Adam Bedoui, 20, and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, 21, are due to appear at magistrates' court on Saturday.

Chinese companies have amassed ownership stakes in about 10,000 auto suppliers in America.

Global public-health officials are racing to contain the spread of hantavirus as more than 100 passengers are set to return to their home countries.

The Russian president said his troops “are resisting an aggressive force that is being armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.”

Democrats accused the Trump administration of political prosecution after powerful Virginia Senate President Pro-Tem L. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth office and cannabis dispensary was raided by the FBI.

However, reports surfaced after the raid that the investigation into the 81-year-old, three-decade senator was started under former President Joe Biden’s administration.

Scandal-plagued Attorney General Jay Jones — whose comments about envisioning the murder of the commonwealth’s former GOP House Speaker roiled his ultimately successful campaign – cast aspersions on President Donald Trump and "failed prosecutions" of his political "enemies."

"We simply do not have sufficient information about the reported FBI activity in Portsmouth. However, several previous actions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia have undermined public confidence in that office," he said of the Alexandria-centered prosecutor’s office that handles cases in Lucas’ region.

POWERFUL DEM’S JABS AT TRUMP COME BACK TO HAUNT HER AFTER OFFICE RAIDED BY FBI: ‘AGED WELL’

"These include the failed prosecutions against President Trump’s stated political enemies, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James that were both dismissed by a judge well before trial. I urge everyone to exercise restraint in judgment until the relevant facts are known in this matter," Jones said, referring in part to allegations of wrongdoing in connection to a home linked to James in nearby Norfolk.

Rep. Bobby Scott, a Newport News Democrat who has represented Lucas’ area for 33 years, slammed Trump after the raid.

"While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump’s repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents," Scott said, before adding the raid’s timing following Virginia voters approving Lucas’ redistricting bid is notable.

"Senator Lucas helped lead the successful effort by Virginia voters to reject President Trump’s attempt to rig the midterm elections," he said, going on to echo Jones’ concerns about recent Trump-era prosecutions like those of James, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell and ex-G-Man James Comey.

"Like all Americans, Senator Lucas has a right to due process and a presumption of innocence," Scott said.

One of Lucas’ top allies in Richmond and a fellow Portsmouth lawmaker also expressed outrage and pointed the finger at the White House.

"Let’s start with this: Senator L. Louise Lucas has not been charged with anything! I am deeply concerned by today’s FBI raid," fumed Virginia House Speaker Don Scott Jr.

"Given the politicization of this administration — an FBI led by Kash Patel and a Justice Department run by President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney — I think people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions," he said.

Speaker Scott said "theatrics and speculation" are overpowering verifiable information about the case before also criticizing Fox News’ reporting of the matter.

THE 6 BIGGEST FBI SCANDALS UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

The Associated Press, New York Times and other outlets reported several sources within the federal government telling them the probe that sparked the raids began under the octogenarian Delawarean.

"One of the people said the investigation into Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas was opened during Democratic former President Joe Biden’s administration. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation," the AP reported.

Another official told News of the United States (NOTUS) that the probe into Lucas was "financial" in nature and also that it began under Biden, while the New York Times characterized the origination similarly and suggested "corruption and bribery" concerns.

Lucas’ deputy in Richmond also fired off a missive lambasting Trump, claiming he has proven his intent to "target the Commonwealth of Virginia" because it voted for Kamala Harris in 2024.

"Senator L. Louise Lucas is an outspoken and historic figure in Virginia politics and has not been charged with a single crime," said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon.

Surovell, an attorney in Fairfax County, said Trump "obliterated" the Justice Department’s independence and said the president wrongly removed ex-U.S. Attorney for Western Virginia Todd Gilbert – the same official Jones envisioned the murder of – and "purged" prosecutors’ offices of career staff members.

"Every Virginian should be very worried about the rule of law and how it will be applied in this Country and our Commonwealth," Surovell said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Lucas fired back in a statement obtained by Richmond conservative radio host John Reid, the 2024 GOP lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.

"Today’s actions by Federal agents are about far more than one state senator; they are about power and who is allowed to act on behalf of the people. What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration: when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them," Lucas said.

"I was proud to help lead [the redistricting] effort and I have never been afraid to stand up to Donald Trump or anyone else that has tried to undermine our democracy," she said, before going on to say she is not backing down and will continue fighting for and representing Portsmouth.

"LOL, sure Louise," Reid said in response on social media.

"Everyone knows you’re as honest and pure-hearted as the day is long."

Reid said that casting blame on Trump is the "best play" in this situation because "lots of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) zombies will believe you immediately."

No further information has been released by the FBI about any charges against Lucas, who was not detained in the operation.

The raid began a 48-hour period for Virginia Democrats, who on Friday saw Lucas’ redistricting effort implode in court, giving Republicans nationally a major boost in their efforts to hold the House majority.

President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, responded to a question about how many more deportations are needed to bring the U.S. back to a country of legal citizens, saying, "millions."

Speaking with Fox News’ Will Cain on Thursday, Homan pushed back on rumors that the administration is ramping down its immigration enforcement surges, saying he expects the deportation numbers to actually increase.

"We’re going to continue to surge resources, especially to sanctuary cities, because we know we have a problem there," he said. "So, I expect the numbers to increase while the border numbers continue to decrease."

Asked how many more deportations are needed, Homan said, "Millions. Look … I see it all the time, there’s 12 million illegal aliens in the country, we used 12 million 25 years ago, I think its well over 20 million. So, we’re going to do everything we can to arrest as many people as we can."

BORDER CZAR HOMAN VOWS TO 'FLOOD' NEW YORK WITH ICE AGENTS DESPITE HOCHUL'S RESISTANCE

Pressed on whether the logistics of such large-scale deportation operations are possible, Homan responded, "I’ll give it one hell of a shot."

"I mean, bottom line is we’re not going to give up on President Trump’s promise to the American people on mass deportations," he continued.

Homan confirmed that the administration is hiring 10,000 more immigration enforcement agents. He said there are about 7,000 "on board" and 3,000 more going through training.

TRUMP BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN WANTS POPE LEO XIV TO RIDE ALONG WITH ICE AGENTS: 'THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND'

The border czar said he expressed his opinion to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that the "vast majority" of these agents "need to go to sanctuary cities."

"Why is that? We go to Florida, every sheriff, every [police] chief is working with us. They honor detainers, we’ve got less of a problem in states like that, Florida and Texas," he explained. "However, in states that want to lock us out of jails, that refuse, sheriffs and chiefs, to work with us in any capacity, that’s where we know it's a problem, because we know they are releasing public safety threats, illegal aliens every day."

Homan recently issued a warning to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, vowing to "flood the zone" with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers despite her efforts to block federal operations.

EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL'S CAMPAIGN FACES HEAT AS MISSING CHILDREN SCANDAL RESURFACES: 'VOTERS DESERVE BETTER'

He responded to Hochul’s claim that federal agents aren’t welcome in her state without permission and that she is not asking for help, by saying, "Well, Governor Hochul, I’m not asking either. I said it. We’re going to do it."

"This is what we have to do because she forces this position. And we're going to do it. They're not going to stop us. They can put all the roadblocks they want, but we're [going to] do this job," he said.

Fox News Digital's Madison Colombo contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: TUCSON, Ariz. — Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who is leading the investigation into the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, told Fox News Digital Friday that the task force handling the case is making progress nearly 100 days after she vanished from her home in the Catalina Foothills.

Asked whether investigators are closer to solving the case nearly 100 days in, Nanos replied, "We are."

He nodded, adding that the developments are "really great" as he got into his white Corvette. He did not elaborate.

NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE: SHERIFF SAYS AUTHORITIES LOOKING INTO CAR CAUGHT ON RING CAM, HAVEN'T MADE ID YET

WATCH: Sheriff Nanos gives Nancy Guthrie update

VID ID: 6395009037112

Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie.

GENEALOGY COMPANY EXEC SLAMS PIMA SHERIFF'S 'DEVASTATING' MOVE TO SHIP NANCY GUTHRIE EVIDENCE TO FLORIDA LAB

He declined to answer another question about Mother's Day, which is Sunday.

Late last month, a private forensic lab in Florida sent a hair sample to the FBI for more advanced analysis.

Experts have told Fox News Digital the hair could be used for investigative or forensic genetic genealogy if it doesn’t match anyone known to have been in Guthrie’s home, potentially pointing a task force of county detectives and FBI agents toward a suspect.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Relatives and workers who had reason to be at Guthrie's home have previously given voluntary DNA samples, so the hair could point to a suspect if it doesn't match any of them.

"Building DNA profiles from hair or other forensic evidence does not necessarily take long," said Dr. David Mittelman, co-founder of Othram, a leading private forensics laboratory.

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"In the 'Idaho Four' murders, for example, the DNA profile was developed within days. The challenge in forensic genetic genealogy is not simply generating a DNA profile, but generating a high-quality profile. Poor-quality or incomplete DNA profiles can make genetic genealogy difficult, ambiguous, or even impossible."

TIMELINE: NBC HOST SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER DISAPPEARS AS SHERIFF SAYS SHE MAY HAVE BEEN 'ABDUCTED'

That's because an incomplete profile can lead researchers to miss potential familial connections that could help find a suspect.

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"If you don't have a good profile, you may not see all the genetic relatives," he added. "It can be harder to resolve how people are related or not."

Nanos said previously that investigators believe Guthrie was taken from her home around 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 1.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

Deputies arrived around noon that day after her daughter and son-in-law called 911 to report her missing.

Since then, the FBI obtained Nest doorbell imagery with the help of Google that shows a masked man of average height and build carrying a holstered pistol at Guthrie's front steps around the time of her abduction.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

A man in similar clothing was spotted about three weeks earlier approaching her door again.

