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Rep Ralph Norman enters South Carolina Senate race despite Trump's endorsement of Darline Graham

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:33:33 -0400

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., will run for Senate in South Carolina following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, he revealed Saturday.

"I'm here to announce that I will be a candidate for the Senate, I'll be throwing my hat into the ring, and day one, Kayleigh, I will be laser-focused on passing President Trump's America First" Norman said during an appearance on "Saturday In America with Kayleigh McEnany."

Norman then championed Trump's SAVE America Act and said he would focus on eliminating the filibuster, saying Republicans need to "nuke" the procedure.

Norman made the announcement just days after President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham's sister who was appointed to finish the remainder of his term, to run for the seat fully when her term is up in January.

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DARLINE GRAHAM IS CONSIDERING RUNNING FOR A FULL SENATE TERM, A REPORT SAID, AS MEMORIAL SERVICES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR HER LATE BROTHER LINDSEY GRAHAM.

"I hope Darline does this, in ⁠that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey," Trump said in a Truth Social post, also writing "Run Darline Run."

Norman acknowledged Trump's endorsement Saturday, telling McEnany he asked for Trump's blessing.

"He decided to go with Darline, who's a nice person, and he decided to go with her and I respect that, but that doesn't deter my plans. I'm in this to win," he said.

Norman will be running in the Aug. 11 special GOP primary election, revealing that he is in the process of filing the paperwork.

Though not backed by Trump, Norman has received support from GOP Senators Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., both of whom endorsed him. The pair, like Norman, are both vocal opponents of the filibuster.

Norman will be entering a competitive primary, as at least two other candidates have declared their intentions to run with further challengers expected to enter the race.

Businessman Mark Lynch, who ran against Lindsey Graham in the recent June primary, has announced his candidacy, as did attorney Duke Buckner.

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And though Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., hasn't publicly announced an intention to run, state lawmakers are already eyeing his seat in the House should he decide to enter the fray, according to reporting from News From The States.

Fox News Digital contacted Reps. Norman, Mace and Fry, along with Sen. Darline Graham for further comment.

Ousted Squad Dem stumps with radical activist who defended Hamas, promoted political violence

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:30:05 -0400

Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., is campaigning to return to Congress alongside a self-described Maoist activist and political organizer whose online videos and social media rhetoric has included urging leftists not to disavow Hamas or Hezbollah, has included calls to "unmake" America, applauded burning the American flag and endorsed political violence.

The activist, Christopher Winston, has built an online presence across numerous platforms under the pseudonym "BlackRedGuard," posting and appearing in videos about "Maoist organizing in DSA," attacking leftists who say they do not support "Hezbollah/Hamas" and using rhetoric that appeared to condone political violence. In one video reviewed by Fox News Digital, Winston asked, "What’s wrong with throwing molotovs at a police station?"

Bush, an ousted Squad Democrat mounting a comeback bid in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, appeared in a recent social media post standing right beside Winston as he participated in supporting her campaign.

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Fox News Digital asked Bush’s campaign whether Winston has any formal or informal role with the campaign, whether Bush knows him personally and whether he was invited to the event, but the campaign did not answer those questions, instead sending a link to a Fox News article about Joy Behar, co-host of "The View," defending democratic socialism, noting it "should clear up any questions you have about DSA."

"If you say sh-- like ‘I don’t support Hezbollah/Hamas’ and call yourself a leftist you lame. All power to all the resistance. Peace through the sword," Winston, a St. Louis-area activist working with the DSA said in his social media post shaming those on the left who condemn Hamas and Hezbollah.

Other posts from Winston called to "unmake" America and said the American flag "should always be desecrated."

"Do not fix America. Unmake it," a June 2025 post from Winston's X account said.

"I applaud the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of the slavery and genocide which built America. It should always be desecrated in that way," a separate 2024 post from Winston said.

Meanwhile, during a 2024 video posted on YouTube titled "Debating Commie Gobbledegook (Ft. Black Red Guard)," Winston is asked why, as a Maoist, he chooses to be a part of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

"Well, it’s obvious why I’m a Maoist in the DSA. There’s a lot of naive young white people to brainwash," he said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Winston and the DSA for comment on Winston's remarks and affiliation with the group, but did not hear back.

At another point during the same video, Winston questions "what's wrong with throwing Molotov cocktails at a police station?"

When his co-host tried to check him, replying that doing such would be "an easy way to get your whole organization, like, kind of destroyed," Winston shot back: "That’s why we want the masses to do it."

He later argued that if the goal is a "socialist" or "communist" revolution, "people are not going to pick up a gun and fight" for something they do not understand, adding that activists must "teach people what communism is."

A Fox News Digital review of Winston's X account found several social media posts praising Bush, including a 2023 post where he said, "Yeah, I’m a Maoist ultra with dreams of riding into power on a tank like Fidel and Che but in the meantime Cori Bush is the best congressperson right now and we need to back her."

"Cori Bush is the best of STL, and DSA," Winston said in May at a Bush campaign event.

"Cori Bush is running for Congress again. STL-DSA voted to endorse her overwhelmingly. Help beat the AIPAC money that stole her seat here," Winston said last year.

Winston’s appearance alongside Bush is not the first time her political orbit has drawn scrutiny over hard-left activists and anti-Israel figures. Her comeback bid has already faced questions over campaign spending and alliances that critics say show the same activist network is helping power her effort to return to Washington.

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Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that Bush’s comeback campaign paid more than $20,000 to "Unbought Power," a consulting firm publicly linked to far-left activist Rasha Mubarak, whose ties to Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s political operation had already drawn scrutiny.

Mubarak has close ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), "which was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2009 Holy Land Foundation terror-financing trial," according to the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, and has publicly called to "abolish the police," backed defund-the-police efforts and repeatedly accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" and "apartheid."

"Mubarak has also been a speaker at events held by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), an organization that promoted the BDS movement," the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy noted in a report. "Previously, in September 2023, she served as the press contact for the Arizona-based non-profit Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), which was investigated for ties to Samidoun, an anti-Israel advocacy group banned in Germany, Canada, and Israel and classified as a terrorist entity in the United States for financing the PFLP."

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In her prior campaigns for Congress, Bush also received help from radical anti-Israel activists. During her 2024 re-election bid, Linda Sarsour and Marc Lamont Hill headlined a virtual "Jews for Cori" fundraiser, according to Jewish Insider, which described Sarsour and Hill as "controversial far-left activists with histories of antisemitism."

Sarsour has been accused of praising a convicted terrorist and has compared Zionism to white supremacy, while likening Zionists to neo-Nazis. She had to walk back remarks after stating Israel "is built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else," and lost her seat on the board of the Women's March amid allegations of antisemitism that she subsequently denied.

Hill, meanwhile, was fired from his job at CNN after making anti-Israel comments that his former employer, Temple University, called "virulent anti-Semitism and hate speech."

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Bush’s alignment with the anti-Israel left has also repeatedly put her alongside fellow "Squad" Reps. Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. Bush, Tlaib and Omar held a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 7, 2023, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza two months after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Bush and Tlaib later became the only two House members to vote against the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act, a bill aimed at barring Hamas members and non-U.S. nationals involved in the Oct. 7 attack from immigration benefits.

Tlaib was eventually censured by the House over her Israel-Hamas rhetoric, including her use of the phrase "from the river to the sea."

Meanwhile, Bush’s rhetoric after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack also drew condemnation from the Biden White House. Fox News Digital reported that Bush called for ending U.S. support for what she described as Israeli "military occupation and apartheid" in the wake of the attack, prompting then-White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to blast Squad members’ comments as "wrong," "repugnant" and "disgraceful."

Rosie O'Donnell claims Trump has 'PTSD response' to her as backlash erupts

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:21:13 -0400

Rosie O'Donnell has a new take on why she and President Donald Trump have never gotten along.

O'Donnell, who has been back in the U.S. recently after relocating to Ireland after Trump's 2024 presidential win, claimed that their 20-year feud has been going for so long, at least in part, because of their shared roots.

"There have been so many comedians who have said things about him, but I am from the same area that he’s from," she told Variety. She and Trump were both born and raised in New York, and O'Donnell said that people occasionally tell her that they sound alike, "which is probably the worst thing that you can say to me."

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She continued, "But I think I’m one of those tough girls from elementary school and junior high that said to him, 'Shut the hell up! You’re not playing with us. Get out of here, you freakin’ idiot!' And he never got past it. I think I trigger him like a PTSD response of all his failures in his life as a kid."

She theorized that she reminds Trump "of the girls who said, 'You're nothing,' and it scares him."

O'Donnell made similar comments this week on Sophia Bush's "Work in Progress" podcast. When Bush said that Trump is "obsessed" with her, she agreed, and said that "he grew up with girls like me – tough, probably gay Irish girls who didn't take s— from no stupid rich boy wannabe."

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She said, "I would've told him to his face in third, fourth, fifth grade, and I think when I did it to him, quote-unquote, on 'The View,' he couldn't believe that I had the balls to attack him."

Several people weighed in on O'Donnell's latest comments on social media, with one person writing, "Omg so deluded. Trump lives rent free in her head."

"She is obsessed and it is poisoning her soul," another person said.

One X user wrote, "She started all the s— with Trump and acts like shes the victim. Those left wing loony toon are the biggest hypocrites to walk the planet."

"Bless her narcissistic little heart," read another comment. "No honey, he moved on already, you need a new hobby."

Others praised O'Donnell for her comments – one wrote, "I am so grateful for Rosie having such a strong spine and never falling back."

