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Longest-serving US prisoner dies at 101 after escaping death penalty 8 times

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 03:00:41 -0400

A man believed to have been the longest-serving prisoner in U.S. history has died at the age of 101, having his execution scheduled and postponed eight times as he maintained his innocence despite a murder conviction in Connecticut.

Francis Clifford Smith died in his sleep in late June at 60 West, a secured Connecticut nursing facility that cares for older people in the justice system, according to the facility.

Smith, who was just months away from turning 102, was cremated without a funeral.

"Essentially, he died of old age," 60 West spokesman David Skoczulek told the BBC. "He had very limited family involvement around his passing but we assured it was appropriate, met his wishes and was dignified."

CALIFORNIA INMATE WHO SPENT 45 YEARS ON DEATH ROW FOR MURDERING PREGNANT WIFE DIES

Smith was 25 when he was first sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of Grover Hart, a 68-year-old night watchman at a Connecticut yacht club, during an attempted robbery on July 23, 1949. Smith was one of two men arrested in connection with the killing. The other man, George Lowden, took a plea deal and initially implicated Smith, although Lowden later said authorities had beaten him into making the statement and refused to testify against Smith at trial.

Over the next 76 years, Smith was scheduled to be executed eight different times, but he was spared on each occasion, according to the Boston Globe.

He continued to maintain his innocence up until his death, his friends told the BBC.

"I’m in here on no evidence at all," he told the Boston Globe in 2023.

Over the years, questions about the evidence against Smith emerged as a witness recanted, Lowden repudiated his earlier statement implicating Smith and another man claimed responsibility for Hart's killing. Those developments contributed to repeated efforts to prevent Smith's execution and obtain a new trial.

"I'm not even sure he was present at the murder," Major Leo Carroll, one of the officers who had interrogated Smith after his arrest, testified to the Board of Pardons right before his eight planned execution, according to the Boston Globe.

A key witness later recanted her account linking Smith to the crime, while Lowden repudiated his earlier statement implicating Smith. Another man serving time in Alabama later claimed that he, rather than Smith, had been involved in Hart's killing.

Smith nevertheless never received a new trial. A judge who reviewed the other man's confession rejected it as not credible, and Smith's murder conviction remained intact.

Smith’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1954.

He served 76 years behind bars, except for three short stints of freedom, including 12 days on the run after he escaped in 1967.

SOUTH CAROLINA INMATE WHO BELIEVES HE IS IMMORTAL CANNOT BE EXECUTED DUE TO MENTAL ILLNESS, JUDGE RULES

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Then, in 1975, he was granted parole and remained free for about 10 months before he was arrested on larceny and weapons charges and returned to prison for violating parole. The Boston Globe reported that he was not ultimately convicted of those charges.

Records indicate Smith declined or refused to participate in several later parole efforts, although he later disputed that characterization and said he could not remember. But in 2020, he agreed to go on supervised parole to the nursing facility where he recently died.

He reportedly had dementia at the end of his life. Connecticut’s Department of Correction has not confirmed this diagnosis but said Smith was struggling with issues associated with old age.

"He was 101 and a half," Andrius Banevicius, the public information officer for Connecticut’s Department of Correction, told the BBC. "He did pretty well as far as longevity is concerned."

Charter plane crashes near remote radar site in western Alaska, killing all 8 aboard

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:39:50 -0400

A charter plane carrying two pilots and six passengers crashed at a remote radar site in western Alaska on Thursday, killing all eight people aboard, the U.S. military said via The Associated Press.

The crash occurred at Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport, approximately 450 miles west of Anchorage, according to the AP.

"This is a devastating loss for our military family and the communities we serve," U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force, said in a statement obtained by the AP.

PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE HELICOPTER, SMALL PLANE COLLIDE IN MIDAIR, KILLING 1 AND INJURING 2 STATE TROOPERS

The twin-engine Cessna was operated by Security Aviation and had been chartered to fly from Anchorage to Cape Newenham, located about 40 miles south of Goodnews Bay, according to KTUU.

Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board's Alaska region chief, previously told the AP that two pilots and six passengers were aboard the aircraft.

The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said it launched a search-and-rescue mission after receiving a report of an "aircraft incident" near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, reacted to the crash on X, offering condolences and noting her personal experience flying with Security Aviation.

"I join Alaskans in condolences as we learn of the plane crash in Cape Newenham today," Murkowski wrote. "I've traveled extensively with Security Aviation throughout Alaska, and have met many of their experienced pilots."

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"I appreciate the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB, Alaska State Troopers, and the Rescue Coordination Center for responding to the site," she continued. "Alaska is praying for those on board, their loved ones, and the team at Security Aviation."

Fox News has reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center for additional information.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

‘Darth Vader’ uses dark side to mock controversial surveillance cameras: 'The Emperor is a fan of Flock'

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:13:33 -0400

A man dressed up as the "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader showed up at a San Diego City Council meeting to mockingly defend Flock police surveillance cameras, telling council members "this is what the emperor needs."

He approached the podium at the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee meeting on Wednesday, complete with Darth Vader's trademark heavy breathing heard through the council chamber’s microphone.

The committee members even addressed the man as ‘Darth Vader’ as he appeared to mock the Flock-linked surveillance system, suggesting the surveillance tool could be an asset to the dark side.

"This is what the emperor needs. This technology will help us find the rebel scum and the hidden base on Hoth," the man said, referring to the frozen planet from "The Empire Strikes Back."

FLOCK SURVEILLANCE SPREADS ACROSS THE SOUTH AS RED-STATE LAWMAKERS SEEK TO AX '1984'-STYLE TRACKING TOOLS

He said the technology "will help us find Luke Skywalker as he traverses the universe in his X-Wing. This technology is a necessary, necessary force."

"The Emperor is a fan of Flock, and we must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum as they move from playground to playground, from playground to pool, from pool to gymnasium, because we all know that the Flock cameras are not only following the license plate readers, they are following children," he said.

He added that he needs the cameras "so I can stalk my ex-girlfriend."

Addressing City Council member Jennifer Campbell, the man said she needs to work on her Jedi mind tricks.

"And how will the people trust this City Council when this City Council continues to vote for surveillance technology that imprisons them? Ms. Campbell, you must work on your Jedi mind tricks," he said before waving his hand to the audience.

In December 2025, the San Diego Police Department signed a one-year pilot agreement for Flock Nova, a separate investigative platform designed to integrate data from various sources. The department later said it was not using the platform and did not plan to integrate its license plate reader data into it. SDPD later told Axios it was not using the platform and did not plan to integrate its license plate reader data into it.

LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS AT HOME DEPOT AND LOWE’S SPARK PRIVACY FEARS

Local activists and some city officials have called for alternatives as public criticism of the cameras continues to mount in communities across the country, Axios reported.

SDPD uses Flock automated license plate recognition cameras at approximately 500 locations citywide, according to the department’s 2025 annual surveillance report. A crowdsourced map maintained by the anti-surveillance project DeFlock lists additional cameras in the area, though its entries are not an official city inventory.

San Diego police say the technology is used for official law enforcement purposes, including locating vehicles connected to investigations. The department says its ALPR database can only be accessed by authorized SDPD personnel and that data is retained for up to 30 days and automatically deleted unless it is preserved as evidence in an active investigation.

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Flock offers automated license plate readers, video cameras and audio-detection products. Its license plate readers capture plate numbers along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color, and some Flock systems can identify distinguishing features such as bumper stickers or aftermarket modifications.

Lindsay Clancy's ex-husband has quietly remarried and started over amid her murder trial

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:47 -0400

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1—800-273-TALK (8255).

When Patrick Clancy took the stand in his ex-wife's murder trial, he had already begun building a new life in New York City, more than four hours away from the Duxbury, Massachusetts home where Lindsay Clancy killed their kids.

Lindsay Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family's home in January 2023. The prosecution concluded its case Monday morning, and her defense attorney has since begun presenting arguments, asserting that she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis when she killed her children.

LINDSAY CLANCY PROSECUTORS ‘SQUEEZE’ TIMELINE FROM EX-HUSBAND AS JURY WEIGHS ‘MURDER VERSUS MADNESS’: EXPERT

Patrick Clancy, a business applications sales executive at Microsoft, has since divorced Lindsay, relocated to New York City and wed Dr. Rachel Danis in a Central Park ceremony in spring 2026. She reportedly moved into Patrick's Upper East Side apartment in 2025.

