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Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett star in R-rated thriller ‘Verity,’ out Oct 2

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:42:32 -0400

A new trailer is out for Anne Hathaway's new movie "Verity."

Basic info:

Plot: Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh is hired as a ghostwriter for renowned author Verity Crawford under mysterious circumstances, but her assignment takes a dark turn after discovering chilling autobiographical notes. Faced with a series of deadly family secrets, Lowen struggles to separate fiction from reality, while also blurring the lines with Verity's husband, Jeremy.
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett
Rating: R
Director: Michael Showalter
Release date: Oct. 2, 2026
Source material: A novel written by Colleen Hoover

BEN AFFLECK DIRECTS, STARS IN NETFLIX KIDNAPPING THRILLER 'ANIMALS' COMING THIS OCTOBER

New 'Verity' trailer released

There's been some buzz about "Verity" going back to April, and that buzz is only going to grow after a new preview was released this week.

It appears the film will be a dark and very sinister psychological thriller that peels back many layers of deception and secrets.

There's also some.......content not appropriate for younger viewers! I have a feeling "Verity" absolutely earned its R-rating.

Give the preview a watch below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

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What do we all think about the preview? If the goal was to go viral and stir up some attention, then I think the mission was accomplished.

The cast is also stacked. Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett are an outstanding lineup. Hartnett is also having himself a year.

His new Netflix limited series "Below" comes out on Oct. 8. Lots of positive momentum for the veteran star.

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Overall, the premise is fascinating, the trailer is great and the buzz will only continue to get louder and louder.

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You can catch "Verity" in theaters starting October 2nd. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Things we bought that are worth every penny

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:17:15 -0400

Welcome to your weekly shopping guide, curated by the FOX News Deals team

FOX News Deals may be compensated for or earn a commission if you buy through our links.

Some purchases earn their keep, and this 7-quart Cuisinart Dutch oven is one of them. I use mine to bake bread and simmer chili, soups and sauces all year long. It's the kind of kitchen workhorse I turn to again and again. Right now, it’s 60% off at Wayfair, bringing the price down to just $99.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

By mid-August, we've all been tempted by enough summer sales. So this week, we're looking beyond the biggest markdowns and more on what’s actually worth your money. I asked our writers and editors to share the products they own that have earned their keep. — Caitlyn Martyn, Commerce Editor

Shop favorites that last beyond Labor Day, like coolers built for tailgates, camping trips and years of weekends away.

Stock your kitchen with cookware made to last, including the cast-iron skillet our editors reach for again and again.

Be ready when the power goes out with reliable flashlights, generators and tools worth keeping on hand.

DEAL OF THE WEEK

Editor's pick: Avenlur Date 4-in-1 Kitchen Tower & Desk: $101.15 (49% off) with code FOX15

Why it’s worth it: Save 49% on this Montessori-inspired helper tower with code FOX15 through Aug. 31. It gives toddlers a safe place to join kitchen activities, then converts into a desk, play seat or chalkboard.

3 ITEMS WE RECOMMEND

Here are three items our team owns, uses and recommends.

"This cotton-cashmere-blend sweater gives the perfect fall look without being too heavy. I love the loose sleeves, the lightweight feel and, of course, the color." — Kelsey Ramirez, Production/Updates Editor

"Layla’s Kapok pillow is firm but not too firm, and I don’t wake up with a sore neck. It’s adjustable, too." — Jenny Op’t Holt, VP of Commerce Partnerships

"The 16GB Amazon Kindle is so lightweight, I can bring my book everywhere. Plus, the Kindle Unlimited membership lets me access a large library of books anytime, anywhere." — Jaclyn Kaufman, Associate Production Editor

To find out more about what our team bought, check out our "Add to Cart" series.

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BIGGEST DISCOUNTS THIS WEEK

Clothing storage bins, six-pack ($16.99) — now 43% off: Pack and store summer clothes in these clear-paneled bins.

Air purifier for large rooms ($89.99) — now 68% off: Filter out airborne particles like dust and pet dander.

Steam cleaner ($49.99) — now 50% off: Deep-clean floors, furniture and more ahead of fall.

Kasa Smart Plug Mini ($12.99) — now 43% off: Turn standard outlets into smart ones to control lights and appliances with Alexa or Google Assistant.

Mattress topper ($37.89) — now 46% off: Add a plush layer of cushioning to a dorm bed or aging mattress.

ARTICLES WORTH YOUR ATTENTION

What to buy this Labor Day weekend — and what can wait until Black Friday

Blink security cameras and video doorbells start at just $22 at Best Buy

TOP SALES THIS WEEK

Best Buy

Save up to 50% on Blink security cameras, Ninja appliances and Lenovo laptops.

Siena

Take advantage of early Labor Day mattress sales and score up to 60% off Siena mattresses, starting at just $99.

DreamCloud

Right now, you can save up to 60% on DreamCloud mattresses and 66% on adjustable bed frame bundles.

College golfer delivers US Amateur upset with added pressure of having just one extra golf ball

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:01:26 -0400

Competing in the US Amateur, the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in the world, is already stressful enough. Showing up to the first tee to take on one of the top seeds in the field with just two golf balls to your name, well, that presents a whole new level of stress, and one that Ryder Cowan experienced at Merion Golf Club on Wednesday.

Cowan, a senior at Oklahoma, made his way through a 16-man playoff for 11 spots to earn the No. 59 seed in the 64-man match play bracket and drew junior phenom six-seed Miles Russell in his first match.

Despite entering the week ranked eighth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) fresh off of co-low amateur honors at the U.S. Open, Cowan was the underdog against Russell, who won't graduate high school until 2027.

TEENAGE GOLFER MILES RUSSELL DELIVERS HIS DAD AN ALL-TIME FATHER'S DAY EXPERIENCE DURING US OPEN FINAL ROUND

Russell is the top-ranked junior player in the world, ranked fourth in the WAGR, and has put together a junior career comparable to Tiger Woods.

Cowan was certainly aware of the situation, but it didn't allow it to phase him, at least not during his match against Russell. Prior to teeing off is a different story.

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According to Golf Channel's Brentley Romine, Cowan forgot to bring sleeves of new golf balls to the course, leaving him with one new golf ball and one "fairly used" one in his golf bag. He stuck with the new golf ball for the first 10 holes of the match before swapping to the used one.

The used golf ball came with a bit of magic, too, with Cowan chipping in for par on the 17th hole to pull off the upset against Russell 2&1. The Sooner actually flubbed his first chip shot on the Par 3 before holing his next attempt with pristine touch.

When you're one of the top amateur golfers on the planet, the stresses of playing with just one spare golf ball are different than if a 15 handicap pulled the same move.

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Just like professional golfers do, Cowan likely switches to a new golf ball a handful of times over the course of 18 holes, especially if he is hitting a lot of full wedge shots, which can cause serious wear and tear. There is also, of course, the possibility of hitting a cart path or even a tree, which can damage a golf ball enough to virtually make it unplayable when we're talking about the highest level of amateur player.

As for the 15 handicap, their biggest fear would be losing both golf balls and having to embarrassingly ask their playing partner for a spare.

California Dem ripped for 'perverted agenda' ahead of fundraiser at risqué nightclub

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:00:57 -0400

Marni von Wilpert, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California’s 48th Congressional District, is holding a fundraiser at a venue known for sexually suggestive branding and LGBTQ nightlife on Thursday evening.

The San Diego restaurant and nightclub, called the Gossip Grill, offers a series of adult-themed specials and events such as "Fi---r me Fridays," "Girls, Gays and Theys Sundays" and "Cabaret Drag Brunch Pride Extravaganza."

It also offers menu items like the "Foreplay" and the "happy ending."

DEMOCRATS TURN ON CONGRESSIONAL HOPEFUL AFTER 'HIDING' LGBTQ+ VIEWS FROM MUSLIM VOTERS

The upcoming event underscores Wilpert’s connection to the LGBTQ community and the attention she’s given the issue during her congressional campaign since she came out as bisexual a few years ago.

To one Republican observer, it’s a set of priorities that places an undue emphasis on sexuality.

"Out of touch Marni von Wilpert found the perfect headquarters for her radical campaign," Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"Her perverted agenda pushes hormone treatments on kids, shuts parents out and puts sexual content in front of young children. That dangerous agenda belongs in a nightclub, not Congress."

Wilpert lists "LGBTQ+ Rights" among her top priorities on her campaign website — alongside other priorities like restructuring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and penalties for companies with low wages.

On her website, she commits to making the topic a legislative focus at the federal level.

"In Congress, she will work to pass the Equality Act so the protections that Californians enjoy are guaranteed nationwide. She will face the attacks head-on, from bans on gender-affirming care to efforts to silence LGBTQ+ students in our schools," the website reads.

In the past, Wilpert has helped spearhead efforts to keep Pride-related materials in San Diego public libraries.

CHICAGO COLLEGE REMOVES LGBTQ PRIDE FLAG OVER INSTITUTIONAL NEUTRALITY CONCERNS

After an activist removed almost every gender-orientation-related book from a library in Rancho Peñasquitos in 2023, threatening to keep them until the county took down a Pride display, Wilpert led the charge to replace the books. Wilpert, then a city council member, also pressed to expand Pride displays in 36 San Diego public libraries.

"I’m frankly shocked by this because eliminating LGBTQ content from libraries is what you might expect in Mississippi, but never here in San Diego," she told The San Diego Tribune.

"Denying others the right to read LGBTQ-affirming books is just another way of telling LGBTQ people they don’t belong — and that’s dead wrong. Everyone has the right to read what they want, but absolutely no one has the right to keep others from reading books that reflect their experiences and backgrounds."

Her work with the library has attracted support in her congressional bid from groups like Equality California, which cited it as a basis of their endorsement.

"Throughout her career, Marni has been a champion for the LGBTQ+ community and the diverse communities that make up CA-48. As an out LGBTQ+ elected leader, her record on the San Diego City Council includes defending access to inclusive library resources and standing up to censorship and bigotry," the group said.

VULNERABLE DEM'S CAMPAIGN PITCH CLASHES WITH 'RADICAL' VOTING RECORD ON TOP CULTURE WAR ISSUE

She has also attracted endorsements from Equality PAC, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign — all LGBTQ-aligned networks.

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Wilpert did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on her choice of venue or whether she thought the themes at the establishment were appropriate for a congressional campaign.