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"If I was ever gonna pick only one person to be on my team it would be Rosie," another said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

The decades-long feud between O'Donnell and Trump stems back to 2006 after O'Donnell criticized him on "The View" about his decision to be lenient toward a Miss USA winner who had been accused of drug use and other bad behavior.

O'Donnell, who was a co-host on "The View" at the time, said Trump is "not a self-made man" but a "snake-oil salesman on ‘Little House On The Prairie.’"

Trump responded to the criticism by calling O'Donnell a "real loser" and "a woman out of control."

WATCH: ROSIE O'DONNELL SAYS SHE'S ‘HORRIFIED’ BY TRUMP'S WORLD CUP INTERVENTION

The two continued to trade barbs over the years, and in 2025, O'Donnell admitted that she can't resist talking about him.

She told The Washington Post that she'd promised her therapist the Wednesday before Thanksgiving she would refrain from posting about Trump for two days.

It fell apart within hours.

A longtime friend, Jennifer Kopetic, was described as "annoyed" when she told O'Donnell during a visit, "Roseann, you’ve got to detach. You’ve got to disconnect."

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She made another vow — three days this time — telling her 1.2 million Instagram followers she was "gonna try again to not give him a minute of me." However, she failed that attempt, too.

Fox News Digital's Christina Dugan Ramirez and Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.

Why KFC stopped calling itself Kentucky Fried Chicken — and the myths that still won't die

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:14:28 -0400

Kentucky Fried Chicken officially shortened its name to KFC in 1991, and the reason behind the rebranding has fueled rumors ever since.

One persistent myth falsely claims the Commonwealth of Kentucky trademarked the state's name and forced the company to pay licensing fees.

Another urban legend alleged KFC was breeding extra-large, "genetically modified organisms" with extra legs, so they couldn’t technically call their signature dish "chicken" anymore.

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The mutant chicken rumors resulted in Chinese courts finding several companies liable for spreading false claims that damaged KFC’s reputation. KFC China won a defamation lawsuit that resulted in three tech firms being fined for damaging KFC’s brand, Reuters reported in 2016.

Another theory is that the updated name was intended to distance the restaurant chain from unhealthy connotations with fried food, according to The Takeout.

Kentucky Fried Chicken was "struggling with declining earnings, higher prices and an evil word in its name — fried" when it changed its name, reported the Lexington Herald Leader. Around the same period, the chain also introduced skinless fried chicken, first called "Lite’n Crispy," and later sold as "Skinfree Crispy."

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"Fried chicken on the bone is not growing as fast as the entire poultry segment," Kyle T. Craig, president of Kentucky Fried Chicken USA, said in a 1991 interview with United Press International.

"We want to position KFC to a more contemporary image," he said, adding, "Fried is not a contemporary image."

KFC’s website includes company history that says its founder, Harland Sanders, opened a roadside service station in 1930 and began serving his southern-style chicken.

Colonel Sanders’ original establishment was called Sanders Court & Cafe, according to the Sanders Cafe and Museum, located in Corbin, "the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken."

"Originally established in 1937 as a gas station along U.S. Route 25, Sanders Court eventually expanded to include a motel and café where the Colonel offered guests a hot meal and a place to rest along their journey," the museum website says.

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KFC website's timeline does not extend beyond 1980, but notes its founder's legacy "lives on through his Original Recipe chicken, and the company logo adapts over the years, with the Colonel’s face remaining at the forefront of the design."

KFC’s name change happened in an era when other big companies were taking branding and logos very seriously, Ken Albala, professor of history at the University of the Pacific, told Fox News Digital. It was around that time that Coca-Cola increasingly marketed itself as Coke, he said.

"Many companies were redesigning logos and having a deep think into how the character of the font face and the logo and the actual name of the company would attract younger audiences and be immediately recognizable, even to people who didn't know English," Albala said.

KFC was trying to save space in advertising and make a bigger impression on people, Albala suggested.

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"‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’ takes up a whole lot of space on a sign and with a logo, and especially online," he said.

"If you see an ad, and you have to read through it, it takes you that millisecond longer than just lettering. [KFC is] trying to get people [from off] the highway and in a city among all sorts of other urban noise. And if you can recognize those letters, you’ve got a customer."

According to the company website, KFC has "the widest global footprint of any quick-service restaurant brand with 30,000-plus restaurants in 150 countries and is one of the world’s fastest-growing retail brands."

The chain is rolling out a brand overhaul that includes an expanded menu and restaurant design, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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The brand’s recognizable bucket will be "refreshed with new energy alongside a subtle evolution of the Colonel himself, ensuring the brand’s legacy remains front and center," KFC said.

Fox News Digital reached out to KFC for comment.

Fraud expert warns AI is helping criminals outpace the government: 'Don't have the right tools'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:00:39 -0400

A fraud expert who testified before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday warned the federal government lacks the tools and policies needed to prevent criminals from using artificial intelligence against taxpayers.

"What's happening right now is the fact that we simply don't have the right tools to deal with fraud," David Maimon, head of Fraud Insights at SentiLink, told Fox News Digital.

"We don't have the right policies to deal with fraud. We don't have enough deterrence. We have no close collaboration between the government and the [private] sector to try and find the right solution to this issue."

The hearing, titled "Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape," was held by the Government Operations Subcommittee as the Trump administration wages a nationwide "War on Fraud," led by Vice President JD Vance, and focused on how the federal government can better detect and prevent emerging fraud threats through stronger digital identity verification.

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"Fraud against government programs is no longer a series of isolated schemes," Maimon told lawmakers during the hearing. "It is a durable, specialized criminal infrastructure."

He also told lawmakers that "criminals exploit the seams between agencies precisely because our defenses are built program by program, while their infrastructure is built to move across all of them."

Maimon highlighted how his company has collected intelligence to "understand how the criminals work, what they do, and how they do what they do," while uncovering networks where fraudsters share stolen information and tactics.

"We were able to infiltrate thousands of markets where fraudsters are operating, where you can find identities and stolen checks, you can find tutorials of how to engage in fraud against the government or target financial institutions across the country," he said.

One of the biggest challenges, he said, is keeping pace with rapidly evolving fraud tactics.

"The most important thing is to make sure that the government is aware of some of the fraud trends we're seeing out there that fraudsters are engaging in, essentially stealing taxpayers' money," Maimon said.

Maimon said the government’s slow deployment of fraud-fighting tools allows criminals to "take advantage of these opportunities" and "continue to exploit" resources.

"The bad guys are moving faster than the government," he said. "While the government is still trying to catch up and roll out better tools, criminals keep finding new ways to steal money."

Criminals are now using AI to create fake documents, videos, and phishing emails that steal passwords and personal information or bypass identity verification, according to Maimon.

"It's difficult to prove that you're not essentially using AI while verifying your identity with documents and liveness tests and selfie images," he said.

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During the hearing, Maimon said that fraudsters are already using "AI-generated faces and deepfake video to defeat liveness checks at digital banks and tax preparers."

Pointing to his earlier investigation of Medicaid fraud, Maimon said his team discovered providers that had billed the government about $2 million and claimed to have staff and caregivers, but when investigators visited the addresses in person, many of the employees and operations didn't exist.

"Sometimes you need to take a look at signals that appear in the database, but also at the physical location," he said.

Instead of relying on a picture or video, Maimon said the government should verify identities using trusted historical data that is harder for AI to fake.

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"In order to make sure that we address this issue, and it really depends on the type of fraud that you're dealing with, but to address this issue in a more effective way, maybe we need to have some historical signals around identities we're trying to verify, rather than just looking at images that could be created easily by AI tools," he said.

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Maimon told lawmakers the fraud affects more than the government's finances, ultimately hurting the people these programs are designed to serve, saying "Every dollar we protect from organized fraud is a dollar that stays available for the people Congress intended to help.

But after years of studying dark web and Telegram marketplaces, Maimon said law enforcement has uncovered only a fraction of organized fraud.

"I think they're just scratching the surface."

Dolly Parton's California retreat with wig room and Dollywood birdhouse lists for $1.95M

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:00:37 -0400

Dolly Parton's former hideaway in Solvang is on the market.

The current owner of the home, Cris Lapp, who is a real estate broker with Black Oak Homes and Mortgages, has placed it up for sale for $1.95 million, and told Noozhawk that he hopes a "mega fan" like him ends up purchasing the property.

Originally built in 1920, the coveted property features three distinct homes, including a three-bedroom, two-bathroom front home, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom upper rear unit and a one-bedroom lower unit with a three-quarter bath.

Each of the three homes also feature their own enclosed patio space.

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Parton reportedly purchased the home through Dolly Parton Enterprises in 2004 and used it as her private weekend getaway for 10 years. Although she hasn't lived there for many years, the home includes many indications the country icon once owned the home.

In addition to a stained glass window which spells out "Dolly" and also features butterfly designs, the home also includes a wig-room in the garage, a birdhouse replica of a chapel found in Dollywood, wooden tulips, a miniature windmill and many other decorative features.

The "Jolene" singer scared fans last year when she told fans she would need to postpone the concerts in her Las Vegas residency in a September 2025 social media post, due to some "health challenges."

Her announcement coupled with her sister pleading with fans on Facebook to pray for the country star, increased fan concern, leading Parton to address just how serious her health concerns were.

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"I wanted to put everybody's mind at ease," she said in an Instagram video. "Those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate, and I appreciate your prayers because I'm a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything, but I want you to know that I'm okay. I've got some problems. As I mentioned back when my husband, Carl, was very sick. That was for a long time. And then when he passed, I didn't take care of myself. So I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of."

She went on to say that her health concerns were "nothing major," and captioned the post, "I ain't dead yet!"

