TINY DENTAL ROBOT?

Free live CyberGuy class: Sick of Spam? Join us July 22

Join us this Wednesday, July 22, at 1 PM ET for a free CyberGuy Live class that will help you cut down on robocalls, spam texts, junk email and other unwanted messages. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will walk you step by step through simple ways to filter spam, clean up your inbox and recognize the messages that could put your personal information at risk. No technical experience is needed. You’ll also receive our spam-stopping checklist, and every registrant will get a link to the class recording afterward.

Reserve your free spot today at CyberGuyLive.com.

How the paint-on electronic tattoo works

Researchers created the ink by mixing several polymers and acidic additives into a water-based solution. The wet material has a glue-like consistency. Once painted onto the body, it dries in less than 10 minutes. A hair dryer can shorten the drying time.

After it dries, the ink becomes an electrode that collects electrical signals from the body. Because researchers paint it directly onto the skin, the ink follows tiny ridges and uneven areas. That close contact can produce more reliable measurements.

Why regular wearable electrodes can lose accuracy

Many traditional electrodes use rigid metal-based materials. Those materials provide stability, but they can pull away from the body during exercise or everyday movement. Some experimental sensors use hydrogel instead. The soft material absorbs water and stretches with the skin. However, hydrogel can dry out over time and lose its grip.

Prefabricated electrodes can also leave a small air gap after someone applies them. Hair or sweat may make that gap worse. As a result, the sensor may struggle to capture a clear signal. Painting the electrode in place helps it settle into the skin's natural texture before it hardens.

How the electronic tattoo connects to Bluetooth

The dried ink handles the skin contact. Meanwhile, a piece of porous silver textile connects the electrode to the rest of the system. Researchers paint part of the wet ink over the silver fabric. The liquid flows into the textile and hardens, forming a secure connection.

A clip then connects the fabric to a larger electronic module. The wearer keeps that module taped beneath their clothing. Finally, the module sends the collected signals to a computer through Bluetooth.

The porous textile allowed the electrode to stretch beyond 150% of its original size without breaking. Its open structure also gives hair and moisture space to pass through the material.

HUMANOID ROBOTS PERFORM LIVE SURGERY IN WORLD FIRST

What researchers tested with the electronic tattoo

In one experiment, a co-author wore the painted electrodes during normal daily activities for 12 hours. The system successfully tracked the person's ECG readings throughout the test. An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart. Doctors can use that information to examine heart rhythm and identify signs that may need further attention.

A separate co-author wore the electrodes during exercise. The material remained attached and continued recording accurate signals during physical activity. The researchers also painted an electrode onto a co-author's forearm. It captured EMG signals produced by muscle contractions.

The team sent those signals to a robotic prosthetic. As a result, the person could control the robotic hand without touching it. The research paper also describes EEG detection through hair. EEG readings reflect electrical activity in the brain. In addition, the researchers reported no image artifact during MRI testing, which suggests the design may work alongside medical imaging.

Could an electronic tattoo spot a heart attack?

Penn State says the technology could eventually help spot heart attacks early. The electrodes can record detailed ECG data, which may reveal changes in the heart's electrical activity. Still, the researchers have not shown that the tattoo can diagnose a heart attack.

The reported tests involved co-authors during daily activities and exercise. The team did not test the system on patients experiencing heart attacks. Therefore, the heart attack application remains a future possibility. The prototype cannot replace emergency care or medical testing.

Why a customizable medical sensor could matter

Medical wearables can make some people feel self-conscious. A visible patch may also feel intimidating to a child who needs ongoing monitoring. The paint-on electronic tattoo gives the wearer more control over its appearance. Someone could choose a cartoon, a favorite color or a less noticeable design.

Researchers believe that personalization could encourage people to wear the sensors longer. The approach may be especially useful for children, teenagers and people who worry about the stigma of wearing a medical device. The electrodes can also wash away after use. A person could then paint on a fresh set while continuing to use the more expensive electronic module. According to the researchers, one bottle of ink could contain enough material for several applications over multiple days or a week.

COULD 'HUMANMAXXING' ACTUALLY HELP YOU LIVE LONGER? HERE'S WHAT EXPERTS SAY

What comes next for paint-on health sensors

The team plans to keep developing the electrodes. Future versions may be able to monitor biomarkers such as glucose or cortisol. Researchers are also considering how health care providers, including pediatricians, might use the system.

Another possible application involves plants. Painted electrodes could help scientists study chemical exposure and track how environmental conditions affect plant health.

However, Penn State has not announced a consumer version or release date. The technology will need more development and clinical validation before people can rely on it for medical decisions.

What this means to you

You will not find a bottle of electronic tattoo ink at your pharmacy anytime soon. Even so, the research offers a look at how wearable health technology may change. Future sensors could fit the skin more closely and remain comfortable during movement. Custom designs could also make long-term monitoring feel less clinical.

More dependable contact may help doctors collect useful data while patients go about their normal routines. That could reveal changes that a short appointment might miss. The research remains early, though. Comfort and colorful designs will matter only if larger studies confirm the technology is safe and medically reliable.

Kurt's key takeaways

This is the kind of wearable tech that could make health monitoring feel a lot less clinical. The paint goes right on the skin, stays connected during movement and can be customized so it looks more like body art than medical gear. I am also intrigued by the prosthetic hand test because it shows this idea could eventually help people control devices through their own muscle signals. The heart attack angle is promising, but it is still early. The tattoo can record ECG data, though researchers have not shown that it can diagnose an active heart attack.

Would a colorful, washable design make you more willing to wear a medical sensor every day, or would you trust a traditional hospital-style patch more? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report

Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.

For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com - trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.

Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.

Prosecutor ousted after alleged romance with illegal immigrant sex-crime suspect: 'Pattern of misconduct'

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:06:27 -0400

A Missouri county prosecutor has been stripped of her authority after the state attorney general accused her of carrying on a series of improper relationships with people tied to criminal cases in her county, including an illegal immigrant defendant facing sex crime charges.

A petition for quo warranto filed by the state's attorney general accuses Ray County Prosecutor Camille Johnston of failing to recuse herself from the investigation involving the illegal immigrant, Juan David Gutierrez, failing to disclose his whereabouts to law enforcement and transferring him the title to her vehicle to help him abscond. The filing also alleges Johnston had other improper relationships that posed conflicts of interest, including with a criminal defense attorney and a man charged in a domestic-violence case in Ray County.

Meanwhile, the AG's petition against Johnston, which prompted a judge to grant a preliminary order barring her from exercising authority as prosecutor until the case is resolved, alleged Johnston retaliated against an employee who discovered one relationship and created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation inside her office.

"When an elected official treats public office like their personal playground, betraying the public trust, ignoring legal obligations, and putting self-interest first, removal isn’t a suggestion, it’s a necessity," Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Johnston’s record reflects a sustained pattern of misconduct and willful neglect that has undermined the integrity of the prosecutor’s office and poses a serious threat to public safety. In Missouri, public office is public trust, not a personal entitlement, and no one is above accountability."

UTAH JUSTICE ALLEGEDLY SENT ‘INAPPROPRIATE’ TEXTS TO LAWYER IN KEY REDISTRICTING CASE, OFFICIALS LAUNCH PROBE

Hanaway’s office told Fox News Digital that Johnston is "not allowed to take any actions in any official capacity" and, while she can fight for reinstatement as the proceedings continue, "at this time, she is no longer Ray County Prosecuting Attorney." The AG’s office also confirmed that the sexual-violence suspect identified as "J.G." in the petition is Juan David Gutierrez, whose case is currently charged but on hold pending an appeal in another matter.

Johnston "failed to recuse during the investigation" of the underlying sexual assault case involving Gutierrez, Hanaway’s office said, noting a local court later appointed the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to prosecute the case.