He moved to New York City in spring 2023, just months after Lindsay Clancy killed their three children, according to public records obtained by the New York Post, and filed for divorce in February 2024.

Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney, said in court that Patrick "suffered one of the worst tragedies that anyone could ever suffer."

"How that guy is not an emotional basketcase is beyond me, and he is trying hard to move on with his life. As the court is aware, they’re divorced, he’s remarried, he has a family," Reddington said.

Danis and Patrick Clancy have no children together, though she has spoken publicly about wanting to become a mother.

LINDSAY CLANCY’S EX-HUSBAND DETAILS PILL USE AS EXPERT SAYS EVIDENCE COULD SHAPE MURDER TRIAL

"I remember when I first froze my eggs, I felt like, I mean, even sometimes still, feel like this black sheep," she said on the Fertility Forward podcast in September 2024. "I think for women, it’s just really hard. We have so much pressure to balance career and personal growth, but like, we’re riddled with this fertility stuff."

Patrick Clancy was seen with his wife, Rachel Danis, on Aug. 13 at an apartment in Manhattan, a source told TMZ.

A shared passion for hiking and fitness brought the couple together, Men's Journal reported.

Patrick Clancy, along with family members, founded the Heard Foundation, which seeks to "change how parents are cared for—so no parent faces perinatal mental illness in silence and no family is left behind."

According to the foundation's website, it was "founded in memory of Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy."

Just days after Lindsay Clancy killed her kids in January 2023, Patrick wrote on a GoFundMe page, "I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have...The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone - me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients."

"The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace," he wrote.

Patrick Clancy remained composed while testifying in his ex-wife's murder trial, though he struggled to hold back tears as he spoke about his children.

LINDSAY CLANCY JURORS VISIT CRIME SCENE IN KAREN READ-STYLE MOVE TO TEST TIMELINE: RETIRED JUDGE

"Cora was into princesses and she had a lot of friends," Patrick Clancy said. "She just liked taking care of people."

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He said that Callan, the youngest child, "was just a happy baby."

LINDSAY CLANCY JUDGE SHIELDS 911 CALL, AUTOPSY PHOTOS IN MOM’S TRIPLE-MURDER TRIAL

Patrick Clancy said Dawson "liked the television show Paw Patrol" and was into firefighters and trucks.

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Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney, noted in an interview with Fox News Digital that Patrick Clancy's own mother, Susan Clancy, was a witness for the defense.

PROSECUTOR CORNERS LINDSAY CLANCY'S CATHOLIC MOTHER-IN-LAW WITH 'MORTAL SIN' QUESTION

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"She is extremely sympathetic to what Lindsay was going through. And if you thought that, you know, anybody would wanna be upset about the loss of their grandchildren, it would be her, correct? She's the father's mother, and she's there supporting Lindsay so much so that she nodded to her as she walked out of the courtroom in this unbelievable, I think, show of humanity," Rotunno said.

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Sheila Cavanaugh, a board-certified chaplain at Brigham and Women's Hospital, testified Thursday that during her visit with Lindsay Clancy on Jan. 31, 2023 — just days after she killed her children — the woman accused of murder told her, "I am so glad my children are safe."

LINDSAY CLANCY DESCRIBED A MALE VOICE ORDERING HER TO ‘KILL HER CHILDREN AND KILL HERSELF’: TESTIMONY

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Cavanaugh said she responded that the children were safe in heaven with God, and the two prayed together.

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Judge William Sullivan ended court early on Thursday after one witness testified, sending jurors home until Friday.

No, the Dodgers didn't sign Shohei Ohtani or build a superteam because of Mark Walter's loans

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:38:02 -0400

The Los Angeles Dodgers have become baseball's evil empire over the last few years, starting with the signing of Shohei Ohtani in late 2023.

They added Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez and Tyler Glasnow that offseason as well, then won the 2024 World Series over the New York Yankees. And instead of resting on their laurels, they kept going afterward. The front office signed Tanner Scott and Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki chose LA over the other interested teams and they brought back Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez. Then won the World Series again.

In the 2025-2026 offseason, baseball fans, particularly on X, lost their collective minds and any and all connection with rationality when LA added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz. Nobody could compete with the Dodgers talent, the argument went, and with no weaknesses, they were virtually unstoppable other than with a salary cap.

MLB'S SALARY CAP PROPOSAL WON'T FIX THE LEAGUE'S NON-EXISTENT COMPETITIVE BALANCE PROBLEMS

Fast forward to August, and Tucker's been a below average hitter this year and Edwin Díaz has an ERA around 12. The Dodgers went just 2-11 over a recent stretch against the Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Those Brewers, near the bottom in total payroll, have the best record in baseball, along with the tiebreaker over LA in the race for the best record in the National League.

The Dodgers' financial advantages over most teams, and their success in building consistently competitive rosters, has created a subculture of fans who view LA as the ultimate enemy. Fans who prefer when teams do not try to win, and when billionaire owners pocket more profits instead of signing players. And those fans were given an enormous gift when news broke that one of the team's owners, Mark Walter, was under investigation by the federal government over a series of loans connected to insurance companies he owns and controls.

The details of the investigation are complicated, to say the least, but the short version is that two companies Walter controls, both insurance companies, used investor funds on private-credit deals, essentially making loans directly to businesses. Some of those businesses were also under Walter's control.

This isn't entirely unusual, but the scale of it allegedly seems to go well beyond what's "typical" in these types of investments, and there are questions about how they were handled in investor disclosures.

The scale of the potentially improper loans could be quite significant, with some reports putting it at $16 billion and others at $20 billion. Even for someone as wealthy as Walter, that's a lot of money. Which could explain why he was willing, or even looking, to sell the Los Angeles Lakers after just a year as team owner, for $12.5 billion.

The widespread reaction to this on some corners of baseball internet has been that the insurance company loans meant that the Dodgers payroll and team is based on fraud. Particularly that the massive deferrals built into Shohei Ohtani's contract are part of some sort of Ponzi scheme. That is inaccurate, not what the investigation covers, and viral posts on X are misleading people either through incompetence or purposefully misleading information.

One such example? That the Dodgers pioneered deferred contracts or took advantage of deferrals to sign Ohtani. Deferred contracts have been in place in Major League Baseball for decades, and most teams in the league have either used that strategy or are currently using it.

Rafael Devers has $75 million deferred. Jose Ramirez has $70 million. Alex Bregman has $70 million. Corbin Burnes has $64 million. Dylan Cease has $64 million. Max Scherzer, Anthony Santander, Francisco Lindor, Nolan Arenado, Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, Framber Valdez, Christopher Sanchez and Devin Williams are all examples of players with significant deferred compensation.

Yes, the Dodgers have used it more aggressively than other teams, but the assumption that deferred contracts are simply pushed out for free is wrong. Teams are required to put the present value of the deferred amount into specific accounts within roughly two years of the season the money was made. Organizations and owners can't just use the deferral system to offload every dollar to decades in the future, it has to be accounted for in the present day.

Ohtani's specific case, which started the misinformed outrage over deferrals, is even less controversial. The Dodgers didn't demand he take just $2 million in salary and pay the $68 million later, he offered it. And he didn't just offer it to the Dodgers. When deciding between LA, the Giants, Blue Jays and Angels, Ohtani's agent presented the same arrangement to all the interested parties. The Dodgers, Blue Jays and Giants accepted, the Angels didn't. Had he picked the Blue Jays, as was rumored, they'd be the ones with $680 million in deferred payments, not the Dodgers.

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Deferrals are not simply to benefit ownership either. For players in high tax states like California or New York, deferring that money to after their playing days are over can save them millions in taxes. The money is accounted for, safely in an specific investment account, they still receive big paychecks now, but get tens of millions in their retirement each year, when they live in Florida or Arizona, with much lower income tax rates than they pay in LA.

Another supposed controversy? That the Dodgers, and by extension, Walter, own part of the Spectrum SportsNet LA channel. The YES Network is also partially owned by the New York Yankees, along with Main Street Sports Group, Amazon, The Blackstone Group, Red Bird Capital Partners and other investment groups. Welcome to modern financing in the sports world.