Government made your burrito more expensive, and socialism will make it worse

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:00:18 -0400

Affordability, or rather the lack thereof, has been a core focus of Americans for many years. It played a major role in getting President Donald Trump elected in 2024. But as there hasn’t been much improvement in the day-to-day cost of living and prices generally continue to rise, many people are turning to those who caused the problem to be their savior — the government, via the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

The latest example is the widespread lamenting of the price of fast-casual meals, like burritos, across social media, with Americans complaining that they can’t even grab a quick handheld meal without it breaking the bank.

The cause, though, is always framed incorrectly. It’s blamed on capitalism or greedy companies. But the reality is that the cause is directly blamable on the government and the exact policies the Democratic Socialists are pushing.

SENATE CONFIRMS KEVIN WARSH AS FED CHAIR AS TRUMP'S ECONOMIC VISION COMES INTO FOCUS

The federal government has racked up around $40 trillion of debt, a number so large that it’s difficult to fathom. But for context, it’s more than seven times the size of the entire economy of Germany, the third-largest economy in the world. That $40 trillion debt load has been enabled by the Federal Reserve and its willingness to print money and monetize the debt, as it did during the COVID-19 era, adding trillions of dollars to its balance sheet.

In layman’s language, that means the government, with the Fed, have devalued the money you have earned and have wrecked your purchasing power.

At the state and local levels as well, bad laws and policies have added to the costs. Policies like increasing the minimum wage have had a direct effect on the cost of living. When wages are artificially increased at the lowest levels, that works its way up through a business, as an experienced business manager expects to make materially more than an entry-level worker with no skills.

As the base wages are pushed up, so are everyone else’s, not based on market dynamics and productivity, but by government mandate. To cover the increased costs, businesses raise prices. Workers may have higher wages, but their cost-of-living increases at an even faster pace, causing more unaffordability.

AOC-BACKED $25 MINIMUM WAGE PLAN SOUNDS GREAT — BUT AT WHAT COST?

Other policies that make it harder for businesses to open and to operate, from permitting to sales taxes to over-the-top compliance issues, all stunt growth and make living less affordable for consumers, a double hit on the economy.

The burrito costing more wouldn’t be so much of an issue if everything else wasn’t so expensive as well. Sure, you could bring your lunch to work, but that doesn’t solve the inflation seen in the cost of housing, healthcare, other insurance, education and, of course, taxes as well. These rising costs are all the direct result of government intervention in one way or another.

The frustration over the lack of affordability and upward mobility opportunities is causing more people, especially young people, to find any solution. Desperate people take desperate measures, even if they fundamentally make no sense, because they feel like they don’t have much to lose. This has seen more Americans turn to entities like the DSA for help, which is patently ridiculous, since their solution is more government intervention. It’s like asking the fox to guard the henhouse or an arsonist to help you put out the fire they caused.

But that’s the reality we face. The current administration has not prioritized the economy and economic affordability in a way that has resonated with a broad swath of Americans, many who are now turning to DSA utopian promises – or, perhaps dystopian promises – for help.

BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS

Both parties are to blame for overspending and destroying purchasing power. The GOP hasn’t delivered on affordability over the past couple of years, and unfortunately, this means that Democratic socialists will capitalize on the miss.

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While government across the board has made life more expensive, more Democratic socialists in government will make life even more costly and could even cost us our country.

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That’s more than a burrito problem, that’s an everything problem. Less government, not more, is the only solution.

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Victoria's Secret might've rejected Rachel Pizzolato, but she's not giving up, 'Big Dad Energy' & dorm update

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:54:26 -0400

For the love of god ... please stop raining! As I sit here pumping out another edition of Thursday Screencaps, it's cloudy, it's wet and it's supposed to rain ... again... later today, which will make four straight days of downpours.

Let's get the day started with news that Victoria's Secret rejected Rachel Pizzolato, the Instagram and YouTube star, and Screencaps favorite, who rose to fame for changing the oil in her Hyundai. She's also handy enough to fix toilets.

"I might've gotten rejected, but who cares, it doesn't matter because I showed my face, I had an amazing time with the audience and I met beautiful girls who basically have the same traits and desires and drive as I have," Pizzolato said.

SYDNEY SWEENEY AND LIVVY DUNNE FORM ALLIANCE AS LINGERIE WAR WITH VICTORIA'S SECRET OFFICIALLY HEATS UP

While Vicky Secret might not have signed Pizzolato, she's not giving up on the brand that is having a massive resurgence. She says the rejection has "turned into redirection, and I’m never giving up on my dream to be [an] Angel."

That's smart, because if you guys haven't been paying attention, VS is on fire. The stock is up 74% year-to-date and 311% over the last 112 months. The brand was was pretty much left for dead a year ago.

Enter new CEO Hillary Super. She was hired in September 2024 and quickly figured out that Victoria's Secret's "woke washing" was killing the company.

"That natural human reaction is to want to stay out of controversy," Super told Fortune in February of the company's woke era. "Victoria’s Secret was so cautious, it stopped bragging altogether—even about being a go-to destination for bra fittings."

Is Victoria's Secret totally ditching the woke era? We'll see this fall when it holds the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. As of last fall, the brand was still featuring at least one biological male in lingerie during its show.

LANDRY KIFFIN & HER MOM GET INTO GAME SHAPE FOR THE UPCOMING SEC SEASON, CORN BATS, PLUS A LLWS TANK

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VEGAS LITTLE LEAGUE PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF SPENDING LEAGUE MONEY ON STRIP CLUBS AND ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION MEDS

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Don't take it from me that the Little League kids you're watching are travel ball kids...take it from a guy whose son has played with kids who will be playing in Williamsport

– Matt in Phenix City, AL shares: Joe, as a resident of Phenix City, AL and a parent of a child that PLAYED rec league with most of the kids on the current team out of Phenix City, I can assure you that every single one of those kids plays travel ball.

They strictly join the league to meet the requirements for all-star tournaments/little league World Series. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of times these kids missed practices (sometimes even actual games) because of their travel ball commitments.

Or worse, parents wouldn’t let them pitch for the rec league team because they had a travel ball game the next day/pitched the previous day at travel ball. Made for great practices when you’ve only got 10-12 kids on the team and you’re lucky to get even 8 or 9 to actually show up for practice. The best time for rec league? Fall ball. Fewer teams, no travel ball weirdos, and kids that want to actually be there to learn and get better without losing a spot to some kid who’s parents sign them up to play the bare minimum to qualify for the LL tournaments.

PERCEPTION IS REALITY, AND THE SEC NEEDS TO START WINNING AGAIN BEFORE IT CONTINUES TO PUFF OUT ITS CHEST

Admittedly, my son wasn’t the greatest or most athletic kid out there but you know what? He was out there for every practice and every game. How are the kids like that supposed to grow and learn to love the game when they lose out on playing opportunities to the part-timers? It stopped being fun for him when he realized that no matter what he did he was stuck.

Kinsey: Don't let ESPN warp your brain over the next two weeks. You're watching a travel ball tournament. This idea that you're watching a bunch of scrappy kids who've spent their summer playing with nose pickers in right field couldn't be further from the truth. This is all smoke and mirrors from Little League and ESPN. At this point, ESPN is pretty much just renting the Little League brand to hold a made-for-TV tournament to fill TV time in August. And they don't have to pay the labor.

And why doesn't Little League increase the field size these kids are playing on? Because the made-for-TV product wouldn't be as spectacular. And they'd have to change the size of the fields in Williamsport. That's not happening.

This is what happens when suburban moms who've named their kids Kannon, Kommander, or some other name that's been bastardized, decorate their son's dorm room

– Will in Mississippi on Yankees attending SEC schools: This post from you really hit home with me. I'm surprised that there wasn't a percentage at Mississippi State from 2004 and that the percentage in 2024 is that low.

URBAN MEYER, COLIN COWHERD SAY BIG TEN VENUES AND FANS HAVE CAUGHT UP AND 'BYPASSED THE SEC'

I reality question that number. When I was in school at MSU in the mid 80s studying civil engineering, there were very few out of state students in that department but the few that I remember were from "Southern" states. Tennessee and Florida and a few foreign students. There were many non American students in other fields, usually agriculture related since MSU is an engineering and agriculture centrict university. Of course this was 40 years ago and things change.

My son goes to Ole Miss and he has complained about the amount of non Mississippi students that attend Ole Miss. For some reason, he especially complains about the students from New Jersey, New York and that part of the US. Two of his apartment roommates last year were from Virginia and Texas and he had no problems with them. One thing to understand about Ole Miss right now is that the Chancellor has opened the admissions floodgates for the tuition money. The acceptance rate is extremely high, like 90%. Ole Miss (which requires freshmen to live in a dorm) doesn't have enough dorm rooms for students or enough parking on campus for students. Parking passes for the year cost anywhere between $200 and $600 or maybe higher.

BTW, you talked about the Ole Miss vs, LSU game in September, I'll try to get a report on the day from my son but he'll be pre-gaming in the Grove so I can't promise anything on that.

Kinsey: I believe it was 12 years ago when our neighbors told us their daughter was going to Alabama. I remember it catching me off-guard because it wasn't common yet for Ohio high school students to attend SEC schools just because. Now? It's completely common. I just saw this morning that a woman I grew up with is sending her son off to Ole Miss today.

THESE ONCE-ANNUAL COLLEGE RIVALRIES USED TO DEFINE COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND NEED TO MAKE A COMEBACK ASAP

Those numbers above are up to 2024. Wait until we get 2025 and 2026 numbers.

As for the neighbor's daughter, she lasted a year at Bama, I believe, and then enrolled at Ohio State.

– Brandon in NW Houston provides an update on how his wife decorated his son's dorm room. It turns out Brandon overreacted. His wife didn't go nuts: I need to amend last weeks email. The wife did an awesome job and the stuff she was buying ended up being all practical. I think she spent about $400-$500 dollars and it was all storage/quality of life stuff, no fancy smancy curtains or wallpaper.

I've sent a Pic of his room. His roommate hasn't moved in yet so his side is a good "before" pic.

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

Pretty simple but 100% better than my 12x12dormin 1991-1993. Ahhhh even with a crappy room those were some days ever.

Is it psychopathic behavior to wear a Q-zip with no shirt underneath...in August?

I believe we've addressed Cig going with this look during the CFB Playoff, which was crazy, but now we're getting this look in August when most coaches will go with a sweat-wicking polo or some performance shirt. Not Cig.

What's going on in your backyard?

