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Cruz sounds alarm over $400M Hamas-era provision in Board of Peace plan — issues blunt warning

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:38:52 -0400

U.S. officials have for years warned that Hamas has exploited ostensibly civilian and humanitarian funding streams to support its terrorist infrastructure, fueling concerns over whether money entering Gaza can be kept out of the terror group's hands as a new U.S.-backed governing structure prepares to take control.

The Treasury Department has repeatedly targeted what it describes as Hamas financing networks, including a secret investment portfolio, sham charities and organizations that raised money under the guise of humanitarian work while supporting Hamas' military wing.

Those concerns resurfaced this week after Israel's Kan News reported that a provision in the Board of Peace's Gaza roadmap could allow up to $400 million to address unpaid obligations accumulated during Hamas' rule, including money owed to public-sector workers, suppliers and contractors.

The dispute is over whether a successor government can settle legitimate obligations inherited from nearly two decades of Hamas rule without indirectly benefiting the terrorist group. Critics warn that doing so could relieve financial burdens associated with Hamas' rule or create opportunities for the group to siphon off resources while it retains influence on the ground. Board officials argue the mechanism is instead designed to allow a successor government to preserve essential services and relationships with legitimate workers and suppliers — with each claim individually vetted and any payment that could benefit Hamas rejected.

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Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, sharply rejected the characterization that the provision amounted to a financial agreement with Hamas.

"The claims that there is a financial agreement between the Board of Peace and Hamas are false," Mladenov wrote in Hebrew on X Wednesday, adding that no such proposal had been "discussed, negotiated, or considered." He said the Board's objective remained the complete disarmament of Hamas and the establishment of civilian governance backed by an international security presence.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that he remained alarmed by the provision.

"I'm deeply concerned about these reports. Terrorists use money as fungible and they build credibility by having international donors finance their debts, which is why Congress long ago banned money from going to Palestinian governments in the West Bank," Cruz said.

"We also know that international donors paid for Hamas to build terrorist infrastructure across the Gaza Strip in the first place, and shouldn't be trusted to direct reimbursement money," Cruz continued. "Hamas should be utterly eradicated before new resources flow into Gaza."

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A senior Board of Peace official, speaking to Fox News Digital on background Thursday, pushed back on the premise that the roadmap commits $400 million to paying Hamas' debts.

"There's really just a commitment to analyze when we get the data. There's no commitment to fund anything. We don't have an obligation to even do $400 million," the official said.

The official described the provision as a three-year review process, capped at $400 million, under which the successor Gaza administration could determine whether particular unpaid obligations need to be resolved in order to maintain essential services and relationships with legitimate suppliers.

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"This notion that there's, like, a $400 million payoff vehicle, Hamas kind of has a commitment for it — none of that is true," the official said. "If anybody's gonna start running with a narrative that a $400 million committed tab is beginning now ... that would just be incorrect reporting. That's not the deal."

"No one's picking up a tab right now," the official added, saying any review would take place only after the new Gaza administration gains access to financial records allowing it to determine who the creditors are, what services they provided and whether those relationships are needed going forward.

"Even the first dollar of the $400 million, we're going to evaluate that first dollar," the official said. "It's not going to be a blank check handed to Hamas. It's going to be evaluated, rigorously analyzed."

The official compared the process to a corporate restructuring, arguing that while Hamas is being permanently removed from government, the successor administration cannot necessarily walk away from every legitimate obligation accumulated during the previous government's rule.

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He offered the example of a European pharmaceutical company that supplied medicine to Gaza hospitals but was never paid. If the new administration needs that company to continue supplying medicine, he said, resolving some of its unpaid invoices could be necessary to maintain the relationship.

"The theme here, really, is continuity of services," the official said.

Disarmament could precede payments area by area

The official did not say that Hamas would have to be fully disarmed across the entire Gaza Strip before the first claim could potentially be paid.

"The reality is that this is going to be community by community," the official said, explaining that the successor administration is expected to move into individual areas as Hamas disarms there.

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Asked whether Hamas would have to be completely removed from Gaza before the new administration could resolve an outstanding liability — for example, involving a hospital in Rafah — the official said a payment could occur even if Hamas had not yet been fully removed elsewhere in the Strip.

"The idea is that where those decisions are made, Hamas is not gonna be there," he said.

When Fox News Digital asked specifically whether it was accurate to say money would not be transferred into areas where Hamas remained in control, the official said: "It's accurate to say."

The official acknowledged that more complicated cases could arise if the same supplier operates in both Hamas-free and Hamas-controlled portions of Gaza. Officials might then have to determine whether to reimburse only the portion associated with the area controlled by the successor government or negotiate some other arrangement necessary to maintain the service.

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Board pushes back on fungibility concern

Cruz's central criticism is that money is fungible: if international donors satisfy obligations accumulated under Hamas rule, resources that might otherwise have been needed to cover those liabilities could theoretically be used elsewhere.

The Board official rejected that argument, saying Hamas is insolvent and was never going to pay many of the outstanding creditors in the first place.

"It's not as though we're alleviating them from, like, their budget that they actually were gonna actually go pay that $100 and now they get to save it," the official said.

"They were never paying it in the first place," he continued. "We're making a decision separate and apart from Hamas, whether this fits into our budget and our relationships."

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The official described Hamas as "dead insolvent right now" and "financially, completely, completely in shambles."

Fox News Digital also pressed the official on a separate concern: even if money is never transferred directly to Hamas, could the group extract taxes, payments or other benefits from suppliers or employees receiving funds while it remains armed elsewhere?

"If there's a risk that some of the money is going to still end up in the hands of Hamas, then we're gonna shut it down," the official said.

He said officials would examine each recipient, the services provided and where the money ultimately would go.

"If Hamas is not fully disarmed ... can it end up in their hands? If the answer to that question is yes, then they're not gonna get money," he said. "Like, that is crystal clear."

The official also disclosed that the Board intends to try to recover assets it believes Hamas stole and use those assets, where possible, to satisfy legitimate obligations.

"We are going to make a real effort to go and try to recover those assets and use some of those assets, where we have found theft ... to satisfy some of these obligations," he said.

If recovered assets are insufficient, the official said outside funding would come from countries in the region rather than Washington.

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"This is coming from regional partners. This is not coming from the United States," he said.

Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in federal case: reports

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:32:30 -0400

Accused UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty to the federal charges against him at a surprise pretrial conference Friday, according to local reports, a move that could upend his state-level murder trial just weeks before it's supposed to begin in New York City.

State and federal prosecutors and Mangione's legal team have not responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

But two of the city's major newspapers, the New York Post and New York Times, both reported Thursday that the 28-year-old former Ivy Leaguer is expected to plead guilty in his federal stalking case.

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Mangione is accused of following UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to a Manhattan Hilton hotel on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, and shooting him in the back hours before a business conference was supposed to take place there. Surveillance video shows a man in a hoodie approach Thompson from behind and open fire with a handgun — the same weapon authorities allege Mangione had in his backpack when he was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald's five days later.

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Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases previously. His defense team has had some success already, convincing judges in both cases to dismiss the most serious charges. As a result, he would no longer face capital punishment if convicted in a federal trial, and would not face life without parole if convicted in New York state.

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He could still face a maximum sentence of life without parole in federal prison if convicted in that case — but experts say he would probably avoid the stiffest possible sentence even if convicted by a jury.

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"Rarely somebody with no background, who’s educated, gets the maximum sentences," said Donna Rotunno, a Chicago criminal defense attorney and Fox News contributor. "Is he looking at minimum sentences? No. But at the end of the day, he’s benefiting from more serious charges being dismissed."

He is still likely looking at decades behind bars, and any legal issues arising from a potential plea deal could also delay the start of his state trial, which is supposed to begin with jury selection on Sept. 8, she said.

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This is a developing story.

Nazi salutes apparently directed at Israel soccer team fans during UEFA Conference League elimination match

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:28:35 -0400

Fans of an Israel-based soccer team appeared to be mocked with Nazi salutes during a recent match.

Hapoel Tel Aviv, of the Israeli Premier League, faced Polish Ekstraklasa team GKS Katowice in the UEFA Conference League on Wednesday, with the Israeli squad eliminating the Polish team.

But after the match, a hostile environment appeared to get even more tense, as several GKS Katowice fans appeared to do the salute in the direction of the Hapoel Tel Aviv fans.

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UEFA said in an email that the actions are "currently being reviewed."

GKS Katowice was bounced from the tournament despite defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv, 2-1, on Wednesday, as the next round is based on aggregate scores from two games against the foes. Hapoel Tel Aviv won its Aug. 6 match with GKS Katowice, 2-0, meaning it moved on with an aggregate score of 3-2.

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Another video from the game appeared to show one Hapoel Tel Aviv fan mocking the GKS Katowice fans by mimicking a sexual act as well as another grabbing his own crotch.

Hapoel Tel Aviv will face Serie A team Atalanta on Aug. 20.

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The months-long tournament is in the third tier of European soccer, with the winner qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. The next leg of the competition ends on Aug. 27, with 36 teams continuing to fight for promotion to Europe's second-best soccer tier.

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10 House incumbent lawmakers who saw their 2026 re-election bids end in primary defeat

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:23:56 -0400

So far during the 2026 election season, 10 incumbent House lawmakers have lost primaries, including three Republicans and seven Democrats.

The three Republican incumbents who fell short include Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Andy Ogles of Tennessee.

The seven incumbent House Democrats who lost include Al Green of Texas, Julie Johnson of Texas, Dan Goldman of New York, Adriano Espaillat of New York, Diana DeGette of Colorado, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, and John Larson of Connecticut.

The failed Texas and Tennessee U.S. House incumbents grappled with redistricting in their states that applied to this cycle.

1. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas

Crenshaw, the only U.S. House Republican incumbent seeking re-election in Texas who did not get President Donald Trump's endorsement, lost the GOP primary for Texas' 2nd Congressional District to state Rep. Steve Toth.