Walter, too, owns just 27% of the Dodgers, with the rest broken up among members of the Guggenheim Partners group and other individuals. He may or may not need to sell his portion, but that would leave 73% of current ownership in place.

Opposing fans on X have spent the past few days saying the Dodgers are broke, bankrupt, that this is worse than the Astros' cheating scandal, or that the entire organization is fraudulent and they signed players because of fraud. None of this is remotely accurate.

It was widely reported not long ago that the Dodgers were the first team to bring in over $1 billion in revenue, with the contention being that their television deal is the sole reason for financial advantages over other organizations. The television deal, again, another source of inaccurate information, averages around $325 million per year. That leaves $675 million, at least, in revenue from other income streams.

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LA also benefits from an MLB rule that shields some of their television income from the revenue sharing that goes to small market teams, due to the team's bankruptcy under previous owner Frank McCourt. Estimates vary, but most estimate around $55 million to 60 million in revenue sharing that the Dodgers are able to keep. Even if that money were distributed to the other 29 teams, that's $2 million per team, per year, at best. Hardly enough to close the payroll disparity.

The Dodgers are baseball's enemy because their ownership group has shown a willingness to win, and their front office is smart enough to do so. The Mets spend as much, or more, than the Dodgers. They have deferred contracts and signed the richest contract in sports history. They're also bad, so nobody cares.

As is so often the case, though, the facts don't matter. Anger and outrage do. Even if the Dodgers had a smaller TV deal that guaranteed half of its current value, they'd have made more than $830 million in 2025. If Mark Walter sells his 27% stake, it doesn't mean the team will be broke or bankrupt. The deferred contracts have nothing to do with Walter's insurance company loans. Nothing they've done with those contracts is illegal or against MLB rules. Does it matter to the angry masses? No, of course not.

Reality never does.

Paige Bueckers grabs Caitlin Clark’s arm, draws foul in tense moment before halftime of Wings win over Fever

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:11:11 -0400

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers added another memorable moment to their growing on-court rivalry Thursday night, this time in the closing seconds of the first half of Dallas’ eventual 91-85 win over Indiana.

With less than 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Clark controlled the ball as Bueckers played defense. Bueckers then wrapped up Clark’s left arm in an effort to stop the possession before halftime. The Wings notably had a foul to give at the time.

Clark appeared frustrated by the contact as Bueckers continued trying to complete the foul. Clark then reacted and fired the ball down the court, with it sailing near Bueckers’ head before the two teams headed to the locker room.

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The moment sparked a brief exchange between the two star guards, though television microphones did not clearly pick up what was said.

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Bueckers was whistled for a common foul on the play, but the tension seemed to carry into the second half. She was later assessed a technical foul after arguing with an official following a separate foul on Clark in the third quarter.

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 37 points, while Clark finished with a team-high nine assists. For Dallas, Arike Ogunbowale scored a team-best 32 points, and Bueckers added eight assists.

Just last week, the Fever and Wings squared off, with Clark and Bueckers delivering matching 29-point performances. Indiana ultimately pulled away for a 98-87 victory, but Clark came away impressed with the Dallas star.

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"Obviously, she's an incredible player. [She] makes it really hard on us defensively... Paige is a tremendous player," Clark told reporters during a postgame media availability. "She takes what the defense gives her; she doesn't force anything; she's smooth; she finds the open teammate. So she's just a really tough guard."

Fernando Mendoza throws pick-six in second NFL game as Raiders rookie faces growing pains

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:28:15 -0400

And now a reminder that Fernando Mendoza is going to have some difficult moments as a rookie, even though he was the NFL's first overall draft pick and is the hope for a bright future for the Las Vegas Raiders.

On his second pass of the preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday night, Mendoza threw an interception.

And not just any interception, because Texans linebacker Wade Woodaz plucked the ball out of the air and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.

RAIDERS ROOKIE FERNANDO MENDOZA THANKS GOD FOR NFL DEBUT THAT COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH 'MR. BRADY'

No bueno, as they say in Miami, where Mendoza was born and grew up.

Mendoza, clearly downcast, was seen red-faced on the Raiders sideline after the play even as some teammates tried to console him.

Veteran Maxx Crosby, perhaps the Raiders' most accomplished player, was among the first to try to console young Mendoza.

"Yeah, that's football, you know? It's not gonna be perfect, you know?" Crosby told ESPN's Laura Rutledge on the sideline. "He's a rookie. You got to go through, you know, some ups and downs as part of the game, and it's how you respond.

"So that's basically what I just told him, keep being yourself, keep playing."

RAIDERS NEW HEAD COACH KLINT KUBIAK NAMES KIRK COUSINS STARTING QB OVER NO. 1 PICK FERNANDO MENDOZA

This outing was nowhere near as clean or efficient for Mendoza as his NFL debut last week. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Mendoza completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a TD pass. More importantly, Mendoza did not throw an interception in that game.

He finished this game completing just over 50% of his passes (8 of 15) and his abysmal passer rating of 42.6 reflected the errant throw returned for a score.

Mendoza was also erratic in the first half before his evening ended. He had the interception, then completed six consecutive throws, then missed on two more throws, although one of those was dropped.

"Part of what [Mendoza] will learn as he moves through this game tonight, if he plays next week, and then throughout his rookie season, when he gets on the field, is that the relationship between defender and receiver is a lot tighter than what it was in college," said ESPN analyst Troy Aikman, himself a former No. 1 overall selection.

"And these guys are that much quicker, and that goes on the inside of the field when they play the ball, as well as on the outside."

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Shorter transcript: Guys in the NFL are faster and Mendoza needs to figure that out pronto.

In that regard, perhaps Mendoza's second NFL game and first start will provide exactly that lesson.

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Jury awards teens $550K after Oregon amusement park ride left them hanging upside down: report

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:07:10 -0400

A jury awarded $550,000 to two teenage girls who were left hanging upside down for nearly 30 minutes when an amusement park ride malfunctioned in Oregon.

The jury voted 10-2 this week to award the teens $275,000 each in their case against Oaks Park and ride manufacturer Zamperla over the June 2024 malfunction of the AtmosFEAR ride in Portland, according to FOX 12 Oregon.

About 30 riders were stranded upside down when the spinning pendulum-style ride became stuck in a vertical position on June 14, 2024.

EXCLUSIVE: TEEN GIRLS RECALL JERSEY SHORE RIDE MALFUNCTION THAT LEFT THEM STUCK HANGING UPSIDE DOWN

Portland Fire & Rescue crews responded and worked with park engineers to manually lower the ride. The riders were brought down safely after roughly 25 minutes and medically evaluated.

Oaks Park said in a statement to FOX 12 following the verdict:

"While we agree that the ride should not have become stuck, we are grateful that all of the riders are safe, and this incident is now resolved," the statement read. "Safety is our top priority, and we will continue to work with ride manufacturers and state inspectors to ensure rider safety."

The family of one of the teens, identified as Evie, said Thursday that the lawsuit was intended to seek accountability.

MONTANA BOY KILLED AFTER BEING FLUNG FROM CARNIVAL RIDE OPERATING WITH MISSING RESTRAINTS, LAWSUIT ALLEGES

"We filed this lawsuit to seek accountability and justice. Not only should the ride have never malfunctioned, but the crisis was further exacerbated by the lack of a safety plan at Oaks Park. They did not possess any knowledge of how to fix the ride if it got stuck in the inverted position, and did not have a tool at the park to lower the ride and rescue the riders," they told FOX 12.

"That required calling a 1-800 number to even know how to fix the ride, then wait for first responders to arrive on scene, and for the first responders to provide the tool. Additionally, Oaks Park evacuated the park without providing traffic control, which delayed first responders from being able to enter the park quickly in an emergency, prolonging suffering."

The malfunction occurred on the park's first day of the summer season. Video from the incident showed riders suspended vertically as people gathered below.

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A spokesperson for Zamperla and Oaks Park did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Mom of ex-SJSU volleyball star Brooke Slusser leads 8th 'Sophie Night' rally in Dallas before Fever vs Wings

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:06:23 -0400

Kim Slusser, the mother of former San Jose State volleyball star Brooke Slusser, helped lead the 8th rally in support of Sophie Cunningham in Dallas on Wednesday.

Kim Slusser and the Texas-based Christian advocacy and policy organization Texas Values held the rally outside of American Airlines Center ahead of the Dallas Wings game against Cunningham and the Fever.