– Marty in Idaho proves yet again that he's living in some sort of Jack Hanna fantasy world. This is his yard: I loved the video a couple days ago with the bear and black wolf. Much happens in the mountains out west that city dwellers don't often get to see so I hope 'cappers enjoy the content. This morning I had about 25 elk behind the house and a couple went up on their hind legs to play fight. Had never seen that before. These are pretty big animals; average adult weight for males and females is 700 and 500 pounds. For reference, if you watched the my previous video of mountain lions feeding, that was in the patch of green grass on the right edge of this video. What's left of the carcass is still there.

– 'Sheriff' John in Houston emails: The subject of driving in the rain with your hazards on got my attention. Drives me crazy. Your hazard lights are supposed to be used when your car is stationary (stopped) at the side of the road and could be a hazard to other drivers. That's it.

Other traffic laws I've noticed that just aren't enforced anymore:

- Having non-white colored lights on the front of your vehicle. Yellow or blue was bad, but now I've seen RED headlights. Just dumb. How do these idiots just don't know how dangerous that is?

- Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk or riding a bicycle on the shoulder AGAINST traffic where oncoming traffic can't see you until the last minute, especially if there's a headlight on your bike and now it looks like there is someone coming towards you in the wrong lane.

- Rolling your bicycle through a stop sign. Yeah, it's hard work to stop your bike and start again. Tough crap. I'd also get better gas mileage in my car if I blew through stop signs, but that doesn't mean I can ignore the sign if there is no traffic.

- Walking or running in the road when there is a sidewalk. (You've already touched on this one before.)

- Rolling through stop signs when making a right turn.

- Closely related to that is just pulling out and turning left into oncoming traffic. Drives me crazy. We live on a semi-rural highway down from a fairly large subdivision and I'm convinced people think the highway ends there and there's no need to look to the right. They just pull out into highway traffic. Just awful.

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure your readers will have others.

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Should I buy the 180 year old jail that's for sale in my town?

– Mark J. has a suggestion: Joe, buy it! That thing would be a great speakeasy! Keep one cell intact so if some loser gets out of hand, he gets tossed in the "drunk tank" What an opportunity! Hell I would even make a detour on my next visit back to the O-H just to visit it!

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And that is a wrap on this Thursday morning. I'm fired up. I might still be furious over Indiana beating MY Buckeyes in the B1G title game, but it's impossible not to get fired up for a day of work when Cignetti content pops up.

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Channel your inner Cig today and go get after it.

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Packers starters to open against Steelers backups as preseason football betting edges emerge

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:46:56 -0400

There are two schools of thought when it comes to betting on preseason football. In one camp, people think that you shouldn’t bet on it because you don’t always know who is playing; it is a lot of guys who are trying to make teams, and mistakes can happen when you don’t really know the players. The other camp says all of the coaches are actually telling you who will play and likely how much, which allows you to get some further indication – for example, if a starting unit is going to play against backups, there should be an edge. Personally, I like betting on stuff, so I’m going to bet on a few things from this slate.

Packers vs. Steelers

Here is a prime example of the coach giving you some information in advance: Head coach Matt LaFleur said that his starters will start the game, getting some opening snaps, and then most will leave. Jordan Love should get a touchdown drive or at least a scoring drive to start the game. The Steelers have already confirmed that most starters will not play in this opening game. The question then becomes how long does Tyrod Taylor play? I have to imagine that the Packers backup gets at least a quarter of work in. Give me the Packers to score over 19.5 points in this one.

LIONS ANNOUNCE TEDDY BRIDGEWATER HAS RETIRED AGAIN, LEAVING TEAM IN MIDDLE OF TRAINING CAMP

Lions vs. Bengals

As much as I’d love to see a shootout between Joe Burrow and Jared Goff, we will have to wait for a regular season showdown for that to happen. Neither of these two is likely to get a ton of work in. It wouldn’t surprise me if both played a couple of reps. Goff has a new offensive coordinator, and Burrow is almost always an injury risk. The Lions have an interesting situation, though. Joshua Dobbs is new to the team, signing just two days ago. He did work with the new Lions coordinator, Drew Petzing, in 2023 in Arizona. I have to imagine his signing had a bit to do with that. The Lions also might consider working Luke Altmyer out. He is battling to be the No. 2 quarterback for Detroit.

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How will the Cincinnati backup situation look? Joe Flacco is somewhere between 35 and 78 years old. He is still an effective quarterback, but my point is this: How much preseason action does a guy this old actually need? I’d argue it won’t be much. I expect to see Josh Johnson and Sean Clifford. I’m taking the 6.5 points with the Lions, and probably will put a sprinkle on the moneyline.

Cardinals vs. Raiders

The Arizona Cardinals have already played a preseason game, and it was pretty fun to watch. That was the Hall of Fame Game, and they had Carson Beck start that one. I’m not sure if he will be in this one or if Gardner Minshew will get a look or two. Beck looked good in his time with the Cardinals. In his debut, he went 15-for-19 with 188 yards and a touchdown. I am a bit interested to see if Jacoby Brissett or Minshew get action, but I also want to see how much they put out Jeremiyah Love. Marvin Harrison Jr. needs to be out there because he has looked awful.

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The Raiders will be one of the more fun teams to watch because they had the No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, come into the league. In case you don’t remember, it was Mendoza’s team that beat Beck’s in the College Football Playoff Championship last year. He will almost certainly start or get at least a full quarter or two worth of work. Kirk Cousins could start and get a few reps, but I think that helps the total here. I think there will be plenty of offense to go around in this one and I like this game to go over 41.5 points.

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

Trump heads toward unlikely clash with close ally over future of multibillion-dollar industry

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:00:52 -0400

DALLAS — The artificial intelligence boom is fueling a data center rush in Texas and opening a rare divide between President Donald Trump and one of his closest political allies — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Projects bringing billions of dollars in investment to Texas also create enormous demand for electricity, raising questions over who will be on the hook to pay for potential power grid impacts. Abbott has moved to address those concerns, directing regulators to ensure data centers cover the infrastructure costs needed to serve them and calling on developers to add their own power generation rather than shift costs onto Texas residents.

Trump isn't happy with Abbott's approach and called the Lone Star State's stance toward data centers a "mistake," pointing to the economic investment the projects can bring to communities willing to host them.

TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT EFFECTIVELY PAUSES NEW DATA CENTER PROJECTS PENDING STATEWIDE GRID AUDIT

The president has made energy dominance and U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence central pillars of his second term.

"For Texas to say no to data centers is a mistake in the sense that it could be bigger than oil," Trump told Punchbowl News in an interview published Friday.

"Data centers could be bigger than oil," he predicted.

Texas has become a focal point of that debate as soaring demand for the computing power behind artificial intelligence and cloud services drives a wave of data center development across the state.

Neither the White House nor Abbott's office responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the departure between the two on data centers.

Dallas now ranks as the world’s No. 1 primary data center market, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s 2026 Global Data Center Market Comparison. The ranking underscores the Lone Star State's rapid rise as companies seek the land and electricity needed to support artificial intelligence.

The firm said the state is growing at a pace that could eventually rival or surpass Virginia, currently the world’s largest data center market by operating capacity.

A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES

That growth, however, has intensified scrutiny of the strain large-scale facilities place on Texas' power system.

Balaji Tammabattula, chief operating officer of BaRupOn, which is developing a data center campus in Texas, told Fox News Digital that Trump's recent pushback on the governor was "really helpful." He said companies have already committed significant amounts of money to projects in Texas based in part on the state's historically business-friendly environment.

"A lot of companies made huge investments into Texas, and now all of a sudden he [Abbott] changed his stance," Tammabattula said. "That, I think, could be a problematic situation going forward."

Tammabattula explained that BaRupOn's 700-acre campus is somewhat insulated from the growing fight over grid access because its Houston-area campus is being built to generate its own power rather than rely on the state's electric grid.

TRUMP'S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER

Tammabattula said BaRupOn began building its own infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines and turbines, to create what he called an "islanded power campus."

"Even if we want to connect it to the grid, we don’t have a pathway for the next three years," he said.

That constraint could now work in BaRupOn’s favor as Texas pushes data centers to rely more heavily on their own power generation. Tammabattula said the company has advocated for on-site power generation, known as behind-the-meter power, for more than a year as a way to meet the enormous electricity demands of data centers without adding to the strain on the grid.

"For us, it definitely is beneficial because it proves what we’ve been trying to say for the last one and a half, two years," he said.

Tammabattula also acknowledged the concerns fueling opposition to the industry’s rapid expansion, particularly the possibility that the cost of supplying massive amounts of electricity to new facilities could fall on residents.

ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST MANUFACTURERS SAYS AI IS CREATING JOBS — NOT REPLACING THEM

The challenge for Texas is finding a way to accommodate an industry pouring billions of dollars into the state without leaving residents to shoulder the costs of the infrastructure needed to support it.

Tammabattula said the tension is unlikely to disappear as demand for data centers continues to grow.

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"These data centers have to be built," he said. "Until an actual solution comes up, this is going to continue for the long term."

"And in my opinion, that has to come from the government."

WWE star names 'funny and hot' actress she wants to step into the ring with

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:36:16 -0400

Celebrities’ involvement in professional wrestling has been highlighted more over the last two years.

Travis Scott got involved at WrestleMania 41 to help John Cena win his 17th WWE championship, Jelly Roll has had multiple matches in the ring, and Lil Yachty has been the mouthpiece for Trick Williams.

COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON FOX NEWS DIGITAL

Blake Monroe, who is currently on WWE’s "SmackDown" roster, recently named one celebrity she would like to get in the ring with as celebrity appearances become more common.

She told Love Wrestling before SummerSlam that she recently watched a movie featuring actress Jennifer Lawrence, which appeared to be "No Hard Feelings," and thought she would be a good fit.

"I’ve said this, and I got a bit of a weird reaction when I said it – Jennifer Lawrence," Monroe said. "So, there was a movie I watched. I still don’t know the name of it. She dates a kid, and he’s like a bit of a loser. She’s older. … She dates like a kid. He’s like a bit of a nerd.

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"She takes him skinny-dipping on the beach and these kids steal their clothes, and she goes and beats them up, and she’s butt-naked giving out perfectly formed Saito suplexes. So, I’m like, I think she would be really, really good. And she’s so funny and hot. So, Jennifer Lawrence, if you want to fight me or fight with me, you know where to come."

Monroe has made multiple vignettes ahead of her highly anticipated in-ring debut on the main roster but has yet to have a match. She made one appearance on "Friday Night SmackDown" in June, taking out Giulia.

She last went up against Tatum Paxley, challenging her for the NXT Women’s North American Championship in a casket match on April 21. She lost the match, and it appeared "SmackDown" was going to be the next step.