While Trump did not endorse either of the men ahead of the primary, he has since endorsed Toth.

Crenshaw has served in the House since 2019.

2. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

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Massie lost the Republican primary for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.

The race made history as the most expensive U.S. House primary contest ever, reports indicate.

Massie has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since late 2012.

3. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

Despite having Trump's endorsement, Ogles lost the GOP primary for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher.

Ogles has served in the House since 2023.

Trump backed Hatcher last week after he defeated Ogles in the primary.

"Last night was another good night for Endorsements, 8-1, and the 1 was a person who I remained loyal to even though he had virtually no chance of winning, and was running against a Great 'Trump' Candidate, and former Agricultural Commissioner of Tennessee, named Charlie Hatcher. Good luck Charlie! Run tough and hard. You have my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump declared in a Truth Social post.

4. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich.

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Thanedar, who has served as a lawmaker in the lower congressional chamber since 2023, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary in Michigan's 13th Congressional District this year to state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a Democratic socialist.

Thanedar declared in October 2023 that he was renouncing Democratic Socialists of America membership, though then-Detroit DSA co-chair Mikal Goodman declared at the time in a post on X that Thanedar "was expelled as a member on September 17th, by 91% of vote the general membership. He no longer had a membership to renounce."

5. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y.

Goldman, who took office in 2023, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary in New York's 10th Congressional District to former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Big Apple Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, had backed Lander ahead of the primary contest.

"He’ll bring principled leadership to Washington and make sure Congress works for the many, not just the few," Mamdani wrote in part of a post on X.

6. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y.

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WITH HISTORY OF ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC WINS VICIOUS DEM PRIMARY RACE

Espaillat lost the Democratic U.S. House primary for New York's 13th Congressional District to Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who was also endorsed by Mamdani.

The congressman has served in the U.S. House chamber since 2017.

He is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

7. Rep. Diana Degette, D-Colo.

DeGette lost the Democratic U.S. House primary for Colorado's 1st Congressional District to Democratic socialist Melat Kiros.

The congresswoman has served in the House for nearly two decades since taking office in 1997.

8. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas

Green, who has served in the House since 2005, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary runoff for Texas' 18th Congressional District to U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee.

9. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas

Johnson, who has only served in the House since last year, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary runoff for Texas' 33rd Congressional District to former Rep. Colin Allred.

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10. Rep. John Larson, D- Conn.

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Larson, who has served in the House since 1999, lost the Democratic U.S. House primary in Connecticut's 1st Congressional District to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

Matthew McConaughey prompts priceless reaction from Ella Langley after Oscar winner covers ‘Choosin’ Texas’

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:14:35 -0400

Matthew McConaughey is a Texas boy at heart.

During Wednesday's episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," the 56-year-old actor embraced his Southern roots by performing Ella Langley's hit song, "Choosin' Texas," alongside Fallon and indie folk band The Last Bison. The cover quickly drew attention on social media and even earned a response from Langley herself.

"I don't think I'll ever recover from this," Langley wrote on her Instagram Stories alongside a video of McConaughey and Fallon jamming to her hit song.

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Fans shared a similar sentiment.

"POV me driving singing this with my whole chest," one fan commented.

"The cover we didn’t know we needed," another wrote.

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The performance unfolded during a new installment of "Tonight Show Audience Suggestion Box," when Fallon read a submission that combined Langley’s hit with McConaughey’s latest movie, "The Rivals of Amziah King."

"I love that song ‘Choosin’ Texas’ by Ella Langley," Fallon read. "And I’m really excited to see Matthew McConaughey’s new movie ‘The Rivals of Amziah King,’ where he performs in a bluegrass band. If there was only a way to combine those things, that would be a dream come true."

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"This is ‘The Tonight Show,’ where dreams become reality," Fallon quipped.

Moments later, the curtain opened to reveal McConaughey with a mandolin in hand alongside The Last Bison, while Fallon joined in on the washboard. The group then launched into a bluegrass rendition of Langley's chart-topping hit.

McConaughey's cover comes as "Choosin' Texas" continues to make history for Langley.

ELLA LANGLEY'S 'CHOOSIN' TEXAS' SPENDS 15 WEEKS AT NUMBER ONE ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100

The country anthem recently scored its 17th nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running non-holiday No. 1 by a solo female artist in the chart's history.

The milestone pushed Langley past Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together," which each spent 14 weeks at the top of the chart.

For McConaughey, the song choice was particularly fitting.

The Oscar-winning actor has long been outspoken about his love for the Lone Star State, where he was born and later returned to raise his family.

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McConaughey left Malibu, California, for Austin, Texas, with his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, and their three children in 2014. He previously explained that returning to Texas was always part of his plan once he started a family.

"This has always been home, there are multiple reasons for that," McConaughey previously said during an appearance on "Today."

The "Dallas Buyers Club" star said his mother and two older brothers were also in Texas and explained that he wanted his children to experience some of the same values he grew up around.

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"I wanted them to have what I grew up around," he said, adding that there is a certain amount of "common sense" that comes with life in Texas.

Bride serves McDonald's customer in wedding dress while tying knot at restaurant: 'Handing out extra sauces'

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:10:54 -0400

A Northeast Ohio McDonald's restaurant was transformed into a wedding venue last Saturday as two co-workers said "I do" in front of friends, family, fellow employees and the occasional customer.

"We had people trying to come in the lobby the whole time," despite the dining room being closed to the public for the ceremony and reception, bride Jamie Callicoat, of Akron, Ohio, told Fox News Digital this week after marrying co-worker George Callicoat.

"I was handing out extra sauces to an actual customer in my wedding dress."

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Some customers made it to the kiosks inside to order, and the drive-thru remained open throughout the celebration. Everyone — including unsuspecting customers — "rolled with the punches," Jamie said.

"It's still work, if you're there off the clock, on the clock, whatever," she said. "We were there interrupting to have our personal wedding."

The intimate ceremony has since gone viral online.

"Social media content surrounding the wedding has already generated more than 20 million impressions across Instagram and Facebook, with the story continuing to spread," McDonald's of Northeast Ohio said in a news release.

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"We kind of figured it would get some attention, but this is just unreal," Jamie said of the reaction.

The newlyweds were back at work on the Tuesday after their wedding as customers and others who frequent the restaurant began congratulating them.

"Our Brinks guys, who come and pick up our money, came in and they both walked right up to us and said, 'Oh my gosh, we've seen the video. Congratulations!'" Jamie said.

"It's wild. It's really fun, though."

Jamie is a manager at the McDonald's where she wed George, the restaurant's crew trainer.

The pair met through mutual friends at Cedar Point in Ohio in June 2025 and went on a few dates. When Jamie moved to Akron and began working at the McDonald's in October 2025, George trained her.

Jamie said George's personality drew her to him.

"We just get along very well," she said. "I love everything about George. He's a great guy."

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"I love everything about her," George told Fox News Digital. "She is a wonderful person, very caring, very kind."

The pair became engaged at Cedar Point and initially planned to get married there, too. Then a district manager jokingly suggested they tie the knot at the McDonald's where they both work.

"We thought about it for a day or so and went back and were like, 'Well, were you guys serious?'" Jamie recalled. "And one thing kind of led to another, and here we are."

The celebration became a team effort, McDonald's said in its news release.

"Crew members and managers came together to help make the couple's wedding day special, providing dinner, a wedding cake and other touches for the celebration," McDonald's said. "Even the officiant had a McDonald's connection: the husband of the restaurant's general manager performed the ceremony."

McDonald's provided the venue, and despite ultimately holding a larger celebration than the destination-style wedding they had originally envisioned, Jamie said the ceremony was "cost-effective."

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The couple handled some of the decorations and food themselves. Guests were served pulled barbecue chicken, buffalo chicken dip, homemade rigatoni and fried chicken, while the kids ate fresh McDonald's food.

Even the flower girl got a McDonald's touch, tossing petals from a Happy Meal box.

"That was my decision, mostly," Jamie said. "I mean, we work at McDonald's. I thought it was cute."

The official Instagram account for McDonald's commented on a video of the ceremony, writing, "A modern day love story."

"Congrats to them on their McMarriage!" wrote another well-wisher. "'Forever After All' and we're McLovin' it."

One commenter even joked about McDonald's notoriously finicky soft-serve machines, but George said theirs wasn't a problem.

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"Ours is always working, unless it's being cleaned," he said.

Tammy Snider, the location's general manager, said it was "so much more than a wedding at a McDonald's."

"It's a story about two people in love and a restaurant team that wanted to make sure they felt celebrated," Snider said. "Our restaurants are places where friendships are made, milestones are celebrated and communities come together. George and Jamie's wedding is such a beautiful example of that."

Jamie called it a "perfect" outcome.

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"We had a great time," she said. "Our co-workers are amazing, our bosses are amazing and McDonald's is amazing for allowing us to do this."

Jack Story skipped his high school graduation to go bass fishing and walked away with $100K

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:06:40 -0400

Jack Story didn’t walk across the stage at his high school graduation. He was too busy winning $100,000.

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The 18-year-old Georgia angler made the decision earlier this year to skip his graduation ceremony and compete in the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American on Lake Murray. Looking back now, it doesn’t sound like he lost much sleep over it.

During a recent interview with OutKick Outdoors, Story said he originally qualified through a regional tournament and "never really expected" to make it to the All-American. But once he found out the tournament landed on the same day as graduation, the choice was pretty simple.

"I was going fishing, and they could either be accommodating or not," Story said. "Thankfully, they were very helpful with it."

His school wasn’t completely thrilled, though. Story said the headmaster and others at the school "handled it about as well as they could have," even if they would have preferred to see him in a cap and gown.

Still, some tried to make him reconsider.

"One of my teachers kind of hinted that I should be at graduation," Story said. "But it just wasn’t even an option."

Watch Jack Story's full interview with OutKick Outdoors here:

Story went on to win the All-American and the $100,000 prize that came with it. He also qualified for REDCREST 2027 and the Toyota Series Championship — a pretty strong consolation prize for missing a graduation ceremony.