The "I Will Always Love You" singer recently announced that she is cancelling her Las Vegas residency, nearly a year after she initially postponed it. She explained to fans that while she is "responding really well to meds and treatments" and "improving every day," she isn't quite ready to take to the stage yet.

"It's going to take me a little while before I'm up to stage-performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say," she quipped. "And of course I can't be dizzy, carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five-inch heels... not to mention all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big personality."

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Parton went on to say that she's always had issues with kidney stones, which eventually caused her "immune system and my digestive system got all out of whack."

Her residency was originally set to begin in December 2025, before being postponed to September 2026 and then ultimately getting cancelled completely.

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HalluSquatting AI attack could hijack your computer

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 12:00:22 -0400

You ask an artificial intelligence assistant to download a popular software tool. It confidently finds the project, retrieves the files and starts setting everything up. There is one problem. The AI found the wrong project. That mistake may sound like another frustrating AI hallucination. However, researchers have shown how an attacker could turn that wrong answer into a malware delivery system.

The technique is called HalluSquatting. It targets AI tools that can browse the internet, retrieve software and run commands on your computer. An attacker could use it to steal sensitive information or quietly recruit your device into a botnet, a network of infected devices controlled remotely.

In a recent research paper, researchers from Tel Aviv University, Technion and Intuit detailed HalluSquatting and tested it against popular AI coding tools and personal assistants. Here is how the attack works and what you can do before an AI assistant downloads the wrong file.

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What is the HalluSquatting AI attack?

AI hallucinations happen when a model invents information and presents it as accurate. That could be a fake statistic or a software project that never existed. HalluSquatting focuses on fake software resources.

AI coding assistants sometimes need the full online address of a software repository. However, you may only give the assistant a project name. The AI must then determine who owns the project and where the official files live. When it does not know the answer, it may guess.

An attacker can repeatedly ask AI models to locate a popular or trending project. That process may reveal fake repository names the models invent regularly. The attacker can then register one of those names before someone else does. As a result, the AI's imaginary project becomes a real online trap.

How the HalluSquatting AI attack works

First, the attacker identifies a software project or AI skill that is gaining attention. Newer resources may create a larger opportunity because an AI model may have little reliable information about them. Next, the attacker studies how different AI models respond when asked to locate that resource. The researchers found that models can repeat the same fake names across different prompts.

The attacker then creates a repository, software package or AI skill using one of those hallucinated names. Malicious instructions can be placed inside its files, setup scripts or documentation. Later, you ask your AI assistant to retrieve the real project. Instead, the assistant invents the attacker-controlled name and downloads those files.

The assistant may then read the hidden instructions as part of its assigned task. If the assistant has access to a terminal, it could also run the attacker's commands. Those commands may download more software or search files stored on the computer. The unsettling part is that you may never enter the wrong name. The AI creates the mistake and then acts on it.

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Why AI agents make HalluSquatting more dangerous

Unlike a basic chatbot, an autonomous AI agent can take actions on your behalf, including browsing websites and running commands. A regular chatbot may give you a broken link. You click it, discover that it goes nowhere and close the page. An AI agent can go much further. Agentic AI tools can download files, install software and operate a computer terminal. Those abilities make the tools useful.

However, they also give prompt injection attacks more power when an agent follows malicious instructions. The researchers showed that malicious instructions inside a squatted resource could trigger remote tool execution or remote code execution. In other words, the AI assistant could run an attacker's commands on the computer where the assistant operates.

The potential damage depends heavily on the assistant's permissions. An agent with broad file access creates a much larger risk. The danger also grows when the agent can run commands without asking for approval.

HalluSquatting tests found high AI hallucination rates

The researchers examined Cursor, Cursor CLI, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Cline and Gemini CLI. They also tested OpenClaw and related personal AI assistants. Hallucination rates reached as high as 85% during repository-cloning scenarios. Some skill-installation tests reached 100%.

The researchers also found that hallucinated names could transfer across different foundation models. In other words, several AI systems might invent the same fake resource. The team successfully demonstrated remote tool execution and remote code execution against production AI applications with integrated terminals.

However, the researchers used controlled resources and harmless test payloads. The study did not document a widespread criminal HalluSquatting campaign. Still, the research shows that the attack path can work.

Why web searches can reduce HalluSquatting risk

One finding offers a clear clue about how AI companies could reduce the danger. An AI assistant should search for a repository or package before downloading it. That search can help confirm whether the resource exists and who owns it. However, AI tools do not always perform that search.

The assistant may rely on its training data instead. If the project is unfamiliar, the model may generate a convincing but incorrect answer. Researchers and security experts recommend requiring AI agents to perform live lookups before they clone, fetch or install outside resources.

Even a search cannot guarantee safety. An attacker may have already registered the hallucinated name. Therefore, the assistant must also verify the resource's owner, history and connection to the official developer.

Could HalluSquatting create an AI botnet?

A botnet is a collection of compromised devices controlled by an attacker. Criminals can use botnets to spread malware, mine cryptocurrency or overwhelm online services. Traditional botnets often spread through software flaws or weak passwords. They may also target large groups of similar connected devices. HalluSquatting proposes another delivery route.

An attacker could plant one malicious resource and wait for AI agents to pull it onto unrelated computers. Those computers could run different operating systems and sit on separate networks. The common weakness would be the AI agent's willingness to trust a hallucinated resource.

The researchers describe how this setup could support an "agentic botnet." The AI would deliver the malicious instructions and run the commands needed to install the botnet malware. However, the team did not release a real botnet. Researchers also withheld attack details that criminals could directly reuse.

How AI companies can reduce HalluSquatting attacks

AI companies can make searches mandatory before agents retrieve outside resources. They can also require human approval before an agent runs downloaded code. Stronger warnings should appear when a resource has little history or comes from an unverified owner.

Meanwhile, software platforms could identify frequently hallucinated names before attackers register them. Platforms may also restrict the reuse of well-known project names under unrelated accounts. Security layers that inspect downloaded instructions could reduce exposure. However, researchers warn that no single control can remove the entire risk.

The HalluSquatting researchers notified affected vendors before publishing their work. They also withheld details that they believed attackers could reuse. The paper does not claim that every tested application has released a complete fix. HalluSquatting reflects a broader weakness in how AI agents generate and trust resource names.

Ways to stay safe from HalluSquatting

HalluSquatting depends on an AI assistant trusting an unverified resource and acting with little supervision. These steps can interrupt that chain before an attacker gains access to your computer.

1) Verify the official repository before downloading it

Do not rely on an AI-generated repository name alone. Visit the developer's official website. Then, follow its link to the correct repository or software download page. Check the account owner as well as the project name. An attacker may use a familiar project name under an unrelated account. You should also review the repository's history. A newly created account with little activity deserves extra scrutiny.

2) Make the AI search before installing anything

Tell the assistant to perform a live web search before cloning, fetching or installing a resource. Ask it to show you the official owner and full address before it takes action. Then, compare that information with the developer's website. This step can reduce the chance that an AI model will rely on an invented name. Still, you should review the result yourself before approving a download.

3) Turn off automatic command approval

Avoid modes that allow an AI agent to run terminal commands without asking you first. Some coding tools call these auto-run, skip-permissions or unrestricted modes. The exact wording depends on the application. Require approval for each command, especially when the AI downloads an outside file. Also stop the process when the assistant cannot clearly explain what a command will do.

4) Review every terminal command

Read the full command before approving it. Be cautious when a command connects to an unfamiliar website or downloads an additional script. Commands that change security settings also deserve close attention. Do not approve a command because the AI says it is safe. Verify unfamiliar commands through official documentation.

5) Limit the AI agent's permissions

Avoid running an AI coding assistant with administrator access unless the task requires it. Only give the agent access to the files needed for the current project. Keep tax records, personal documents and private photos outside its working folders. In addition, remove integrations the agent no longer needs. Those may include cloud storage accounts or workplace systems. An attacker can cause less damage when the compromised agent has fewer permissions.

6) Use a sandbox or virtual machine

Test unfamiliar AI-generated code inside an isolated environment. A virtual machine, development container or sandbox can separate the code from the rest of your computer. If something goes wrong, the malicious activity may remain contained. Security researchers also recommend isolated installation environments for AI-generated package commands.

7) Use strong antivirus software

Strong antivirus software can add another layer of protection. It may detect a malicious download, suspicious script or unexpected attempt to change your system. Some security tools can also block connections to known dangerous websites. However, antivirus software cannot guarantee that an AI assistant will select the correct repository. You still need to verify the source and review commands. Keep real-time protection enabled. In addition, allow the software to update its threat definitions automatically. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

8) Protect passwords and API keys

AI coding tools may work with passwords, access tokens or API keys. Those credentials can give an attacker access to valuable accounts. Do not store sensitive credentials in plaintext project files. Instead, use secure environment variables or a trusted secrets manager. Use strong and unique passwords for important accounts. A password manager can create and store them. Also turn on two-factor authentication wherever it is available. That can make a stolen password harder to use.

9) Keep your computer and AI tools updated

Install updates for your operating system, browser and AI applications. Updates may fix security problems or add stronger approval controls. They may also improve how an AI tool verifies outside resources. However, HalluSquatting relies partly on AI hallucinations. Therefore, software updates alone may not remove the risk.

10) Use trusted package and dependency controls

Businesses and development teams should limit which software sources AI agents can access. Teams can create allowlists for trusted publishers. They can also pin package versions and verify cryptographic hashes. Automated dependency scanners may flag known vulnerabilities before software reaches a live system. Software bills of materials can help teams track where each component came from. They also make it easier to identify affected projects after a security problem appears.