ICE DETAINS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING MINOR AFTER HOSPITAL PARKING LOT BIRTH

According to the petition, Johnston and Gutierrez had lived together and had been involved in a romantic and intimate relationship before she took office as Ray County prosecutor on Jan. 1, 2023. The filing says Johnston was informed as early as Sept. 15, 2020, that Gutierrez was a suspect in a Ray County sexual assault, adding he is currently awaiting trial for felony sexual offenses.

Local outlet KSHB reported that the Missouri Highway Patrol said authorities had not found Gutierrez when the Missouri State Highway Patrol turned over its findings to the attorney general's office in 2020, and that the attorney general's office later declined prosecution and closed the case in 2022. However, according to KSHB, the case was revived after a private investigator doing volunteer cold-case work later flagged the case to then-Ray County Sheriff Scott Childers, who emailed the attorney general's office in 2023 about information that could help locate Gutierrez.

The AG’s office separately told Fox News Digital that Johnston admitted she knew Gutierrez’s immigration status for several years. The petition alleges Gutierrez is a citizen of Mexico who had been illegally present in the U.S. since 2019.

UTAH SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RESIGNS AMID PROBE INTO ALLEGED RELATIONSHIP WITH REDISTRICTING ATTORNEY

The petition also alleges Johnston knew Gutierrez’s whereabouts after he left Missouri, failed to disclose that information to law enforcement, visited him in Mississippi and vacationed with him in Florida. It accuses Johnston of transferring the title to her vehicle to Gutierrez in 2023 as well, and claims she "assisted" him in absconding from Ray County while knowing he had been accused of a sexual offense and was under criminal investigation.

Johnston’s attorney, Chad Gardner, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Local reporting previously identified Gardner as Johnston’s attorney.

In addition to Johnston's relationship with Gutierrez, the petition also accuses Johnston of maintaining a romantic relationship with a Ray County defense attorney who represented criminal defendants in cases prosecuted by her office, while allegedly failing to disclose the relationship or seek a special prosecutor in those cases.

The petition separately alleges Johnston had another romantic relationship with a man charged in a domestic-violence case and was later disqualified from prosecuting that case after local law enforcement learned of the alleged relationship and sought a special prosecutor.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, besides the improper relationships, Johnston allegedly "knowingly created" an atmosphere of fear and intimidation inside the Ray County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office by verbally berating staff and employees. The filing further alleges that a former employee learned Johnston was in a romantic relationship that could pose a conflict of interest, and that Johnston retaliated by firing the employee after learning they were aware of the relationship.

In each of the alleged relationships, the petition says Johnston recognized the impropriety but continued the conduct, withheld information about the relationships and "falsely denied the existence" of the allegedly compromising relationships when questioned.

Hanaway’s office said it stands by the allegations in the petition but could not comment on the possibility of criminal charges involving Johnston.

The war on America’s Judeo-Christian roots threatens everything we share

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:39 -0400

The United States is a Judeo-Christian nation. That is not sentiment; it is history. Christianity does not exist without Judaism. The New Testament rests on the foundation of the Old. Jesus Christ was born a Jew, taught from the Hebrew Scriptures (what Christians call the Old Testament), and declared, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not abolish them.

Lately, though, I have watched that history get twisted, and it has dismayed me as a pastor. So I was glad to see a rare X post from Dr. Jordan Peterson, who has been ill of late. He wrote:

"With regard to ‘Judeo Christian’: The 10 Commandments are Jewish. The great stories of the Old Testament are Jewish. The Jews developed the idea of subsidiarity as the alternative to tyranny and slavery. The Jews established the cultural preconditions for the rise of universal literacy. The fate of Israel at the hands of the Islamists is the fate of the West. This rising tide of anti-semitism sickens me. Those of you engaging in it for your oh-so-moral reasons, you're despicable. And remember, you proud ‘Christians’ objecting in all your purity to the term: Christ Himself was a Jew."

CHRISTIAN LEADERS HOLD EMERGENCY SUMMIT IN JERUSALEM TO CONFRONT GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM

Every word is true. And almost on cue, someone proved his point. Jack Posobiec, senior editor at Human Events, responded to Peterson’s post: "This is not what Christians believe." Another poster echoed Posobiec’s centering of Christianity: "Abraham was Christian, Moses was Christian, David was Christian." Posobiec agreed and added, "Adam and Noah were Christian."

That is not a correction. That is the erasure of Jews and Christianity’s origins dressed up as false piety.

Someone online rightly called this "the right-wing version of the 1619 Project." The comparison is sharp. The 1619 Project tried to make slavery America’s founding truth instead of the principles of liberty articulated in 1776. What we are seeing now is the same tactic applied to Scripture: erase the Jews, center only the Christians, and call it faithfulness. It is intellectual dishonesty and spiritual malpractice. It strips Christianity of the very inheritance that gives it meaning.

RARE AMERICAN BIBLE AND FOUNDERS’ LETTERS TRACE FAITH’S ROLE IN BIRTH OF THE NATION

I reject this revisionism from any direction. America’s founding documents draw directly from biblical truth. "All men are created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights" — that principle comes from the reality that every human bears the image of God.

The rule of law, human dignity, and justice tempered by mercy all flow from the Judeo-Christian revelation that the Jewish people preserved for millennia and that was fulfilled in Christ. Cut that root, and neither Christianity nor the American experiment has an anchor left.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

This is not an academic argument. It is a discipleship problem. Lying to our children about these origins does not strengthen them; it divides and weakens them. That is why, through Project H.O.O.D. on Chicago’s South Side, we are building the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center: rigorous job training, education, financial literacy, and, above all, the uncompromised truth of both Testaments of Scripture alongside honest American principles. Our young people will learn the full story: sins confronted, founding ideals upheld, and the God-given capacity for agency and achievement.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

We are in a battle for the soul of this nation. Revisionism from any side weakens us. Peterson is also right that the rising antisemitism around us is vile and must be confronted without apology. The Black church and the Jewish people share a history of standing against oppression. We stand on that bond together now.

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

There is no room for rewriting the past to serve agendas or social-media clicks. We do not need new idols. We need honesty about our faith and our founding. That is the only path to strength, unity, and restoration. America’s principles were never meant for one tribe; they belong to every citizen willing to live under truth. This nation was built on Judeo-Christian bedrock, and I intend to defend it.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM PASTOR COREY BROOKS

Kai Trump reveals diet and nutrition secrets that created six-pack abs post-surgery

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:36 -0400

Kai Trump is fueling her golf game with a protein-packed diet, clean meals and a disciplined fitness routine.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, President Donald Trump’s eldest grandchild, 19, discussed how she stays healthy and fit as an athlete, sharing that she eats "a lot of protein."

"I weigh 120 pounds and I probably eat around 150 grams of protein," she said. "[I] eat a lot of sustainable carbs and work out a lot."

KAI TRUMP REVEALS NEW CELEBRITY CRUSH AFTER DITCHING 'OUTER BANKS' STAR DREW STARKEY

The competitive golfer, who is joining the University of Miami Women’s Golf team when she starts college this fall, said she also follows a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, and avoids eggs due to a slight allergy.

Despite her demanding schedule, she makes a point of fueling her body with protein-rich foods rather than skipping meals.

"No matter what I'm doing, I always have like 40 grams of protein in the morning through a shake or something, just so I have it in my system," she told Fox News Digital.

"So, if I run or I'm doing something crazy, at least I had that. I got that protein in."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

The young influencer revealed that her favorite go-to dish is a ground beef bowl, which she prepares with rice, avocado and some seasonings.

"I eat very clean and simple," she said. "I would be totally fine eating steak for the rest of my life, or just chicken and rice, which is weird to some people, but I like it."

When she does decide to indulge in a "guilty pleasure" snack, Kai said she never reaches for sweets, but rather some prosciutto with pesto.

She said her mother, Vanessa Trump, who is in "great shape," helped instill the healthy habits that Kai follows today.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

"Seeing how she eats and what she prioritizes ... I kind of grew into that," she shared.

Don Trump Jr.'s oldest child said her healthy lifestyle paid off after wrist surgery temporarily sidelined her from golf. Rather than viewing the recovery as downtime, she told friends that she planned to use the time to achieve "six-pack" abs.

