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Resurfaced Mamdani interview ignites internet frenzy over alleged 'fake' Ugandan accent

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:27:33 -0400

A resurfaced 2016 interview with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked conservative backlash Wednesday after critics accused him of using a "fake" Ugandan accent while promoting his mother's Disney film.

While promoting Queen of Katwe during a 2016 interview on South Africa's Kaya 959 radio station, Mamdani discussed Ugandan culture, dance and music, telling the host he was "from Uganda" but also grew up in New York.

"The difference for me is I'm from Uganda, but I also grew up in New York. In New York, you go out, some guys are very hesitant to dance," Mamdani said.

"You know, if they're not grinding, they're just standing. In Kampala, you will just not find that. People are all dancing. Everybody's dancing, men, women and it's fantastic that way."

AOC ACCUSED OF PUTTING ON NEW ACCENT DURING MEMPHIS RALLY: 'GOING FULL KAMALA'

The clip, which also resurfaced last year, quickly spread across social media again and prompted a wave of mockery.

"Look at theater kid commie Mamdani running another fake accent and appropriating African culture. Communists are all frauds. EVERY single one. Don't ever trust a communist, or else you'll get Galloway'd and stranded in a gulag," former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt posted on X.

In another post on X, The Benny Show host Benny Johnson wrote, "UNEARTHED: Zohran Mamdani does an obviously fake Ugandan accent while promoting a Disney movie based in Africa. How many Democrats have been caught using fake accents at this point? They're all frauds."

"Anyone else notice Mamdani's accent change? He must've studied at Obama University," Twitter Spaces host and conservative social media commentator Tara Bull posted on X.

MAMDANI’S ‘DERANGED’ ISRAEL TAKE RESURFACES AS HE TARGETS NETANYAHU

"Nobody does a fake accent better than a Democrat politician," the Daily Wire posted on X.

"Has Zohran Mamdani ever explained when adopting another culture’s accent is "cultural appropriation" and when it is "authenticity"? He had plenty to say about everyone else’s privilege at Bowdoin," Former Crazy Eddie CFO and convicted fraudster Sammy Antar posted on X.

Conservative Brief, a right-wing political news website, also posted on X, "Another One?! Here's some footage found of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani attempting to use a fake Ugandan accent while promoting a movie based in Africa. What is with the Democrats and their fake accents?!"

FLASHBACK: MAMDANI'S HISTORY OF DODGING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES

"When did Disney start to suck? When they hired the directors son who had a fake Ugandan accent. He didn’t mind "big corporations" when they were signing his checks," Kevin Smith, host of Loud Majority Live, posted on X.

Mamdani, who holds dual U.S. and Ugandan citizenship, was born in Uganda, raised in South Africa and moved to New York City at age 7.

The film, directed by Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, is based on the true story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi. Mamdani is credited as the music supervisor and third assistant director and appears in a brief on-screen cameo.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office for comment.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders get dialed in at training camp as Dolphins rivalry heats up, Haynes King & the NFL

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:15:59 -0400

There is something about a beautiful sunrise, and a fresh edition of Screencaps, the morning after a historic performance from Panthers QB Haynes King in the Hall of Fame Game. If you didn't receive a jolt of energy over what we all saw last night from Canton, Ohio, you're hopeless.

That might go down as the greatest Hall of Fame game of the 21st century, maybe ever. You had King completing 21-of-34 for 180 yards and rushing for the game-winning touchdown, but on the other side, you had Carson Beck slinging it 15-of-19 for 188 and a touchdown. It was a classic backup QB matchup that Cris Collinsworth will be talking about the rest of his life.

Some are even saying last night's game was more entertaining than the Super Bowl. Look at these poll numbers.

PANTHERS RALLY PAST CARDINALS IN HALL OF FAME GAME TO OPEN NFL PRESEASON

Quickly...let's move along to what's going on out in California where the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are hunkered down for one of the most important training camps in DCC history. As I've written extensively, the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders are charging fast in what is developing into a legitimate rivalry with the DCC.

Based on my research, the Cowboys cheerleaders have worked the past seven days. There have been stressful photoshoots. There have been on-field dance routines for the fans. There have been camps for kids that the ladies are required to run. That's right, no days off. If you thought these ladies just go to the beach and then show up Week 1 ready to roll, you're nuts.

This is a look of a squad that knows its dominance on pop culture is in danger.

📩 Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com Send photos, stories, tips, rants—whatever you've got.

DOLPHINS CHEERLEADERS MAKE MAJOR MOVES TO COMPETE WITH COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS, TEBOWS GET OUT & RYAN CLARK!

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🐦 Twitter/X: @JoeKinseyexp Tag me or drop a DM.

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So is this Bucs fan.

Doesn't that maniac in Wisconsin want to end Thanksgiving? If they're willing to take away Thanksgiving, you know damn well they'll try to ban sororities. This cannot stand!

– John in Milford, MI emails: I’m sure you saw that Muslim communist Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for the US Senate here in Michigan. I wasn’t surprised based on the voters I saw at the polls - lots of blue hairs with nose rings and old cat ladies that look like they hate normies, and therein lies the problem.

The leftist kooks always turn out en masse for their candidates, even during the off-year elections. We have already seen similar situations with guys like Zohran Mamdani in New York who should never serve in higher office win major elections because their people showed up. If we want to keep kooks like El-Sayed out of office we need to show up too.

SOCIALIST FRONTRUNNER’S TRADITION-TRASHING HOLIDAY RANTS COME BACK TO BITE HER: ‘WORST OF HUMANITY COMES OUT’

.– Noah is one of those people. He emails: I note you do not address why, if Tétart is such a "phenom," she is playing in France's second-tier league.

Kinsey: These morons think I'm some fly-by-night Internet writer who hasn't watched hours of dubbed French TV coverage of Tetart. Let me explain something to Noah. Julie Tetart is playing in the French second division because Julie just suddenly popped up on the scene a year ago. Remember how Lia Thomas just suddenly popped up on the Penn women's swimming team and then started breaking every short distance record in Penn women's swimming history?

This is how trans in sports works. The transG slides in and suddenly dominates. About 18 months ago, Tetart connected with an agent who shopped Tetart to Ligue 2. Nobody knew anything about Tetart, but there are indications that the Monaco owner knew the players is a transG. He is on record saying his ultimate goal is to make Ligue 1, the top division, and he doesn't care how that happens.

Relegation is part of the French league. As teams flounder in Ligue 1, Ligue 2 teams move up.

CLAY TRAVIS SETS SIGHTS ON FRENCH TRANS PHENOM JULIE TETART FOR PROPOSED 'INCLUSIVE' WNBA EXPANSION TEAM

Enter the muscle that the owner needs.

Now, Monaco, with Tetart, is one of the top teams in Ligue 2 and on the verge of making it to Ligue 1. I specifically asked Tetart about signing with a higher-level team. Why hasn't it happened? We're talking about Ligue 2's leading scorer and rebounder. "Because I want to get promoted with Monaco, and keep developing my skills even more," Tetart told me.

Promoted means making Ligue 1. Trust me, I'm on high alert for French women's basketball this fall. The season starts at the end of the month.

– Dan from AZ fired off this message: Has this Ryan McGee guy ever driven a pickup truck? I find it way easier to back mine into a spot rather than pulling in just for turning radius reasons.What I don’t get about the people who complain about others backing into spots is this: don’t they realize that if you pull into a spot the conventional way, you then eventually have to BACK OUT of that spot when you leave?

I get stuck in parking lots waiting for people to back out of their spot far more often than waiting for someone to back into their spot. Plus, backing out of a spot has added inherent blindspots that you don’t have when backing into a spot, so more problems are created i.e. pedestrians or other cars that you just can’t see when trying to back out in a busy lot. Much safer to pull forward out of a spot when it’s time to leave even with all the cameras these vehicles have now.In the construction industry, we call this First Move Forward.

– Chris A. reacts: I find it is better to park front-in at Costco. Several reasons:

- Merchandise loading is much easier when the trunk is readily available

-Same with the doors

-The beware beep alerting one of oncoming traffic as one is trying to pull out of one's spot does not exist when one backs into a spot. Good luck seeing that pickup hauling ass in the parking lot over your long hood while you're stuck between two Navigators.

I'm all in on back-in parking at sporting events and everyday situations. Costco's parking lot is a different animal.

– Scott in Florida tells me: I was recently talking to a friend of mine who has a 5 year old and a 12 year old. She informed me that they are not teaching history in public schools. That they have replaced that with arts and language. I cant believe thats true. Why the hell would they not teach history in public schools? I was curious if any other screencappers have heard about this?

Now, Joe, you normally to a good job of putting good looking ladies on Screencaps, usually. But WTF was today with Martha Stewart? I almost threw up in my mouth. Was that some sort of joke? Were you temporarily insane? Were you sipping on Grandmas cough syrup this morning? Martha Stewart should never, I repeat NEVER be part of the ladies of Screencaps!

Kinsey: I use Martha Stewart to test who's scrolling down the post. I thought more you would comment on Christie Brinkley trying to be an IG model at 72.

– Alex got in on this school subject: My kids are now grown and moved out but I feel for you on all the school asks. Those lists have been there for the last 20 years and they are annoying. The other thing that is annoying is all the fundraisers. I always wished they had an opt-out plan where I give them $100 per kid at the start of school and then they don't ask me about supplies, fundraisers, fun runs or book fairs. I dont want to sell candy or discount cards or shop for supplies just take my $100 and let me know when teacher conferences are.

Kinsey: I hear you, Alex. My favorite is where the school asks the student to give them 10 emails of friends and family so they can win a special recess day. I should run for school board just to ban these practices.

– Travel Ball Hardo Chris B. in Houston says he's paid cleaners: No maid service for my kids away at college. My daughter & her roommates keep their house squeaky clean - and its decorated nicely. Looks like a model home. My son moved out of the dorm in May - definitely not a model dorm. He & his 3 roomies did not have any sort of maid service, and it was gnarly. We did hire a cleaning crew when they moved out. I think we paid them a few hundred bucks - split 4 ways - and it was worth every penny. Those guys would never have done anything close to what the cleaners did, and we got all of our deposit back.

Kinsey: Hold up, YOU PAID THE CLEANING SERVICE after your son and his boys destroyed the dorm? I need clarification. Did the boys get on their knees to clean any of the mess they created?

.Don't worry, they're on the road. The Ts never stop. This week, they stopped by Allenspark, Colorado to see the Chapel on the Rocks:

###################

And that's it for this Friday morning. I have a video to work on. I spent Thursday talking to a body language expert who has a very interesting career training the Secret Service and FBI. More from Abbie hopefully later today.

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Let's get after it. Go work a half-day and then go golfing. So live life.

Iran is moving its tanks. Decades as a military planner taught me what that means

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:05:43 -0400

During nearly five decades in uniform and as a Pentagon strategist, I served alongside armored and mechanized forces in South Korea, at Fort Riley and in divided Cold War Germany. While stationed along the Iron Curtain, I helped plan the defense against a Soviet armor-heavy assault through the Fulda Gap and across NATO's central front. Later, during the Iraq War, I observed firsthand how American armored formations were employed in combat.

One lesson stayed with me.

Military professionals rarely begin by asking what politicians are saying. They begin by asking what armies are doing.

TRUMP MAY CLAIM HE WON THE FIGHT WITH IRAN, BUT THERE’S A BIGGER WAR ALREADY UNDERWAY

Professional soldiers are trained to see what others overlook. Not necessarily because they possess better information, but because they ask different questions.

Armies reveal themselves through movement, not microphones

Politicians communicate through speeches. Diplomats communicate through negotiations. Armies reveal themselves through force posture. A brigade quietly changes location. Engineers strengthen defensive positions. Fuel and ammunition move forward. Reserve formations reposition. None of those actions guarantee war, but together they often reveal something more valuable than public statements: what commanders believe may happen next.

US EYES FIRST-EVER HYPERSONIC DARK EAGLE DEPLOYMENT AS IRAN PUSHES BEYOND STRIKE RANGE

Throughout my career, I learned that tanks rarely tell you who is about to attack. They tell you what commanders think is coming.

