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Liberal circuit judge blasts SCOTUS conservatives, says Hawaii will defy high court

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:08:17 -0400

A Hawaii Supreme Court justice used a ruling overturning a decades-old criminal conviction to deliver a blistering rebuke of Chief Justice John Roberts' Supreme Court, accusing the nation's highest court of weakening constitutional rights, damaging democracy and advancing a political agenda.

Justice Todd Eddins authored the 91-page majority opinion Wednesday in State v. Granillo , a case involving a man convicted in 1990 of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman on Maui. The court ordered a new trial after concluding that hair and fiber evidence presented by an FBI expert relied on forensic science that has since been discredited.

But in roughly eight pages of the opinion, Eddins argued Hawaii's courts should not look to the Roberts Court when interpreting the state constitution, using the case to deliver an unusually sharp critique of the nation's highest court.

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"When six justices walk away from those they are supposed to protect, state constitutions hold the line," Eddins wrote, referring to the court's six conservative justices. "That is not defiance. That is the design."

Eddins argued that Hawaii's Constitution provides stronger protections than the federal Constitution as currently interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court, and said the Court has abandoned landmark civil rights principles.

"The Court that now defines federal due process does not honor the work of 1954," Eddins wrote. "It revives the work of 1857. The work of 1896."

Eddins was referring to Brown v. Board of Education, ruled in 1954, which ended racial segregation in public schools, as well as Dred Scott v. Sandford, the infamous 1857 decision denying citizenship to Black Americans and Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 ruling that upheld racial segregation.

Eddins argued that the Roberts Court no longer reflects the constitutional principles established in Brown v. Board of Education, but instead, he argued the Court's originalist approach relies on the same type of constitutional interpretation in the discredited Dred Scott and Plessy decisions.

"Today’s hubristic originalists use the same method to control modern life," Eddins wrote.

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"The Court overrides what Congress passed," Eddins continued. "It overrides what the people chose. All to serve its own ends. What this Court has done to constitutional rights, democratic institutions, and the rule of law explains why Hawaiʻi’s Constitution takes no instruction from it."

Throughout the opinion, Eddins pointed to many of the Roberts Court's most consequential decisions as evidence that constitutional protections have been weakened, including Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the federal constitutional right to abortion; Citizens United v. FEC on campaign finance; Rucho v. Common Cause on partisan gerrymandering; Trump v. United States on presidential immunity; and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which expanded Second Amendment protections.

Eddins accused the Roberts Court of adopting a "colorblind" approach to the Equal Protection Clause that, in his view, ignores the amendment's original purpose of protecting formerly enslaved Black Americans.

"The Roberts Court sees only white," he wrote. "It refuses to acknowledge who the Equal Protection Clause was written to protect."

He also suggested that recent Supreme Court decisions have repeatedly expanded the power of government officials and wealthy interests while reducing protections for individual rights.

"A court that systematically dismantles democratic safeguards, steamrolls constitutional liberties, and tramples human dignity does not chart the course for the Hawaiʻi Constitution," he wrote.

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The opinion quickly drew criticism from legal observers, who said it was highly unusual for a state supreme court opinion to devote so much space to criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The Court issues an unhinged attack on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court," Iowa Solicitor General Eric Wessan wrote on X. "I haven't ever seen something like this. And it's not good."

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley similarly described the opinion as "devoid of judicial restraint and decorum."

"The Hawaii Supreme Court just issued a truly shocking opinion that unleashed a torrent of rage and recrimination against the majority of the United States Supreme Court, including suggesting that they are de facto racists," Turley wrote on X.

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The opinion comes just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court handed Hawaii a major loss in Wolford v. Lopez, striking down the state's so-called "vampire rule." In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled Hawaii could not require gun owners to get a property owner's permission before carrying a firearm into businesses and other private property open to the public.

Eddins has served on the Hawaii Supreme Court since 2020 after being appointed by then-Democratic Gov. David Ige.