11) Watch for signs that an AI agent went off course

Review the agent's activity history when the application provides one. Look for unexpected downloads or commands you do not remember approving. New software, unusual pop-ups or unexplained computer slowdowns may also warrant a closer look. If you suspect that an AI agent ran malicious code, disconnect the computer from the internet. Then, run a full antivirus scan. Change important passwords from a different trusted device. You should also revoke exposed API keys or access tokens.

Kurt's key takeaways

We already know AI can confidently make things up. HalluSquatting shows what can happen when an AI tool acts on its own bad answer. An assistant may invent a software address and download files controlled by an attacker. If the agent has terminal access, it may also run malicious instructions using your permissions. The research does not show that HalluSquatting attacks are suddenly infecting computers everywhere. However, it exposes a security gap that AI companies need to address as agents gain more control. For now, do not give an AI assistant unlimited freedom to install software or run commands. Verify every source, keep approval controls turned on and use strong security software as a backup layer.

How much control would you feel comfortable giving an AI assistant over your computer before it has to stop and ask for permission? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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READ THE DOCUMENTS: White House releases election integrity files after Trump speech

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:56:46 -0400

The White House released a trove of election-integrity documents Thursday night following President Donald Trump’s primetime address, posting files related to alleged voting-system vulnerabilities, China’s alleged acquisition of U.S. voter data, a Michigan voter-registration investigation and noncitizens on state voter rolls.

The documents, posted on a new White House election-integrity page, are organized into four buckets and include intelligence assessments, FBI files, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency materials and Department of Homeland Security-related summaries covering issues ranging from election infrastructure cybersecurity to voter-registration database threats. The release gives the public access to records the White House alleges support Trump’s renewed push for election reforms, including voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements.

The president claimed in his address that electronic voting machines are vulnerable and easily compromised. Fox News has not yet seen evidence supporting that claim and is not able to independently evaluate the accuracy of his statement at this time.

"This vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you," Trump said Thursday night during an address from the White House on election integrity. "But that all changes right now."

MORE THAN A QUARTER-MILLION NONCITIZENS MAY BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN 4 KEY STATES, DHS ALLEGES

The White House page lists the four document categories as "Vulnerabilities in Electronic Voting and Ballot-Counting Systems," "China’s Acquisition and Exploitation of American Voter Data," "Michigan Voter-Registration Investigation" and "Noncitizens on State Voter Rolls." The page says the files span from January 2020 to June 2026.

Fox News Digital could not independently verify the contents of the documents.

In the section on voting systems, the White House says the documents include what it describes as previously classified intelligence assessments and other reports warning that U.S. adversaries could compromise election infrastructure, including voter-registration databases, pollbooks and election websites.

A separate section includes White House claims that China acquired hundreds of millions of U.S. voter files, while another highlights FBI files tied to an alleged voter-registration operation in Michigan.

CALIFORNIA ACCUSED OF BLOCKING FEDERAL VOTER ROLL AUDIT AS DOJ ESCALATES PROBE OF ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS

"Those responsible for sounding the alarm instead kept the information secret and hidden," Trump claimed. "They did not disclose (it) to me as president or to anyone else."

The final bucket focuses on what the White House describes as a DHS review that the White House claims identified noncitizens on state voter rolls.

The documents were posted to the White House website during the president's speech Thursday night, and more updates, filings and findings are expected to drop, according to the new election integrity webpage.

"The documents we will release starting tonight have been gathered by the White House Government Transparency Taskforce, a great group of people, along with the staff of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, supported by our top intelligence agency chiefs, who have all personally reviewed the findings we are presenting this evening and fully confirmed their authenticity," Trump said during his speech Thursday.

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The files were released as Trump has intensified his election-integrity push ahead of the midterms, including calls for voter ID, proof-of-citizenship requirements and Senate passage of the SAVE Act.

Trump previously signed an executive order aimed at requiring proof of citizenship on federal voter registration forms, but federal judges have blocked key portions of the order while the House-passed SAVE Act remains stalled in the Senate.

"No trust, no greatness," Trump told Americans Thursday.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti becomes unstoppable thanks to latest development on recruiting trail

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:52:47 -0400

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has accomplished pretty much everything you could ever imagine while in Bloomington.

The man has been to the College Football Playoff, won a Big Ten title, captured a national championship and guided the Indiana freaking Hoosiers to an undefeated 16-0 season.

If the plans for a statue haven't already been drawn up, start sharpening those pencils.

CURT CIGNETTI REVEALS HOW WORKING FOR NICK SABAN CHANGED EVERYTHING: 'EVERY DAY WAS 4TH-AND-1'

I say "pretty much everything," though, because for all of his otherworldly accomplishments in just two short seasons, there is one, relatively arbitrary thing missing from coach Cig's resume.

I don't want what I'm about to say to seem like an insult, because Lord knows I worship the ground this man walks on, but there's always been a catch with Cignetti's success at Indiana.

He hasn't exactly been able to amass blue-chip talent, at least in the traditional sense, and while it almost adds to his mythos and abilities as a head coach, it has been perplexing not to see more high-level four-stars and five-stars busting down the doors of Cig's office.

DON'T BURY TEXAS TECH JUST YET: RED RAIDERS SHOULD STILL BE CFP CONTENDERS, EVEN WITHOUT BRENDAN SORSBY

That is, until Friday evening, when Indiana landed a commitment from consensus five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales.

Yes, yes, I am well aware of the old standbys of "don't celebrate until the ink is dry" or "we're a long way from signing day," but I doubt a five-star wideout from Indianapolis picked the Hoosiers without being absolutely sure that's where he wants to end up.

Crazier things have certainly happened, but if NIL dollars are all similar between programs, I'd put money on the kid ending up in red and white come December.

HERE'S WHY NICK SABAN AND NOTRE DAME'S PETE BEVACQUA ARE WRONG ABOUT NIL RUINING COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Sales becomes simultaneously Cignetti's first five-star commit as a head coach and the highest rated recruit to pick Indiana in program history.

Not bad for a random Friday in July, but it means something a little more for coach Cig than just adding a talented chess piece to his board.

My point from above comes back into play here: if Curt Cignetti was able to go 16-0 and win a national championship with a bunch of three-stars and Moneyball-esque castoffs, imagine what he can do with top-100 prospects littering his two-deep.

I know it's "just one five-star," but I have no reason to believe Sales will be the only one during Cignetti's tenure, and if that's the case, the rest of the country needs to be on high alert.

Indiana steamrolled their way to a national championship in 2025 while having to beat teams like Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, and Miami, all programs who dwarf the Hoosiers in terms of blue-chip talent.

Cignetti's squad ranked 72nd in the 247Sports talent composite heading into the 2025 season and were dead-last in the Big Ten in a similar metric, yet they looked unstoppable through much of the year.

It defies all logic, and many were wondering if it was even sustainable, but if Indiana keeps landing recruits like Sales, we may not have to find out the answer to that question.

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The Hoosiers still have plenty of work to do, even in this year's recruiting class, which sits somewhere in the upper 20s to low 30s depending on which site you use, but the journey of a thousand top-ten classes begins with a single first five-star, or whatever Laozi said.

My point is, you can brush this off as a fluke or a hometown discount from Sales, but the same people who doubted Cignetti's coaching acumen would be wise to view this as a harbinger of things to come from Cig on the recruiting trail.

Heed the warning signs, my fellow college football fans. I am once again here to tell you, Cignetti isn't going anywhere.

Terrified hikers face nightmare survival scenario after heart-pounding grizzly bear encounter

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:47:19 -0400

An Alaskan hike turned into a terrifying test of survival after three hikers experienced a heart-pounding encounter with a grizzly bear.

The hikers rounded a corner and found themselves face-to-face with the bear, nicknamed "Scuba Sue," while it was hunting for salmon along a narrow trail at the Anan Creek Wildlife Observatory in southeast Alaska.

Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," the trio detailed how they relied on crucial park ranger safety protocols to stay calm after finding themselves trapped on the path.

WOMAN STALKED BY CHARGING BEAR ON MORNING DOG WALK CAPTURES TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER ON CAMERA

"We’d actually been watching bears, hoping that there were salmon coming up the river. We saw about four or five bears earlier. Those were black bears. And then coming back on the trail, we had an unexpected encounter," Dr. Michelle Lynn Thaller said. "Right around the corner came this grizzly bear."

Video captured from the scene shows the bear getting up close and personal with the hikers. The group was forced to talk to the bear, while slowly backing away to allow room for it to pass on the path.

"Oh, [I] was definitely terrified. And then we remembered what the rangers told us, which was what you said, to be big, talk to the bear, keep it calm and get out of its way," hiker Tanya Thompson said.

HIDDEN DANGER AT POPULAR US NATIONAL PARK FORCES TRAIL CLOSURES AS BEAR SIGHTINGS CLIMB

"There was no place where we met the bear to get off the path. So we had to back up a little bit in order to get off so she could run forward," she added.

Hiker Tony Cutraro noted that the group had been briefed by park rangers before the hike, but they already knew they were in deep bear country and had seen evidence of them on the path.

After a few tense moments, the bear passed by the group and continued on its way. Thaller noted that a delayed salmon run this year has left the local wildlife starving, raising the stakes of the encounter.

ALASKA WOMAN USES WEAPON TO SURVIVE TERRIFYING BEAR ATTACK AFTER PREDATOR MAULS POOCH: 'I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD'

"Well, that was something that actually made me a little bit nervous because these bear are here to fish salmon. There's going to be salmon running up the river and spawning and the salmon were not running yet," Thaller said.

