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WWE star dubs New Jersey coastal casino mecca 'saddest' in America

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:18:42 -0400

Atlantic City, New Jersey, is far from the shining casino resort capital of the East Coast that it used to be.

Sure, there are still great hotels and casinos left in the city and the beach, unlike most in New Jersey, is still free. But crime and corruption have changed the perception of the city over the years.

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WWE star Grayson Waller took advantage of that.

Atlantic City’s iconic Boardwalk Hall played host to "Monday Night Raw" and a taping of "Friday Night SmackDown." Waller posted a video of himself running on the beach on social media and dubbed the beach town the "saddest city in America."

"I’ve been to a lot in America but Atlantic City, New Jersey, might just be the saddest," the Australian heel said. "It’s like Las Vegas for people who have given up on life. But it’s Monday morning. Technically, I’m at a beach – an American version of a beach.

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"While the rest of the Raw roster is sleeping in, I’m out here getting after it. I don’t want to end up like one of these people who has to vacation in Atlantic City, New Jersey. So sad."

While it might feel like that for some, fellow WWE star Matt Cardona had different memories of Atlantic City.

Cardona performed for Game Changer Wrestling at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. The promotion would turn the hotel’s ballroom into a wrestling ring and put on some memorable matches on the independent scene.

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"Back in Atlantic City tonight for @WWE. Matt Cardona, the man, was born on Long Island. Matt Cardona, the pro wrestler, was born in AC!" he wrote on X.

Trump’s massive GOP faith bloc raises red flag on Iran deal: Trust him, not his team

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:48 -0400

Influential evangelical leaders are divided over the Trump administration's memorandum of understanding with Iran, as conflict continues across the Middle East and debate grows over whether the framework strengthens U.S. leverage or risks harming Israel.

President Donald Trump recently threatened to re-escalate U.S. military strikes against Iran after Tehran continued attacks in the Strait of Hormuz after the regime launched strikes against Kuwait and Bahrain over the weekend, drawing condemnations from both Gulf neighbors.

The split is emerging at a delicate moment for Trump, who is trying to turn military pressure on Iran into a diplomatic framework without alienating supporters who helped power his political coalition. Supporters of the MOU say Trump has earned trust because he weakened Tehran first, while critics say any deal that gives Iran relief before its threat to Israel is permanently neutralized risks betraying the alliance his base expects him to protect.

Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a close evangelical ally of Trump, told Fox News Digital that many people are underestimating the American president.

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"The facts are that Donald Trump was key to ending the Gaza war, he was key to getting hostages out of there and he was key in breaking the back of the Iranian regime, including destroying its navy, air force, missile defense and leadership," Evans said.

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There are 750 million Bible-believing Christians around the world who identify as Zionists, Evans said, adding that while they may disagree on Israeli political issues, they agree that Israel is the biblical homeland given by God to the Jewish people through Abraham.

While running for president, Trump met with Christian groups, including Evans, and asked whether they would support him, Evans said, adding that they agreed on the condition that he support Christian values in the United States and stand by the State of Israel.

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"He promised to do both and so far he’s exceeded all of our expectations," Evans said.

"Israel is willing to shed its blood for America in the Middle East. America needs to do everything possible to support the State of Israel. We, as believers, believe that God birthed this nation. We don’t have any fear about Israel’s future," he added.

U.S. Officials worked with the Israel Defense Forces to complete Operation Epic Fury in February, which was a 38-day effort to dismantle the Iranian regime’s military capabilities.

"Following the historic destruction of Iran’s military capabilities through the successful Operation Epic Fury, President Trump and his negotiating team have brokered an excellent, performance-based MOU that advances the interests of the United States by ending the fighting, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to significantly lower energy prices, and forcing Iran to commit to abandon its nuclear ambitions," White House Spokesperson Olivia Wales told Fox News Digital.

"President Trump has a strong relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Israel has always been a great ally to the United States. There has been no greater friend to Israel and a fighter for peace than President Trump...Americans and our allies around the world are already safer for the United States and Israel’s bold actions to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon," a White House official added in comment to Fox News Digital.

Rev. Johnnie Moore, President of The Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital that in 2016, opposition to President Obama's catastrophic Iran deal was one of the top three reasons evangelicals rallied to Donald Trump, helping forge one of the most consequential, enduring and powerful political coalitions in American history — a coalition that stands with him still and knows its power.

"Evangelicals know, and President Trump knows, that words on paper don't change terrorists. Accountability does. Action does. This President has been willing to confront the Iranian regime in ways no predecessor would, and the regime has never been weaker," Moore said.

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"The nuclear threat, at least for now, is gone. What brought Iran to this table was not a memorandum — it was precise and unrelenting military action that shattered their nuclear ambitions and broke their conventional forces," he continued.

"We also know, as the President knows, that the regime will say and do anything to deceive everyone around him — because they understand they cannot deceive the President himself. Evangelicals trust President Trump entirely. That does not mean that we trust many of those now involved in the negotiation," he added.

The risk the president must manage, he said, is that Tehran turns this into a stalling game — as it tried and failed to do with his own team at least twice and did successfully with Presidents Biden and Obama.

"In the end, because of the President, America will win this too — negotiation or not. But it is clear where our community stands. The regime only understands one language: strength. American strength," he said.

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Other leaders expressed concerns over recent comments on Israel from the administration. Laurie Cardoza-Moore, president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, told Fox News Digital that evangelical Christians were largely responsible for the election of the current administration and said the agreement with Iran is extremely worrying.

"One of our core issues is the Biblical requirement to stand with Israel and G-d's chosen people as described in the Books of Genesis and Obadiah. As the Bible teaches, those who stand with Israel will be blessed, and those who curse her will be cursed," she said.

"There is a strong feeling that Israel is being betrayed and thrown under the bus in favor of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are particularly concerned about recent harsh and false statements made by Vice President Vance, which could be perceived as cursing Israel," she added.

The office of the vice president declined to comment when approached by Fox News Digital.

Vance has supported Israel but has also said he is willing to criticize the country when he believes its actions warrant it. He condemned antisemitism in February, telling the Daily Mail, "I think Jew hatred is disgusting."

"You shouldn’t hate people because they’re white. You shouldn’t hate people because they’re Jewish. You shouldn’t hate people because they’re black," he said.

But Vance has also made clear that support for Israel does not mean automatic agreement with Netanyahu’s government.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu, look, he governs a country that has obviously been a very close partner of the United States. But, even when we've been close partners, sometimes we have interests that are perfectly aligned, and sometimes we have interests that are misaligned," Vance said in an interview on "CBS Sunday Morning" June 10.

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The Trump administration publicly released details of the memorandum outlining plans for immediate waivers on Iranian oil exports, a framework for at least $300 billion in reconstruction and economic development assistance if a final agreement is reached, and a 60-day negotiating period aimed at securing a comprehensive deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, told Fox News Digital that, in its current form, the MOU appears ill-advised at best, as the military gains achieved by Washington and Jerusalem have yet to be fully realized.

"I have yet to hear from anyone who was not surprised by such an about face in signing the MoU. Who would not be concerned with the U.S. effectively agreeing to forever negotiations with a highly militarized radical Islamist regime, flush with cash, in pursuit of nuclear weapons," Hagee said.

Most evangelical Christians, he added, see what everyone else sees: The U.S. negotiating team appears to have fumbled the ball on the one-yard line. Nevertheless, the U.S.-Israel alliance remains a cornerstone of both countries’ security as well as a key pillar of global stability.

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"From a religious perspective, we have a divine mandate to stand with Israel. From a national security perspective, we have no stronger or wiser ally anywhere in the world. And from the Christian pilgrim’s perspective, our holy sites in the Holy Land have never been more open and yet more secure," Hagee said.

"The most "America-first" thing one can do is stand with our only true ally in the region," he continued.

"The Islamic Republic declared war on the West the day it was founded nearly half a century ago. That has not changed. Democracies rarely get to decide who their enemies are. The only conclusion to this conflict is regime change through domestic revolution in Iran," Hagee added.

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After the 60-day timeframe, Evans predicted Trump is likely to extend negotiations for another 90 days, carrying them through the end of the year and beyond the midterm elections. President Trump, Evans said, will then break the economic back of the regime, take Kharg Island and completely bankrupt the regime.

"I am not panicking because I know Donald Trump. I am the strongest supporter in the state of Israel of Donald Trump. I am the one that hosted the embassy gala, put up all the billboards and gave him an award. I am not panicking over this," he added.

Evans said Christians do not believe the battle can be won by bombs alone, and that they view prayer as their most powerful weapon.

"We are hosting the largest prayer in history at the Kotel (Western Wall) with 5 to 10 million Christians on Oct. 7. I now have more than a dozen ambassadors involved and 23 additional ones I am meeting with who want to represent their country," he said.

Dr. Jürgen Bühler, president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), said his organization has witnessed up close for decades how the Iranian regime has progressively raised the sword of radical Islam over Israel, as well as over indigenous Christians throughout the Middle East.

"Given the current deal being worked out with Iranian leaders, we share the sense of most Israelis that the war against this intolerable Iranian threat has been stopped short of its needed objective," he told Fox News Digital.

"Israel is a fellow Western democracy that deserves our full support in its fight to defend our shared freedoms and values, and many Christians in this region look to Israel as a light of hope for securing their own freedoms and futures," he added.

Ultimately, Bühler said, the best and most just answer to the Iranian threat is genuine regime change in Tehran.