New York school district to deploy humanoid robot in classrooms this fall

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:00:24 -0400

An upstate New York school district is bringing a humanoid robot into the classroom this fall, where it will assist with instruction as educators test how artificial intelligence can be integrated into teaching.

Syracuse.com reported Wednesday that students in the Salamanca City Central School District in Western New York will have access to a humanoid robot that is not intended to replace their teacher but will serve as a support to teachers and students.

The outlet reported that during a board meeting last month, the Cattaraugus County school district said it would buy the robot from tech company Realbotix as well as an AI teacher’s assistant program that gives students the ability to work with the robot on their laptops.

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"This deployment in a working school district represents a landmark moment for both AI and humanoid robotics," said Andrew Kiguel, CEO of Realbotix, whose company is currently building the robot. "Salamanca marks the beginning of a new era where humanoid robots and intelligent AI assistants become standard tools in STEM education."

The robot, named Sally, is designed to resemble a human, with silicone skin and long brown hair. It will remain seated but will be capable of a range of facial expressions and upper-body movements.

Kiguel said students will log in using unique ID numbers, allowing the robot to access their previous interactions and tailor its responses to each student's learning history. For example, the robot could recognize a student and continue a discussion from an earlier class.

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Mark Beehler, Salamanca Superintendent, said his district is trying to incorporate AI into their day-to-day learning.

"Many schools are taking the easy solution of simply banning it, but I have found that students will find a way around most rules that schools put in place," Beehler told Syracuse.com. "I also believe it is critical for schools to teach proper use of technology, not simply exclude it."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kiguel said, "The humanoid robot and Optio AI teaching assistant being developed for Salamanca are the first of its kind, providing the school with purpose-built educational tools. They will operate under district and teacher oversight, with education-specific safeguards in place and Realbotix will not have access to student data."

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Kiguel added, "Realbotix is incredibly fortunate to partner with the Salamanca School District, whose deep commitment to STEM education aligns perfectly with our mission. They believe there is no better way to learn robotics and coding than through hands-on, real-world interaction. This has been a deeply collaborative process designed to support, rather than supplant, traditional learning. We are providing custom-built educational robots that prioritize both student engagement and robust safety and privacy protections."

Fox News Digital reached out to Beehler for comment.

Team USA hockey equipment manager arrested on misdemeanor charges of battery/domestic violence

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:38:06 -0400

Team USA men’s national hockey team and Florida Panthers equipment manager Thaddeus "Teddy" Richards was arrested on Friday.

Richards, 43, was arrested in Florida on misdemeanor charges of battery/domestic violence and unauthorized use of 911 services, according to online records. The Athletic was first to report it.

The incident happened in Coral Springs, Florida, and Richards was in jail at the Broward Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale as of Friday night.

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"The Florida Panthers organization has been made aware of an incident involving the arrest of equipment manager Teddy Richards," the Panthers said in a statement.

"Effective immediately, he will be suspended from all team activities and facilities pending investigation."

Fox News Digital reached out to USA Hockey for a statement, but did not immediately receive a response.

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Richards is from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and began his career working for the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. He worked with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins from 2002 to 2013.

After over a decade in the AHL, he was promoted to assistant equipment manager for the Penguins. He remained there from 2013 to 2016, and was part of the staff for the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2016.

After the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, he departed for the Panthers. He has been the Panthers’ equipment manager since the 2016-17 season.

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He has been with the team for both of its Stanley Cup championships in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

While with the Penguins, Richards worked with head coach Mike Sullivan, who was the head coach for Team USA in both the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

Richards was the team’s equipment manager for both of those Team USA squads, with his connection to Sullivan helping him land the role.

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Canadian wildfire smoke ignites cross-border feud over Ottawa's 'willful negligence'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:31:11 -0400

As smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift across parts of the United States, forestry experts say Canada could reduce the severity of some fires through more aggressive forest management.