"I literally told them, ‘I have seven months before I return to golf, we're getting a six-pack,’" she said. "And I got a six-pack literally just by prioritizing the right foods and working out."

Kai credited that transformation to consistent workouts and a nutritious diet.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

At the gym, she follows a well-rounded routine that includes core exercises, squats and cardio on a stair-climbing machine. Before tournaments, she switches to a trainer-designed warm-up that consists of foam rolling followed by muscle activation exercises.

The president's granddaughter said she's developed many of her own fitness habits by researching what works and adapting it to fit her lifestyle.

Beyond physical fitness, the golf prodigy said it's just as important to protect her mental health by taking breaks from phones, spending time with friends and enjoying hobbies.

"I play a lot of golf … and then work out," she said. "Nothing clears your head better than going to the gym and working out ... Even if you're not lifting heavy or if you're just walking on the treadmill, being active clears your head and helps your mental health."

Kai Trump also documents her life on YouTube, where her 1.5 million subscribers follow her experiences as a competitive golfer and member of the Trump family through videos featuring tournaments, travel, family moments and major public events.

Asked for her biggest wellness tip, she said the people you spend time with can have just as much impact as a diet or workout routine.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"If you surround yourself with the wrong people, they can drain you," she said. "At the end of the day, you are who you surround yourself with."

Larry Fink and Stephanie Giang, both of Fox News Digital, contributed reporting.

Flashback: Mamdani's history of dodging questions about where he stands on key issues

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:06 -0400

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a history of dodging important questions about political matters in the United States and the world, as well as clarifying his own positions.

Since winning the Democratic primary and the mayoralty of New York, the self-described democratic socialist has become a national figure and has faced pushback from both Republicans and Democrats over his past rhetoric and policy proposals, with critics saying he is too radical.

Mamdani has led a wider shift in Democratic Party politics, including backing three far-left New York congressional candidates who won recent primary contests against more establishment figures. The growing divide among Democrats has grown so large that even longtime strategist James Carville proposed a schism to keep such far-left candidates from taking over the party.

Where Mamdani stands on key issues has been the subject of repeated questions in interviews, which the mayor has often dodged.

FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS

Mamdani deflects when trying to define 'working class'

In mid-July, New York Times journalist Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked Mamdani whether he and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have a definition for the working class that they say they represent.

"I think if you have to work to pay your bills, I think that that is one definition of being a part of the working class," Mamdani said.

"So someone making $250,000 a year is working class?" Garcia-Navarro asked.

"I haven’t sat at home and asked myself where it starts and stops," Mamdani answered. "What I would say is those who are working to try and afford the basic dignities of life and aren’t able to do so, I think that that is also working class. Oftentimes we’re asked how we divide this country. I think there’s only one majority in this country — it’s the working class."

When Garcia-Navarro pressed him further, saying that answer doesn’t ring true, Mamdani eventually said that he draws the line of working-class at "about a million dollars a year."

"So anyone under a million dollars a year in income is working class?" Garcia-Navarro asked.

He argued that that was not what he was trying to say, eventually lamenting that when taking questions, such as what it means to be a democratic socialist, "I think sometimes there’s a fixation on a definition of something."

MAMDANI DOUBLES DOWN ON DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM WHILE INSISTING WALL STREET, BUSINESS LEADERS CAN WORK WITH HIM

Mamdani dodges question about wishing to run for presidency

Mamdani was praised earlier in July for how he managed to dodge a hypothetical question about running for president.

"If you could run for president, would you?" Jillian Superstar asked during her "360 with Jillian" podcast.

Mamdani said he thankfully never had to worry about it, referring to the fact that he was born in Uganda.

"And I think it's hard to think of a better job than this. And I know that you'll hear so many politicians say that. But my point is just like… You wake up in New York City, you go to sleep in New York City. The whole day is in New York City. What more could you want? Yeah, it's just I don't know. It is a dream," he added.

Superstar then said, "You're good. You can teach a master class on dodging questions. That was fantastic."

Mamdani sidesteps question about whether Iran is better off without the ayatollah

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, was killed in an Israeli military strike in Tehran early this year, and a reporter asked Mamdani whether Iran is better off without him.

While Mamdani acknowledged the regime's "systematic repression" of its own people and that it's "killing thousands" of Iranian protesters, he did not answer whether the country was better off without the dictator.

"I've said before that the Iranian government has engaged in systematic repression of its own people, even killing thousands of Iranians who were seeking to express the most basic forms of dissent earlier this year," Mamdani responded.

"It is a brutal government, and I've also said that while I may be a young mayor, I am old enough to remember the devastating consequences of our country pursuing a war with the intent of regime change in that very same region not that many years ago," he added.

The previous week, the mayor faced backlash over his social media post condemning the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran that led to the killing of Khamenei.

"Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression," Mamdani wrote. "Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Mamdani weaves around addressing condemnation of socialism

Mamdani seemed to dodge a question in November about the House voting in favor of a resolution condemning socialism ahead of his high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump.

That month, the House had passed a resolution condemning socialism just hours before the self-identified democratic socialist Mamdani was to arrive at the White House. The resolution passed 285-98, with 86 Democrats joining Republicans, including House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who endorsed Mamdani. Two Democrats, Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., and Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., voted present.

When asked what he thought about the vote, however, he replied, "Brother, I can tell you all I've been thinking about is preparing for this meeting and speaking up for New Yorkers."

Mamdani ducks question about calling to globalize the intifada

Perhaps Mamdani’s most famous example of avoiding a question was him being asked about his defense of the phrase "Globalize the intifada."

Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase — which is associated with violence against Israel — throughout his campaign for mayor.

During a campaign event last year, the then-candidate avoided answering questions from WNYC’s Elizabeth Kim about the controversial rhetoric and whether he supported such language.

Kim asked Mamdani if he had "regret" over how he handled a "globalize the intifada" question during a recent interview with The Bulwark podcast at the time, where he declined to condemn the rhetoric.

Responding to Kim, Mamdani said, "I can’t speak to the media coverage of it."

Since then, however, he has distanced himself from the phrase and encouraged his supporters to distance themselves from it as well.

During an MSNBC interview, Mamdani recalled a discussion with a rabbi who said that rhetoric about globalizing the intifada gives her flashbacks to attacks on restaurants in Jerusalem, and Mamdani noted, "After having that conversation, that this is language I would discourage."

Fox News Digital contacted Mamdani's office and did not receive an immediate response.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News' Hanna Panreck, Lindsay Kornick, Rachel Wolf, Rachel del Guidice and Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.

What are the Fox News Power Rankings?

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 08:59:54 -0500

Fox News Power Rankings provide insight into the competitiveness of elections. Each ranking is informed by data, reporting, and analysis.

Which races are ranked?

Power Rankings are available for every President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and Governor’s race each election cycle.

What does each ranking mean?

Races are assigned to one of seven categories:

Toss-Up: Neither party has an advantage.
Lean D or Lean R: One party has an edge, but the race is highly competitive.
Likely D or Likely R: One party leads, but the race is competitive.
Solid D or Solid R: This race is not competitive.

Rankings are pre-election predictions. In other words, they are based on known information about a race before any votes are counted.

Rankings predict the outcome of an election result. For example, if a race is labeled "Likely R," it means that the Republican candidate is likely to win the race, not necessarily that the candidate will win by numerous votes.

How are the rankings decided?

Power Rankings are driven by data, reporting, and analysis. The three factors are:

Polling: The results of recent Fox News Polls and other polls that meet Fox News editorial standards.
Election fundamentals: Results from previous elections and relevant non-election data, like demographic data and economic figures.
Candidate strength: Fundraising reports, incumbency data and reporting from the campaign trail.

The rankings are nonpartisan. Democratic and Republican sources may provide information about a race but have no influence on ranking decisions.

How is the forecast decided?

President

To win a presidential election, a candidate must win a majority of Electoral College votes, or 270 votes. Electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in each state.