He has not been publicly identified, but retired FBI profiler Jim Clemente told Fox News Digital this week that he believes the suspect made a number of mistakes that could help investigators identify him, if someone in his inner circle doesn't come forward first.

There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million to solve the case.

To remain anonymous, contact Tucson's 88-Crime tip line at 520-882-7463.

The Guthrie family is urging anyone with information to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Bahrain says it has arrested 41 people 'linked to Iran's IRGC'

A small Georgia town’s police force was reinstated Friday after the mayor fired every officer just days earlier, drawing backlash and prompting action by the town council.

During a special meeting, the Cohutta Town Council voted to reinstate the officers immediately and provide back pay, the town’s vice mayor told The Associated Press.

The council also passed a separate measure preventing the mayor from firing the officers for the next 30 days, but tabled the rest of the agenda, including a proposal to remove Mayor Ron Shinnick.

The move comes after Shinnick shut down the Cohutta Police Department on Wednesday, laying off all 10 employees and leaving the roughly 1,000-person community without a police force.

GEORGIA MAYOR FIRES ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT AFTER OFFICERS COMPLAIN ABOUT HIS WIFE IN DISPUTE

The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies would assist the town, which is located just south of the Tennessee line and about 100 miles northwest of Atlanta.

A sign posted on the department’s door earlier this week read, "The PD has been dissolved, and all personnel have been terminated."

While the exact reasons for the firings have not been publicly disclosed, the shutdown appears tied to a dispute last month after officers filed formal complaints against former town clerk Pam Shinnick, the mayor’s wife.

SMALL TOWN LEFT WITH ZERO COPS AS COUNCIL FIRES FINAL OFFICER AMID MOUNTING DRAMA

Pam Shinnick was fired from her position for allegedly creating a "hostile work environment." Officers alleged in their complaints that she continued working and had access to residents’ personal information despite her termination.

Following the complaints, Shinnick, Police Chief Greg Fowler and town attorney Bryan Rayburn said during a press conference that the situation had been resolved through "open dialogue and good-faith mediation."

But just one week later, the entire department was dissolved.

ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT RESIGNS LEAVING SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY WITHOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE

"This all comes to personal vendetta from the mayor, and I wholeheartedly believe that," former Sgt. Jeremy May told WRCB-TV. "We took a stand for transparency, and in result, every one of them has lost their jobs."

According to Vice Mayor Shane Kornberg, the town’s attorney told the council the firings did not follow the town charter, which requires 30 days’ notice before employees can be removed or suspended.

Kornberg said the council went into executive session to discuss potential litigation and emerged without the mayor, who did not return to the meeting. The council then voted to reinstate the police force.

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

Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Reform UK spokesman says the party will "welcome scrutiny", following its sweeping election gains.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark., said the mainstream media’s coverage of President Donald Trump reflects what she described as a loss of control in the industry.

Appearing on "The Riley Gaines Show" Tuesday, the former White House press secretary argued the media’s criticism of Trump stems from his ability to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach the public directly.

"That's one of the things they hated the most is that he didn't need them," Sanders said.

"He was able to talk directly to the American people without having to use the media in a way that everybody who had come before him had to," she added.

TV EXECUTIVE PANICS THAT TRUMP WINNING MEANS PRESS HAS NO INFLUENCE: 'MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS DEAD'

The president has consistently used social media sites to share his thoughts with the public. Trump later created his own platform, Truth Social, after he was banned from Twitter prior to its acquisition by Elon Musk.

"This was somebody who decided that he wasn’t just [going to] stick with the traditional types of media," Sanders said. "And if they were [going to] continue to attack him relentlessly, which they have done, he would simply go around them."

THE PODCAST CAMPAIGN: IS IT CURTAINS FOR MAINSTREAM MEDIA?

Trump has routinely tapped nontraditional media sources to share his message. During his 2024 presidential run, he turned to major podcasts, including "The Joe Rogan Experience" and "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von," to reach a larger audience, specifically younger voters.

"He has proven that he can still be successful. He can still get his message out without having to use them as the only tool to do so," Sanders added.

Trump has continued to use alternative media sources to communicate with the public, frequently posting updates on the conflict with Iran on Truth Social.

'NEW MEDIA' SEAT AT WHITE HOUSE BRIEFINGS SHAKES UP ESTABLISHMENT WITH ALTERNATIVE TO 'ARCHAIC' PRESS

The White House also revamped the briefing room, adding a "new media" seat to press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s briefings. The seat rotates among new media voices who produce content but are not typically represented by legacy outlets.

Trump, however, continues to have an adversarial relationship with several traditional news outlets. Last week, he criticized The New York Times and CNN for their coverage of the Iran conflict.

"Think of it — we militarily decapitated the country, and every day I read about how well they're doing militarily. They have nothing left. They're done," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

"And yet, I read in The New York Times, I see on stupid CNN, which I only watch because you have to watch a little bit of the enemy, so I watch it for a very short period," he continued.

"And if you see CNN, you'd think they're winning the war. If you read The New York Times, it's actually seditious, in my opinion. You read The New York Times, you actually think they're winning the war... it's a terrible thing."

After taking out five Indiana state senators who opposed his push for congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump and his allies are now moving on to two other top targets in upcoming Republican primaries.

They are Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who voted to convict Trump in his 2021 Senate impeachment trial, and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal GOP critic of the president.

The decisive victories this week in reliably red Indiana scored by Trump-backed challengers were the latest sign that the president's immense grip on the Republican Party remains rock solid.

"I think Indiana sent a message to a lot of folks," veteran Republican campaign strategist Matt Gorman told Fox News.

TRUMP STRIKES BACK: GOP LAWMAKERS WHO OPPOSED PRESIDENT ON REDISTRICTING PAY PRICE

Gorman, who has advised GOP presidential campaigns and top members of Congress, said the results in Indiana show that "Trump's power within the party is unequivocal."

Five months ago, Republicans in the GOP-dominated Indiana state Senate withstood immense pressure from Trump and his allies and voted down congressional redistricting, which would have given Indiana two more right-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms.

Eight of those state senators who are up for re-election this year faced GOP primary challenges. And seeking retribution, the president endorsed challengers to seven of those eight lawmakers.

Five of the Trump-endorsed candidates won, with just one incumbent surviving and one race still too close to call.

The political world was closely watching Indiana's primary because it was the first of a series of major tests this month of Trump's endorsement power in GOP nomination showdowns, and the president cleared his first hurdle with ease.

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

Trump-allied groups that supported the Trump challengers and targeted the GOP incumbents spent over $10 million in Indiana as they poured resources in the races.

The intraparty battle was seen not just as a test of fealty to Trump but rather a fight between MAGA forces and more traditional conservatives for the future of the GOP.

One of the groups backing Trump was the politically potent Club for Growth.

"This is a big win for Trump," Club for Growth President David McIntosh said on Tuesday night.

And McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana, said the primary victories were "a signal to the entire party that our base wants us to fight for what we believe in."

Trump's clout will be on the line again next weekend in the Louisiana primary.

Cassidy is facing primary challenges from two Republicans: Rep. Julia Letlow and former Rep. John Fleming, who is currently the state treasurer. Trump earlier this year weighed in on the race by endorsing Letlow.

Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

WHO IS JOHN FLEMING, THE FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER CHALLENGING GOP SEN BILL CASSIDY?

But since the start of Trump's second term 15 months ago, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement are out for revenge.

That's because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy's push to reform the nation's health policies, including Kennedy's efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations.

And last week, Cassidy voted to nix the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate.

If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election.

Another major test comes three days later, on May 19, in the primary in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, where Massie is facing a challenge from Trump-backed Ed Gallrein.

Massie has long been one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics in Congress, repeatedly taking aim at the president over the Epstein files and foreign policy.

Trump allies have spent big bucks to boost Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, and to take aim at Massie.

Veteran Republican strategist Tim Murtaugh, who is advising Gallrein, said the Indiana results are a major warning sign for Massie.

"Indiana is right across the border from this district so there’s no doubt Massie knows what those primary results mean to him—and it ain’t good news, that’s for sure," Murtaugh told Fox News Digital. "It’s more evidence that Republican voters want America First candidates who will stand with President Trump rather than fight him and endlessly obstruct the agenda."

But Massie has highlighted a surge in fundraising this year, as he faces off against Gallrein.

He hauled in $2.5 million during the first three months this year, and just in the past week he raked in nearly $1 million.

And Massie has criticized Gallrein for not debating, arguing this week that his challenger has "been AWOL for eight debates and forums so far."

A greatest hits compilation of Russia's most modern military hardware was shown on a video displayed on screens at the event.

As fraud concerns ramp up across the country, particularly involving Medicaid, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek tells Fox News Digital that the problem is very real in his state, especially when it comes to autism therapy, an area that has been highly scrutinized in Minnesota.

Boliek is sounding the alarm on potential waste, fraud, and abuse within the state’s Medicaid program, specifically calling out in an interview with Fox News Digital a 47,000% explosion in autism therapy billings that he has flagged since taking office last year. 

"Those are vital services to folks and individuals that need that therapy," Boliek said. "But when you have, like in North Carolina, a system that went from $1.4 million or so in total billings for autism therapy to more than $660 million a year in billings on autism therapy within a five-year range, that begs an audit from the state auditor, who in North Carolina, we are the top watchdog agency for taxpayer waste, fraud, and abuse prevention. So we've dug down into that or in the middle of that."

Boliek, who was speaking to Fox News Digital from the State Financial Officers Foundation annual conference in Orlando, says his office is "hand-in-hand" with Vice President JD Vance’s focus on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse to "make sure that the people who need the services and deserve those services get the services" without "wasting money."

NORTH CAROLINA AUDITOR EXCITED FOR 'REAL EFFECT' OF STATE-LEVEL DOGE: 'KEEPING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE'

One of the core problems, Boliek explained, is that the system is oftentimes designed in a way that fails to properly safeguard against waste and abuse.