The issue reached the White House Friday, with President Donald Trump accusing Canada of failing to properly manage its forests and threatening to factor the economic cost of the smoke into tariffs on Canadian imports.

"We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said he planned to call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and accused Canada of refusing to engage in "basic Forest Management and Debris Removal," calling it "Willful Negligence."

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Andrew Hale, a Canadian fellow at Advancing American Freedom, argued that Canada’s wildfire policies have failed to prioritize forest management.

"Canada has a policy of not keeping reservoirs. They also will not cut firebreaks and will not thin their forests," Hale told Fox News Digital. "This is the result of the undue influence of environmental groups who are firmly politically motivated and have divorced themselves from science and good stewardship. Canada and the rest of North America is suffering as a result," he said.

Earlier this week, four Republican members of Michigan's congressional delegation — Reps. Jack Bergman, John James, Lisa McClain and John Moolenaar — sent a letter to Carney saying residents in their state were once again experiencing unhealthy air because of smoke drifting south from Canadian wildfires.

"We are done accepting apologies in place of action," the lawmakers wrote, accusing Canada of underinvesting in forest thinning, fuel reduction and prescribed burns while calling for measurable plans to reduce future wildfire smoke crossing the border.

The criticism comes as Canada's own Senate has reached a similar conclusion on one point: while it says climate change is making wildfire seasons longer and more severe, the country also needs to do substantially more to prepare its forests before fires ignite.

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The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry released a report in June titled Canada on Fire: The Catastrophic and Escalating Effects of Wildfires on Lives and Communities after holding 17 meetings, hearing testimony from 79 witnesses and receiving 23 written briefs from scientists, government officials, Indigenous leaders and industry experts.

The committee concluded that Canada's three most recent wildfire seasons demonstrated that climate change was accelerating fire behavior "beyond the capacity of existing systems." At the same time, it found that prevention efforts have not kept pace with the growing threat.

Much of the report focuses on what experts call "fuel management" — reducing the amount of dry grass, dead trees, fallen branches and other vegetation that allows small fires to become large, destructive wildfires.

"Several witnesses agreed that prescribed fire is the most important risk-reduction tool for helping to manage or slow wildfire on the landscape and restoring ecological integrity," the report said.

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One witness, Paul Hessburg, a professor at the University of Washington's School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, said that climate change is making wildfire conditions worse but does not eliminate the value of proactive forest management.

"The punchline is, with climate change, these conditions will intensify with less snowpack, more fires, bigger fires, hotter fires," Hessburg told the committee. "The question is: Can we restore resilience? We can. We can bring back these elements and put the governors back into the landscape that historically regulated the flow of fire."

Jason Hayes, a senior research fellow in energy and environmental policy at the Heritage Foundation, said the practical solution is to spend more time managing forests before fires begin rather than relying primarily on emergency response after they start.

"The best thing to do is get out, space and thin, do prescribed burns and recognize that these are renewable resources," Hayes told Fox News Digital. "If we did that, then we would have much less intense wildfires."

Hayes acknowledged that carrying out those recommendations across Canada would be far more difficult than simply identifying them. He said many fires burn in remote areas of northern Ontario and other parts of Canada that are difficult to reach because they are far from roads and population centers.

"You have to fly in, and it's just difficult to do," Hayes said.

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Witnesses to the Canadian Senate committee also warned that Canada faces practical challenges beyond forest management, including shortages of wildfire-management expertise and an aging fleet of firefighting aircraft. The report cited testimony that provincial fleets still include 22 older CL-215 aircraft and that at least 20 aircraft require immediate replacement.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Office of Prime Minister Mark Carney but did not receive a comment in time for publication.

Stephen Miller says Trump administration is pursuing policy to debank illegal immigrants

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:23:50 -0400

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday that the Trump administration is seeking to debank illegal immigrants as an incentive for them to self-deport from the United States.

Miller gave an update on the White House's latest tactic to deter illegal immigration during an interview Friday on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton show.

"President Trump signed an executive order a few weeks ago saying that we are not going to allow illegal aliens to use banking services in this country," Miller said.