(Maine and Nebraska award two votes to their statewide winner and one vote to the winner of the presidential vote in each of the states’ congressional districts.)

The Power Rankings forecast is a calculation of the total number of electoral votes for states categorized as Solid, Likely, or Lean for each party. Toss-Up states are not added to either party’s total votes.

A candidate with at least 270 electoral votes is the predicted winner. If neither candidate has at least 270 votes, terms like "lead" or "edge" are used depending on the strength of their advantage.

CLICK FOR COMPLETE FOX NEWS ELECTION COVERAGE

Senate & House

To win control of the Senate, a party must win a majority of seats, or 51 seats. The same applies to the House, where 218 seats is a majority.

The Power Rankings forecast is a calculation of the total number of seats categorized as Solid, Likely, or Lean for each party. Toss-Up seats are not added to either party’s total seats.

A party with the majority of seats in the Senate and/or House is predicted to have control of that chamber. If neither party has a majority, terms like ‘lead’ or ‘edge’ are used depending on the strength of their advantage.

How does the Power Rankings Issues Tracker work?

The Fox News Power Rankings Issues Tracker measures the advantage a candidate or party has on specific issues. For every issue, it compares an average of polls that measure whom voters trust more on that issue.

For example, if the average of polls show 60% of voters trust the GOP more on the economy, while 40% trust the Democrats more, the tracker shows a 20-point lead for the GOP on the economy issue.

If a candidate or party’s advantage is outside the margin of error of the tracker, then the candidate leads on that issue. If their advantage is within the margin of error, terms like ‘edge’ or ‘ahead’ are used.

The number for each issue is calculated by averaging recent polls that:

Meet the same standards as those included in the Power Rankings, and
Ask voters whether they believe a candidate or party could "better handle" or "address" a given issue, or words to that effect.

Questions about candidate qualities like honesty and age usually do not ask respondents to compare the candidates within the question, so for some categories, the tracker is calculated by averaging "yes" (or positive) answers to the same question for each candidate.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The tracker shows which candidate or party voters prefer on an issue, not how important the issue is to their vote.

Issues and qualities are included in the tracker if the Fox News Poll or at least two other eligible polls asked about them.

Aaron Rodgers reconciling with his parents after nearly a dozen years of estrangement

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:14:24 -0400

If being happy and fulfilled helps a person at work, then Aaron Rodgers is apparently setting the table for a good final NFL season because his strained relationship with his parents seems to be healing.

Rodgers and his parents have been estranged for nearly a dozen years and perhaps longer.

But on Monday evening the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback posted on Instagram new photos of himself with his mother Darla Rodgers and father Ed Rodgers.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION JOE THEISMANN REVEALS KEY FACTOR IN AARON RODGERS DECISION TO RETURN TO STEELERS

And there seemed to be a good amount of joy in the snapshots.

Rodgers is seen in one photo with his arm around his mom while she embraces him with both arms. Both are smiling at the camera.

Rodgers and his father can be seen in the next photograph standing side-by-side, smiling, with their arms around each other's backs.

"Another bonding week," Rodgers wrote.

And then he added the hashtag "#fam."

This is not nothing.

The estrangement between Rodgers and his parents has been one of the NFL's most-discussed family stories despite the fact neither the quarterback nor his parents have ever pointed to one critical reason for the problem.

Most reporting is based on observations from family members, friends, former partners, and Rodgers' own comments over time. All of those have sometimes been used to paint Rodgers in a certain way – usually as aloof or haughty in articles that typically were unflattering.

Ed told the New York Times years ago that the family stopped communicating with Rodgers around 2014.

"It's complicated," he said of the reason.

The situation became widely known when younger brother Jordan Rodgers appeared on ABC's "The Bachelorette" show and said, "Me and Aaron don't really have that much of a relationship."

"It's kind of the way he's chosen to do life," Jordan added.

Not good.

Rodgers, meanwhile, suggested in a 2024 Netflix documentary that he started growing apart from his family well before 2014.

He cited his family's religious beliefs, differing value systems, and feeling emotionally unsupported as some factors that contributed to the unquestionable rift.

It should be noted Rodgers has been the most prominent active NFL player to openly discuss using ayahuasca, a psychoactive Amazonian plant brew traditionally used in Indigenous spiritual ceremonies, and has also embraced Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine.

He's gone on so-called darkness retreats, and discussed interest in psychedelic mushrooms.

All of that perhaps explains why Rodgers, who grew up in an evangelical Christian environment, may have rejected his family for a time.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"I started to stand up to the institutions of my youth," he said in the Netflix documentary.

But the past couple of weeks have shown a different side of Rodgers – at least based on the photos he's posted on social media.

He spent time with teammates last week in what he called a bonding week in preparation for his final NFL season.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

And now, at age 42 and on the cusp of his 22nd NFL season, he seems to be settling family business before what he has called the "last rodeo."

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Rodgers report to training camp in Latrobe, Pa., on July 28.

Follow Armando Salguero on X: @ArmandoSalguero

SJSU volleyball coach's alleged assault victim speaks out for the first time since allegations surfaced

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:13:15 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: The woman who has accused current San Jose State University (SJSU) head volleyball coach Todd Kress of attacking her in a hotel room has come forward with her first statements since the allegations went public. Kress is widely known for overseeing the controversial 2024 season that was overshadowed by a trans athlete scandal involving Blaire Fleming and female teammate Brooke Slusser.

The woman, who previously played for Kress at Fairfield University, informed SJSU officials in October 2024 of her alleged experience with the coach.

"SJSU has known I feared for the safety of the women in the program since October of 2024 and yet they have allowed Todd to continue to coach and travel with the team," she told Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity.

"I informed both Fairfield and SJSU of my 1998 encounter with Todd after reading accounts of young women on the 2024 SJSU team describing his intimidation, coercive, and manipulative behaviors.

"Why don’t some women come forward after being assaulted by those in positions of power? It’s a fair question. One needs to look no further than the situation at SJSU."

INSIDE THE FALLOUT OF THE SJSU VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: ‘THIS IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM’

Kress's alleged victim is speaking out two weeks after the allegations were first reported.

Neither SJSU nor Kress has addressed the allegations since then despite multiple inquiries, and the coach has made multiple social media posts boasting his new recruiting class in that time as well.

Fox News Digital reported on July 7 that during the SJSU volleyball trans athlete scandal's peak in the fall of 2024, administrators received an email from the woman in October of that year. The email included a letter to Fairfield that included the allegations that Kress attacked the player in a hotel room in 1998.

Emails obtained by Fox News Digital via an independent verified source show that SJSU officials acknowledged the receipt of the allegations, met with the former Fairfield player and her lawyer, thanked her for coming forward and even apologized for her experiences.

Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to SJSU seeking emails related to an investigation of those allegations, but the request was denied, with SJSU citing privacy exemptions and attorney-client privilege.

"Did SJSU investigate my complaint? They were given information that would have allowed them to corroborate my claims. Their refusal to release their investigative steps and final determination allows for much speculation," the former player added.

"My singular motivation was a hope that in bringing to the attention of school administrators what Todd did to me, they might act to protect young women. I trusted the system and chose to operate without public attention."

Fox News Digital has verified her identity and that she played for Kress at Fairfield in 1998.

Slusser, who played under Kress for two seasons in 2023-24, previously told Fox News Digital that she and other teammates in 2024 were not told of the allegations that fall.

"The school gave us absolutely zero information. This was never brought up once," Slusser said. Slusser is currently suing SJSU for her own alleged experience playing under Kress and alongside Fleming.

The alleged incident involving Kress and the former Fairfield player occurred in a hotel after Fairfield’s loss to Clemson in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament in December, according to her letter.

Part of the letter alleges, "He immediately took caramel from a plastic container and smeared it all over my face and hair. He then forcibly threw me on the bed and held me down. I was in shock. He let go of me and then pulled his pants down and put his back side in my face.