"What we’ve got is we’ve seen examples where there might be three different clinical providers billing during the same tranche of time on an autism therapy client and that is because of poor rulemaking," Boliek explained. "Some of it is possibly illegal and probably illegal, and we’re going to point that out, and we’re going to try to put people in cuffs because of it."

"But some of it might be technically legal because of the lax oversight from a Democrat-led Department of Health and Human Services," Boliek said, referencing the top state health agency in North Carolina.

In a March 10, 2026, hearing of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services presented data that matches Boliek's narrative of exponential growth in the autism therapy space.

TRUMP ELECTION INTEGRITY PUSH EXPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DEAD PEOPLE ON NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ROLLS

The report confirmed that Medicaid spending on ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy grew by 347% between 2022 and 2025 alone and that total spending is projected to hit $842 million in state fiscal year 2026 and $1.14 billion by state fiscal year 2027.

Medicaid fraud has been a hot-button issue across the United States when a scandal in Minnesota gained widespread attention last fall and spreading to places like California and Ohio, the latter being the subject of a recent Daily Wire exposé examining seven medical buildings in Columbus, Ohio, that house 288 Medicaid companies and bill the government $250 million.

The key issues with Medicaid and the ease with which it can be abused both illegally and legally, according to Boliek, are the "minutia of rulemaking" that is "built in by government."

"For example, how individual entities, whether they are a provider of clinical medical services or whether they're a provider of daycare services or other services that can be paid for through departments of Health and Human Services, how those rules are set up and what the billing rules are," Boliek explained.

GOP SENATOR LAUNCHES EFFORT TO CLOSE MEDICAID LOOPHOLE ALLOWING FRAUDSTERS TO RAKE IN MILLIONS

"It really is minutiae, but in North Carolina, for example, we still have some services that are delivered on a fee-for-service basis, and they lack transparency and lack accountability with respect to who can bill and how much can be billed for particular services. That's why we've taken a deep dive into some particular fee-for-service areas in North Carolina and are looking at provider data on exactly how those services are billed. That's where the flaws are."

During the developing fraud scandal in Minnesota, federal agents discovered that one suspected scammer defrauded the state’s autism-treatment program of roughly $14 million and allegedly billed Medicaid for fake therapy sessions, used untrained staff and paid parents $300 to $1,500 a month to keep their kids in the program. 

The state’s autism program’s budget jumped from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

"The fraud is so obvious, just simply looking at the exponential growth in some of these social services programs, that anybody kind of looking at how fast this was growing should have known that a fraud was a major reason why," Minnesota state Sen. Michael Kreun, a Republican, told Fox News Digital in December about social services fraud in his state.

In terms of next steps in North Carolina, Boliek says his office is working with lawmakers to strengthen fraud enforcement by increasing financial accountability, expanding investigative and Medicaid audit resources and investing in staff and technology to recover misused funds. 

Boliek explained that one important tool to crack down on fraud is artificial intelligence. 

"Look, we've got to pour jet fuel on artificial intelligence in the area of state auditing because the fraudsters are using AI and if we're not using AI to combat the fraud, then we're going to be on our heels and the taxpayer isn't going to be protected."

He emphasized that these steps, especially enhancing oversight of programs like Medicaid, are aimed at holding individuals accountable and returning taxpayer dollars for more effective use. 

The State Financial Officers Foundation, a group of financial officers that collectively oversees more than $3 trillion in state funds, released a report earlier this year outlining how the organization safeguarded more than $28 billion of waste, fraud, and abuse in 2025 alone.

"Every wasted dollar is a dollar that can't be spent on a person who actually needs service," Boliek said.

More than 6,000 people crossed the Channel so far this year, 36% below the total for the same time last year

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The Russian leader used his annual speech to justify his so-called special military operation in Ukraine.

As Europe enters another cultural season, its cities once again become stages for creativity, reflection, and dialogue. Festivals open, exhibitions draw global audiences, and institutions reaffirm their commitment to freedom of expression. At the center of this landscape stands the Venice Biennale, long regarded as a symbol of artistic openness

The surprise ceasefire, first announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, is scheduled to remain in place from May 9-11.

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House Democrats are staying far away from questions about whether former Vice President Kamala Harris should run for president again in 2028.

"I have no idea," Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the former House majority whip, told Fox News Digital.

"I have no idea who's running, and we'll focus on 2028 after 2026," Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., answered, referring to the November midterms.

Although the slate of presidential candidates has ample time to settle, the responses hint at party uncertainty about whether Harris is the strongest figure who could represent the party in 2028 and underscore reluctance from lawmakers to project what their party might look like two years down the road.

KAMALA HARRIS TEASES SHE 'MIGHT' RUN FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN IN 2028

"I won't comment until I know whether she really actually is or not," Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said.

Democrats suffered a blistering defeat in 2024, losing the popular vote nationally as Republicans stormed to a governing trifecta across the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

Harris, who did not outperform former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election performance in any county across the U.S., raised eyebrows when she passed up an opportunity to run for governor of California, freeing her up for another shot at the White House.

"In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their Governor," Harris said in a statement posted to Instagram last July.

"I love this state, its people and its promise. It is my home. However, after careful reflection, I’ve decided not to run for Governor in this election."

But — even if Harris decides to throw her name in the ring — she likely won't be the only candidate with a national profile looking to flip Democratic fortunes in 2028.

KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS TIMETABLE FOR MAKING MAJOR POLITICAL DECISION IN DEEP BLUE STATE

Alongside Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are all names being floated as potential presidential contenders, each of whom has made a name for themselves by opposing President Donald Trump.

Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., believes that Democrats will have choices — and not just among governors either.

"I think that's her decision," Larson said of Harris. "But I believe there should be a wide-open Democratic primary, and I think there'll be a lot of contenders; you know, governors, senators. But I also think people outside of government will be interested in running too."

"It’ll be a healthy experience, and that anyone who's interested ought to run," Larson added.

Larson did not list any specific names he would support or expect to be a frontrunner in that picture.

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028

Although he declined to definitively say whether he believes Harris ought to lead the Democratic ticket, at least one Democrat, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said he wouldn’t rule Harris out.

"I think there's definitely a lot of support still out there for her. And she seemed real sharp on the issues still. So, we'll see how it goes. But there's gonna be a lot of people jumping in that one," Ivey said.

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While the products can be imported for personal use, selling it in Japan violates the pharmaceutical and medical device law.

US, Iran no closer to ending war as Gulf clashes flare

John Swinney will return as first minister after a fifth Scottish election victory for the SNP.

Rory McIlroy says bringing back LIV Golf defectors would be "good business" for the PGA Tour amid doubts over the future of the breakaway series.

The group filed a lawsuit demanding that the remains of 279 Ainu ancestors held by a state facility be returned to their descendants.

The number includes 1,080 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

England prop Maud Muir discusses her childhood cricket days and love for pottery and "boshing" defenders.

Abbas Araghchi says the US attacks each time there is a diplomatic solution on the table.

Allies from Europe to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific are once again fearful that the U.S. might be unreliable in a future crisis.

Trump's feuds, tensions with allies likely to outlast Iran war

The four-acre site has been at the heart of an ongoing row with locals since Friday.

Spurs win a hard-fought game 3 in Minneapolis. Refs seem largely okay with ignoring many fouls, so who knows what’s going to happen. Almost thought that overturned out of bounds with 2 minutes left was going to sink the game… Whew. Everyone played really well. 🏀

China April exports rebound strongly after sluggish March, trade surplus widens

"There are probably victims who are still unaware that they have been cheated," a senior police official said.

Punch has handled the limelight better than most young stars. Since first hitting the headlines, he has slowly integrated into his troop and made friends.

Two inmates described as "dangerous" escaped Friday evening from a Kentucky detention center, prompting a multi-agency manhunt, police said.

The Morehead Police Department warned the surrounding community that two inmates had "walked away" from the Rowan County Detention Center.

Investigators said multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching for the escapees, with Kentucky State Police leading the investigation.

"These inmates should be considered dangerous," police said, warning the community not to approach anyone suspicious or unfamiliar.

KENTUCKY DAD RAGES AFTER COURT-APPROVED RELEASE OF REPEAT OFFENDER LEADS TO FAMILY’S KIDNAPPING

One of the inmates was identified as Michael Fogleman, 29, who is described as 6 feet tall and 188 pounds.

He has short or closely shaved hair and a short beard along his jawline and chin, according to police.

The second inmate was identified as James Smallwood, 52, who is listed at 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 215 pounds.

MANHUNTS ACROSS AMERICA IN 2025: FIVE CASES THAT LEFT CITIES, CAMPUSES AND TOWNS ON EDGE

He is described as having a medium to stocky build with gray facial hair around the mouth and chin area.

Smallwood was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue jeans and possibly a hat, police said.

Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and call 911 immediately if they see anything suspicious or have information about the escapees.

Investigators said they will provide more information as it becomes available.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kentucky State Police and Rowan County Detention Center for comment.

China’s export growth accelerated in April after a brief slowdown in March, reinforcing trade’s role as a key stabilizer of the economy.

Policy uncertainty is driving installers and insurers away from U.S. solar factories with China ties.

Spirit's shutdown has added to worries about higher airfares, as ticket prices already rise over soaring jet fuel costs due to the Middle East war.

Those within the UFO community spent their day scrutinizing the new documents, images and videos released by the Pentagon.

Persian Gulf states are worried that a negotiated end to the war will leave them exposed to security threats.

The discontent is focused on leaders that voters feel are unable to address the day’s most pressing problems.

The global perception of the United States has fallen for a third consecutive year, now ranking several spots behind Russia, a survey commissioned by the Alliance of Democracies Foundations revealed on May 7.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is rolling out a taxpayer-backed freebie for new parents, promising hundreds of diapers for every baby born in California under a new statewide program.