"Illegal aliens have credit cards, they have bank accounts, and they're paid with direct deposit. So, illegal aliens fully participate in the commercial systems, the financial systems of America. Shutting that down is a massive engine for deportation," he added.

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Miller was likely referring to an executive order Trump signed on May 19 that directed banks and federal regulators to increase scrutiny of accounts and credit applications involving immigrants without legal status or work authorization.

The order did not explicitly instruct banks to deny credit cards or bank accounts to illegal immigrants, but compliance with it could make it more difficult for them to participate in the financial system.

Federal agencies have already begun acting on Trump's executive order.

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

In early June, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, led by Russell Vought, issued guidance stating that lenders may — and in some cases must — consider applicants' immigration status and work authorization when assessing their ability to repay loans.

Miller also referenced guidance from three federal agencies issued on July 13 "reminding supervised financial institutions to apply existing safe-and-sound credit risk management practices when lending to borrowers who are not legally authorized to work in the United States."

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Both advisories serve to tell banks that illegal immigrants could be higher-risk customers for loans.

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

New Yorkers collected $2.6 billion in welfare cash payments last year, city data shows

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:19:52 -0400

New York City doled out more than $2.6 billion in cash assistance to city residents in 2025, a Fox News Digital review of city records showed.

The money reached a record 864,999 people, a 30-year high not matched since before former Mayor Rudy Giuliani instituted major welfare reform in the early 2000s.

The $2.6 billion figure represents a 71% increase from 2022's $1.57 billion, data showed.

MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP

When coupled with payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the city paid out more than $7 billion in welfare to residents in 2024, according to a Fox News analysis of data from the city's Human Resources Administration (HRA).

The rise in welfare payments comes as some of New York City's wealthiest contemplate a Big Apple exodus due to what many have described as a policy environment unfriendly to businesses and moneymakers.

NYC MAYOR MAMDANI CALLS THREAT OF RICH PEOPLE LEAVING NYC OVER TAXES 'IMAGINED'

Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin notably threatened to put a major Midtown renovation on hold for his Citadel offices after socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani targeted him by name in a video announcing a new tax on second homes in the city.

"When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich … Well, today we're taxing the rich. This pied-à-terre tax is specifically designed for the richest of the rich," Mamdani said while recording a video outside the building that houses Griffin's penthouse.

"This is an annual fee on luxury properties worth more than $5 million whose owners do not live full-time in the city — like this penthouse, which hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought for $238 million."

Griffin called the video "inappropriate" in critical comments.

"What really upset me about the video was the fact that he put me in harm's way … And to put any citizen in harm's way is just inappropriate for one of our political leaders," Griffin said, also calling the video "creepy" and "frightening."

Though Mamdani inherited the state of his city's welfare system from his predecessors, his policy decisions indicate a continuation of the upward rise in payments.

The city's new nearly $126 billion budget that Mamdani and city councilors agreed to in June contains a $14.63 billion outlay for the HRA, which handles welfare and social services.

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The 2026 budget allocated $11.97 billion for the HRA, giving the 2027 budget a social services earmark over $2.6 billion more than the previous year's.

The $14.63 billion for 2026 represents 14% of the city's total budget.

Fox News Digital contacted the HRA and Mayor Mamdani's office for further comment.

WNBA coach predictably bends the knee to the fake outrage mob over Angel Reese's racism claim

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:02:45 -0400

In the most predictable plot twist in the history of time, Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello has issued an apology to Angel Reese after the internet — and Reese — accused her of using a racist term during Friday's game.

Late in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's eventual 111-92 win, Reese and Tempo forward Nyara Sabally collided, 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, Brondello came over to plead her case to the officials, and a hot mic picked up part of the conversation.

ANGEL REESE DANGEROUSLY PEDDLES RACIST CONSPIRACY THEORY AFTER WNBA COACH CALLS HER TWO WORDS

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

Reese later called her out via X, responding to a post that accused Brondello of calling "a Black woman a species" by saying, "ARE WE SURPRISED?!" while also tagging Brondello in the post.