SJSU DIDN'T PENALIZE VOLLEYBALL COACH DURING TRANS SCANDAL AMID TITLE IX COMPLAINTS, FEDERAL FINDINGS ALLEGE

"Todd again grabbed me, picked me up, and threw me into the bathtub where he held me down and threatened to turn on the shower with me laying there to ‘clean the caramel off of my face.’ At this point I was fighting back to get away from him.

"Todd let me get out of the tub, laughing, and then he stood in front of the door blocking my exit. Todd told me he would only let me leave if I took a shot of liquor, which I did only to get him to move away from the door. Once he did, I ran for it. He chased me. I got into my room and although he seemed to be in a rage, he turned and calmly walked out," the letter alleges.

Fox News Digital has sent multiple inquiries to Kress, SJSU and the California State University system (CSU) for a response to the allegations and the player's latest statements, but none of the parties has addressed the issue.

The allegations have been public for 14 days.

A U.S. Department of Education (ED) Title IX investigation into SJSU over the transgender scandal determined that the university allegedly made the decision to not suspend or relieve its head volleyball coach during the team's 2024 transgender scandal, despite Title IX-related complaints against the coach. The investigation’s findings made no mention of the former Fairfield player and her letter.

The findings do not mention the coach by name, but Fox News Digital reasonably believes the figure titled "Coach 2" in the findings to be Kress.

"Additional notes indicate the decision to not suspend Coach 2 also included the improper consideration: 'If we relieve him… [w]e could also spark more media attention…. ' University records indicate University officials, including the President of the University, agreed to not suspend Coach 2 because they felt his suspension would unduly disrupt the team," the findings state.

However, the investigation did not disclose what those complaints were, and SJSU and the CSU are suing the department to challenge those findings.

Meanwhile, former associated head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended and later did not have her contract renewed, after submitting a Title IX complaint over the team's alleged handling of Fleming and the women on the team in 2024. Batie-Smoose is waging a wrongful termination lawsuit against SJSU.

SJSU has withheld relevant records and has not responded to questions

Fox News Digital recently submitted a public records request to SJSU seeking emails related to SJSU's investigation of the allegations against Kress, but the request was denied.

"SJSU has conducted a reasonable search for these records under California Government Code §7922.535 and has determined the requested records are not disclosable under the Public Records Act," the SJSU public records office responded.

"First, the request seeks documents exempt under attorney-client privilege. Additionally, the requested communications implicate substantial privacy interests. Disclosure of these records would therefore constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure."

Prior to that, Fox News Digital submitted a formal public records request to San Jose State University seeking copies of the Oct. 24, 2024 complaint letter that was sent to the school by Kress's former player, a Nov. 1 follow-up email, and a Nov. 7 response to the woman from the university's Title IX office.

But that record was also denied.

"The requested communications implicate substantial privacy interests," the university's response stated.

"Disclosure of these records would therefore constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Specifically, these records are being withheld subject to the following exemptions: Personnel Records/Privacy... General Privacy Rights... [and the] Balancing Test. Here, the public interest served by disclosure is minimal and is outweighed by the public interest served against disclosure in protecting substantial and significant privacy rights."

Fox News Digital was given copies of emails exchanged between SJSU and the former Fairfield player, from an independently verified source. The letter with the allegations was forwarded to SJSU administration on Oct. 24, 2024, and a response acknowledging receipt of the letter was sent later that same day.

Then on Nov. 4, 2024, former SJSU interim Title IX and Gender Equity Officer Peter Lim reached out to set up a meeting with the former player and her attorney.

"Thank you for sharing your concerns about Coach Todd Kress. I am sorry to hear about your experiences. I have reviewed your letter and would like to meet with you to better understand your experiences with Coach Kress. The purpose of the meeting would be to help me assess potential next steps, which may or may not include an investigation into the reported conduct," Lim wrote.

Three days after that, on Nov. 7, Lim sent another email to the former Fairfield player, thanking her and her attorney for meeting with them.

"I am so sorry about your prior experiences with Todd Kress at Fairfield University. I appreciate the time you took to describe those experiences, the impact those experiences continue to have on you, and the safety threat that you believe he presents to SJSU’s volleyball team," Lim wrote.

"We are evaluating the information you provided and determining appropriate next steps. If it is okay with the two of you, I would appreciate staying in touch."

There was no further correspondence between the two parties after that exchange, Fox News Digital has learned.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has posed multiple questions to Kress, Lim, SJSU admins and public records office clerks, and CSU spokespeople regarding their responses to the allegations, the woman's recent statements, Slusser's statements, what, if any, investigation took place into the allegations, and why they deem disclosure of the requested records are not enough in the public interest to warrant disclosure. But no response to those questions has been given by any of the parties.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Fairfield for a response to the former player's allegations and recent statement, but was told by a spokesperson, "The university does not comment on former or current personnel matters."

Prince William, Kate Middleton finally feel free to show affection in public: experts

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:24 -0400

Prince William and Kate Middleton's increasingly affectionate public appearances have caught royal watchers' attention, with experts saying the couple are entering a happier, more relaxed chapter following a difficult few years.

On William and Middleton's official Instagram account, the couple shared a photo of themselves embracing in a deep hug after completing the National Three Peaks Challenge for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

During the challenge, Middleton hiked the three tallest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales, which raised money for the charity which directly supports The Royal Marsden – the hospital she received her cancer treatment from.

Just a few days later, the Prince and Princess of Wales were spotted holding hands at the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026.

PRINCE WILLIAM REFUSES TO QUIT HOBBY THAT TERRIFIES KATE MIDDLETON: EXPERTS

Hilary Fordwich, British Royals Expert, told Fox News Digital that the up in PDA "shows a wonderful steadiness in their relationship" and family cohesion.

"Which bodes so well for the future of the monarchy and traditional marital loyalty under intense media scrutiny," she continued.

KING CHARLES KEPT PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON IN THE DARK ABOUT SECRET HARRY AND MEGHAN REUNION: REPORT

Fordwich continued, "We can see first-hand genuine affection but still with a degree of restraint. It is so reassuring as their solid marriage is the foundation of their stable household, which is greatly appreciated after not only the divorce of Prince William’s parents but of his uncle and aunt."

She pointed out that their marriage "hasn't changed over time," but it has strengthened as they become more comfortable as the future king and queen.

"No doubt their sharing the stress and strains of Princess Catherine’s cancer has had a great part in this as well as the tremendous outpouring of public affection seeing her healthy return has buoyed her spirits immensely," Fordwich said. "Due to the response from the public at large, she feels ever more at ease publicly and more confident too."

The British royal expert shared that Middleton and William are not only hands-on with each other, but also with their kids.

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

"In private, they share family and household roles. They purposely don’t have an extensive staff. They both want to be hands-on with all their three children & have embraced this together. It has drawn them ever more closer," she concluded.

Helena Chard, British broadcaster and photographer, told Fox News Digital that the public displays of affection mirror Middleton's "real sense of renewal and being truly thankful for another chance" after her cancer battle in 2024.

"Together, they feel very lucky. Their experience seems to have brought them even closer. The warmth and ease we see publicly isn’t about grand gestures, it’s about two people who don’t take a single day together for granted. At the heart of it is partnership, family and a shared determination to make the most of what matters most," Chard said.

She continued, "The Prince and Princess of Wales have grown into themselves. Older, wiser, and more assured, they’re stepping purposefully into their future roles. They’re grounded, comfortable, and they balance each other beautifully."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

William and Middleton's love story began in 2001 when they met as students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. After years of dating, including a brief split in 2007 that ultimately strengthened their relationship, William proposed during a trip to Kenya in 2010 with Princess Diana's iconic sapphire engagement ring.

The couple married in a globally televised ceremony at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, and have since built a family with their three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. They celebrated 15 years of marriage this spring.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Two House races take center stage as conservative PAC launches multimillion-dollar Big Tech push

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:18 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: A conservative super PAC focused on policy involving artificial intelligence is making its first campaign investments, throwing its support behind two Republican candidates in House races it views as critical to the GOP's hopes of keeping control of the chamber.

