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California lifeguard speaks out on heartstopping ocean rescue: 'I love what I do'

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:22:29 -0400

A 16-year-old lifeguard whose daring rescue of a 10-year-old on Saturday went viral finally spoke out about the harrowing save in a Wednesday statement.

Ryder Williams, the teen hero whose daring rescue of a young boy at the Santa Cruz Beach on Saturday captivated the nation, described the episode in a statement released by his employer, California State Parks.

"I was at the waterline 15 yards downcoast of Tower 2 making a safety contact when I looked up and saw a child about 20 (yards) up from the tower lose his footing in ankle deep water," the statement opened.

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"I radioed it in, threw my radio and sunglasses at the base of my tower as I ran toward the kid. I put my fins on my wrist, popped my buoy and entered the water to get ahold of the child. Due to the volatility of the water, I was unable to tube up the victim. After the first wave I was unable to pull him out because he was limp and the waves were pushing so hard. There were two to three more waves before lifeguard Aaron Bohnen entered the water to help me. There were bystanders who jumped in to try to help, and I yelled at them all to get back to shore," Williams' statement continued.

"Once Bohnen and I got the kid to shore I was instructed to get the med bag from Bohnen’s unit and we assessed the child. Shortly after, I got back into my tower where I returned to provide lifeguard services for the rest of my shift," he continued.

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"I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return the child to his family safely. This is my job and I love what I do. I’m thankful to my fellow lifeguards who perform rescues just like this every day," Williams' statement concluded.

Williams' heroics earned him national attention, praise and even an invitation to the White House.

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"We’re going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor. Very brave, he deserves it!" the White House wrote in an X post attributed to President Donald Trump.

Williams' rescue was one of 34 rescues in the Santa Cruz district over the weekend, California State Parks said in a statement obtained by FOX 2 KTVU.

"All California State Park lifeguard towers were staffed, there were 6 units on, a two-person rescue water craft team, three permanent lifeguard units, and a lifeguard supervisor working in Pajaro Coast," California State Parks also said of the weekend.

The 10-year-old boy Williams rescued was identified by KTVU as being named Nathaniel. His father, Sumit Rai, praised Williams' efforts in an interview with KTVU.

"It was a remarkable effort to bring him back to shore. I mean Ryder fought the sea," he told the outlet.

"It's really hard to fight that, and my son was unconscious. He weighs about 100 pounds, and he was limp, so that's basically dead weight that he had to carry and hold onto to pull back to shore," he continued.

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"It's so easy to let go, and he knew that if he lets go then he's gonna basically just float away, and he's gone. That's the end of it, and he would have died," Rai concluded.

Fox News Digital contacted California State Parks for comment and additional information.

NFL employees’ troubling driving incidents mount, costing jobs and putting others at risk

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:18:08 -0400

Many years ago, before drunk-driving charges were euphemized as driving while intoxicated, Dan Marino liked to imbibe a little. But he also enjoyed getting around South Florida because he was the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, not a hermit.

Marino understood his stature in the community and what an unacceptable pratfall a drinking and driving charge would be on charges of his reputation. So he bought a limousine. And he hired a driver.

That driver, who happened to be the father of future NFL great and current Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan, would drive Marino everywhere, making sure the star quarterback, who liked a few drinks now and then, never had any issues on the road.

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The NFL, its players and coaches could definitely use more of Dan Marino's thinking now because events in the past couple of years suggest the league has something of a driving problem.

Consider what has happened this month so far:

July 22 – The Los Angeles Chargers release guard Ben Cleveland after he is arrested the week before on charges of speeding and driving with a limited permit, according to police reports obtained by the New York Post. That arrest came roughly one-and-a-half-years removed from Cleveland being arrested for DUI.
July 23: Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo is arrested in Wisconsin for OWI, which is Operating While Intoxicated, unsafe passing, open intoxicants, and refusing a breathalyzer. He was booked and a hearing is scheduled for Sept. 21.
July 25: News of an accident involving Kyle Shanahan leaks. The San Francisco 49ers coach on July 14 suffered a broken hand, broken nose, broken ribs, a facial laceration and has been battling concussion symptoms after a head-on collision with another car. Although neither driver was cited, Shanahan this week took responsibility for the accident, saying he dropped his phone and lost control of his Tesla which hit an oncoming car.
July 28: Defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander is suspended by the Minnesota Vikings, the team announces, after he pleaded guilty to third-degree DWI. Alexander paid fines and fees, was assigned community service and will be on probation for two years. He is suspended until Aug. 13.

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We are not close to being done.

The Washington Commanders fired tight end coach Ben Steele on the eve of training camp following a DWI arrest in June.

"Certainly really wish the best for Ben and his family," Commanders general manager Adam Peters said this week. "A lot of thought was put into that decision and, you know, it was unfortunate but hoping for the best for him and his family."

Before the draft, OutKick reported that University of Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. got into an accident in October 2025 and was cited for reckless driving. That followed a March 2024 fatal accident in which Bain hit another car on I-95 in South Florida, setting off a chain reaction accident that eventually left one of his passengers non-responsive.

That passenger eventually died.

Bain was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Top 10 prospect dropped to the No. 15 overall slot.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice served 30 days in jail from May to June because he tested positive for THC (marijuana) and the reason we know this is because those tests are part of a probation agreement stemming from his well-chronicled driving conviction.

Rice in July 2025 pleaded guilty to third-degree felony charges (collision involving serious bodily injury, and racing on a highway causing bodily injury) following a high-speed March 2024 crash in Dallas.

Fox News Digital compiled records of 21 driving incidents involving NFL people dating back to 2024 that speak to drinking and driving, reckless driving or simply bad decision-making behind the wheel when viewed individually.

But when one understands NFL-connected people – not including their families – are involved in more than one traffic-related mishap per month on average, it could signal a problem.

An NFL spokesman could not be reached for comment on this matter but a league source told Fox News Digital this is an individual and club matter.

Clubs instruct their employees not to drink and drive, something they probably should already know. Some clubs connect players and others with rideshare programs or tell players to call club security if they feel unsure of their ability to drive.

But a large percentage of these incidents, like Shanahan's head-on collision, do not involve alcohol.

More NFL drivers apparently could learn something from the Dan Marino example.

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Zac Brown Band's John Driskell Hopkins says he's 'chasing the clock' after ALS diagnosis

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:45 -0400

Zac Brown Band's John Driskell Hopkins is opting to look at his ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) diagnosis in a different light and is trying to make everyday count.

Over a decade after the Ice Bucket Challenge surfaced on social media, it is making a comeback. During an interview with Fox News Digital about the challenge, Hopkins explained that after his diagnosis in 2021, he's been "chasing the clock" ever since.

"I'm almost busier now than I was before because I'm trying to get so much done. I'm tryin' to fit it all in. I'm taking more family vacations. I'm in the studio more than I should be. I'm still on tour with Zac Brown Band right now. You know, my fingers work. My voice works, it's been compromised, but most of the set, no one would notice," Hopkins, a founding member of Zac Brown Band, said.

He continued, "And I'm playing different things on stage, but they still don't make sense. You know, I'm chasing the clock more than I ever have been. And what I worry about is that that is causing me stress, which might be exacerbating my condition. So it's a bit of a catch-22, you know, I've created."

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Acknowledging the reality of his diagnosis, Hopkins said that he's looking toward the future where he might not be able to sing.

"I hope that my progression continues to be slow and that I can sing for a long time, but who knows?" he said.

In 2014, Hopkins and the Zac Brown Band participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on social media – years before his diagnosis. At the time, Hopkins had no idea what the disease was, let alone that he would be diagnosed one day.

WATCH: Zac Brown Band's John Driskell Hopkins is 'chasing the clock' after ALS diagnosis

"I didn't even know what it was. I mean, I think a lot of people in the band that did the challenge with me understood that it was neurological and fatal, but we didn't have any clue as to how it affected the body more," he began.

"Certainly not how cases were increasing. I mean, we have seen an explosion of neurodegenerative diseases and I can only, generally point to maybe its toxicity. You know, maybe in the world where we're just consuming a lot more things that are doing us harm. That's all I can guess. But I would have never thought… I was indestructible in 2014, you know?"

With several notable public figures recently diagnosed with ALS, the Ice Bucket Challenge has begun resurfacing across social media. Hop and his team at Hop On A Cure have now joined in, sharing their own Ice Bucket Challenge video and passing the challenge on to fellow ALS organizations, as well as the Zac Brown Band.

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Hopkins told Fox News Digital he's glad the trend has come back around this summer. Hopkin's nonprofit organization and the Zac Brown Band posted videos on Instagram in July participating in the challenge.

"It's very popular, and it's fun in the summer. It's been a really hot summer this year, all over the world. And we were in London with 95 degree days, and they never see that," Hopkins said.

When asked how he's been able to stay strong during his diagnosis, Hopkins told Fox News Digital that he doesn't feel strong at all.

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"I don't feel strong, people often ask me where my strength comes from, but I feel incredibly weak, not just physically. You know, I'm an actor, I have a theater degree, so I'm acting strong," he said.

WATCH: John Driskell Hopkins talks about the viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Hopkins was diagnosed with ALS just before Christmas in 2021 and announced his diagnosis in May 2022. After his diagnosis, Hopkins and his wife, Jennifer, founded the nonprofit organization, Hop On A Cure, to help accelerate research to prevent, reverse and ultimately cure ALS while also raising awareness and supporting families affected by the disease.

At the time of his diagnosis, Hopkins emphasized that his disease had been slowly progressing, allowing him to continue touring and performing with the band.

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During his interview with Fox News Digital, Hopkins said he's in a different position than 99% of ALS patients because he is still able to plan for the next calendar year.

"The fact that I still see next year in my future puts me in a different position than 99.9% of ALS patients. The fact that I'm looking to my calendar for '27. I'm gonna be at the 30a Songwriters Festival '27, and maybe I won't be able to sing what I can now, but maybe I will, you know, we just don't know, and I appreciate you recognizing that reaction as strength, but to me, it's getting up every day that I can and doing what I do," Hopkins concluded.

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Captured 'America's Most Wanted' fugitive Ronald Fischer abandons alias after 20 years on the run

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:36 -0400

After more than 20 years on the run, an "America's Most Wanted" fugitive who disappeared in the middle of his sexual assault trial stood before a Rhode Island judge this week under his real name for the first time since fleeing justice.

Ronald Fischer, 70, identified himself by his real name during a hearing in Newport Superior Court, where a judge canceled an outstanding warrant tied to his alleged failure to appear for trial in April 2005, arraigned him on a bail-jumping charge and set bail at $20,000 surety.

Fischer was arrested earlier this month aboard the 56-foot sailboat "Silver Lining" off the coast of New Jersey after investigators received a credible tip about his whereabouts.

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

During Monday's hearing, Fischer appeared without an attorney as the court discussed appointing counsel.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 17.

Authorities said Fischer had been living under the alias "Dr. Richard Graydon" while eluding capture for more than 20 years.

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Fischer disappeared during his 2005 sexual assault trial in Rhode Island, where he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman aboard his boat at a Portsmouth marina in 2003. He was later convicted in absentia and remained one of the state's most wanted fugitives, appearing multiple times on "America's Most Wanted."

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An affidavit previously obtained by Fox News Digital details how investigators believe Fischer meticulously planned his disappearance before vanishing.

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Investigators wrote that Fischer emailed his attorney on April 23, 2005, saying he intended to flee the country rather than risk a conviction. Later that evening, they said he called each of his daughters and told them he was leaving the United States.

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According to the affidavit, Fischer contacted a New York travel agency before purchasing an American Airlines ticket from Boston to London, only to cancel the reservation before boarding the flight.

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Surveillance cameras later captured him returning a rental car to an Enterprise location in Boston shortly after midnight before walking away carrying two travel bags.

Investigators also determined Fischer spent the days before his disappearance putting his affairs in order by transferring vehicles to his daughters, instructing them to remove their belongings from his home and disposing of a Jaguar before vanishing.