The WNBA continues to be an unserious league

"Angel, I'm sorry. Last night, in the emotion of the moment after Nyara's injury, I used a phrase that I shouldn't have used, and I take full responsibility for that," Brondello said Saturday afternoon in a lengthy social media post. "My frustration was with the officiating, but my words unfairly put the focus on you. I also understand that my words carried an impact beyond what I intended, particularly for Black women in our league, and I'm deeply sorry for that.

"I've spent my career competing with, coaching and learning from incredible Black women. I regret that my words caused hurt to a community I respect so deeply. I have a lot of respect for you as both a player and a person, and I sincerely apologize to you, your teammates, and the Dream organization for my comment."

Goodness gracious. It's all just incredible. The pandering. The virtue-signaling. The fake-outrage. Bending the knee to the mob.

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It's straight out of the WNBA's playbook, and it's so exhausting.

No, Sandy Brondello didn't have to apologize. What world are we living in here? Calling someone a "protected species" is not racist.

Frankly, it's a sports phrase that's been around forever. Forever.

Patrick Mahomes is a protected species, because defenders can't touch him without getting penalized.

Tom Brady was a protected species.

LeBron James is a protected species.

Obviously, Brondello met that certain players get certain calls. Duh. She didn't reinvent the wheel with this term, folks. Coaches and players have been accusing other players of getting preferential treatment for DECADES now. That's what this term means, and everyone knows it.

Above all, Brondello knows it. Yet, she chose to bend the knee to the mob because Angel Reese posted about it and peddled a dangerous claim. A false claim.

Here's the bottom line: Angel Reese is black, and the internet has selective hearing. So, someone posts — out of context, mind you — that she was called a "species," and then Reese peddles the narrative by reposting it with a sarcastic comment and a clown emoji.

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

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Angel Reese played the victim card perfectly here, and Sandy Brondello joined right in.

What an unserious league.

Mike Waltz, Tim Tebow launch effort to combat online child exploitation: 'It's happening in their backyard'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 06:30:40 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow on Thursday unveiled a renewed international effort to combat online child exploitation, bringing together government officials, law enforcement leaders and anti-human trafficking advocates like Tebow's foundation to strengthen cooperation against predators operating across borders.

Following the event, Waltz and Tebow answered questions exclusively from Fox News Digital, with Tebow warning parents that the threat isn't confined to distant countries or dark corners of the internet.

"It's happening in their backyard," Tebow told Fox News Digital when asked what would shock American parents most about child exploitation today.

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The event put a spotlight on how the U.S. is teaming up with countries around the world to rescue exploited children, crack down on human trafficking networks and prosecute child predators. Officials also pointed to recent international operations, new funding from Congress and a U.S.-led U.N. resolution targeting online sextortion.

"The United States is leading the charge to combat child exploitation in partnership with civil society groups like the Tim Tebow Foundation," Waltz said during the event. "Child exploitation criminals operate across borders, so a global response is critical. We need to work together to protect our children from predators."

Tebow said the danger facing children online is something parents should think about every day.

"If it's unprotected, it's similar to dropping them off at a playground knowing that pedophiles are circling that playground," he told Fox News Digital. "You would never do it."

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He urged parents to take advantage of online safety tools and remain engaged with their children's digital activity, saying predators are constantly searching for opportunities to exploit young victims.

"There are so many predators online that are looking for a vulnerability and an access to a boy or girl so that they can exploit, so that they can lure, so they can groom, so that they can sextort," Tebow said. "I really believe it's one of the worst evils in the world."

During the event, Tebow stressed that child exploitation requires international cooperation.

"Child exploitation requires a response as global as the threat itself," he said. "Right now, children around the world are being harmed, and we cannot look away. No child should be invisible, and no predator should be able to hide."

ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP

Asked by Fox News Digital whether some countries are refusing to cooperate with U.S. investigations, Waltz said the larger challenge is that many nations lack the legal tools and investigative resources needed to pursue child exploitation cases.

"I don't know that there's countries refusing to cooperate," Waltz said. "But what I can tell you, there's countries all over the world [where] they don't have the laws on the books that make these things a crime. They don't have the extradition treaties. They don't have the prosecutors or the investigators that know how to handle the electronic evidence in the right way."

He added that U.S. agencies and United Nations partners are working to help countries strengthen those capabilities through training and international cooperation.

Waltz also argued that migration and human trafficking remain closely linked, saying vulnerable girls are often exploited by criminal organizations during migration routes.

Tebow added that investigators around the world continue to face enormous challenges identifying victims because offenders deliberately work to avoid detection.

"When we also talk about this, there are so many places that are underfunded, under-equipped, and it does take some training and understanding of what is happening online so we can best use victim identification," Tebow said. "Those victim identification specialists really are specialists. They're incredible at what they're doing because those that are performing this evil, they're not trying to get caught."

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"So it takes really special people to be able to understand, to find them and then bring them to justice. More importantly, bring that kid into freedom."

The collaboration between the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Tim Tebow Foundation and international law enforcement partners is intended to strengthen cross-border efforts to combat child exploitation through expanded cooperation, technology and coordinated investigations.

Jim Acosta urges TV networks to stop airing some Trump speeches live, calls them 'totally nuts'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:58:28 -0400

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta urged television networks to forgo live coverage of President Donald Trump's primetime address last Thursday, warning they would be "totally nuts" to air what he described as the president's "conspiracy theories" without immediately fact-checking them.

"I think the networks are totally nuts if they take this speech live," Acosta said on "The Joy Reid Show."

"It is totally crazy to put his bats--- ‘Looney Tunes’ conspiracy theories on live national television without fact-checkers in real time, and some of the networks will say, 'Well, we'll have some fact-checkers on afterwards,' and the fact-checkers will come on and say, 'Well, there isn't any evidence to support his claims.' It's all boloney kabuki Washington DC theater."

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

Acosta relayed his worries to Reid that Trump would further spread alleged conspiracies surrounding the integrity of U.S. elections, thereby casting preliminary doubt on the integrity of this year's midterms.

"He has never ever proven any of these things. He has lost the benefit of the doubt," he said.

"We should not be erring on the side of putting these things out there, and I totally agree with you that he's chumming the waters for not trusting the midterms."

TRUMP RELEASES DECLASSIFIED ELECTION INTELLIGENCE, SAYS IT REVEALS 'SHOCKING VULNERABILITIES'

Adding to his critique, Acosta suggested the president could be forging a broader plot to create what he coined as a "52-car pileup" around the midterm elections.

"[He could] say, "See, I can't trust these results over here in this state or these results over here in that key district that may determine the control of the House. And Mike Johnson, maybe we just shouldn't seat a new Congress right away, and maybe we should just all go to court and have the courts untangle... [and] that's going to take until May or June of next year," he warned.

"That, to me, is a terrifying thought."

DOUG SCHOEN: TRUMP PUT 2026 ELECTION OFFICIALS ON NOTICE. NOW HE NEEDS A CLEAR AGENDA

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

Acosta's warning came ahead of Trump's primetime address Thursday, where, speaking to the nation, 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 said Beijing engaged in an influence campaign aimed at shaping U.S. public perceptions.

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.

Ultimately, 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.

"The least that the networks can do at this point is not platform these lies, to not allow him to chum the waters with this nonsense," Acosta warned ahead of the address.

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"And I think that it's a very serious moment for the television networks in this country."

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

Two US service members killed in Iranian strikes on Jordan, CENTCOM says

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:36:40 -0400

Two U.S. service members were killed in action in Jordan during Iranian attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan on Friday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Saturday.

"On July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command … and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing," CENTCOM wrote in a statement on X.