Kim Slusser gave a speech at Thursday's event, sharing her daughter's story of having to share a volleyball team and an apartment with a transgender teammate without knowing the athlete was a biological male. The entire Slusser family was thrust into the national spotlight in fall 2024 when Brooke decided to sign onto Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA, citing her experience at SJSU.

SJSU VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL PROBE FINDS TEAM ALLEGEDLY RECRUITED MALE FOR ADVANTAGE WITHOUT TELLING FEMALE PLAYERS

"Almost overnight Brooke was launched into a media frenzy, there were reporters, cameras, social media, and suddenly, people all over the world were celebrating, and in some cases, smearing our youngest daughter. It was overwhelming at times, and nothing our family was ever prepared for," Kim said at her speech.

"And that's why it means so much to our family to be here in our home state Texas, supporting Sophie Cunningham. Sophie chose to use her voice to stand up for women and girls in sports. And what she's standing for is really very simple. Girls deserve a fair chance to compete. They deserve the opportunities created for female athletes. They deserve privacy in their locker rooms and in their apartments."

Kim Slusser spoke to Fox News Digital after her speech about what Cunningham means to her family.

"My daughter Brooke went through a lot at San Jose State University... it's one of the hardest thing our family has ever been through. So to see a woman speak up, and now its' becoming a movement... People are starting to come around and have a little more common sense thanks to Sophie because she's one of the few professional athletes that has come out and spoken up."

Kim Slusser added she is rooting for Cunningham in the game against the Wings, but is open to supporting the Wings and WNBA as a whole if they follow Cunningham's lead.

"I would prefer they acknowledge what the W means in the WNBA. I know they had a meeting last week and couldn't quite figure out what the W stood for so they're going to have to reconvene," she said.

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SEES SUPPORT SURGE AFTER STAR PUTS CAREER ON LINE FOR GIRLS SPORTS

"I think focus on sport and focus on the women and focus on the many, and not on the ideology that they're focusing on."

The Cunningham rallies have shaken the WNBA since the first one in Seattle in July. What started as isolated demonstrations has quickly snowballed into a season-defining narrative, forcing the WNBA to navigate a level of ideological polarization rarely seen in the league.

Since that first rally, a co-owner has been suspended for berating two young girls who supported Cunningham in Seattle, four coaches have come under fire for their answers to questions about their stance on protecting women's sports, former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White have declared for the WNBA Draft and the league has had to put out a statement after fans at Sunday's Fever vs. Dream game were told to cover their XX-XY Athletics shirts.

While the WNBA and its players' union have fiercely defended their inclusive policies, the persistence of the rallies — and the loud, visible support they have generated for Cunningham’s stance — has introduced a divisive undercurrent to the season. It has forced league executives into defensive public relations postures, dominated sports talk cycles, and sparked intense debates among fanbases, creating a fracture that front offices are struggling to manage.

Ultimately, these ongoing protests have transformed the season into a highly visible battleground for the broader national debate on women's sports.

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As the regular season pushes toward the playoffs, the narrative remains heavily anchored to the noise outside the arenas. For the WNBA, navigating the rest of the year will require managing not just the fiercely competitive basketball on the court, but the inescapable, polarizing movement that has firmly attached itself to the league's doorstep.

Venezuelans, Cubans, Colombians arrive in African nation under Trump deportation deal

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 22:00:05 -0400

Authorities in Liberia received the country’s first deportation flight from the U.S. on Thursday under an agreement with Washington to accept up to 1,200 foreign nationals over the next year.

The West African nation, which was expected to receive 20 deportees, received nationals mostly from Latin America, including Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia, Liberian Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah told Reuters.

Many of the deportees were sent to Liberia to seek protection from being returned to their home countries, where judges determined they could face torture or other abuse, Liberian officials said. Liberia has said the arrivals reflect its longstanding role as a sanctuary for displaced people.

Officials said the migrants will be "free to depart the country" when desired or apply for formal asylum. The deportees will also receive services from the International Organization for Migration and the U.N. refugee agency, officials said, Reuters reported.

SOUTH AFRICA’S ILLEGAL MIGRATION BACKLASH MIRRORS POLITICAL BATTLES ACROSS THE WEST

According to Reuters, the plane departed from Louisiana and stopped in Senegal before landing in Monrovia at 12:45 p.m. local time.

In a statement Tuesday, Liberia highlighted its history of accepting people "seeking refuge from political and other crises" and said it will not repatriate anyone until legal proceedings are complete.

"The Government of the Republic of Liberia agrees not to return any person transferred to Liberia by the Government of the United States of America to their home country or country of former habitual residence until a final decision has been made regarding any pending protection claims," officials said.

"The Government wants to emphasize that those being brought to Liberia are not criminals and are not being prosecuted in any manner under United States or Liberian law. They are being received as guests of the Republic of Liberia," officials said.

DHS TOUTS MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DEPARTURES AS BORDER CROSSINGS DROP 94% UNDER TRUMP

Liberia said it is not demanding compensation under the deal but will receive "support to help manage the program and strengthen its migration system more broadly."

Reuters said the U.S. awarded Liberia $5 million this year for "migration management activities."

Liberia’s agreement to accept up to 1,200 deportees makes it one of the largest such deals on the African continent.

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The U.S. also reached agreements with several other African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Reuters said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

New York Times loses defamation suit, ordered to pay $9.25M to former Alabama basketball player

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:50:16 -0400

The New York Times was defeated in a defamation lawsuit Thursday brought by a former college basketball player and ordered to pay millions in damages.

An Alabama jury ruled the Times defamed Kai Spears, then an 18-year-old freshman walk-on basketball player for the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide, who was swept up in a 2023 report linking him to a fatal shooting.

After a nine-day trial, the eight-person jury determined that Spears was owed $9.25 million in damages.

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Spears was mentioned in the March 2023 report authored by New York Times sportswriter Billy Witz. Spears was falsely identified as being a passenger in the car at the site of a January 2023 shooting that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

The Times issued a lengthy editor's note to the report in June 2023, but only after Spears filed the defamation lawsuit at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

"The original version of this article, published March 15, misidentified the person who was in the car with [Crimson Tide star player] Brandon Miller when the shooting occurred," the note began.

"Based on information from a person familiar with the case, the article erroneously identified that person as Kai Spears, a freshman basketball player. After the article was initially published, Alabama’s athletic director and Spears’s father denied that Spears was present. The Times included those responses and reviewed its reporting, but did not conclude that any other change to the article was warranted at that time.

"On Wednesday, Spears filed a defamation suit against The Times that included new details about the incident. Based on that information, editors assigned further reporting, which determined that the other person at the scene was not Spears but Cooper Lee, a student manager for the team. The Times regrets the error in the initial report."

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Witz, who began reporting for The Times in 2008, relied on one anonymous source who claimed Spears was at the site of the shooting. Witz testified the source was a "high-level person, professional."

"I think the way I was looking at it, Source A, by their job title and by virtue of their access to the transcript, videos and impound photos, was somebody who knew a lot about this case," Witz said, according to a report from The Tuscaloosa Patch.

"In my mind, the story had a focus, and this tragedy, as bad as it was, could have been much worse."

A separate anonymous source had told Witz, "I can tell you it's a White guy on the basketball team, I just don't remember his name," according to Witz's testimony.

According to The Patch, Witz ultimately conceded from the witness stand, "Yes, [the story] had a mistake, no question."

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The Times noted in its own report about the verdict that it had not lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years.

"We’re disappointed the jury found The Times liable for an honest mistake," a Times spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We thank the jury for its service, but believe the verdict and award of damages are contrary to law and not supported by the evidence. We are reviewing our legal options."

Spears' legal team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

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Surrogate says baby 'ripped away' 60 seconds after birth as custody fight erupts after abortion refusal

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:34:25 -0400

The surrogate mother who refused an abortion request after the baby she was carrying was diagnosed with a serious heart defect is pressing her legal fight after the newborn underwent lifesaving heart surgery, days after she says he was taken from her just 60 seconds after birth.

McKenna West, an Alaska mother and cardiac nurse who carried the child, said Thursday she is continuing to fight for the baby after she was separated from him moments after giving birth Aug. 12.

"I haven’t been allowed to hold this precious baby boy I carried and protected throughout my pregnancy," West wrote in a New York Post op-ed Thursday.