The Democrat announced Friday that the state will partner with nonprofit Baby2Baby to hand out 400 free diapers to families leaving participating hospitals, starting this summer. The initiative, dubbed "Golden State Start," is being billed as a first-in-the-nation effort to ease the high cost of raising a child.

"Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life," Newsom said in a statement, touting the plan as part of his broader push to tackle affordability.

CALIFORNIA IS BROKE, BUT IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR THE REST OF US

Under the program, hospitals will distribute the diapers directly to parents upon discharge. Officials said early rollout will prioritize facilities serving low-income patients on Medi-Cal, with plans to expand statewide.

During the program’s first year, it will be offered at about 65 to 75 hospitals that handle about a quarter of births in the state and largely serve low-income patients, Newsom’s office said, according to the Associated Press.

The move is the latest in a string of family-focused spending initiatives from the Newsom administration, which already includes free school meals and universal preschool for 4-year-olds.

Critics are likely to challenge the program's price tag, particularly as California navigates a tightening fiscal environment. Fox News Digital has reached out to the governor's office regarding the costs of the program.

According to the Associated Press, the state has allocated $7.4 million in last year’s budget to launch the free diaper initiative, and Governor Newsom’s latest proposal seeks an additional $12.5 million for implementation through the fiscal year ending in June 2027.

However, these spending goals collide with a sobering economic reality.

In its January budget overview, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) noted that while the administration officially projected a $2.9 billion deficit for 2026-27, the long-term outlook is far more dire. The LAO warned that the state faces structural deficits ranging from $20 billion to $35 billion annually over the coming years

State officials said that they are also looking at ways to take on major diaper brands and drive down prices.

Baby2Baby, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that distributes supplies to children in need, will handle manufacturing and logistics for the program. The group says diaper need is widespread, with as many as one in two families struggling to afford them.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMS PARENTS PERIOD PRODUCTS ARE IN BATHROOMS FOR 'ANY STUDENT WHO MENSTRUATES'

Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof praised the partnership as "historic," saying it will help families during one of their most financially vulnerable moments.

"We are incredibly grateful to Governor Newsom for his ongoing commitment to combating diaper needs in California and could not be prouder to partner on this historic initiative that will support moms and babies at their most vulnerable time," Weinstein and Patricof said in a joint statement.

The announcement comes two years after Tennessee and Delaware became the first U.S. states to offer free diapers to families enrolled in their Medicaid programs, which provide healthcare to low-income families.

Tennessee families can go to pharmacies to pick up 100 diapers per month for children under two. The Delaware program, which began as a pilot before the state extended it in 2024, provides individuals with up to 80 diapers and up to one pack of baby wipes per week in the first 12 weeks.

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

The misinformation resurged even as the World Health Organization insisted there was minimal risk to the general public from passengers of the MV Hondius.

The Iran war has deepened China's influence with its fuel-starved neighbors, allowing it to deal from a position of strength.

It seems like forever ago that everyone was talking about Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance.

Honestly, for me, it was like every other halftime show of the last decade: It wasn't my bag, and I had pretty much forgotten about it completely within 36 hours.

However, that was not the case for everyone. Some decided it was FCC complaint-writin' worthy.

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

TMZ got their mitts on some of the complaints that came in, and I won't lie to you, it had me wondering if I saw the same halftime performance as some of these folks.

Like one person was upset about Bad Bunny's gyrating and wrote that they were "forced to see a man's penis and balls."

I don't remember that part, but it's entirely possible I missed it while replenishing my plate of hot wing dip. It happens. I mean, I missed the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake incident in '04 because my buddy and I were playing "Crash Nitro Kart" for PlayStation 2 in the basement during halftime.

True story.

Other complaints had to do with the Puerto Rican rap star grabbing his crotch, and with two dancers who allegedly grabbed each other's breasts (which, if true, is a wild dance move).

Others took umbrage with the lyrical content, which was deemed "inappropriate" and "sexualized," with one person even saying that he was speaking in a "demonic tongue."

Meanwhile, others were mad that they couldn't understand the performance because it was in Spanish.

STEPHEN A SMITH SAYS IT 'WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE' IF BAD BUNNY PERFORMED IN ENGLISH

Count me as one of those, but only because I took four years of Spanish in high school and a semester in college, and all I can do is say thank you and ask where the library is.

To each their own. If you're upset, you can bust out the stationery or fire off an email that, if we're just being frank, more than likely says "Sent from my iPhone" at the bottom.

But we're lucky to live in a country where you can do that. It's one of the many things that make America great.

That said, I can't imagine what I would need to see to get me to send in a complaint like this.

Even if I did see something that bad, I'd still probably just think, "Meh, someone else will probably complain about it."

US Senate Committee set to consider long-awaited crypto bill next week

Chirayu Rana set off a PR crisis inside America’s biggest bank. Now, his claims have gone viral, stoked by AI fakes.

The strategy is reliant on a small cast of heavyweights and is aimed less at a dramatic turnaround than at raising the cost of betting against the yen.

The U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Friday, killing two alleged narco-terrorists, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

"On May 8, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the post continued. "Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action, and one survived the strike."

SOUTHCOM said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct search-and-rescue operations for the survivor.

US MILITARY LAUNCHES DEADLY STRIKE ON DRUG-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN THE PACIFIC, LEAVING 2 DEAD AND 1 SURVIVOR

No U.S. forces were injured, the military said.

SOUTHCOM did not immediately release additional information about those killed.

The U.S. military has carried out multiple strikes in recent months targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels as part of a broader campaign to dismantle cartel-linked trafficking operations.

US MILITARY CONDUCTS STRIKE ON ANOTHER BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKERS, KILLING 3

Friday’s strike follows similar operations earlier this week. SOUTHCOM said it targeted a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Tuesday, killing three suspected narco-terrorists, and conducted another strike in the Caribbean on Monday, killing two suspected traffickers.

The Eastern Pacific and Caribbean remain key corridors for narcotics trafficking, with cartels often using small, fast-moving vessels to transport drugs toward the U.S. and Central America.

SOUTHCOM is responsible for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including counter-narcotics missions aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.

Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

Indonesia locates two Singaporeans missing after Mount Dukono eruption

Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of puck luck. Read More

Liam and Noel Gallagher will feature in the concert movie focusing on their 2025 global reunion tour.

US concerned by Taiwan defence delay 'concession' to China

​Some 20,000 ​seafarers are stranded in the Persian Gulf. Many are ​dodging drones or rationing food as they wait for an escape plan.

John Swinney's party finished comfortably ahead of its rivals, but short of an overall majority.

Nearly a month ago Péter Magyar steered his Tisza party to a landslide victory, sweeping away 16 years of rule by Viktor Orbán.

Philadelphia fans are known for being a different breed, but it's not all throwing batteries, greasing light poles, or telling Evgeni Malkin he sucks the second he steps off the bus.

No, some understand the basic economics of surge pricing.

...Or at least one does.

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

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, a 31-year-old Philadelphia 76ers fan was thinking about how easy it is for New York Knicks fans to see their team play in Philly as the two duke it out in the playoffs.

76ERS VS KNICKS SECOND-ROUND SERIES PREDICTED TO GO AT LEAST SIX GAMES IN MUST-WATCH NBA MATCHUP

It’s not a terribly long drive, but it’s a smooth Amtrak ride from the Big Apple to the City of Brotherly Love, made even easier by Sunday’s afternoon Game 4 start time.

So, what's the plan? Matt hopped on Reddit and pleaded for his fellow Sixers fans to buy Amtrak Flex tickets, which are fully refundable if canceled before the train departs.

By doing this, it drives up the price for the actual Knicks fans who might want to make the trip.

"Just pick a time you’d think you’d pick if you were a Knicks fan looking to make the 3:30 start time and get back home after," Matt posted on Reddit. "Click that ‘Flex’ option. Book the tickets. Hit that cancel button an hour or so before departure (set multiple alarms for this). Can’t hurt if we all do this."

That's the kind of gamesmanship I expect out of Philadelphia. Well played.

This was also spurred by Joel Embiid imploring fans not to sell their tickets to hopefully maintain a home-court advantage.

We'll see if the plan works out this weekend, but if it does, I think we might see some fans in other cities trying to come up with similar ways to harness the awesome (and enraging) power of surge pricing to their advantage.

The U.S. government is moving to evacuate American passengers from a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with plans to transport them to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring, federal health officials said Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the American public remains extremely low as officials move forward with a medical repatriation flight for passengers aboard the M/V Hondius.

President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that the situation appears to be under control, pointing to the virus being difficult to transmit.

"We have very good people looking at it. It seems to be okay. They know the virus very well. They've worked with it for a long time. They know it very well. Not easy to pass on. So we hope that's true," he said.

DR MARC SIEGEL: HANTAVIRUS CRUISE OUTBREAK IS ALARMING BUT FEAR IS SPREADING FASTER THAN FACTS

"We seem to have things under very good control. They know that virus very well. It's been around a long time. Not easily transferable, unlike COVID. But we'll see. We have very good people studying it very closely."

The outbreak has escalated over several weeks, beginning with a passenger who became sick in early April and later resulting in at least three deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Cases are now reported across multiple countries after passengers disembarked in Africa and Europe, prompting health officials to trace contacts globally.

Authorities in Cape Verde at one point blocked passengers from leaving the ship, underscoring concerns about containment.

HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS KEY MOMENTS IN DEADLY CRUISE CRISIS

Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly disease typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, according to the CDC. While most strains do not spread between people, health officials say the Andes virus — identified in some cases linked to the cruise ship — is the only known strain capable of limited person-to-person transmission.

The vessel is expected to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands, where international teams are coordinating next steps for passengers and crew.

A CDC team has been deployed to the Canary Islands to assess potential exposure among American passengers and determine monitoring needs.