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The affidavit also alleges Fischer emailed attorney Robert Mann explaining he had decided not to risk being convicted in Rhode Island and instead planned to leave the country to pursue what he described as "a good, safe, secure and comfortable life."

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Fischer now faces sentencing in the sexual assault case, a felony bail-jumping charge and a pending federal charge alleging unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

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The U.S. Marshals Service credited a multi-agency investigation and a public tip with leading investigators to Fischer's capture, ending what it described as one of Rhode Island's longest-running fugitive cases.

Rare pagan masterpiece emerges near where St Paul spread teachings of Christianity

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:05 -0400

Excavators recently uncovered an ornate Roman mosaic at an archaeological site in Turkey, near where the Apostle Paul helped spread Christianity beyond the Levant.

The mosaic was found at Aspendos, an ancient city about 25 miles east of Antalya in southern Turkey, the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced in June.

It was discovered on Theater Street in Aspendos, which connects the city's acropolis — or citadel — with its theater.

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Aspendos lies just miles from Perga, the biblical city mentioned in Acts 13:13 and 14:25 where the Apostle Paul traveled during his first missionary journey.

Pictures of the mosaic show a depiction of the youthful river god Eurymedon, framed by geometric patterns and aquatic imagery.

Officials said the god is "depicted holding and wearing reed leaves."

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"He leans against an amphora from which water flows, symbolizing nature's abundance and the life-giving power of water," the translated statement said.

Archaeologists believe the pagan mosaic once formed the floor of a pool built in the early 3rd century A.D.

The mosaic floor covers roughly 20 by 25 feet and "is believed to continue into areas that have not yet been excavated," officials said.

"Researchers believe the structure was subdivided into separate rooms following the 262 A.D. earthquake."

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Depictions of the river god Eurymedon are exceptionally unusual in ancient mosaics, according to Turkish officials.

The god is "represented by only a limited number of known examples," said the statement.

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Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish minister of culture and tourism, noted that the mosaic was of "great scientific importance."

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"It is also especially significant because depictions of river gods are extremely rare in mosaic art," Ersoy said in the release.

"This discovery not only reveals the artistic richness of Aspendos, but also provides important scientific data on Roman-period Anatolian mosaic art."

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The discovery is one of many archaeological finds in Turkey, which has become a hotbed for discoveries tied to the ancient Roman and early Christian worlds.

This summer, archaeologists unveiled a rare 1,700-year-old Aramaic inscription at a temple in Turkey, offering new evidence of Christianity's rise over the mysterious cult Mithraism.

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Last fall, excavators uncovered a Roman military hospital that was later converted into a Christian sanctuary in the ancient Turkish city of Kaunos.

Obama endorses Democratic Iowa state rep running for US Senate against Trump-backed House Republican

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:53:02 -0400

Former President Barack Obama has endorsed Democratic Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek for U.S. Senate.

"Now the ball's in your court, Iowa. Let's make sure that we send Josh Turek to the United States Senate," Obama said near the end of a video that featured the two men shooting hoops on a basketball court in a modified version of the classic game horse.

"Let's go. We playin' horse or what? Obama asks.

"We're playin' Iowa," Turek replies.

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"I know a little somethin' about winning Iowa," Obama quips.

Obama won the state in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential contests.

Turek is a four-time wheelchair basketball Paralympian and was a gold medalist twice.

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He will face U.S. House Republican Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, in the general election.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, announced last year that she would not run for re-election in 2026.

That same day, Hinson announced a U.S. Senate bid.

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Then just days later, President Donald Trump endorsed Hinson for Senate.

Salman Rushdie attacker convicted of federal terrorism charges, motivated by Iranian fatwa

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:42:14 -0400

The man who stabbed Salman Rushdie more than a dozen times on stage at an event in western New York was found guilty Wednesday of attempting to carry out a fatwa issued by Iran’s government against the award-winning British author more than 30 years earlier.

Hadi Matar, 28, is already serving a 25-year sentence after he was convicted last year in state court of attempted murder for the 2022 knife attack that left Rushdie blind in one eye and with nerve damage.

On Wednesday, a federal jury in Buffalo took less than two hours to convict Matar of all three charges — attempting to provide material support to the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group, committing an act of terrorism that transcended national boundaries, and providing material support to terrorists, Reuters reported.

He now faces a maximum of life in prison and is set to be sentenced on November 3.

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Federal prosecutors argued that Matar had been enraged by Rushdie's 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses," which portrayed a fictionalized version of Muhammad that many Muslims saw as blasphemous.

A year later, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or a religious edict, urging Muslims across the world to kill Rushdie. Iran's government later backed away from the fatwa, only for Khomeini's successor, Ali Khamenei, to reaffirm it in 2017, Reuters reported, citing the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said Matar, who was born in the U.S. but has Lebanese citizenship, spent more than a year studying the fatwa before attempting to fulfill it. He had also turned to Islam after a visit to the Middle East years before the eventual attack.

On August 12, 2022, Rushdie was speaking at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, New York, when Matar rushed onstage and repeatedly stabbed the Indian-born author in the head, neck, torso and left hand.

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Matar's federal trial weighed whether he had committed an act of terrorism by attacking Rushdie.

Although prosecutors acknowledged that Matar never contacted anyone in Hezbollah, they argued that without the fatwa, he never would have been motivated to try to kill Rushdie, The New York Times reported.

Prosecutors presented Matar's notes to the jury, which referenced "Jihad" and the "need to kill him ASAP," according to the Times.

Matar's defense attorney, Nathaniel L. Barone II, argued that his client acted independently and was not being controlled by Hezbollah.

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Prosecutors countered by showing evidence of Matar's devotion to Hezbollah, which included a photo of him wearing a Hezbollah shirt while making a salute, an essay he wrote that praised the terrorist group and a video he created using remarks from a former leader of Hezbollah, the Times reported.

Timothy Lynch, a federal prosecutor, said in his closing statement that Matar "wanted to be forever revered as a Hezbollah martyr," according to the Times.

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Rushdie, who testified at the trial, has previously described the attack as something that took him back to the "distant past," when he spent a decade in hiding after the fatwa was issued.

"I saw the man in black running towards me, down the right-hand side of the seating area: black clothes, black face mask – he was coming in hard and low, a squat missile," Rushdie told "60 Minutes" host Anderson Cooper in April 2024. "I confess, I had sometimes imagined my assassin rising up in some public forum or other and coming for me in this way."

NATO member scrambles fighter jets as Russian attack on Ukraine kills 8

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:41:10 -0400

Poland, the closest NATO member to the Ukraine-Russia war, scrambled fighter jets and placed its air defenses on high alert early Thursday as Russia launched more than 70 missiles and roughly 280 drones across Ukraine, killing at least eight and wounding dozens from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, just returning from this week's U.S. visit with President Donald Trump and the funeral of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the barrage exposed a critical shortage of Western-supplied interceptors, particularly against ballistic missiles.

"The protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness" to provide Ukraine with air-defense missiles, Zelenskyy said of Kyiv’s allies.

Hours later Thursday morning, the European Union disbursed $4 billion to Ukraine to finance the procurement of more drones, missiles, air defense and fighter jets, according to the European Commission.

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The disbursement is part of a more than $100 billion loan approved by the EU earlier this year and follows the roughly $3.5 billion installment on June 25 and $4.5 billion on June 30.

Polish forces detected an unidentified object moving west through the country’s airspace shortly before 4 a.m. An F-16 was dispatched to intercept it, but the object disappeared from radar minutes later. Authorities subsequently found a crater about 33 feet wide and scattered debris in farmland near Tarnawa-Kolonia, about 1.2 miles from the closest buildings.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said initial evidence indicated the object was a Russian Kh-101 missile, although investigators were still working to confirm its type and origin.

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"All the indications are that it was a Russian Kh-101," Tusk said, adding that Polish forces were prepared to shoot it down if it had continued flying toward a populated area.

He added the U.S. is interested in joining the investigation, which has initially determined the missile was not intended for Poland territory. The fate of the Ukraine-Russian war might be decided within the next 100 days, Tusk told reporters.

The threat to a NATO ally is a new frontier in the long-running war and comes after Zelenskyy pressed senators to advance Graham's sweeping sanctions package. Also, Trump and Zelenskyy discussed U.S. licenses allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors, along with other defense cooperation and efforts to revive stalled diplomacy with Moscow.

Six people, including two girls ages 5 and 12, were killed when a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile struck a private home housing a large family near Kryvyi Rih, according to local officials. Seven others were reported killed in Kyiv and elsewhere in the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions as the casualty count rose during rescue operations.

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"A dark night," Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih’s defense council, wrote on Telegram. Eight people were wounded in the strike on the home.

The person killed in Kyiv was a 31-year-old man, while two others were wounded, according to Ukrainian police. Russian strikes damaged residential buildings, vehicles, storage facilities, a market and a garage complex in the capital, where air raid warnings lasted more than five hours and thousands of residents sheltered in subway stations.

In Lviv, about 40 miles from the Polish border, emergency crews searched damaged apartment buildings for people trapped beneath concrete and debris. Thirty people, including children, were reported injured. More than 20 residential buildings, a school and two kindergartens were damaged, officials said.

"I was terrified watching the rescuers go beneath those concrete slabs," one Lviv resident told Reuters as crews pulled a boy from a damaged building.

Ukraine’s air force said its defenses intercepted 55 missiles and 265 drones. But only one of nine ballistic missiles was shot down, while 11 missiles and 17 drones struck targets at 20 locations.

The U.S.-made Patriot is the only system currently in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of reliably intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, which travel at several times the speed of sound. Zelenskyy has repeatedly warned that Patriot interceptors are arriving too slowly and in insufficient numbers.

During his Tuesday meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy said the leaders discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production in Ukraine. He also met with Lockheed Martin executives and told senators that domestic production would be a long-term solution but would not address Ukraine’s immediate shortage of missiles. European countries have offered to pay for additional U.S.-made interceptors.

Zelenskyy’s Washington visit coincided with Senate consideration of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, named for the longtime defense hawk and outspoken Ukraine supporter who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

The Senate voted 86-12 Tuesday to clear an initial procedural hurdle and voted 84-12 Wednesday to formally proceed with the legislation. Additional votes were still required before final passage.

The package would impose sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs, financial institutions, energy projects and vessels accused of helping Moscow evade existing restrictions. It would also authorize tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas and the leading countries facilitating sanctions evasion.

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Graham negotiated the revised package with the White House shortly before his death. The legislation also includes an extension of sanctions targeting Iran’s energy and weapons sectors, a provision sought by the Trump administration.

Zelenskyy met with a bipartisan group of senators before the procedural votes and called the legislation an important signal to Russia, Europe and the Ukrainian people. He watched the Senate vote from the chamber’s gallery after attending Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hawley moves to close federal cash prize loopholes after Fauci 'got rich while millions of people died'

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:40:04 -0400

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is introducing legislation to block federal bureaucrats from accepting cash prizes on Thursday, just a day after laying into Dr. Anthony Fauci for receiving what Hawley said was over $1 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hawley accused Fauci during a Wednesday Senate hearing of exploiting loopholes in federal laws that already prohibit government employees from soliciting rewards like cash prizes. Hawley's bill, dubbed the No Cash Prizes for Bureaucrats Act, would close those loopholes.

"No federal bureaucrat should accept cash prizes while on the job. That’s why I’m introducing legislation to bar federal employees from accepting cash prizes or soliciting awards. Fauci got rich while millions of people died. It can never happen again," Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement.

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Hawley cited public records showing that Fauci, while director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), used employees to solicit at least eight cash awards for himself, with one award check alone totaling $900,000.

The new legislation would block federal employees from receiving rewards for medicine and research as well as block employees from soliciting such rewards. It would also strengthen existing federal regulations that block National Institutes of Health officials from using their or a subordinate's official duty time to solicit rewards.

The bill comes after Hawley thrashed Fauci during a Wednesday hearing with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, during which Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times.

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"But I think I know why you're doing it," Hawley said of Fauci's refusal to testify. "It's because you don't want to answer questions. It's because you did all kinds of terrible things. It's because during the pandemic, you got rich… while people were dying."