What the tanks are telling us

That is why recent reports deserve careful attention. Elements reportedly associated with Iran's 92nd Armored Division moved T-72 tanks toward the southern approaches near Abadan on August 1. If confirmed, the movement matters, not because it proves an American ground campaign is imminent, but because it may reveal what Iranian planners are preparing to confront.

Professional militaries do not reposition conventional formations casually. Armor consumes enormous amounts of fuel and logistical support. Commanders accept those costs only when the movement serves a real operational purpose.

Whether Tehran ultimately employs those forces is almost beside the point.

The more important question is this: What does Iran believe may come next?

WEAPONS STOCKPILE SHORTAGES IMPACTING MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE MIDEAST

This distinction reflects the difference between military intelligence and operational planning. Intelligence assesses capabilities and intentions. Planners then translate that into a harder question: What mission does the adversary appear to be preparing to execute?

Force posture often reveals expectations more clearly than official statements, because governments can disguise intentions more easily than they can disguise preparations.

Armies rarely announce what they expect. They quietly organize for it.

Why the Artesh, not the IRGC, matters

The reported movement deserves attention precisely because it involves the Artesh rather than the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Americans understandably focus on the IRGC. It oversees Iran's missiles, drones, proxy forces and the security of the Islamic regime. The Artesh serves another purpose entirely. It is Iran's conventional army, organized principally to defend Iranian territory against external attack.

Military organizations reposition forces for many reasons: dispersing vulnerable assets, conducting an exercise, strengthening deterrence, signaling political resolve, or preparing for a changing mission. The planner's task is to determine which explanation best fits the broader pattern of events.

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In this case, if accurate, the more plausible explanation is not an offensive against neighboring states, but preparation for a fight that evolves beyond today's exchange of missiles, drones and airstrikes into one over Iranian territory itself.

That observation should not be misunderstood. It does not predict an American invasion of Iran.

Professional militaries prepare for possibilities long before political leaders decide whether those possibilities become policy. Military planning is an exercise in managing uncertainty. Good commanders prepare for futures they hope never occur, because hope has never been a planning assumption.

History's warning

History repeatedly demonstrates why force posture deserves careful study. During the Cold War, NATO intelligence officers watched Warsaw Pact armored deployments almost continuously. Tanks alone never revealed Soviet intentions. Supporting engineers, logistics, artillery, bridging equipment and reserve movements often proved far more revealing.

Experienced planners learned to read military behavior the way physicians read symptoms: not as isolated facts, but as evidence of a larger condition. The task was spotting convergence, not isolated movement.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN WILL BE HIT 'REALLY HARD' IF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE AGAIN

The same lesson emerged when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in September 1980. Saddam mistook revolutionary turmoil and military disorganization for strategic weakness. He expected a rapid victory. Instead, Iran reorganized, mobilized and transformed what Baghdad expected would be a short campaign into an exhausting eight-year war. Saddam confused visible weakness with imminent collapse, a mistake strategists should not repeat when assessing Iran today.

Tanks are not obsolete

Many observers now assume the war in Ukraine demonstrated that tanks are obsolete. It demonstrated something more nuanced. Tanks operating without infantry, engineers, electronic warfare, air defense and drones become exceptionally vulnerable.

Yet tanks remain indispensable because armies still require protected mobility, mobile firepower and the ability to seize and hold terrain. Technology has changed how tanks fight. It has not changed why armies still need them.

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

Iranian doctrine reflects the same reality. Its armored formations are not meant to defeat American forces tank for tank. They can reinforce corridors, support infantry, protect critical sites and complicate any attempt to seize terrain or expand a ground presence. Integrated with difficult terrain, prepared positions, mines and air defense, even aging armor can delay, disrupt and raise the cost of escalation.

A diplomatic window, not a contradiction

Ironically, these reported military preparations come as diplomacy appears to be gaining momentum. Oman-mediated contacts between the United States and Iran have reportedly made progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz while creating an opportunity for broader discussions over Iran's nuclear program.

To many civilians, those developments appear contradictory.

Professional soldiers see them differently.

Experienced planners expect governments to negotiate while armies continue preparing for the possibility that negotiations fail. That is not cynicism; it is prudence. Military organizations exist to preserve options for political leaders should diplomacy falter, not because they expect war, but because they cannot afford to be surprised by it.

IRAN WAR'S PRICE TAG HITS $80B — MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT CONGRESS WAS TOLD

That reality now confronts President Donald Trump. Military pressure appears to have created genuine diplomatic leverage. His challenge is converting that pressure into verifiable results, freedom of navigation through Hormuz, enforceable constraints on Iran's nuclear program and greater regional stability, before demands expand into objectives airpower alone cannot deliver.

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History suggests the hardest strategic decision is not when to begin military operations, but when additional destruction stops producing proportionate political gain.

What tanks teach strategists

Throughout my Army career, I learned that armies tip their hand long before they fight, not through speeches or press conferences, but through logistics, doctrine, training and force posture. Tanks are simply one part of that larger language.

Iran's aging armored vehicles may never fire a shot in this conflict. In fact, the tanks themselves are almost incidental. What matters is what their reported movement suggests about how Tehran may be thinking.

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A strategist's first responsibility is not merely to prepare for the next battle, but to recognize when an adversary's preparations create an opportunity to prevent it. Reading force posture correctly is not simply about predicting war. At its best, it gives statesmen the understanding necessary to preserve peace before military expectations harden into military necessity.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT MAGINNIS

Russian hackers can steal emails without a click

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:05:35 -0400

Opening an unexpected email can feel relatively harmless when you avoid its links and attachments. However, a Russian hacking campaign has turned that familiar safety advice on its head.

CISA says the Russian state-sponsored group Laundry Bear can compromise certain email accounts when someone simply opens or previews a malicious message. The attack targets organizations running unpatched versions of the Zimbra Collaboration Suite.

Once the email appears, hidden code can collect passwords, authentication data and as much as 90 days of messages. You may never see a warning or realize that anything happened.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued the warning with the National Security Agency, FBI and cyber authorities from several allied countries. The agencies say the group has successfully targeted more than 10 Western organizations since July 2025.

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE IRANIAN HACKERS ARE LIKELY BEHIND CYBERATTACK ON MINNESOTA WATER SYSTEMS: REPORT

CyberGuy Live: Missed "Sick of Spam?" Get the replay and checklist

Our free CyberGuy Live class, "Sick of Spam?" has ended, but you can still watch the full replay and download our spam-stopping checklist. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson walks you step by step through simple ways to reduce robocalls, spam texts, junk email and unwanted messages. You’ll also learn how to curb political texts, clean up your inbox and spot messages that could put your personal information at risk.

Get the free replay and checklist now at CyberGuyLive.com.

Russian hackers can steal emails without a normal click

Laundry Bear, which Microsoft tracks as Void Blizzard, exploits a security flaw known as CVE-2025-66376. The cross-site scripting vulnerability affects the Classic user interface in certain versions of the Zimbra Collaboration Suite.

Zimbra is an email and collaboration platform used by some governments, schools, businesses and other organizations as an alternative to services such as Microsoft Exchange or Google Workspace. Attackers can place malicious JavaScript inside a specially crafted HTML email. That code runs automatically when a vulnerable Zimbra webmail client displays the message.

The person reading the email does not need to open an attachment. The attack also avoids the usual request to enter a password on an obvious phishing page. However, the email still needs to appear on the screen. CISA describes the technique as a zero-click exploit. Proofpoint calls it a "half-click" attack because someone must open the email or allow it to appear in a preview pane. Either description leads to the same concern. A message can look harmless while code hidden inside it quietly attacks the email account.

The email security flaw was patched in 2025

Laundry Bear reportedly used the flaw as a zero-day before Zimbra released a patch in November 2025. A zero-day attack exploits a security weakness before the software maker provides a fix. CISA later added the vulnerability to its list of flaws that hackers actively exploit.

The available patch closes the known security hole. Yet Laundry Bear continues to target organizations that have not installed the update. That makes delayed patching especially dangerous. An organization may have strong passwords and trained employees, but an exposed email server can still give attackers another way inside.

The campaign has reached organizations connected to the defense industrial base and government. Attackers have also targeted education, energy, law enforcement, media, nonprofit groups and technology companies.

One email can expose 90 days of messages

According to CISA, the malicious code attempts to collect the target's last 90 days of email. That could include private conversations with coworkers, contract discussions or information about upcoming meetings. An inbox may also contain password reset notices, invoices and documents that reveal how an organization operates.

Laundry Bear also collects the person's email address and password. The attack can copy the organization's Global Address List, which acts as a directory of employees and contacts. The hackers may then gain enough information to impersonate a trusted coworker or identify more valuable accounts.

CISA says the exploit also targets two-factor authentication tokens. Those tokens help prove that someone has already completed an authentication step. A stolen token or session cookie can let an attacker enter an account without completing the normal login process again.

FAKE PASSWORD-MANAGER ALERTS COULD PUT YOUR VAULT AT RISK

Hackers can create a hidden way back into an account

Stealing information provides immediate value, but Laundry Bear also tries to preserve its access. The attack creates a new Zimbra application passcode and sends it back to the hackers. Legacy email programs use these passcodes when they connect through services such as IMAP or ActiveSync and cannot support modern time-based authentication.

An unauthorized passcode can give the hackers another entrance to the mailbox. That access may continue even after someone changes the main account password. CISA has urged administrators to look for suspicious application passcodes, particularly passcodes labeled "ZimbraWeb."

Organizations should treat an unknown passcode as a sign that someone may have entered the account. Simply installing the patch after a compromise may leave the attacker's access in place.

How the stolen email data leaves the network

Laundry Bear sends the stolen information to servers controlled by the group. CISA says the attackers use a collection framework called Flowerbed. The system moves smaller pieces of data through Domain Name System requests. DNS normally helps computers find websites and online services.

Attackers can hide encoded information inside those requests. Because organizations generate large amounts of legitimate DNS traffic, the malicious activity may blend into the background. Laundry Bear sends larger collections through encrypted HTTPS connections. That can include compressed archives containing mailbox data. Security teams may need to inspect network logs, authentication records and mailbox activity to understand what left the organization.

Fake email login pages provide another route

Laundry Bear also uses adversary-in-the-middle phishing kits. These tools create login pages that closely resemble legitimate email portals. When someone enters a username and password, the phishing system captures those credentials. It can also intercept session cookies created during the login process. That means an attacker may gain access even when the account uses conventional multifactor authentication.

CISA's indicators of compromise include domains that impersonated Zimbra infrastructure. Examples include mailnalysis.com, zimbrastat.com, zimbra-metadata.com and zmailanalytics.com. The presence of one of these domains in network logs could point to phishing or unauthorized account activity. However, organizations should review CISA's complete list because attackers can change their infrastructure.

Proofpoint found that Laundry Bear sent messages from attacker-controlled Proton Mail accounts and email addresses the group had already compromised. In one example, the sender claimed to represent a Belgian media-verification organization. The email proposed cooperation between European institutions fighting disinformation. It included a legitimate-looking link to a European Union events calendar. However, the malicious code sat inside the email rather than the linked website.

Laundry Bear has targeted governments and Ukraine

Dutch intelligence agencies publicly identified Laundry Bear in May 2025. Their investigation linked the group to a 2024 breach of the Dutch National Police. That incident exposed personal information belonging to police personnel. Investigators said the attack helped them identify a previously unknown Russian cyberespionage group.

Since at least 2024, Laundry Bear has focused on organizations connected to Russian strategic interests. Its targets have included NATO member states and groups supporting Ukraine.

Microsoft has documented compromises involving defense organizations as well as entities in transportation and aviation.A separate campaign targeted members of Ukraine's military with charity-themed phishing emails. Those messages disguised malware as requests for donations.

These campaigns suggest the group cares more about long-term intelligence collection than a quick financial payout. Access to email can reveal relationships, future plans and internal decisions.

PAIDWORK BREACH EXPOSES 23M USER RECORDS

Ways to stay safe from the email attack

The strongest protection starts with the organization running the email server because employees cannot personally patch a vulnerable installation. However, you can still take steps to spot suspicious activity and protect your other accounts.

1) Install every available email security update

Administrators should update Zimbra Collaboration Suite to a currently supported version and install all available security fixes. Organizations should confirm that the patch reached every server. An overlooked system may remain exposed even when the primary mail server has received the update.