"The only glimpse I got of him was during a very short 60 seconds while his umbilical cord was still connected. As soon as the cord was cut, he was taken away."

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West agreed last year to serve as a surrogate for Omar Ahmed and Nausheen Gilkar of California, the child's intended parents.

According to West, Ahmed and Gilkar asked her to terminate the pregnancy after the baby was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, at about 20 weeks. West refused and later traveled to Texas to give birth.

Ahmed and Gilkar's attorney disputes key parts of West's account and says they consented to the child's surgery as soon as doctors determined he was eligible.

Lee Budner, an attorney for Ahmed and Gilkar, said doctors determined on Aug. 14 that the baby, whom Ahmed and Gilkar call Rumi, was eligible for the Norwood procedure, the first of three open-heart surgeries for newborns commonly used to treat HLHS.

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"My clients immediately provided consent for the surgery to occur at the hospital’s earliest availability," Budner said in an Aug. 17 statement.

The baby underwent surgery Aug. 17 and is recuperating under the care of Ahmed, Gilkar and his medical team, Budner said, adding that his condition "remains critical and complex."

Budner also accused West of continuing to pursue custody despite court rulings.

"Meanwhile, Ms. West continues to assert baseless claims for custody of Rumi, in violation of multiple courts orders out of both Alaska and California," he said. "We look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi’s parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else."

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West, who is being represented with assistance from Alliance Defending Freedom, has said she is not trying to take someone else's child and described her goal differently.

"I’m not fighting to try to take someone else’s baby," West wrote Thursday. "I’m fighting because this baby boy needs someone willing to advocate for and fight alongside him as he gets the ongoing treatment his fragile heart requires."

Live Action founder and President Lila Rose, whose organization has supported West, told Fox News Digital that West intends to continue fighting for custody.

"McKenna is fighting for custody because Gabriel needs someone willing to defend him," Rose said. "He deserves to remain protected and receive every chance to heal and live."

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Rose also questioned Ahmed and Gilkar's account of events leading up to the surgery.

"If they were willing for Gabriel to receive the surgery, why did a Texas court have to ensure that he received it under the force of law?" Rose said. "The court intervened, and Gabriel has now received the surgery he desperately needed. Praise God."

Rose also alleged that Ahmed and Gilkar previously declined to consent to the baby's medical care and are now seeking to take him out of Texas. Their attorney has disputed West’s characterization of the case and said Ahmed and Gilkar consented to surgery once the baby’s medical team determined he was eligible for the procedure.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton previously intervened in the case, notifying two Texas medical centers of what his office said were their legal obligations to provide medically necessary care after the child was born.

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The Norwood procedure is the first of three surgeries typically used to treat HLHS, leaving the child's future medical care at the heart of the continuing dispute.

Budner said the child's condition remains "critical and complex" and that the family does not intend to provide further health updates.

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West, meanwhile, said she intends to continue fighting.

"My plea, my only goal, is simple: Let’s commit to giving this baby the full treatment he needs to live," West wrote.

Alliance Defending Freedom did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Trump says Michael Cohen was 'weaponized' by mainstream media in surprise radio reunion

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:17:41 -0400

During an unexpected interview Thursday with his former personal lawyer turned bitter enemy, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump said his one-time ally was "weaponized" against him by the mainstream media before the two recently reconciled.

In the first part of a two-part radio interview with Trump on his radio show, Cohen recounted his 2016 CNN interview with host Brianna Keilar, which led to him going viral after questioning Trump's standing in the polls.

"Do you remember, sir, when I went on CNN with Brianna Keilar, and she told me that you were underwater in the polls, and I responded with those famous two words, ‘says who,’ which became some worldwide meme," Cohen recalled.

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"And then they weaponized you like nobody's ever been weaponized, like few have been," Trump responded.

"Well, maybe just you and me, sir," Cohen said.

"Well, yeah, me too, but mine was at a level that nobody's ever seen before, but they weaponized you. Tey weaponized a lot of people. And I respect the fact that you recanted everything you said. That's a big thing that you did," Trump said.

Cohen then remembered the morning after the interview when Trump had told him, "F--- them. You're stronger than them. We've got this."

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"Now, the funny thing is that CNN never apologized. They never retracted anything, and, now, years later, CNN, MS NOW, the other left-leaning outlets, they're doing the exact same thing, constantly talking about you being underwater with favorability numbers," Cohen said.

Trump and Cohen continued to criticize media polls later in the interview, with Trump targeting The New York Times specifically.

"The polls are crooked. So the reporters that, you know, are crooked, many of them. You have some great ones too. But for the most part … when you read The New York Times, it’s so dishonest," Trump said. "When you read these things, and they’re not doing well. Look, the reason they're not doing well is because they've lost a lot of credibility.

"Now you do have great journalists," he added. "You do have great reporters also. Many people are very good, very, very good. I could name them, but by naming them, I’ll leave some out."

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Fox News Digital reached out to CNN, MS NOW and The New York Times for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Cohen told Fox News Digital the conversation lasted 40 minutes and will be aired in two parts, the second part airing on his Sunday show, "When You Know You Know."

The man who was a key witness in two New York cases against Trump also penned a Substack post detailing the stunning reunion that was their first public conversation in nearly a decade.

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Murder convict accused of running 'full-service drug operation' selling to minors near Texas schools

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:13:46 -0400

A Texas man with a prior murder conviction is accused of running a "full-service drug operation" near several schools where authorities say surveillance showed what appeared to be teenagers purchasing narcotics and fentanyl pills disguised to look like ecstasy.

The Galveston County Organized Crime Task Force raided a home in the 1200 block of Appomattox Drive in Texas City Aug. 18 after a two-month investigation, and the Galveston County Sheriff's Office SWAT team conducted the tactical entry.

The target of the investigation, Jahml McDonald, 50, of Texas City, was arrested and charged with two felony controlled-substance offenses, according to the sheriff's office.

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Detectives said they seized approximately one kilogram of fentanyl pills, along with THC wax, marijuana, THC vapes, promethazine and dozens of bottles of liquor.

The sheriff's office said the fentanyl pills were "disguised to resemble ecstasy/MDMA pills" and were brightly colored to resemble recreational party drugs.

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Task force surveillance observed what appeared to be teenagers purchasing narcotics from the residence, which is near Giles Middle School, College of the Mainland and two local elementary schools, according to FOX 26.

"This is a full-service drug operation, including the ability to pay with credit card," Galveston Police Chief Doug Balli said. "This is a convenience store for poison that was taken down."

Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick said McDonald previously served 25 years for a murder conviction and was out on bond in a pending marijuana case at the time of his arrest.

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Cusick pledged to seek the maximum prosecution available.

"This offender needs the full attention of my office," Cusick said. "This person has a criminal history, a murder conviction, drug convictions and (is) now peddling these type of substances on a house near a college, a community college, two elementary schools within walking distance. This is outrageous."

Residents living near the Appomattox Drive home said they had noticed heavy vehicle and foot traffic around the residence.

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"Every time I came by, there was traffic, traffic, traffic," neighbor Donald Moore told FOX 26. "Teenagers jumping out, running to the house. ... I know eventually, with all of this traffic and with all the drugs being dealt, the next thing is gonna happen is gunfire. Somebody's gonna get hurt or killed."

A judge upheld a combined $2 million bond for McDonald, with $1 million set on each charge, according to FOX 26.

Vice President JD Vance blasts Mamdani, El-Sayed, AOC and Ossoff in rapid-fire TikTok roast

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:35:21 -0400

Vice President JD Vance offered an unfiltered assessment Thursday of some of the biggest names in politics in a rapid-fire TikTok, calling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a "communist," Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., "lame" and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani "crazy."

The vice president was asked to describe a succession of Democrats, Trump administration officials and other political figures as their names flashed across a screen, producing a 30-second barrage of answers that ranged from complimentary to cutting.

Vance appeared particularly unimpressed with far-left Democrats. He described Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as "cranky" and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as "odd."

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But one of Vance's most dismissive assessments was saved for Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

"I mean, nothing," Vance said when Schiff's name appeared. "Irrelevant."

Vance was considerably more complimentary when members of the Trump administration came across the screen, describing outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as "awesome," deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as "hardcore" and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles as "tough."

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was "interesting," while Vance called Secretary of State Marco Rubio "funny" and House Speaker Mike Johnson "kind."