Returning passengers are expected to be flown on a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska.

They will then be transported to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for further monitoring.

Additional CDC personnel will be stationed at Offutt Air Force Base to support health assessments.

Several of the drills were conducted in northern Philippine areas facing Taiwan and the South China Sea, locations increasingly seen as central to deterrence planning.

State and federal immigration officers arrested a criminal illegal alien and MS-13 gang member in a captured-on-camera takedown.

Luis Merary Peralta-Sevilla, a criminal illegal alien and MS-13 gang member from Honduras, was arrested in an operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol on April 14.

In the video shared exclusively with Fox News by ICE, officers are seen apprehending and arresting the Honduran national.

"Driver, hands out the window, now!," a deputy is heard yelling, as a translator repeats the commands in Spanish.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CARRIES OUT MULTIPLE RAIDS TARGETING ‘CRIMINAL ALIENS’ IN FIRST WEEKEND

After Peralta was in handcuffs, officers are seen circling the truck he was driving. Authorities said that they found "some minor narcotics."

Florida police, ICE said, also seized Peralta's vehicle due to violations related to driving without a valid license.

Peralta-Sevilla first illegally entered the United States in July 2013. U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered him in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, where he admitted he is a citizen and national of Honduras and acknowledged he was in the country illegally. A Justice Department immigration judge granted him bond, and he remained in the United States pending removal proceedings.

ICE ARRESTS MS-13 MEMBER WITH LENGTHY RAP SHEET AFTER VIRGINIA COUNTY REFUSED TO COOPERATE

He is currently in the Palm Beach County Jail pending transfer to ICE custody for removal proceedings.

"What happened today is just another perfect display of our partnership with our local law enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, and other federal partners," an ICE deputy said in the video.

"We got a lead on this individual here, Honduran National. He's associated with the MS-13 transnational gang, is also a known suspected terrorist," he said. "He's gonna be going over to the Palm Beach County Jail tonight, and we'll be moving him over to ICE custody shortly and also following up on the criminal investigation we have going on this individual."

Some on the Spanish island worry the imminent arrival of the MV Hondius could pose a health risk.

I’m not going to worry about Hantavirus until Trump says that the cases “within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.” 😷

In The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, the award-winning author imagined a plot to kill the PM.

A 16-year-old North Carolina girl and a 28-year-old man are facing murder charges after three of the girl's family members were found shot to death inside their home, authorities announced Friday during a news conference.

Star Grant, 16, and Devon O'Neil Loving, 28, are each charged with three counts of first-degree murder and felony conspiracy to commit murder, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office.

Due to the severity of the crimes, Grant is being charged as an adult. As Class A felonies, the charges could potentially carry a sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty in the state of North Carolina.

TEEN SUSPECT IN LAKEFRONT FAMILY MASSACRE TOUCHED BODIES TO CHECK IF THEY WERE STILL ALIVE: SURVIVING SISTER

The gruesome discovery was made at about 7:15 p.m. Thursday, when Buncombe County deputies responded to a welfare check at a home on Ashworth Drive in Fairview.

The check was requested by a relative after friends and family had not heard from the victims, officials said.

While deputies conducted two prior welfare checks earlier in the week, one on Monday and another on Wednesday, authorities said they did not have the necessary evidence of an emergency to legally force entry into the home until the third visit.

ADOPTED DAUGHTER AMONG 2 TEEN GIRLS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF WOMAN FOUND BUTCHERED IN UTAH VACATION RENTAL

After entering the house, deputies found the bodies of Travis Eugene Grant, 41, Kimberly Michelle Grant, 42, and Sharon Harwood Grant, 66, all deceased from gunshot wounds.

Authorities confirmed Star Grant is the daughter of Travis and Kimberly Grant, and the granddaughter of Sharon Grant.

Investigators quickly realized the 16-year-old was missing, and through a coordinated effort with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Gatlinburg Police Department, authorities tracked Grant and Loving across state lines.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER MOM, PREGNANT TEEN, 12-YEAR-OLD FOUND BOUND AND MURDERED

The pair, whose relationship has not yet been disclosed, were arrested at a hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, shortly before 6 a.m. Friday.

Grant and Loving, both Buncombe County residents, are currently being held in Tennessee.

They are expected to face an extradition hearing on Monday before being transferred back to North Carolina to face charges.

No motive has been released, as of Friday afternoon.

Authorities maintain there is no ongoing threat to the public.

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

A national redistricting battle over U.S. House seats swung toward Republicans on Friday, as a Virginia court invalidated a Democratic gerrymandering effort and Republicans in Alabama approved plans for new primary elections if courts allow GOP-drawn House districts to be used in the November midterm elections.

Friday marked the return of the Professional Women's Hockey League playoffs to Ottawa, this time at the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 3 of the semifinal series between the Charge and the Boston Fleet. Read More

Owens then suggested the less-than-harmonious feelings are mutual, saying: "The Cowboys haven’t concerned themselves with me since I left there. That’s speaking of Jerry Jones or anybody really from that organization… The way things ended there with the Cowboys, I couldn’t care less. I have nothing to say about them."

JOURDAN LEWIS BECOMES LATEST FORMER COWBOYS PLAYER TO VOICE FRUSTRATION WITH TEAM

Owens signed a three-year deal with the Cowboys in 2006 and was rewarded with a three-year contract extension in 2008. Around the time of his March 2009 release, reports suggested he had become a source of tension inside the Cowboys’ locker room.

He was cut roughly two months after Dallas finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Dallas struggled offensively at times that season, though Owens still totaled 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those were considered productive numbers by any standard, but they also marked his lowest totals in three seasons with the Cowboys.

Owens’ connection with then-offensive coordinator Jason Garrett also came under scrutiny during his stint with the team.

Owens joined the Buffalo Bills after he parted ways with the Cowboys. Despite snapping his streak of three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons during his lone year in Western New York, Owens praised Buffalo, describing it as a rare NFL market that still embraces him years after he left.

"The Buffalo Bills have been very gracious in inviting me out and involving me in some of their community initiatives," Owens said. "I went there for a couple of games and for Thurman Thomas’ jersey retirement."

Owens appeared in 14 games with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010, marking his final NFL season. He was a five-time All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler during his standout career.

He skipped the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, in 2018, choosing instead to hold his own ceremony at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

FIFA to stage separate World Cup opening ceremonies in Mexico, Canada and US

When it comes to being a sports fan, there are few things as exhilarating as catching a foul ball.

I don't care if you want to try and be all "too-cool-for-the-room," the second a foul ball comes in your direction, the adrenaline starts pumping.

However, the line between a Sportscenter-worthy grab (back when that meant something) and a disaster — I'm talking beer and nacho-ruining disaster — is thin.

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

A Cleveland Guardians fan was catching a game out in Sacramento earlier this week when he found himself staring down the barrel of foul ball glory.

METS BROADCASTER KEITH HERNANDEZ'S OBLIVIOUS REACTION TO NEAR-MISS FOUL BALL SENDS SNY BOOTH INTO HYSTERICS

In the first moments of the clip, it kind of looked like this guy was headed to the foul ball-catching hall of fame.

He had the beer in hand, his other arm was outstretched, and he showed off better hops than I think anyone was expecting.

But then the ball hit his bare paw, and everything unraveled.

Oh, dear lord, where to begin?

Let's start with the beer. Do you know the only thing worse than accidentally spilling a $16 stadium brewski? Spilling that stadium beer all over your wife/girlfriend/female companion, who, to her credit, laughed it off.

The loss of the beer is disheartening enough, but imagine whiffing on the ball and then realizing that at some point, you dumping the beer all over your lady will be used in an argument against you, and you will have absolutely no recourse.

"Oh, you don't want to go to brunch with my parents? Well, how about the time you spilled a Coors Light on me while trying to catch a foul ball?!"

And then to add insult to that heaping helping of figurative injury, the nachos took some collateral damage and were effectively ruined.

Nachos are not a robust food. They can't survive a beer splashing like that.

Fortunately, it looks like everyone got through the ordeal without bodily harm, unless you count egos, which were almost certainly bruised beyond recognition.

Iranian officials accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the tanker strikes and hampering diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

The spending, which opposition lawmakers say will be used for U.S. weapons, falls well short of the government's proposed budget of nearly $40 billion.

Argentine authorities say hantavirus patients not likely infected in Tierra del Fuego province

Seasoned staycationers share their favourite spots as Airbnb and Booking.com say interest in UK stays are up on last year.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism over his responses to recent antisemitic incidents, including a protest outside Park East Synagogue and graffiti of swastikas in the borough of Queens.

New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino, R-District 19, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has "created a very dangerous environment" and accused him of "standing with the protesters." Paladino's district is in Queens, but does not include the areas that were graffitied.

"What this mayor has done, is told everybody in his way that this is okay. This behavior is condoned and it's okay, not condemned, condoned by the mayor of New York City because he agrees 100% with them," Paladino said. The councilwoman pointed out that Mamdani, as an assemblyman, protested against ICE and even confronted "border czar" Tom Homan in 2025.

"I refuse to recognize him as my mayor... because he's not a leader," she said.

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR SYNAGOGUE

On Tuesday evening, anti-Israel agitators clashed with police during a protest against the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, which took place at Park East Synagogue. Videos circulating online showed agitators attempting to push down and breach New York Police Department barricades as officers tried to get control of the crowd.

"Some of the rhetoric and conduct outside Park East Synagogue — including displays of support for terrorist organizations and antisemitic acts — was unacceptable. As the mayor has said, chants in support of terrorist organizations and promoting violence of any kind have no place in our city," Mamdani's Deputy Press Secretary Sam Raskin told Fox News Digital.