"You were using federal employees with taxpayer money to apply for and solicit cash prizes for you personally, cash prizes totaling over $1 million," Hawley said. "You did all of that during the pandemic, didn't you?"

Rather than respond to Hawley's questions, Fauci repeatedly said, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."

FAUCI'S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

Hawley then pointed to what he described as internal emails from Fauci's staff, including one from former chief of staff Greg Folkers discussing a nomination for the Dan David Prize. According to Hawley, the email asked federal employees to bolster the COVID-19 section of Fauci's nomination by providing language detailing his pandemic response.

"We're working on this nomination for the Dan David Award for Fauci," Hawley read from the email. "We need to beef up the COVID part."

Hawley said the Dan David Award carried a $900,000 cash prize and claimed Fauci used federal employees to help obtain it. He further accused Fauci of using government staff and resources to pursue at least eight additional cash awards, including honors from the Partnership for Public Service, the Adelson Prize, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Academy of Medicine and the CDC Foundation.

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"In fact, you turned your staff into a full-time application machine," Hawley said. "You actually wrote to people and said, 'Do you think maybe I'd qualify?'"

Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

WNBA suddenly wants to stick to basketball after years of making politics part of the product

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:24:38 -0400

The WNBA media suddenly wants everyone to stick to basketball.

Well, some members of the WNBA media do. Just not until they’ve decided which players are allowed to speak and which answers are acceptable.

The contradiction was on full display Tuesday night in Seattle, where Storm center Stefanie Dolson arrived for a game against the Indiana Fever wearing a shirt that read, "Trans rights are human rights."

Nobody needed help connecting those dots. Dolson wore the shirt one week after Fever guard Sophie Cunningham publicly opposed allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports.

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM RALLY ROCKS WNBA GAME AS 'SAVE WOMEN'S SPORTS' ACTIVISTS FACE COUNTERPROTEST

The Storm then promoted Dolson’s shirt on its official social media accounts, adding three speaking-head emojis to make sure no one missed the message.

After the game, a credentialed member of the WNBA media attempted to question Fever coach Stephanie White about a pregame demonstration outside the arena supporting Cunningham’s position.

Except the "reporter" didn’t frame it as a demonstration supporting women’s sports. She called it an "anti-trans rally" and said Cunningham’s comments had "ignited right-wing and anti-trans supporters."

That’s not how you phrase a question when you’re genuinely interested in hearing the answer. It’s a political statement with a question mark tacked onto the end.

That’s not journalism. It’s activism with a credential.

An Indiana Fever public relations representative eventually interrupted, explained that neither Cunningham nor the organization had anything to do with the demonstration and said the team was focused on winning basketball games.

"Any more basketball questions?" the spokesperson asked.

In that particular moment, it was a fair response.

My colleague Jackson Thompson has the full story on what happened in Seattle. But Tuesday night was really just the latest example of a much larger trend surrounding the WNBA.

The people who spent years celebrating politics as an integral part of women’s basketball suddenly want to recenter the conversation on basketball.

Funny how that works.

Chiney Ogwumike wants a reset

Former WNBA player and current ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike delivered that message during a recent appearance on "First Take," one of ESPN's most prominent daily shows. So, this wasn’t a throwaway comment on a WNBA-centered podcast with a tiny audience. Ogwumike was speaking on one of the biggest platforms in sports media.

She said it was "time to reset the conversation" around Clark and the WNBA.

"This conversation has reached levels that stray so far away from the sport," she said. "And I feel like it is our responsibility now to recenter it."

She argued that ESPN’s programs "have a choice" about which stories they give airtime and said the focus should be on the "beautiful basketball" being played during the league’s 30th season.

Ogwumike is right about one thing: ESPN programs have a choice about which stories and narratives are presented to the audience.

The problem is that the network spent years using that power to promote the WNBA’s progressive politics. Ogwumike regularly helped it do so.

CHINEY OGWUMIKE'S DEFENSE OF ALYSSA THOMAS REINFORCED EVERYTHING CRITICS SAY ABOUT THE WNBA MEDIA

In 2020, Ogwumike went on ESPN to defend athletes using their platforms to advance political and social causes.

"The reason why you see athletes leading the charge when it comes to social change is because it’s in our DNA," she said.

Ogwumike also argued that "all lives cannot matter unless Black lives matter equally." Huh, that's interesting.

In 2020, Ogwumike was all for athletes "using their platforms" to advance left-wing and progressive causes. She didn't tell players to stick to basketball. In fact, she presented activism as a natural extension of professional athletics.

A year later, Ogwumike served as an executive producer of ESPN’s "144," a documentary about the 2020 WNBA season that prominently celebrated the league’s social activism and political organizing.

Ogwumike acknowledged on "First Take" that she hasn’t "been perfect" in handling the current conversation. That’s fair, and at least she showed some self-awareness.

But let’s be honest about what’s happening here.

Ogwumike doesn’t believe sports and politics should remain separate. She’s made that clear for years. What she really believes is that this particular political discussion has become distracting and damaging.

That’s a reasonable position, but it raises an obvious question: Where was all this concern about recentering the conversation when the WNBA’s politics flowed exclusively in a progressive direction?

ESPN didn’t spend years reluctantly covering political activism that players forced onto its airwaves. The network celebrated that activism as one of the WNBA’s defining qualities. Now Ogwumike is using ESPN’s signature show to argue that ESPN should become more selective about what it amplifies.

Apparently, editorial restraint became important only after the political conversation escaped the boundaries ESPN preferred.

Angel Reese is ready to move on

Then there’s Angel Reese.

During Toronto’s July 17 game against Atlanta, Tempo coach Sandy Brondello complained that Reese was being treated like a "protected species" by the officials.

Brondello is Australian, where the phrase is commonly used in sports to describe a player who receives favorable treatment from referees. But Reese took offense, posted the comment on social media, tagged Brondello, added a clown emoji and wrote, "ARE WE SURPRISED?!"

The situation quickly became a national controversy about race and discrimination, largely because Reese deliberately framed it that way. Brondello apologized, explained what she meant and received a one-game suspension from the WNBA.

Reese thanked the league for taking action and said she was grateful everyone could now "move on from the situation and just play winning basketball."

Notice a pattern?

Reese didn’t object when an overheard complaint about officiating became a cultural controversy. She publicly amplified it and made sure an officiating complaint was viewed through a racial lens.

Once the league accepted Reese’s interpretation and suspended the coach, though, it was time to stop talking and get back to basketball.

That’s increasingly what "get back to basketball" appears to mean around the WNBA.

First, arrive at the approved conclusion. Then end the conversation.

ESPN also published a lengthy All-Star Weekend feature lamenting how controversy had swallowed the league. The story quoted a Chicago Sky season-ticket holder saying, "politics has killed my hobby," and ended with another fan wishing everyone could "get back to the game."

To give a quick peek behind the curtain, reporters don’t select quotes like those by accident. The writer used two fans to reinforce the idea that people around the WNBA are exhausted by politics and desperate to get back to basketball. Whether that sentiment is actually representative of the league’s fans is another question.

Yet the same story acknowledged the WNBA’s long relationship with Democratic politicians and declared that the WNBA is never completely devoid of politics.

Well, which is it?

Is politics an essential part of the WNBA’s identity, or is it an unfortunate distraction from basketball?

The answer seems to depend entirely on who’s doing the talking.

The WNBA made politics part of the product

Politics didn’t suddenly invade the WNBA because Caitlin Clark became famous or because Sophie Cunningham expressed an opinion shared by the majority of Americans.

The league made a conscious decision to integrate political and social activism into its product.

The WNBA launched an official Pride initiative in 2014. Two years later, the NBA and WNBA became the first professional sports leagues to march and enter a float in New York City’s Pride parade.

In 2016, Lynx players wore shirts referencing Philando Castile, Alton Sterling and Black Lives Matter. Soon after, players from the Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury wore similar shirts, prompting the league to fine those teams and players before rescinding the penalties following backlash and promising to work with the union on player expression.

Then came the 2020 season.

The WNBA and its players’ union launched the Justice Movement and created a Social Justice Council. The league placed Black Lives Matter on its courts, honored Breonna Taylor on player uniforms and said the council would drive conversations about race, voting rights, LGBTQ advocacy and gun control.

This wasn’t a handful of individual players expressing their personal opinions.

It was an official league initiative built directly into the season. The council wasn’t limited to broad appeals for fairness or equality, either. It entered specific policy debates, including gun control.

Players then moved beyond social advocacy and entered a partisan election. WNBA players across the league wore "Vote Warnock" shirts in support of Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, who was challenging Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, then a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream.

Players are free to advocate for political candidates. But when they use nationally televised WNBA games to do it, they can’t later pretend outsiders were responsible for dragging politics into women’s basketball.

Once these players endorsed a political candidate inside WNBA arenas, the argument that politics had no place in women’s basketball was over (if it wasn't already).

The league wasn’t shy about any of this.

In 2024, the WNBA used its Commissioner’s Cup to promote civic engagement and "reproductive health" advocacy.

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SPEAKS OUT TO PROTECT GIRLS AS WNBA ALL-STAR INITIATIVE BACKS ‘GENDER-EXPANSIVE’ GROUP

Bethany Donaphin, then the WNBA’s head of league operations, called it "the most progressive league in professional sports."

"So really, why wouldn’t we use one of our marquee league events to address important social issues?" she asked.

Fine.

But the WNBA can’t use its marquee events to advance progressive causes, celebrate players for influencing elections and market activism as a central part of the league’s identity, then become offended when conservatives, Republicans or players with dissenting opinions enter the conversation.

The league told everyone politics belonged in the WNBA.

It was telling a half-truth. What it really meant, as we're seeing now, was that progressive politics belong in the WNBA.

Political disagreement isn’t abuse

There's an important distinction to make.

Some WNBA players have dealt with harassment on social media. That’s wrong, although it’s hardly unique to them.

Online trolling is bad. Please take a moment to applaud my bravery for saying that.

OK, now we can continue.

Just because online trolling exists doesn’t make every criticism of the WNBA racist, every political disagreement, harassment or every question from Congress a threat.

The league’s defenders constantly lump those things together because it’s easier than answering legitimate criticism. It allows them to say that anyone who challenges the WNBA’s preferred narrative should be dismissed as a hateful bigot.

Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.

Caitlin Clark brought millions of new viewers to the WNBA. Those viewers don’t all share the politics that dominated the league and its media coverage before she arrived.

Conservative media started paying attention, Republican lawmakers began asking questions and Sophie Cunningham challenged progressive orthodoxy from inside the league.

In other words, the WNBA’s political conversation became more diverse.

Suddenly, the league that never stops preaching about diversity wasn't so excited about having a more politically diverse fan base.

The league’s own website still invites fans to learn how the WNBA is "#MORETHAN basketball."

Great. Be more than basketball.

But the WNBA and its media supporters can’t spend years celebrating that identity, then demand "basketball questions" because someone from the other side finally got a word in.

Fetterman unloads on reporter from 'trash' anti-Israel outlet, asks why it loves 'Hamas and Iran'

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:20:41 -0400

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., had a fiery exchange Wednesday with a reporter from the anti-Israel outlet Drop Site News, accusing the outlet of loving Iran and terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a video shared by Drop Site's Capitol Hill reporter Julian Andreone, Fetterman appeared amused when the reporter told him which outlet he represented.

"Oh, you're Drop Site," Fetterman reacted as he kept walking.

"It's like a race between who's the more pro-Hamas — Drop Site or Zeteo," he quipped, referring to the far-left outlet founded by former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan.

FETTERMAN TROLLS THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA AS ISRAEL KILLS HAMAS TERRORISTS: 'CRY HARDER'

Fetterman, the most outspoken supporter of Israel among Senate Democrats, had a message for Drop Site viewers.

"I want your viewers to see how much I love to watch Israel eliminating the Hamas leadership," he told Andreone. "I know that upsets a lot of your viewers and a lot of your founders. But I think it's a great thing."