"We have not given up hope that the Iranian people themselves will be able to rise up and overcome their oppressive rulers and steer their nation away from this self-destructive obsession with destroying Israel," he said.

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Heather Johnston, founder and president of the U.S.-Israel Education Association, said in a statement to Fox News Digital in reaction to the MoU that the U.S.-Israel relationship has advanced American interests for decades and should be strengthened — not strained — by U.S. diplomacy with Iran.

"Iran’s long record of supporting terrorism and threatening Israel gives Americans ample reason to assess this agreement carefully and skeptically. Any diplomacy with Iran should be measured against whether it advances or undermines that progress," she said.

Seattle Pride parade pandemonium as nude marchers prance through streets in front of children

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:42 -0400

WARNING: Graphic Content

Seattle's LGBT Pride parade on Sunday descended into bedlam as attendees stripped off their clothes and marched the streets naked while children looked on.

One video filmed by Chloe Cole, a de-transitioner activist, and posted by Frontlines Turning Point USA, shows people from a group called "Friends of Denny Blaine" marching in the nude. Some onlookers clapped and cheered, while the video panned to young children watching the spectacle.

Another video shows naked people prancing around an outdoor fountain near children who were playing in the water.

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The "Friends of Denny Blaine" website says it is dedicated to protecting Denny Blaine Park, which is known for its "historic nude & queer character." Currently, the park is facing a lawsuit from concerned citizens over its graphic nature, according to the website.

"Nude ≠ Lewd," "Free to be Naked" and "Nude is Nourishing," read signs held by the marchers in the parade.

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Yet another lewd video shows naked men cycling in the parade, again to the applause and appreciation of the crowd, though some spectators can be seen shielding the eyes of children from the nude bodies.

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The Frontlines TPUSA video showing people parading nude around the Seattle Center International Fountain after the gay pride event includes scenes of children splashing in the water that sprays from the fountain just feet from several naked men and one naked woman.

It comes as Pride Month, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community every June, comes to a close. In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton officially declared June the "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month," and in the years after gay marriage was codified in 2015, the parades and celebration have become increasingly crass, often with scenes of nude or nearly nude people parading in public.

The three videos of naked demonstrators caused online fury from viewers shocked by the indecent display.

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"How is this not indecent exposure? Wtf?" one X user said.

"Why the f--- would you take your children to see and celebrate this vile filthy celebration of perversion and degeneracy?" asked another.

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A third said: "Those parents are stupid, both for bringing children to a Pride Parade, and for keeping them there when a bunch of naked pervs exposed themselves. Pride Parades are infamous for crap like this."

Seattle's municipal code mentions nothing about public nudity, and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has reiterated multiple times that being nude in Seattle is not a crime in itself.

"However, public nudity can quickly become a case of indecent exposure if the nudity causes a person to reasonably experience fear, alarm or concern," an SPD press release says.

Instead, the city is governed by Washington's indecent exposure law.

"A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she intentionally makes any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm," Revised Code of Washington 9A.88.010 says.

A subsection of the law says indecent exposure is a misdemeanor "on the first offense if the person exposes himself or herself to a person under the age of fourteen years."

It is a felony for convicted sex offenders to commit the crime of indecent exposure.

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The Seattle Police Department did not return a request for comment when asked whether anyone was arrested during the city's pride festivities.

Mayor Katie Wilson's Office also did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.

HOA threatens American flag-flying homeowners as they fight for Old Glory before nation’s 250th birthday

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:42 -0400

As Americans prepare to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday, homeowners in an upscale Southern California community say they're being threatened with fines for flying Old Glory.

Residents in San Marcos, whose townhome community is governed by the Ambiance Owners Association, are refusing to remove American flags displayed outside their homes despite notices from the homeowners' association.

Real estate websites show townhomes in the community are valued at just under $1 million.

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Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital show the dispute dates back at least three years. In May 2023, the HOA notified one homeowner that sports flags were prohibited while stating that "the American flag is the only approved flag to be hung on and within common property."

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By May 2026, however, the HOA issued Amy and Christopher Cooke a violation notice alleging the American flag mounted outside their home violated the association's flag policy and directing them to remove the flag mount within 15 days or face enforcement action.

Neighbor Terri Collins also received a violation notice over the American flag displayed outside her home and said she's prepared to fight the HOA alongside the Cookes.

"The journey has been long and hard, and we are ready to put an end to it once and for all," Collins told Fox News Digital.

Amy Cooke told Fox News Digital the controversy began after another resident attempted to fly a San Diego Padres flag, prompting the HOA to revisit its flag rules.

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"Both American flags had been flying around here for decades without issue," Cooke said. "The fact is it's about the American flag, distinctly."

Cooke said she laughed when she first received notice that the HOA considered her American flag to be in violation.

"My first reaction was, 'No,'" she said. "'Wait a minute, this isn't legal.'"

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According to Cooke, the flag has flown from her garage door frame for more than 20 years in honor of her husband's grandfather, who was killed in World War II while rescuing fellow sailors. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart.

Cooke contends the HOA has repeatedly failed to explain why it considers her garage door frame to be a common area rather than an exclusive-use common area under the association's governing documents.

In a June 19 letter to the HOA obtained by Fox News Digital, the Cookes requested board meeting minutes adopting the flag policy, records supporting the HOA's interpretation of the property's common areas and the authority it relied upon in issuing the violation. They also asked that their disciplinary hearing be postponed until those records were produced, writing that the same questions "remain unanswered."

Cooke said she and her husband have spent nearly two years researching federal and California law, gathering HOA records, corresponding with the HOA and preparing for what they believe could become a lengthy legal battle.

The couple has since launched an online fundraiser to help cover attorney fees, court costs and other legal expenses if the dispute heads to court.

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"This isn't about refusing to follow reasonable rules," Cooke wrote on the fundraising page. "We believe this is about preserving the right to display the American flag in our own community and ensuring that HOA rules are enforced fairly and consistently."

Cooke said any money remaining after legal expenses would be donated to patriotic organizations or causes supporting Gold Star military families.

The homeowners' fight has also attracted attention from legal advocates.

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"California law is clear. While homeowners associations may adopt reasonable rules governing the manner, placement, or safety of flag displays, they cannot prohibit homeowners from flying the American flag on their own property," Courtney Corbello, counsel at the Center for American Liberty, told Fox News Digital.

"No homeowner should be threatened with fines for respectfully displaying the flag of the country they love, especially on the eve of America's 250th birthday. A blanket policy that sweeps in longstanding flag displays and punishes residents instead of pursuing reasonable solutions is likely to face serious legal scrutiny. HOAs cannot bully homeowners into taking down the Stars and Stripes."

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The controversy has also reached the political arena.

"What is wrong with these people? We are just about to celebrate the 250th birthday of our country," California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton told the California Post.

"One of the most beautiful and magnificent things about America is the way we show our love of our country together all the time. ... And now these tin-pot bureaucrats at some ridiculous HOA want to trample on our flag and stifle national pride at this of all moments? What a bunch of anti-American losers."

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Hilton urged residents to ignore the HOA's demands and respond by displaying even more American flags in celebration of America's 250th birthday.

Cooke said the dispute has already had a ripple effect throughout the neighborhood.

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"We have flags going up and down emotionally, which is really sad," she said. "Just fly the flag. It shouldn't be an emotional decision."

She said she hopes the case encourages other homeowners not to be intimidated by their HOAs.

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"Stand up for what you believe in. Show some pride in your country and appreciate what America gives you," Cooke said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Ambiance Owners Association and the San Marcos mayor's office for comment.

Iran fights to keep grip on Hormuz as US, Gulf allies carve new shipping route

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:33 -0400

Iran's latest attacks on commercial shipping came just as the United States and Oman were beginning to steer more vessels through a new southern shipping corridor hugging Oman's coastline — an alternative route designed to move traffic farther from Iran's immediate reach.

Former U.S. military commanders and regional analysts told Fox News Digital the timing was no coincidence. They said Iran was trying to preserve one of its greatest strategic advantages as new shipping routes and regional infrastructure begin chipping away at Tehran's leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.

"The southern route creates a route they can't toll or control," retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery told Fox News Digital. "They felt it necessary to attack it."

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For decades, Iran's ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has given it influence well beyond its borders. But that advantage is increasingly under pressure as Gulf states invest in pipelines that bypass Hormuz and the United States and Oman expand use of the southern corridor.

Nearly half of inbound commercial traffic through the strait is already using that route, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

After Iran attacked vessels using the corridor, the U.S. responded with strikes on Iranian military targets tied to maritime operations. Iran retaliated in recent days with attacks on U.S. facilities and regional partners before Trump announced both sides had agreed to halt further strikes and return to negotiations in Doha.

Iran has denied that its negotiators would be meeting with U.S. officials in Qatar on Tuesday.

Former Navy Fifth Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, said Iran's objective isn't necessarily to halt shipping altogether.

"The IRGC has been trying to make it commercially unworkable," Donegan told Fox News Digital, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "These attacks on shipping to me aren't random. They're strategy."

Rather than closing the strait outright, Donegan said, Iran only needs to keep insurance premiums high enough that commercial shipping companies remain reluctant to return.

"Their strategy is to enforce their control of the straits," he said, by driving up insurance costs while continuing to "test the U.S. resolve."

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The question now is whether Iran can translate that military pressure into lasting influence over the strait.

Under the memorandum of understanding negotiated after the ceasefire, Iran, Oman and the Gulf littoral states are expected to negotiate the strait's "future administration and maritime services" while commercial traffic moves toll-free for 60 days.