Fox News Digital has learned from a person familiar that Defending Our Values PAC is backing Rhett Marques in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District and Scott Singer in Florida's 25th Congressional District.

Republicans hold only a slim majority in the House, meaning a few competitive races could determine which party controls Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. According to the person familiar with the super PAC's plans, Defending Our Values views both contests as key opportunities to help Republicans preserve their House majority.

FOX NEWS POLL: MOVE OVER BIG BROTHER, VOTERS SEE BIG TECH AS GREATER THREAT TO US

The group's political push comes as artificial intelligence has rapidly emerged as one of Capitol Hill's biggest policy debates, with lawmakers weighing how to regulate fast-moving technology while preserving American innovation and maintaining the country's technological edge over China. Defending Our Values argues conservatives, rather than Silicon Valley executives, should play a leading role in shaping those policies.

While Defending Our Values announced a $15 million election effort last week, the group had not previously disclosed which candidates would receive its support.

Marques and Singer are the first candidates to become beneficiaries of that effort, according to the person with knowledge of the investments. The organization selected the pair because it believes they would be among Congress' strongest advocates for taking on Big Tech, strengthening online protections for children and families, and advancing policies aimed at helping the United States outpace China in artificial intelligence innovation.

CHINA IS BUILDING AN AI WAR MACHINE. WASHINGTON MUST WAKE UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Both candidates are navigating crowded Republican primaries before what are expected to be competitive general election contests.

Marques is facing multiple candidates in the Republican primary in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.

Alabama is scheduled to hold a special Republican primary on Aug. 11 following redistricting.

Singer, similarly, is competing in his own crowded Republican primary in Florida's 25th Congressional District. He has been endorsed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, among other Republicans, ahead of the Aug. 18 primary election.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

According to the person familiar with the super PAC's plans, the group's spending is intended not only to help Marques and Singer emerge from crowded Republican primaries but also to boost their name recognition heading into November's general election.

If he secures the nomination, Marques would face incumbent Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala.

Singer, if he wins, would likely face Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., one of Trump's most outspoken Democrat critics in Congress.

Forget the mojito: Experts say Ernest Hemingway's signature drink was likely something else

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:17 -0400

As Ernest Hemingway's birthday rolls around each July, Florida bars from Key West to Miami Beach shake mojitos in tribute to the Nobel Prize-winning author. But Hemingway scholars say one of the writer's most enduring cocktail legends is probably just that — a legend.

"His connection to the mojito is probably more myth than reality," said Mark Ott, a Hemingway scholar who has edited the "Teaching Hemingway" book series and served as a consulting editor on Ken Burns' and Lynn Novick's "Hemingway" documentary. "There's not much of a record of him drinking mojitos."

The myth is often traced to Havana, Cuba's famed La Bodeguita del Medio, where a handwritten inscription attributed to Hemingway proclaims, "My mojito in La Bodeguita, my daiquiri in El Floridita."

CHEF WHO FLED COMMUNIST COUNTRY OPENS WORLD'S FIRST MICHELIN-STARRED CUBAN RESTAURANT

But historians have long questioned both the authenticity of the signature and whether the restaurant even operated in its current form during much of Hemingway's time in Cuba, where he wrote "The Old Man and the Sea" — which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953.

Still, the inscription has become a staple of tourism and cocktail culture.

By contrast, Hemingway's affection for daiquiris is well-documented. Ott said the author was a regular at El Floridita in Havana, where bartenders developed what became known as the Papa Doble, a variation of the daiquiri made with extra rum and no added sugar.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

"The daiquiri is Hemingway," agreed Frank Gonzalez, corporate beverage director for Havana 1957, a South Florida restaurant group known for its Cuban cocktails.

Gonzalez said Hemingway likely enjoyed both mojitos and daiquiris during his years in Cuba but that his drinking habits changed over time.

"He became diabetic, so he had to avoid drinks or cocktails with sugar," Gonzalez told Fox News Digital.

Reporting over the years has similarly revealed that while Hemingway almost certainly visited La Bodeguita del Medio, the evidence linking him to mojitos is thin.

Contemporary accounts, letters and biographies much more frequently place a daiquiri, beer, wine or scotch in his hand than Cuba's mint-and-lime cocktail.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

For Ott, the historical record speaks for itself.

"There's literally thousands of photographs of Hemingway," he told Fox News Digital. "I have never seen one where he actually has a mojito in his hand. … You'll see lots of photos with him and beer bottles in his hands, for example, or mixing up martinis and things like that, but never with minty leaves floating on the top of a glass."

One drink Hemingway did favor, Ott said, was scotch.

"He certainly liked his scotch," Ott said. "There's no question about that."

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

That doesn't mean mojitos deserve any less appreciation, Gonzalez said.

He calls the classic combination of white rum, fresh lime juice, mint, sugar and soda water one of Cuba's most enduring cocktails — as long as it's made with fresh ingredients and a gentle muddle.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899.

He died on July 2, 1961, at age 61.

'America's Most Wanted' fugitive laid blueprint for vanishing before 20-year escape: affidavit

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:11 -0400

An "America's Most Wanted" fugitive spent days preparing for his disappearance before vanishing more than 20 years ago, according to newly reviewed court documents detailing emails to his attorney, a canceled flight to London and literature on changing identities found inside his home.

Ronald L. Fischer, 69, was captured Thursday aboard a sailboat off the New Jersey coast after spending more than two decades on the run following his disappearance during a Rhode Island sexual assault trial.

The FBI told Fox News Digital last week that the breakthrough came after an online sleuth tipped off investigators, ultimately leading the agency and the U.S. Marshals Service to the sailboat where Fischer had been living under the alias Richard Graydon.

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

Fischer never returned to Rhode Island Superior Court after disappearing during his trial in April 2005. A jury found him guilty of first-degree sexual assault after he fled, and authorities spent more than two decades searching for him before his capture last week.

The newly reviewed affidavit provides the first detailed account of what investigators uncovered in the days after Fischer disappeared.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

A federal affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island says Fischer emailed his attorney on April 23, 2005, telling him he was fleeing the country.

Later that evening, he called each of his daughters and said he was leaving the U.S. Investigators also determined Fischer contacted a New York travel agency before purchasing an American Airlines ticket from Boston to London, then canceled the reservation before boarding the flight.

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

Hours later, surveillance cameras captured Fischer returning a rental car to an Enterprise location in Boston shortly after midnight before walking away carrying two travel bags over his shoulder.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Investigators wrote that Fischer spent the days before his disappearance putting his affairs in order. He transferred vehicles to each of his daughters, instructed them to remove their belongings from his home and disposed of a Jaguar before vanishing.

SEND US A TIP

Authorities also reviewed an email Fischer allegedly sent to attorney Robert Mann in which they said he explained he had decided not to risk being convicted in state court and instead planned to leave the U.S. to enjoy what he described as "a good, safe, secure and comfortable life."

A search of Fischer's home uncovered literature explaining how people could change their identities and disappear.

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

Fischer's ex-wife, Dr. Nancy Stein, told investigators he was well traveled, had friends in other parts of the world — including Brazil — and believed he might attempt to charter a boat.

The U.S. Marshals Service told Fox News Digital investigators believe Fischer likely left the U.S. by boat after disappearing in 2005. Authorities also believe he paid more than $1 million for the 56-foot sailboat "Silver Lining," though they have not yet confirmed when or how he acquired the vessel.

Investigators believe Fischer had been using the alias Richard Graydon since at least 2017, adding he may have adopted it earlier. Authorities also said Fischer may have alternated between living aboard the sailboat and staying on shore during his years as a fugitive.

Federal authorities ultimately obtained an unlawful flight warrant, alleging Fischer had traveled in interstate or foreign commerce to avoid prosecution.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Fischer's years on the run ended Thursday when investigators intercepted the 56-foot sailboat "Silver Lining" off the New Jersey coast after what the FBI described as "a tip from an online sleuth."