"So there's no news coming out of me. I'm going to always back Israel," Fetterman continued. "The question is, where does your trash outlet come from and who's funding it?"

Andreone pushed back, saying the site's readers fund the outlet, citing "46,000 individual donors."

SEN JOHN FETTERMAN PLEDGES TO BE 'LAST MAN STANDING' IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL

Fetterman took aim at Drop Site News co-founder Jeremy Scahill, who went viral earlier this month for lambasting Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., over whether the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 was justified.

"Your founders think it's appropriate to attack and kill Israeli civilians. That's really — that should be the news overall," Fetterman said. "Now you're sticking a microphone in my face… I think the question is why does Drop Site love Hamas and Iran and Hezbollah so much? I think that's the news."

"I mean, are you OK with taking your paycheck from these kind of people?" he then asked the reporter.

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As Andreone attempted to ask Fetterman whether he was "OK" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu being in the United States, Fetterman replied, "I'm OK," and added, "I love killing Hamas leadership" before the elevator doors closed.

Drop Site News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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Fetterman had a separate exchange Wednesday with a Zeteo reporter, where he labeled the outlet "pro-Hamas" while speaking with one of its reporters.

Hasan referred to Fetterman, who is reviled by anti-Israel figures for his staunch support of the Jewish state, as a "broken-brained, racist Democrat" in an X post about him meeting with Netanyahu.

Trump’s warning becomes reality after Iran's failed attack and more top headlines

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:12:00 -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. Trump’s warning becomes reality after Iran's failed attack

2. Senator demands Fauci face jail time

3. Former Democratic staffers, DEI leaders shape Smithsonian leadership

MAJOR HEADLINES

PARTY FOUL — Clinton and Obama insiders publicly break ranks against far-left New York mayor. Continue reading …

MILITARY MIGHT — Army tests 'Hammer of the Gods' overseas for first time in major exercise. Continue reading …

HEARTBREAK HIT — Artist cancels show mid-performance, apologizes to fans and leaves stage in tears. Continue reading …

STORM OF CHAOS — WNBA trans crisis explodes as co-owner is suspended, Sophie Cunningham breaks silence. Continue reading …

MISSING LINK — Nancy Guthrie’s untouched $1.2M reward is major clue, retired FBI expert says. Continue reading …

POLITICS

EYES WIDE SHUT — LA real estate vet comes at Mayor Bass with receipts over damning homelessness report. Continue reading …

CAPITOL CLASH — GOP senator turns tables on CCP-funded group that ambushed him on Iran. Continue reading …

OPEN-SOURCE WAR — Pentagon eyes phone confiscations after footage helps enemy refine deadly strikes. Continue reading …

SHINE OF THE TIMES — Scaffolding comes down as Trump's first look reveals iconic landmark reborn. Continue reading …

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MEDIA

NO CONSENT — Family withdraws from school after fourth graders shown LGBTQ content without warning. Continue reading …

‘ARROGANT KID’ — Piers Morgan unloads on unapologetic Cornell student after antisemitic comment. Continue reading …

URBAN BET — Coastal workers fleeing blue strongholds could create an opportunity for Detroit. Continue reading …

DEBT UNSETTLED — Zohran Mamdani doesn't rule out cash reparations for impacted people in NYC. Continue reading …

OPINION

HUGH HEWITT — The Fauci diaries and legacy media’s platinum dome under stress. Continue reading …

RONNA MCDANIEL — Socialism's war on success has a new champion — and he’s running for Senate in Michigan. Continue reading …

IN OTHER NEWS

MURDER MYSTERY — Teen found in shallow vineyard grave identified nearly 50 years later as family warns killer. Continue reading …

HE'S BACK — New York Giants top receiver stuns everyone with full practice alongside teammates. Continue reading …

‘FIN' DINING — Shark Week fans may want to think twice before eating this ocean predator. Continue reading …

AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on costly cities and Trump tee times. Take the quiz here …

LISTEN

Tune in as we explore the science behind peptides and GLP-1 weight loss drugs and what consumers should know about the booming grey market. Check it out ...

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

Trump family could profit from blockbuster Central Asia deal despite backlash due to 'proof problem': expert

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 19:00:01 -0400

The Trump Organization, led by President Donald Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, made a controversial investment in a construction company that now stands to profit from a rare earth minerals deal funded by the U.S. government.

While the deal raises suspicions, one securities attorney says evidence of wrongdoing is likely impossible to find and acknowledged that critics have a "proof problem."

"Well, the question is whether President Trump would have known about his sons’ investments in this company, and I think the answer would be ‘no’ unless the sons told them," Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based securities and investment fraud attorney, told Fox News Digital.

"Look, they are private investors," he continued. "They are not government employees. So, to the extent they make a passive investment in a company or an entity, there are no real duties to disclose this information."

RESOURCE-RICH NATION PRAISES US TIES AMID WASHINGTON-BEIJING CRITICAL MINERALS RACE

The controversy stems from a tungsten mining deal in Kazakhstan, which primarily involves U.S.-based investment company Cove Capital and the company's mining affiliate, Cove Kaz Capital Group. Between 2023 and 2024, Cove Kaz, at the behest of the Biden administration, applied to do the mining and negotiated with the Kazakh government to take a 70% share in the country's state-owned tungsten mining deposits. It is the only company selected to compete with Russian and Chinese bidders.

Tungsten is a rare earth mineral that is critical to building military equipment, including missiles and fighter jets. The lion's share of the earth's supply of the mineral is owned by China and Russia. Trump, since returning to office, has made it a strategic national security priority to secure a long-term supply of the resource.

In August 2025, through an investment vehicle created by Dominari Securities, which is housed in Trump Tower in New York, the Trump brothers, along with other investors, purchased a stake in a construction company, Skyline Builders, which at the time was publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker SKBL.

HOWARD LUTNICK SHUTS DOWN DEM QUESTIONS OVER JEFFREY EPSTEIN AT BUDGET HEARING

In June of that year, Cantor Fitzgerald, founded by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, underwrote a $46.8 million loan to a company called ASP Isotopes. ASP Isotopes is owned by businessman Paul Mann. Lutnick's company is now controlled by his sons, Brandon and Kyle Lutnick, who took over when their father became a government official.

At about the time of underwriting, the Trump brothers were investing in Skyline Builders, a wholly-owned ASP Isotopes subsidiary that acquired voting control of Skyline Builders.

On Nov. 6, 2025, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, met with Trump and announced that the Central Asian country had awarded a tungsten mining contract to the United States. The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which provide government financing for international projects, penned letters of interest totaling up to $1.6 billion in financing for the deal. Cove Kaz Capital was selected as the firm to do the majority of the mining.

The deal has not officially been inked and is under a standard review process by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Earlier this spring, Skyline Builders announced a reverse merger with Cove Kaz Capital, creating a company called Kaz Resources, which is now listed on the NASDAQ as KAZR. Skyline Builders owns 20% of Kaz Resources after a $20 million investment.

ERIC TRUMP PLANS TO SUE JEN PSAKI, MS NOW FOR ALLEGED 'BLATANT LIES' ABOUT HIM JOINING FATHER'S CHINA TRIP

Critics have suggested — albeit without evidence — that the Trump brothers schemed to invest in Skyline Builders with advance knowledge that Kazakhstan would opt to award the billion-and-a-half-dollar tungsten deal to the United States instead of other countries, and, in turn, Kaz Resources would secure the contract.

The Trump organization vehemently denies that characterization and says the investment made by the brothers through Dominari Securities in Skyline Builders was passive, made before the tungsten deal was done and made without the knowledge that Kazakhstan would award the mining contract to the United States in the first place.

Even without wrongdoing, Stoltmann said the appearance of impropriety could cause headaches.

"The $64,000 question is pretty much what Trump knew and when he knew it — and, look, the optics are bad," he said. "You have the president's sons investing in a company that is eventually awarded a very large contract, and so it certainly raises eyebrows, it raises suspicions.

"And it's certainly clear why this has caused an uproar. But a lot of times, this is more thunder, this is more noise — a tempest in a teapot, as I like to say."

In discussing potential ramifications, Stoltmann said members of the political left who are frenzied over the deal will have trouble finding proof of wrongdoing, as Trump would have no way of knowing about his sons' investment unless they told him about it.

"But this is where the proof problem comes in," said Stoltmann.

"It's fun to have conjecture. It's fun to theorize, and it's fun to discuss this, but I don't think there's any duty of disclosure when you are a passive investor in a company, and that's where President Trump would most certainly say, 'I don't know all the things my sons do.'"

As for the Lutnick brothers, Stoltmann noted that Cantor Fitzgerald stood to financially benefit from underwriting and advisory fees when it helped finance the loan for Mann, whose company now owns a majority voting stake in Kaz Resources.

"You most certainly need a Wall Street brokerage firm or bank to help finance some of this, but, more importantly, to do the underwriting," Stoltmann said. "We have reverse mergers, we have mergers and we have multiple shell companies coming into the equation. When you do that, you need a bank, you need a brokerage firm. And that's where Cantor Fitzgerald comes in."

In the way of political ramifications, Stoltmann warned that if Democrats regain control of the House and Senate in November, the Trump brothers will likely face heat from the president's political opponents for any business deals that they think can come under scrutiny.

"You're going see a tsunami of subpoenas trying to get the phone records, the communication records, the emails of the Trump boys and President Trump and everybody associated with this deal," he predicted. "So, look, is there potential legal liability this situation? Yes, there is. I don't think there is for President Trump, though.

"You know, clearly, at least by all appearances, it seems like his sons were passive investors, and the sons would say, ‘Look, we're worth a couple hundred million dollars. We have passive investments in dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of different companies. This is all pure than Caesar's wife,’ but it certainly raises some suspicions."

The White House reiterated that the president does not directly manage his investment holdings and that they are instead managed by independent third-party financial institutions.

"This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family and his administration for a decade," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. "President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public, which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media. There are no conflicts of interest."

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Cantor Fitzgerald emphasized that it had no interaction at all with Kaz Resources or Skyline Builders.

"Cantor is a natural partner for companies raising capital to meet growing demand for critical minerals," a spokesperson said. "Cantor’s involvement is limited to supporting capital raises in the public markets and does not include participation in negotiations with the current or any prior administration."

The Trump Organization and Commerce Department did not return Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

'Woke' Smithsonian exhibit lionizes embattled Fauci amid conservative scrutiny of museum's messaging

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:43 -0400

The embattled former face of the United States' COVID-19 response is prominently displayed and heroically framed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History — as the network of Smithsonian institutions faces scrutiny over woke messaging from government officials.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, formerly the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has a prominent place at the museum's "Entertainment Nation" exhibit.

"As a deadly pandemic ravaged the nation, major sports leagues found themselves at the center of a debate over 'reopening' the country," a placard dedicated to Fauci says.

FAUCI'S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

"Amidst a cacophony of misinformation and denial, advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading epidemiologist, urged leagues to make decisions about resuming play 'based on scientific evidence and public health judgment,'" it continues. "When baseball became the first league to retake the field, Fauci threw the ceremonial opening pitch—wearing a facemask in a stadium empty of fans."

A diary kept by Fauci while the pandemic raged, recently exposed by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., shows a man fixated on his own fame, who acknowledged answers to controversial questions in private, but said the opposite in public.

One of those controversial questions dealt with the origin of the virus. COVID-19 may have originated in a National Institute of Health (NIH) funded facility in China. While Fauci recognized privately that the virus may have accidentally escaped a lab, he stalwartly maintained the opposite in public. Fauci critics who suggested otherwise, including other doctors, were castigated. Fauci also insisted that the government was not conducting controversial gain-of-function research. That was later proved false.

FAUCI PRIVATELY TOOK CREDIT FOR COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS DESPITE PUBLIC DENIAL, NEWLY EXPOSED DIARY ENTRIES REVEAL

Alongside the Smithsonian's heroic characterization of Fauci as a man of science, the museum prominently features that Washington Nationals baseball cap, signed by the doctor, that he wore while throwing out the first pitch when MLB resumed play after lockdowns.