2) Look for evidence that attackers already got inside

Installing the patch blocks the known flaw, but it cannot undo a previous intrusion. Security teams should review CISA's published indicators of compromise. They should also search network records for connections to the listed domains and IP addresses. Authentication logs may reveal unusual locations, unexpected devices or activity outside normal working hours.

3) Remove unauthorized application passcodes

Review every Zimbra application passcode connected to an account. Pay close attention to unfamiliar entries and anything labeled "ZimbraWeb." Revoke any passcode that the account owner or IT department cannot verify. Because application passcodes can survive a regular password change, this review plays an important role in removing persistent access.

4) Check accounts for unauthorized mailbox activity

Administrators should examine mailbox access records and forwarding settings. They should also look for unfamiliar filters, deleted messages or sent emails that the account owner does not recognize. A compromised account may send convincing phishing messages to coworkers because the email comes from a trusted internal address.

5) Report suspicious activity to your IT department

Contact your IT or security team if you notice unfamiliar sent messages, unexpected password resets or login alerts you cannot explain. Do not rely only on changing your password. Laundry Bear can create an application passcode that may continue providing mailbox access after the main password changes. Your IT team should revoke unauthorized passcodes, end active sessions and check the account for suspicious activity.

6) Change exposed passwords after the account is secured

Wait until your IT department has patched the server and removed unauthorized access. Then change your email password and any other password you reused. Create a unique password for every account. A password manager can generate strong credentials and store them securely. Hackers may test stolen email credentials on banking, shopping or social media accounts. Reused passwords can turn one compromised inbox into several compromised accounts.

7) Use phishing-resistant authentication

CISA recommends phishing-resistant multifactor authentication where organizations can support it. Security keys and passkeys provide stronger protection than methods that rely on temporary codes. However, organizations still need to patch the underlying email software. Authentication controls cannot fully protect an account when malicious code runs inside a vulnerable webmail interface.

8) Use strong antivirus software on your devices

Strong antivirus software can help detect malicious downloads, fake login pages and follow-up malware connected to a broader phishing campaign. However, antivirus software may not stop this email exploit because the malicious code runs inside a vulnerable webmail session. Your organization still needs to update Zimbra and investigate the account for unauthorized access. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.

9) Treat unexpected login prompts with caution

An email login page can look convincing and still belong to an attacker. Instead of following a link inside an email, open your organization's known webmail address directly. Report unfamiliar authentication requests or repeated sign-in prompts to your security team. A sudden request to log in again could signal a phishing attempt or unauthorized account activity.

Kurt's key takeaways

For years, we have warned you to avoid suspicious links and unexpected attachments. That advice still helps, but Laundry Bear shows why your organization also needs to keep the software behind your inbox updated. In this campaign, viewing an email can trigger malicious code on an unpatched server. The attackers can then reach into the mailbox, collect months of messages and steal authentication data. The hidden application passcode adds another concern. Changing a password may provide a false sense of security when an attacker has already created a separate route back into the account. Organizations using Zimbra should patch immediately and then investigate for signs of earlier access. Employees should remain cautious around unexpected login pages, even when the page carries familiar company branding.

Would you trust your workplace inbox if opening one message could expose 90 days of email without you clicking a link? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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WNBA star says she would welcome a trans player to her team, and then says something even dumber

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:05:18 -0400

I've got another humdinger for everyone on this first Friday of August. Shockingly, it involves more lunacy out of the WNBA.

Weird. That league is always so sane!

Let's dive in.

In a recently resurfaced clip from May, Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams said the current "battle" right now for WNBA players is to make sure all trans athletes are allowed to play on the team of their choosing.

And for Williams, if that includes a WNBA team — Golden State or otherwise — then so be it.

"I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team," she said in the now-viral clip. "I don't think it's a problem in the world."

The argument from the left is always the same

Goodness gracious. What a time to be alive. For starters, Williams is half-right. Fair is fair, and I have to be fair here.

Of course she would love to have a trans player on her team! Duh. Golden State would be undefeated and would win every game by 50 points. As it stands right now, the Valkyries are doing just fine without one.

They sit at 21-9, good for third-best record in the WNBA. Doesn't mean they won't need some help come playoff time, though.

Anyway, back to Williams ...

I love the argument that transgenders in women's sports "isn't a problem" in the world. The left uses this all the time, and it's hilarious.

Nothing is a problem ... until it becomes a problem.

TRANS ATHLETE AB HERNANDEZ'S MOTHER SAYS CRITICISM IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED AHEAD OF MIDTERM ELECTIONS

That's how problems are created, folks. People don't just make up problems. Problems are the result of certain things transpiring, and, in this case, those things happen to be biological men pummeling women in sports.

If you meet someone from the "it never happens" crowd, you will know right away that you have a fraud on your hands. It's the easiest way to weed one out.

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AB Hernandez has been dominating high school athletes all year long. Becky Pepper-Jackson won a girls' state championship in West Virginia in May.

You had volleyball player Blaire Fleming at SJSU. You had the Imane Khelif situation two summers ago in the Olympics. There was the high school trans pitcher in Minnesota who had a fastball that would make Nolan Ryan do a double-take.

RILEY GAINES SAYS WNBA IS 'HELLBENT' ON BEING AN ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION OVER A BASKETBALL LEAGUE

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Just this week, it came out that the brother of Olympian Alysa Liu is a transgender athlete in California, competing in track and field and girls’ varsity basketball.

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So, yes, it's an issue. Clearly. I think we've pretty much established that, right? I just laid it all out, and that's only a snippet.

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The good news? The social justice warriors in the WNBA are ON the case! They've made it their "battle," according to Gabby Williams.

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Thank goodness.

‘Criminal alien’ duo charged in deadly Connecticut home invasion as DHS moves to yank green cards

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:00:30 -0400

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to revoke the green cards of two Dominican nationals charged in a deadly Connecticut home invasion, Fox News Digital has learned.

On Thursday, DHS said suspects Ivan Antonio Barias-Florimon, 24, and Stuar Jose Lopez-Reyes, 25, are from the Dominican Republic and referred to each man as a "criminal alien."

Investigators say the Dominican duo broke into a Milford, Connecticut beach house and gunned down a couple. Fredrick Werner, 69, died of multiple gunshot wounds, and his wife is still in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.

SUSPECTS IN DEADLY CONNECTICUT HOME INVASION ARRESTED IN ATTACK THAT ROCKED BEACH TOWN

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The deadly home invasion happened on June 3.

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The two suspects were arrested days apart after law enforcement secured warrants for their arrests on July 28. U.S. Marshals, along with Milford and New Haven police, arrested Lopez-Reyes two days later.

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On Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force (NYNJRFTF) announced they had arrested Barias-Florimon, 24, in the Bronx.

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According to DHS, Barias-Florimon entered the United States in 2007 as the son of a lawful permanent resident.

DHS BLASTS MINNESOTA BOARD FOR UNANIMOUSLY PARDONING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF 3 ASSAULTS

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Lopez-Reyes entered the country on a visa in November 2016 during the Obama administration. DHS said he was arrested in 2021 on charges of criminal mischief and criminal obstruction of breathing and was ultimately convicted of disorderly conduct.

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DHS said Lopez-Reyes was granted lawful permanent resident status in October 2022 during the Biden administration.

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"Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right," DHS said. "Under our nation's laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused."

Nuclear experts urge Trump not to let Iran steer talks away from regime's atomic threat

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:32:19 -0400

As negotiations continue over the Strait of Hormuz experts are urging the Trump administration to keep their eye on the ball when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to news of reported comments from IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi, warning that Israel would continue preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with or without a diplomatic agreement.

The remarks in question by Vahidi, which were first seemed to be reported in 2025 in an interview with an Iranian-regime-linked outlet, went viral on Wednesday, but after further investigation they seem to have come from an interview when he was interior minister and an adviser to the IRGC.

He reportedly told ILNA that the country's official line was that building a bomb was not on the table but "iran’s hand is open…Iran can take actions if has not taken until now," in an account published by Khabar online, and shared with Fox News Digital.

WHO IS AHMAD VAHIDI? IRAN’S NEW IRGC CHIEF TIED TO GLOBAL ATTACKS AND ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ IDEOLOGY

In reaction to the remarks that were amplified by Israel’s Ch. 14 on X, Netanyahu said during his speech that, "Today, we heard the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Vahidi, explicitly declare Iran’s intention to continue developing nuclear weapons — ‘continue,’ as he put it," Netanyahu said at a ceremony marking the reinterment of Shimon and Rivka Herzl, the grandparents of the founder of modern day Zionism, Theodor Herzl."

"Well, as prime minister of Israel, I too, am determined to continue — to continue preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons," he said.

Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump as Israel’s greatest friend in the White House and expressed appreciation for the two countries’ joint efforts against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

"Israel’s existence is not subject to negotiation," Netanyahu said. "With an agreement or without an agreement, I am determined — we are all determined — to do whatever is necessary to ensure our security and our future."

NETANYAHU'S ISRAEL GRAPPLES WITH TRUMP-IRAN DEAL AS DETAILS REMAIN UNCLEAR

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office for clarification of his remarks.

The comments came as nuclear experts urged Trump to keep Iran’s nuclear program at the center of negotiations, warning that Tehran could use the Hormuz crisis to secure sanctions relief and other concessions before addressing its remaining nuclear capabilities.

Trump told "Fox News at Night" Tuesday that military force remained an option if Iran abandoned the talks, while insisting Tehran could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"If they back out again, they’re going to get hit really hard," Trump told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher. "They know that. They understand that. I have no choice. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple.

"The hard hit is yet to come, and hopefully we won’t have to use it."

Trump said negotiators held an "all-day negotiation" Tuesday and described the discussions as "very good." He has said the talks would initially focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz before turning to Tehran’s nuclear program.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN WILL BE HIT 'REALLY HARD' IF NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE AGAIN

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, said that sequence could play directly into Iran’s strategy.

"It is in the Iranians’ interest to steer the negotiations toward the issues that they most care about," Stricker told Fox News Digital, including securing major U.S. concessions over Hormuz and "maintaining control of that crucial waterway that has proven a lifeline for Tehran to survive this war."

She said Iran would also seek oil sanctions relief and potentially relief from all U.S. sanctions, before addressing the nuclear file.

"If Tehran is able to structure the talks that way — and I’m concerned that Trump appears to be going along with that approach — there may be little left in terms of leverage to get big concessions from the Iranians on the nuclear file down the line," Stricker said.

There is evidence that Tehran has sought to sequence the talks in its favor. Axios reported in April that Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war before beginning nuclear negotiations, potentially reducing U.S. leverage over enrichment and Iran’s enriched-uranium stockpile.

The Washington Post later reported that Tehran was focused on preserving its leverage over Hormuz rather than engaging deeply on major nuclear restrictions.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, agreed Iran is seeking to capitalize on the leverage it gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The current focus on the Straits of Hormuz is not surprising. Iran is looking to capitalize on leverage gained by disrupting maritime traffic through the waterway and test if Trump is willing to negotiate in good faith," Davenport told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN'T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL 'WIN' AS TALKS FADE

She said Tehran understands that any durable agreement will ultimately have to address its nuclear program but said, "At the end of this conflict, Iran will still possess the capabilities necessary to build a bomb," Davenport said, "The relevant knowledge and nuclear expertise cannot be bombed away.

"Tehran retains key materials and technologies necessary to build a bomb," she added. "If left unchecked, the nuclear program will be a source of instability and renewed conflict, even if Iran does not resume more proliferation-sensitive nuclear activities."

A proposed agreement between Iran and Oman could give Tehran some control over ships entering the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Reuters Wednesday. One regional source described the arrangement as a concession that had already been made, although the precise meaning of Iranian "control" remained under negotiation.

Iran is also seeking fees from ships traveling through the waterway, according to Reuters, while Washington has opposed both Iranian control and mandatory transit charges.

Stricker said postponing the nuclear issues would allow the regime to preserve its remaining enriched-uranium stockpiles and avoid fully dismantling its nuclear infrastructure.

She said Iran also wants to avoid accounting for its past nuclear weapons-related work or committing to end uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing.

"Leaving them as a last-order issue in the negotiations likely means that we will not see the Iranians make big concessions and make a solid nuclear deal," Stricker said.