He was taken into custody without incident during a coordinated operation involving the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional information about where Fischer spent the past two decades, when he first adopted the alias Richard Graydon or how he acquired the sailboat where he was ultimately captured.

Sports cartoons of the day

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

MORNING GLORY: America is winning its battle with Iran. It’s only a matter of time

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:00:49 -0400

In the four months and three weeks since combat began with Iran, the United States has lost 17 or 18 of its warriors (with three or four killed over last weekend), with more than 420 others wounded.

Sixty Israelis have been killed. More than 100 Iraqis have died as a result of the conflict. Our allies in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all suffered civilian deaths and every country in the region has taken significant damage to its infrastructure.

Iran has suffered military deaths in the thousands with many hundreds of civilians killed as well. The toll on the country’s infrastructure is massive — exponentially larger than that which it has inflicted on its neighbors in the region — with the highest estimates in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Iran’s conventional military has been shattered. Its missile and drone forces have been significantly damaged or expended. It is far, however, from being out of ordnance with which to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz or its neighbors.

US SERVICE MEMBER KILLED IN IRAQ AS TROOPS RECOVER UNIDENTIFIED REMAINS IN JORDAN: CENTCOM

Iran has avoided striking Israel during the most recent 10 days of combat as it fears the response of the Israeli Defense Forces. That is deterrence restored. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is afraid to strike the Jewish State. Now it must be made afraid to shoot at Americans or at its Arab neighbors or international shipping.

The rump regime that remains appears to be a military dictatorship led by the 68-year-old commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmad Vahidi, who came out of retirement to lead the military dictatorship after the opening strike on Iranian leaders killed scores of leading officials in the country.

The "official" successor to the killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is his son Mostafa Khomeini, who has not been seen in public since the conflict began. Khamenei 2.0 is widely believed to have been seriously wounded in the opening strikes of the battle and has recently been reported to have been moved out of the country.

'WE WANT LAND INVASION': IRAN MOUTHPIECE TOUTS NEW MISSILE, BOASTS DECADES OF WAR PREP

The economy of Iran is in a shambles with the exchange rate of Iranian rials for U.S. dollars approaching 2 million to one. The United States Navy’s blockade of Iranian shipping is completely effective as to shipping, so Iran is again denied the most basic and essential revenue stream from the sale of oil via the oceans. Its imports must come from land or air.

The conflict could extend for months or even years as America’s blockade drives the Iranian economy deeper into the hole out of which it will take decades to climb once combat ends. The country’s nuclear program is indeed obliterated, and while the deep tunnels and caverns of Pickaxe Mountain remain a mystery to the U.S. the IRGC’s ability to "break out" to a nuclear weapon has been crushed. (The U.S. has not yet targeted Pickaxe, and may not be able to damage its deepest reaches.)

Once measured in weeks, Iran is now years and years away from a nuclear weapon, even if oil exports resumed in the future and the rump regime dedicated all of that revenue from the sale of oil to again pursue nuclear weapons.

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

The cost of oil hovers above $80 a barrel across the world, 30% higher than when the battle began but significantly lower than the $126 a barrel cost reached in April. Workarounds via pipelines and the use of the southern shipping route through the Strait near Oman have kept the cost of oil from skyrocketing, and production worldwide has also stepped up in response to the off-and-on closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Whether President Donald Trump decides to escalate the strikes on Iran to include destruction of power plants and bridges that serve dual uses that include the Iranian military and the IRGC (legitimate targets under the laws of war) will be revealed in the days ahead.

Every lethal attack on Americans elicits from the United States extraordinary punishment on Iran. The cost to the American families bearing those losses of family is immeasurable and the U.S. is extracting a price after every deadly blow delivered by the Iranians in the ongoing effort to deter the fanatics.

That may be an unrealistic goal given the martyrdom ideology of the theocracy, but the original dictator of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, drank "from the cup of poison" in 1988 and accepted what was essentially a defeat in the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988.

Vahidi is a veteran of that war. Perhaps the dictator will follow the original supreme leader’s example, and the advice of his civilian advisers, and the public faces of Iran who are believed by some to have grasped the scale of the defeat inflicted on Iran. The President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, and its Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, have almost no power over the dictator and his legions with the guns who murdered tens of thousands of Iranian citizens in January. But the civilians have hinted at the reality of a shattered country, and the crushed proxy armies in Gaza and Lebanon should also weigh on Vahidi. Does he want the IRGC to go the way of Hamas and Hezbollah?

Iran can have a ceasefire in hours if it stops firing on shipping and agrees to minimal steps like comprehensive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency of its known nuclear weapons development sites plus Pickaxe Mountain.

It is irrational for the regime to continue to take the pounding it is receiving, and the fact that Israel has not been targeted in these past 10 days suggests that Vahidi has grasped the reality of his situation. He has been deterred from ordering strikes on Israel. The nightly pummeling by the United States presents Vahidi with only terrible choices aimed at deterring him from his current course.

Whatever he calculated about the cost to the world in oil prices or to Trump in political damage in November, he was not just wrong, but very wrong. Does he have the ability to see that as clearly as Khomeini did in 1988?

About 7.5 million Americans saw Christopher Nolan’s "The Odyssey" this weekend. The monumental cinematic reflection on the cost of war — the retelling of a story that has resonated down more than 2,700 years — still has the power to remind every viewer of the infinite price of battle for those who lose loved ones in the conflict.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

No American should want this combat to continue a day longer than it must. Trump certainly does not. The destruction of Iran’s military capabilities and its military-industrial complex is near complete. Its nuclear program is in ruins. The Iranian people will face a much weaker regime when next they rise up to demand freedom from the fanatics.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But as every member of the military will tell you, the enemy gets a say in when the fighting ends. The decisive victory of the American military won’t be concluded until Iran stops its aggression on international shipping. It may not do so for a long while yet. The "cup of poison" isn’t anything Vahidi wants to accept or the regime mouthpieces want to acknowledge. But President Trump is pursuing the right strategy to make its sipping inevitable.

America must honor its fallen and care for their families as well as the wounded and their families. But we pray for this spring and summer of war to end before the fall arrives. It was a necessary battle, and further devastation of Iran is not something the president or any American should want, but that choice is with Vahidi.

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

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM HUGH HEWITT

MIKE PENCE: Here's where we should look for the leadership America needs now more than ever

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:00:34 -0400

One year ago, America lost one of the architects of the modern conservative movement. But if the past 12 months have taught us anything, it is that America needs Ed Feulner’s example now more than ever.

Dr. Ed Feulner never confused winning momentary political battles with securing long-term victory. While others chased headlines, Ed built institutions. While others measured success by the next election, Ed invested in the next generation. While others sought influence, Ed cultivated leaders who would carry the cause of freedom long after he was gone.

He understood that political victories come and go, but a movement grounded in principle can shape history for generations. That conviction transformed the conservative movement and our country.

MAJORITY LEADER THUNE: LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS THE GOP’S GLUE, BINDING US TOGETHER WITH COURAGE AND GRACE

As the founding president of the Heritage Foundation, Ed helped create an institution that brought conservative ideas out of the academy and into the halls of government. Years later, we were deeply honored when he joined the board of Advancing American Freedom to continue the principled fight for timeless conservative values. As always, Ed’s concern was preparing the next generation to stand up for freedom with courage and conviction.

One year later, his life offers a blueprint for the challenges we face today.

America stands at an extraordinary moment in history. As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, we also face profound challenges: restoring confidence in constitutional government, confronting the growing threat posed by Communist China, taming a runaway national debt, defending free enterprise from government encroachment and ensuring that America continues to lead the free world with confidence and strength.