"Four American service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. Other personnel who were evaluated for minor injuries have returned to duty," CENTCOM wrote.

LEAKED IRAN REPORT FINDS RECORD PUBLIC ANGER AS REGIME FOCUSES ON HOLDING POWER

Out of respect for the families, CENTCOM will withhold additional information, including the identities of the fallen warriors, until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified," the post concluded.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the news on X Saturday, saying, "Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve."

The service members' deaths mark the first U.S. deaths in the Iran war since fighting resumed in June following the collapse of a ceasefire and memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran. 16 total U.S. service members have died in the conflict since the war began in February.

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Iran's strikes on Jordan come amidst a wider wave of Iranian attacks on U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf. Iran has launched missile and drone strikes on Kuwait and Qatar in recent days as well.

The attacks followed a six-day U.S. attack campaign in Iran in response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

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Fox News Digital contacted the White House and CENTCOM for additional comment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Caitlin Clark set to debut new colorway for Nike signature shoe Saturday against New York Liberty

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:27:40 -0400

After more than two years of anticipation, Nike unveiled Caitlin Clark's first signature basketball shoe, the Nike Caitlin 1, marking a major milestone for one of basketball's biggest stars. Clark became one of a select group of athletes to receive a signature sneaker from Nike, joining an elite roster of basketball icons.

On Saturday, after a historic 45-point performance against the Seattle Storm the day before, and setting a franchise record for points scored while becoming the first player in WNBA history to record a 40-plus-point 10-assist game, Clark unveiled a new colorway for the Nike Caitlin 1.

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Now that another colorway has been released, here are my favorites so far:

This bright royal blue upper (called racer blue on Nike’s website) accented by a white Nike Swoosh and neon volt details was the first colorway for the Caitlin 1 released. At first, this shoe was underwhelming, but it’s grown on me.

This white upper with a clear blue bottom is the most versatile of the four colorways revealed by Clark so far. It’s a clean look that will be seen on and off the court more than any other colorway, in my opinion.

The Nike Caitlin 1 is scheduled to release on Oct. 1, 2026. The shoe will retail for $140 for adults, with youth sizes priced at $115.

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On the outsole of the shoe, the phrases "Shoot More Threes", "From Anywhere", and "It was never a long shot" are featured.

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Clark's signature sneaker arrives after she signed a reported eight-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Nike following the 2024 WNBA Draft. During her first two WNBA seasons, Clark primarily wore Kobe Bryant player-exclusive sneakers while fans eagerly awaited her own signature model.

The Indiana Fever play at home against the New York Liberty on Saturday.

Kentucky governor says he received 2 calls from agencies indicating McConnell had 'passed'

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:19:08 -0400

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said this week that he received two calls from agencies suggesting Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., died while he was in the hospital.

In an interview with Katie Couric uploaded to YouTube on Thursday, Beshear, a Democrat, did not specify which agencies allegedly called him with the news or when the calls were made.

"In fact, I'd gotten two calls from different agencies, not state agencies, suggesting he'd passed," said Beshear, who has served as governor since December 2019.

Fox News Digital reached out to Beshear and McConnell's offices for comment.

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After nearly a month of being hospitalized, McConnell's office released a lengthy statement on July 12 saying he was being treated for a fall he suffered in June. A picture of him in a hospital bed alongside his wife was also released.

Prior to the announcement, there was speculation about what had happened to McConnell, given that his office did not reveal why he was in the hospital for weeks.

Emergency dispatch audio from June 14, the day McConnell was hospitalized, revealed he was "unconscious" and may have suffered a heart attack.

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"My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion," McConnell said in the statement last weekend. "I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages."

Two days before the longtime GOP leader shared more about his condition, Beshear posted on social media demanding that McConnell be more transparent.

"I publicly and privately urged the last administration to address the public’s concerns with the former president’s health," Beshear wrote, seemingly a reference to former President Joe Biden. "I’m calling on Sen. McConnell to do the same and provide voters an update on his own health."