President Donald Trump has insisted on social media that there will be "NO TOLLS" after the negotiating period expires, even though the memorandum itself does not explicitly guarantee that outcome. Asked about the discrepancy, Trump argued that "common sense" and the threat of renewed U.S. military action would keep Iran from interfering with commercial traffic.

Iran, however, has signaled a different vision. An IRGC-linked news outlet portrayed last-minute revisions to the agreement — including language governing the strait's future administration and the temporary toll provision — as negotiating victories for Tehran.

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment ahead of Tuesday's negotiations.

America's Gulf partners have made equally clear they are not interested in rewriting the status quo.

"The management of the strait was working fine before the conflict," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said. "Why should we now, as a result of a conflict, accept some novel arrangement?"

The disagreement reflects competing visions of what Iran's role in the strait looks like once the fighting ends.

Former Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker said the negotiations reflect Iran's effort to emerge from the conflict with "a new status quo in the Persian Gulf."

But preserving leverage over the Strait is about more than commercial shipping.

"Iran is trying to basically step into that void," said Clionadh Raleigh, executive director of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

Raleigh argued the conflict has left Gulf governments questioning whether "the U.S. is a partner that's unreliable," creating an opportunity for Tehran to argue that Gulf security should increasingly be managed by countries in the region rather than by Washington.

Those doubts are already reshaping regional strategy.

"They're seeking to really develop their own defense posture," Raleigh said. "And they're also seeking alternative means for them to continue trade."

Those efforts have been underway for years, but the latest conflict has accelerated them.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the East-West Pipeline linking Gulf oil fields to the Red Sea, while the United Arab Emirates has expanded export capacity through Fujairah, allowing crude exports to bypass Hormuz altogether.

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Every barrel that leaves the Gulf without transiting the strait — and every ship that safely uses the southern corridor — chips away at the leverage Iran has historically derived from one of the world's most important maritime choke points.

If those alternatives continue to expand, Iran's ability to wield the strait as a strategic pressure point could gradually diminish even if Hormuz itself remains one of the world's most vital energy corridors.

One of the biggest myths about the Boston Tea Party revealed by historian

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:22 -0400

When Americans think of the beverage that fueled the American Revolution, they usually picture black tea — but it turns out that green tea was just as popular.

The Founding Fathers and their contemporaries drank both types of tea, Bruce Richardson, the Kentucky-based founder of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas, told Fox News Digital.

British subjects "were as likely to be drinking green tea as black tea, whether you were in Jane Austen [era] England ... or you were in colonial Boston," he added.

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"There were five teas, all from China, because that was the only country that was exporting tea," Richardson said. "And of those five different teas, two of them were green and three of them were black."

Richardson, a tea historian who works as the tea master at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, said the five types of tea dumped into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act of 1773 included three black varieties — Bohea, Souchong and Congou — as well as the green teas Hyson and Singlo.

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Bohea, the most common and least expensive black tea of the era, was often made from older tea leaves harvested after the highest-quality leaves of the season had already been picked.

Most of the tea dumped into Boston Harbor was Bohea, Richardson said — and it was so ubiquitous that he compared it to the way Kleenex has become synonymous with tissues today.

"It was so common that often teapots at the time, or some that I've seen, would say Bohea on the side of the teapot," he said. "If they wanted tea, they'd say, 'I'll have a cup of Bohea.' It was that common."

Not only did colonial Americans distinguish between green and black tea, they even stored them differently.

"The well-to-do people would have a tea caddy – a wooden, beautifully made tea caddy to store their tea in," he said.

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"It was kept under lock and key. And in that tea caddy, [there] would be two compartments, one for green tea and one for black tea."

Merchants often favored black tea because it held up better during the long voyage from China to Europe and onward to the American colonies, Richardson said.

"The green tea was what China had always drunk," he said.

"And so they were exporting that as well, but they found that the black tea actually made the voyage better than the green teas."

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Even after many colonists swore off British tea, they kept the ritual of drinking it — or at least a close substitute.

Many patriots brewed so-called "Liberty Teas" made from ingredients such as dried apples, blueberries, chamomile and herbs grown in their gardens.

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"They still wanted their tea time, but they didn't want to support the British government," Richardson said.

Clinton confidant who called Maxwell his 'lover' grilled by Congress over Epstein ties

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:15 -0400

Former Bill Clinton aide Doug Band is set to face a grilling by congressional investigators after his name was referenced dozens of times in the Epstein files.

Band will testify voluntarily before the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday in a transcribed interview as part of the bipartisan panel’s probe into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted on federal sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited Band to testify about his interactions with Epstein and Maxwell while serving as a top aide to Clinton during the early years of his post-presidency.

Band attended a 2003 dinner at Epstein’s Manhattan town house and corresponded with Maxwell between 2002 and 2006, according to files released by the Justice Department.

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In a 2006 email, Band, who is a University of Florida alumnus, asked to use Maxwell’s plane to attend the NCAA men’s basketball finals to watch the Florida Gators play. In other correspondence published by the DOJ, he called Maxwell his "lover" and "social matchmaker," among other flirtatious messages.

The pair were photographed together at a Valentine's Day tea party at a members-only club in New York City in 2007.

Band has not been charged with any wrongdoing, and his interactions with the couple appeared to largely predate Epstein’s conviction of soliciting a minor in 2008.

The ex-Clinton advisor is likely to be peppered with questions about the former president’s ties to the disgraced financier.

Band, who initially served as Clinton’s personal aide and ultimately became a member of his inner circle, helped establish the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative during Clinton’s post-presidency. He later cut ties with the Clintons during a public falling out in the early 2010s.

In a 2020 tell-all interview with Vanity Fair, Band said he grew to dislike Epstein during a 2002 trip aboard Epstein’s private jet with Clinton to Africa and advised the former president to end his relationship with him.

Also in the interview, Band said Clinton in 2003 traveled to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James. Band said he declined to attend over his objections to Epstein.

Band’s account conflicts with Clinton’s repeated assertion that he never visited. Clinton, who has denied any wrongdoing, has pointed to travel logs that do not show such a trip.

Band told Vanity Fair he sought to bar Maxwell from Clinton-related events amid his broader rupture with the Clinton family. Maxwell was notably close to Chelsea Clinton and was invited to her wedding in 2010.

JEFFREY EPSTEIN ALLEGEDLY SAID BILL CLINTON 'LIKES' YOUNG GIRLS, DOCUMENTS REVEAL

The House Oversight interview will take place behind closed doors, but a transcript is expected to be published at a later date.

Tuesday’s testimony comes after Bill and Hillary Clinton testified to congressional investigators in March about their interactions with Epstein under the threat of civil contempt charges. Lawmakers threatened to criminally refer the couple to the Justice Department for contempt charges if they refused.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has also interviewed former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as part of the committee’s probe.

Comer’s panel in July is expected to interview former Goldman Sachs attorney and Obama counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz and former JPMorgan Chase executive and ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley.

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All three knew Epstein personally and were among the high-profile figures whose names appear in recently released Epstein-related files, though none has been charged with wrongdoing.

FIRST ON FOX: Former Treasury advisor says probe into 'subversive' anti-AI Singham network is 'enormous'

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:00:06 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Former Treasury senior advisor and chief speechwriter Sam Lyman says the Southern District of New York's investigation into the finances behind the activist network tied to American Marxist businessman Neville Roy Singham marks one of the most significant developments yet in the federal government's scrutiny of the organization and far-left protests in the U.S.

"It's an enormous development because it's one of the first legal actions that's taking a deeper look into this network, which is among the most subversive political networks here in the United States, period," Lyman told Fox News Digital.

Lyman was reacting to Fox News Digital's exclusive report that U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton from the Southern District of New York has opened a grand jury investigation into the finances behind Singham's sprawling activist network.

The former Treasury official, who now serves as head of research at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, released a new report on Monday, first obtained by Fox News Digital, examining the Singham network's role in organizing opposition to artificial intelligence infrastructure and data center development across the country.

DOJ LAUNCHES GRAND JURY PROBE INTO MARXIST MOGUL NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM'S FUNDING OF LEFTIST GROUPS

Researchers conclude that about $23.6 billion in proposed AI and data center investment has been delayed, scaled back or blocked in campaigns where Party for Socialism and Liberation served as "a critical mobilizer in efforts that delayed, scaled back, or blocked the proposed AI infrastructure investment."

"What we've uncovered is that Neville Singham's network, in particular the Party for Socialism and Liberation, has been boots on the ground in dozens of protests across the country targeting data centers," Lyman said.

According to the report, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which has emerged in the past decade as a key political and activist arm of the Singham network, has developed a nationwide organizing operation that has participated in 21 campaigns across 14 states opposing AI infrastructure projects.

The report documents 19 case studies involving cities and counties including: Charlotte, N.C.; Prince George's County, Md. DeForest, Wisc.; Monterey Park, Calif.; Denver, Co.; Tucson, Ariz.; Athens, Ga.; Durham, N.C.; Madison, Wisc.; New Orleans; Cleveland and other locations.

According to the report, those campaigns resulted in 10 local data center moratoria, one permanent data center ban and four rejected or withdrawn projects. The authors note that the figure likely understates the total impact because several additional campaigns involved projects whose investment values were never publicly disclosed.