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Paxley recently made her first appearance on "Friday Night SmackDown," coming to the aid of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss as Flair took on Jade Cargill.

Harvard-China links unearthed as Congress finds 140 papers co-authored by CCP military universities

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:00:40 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: Harvard allegedly failed to adequately safeguard research collaborations with Chinese institutions, including universities tied to Beijing’s military and defense-industrial base, according to a report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Researchers affiliated with the New England Ivy League co-authored more than 140 publications with other researchers affiliated with a group of Chinese universities, according to the report reviewed by Fox News Digital ahead of its public release.

The "Seven Sons of National Defense" are a group of Chinese universities identified by the Pentagon and other U.S. officials as central to China’s defense research and military modernization efforts. The House Committee created to crackdown on China argues that Harvard’s approach to research security opened the door for collaborations that could advance technological and military capabilities of the hostile nation.

Harvard also reportedly received more than $600 million from China under the federal Section 117 foreign-gift disclosure system — more than any other American university, according to the Education Department dashboard cited in the report. The committee argues the U.S. university's financial ties to China heighten the need for strict oversight of its research partnerships and foreign-funding disclosures.

HARVARD TOPS NATION IN FOREIGN CASH HAUL AS COTTON DEMANDS PROBE INTO CHINA FUNDING

The stakes in the latest report extend far beyond Harvard. U.S. officials have warned for years that China uses academic partnerships and access to Western research to advance CCP strategic capabilities in military, surveillance and other areas.

The House Select Committee on China argues that universities receiving U.S. taxpayer funding must do more than meet the narrowest legal requirements when collaborating with institutions embedded in China’s military research system, particularly when it comes to technology with potential defense or military uses.

The report highlights a 2023 paper on bio-inspired soft robots for deep-sea exploration co-authored by a Harvard-affiliated researcher and a researcher from Beihang University, one of the Seven Sons institutions. Beihang, also known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has appeared on the Commerce Department’s Entity List since 2001.

The committee report argues the work examined in the paper has potential military applications, including underwater detection, while Harvard’s research-compliance office characterized the project as nonmilitary research.

FOREIGN ROBOT BAN TARGETS CHINA OVER SECURITY FEARS

Harvard researchers also co-authored a 2023 paper with a researcher at China’s National University of Defense Technology, another institution on a U.S. restricted list, according to the report. That study involved magnetic materials and acknowledged partial support from the U.S. Army Research Office.

The committee said it reviewed publications spanning dozens of disciplines and found that engineering accounted for the largest share of Harvard-affiliated research involving Seven Sons institutions.

"From allowing violence against anti-China protestors to collaborating with entities linked to the PLA, Harvard has made serious mistakes and must act now to prevent more. It should use this investigation as a catalyst for significant reforms that end CCP influence on campus and prioritize secure American research," Committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said in a statement.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Harvard said it "shares the Committees’ concern about geopolitical risks, including threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and is committed to continuing to conduct research and academic programming with protections that prioritize U.S. interests and national security."

"Harvard follows national security standards and guidance set by the federal government for its international collaborations," a university spokesperson said. "Additionally, where appropriate, federal agencies who are best able to assess real-time national security risks work with Harvard to put in place agency approved risk mitigation measures for federally funded research."

"Harvard disagrees with mischaracterizations that fail to reflect the University’s documented record of compliance, cooperation, and commitment to protecting and advancing U.S. interests, national security, and global standing," the spokesperson continued.

The report also examines Harvard’s executive education program with China’s National Healthcare Security Administration, which trained Chinese health officials on international health-insurance systems.

READ THE COMMITTEE REPORT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

According to the report, attendance and registration records show officials affiliated with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, or XPCC, were listed in connection with some sessions. The Treasury Department sanctioned XPCC in 2020 over human-rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

The report acknowledges it is unclear whether XPCC officials ultimately attended every program in question.

It alleges, however, that Harvard had advance participant information for a 2020 online session that included XPCC-affiliated officials and did not take further action.

Harvard professor Winnie Yip, who helped organize the executive education program, told committee investigators she did not know XPCC was a sanctioned entity at the time and had not received training on sanctions compliance, according to the report.

The report further alleges Harvard’s research-security practices focused too narrowly on technical legal compliance and failed to account for broader national-security risks posed by work with Chinese military-linked institutions.

It cites testimony from a Harvard research official, who said the university evaluates research collaborations case by case and does not prohibit all work involving robotics or Chinese institutions. The committee criticized that approach, arguing research with entities embedded in China’s military-civil fusion system can have military applications even when the research is unclassified and intended for publication.

The committee's report also raises questions about Harvard Global Research and Support Services, a nonprofit affiliated with the university that can accept awards when Harvard is unable to accept a sponsor’s terms directly. The panel alleges the entity could be used to circumvent federal foreign-gift reporting requirements, an allegation Harvard will likely dispute.

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The report recommends that Harvard prohibit research relationships with entities on U.S. government restricted or sanctioned lists and centralize its research-security oversight. It also urges Congress to strengthen foreign-funding disclosure requirements for universities.

Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Why Jews hold the key to Michigan Senate race

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:13:51 -0400

Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:
- Key voting bloc in Michigan Senate race: terrified Jews
- El-Sayed touts endorsement from pastor who praised Jew-hating Farrakhan
- Democratic Michigan AG accuses her party of 'absolutely not' doing enough to counter antisemitism

TOP STORY: Lifelong Michigan Democrats are threatening a massive party betrayal. Terrified Jewish voters—alarmed by progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s anti-Zionist rhetoric—are fleeing to Republican Mike Rogers for self-preservation. Representing over 100,000 voters in a state decided by just 19,000 votes in 2024, this shocking Jewish backlash could completely derail Democrats and flip the Senate red.

VIDEO: Aerial video captures the sprawling 2,000-year-old reservoirs that once supplied Jerusalem with water and are now at the center of a dispute over preservation, heritage and sovereignty. WATCH HERE:

LOUIE CONNECTION: Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed is under fire after boasting about the endorsement of Detroit pastor Horace Sheffield III. The catch? Sheffield once hailed notorious, antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as a "truth teller." To make matters worse, El-Sayed's campaign dropped $75,000 on Sheffield's nonprofit for "consulting." Desperate ploy for votes or toxic baggage?

PARTY PARANOIA: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is blasting her own party, boycotting the upcoming Democratic convention over security fears. The state's top legal officer slammed party leaders for failing to combat antisemitism and shockingly allowing members facing criminal charges for antisemitic threats to attend. Nessel says the party is abandoning civil discourse—making the August gathering a powder keg.

STARVATION SLANDER: Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon is blasting claims that Israel deliberately starved Gazans as a complete "blood libel" fed by Hamas propaganda. A fresh UN-backed survey blew the lid off the narrative, revealing child malnutrition has plummeted to pre-war levels. Danon slammed anti-Israel critics for relying on fake terrorist data while Hamas actively hijacked and marked up aid.

GUEST EDITORIAL: George Deek, Israel's first special envoy to the Christian world, writes that, while Israel faces anti-Christian extremism that demands prosecution, these isolated acts do not define the nation. Unlike the declining Christian populations across the Middle East, Christians in Israel are thriving, growing, and fully integrated—serving as judges, diplomats, and leaders—proving that localized bigotry does not reflect the country's true character.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Right now, however, it feels as though extremism on the left is not only becoming louder, but increasingly normalized. That has created a frightening moment for American Jews and certainly for the Jewish community here in Michigan." - Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in suburban Detroit.

- Looking for more on this topic? Find more antisemitism coverage from Fox News here.

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Mamdani shrugs off AOC's 'Woke 1' comments, but critic says progressives can't be absolved of 'radical' past

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:13:07 -0400

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked Wednesday during a press conference about his thoughts on whether the "Woke 1" era was "crazy," following Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., going viral for her recent comments.

"I have a local city councilman that has this saying, 'Woke 1 was crazy,'" Ocasio-Cortez said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, adding, "And I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now."

In response, Mamdani emphasized that people can "change" and "develop" their beliefs while adding that he does not support things like defunding the police.

FRANCESCA HONG ASKED ABOUT LACK OF AOC ENDORSEMENT AND THE HOUSE DEM'S REMARK ABOUT THE 'WOKE 1' ERA

"Look, I think that each person has a responsibility to tell New Yorkers, to tell Americans when they're running for office what they believe," Mamdani said. "And sometimes, what you believe can change. It can develop. It can grow. And I know that there are some for whom they still believe in that."

"I've made very clear that I do not believe in defunding the police, that I will not be defunding the police, and that to me, delivering critical public safety also looks like working with our police department alongside many other partners," he said.

"And we've seen over the first seven months of this administration what that can look like when we're talking about the fewest murders on record in New York City, the fewest shooting incidents on record in New York City," Mamdani continued.

During a Friday radio appearance, the New York City mayor put distance between his administration and the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA's) abolition platform, defending police, prisons and jails.

AOC TRIES TO LAUGH OFF 'CRAZY' WOKE ERA AS THING OF THE PAST, BUT CONSERVATIVES AREN'T AMUSED

While praising the efforts of the NYPD, he emphasized that public safety should not come at the expense of justice.

"I would say, especially when it comes to public safety, I've been very clear that we have our police force, we have prisons, we have jails [and] the purpose of these is also to ensure that we are delivering safety and justice hand in hand. And what that means is that New Yorkers need not choose between the two," Mamdani said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor's office for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Though Mamdani told the press on Wednesday that he does not believe in defunding the police and distanced himself from his past comments he had previously come under fire for several past tweets that explicitly called to defund or dismantle the New York Police Department.

"We don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD. But your deal with [New York City mayor] uses budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts - defund the police," he posted on June 28, 2020.

In December of the same year, he also called for it to be "dismantled."

AOC'S ATTEMPT TO DISMISS 'WOKE 1' AS 'CRAZY' DRAWS CRITICISM FROM LEFT-LEANING OUTLETS

"All this misery. All for money. In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused. There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence," he wrote.

In a comment to Fox News Digital, New York State Republican Party Communications Director David Laska said Mamdani was attempting to ignore the "radical extremism" of the past.

"Americans will never forget and never forgive the radical extremism of the 'woke' era, in which countless people had their livelihoods ripped away for espousing conservative values, including the overwhelmingly popular positions that men have no place in women’s spaces and that our border should be secure," Laska said.

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He added, "How ironic, and how utterly shameless, that the same people who perpetrated that evil are now the ones asking us to not hold their past statements against them. Americans are too smart to fall for it. We see radical DSA candidates lying about their views once they start running for office because they know that Americans would reject them."