Davenport said the administration should prioritize restoring access for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency before beginning detailed nuclear negotiations.

"The IAEA has not visited key Iranian nuclear sites in more than a year," she said. "It remains unclear how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains and where any gaps might be in trying to account for Iran’s nuclear materials."

She said renewed inspections would give Washington a clearer picture of Iran’s remaining facilities and materials, while helping negotiators design a verification regime capable of addressing any gaps.

Davenport also recommended pairing sanctions relief with specific, verifiable Iranian steps rather than negotiating one sweeping package.

"A series of smaller deals could build confidence in the process," she said.

Stricker urged the administration to link every concession involving Hormuz, sanctions or the U.S. blockade to a measurable Iranian step on the nuclear file.

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"The best approach to ensure a solid deal is to make the nuclear issues just as important as the Strait of Hormuz, removing the blockade and other top Iranian priorities," she said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify remarks by IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, which were previously taken out of context and amplified as comments made this week.

Madison Brooks judge faces heat after docs reveal her son is sexual predator, suspect says she’s ‘on our side’

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:36 -0400

The judge overseeing the cases against the men accused of gang-raping LSU student Madison Brooks before her death has a son of her own who is a convicted sexual predator, records show.

One of the men accused of raping Brooks before her death is set to stand trial on Aug. 17, when 21-year-old Desmond Carter faces a jury, with Judge Gail Ray presiding over the case. Carter is the first of three suspects in Brooks' alleged attack to stand trial.

Brooks, a 19-year-old LSU student at the time, was allegedly gang-raped after a night out in 2023, then struck and killed by a car.

Court records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that the judge's son, 46-year-old Nelson Taylor, was convicted of several counts of forcible rape in 1997. Taylor is currently trying to get those convictions overturned, creating a debacle between the district attorney's office and the 19th Judicial District Court, as his mother is a sitting judge.

JUDGE ALLOWS MADISON BROOKS SUPPORTERS TO WEAR PINK DESPITE DEFENSE OBJECTIONS BEFORE RAPE TRIAL

Taylor admitted to raping several girls who went to high school with him between October 1995 and April 1996.

All judges within the 19th Judicial District Court recused themselves from the case in December 2025. Taylor's attorney filed a motion to have the convictions overturned in a November 2025 motion. While the motion was filed in November, the conflicts of interest prevented it from being heard by a judge until late July.

District Attorney Hillar Moore, who's prosecuting the men accused of raping Brooks, filed a motion to recuse Ray from presiding over the state's case against Casen Carver, whose trial is set to begin in November. Carver is charged with video voyeurism, first-degree rape and third-degree rape.

WATCH: Madison Brooks case: Nancy Grace previews exclusive new Fox Nation special, 'Left for Dead'

Moore's office filed the motion to recuse Ray from Carver's case in November 2025, arguing she couldn't judge fairly after the suspect waived his right to a jury trial, making her the sole decider of the case.

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Prosecutors pointed to Ray's previous exposure to evidence about Brooks' alleged sexual history, which is being excluded from the trial, and previous rulings that went against them. Those included her order for the state to turn over data from Brooks' cellphone, her initial ruling that evidence of Brooks' activities in the 72 hours before the alleged rape would be admissible, and her decision ordering the state to produce items from Carver's phone.

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However, the prosecutor's central argument for Ray's recusal was a series of text messages between Carver and his father, where the rape suspect claimed "we are friends with" Ray, adding that "she knows to help us," given the judge's son is a convicted rapist.

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In another text message, Carver told his father that "judge is on our side" and was "going to rule in our favor."

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"These are not the 'musings' of a teenager who was hoping for the best outcome in his case. These are affirmative statements that show that Mr. Carver believed that the judge 'knew to help him' because of an alleged friendship with him or someone he knew and the judge's son's interactions with the criminal justice system," 19th Judicial District Judge Bradley Myers wrote in his ruling.

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The unusual combination of evidence, combined with Ray's previous rulings and her son's criminal history, is what prompted prosecutors to seek the recusal.

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Ray was initially recused from the case in November 2025, but the Louisiana Supreme Court would later allow her to preside over Carver's case.

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Former Louisiana prosecutor Franz Borghardt explained to Fox News Digital why the text messages weren't enough to get a recusal.

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"So the standard in Louisiana for recusal is, does the judge have a bias or a personal interest such that they can't be fair and impartial to both sides?" Borghardt said. "And while those text messages on their face certainly present that, if someone says, 'hey, this judge is a friend,' doesn't necessarily mean that they're gonna be fair or impartial. And in fact, oftentimes judges that are friends will rule against you just as quickly as judges that dislike you."

Fox News Digital reached out to Ray's office and Taylor's attorney for comment.

GOP senator deals crushing blow to Trump's AG nominee after Alaska lobbying blitz

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:01:46 -0400

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just lost the last little bit of cushion he had left to survive confirmation.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced that she would not support Blanche’s nomination to be the nation’s top prosecutor and law enforcement official, dealing another blow to his rocky confirmation process.

Her defection, despite a heavy lobbying effort by Blanche that saw him make the trek to Alaska, means that Senate Republican leadership can’t afford to lose anymore votes to get him across the finish line, given that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., though now back home, has still not returned to the Senate.

COLLINS DROPS THE HAMMER ON TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD DOJ, JEOPARDIZING PATH TO CONFIRMATION

Murkowski acknowledged Blanche’s visit to Alaska and heavy lobbying effort throughout the last few weeks, but it’s his connection to President Donald Trump’s nearly $2 billion anti-weaponization fund, and broader concerns of a weaponized Justice Department, that proved the nail in the coffin for her.

"The politicization — even weaponization — of the Department did not start with this administration but has accelerated during it," Murkowski said in a statement. "I take issue with the handling of the release of the Epstein files; the sweeping immunity protections granted to the President, his family, and their businesses; the statements that have been made to anti-abortion groups; and the repeated targeting of individuals ranging from former administration staff to sitting U.S. Senators."

"I am also keenly aware that the Department’s nearly $2-billion dollar slush fund—which likely would have rewarded January 6 protesters—is only off the table because this nomination is pending and the Senate has leverage," she continued. "Once we vote, that will end, and there is no telling what the future holds."

TRUMP'S AG PICK SURVIVES — FOR NOW — AS REPUBLICANS QUESTION IF WHITE HOUSE DEAL WILL HOLD

To Murkowski’s latter issue, several lawmakers in both sides of the aisle acknowledge that though Blanche and the Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to permanently rescind the fund in writing to Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, there’s nothing stopping Trump from reviving it.

And he’s on several occasions made clear he wants to see it come back.

Before making her decision, Trump already took a snipe at her during an interview with Punch Bowl News published Friday morning.

TRUMP THREATENS TO YANK HIS OWN AG NOMINEE AS GOP REVOLT GROWS

"I’m against Murkowski," Trump said. "I do more for Alaska than any president in history. No president’s done for Alaska what I’ve done. She’s not good."

Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether the Senate will actually vote on Blanche on Friday, which could be the upper chamber’s grand finale of the summer before it exits Washington, D.C., for the remainder of August.

And there’s still one more Republican that hasn’t weighed in on how they’ll vote: Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

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If he defects, and McConnell is still gone, it will be a 50-50 vote. That means Vice President JD Vance would need to break the tie. But for now, only Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, are publicly opposing Blanche’s confirmation.

"The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said. "I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case."

Ghostly outline of long-lost garden at Winston Churchill's birthplace revealed in aerial photos

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:13 -0400

Sweltering heat in the United Kingdom has revealed the remains of a long-lost 18th-century garden at a major tourist attraction.

Aerial photos show the outline of the 300-year-old formal garden at Blenheim Palace, an estate about eight miles northwest of Oxford, England, news agency SWNS reported.

Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built between 1705 and 1722, is famously the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, as well as the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough.

HIDDEN UNDERGROUND CHAMBER REVEALED BENEATH HOME OF LEGENDARY ROMAN EMPEROR

The outline was revealed during the latest heat wave this summer after prolonged dry weather created parch marks, or dry patches in the grass, across the grounds.

A spokesperson from Blenheim Palace told Fox News Digital the marks will be visible "until cooler temperatures arrive and sufficient rain falls to green up the shallow-rooted grass."

"There isn't currently any rain in the forecast for the next few weeks, so it will be visible for a while yet," the representative added.

The patches, officials say, reveal the outline of the original garden, giving a glimpse of what it looked like 300 years ago.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER SPRAWLING ROMAN ESTATE BURIED FOR CENTURIES BENEATH FARMLAND

It was originally created in 1705 by royal gardener Henry Wise and was once protected by a high stone wall with bastions.

The garden was dismantled in 1760s, SWNS said, when Blenheim Palace's gardener Lancelot "Capability" Brown redesigned the palace grounds.

The technical term for the garden is a "parterre," from the French term par terre, meaning "on the ground."

Pictures show that the parterre consisted of symmetrical flower beds and paths.

DNA CRACKS CENTURIES-OLD MURDER MYSTERY INVOLVING ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST FAMOUS FAMILIES

In a statement, Blenheim Palace head gardener Andy Mills said the parch marks "allow us to trace the intricate design and scale of the original parterre."

"The excessively dry weather has given us a fascinating bird's-eye view into Blenheim’s past," said Mills, as SWNS noted.

Mills added, "It’s a brilliant reminder of the formal gardens that came before and the layers of history that continue to shape the palace’s landscape."

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The palace is popular among tourists for its opulent State Rooms and extensive gardens, as well as the room where Churchill was born.

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Blenheim Palace welcomed 980,678 visitors in 2025, according to visitor data compiled by Historic Houses.

Fox News Digital reached out to Blenheim Palace for further comment.

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The discovery follows other recent historical finds shedding light on life in 18th-century Britain.

Last summer, archaeologists unveiled the remarkably well-preserved wreck of the British warship The Northumberland, which sank off the coast of Kent, England in 1703.

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Earlier this year, construction workers in England unearthed a 300-year-old cannon during routine work in the city of Kingston upon Hull.

Knockout at Maui beach caps turbulent stretch for Democratic candidate facing felony allegations

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:03 -0400

A Democratic congressional candidate knocked unconscious in a Maui beach fight now faces felony charges in three separate cases, including allegations he threatened a county employee with what appeared to be a gun and assaulted a hospital nurse.

Kirill Basin, 40, was charged with two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening after the Aug. 1 confrontation at Keawakapu Beach in South Kihei.

Video captured an argument over music that escalated when Basin shoved Kama Homan and swung a beach chair at him. Homan pushed the chair away and knocked Basin unconscious.

HAWAII DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATE FACES FELONY THREAT CHARGES AFTER BEACH FIGHT CAUGHT ON VIDEO

A criminal complaint alleges Basin later threatened Homan with a knife. At Tuesday’s court hearing, a judge maintained Basin’s $1 million bail, ordered him not to contact Homan or four others and barred him from Keawakapu Beach and its parking lot.

But the beach confrontation was not Basin’s first trip through the criminal justice system this year.

Four days later, prosecutors used the beach arrest to seek revocation of Basin’s bail in a separate case accusing him of assaulting a Maui Memorial Medical Center nurse.

Prosecutors said Basin threatened beachgoers, telling them, "I’ll put you in the ground" and "I’ll kill you."

HAWAII DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATE FACES FELONY THREAT CHARGES AFTER BEACH FIGHT CAUGHT ON VIDEO

He then allegedly reached into a small black bag and said, "Do I have a gun? I’ll kill you," before producing and brandishing a knife as a beachgoer tried to de-escalate the confrontation, the Aug. 5 court filing says.

In the new beach case, Judge Christopher Dunn found probable cause to support a first-degree terroristic-threatening charge, the filing says. In the separate hospital-assault case, a judge issued a $400,000 bench warrant.

That filing connected the beach confrontation to a criminal case that had been pending since June, extending a court record that began months before Basin was knocked unconscious on the sand.

Basin’s first court case this year began May 2, when police arrested him on a disorderly-conduct charge. Prosecutors say he fought or threatened people, made too much noise or used offensive language, even after he was told to stop.

Later that month, a Maui grand jury indicted Basin on two counts of first-degree terroristic threatening over a May 29 encounter with a County of Maui employee.