"And so, in years past we had seen salmon. They were eating salmon. The salmon were a bit later this year. And so these bears, they're hungry. They're waiting for the salmon to come," she added.

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The National Park Service has a few tips for hikers in these situations. They advise hikers to identify themselves by talking calmly to the bear, so it knows they are human and not prey. They also recommend remaining still and avoiding running away.

Inside Lindsey Graham’s unlikely rise as Trump’s wartime confidant

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 05:45:16 -0400

In 2015, Sen. Lindsey Graham called Donald Trump a "jackass" and warned Republicans that nominating him would be a disaster. Trump responded by reading Graham's personal cellphone number aloud during a campaign rally, encouraging supporters to call the South Carolina senator.

Few political rivalries seemed less likely to evolve into one of Washington's most consequential foreign policy partnerships.

Trump rose to power promising to end America's "endless wars" and challenging decades of Republican foreign policy orthodoxy. Graham, by contrast, remained throughout his three decades in public service an unabashed advocate of projecting American power abroad.

FROM 'DISGRACE' TO 'FAMILY': TRUMP'S REMARKABLE JOURNEY WITH LINDSEY GRAHAM

Yet over the next decade, Graham became one of the few lawmakers with regular access to President Trump on questions of national security, emerging as one of the Republican Party's most influential voices on Iran, Ukraine, Israel and NATO.

He had built his Senate career around foreign policy. While many lawmakers spent weekends back home, Graham was often overseas meeting presidents, visiting war zones and trying to broker agreements between allies and the White House.

By the end of his career, his office had become an unofficial waypoint for foreign leaders trying to understand — or influence — the Trump administration.

In interviews following the senator's sudden death Saturday, Trump described Graham as "like a member of the family" and said he was among the final people to speak with the South Carolina Republican after he returned from Ukraine just hours before his death.

As Trump reshaped Republican foreign policy around an "America First" agenda, Graham became one of the few congressional voices with regular access to the president on questions of war and peace. He frequently pressed Trump to maintain a muscular U.S. role abroad — even as the president questioned long-standing alliances and warned against prolonged military interventions.

Rather than becoming another Republican hawk sidelined by Trump's ascent, Graham cultivated one of the closest working relationships with the president, giving him unusual influence as the administration navigated conflicts from Ukraine and Iran to Israel and NATO.

Whether Graham simply reinforced Trump's instincts — or helped shape them — may become one of the defining questions of his foreign policy legacy.

GRAHAM REPORTEDLY REFUSED MEDICAL HELP BEFORE SCHEDULED TV APPEARANCE

"He would call me all the time," Trump told Fox News Monday. "I'd say, 'Stop calling me, Lindsey.' It was amazing. He just never stopped. He was a worker — a total workaholic politician."

Colleagues said Graham lived and breathed the work of the Senate, particularly serving as an informal envoy between the U.S. and allies around the world.

In the hours before his death, Graham told a confidant he wasn't feeling well but joked he couldn’t die now because he still had work to do. He was preparing to push a long-stalled bipartisan Russia sanctions bill through the Senate, remained focused on advancing Saudi-Israel normalization and believed the Trump administration had not yet finished confronting Iran.

He had just completed his 10th trip to Ukraine, and maintained tight relationships not only with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but also with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Gulf leaders and others around the world.

Graham believed that influence came from showing up, according to Jack Keane, a retired Army four-star general, the chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and Fox News senior strategic analyst.

"He wasn't interested in writing op-ed pieces or making speeches, he wanted firsthand contact with leaders of the world." Keane, who counted Graham as a friend, told Fox News Digital. "He was interested in getting the results."

Graham, upon being beaten by Trump in the 2016 primary, conceded that the then-real estate mogul understood the American public better than he did.

"He understood the American people better than we did, and shame on us for not doing it as effectively as him," Graham said at the time, according to Keane.

So Graham went to work making himself useful for the president.

"Graham knew the world better than almost anyone in Washington, and he likely knew many foreign leaders better than President Trump's own appointees," Keane said. "He made a conscious decision to help the president by offering advice and counsel, which grew into both a personal and professional relationship."

Graham's worldview was shaped alongside late Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., with whom he traveled extensively overseas. The trio —known as the "Three Amigos" — championed an interventionist Republican foreign policy rooted in American military leadership, support for democratic allies and confronting authoritarian adversaries.

Graham publicly disagreed with Trump over Iran negotiations — preferring strikes and regime change — and repeatedly pushed for a tougher line against Russia in the war on Ukraine.

Those convictions at times put him closer to traditional Republican foreign policy than to Trump's "America First" instincts, even as he worked to remain one of the president's closest advisors.

Trump's approach to foreign policy often shifted between military confrontation and diplomatic restraint. Graham's rarely did.

Whenever Trump appeared to move toward a negotiated settlement with Iran, Graham followed a familiar playbook: remind the White House that Congress ultimately would have to review any lasting agreement.

After Trump announced a memorandum of understanding with Iran in June, Graham quickly argued that any lasting deal would require congressional scrutiny and even suggested Vice President JD Vance would ultimately have to defend it on Capitol Hill.

By the time of his death, Graham had fashioned exactly the role he wanted in Washington: trusted interlocutor between the White House, Congress and foreign leaders.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., described Graham as having a "kid-like exuberance about his job and the responsibilities he was given."

"Even in his sixties he would get off a plane in a foreign land with a twinkle in his eye and look at me as if to say, can you believe we are actually here and doing this?" she wrote on X.

"Very rarely in life do you get to be exactly where you want to be, when you want to be there, with who you want to be with, doing precisely what you want to do — that was every moment for Lindsey," White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X.

"Lindsey was a senator’s senator. The job was everything to him. Truly did he believe in the splendor of the office and the noble lineage behind it, of which he was the worthy heir."

Graham rarely seemed interested in winning an argument if it meant losing the president. He spent more than a year revising his long-stalled Russia sanctions legislation and negotiating with the White House as Trump pursued his own diplomatic outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Only days before his death did Graham announce that he had reached an agreement with the administration to move the bill forward.

While Trump frequently questioned the value of NATO and demanded allies shoulder more of the burden, Graham viewed America's alliances as one of its greatest strategic advantages. He generally agreed that European nations needed to spend more on defense, but argued the alliance itself remained indispensable to deterring Russia and projecting American power.

Graham's support for Israel was equally central to his worldview. He regarded Israel as America's closest partner in the Middle East and spent years working to strengthen ties between Israel and Arab states, viewing Saudi-Israeli normalization as a historic opportunity to reshape the region while further isolating Iran.

Graham spent a decade proving that in Washington, proximity to power could matter as much as formal authority. Without Graham in Washington, Ukraine now fears it may have lost an indispensable advocate in Washington.

"Huge and absolutely unexpected loss," said Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker with Zelenskyy’s party, told the AP. "He was truly indispensable. I even don’t know who might be as important for us now in Trump’s entourage."

"He was the closest link between Ukraine, our president and Trump," he added. "Our position in Trump’s entourage might be weaker."

Graham's final legislative campaign may outlive him.

Days after his death, 62 senators — including Majority Leader John Thune — introduced the revised sanctions bill bearing his name, giving it more than enough declared support to overcome a filibuster. The measure would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia and authorize tariffs of up to 100% on the largest purchasers of Russian energy.

Whether it reaches Trump's desk will test whether the bipartisan coalition Graham assembled — and the agreement he personally struck with the White House — can hold without him.

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For now, the president will navigate wars in Ukraine and the Middle East without the friend who was never shy about telling him to hit harder.

Test your pop culture: From Hollywood to the Heartland

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:30:57 -0400

The Pop Culture Quiz is your weekly test of what’s making headlines and breaking the Internet, from the Heartland to Hollywood.

This week's quiz spotlights celebrity vacations and big transformations.

Can you get all 5 questions right?

For more Entertainment articles, visit www.foxnews.com/entertainment

To try your hand at more quizzes from Fox News Digital, click here.

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James Carville explains why he thinks mainstream media networks made a mistake avoiding Trump’s speech

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:25:33 -0400

Democratic strategist James Carville blasted major television networks Friday for declining to carry President Donald Trump's election integrity speech in full, arguing Americans should have been allowed to watch what he described as the president's increasingly erratic behavior.

"I would advise them to attack CNN, attack ABC, attack NBC… because they didn't air the speech," Carville told CNN's Wolf Blitzer when asked how Democrats should respond to Trump's primetime address.

"I think the president of the United States acting loonier than a tune is newsworthy."

ABC, NBC, CNN AVOID AIRING TRUMP'S PRIMETIME ELECTION SECURITY ADDRESS LIVE

Carville argued the networks missed an opportunity to let voters judge Trump's remarks for themselves, contending that watching the address in its entirety would have reinforced concerns about the president's conduct rather than helped his political standing.

Blitzer responded by pressing Carville on that note, asking him to confirm his suggestion.

"You think we should have given him more publicity, is that what you're saying?" he asked.

TONY DOKOUPIL CLASHES WITH MARK WARNER AFTER THE SENATOR RIPPED CBS FOR AIRING TRUMP SPEECH ‘AS NEWS’

"Absolutely saying that," Carville responded.

"I'm absolutely saying that I think the decision not to air that speech by CNN and other networks is not being what's really newsworthy..."

He went on to argue, citing reports he said he read in The Daily Beast and Politico, that Trump ignored advice from his own staff to avoid acting "crazy."

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

"Of course, he didn't take that advice for sure," he said.

"But this is very newsworthy, I think, and I think the more people see this, the more they'll understand that."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Carville's remarks came on the heels of Trump's Thursday night primetime address, during which the president renewed his focus on election integrity and alleged that China "worked to influence the results" of the 2020 presidential election, an accusation Beijing has denied.