The protest drew national attention, with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., condemning the protesters as a "mob of pro-Hezbollah/Hamas s---heads." The senator also called out his own party for not offering a strong enough condemnation of the incident. Additionally, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a post on X that the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division would investigate.

"Park East Synagogue remains steadfast in our commitment to peaceful worship, and we are grateful for the NYPD's tireless efforts in protecting the community of our historic landmark synagogue," a Park East Synagogue spokesperson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

NYPD RELEASES FOOTAGE OF 4 SUSPECTS WANTED IN HATE-FUELED GRAFFITI SPREE DEFACING HOMES, HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

The tumultuous protest came just days after swastikas were found spray-painted across multiple locations in Queens. The symbols were found on synagogues, private homes, cars and a Jewish community center. One swastika was painted on a plaque honoring victims of the Holocaust. The NYPD later released surveillance footage of four people wanted in connection with the antisemitic graffiti spree.

After the graffiti was discovered, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is Jewish and the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, visited the sites of the vandalism. In a statement on X, Menin condemned the graffiti as "terrifying signals of hatred and threats of violence." Jack Lobel, spokesperson for Menin, also told Fox News Digital that she had addressed the issue with the NYPD to ensure that those responsible for the vandalism would be apprehended and held accountable.

The speaker also condemned the protest outside Park East Synagogue, saying, "Calls for the destruction of Israel and the glorification of Hezbollah are horrific, intimidating, and only fuel the flames of antisemitism."

MAMDANI IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER FIRST VETO DERAILS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: 'DISAPPOINTED'

Paladino, however, dismissed Menin's visit to the Queens graffiti sites as a "photo op" and said the speaker hadn't done enough.

In response to a request for comment, Lobel said, "Speaker Menin has a clear record of combatting antisemitism, not just with words but with action. Her first major announcement as speaker was a Five-Point Plan to Combat Antisemitism, including strengthened protections for houses of worship and investments in Holocaust education."

Menin's five-point plan to combat antisemitism included a proposal to create a "perimeter around entrances and exits of houses of worship, prohibiting harassment and intimidation of individuals while preserving First Amendment rights." The City Council passed two "buffer zone" bills, one protecting schools and another for houses of worship. Mamdani vetoed the bill protecting schools from protest-related harassment, drawing critics' ire.

ISRAEL ACCUSES MAMDANI OF POURING 'ANTISEMITIC GASOLINE' AFTER HE REVOKES ADAMS EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The protest and the graffiti underscored Jewish New Yorkers' concerns about rising antisemitism threatening their security. While Mamdani's responses to both of the incidents were criticized, his remarks about the protest drew particular scrutiny as the mayor said that he "firmly" disagreed with the event.

"When we have a real estate expo that is promoting the sale of land which includes the sale of land in the occupied West Bank, in settlements that are a violation of international law, that is something that I firmly disagree with," Mamdani said in response to a reporter's question. The mayor added that he saw the land sales as something that "has been at the heart of an ongoing effort to displace Palestinians from their homes."

The recent incidents have heightened criticism of Mamdani and raised questions about how the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel will confront antisemitism.

Fox News Digital's Julia Bonavita and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

The man is accused of assisting the head of the Izolyatsia prison camp in the torture of inmates. His arrest marks the second time a foreign country has detained a suspect charged with war crimes in Ukraine.

Vietnam adds hundreds of acres in South China Sea island-building

Twain first broke through into the music industry in 1993 with the release of her debut album, "Shania Twain," and later gained worldwide fame with her second album, "The Woman in Me," in 1995.

Her third album, "Come on Over," made her a household name, going on to sell over 40 million copies and becoming the best-selling studio album by a female artist ever. It featured some of her biggest hits, including "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," "You’re Still the One," "That Don’t Impress Me Much" and "From This Moment On."

Throughout her decades-long career, she has won five Grammy Awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards and was awarded entertainer of the year at the CMA Awards in 1999.

Reform makes huge gains in England, as Labour loses power in Wales and the SNP wins fifth term in Scotland.

To get quantum computing to work, we will ultimately need lots of high-quality qubits, which we can tie together into groups of error-corrected logical qubits. Companies are taking distinct approaches to get there, but you can think of them as falling into two broad categories. Some companies are focused on hosting the qubits in electronics that we can manufacture, guaranteeing that we can get lots of devices. Others are using atoms or photons as qubits, which give more consistent behavior but require lots of complicated hardware to manage.

One advantage of systems that use atoms or ions is that we can move them around. This allows us to entangle any qubit with any other, which provides a great deal of flexibility for error correction. Systems based on electronic devices, in contrast, are locked into whatever configuration they're wired into during manufacturing.

But this week, a new paper examined research that seems to provide the best of both worlds. It works with quantum dots, which can be manufactured in bulk and host a qubit as a single electron's spin. The work showed that it's possible to move these spin qubits from one quantum dot to another without losing quantum information. The ability to move them around could potentially enable the sort of any-to-any connectivity we see with atoms and ions.

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Labour suffers historic losses across UK elections.

Government officials and nature guides say more countermeasures can reduce harm caused by rogue bears.

From dancefloor bangers to heartfelt ballads, here are the highlights and low points of Eurovision.

From lattes to ice-cream, the Japanese tea is popping up more and more on menus across the UK.

From lattes to ice-cream, the Japanese tea is popping up more and more on menus across the UK.

Saturday's papers lead with calls for the PM to quit after Labour's local election losses and Tess Daly and Vernon Kay's marriage split.

US imposes sanctions on companies it accuses of aiding Iran's weapons sector

In a new book, a mom raised in Tokyo but living abroad reflects on how Japan's conception of motherhood helps her raise her young daughters.

Judge rejects request to ban cameras in court from man charged with killing Charlie Kirk

WHO reports six confirmed hantavirus cases tied to Spain-bound cruise

Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.

→ Vision problem leads to man's stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis

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→ Alzheimer’s risk slashed by eating more of one common food

Apple is developing a wearable AI device that's been described as a pin or pendant, and that could compete with a similar AI product coming from OpenAI's Jony Ive. It wasn't clear if the wearable would actually make it to launch because Apple sometimes cancels projects, but it is still in the works and could come as soon as next year.

1. It'll Look Like an AirTag

Apple's design plans could change, but rumors suggest the device is a pin or pendant that looks similar to an AirTag. It's been described as having a thin, flat, circular disc shape, with an aluminum and glass shell. A physical control button is included on one edge.

Apple wants the final version of the device to be about the same size as an ‌AirTag‌, but because of the hardware inside, it could be thicker.

It sounds like the wearable will be versatile. It could have a clip to attach to clothing like a pin, but there's also supposedly a hole in the device so it can be worn as a necklace. Rumors have referred to it as both a pin and a pendant.

2. There Will Be Cameras

Apple's AI wearable is going to have at least one camera, but rumors are mixed on exactly what the camera will be used for.

Bloomberg says the pin will have a low-resolution camera that gives it info about its surroundings rather than a camera for capturing photos and videos. The camera will be always-on and processing visual data, but users will not be able to use it for images.

The Information reports there will be two front cameras, one with a standard lens and one with a wide-angle lens for capturing photos and videos.

Apple's AI device will rely heavily on Visual Intelligence, which is currently an iPhone feature that uses the camera to provide users with more information about places and objects around them.

3. Siri is the Brain

Rumors have described Apple's wearable as an AI pin or pendant, because it's going to be reliant on artificial intelligence. It's one of several AI-equipped devices that Apple is working on, and it will give wearers a way to interface with Siri without having to use an iPhone.

The camera on the pin will give ‌Siri‌ insight, and ‌Siri‌ will be able to answer questions about what the wearer is looking at or the wearer's surroundings.

Apple is planning to completely overhaul ‌Siri‌ in iOS 27, turning the personal assistant into a much smarter chatbot on par with Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT.

4. iPhone Required

While the AI wearable will have a chip inside, it will be a smaller chip that's similar to the H2 in the AirPods. It won't use a high-powered chip, and most processing will need to be done on the iPhone.

The pin is not meant to be a standalone device, and it will instead be marketed as an iPhone accessory.

5. It'll Listen, But Might Not Talk Back

To listen for voice requests and to pick up sounds around the wearer, the AI pin will have a microphone. Apple has not yet decided whether to add a speaker for back-and-forth ‌Siri‌ conversations and audio playback.

If there's no speaker, responses might be directed to the wearer on the iPhone, Apple Watch, or AirPods.

Release Date

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said this week that the AI wearable could see a launch as soon as 2027.
This article, "Apple's AirTag-Sized AI Pendant: Five Features Rumored So Far" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With watchOS 26.5, Apple is introducing a Pride Luminance face, and it's one of the most versatile and customizable watch faces. There are pre-configured color options, but the face also supports custom colors.


You can select 1 to 12 colors from a palette that has every color of the rainbow, some in-between shades, and black, white, brown, and gray.


The colors you pick are distributed across the watch face in a gradient, available in either radial or linear styles. The first style looks like a starburst, while the second style is a series of rectangular lines.


The dial can be set to Rectangle for edge-to-edge color, or Circle for a smaller dial that supports four complications.

As with most of Apple's faces, the Luminance face is animated. When the wrist is down, it shrinks into slim lines of color on a black background, but when the wrist is raised, the full color palette is displayed. Colors will also shift slowly.


Apple's pre-selected colors represent different Pride flag colors, but with the deep customization options, the Pride Luminance face can match clothing, show off support for sports teams, or just display your favorite colors.


iOS 26.5 also has a matching Pride Luminance Wallpaper option that can be customized in the same way. You can choose up to 12 colors for the Lock Screen and Home Screen. On the Lock Screen, the colors collapse onto a black background when the device is locked.


To get the new watch face, you need iOS 26.5 and watchOS 26.5. Apple has released RCs, and the public versions of the updates are expected as soon as next week.
This article, "A Closer Look at watchOS 26.5's New Luminance Watch Face" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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North Korean leader Kim calls ties with Russia top priority in Victory Day message to Putin

Can you please explain the workings of a product like the Tesla Yield Shares Purpose ETF (YTSL-NE)?