Fauci also repeatedly denied that he was behind the damaging pandemic-era lockdowns, but acknowledged in his diary that mayors and health officials in the country's largest metropolitan areas, including New York City and Los Angeles, were taking his advice to shut their municipalities down.

Diary posts also show that the doctor, often framed as a humble lifelong public servant, was obsessed with the attention he received during the pandemic. He extensively documented flattering news stories about himself, bragging in May 2020 that his "national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable" and that it was "not hyperbole" to say he was "the most famous and talked about person in the country."

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

The pandemic claimed 1.2 million American lives.

Fauci was grilled on Capitol Hill Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chaired by Paul. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times, failing to answer a single question.

The Smithsonian is dealing with government scrutiny of its own, both from Congress and the White House.

The American history museum's director, Anthea Hartig, was grilled before Congress last week over sexually explicit imagery, Mickey Mouse being linked to racism and a museum toolkit discussing "objectivity" as a feature of White supremacy.

The museum's MASS Action Toolkit is a mid-2010s anthology for museums that references the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting of Mike Brown and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. It links politeness and being on time to White supremacy.

The White House chastised the taxpayer-funded museum for pushing "one-sided, divisive political narratives."

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

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The White House also released a report on July 4 that criticized the Smithsonian's portrayal of American history, and more recently, President Donald Trump ordered the National Park Service to place signs outside the museum directing visitors and passersby to an online resource that he says portrays an "accurate" version of American history.

He also blasted the museum as "woke" and "OUT OF CONTROL" on Truth Social.

Fox News' Charles Creitz and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

New audio released following Nolan Wells disappearance doesn't show 'anything nefarious': retired FBI agent

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:39 -0400

A retired FBI agent says that new audio released following Nolan Wells' disappearance and death doesn't show "anything nefarious."

Wells, 18, went missing July 4 after a boat trip with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Crews searched the area for two days before a National Parks Service ranger found his remains on the island's northwestern tip on July 6.

Wells' friends returned to the mainland that afternoon without him. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said investigators believe Wells chose to remain on the island, and it wasn't until later that night that his mother learned from one of his friends he was missing, prompting her to report it to authorities.

Fox News Digital obtained a recording of a call made to Sea Tow on the evening of July 4 by someone aboard the boat, who said the vessel was taking on water as it prepared to return to the mainland. The individual said there were seven people on board.

SEARCH CALLED OFF AFTER BODY MATCHING MISSING TEEN NOLAN WELLS FOUND OFF MISSISSIPPI COAST

"Hey, we’re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We’re sinking. Can y’all please come?" an individual can be heard saying to the Sea Tow dispatcher.

When the dispatcher asked how far the water is coming inside the boat, the individual replied, "It’s coming up... we’re just sinking. I don’t know. We’re going down though."

"And is everyone on board and in good health otherwise?" the dispatcher asked.

"Yeah, everyone is on board," the individual on the boat responded.

The man heard talking to the Sea Tow dispatcher requested someone to come help un-sink the boat and get it towed back to the Fort Bayou launch in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

NOLAN WELLS INDEPENDENT AUTOPSY DOESN'T POINT TO FOUL PLAY, FORMER MEDICAL EXAMINER SAYS

The dispatcher then spoke with a captain, who said he was already on the phone with a man who owned the boat, a relative of the teen who called, and said those on the boat were in a "panic" because the boat wouldn't crank.

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"It sounds like a bunch of kids on board on Horn Island," the dispatcher told the captain. "He’s saying the boat is sinking and he’s on Horn Island. It’s just unfortunate, he’s just a kid. It’s a lot going on.

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"He wants you guys to go out there and un-pump the boat and then tow it in," the dispatcher said.

The captain said the boat's owner told him the teens didn't "need any help right now, but if something changes, he'll call me back."

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Sea Tow didn't end up towing the boat.

Former FBI agent Jonathan Gilliam told Fox News Digital he doesn't believe the Sea Tow audio points to any signs of foul play, as some people on social media have claimed.

WATCH: Retired FBI agent says nothing 'nefarious' in newly released Nolan Wells boat audio

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"I don't hear anything nefarious... it just sounded like there was a lot of stuff going on, that they were taking on water — not panic as much as this young person was trying to resolve a situation in a party atmosphere."

Gilliam also pointed out that the call itself undercuts the idea of a cover-up.

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"By the way, they're taking on water. They're going to be calling for assistance, which could lead to authorities. If they had done something, that'd be a very bad time for a person who'd done something nefarious to call out people and for them to get away with something. So I don't think it added anything to the conspiracies of something having occurred knowingly in a nefarious manner."

Several of Wells' friends told authorities he "chose to remain at the island" with an unidentified female rather than return to the mainland with the group he arrived with, according to a Mississippi Department of Marine Resources police report obtained by Fox News Digital.

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According to the police report, authorities "did not have reason to believe there were any water related exigencies or emergencies and he believed the most likely scenario was Nolan rode in on another vessel but did not have his phone in his possession to make contact with family."

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During a July 22 news conference, attorney Ben Crump revealed that an area of "red discoloration" was found on Wells' head, but said Dr. Roger Mitchell, who performed an independent autopsy, couldn't come to a conclusion on a cause or manner of death "pending further investigation." An official autopsy into Wells' death hasn't been completed.

Wells was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College and had hopes to play at the Division 1 level, according to Crump, an attorney for his family.

Trump accused China of an 'election security nightmare' but then undercut his own warning

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:18 -0400

Less than two weeks after accusing China of carrying out an "unprecedented election security nightmare," President Donald Trump has not changed his posture toward Beijing and is moving ahead with plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.

"This data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare," Trump said in a July 16 address. "The intelligence even shows that China assigned a data exploitation unit specifically to this new project."

Intelligence officials, he said, "worked to actively suppress and downplay information about the extent of China’s sinister election meddling."

TRUMP’S UPBEAT CHINA MESSAGE COLLIDES WITH DEEPENING BEIJING RIVALRY

Trump did not claim China changed votes or altered election results. Instead, he argued Beijing engaged in an influence campaign aimed at shaping U.S. public perceptions.

But within days of the address, Trump undercut the urgency of his own warning. Asked whether China would face consequences, he said the alleged activity "took place a long time ago" and suggested it reflected the broader intelligence rivalry between the two countries.

"They do things, and we do things to them," Trump said July 21 in remarks to reporters. "I’ll be honest, we do things to them, too. It’s not a one-way street."

So far, the fallout has been directed almost entirely inward. Trump ordered investigations into U.S. officials who handled the intelligence, while his trade and diplomatic engagement with Beijing has continued largely unchanged.

Trump’s posture toward TikTok has undergone a similar shift. He sought to ban the platform during his first term over national-security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership but joined it during the 2024 campaign. Five days after Trump’s address, most Cabinet members launched official accounts after the Justice Department cleared federal employees to use TikTok under its new U.S.-controlled ownership.

It also remains unclear when Trump first learned of the intelligence or whether he knew about it before traveling to Beijing in May. A White House official confirmed Xi's Sept. 24 visit will proceed but did not answer questions about when Trump was briefed or whether anyone accused of withholding the intelligence remains in government.

The Chinese embassy could not immediately be reached for comment on the planned visit.

Newly declassified records released by the administration provide fresh details about China’s alleged collection and analysis of American voter information and reveal an internal intelligence debate over whether Beijing’s broader activities amounted to election interference. But the documents also establish less than some of Trump’s rhetoric appeared to suggest.

CHINA DISMISSES TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE ACCUSATIONS AS 'ENTIRELY FABRICATED,' THREATENS COUNTERMEASURES

During the July 16 address, Trump said China had acquired 220 million U.S. voter files containing names, addresses, phone numbers and political affiliations. He said Beijing assigned a unit to exploit the information which had the potential to use it to register voters or engage in other "nefarious activities."

Trump called the findings "stunning" and the broader vulnerabilities "a cyber threat aimed at the very heart of our democracy."

The president accused intelligence officials of working to "actively suppress and downplay" China’s "sinister election meddling." He cited an internal message saying officials had "deliberately massaged" a pending President’s Daily Brief and another in which an FBI official described "running a shadow government."

'SHADOW GOVERNMENT': TRUMP CLAIMS INTEL COMMUNITY BRAGGED ABOUT HIDING CHINESE MEDDLING

Trump directed the Justice Department, FBI, CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence to investigate. He said those responsible should be fired and potentially prosecuted.

The roughly 270 pages of released records show that Chinese entities amassed and analyzed large quantities of American voter information.

The figure at the center of Trump’s announcement appears to come from a record showing that a Chinese entity possessed an unspecified dataset containing approximately 204.8 million American voter records. The document does not identify its source or explain how it was obtained.

Other records describe China analyzing registration information from 18 states and a Chinese actor downloading publicly available historical voter information from six states. The documents do not show that China altered voter rolls, changed ballots or penetrated vote-counting systems.

The documents also include a raw FBI report alleging that China planned to manufacture fraudulent U.S. driver’s licenses that could be used to cast mail ballots for Joe Biden. The allegation came from a single uncorroborated source, and the report was recalled the day it was distributed and never reissued.

There was no evidence that any fraudulent votes were actually cast.

Emily Harding, director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote that China "likely gained little advantage" from voter records that were largely publicly available or available for purchase.

Harding wrote that the internal exchanges showed "an honest, and valuable, analytical debate" rather than a cover-up. She noted that the recalled FBI report relied on unreliable third-hand information and said references to the election were removed from one briefing so a specialized election-security team could address the issue.

Trump did not explain which American activities he considered comparable to China’s collection and analysis of voter information.

There is some public record behind Trump’s suggestion that the intelligence competition runs both ways — but China does not hold free national elections.

Trump authorized the CIA in 2019 to conduct a covert influence campaign against China, Reuters reported in 2024. According to three former U.S. officials, operatives used false online identities to circulate damaging but fact-based information about Xi’s government and attempt to shape public opinion inside China.

The CIA declined to confirm the program. Documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden also showed the National Security Agency penetrating Chinese networks, including the systems of telecommunications giant Huawei.

Trump expressed a similar view during his May visit to Beijing, although he was speaking then about Chinese espionage more broadly.

"They spy on us," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during the trip. "We spy on them too, I guess."

Trump otherwise used the visit to promote closer economic ties. He traveled with leading American executives, called Xi a "great leader" and said it was an "honor" to be his friend.

The White House later announced that the two countries had agreed to establish boards of trade and investment. China also committed to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft and at least $17 billion in American agricultural products annually through 2028, according to the administration.

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Preparations for Xi’s visit continued after Trump’s address.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi July 22 to lay the groundwork for what he called a "very positive" visit but said Trump’s election allegations were not discussed. Rubio added that it would be "reckless and irresponsible" for the two powers not to maintain a relationship.

China has denied interfering in the 2020 election. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian called the allegations "entirely fabricated" and urged the United States to stop using China as an election issue.

Daily eating habit linked to better brain health in older adults, new research suggests

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:05 -0400

Eating within a shorter daily window could help support brain health as people age, according to new research.

Preliminary findings presented at NUTRITION 2026 — the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting in Maryland — suggests that older women who ate within eight to nine hours per day saw slight cognitive improvement compared to those who spread their meals over about 12 hours each day.

The small six-month trial included 47 postmenopausal obese or overweight women aged 50 to 79. They were each advised to reduce their daily food intake by about 500 calories.

INTERMITTENT FASTING'S REAL BENEFIT MAY COME AFTER YOU START EATING AGAIN

Study findings

The participants were divided into two groups. One ate in a time-restricted window within an average of 8.2 hours, usually from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The other group ate across a 12.3-hour window, according to a news release.

Both groups lost about 15 pounds over six months, but those in the shorter eating-window group performed better on cognitive tests measuring spatial planning and problem-solving.

The shorter-window group also showed fewer errors on memory and learning tests, but no meaningful differences in reaction time or multi-tasking ability.