Still, even weeks later, he said the whole thing feels surreal.

"It was so stressful during the tournament that I think it was a huge relief, but I also didn’t even know what to do," Story said. "The feeling of accomplishment doesn’t even register. Looking back on it, it doesn’t feel real."

The win also came with a little family bragging rights.

Story’s dad previously fished the All-American and finished 34th. So yes, beating him was somewhere on the checklist.

"I thought that was going to be pretty easy given the lake it was on," Story said.

But that wasn’t the only goal. Story said he wanted to beat the other two anglers from his regional and keep advancing. Instead, he ended up winning the whole thing.

His dad’s advice has always been simple: If you’re going to do something, go all in. That applied to fishing, too.

"If I wanted to skip school to go fish, I was at least going to actually fish," Story said. "His thing was, if you’re going to fish, you’re going to fish all day. Just dedicate yourself to it."

That mindset mattered at Lake Murray. Because Story’s victory was anything but smooth.

The final day came down to 10 ounces, and Story said he knew it was going to be close. What made it worse was the fact that he had already been hit with penalties after issues with his livewells and oxygen tank.

"I was really stressed out about the fact that I could lose because of penalties," Story said. "I’d rather lose by 10 pounds than lose by any sort of penalty."

In other words, this was not some easy stroll to a giant check.

"No, very far from," Story said.

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There was also the added pressure of chasing history. Now the tournament's youngest winner ever, Story broke a 15-year record previously held by Jacob Wheeler — one of the biggest names in the sport.

Unfortunately, Story found out about the record before the tournament was over.

"I honestly wish I would have figured that out after, rather than the night of day two," Story said. "Somebody texted me, and I was like, ‘Dude, that is not what I needed.’ It made it more stressful because instantly, that became my goal."

Since the win, Story said life has included more interviews, podcasts and attention. But mostly, it has included more fishing.

He had a rough finish in a high school tournament shortly after the All-American, and that did not sit well with him.

"I hate losing in fishing, especially when it’s to one of my friends," Story said. "I’ve got to get my get-back, if that makes sense. I want to go beat them again the next day. I just want to fish, and I want to win."

Story is headed to Carson-Newman, where he plans to fish in college. He is also considering fishing the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals if he can make the schedule work.

"Might as well," he said.

For other kids who want to get into competitive fishing, Story said persistence matters. So does helping parents understand that fishing can create real opportunities, including scholarships.

"I don’t think people really realize that you can get a scholarship for fishing," Story said. "If you dedicate yourself and put in the constructive work to get there, I think it’s easier than people make it seem. You just have to know how to do it."

More than that, Story said fishing gave him something positive to pour himself into.

"I’m out of trouble because I fish," he said. "It keeps you out of trouble. You’re doing something outdoors. It’s good."

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And even after winning $100,000 at 18 years old, Story is already thinking about helping more kids get on the water.

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"I really enjoy taking the younger generation fishing," Story said. "I think every kid deserves the opportunity to fish, and that’s that."

We couldn't agree more.

Love all things fishing and outdoors? Follow OutKick Outdoors on Instagram and TikTok!

Fox News AI Newsletter: One year until AI market busts, investor says

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:55:08 -0400

Welcome to Fox News' Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

- We have one year until the AI market busts, Niles Investment Management founder says

- Zuckerberg lays out vision to put superintelligent AI in everyone's hands

- A Southern state just took the top spot in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries

ON THE CLOCK: Niles Investment Management founder Dan Niles discusses the future of the AI market on FOX Business' "Making Money."

NEW ERA: Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday outlined his vision for a world where personal superintelligence is available to everyone rather than only a select few.

NUMBER ONE, Y’ALL: North Texas has beaten some of the world’s biggest data center hubs to claim the No. 1 spot in a new global ranking, as Texas becomes an increasingly powerful player in the industry.

PROSPERITY PLAY: Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar said he’s seen significant progress since his Fox News op-ed imploring America to take advantage of both AI and the American worker, while sharing some observations on China’s use of AI.

'MUCH BIGGER RISK': David Bahnsen warns of circular credit risks as Nvidia launches a $500 billion AI financing program. The financial analyst tells Stuart Varney that partnering with Blackstone and BlackRock to fund earnings-poor tech customers dramatically heightens volatility. Bahnsen compares the massive scale of this sector's debt expansion to previous market corrections, urging caution for retail investors.

GRID BOOST: Base Power co-founder and CEO Zach Dell discusses the challenges facing America's electrical grid amid skyrocketing electricity demand. Dell explains how his company's home battery backup technology helps Texas homeowners manage rising utility bills and maintain power reliability. The discussion highlights how the artificial intelligence boom and data centers are accelerating the nation's power crunch.

POWER STRUGGLE: The artificial intelligence boom is fueling a data center rush in Texas and opening a rare divide between President Donald Trump and one of his closest political allies — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

HARD HAT ECONOMY: The future of artificial intelligence may depend less on coders than on construction workers, electricians and factory technicians.

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Lioness star Michael Kelly calls Taylor Sheridan 'one of the greatest storytellers' in entertainment

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:53:24 -0400

"Lioness" star Michael Kelly is a huge fan of Taylor Sheridan.

The third season of Sheridan's Paramount+ CIA/military series is currently airing, and as expected, it's absolutely awesome.

Of course, that's far from Sheridan's only monster hit. He's responsible for creating the "Yellowstone" universe, "Sicario," "Landman," "Wind River" and many other exceptional projects.

ZOE SALDAÑA SAYS TAYLOR SHERIDAN 'REALLY SEES WOMEN' AS LIONESS SEASON THREE HITS PARAMOUNT+

The man has no equal in entertainment.

"Lioness" star pours praise on Taylor Sheridan.

Kelly is one of the major figures in "Lioness," and it sounds like he'll do literally any project Sheridan might cook up.

The talented actor told ScreenRant the following when discussing the creative visionary:

I've never thought about how the shows could cross over, but I have told Taylor, I'm like, 'Bro, anything you ever want me to do, I'll do. I love being in Texas. I love saying your words.' I think he's truly a standalone talent. There's nobody who's doing or has ever done what he's doing. It's incredible what he does. And he's just one of the smartest dudes you'll ever meet. He's fricking brilliant, man. Brilliant. And just one of the greatest storytellers.

TAYLOR SHERIDAN’S 'YELLOWSTONE’ FORMULA TURNS COUNTRY STARS INTO SCENE-STEALERS AS MORGAN WADE MAKES HER DEBUT

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Kelly's comments about wanting to do any project Sheridan has is pretty on-point. The stars the "Yellowstone" creator attracts are outstanding.

He's worked with Kevin Costner, Sam Elliott, Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner, Billy Bob Thornton and more.

Getting into a Sheridan project is about the biggest thing you can do in the entertainment world in 2026, and it all started with "Yellowstone."

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Now, there's no looking back, and his new deal with NBCUniversal is reportedly worth north of $1 billion. It pays well to be at the top of the mountain.

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What's your favorite Sheridan movie or show? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Mark Consuelos confesses what would keep him in 'loveless marriage' with Kelly Ripa

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:49:21 -0400

Mark Consuelos revealed that he’d rather stay in a "loveless marriage" with Kelly Ripa than risk losing their dog Lena in a divorce.

"How do we fight over pets in a divorce?" Ripa asked in the opening segment of Tuesday's episode of "Live with Kelly and Mark," a prerecorded episode from before she was out for oral surgery.

"I mean, listen. Let’s just put it this way," Consuelos responded. "I would stay in a loveless marriage just to make sure I could be with Lena every day. That’s how much I love Lena."

KELLY RIPA'S PAINFUL SURGERY LEAVES HER UNABLE TO SPEAK

Ripa asked him sarcastically, "Is that all you’re asking for is a loveless marriage? Because that can be arranged."

Consuelos added that if he ever lost Lena in a divorce, he would "stay up at night, wondering what she is doing."

Ripa quipped that he would be "wondering if there was some other man petting her."

They were discussing a new bill in Pennsylvania that would change pets from being considered property to members of the family in a divorce, according to People.

The couple rescued Lena, a Maltese and Shih Tzu mix, in 2021 after she was featured in a pet adoption segment on the show.

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Ripa said her main worry when she adopted Lena was that she wouldn’t get along with Chewie, a Shih Tzu she adopted from a 2007 segment on the show.

Chewie died last year at 17 years old.

The two dogs got along right away, she said — but her children wanted Lena to be named after a "Star Wars" character.

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"My kids want her to be named Leia, as in Princess Leia, because we have Chewie," she said on the show soon after adopting the pup, according to People. "I don't know. I need guidance."

But the name Lena stuck.

Ripa talked about the importance of rescuing pets on the show in 2022.

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"Adopt your dogs if you can, because they’re the best," she said to applause from the audience. "They’re like, ‘We’ve been in the system, we don’t want to go back. We’re going to be extra good. We’re hardly going to poop anywhere we’re not supposed to, and we’re rarely going to chew things that aren’t meant to be chewed.'"

Ripa and Consuelos have been married for 30 years and they share three children.

Ex-House Dem who ripped congressional stock trading ban as 'bulls---' changes her tune in comeback bid

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:00:43 -0400

Former Congresswoman Elaine Luria’s record on congressional stock trading — and a net worth that skyrocketed during her time in office — is clashing with her campaign rhetoric in one of the country’s most competitive districts.

Luria, the Democrat who previously represented Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District from 2019 to 2023, told attendees at a recent candidate forum that she would "support" legislation to ban members of Congress from owning or trading stocks.

"I will say that this is an issue where I’ve changed my opinion over time. I will support the STOCK Act," Luria said, referring to proposals to limit trading for lawmakers.

She framed her position as a matter of public trust.