REPORT: CHINESE PROPAGANDA, SINGHAM NETWORK, FOREIGN DARK MONEY LINKED TO CAMPAIGNS AGAINST DATA CENTERS

The report argues that while many residents have legitimate concerns over water use, electricity demand and land use, activists linked to the Singham network have built a sophisticated nationwide operation that amplifies those concerns through coordinated organizing, demonstrations and political pressure.

"The American opposition to data centers is real and mostly homegrown," the report states. "But an organized, foreign-aligned party has worked to amplify and convert genuine grievances into actions that slow or degrade America's buildout of data centers."

One of the report's featured examples is Charlotte, N.C., where it says Party for Socialism and Liberation organizers canvassed neighborhoods, circulated petitions and helped organize demonstrations before the City Council unanimously approved a 150-day moratorium on new data centers. According to the report, organizers are now pushing for a permanent ban.

In Prince George's County, Md., researchers say the Party for Socialism and Liberation chapter in Washington, D.C., helped organize town halls, canvass neighborhoods and gather more than 20,000 petition signatures opposing Lerner Enterprises' proposed $5 billion Brightseat Tech Park. County officials later paused data center approvals while reviewing local policy.

SEN. TOM COTTON URGES DOJ TO PROBE CHINESE BID TO 'KNEECAP' AMERICAN AI

The report also highlights DeForest, Wisc., where it says Party for Socialism and Liberation organizers joined local residents opposing Blackstone-backed QTS' proposed $12 billion hyperscale data center campus. Following months of public opposition, village officials declared the proposal "not feasible," leading the developer to withdraw the project.

In Southern California, the report says the Los Angeles chapter of Party for Socialism and Liberation participated in the "No Data Centers SGV" coalition, which organized petitions, public meetings and a ballot initiative culminating in California's first permanent municipal ban on new data centers in Monterey Park. According to the report, the coalition also influenced neighboring cities to adopt additional restrictions or temporary moratoria.

Researchers further cite campaigns in Arizona opposing Amazon's proposed $3.6 billion Project Blue near Tucson and a separate $2 billion AI data center proposal in Chandler, both of which encountered significant setbacks following organized opposition.

The report argues that the campaign against AI infrastructure is only one part of a broader effort by organizations linked to Singham.

"The common thread in all of these nonprofit organizations is that they agitate against American causes—what they call American empire," Lyman said.

NETWORK FUNDED BY PRO-CCP TECH TYCOON TARGETS PALANTIR AMID ANTI-US PROTESTS THAT SUPPORT THE REGIME IN IRAN

"After Oct. 7, these nonprofit networks and their political affiliates were boots on the ground protesting Israel and any action Israel took in Gaza. They did the exact same thing when President Trump took office and started enforcing immigration laws. Now we're seeing the exact same thing take place against the technology industry here in the United States."

As reported by Fox News Digital, nonprofits funded by Singham — including CodePink, Tricontinental, People's Dispatch and Liberation News — have spent years publishing material opposing American AI development and criticizing leading technology companies including Palantir, Google, Amazon and Meta.

Lyman said the network's organizing capacity has made it an increasingly influential political force.

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"This network is incredibly good at organizing," he said. "Self-identified socialists in America are incredibly good at getting out the vote, getting their people to protest and getting them to sign petitions."

He argued that the federal investigation by the Justice Department's Southern District of New York reflects growing recognition in Washington, D.C., of Singham's influence.

"Singham essentially is the figurehead who's funding all of this," Lyman said. "It makes sense both from a legal perspective and from a policymaking perspective that the American people are starting to take notice of his subversive activities because they are truly prolific."

The report concludes by calling for greater transparency into the funding behind the Party for Socialism and Liberation and other organizations tied to Singham, arguing that Americans should know who is financing organized campaigns that seek to shape the future of the country's AI infrastructure.

Fox News Digital's Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.

Trump’s SCOTUS prediction takes on new weight ahead of birthright citizenship ruling

Thu, 21 May 2026 14:23:20 -0400

In the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court's major birthright citizenship case, President Donald Trump blasted the nation's highest court while predicting it may rule against his effort to restrict automatic citizenship for some children born in the U.S.

"This decision by the Supreme Court is a very big one. They'll probably rule against me because they seem to like doing that," said Trump in May. "You know, frankly, I'm not happy with some of the decisions."

Trump v. Barbara centers on Trump’s January 2025 executive order seeking to limit automatic citizenship for some children born in the U.S., a move that has triggered a major constitutional fight. The decision is expected on Tuesday, the final opinion day of the Supreme Court’s term, placing Trump’s prediction in the spotlight as the justices prepare to hand down one of the year’s most closely watched rulings.

Trump sat in on oral arguments in April as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned whether the president’s executive order complies with the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. The visit marked the first known time a sitting president attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court.

SUPREME COURT'S SHOWDOWN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP DECISION COULD RESHAPE AMERICA

Barrett warned at the time that investigating citizenship would create chaos, while Jackson asked, "Are we bringing pregnant women in for depositions?"

Trump predicted in May that the court would rule against him, noting he was "not happy" with recent rulings, pointing to the recent tariff decision he said will cost the U.S. $149 billion. This month, he warned the nation "cannot live with the shackles of Birthright Citizenship."

"It is not economically, or otherwise, sustainable, and no other country in the World, of consequence, does it," Trump posted on Truth Social on June 11.

The administration has argued that birthright citizenship has created incentives for illegal immigration and has been exploited by so-called "birth tourism" operations, in which foreign nationals travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children can obtain American citizenship.

"This was not meant for Chinese billionaires to have their children become citizens of our country. This was meant, or other rich people, poor people. This was meant for the babies of slaves," said Trump.

"This was signed… right after the Civil War. You look at the dates, the dates alone, immediately after, this was having to do with the babies of slaves, and people have used it. And if this is allowed to stand, it will be a disaster economically for our country," he added.

The nation's highest court is expected to rule on the executive order in the coming weeks.

The case has drawn national attention, with protesters arguing that birthright citizenship is a fundamental American right.

CHINA EXPLOITING 'BIRTH TOURISM' TO GAIN LONG-TERM POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN US, AUTHOR WARNS

University of California, Berkeley, law professor John Yoo previously told Fox News Digital he believes the Supreme Court will overrule the Trump birthright order.

"The better way to operate under the current constitutional rule of birthright citizenship is to more vigorously enforce visas and to shut down businesses that encourage and enable birth tourism," said Yoo.

JOHN YOO: SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN EXPOSES SHAKY CASE AGAINST BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP

A Fox News Poll found that 69% of voters support birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants — which is up from 45%, when Fox News first asked in 2006.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.

Sports cartoons of the day

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:08:52 -0400

Fetterman unleashes on 'dirtbag' wing of Dems after far-left victories: 'Orgy of socialism'

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:00:14 -0400

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., unloaded on his own party on Sunday evening, blasting a series of victories for progressives he called "anti-America."

"Big night for the dirtbag left," Fetterman said, referring to New York’s recent primaries, when two members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) won primaries.

"I’ve said the party is becoming an orgy of socialism. Clearly anti-America, anti-Western Civilization," Fetterman said.

Fetterman’s striking calls give a rare look at how some moderates may view the developments on their far-left flank that have dominated the party’s momentum in recent months, sparking concern that their high visibility is dragging the party further and further left.

FETTERMAN WARNS DEMOCRATS 'DRIFTING FIRMLY INTO COMMUNISM' AFTER SOCIALIST PRIMARY WINS

His comments come on the heels of a handful of key progressive victories.

In Maine, Graham Platner, a controversial Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, has attracted controversy for denying knowledge of the meaning behind a Nazi-linked tattoo, for off-color comments about race and calling himself a "communist" in a deleted Reddit post.

In New York, one DSA member, Claire Valdez, won a primary on a platform of abolishing ICE and a Green New Deal-style approach to climate change. Similarly, Darializa Avila-Chevalier, another DSA candidate, beat out incumbent Rep. Adriano Espillat, D-N.Y., a high-ranking Democrat and the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

WINNERS AND LOSERS EMERGE AFTER SOCIALIST EARTHQUAKE ROCKS NYC PRIMARIES

Both Chevalier and Valdez had the backing of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is a self-proclaimed socialist.

The wins have captured national attention and drawn criticism from Republicans who have pointed to their success as emblematic of the direction of the Democratic Party.

Fetterman, who has not shied away from confrontations, has been one of the few Democrats to express alarm about the kind of candidates carrying the party’s banner.

"I mean, you look at some of the things that people have said. Abolish prison, abolish the border, abolish ICE, I mean these crazy people — I have colleagues in my caucus that refuse to even call this out," Fetterman said.

FETTERMAN REACTS TO MAMDANI’S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT SUPREME COURT’S IMMIGRATION RULING

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"Between P-hustle in Maine and some of the other winners in New York, they should form their own party and run on all the things that they’ve had to delete on social media," Fetterman said, referring to Platner.

"That’s where our party has moved," he added.

How capitalism missed out and failed to capitalize on America’s 250th anniversary

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:00:31 -0400

I love a good celebration, and Americans know how to go all-out to celebrate. Whether it’s Halloween, Christmas or even a major sporting event, we decorate, we costume, we have themed and branded food, and we fête the specific holiday or milestone. And, as Americans, we go hard.

As such, I was looking forward to an all-out barrage of red, white and blue patriotism coming from every direction as we headed into 2026, the 250th anniversary of our declaration of independence from England and the milestone celebrating the founding of our great country.

Now, as we are just a week away from July 4th, I find myself still looking.

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Capitalism, it seems, has failed America’s 250th anniversary.