PEOPLE LOST WEIGHT WHILE EATING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FOOD — HERE'S THE SECRET

"These outcomes suggest a better ability to remember information during everyday tasks and reduce mistakes related to memory, attention and problem-solving," lead researcher Sue Shapses, Ph.D., a professor at Rutgers University and Rutgers-RWJ Medical Center, said in a press release. "Reductions in the eating window predicted greater improvements."

Although the pilot study included only a small number of participants, the researchers believe that time-restricted eating may support brain health by regulating circadian rhythm, reducing inflammation and improving metabolic health.

Losing weight alone can help "ward off some of the aging-related cognitive decline," according to Shapses.

"And these data suggest there may be additional benefits if you stop eating four hours prior to going to sleep and reduce food intake to eight to nine hours per day, compared to the usual eating window of 12 hours per day."

Women, as well as adults who are overweight or obese, tend to face a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia as they age, according to the researchers.

How might meal timing help the brain?

Lauri Wright, Ph.D., director of nutrition programs and associate professor at the USF College of Public Health, who was not involved in this research, reflected on these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.

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"This is an interesting study because it suggests that when we eat may matter in addition to what and how much we eat," she said. "That suggests meal timing itself may have played a role, not just weight loss."

"The results are promising, but we need larger, longer studies before recommending time-restricted eating specifically to improve brain health."

Experts are still learning about how intermittent fasting affects the brain, although "several biological mechanisms are being considered," Wright noted.

"Giving the body a longer overnight break from eating may improve insulin sensitivity, reduce chronic inflammation, support healthy circadian rhythms and allow cells more time for repair and maintenance," she said. "Those processes are all linked to healthy brain aging."

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From a practical standpoint, eating within a shorter daily window often leads people to consume fewer calories, which can promote weight loss, according to New York-based certified holistic nutritionist Robin DeCicco.

"We know that maintaining a healthy weight helps with virtually everything," she told Fox News Digital. "Eating within a restricted window helps people cut calories."

"When you fast or... have periods of time where you're not just eating throughout the whole day, it does help to lower markers of inflammation and certain sources of oxidative stress."

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Many people have reported "feeling better" when fasting, DeCicco noted — especially those who have inflammatory conditions, which can include neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

"When you're fasting, you're giving your organs a chance to rest, you're giving the digestive system a chance to ‘rest and digest,’" she added.

Intermittent fasting isn’t the only way to support cognitive health, Wright countered.

"Regular physical activity, adequate sleep, controlling blood pressure and blood sugar, avoiding smoking, maintaining social connections and following an overall healthy dietary pattern, such as the Mediterranean diet, have much stronger evidence for protecting cognitive function over time," she said. "Think of meal timing as one potential piece of the puzzle rather than a magic bullet."

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Intermittent fasting "isn’t appropriate for everyone," Wright warned, adding that she would advise against it for children and teens, pregnant or breastfeeding women, anyone with a history of an eating disorder, and people with diabetes who are taking insulin.

DeCicco agreed that fasting should be recommended and monitored by a medical professional, especially for those who take certain medications or have certain conditions.

Trump tells foreign students: Overstay your visa, face the consequences

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:05 -0400

Amid all the noise in Washington and simultaneous lack of legislation coming out of Congress, there have been some quiet wins for accountability in our visa system.

One recent win is an administrative final rule that requires foreign students to comply with their visas. Administrative rules govern how the government implements the law in practice.

Most foreign students who qualify get an F-1 visa, which allows them to study at the undergraduate or graduate level. Some get a J-1, which is for international exchange visitors.

RUBIO PUSHES BACK ON INDIA'S CONCERNS OVER US VISA CURBS, SAYS POLICY MUST BE 'AMERICA FIRST' UNDER TRUMP

When student visa holders arrive here, they are given permission to enter under what’s called "duration of status." That means that as long as they are full-time students, they can stay.

An earlier rule allows students, while still on their student visas, to work in "Optional Practical Training" for a year, with another two years if they have STEM degrees. The definition of STEM is 16 pages long and generous. Because foreigners on OPT are working using their student visa (remember – "duration of status") their employers are not required to pay into Social Security and Medicare. That’s a discount of up to 15% for hiring foreign workers instead of Americans.

"Duration of status" combined with OPT incentivizes marginal students not to complete their degrees in due course and, as they originally claimed they would, go home.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ORDERS GREEN CARD APPLICANTS TO LEAVE THE US, APPLY FROM THEIR HOME COUNTRIES

The education-migration complex is desperate to keep the foreign student gravy train on the rails. They make the new rule seem as if it is cutting off opportunity. Quite the opposite: it’s about asking for responsibility.

It’s not hard to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years, especially for foreign students. Americans can apply to college knowing they’ll need to work or apply for aid and grants. Foreigners, meanwhile, are required to show consular officers in their visa interview that they can afford the entire course of study, including tuition, lodging and incidental costs. They are not, in theory, supposed to work.

If they decide to earn a master’s after their bachelor's, or even a Ph.D., the new rule just means they have to go home, apply for a new visa, and show the consular officer they are credible students, can afford the entire course of study and intend to return home when done.

TRUMP PUTS ASYLUM LAWYERS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH NEW FRONT IN WAR ON FRAUD

That’s what is really freaking out the edu-crats. Many foreign students intend to stay in the U.S. Some never go to school at all; these get dropped from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) maintained by DHS. They should then be deported, but many make frivolous asylum claims to remain.

Others do go to school, but drag it out over many years, taking minimal classes to maintain status while working, often illegally. Schools don’t mind, as long as the fees keep coming.

But we should mind. America doesn’t need to import this type of low-motivation student.

What America needs even less are students who come here pre-programmed with hostility to the United States, Western civilization and capitalism, who spend their time protesting on campus.

Some foreign students on campuses across the United States have been here for years, spending far too much time and energy protesting Israel, capitalism, ICE and Western civilization instead of hitting the books and getting a degree. These permanent students aren’t adding to our national prosperity, security or unity.

America wants students who come, study and finish their degrees. The left will tell you that foreign students are all the best of the best. Not so. As a consular officer, I did thousands of student visa applications in Africa, Asia and Europe. I’ve seen everything from applicants with full scholarships at MIT and Harvard to those wanting to study English at a community college near their uncle, who just happens to own a motel or gas station.

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America welcomes legitimate students. We will always have room for the most talented and entrepreneurial to stay. But our universities are not there to facilitate mass economic migration.

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The unemployment rate for recent American college graduates is 5.7%, higher than the national average. They need our support, not millions of foreign graduates to compete with.

The new rule on student visas is timely and welcome. Future presidents would be wise to keep it instead of caving to the education and migration lobby.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SIMON HANKINSON

Huckabee warns of 'biblical ignorance' as he defends conservative support for Israel

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 07:00:03 -0400

As some on the right become more skeptical of the U.S.-Israel relationship, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee warns that the trepidation is fueled by what he calls "biblical ignorance" and a misunderstanding of what it means to be "America First."

Speaking to Fox News Digital ahead of the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Israel Education Association's founding, Huckabee rejected the idea that putting America first means pushing away allies. Rather, he argued that support for Israel is aligned with U.S. interests and the religious convictions held by many Christians.

"When I look at the things on the right what I see is that there's biblical ignorance," Huckabee said. "People who say, 'You know, God has no longer got a promise that he's keeping to the Jewish people,' and I'm thinking, 'Well, that's news to God because he doesn't break a promise.'"

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

"If God broke his promise to the Jews, then what makes me, as a Christian, think that he won't break his promise to me?" he added.

In addition to being the former governor of Arkansas, Huckabee was also ordained as a Baptist minister and served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, giving him a perspective shaped by both politics and faith.

The ambassador also dismissed notions that Christians are not welcomed or allowed to worship freely in Israel. He told Fox News Digital that he plays bass guitar in his church praise band every Sunday and that "nobody throws a chair at me."

Skepticism and outright hostility toward Israel have become more prevalent in recent years in some corners of right-wing media and among more heterodox podcast stars, such as Joe Rogan, who said Wednesday that there was no doubt Israel was guilty of "genocide" in Gaza.

TRUMP THREATENS 'MAJOR MILITARY PUNISHMENT' FOR IRAN OVER FUTURE HOUTHI ATTACKS

However, the ambassador's concerns go beyond theological debates. Huckabee argued that some conservatives have misinterpreted the "America First" movement as one of pure isolationism.

"There's another thing on the right that I'm concerned about. People who say, 'Look, I'm an America First person,' I say 'I am too.' I was MAGA before anybody knew what MAGA was," Huckabee told Fox News Digital. "America First has never meant America only."

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The ambassador explained that America's interests do not stop at its borders, particularly when it comes to combating enemy threats.

He pointed to Iran, saying that the regime has spent decades calling for "death to America." Huckabee also cited Iranian proxies across the globe and the threats they pose as key reasons why the U.S. cannot afford to ignore what happens overseas. For Huckabee, the threats emanating from Iran and its proxies reinforce his belief that putting America first does not mean turning inward.

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"They've never changed their message that they want to murder us. So, when people tell you for 47 years their goal is to kill you, you're pretty stupid if you don't pay attention to that, and even more stupid if you do nothing about it," he said.

Don't let fake election websites fool you before 2026 midterms

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:30:14 -0400

You spot a campaign shirt online that makes you laugh. The site carries the candidate's name. It also has polished product photos and a familiar checkout page. So, you assume the store supports the campaign.

A fake election website can copy enough campaign cues to make that assumption feel reasonable. Your money and personal information could then reach an operator with no verified campaign connection.

New research provided to CyberGuy by WhoisXML API, an internet intelligence company that analyzes domain, IP and DNS data, tracked 62,081 election-named domains created since September 2025. Researchers identified 13,645 addresses that read like campaign sites based on their names.

The research classifies only a portion of the domains as campaign-style addresses. Legitimate campaigns, supporters, merchants and domain investors may control many of them. However, researchers also found live storefronts that used candidates' names while selling merchandise and accepting donation-style payments. That smaller group creates the clearest risk for you.

FAKE PASSWORD-MANAGER ALERTS COULD PUT YOUR VAULT AT RISK

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Why fake election websites surge before the midterms

National elections create a rush for online real estate. Campaign teams want memorable web addresses before someone else claims them. Supporters may launch fan pages, while merchants see an opportunity to sell political products. Impersonators can follow the same naming formula.

According to WhoisXML API, nearly 46% of the curated campaign-style set used structures such as "[name]for[office]" or "for[state]." Domains referencing congressional races appeared most often. Senate-themed names came next. State names also appeared across about one-third of the curated set. Texas led with 537 registrations. Florida, Georgia, Ohio and Colorado followed.

Those names feel familiar because real campaigns use the same structure. As a result, a questionable domain can look credible before you open the page. Across the domains studied, researchers said 90% hid the registrant's identity. In addition, 88% carried a one-year registration term. Privacy protection and short registration terms can have legitimate uses. Still, those details deserve more attention when a new site also copies campaign branding or asks for money.

How fake election websites copy real campaign stores

A small change in a domain can hide in plain sight. WhoisXML API highlighted massiemoneybomb[.]us, which closely resembled the established massiemoneybomb[.]com fundraising address. The main difference appeared after the final dot.

That change may look obvious on a large computer screen. However, it becomes easier to miss on a phone, especially when a text or social media post opens the page directly. Researchers also examined kenpaxton[.]us. They said the domain was 58 days old when captured, while kenpaxton[.]com dated back to 2008.

The newer site reportedly sold supportive campaign products alongside merchandise criticizing the same candidate. That unusual mix offers a clue that the store may lack an official connection. Yet many shoppers will focus on the product photos or the price. A polished checkout can make the entire operation feel established. Alexandre François, the WhoisXML API domain scam researcher behind the study, told CyberGuy that AI can help operators build convincing websites quickly and at scale. That makes it even harder to judge a campaign page by its appearance alone.

How fake election donation pages collect personal data

Political merchandise may cost you more than the price on the screen. According to the research, some storefronts allowed visitors to add donation-style payments of up to $1,000 to a shopping cart. The sites then processed the payment through their own checkout flows.