Prosecutors alleged in a July court filing that Basin pulled a tan-and-green handgun from a backpack and made threats involving the weapon while two other county employees watched.

"On May 29, 2026, [Basin] approached a County of Maui employee … pulled out a tan and green colored handgun from his backpack, and made verbal threats about using the handgun," prosecutors wrote.

Read the filing here:

"Further, two other County of Maui employees were also present and both felt threatened for their lives due to [Basin’s] actions," the filing said.

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Basin’s lawyers sharply disputed that version. In a later filing, they said police reports and surveillance footage showed Basin briefly displayed a muzzle-down pellet gun, did not point it at anyone and told witnesses to call police.

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Within two weeks, Basin was facing a second felony case, this one over an alleged encounter at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

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Basin was charged with second-degree assault and two counts of harassment after the hospital incident.

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Prosecutors wrote that Basin had been admitted to Maui Memorial’s behavioral-health unit for evaluation, became aggressive and attempted to leave the emergency room before discharge. When nurses tried to restrain him, prosecutors alleged, Basin kicked one of them in the thigh.

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Basin pleaded not guilty. On July 20, the court granted his request to leave Hawaii for inpatient treatment in Arizona, subject to conditions that included surrendering his passport, following a court-approved itinerary and appearing remotely for hearings.

Read the filing here:

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By July 27, the court was told Basin was in the Maui Recovery program in Lahaina. But after the Aug. 1 beach arrest, the court issued a $400,000 bench warrant in the hospital-assault case as prosecutors sought to revoke his bail.

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Fox News Digital has requested Maui Police Department reports, body-camera footage, dispatch audio, witness statements and evidence logs tied to the four criminal incidents. Fox News Digital also reached out to Basin’s attorney, Brandon Segal, for comment.

Which teams are overrated or underrated in new preseason college football Coaches Poll?

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:41:59 -0400

The release of the preseason Coaches Poll means one thing: college football season is almost here. And it's time to start the arguing.

That arguing this offseason has mostly centered on the fight for supremacy between the SEC and Big Ten Conferences, thanks to the Indiana Hoosiers winning the National Championship and closing out an undefeated 16-0 season. That was just a few months after Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said undefeated teams were a thing of the past in the NIL era.

But 2026 is a new season, and thanks to the transfer portal and NIL, it's harder than ever to gauge the strength of a team or roster from year to year. This upcoming season might be even harder than most, considering the turnover among coaches at top-tier programs.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS FINALLY BACK AFTER MONTHS OF NCAA LAWSUITS, NIL DRAMA AND CONGRESSIONAL FIGHTS

The Florida Gators have a new head coach in Jon Sumrall. Lane Kiffin fled Ole Miss for the LSU Tigers, while Pete Golding took over in Oxford. Auburn hired Alex Golesh from USF. Penn State replaced James Franklin with Matt Campbell. Kyle Whittingham left his longtime home at Utah to run a Michigan Wolverines program beset by turmoil after the departure of Sherrone Moore. Morgan Scalley is the new head coach in Salt Lake, while UCLA brought in Bob Chesney to try and revitalize the program.

So how did the coaches, or more accurately, the staffers who actually do the voting in the poll, do in evaluating all of these changes heading into 2026?

The short answer? Not too bad, actually.

To evaluate it, we can compare it against a potentially less biased source: analytics-driven ranking systems. These polls, which rely on efficiency numbers on offense, defense, and special teams, adjusted for opponent, are often a better indication of a team's underlying quality. Though it's up to human voters to weigh the importance of wins and losses, relative to how a team played.

THREE TEAMS RANKED OUTSIDE THE TOP-12 OF THE COACHES POLL WHO WILL MAKE THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

For example, if say, LSU racks up 700 yards on offense, allows 75 yards on defense, but fumbles at the 1-yard line every drive, the Tigers would get credit for the efficiency they demonstrated on offense and defense, even if they lose 3-0. Evaluating the importance of how a team played to wins and losses is one of the most important things poll voters, and now the selection committee, can do. And they often do it poorly.

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But to test these preseason rankings, we can compare it to SP+, created by Bill Connelly and housed at ESPN. One of the best of this type of metric-driven ranking systems, SP+ released its preseason "poll" ahead of the 2026 season, evaluating last year's performances, returning production, and recruiting rankings.

Impressively, the top three are almost identical. Ohio State and Oregon are the top two teams in SP+, and the top two teams in the Coaches Poll. Georgia sits third in the poll, and fourth in SP+. They're followed by Texas and Notre Dame in the poll, though the Irish are third in SP+ and Texas is just sixth.

So the top five or six teams are fairly close, implying that the poll does a good job of reflecting which teams are expected to be the strongest in 2026. Though some of the divergence towards the middle part of the poll does reflect a common, and often predictable, bias.

Oklahoma and Ole Miss, both playoff teams in 2025, sit ninth and 10th in the poll, but just 12th and 16th in SP+. And that's where the "human element" comes into play. Analytics systems weren't as high on either team as humans were in 2025. But both play in the SEC, which frequently means they're ranked higher than they should be in preseason polls. See Florida and LSU in 2025, which were 15th and ninth in the preseason AP Poll in 2025, only to finish 4-8 and 7-6 respectively. Big program names and passionate fan bases may "mean more," but they don't always translate to on-field success.

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On the other hand, a few SEC teams might feel a bit undervalued by the coaches, including, oddly enough, LSU. The Tigers are 13th in the poll, but 10th in SP+. The numbers expect big things from their big transfer portal class, especially with the quarterback quality and depth they'll have in Kiffin's first season. Tennessee, too, is a bit underrated, coming in 18th in the poll, but 15th in SP+. The Volunteers had some impressive performances last year, though weren't able to get the job done in big games. While that'll have to change to return to the playoff, they're on the bubble, quality-wise.

Another underrated team? The Texas Tech Red Raiders. Perhaps no team has utilized NIL and the portal as well as Texas Tech to rebuild its program overnight, and it worked swimmingly in 2025. Yes, the Red Raiders were shut out by Oregon in the playoff, but they are expected to have a top-10 offense, and top-11 defense. That's a pretty good combination, which is why they're seventh in SP+, but just 12th in the poll.

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The biggest miss? Houston, of all teams. The Cougars sit at No. 24 in the poll, but just 36th in SP+. That Houston-Texas Tech game in Week 3 will likely be a matchup of two "ranked" teams, but one is very different than the other.

Still, all in all, the Coaches Poll isn't as bad as it could be. Yes, there are some misses, but for the most part, teams are within a few spots of where they'd be with a more advanced form of ranking than just guessing based on 2025. And hey, for fans of those teams in the 10-20 range, remember Indiana started last season at No. 19, before going 16-0 and winning a title. That's the best part of college football, you just never know.

Trump’s Smithsonian clash exposes striking pattern among museum curators and more top headlines

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:24:14 -0400

Good morning and welcome to Fox News' morning newsletter, Fox News First. And here's what you need to know to start your day ...

TOP 3

1. Curators behind controversial Smithsonian exhibit built careers on race

2. Lawsuit claims Maryland rushed redistricting ballot plan after legal deadline passed

3. Crowd chants 'nobody wants you' as Mamdani cuts remarks at police event short

MAJOR HEADLINES

'COULD BE SOON' — Trump hints at breakthrough with Iran but says one danger remains front and center. Continue reading …

THE LONG GAME — Bryan Kohberger's post-conviction relief bid enabled by flawed plea deal. Continue reading …

VOTER VERDICT — Conservative firebrand who went viral with anti-CCP ad survives key primary. Continue reading …

PARTY FRACTURE — Centrist Democrats sound alarm on socialist surge, roll out $15M counterattack. Continue reading …

NIGHTMARE NEXT DOOR — Mother and daughter shot dead after neighbor’s frustrations boil over. Continue reading …

POLITICS

FOLLOW THE MONEY — Harris megadonor's $2M bid to unseat a Republican incumbent pays off. Continue reading …

FIREBRAND VICTORY — AOC flew to Memphis to rally for him — now voters have rendered their judgment. Continue reading …

VISA VERSA — Trump unveils new birthright citizenship push with fresh legal strategy. Continue reading …

PAPER TRAIL COVER — FBI’s ‘clever’ Trump-Russia probe code name ignites suspicion something deeper was at play. Continue reading …

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MEDIA

PARTY FRACTURE — John Fetterman stands by Israel support against Jon Stewart in heated showdown. Continue reading …

EXIT STAGE LEFT — James Carville says he'd leave Democratic Party under one major condition. Continue reading …

SISTERS HOLD FIRM — Nuns fighting assisted suicide law in New York with religious freedom at stake. Continue reading …

MAGIC DISPUTE — Disneyland and new workers' union in tense dispute over employee benefits. Continue reading …

OPINION

JONATHAN TURLEY — Fauci's contempt of Congress is challengeable, but not his contempt for the public. Continue reading …

NICHOLAS ELLIOT — AI has an opinion and it usually leans left. You have a right to know its agenda. Continue reading …

IN OTHER NEWS

COURT TENSIONS — Aces star targets heckling Fever fans before Chelsea Gray stuns Caitlin Clark in OT thriller. Continue reading …

AISLE ETIQUETTE — Experts warn that peeling back husks at the store may backfire badly. Continue reading …

CROWN DIVIDED — Prince Harry's most controversial royal plan could still become reality. Continue reading …

DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — What was James Carville's red line? Where did Miss USA winner have title stripped? Take the quiz here …

LISTEN

Tune in as we explore the growing debate over transgender athletes in women’s sports, the backlash surrounding the WNBA, and what it means for the future of sports. Check it out ...

PODCASTS

Perez Hilton talks about his regrets, redemption and finding faith on 'Hang Out with Sean Hannity'. Check it out…

'Ruthless' hosts laugh through this week's funniest political moments. Check it out…

New episode of ‘The Riley Gaines’ show drops at 10am ET. Check it out...

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Smug Megan Rapinoe goes on unhinged rant, attacks Riley Gaines and Sophie Cunningham over women's sports

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:05:48 -0400

Megan Rapinoe is back, taking shots at women's sports advocates and once again insisting the differences between male and female athletes shouldn't matter in women's sports.

Speaking on her "Why Are You Like This?" podcast — a question sports fans have been asking about her for years — the former USWNT star went after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and OutKick's own Riley Gaines after the two posed for a photo following the Fever's game against the Minnesota Lynx.

Rapinoe supports allowing biological males to compete in women's sports, yet frames women who object, and even athletes who simply stand beside them, as the villains.

MEGAN RAPINOE SAYS EFFORTS TO BAR TRANS ATHLETES FROM WOMEN'S SPORTS ARE 'ATTACK ON WOMEN IN SOCIETY'

"I want to address the controversy that is happening right now around trans women in sports," Rapinoe opened.

"As you know, I've talked about this a lot and will continue to keep talking about this."

She went straight after Cunningham, a fan-favorite WNBA guard now popular with young girls across the country.

Cunningham's big offense? Posing for a picture with Gaines, an athlete who watched female swimmers get robbed of trophies by a biological male and pledged to stop it from happening to anyone else.

In fact, when Gaines attended that game, arena security singled her out as the only person in the building forced to put down a simple sign supporting Cunningham ("Sophie thank you - a Girl Mom").

That selective censorship shows just how directly Gaines and Cunningham are running counter to the WNBA's enforced agenda.

"I don't know Sophie, so I can only project what I see about her beliefs based on her actions, and seeing a picture of her with Riley Gaines after the game told me everything I need to know about what's happening," Rapinoe scoffed.

Rapinoe then demanded ideological conformity from the WNBA star, treating a single post-game photo with Gaines as proof of Cunningham's beliefs rather than addressing anything Cunningham herself had said.

Zero facts, zero conversation. Just pure guilt by association, which is a classic Rapinoe move.

"Sophie has claimed both to love trans people and support Title IX. And this is where I think the accountability with having a major platform is extremely important."

RILEY GAINES SAYS WNBA IS 'HELLBENT' ON BEING AN ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION OVER A BASKETBALL LEAGUE

Rapinoe then turned her attention to Gaines.

"Riley Gaines has made it her life's mission to exclude trans people from public life," Rapinoe claimed.