In a land of clever people who look to lean into every possible opportunity, it seems like our 250th has been a wasted one. Sure, you can find some merchandise here and there, or your normal July 4th fare, but the economic response to this huge milestone event has been utterly milquetoast at best.

I expected to see T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters and more in red, white and blue, emblazoned with oversized "America 250" and "America: Established 1776." I expected to see accessories proudly featuring the Stars and Stripes and "250." I expected every grocery store product, from condiments to candy, to feature not only limited-edition red, white and blue variations, but branding about celebrating 250 years of America.

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Where are the crazy themed decorations, the 250th balloons and the commemorative knick-knacks? Where are the blow-up Uncle Sams on the suburban lawns? Where are the special festivals and events? The big apple pie baking contests?

Why, when I walk down the street, is it not covered in red, white and blue from top to bottom and oversized "America’s 250th" banners, not just for the 4th of July, but all year long?

It seems like we have witnessed more American patriotism from foreigners visiting America for the FIFA World Cup than we have seen from American industry.

NEW DIRECTOR'S CUT OF 2024 ‘REAGAN’ BIOPIC WILL RETURN TO THEATERS FOR AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY

Corporate America is usually first to jump on any theme, event or milestone. The fact that they have largely ignored America’s 250th is incredibly disappointing. For those who might say that they don’t want to get too "political," not only has it never stopped them in the past, but, moreover, the founding of our country isn’t about a political party.

In fact, America’s 250th is about all of us as individuals. America was founded on a unique idea, to uphold and protect the rights of each of us as individuals. It’s a celebration of independence and a celebration of people over government. It’s a celebration of defying odds through smarts, grit and strategy and being willing to put ideas into action.

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The country belongs to us as Americans, regardless of what you think of anyone or everyone in government at any point in time.

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That is something worth celebrating, loudly, proudly and with an obscene amount of themed merchandise.

With half of the year gone, it’s a little late in the game, but it’s never too late for capitalism. I hope that July 4th will mark the beginning of a wave of in-your-face patriotism. We have the greatest country in the world and that deserves appropriate celebration.

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MORNING GLORY: Senator Susan Collins and the nation’s national defense

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:00:30 -0400

Extraordinarily gifted legislators in the United States Senate are rare. As preconditions to their effectiveness, they must accumulate both significant seniority in the body of 100, and the respect of their ever-changing 99 colleagues. It’s a small club — the United States Senate — and everyone knows who has got the ability and the respect to guide big lifts through the (intentionally) complicated process.

Maine Senator Susan Collins is one of the handful of senators who command the respect of her Republican Conference colleagues and most of the Democratic senators who actually care about making the country run well. That is why Collins is the chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and is also one of the 17 senators on the critical Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. (Collins is also a member of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.)

As chair of the Appropriations Committee, Collins has a unique power to guide the country’s spending. In partnership with the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Collins’ greatest responsibility as a legislator is to ensure the American military is fully funded to the level necessary to "provide for the common defense," as the Preamble of the Constitution succinctly puts it.

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Collins long ago earned a reputation as a Senate "workhorse," and her 10,000th consecutive Senate roll call vote — extending the unbroken voting streak she began in 1997 — made her the first senator in U.S. history to have cast this many votes without ever missing one. Even as Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 run of hits in 56 consecutive games is regarded as untouchable, so is Collins’ remarkable milestone (which towers higher with every roll call vote she makes.)

All of that experience and all of that earned respect will be needed in the weeks and months immediately ahead as Collins, along with Wicker and the Senate GOP leadership, tackle perhaps the most difficult challenge of her already distinguished and widely admired career: Allocating the funds needed to modernize the Pentagon in an era of rapidly changing technology when it comes to war and intelligence gathering, both the visible markers of American power like ships, submarines and the new B-21 bombers which provide the nation with deterrence and the secret and extraordinarily sensitive virtual stockpiles of cyber strength. Collins must do this even as hyper-partisanship engulfs the country’s politics.

Collins faces the urgent need to thread this extremely partisan era which is defined by negative polarization and rhetorical extremism of both the far left and far right. The nation requires a steady and effective set of military appropriation bills that will keep the nation’s defenses funded for the immediate demands of the conflict with Iran, even as the United States must continue to define and meet the challenge posed by the aggressive plans of China’s iron-fisted Leninist dictator Xi Jinping.

That Collins is leading in this moment of peril is very fortunate for the country. That she has to do so in what is for her an election year against a self-described "communist" and wildly extremist radical from the fringe of the Democrat’s far left edge is a new challenge.

Graham Platner was nominated by the Democrats because he is a human wrecking ball. By nominating the very opposite of Collins when it comes to achievement and temperament, the radical wing of the Democrats hope to cripple the Senate by denying it one of its most effective members. They are asking Mainers to destroy their own state’s vast advantage in the Congress in the service of their anti-West, anti-American, anti-Israel and antisemitic agenda.

They are also aiming to deeply injure the process that defends America at this crucial moment.

GRAHAM PLATNER BLASTS NEW ALLEGATIONS AS 'FALSE ACCUSATIONS': 'MAINE, YOU HAVE MY BACK'

The House and Senate must soon decide how to proceed on the Pentagon’s budget for 2027 and beyond. Both the SASC and the Senate Appropriations Committee must act. SASC provides the defense spending architecture via the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but as The Wall Street Journal noted this past weekend, the NDAA "is a policy guide not a check, and the big question is whether the President’s $1.5 trillion defense budget" will actually pass and in what form and via what process.

Genuine legislators like Collins would prefer to use "regular order" to hold hearings, conduct mark-ups and send proposed bills to House-Senate conference committees. That is the ideal. That ideal is doomed to fail this year as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, assailed by his party’s radicals, is intent on creating a government shutdown before the midterms.

That shutdown isn’t a prophecy or a dart thrown with a blindfold. It’s the inevitable result of how the Democrats have framed the midterm elections this fall. Schumer cannot stop the House from enacting a defense budget but he can and will make the Senate’s regular order grind to a halt in order to satisfy his party’s whacko left-wing with a shutdown.

Which puts Collins and every Republican who is serious about keeping our military strong in a bind. The military must be as equipped and prepared in an era of rapidly evolving threats and technology. It cannot lurch from "Continuing Resolution" to "Continuing Resolution" (CR) which is the best result of "shutdown politics."

Democrats intend that very result. And if the Democrats win either or both Houses back from the Republicans in the fall, they will go much farther than a long string of CRs. They will savage defense spending in favor of their socialist pipe dreams.

This isn’t a secret and it’s not doom-casting. Believe what Democrats tell you. The party has launched off the left cliff in American politics, heading to places no American party has ever proposed to go before, much less actually traveled towards.

The left is now opposed to American power and stature in the world. It would strip us of our defenses. Even the handful of crazed leftists nominated for the House by Democrats in New Jersey and New York in recent weeks would combine with the existing fringe — the "Squad" — to eviscerate American military strength. Even five radical House members will be enough to control defense spending in a closely divided House and only one or two senators can do so in an even or one-vote majority Senate. The Congress ahead is very likely to be the most radical in America’s 250 years.

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Which is why Collins and Wicker, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) must make the anti-institutionalist choice to fund the Pentagon via the "budget reconciliation process," a complicated and controversial means to the end of tackling major tax and spending bills like the Working Families Tax Cut of 2025 and various COVID relief bills of both Republican and Democratic presidents. (Collins and then Senator Marco Rubio led the crafting of the Paycheck Protection Program which was the critical part of the economy-saving CARES Act of March 2020.)

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Because Democrats are going to hold the federal government hostage in the fall as a giant campaign stunt, it falls to the serious and sober-minded Republican senators to advance national security spending through reconciliation. The harder question is whether to do so for two or three years instead of just one. That’s a difficult choice to make because it would recognize the yawning chasm between the mainstream American consensus about the country’s defenses and the hard left’s "defund defense" corollary to its "defund the police" and "defund ICE" platform planks.

Using reconciliation to forward funds up to $5 trillion is nobody’s ideal. But it is a necessity to provide time for our troops until the Democrats’ collective fever breaks.

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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Socialists take fight west, target Colorado in latest bid to oust Democratic Party establishment

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:00:28 -0400

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is setting its sights on Colorado.

A handful of Tuesday's primaries in the Democrat-dominated Rocky Mountain state are the next battleground in the fight between the far left and the center-left establishment over the future of the Democratic Party.

"Today, the East Coast, next week the Mountain West," the DSA wrote in a social media post last week, hours after their ballot-box victories in a handful of congressional primaries in New York City.

The post came after DSA-aligned Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old far-left community organizer, ousted incumbent Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, another democratic socialist, won a congressional primary by defeating an establishment-backed candidate.

VICTORIES BY MAMDANI-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES SPOTLIGHTS GROWING RIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The victories by Chevalier and Valdez, who were heavily supported by democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, further emboldened the far left as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the Democratic Party.

The DSA is now looking to replicate its playbook across the country, starting Tuesday in the Democratic primary in Colorado's 1st Congressional District, a solidly blue seat anchored in Denver that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried by a whopping 56 points in the 2024 election.

Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who was first elected to Congress three decades ago, is facing two primary challengers, including DSA-backed Melat Kiros, a first-time candidate and former attorney born four months after DeGette first took office.

Kiros, who lost her job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, is also supported by Justice Democrats, the nearly decade-old political group known for heavily supporting "Squad" members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib as they toppled entrenched incumbents in their initial elections to Congress.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

"ELECT ANOTHER SOCIALIST TO CONGRESS ON JUNE 30TH," a DSA social media post states as it urges supporters to lend a hand to the Kiros campaign.