WATCH: DEM CANDIDATE GRILLED ON STOCK TRADING AFTER BEING DUPED WITH SELFIE REQUEST

"At first, I thought, well, you know, you elect people to Congress, they make important decisions. Don’t you trust them? And will you trust them with personal finances? And I came to see that, over time, really everything that Congress is doing has eroded that trust."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a campaign spokesperson echoed that framing.

"Elaine has seen the corruption in Washington that has allowed Jen Kiggans and Donald Trump to raise health care premiums, drive-up energy costs, and use their offices to benefit dark money donors and political interests. That’s why Elaine will continue to call for a ban of Members of Congress on trading stocks in office, fight to end the corruption in Washington perpetuated by Jen Kiggans and the Trump administration, and lower costs for working families," the campaign said.

However, the new position stands in stark contrast with her own past comments on the issue and highlights how candidates in competitive districts are being forced to grapple with the issue.

When asked about a stock ban proposal in 2022, Luria told reporters that the "whole concept is bulls---."

Luria’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her changed stance.

Luria had a number of documented financial positions during her House career, including $250,000 in stocks with Alibaba, a Chinese company — the most of any Democrat in the House of Representatives in 2021. While she sold the Alibaba shares in March 2021, she held onto them during her entire first term in Congress.

MARINE VET TAKES AIM AT TRUMP, MUSK IN VIDEO LAUNCH FOR KEY SWING HOUSE SEAT

In another instance, Luria’s husband purchased between $1,000 and $15,000 in Tesla Inc. stock as President Joe Biden’s signature Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was making its way through Congress, according to disclosure records.

Among other provisions, the bill appropriated $7.5 billion in funding for electric vehicle charging stations, aiming to incentivize buyers away from combustion engines and reduce carbon emissions.

According to disclosures, Luria’s husband made the purchase in March 2021 — eight months before Luria ultimately voted for the bill and before Tesla’s stock jumped nearly 50%.

In total, Luria’s net worth skyrocketed during her time in Congress, going from roughly $3.7 million to a peak of up to $35.81 million in 2021. When she left office after losing her 2022 re-election bid, her net worth had returned to a value similar to what it had been when she entered Congress, ranging from $3.4 million to $12.9 million.

HOW MIKIE SHERRILL’S FAMILY MADE MILLIONS AFTER SHE WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS

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Luria’s time in office came to an end when she lost in a 51.6% to 48.2% bid against Republican challenger Jen Kiggans.

Luria and Kiggans will face off again in the 2026 general election on Nov. 3.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that former Rep. Luria was an Alibaba investor before taking office in 2019, and sold her shares in early 2021, over a year before losing her 2022 re-election bid. A previous version of this article indicated that she still owned the shares when she left office. Rep. Luria’s net worth figures have also been clarified. The value skyrocketed during her term in office before returning to roughly its original value.

Joey Chestnut suffers shocking defeat at minor league baseball game but it comes with one giant asterisk

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:41:20 -0400

I've said it many times, unironically: Joey Chestnut is one of, if not the most dominant athletes of all time.

But even Michael Jordan took a couple of losses in his day, and the man they call "Jaws" just took a heartbreaking loss in a tater tot eating contest during his barnstorming tour of minor league baseball stadiums.

However, this loss will come with one big, fat asterisk.

JOEY CHESTNUT REVEALS FOODS HE WON'T EAT IN COMPETITION AS HE TOURS MINOR LEAGUE STADIUMS FOR LOCAL DELICACIES

Chestnut has been going around the country for special events and doing what he does best, eating copious amounts of food and obliterating the competition in the process.

However, when he rolled into a Lake Country DockHounds game just outside of Milwaukee, Chestnut met his match.

He lost the tater tot eating contest by just one tenth of an ounce.

Down goes Chestnut! Down goes Chestnut!

A stunner. I can't even wrap my head around how much tater tot is equal to a tenth of an ounce. I wish I had a bag of Ore-Ida's and a kitchen scale on me to figure it out (I checked the freezer; no tots, but there was a freezer-burned bag of Arby's curly fries in the back, so we were close).

It has to be like a sliver of a tot. You could accidentally inhale that much and not even notice.

A shocking defeat... or is it?

Reread that post: Chestnut took on pairs of fans.

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That means two guys tag-teamed trays of tots like a pair of hungry Napoleon Dynamites and still only won by less of a tater tot than is probably between your driver's seat and center console right now.

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So you know what? That's not a loss for Chestnut; that's a win in my book, and the record books should reflect that.

Give him the L, but let's make sure that there's an asterisk on stand-by to explain it.

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I knew there was no way Jaws was going down mano-a-mano in a tot-off.

Justice Department slams 'politically motivated demands' of DC Council asking govs to remove National Guard

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:39:53 -0400

The Justice Department slammed the D.C. Council for its "politically motivated demands" and "impotent theatrics" after its members sent letters to governors asking them to recall their National Guard troops from the nation’s capital.

The development comes as FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital this week that "homicides in D.C. are down an incredible 44% from last year" when President Donald Trump’s administration launched the Safe and Beautiful initiative in Washington, D.C., which increased the federal law enforcement presence and deployed hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops to combat crime.

"I am not surprised that your recent letter to state governors regarding the National Guard feigns ignorance of the historic public safety strides made in our Nation's capital since August 11, 2025," Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald wrote in a letter addressed to the D.C. Council. "I am surprised and saddened, however, that you would show such callousness — instead of compassion and care — toward your constituents, who now live in a city with far less violence and fear thanks to the National Guard and the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force."

"Let me be clear, your council has no power to demand that governors remove their brave men and women from serving in uniform in our Nation's capital. Your politically-motivated letter is impotent theatrics not worth the paper it's written on, and D.C. is a much safer place no matter what you say," McDonald added. "Because you refuse to speak the truth about the life-preserving work of the Task Force, the truth will speak for itself."

FBI TOUTS 6,000 ARRESTS, 44% HOMICIDE DROP ONE YEAR INTO TRUMP'S DC CRIME CRACKDOWN

The Justice Department said in a message on X that "This Department of Justice will not stand for these politically motivated demands."

"We will continue standing with @POTUS and the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force to deliver historic results for the community — and for visitors from across the country and around the world to enjoy," it added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives of D.C. Council members for comment.

The letters, co-signed by the D.C. Council members, were sent to the governors of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming in late July, according to the office of Councilmember At-Large Robert White.

Each letter opened the same, saying, "We write as elected officials representing the District of Columbia to respectfully request that you withdraw all troops currently deployed to the District by September 1, 2026."

DC MURDER RATE SEES ASTONISHING TURNAROUND AS TRUMP TEAM CREDITS FEDERAL CRACKDOWN

"There are approximately 5,148 Guard personnel currently deployed to the District under the premise that an extraordinary military presence was necessary to address public safety. Yet analysis of the deployment has found only a modest decrease in property crime and no measurable reduction in violent crime attributable to the Guard’s presence since August 2025," the letters continue.

"The deployment has, however, cost American taxpayers more than $3 million per day, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Continuing this deployment despite the absence of a demonstrated violent-crime benefit would misuse both taxpayer dollars — in the billions, if maintained for years at its expanded scale — and the service of the Guard member themselves," the letters add, claiming that at a time where families in each of the states "and across the country are struggling with the cost of groceries, housing, health care, and other necessities, wasting those resources on an ineffective, indefinite deployment that neither District residents nor officials asked for is disrespectful to American taxpayers."

The letters conclude by saying that: "We recognize that the America 250 events present significant public safety and logistical challenges for the District and have required coordination across multiple jurisdictions. We are grateful to the Guard members who have been present to support the nation’s capital during this exceptionally busy period. Once the principal event-related needs conclude on September 1, 2026, we respectfully ask that they be permitted to return home to their families, careers and communities, rather than remain indefinitely assigned to a costly mission that has not demonstrated a measurable impact on violent crime."

However, McDonald said in his letter "Thanks to courageous and steadfast support from National Guard units, Task Force members have conducted thousands of arrests, located lost and missing children, and taken substantial numbers of illegal firearms off the city's streets" and that the National Guard "has personally intervened in numerous assaults and provided medical aid on innumerable occasions, including repeatedly administering life-saving NARCAN to citizens in peril."

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"While you slander these men and women as ‘outside military forces,’ I refer to them as true American heroes," he also said. "You should withdraw your letters and dedicate your remaining time in public service to correcting D.C.'s laws to ensure criminals are punished and the public is protected — not the other way around."

Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.

Fun fact: Sea otters have the densest fur of any mammal

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:25:51 -0400

Scroll through the slideshow and be amazed

Harvard-China links unearthed as Congress finds 140 papers co-authored by CCP military universities

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:00:40 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Harvard allegedly failed to adequately safeguard research collaborations with Chinese institutions, including universities tied to Beijing’s military and defense-industrial base, according to a report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Researchers affiliated with the New England Ivy League co-authored more than 140 publications with other researchers affiliated with a group of Chinese universities, according to the report reviewed by Fox News Digital ahead of its public release.

The "Seven Sons of National Defense" are a group of Chinese universities identified by the Pentagon and other U.S. officials as central to China’s defense research and military modernization efforts. The House Committee created to crackdown on China argues that Harvard’s approach to research security opened the door for collaborations that could advance technological and military capabilities of the hostile nation.

Harvard also reportedly received more than $600 million from China under the federal Section 117 foreign-gift disclosure system — more than any other American university, according to the Education Department dashboard cited in the report. The committee argues the U.S. university's financial ties to China heighten the need for strict oversight of its research partnerships and foreign-funding disclosures.

HARVARD TOPS NATION IN FOREIGN CASH HAUL AS COTTON DEMANDS PROBE INTO CHINA FUNDING

The stakes in the latest report extend far beyond Harvard. U.S. officials have warned for years that China uses academic partnerships and access to Western research to advance CCP strategic capabilities in military, surveillance and other areas.

The House Select Committee on China argues that universities receiving U.S. taxpayer funding must do more than meet the narrowest legal requirements when collaborating with institutions embedded in China’s military research system, particularly when it comes to technology with potential defense or military uses.