The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix was one of the better races we've seen so far this season, and that was to some degree thanks to some new regulations introduced to improve qualifying and make the racing safer.

These came after complaints from drivers about how qualifying had become more about managing their car's batteries than it was about outright speed and driver ability, and over safety concerns after Haas driver Ollie Bearman suffered a scary crash in Japan.

Both of these have to do with the new 2026 engine's 50-50 power split between the internal combustion engine and the electrical system known as the Energy Recovery System, or ERS.

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Now, the series and its governing body, the FIA, have announced that more changes are coming, and they're coming fast.

On Friday, team principals, Formula One Management and the FIA met to discuss the results of the Miami rule changes and agreed to make some further changes for next season.

"The measures agreed in principle today for 2027 would see a nominal increase in Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) power by ~50kW alongside a fuel-flow increase and a nominal reduction of the Energy Recovery System (ERS) deployment power by ~50kW."

That's technical speak for: "The internal combustion engine will be more powerful and the battery will not."

CADILLAC UNVEILS ONE-OFF STARS-AND-STRIPES LIVERY AHEAD OF THE TEAM'S FIRST-EVER RACE ON U.S. SOIL

According to Sky Sports, this would make the ICE to ERS power split more in the neighborhood of 60-40, which simply means that less of the focus will be on charging up the batteries and will instead switch back to driver skill and outright pace.

Credit to the FIA and Formula 1 for not digging their heels in (too) hard on this one. Drivers, especially Red Bull's four-time champ Max Verstappen, have been very critical of the regulations since they were announced.

The 50-50 split was not working on the first three weekends, and there was a noticeable improvement on track in Miami.

So, this will be some work for the series' engine manufacturers, but hey, if something isn't working, you've got to make some changes.

The Tories had a grim night at the polls, losing seats to both Reform and the Liberal Democrats.

No Premier League medal, no Champions League title, but Bruno Fernandes has won other trophies and many accolades, and the FWA footballer of the year is on the brink of setting a record.

Over 100 people were affected by a norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess cruise, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released Thursday.

According to the report, 102 of 3,116 passengers (3.3%) and 13 of 1,131 crew members (1.2%) were reported ill, with symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting. The outbreak was reported to the CDC on May 7.

The cruise voyage took place from April 28 to May 11, according to the CDC.

Princess Cruises said a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the voyage.

NOROVIRUS SICKENS OVER 200 CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS ON MONTH-LONG VOYAGE

"Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades," the statement read.

"We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage. Upon arrival to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage," the statement continued.

To mitigate the spread of the virus, Princess Cruises reported to the CDC that the ship increased cleaning and disinfection procedures in line with its outbreak response plan, collected stool specimens for testing, isolated ill passengers and crew, and consulted with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) on sanitation measures and case reporting.

CDC REPORTS 21ST CRUISE SHIP NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK THIS YEAR, WITH NEARLY 100 PEOPLE INFECTED

The CDC said its Vessel Sanitation Program is conducting a field response, including an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation, to help control the spread of the illness.

Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based cruise industry expert known as "The Cruise Guy," told Fox News Digital that norovirus is common in the U.S., with millions of cases reported each year, while cases linked to cruise ships make up a small fraction of the total.

He said outbreaks often begin when infected passengers board a ship and unknowingly spread the virus, but cruise lines follow strict sanitation protocols and quickly isolate sick individuals to limit transmission. He added that the reported cases on the Caribbean Princess just exceed the CDC’s 3% threshold used to define an outbreak.

Norovirus is a common cause of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships. The CDC notes that reported case totals reflect illnesses over the entire voyage and do not mean all passengers were sick at the same time.

President Trump has signed off on a plan to fire Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, though insiders caution that the plan is not final and could change, according to several media reports.

News of the planned axing comes from inside sources who spoke with The Wall Street Journal,  which was then confirmed by reporting from Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and Politico. The Post reported that the administration has not decided who would serve as acting director upon Makary's departure.

The planned exit comes after a tumultuous year for Makary, in which the FDA plunged into turmoil and controversy over DOGE cuts, personnel drama, vaccine approvals, gene therapy decisions, abortion pill oversight, and vape regulation.

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Trump plans to fire US FDA chief Makary, sources say

The EFL charges Southampton with spying on Middlesbrough before they meet in the Championship play-off semi-finals on Saturday.

Three people are dead and five others were injured Friday when Mount Dukono erupted on a remote Indonesian island, where the hikers were in a restricted area, authorities said.

About 20 climbers set out Thursday to climb the nearly 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano in Halmahera, Indonesia, despite safety restrictions, North Halmahera police chief Erlichson Pasaribu said.

"They were aware that climbing was prohibited as the mountain is a restricted zone due to its high alert status, but insisted on going ahead," Pasaribu said.

Despite warnings on social media and signs at the site, "many people remain determined to climb, driven by the desire to create online content," Pasaribu said.

'RECKLESS’ TOURISTS ON ISLAND HOT SPOT COULD BE SLAPPED WITH FINES FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES USE

Pasaribu said that three people, including one local resident and two Singaporeans, were killed in the eruption. The Indonesian victim was from Ternate, which is in the same province as Mount Dukono.

The three victims' bodies remain on the volcano, with ongoing eruptions and difficult terrain preventing them from being evacuated by rescue teams, Pasaribu said.

The group became stranded when the volcano erupted at 7:41 a.m. local time, sending a column of ash over six miles into the sky.

STUNNING PHOTOS CAPTURE MOMENT ONE OF INDONESIA'S MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES ERUPTS

Rescue teams were deployed after receiving an emergency signal from the mountain area.

As of Friday afternoon, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who joined the rescue operation and provided information on climbing routes of the victims before the eruption, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

Five of those evacuated were reported injured.

MORE THAN 20 'ILL-PREPARED' HYPOTHERMIC HIKERS RESCUED FROM SNOWY CONDITIONS ON NEW ENGLAND'S HIGHEST PEAK

Pasaribu said that police will question those who joined the hikers up the mountain. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Indonesian National Police for additional information.

According to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, Mount Dukono has been continuously erupting since 1933.

"Friday’s eruption was among the strongest during this period," said Lana Saria, who heads Indonesia’s Geology Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reformer heater explodes at PBF Louisiana refinery, sources say

"But I cannot do so without sacrificing the privacy and well-being of those I care about and the effective functioning and independence of Utah’s judiciary," she wrote.

Cox will be tasked with naming Hagen's replacement. Fox News Digital has reached out to the governor's office.

Fox News Digital's Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.

The naturalist's seven-decade career was marked with a special concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

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There has been much conversation and consternation lately over the expansion of both the College Football Playoff and NCAA Tournament.

Judging by the reactions of fans and pundits alike on social media, the decision to expand the fields of both postseasons in the "money sports" of college athletics has been met with nearly universal disgust.

While the NCAA Tournament has officially ballooned to 76 teams, the CFP committee and powers that be are discussing opening their field to a 24-team playoff.

Both of these are gross to anyone who is a fan of tradition in college sports (as you are aware, I am one of them), but, in my opinion, one of these is clearly worse than the other.

PROPOSAL FOR HISTORIC NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPANSION REACHES FINAL STAGES: REPORT

Yes, expanding the NCAA Tournament (yet again) is a slap in the face to fans everywhere and a blatant money grab, but it doesn't come close to how catastrophic a 24-team College Football Playoff would be to the sport of college football.

In the end, it's a numbers game.

March Madness going from 68 to 76 teams represents a roughly 12% increase in teams added to the field, hardly a drop in the bucket for an already-bloated postseason tournament.

When you compare that to the 100% increase a 24-team College Football Playoff would represent, we aren't even talking about the same game anymore.

The regular season in college football also has way fewer games than college basketball's regular season, and, as my colleague Ian Miller pointed out, a 24-team field would just dilute a once-great regular season more than it already has.

It's a zero-sum game. If the College Football Playoff expands, the urgency of the regular season diminishes by comparison, and in a sport that had, inarguably, the greatest regular season in sports, that's a huge blow.

Think about how badly teams like James Madison and Tulane got smoked in their respective playoff games. Now imagine teams like Virginia, Georgia Tech and Navy in the postseason as well.

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As I've discussed in the past, college basketball is more conducive to upsets in a single-elimination tournament format.

The advanced talent profile along the lines of scrimmage for "the big boys" alone makes it nearly impossible for a Cinderella to make a deep run in the CFP.

Meanwhile, all it takes is a hot day from beyond the arc for David to sink Goliath in the month of March.

The aggressive and expedited nature in which the playoff has expanded is concerning as well.

Just a few years ago, we had a four-team playoff (which many fans were perfectly fine with, mind you). How we got to 24 teams in less than half a decade just doesn't sit right with me.

While the NCAA Tournament becoming a 76-team bracket sucks, it happened after a decade and a half of adding another four teams to the Big Dance.

Expansion is bad news any way you slice it for both sports, but acting like we are dealing with the same problems is ignorant.

This will fall on deaf ears, because the powers that be haven't taken the fans into account when making big decisions in quite some time (the real, passionate fans, anyway).

Run from it. Dread it. Expansion comes for us all the same.

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.

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CHASE DONE: Special Forces vet accused of trying to kill wife found dead, ending massive Tennessee manhunt

MAKING WAVES: Coast Guard asks public to identify sailboat moored near vessel where Lynette Hooker vanished in Bahamas

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SINISTER SETUP: Man ‘framed’ in ‘satanic’ murder freed after 22 years wins $24M as real killer still unknown

ULTIMATE COST: Tanner Horner sentenced to death for kidnapping and killing 7-year-old girl during FedEx delivery

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BURIED SECRET: Missing man’s body found in abandoned cemetery crypt in case tied to biker gang

TRANSCRIPT REVEALED: Bryan Kohberger's mother called him 'my angel' and insisted police made a 'really, really bad mistake': book

Trump administration again suspends UC Berkeley research grants

US judge will not rubber-stamp Elon Musk settlement with SEC

The regime fires on U.S. warships in Hormuz but still enjoys a cease-fire.