Laska continued, "Zohran Mamdani is a defund-the-police, Hamas-supporting radical socialist. We know that because he’s told us — and the only way to fight back is to vote Republican up and down the ballot in November."

Franesca Hong taunted by fellow Democrat over loss: 'It's a day of Thanksgiving'

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:12:33 -0400

Commentators on all sides of politics took a victory lap after left-wing candidate Francesca Hong was narrowly defeated in her closely watched Democratic primary, with one Democrat even taunting her over her Thanksgiving gaffe.

Hong, a state lawmaker from Madison and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), was defeated by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who topped her by a razor-thin margin after polling showed her as the seeming favorite.

She drew brief, intense national scrutiny amid the rise of far-left candidates and democratic socialists across the country, particularly for her past rhetoric about culture-war issues like wanting to "cancel" Thanksgiving and having to back off calls to abolish the U.S. Senate and the police.

After her narrow defeat, Rep. Tom Suozzi., D-N.Y., joked in a statement he sent to CNN, "Let’s just say it’s a day of Thanksgiving."

DEMOCRAT ESTABLISHMENT STRIKES BACK AS SOCIALIST CANDIDATE DOWNED IN BATTLEGROUND PRIMARY

Democratic strategist Anna Greenberg told CNN that Hong "was a bad candidate without national support," warning, "Candidate quality matters!!"

Other political figures blasted Hong’s loss as well, arguing her candidacy and defeat was part of a larger phenomenon.

"Some commentators thought she might not have lost if she hadn't granted interviews to national media outlets at the end, where she had to explain hating Thanksgiving. But if a few minutes of interviews sinks your entire campaign, how talented were you?" the Media Research Center's Tim Graham told Fox News Digital. "The broadcast networks have been extremely slow to notice the DSA candidates in all of these states. They ignored Graham Platner and his Nazi tattoo for months on end. They ignored Hong until about a week before the primary."

"It feels like she treated these national interviews as a step toward the general election, not a reason to get fired in the primary," he added. "It's always funny that the definition of a 'moderate' Democrat is anyone who can celebrate Thanksgiving and deplore 9/11."

SOCIALIST FRONTRUNNER IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER 'CANCEL THANKSGIVING' POST EMERGES ONLINE

Former Trump official Theo Wold argued the fact Hong came close to victory at all is a dire warning for Republicans.

"Any Republican who thinks the DSA wave has crested or that DSA candidates can’t win outside of urban areas isn’t paying attention. The correct way to understand last night’s results is that a radical Leftist, with policy views more akin to Trotsky than Jimmy Carter, nearly prevailed in one of the nation’s most closely watched swing states," he told Fox News Digital. "Hong’s radical views, like those of AOC or Ilhan Omar, are persuasive to a large number of voters, especially naturalized foreign nationals. What Hong lacked was nearly any support from working-class Americans."

"The pattern is always the same. DSA candidates run on a platform that they say is for the working class, and then get firmly rejected by actual working-class voters. Because it turns out, socialism is a luxury belief for wealthy, college-educated liberals that people who work with their hands can't afford," he added. "The working-class communities I grew up in just want to work a good job and live a good life. They don't want a politician telling them we need to cancel Thanksgiving or that a Master’s Degree means an expert can organize other people’s lives better."

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Fox News Digital contacted Hong's campaign for comment.

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Hong conceded the race to Crowley this week and pledged to support him as he faces Republican Tom Tiffany in the general election. Republicans are trying to win their first governor's race in Wisconsin since 2014.

UK ‘in free fall’ on free speech, expert warns as British MP brands Trump admin grant 'MAGA money meddling'

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:08:08 -0400

The U.S. Embassy in London is offering up to $500,000 in grants to bolster shared values between the United States and the United Kingdom, including freedom of speech, due process and limited government, but at least one British critic is rejecting the offered funding as "MAGA money meddling."

Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart framed the grant as "Trump’s MAGA money meddling in democracy," in a quote to The Guardian.

"We have a proud tradition of liberty and freedom of speech in this country," Smart added.

That tradition, according to free speech defenders, is under threat across the pond.

BIBLE VERSE LEADS TO TRIAL IN EUROPE. GROWING CRACKDOWN THREATENS OUR US-UK VALUES

"It is a true free speech disaster in the U.K., and they don't even seem to know what's happening," Greg Lukianoff, president of the nonpartisan Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), told Fox News Digital.

Lukianoff posited that the U.K.'s current attitude to free speech means it needs all the help that it can get.

"Whether the help is coming from JD Vance or Trump or maybe some future Democrat who sees the light on this stuff, the U.K. should be accepting help on freedom of speech because they are in crisis, and it's unsustainable," Lukianoff told Fox News Digital.

WAR OF WORDS IGNITES OVER TRUMP ADMIN REBUKE OF BRITISH POLICE AFTER TEEN BLED TO DEATH IN HANDCUFFS

The U.S. Embassy in London, in response to Smart's criticisms, noted that Liberal Democrats did not push back on Biden-era grants that could be viewed as political.

In response to the accusation that the U.S. is "meddling in British democracy," the U.S. embassy said in a statement to Fox News Digital, it "is mindful of such concerns, and has discontinued Biden-era public diplomacy spending on divisive ideological projects such as 'climate justice,' LGBTQ activism, and race-based hiring initiatives — none of which, to our recollection, raised such complaints from officials."

President Donald Trump's State Department as a whole is axing Biden-era guidelines that directed personnel to push a woke diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) agenda on foreign officials and governments, Fox News Digital has learned.

Meanwhile, the FIRE boss rejected the notion that foundational values like free speech are MAGA constructions.

"When it comes to the idea of these being fundamentally tainted ideas, that is very much a higher education, elite-educated concept," he told Fox News Digital.

HASAN PIKER SAYS UK HAS BARRED HIM, TRASHES 'UNBELIEVABLE...POWER' OF PRO-ISRAEL GROUPS

The U.K. has imposed a number of new laws restricting speech in the country in recent years, perhaps most notably the 2023 Online Safety Act, which gives the country's regulators the power to slap hefty fines on digital platforms if they don't enforce the U.K.'s increasingly stricter speech codes.

Lukianoff compared the U.K.'s new direction to the first Red Scare, the period in U.S. history in the early 1920s that saw thousands arrested on charges related to suspected communist ties.

"I always have to put this in context. In the first Red Scare in the United States — 1919 and 1920 — we arrested about 2,000 people per year, and that's bad. They're arresting around 12,000 a year in a country that's about 50% smaller than the U.S. was at the time. They are in free fall and also in complete denial of it," Lukianoff said.

Ahead of a House of Lords debate last year on arrests for online communications and free speech, the House of Lords Library cited a Times of London analysis that found more than 12,000 arrests in 2023 under two communications laws.

GOP LAWMAKERS URGE SUPREME COURT TO STRENGTHEN FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS FOR STREET PREACHERS

Both the U.S. and U.K. allow authorities to prosecute threats of violence, but the U.K. has no direct equivalent to the First Amendment and also criminalizes certain communications deemed "grossly offensive."

The outsized number of arrests in the U.K., Lukianoff argued, don't "even include the large number of non-crime hate incidents or the stuff that they're currently trying to suppress, also in the United States, by the way, through their online laws."

"So it is a true free speech disaster in the U.K., and they don't even seem to know what's happening," he added.

BIDEN ADMIN USED ABORTION GROUP DOSSIERS, INCLUDING PHOTOS OF MINORS, TO TARGET CHRISTIANS, DOJ REPORT REVEALS

A non-crime hate incident, according to the U.K. government, is defined as "an incident or alleged incident which involves or is alleged to involve an act by a person ('the subject') which is perceived by a person other than the subject to be motivated — wholly or partly — by hostility or prejudice towards persons with a particular characteristic."

The government, according to FIRE, creates a registry of people who participate in these NCHIs, which the organization calls "censorship with extra steps."

"Non-criminal hate speech incidents can be anything from just someone saying something like, we want to reduce immigration because it raises crime rates. That's an empirical question. If you're a free person or free society, you should be able to actually have that debate. You should be able to show numbers. You better persuade, et cetera. You can't just deem it illegal to have that argument," Lukianoff told Fox News Digital.

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"I think that there's so much the U.K. could have to offer if it would get off its own feet. Essentially, I think that it's in a process of kind of rejecting everything that made it great at one point. And if we can help out a friend — even when they don't know they're in need — when they're in need, I think we absolutely should. But I really don't know how Britain can get a better view of itself at the moment, because currently the message isn't getting through that what's going on there right now isn't sustainable," Lukianoff said.

Fox News Digital contacted Smart for further comment.

The Women's National Basketball Association can't define a 'woman,' and it's beyond shameful

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:01:39 -0400

The WNBA has punted on its high-stakes meetings of the minds in the wake of the two former NBA players declaring for the draft, and will instead use the next "weeks and months" to further discuss one very important question:

"What is a woman?"

Yes, that's the question. Seriously. It's what the league is grappling with at the moment after Sophie Cunningham said little girls in locker rooms deserve to be protected.

CLUELESS WNBA ATTACKS 'BAD-FAITH' FANS WHO DON'T WANT BIOLOGICAL MEN RUINING WOMEN'S SPORTS

They had an actual task force meet this past week after Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White pressed the issue last Friday, and they still couldn't come to a conclusion.

Let me say that again: The WOMEN'S National Basketball Association just met for several days, and emerged from those meetings still unable to define what a WOMAN is.

"We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months," the stumped league said in a statement late Wednesday. "We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league. There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others."

What an absolute joke. How's the old saying go?

How many WNBA task force members does it take to change a lightbulb? Three — one to hold the light bulb and two to turn the ladder around.

And even then, I'm not sure they'd figure it out.

The news of the league's inability to define what the "W" in its name stands for spread like a wildfire Wednesday night. Naturally. Folks are on edge right now.

They're also, very clearly, done with the nonsense:

The WNBA attacks fans instead!

I could go on and on. Folks are tired. They're exhausted. We've been at this for a MONTH now. Think about that.

Sophie Cunningham triggered the mob a month ago — again, by simply saying men don't belong in women's sports and in little girls' locker rooms — and here we are. They are still unable to define what a WOMAN is.

The league is simply in too deep to concede at this point. They've been so woke for so long that they're too far gone. So, instead of simply clarifying the draft eligibility rules, the league and its precious task force (I can't imagine how miserable that room was) used it's time to craft a long statement attacking fans and the media (us).

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

"We strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others."

Amazing. This is the same league, by the way, that still hasn't said a single word about DiJonai Carrington calling her clothesline foul over Sophie Cunningham, and subsequent ejection, "White privilege."