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One name, however, left the usually sharp vice president unusually short on words.

When Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) leader Megan Romer appeared, Vance simply responded, "No comment."

The video then cuts to a SpongeBob-style title card declaring "two minutes later" before returning for Vance's assessment of Schiff.

President Donald Trump received a much warmer review from his second-in-command.

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"Generous," Vance said of the president.

The video offered a lighter glimpse at Vance's relationships with figures inside the administration while also giving him an opportunity to take shots at several prominent far-left Democrats and self-described democratic socialists.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Vance's office to confirm the identities displayed alongside each response and for additional context on the video. Fox News Digital also reached out to named Democrats and administration officials in the video for comment.

Carville unloads on DSA socialists: 'Don't use our god---- name'

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:00:22 -0400

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville did not mince words when he unloaded on his party's far-left insurgency Thursday.

"We get subjugated by some of the more outspoken people who, by the way, [are] not even Democrats," Carville said during a video news conference.

"I wish they'd take the word Democrat out of their name. I have no idea why the democratic socialists — if you hate the Democratic Party so much, well, then don't use our god---- name. Go think of your own name."

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He was one of several speakers at a media event promoting the Promise To America, a set of principles created in part by two moderate House lawmakers, Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Adam Gray, D-Calif., as their party experiences a civil war over its identity and agenda.

The Promise To America is about celebrating "capitalism, safety, fiscal responsibility, effective government, common purpose, and patriotism," according to its website.

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It's the latest bid by moderate and pragmatic members of the left to distance themselves from the socialist wave that's already toppled several establishment-backed Democrats.

The intraparty feud has also become a central campaign talking point for Republicans, who have argued that Democrats will try to push a far-left vision of the country beyond what most Americans want if they win the midterms in November.

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Carville said during the news conference it was "just common sense."

"That's so often what people are forgetting in politics. And for the life of me, I hope ... that we do things like this that are popular, are actually helpful, that can help the country. Who's not for lower crime? I mean, everybody is, but we just need to restate it," he said.

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He maintained that "80% of Democrats really want" what the Promise To America is promoting and criticized the far-left for drowning out those moderate voices.

But just 10 House Democrats have signed onto the pledge so far, which Republicans have argued is evidence that the far-left is really capturing its party. Out of the litany of Democrats running for the House, just five are signatories.

Suozzi argued, however, "We only want 10 members of Congress because we don't want to make it only about Washington. That's why we're going out to the state and local officials."

Those who have not signed on include House Democrats' senior leaders, who have said little on the socialist insurgency.

But Gray and Suozzi dismissed the notion that they were not getting enough support from their leaders when asked by Fox News Digital.

"I think the leadership is being very supportive," Suozzi said of his own experience. "They have a lot to balance. They've got the whole country to worry about."

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Gray said, "The efforts on the cable news networks and everything else to nationalize our politics all the time, pretend that, you know, somebody in some big city represents all of us is absurd. … It's a distraction, this idea that somehow some leader somewhere is supposed to win my district."

Bodycam video shows Oklahoma secretary of state’s arrest outside McDonald’s on public intoxication allegation

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 20:00:01 -0400

Newly released police bodycam video obtained by Fox News Digital shows Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak's encounter with police outside a McDonald's before officers arrested him on suspicion of public intoxication.

Lepak was arrested Friday night in Edmond after police responded around 10:45 p.m. to a report of a man who appeared to be drunk in public, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.

Officers found Lepak standing near the restaurant's drive-thru window and saw his vehicle in the parking lot, according to the affidavit. Lepak reportedly confirmed the vehicle belonged to him.

According to the arrest affidavit, an officer said Lepak had "extremely slurred speech" and an "odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath." The officer also said Lepak struggled to remove his identification from his wallet.

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Body camera video obtained by Fox News Digital shows officers questioning Lepak about where he had been, how much alcohol he had consumed and how he arrived at the McDonald's.

Lepak told officers he had attended a gathering with other fathers at a church earlier in the evening, according to the video.

As officers continued questioning him, Lepak disputed that he was unsteady on his feet.

Police allege Lepak was unable to maintain a "coherent train of thought" during the encounter, according to the affidavit. Lepak acknowledged to drinking beer while speaking with officers.

"I had a beer … that’s it," Lepak said, according to the affidavit. He later said he had consumed less than one beer because he did not finish it.

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Police allege Lepak also gave contradictory statements about whether he drove to the McDonald's and how he arrived there, according to the affidavit.

Officers ultimately placed Lepak under arrest on suspicion of public intoxication.

A spokesperson for Lepak told Fox News Digital he was waiting outside the restaurant for his dinner and noted that police did not administer a breathalyzer test.

"Mr. Lepak was waiting outside McDonald's for dinner. He was not given a Breathalyzer test," the spokesperson said. "Mr. Lepak will address the ticket appropriately through the legal process."

The arrest prompted Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond to call on Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to fire Lepak.

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"After reviewing footage from law enforcement body cameras, it is clear that Secretary of State Ben Lepak was thoroughly inebriated and very likely lied to law enforcement about how much he had to drink and how he and his car both arrived at the same place without him driving it," Drummond said in a news release.

"This conduct is thoroughly unbecoming of a such a high-ranking state official, and I am demanding that Gov. Stitt fire him immediately."

Drummond also criticized Stitt for appointing Lepak.

"Given the fact that Mr. Lepak had been arrested just a few years ago after being found unconscious in a running vehicle, Gov. Stitt should have known better than to elevate him to such a senior leadership position," he added.

"Gov. Stitt has made countless errors in judgment like this during his tenure in office, including most recently when he intervened to help a campaign donor avoid further jail time.

"He cannot undo those past mistakes, but he can help our state avoid further embarrassment by firing Mr. Lepak immediately."

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Stitt appointed Lepak to serve as Oklahoma secretary of state in October 2025.

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Lepak previously served as the governor's general counsel and as executive director of the State Chamber Research Foundation.

Obama strategist turns on rising Dem star over viral Trump attack: 'Gratuitous and unnecessary'

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:30:19 -0400

A top Democratic strategist from the Obama White House contended that Sen. Jon Ossoff’s latest shot at President Donald Trump was "gratuitous and unnecessary."

The Georgia Democrat, who has expanded his profile throughout his re-election campaign during this midterm cycle to new heights that have him in the conversation for the 2028 presidential race, recently went viral for his remarks while on the trail, where he went after Trump.

Ossoff was blasting Trump for the war in Iran and the record-breaking deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East when the lawmaker pivoted to a new foe: the president’s executive assistant, Natalie Harp.

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"While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings. He golfs and trades stocks," Ossoff said.

"So, he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar."

The comment received strong pushback from Trump, his allies and family and Ossoff’s opponent, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga.

But it also drew the ire of a major figure in the Democratic Party: David Axelrod, who was a key player in getting former President Barack Obama elected for two terms and served as his senior advisor.

While Axelrod applauded Ossoff’s previous "eloquent or incisive" attacks against Trump, he warned that mentioning Harp may not have been warranted.

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"The paragraph from his weekend speech that has gotten so much attention was a brutal takedown," Axelrod said on X. "But two words in it, ‘with Natalie,’ seemed gratuitous and unnecessary."

He contended the Ossoff campaign likely "juiced the virality" of the clip, which so far has over 6 million views on X, and that it "probably thrilled some in the base, who figured it was just giving Trump a taste of his own nasty medicine."

"But they distracted and detracted from the power of the message," Axelrod contended.

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And Collins agreed with Axelrod, to a degree, in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"It's disgusting that he would attack a young female staffer just to score cheap political points with his radical activist base," Collins said. "It's unbecoming of a U.S. senator, and the fact prominent Democrats are starting to call him out just proves it."

But other notable Democratic social media figures disagreed, like Joanne Carducci, better known as Jojofromjerz online, who countered that Axelrod was "100% wrong" and called Ossoff’s callout of Harp "genius."

"The political world has changed since you were a player in it, and if we continue to operate under the antiquated rules of the past, we’ll keep losing," she said on X.

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And Ossoff is reveling in the White House’s response, too, which included Trump calling him a "Pee-wee Herman look-alike," while defending the construction of the ballroom at the White House, which has been scrutinized by both sides of the aisle in the Senate.