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

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Trump used the disclosures during Thursday's address to press Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, casting the newly released intelligence as evidence that lawmakers must tighten federal election rules before the midterms.

The act passed the House in February but stalled in the Senate in March, when a 53–47 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance it.

CBS News aired a special report that initially provided analysis before dipping into the speech minutes after Trump began speaking and cut away moments after Trump's attacks towards ABC and NBC. MS NOW carried the first 15 minutes of his speech live before dipping out to provide commentary. Fox News carried the speech in its entirety.

Fox News' Greg Norman-Diamond, Joseph Wulfsohn and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Betting preview picks Tampa Bay Rays on the moneyline to end Boston Red Sox 11-game streak

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:15:49 -0400

I mentioned how humbling baseball can be in yesterday's article. I was certainly humbled last night. Humbled might not even be the right word - instead, it probably should be incredibly frustrated. I had under 10.5 in the Royals and Padres game, and through nine innings, there were exactly six runs scored. Unfortunately, three were on each side, so it went to a 10th inning. In the top of the 10th, three runs crossed the plate. That pushed the total to 9, but I was still alive. In the bottom of the inning, the Royals scored four runs. A seven-run 10th inning, and the game goes over. About as brutal as it gets. Luckily, I won on the Reds, but that... was something. Let's try to dodge that luck as the Rays take on the Red Sox.

Tampa Bay is one of the best teams in baseball, which isn't all that shocking when you consider their franchise as a whole. They are 56-40 for the season with sole possession of first place in the division. The Rays have been hot all year, but I'd challenge almost any casual fan to name more than three players on the team. Junior Caminero is probably the most well-known, partially because he is an All-Star, and partially because he was almost injured in the All-Star Game.

You might be familiar with some of the starting pitchers for the staff, but I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't. The Rays are a bit unconventional at times with their rotation and arms. Today, they are sending out Ian Seymour to start the game, or maybe we should consider calling it opening the game? Seymour has 33 appearances and just six starts. It is normal for a guy to get stretched out and move from the bullpen to the rotation, but some are better left in the bullpen, and it seems like that might be the case for him. As a starter, he has allowed teams to hit .242 against him compared to just .197 as a reliever. The encouraging sign for the Rays is that in 18 at-bats against him, the Red Sox have not recorded a hit and struck out seven times.

RED SOX HAD A NIGHTMARE TRAVEL DAY FOR THE AGES, YET STILL FOUND A WAY TO BEAT THE METS IN NEW YORK

The Boston Red Sox looked like they were dead in the water just about a month ago. They were in last place in the division and looked like they were probably going to be sellers at the trade deadline. Perhaps it was just a very bad start. Maybe this team is better than we expected. Or, it is possible this was just a hot stretch, and they will end up falling back down the standings. A lot is still to be determined, but the club is finally clicking, and I know they are looking to ride that success as long as possible.

The Red Sox will send Patrick Sandoval to the hill today. This is just his second start of the season for the Red Sox, and he has no record with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He has just 4.1 innings under his belt, so I'd be very surprised if I see him go deep into this game. It is possible, since yesterday was a doubleheader, that they need Sandoval to eat innings even if he pitches poorly. Rays hitters have faced him 28 times, but 17 of those have come from Yandy Diaz, who is just 3-for-17 against him. The other three players that have seen Sandoval before are a combined 2-for-11.

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I think this might be a game where you see some runs from both teams. Neither starter is going to strike fear into their opponent, exactly. However, I will at least give them credit for showing success against their opponent in the limited exposure. I do lean to the over at 9.5 for this game, but I think there is a better play.

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The Red Sox have won 11 straight games, but I don't see them getting to 12. Boston should be very happy they've gotten all the way back to .500, but Tampa Bay is a very good team, and I actually think Seymour is more reliable than Sandoval in just his second start. Combine that with the Red Sox winning both games yesterday, and I think the Rays take this one. Give me Tampa Bay on the moneyline.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024

Bill Maher argues canceled stars like Louis CK, Kevin Spacey should be let out of 'show business jail'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:00:35 -0400

Comedian Bill Maher defended his decision to invite embattled comic Louis C.K. to his recent Mark Twain Prize ceremony, declaring that canceled stars should not face a lifetime ban from the entertainment industry.

Speaking with NPR’s "Newsmakers" podcast, the host of HBO’s "Real Time" argued that the court of public opinion frequently ignores the rule of law. He pointed to his recent interviews with actors Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen, and insisted society needs to recognize when someone has done their time.

"People just want to believe what they want to believe. So, when the jury comes in on the side you like, 'Oh, perfect. The jury spoke.' But when they don't, it's like, 'Oh, no, screw that. Forget it. I don’t care about the police investigations. I don’t care about the exonerations,’" Maher said.

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"Either the law means something or it doesn’t. You know, and not every punishment should be forever. Have some grace," he added.

On June 28, Maher received the 27th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a Kennedy Center ceremony that featured a lineup of high-profile guests including Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Matt Friend, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Jay Leno, John Mellencamp and Stephen A. Smith. The event is set to stream on Netflix on July 21.

His inclusion of disgraced comedian Louis C.K. sparked questions from the NPR interviewer. In 2017, C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct allegations after several female comedians accused him of exposing himself and masturbating in front of them or over the phone without their consent in a New York Times article. His actions did not result in criminal charges.

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Maher defended C.K., arguing he has already faced public cancellation for nearly a decade and has served his time in "show business jail." C.K. has returned to Netflix with a new comedy special, "Ridiculous."

"Anyone who's still mad at that, you know, has no concept of appropriate punishment. Like we do it in the law. Not everything is a hanging offense. If you're in show business jail for 10 years, maybe that's enough," Maher said, confirming he personally invited C.K. to the ceremony.

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"I mean, people get like two years for rape. You know, I mean, the weird sort of no rules for how we mete out punishment in this country for offenders is pretty weird," Maher later added.

He also defended actor Kevin Spacey, who was acquitted of all sexual assault charges in the U.K. in July 2023 after a high-profile trial. Spacey had pleaded not guilty to all counts. Separate U.S. cases ended with a dropped criminal charge and a dismissed civil lawsuit.

Maher, who hosted Spacey on his "Club Random" podcast on June 29, as well as director Woody Allen for a separate sit-down last year, reiterated that the court of public opinion often ignores the legal system. Allen has faced decades-old sexual abuse allegations that he has continuously denied and was never criminally charged following police investigations.

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"I just had Kevin Spacey on. Another one you're probably like, ‘Oh, how could you have him on?’ There was five accusations. I don't know if they were all trials, but they were all something where there was an official exoneration," Maher said.

"Woody Allen, two exhaustive police summaries, not to mention how preposterous the story is that he was molesting his own daughter in the attic there. Doesn't matter. People just want to believe what they want to believe," he added.

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France takes on England in World Cup third-place game with Mbappe chasing Golden Boot

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:36:26 -0400

For Americans, the World Cup has a lot of weird stuff. We aren’t used to games ending in ties. We don’t really recognize the beauty of teams passing the ball back and forth, trying to see where it makes sense to attack the defense. Most of all, though, we are not used to major tournaments having a third-place game, but we get that here as France takes on England.

France disappointed me for a variety of reasons. Even if I didn’t have a ticket on them to win the World Cup, I would’ve probably been disappointed as they played Spain. They looked like they were little kids playing against adults out there. The lack of urgency, the skill disparity, and the overall performance looked brutal in comparison to what we’ve seen from France in all of the other games of the World Cup.

The only thing that France really has to play for now is pride. It was disappointing to see them not bother against Spain, but they have still been very strong against almost every other team in the league. Now, the other thing that they can take a shot at is getting Kylian Mbappe another goal. He has eight, which is tied with Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot, but he has fewer assists, so if he doesn’t score, he will lose.

HOW TO WATCH ENGLAND VS FRANCE: LIVE STREAM THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP THIRD-PLACE MATCH

England blew it. That’s really the overwhelming thought from almost every analyst and everyone else. England fans are furious at their coach for "parking the bus" in the second half of the game. I can’t say I blame them. England looked like they were just trying to run out the clock instead of being aggressive. We know Argentina is a good team, but England wasn’t really playing keep away; they seemed to just be loading the box and hoping that their opponent wouldn’t score.

England can still make this a successful World Cup with a win. Sure, it isn’t the same as winning the tournament, but coming in third does seem like it would be a surprisingly successful run for them. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have proved to be one of the best duos in the entire tournament. The problem remains that it just hasn’t been enough. I do expect them to be more aggressive after the disaster of the last game.

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Does that mean they will find the back of the net multiple times? I kind of doubt it, but I do expect both teams to attack regularly. The opening line of this game was at 2.5 with juice on the over; it has now moved to 3.5, which gives a good middling opportunity if you bet the over originally.

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France still, in my eyes, remains the best team in the tournament – aside from Spain, I guess. I think they probably win this game in 90 minutes at -110, but I really don’t know how motivated either team will be in a third-place game. I think Mbappe is going to try to score as many goals as possible for the Golden Boot. Him at +300 is worth a flyer for two goals. I will also take under 3.5 as I just don’t see this game getting four goals.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024

Why a blown-out plane window nearly sucked a passenger outside at 16K feet

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:48 -0400

After a passenger was nearly sucked out of a Ryanair plane when a window failed shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece, experts are explaining how the window could have cracked and broken.

In the wake of the frightening ordeal, they also urge flyers to heed important warnings.