One store reportedly continued accepting a donation-style payment after the candidate's official ActBlue page stopped taking contributions. The checkout requested a full name, street address, email address and phone number. It also collected payment card details.

A familiar payment processor can make that form feel safe. However, its presence only shows how the payment moves through the checkout. It cannot confirm that the candidate authorized the store or that the campaign receives the money.

François said the study found no direct evidence that donors lost money or had their data misused. "Only the payment platforms could see whether a donor lost money or had data misused, and their data was not part of this study," he told CyberGuy. The findings support caution rather than a claim that every highlighted site committed fraud.

What domain records reveal about fake election websites

Domain registration records can expose useful clues before or after a website launches. Researchers can review the creation date, registrar, paid registration period and privacy status. Sometimes, the records also identify the owner or registrant country. However, each clue has limits.

Many legitimate website owners use privacy services to keep home addresses and contact details out of public databases. Campaigns may also register several defensive domains so impersonators cannot claim them first. A one-year registration term also appears across ordinary websites. Price and convenience often drive that choice.

The risk grows when several details point in the same direction. A nearly copied domain may lead to a new storefront with an unofficial donation flow. A mismatched disclaimer adds another concern.

For federal political committees, public websites generally need a disclaimer that identifies who paid for the communication. The wording may also state whether a candidate authorized it. The FEC explains that disclaimer requirements cover political committee websites and online fundraising communications. A disclaimer cannot guarantee honesty. Still, a missing or mismatched statement gives you a strong reason to leave the page and verify the site elsewhere.

Campaigns also face limits when trying to secure every possible variation of a candidate's name. François said they should consistently promote one official domain and one donation link. He added that "the realistic option is monitoring" because registering every possible look-alike domain would be impractical. Monitoring new registrations can help campaigns find look-alike sites during their first days online. Campaigns can then report suspicious pages to the registrar, hosting company or payment provider.

SAME-NAME CANDIDATE DISQUALIFIED FROM KEY SENATE RACE OVER ALLEGED DEM SCHEME TO CONFUSE VOTERS

Ways to stay safe from fake election websites

Before you buy campaign merchandise or make a political contribution online, use these checks to confirm that the site connects to the candidate or committee you intend to support.

1) Find the campaign through a trusted source

Avoid starting with a link from an unexpected text, email, online ad or social media comment. Instead, search for the candidate independently. Then compare the result with links from the candidate's verified social media account or established public profile. "No single sign is enough, so it's best to check a few together and to reach the page from the campaign's own channel," François told CyberGuy.

You can also use a personal data removal service to reduce the personal information available through data brokers and people-search sites. This may limit the details scammers can use to make unexpected messages, targeted ads or social media comments feel more convincing. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.

For federal races, use the FEC's campaign finance database at fec.gov/data/ to look up candidates and registered committees. The database shows federal candidate and committee filings. For state or local races, check the appropriate state or local election authority. Many campaigns process contributions through ActBlue or WinRed. In those cases, the payment address should show secure.actblue.com or secure.winred.com. Some campaigns use other processors, so an unfamiliar payment provider alone does not prove the page is deceptive.

2) Read the full web address

Tap or click the address bar before entering payment information. Check the spelling and domain ending. Then look for added words or letters that imitate the campaign's real address.

A scammer may replace ".com" with ".us." Another operator may add words such as "official," "store," "donate," or "support" to make the address feel authentic. François said the difference may also involve one word, a hyphen or an ending such as ".vote" or ".store."

3) Look for the campaign disclaimer

Scroll to the bottom of the site and review the area around the donation form. A federal political committee website should identify who paid for the communication. Depending on the committee, the disclaimer may also explain whether the candidate authorized it.

Compare that committee name with the FEC database. Leave the page when the names conflict or the disclosure looks vague. Keep in mind that a deceptive page can copy a real committee's name. Treat the disclosure as one clue rather than proof that the page belongs to the campaign.

4) Compare the store with the official campaign site

Open the candidate's established website in a separate tab. Look for a direct link to the merchandise store or donation page. If the official site sends you somewhere else, use the link it provides.

Also review the store's contact details and return policy. Be cautious if it sells products supporting a candidate alongside merchandise attacking that candidate. That unusual mix may signal the store has no official campaign connection. A page that keeps collecting contributions after a candidate withdraws also deserves closer scrutiny. The same applies when a store continues selling campaign merchandise after the official donation page closes.

5) Understand what the browser padlock means

The padlock in your browser means the site uses an encrypted connection. It offers no proof about the person or business behind the page.

CISA warns that phishing attacks may use malicious websites that impersonate trusted organizations to collect personal information. A professional design and secure connection still require you to verify the operator.

6) Slow down when the page creates urgency

Pressure can push you past obvious warning signs. Be cautious when a site claims a donation match will disappear within minutes. A countdown clock that keeps resetting should also raise concern.

The FTC's broader donation-safety guidance recommends researching an organization and resisting pressure to give immediately.

WHAT A SCAMMER SEES THE MOMENT THEY GOOGLE YOUR NAME

7) Pay with a credit card when possible

A credit card generally offers stronger dispute protections than a debit card. It also keeps the payment away from funds in your checking account. The FTC says legal protections for credit cards exceed those for debit cards in billing disputes.

Save your receipt and take screenshots of the product page and checkout. Make sure the full domain appears in at least one image. After you pay, check your statement to confirm the amount and make sure the site did not enroll you in recurring contributions.

8) Use strong antivirus software

A fake campaign website may try to push a malicious download or send you to another harmful page. Strong antivirus software can help detect suspicious files and block some dangerous websites. However, you still need to verify the campaign connection before you pay. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.

9) Never reuse a password on a campaign store

If a store asks you to create an account, use a unique password. A password manager can generate and save a strong password for you, so you do not have to remember it. Reusing a password could put your other accounts at risk if the login information gets exposed. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) when the site offers it.

What to do after paying through a fake election website

Contact your card issuer or bank as soon as you suspect a problem.
Explain what happened and ask whether it can reverse the transaction. The FTC advises consumers who paid a suspected scammer by credit or debit card to contact the issuer and request a reversal.
Next, report suspected fraud through the FTC's ReportFraud system. If the site may have violated federal campaign finance law, you can also review the FEC complaint process.
The FEC accepts complaints about possible violations involving federal election financing. Its authority covers elections for the U.S. House, Senate and president.
Watch your statements for unfamiliar charges. Also change any password that you reused on the store.
If the website collected information that later appears in identity fraud, IdentityTheft.gov can create a recovery plan and guide you through the next steps.

Kurt's key takeaways on fake election websites

Election season gives questionable websites a powerful disguise. A candidate's name can create trust before you verify who operates the page. The scale of this research should make every online donor slow down. Researchers found more than 62,000 election-named domains, though many may serve legitimate purposes. The clearest concern comes from active storefronts that copy campaign-style branding and collect money outside a verified campaign path. Take an extra minute before buying a shirt or making a contribution. Find the official campaign site through a trusted source. Then confirm the web address and committee disclosure before you enter personal or payment information.

Have you ever landed on a campaign website that looked real but left you wondering who was behind it? Write to us at CyberGuy.com and tell us what raised your suspicions.

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Nancy Guthrie case: Unclaimed $1.2M reward suggests 'very small circle' of suspects, retired FBI agent says

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:59 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: TUCSON, Ariz. — The fact that a seven-figure reward remains unclaimed nearly six months after the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie from her home in Tucson's Catalina Foothills neighborhood tells one veteran investigator that if the masked intruder on her porch had help, it came from a small, tight-knit group.

"That tells me the circle who knows is very small, and whoever is in it is bound by something stronger than money: blood, fear, shared exposure," said Jason Pack, a retired FBI negotiator and supervisory agent who has been closely following the case. "Those bonds hold. Until they don't."

The more people who know about a crime, the more likely someone would come forward and claim the reward money, he said. The combined sum of rewards in the case is over $1.2 million — and none of it has been claimed 179 days after Guthrie's suspected abduction.

NANY GUTHRIE SHERIFF CHRIS NANOS SAYS HE'S 'STILL POSITIVE' CASE WILL BE RESOLVED DESPITE LONG WAIT

"Money like that usually pulls somebody loose from almost any group," Pack told Fox News Digital. "It hasn't."

Rather than a dead end, Pack sees the untouched reward as another clue.

"In my experience, a meaningful share of cases like this break sideways," he said. "Somebody gets arrested for something unrelated and starts talking. A relationship ends badly. Somebody's conscience finally outruns their fear. Six months is a long time to hold something this heavy, and the people around whoever did this have had six months to notice the change in them."

NANCY GUTHRIE CASE POINTS TO CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD 'WRENCH ATTACK' THEORY, RETIRED DETECTIVE SAYS

Pack said it looks like the abductor or abductors tried to plan the crime — and did it poorly. At least one suspect is believed to have cased out the house. He wore a ski mask, long sleeves and gloves, and covered the lens of her Nest doorbell camera — which was missing when police arrived the next day.

"When it went wrong, and I believe it went wrong fast, they had no plan for that either," he said. "Everything since reads to me like improvising around a failure, not professionals executing a plan."

Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is dependent on heart medication and has a pacemaker. She has limited mobility — and a close-knit family.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S EMOTIONAL PLEA TO MOM'S KIDNAPPER MAY SIGNAL 'NEW LINE OF COMMUNICATION': REPORT

"She had dinner with her family on a Saturday night, went home, and never made it to church the next morning," Pack said. "That's who we're talking about. Not a case number. A mother who was supposed to be at church."

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While the suspects made critical mistakes, he said, that doesn't mean the investigation has stalled.

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Pack also shared a direct message for Guthrie's neighbors and residents of the surrounding communities:

SEND US A TIP

"Go back and check your own cameras from that time period. Doorbell, security, dashcam," he said. "A lot of systems archive further back than people realize. If you drove through the area that night, pull your dashcam files."

If you saw something but don't have video, it's still worth speaking out, he said.

"And think about the people in your own life. Somebody who left town. Somebody whose behavior turned in February and never turned back," he said. "You don't have to be sure. That's not your job. Sorting it out is [the investigators' job]."

In May, a source with knowledge of the case told Fox News Digital that the FBI was bringing new technology into the investigation.

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, whose department is the lead agency, said in an interview this week that he still believes the case will be resolved.

"We have so much DNA to sort through," he said in an interview aired on "Today." "We have so much, in terms of video evidence, to look at."

And they've spent months learning things from the DNA and the video and other forensics that the public hasn't seen, Pack noted.

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"I've watched cases break in month eight, month 14, month 30," said Pack, whose FBI career lasted 21 years, 11 of them as a negotiator. "Most every one of those families had stopped believing it was ever coming."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. An anonymous reward can also be obtained by calling 520-88-CRIME with information that leads to an arrest in the case.

Shark Week fans may want to think twice before eating this ocean predator, experts warn

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:52 -0400

It's Shark Week — and for all their mystery, power and danger, some shark species are also prized as seafood.

Shark is eaten in many parts of the world and is especially popular in Brazil, Iceland, South Korea, Japan, Spain and Portugal. While it's far less common in the United States due to sustainability and health concerns, it can still be found at some restaurants and seafood markets.

In many countries, shark meat is an inexpensive protein, with almost 18 grams of protein in an average 3-ounce raw portion, but it can also contain dangerous levels of toxins.

SHARK WEEK PUTS SHARK BITE SURVIVAL IN FOCUS WITH ER DOCTOR'S EXPERT TIPS

"Shark meat does provide high-quality protein, along with nutrients such as selenium and certain B vitamins, making it a good source of lean protein," Lisa Young, registered dietitian and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University, told Fox News Digital.

"However, its drawbacks generally outweigh its benefits," she added.

"Because sharks are large, long-lived predators at the top of the food chain, they tend to accumulate high levels of mercury and other environmental contaminants over time," she said.

The lean, high-quality protein and valuable micronutrients, including selenium, B12, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that shark meat contains, also come with the highest mercury burden in the commercial market, Kantha Shelke, senior lecturer of food safety regulations at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, told Fox News Digital.