Beshear ended the post by urging McConnell to "end the crazy speculation" and "just tell us what's going on."

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On July 8, Beshear also wrote a letter to the 84-year-old lawmaker requesting that he "fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health."

McConnell's doctor said he "developed pneumonia" early in his hospitalization but "responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment."

McConnell said he intends to return to the Senate, but his office has given no timeline on when he'll be able to do so.

Cash payments are not 'ruled out' as California county officials push reparations for Black locals

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:00:03 -0400

Officials in Alameda County, California, have green-lit a sweeping reparations action plan and are not ruling out cash payments, a member of the Board of Supervisors told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on June 30 to accept the comprehensive reparations action plan after more than two years of research and community engagement. Designed to address decades of systemic discrimination against Black residents, the framework takes an institutional reform approach rather than focusing primarily on direct individual cash payouts.

Supervisor Nate Miley, who represents District Four and was a leading force on the reparations initiative, told Fox News Digital that while the board’s immediate aim is policy reform, they are not completely ruling out cash payments down the line.

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"We haven't ruled it out. It's one of the items in the action plan. It's not the only item," Miley told Fox News Digital.

"I think if it were the only item, or if it was a priority item, it might be more challenging," Miley said. "But I do think there's some low-hanging fruit — some immediate things we can do, and some things we're already doing. And then there might be the more challenging things. A cash payment might be one of those more challenging things."

Instead of immediately writing checks, the Alameda County Reparations Commission's plan outlines major structural overhauls. These focus on expanding affordable housing, supporting Black economic development, increasing investments in education and healthcare, and enacting criminal justice reforms.

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The board also approved the creation of a permanent standing committee to oversee implementation to ensure these recommendations are not neglected.

"The committee now has an action plan. It's in our ballpark," Miley said, looking ahead to the board’s next steps. "We need to take it up and deal with it."

Miley identified criminal justice reform, housing, and education as three of the top issues Alameda County needs to prioritize.

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"Clearly, economic opportunity is another important factor," Miley told Fox News Digital. "It's hard to balance those four and say which is more prominent, but I do think all four of those are significant."

"I see reparations as a path, an opportunity," he added. "I wouldn't say it's a panacea, but I do believe it's definitely a part of the equation that could help African Americans."

While the county-level plan focuses on policy over payouts, local leaders are already testing the waters of direct compensation.

Alameda County recently partnered with the nearby City of Hayward to establish the Russell City Redress Fund. Initially seeded with $900,000, the fund has grown to $1.3 million. It is designed to provide direct payments to survivors and descendants of Russell City, a multi-racial unincorporated community that was seized via eminent domain and bulldozed by local authorities in the 1950s and 1960s for industrial redevelopment.

These localized efforts come amid a broader national debate over racial redress. Most notably, the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, made headlines as the first U.S. city to distribute reparations—providing $25,000 housing grants to eligible Black residents to address historic housing discrimination.

However, Evanston's program is currently facing a high-profile legal challenge. The initiative hit a major hurdle in June when the U.S. Department of Justice intervened in a federal class-action lawsuit, arguing that Evanston’s race-based criteria violate the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

For local leaders like Miley, the legal and logistical hurdles surrounding direct payouts reinforce why policy-driven reform is a more viable starting point.

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"And once again, that's why a cash payment isn't necessarily always the objective," Miley said to Fox News Digital.

"The objective is: How do we get people to have housing? How do we get people to be economically stable? How do you deal with criminal justice reform? A cash payment doesn't always mean that those things will occur. We have to change policies, and we have to change programs. I think that's where we need to invest our resources."

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.

DOLLY PARTON SAYS SHE'S 'NOT READY TO DIE YET' WHILE ADDRESSING HEALTH RUMORS

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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HACKERS THREATEN TO LEAK DATA FROM 275M USERS AFTER BREACHING MAJOR COLLEGE PLATFORM USED NATIONWIDE

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.

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

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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