Think about that. The league hasn't commented on it yet. It's been five days. Could you imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and Sophie posted "Black privilege" from the locker room after clotheslining DiJonai? She'd be bagging groceries at Publix today and preparing for an attempted murder trial.

This is the league we're dealing with. So, no, perhaps it's not surprising that a WOMEN'S National Basketball League task force couldn't figure out what a WOMAN was after days of intense meetings.

But it's still pathetic.

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So, so pathetic.

Ancient mummy DNA reveals chilling clue to deadly disease that swept the Americas

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:30 -0400

DNA recovered from centuries-old mummies in Chile has provided the strongest evidence yet that smallpox arrived in the Americas after European colonization.

The recent research, published in the journal Science, centers on Chilean mummies whose ancient DNA yielded evidence of smallpox infections dating to the early colonial period.

Geneticist Shigeki Nakagome of Trinity College Dublin and his colleagues analyzed 13 bone samples previously collected from an archaeological site at Camarones in northern Chile.

EXPERTS IDENTIFY VICTIMS FROM ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST 'CATASTROPHIC' ARCTIC DISASTERS

They then uncovered evidence of two smallpox infections in one man and one woman believed to have died between 1492 and 1631.

While historians have long known that smallpox reached the Americas following European contact, the discovery marks the first evidence of the disease in that part of South America.

The research raises questions about how the virus traveled so far south.

Smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980 and no longer naturally circulates, was once one of the world's deadliest diseases.

EXPERTS FINALLY SOLVE MYSTERY OF TEENAGE REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER 246 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH

It killed roughly one-third of those infected.

Those who survived the disease were often left disfigured and scarred.

Smallpox devastated Native populations after Europeans arrived in the Americas — and researchers are still unsure exactly who first brought the virus or how it spread across the continents.

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The virus may have spread through long-established Native trade networks, while researchers say it also could have passed through Africa amid the expansion of the slave trade.

Patricia Foster, a biologist at Indiana University who was not involved in the research, told The Associated Press (AP) that the findings provide genetic proof of something historians have long understood.

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"Nobody would ever question that smallpox came to this hemisphere from colonization, but this proves it," said Foster.

The discovery is the latest example of DNA offering new clues about diseases and deaths that have puzzled researchers for centuries.

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Earlier this year, researchers recovered ancient DNA from 5,500-year-old human remains in Colombia containing bacteria related to syphilis, pushing the known history of the disease back more than 3,000 years.

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This summer, researchers analyzed ancient DNA from the remains of Renaissance ruler Francesco I de' Medici, potentially solving the centuries-old mystery surrounding his sudden death in 1587.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

GOP congressman's ex-wife sues, alleging sensitive image of 2-year-old daughter was posted online

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:29 -0400

Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller's ex-wife, Emily Moreno, filed a lawsuit against him Wednesday, alleging he uploaded a nude photo of their daughter online.

Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has been in an extended custody battle with Miller amid the fallout of their divorce. The lawsuit alleges that Miller "recklessly published and disclosed to the world a nude image" of their 2-year-old daughter.

The lawsuit claims Miller gave the photo to his lawyer, Aaron Minc, alongside other information he was using to fight allegations of domestic abuse.

Minc has since taken full responsibility for the contents of the Dropbox folder, saying the release of the photo was "completely unintentional."

OHIO GOP FAMILY FEUD EXPLODES AS SEN BERNIE MORENO CALLS ON REP MAX MILLER TO RESIGN

"I am solely responsible for what happened," Minc said in a statement. "I was the only person responsible for assembling, creating, reviewing, adding, deleting, redacting, or making any changes to the information and files that were in this folder."

Miller posted a link to the Dropbox folder publicly on his social media, and its contents were ultimately viewed over 400,000 times, according to the lawsuit.

"Miller’s recklessness is underscored by the fact that any parent knows — in this era and world filled with pedophiles, creeps, and AI-generated image alteration and video generation — not to put nude pictures of their child, or any child, on the public internet," the lawsuit argues.

SEN BERNIE MORENO CALLS FOR EX-SON-IN-LAW TO RESIGN FROM HOUSE, GET 'SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP'

The lawsuit is separate from the domestic abuse allegations Moreno has leveled at Miller. She claims he threw boiling water at her, held a gun to her head and may have broken their daughter's collarbone, all allegations that Miller fully denies.

Miller has refused to drop out of his re-election bid for Ohio's 7th Congressional District, and he was effectively locked in as the GOP nominee after an election deadline passed on Saturday.

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Sen. Moreno had previously avoided publicly weighing in on the dispute but broke his silence after Miller posted a livestream denying allegations of domestic abuse and child abuse. Moreno accused Miller of increasingly "erratic and dangerous behavior" and said he should not serve in the House of Representatives.

Minnesota fraud scandal will haunt Flanagan in high-stakes Senate race, top House Republican warns

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:17 -0400

The welfare fraud scandal that rocked Minnesota's state government late last year will now be a central issue in the race for its open Senate seat, the top Minnesotan in Congress said.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is predicting that the rampant fraud that occurred under Gov. Tim Walz's administration will now sandbag the campaign of his top deputy, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday night.

"I think fraud is going to be the theme all the way through. Peggy Flanagan was there every step of the way," Emmer told Fox News Digital. "She is going be tainted by Tim Walz's disgusting reputation."

PEGGY FLANAGAN WAS MINNESOTA'S NO 2 OFFICIAL AS MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL EXPLODED UNDER STATE'S WATCH

He argued that both Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would be a "weight" on Flanagan's candidacy.

Fraudsters managed to swindle Minnesota's state welfare programs out of millions of dollars' worth of taxpayer funds dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It kicked off with the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, whose leaders submitted falsified data to the state government while claiming to be working with schools, restaurants and caterers to feed Minnesota students.

The state government flagged suspicions to the FBI in 2021. Since then, roughly 80 defendants, including founder Aimee Bock, have been indicted. Bock was sentenced to 500 months in prison earlier this year for a scheme that prosecutors say affected some $250 million in taxpayer funds.

MINNESOTA MAN MARKS FBI'S FIRST ARREST FROM DOJ'S 'MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS' LIST

Since then, federal officials have claimed that programs, including those that deal with childcare, helping children with autism and low-income housing, have been subject to fraudulent waste of taxpayer dollars.

Federal officials accused state Democrats of not doing enough to weed out fraud. But Walz and Ellison have both accused Republicans of overrepresenting the size of the scandal as a political attack, though the scrutiny forced Walz to drop his re-election bid for another term as governor.

The topic came up in a recent debate between Flanagan and her primary opponent, moderate Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn. Craig argued Flanagan's role in state government at the time would make her vulnerable to attacks.

"The lieutenant governor, even as we sit here today, continues to take absolutely no accountability for any of the fraud issues, and she continues to blame the governor," Craig said, according to MPR News. "And I'm going to be honest: It's pissing me off."

TAFOYA MAKES 'COMMON SENSE' PITCH TO DISAFFECTED DEMOCRATS AS SHE VOWS TO FIGHT MINNESOTA’S ‘SOCIALIST LURCH’

And Emmer — unsurprisingly as one of Walz's biggest critics — agreed.

"Fraud, incompetence and corruption — that is what the Walz administration has been known for. And she's been front and center in the Walz administration," Emmer said. "She is right in the center of one of the biggest fraud scandals in America, right here in Minnesota."

The House majority whip also accused Flanagan of embracing far-left policy positions that are further left than most Minnesotans.

"She's a Marxist communist nut bag from Minneapolis," Emmer said. "There is a treasure trove of wackadoodle, just out-of-touch statements, which we don't have to get into today, but you're going to see those be resurrected."

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Flanagan is running against Republican Michele Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster.

Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan's campaign for comment.

Democrats sound alarm over AI job apocalypse — but labor market isn't following script

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:21:19 -0400

In recent months, top Democrats like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who caucuses with Senate Democrats, have raised fears about artificial intelligence and cast dismal projections about what it might mean for the job market, pressing for government intervention.

"How the hell do you go forward and throw millions of people out on the street without planning what’s going to happen?" Sanders said at a press conference in April.

But since the introduction of artificial intelligence chatbots in late 2022, the U.S. has continued to add jobs while unemployment has remained at historically low levels, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The tension between Democratic projections and market adjustments underscores the difference between free-market perspectives and more centrally planned alternatives.

LEADING ECONOMIST WARNS OF RISE OF 'GEN Z AFFORDABILITY SOCIALISM'

To Richard Stern, an economist with Advancing American Freedom, a conservative think tank, the debate reveals a more fundamental clash of worldviews.

"It’s showcasing the difference between free market and central planning, but it's also showing the difference in what you think it is to be human. Do you think it is to merely do the work that you're told to do? Or is it to do things that provide new value and new service to your neighbors?" Stern said.

Stern pointed out that innovation has routinely eliminated some jobs while freeing up workers to pursue other kinds of work and create new products.

He recalled how the weaving industry was threatened by one such breakthrough in the 1820s.

"We invented something called a Jacquard loom, which had basically an early punch card system. It allowed a loom to automatically raise and lower needles so that it would replicate a pattern on its own without a human having to memorize what the pattern was," Stern said.

Since 2022, the workforce has continued to grow, adding total non-farm payroll employment every year even as the use of AI has made its way into the workforce. Over the same window, unemployment has remained below 4.5%. Some companies seem to have also adjusted their expectations for AI and the role it plays in the workplace.

In one such case, The Wall Street Journal reported that several companies started hiring again when they realized AI wasn’t replacing junior workers, defying market projections.

NEW YORK CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY BECOMES SECOND MOST EXPENSIVE HOUSE RACE EVER AMID AI FIGHT

Despite encouraging short-term data, Democrats have continued to demand that the government step in to curtail the impact AI has on the workforce.

"AI is the most transformational technology in the history of the world — and will have a profound impact on the life of every man, woman and child in our country. And, if you’re currently in the workforce, there’s a good chance it will take your job," Sanders said.

"A Stanford paper called ‘Canaries in the Coal Mine?’ found there has already been a 16% decline in employment for younger workers in jobs exposed to AI — like computer programming and customer service," he added.

Other Democrats, like Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have articulated similar fears.

"One entity seems totally unaware: the United States government. The only major AI proposal advanced this Congress was a failed effort to prevent states from regulating the industry," Casar said in a press release of his own, referring to a proposed 10-year moratorium on AI regulation included in Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

That provision was struck out in the Senate and did not become law.