The Democratic Party divide will also play out in the primary in the neighboring 8th Congressional District, which stretches along the I-25 corridor north of Denver.

State Rep. Manny Rutinel is running to the left of former state Rep. Shannon Bird, with the winner taking on Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who flipped the seat in the 2024 cycle. The race is considered one of two or three dozen that will determine if the GOP holds onto its razor-thin House majority in the midterms.

Immigration has been a top issue in the Democratic primary in a district where roughly 40% of the population is Latino. Rutinel has criticized Bird for a vote she cast last year opposing a measure limiting cooperation between local and state law enforcement and ICE.

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALISTS LOOK TO TAKE NEW YORK PLAYBOOK NATIONWIDE AFTER PRIMARY VICTORIES

Another primary showdown highlighting the split between progressives and moderates, as well as the party's generational divide, is the Senate nomination battle between incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper, 74, and former state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a 43-year-old progressive. Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and two-term governor, has seen his once-large advantage over Gonzales, a one-time DSA member, narrow.

The winner will face Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, who is unopposed in his primary.

Shannon Jackson, a longtime progressive political strategist and grassroots organizer best known for his leadership roles in Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, pointed to last week's results and told Fox News Digital that "people are frustrated."

"The key message of the victors: Medicare-for-All, the importance of affordability and a living wage. Progressives have long fought for these values and I expect the primary victories to continue," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, the state's expensive and combustible Democratic gubernatorial primary pits Sen. Michael Bennet against state Attorney General Phil Weiser.

Bennet or Weiser will be considered the clear favorite in the race to succeed two-term Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, the first openly gay man elected governor in the nation's history.

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Weiser, who is running to Bennet's left on certain issues, closed the gap with the senator as he spotlighted his efforts to take on President Donald Trump, including suing Trump 66 times as attorney general.

The winner will face either state Rep. Scott Bottoms, state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer or pastor and Marine Corps veteran Victor Marx as the Republican nominee.

How American engineers unlocked the impossible beneath the Gulf of America

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 05:00:12 -0400

July 4th is more than marking America’s independence with patriotic flags, parades and fireworks. It's about celebrating American ingenuity, our firm belief that our country can engineer solutions to achieve the impossible, from launching the modern age of aviation to landing a man on the moon.

Some of the most compelling evidence of American exceptionalism today is happening thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of America, where our offshore industry has spent more than a decade solving one of the hardest engineering problems in the history of energy.

More than 100 miles offshore from the Gulf Coast sits a geological layer of sandstone and shale rock deep beneath the seabed called the Paleogene that holds tens of billions of barrels of oil. For years, most of it was considered unattainable. The reservoir pressures – up to 20,000 pounds per square inch, equivalent to an elephant standing on a quarter – exceeded anything existing technology could handle. No equipment had ever been built to work under those conditions.

TRUMP’S ENERGY INITIATIVES MAY FINALLY EXTRACT AMERICA FROM MIDEAST CHAOS

The solution was engineered here, in American waters, by the people who know them best.

Transocean developed the first drillships in the world built to work in these high-pressure conditions. Their Deepwater Titan and Deepwater Atlas are currently operating in the Gulf of America. Trendsetter Engineering designed subsea systems and manifolds capable of operating reliably at pressures once considered beyond reach. Other offshore companies have developed similar equipment that has unlocked the Paleogene.

The results speak for themselves. Chevron's Anchor project came online in 2024, representing roughly $5.7 billion in development spending. Beacon Offshore's Shenandoah is also producing oil and natural gas. BP's development plan for its $5 billion Kaskida project has secured federal approval and is moving toward first production. Together, these projects mark the opening of a new chapter of American offshore capability.

TRUMP’S ENERGY INITIATIVES MAY FINALLY EXTRACT AMERICA FROM MIDEAST CHAOS

The people who did this work aren't household names. They're engineers and subsea specialists and vessel crews spread across the Gulf Coast, part of a remarkable expertise that shows up when an impossible problem needs solving.

And our people have proven this equipment is safe and reliable.

Safety and containment systems were purpose-built, independently verified, and rigorously tested under federal oversight before a single well was drilled. Offshore consortiums HWCG and Marine Well Containment Co. (MWCC) both maintain 20,000 psi containment systems that can be deployed rapidly in the event of an incident.

CONGRESS MUST NOT DERAIL THE FREIGHT RAIL LIFELINE FOR AMERICA’S FARMERS

Federal regulations require operators to demonstrate access to containment resources, submit detailed response plans, and conduct robust recurring training exercises before drilling begins. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement requires third-party certification on every major high-pressure component: blowout preventers, subsea trees, wellheads and completion equipment. Nothing goes offshore without it.

This achievement that’s producing more American energy is worth celebrating today, especially during a time when we take stock of what this country is built on. The Paleogene wasn't unlocked by a single mandate or a government program. It was unlocked by an ecosystem of companies, engineers, regulators, suppliers and workers who collectively decided a problem was worth solving and spent years doing it. That's a distinctly American model, and it works.

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The Gulf of America supplies roughly 15% of U.S. oil production. Offshore projects support shipyards, manufacturers, ports, marine operators and skilled trades across the country. There are jobs and investments in all 50 states.

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The Paleogene represents the next chapter of that output, backed by existing infrastructure, an experienced workforce, and decades of hard-won operating knowledge. The economic and national security benefits don't happen without the long-term investment decisions and the long-term confidence that make them possible.

At 250, America is still a country that does seemingly impossible things. The Paleogene in the Gulf of America is proof.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ERIK MILITO

A California dog rescue hid a grim secret: more than 100 dogs buried beneath it

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 02:29:49 -0400

Remains of more than 100 dogs were discovered buried at a California animal rescue sanctuary, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with local, state and federal authorities, began investigating Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Fortuna after receiving a tip in April about alleged animal abuse, animal cruelty, fraud and conspiracy, according to deputies.

Last week, the sheriff's office announced that 117 intact dog remains were recovered from two dig sites. An additional 21 canine skulls, hundreds of bones and six loose microchips were found in another dig location near the area where the intact animals were discovered. Authorities later said they were continuing to review microchip data and other evidence from the scene.

RIDGLAN FARMS RESCUE BEAGLES FIND NEW LIFE HELPING VETERANS OVERCOME WAR TRAUMA WITH PAWS OF WAR

The intact dogs were in various stages of decomposition, the sheriff's office said, adding that 70 dogs were X-rayed on site and many showed evidence of bullet fragments. Forensic veterinarians preliminarily determined that many of the dogs examined on site had died of gunshot wounds.

"Most of the dogs recovered were microchipped. Analysts are currently reviewing the data obtained from the microchips and are working to identify the dogs associated with those chips. All items were collected as evidence and will undergo further examination as part of the ongoing investigation," the sheriff's office said.

Authorities also discovered an area inside a barn believed to be where the dogs were likely killed. In that area, more than 600 dog collars were recovered.

Investigators identified at least 918 dogs transferred to the rescue since January 2025, but only 116 adoptions have been confirmed. Authorities said 71 dogs were found on site during the investigation, leaving more than 700 dogs unaccounted for.

DOG SAVED FROM ISIS BY ARMY VETERAN 'KIDNAPPED' FROM FAMILY YARD BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES

"This investigation is just getting started," Sheriff William Honsal said. "There is a tremendous amount of data to process, witnesses to interview, and evidence to examine. The Major Crimes Division is laser focused on this case and will continue working with our state and federal partners to examine every lead."

Fox News Digital reached out to Miranda’s Rescue Animal Sanctuary for comment.

The owner and founder, Shannon Miranda, posted a statement on the rescue's website pushing back on the allegations.

"For more than 30 years, I have devoted my life to rescuing and caring for animals through Miranda’s Rescue. Recent media coverage and online commentary have presented an incomplete and, in some cases, inaccurate picture of our work. I want to share the facts and provide context so the public can better understand our work and the difficult decisions we sometimes must make," the June 18 statement reads.

Miranda said his rescue has euthanized animals in the past, but only in rare circumstances "when an animal is suffering from a terminal condition or when it poses a serious, ongoing danger to people or other animals."

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"In one case, a dog named Zora arrived heavily sedated, later killed a feral cat during a walk with a prospective adopter, then broke free and attacked another dog," Miranda said. "In another case, a dog transferred to us became fixated on a stroller carrying a baby, lunged at it, and attacked it before staff intervened. In both situations, given the observed behavior and the risks to staff, volunteers, visitors, and other animals, I made the difficult decision to euthanize the dogs."

Authorities have not arrested or charged anyone yet in connection with this case, but the sheriff's office said the evidence review process will require a significant amount of time due to the nature and complexity of the investigation.

UK asylum seekers could have to pay government $13K before applying for settlement

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:49:59 -0400

People granted asylum in Britain could have to repay the government about £10,000, roughly more than $13,000, for accommodation and basic living support before they can become eligible to apply for settlement, officials announced on Monday.

This comes as immigration has become one of the most important issues in British politics, consistently ranking among voters' top concerns in polling.

Under the proposed rules, the government says repayments would be means-tested and limited to adults above an income threshold. Officials say safeguards would be included to prevent people from being pushed into extreme poverty, though key details of the threshold and enforcement mechanism have not yet been published.