"She's directly tied to the Heritage Foundation, the authors of Project 2025 and now 2026, who have now published a report that suggests that they want to repeal Title IX, the very piece of legislation that allowed athletes like Sophie and myself to compete in sports."

What Rapinoe conveniently forgets, or deliberately omits, is that Gaines was in the water, competing head-to-head against a MAN (Will "Lia" Thomas) at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Activists like Rapinoe cheered for Will Thomas' inclusion in the pool and the women's locker room.

It's classic Rapinoe spin. Wipe away Gaines' actual experience in the pool, frame her as a political operative, and ignore the real damage inflicted on female sports. Rapinoe wants fans to pretend Gaines's actual experience doesn't exist while dragging Cunningham through the mud over a simple picture. Facts take a backseat in Rapinoe's world. It's not about what happened in the pool or with other female athletes who've competed against men and echoed Gaines' sentiments.

SOFTBALL HALL OF FAMER SENDS BLUNT WARNING TO THOSE DEFENDING INCLUSION OF BIOLOGICAL MALES IN FEMALE SPORTS

"You can hear it even in the language being used that the root of trans exclusion is to protect young girls from men," Rapinoe said. "To be clear, I would love to have that conversation and it's much needed in this country. But it frames the conversation as if we're protecting young girls from men being in WNBA locker rooms, not happening. It villainizes trans girls as if they're somehow magically older than their peers. Or are men, when in reality, they are also young girls. These laws are excluding kids. Kids from playing youth sports."

She dismissed concerns at elite levels, claiming, "If we want to have a conversation around elite sports, there are effective policies that have been in place for many years that no one noticed because they worked."

She finished her rant by scoffing at anyone who dares disagree. "So, if anybody is taking these talking points as legit or believing they're protecting young girls in sports? I just have to ask, are you serious?"

Yes, people are serious.

Parents, female athletes and fans are serious about protecting single-sex sports, the very purpose Title IX was created to guarantee.

Rather than grapple with why Gaines entered this debate or why Cunningham chose to stand beside her, Rapinoe portrays both women as the problem.

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Unhinged Rapinoe can defend her position, but Gaines and Cunningham are standing up for female athletes and the young girls dreaming of a level playing field.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela

Eating too much protein could backfire, experts warn after longevity review

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:41 -0400

A recent scientific review challenged the idea that consuming more protein necessarily leads to better health, suggesting that the optimal amount depends on factors such as age, activity level and overall health.

After reviewing more than 350 studies, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison concluded that while higher protein intake can support muscle growth and other health benefits, consuming more than the body needs may offer little advantage.

In fact, it could even reduce longevity in some sedentary adults, particularly when protein comes from certain sources or amino acid profiles, they concluded.

LIVING LONGER COULD HINGE ON ONE SURPRISING DIETARY CHANGE, STUDY REVIEW SUGGESTS

For those wondering how to adjust their own diets in light of these findings, the answer lies in personalization, activity level and food sources, according to experts.

"We are hearing conflicting things from doctors ... and influencers," Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital.

"The message lately has been to increase your protein," said the expert, who was not involved in the research.

"However, we do know that excess protein is associated with negative effects. It can put a strain on your kidney health, and it can interfere with bone and calcium homeostasis."

For sedentary individuals, cutting back on excess protein isn’t the only option, according to Freirich. Increasing physical activity can also help the body use nutrients more effectively.

"If you are moving your body — strength training, building muscle or doing sports — you probably do need a little bit more protein," she noted.

"Now, let's say you were a super active person and unfortunately had an injury and have gone down to a very sedentary level — you should modify your protein because your body is not utilizing it in the same way."

Exercise may also support longevity in ways that go beyond nutrition, Freirich noted, by helping people stay active and independent.

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"Adding exercise is always a good idea because it is associated with having fewer falls, having more joy in life and protecting you from injury," she said.

For those looking to rebalance their nutrition without doing a total overhaul, Freirich offered the following five tips.

No. 1: Focus on plate proportions: Aim for 50% of your plate to consist of vegetables, 25% protein and 25% starches or whole grains.

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No. 2: Do the quick math: A general guideline is to consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for adults with lower activity levels, while those who are more physically active may benefit from about 1.0 gram per kilogram per day.

No. 3: Eat the rainbow: Incorporate fruits and vegetables across various colors to ensure a diverse intake of vitamins and micro-nutrients.

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No. 4: Switch to plant proteins: Shift a portion of animal protein toward plant-based alternatives like lentils, beans, chickpeas and seeds. "A lot of people who were on protein-restricted diets and saw better health outcomes were eating a lot of their proteins from plants," Freirich noted.

No. 5: Stick to whole foods: Unprocessed foods support natural satiety signals. "Moving away from really processed foods to more unprocessed foods actually helps your body regulate a lot better," Freirich advised.

Ultimately, dietary choices shouldn't be governed by a single headline or study, according to the expert.

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"Research is ever-evolving," Freirich said. "Everyone should think about their personal situation and discuss it with healthcare providers to figure out the best route for them."

Justice Department threatens investigation into university professors' BIPOC-only geology camp

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:24 -0400

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon threatened a Justice Department investigation into reports of a Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) outdoors camp hosted by public university professors after it faced backlash on Tuesday.

Dhillon responded to a video shared by the Libs of TikTok X account, which appeared to have been deleted from YouTube and other social media, featuring two Central Washington University (CWU) faculty members promoting an upcoming geology retreat that appears to be catering exclusively to a race-restricted minority.

"So is this open to everybody? Not really," CWU senior lecturer Nick Zentner said in the video shared on X, which was edited as evidenced by the abrupt cut-off after he said "not really." "But there’s a growing number of people who are younger and are from much more diverse backgrounds who typically don’t go to those events for a bunch of reasons. So this is a BIPOC community event."

TRUMP ADMIN WANTS TO STOP ILLINOIS CITY'S REPARATIONS EFFORT FOR 'SIMPLY HANDING OUT MONEY BASED ON RACE'

CWU assistant professor of geology Hannah Shamloo also promoted the organization hosting the event, the Bronze Chapter, and celebrated its efforts "to increase the participation of BIPOC members in the outdoors."

"Historically, members of BIPOC haven’t had the same opportunities for safe engagement with the outdoors, and so Nick and I are here to really extend a warm welcome and encouragement to members of BIPOC to come join us and engage with the geology that we love so much," Shamloo said.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION VOWS TO STOP REPARATIONS PROGRAMS, ACCUSES OFFICIALS OF 'VIRTUE SIGNALING' TO GET 'VOTES'

In a comment to Fox News Digital, Central Washington University denied any affiliation with the camp or retreat, though it expressed support for the faculty members involved.

Shamloo and Zentner didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Central Washington University is not affiliated with the nonprofit organization, the Bronze Chapter, and has no direct involvement, financial or otherwise, in the August 21 event that the organization is hosting. However, CWU supports our talented faculty members who volunteer their own time and share their knowledge and expertise with communities outside of CWU," the statement read.

A NEW YORK UNIVERSITY FACES JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION OVER 'BLACK MALE INITIATIVE'

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Bronze Chapter and the Justice Department for comment.

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The geology event, called Rock and Role, is scheduled to take place between Aug. 21-23. Though the Bronze Chapter's website does not explicitly restrict people based on race, the event is described as a "POC-centering geology sleepover summer camp" and also provides a BIPOC and Mixed-Race Individual and Family Sponsorship for families of up to ten people.

Smithsonian's taxpayer funds face chopping block as GOP demands accountability for 'woke' history

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:20 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are threatening the Smithsonian's federal funding amid GOP outrage over the museum system's presentation of American history.

"The Smithsonian is accountable to the taxpayers. So defunding them in certain ways, or tying their funds to requirements, I think is probably the best way to ensure that we bring the Smithsonian back to its required mandate," Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. "And that is to tell the truth about the American story, and to tell about the exceptionalism of this country and its people."

Congress allocates roughly $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to the Smithsonian Institution every year, which oversees 21 museums and the National Zoo. It also receives private funding.

But Republicans have heaped scrutiny in recent weeks on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, accusing its curators of long painting an overly critical and "woke" picture of the country's past while ignoring its triumphs.

TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER 'WOKE' HISTORY UNFOLDED

Clyde, who is on the House Appropriations Committee — which is one of two panels on Capitol Hill tasked with mapping out how Congress spends part of the yearly budget — suggested that using the legislative branch's power of the purse could compel museum curators to change that.

"We can tie funding to specific requirements, and I think that might be the most effective way to go — saying that... 'You have to highlight the exceptionalism. You have highlighted the good things that [the Founding Fathers have] done. You know, there's no perfect country because there's not a perfect person. But we are the best there is on the planet Earth," Clyde said.

Another House Appropriations Committee member, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Fox News Digital, "The Smithsonian’s role is to teach historic facts, not to put our country under a political kaleidoscope of woke ideology."

WATCH: SMITHSONIAN DIRECTOR ADMITS SHE SEES HISTORY AS ‘TOOL’ OF ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE’ AFTER EXPLOSIVE HEARING

"As Congressional Appropriators, it is our duty to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly. If the Smithsonian is unable and unwilling to have an objective view of our Nation’s history, House Republicans will have to act," Cline said.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, a third House appropriator, told Fox News Digital that stricter guardrails on Smithsonian funding are "justified."

"Congress has the responsibility to ensure those funds are used to celebrate and preserve Amrican history, not distort it," Cloud said.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order late last month directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to utilize existing avenues "to restore trust in the Smithsonian Institution," including installing "temporary exhibits or signage on [federally owned] sidewalks, walkways, and land used by the public that corrects inaccurate information presented in the Museum."

The issue came before Congress in July when Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, led a hearing where Republicans accused the National Museum of American History of promoting a politicized agenda on issues of race, class, gender and sexuality, at the expense of accurate teachings.

The Committee on House Administration, led by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., led a similar hearing scrutinizing the Smithsonian's teachings.

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

Democrats, on the other hand, have accused Republicans of trying to "whitewash" controversial moments in history while erasing the struggles and contributions of the country's minority populations.

"They want to rewrite the history of this country and take away the resources and leadership of people who have fought, marched and served this country for generations," Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said during Gill's hearing. "We refuse to let historians, artists, scholars, and people who love these institutions with their entire hearts to be punished by an administration that is trying to exercise...political control, and rewrite American history."

The House and Senate are both working through proposals to fund the government for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins on Oct. 1. The House proposal would allocate roughly $961 million to the Smithsonian Institution, an 11% reduction from the current level.

But there's still a long way to go before both chambers strike a deal, with time for House conservatives to push for new guardrails or even less funding.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the House Appropriations Committee for comment.

What our students learned at Auschwitz could help end hate in higher education

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:07 -0400

Some of the most important lessons universities can teach are not on any syllabus.

This past June, each of us sent students to Poland as part of a joint program. In a small shop in Warsaw, a Polish clerk refused to place change directly into the hand of a young Wilberforce University student. She had traveled four thousand miles to study the machinery of hatred at Auschwitz, but she did not need the field trip for bias and hatred to find her. It met her at the cash register.

What happened next is the reason the trip was organized in the first place. This young woman’s peers, consisting of Black students from the nation’s oldest private historically Black university and Jewish students from the largest university under Jewish auspices in America, closed ranks around her. For the rest of the trip, they walked as one group. They got looks. They kept walking.

THE GREAT BETRAYAL: HOW RADICAL PROGRESSIVES ARE DYNAMITING THE BLACK-JEWISH ALLIANCE

What we learned, and what we believe every university in America needs to hear, is that the answer to hatred and division on campus is not another statement, task force or training. It is to give students the opportunity to encounter obstacles and learn how to overcome them.

Students who live history together, who grieve, eat and walk through it side by side, build the kind of understanding that no seminar can teach and no demagogue can easily undo. Universities have always had the power to create those encounters. Too few choose to.

The problem we set out to address is one every campus leader recognizes. American campuses are fractured. Students increasingly sort themselves into groups that share their identity, their background and their grievances. Meanwhile, antisemitism has surged, racism persists and students of different backgrounds can pass four years on the same campus without ever truly encountering one another.

We lead two universities that, on paper, have little in common: one founded to strengthen Jewish heritage, the other founded in 1856 to educate Black Americans a decade before slavery’s end. Yet both institutions educate diverse student bodies and share a commitment to serving humanity.