"The path we are on is clear," Casar continued. "AI will make a small number of investors and executives even richer, while it eliminates jobs for millions of Americans — and the government does nothing about it."

The Trump White House's former deputy chief of staff, Taylor Budowich, fired back, telling Fox News Digital that "Trump’s AI boom will only make the American worker more productive."

"Democrats keep telling American workers that AI is going to take their jobs," Budowich, the founder of Innovation Council, said. "The truth is that President Trump’s AI boom will only make the American worker more productive — and more employable — than ever before."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have also participated in fearmongering about AI and jobs.

"If AI could disrupt half the workforce, we can’t wait until people lose their jobs to act," Warren said in June.

"An overwhelming majority of Americans now worry that AI will take their jobs and leave them permanently unemployed," AOC said in Dec. 2025.

Stern believes that while new technologies often disrupt markets and force employees, innovators and businesses to adapt, confidence in the market comes down to a matter of trust. He added that calling on the government to prevent that change or somehow control it is also a form of trust.

"Do you trust a million nameless, faceless entrepreneurs and innovators? Or do you trust the government?" Stern said.

He compared the reliance on government to how some people have treated AI itself — as a vehicle for solutions without human error.

"’Claude, do whatever — no hallucinations, make no mistakes,’ right?" Stern said, referring to an AI chat put out by Anthropic.

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

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"Democrats have viewed government as that for 200 years, right? They're like, ‘government, solve this problem that no one else can figure out no hallucination, no mistakes, no corruption,’ and I think it's people who are just unwilling to recognize that the government is a collection of people."

Packers projected to miss NFL playoffs as Jordan Love's inconsistency raises concerns

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:20:51 -0400

It seems like from year to year there is more turnover and changes in the NFL playoff picture than any of the big four sports. Will the Green Bay Packers, a team that was listed as the lowest seed to make the playoffs, make it this season, or will they fall short?

Last year

As mentioned, the Packers did make the playoffs last season, but it turned out to be a fairly quick exit as they lost 31-27 to their rival Chicago Bears. It was an interesting season for the Packers. They started with wins over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, both teams that made the postseason the previous year. Then they lost to the Browns in what was one of the more confounding games of the season. They tied the Dallas Cowboys in a shootout, 40-40, and went into the bye week with a 2-1-1 record. They ended the season winning four in a row, followed by four consecutive losses to the Bears, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and Minnesota Vikings. The game against the Vikings wasn’t a big deal because they were resting players anyway.

GREEN BAY PACKERS PRO BOWL RB JOSH JACOBS ARRESTED ON MULTIPLE DOMESTIC ABUSE CHARGES

Offseason additions and subtractions

This season saw the wide receivers room take a bit of a turn. They had four receivers, none of whom seem all that amazing, and now they have two to concentrate on. They let Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks find other homes via free agency and trade. The odder move was letting Rasheed Walker leave the squad. He signed with the Carolina Panthers, and it was a low-value deal. He was listed as a top free agent when the season ended, so his leaving for a low contract doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.

Roster

The Green Bay Defense ranked 11th in points allowed last season. They were also 11th in total yards allowed. Part of me wonders if that is because they played some crappy teams, or if it is due to them being a good squad.

They didn’t make a ton of major additions this offseason, so we will see really quickly which it is. On offense, the value of this team comes down to what you think of Jordan Love. Last year, Love was 13th in yards, 14th in touchdowns, third in QBR, and threw six interceptions. Those aren’t super impressive numbers for someone who played in 15 of 16 games they actually were trying in. Josh Jacobs is another year older, and the wide receivers aren’t exactly amazing. I also don’t think their tight ends or offensive line are anything super special.

49ERS BETTING PREVIEW SUGGESTS RAMS AND SEAHAWKS COULD OVERTAKE SAN FRANCISCO FOR PLAYOFFS

Betting Outlook

I think the Packers will take a step back this season. I don’t particularly think Love is that great of a quarterback. There are too many inconsistent games from him. I also think the Vikings are better, the Lions will have a more favorable schedule, and I think there are better teams that can prevent them from the playoffs. The books have the Packers at 9.5 games. The first half of the season should be fairly easy for them; I could see them going 6-4 in the first 10 weeks. I don’t see another four wins on their schedule, though. I’d back the under 9.5. They are +125 to miss the playoffs, and I think that’s a better bet.

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

State Dept axes Biden-era DEI scheme pushing woke politics across the globe and more top headlines

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:08:46 -0400

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

TOP 3

1. State Dept axes Biden-era DEI scheme pushing woke politics

2. Luigi Mangione plea buzz raises potential problem for prosecutors

3. WNBA attacks 'bad-faith' fans who don't want men in women's sports

MAJOR HEADLINES

SANCTUARY FALLOUT — Illegal immigrant charged with slaying one day after California judge released him. Continue reading …

MIC DROP — Karoline Leavitt announces White House departure in ‘bittersweet decision.' Continue reading …

LUCK OF THE DRAW — Powerball's billion-dollar mystery ends with one ticket hitting all 6 numbers. Continue reading …

‘GODSEND’ — Former Chicago detective says one city's murder plunge offers Windy City crime blueprint. Continue reading …

MIDTERM GAMBLE — Tehran may be preparing to raise the stakes as Iran war enters new phase. Continue reading …

POLITICS

IVORY TOWER SPY — Harvard-China links unearthed as Congress finds 140 papers co-authored by CCP military universities. Continue reading …

RULES IN REVERSE — Trump-approved energy projects at risk of sudden death by next hostile president. Continue reading …

DECEPTION PLAYBOOK — Trump's Air Force One shell game: How years of decoy tactics led to a catering-truck switch. Continue reading …

POWER STRUGGLE — Trump heads toward unlikely clash with close ally over future of multibillion-dollar industry. Continue reading …

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MEDIA

'THE DEVIL HIMSELF' — Kaylee Goncalves’ mother wrestles to forgive ‘demon’ Bryan Kohberger. Continue reading …

HOUSE RULES — Comedian declares Hugh Laurie 'can't be canceled' as actor comes to Sophie Cunningham's defense. Continue reading …

CANCEL CULTURE — Composer of 'Halo' video games says he was disinvited from convention event for being a Republican politician. Continue reading …

TODDLER TERRITORY — Ms Rachel pushes reparations quote in latest progressive political move. Continue reading …

OPINION

HUGH HEWITT — Democrat El-Sayed reminds us just one senator can do great damage to our military. Continue reading …

ROB PORTMAN — America needs thousands of blue-collar workers to manufacture our AI future. Continue reading …

IN OTHER NEWS

TWO AMERICAS — Sophie Cunningham controversy grows as rival's background raises eyebrows amid 'privilege' claim. Continue reading …

SKY-HIGH WORRY — Mystery Wi-Fi network aboard flight raises alarm over travelers' information. Continue reading …

CHECKING OUT — Popular supermarket chain quietly shutters locations across 15 states. Continue reading …

AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on family fun and medical marvels. Take the quiz here …

LISTEN

Tune in as Iowa’s tightening Senate race puts tariffs, food costs, and a proposed congressional stock-trading ban in focus. Check it out ...

PODCASTS

Nick Freitas talks service, leadership and making the argument on ‘Hang Out with Sean Hannity.’ Check it out…

Jim Breuer brings his comedy and Hollywood stories to ‘Planet Tyrus.’ Check it out…

Vince August and top quarterback prospect Peyton "Pop" Houston join ‘Will Cain Country’ for a conversation spanning comedy, football and the road ahead. Check it out...

FOX WEATHER

What's it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading…

Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday.

SEN TOM COTTON: Democrats say socialism will help. History says it will hurt

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:37 -0400

Americans are worried about the cost of living — and rightly so. The price of groceries, housing and many everyday necessities rose by roughly 30% under President Biden. While price increases have slowed under Republican leadership, the devastating effects of that inflation remain. Democrats' self-described "socialist" solution — a dramatic expansion of government welfare, regulation and taxation — would make life even more expensive for American families.

History has already run this big government socialist experiment again and again. From Venezuela to Cuba to the Soviet Union, countries that embraced socialism have produced the same results: shortages, inflation, declining investment, fewer opportunities and higher prices for their citizens.

First, look at Venezuela, which has some of the world's largest oil reserves. Venezuela should have been among the wealthiest nations in the Western Hemisphere, but decades of socialist policies — such as nationalizing industry, reckless government spending and sweeping price controls — have devastated its economy, destroyed the currency and skyrocketed inflation.

I WATCHED CHICAGO PROMISE FOOD EQUITY. NOW MY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS EMPTY SHELVES

For years, Venezuelans have paid the price for these failed socialist policies as grocery shelves emptied, basic medicines disappeared and hourslong lines formed for staples like flour and rice. Toilet paper became so scarce that it became an international symbol of Venezuela's collapse. And because of inflation, a loaf of bread that once cost only a few bolívars eventually cost millions.

Also consider Cuba, where state ownership and central planning have similarly failed to generate prosperity and provide food for its people, despite having fertile agricultural lands. More than six decades after the communist revolution, Cuba imports as much as 80% of its food, yet Cubans still endure chronic shortages. Ration books remain part of daily life. Buildings crumble. Young people leave whenever they can. Even basic household necessities often require standing in long lines or having personal connections to obtain.

And in the Soviet Union, citizens living behind the Iron Curtain grew accustomed to empty shelves, endless waiting lists and chronic shortages of everything, including butter, meat, shoes, coffee, household appliances and automobiles. Sure, the government-controlled Soviet economy could build shoddy tanks and missiles, but it struggled to provide decent housing, quality consumer goods and reliable food supplies. Bureaucrats simply could not replace the countless daily decisions made by millions of producers, workers, entrepreneurs and consumers operating in competitive markets. The problem wasn't bad management. It was the centralized, top-down system itself.

The lesson is clear: socialism doesn't eliminate scarcity. It creates it. While supporters of socialism often blame sanctions or embargoes for these struggles, in reality, these consequences are the result of socialist policies that never work and always fail.

CAPITALISM IS ABOUT INCENTIVES. STOPPING THE STUPIDITY OF SOCIALISM IS A BIG INCENTIVE

Some also point to Scandinavia as proof the socialist model can succeed. But Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland aren’t purely socialist. After all, these nations rely on private enterprise, secure property rights, competitive markets and successful global private companies. Yes, their governments operate larger welfare programs, but those programs are financed by high taxes on ordinary workers — not simply by "taxing billionaires."