"Follow crew directions," Steve Arroyo, a Florida-based aviation safety expert and retired airline captain with 37 years of experience, told Fox News Digital.

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"It seems redundant, but always have your seat belt fastened whenever you're seated," he added.

Richard J. Levy, an aviation consultant, former American Airlines captain and Boeing 737 flight crew training instructor in Texas, told Fox News Digital that the depressurization happened after a piece of the engine reportedly broke off and struck the window.

"With a cracked window and the pressure on the window from cabin pressurization, the window cracked, broke — and then the extreme difference in air pressure from the cabin to the outside creates a strong suction," the expert said.

"The person was then sucked out."

MAJOR AIRLINE ROASTS PASSENGERS WHO JUMP UP RIGHT AFTER LANDING, IGNITING FIERCE BACKLASH

Rapid decompressions are "extremely rare events" at major airlines, Arroyo said, adding that commercial aviation is overall one of the safest modes of transportation today.

"It is mind-boggling that 4.4 billion passengers flew on the world's airlines in 2023 — 1.8 billion international passengers and 2.6 billion domestic passengers," he said. "Yet, there were zero accidents."

But one expert told Fox News Digital that incidents like these are "not as uncommon as most passengers would like to think."

William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the Washington, D.C.-based American Economic Liberties Project and the author of "Attention All Passengers," blamed what he called "weak government oversight of aviation safety," which he said has worsened in recent years.

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"There is still much that we don't know about what happened on that aircraft," said McGee.

A Greek hospital official told The Associated Press that the 61-year-old passenger was treated for neck and shoulder injuries, as well as friction burns.

The passenger was identified as Serbian national Ljubisa Karović. Karović's wife, Svetlana Grković, told Serbian outlet Nova that she "immediately reacted and grabbed his legs."

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"I thought: 'If we die, we die together,'" said Grković.

Grković told Greek outlet ERT that her husband lost consciousness three times, the BBC reported.

"The girl who was sitting next to him was holding him by the hand," she said. "Three of us were pulling him back inside. The oxygen masks dropped and chaos broke out."

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"They put a suitcase against the window, but it was sucked out," she added.

A spokesperson from Ryanair confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital, noting that the passenger's window had "dislodged in-flight."

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The official also said that the aircraft landed safely, and that passengers returned to the terminal.

"One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki," the representative said.

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"In order to minimize any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 local [Friday] morning."

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Far-left activist conference at teachers union HQ raises classroom concerns

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:34 -0400

A two-day conference featuring socialist, anti-war and pro-Palestinian activists at Chicago Teachers Union headquarters is drawing criticism from an education advocate who says the gathering reflects priorities far removed from the classroom.

The conference included workshops on protest and media tactics, approaching port workers, tracking weapons shipments, fundraising, coalition building and strengthening ties with labor and community groups in Latin America and Africa, according to AWAN’s website.

"I'm not sure that has much to do with empowering teachers in the classroom," North American Values Institute (NAVI) Chief Advocacy Officer Josh Weiner said about the conference.

"We've seen the barriers and boundaries between this political activism and the classroom break down in a lot of different circumstances. Certainly, the classroom is not the priority. It's a political agenda that's very extreme."

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CTU was not listed as an official conference sponsor, although the venue featured union signage and a mannequin wearing a CTU T-shirt, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

Conference rooms were temporarily named by conference organizers for political figures and activists including Fidel Castro, Nicolás Maduro, Cilia Flores, Rasmea Odeh, Ibrahim Traoré and Patrice Lumumba.

Speakers addressed attendees from behind a podium draped in a Palestinian flag. The program included representatives of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Anti-War Action Network, Anti-War Committee Chicago, the Chicago Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, according to the conference program.

Other speakers were Michigan preschool teacher Jessica Plichta, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, which describes itself as a Marxist-Leninist organization fighting for socialism. Plichta was arrested on camera immediately after finishing a television news interview in support of Maduro. Police accused her of blocking a roadway and failing to follow commands to move.

Another speaker, U.S. Palestinian Community Network Chairman Hatem Abudayyeh, previously served as a spokesperson for the Rasmea Defense Committee.

Conference resolutions called for ending U.S. aid to Israel, supporting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns, and expanding pro-Palestinian activism, while another resolution referred to the Iranian government as "anti-imperialist" and pledged support for Iranian sovereignty, according to NAVI.

Weiner accused the union of intentionally keeping "themselves at arm's length of something" while sharing "the same circles" as organizers.

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"CTU didn't sponsor this conference, they weren't officially a part of it, but that's on purpose to keep themselves at arm's length of something that, clearly, they've been in the same circles as," he said.

NAVI also noted that CTU Vice President Jackson Potter and CORE, the union’s governing caucus, follow Anti-War Committee Chicago on Instagram.

Weiner said children are being taught "that the U.S. is imperialist, that it is the purveyor of violence throughout the world" while "platforming leaders that, frankly, are majorly oppressive."

"Public education is meant to really teach foundational knowledge and formulate our future citizens of our country and to prepare students to be productive, happy, successful citizens within our country and our country is a democratic capitalist system, albeit imperfect, but it still is," he said.

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AWAN says on its website that it aims to "build a country-wide movement of people who will fight against U.S. imperialism in the streets and in the halls of power."

Weiner called the conference "the opposite" of what education should look like, saying teachers are "bringing extremism" into the classroom.

"It's totally anti what education is supposed to be about, and this is an intentional play," he said. "These teachers believe education is about teaching kids about power, and how to take back power and where to seek power, and to make it a political act in and of itself."

The conference comes after the Chicago Teachers Union previously faced criticism in April for its collaboration with the National Education Association on a "curriculum build" to bring "social justice into the classroom" ahead of May Day.

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But Weiner said the union's tactics won't stop in Chicago, warning that "you're going to see that playbook essentially happen in other cities," adding "It's not as though we think it's going to happen. They're saying, it's going to happen."

"I think every time they push a boundary and break it, you see it pop up somewhere else and you see them pushing the boundaries further," he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Chicago Teachers Union and the Anti-War Action Network for comment.

Relationship expert challenges one of America's biggest assumptions about divorce

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:28 -0400

Divorce is often viewed as the failure of a marriage, a painful last resort that leaves families fractured. One therapist is trying to change that perception through an approach that she calls "compassionate divorce," taking the sting out of ending a marriage by viewing the process in a different way.

"Discovering Diamonds: A Story of Compassionate Divorce" author and therapist Sarene Arias argues that divorce does not mean failure, and that it can be the beginning of a new phase in life rather than the end of one. She often works with couples in crisis through her "diamond workshops" with the goal of helping them define success on their own.

"My work, in the largest sense, is to help to normalize what I call 'compassionate divorce,'" Arias told Fox News Digital.

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While Arias is advocating for a different way of thinking about divorce, Pew Research Center says that Americans have been divorcing less frequently in recent decades. According to Pew, the refined divorce rate, which measures the number of divorces per 1,000 married women ages 15 and older, fell from 20.5 in 2008 to 14.4 in 2023. Researchers suggested the decline may be partly tied to changing marriage patterns.

In her book, Arias explains the origin of her "diamonds" terminology. It came about as she and her now- ex-husband told their children that they had decided to get a divorce. Upon hearing the news, Arias' son, who was seven years old at the time, said that the family was changing shapes from a square to a diamond. Her son explained that in his mind, it was because Arias and her ex-husband were moving further apart, but the unit was "still one family."

"A diamond, black coal forged under years of pressure into a translucent, radiant gem, is a perfect metaphor for Compassionate Divorce. None of us sets out to separate when we commit to marriage, and yet, in some cases, parting ways is the most generous, loving choice a couple can make," Arias wrote in her book.

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Arias said her work is not about encouraging couples to separate, but helping couples in crisis determine the healthiest path forward for their families. In her workshops, she defines success not by whether couples stay together, but by whether they are able to create a healthier family dynamic.

"And so, in a diamond workshop, I define success as, you know, that it's really gonna be like 50-50, that half the couples who come through are gonna find that spark and choose to keep growing and healing together and the other half are gonna commit to compassionate divorce," she said.

"We can both feel, we can treat one another with mutual respect and we can work collaboratively to continue to make the best choices for our families even when that sometimes means that the couple needs to split," Arias told Fox News Digital.

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Arias said that approach stands in contrast to the way divorce is often portrayed in pop culture, where separating spouses become adversaries going through lengthy, expensive legal battles that are treated as inevitable. She argues that divorce can instead be handled respectfully and collaboratively.

When asked why couples who can problem-solve and work together in the way that compassionate divorce requires would choose not to stay together, Arias emphasized the difference between preserving a marriage and creating a healthy home.

"That's just not the same thing as a healthy thriving home. And I think it's okay to want for oneself to thrive," she said.

That philosophy extends to the way Arias thinks about children and divorce.

For couples with children who are contemplating ending their marriage, they often wonder how the decision will affect their kids, fearing that it could be a traumatic experience. However, Arias argues that people often conflate the impact of the divorce itself with the conflict that surrounds it.

"Children respond to toxicity in a home," she said. "And that toxicity, if the extent to which the toxicity in the home becomes a contentious divorce, of course that's extremely damaging to kids."

Arias said she has seen firsthand the toll contentious divorces can take on children. By contrast, she said children who experience what she describes as a compassionate divorce often want to understand what is happening, particularly those who are middle school age or older.

She aims to help couples understand that "deciding to change the terms of their relationship, that's on them, it's theirs. And it's separate from the family and the family dynamics."

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Arias said her own divorce helped shape that perspective. More than a decade after separating, she said her ex-husband remains part of her "broader support network," and that the two have a healthier relationship now than they did during their marriage.