FARAGE SAYS MASS MIGRATION HAS CHANGED THE UK ‘LITERALLY BEYOND RECOGNITION,’ BELIEVES PARTY CAN WIN ELECTION

The rules would not be applied retrospectively and children would not be subject to the payments.

"Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. "Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so."

Mahmood explained that her latest reforms aim to reduce the burden on taxpayers' wallets.

The Home Office also said over the weekend that it aims to remove 45,000 more people with no legal right to remain and foreign criminals within the next decade, in addition to the tens of thousands already being removed on a yearly basis.

The center-left Labour Party has increased efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration as it seeks to counter the rising popularity of Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has vowed to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers and other people whose claims or appeals have failed.

"Mass migration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, literally beyond recognition," Farage told Fox News Digital last week. "We’ve not been selective about who’s been able to come into the country. That is a major contributory factor."

KEIR STARMER RESIGNS AS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AFTER DEVASTATING LABOUR REVOLT AND LOCAL ELECTION LOSSES

Refugee advocates and migration researchers have criticized the proposal, arguing it could punish people who fled persecution and questioning whether many refugees would earn enough to repay the proposed sum. Critics have also warned that tying repayment to settlement could create uncertainty for people trying to rebuild their lives in the UK.

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The Labour Party has faced internal divisions over how tight its immigration policy should be, and the party is up against further overall uncertainty after its leader, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced last week that he will resign.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Ending soon: Save up to 75% on Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s memberships

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 00:01:57 -0500

If you’ve been thinking about joining Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s, now’s the time to make it official. StackSocial is offering discounted memberships to all three. You can get 75% off a one-year BJ's Wholesale or Sam's Club membership and even score up to a $40 Costco Shop Card when you sign up. Whether you choose the basic tier or upgrade for more perks, it’s an easy way to unlock year-round savings.

BJ's: $15

StackSocial has a great deal on BJ's Wholesale Club memberships. You can join for just $15 (normally $60) or upgrade to the Club+ membership for $65 (normally $120). That’s up to 75% off. Members get access to great warehouse deals, plus gas savings at BJ’s Gas and extra perks through the Fuel Saver Program.

Sam's Club: $15

Through July 5, you can save 75% off the standard membership fee and join Sam's Club for just $15 through StackSocial, or upgrade to the Plus Membership for $50 (normally $120), saving 58%. Both options unlock access to member-only prices on groceries, home essentials, electronics and more. Perks include free curbside pickup, discounted gas and extra savings on hotels, car rentals, entertainment and other seasonal offers.

For more deals, visit www.foxnews.com/deals

Costco: $65

StackSocial is offering a one-year Costco Gold Star membership for $65, and you’ll get a $20 digital Costco shop card as a bonus. There's also the option to upgrade to an Executive Gold Star membership for $130 and receive a $40 Costco Shop Card. Each membership includes a free household card and is valid at all Costco locations worldwide and online. Beyond warehouse access, Costco memberships come with extra perks like travel deals, insurance savings and discounts on auto services.

Red Sox star weeps for earthquake-hit Venezuela after home run, gets tossed by umpire minutes later

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 22:56:53 -0400

An emotional night at Fenway Park saw Red Sox star Willson Contreras go from tears over the devastation in Venezuela to a controversial ejection Monday during the Red Sox's 6-3 win over the Nationals.

Contreras, whose home country was rocked by earthquakes Wednesday, crushed a 421-foot, three-run homer off Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas into the left-center field seats in the first inning.

As Contreras rounded the bases, he flipped his bat, slapped the top of his helmet with both hands and shouted, "Venezuela," toward the Red Sox dugout.

In the dugout, Contreras broke down as teammates and coaches embraced him.

FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION

After striking out on a check swing in the second inning, first-base umpire Nic Lentz ruled Contreras had gone around.

PHILLIES SUPERSTAR BRYCE HARPER EJECTED FOR VEHEMENTLY DISAGREEING WITH CHECK-SWING CALL

Walking back to the dugout, Contreras silently tapped the top of his helmet, gesturing for an ABS challenge. But Lentz immediately ejected Contreras after the helmet tap.

WATCH:

Interim manager Chad Tracy rushed out to argue the call but couldn't get the decision overturned.

The decision was lambasted by the NESN broadcast, where Red Sox analyst Will Middlebrooks cursed the ejection during the telecast.

"Are you kidding me? How soft are we getting?" Middlebrooks said, calling the ejection an "absolute joke" and "embarrassing to the game."

"The game needs the best players on the field. This is an entertainment business. It is for the fans. What are you doing? You are gonna throw a guy out of the game for that?"

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Contreras said before Monday's game: "It is really sad to live through this. It is really hard to separate or fake that we are good just because we have to work."

"We are professionals. We have to show up and work. But it is really tough when you know what is going on in Venezuela ... trying to perform, and at the same time trying to seek ways to help."

Boston held on for the 6-3 victory behind Contreras' three-run homer and a home run from Caleb Durbin, but his controversial ejection was the focus of the game.

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

PBS CEO recounts dramatic year for organzation, calls legal battle with Trump 'the most sobering moment'

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:06:50 -0400

ASPEN, COLORADO — PBS CEO Paula Kerger recounted the "extraordinary" year her organization has had after President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans revoked its federal funding.

Appearing Sunday at the Aspen Institute's Ideas Festival, Kerger was asked to summarize the dramatic saga PBS underwent, which she referred to as a "year of letters," the first in January 2025 from Federal Communications Committee (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, who was probing PBS' corporate partnerships, followed by a letter that March from then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who summoned her and NPR CEO Katherine Maher to testify before the DOGE Committee's hearing, which she noted was titled "Anti-American Airwaves."

"I repeat this all the time because of all the things in the last year, that was the most offensive," Kerger told the Aspen audience.

PBS AFFILIATE BOARD CHAIRMAN UNDER FIRE AFTER SAYING HE HOPES TRUMP SUFFERS STROKE

She then noted the letter she received from Trump on his executive order withholding federal funding from PBS and NPR.

"The most sobering moment of the year, maybe even my life, was signing the lawsuit against the president," Kerger said. "I did feel the gravity of the moment. I mean, never in my life did I think that I would be signing a lawsuit against the President of the United States."

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER TO CEASE FUNDING FOR NPR AND PBS, CITES FIRST AMENDMENT

The effects of the pulled funding were immediate, pointing to the scrambled effort to fund its new PBS Kids show "Phoebe and Jay" and cancelling an initiative to provide American Sign Language for children's programming.

"Our stations were counting on that money. Eighty percent of the money that comes from the federal government actually doesn't go to me or to NPR, it goes to the stations. That's where that money goes," Kerger said, before citing "50%" of the budget at PBS-affiliated station like in Cookeville, Tennessee came from federal funding.

"We've laid off 100 people. I mean, we've had very deep cuts," she later revealed.

Kerger said she turned to famed documentarian Ken Burns to help sway votes in the Senate after a bill to defund public media passed in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.

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"I am very hesitant to ask someone like him to wade in on something like this because we try to protect our creative talent, but I was desperate at the end and I knew we were really, really close," Kerger said of Burns, who was sitting beside her at the Ideas Festival. "He made calls and we had the votes, and then there was a pause for about an hour and a half and my colleague Jeremy... he and I are talking and he said, 'I think we've got it. I think he pulled it out.' And then we didn't. And we lost by one vote."

Despite the turmoil she revisited, Kerger then shared the "good part of the story," which was the creating of a "runway" for stations who heavily relied on federal money with a fundraising effort dubbed the Bridge Fund, hoping it will provide them at least two years of funding. She also boasted the addition of "a million new members of Public Broadcasting Stations" since funding was pulled last July, adding that the majority of them contribute every month.

"This has not solved our problem, So I can say proudly we're still here... but it's up to all of us to make sure if this is something worth preserving that we're leaned in together," Berger added.

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CBS crew attacked by multiple men near Chicago museum, suspects arrested: police

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:35:47 -0400

A CBS News Chicago reporter and photographer were attacked Monday afternoon near the Adler Planetarium while preparing for a live report, according to the station and Chicago police.

The incident happened around 4:25 p.m. in the 900 block of East Solidarity Drive, near Adler Planetarium, Chicago Police told Fox News Digital.

Multiple men arrived in a truck before they allegedly exited the vehicle and rushed at the victims as they shouted racial slurs at one of the journalists, according to police.

CBS ANCHOR FRANTICALLY CALLS FOR DOCTOR AFTER CAMERAMAN SUFFERS MEDICAL EMERGENCY DURING LIVE BROADCAST

The men ordered a dog to attack the pair of journalists. But when the dog did not attack, the suspects began damaging their equipment, police said.

One of the suspects smashed the photographer's camera, and another smashed the windshield of the news truck, the outlet reported.

The two journalists escaped from the incident unharmed.

CHICAGO COP KILLING SUSPECT SENT BACK TO JAIL BY JUDGE WHO PREVIOUSLY FREED HIM UNDER CONTROVERSIAL BAIL LAW

"Two male victims, while standing on the sidewalk, were approached by multiple unknown male offenders who exited a white truck," police told Fox News Digital.

"One of the offenders directed a dog to attack a 54-year-old male victim while yelling slurs," police added. "When the dog did not attack, the male offender became irate and damaged the victim's property by throwing it on the ground. All the offenders re-entered the white truck and fled the scene in an unknown direction. There are no injuries reported."

Police then arrested multiple people in Brighton Park following a police chase, the outlet reported, adding that the incident involved a gun being pointed at another person.