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOULD NOT MEAN BACK TO FEAR FOR JEWISH STUDENTS

This summer, we brought our students together through the RISE Leadership Initiative, conceived by Jack Simony, president of the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation. They met first in New York, where they sat with Holocaust survivors in Brooklyn, and then in Poland. They traveled to Warsaw, where they shared a Sabbath dinner within hours of landing; to Treblinka, where none of the machinery of death remains; and to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where so much still does: 80,000 pairs of shoes, the luggage and the ashes that guides say still surface when the wind blows.

This experiment suggests a different path, and the evidence from that week speaks for itself.

On that first Friday night, our students were strangers seated at a common table: Jewish students explaining the Kiddush and the challah to peers who had never attended a Sabbath meal. Seven days later, at a final dinner in Kraków, those same students sat together in tears, unwilling to let the evening end. What happened in between was not simply a program. It was an encounter.

A young woman realized that the metal strips she had been scootering across in the sidewalk traced the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto. She had been gliding, unknowingly, in and out of a graveyard of sorts where 400,000 Jews had been forced to live in squalor within 1.3 square miles.

In Kraków, students shared lunch with a survivor, so the journey that began in the presence of living memory in Brooklyn ended in it, too. At Birkenau, walking through the barracks after the crematorium, one Wilberforce student turned to the Jewish classmates beside her and said simply, "I know this is personal to you. Now I too have seen and felt it and can bear witness."

The learning ran in both directions. Our Jewish students, who grew up with the Holocaust as a family legacy, included two grandchildren of survivors. They heard their Black peers describe a different kind of erasure: Enslaved Africans were deliberately stripped of their histories, their lineages and their very names.

One group carries the memory of everything that was lost, while the other carries the loss of memory itself. Standing together in Poland, our students understood viscerally what no seminar could teach: although their histories are different, they rhyme.

This should not be a novel idea. Black and Jewish Americans built one of the great alliances of the 20th century, marching together, organizing together and standing together in the struggle for civil rights. That alliance has frayed in recent decades, picked apart by those who profit from division. Rebuilding it will not happen through joint statements. It will happen the way it happened the first time: through shared experience, shoulder to shoulder.

To be sure, one trip does not solve campus division, and we do not pretend a few dozen students constitute a movement. But the elements that made it work — shared history, honest conversation over a meal, difficult places and time spent together — cost far less than the crisis-management apparatus universities have built instead. What is missing is not simply money. It is the willingness to build programs that foster authentic human connection.

That is why the exchange cannot run in only one direction. The next chapter will take these same students to Ghana, where they will encounter the history and legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. Jewish students who invited their classmates into the history of the Holocaust will become guests in another people’s historical memory. That reciprocity is not an addition to the model. It is central to it.

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We invite our fellow presidents from Jewish institutions, historically Black colleges or universities and every university in between to build their own versions. Pair your students. Take them to the places where history happened. Let them grieve together, eat together and walk together through streets where they may be challenged together.

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Because our students learned something in Warsaw that no task force will ever produce: when prejudice refused to put change into one student’s hand, every hand in the group reached out.

Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, Sr., is president of Wilberforce University, the first private historically Black college and university (HBCU) in the United States.

Debut of former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on NBC SNF had highlight moments but was too careful and rehearsed

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:33:12 -0400

It took almost the entire NBC Sunday Night Football pregame show, but just before the Hall of Fame Game began, new studio analyst Mike Tomlin was asked which division he believes is the NFL's toughest.

"Yeah, that's easy," the former Pittsburgh-Steelers-coach-turned-analyst said, "I thought you had a tough one: That's the NFC West, man. It's 'The Game of Thrones' out west.

"Everyone dies."

SUPER BOWL-WINNING COACH MIKE TOMLIN LANDS NBC ROLE ON 'FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA' BROADCAST

Tomlin earlier discussed what he's expecting out of his first NFL season away from the sideline.

"I'm looking forward to going undefeated," he joked.

And with that we got a glimpse why there are such high expectations for Tomlin in his rookie season on the pregame show prior to NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast.

In those moments, Tomlin was Tomlin. He was candid, pithy, insightful and even funny.

But to say the once dynamic coach and leader was that during the rest of this one-hour broadcast is wrong. He wasn't. He was, instead, kind of scripted.

Rehearsed.

Tame.

So, he's got some growing to do.

We have no idea if Tomlin will tell producers to spare him their stay-safe broadcasting advice and give himself time to grow and loosen up. He might decide this season's work with NBC is a one-and-done experience and return to an NFL sideline next offseason.

But for the 22 shows NBC will broadcast from September through January, the hope is Tomlin does on air what he wanted his players to do on the field:

Go to work with his hair on fire.

Let loose.

Be himself.

(Confession: I'm a Tomlin admirer. Once the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl, and having taken his Steelers to two Super Bowls, 13 postseason berths and eight AFC North titles without a losing season, I'll vote for Tomlin's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day.)

But the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame? Let's agree he's off to a slow start.

Weighing Tomlin's hits against his misses shows he needs to understand we don't need to hear the obvious. Because we know the obvious, like when he was discussing the trade that sent two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams.

"I speak for everyone in three cities in the northeastern part of the United States [that have AFC North teams]," Tomlin said. "They're glad he went west."

Well, no kidding, coach. So, keep going.

Did Browns GM Andrew Berry make a mistake? Did he get robbed by the Rams? Who won that trade?

Coach Tomlin last year criticized Berry for trading Joe Flacco to the AFC North division rival Cincinnati Bengals and giving that team life. But analyst Tomlin didn't go anywhere near giving us his feelings about this trade.

At halftime, the analysts discussed the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots to open the regular season on Sept. 9, a game NBC will broadcast.

Tomlin offered this: "When the games start, winning matters ..."

Got it. Thanks.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Look, the NBC pregame show is maybe 90 percent entertainment and 10 percent journalism.

They talked about Bill Belichick not being among the Hall of Fame Class that will be enshrined on Saturday and mentioned all his accomplishments, of which there are many, including a record six Super Bowl victories as the head coach.

But they didn't mention Spygate, which was a major reason Belichick did not make it on his first ballot.

And since entertainment is the emphasis, Tomlin will shine once/if he loosens up because he has as colorful a way of expressing himself as anyone on the planet. Will he do that and convince us he knows what he's doing as an analyst like he did when he was a coach?

"Ask me in about six months," Tomlin told Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in a rare unscripted moment of candor.

FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO

Church protesters could face tougher penalties under rare bipartisan crackdown

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:30:22 -0400

There's a rare show of bipartisan unity in the House of Representatives this week, as lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle come together to crack down on destructive protests targeting houses of worship.

Reps. Brad Knott, R-N.C., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., are introducing a bill to make it a crime to knowingly disrupt or impede people from attending a religious service.

That includes demonstrations taking place within 100 feet "from any pedestrian or vehicular entryway of any house of worship, during the period beginning 1 hour before the start of and ending 1 hour after the conclusion of a scheduled religious service," according to legislative text obtained by Fox News Digital.

VIDEO SHOWS MOB OF TEENS INVADING NYC CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY IN SOCIAL MEDIA STUNT

A violation of those guidelines would carry a $2,500 civil fine on the first offense, a $5,000 penalty on the second offense, and $10,000 for a third.

The bill does carve out limitations, however, such as demonstrations that are taking place with a federal, state, or local government-issued permit.

The text's language also specifically classifies disruptions based on things like volume, duration, and impact, rather than the content of speech — meaning the First Amendment is still protected.

"Today, many Americans are unable to worship without fear of harassment, assault, or other forms of intimidation. The right to worship freely is foundational to our nation and was one of the motivations for its founding. No American should ever feel that their choice is between worshiping in fear and not worshiping at all," Knott said.

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Suozzi said he supports people's right to peacefully protest but "attendees of religious services should not be harassed, threatened, intimidated, or targeted for practicing their faith."

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At least four states adopted laws banning the disruption of religious services earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.

It followed an incident in which Minnesota demonstrators upended service at a church where a federal immigration official was reportedly a pastor.

Fatal air ambulance crash exposes growing GPS danger facing US flights

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:30:10 -0400

Federal investigators say a fatal New Mexico air ambulance crash unfolded after the crew lost GPS navigation while the U.S. military was conducting a scheduled jamming exercise — a chain of events that is raising new questions about whether civilian aviation is prepared for an era of electronic warfare.

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report found the Beech King Air crew reported losing GPS capability minutes after departing Roswell, New Mexico, May 14 as the military conducted a planned GPS-denial exercise. Air traffic controllers twice asked officials to halt the jamming while assisting the flight, though investigators have not determined whether the interference caused or contributed to the crash.

The crew took off from Roswell, New Mexico, shortly before midnight on an air ambulance flight to Ruidoso, New Mexico, according to the preliminary report. Before the flight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a notice to airmen warning that a scheduled military GPS jamming exercise could disrupt satellite navigation across a radius of hundreds of miles around White Sands Missile Range.

Minutes after departure, the pilots reported losing GPS capability and requested assistance from air traffic controllers, who twice asked the military to suspend the jamming exercise. Three other aircraft in the area also reported GPS outages.

The crew later reported the airport in sight and requested a visual approach. After the military resumed the exercise, the aircraft descended toward the runway but struck the Capitan Mountains, killing both pilots and two flight nurses. The National Transportation Safety Board has not determined whether the GPS interference contributed to the crash.

The crash comes as aviation authorities worldwide warn that GPS interference is becoming a growing operational hazard. The FAA now advises pilots to be prepared to fly without GPS because intentional jamming is "of greater and growing concern," while the U.N.'s aviation agency has warned that interference can affect aircraft far beyond conflict zones.

In its 2026 guidance, the agency said the hazards associated with GPS jamming and spoofing have "rapidly spread" in recent years and cited industry data showing reports of GPS loss increased 65% in the first half of 2024 compared with the previous year. The agency warned that interference can cause pilots to deviate from assigned flight paths, misreport their position, lose situational awareness and struggle to transition safely to backup navigation.

Todd Humphreys, director of the University of Texas' Radionavigation Laboratory, said the crash also raises questions about whether the navigation technology used in many civilian aircraft has kept pace with evolving GPS jamming threats.

Humphreys said many FAA-certified cockpit GPS receivers rely on older technology that is more susceptible to jamming than newer commercially available systems.

"The iPhone that the pilot carried was almost certainly a better GPS receiver inside than the FAA-certified receiver providing navigation guidance to the aircraft," Humphreys told Fox News Digital.

Unlike illegal consumer GPS jammers, military electronic warfare systems are designed to deny satellite navigation across large operational areas so troops can train in conditions resembling combat. In the New Mexico exercise, the FAA warned GPS disruptions could extend hundreds of miles from White Sands Missile Range.

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Humphreys argued that while newer GPS technology has become more resilient to interference, aviation certification has moved too slowly to keep pace with the evolving threat from jamming and spoofing.

Humphreys' concerns echo warnings from international aviation regulators. In March 2025, the International Civil Aviation Organization, along with the International Telecommunication Union and International Maritime Organization, warned of increasing GPS jamming and spoofing incidents that can affect aircraft "far beyond the immediate affected area," creating safety risks across multiple flight regions.

Paul Deres, vice president of operations at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute, said the focus should remain on pilot preparation and proficiency, noting that today's general aviation fleet includes a wide range of older and newer avionics designed to improve situational awareness.

"Technology can always fail, and it does," Deres said.

European regulators have repeatedly updated guidance for pilots and air traffic controllers in response to growing GPS interference, most recently in July after analyzing additional jamming and spoofing incidents.

The FAA declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, but said it issues notices alerting pilots to planned GPS disruptions and maintains backup navigation systems to help aircraft navigate during satellite outages.

Asked about Humphreys' criticism that FAA-certified GPS receivers have not kept pace with newer technology, the agency did not directly address the claim.

GPS interference has become a growing challenge for commercial aviation in parts of Europe and the Middle East, where airlines routinely encounter jamming and spoofing linked to regional conflicts.

"There are some in the community who believe that we have passed the point of peak safety in aviation, maybe four years ago," Humphreys said, pointing to the rise of GPS jamming, spoofing and other forms of hybrid warfare that can disrupt aircraft navigation.