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For example, Denmark, Sweden and Norway’s tax-to-GDP ratios top 40%, and all three countries impose a 25% value-added tax on most purchases, increasing costs on pretty much every consumer purchase. Add this to the housing prices, which in cities such as Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen rank among the most expensive in Europe, and the Nordic model offers no evidence that an expansive welfare state makes life more affordable for average citizens.

MAMDANI’S CITY GROCERY PLAN COULD LEAVE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR EVERY BANANA

In America, socialist ideas championed by the likes of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are no longer confined to college seminars or political fringes. Self-described democratic socialists — many of whom have never experienced socialism firsthand — have won major primaries, secured seats in Congress and influenced the Democratic Party's agenda. Proposals once considered politically impossible — such as government-owned grocery stores, universal rent control and greater government management of the economy — are now mainstream.

History offers a warning that should not be ignored. America's strength has always rested on the hard work and ingenuity of its people, not the commands of socialist bureaucracies. Wherever socialism has expanded government control over the economy, ordinary citizens have paid the price through higher costs, fewer choices and declining prosperity.

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Americans shouldn't be forced to learn that lesson the hard way. They should remember it before casting their next vote.

Because socialism doesn't make life cheaper. It makes life more expensive.

College students express strong trust in school leaders despite broader public cynicism: Gallup

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:32 -0400

FIRST ON FOX — Most college students hold a positive view of their institution’s leadership — in stark contrast with the general American public’s declining trust in higher education, according to a new Gallup poll exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Recent Lumina-Gallup research finds that college students’ experience contradicts many of the concerns raised by U.S. adults who lack confidence in higher education," the report stated.

"By wide margins, both currently enrolled students and graduates agree that their degree is or has been worth the cost and is important to their career success," the survey explained. "However, while students remain confident in the value of their degree, more than four in 10 also question whether the college or university they are attending consistently acts in their best interests."

FOX NEWS POLL: FAITH IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE US IS COLLAPSING

The poll, joint-conducted by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup, found that 55% of college students believe their school’s administration usually makes decisions with students' best interests in mind.

According to the findings, 12% of students say leadership acts in their best interest "all of the time," while 43% say "most of the time." Meanwhile, about one in three students (35%) say their school acts in their interest "some of the time," with roughly one in 10 saying leadership "rarely" (9%) or "never" (2%) does.

The survey revealed that students attending top-tier institutions — as ranked by U.S. News & World Report — are slightly less likely to believe their school prioritizes their interests. Despite this, students across the board expressed significantly higher confidence in campus leadership than in elected political officials.

The findings were based on a survey of 3,801 currently enrolled associate and bachelor’s degree students between the ages of 18 and 59, conducted Oct. 2–31.

LIZ PEEK: TRUMP IS STARVING THE MACHINE THAT CREATES AMERICA'S SOCIALIST REVOLUTIONARIES

The data comes on the heels of broader Gallup polling that showed public confidence in U.S. higher education dropping back down, erasing a brief post-pandemic recovery as concerns over campus politics, rising tuition and degree value intensify.

Just 38% of U.S. adults currently maintain a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education. That figure marks a noticeable dip from last year, when public trust briefly bounced to 42%.

"It's kind of the three things that we see — those are still front and center as to why people aren't as confident in higher ed as they used to be: the cost, the perception that there's a political agenda being taught, and the perception that they're not teaching people the right kinds of things they need to succeed in the job once they finish," a Gallup expert told Fox News Digital in an interview.

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The findings arrive amid an intensified effort by federal lawmakers and conservative advocates targeting viewpoint discrimination, antisemitism, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) frameworks across American universities.

Comedian declares Hugh Laurie 'can't be canceled' as actor comes to Sophie Cunningham's defense

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:28 -0400

Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie rejected the idea of biological men competing in women’s sports this week and voiced his support for WNBA guard Sophie Cunningham.

The comments came during an exchange with comedian Graham Linehan, who pressed Laurie to clarify his views after the actor initially posted a dry observation on X about biological height advantage in professional basketball. Linehan called Laurie’s indirect wording "cowardly" in a now-deleted post, prompting the actor to deliver a blunt response.

Laurie, best known for playing Dr. Gregory House in the hit drama "House," then clarified his position on X. "Firstly, f--- off; secondly no, I don’t believe men should compete against women. I thought I’d made that pretty clear. If you’d looked. But obviously you must get onto your next," he wrote.

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM SENDS MESSAGE TO HER HATERS AFTER SAYING MEN DON'T BELONG IN WOMEN'S SPORTS

Linehan pressed Laurie further, telling him to "just say that you support Sophie Cunningham in her fight for fair sports and stop trying to be arch." Laurie responded:

"You started it. ‘Cowardly’ to ‘f--- off’ is the going rate of exchange around here. And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham. And you, some of the time," Laurie posted Monday.

Linehan then apologized for his reaction, writing, "Fair dos. I apologise for my knee-jerkiness. And thank you. I would never have had what career I had without 'A Bit Of Fry and Laurie' to aspire towards."

The subsequent X exchange quickly went viral, racking up millions of views as users debated Laurie’s stance. Some criticized the actor for opposing transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, while others praised the Hollywood star for publicly supporting women’s sports.

Comedian and political commentator Tim Young told Fox News Digital that Laurie’s established career gives him more freedom to voice his opinion without fear of being canceled.

"It’s so rare that someone from Hollywood would stand up for women in women’s sports that it’s exciting when someone does at this point. Hugh Laurie aka Dr. House simply said he stood with Sophie Cunningham, and now he gets to see the ugly side of the left for the first time," Young said, adding, "Laurie can’t be canceled."

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS WNBA STAR SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM AFTER SHE SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF PROTECTING WOMEN'S SPORTS

Young also argued that financial considerations can influence what performers say publicly: "Comedians always stand at the forefront of social commentary, but many of their opinions come from who pays them. Here we see someone established like Laurie against someone who is afraid of being canceled. I think that’s a heavier factor than anything else."

"Unfortunately, a lot of times, comedians, albeit the loudest among the people, are some of the dumbest, same with actors and musicians, and similar to every other issue, you should side here with common sense, not what the famous guy said," Young said. "This time it just so happens that he’s right and my favorite TV doctor of all time," he added.

LEFT-LEANING COMEDIAN LABELED 'CHILDISH' BY CONSERVATIVE JEFF DYE AFTER INSULT SCRAWLED ON TESLA

The debate over transgender athletes competing in women’s sports has taken center court in the WNBA, where Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has recently said women and girls should not have to compete against biological men.

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Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Laurie and Linehan but did not immediately hear back.

5-step sleep reset could promote healthy weight loss, nutritionist says

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:28 -0400

One weekly routine could help foster better sleep and promote healthy weight loss, according to a New Jersey-based registered dietitian.

Erin Palinski-Wade, who is also a certified diabetes care specialist and author of "The Sleepdemic Solution," shared her "seven-day reset" in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The reset combines sleep, nutrition and lifestyle strategies into a five-part system represented by the acronym SLEEP.

SKIPPING SLEEP MAY PACK ON POUNDS FASTER THAN YOU THINK, NEW STUDY FINDS

In a test panel conducted in connection with her seven-day program, Palinski-Wade said participants reported improvements in sleep, blood sugar and weight.

Experts recommend consulting a healthcare professional for individualized guidance before making significant changes to diet, sleep or lifestyle habits, particularly for those with underlying health conditions.

Palinski-Wade emphasized that results varied among participants with different sleep challenges. The panel included shift workers, mothers and people with long-term insomnia.

Despite those differences, within the first two to three days, the expert said people "across the board" reported falling asleep faster, getting higher-quality sleep and feeling more rested the next day.

Panelists with pre-existing insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes also reported improvements in blood sugar levels, Palinski-Wade said.

"Once they were resting better and those stress hormones were reduced, and the body was getting the rest it needed, we were seeing better balanced blood sugar throughout the day," she noted.

Participants also reported improvements in hunger and satiety.

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"They weren't having those cravings, especially in the evening, especially those sugar cravings," Palinski-Wade said. "When they were eating, they were feeling more satisfied."

"I had a few test panel members who lost as much as seven pounds in the first seven days," she said, noting that some of the loss was water weight.

Participants reported reductions in weight and waist circumference and improvements in blood sugar, sleep and next-day energy.

The Reset

Below, Palinski-Wade breaks down the five components of the SLEEP system.

S – Set your rhythm

Setting a rhythm involves timing meals consistently to help improve sleep. This means avoiding skipped meals, which can lead to blood sugar fluctuations throughout the day, Palinski-Wade said.

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"We want to be fueling our body all throughout the day so that our body is expecting to sleep in the evening," she said.

Skipping meals and consuming excess food and calories in the evening tells the body that it's time to burn energy, which is not going to be conducive to sleep, according to the expert.

L – Leveraging light

Exposure to sunlight within the first hour of waking can help set the body’s circadian rhythm, Palinski-Wade noted.

"When your body gets that natural light, whether you go outside or put your desk by the window, that's helping your body get more in tune with that rhythm where you're awake," she said.

In the evening, Palinski-Wade recommends dimming the lights and avoiding electronics and bright overhead lighting, which helps the body wind down and prepare for restful sleep.

E – Eat with intention

Eating with intention means choosing meals and snacks with nutrients that support healthy sleep, according to Palinski-Wade.

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"Whether it's serotonin and tryptophan, anti-inflammatory nutrients, we want to make sure that we're eating with intention, so we're giving our body the building blocks it needs to create sleep in the evening," she said.

E – Evening out blood sugar

Palinski-Wade recommends combining lean protein, healthy fats and fiber to help keep blood sugar steady throughout the day and support better sleep.

P – Powering down your night

Powering down involves creating a consistent nighttime routine, including limiting electronics and caffeine and maintaining regular sleep and wake times, according to Palinski-Wade.

"That also applies to having a set bedtime and a set wake time ... in those seven days to reset that circadian rhythm, so we can have the best results moving forward," she said.

For those who are "trying everything," like diet and exercise, without seeing results, Palinski-Wade stressed that it is "not because you don’t have enough willpower."

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"It could just be your biology working against you, and many times it's as simple as improving your sleep," she said. "If you start to improve your sleep within just a few days, you can see major changes in how you feel, how your body is processing food, in your metabolism, and then ultimately in your body weight."

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External research by the National Institutes of Health has also linked adequate sleep with appetite regulation and healthy weight management.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that sleep helps regulate hormones involved in hunger and fullness, while sleep deficiency can affect the body's response to insulin and has been linked to a higher risk of obesity.

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The Reset

S – Set your rhythm

L – Leveraging light

E – Eat with intention

E – Evening out blood sugar

P – Powering down your night