TENNIS GREAT RAFAEL NADAL SWEARS BY BREAKFAST WITH NUTRIENT-PACKED TINY FISH

"Nutritionally, one can get just as much or more from salmon and sardines but without the risk," Shelke said.

The high mercury concentration can adversely affect the central nervous system, especially the developing fetal brain, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women and children.

"Sharks also contain arsenic, another dangerous [heavy-metal contaminant] to avoid," Shelke said.

"For healthy adults, shark should not be a regular part of the diet," Young said.

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"If someone chooses to eat it, it should be an occasional food rather than a staple. It's generally wiser to select lower-mercury seafood more often to meet the recommendation of eating seafood about twice a week."

Brazil has long been the world's top consumer of shark meat, National Geographic reported. A traditional delicacy in Iceland is hákarl, made by fermenting Greenland shark using a centuries-old preservation method that makes it safe to eat.

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It smells similar to cleaning products, thanks to its high ammonia content, according to National Geographic.

Overfishing has greatly depleted some shark populations overseas, but in the U.S., "shark fisheries are some of the most sustainable in the world," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports.

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Some shark species are sold as substitutes for other seafood and have been used in the U.S. in dishes such as fish and chips and fish pie, as well as in some imitation crab products, according to Tasting Table. It is also served during certain seasons on the Gulf Coast as grilled shark steaks or fried as shark bites or in tacos.

K&S Roti Shop and Jamaican Restaurant in Stratford, Connecticut, serves a traditional Caribbean dish from the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago that incorporates breaded shark meat. It's likely the only restaurant in the state to serve shark, Connecticut Insider reported.

Eating shark "as a one-time culinary experience for the novelty" is fine, Shelke said — but she cautioned not to exceed "your weekly mercury budget" by also eating tuna steak or swordfish that week.

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"If pregnant, planning to be, breastfeeding or feeding children, please skip it," she said.

Smithsonian exec who said DEI 'must be at the center' of institutions is raking in eye-popping salary

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:42 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Lonnie Bunch III, the Smithsonian Institution secretary who called DEI an "integral to excellence in museum practice," raked in over $4.4 million from 2020-2024 in base salary and added benefits, a Fox News Digital review found.

While the Smithsonian funds executive compensation through private trust revenues to comply with federal pay caps, the high-dollar package could draw fresh scrutiny because federal taxpayers still fund roughly 60% of the institution's overall budget.

During his tenure, Bunch has championed a sweeping transformation of the institution's cultural footprint, stating during a 2019 interview with the Smithsonian Magazine that he wanted the Smithsonian to make "diversity and inclusion so central that it’s no longer talked about."

"We call ourselves the Great Convener, but we’re really a great legitimizer. And I want the Smithsonian to legitimize important issues, whether it’s 1619 or climate change," Bunch said, referring to the controversial 1619 Project that has been repeatedly slammed for "egregious errors" by scholars. "We help people think about what’s important, what they should debate, what they should embrace."

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

"Everybody that thought about the 1619 Project, whether they liked it or disagreed with it, saw that the Smithsonian had fingerprints on it. And that to me was a great victory," he added.

As secretary, Bunch reports to the organization’s board of regents and oversees the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo and several research centers. Within the organization, the departments of the deputy secretary, chief operating officer and external affairs report to him.

While Bunch's current salary is not public yet, the Smithsonian Institution's 990 tax forms from 2020 to 2024 show that he has raked in millions of dollars, including a salary of $915,469 with $74,090 in added benefits in 2024. Other years range from $726,156 to $861,379 for his salary and up to $68,391 in added benefits.

In addition to the interview, he co-wrote a policy framework resource titled "Excellence in DEAI," an acronym for diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion, which was written for the American Alliance of Museums.

Bunch further elaborated on his views on diversity in this 17-page document, which says that museums should "embed responsibility and accountability for implementing DEAI policies and processes into operations, job descriptions, and performance reviews at all levels of the institution, from the board of directors, c-level executives, and senior leaders to middle managers, junior staff, and volunteers."

"DEAI is integral to excellence in museum practice. FULL STOP," Bunch wrote.

"Amid social, political and cultural polarization and clear structural racism and other forms of oppression in the United States and around the world, DEAI must be at the center of how we understand and practice excellence in our institutions," he added.

SMITHSONIAN PUSHED ‘REVOLTING’ SOCIAL ACTION TRAINING AFTER ‘WHITENESS’ CHART APOLOGY: EXPERT

Bunch’s comments, along with statements from other Smithsonian leadership members, have prompted scrutiny from the Trump administration. In a report titled "Saving America’s Story," the administration raised concerns that the organization had taken on a clear political bent.

"Confirmed in the words of museum leadership, this ideological capture has moved the museum’s mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country," the report reads.

For his part, Bunch has claimed that he sees himself as an apolitical actor without an agenda despite pushing for DEAI.

"What the country needs are places that are nonpartisan and safe, where people can grapple with what’s going on around them," Bunch told Smithsonian Magazine.

The Smithsonian, which was established by Congress in 1846 as an independent federal trust, depends heavily on taxpayer dollars.

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

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"Financially, the institution depends on the federal government for approximately two-thirds of its funding," the organization stated in its 2025 management report.

Bunch did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether he believes his political leanings are at odds with the Smithsonian’s overall purpose or whether federal funding should prevent the organization’s employees from furthering a stated agenda.

Trump retaliates after Iran attack as expert warns regime is growing more dangerous

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:29 -0400

The United States resumed airstrikes inside Iran Wednesday night in retaliation for Tehran’s attempted surprise ballistic-missile attack on American forces, as an Iran expert warned that the regime has become increasingly willing to test Washington despite its weakened military capabilities.

"The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East," U.S. Central Command said as the new operation began, according to The Associated Press.

The renewed strikes marked the first U.S. attacks inside Iran since President Donald Trump paused the bombing campaign Friday after 13 consecutive nights to allow diplomacy another chance. Iran’s missile launch shattered that brief pause and returned the conflict to direct exchanges between Washington and Tehran.

Trump had signaled the retaliation earlier Wednesday, saying the United States would hit Iran "very hard."

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

Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the surprise nature of Iran’s attack reflected a significant shift in Tehran’s strategy.

"What makes this attack different is that it’s basically a surprise attack," Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "This is the Islamic Republic matching its deeds with its words," he said. "That means a more risk-tolerant, more confident, perhaps less capable, but more dangerous Iran in the Middle East."

U.S. Central Command said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran at U.S. forces in the region at approximately 5:45 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday. All were intercepted, and no casualties or damage were immediately reported.

Trump later vowed a forceful response, telling Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that the United States would be "hitting them hard" and that Iran was "going to get a beating." "We're going to beat the f---ing s--- out of them," Trump said.

US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

But Ben Taleblu warned that successful interceptions alone may not restore deterrence. He argued that Tehran has repeatedly learned that it can fire on American forces, absorb a U.S. response and then attempt to dictate when the exchange ends.

"The dangerous lesson for America here is that you have to treat every single Iranian missile attack, whether it was successful or not, as being successful," he said. "You can’t over-rely on technology because, ultimately, this is not a technological problem. This is a political problem."

The attack came as the nearly five-month conflict threatened to widen across the region.

Iran said it also targeted commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq following drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. The operation marked the first time Riyadh publicly acknowledged participating in strikes alongside Washington, potentially opening a new front in the confrontation, Reuters reported.

TWO US SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN IRANIAN STRIKES ON JORDAN, CENTCOM SAYS

The renewed fighting also threatens already-fragile negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran rejected an Omani proposal for joint regional management of the waterway, insisting on broader control over shipping routes through the strait.

The attack followed a far deadlier Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Jordan earlier in July. That strike hit housing used by American troops at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, killing two U.S. service members and wounding several others.

The United States subsequently struck Iranian targets, but Ben Taleblu argued that Tehran continues to believe it can absorb retaliation, fire back and dictate when each cycle of fighting ends.

He said the United States must respond while preparing for another Iranian counterattack, warning that allowing Tehran to claim it had "closed the round" after retaliating would reinforce the regime’s belief that it can dictate the pace of the conflict.

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"The U.S. certainly does need to respond, and President Trump indeed has promised to respond with some very colorful language, but it has to be prepared for the Iranian response," he said.

California mom welcomes baby in Jack in the Box parking lot after little girl couldn't wait

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:27 -0400

A Southern California couple has quite the birth story to tell after their daughter made a surprise arrival in the parking lot of a Jack in the Box, where firefighters helped deliver the baby after a frantic race to the hospital.

Michelle Cisneros and Darren Campbell welcomed baby Valentina Isla Campbell last Friday after pulling into the Orange County fast-food restaurant and calling 911 when they realized they couldn't make it back to the delivery room in time.

The family says the healthy baby girl arrived 15 days before her due date, adding to their surprise.

"I thought maybe they might be Braxton Hicks," Cisneros told Fox News Digital. "But at that point my contractions were five minutes apart, and they were getting more intense, so I thought I'll just go to labor and delivery just to be safe."

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

But amid the joy, the parents are also left wondering whether the roadside birth could have been avoided after Cisneros says she was evaluated and discharged from a nearby hospital twice before delivering baby Valentina.

Cisneros said she was monitored for about an hour at Hoag Hospital before being discharged after staff determined her cervix had not changed. She said nurses instructed her to return if her contractions became three minutes apart.

"The nurse actually told us that if my contractions were three minutes apart, to return to the hospital," Cisneros said. "We made it downstairs, and we were timing them, and they were three minutes apart."

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

The couple returned to the hospital, where Michelle said she was monitored for another hour before being discharged again.

"They did end up giving me morphine because I was in a lot of pain and I could barely speak," she said. "The nurse said to continue laboring at home and then come back, that I would most likely deliver that night."

Darren Campbell said he tried to convince hospital staff not to send his wife home.

FIREFIGHTERS, POLICE PULL YOUNG WOMAN FROM SEWAGE-FILLED RAVINE AFTER DAYS TRAPPED IN 104-DEGREE HEAT

"I said, 'Look, we're not leaving. Contractions are three minutes apart,'" he recalled. "It was very dismissive of, 'You guys are okay. You guys don't have to be here. Go home and we'll see you later.'"

Campbell said he initially believed they still had enough time to make it back to the hospital before their daughter made her grand debut.

About two miles from home, they pulled into a nearby Jack in the Box parking lot and called 911 as firefighters rushed to help deliver little Valentina.

"Michelle said, 'If you can keep going, we can make it,'" he recalled. "Then the words I'll never forget — she said, 'She's coming.' That's when I told 911 I was pulling into the Jack in the Box, and that's where I knew we were in trouble."

Campbell said the arrival of firefighters brought an immediate sense of relief.

"When I heard her cry, it was just sheer relief," he said. "My worst fears were extinguished."

"The moment that I heard her cry, I instantly felt relief," Cisneros said.

Looking back, Cisneros said she hopes other expectant mothers trust their instincts.

"Women should know that they can advocate for themselves, and they know their body best," she said. "I think it's really important for medical professionals to listen to their patients more."

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Campbell echoed his wife's message.

"No one knows your body better than yourself," he said. "If you've got that gut feeling, you just need to say, 'No, I know what I'm feeling.'"

The family spent several days recovering before returning home with their newest addition.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hoag Hospital for comment.

Jack in the Box also did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment after they reportedly offered the family a care package.

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Ways to stay safe from fake election websites

1) Find the campaign through a trusted source

2) Read the full web address

3) Look for the campaign disclaimer

4) Compare the store with the official campaign site

5) Understand what the browser padlock means

6) Slow down when the page creates urgency

7) Pay with a credit card when possible

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9) Never reuse a password on a campaign store

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Nancy Guthrie case: Unclaimed $1.2M reward suggests 'very small circle' of suspects, retired FBI agent says

Shark Week fans may want to think twice before eating this ocean predator, experts warn

Smithsonian exec who said DEI 'must be at the center' of institutions is raking in eye-popping salary

Trump retaliates after Iran attack as expert warns regime is growing more dangerous

California mom welcomes baby in Jack in the Box parking lot after little girl couldn't wait