The report highlights a 2023 paper on bio-inspired soft robots for deep-sea exploration co-authored by a Harvard-affiliated researcher and a researcher from Beihang University, one of the Seven Sons institutions. Beihang, also known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has appeared on the Commerce Department’s Entity List since 2001.

The committee report argues the work examined in the paper has potential military applications, including underwater detection, while Harvard’s research-compliance office characterized the project as nonmilitary research.

FOREIGN ROBOT BAN TARGETS CHINA OVER SECURITY FEARS

Harvard researchers also co-authored a 2023 paper with a researcher at China’s National University of Defense Technology, another institution on a U.S. restricted list, according to the report. That study involved magnetic materials and acknowledged partial support from the U.S. Army Research Office.

The committee said it reviewed publications spanning dozens of disciplines and found that engineering accounted for the largest share of Harvard-affiliated research involving Seven Sons institutions.

"From allowing violence against anti-China protestors to collaborating with entities linked to the PLA, Harvard has made serious mistakes and must act now to prevent more. It should use this investigation as a catalyst for significant reforms that end CCP influence on campus and prioritize secure American research," Committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said in a statement.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Harvard said it "shares the Committees’ concern about geopolitical risks, including threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and is committed to continuing to conduct research and academic programming with protections that prioritize U.S. interests and national security."

"Harvard follows national security standards and guidance set by the federal government for its international collaborations," a university spokesperson said. "Additionally, where appropriate, federal agencies who are best able to assess real-time national security risks work with Harvard to put in place agency approved risk mitigation measures for federally funded research."

"Harvard disagrees with mischaracterizations that fail to reflect the University’s documented record of compliance, cooperation, and commitment to protecting and advancing U.S. interests, national security, and global standing," the spokesperson continued.

The report also examines Harvard’s executive education program with China’s National Healthcare Security Administration, which trained Chinese health officials on international health-insurance systems.

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According to the report, attendance and registration records show officials affiliated with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or XPCC, were listed in connection with some sessions. The Treasury Department sanctioned XPCC in 2020 over human-rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

The report acknowledges it is unclear whether XPCC officials ultimately attended every program in question.

It alleges, however, that Harvard had advance participant information for a 2020 online session that included XPCC-affiliated officials and did not take further action.

Harvard professor Winnie Yip, who helped organize the executive education program, told committee investigators she did not know XPCC was a sanctioned entity at the time and had not received training on sanctions compliance, according to the report.

The report further alleges Harvard’s research-security practices focused too narrowly on technical legal compliance and failed to account for broader national-security risks posed by work with Chinese military-linked institutions.

It cites testimony from a Harvard research official, who said the university evaluates research collaborations case by case and does not prohibit all work involving robotics or Chinese institutions. The committee criticized that approach, arguing research with entities embedded in China’s military-civil fusion system can have military applications even when the research is unclassified and intended for publication.

The committee's report also raises questions about Harvard Global Research and Support Services, a nonprofit affiliated with the university that can accept awards when Harvard is unable to accept a sponsor’s terms directly. The panel alleges the entity could be used to circumvent federal foreign-gift reporting requirements, an allegation Harvard will likely dispute.

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The report recommends that Harvard prohibit research relationships with entities on U.S. government restricted or sanctioned lists and centralize its research-security oversight. It also urges Congress to strengthen foreign-funding disclosure requirements for universities.

Trump admin marks 15 straight months with zero border releases as apprehensions plunge 94%

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:26:00 -0400

President Donald Trump's administration says it has gone 15 straight months without a single release at the border as of Thursday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's office says daily apprehensions at the border are down 94% compared to former President Joe Biden's administration and are at the lowest level seen in 30 years.

"Again this month, the results are clear: President Trump’s border security agenda is restoring order and putting the safety of the American people first," Mullin said in a statement.

"DHS remains focused on enforcing our immigration laws, securing the border, and ensuring those who enter our country illegally are removed swiftly. Thanks to the strong leadership of President Trump, we have the most secure border in history," he added.

'AMERICA FIRST' IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL BILL WOULD CODIFY TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN PROMISES ONCE AND FOR ALL

Meanwhile, seizures of contraband at the border in July were 26% higher than under Biden, with authorities seizing cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana.

INSIDE UNDERGROUND EL PASO STORM DRAIN SYSTEM BORDER PATROL SAYS CARTELS EXPLOIT TO SMUGGLE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also helped enforce Trump's tariff policies, flagging $23 billion in duties identified for collection in July alone.

"Clear policy, strong enforcement, and dedicated frontline personnel are delivering results at our borders," CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement.

"With the support of President Trump and Secretary Mullin, CBP is securing our nation against illegal crossings, dangerous individuals, and illicit drugs while keeping lawful trade and travel moving. These results show what is possible when border security is treated as a national priority," he added.

The Trump administration is still moving to increase its immigration enforcement efforts. Last month, the House of Representatives moved toward codifying several of Trump's immigration orders.

The Permanent Trump Secure Border Act would criminalize visa overstays and increase penalties for unlawful entry, would effectively end "catch and release" policies by requiring most illegal migrants to be detained or returned while their cases are pending and tighten asylum eligibility and humanitarian parole, among other provisions.

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The measure would also bolster the CBP by directing the DHS to modernize border facilities, expand staffing and workforce planning and deploy more surveillance technology, including drones, radar systems, biometric screening and DNA collection.

Fox News' Adam Pack contributed to this report.

Warren’s ancestry saga roars back after Dem ally touts Native Senate first: ‘Arrows fired’

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:17:26 -0400

Minnesota Democratic Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan is pitching donors on the prospect of becoming the first Native American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate — drawing attention to one of her prominent endorsers, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whose past claims of Native American identity became a yearslong political controversy.

"In almost 250 years, there’s never been a Native woman serving in the US Senate. It’s time to change that," the email reads. "I am Ojibwe and a proud member of the White Earth Nation. My family is the Wolf Clan. The mission of my clan is to never leave anyone behind — and that’s been my guiding principle … Right now, there are no Native voices in the US Senate. If I win this race, we can change that."

Throughout her career, Warren identified herself as a Native American, writing "American Indian" on her Texas bar-registration card and describing herself as a minority in the Association of American Law Schools directory. Since 2019, Warren has walked back her indigenous identity, clarifying that she is not a person of color nor a citizen of a tribe, and stating that she should not have identified herself as an American Indian.

TAFOYA MAKES 'COMMON SENSE' PITCH TO DISAFFECTED DEMOCRATS AS SHE VOWS TO FIGHT MINNESOTA’S ‘SOCIALIST LURCH’

"Wow, arrows fired," podcast host Michael Duncan wrote of the email.

Warren supported Flanagan in Minnesota's Democratic Senate primary.

"The Democrat nominee for Senate in Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan , just sent out a fundraising email on the DNC list that admits that Elizabeth Warren is NOT Native American," conservative commentator Steve Guest posted to X, adding, "tough break for Fauxcahontas."

"Has anybody checked on Elizabeth Warren?" the Republican Party quipped on X.

"Elizabeth Warren just took her peace pipe and went home to throw a tantrum," another user replied.

WARREN PUSHED ‘FREE AND EASY’ IRS FILING SYSTEM, BUT DOCS REVEAL WHAT SHE USED INSTEAD

President Donald Trump famously lampooned Warren’s claimed ancestry by labeling her "Pocahontas." The feud between the two culminated in Warren taking a genetic test in 2018, which found she was between 0.1% and 1.6% Native American.

"Excuse me? How dare she disrespect Elizabeth Warren like that?" libertarian commentator Brad Polumbo wrote, ironically.

ELIZABETH WARREN CONFRONTED ON CALLING CONTROVERSIAL SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER HER 'KIND OF MAN'

Multiple X users posted AI-generated images of Warren in Native American garb looking dejected or angry in response to the fundraising email.

"Elizabeth Warren is doing a land acknowledgement on Flanagan's head," New York Post columnist Kirsten Fleming quipped.

"I can say this because I am part of the Cherokee Nation, but these two should powwow over this," podcaster Dave Van de Walle joked.

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The Flanagan campaign and Warren’s office did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Soccer host and model Eva Murati skillfully extends a middle finger to those itching for fall in her bikini

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:14:15 -0400

I may never have written a more accurate headline than the one I wrote last summer when I brilliantly announced, "Nobody Bikini Vacations Harder Than Champions League Host & Model Eva Murati."

It was true then and it's true now. It was at the exact same time that it is now. It was August, we were waiting for football season to kickoff, and the Albanian actress, model, and host was going as hard as someone can go on a vacation.

There was intent, beyond making sure she remained the internet's favorite Champions League host. That intent, I should mention and to Murati's credit, remains in her latest vacation effort.

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It's a testament to her. She's skillfully extending a middle finger to those out there itching for fall to arrive. She's doing something she says is "Summermaxxing," whatever that is in her bikini.

While I'm not going to try to figure out "maxxing," I get what Eva Murati is doing here. She's taking summer down to the wire. She's not reaching for the pumpkin spice. Fall can wait.

It's how she's able to extend herself beyond the soccer world. Speaking of that and of brilliant headlines, calling for Murati to cover college football is another great call.

THREE COLLEGE FOOTBALL STORYLINES TO FOCUS ON INSTEAD OF LSU COACH LANE KIFFIN THIS OFFSEASON

Shortly after I scouted the vacation last year, Joe was pushing for that. That hasn't taken place yet, but sometimes it takes a while for the ball to get rolling on those sorts of game-changing moves.

Not everyone is moving at the same pace. The talent is there. It's getting the right people to open their eyes and recognize it, that's the trick.

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I let important moves like Eva Murati working college football work themselves out. All I really have control of is properly identifying content at the right moment in time. The rest is out of my hands.

Eva Murati and her summer vacations moving to college football would be great for her brand.