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"We are shocked and horrified by this crime, and we are grateful that our journalists are safe," a spokesperson for CBS said in a statement.

The incident remains under investigation.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for comment.

Helicopter reports drone encounter near JFK hours after JetBlue's possible drone strike

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:29:41 -0400

A helicopter reported a possible drone encounter near John F. Kennedy International Airport Monday afternoon, marking the second such incident at the airport in a single day.

"A helicopter pilot flying near John F. Kennedy International Airport reported a remote-control airplane flew close to their aircraft," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

The sighting came just hours after a separate incident in which a JetBlue pilot reported a possible drone strike while the plane was approaching JFK for landing.

JFK air traffic control issued a warning to nearby pilots of an unauthorized unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operating in protected airspace, according to ATIS.guru, which collects live digital messages from airports around the world.

JETBLUE FLIGHT REPORTS DRONE STRIKE DURING APPROACH TO NEW YORK AIRPORT: FAA

According to the warning, a "red and white" remote-controlled airplane was spotted flying at roughly 4:05 p.m. local time.

It was observed at an altitude of 500 feet, placing it within the typical flight path of low-flying commercial aircraft approaching the airport, according to the ATIS warning.

The sighting was also reported about 1 mile from the Canarsie (CRI) navigation beacon, a key waypoint used by aircraft lining up to land at JFK.

AIR TRAFFIC AUDIO CAPTURES JETBLUE PILOT ALERTING CONTROLLERS: 'WE COLLIDED WITH A DRONE'

It is unclear whether the two cases are related.

The FAA notified local authorities about the report.

Flying a remote-controlled aircraft or drone near a major airport is illegal and poses a serious safety risk to aircraft operating in the area, according to the agency.

Earlier Monday morning, a JetBlue flight struck a drone at approximately 3,000 feet roughly 10 miles from JFK, the FAA said.

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Air traffic audio recordings indicate the encounter occurred above the cockpit.

The flight landed without incident, and a post-flight inspection did not reveal any damage to the aircraft, JetBlue said.

Colorado socialist candidate called 9/11 terror attacks 'inevitable' due to US foreign policy

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:00:59 -0400

Colorado Democratic Socialist candidate Melat Kiros recently argued how the 9/11 and 10/7 terror attacks were "inevitable" after U.S. and Israeli military actions in the Middle East.

In an interview with Colorado’s Next 9News on June 22, Kiros was asked about comments she made while appearing on far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker's show where she labeled the Hamas terror attack against Israel as "an inevitable consequence of apartheid, of occupation, decades of occupation."

Kiros pushed back on the idea that Israel "had it coming" but insisted that, from the context of the video, it was important to understand the "conditions" that led to the terror attack.

JAMES CARVILLE SAYS SOCIALIST DEMOCRAT SHOULDN'T BE IN THE PARTY, CALLS HER VIEWS 'A BRIDGE TOO FAR'

"It’s about understanding the conditions in which violence and war happen, right?" Kiros said. "Israel is a country that has been accused of apartheid and occupation for decades now and has been able to resist any kind of change despite all of the frustration on the world stage that people have had for the conditions that Palestinians have been living in."

9News journalist Kyle Clark followed by asking if she believed the 9/11 terror attacks were also an "inevitable consequence" based on its foreign policy.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS SEIZE THE MOMENT WITH EXTREME, ANTI-AMERICAN VIEWS THAT BADLY TARNISH THE PARTY

"Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle East, which led people to believe that another act of violence was the only response. And again, just like I said before, our responsibility is to get rid of those conditions that lead to violence in the first place," Kiros said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Kiros campaign for comment.

Before her campaign, Kiros was fired from her position at the Sidley Austin law firm in 2023 after publishing an open letter criticizing law firms, including her own, that called for action against antisemitism on college campuses.

BILL MAHER CALLS MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST ‘PATIENT ZERO’ OF THE ‘WOKE MIND VIRUS’

"By chilling future lawyers’ employment prospects for criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and its legitimacy, you are complicit in Israel’s weaponization of anti-Semitism against legitimate concerns for the right of self-determination and the livelihood of the Palestinian people. By conflating 'calls for the elimination of the Israeli state' with anti-Semitism, you delegitimize any solution that forces Israel to reckon with its colonial role in Palestine, including one-state solutions called for by Palestinians and Israelis alike — one state, under the historic Palestine, where all citizens are equal under the rule of law, regardless of religion or ethnicity," Kiros wrote.

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Kiros is also the latest in a growing list of candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to oust incumbent Democratic politicians ahead of the midterm elections.

Trump taps acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling for permanent role pending Senate confirmation

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:50:52 -0400

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to serve as U.S. labor secretary, sending his pick to the Senate for confirmation.

If confirmed, Sonderling would formally assume the Cabinet post after leading the Labor Department on an acting basis since former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer's departure in April. He would continue overseeing the department's efforts to enforce federal labor laws, administer workforce programs and implement the administration's employment agenda.

"It is my Great Honor to announce that I am nominating Keith E. Sonderling, the outstanding Acting United States Secretary of Labor, to be permanent," Trump announced on Truth Social. "Keith previously served as Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer and, during my First Term, worked at the U.S. Department of Labor as the Acting and Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.

"Throughout his career, Keith has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for the Hardworking People of our Country, and I know he will do an incredible job in his new role," Trump added.

ACTING LABOR SECRETARY SONDERLING: A FAST-TRACK WAY TO GET A JOB WITHOUT COLLEGE DEBT

Chavez-DeRemer left the Labor Department in April, when the White House announced Sonderling would serve as acting labor secretary.

ACTING LABOR SECRETARY SONDERLING: A FAST-TRACK WAY TO GET A JOB WITHOUT COLLEGE DEBT

Chavez-DeRemer's departure came after a whistleblower complaint accused her of having an affair with a member of her security detail, drinking on the job, creating a hostile work environment and directing staff to perform personal errands at taxpayer expense.

The Labor Department's inspector general is investigating the allegations, which also include claims that Chavez-DeRemer's husband made unwanted advances toward department officials and that family members routinely sent personal requests to young staffers, according to previous Fox News Digital reporting.

ACTING LABOR SECRETARY SONDERLING: A FAST-TRACK WAY TO GET A JOB WITHOUT COLLEGE DEBT

Reporting on the complaints indicates Chavez-DeRemer requested staff perform private errands for her and her husband, including picking up dry cleaning, purchasing wine and cleaning out the secretary's closet, while allegedly using threats to ensure compliance.

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Meanwhile, other complaints alleged drinking on the job and keeping stashes of liquor around the office, according to the New York Post, which first reported the complaints in January. Chavez-DeRemer has denied the allegations.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Democrats reportedly forced to 'grapple uncomfortably' with World Cup success under Donald Trump

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:50:47 -0400

In the months leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the expectation from many European soccer fans and left-wing media pundits was that the tournament would be a disaster.

Fans from around the world wouldn't want to visit the United States under President Donald Trump, they said. The stadiums in the US supposedly lacked the atmosphere of European venues, they argued. And logistics would be a nightmare, somehow, also because of Trump. Or something.

Fast forward to the late-June, the group stage has been completed, and the tournament has been widely acknowledged as an unmitigated success.

Fanbases from around the world, like Scotland and Norway, have taken over baseball games. Fans from The Netherlands have paraded down city streets. One German fan became an internet sensation after traveling around the South, enjoying American small town hospitality. He wound up being invited backstage to meet Ella Langley at a recent concert. England fans met with President Trump.

WORLD CUP FANS FALL IN LOVE WITH AMERICAN CULTURE, COMFORT FOOD CLASSICS

Turns out, fans still came to visit the US after all.

In fact, through just the group stage games, FIFA recently announced that the 2026 World Cup has already obliterated the previous attendance record. More than 4.6 million fans have gone to a game in the US, Mexico and Canada, exceeding the previous record of 3.5 million. Which was also set when the US hosted in 1994.

By any measure, this year's tournament has been a tremendous success. And Democrats are extremely unhappy about it.

DEMOCRATS BLASTED FOR PAINTING BLEAK PICTURE OF AMERICA WHILE WORLD CUP VISITORS RAVE ABOUT US

Politico reported recently that the left has been forced to "grapple uncomfortably" with how well the World Cup has gone.

"I think that there was a little bit of like liberal wishcasting that this would maybe be a disaster to sort of stick it to Trump," Rob Flaherty, digital Democratic strategist, told Politico. "It hasn't yet been."

Incredible. Democrats are so broken by politics they actually specifically hoped that the tournament would be a failure in order to criticize Donald Trump. Now that it hasn't been, they're devastated.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from Philadelphia, admitted the tournament had been a "remarkable success," and a "great moment. He also told Politico, "I’m excited about the U.S. hosting the World Cup, how well that it has gone, how receptive these foreign fan bases have been to finding out more about the United States and interacting with ordinary Americans."

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But even admitting that, he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the Trump administration had helped ensure this outcome.

"Let me be clear, my comments are irrespective of the Trump administration," he continued. "Frankly, his immigration policies for the last year and a half did scare some people off from coming to the United States."

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Sure. Which is why venue after venue has been full of fans from around the world and social media is overrun with Europeans, fans from Japan, and South America talking about how much they've enjoyed visiting the country and meeting the people.

But this is the modern left; incapable of accepting when Trump does something well. Unhappy when things aren't a "disaster," hopeful they can pin that disaster on the right. Unfortunately for them, the World Cup has been outstanding. And there's weeks worth of games left.