These challenges require the same enduring truths that guided Ed throughout his remarkable life.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION FOUNDER EDWIN J. FEULNER DIES AT 83

In an age consumed by personalities, Ed reminded us that principles matter more. In a culture driven by instant gratification, he taught that lasting victories require patience and perseverance.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

The greatest tribute we can pay Ed Feulner is not merely to remember him, but to emulate him. Let us recommit ourselves to the principles he championed. Let us strengthen the institutions that defend liberty. Let us raise up a new generation of courageous conservative leaders. And let us never lose confidence in the goodness of America or the timeless truths that have sustained our nation from the beginning.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

One year after his passing, America needs more leaders like Ed Feulner who believe that principles endure, institutions matter and freedom is always worth defending. If we carry that work forward with the same humility, courage and faith, then Ed’s greatest legacy will not simply be what he built in the past, but what we build tomorrow because of him.

AS AMERICA MARKS 250 YEARS, OUR GREATEST CHAPTERS ARE STILL AHEAD OF US

The Bible tells us, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Ed Feulner devoted his life to advancing that cause. One year after his passing, we honor his memory best not with our words alone, but with our resolve to continue the work to which he devoted his life, and which has helped preserve the liberty we so cherish.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM MIKE PENCE

Trump’s GOP clout faces Arizona test with House majority, governor’s race at stake

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:00:15 -0400

President Donald Trump's immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nomination races face their latest test Tuesday, as Arizona holds primary elections.

Trump's endorsements in a handful of key races, including in a top swing congressional district, could impact the midterm battles for the House majority and control of governors' offices.

Trump is backing Rep. Andy Biggs, a former House Freedom Caucus chairman, for the GOP gubernatorial nomination and the chance to challenge Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.

Biggs, who is also backed by the political wing of the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA, is considered the frontrunner in a race that also includes longtime Republican Rep. David Schweikert. Also on the ballot are concrete pumping contractor Scott Neely, who's making his second straight run for governor, and business owner Ken Miceli.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

The winner will face off in the general election with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, a former Arizona secretary of state who narrowly defeated then-GOP nominee Kari Lake four years ago. Hobbs was unopposed for re-nomination.

Hobbs, who has assembled a formidable campaign war chest, spent roughly $7 million during the primary to run ads, even though she faced no competition.

"We are running the race we need to win, and it is going to take a lot to get there. We know it's going to be a close race," Hobbs told reporters on Monday. "I'm proud of the support I've garnered and, you know, I'm not raising campaign money to haul it away. I'm raising it to spend."

Down-ballot, the statewide race for the Republican attorney general nomination has become combustible as state Senate President Warren Petersen and military attorney Rodney Glassman have traded fire. The winner will challenge Democratic incumbent Kris Mayes in the general election.

In the race to succeed Schweikert in Arizona's 1st Congressional District, which is anchored in the northeastern Phoenix suburbs, Trump is backing former Arizona Cardinals professional football player and former CBS Sports NFL analyst Jay Feely.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Former state lawmaker Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough are also running for the GOP nomination in the key swing district.

Former TV anchor Marlene Galán-Woods and former state Rep. Amish Shah are facing off in a rematch for the Democratic congressional nomination. Shah, an emergency room physician, won the 2024 faceoff.

Galán-Woods, a former Republican, has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has big bucks to support her, as well as top Democrats Sen. Mark Kelly and former Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Rick McCartney, president and CEO of InMedia Company, and Jonathan Treble, founder of WithMe, are also on the ballot.

The midterm race in Arizona's 1st District is one of two or three dozen across the country that will determine whether the GOP holds onto its razor-thin House majority.

In the race to replace Biggs in Arizona's 5th District, which is located in the southeastern Phoenix suburbs, including parts of Mesa, Trump is backing former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who is facing off with construction contractor Daniel Keenan for the GOP nomination.

Keenan has made the sexual misconduct and abuse-of-power allegations against Lamb a key part of his campaign. The Pinal County attorney last month cleared Lamb of criminal wrongdoing as it closed its investigation. And Trump, despite the controversy, reaffirmed his endorsement of Lamb earlier this month.

The winner of the Republican primary will be considered the clear favorite to succeed Biggs in the solidly red district.

The brute force of the president's endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries this spring and summer, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas, as well as the Louisiana primary.

But Trump's endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped in early June when his last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn't enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory.

Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in key GOP primary runoff elections in Georgia and Alabama last month, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign.

A week later, Trump-backed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, defeated Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York assemblyman who had the backing of the state party, in the upstate New York race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, in South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial runoff, Trump couldn't lose.

That's because, besides backing Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette a few weeks earlier, he also gave a last-minute endorsement to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, who ended up winning the late June showdown in a landslide.

The president also enjoyed victory in Louisiana, where Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial, was ousted as he sought re-nomination. Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow ended up winning the nomination in last month's runoff election.

Fox News' Olivia Palombo contributed to this story

Latest & Breaking News | Fox News

Congress to put American Bar Association in hot seat over DEI rules tied to law school accreditation

Treasury hails success of anti-fraud process that flagged and prevented $99 million in payments to dead people

Marxist organizer leads campaign against Virginia AI data center as foreign influence concerns mount

Shania Twain says she's finally 'getting it right' in her 60s after starting life ‘on the tough side’

Startling mystery revealed in centuries-old royal tombs at powerful queen's monastery

World Cup chaos avoided by Trump moves he didn’t make, ‘equally as important’ as actions taken: travel exec

Kamala Harris is the 'fairly obvious' 2028 presidential frontrunner, Democratic insiders say

Lindsey Graham's sister breaks from foreign policy playbook with a different agenda and more top headlines

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

POLITICS

MEDIA

OPINION

IN OTHER NEWS

LISTEN

FOX WEATHER

FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS

DOWNLOAD OUR APPS

WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE

CrashStealer Mac malware steals passwords and wallets

What is CrashStealer Mac malware?

How CrashStealer Mac malware infects computers

How the malicious Mac installer cleared Gatekeeper

CrashStealer uses a fake Mac password prompt

What data CrashStealer steals from a Mac

How CrashStealer hides stolen data

Warning signs of CrashStealer Mac malware

Ways to stay safe from CrashStealer Mac malware

1) Download Mac apps from verified sources

2) Do not override Mac security warnings automatically

3) Pause before entering your Mac password

4) Review powerful Mac app permissions and login settings

5) Install the latest macOS security updates

6) Use strong antivirus software on your Mac

7) Act quickly if you installed Werkbit Setup

Kurt's key takeaways

Could a paint-on electronic tattoo spot heart attacks?

How the paint-on electronic tattoo works

Why regular wearable electrodes can lose accuracy

How the electronic tattoo connects to Bluetooth

What researchers tested with the electronic tattoo

Could an electronic tattoo spot a heart attack?

Why a customizable medical sensor could matter

What comes next for paint-on health sensors

What this means to you

Kurt's key takeaways

Prosecutor ousted after alleged romance with illegal immigrant sex-crime suspect: 'Pattern of misconduct'

The war on America’s Judeo-Christian roots threatens everything we share

Kai Trump reveals diet and nutrition secrets that created six-pack abs post-surgery

Flashback: Mamdani's history of dodging questions about where he stands on key issues

Mamdani deflects when trying to define 'working class'

Mamdani dodges question about wishing to run for presidency

Mamdani sidesteps question about whether Iran is better off without the ayatollah

Mamdani weaves around addressing condemnation of socialism

Mamdani ducks question about calling to globalize the intifada

What are the Fox News Power Rankings?

Aaron Rodgers reconciling with his parents after nearly a dozen years of estrangement

SJSU volleyball coach's alleged assault victim speaks out for the first time since allegations surfaced

SJSU has withheld relevant records and has not responded to questions

Prince William, Kate Middleton finally feel free to show affection in public: experts

Two House races take center stage as conservative PAC launches multimillion-dollar Big Tech push

Forget the mojito: Experts say Ernest Hemingway's signature drink was likely something else

'America's Most Wanted' fugitive laid blueprint for vanishing before 20-year escape: affidavit

Sports cartoons of the day

MORNING GLORY: America is winning its battle with Iran. It’s only a matter of time

MIKE PENCE: Here's where we should look for the leadership America needs now more than ever

Trump’s GOP clout faces Arizona test with House majority, governor’s race at stake