El-Sayed invokes Jesus while accusing Mike Rogers of hiding behind ‘simulacrum of faith’

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:12:33 -0400

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed drew sharp Republican rebukes after invoking Jesus Christ to question GOP opponent Mike Rogers' Christian faith during an "I've Had It Podcast" interview, escalating a personal clash in the pivotal race for Michigan's open Senate seat.

Michigan Republican Party spokesperson Ted Goodman told Fox News Digital Wednesday that El-Sayed had no standing to dismiss Rogers’ faith while lecturing Christians about their religion.

"It's quite something for Mr. El-Sayed to lecture Christians on the teachings of Jesus while dismissing a man’s sincere faith as somehow, 'simulacrum,'" Goodman said.

DEM ATTORNEY BACKS GOP HOPEFUL IN MICHIGAN RACE AGAINST EL-SAYED, 'JUMPING SHIP' FROM HIS PARTY'S 'LUNATICS'

"Whether one is a practicing Christian or not, no serious person can minimize the profound contributions of Christian teaching, morality, and philosophy to the founding principles and enduring greatness of America, or to the character of public servants like Mike Rogers who live them out," he added.

El-Sayed made the remarks after host Jennifer Welch raised questions about members of Rogers' campaign faith coalition and their connection to Living Word Church. El-Sayed accused Rogers of invoking religion without following what he described as Christ's eternal message.

"He’s going to hide behind this simulacrum of faith, which clearly, you know, if you followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, it was about upending the system against the richest and most powerful in the ways that they used their power and their money to subjugate other people," El-Sayed said. "Like, that was the essential teaching."

In a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital, RNC national spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre responded by questioning El-Sayed's compatibility with American culture.

MICHIGAN SENATE RACE: EL-SAYED’S TIES TO EXTREMIST FUEL ANTISEMITISM CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH VOTERS

"He's fundamentally incompatible with Western values and invoking Jesus' name isn't going to change that," Baldassarre said.

Rogers broadened the cultural dispute during an appearance on "Hannity," accusing El-Sayed of opposing American traditions popular with Michigan voters.

"When I go back, I want to, you know, make sure we're protecting our faith, and our families, and our factories, while he’s advocating… doing away with our fireworks, football, the 4th of July," Rogers said. "This guy spent hours hating on what most Michiganders would enjoy in their pastimes, and he should be held into account for that."

El-Sayed answered Rogers' criticism Wednesday by challenging him on X to play football without protective equipment.

MICHIGAN DEM SENATE NOMINEE COMES UNDER FIRE OVER RESURFACED BLOG POST LINKING FOOTBALL TO 'TOXIC MASCULINITY'

"Since you're too afraid to debate me, how about you ‘hold me accountable’ on a football field instead. Tackle, no pads like we used to play when we were kids. I'd be happy to show you how much I love football," El-Sayed said.

El-Sayed defeated establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in last week's Democratic primary and will face Rogers in November for the seat vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

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Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed and Rogers for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

WATCH: Top House Republican brands El-Sayed, Mamdani 'hair tonic salesmen' in brutal jab

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:05:54 -0400

The No. 3 House Republican is arguing that fringe Democrats who are fast becoming top figures on the left are selling Americans a false bill of goods.

"Unfortunately, you've got these hair-tonic salesmen like [Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed] and [New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani] that are selling them literally the same thing that Pinocchio was sold when he was taken to the island, that you're going to get everything and of course everybody turns into a donkey," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital.

A far-left insurgency has gripped the primary election season this year, toppling establishment Democrats in multiple states across the country.

It's provided fodder for Republicans, who are fighting an uphill battle to keep control of Congress and who are arguing that Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-linked candidates are further to the left than what most people in the country are comfortable with.

SOCIALIST VICTORIES SHOW DEMS' DESCENT DOWN 'DEADLY PATH OF COMMUNISM,' JOHNSON WARNS

DSA-linked candidates in New York, Colorado and Michigan have already defeated four sitting House Democrats and will likely ascend to the House of Representatives next year.

El-Sayed, who has denied being a Democratic socialist but aligns closely with groups and people who do identify with the label, defeated an establishment-backed moderate in Michigan's Senate primary.

"Somebody who's talented and works hard can actually achieve in this country. They object to that, because you know what? Everybody should have the same in their book, regardless of their abilities, regardless of their effort," Emmer said. "It's never worked anywhere else in the world in history. Their way doesn't work. Unfortunately, we got a lot of young people who have been done a disservice with the education. They may have to learn this firsthand."

DEMOCRATS LURE ‘POLITICALLY HOMELESS’ GEN Z TOWARD SOCIALISM — A COUNTERATTACK IS TAKING SHAPE

"There are challenges in this country that we cannot ignore, right? People are struggling to make ends meet. This generation has more bills than any generation before them, because of their cell phones and the streaming services and all the things that they have that they have to deal with every day," Emmer said.

He said younger Americans are feeling "frustration" at those challenges, but that the socialist left is pushing solutions that are untenable.

Visitors to the DSA website are asked to envision a world largely free of bills and a "future without capitalism," where, "you work as much as you are able and no more than needed."

It's a similar tone to Karl Marx's infamous phrase describing a communist utopia, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

But Emmer pointed out that Marx's theories have rarely, if ever, played out as a successful government system.

CAPITALISM IS ABOUT INCENTIVES. STOPPING THE STUPIDITY OF SOCIALISM IS A BIG INCENTIVE

"There is nothing democratic about socialism," he said.

And while they are hundreds of miles apart in geography, El-Sayed and Mamdani's links to the DSA and popularity among young left-wing voters have made them top bogeymen for the right. Mamdani is a DSA member. El-Sayed is not, but has been backed by prominent figures in the organization.

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Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed's campaign for comment.

Alarming study finds top chatbots more likely to repeat falsehoods from the left: ‘Truly astonishing’

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:44 -0400

Three of the world’s four leading artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are more likely to fall for political falsehoods from the left than the right, while frequently backing their answers with sources that don’t support their claims or don’t exist, according to a comprehensive new study.

The study, conducted by Just Facts, tested paid versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and Claude using 100 questions on immigration, abortion, climate change, elections, crime, gun control, COVID-19 and other key issues. The questions were "designed to elicit falsehoods" from the left and the right, with each chatbot required to provide sources for its answers.

The study found ChatGPT correctly answered 94% of questions designed to elicit falsehoods from the right, compared with 75% from the left. Gemini scored 91% on the right and 76% on the left, while Claude scored 91% on the right and 81% on the left.

Grok moved in the opposite direction, scoring 73% on questions designed to elicit falsehoods from the right and 84% on those from the left, according to the study.

AI CHATBOTS TAKE HEAT OVER LEFT-WING BIAS: ‘NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED NEUTRAL’

"This study goes a lot deeper than political bias," Jim Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, told Fox News Digital.

"It is meant to show how often these AIs are propagating misinformation. Now, you can be biased without being misinformed. This is a much deeper study because many studies have been done on AI political bias, and they uniformly find that they're biased to the left. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong. So what I wanted to ascertain is: Are they wrong, or are they right?"

ChatGPT was the only chatbot whose difference in accuracy on questions designed to elicit falsehoods from the political left versus the political right was statistically significant at the 95% confidence level, the study found.

Notably, the study cautioned that its precisely worded questions may have given the chatbots "clear roadmaps to find the correct answers," meaning they could "perform significantly worse" on broader questions where "critical thinking is necessary to answer correctly."

"ChatGPT was effectively a C student," Agresti said. "Gemini was a C student. Claude was a B student. Grok, on the other hand, was the reverse. It was better at vetting falsehoods from the left than the right."

But Agresti said an even bigger concern was the sources the chatbots cited to support their answers.

"The thing that really jumped out at me when I started going through the sources they provided is that roughly half of the sources were illegitimate," he said.

The four chatbots cited 419 sources for their 400 answers, but many were flawed, according to the study. Among them were 104 webpages that did not exist and 77 sources that failed to answer the questions they were cited to support.

WILLIAM BENNETT, JON HAGE: AI CAN MIMIC A TEACHER, BUT IT CANNOT SHEPHERD A SOUL

Overall, the study found that just 46% of the sources cited by the chatbots were valid. ChatGPT had the highest rate at 57%, followed by Gemini at 49%, Claude at 44% and Grok at 32%.

"This was truly astonishing to me, and when I started digging deeper, I noticed that other studies had come to this conclusion as well," Agresti said.

Pointing to a 2026 study published in The Lancet and cited in the report, Agresti said that previous research found 30% to 69% of AI-generated references in biomedical contexts were "fabricated," which the report called a "well-documented failure mode" of AI models.

"The consequences of this are astonishing because we're talking about biomedicine, in other words, people's health," he said. "They're equally important in the realm of public policy because many issues have life or death implications whether we're talking about health care, crime, abortion, war and peace. The decisions people make can kill people or allow people to live."

A question designed to elicit a falsehood from the left prompted all four chatbots to say the U.S. violent crime rate was near a 50-year low in 2023. The study cited Justice Department data showing violent crime rose 37% from 2020 to 2023. By contrast, all four rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that "crime is worse than it’s ever been."

ChatGPT and Gemini also said Vice President JD Vance called school shootings a "fact of life," which the study classified as a falsehood from the left. Vance was referring to "psychos" who "want to make headlines" as a "fact of life," the study said.

In other examples classified as falsehoods from the left, all four chatbots said the Obama administration altered intelligence assessments to downplay the threat of ISIS and that men and women generally earn equal pay for equal work. The chatbots cited nonexistent or faulty sources for those answers.

CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY AIMS TO PRODUCE 'IRREPLACEABLE' GRADUATES AS AI RESHAPES HIGHER EDUCATION

On the other hand, Grok incorrectly said all illegal immigrants have committed a crime "by virtue of their presence" in the U.S., while all four chatbots correctly said the Earth’s lower-atmosphere temperature has risen about 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1980s, according to the study.

Agresti warned users against treating AI chatbots as experts, referring to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s description of GPT-5 last year as being like having a "team of Ph.D.-level experts in your pocket."