During an appearance on MS NOW, Ossoff countered, "No one cares about their feelings."

"It's been amazing to watch this White House melt down over this all week," Ossoff said. "And about Natalie Harp, these White House staffers are adults, public officials paid by the taxpayers with immense power in positions of public trust."

Myles Gaskin retires at 29 after 7 NFL seasons and a Super Bowl win with the Seahawks

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:20:41 -0400

Myles Gaskin is hanging up his NFL jersey, announcing his retirement from the game of football at 29 years old.

Gaskin, a former seventh-round pick by the Miami Dolphins who spent seven seasons in the NFL as a running back, announced his decision on social media on Thursday.

"Football…there will never be enough words to explain how I feel about you, so I won’t even try," Gaskin’s social media post read. "What I will do is give all the game you gave me to the next generation of young players who dare to be great. Thank you. It’s been real."

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Gaskin’s last touch in the league was with the Seattle Seahawks during the 2025 Super Bowl-winning campaign. He played just one game, seeing action on offense with three snaps, while getting five special teams snaps. He totaled six yards on the three carries he had.

The Lynnwood, Washington native attended the University of Washington, staying in-state where he shined in their backfield. He was the first true freshman running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in school history in 2015 when he ran for 1,302 yards on 227 carries.

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The Dolphins used the 234th overall pick to select Gaskin in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he would spend four seasons working his way up the depth chart to an eventual starting role.

Gaskin’s best season came in 2021, where he rushed for 612 yards on 173 carries with three rushing touchdowns, while hauling in 49 receptions for 234 yards and four scores.

With the Dolphins using a running back by committee scheme in Miami, Gaskin played a versatile role during his early years in the league.

Gaskin signed a one-year extension with the Dolphins in 2023, but he was a roster cut before the start of the regular season. From there, he started to bounce around the league.

First, he landed with the Minnesota Vikings, who quickly signed him after the release. He eventually joined their practice squad and was elevated to the active roster, appearing on special teams in Week 2 of that season.

The Los Angeles Rams signed Gaskin off the Vikings’ practice squad later that season, where he played one game in Week 8. He was waived shortly thereafter.

Gaskin returned to the Vikings, while also working with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024, the Baltimore Ravens in 2025, and then joining the Seahawks in October 2025, where he was a part of their Super Bowl victory in Santa Clara.

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For his career, Gaskin rushed for 1,360 yards while catching 102 passes for 712 yards with 13 total touchdowns.

El-Sayed booked for major Islamic convention alongside clerics with radical pasts

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:00:29 -0400

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is slated to speak at the Islamic Society of North America's (ISNA) annual convention over Labor Day weekend, joining a speaker roster that includes Muslim religious leaders with histories of controversial remarks.

Among the most controversial figures attending the ISNA convention is cleric Baqir Berry, who prayed for "mujahideen" in Palestine and Lebanon, using a term commonly associated with Islamist fighters, and asked God to grant them "a mighty victory."

Islamic Institute of America head Hassan Qazwini is also attending after appealing to God to "grant victory to our brothers in Iran," a U.S.-designated state sponsor of terrorism.

Also appearing at the conference is Texas imam Yasir Qadhi, who previously made remarks denying the Holocaust that he later repudiated. Siraj Wahhaj, who was named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center terrorism case but never charged, is also scheduled to speak.

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"We pray to Allah to save our people in South Lebanon from the evil of these Zionists, to support the Muslims and the mujahideen on His path in the East and the West, especially our mujahideen in Palestine, Lebanon, and everywhere," Berry said during a June sermon, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

"Oh Allah, grant them a mighty victory."

Qazwini, in addition to praying for an Iranian victory, was denounced by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign over what it called "antisemitic conspiracy theories" after Qazwini claimed ISIS was connected to Israel and acting as an "arm of the Zionists."

Qadhi, Berry and Qazwini did not respond when Fox News Digital reached out for comment on Wednesday.

This is not El-Sayed’s first brush with religious radicals.

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Fox News Digital previously reported that the Democratic Senate candidate had touted the endorsement of a Detroit-area pastor who had praised notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan.

El-Sayed has also faced criticism over his appearances with streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said America "deserved 9/11." El-Sayed later called the remark "dumb" and disavowed the comment, while declining to disavow Piker himself.

El-Sayed has also defended a 2021 blog post that compared President Donald Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Osama bin Laden’s role in the Sept. 11 attacks.

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El-Sayed’s appearance comes as Republicans have increasingly focused on his past associations with controversial political and religious figures in the Michigan Senate race.

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El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

'I heard you missed me': Melania Trump turns heads in patriotic Rose Garden look for major announcement

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:51:44 -0400

First lady Melania Trump made a memorable return to the White House Rose Garden Thursday, greeting the crowd with a playful five-word message before an announcement filled with patriotism and horsepower.

"I heard you missed me. Here I am," Trump said as she took the podium, as the crowd — including President Donald Trump — erupted in laughter.

The first lady stood before a wall of American flags in a crisp sky-blue oversized Michael Kors shirt with the collar popped and a vivid red Dior pencil skirt, echoing the patriotic setting. She completed the look with red Manolo Blahnik suede pumps.

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And Trump's clothes weren't the only thing turning heads.

Sitting nearby was an IndyCar decked out in red, white and blue and carrying the branding of the first lady's "BE BEST" and Fostering the Future initiatives.

Trump couldn't resist giving the machine her own review.

"Look at this incredible race car," she told the crowd. "Gorgeous and powerful."

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The car brought horsepower to the White House grounds just days before IndyCar drivers are set to roar through the nation's capital for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C.

Six-time IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon joined Trump alongside 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal and Scott McLaughlin.

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IndyCar President Doug Boles said the cars will blast through the capital at speeds exceeding 180 mph, passing the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument and racing around the National Mall.

He described the event as a "massive and very fast spectacle" marking America's 250th birthday.

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For all the speed and spectacle, however, the Rose Garden event centered on a cause dear to the first lady: America's youth.

Trump announced an expansion of her Fostering the Future initiative, which supports young Americans transitioning out of the foster care system.

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Fox Corporation and IndyCar are each contributing $1 million to establish scholarships at Indiana University and Purdue University, bringing the total commitment to $2 million.

The two schools expand Fostering the Future's network to 26 colleges and universities nationwide.

"The greatest investment America can make is not in technology, infrastructure or capital markets. It's our children," Trump said.

She also announced that a Fostering the Future scholarship recipient became the program's first doctor this spring.

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"He will change the lives of so many people," she said. "Graduates will build new companies, launch new industries and redefine what is possible for all Americans."

And on an afternoon when a race car sat gleaming in the Rose Garden ahead of a 180-mph dash through Washington, Trump offered a different measure of success.

"Education is the one asset that can never be taken away," the first lady said. "It is the foundation upon which confidence is built, opportunities created and the future is invented."

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Fox News Digital's Brian Flood contributed to this report.

Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson breaks silence after star's death

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:51:01 -0400

Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson broke his silence after the sudden and tragic death of the actress.

Hickerson's lawyer, Sloan Ellis, shared a brief statement with TMZ on Thursday.

"Hayden's death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed. As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play," Ellis said.

"Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."

The Greenville Police Department told Fox News Digital it is not participating in media interviews regarding this case.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE'S MOTHER POINTS FINGER AT BRIAN HICKERSON AFTER 'NASHVILLE' STAR'S DEATH AT 36

"The GPD response is the same as in all death investigations. The Police Department works with the Coroner’s Office, receives its findings, reviews the facts and evidence and then decides if a criminal investigation is warranted. There were no signs of foul play during the initial response and investigation," the statement concluded.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ellis for comment.

On Wednesday, Fox News Digital learned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been contacted and is assisting in the investigation into Panettiere's death.

Also on Wednesday, Greenville police showed up at a South Carolina home linked to Brian and Zach Hickerson just days after Panettiere’s death. Officers appeared to be carrying out a welfare check, but nobody answered the door.

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Two police cruisers were spotted around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning and again around 10 a.m.

Panettiere died Sunday at the age of 36. She was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and the "Nashville" and "Remember the Titans" actress was pronounced dead.

Preliminary autopsy results found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death, Fox News Digital confirmed.

A police report obtained by Fox News Digital revealed Hickerson and his brother, Zach, called 911 after finding the actress unresponsive. Hickerson later handed authorities a bag of medication Panettiere had allegedly been taking.