But it remains relatively uncommon in U.S. airspace outside of military testing.

In March 2025, multiple commercial airliners approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near the nation's capital received false collision alerts that forced several crews to perform go-arounds. Congressional testimony later revealed the alerts were triggered by Secret Service and U.S. Navy counter-drone testing.

Regardless of whether investigators ultimately link the GPS outage to the crash, the report documents how quickly a routine medical flight became a complex navigation emergency after the crew reported losing satellite guidance. The National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report describes a chain of events in which the crew lost GPS shortly after departure, requested assistance from air traffic control, and later opted to continue visually toward the airport before striking terrain.

As drones become more prevalent, GPS jamming as a form of counter-drone operations only will become more common.

"Nation states have woken up to the fact that this is one of the ways they can protect themselves from drones," he said. "We've got to move more quickly on the aviation side to build better systems, better receivers, better antennas to deal with this so that flights can be safer again."

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Humphreys said the United States has so far avoided the level of disruption seen in Europe, but argued regulators need to modernize aviation technology before GPS interference becomes a more routine operational challenge.

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"The FAA, I think they've just got to move faster. They've got to wake up and recognize that sticking to their old rules about you know, certification that takes years and millions and millions of dollars to get through is not at the service of safety anymore, because the environment has changed. "

Trump-backed incumbent ousted in House primary as GOP redistricting push set to reshape Tennessee

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:32 -0400

President Donald Trump’s clout with Republican voters was put to the test in Tennessee Thursday, as voters headed to the polls for the state’s first primaries under a newly redrawn congressional map designed to bolster Republicans’ chances of expanding their thin majority in the U.S. House this fall.

The night delivered a split verdict for Trump in two of the state’s closely watched Republican House primaries. Trump-backed state Sen. Brent Taylor captured the GOP nomination in the newly redrawn 9th Congressional District, while former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher toppled Trump-endorsed incumbent Rep. Andy Ogles in the 5th District.

Taylor’s victory sets up a November showdown against AOC-backed progressive state Rep. Justin Pearson, one of the so-called "Tennessee Three" lawmakers who gained national attention after he was expelled following a gun control protest in 2023.

Elsewhere, Sen. Marsha Blackburn captured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, putting her on course to potentially become Tennessee’s first female governor and eventually create an opening for another U.S. Senate appointment.

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"From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tennessee! One year ago, we set out on this journey with one goal: to make Tennessee America's conservative leader and show the nation what strong, bold, conservative leadership looks like," Blackburn said following her win Thursday night. "I am humbled and honored that you've chosen me as your Republican nominee for Governor. Together, we've taken a major step toward that goal. I won't let you down. On to November."

Ogles’ defeat was a glaring setback for Trump on the night. The president threw his support behind the conservative House Freedom Caucus member and stepped in as the race tightened, praising Ogles as a strong businessman and America First lawmaker during a virtual tele-rally last month. Hatcher, endorsed by term-limited Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, handed the two-term incumbent an upset defeat despite Trump’s intervention.

Ogles, backed by Speaker Mike Johnson in addition to Trump, faced a high-dollar outside effort to knock him out of the race. The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a clean-energy super PAC largely bankrolled by California crypto billionaire and major Democratic donor Chris Larsen, spent roughly $1 million opposing Ogles and supporting Hatcher before purchasing another $700,000 in advertising ahead of the primary, according to a Fox News Digital review of federal filings.

Ogles accused the group of trying to punish him for opposing Biden-era clean-energy subsidies and suggested his close ties to Trump had also put a target on his back.

The Trump-backed incumbent was also running on unfamiliar terrain after Tennessee Republicans dramatically redrew his 5th District. While the change made the district significantly more Republican for November, it left Ogles to face a significantly new GOP electorate than what had elected him in the past.

TENNESSEE PASSES NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP LIKELY TO FLIP FINAL DEM SEAT AS PROTESTS ERUPT INSIDE CAPITOL

Ogles’ district was not the only one transformed. Tennessee Republicans redrew the state’s congressional lines this spring, breaking apart the Democratic-controlled 9th District and giving Republicans a chance to turn Tennessee’s current 8-1 GOP delegation into a 9-0 sweep.

The effort prompted longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen to abandon his reelection bid in that Memphis-area district, which was transformed from a district that previously favored Democrats into one that now tilts Republican.

Thursday's primaries now set up a particularly nationalized fight for that seat.

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Taylor, who won the GOP 9th district primary Thursday, carries Trump’s endorsement, while Pearson, the winner of the 9th district's Democratic primary, has been embraced by members of the far-left "Squad" on Capitol Hill, including, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Taylor will try to deliver Republicans the final seat needed for a clean sweep of Tennessee’s congressional delegation, while Pearson will attempt to preserve a Democratic foothold in the Memphis-area district despite a less favorable map.

Blackburn, meanwhile, defeated Rep. John Rose in the Republican gubernatorial primary to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Lee, clearing a major hurdle between her and the governor’s mansion in the heavily Republican state. If elected in November, Blackburn would become Tennessee’s first female governor.

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Her victory could also produce consequences in Washington. Blackburn was reelected to a six-year Senate term in 2024, meaning she did not have to surrender her seat to run for governor, as Rose had to. But, she would have to give up her seat if elected governor, which would create a Senate vacancy and another round of political jockeying over who could succeed her.

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Student perpetrates deadly shooting at Thailand high school, authorities say

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:12:56 -0400

A student opened fire at a high school in Thailand on Friday, killing at least six and injuring others, police reported.

The attack took place at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province northwest of Bangkok, Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan indicated to The Associated Press.

A witness told reporters that students hid inside a classroom while they heard gunshots from another building before police officers knocked on the door and cleared a way for them to leave the building.

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Authorities provided conflicting numbers of casualties in connection with the attack.

Trairong told news broadcaster Channel 3 that the attacker was being hospitalized in serious condition, while 15 other individuals had been hurt, including two in critical condition — he reported that three teachers and three students had been killed.

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Thailand Health Minister Pattana Promphat indicated that 22 individuals were hurt with nine in critical condition. Some were hurt due to causes like falls, and it was unclear how many were gunshot victims.

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee indicated to reporters that five teachers passed away and that the perpetrator took the lives of his two grandparents at home prior to heading to the school. He reported that the attacker died at a hospital.

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Trairong reported that the weapon was thought to have been taken from a member of the shooter's family.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Prince Harry's most controversial royal plan could still become reality, author says

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:32 -0400

One royal author believes Prince Harry's controversial "half-in, half-out" proposal may still have a future within the monarchy.

Simon Vigar, author of "The Four Wives of Windsor," told Fox News Digital that while Buckingham Palace quickly rejected the proposal in 2020, he believes a similar model is ultimately inevitable.

"Harry did think that there was a hybrid version that they could do," said Vigar. "And I think in years to come, there will be a hybrid version. I think he's right. There has to be a hybrid version of this where people don't get accused of cashing in but can support their cousins or their brother or whatever."

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"[The Sussexes] thought they could have a hybrid role of having a business life and a private life, while also spending a few months in the U.K. supporting the queen," he shared. "Harry believed that was an option, which was whipped away from him."

In 2020, Harry attended the Sandringham Summit at Queen Elizabeth II's Norfolk estate, where senior royals decided the terms of his and Meghan's departure from royal life.

According to People magazine, it was there that the late queen drew a firm line. After intense discussions, the answer was made clear to Harry: There would be no "half-in, half-out" role for the Sussexes. They couldn't be working royals while also pursuing independent, income-generating ventures.

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That year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals, citing intrusive coverage by the British press and a lack of support from the palace.

In the couple's Netflix series, "Harry & Meghan," the prince said the decision to step down was his.

"In fact, it was my decision," he said. "She never asked to leave. I was the one that had to see it for myself. But it's misogyny at its best."

In a statement, the queen publicly confirmed the decision, making it clear that it was "not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service." The Sussexes responded with a statement of their own: "We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

In the Netflix docuseries, Harry claimed that William "screamed and shouted" at him during the "Sandringham Summit."

"It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in," he said.

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In "Spare," Harry wrote that he arrived at Sandringham with the impression that the family would consider five options for the Sussexes. "Option Five" was a full departure. After an hour, the queen's private secretary, nicknamed by Harry "The Bee," distributed drafts of a statement announcing "Option Five." Harry said he was stunned.

"Wait. I'm confused," he wrote. "You've already drafted a statement? Before any discussion? Announcing Option Five? In other words, the fix was in this whole time? This summit was just for show?"

Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he believes the palace made a mistake by not considering the option.

"The half-in, half-out approach advocated by Harry and Meghan is the modern-day method of how royal families should operate," he said. "The late queen was extremely badly advised not to accept the formula laid out by Harry as he attempted to protect Meghan from the ravages of sustained attacks."

But not everyone agrees. Several royal experts told Fox News Digital that while Harry may eventually have a better personal relationship with his family, a return as a working royal — especially under a "half-in, half-out" model — is highly unlikely.

"There's always room for Harry to support his family privately as a son and brother," Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube's "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital. "That's very different from supporting the monarchy publicly as a working royal. The monarchy has successfully adapted to a smaller working team."

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"We continue to see King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke of Gloucester carrying out official duties," she pointed out. "While it's a leaner operation, it has demonstrated that it can function without reopening the constitutional questions raised in 2020."

After moving to California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly aired their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry's 2023 memoir, "Spare," further strained his relationship with his family.

On July 10, Charles hosted Harry and met with his family for the first time in years as they attempted to repair their rift. At Highgrove House, Charles' country estate, Harry and Meghan, along with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, reunited with the king and Queen Camilla.

Harry had arrived in the U.K. for several charity events that were overshadowed by speculation about whether he would meet with his father. The 41-year-old prince has said he wants to reconcile with the monarch, 77, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Father and son met briefly for tea in September 2025, marking the first time they had seen each other in well over a year.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to visit the U.K. in September of this year. The Sun reported that the king will offer his younger son a room at Buckingham Palace during his stay. Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace and Archewell, which oversees the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for comment.

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"Harry's issue isn't that he left," said Schofield. "It's what he did after he left. Between the Oprah interview, the Netflix series, ‘Spare,’ and years of public criticism, he established a pattern of taking private family matters and turning them into commercial products. That's exactly the type of risk the late queen was trying to avoid."

"If anything, Harry's conduct since 2020 has validated her decision rather than undermined it," she argued. "In any professional organization, that wouldn't strengthen your case for rejoining the leadership team. It would be cited as evidence that you cannot be trusted with confidential information or institutional responsibilities."

"The monarchy runs on trust," Schofield continued. "Harry has spent the last several years demonstrating a pattern of monetizing privileged access to the royal family. The palace would have to ask itself whether Harry could be trusted to represent the institution. I think the answer to that question is no."

Schofield pointed to Sophie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh, as a cautionary tale. In 2001, she gave up her public relations career after an undercover reporter posing as a prospective client secretly recorded her discussing her royal connections. The controversy reinforced the palace's view that commercial work and official royal duties could create conflicts, and Sophie went on to become a full-time working royal.

Today, she is widely regarded as one of the monarchy's most valuable assets.

Royal experts told Fox News Digital that William and Harry haven't spoken since 2022, when their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, died.

British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that, at most, she expects Harry to be offered "informal, limited and tightly controlled opportunities" while in the U.K. as he continues reconciliation efforts with his family. She said he will continue to participate in events supporting his charitable causes in his home country. However, a functional hybrid role isn't in the cards, she insisted.

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"Prince William has been consistent in his opposition," said Fordwich, referring to the king's heir. "Princess Catherine is by his side on this, as are the courtiers and those whose role it is to protect the monarchy."

The Sussexes continue to raise their children in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito. As Harry continues to rebuild his relationship with his father, Schofield doesn't believe a "half-in, half-out" role would ever be reconsidered.

"The late queen's decision wasn't a personal preference," she said. "It was an institutional decision designed to protect the Crown's impartiality and integrity. I don't see King Charles reversing it.

"The strongest opposition would likely come from those responsible for protecting the monarchy's long-term stability, including Prince William and senior officials who understand the reputational risks. Once you allow one royal to commercially monetize royal status while carrying out official duties, it becomes incredibly difficult to explain why others cannot do the same."

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