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"We are way, way way more successful and happy now than we were," she said.

"This sort of binary of married, you know, Disney ending or divorced as failure, that's just not, that's not the real world."

Jerry O'Connell reveals the life decision that transformed him into a family man

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:00:05 -0400

Jerry O'Connell knows firsthand how one decision can change everything.

While discussing his new movie, "Summer's Last Resort," now streaming on Tubi, the actor told Fox News Digital that the biggest turning point of his own life was meeting his wife, Rebecca Romijn.

"My wife was definitely the biggest turning point in my life," O'Connell said. "I can't believe that my wife is with me, first of all. Thank you, honey, if you're watching this, thank you for being with me this week."

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The 52-year-old star said meeting his wife forced him to grow up and embrace a future he never saw coming.

"Meeting my wife was one of the biggest turning points of my life. I was very immature," O'Connell admitted. "And then I met my wife, and my wife wanted to start a family… I was like, 'It's not going to get better than this for me, so I might as well settle down.' And I'm so glad I did. We have two great kids, and we have a lot of fun."

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O'Connell and Romijn first met in 2004 at the Maxim Hot 100 party. The couple got engaged the following year before tying the knot in July 2007. They now share 17-year-old twin daughters Charlie and Dolly.

WATCH: JERRY O'CONNELL EMBRACES EMBARRASSING DAD MOMENTS FOR ‘SUMMER’S LAST RESORT’

The themes of family and personal growth also resonated with O'Connell while making "Summer's Last Resort," in which he plays the overenthusiastic boyfriend of a single mom whose relationship is tested by her skeptical teenage daughter.

As the father of twin teenage girls himself, O'Connell said his daughters unknowingly inspired many of his comedic choices in the movie.

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"It's not one scene. I think it's just like an aura," he told Fox News Digital. "I live with teenage girls, my daughters, and they are eternally embarrassed by me. They can't stand my presence. Everything I say is the wrong thing to say."

He continued, "And I really, I really brought that to 'Summer's Last Resort' and our set. Anytime I did a scene with Violet, I thought, 'Oh, what is something my daughters would not talk to me for weeks at a time for?' And I just did that in every scene."

Fatherhood has also changed the way O'Connell approaches parenting, he confessed.

WATCH: JERRY O'CONNELL SAYS WIFE REBECCA ROMIJN CONVINCED HIM TO SETTLE DOWN

"They also taught me to give people space... I have to trust my kids — they're pretty good kids," he said. "I have one daughter who was playing volleyball and then wanted to quit volleyball, and I was sort of getting on her for quitting volleyball."

He explained that as his daughters discover new passions, including acting, he's learned to step back.

"I just sort of let them find their own way... I have to trust them. I have to stop telling them what to do. That's something that they taught me. Stop trying to control situations."

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O'Connell also embraced that same philosophy while working alongside young co-star Violet McGraw.

McGraw said watching veteran actors like O'Connell and Sophia Bush work taught her to be more fearless on set.

"Just by watching them, I feel like I learned so much," McGraw said. "Basically just, you can improv, take risks and trust your instincts… just fully go for it and really commit."

O'Connell acknowledged that confidence came with experience.

"When I was a younger actor, I was afraid to, like, go off script and like, goof around," he said. "I think when you're younger, you're sort of… afraid of, like, making too much of a splash. I was just a little quieter. And when I got to set, I wanted to really loosen up for Violet."

McGraw said his example encouraged her to do the same.

"I learned to have more fun with it and with [improvising] that really, really helped."

"Summer's Last Resort" follows a high-strung teenager whose vacation is upended when she's forced to spend time with her free-spirited mother's eager-to-please boyfriend — who also happens to be her vice principal. Determined to break up the romance, she launches a secret sabotage plan that quickly spirals into unexpected lessons about family, love and growing up.

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Alongside O'Connell and McGraw, the movie stars Sophia Bush, Tim Rozon and more.

"Summer's Last Resort" is available to stream on Tubi.

Angel Reese dangerously peddles racist conspiracy theory after WNBA coach calls her two words

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:45:45 -0400

On a night where Caitlin Clark went off on the court, Angel Reese went off ... off the court.

Is the WNBA a content machine, or what?! Credit where it's due, this league just won't quit. The summertime is their time, and they're not letting it go to waste.

Let's dive in.

Reese and the Atlanta Dream defeated the Toronto Tempo, 111-92, Friday night. Reese finished with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting, adding 12 rebounds. She was dominant. I'm not here to disparage Reese's play on the floor, because it was excellent.

The stats don't lie. As they say, the numbers are the numbers. Well done, Angel.

Now, it didn't come without controversy. You always need controversy in the WNBA, and it usually has to do with racism. That's the buzz word right now.

Reese and Tempo forward Nyara Sabally collided late in the game, with Sabally suffering a rib injury but ultimately being called for a shooting foul. She eventually had to be helped off the court.

While she was still down, Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello came over to plead her case to the officials, and a hot mic picked up part of the conversation.

That's when Brondello called Reese a "protected species," thus sending the WNBA world into a frenzy because, of course, it was deemed racial.

Take a listen:

Angel Reese pushes the narrative out of context

"Calling a black woman a species ..." one fan posted on X, to which Reese replied, "ARE WE SURPRISED?!" while also tagging Brondello in the post.

Right on cue! A tale as old as time.

Here's the thing: This wasn't a racist comment. Come on. Context, as always, is important when it comes to these things. Usually, that's when common sense prevails.

Sandy Brondello is Australian. A quick Google search would've shown that the term "protected species" is slang over there for someone who gets preferential treatment. Fans were quick to point that out on social media, by the way. But it fell on deaf ears.

Frankly, it shouldn't have even taken a Google search to figure that out.

"Protected species" is a sports term that's been around forever. It's used all the time in the NFL, specifically with quarterbacks.

Patrick Mahomes is a protected species. It's a running joke during NFL season because defenders seemingly get flagged if they breathe on him.

Tom Brady was a protected species.

LeBron James has spent decades getting calls with his Hall of Fame flopping. He's a protected species.

In baseball, veteran hitters and pitchers routinely get calls other players don't. Veteran players can be considered a protected species. There's a reason Justin Verlander gets a call on the corner when some rookie doesn't.

In college football, you could argue the entire state of Alabama was a protected species during the Nick Saban years.

Again, this isn't a new term. It's not a racist term. It's a sports term that has been around forever.

The problem? Angel Reese is black, and the internet has selective hearing. So, someone posts that she was called a "species," and then Reese peddles the narrative by reposting it with a sarcastic comment and a clown emoji.

That's silly. That's disingenuous. Frankly, it's dangerous.

Earlier this week, a fan got fired from his job because he allegedly sent WNBA player Chelsea Gray a racial slur after a game. She shared it on the internet, it went viral, and the man's job ultimately fired him.

That's fair. If you're going to play stupid games, you're going to win stupid prizes. The proof was in the pudding on that one.

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But this? This is a non-story that Angel Reese chose to breathe life into by pushing the narrative to her 740,000 followers.

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Now, nobody is talking about her great game on the floor. Instead, they're only screaming "RACISM!"

Par for the course for the WNBA.

California man admits targeting 3 Subway restaurants for robberies in less than a week, FBI says

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:37:26 -0400

A California man admitted Friday to carrying out a string of armed robberies and attempted robberies at three Subway restaurants in the Orange County area.

Freddie Alexander Lopez, 24, of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty to a federal robbery charge after admitting he threatened cashiers with weapons at three Subway restaurants and a donut shop, all over an approximately six-day period.

At each business he targeted, Lopez entered late at night wearing a dark hoodie and a mask, according to the FBI. He would approach the counter, order a bag of chips or another item and wait for the cashier to open the register before brandishing a weapon and demanding money.

Surveillance footage from the businesses, along with cellphone location data placing Lopez near the establishments at the time of the robberies, helped prosecutors link him to the crimes.

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Lopez's spree of robberies began on Jan. 27, 2026, when he walked into a Subway in Santa Ana at 11:57 p.m., according to court records.

After pulling a knife on the cashier, Lopez was able to get away with $300, per the criminal complaint.

During the early morning hours of Jan. 30, Lopez entered a Subway in Fountain Valley and once again demanded money while threatening the cashier with a knife, according to the plea agreement.

"Give me all the money, or I'll hurt you," Lopez said, according to witnesses who spoke with law enforcement.

This time, the cashier refused and shut the cash register, prompting Lopez to flee on foot, according to the criminal complaint.

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Less than 30 minutes later, Lopez robbed a Yum Yum Donuts store about 5-and-a-half miles from the Subway he had just targeted, investigators said.

Two days later, on Feb. 1, Lopez walked into a third Subway restaurant in Anaheim, per the criminal complaint.

Surveillance footage reviewed by the FBI showed Lopez was armed with what appeared to be a black pistol. When the female cashier refused to give him money, the footage showed him jumping over the counter and trying to wrestle the key to the register out of her hand.

After Lopez failed to get the key and could not open the register with the touch screen, he left the restaurant, according to the criminal complaint.

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On Feb. 6, the Santa Ana Police Department arrested Lopez during a traffic stop, believing his vehicle was the one that was driven by the suspect in the robberies, according to the FBI.

Officers found what appeared to be "the same handgun, knife, mask, and glasses used during the robberies," the FBI said. Investigators noted that they found a replica gun in his car that appeared to match the one used in the Feb. 1 attempted robbery.

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After his arrest, Lopez was released ahead of his trial but was re-arrested on April 30 on the federal robbery charge.

Following his guilty plea, Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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