"What my study definitively showed is it's more like having a B student in your pocket, because that's how well they scored on these tests," he said.

Agresti also highlighted AI sycophancy, the tendency of chatbots to validate users and "feed into" their biases, calling it a "recipe for disaster." To minimize the influence, the study used a freshly installed browser and new accounts to prevent prior interactions from influencing its results.

"If you have a certain political bias, AIs are going to feed into that, and they're going to state it with very strident confidence that will make you believe you're right," he said.

Still, Agresti acknowledged he doesn’t "have enough knowledge" to explain what’s happening inside the models to produce the results.

"That's a question for programmers and the people who make them, and I would hope that they would answer them and fix these models and make them better because they are powerful, they can read at the speed of light, but they are incredibly sloppy, dishonest, politically misinformed, and this is a danger," he said.

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Agresti said the takeaway isn’t to abandon AI, but to "never blindly trust the results" and ensure its sources exist and support its claims.

"When Ronald Reagan was negotiating nuclear disarmament with the Soviet Union, he famously said, 'Trust but verify,'" Agresti said. "I think the take-home from this study is even stronger, and it's this: Don't trust, verify."

Other research on AI political bias has painted a different picture in the past. Fox News Digital previously reported that Dartmouth College's Polarization Research Lab ranked Gemini as the least political in 2025, while an early 2025 Manhattan Institute report found Grok a close second to Gemini in terms of political bias.

"Gemini is designed to provide neutral, accurate responses that do not favor any political viewpoint, and we rigorously test our models to ensure they stay that way," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, adding that they were unable to replicate all of the responses in the study.

An Anthropic spokesperson pushed back on the study’s methodology, telling Fox News Digital in a statement its multiple-choice format does not reflect typical Claude conversations and highlighting the company’s efforts to ensure political neutrality through training, testing and evaluations.

"We train Claude to treat different political viewpoints equally and test extensively for bias before every model launch," the spokesperson said. "We've open-sourced those evaluations, so anyone can check our work, and welcome independent testing of our models. We understand that this study limited each model to multiple-choice answers on 100 questions, which doesn't reflect how people normally use Claude, particularly on political topics. In a real conversation, Claude is designed to respond at a natural length, with room for important context and multiple perspectives."

An OpenAI spokesperson told Fox News Digital that ChatGPT "is designed to be objective by default," adding that its tools "surface relevant information from a range of sources, and clearly show those sources so that you can explore and assess the reliability of the information directly yourself."

"We continually measure our political bias evaluations and disclose our findings," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to xAI for comment but did not receive a response.

Florida father gunned down while intervening in fight after dropping daughter off for first day of school

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:40 -0400

A Florida father who had just dropped off his daughter for her first day of elementary school was shot and killed after trying to intervene in a fight between a man and a woman, police and reports said.

Daryl Hill, 56, now leaves behind his wife, two adult children and his 10-year-old daughter following the incident Tuesday morning near Wolf Lake Elementary School in Apopka, according to FOX 35 Orlando.

"He’s got the biggest heart in the entire world," Damon Hill, his son, told the station. "He loved everybody... He just loved his fellow person, and he was very non-judgmental."

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting unfolded after witnesses described seeing a man and woman fighting inside a vehicle, before the vehicle crashed and the brawl spilled outside.

BYSTANDER SHOT DEAD AFTER INTERVENING IN FLORIDA MAN, WOMAN'S ROADSIDE FIGHT; MURDER SUSPECT WAS OUT ON BOND

"Witnessing that altercation, a Good Samaritan attempted to intervene and was shot. That man, 56-year-old Daryl Alexander Hill, later died at the hospital," the sheriff's office said.

"Mr. Hill was simply trying to help someone who appeared to be in distress when he was shot by 26-year-old Raul Lionel Vazquez. Vazquez was arrested on a charge of Second-Degree Murder," it added.

Suzanne Hill, Daryl’s wife, told Spectrum News 13 that her husband was a "friend, family and stranger: he cared for everybody and helped everybody and always stepped in, which I think is ultimately what took his life."

Police said the shooting happened at Plymouth Sorrento and West Ponkan roads in Apopka, which is down the road from the elementary school.

Before Hill was shot, Vazquez and a woman, Kaidy Honaker, were seen by multiple witnesses fighting inside their white Chevy Silverado pickup truck when it crashed into a black Lexus, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital. The two continued their heated altercation on the sidewalk.

VIDEO SHOWS MOMENTS BEFORE ARMY VETERAN WAS FATALLY SHOT IN WALMART PARKING LOT DISPUTE

Vazquez, who was seen shirtless and wearing no shoes, got in Honaker's face and appeared to be yelling and pointing at her, the affidavit said.

Two witnesses said they saw Hill riding a bicycle nearby and told authorities that he got involved in the argument, which led to Vazquez and Hill tackling each other into the bushes, per the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Honaker joined the fight as well, later saying she did so to pull Hill off Vazquez.

After the fight in the bushes, Hill began running away from Vazquez and Honaker, yelling "help" with his hands in the air, the affidavit said.

Vazquez retrieved what was later determined to be a shotgun from his pickup truck and fired one round, hitting Hill and causing him to fall to the ground, according to the affidavit.

In an interview with investigators, Vazquez offered "many different accounts" of what happened but said that Hill "was fighting him and getting the better of him," according to the affidavit.

At the time of the shooting, Vazquez was out on bond for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

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FOX 35 reported that a judge has since revoked that bond and ordered him held without bond in that case and for the second-degree murder charge.

DiJonai Carrington hits two players across the face, receives technical foul after Sophie Cunningham drama

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:56:41 -0400

Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington swears that she isn't a dirty player, but her actions on the court aren't exactly helping that narrative.

Carrington made major headlines last week by committing a very hard foul on Sophie Cunningham during a layup attempt that left the Indiana Fever star with a bloody mouth. Carrington was ejected from the contest after the foul was determined to be a Flagrant 2, and shortly after being tossed from the contest, posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on her Instagram Threads account, insinuating skin color played a role in the decision.

Fast-forward just four days after the foul and controversy involving Cunningham, and Carrington was back on the floor making contact with players' faces.

CLUELESS WNBA ATTACKS 'BAD-FAITH' FANS WHO DON'T WANT BIOLOGICAL MEN RUINING WOMEN'S SPORTS

During Chicago's 91-71 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday, Carrington was guarding Cecilia Zandalasini on the perimeter, and while swiping at the ball, caught the Golden State forward in the eye.

The hand movement from Carrington on the play was odd. While she was clearly using her right hand to attack the ball, her left hand was in a position where it was physically impossible for her to reach the ball unless it went through Zandalasini's face.

Players being poked in the eye or catching a finger across the face while being closely defended is a typical play in basketball, but the same can't be said for Carrington's second above-the-neck hit against Golden State.

As Tiffany Hayes made a mid-air move on a layup attempt, Carrington jumped with her and threw her arm down, failing to hit the basketball, and instead caught the Valkyries' guard in the mouth.

Neither of Carrington's fouls to the face against Golden State resulted in flagrant or technical fouls, but she did pick up what was her second technical of the season for arguing with a referee during the third quarter.

With Carrington now hitting three separate players in the face in just a four-day stretch, it's worth revisiting the message she posted on X during the 2025 season about not being a dirty player.

"Yall fAnS swear i’m such a dirty player. I’m SO over this narrative bc if u really know bball, u know I jus play hard asf & never give up on a play," Carrington wrote in June 2025. "&yup, we challenged the last couple flagrants & got em rescinded bc I’m ALWAYS tryna make a play on the ball nun more, nun less."

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

Carrington did not receive any form of repercussions for her Flagrant 2 foul on Cunningham or for posting "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on social media. The WNBA did not address the situation publicly and did not issue a comment to OutKick upon multiple requests.

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According to Carrington, folks who assumed that her post about white privilege played a role in the foul on Cunningham or her ejection had it all wrong.

"I’ve never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege (that was your assumption)," Cunningam wrote on X, two days after her hard foul on Cunningham.

"Furthermore, I’m the LAST thing from ignorant or asinine when it comes to speaking on 'white privilege,' do ya research on that one," she continued. "I actually went to school, one of the top universities might I add, to educate myself on this exact subject," Carrington, who attended Stanford for four years before grad-transferring to Baylor, added. "I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it."

Cunningham came off the bench for Chicago against Golden State on Wednesday, scoring three points while shooting 1-for-9 from the floor in 24 minutes of action.

California law puts digital fingerprints on AI fakes

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:27:03 -0400

California now wants artificial intelligence-made images, videos and recordings to carry a traceable history. The California AI Transparency Act took effect Aug. 2. It requires large generative AI providers to embed hidden provenance information in covered media created by their systems.

That means a suspicious recording may carry clues about which AI system produced it and when. You will no longer have to rely only on how convincing it looks or sounds. Still, these digital fingerprints come with limits. They can reveal details about a file's history, but they cannot determine whether the message inside it is true.

The law also adds requirements for large online platforms beginning in 2027. Newly produced phones, cameras and voice recorders face another set of rules in 2028. Here is how the system will work, where it may fall short and why other states could soon follow California's lead.

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IS CYBERBULLYING HIDING IN YOUR CHILD'S GROUP CHAT?

How the California AI transparency law works

California enacted the original AI Transparency Act in 2024. State Sen. Josh Becker authored the legislation, known as SB 942. Lawmakers later expanded its reach through AB 853. The law applies to companies that create generative AI systems with more than 1 million monthly visitors or users. Those systems must also be publicly accessible in California.

California calls these companies "covered providers." They must include a hidden disclosure in AI-generated images, video and audio created by their systems. The law calls this a latent disclosure. When technically feasible and reasonable, the disclosure must convey the provider's name, the name and version of the AI system, the date and time the content was created or altered and a unique identifier.

The disclosure must follow widely accepted industry standards. It must also remain permanent or extraordinarily difficult to remove when technically feasible. The law focuses these hidden disclosure requirements on images, video and audio. It does not require the same embedded disclosure in AI-generated text. Covered providers must also offer users the option to add a visible AI label. That notice must clearly identify the content as AI-generated.