Hickerson was among those at the Greenville apartment when Panettiere was found, and authorities executed a search warrant at the residence, according to the report. The police report claimed Zach appeared "very emotional" while paramedics worked to revive Panettiere.

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Panettiere had an on-again, off-again relationship with Hickerson in the years before her death at age 36. Panettiere and Hickerson reportedly met through mutual friends in 2018, shortly after her split from Wladimir Klitschko.

Hickerson, who is from South Carolina, worked in real estate before pursuing acting and had a small role in the 2017 thriller "M.F.A."

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Hickerson reportedly traveled with the "Remember the Titans" actress from Los Angeles the day before she was found unresponsive at a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment complex Aug. 16, according to TMZ.

The two broke up briefly in 2022 but rekindled their romance the following year. Hickerson's brother confirmed to police Brian was in a relationship with the actress at the time of Panettiere's death.

The former couple's relationship was marked by highly public legal troubles. Hickerson was first charged with domestic violence against Panettiere in 2019. He was arrested again in 2020 on eight felony domestic violence charges, including felony charges of corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of battery on a spouse/cohabitant.

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In 2021, he was sentenced after pleading no contest to two felony charges connected to the domestic violence involving Panettiere. The rest were dismissed due to the plea agreement.

Three days before Panettiere's death, Hickerson appeared in Los Angeles court in an effort to have his felony charges reduced.

"On Aug. 13, the prosecution objected to the defense’s motion to expunge and reduce both counts," a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office told Fox News Digital. "The court denied both."

Hickerson had tried to have the charges reduced once before, appearing in court July 18, 2025, Fox News Digital confirmed.

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Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz and Lorraine Taylor contributed to this report.

Progressives notch victory in race to replace Swalwell following sexual assault scandal

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:46:37 -0400

Progressive state Sen. and Assistant Majority Leader Aisha Wahab has bested Melissa Hernandez, a more moderate public transit executive, in a special election to replace disgraced Rep. Eric Swalwell.

The race between Wahab and Hernandez represented another front in the Democratic civil war between the party’s establishment and progressive wings.

Wahab counted on high-profile endorsements from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and labor icon Dolores Huerta, while Hernandez relied on large sums of super PAC cash and endorsements from local officials.

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While progressive Democrats opened the election season strongly, securing high-profile victories in New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado and D.C., they have more recently underperformed on expectations in the Democratic primaries for Michigan’s Senate race and Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race.

Wahab was the strong favorite heading into Election Day, earning 42.8% of the vote in the special primary against Hernandez’s 16.8%.

California has "jungle primaries" in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. Wahab and Hernandez, both Democrats, occupied the top two slots in the special primary, effectively shutting Republicans out of a district that Kamala Harris carried easily in the 2024 presidential election.

The special election, however, represents only a temporary victory because it determined who would serve out the remaining two months of Swalwell’s term. The two will likely face off again in November to determine who will serve a full two-year term in Congress.

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Though the victory is technically temporary, incumbents tend to have an advantage in elections. The general election will take place under slightly different district boundaries after California’s newly redrawn congressional map takes effect.

Some Democrats have pointed to recent underperformance by progressive candidates to argue that the socialist ascendancy within the party has been stymied, while others point to the continued popularity of socialist politicians and policies among young people as evidence to the contrary.

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On the campaign trail, Hernandez criticized Wahab primarily on ethical grounds for her alleged missteps during her time in Sacramento. Wahab, meanwhile, painted Hernandez as the beneficiary of conservative and pro-Israel money, challenging her liberal credentials.

Hernandez, for instance, accused Wahab of skirting campaign finance laws by routing $60,000 from her state campaign account through the Alameda County Democratic Party, which later funded pro-Wahab congressional mail.

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Wahab hit back with her own campaign finance-related attack, criticizing Hernandez for allegedly taking money from pro-Israel donors and benefiting from expenditures by pro-Israel super PACs.

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The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become a major flashpoint in the internal struggle for control of the Democratic Party, with progressives seeking to push out Democrats who support Israel.

Timeline reveals how man in 'Chucky' mask terrorized Philadelphia streets, evaded police

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:45:32 -0400

Surveillance footage captured the brief window of time when a masked man wearing a creepy Chucky-style Halloween mask terrorized multiple people in downtown Philadelphia. Two police officers followed him before he evaded authorities, officials said Thursday.

Zymire Hughes, 22, is being sought by the Philadelphia Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service after an arrest warrant related to the Aug. 12 incident was issued.

"If Zymire Hughes was trying to scare people, make them run: Who's scared now? Who's running now?" Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

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On Thursday, authorities released surveillance footage showing Hughes leaving his apartment before heading downtown by bus.

Once in the downtown area, Hughes donned his mask around 5:30 a.m. and began antagonizing people while filming his actions with a cell phone, police said. He allegedly threatened and assaulted a jogger near City Hall before chasing her.

The first person confronted by Hughes appeared to be terrified.

"The victim is absolutely terrified of Mr. Hughes," Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said. "He crouches down with his hands up in a pleading motion. We don't know exactly what was said... but it's readily apparent that this individual is certainly in fear for their life. So then Mr. Hughes proceeds to make his way down Chestnut Street, harassing additional people."

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The incident culminated when Hughes allegedly chased the jogger.

Holding up his phone, he allegedly asked: "Are you ready to die?" police said. The jogger injured her leg while fleeing and will require extensive medical treatment, Capt. Smith told reporters.

At one point, Hughes was spotted inside Suburban Station by two Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) police officers in a golf cart and others on foot. The officers told him to remove the mask, Smith said, while showing footage of the interaction.

Hughes removed the mask but attempted to conceal his identity.

"Underneath that Chucky-style Halloween mask, he's got a black, COVID-style mask, which he never removes," Smith said. "Before they spot him, he is running around attempting to engage other people and scare them down in Suburban Station as well."

The officers followed Hughes, but he eventually evaded them and boarded a bus back home, police said.

He took the bus, placed the mask in a backpack, and arrived at his apartment complex, authorities said.

Surveillance footage captured at the complex shows Hughes leaving for downtown before his alleged rampage began. Investigators were able to obtain images of him in a common area without the mask.

SEPTA police officers were able to identify Hughes, along with two other people, police said.

Smith said he believes Hughes initiated the spree for "his own sick personal amusement" or to create monetized social media content.

Hughes remains at large but has ties to California and Nevada, police said.

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Substitute teacher arrested after allegedly triggering false active shooter alerts at 5 schools: sheriff

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:44:18 -0400

A substitute teacher in Louisiana was arrested after authorities say she triggered false active shooter alerts at five schools, prompting security responses across the district.

Lytonja Barfield, 58, was booked on five counts of menacing after an investigation into the alerts Wednesday, Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. announced.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office began investigating after officials with the Caddo Parish School Board contacted the agency about possible threats after emergency alerts at several schools.

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Don Gibbs, the school board's director of security, told investigators that Barfield, a substitute teacher, had allegedly used the district's emergency management system to report active shooters at five schools, according to the sheriff's office.

School officials responded to the alerts by implementing security measures to protect students and staff while they worked to determine whether the reported threats were legitimate.

Officials determined the alerts were false and identified Barfield as the person responsible for sending them, the sheriff's office said.

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Caddo Parish Public Schools told Fox News Digital Barfield is no longer employed by the district and was not assigned to work at any district location at the time of the incident.

"We are cooperating fully with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office as they continue their investigation into the matter. Ms. Barfield is no longer employed by the district, and, at the time of the incident, she was not assigned to work at any district site," the district's statement said.

"While we will not speak to the individual details of the investigation, as that is under the purview of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, I can say that, in response to the mobile alerts, the district followed our established security protocols to ensure student and staff safety at all locations."

The sheriff's office did not identify the five schools in its announcement or say what specific security measures were implemented.

A Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office detective later located Barfield and questioned her about the incident.

Based on evidence and information gathered during the investigation, authorities arrested Barfield and transported her to the Caddo Correctional Center, according to the sheriff's office.

Barfield was booked on five counts of menacing.

The sheriff's office said false reports of active threats can disrupt schools, trigger emergency responses and cause fear among students, parents, employees and the surrounding community.

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Authorities did not disclose a possible motive for the alleged false alerts.

The investigation remains ongoing.