California AI law requires free detection tools

Covered AI providers must offer a detection tool at no cost. The tool must let you upload an image, video or audio file. You can also submit a link to content stored online. It then checks whether that provider's own AI system created or altered the material. The tool must display any system provenance information it finds.

However, a detection tool from one AI company may not identify media produced by another company. Therefore, a negative result does not prove that a human created the content. The law also places privacy limits on these tools. Providers generally cannot collect personal information from users. They cannot keep submitted content longer than necessary either. A violation can bring a $5,000 civil penalty. Each day of noncompliance can count as a separate violation for covered providers, large platforms and device manufacturers.

What California's AI digital fingerprints reveal

Provenance data acts like a history attached to a digital file. It may identify the system that produced the content. It can also record when someone created or changed the file.

The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, commonly called C2PA, has developed an open technical standard for this purpose. Its Content Credentials system can preserve information about a file's source and editing history. For example, someone may send you an audio recording that appears to feature a public official. A compatible verification tool could reveal that an AI system generated the recording.

That information might stop you from sharing the clip too quickly. It could also help expose a scammer using a cloned voice. However, provenance data does not judge whether a statement is accurate. C2PA says its system provides evidence about a file's origin and history, but that information alone cannot prove the content is truthful. A real photograph can still appear beside a false caption. Someone can also edit authentic footage to remove important context.

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When California's AI platform rules begin

The next major phase starts Jan. 1, 2027. Large online platforms will have to detect compatible provenance data embedded in content they distribute. The law covers public-facing social media services and file-sharing platforms. It also includes qualifying mass messaging services and stand-alone search engines. A service falls under this section if it exceeded 2 million unique monthly users during the previous 12 months.

Covered platforms must tell users when system provenance data is available. They must also show the name of the AI system or capture device connected to the file, when applicable. In addition, the platform must indicate whether digital signatures are available. Users must have an accessible way to inspect the information. A platform can display the data directly or let the user download a copy that retains it. The platform can also send the user to a separate verification service.

Finally, platforms cannot knowingly strip compatible system provenance data or digital signatures when preserving them is technically feasible. This phase could bring the most noticeable change for everyday users. Most people will not visit a separate verification website for every questionable post. A notice built into a social platform could make checking suspicious content much easier.

California AI law will reach phones and cameras

Another phase begins Jan. 1, 2028. It covers recording devices first produced for sale in California on or after that date. This includes mobile phones with built-in cameras or microphones. Traditional cameras and voice recorders also fall under the definition. Manufacturers must give users the option to include a hidden disclosure in captured content. They must also embed the disclosure by default when doing so is technically feasible.

The information can include the manufacturer and device model. It may also record the date and time when the device created or altered the content. That could establish a starting point for authentic media. For example, the credential may show that an image began as a photograph captured by a real camera. Later information could reveal whether compatible editing software altered it. Still, the requirement will not update every phone or camera already in use. It applies to covered devices first produced for sale in California beginning in 2028.

Why California is targeting AI deepfakes

Artificial intelligence can produce realistic voices and convincing video faster than lawmakers can update most regulations. Cybercriminals can now fake faces and voices in real time. As CyberGuy previously reported, AI deepfake scams can impersonate trusted executives during live video calls. One documented attack convinced an employee to transfer millions of dollars.

Scammers can also imitate someone you love. An AI voice scam can clone a family member from only a few seconds of public audio. Personal information found online can make the fake emergency even more convincing. California lawmakers have also raised concerns about election misinformation and abusive deepfakes. Generative AI can create fake political audio or video that appears to show a candidate saying something that never happened. It can also help bad actors produce false social media posts quickly. CyberGuy has previously examined how AI and other technology can fuel election-related scams, including deepfake videos and fabricated news.

Federal lawmakers are responding too. Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Ro Khanna reintroduced the AI Ads Act on July 27. The proposal would prohibit fraudulent misrepresentation of political candidates or committees through AI-generated content. However, it has not become federal law. A separate bipartisan proposal called the AI Labeling Act was introduced on June 24. It would require visible and machine-readable disclosures on covered AI-generated content. That bill would also require major social platforms and AI developers to work together on authenticity tools. It has not become law either. California's system places identifying information inside compatible files. That data may continue traveling with the content as people download or repost it. However, that protection depends on websites and editing tools preserving the credentials.

BABYLON BEE SUES NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS OVER LAW REQUIRING AI DISCLAIMERS ON POLITICAL SATIRE

Will other states follow California's AI law?

Yes, other states are likely to move in the same direction. However, they may not copy California's entire system. Many states already regulate AI-generated political content. Their laws often require a visible disclaimer or restrict deceptive deepfakes near an election. Colorado goes further by requiring metadata in certain political deepfakes. That metadata must identify the tool used and when the content was created. Utah requires tamper-evident digital provenance for some synthetic political media. Its rules can identify who created the content and whether other parties changed it.

Louisiana added disclosure requirements in 2026 for AI-generated telephone campaign communications, including calls that use the voice of a public figure. Other states have chosen narrower rules focused on specific election periods. California's law reaches beyond campaign advertising. It places requirements on major AI providers now, followed by large platforms and newly produced recording devices. The European Union is moving in a similar direction. Article 50 of the EU AI Act became applicable on Aug. 2. Covered AI providers must add machine-readable marks that allow people to detect generated or manipulated content. Deployers also face disclosure requirements for deepfakes.

That overlap may push large technology companies toward broader adoption. A company may find it easier to use one provenance system across its products than to maintain a special version for California. As a result, people nationwide could see some benefits before their own state passes a similar law. Still, that outcome isn’t guaranteed. Enforcement will matter, along with whether popular platforms preserve and clearly display the information.

Limits of the California AI transparency law

The new law creates a helpful signal, but several gaps remain. First, missing provenance data does not prove that a human created the file. The media may come from an AI provider that falls below California's size threshold. It could also have been generated before the law became operative. In addition, some editing programs may fail to preserve the information. A scammer could play an AI-generated video on one device and record it with another. That new recording might not retain the original credentials.

Screenshots can also lose embedded information. The same problem may affect compressed copies shared through messaging services. C2PA notes that provenance records can be incomplete. It also warns that a file without Content Credentials should not automatically be treated as untrustworthy. Most importantly, a valid credential does not certify that the message is true. You still need to consider who posted the content and whether another reliable source confirms the claim.

What California's AI law means to you

The California AI transparency law gives you another tool when a recording or image feels suspicious. Look for a Content Credentials icon or another provenance notice when a platform displays one. When possible, inspect the original file instead of relying on a screenshot. You can also use a detection tool offered by the AI provider. However, remember that the tool may recognize only content created by that company's system. For messages involving money, contact the person or business through a number you already trust. Do not use contact information included with the suspicious content.

For a claimed political statement, check the official account or website connected to the person shown. Then look for independent reporting from a credible source. Also, watch for pressure to react immediately. Urgency can keep you from noticing that a voice sounds slightly wrong or a video contains visual glitches. For more warning signs, CyberGuy's article on how to spot and stop AI phishing scams explains how to check suspicious messages, voice clones and deepfake video. Finally, do not treat the absence of an AI label as proof that something is real.

Kurt's key takeaways

California's AI transparency law gives you a practical way to investigate synthetic media. Hidden provenance information may reveal which AI system created a file and when that happened. The platform requirements could have an even greater effect. A built-in notice is easier to use than expecting everyone to locate a separate verification website. Still, digital fingerprints will not eliminate deception. Scammers will look for tools outside the law's reach. Older media will also continue circulating without credentials. California is now testing whether transparency can restore some trust in digital content. Other states are already taking related steps and more are likely to follow.

If an AI-generated recording can influence an election or empty someone's bank account before anyone checks it, should every state require a traceable digital identity? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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Slain NJ mom Brooke Hanlon's family backs investigators two months after her stabbing death

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:16:52 -0400

"Brooke was a truly beautiful soul."

More than two months after New Jersey mother Brooke Hanlon, 35, was found stabbed to death inside her Chester home, her family is sharing more details about the beloved wife, daughter, sister and friend that she was, as her killing remains unsolved.

A new obituary for the slain psychotherapist says she "is survived by her beloved daughter, Avery, her sister, Paige Haggerty, her parents, Melissa and Joseph Haggerty, and her husband, James 'Conor' Hanlon."

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Hanlon was found dead on June 6, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the case as a homicide with "multiple sharp force injuries" as her cause of death.

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The Prosecutor's Office is the lead investigative agency over the case and has not yet revealed a suspect or person of interest.

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Regarding the ongoing investigation, the Haggerty family said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital, "We have full and unwavering confidence in the investigative efforts of law enforcement."

Conor Hanlon was the person who called 911 to report he found his wife unconscious and not breathing on the floor of their home.

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In the frantic call, he is heard asking the operator to give him "CPR instructions," then says "there's a laceration" on his wife's body.

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Conor and Brooke were married nearly five years before she was killed.

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"While in Boston, Brooke met and fell in love with her future husband, Conor Hanlon. Brooke and Conor were married in June 2021 and lived in the Boston area until they moved to Chester, New Jersey in September 2023. They purchased a home in Chester in September 2024 and welcomed their beloved daughter, Avery, in July 2025," the obituary said.

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Brooke was a therapist who "loved her work," and "had tremendous compassion" for her clients.

Before the start of her career, she graduated from Villa Walsh Academy in 2009.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wake Forest University in 2013, and then her master’s from Northeastern University in 2015.

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"Brooke was a truly beautiful soul. Everyone who has ever known her will always remember Brooke's extraordinary kindness, friendship, loyalty, empathy, compassion, humility, generosity, and passionate desire to help and support family, friends, and all those she counseled," according to her obituary.

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Fox News Digital has repeatedly reached out to Conor Hanlon for comment. He has not been charged with any crime or wrongdoing.