Farage’s Reform UK blows up the Labour-Tory political duopoly.

The WSJ Dollar Index fell 0.3% — down three of the past four trading days.

Plus, Apple and Intel plan to work together on chips, and a new book explains the rules of sorority rush.

The EFL charges Southampton with spying on Middlesbrough before they meet in the Championship play-off semi-finals on Saturday.

Plaid Cymru becomes the biggest party in the Welsh Parliament, ending Labour's century long election winning streak in Wales.

Google settles racial discrimination lawsuit for $50 million

Toronto police say an 18-year-old man is facing multiple charges after two alleged hate-motivated assaults with a gel blaster imitation gun against members of the Jewish community, incidents condemned by the Prime Minister and Ontario Premier.

Having trouble squaring the Cloudflare layoffs today (because of AI) with how aggressive they were last year going after AI bots. It’s like the company has gotten so big they aren’t internally consistent anymore.

Gain insight Emera, Algonquin Power, Enbridge and more in the latest Market Talks covering energy and utilities.

ABC is fighting back against the Trump administration's attempt to police broadcast television content, saying in a filing that the Federal Communications Commission is violating the First Amendment.

Led by Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC accused ABC’s The View of not complying with the equal-time rule, even though the interview portions of talk shows have historically been exempt from the rule requiring equal time for opposing political candidates. The FCC also opened an unusual review of ABC’s broadcast licenses one day after the president and First Lady Melania Trump called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a recent joke.

An ABC filing that was made public today said the FCC exceeded its authority in actions that "threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly." The filing is primarily in response to the equal-time investigation, but ABC also seems determined to fight the larger license review.

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Find insight on CoreWeave, bitcoin, Telus, Cloudflare and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom.

The mayor of a small town in Georgia fired the area's entire police department Wednesday after officers allegedly made "inappropriate comments" about his wife on Facebook, leaving the town without its own police force.

Cohutta Mayor Ron Shinnick recently shut down the Cohutta Police Department, laying off all 10 employees, according to a report from WDEF.

As of Wednesday morning, a sign was posted on the department's door, reading, "The PD has been dissolved, and all personnel have been terminated."

It is not known whether employees were notified before the sign was posted or when officers arrived to work that morning.

ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT RESIGNS AFTER TOWN'S 'FAILURE' TO MEET LAW ENFORCEMENT NEEDS: FORMER CHIEF

The move effectively dismantled the town’s entire law enforcement operation, raising questions about leadership, potential retaliation and public safety in the roughly 1,000-person community.

"They’ll get a paycheck. We’re not that way, and I appreciate their service, okay? It is time for a change," Shinnick said when asked about the decision.

The dispute appears to stem from last month, when officers filed formal complaints against former town clerk Pat Shinnick, the mayor's wife.

KENTUCKY SCHOOL OFFICIAL RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGEDLY CALLING TO 'SHOOT REPUBLICANS' ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Pat Shinnick was fired from her position for allegedly creating a "hostile work environment." According to the officers' complaints, despite her firing, she was still working and continued to have access to personal information of the town’s 1,000 residents.

Following the complaints, Shinnick, Police Chief Greg Fowler and town attorney Brian Rayburn said during a press conference that the situation had been resolved using "open dialogue and good-faith mediation."

One week later, the entire department was disbanded.

ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT RESIGNS LEAVING SOUTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY WITHOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE

"This all comes to personal vendetta from the mayor, and I wholeheartedly believe that," former Sgt. Jeremy May told WRCB-TV. "We took a stand for transparency, and in result, every one of them has lost their jobs."

While the town is currently operating without a police department, the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies will take over law enforcement duties.

A town meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 8, with topics including reinstating the police department and a request for Mayor Shinnick’s immediate resignation.

Shinnick and the town's attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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Mehmet Beceren is senior market strategist for Rosenberg Research. For a full copy of this research report, including supporting charts and data, click here

Some fans argue they have good reason to be concerned about new "Lord of the Rings" content. Amazon’s "Rings of Power" series, notably separate from Jackson's film adaptations, was widely criticized as a modern, liberal take on the classic literature.

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Anyone following the modern game industry knows that easy-to-use game engines and the accelerating shift to digital distribution have helped enable a massive increase in the quantity of commercial games released each year, both on console storefronts and especially on Steam. Now, Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Hideaki Nishino says we should expect the rate of new game releases to accelerate even faster as new AI development tools make it easier for developers big and small to pursue new projects efficiently.

In a presentation to investors on Friday, Nishino noted that Sony "expect[s] to see a meaningful increase in the volume and diversity of content available to players" in the near future. That increase is the inevitable result of AI development tools that are "lowering barriers to creation, accelerating development cycles, and enabling more creators to enter the market," he said.

By way of evidence, Nishino cited Sony's first-party game development efforts. Gamemakers inside Sony are already using AI tools to "automat[e] repetitive workflows" in areas like quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation, he said.

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It has been a heck of a year for the Buffalo Sabres.

They're in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011, and won their first playoff series since 2007 after dispatching the Boston Bruins in the first round.

And all year long, the team has been leaning on one slogan, "Everybody Ropes, Everybody Rides."

Now the question on everyone's mind: What the hell does that mean?

SABRES WIN FIRST PLAYOFF GAME IN 15 YEARS IN DRAMATIC FASHION, STUN BRUINS WITH EPIC THIRD PERIOD COMEBACK

TNT hockey reporter Jackie Redmond shared a photo of the towels fans will receive for Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens, and they all bear the slogan.

However, one fan thought that this slogan was nothing more than something the team's front office cooked up. Which, in fairness, we've seen from many teams over the years, especially come playoff time.

But Redmond shared that this isn't the case at all. Instead, it has been the Sabres' rallying cry all season, and she shared Sabres star and Team USA gold medalist Tage Thompson's explanation of the saying.

"It means no job is too big or too small for anybody," Thompson explained, per Redmond. "That when everyone is willing to do the little things that aren't always flashy — it shows the room that you care about winning and doing whatever it takes."

Well, it seems to be working.

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I love that kind of attitude in the postseason, too, because it underscores what I think is the key to winning the Stanley Cup: depth.

Especially in the modern NHL, you need everyone showing up and pitching in, whether that's the stars or the fourth-line grinders or the goalie, and the Sabres seem to be getting that.

The Sabres were one of the biggest surprises of the season by not just making the postseason, but by winning the tough Atlantic Division, which saw five teams make the playoffs.

Now it's just a matter of seeing how long they can keep it all going.

WWDC is only a month away. How’d that happen? I booked travel a while ago, will be there for a few days. Sadly just flying in, no elaborate train or car camping plans this time.

US Postal Service reports $2 billion quarterly loss as cash crunch mounts

A top Virginia Democrat’s support for his state's redistricting referendum ironically backfired after a judge he previously appointed helped torpedo his party’s bid to redraw the state’s congressional districts.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who endorsed the referendum and appeared at pro-referendum events, gave $100,000 to the campaign behind Virginia Democrats’ redistricting effort, which voters approved in April. On Friday, a judge Warner appointed when he was governor in 2002, D. Arthur Kelsey, was among the four justices who voted to strike the referendum down on constitutional grounds. In fact, Judge Kelsey authored the 4-3 prevailing opinion.

The voter-approved ballot measure was poised to give Democrats a major advantage heading into November's midterm elections, and they vastly outspent Republicans in their bid to get it passed. However, Kelsey wrote in the prevailing opinion that the sequencing in which Democrats held the referendum vote violated the state's Constitution, which requires an intervening election between the state legislature's mandatory first and second passage of the proposed constitutional amendment.

'JUSTICE': CELEBRATION, MOCKERY ERUPT AFTER SPANBERGER 'GERRYMANDER' IS BLOWN UP IN BLOCKBUSTER DECISION

Warner, who was the Governor of Virginia from 2002 until 2006, previously appointed Kelsey, then a Circuit Court judge, to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Kelsey served two terms before a GOP state legislature elevated him to the state's Supreme Court, where Kelsey has been serving since 2015.

When Warner appointed Kelsey to the Virginia Court of Appeals in 2002, he praised the then-Suffolk circuit judge as having shown "a keen intellect, a strong work ethic and a commitment to equal justice," according to a report from Virginia Lawyers Weekly at the time.

"Although I had not met Judge Kelsey before this process began, I have spoken to him at length, reviewed his numerous opinions and consulted with those who know him well," Warner added in 2002.

Following the ruling by Virginia's Supreme Court, Warner put out a statement in a news release saying he respected the decision, but added that "it’s impossible to ignore that more than three million Virginians already cast their ballots on the amendment and deserved to have their voices heard."

MARK WARNER FACES GOP CHALLENGE FROM AIRBORNE RANGER-TURNED-LAWMAKER BRYCE REEVES

Fox News Digital reached out to Warner to inquire whether he felt the ruling was fair, but a spokesperson for the senator only referred Fox News Digital to the news release with his public statement.

"Donald Trump assumed he could tilt the playing field and lock in political advantage before a single ballot was cast. But Virginians are paying attention," Warner also said in his public statement. "They want leaders who will protect their rights, defend their freedoms, and actually focus on lowering costs and getting things done. Democrats will still show up this November, we will still compete everywhere, and when the votes are counted, Virginians will send a strong message about the kind of leadership they want."

The prevailing opinion written by Kelsey said that Democrats' proposed map would have replaced Virginia's current 6-5 congressional split "with a highly partisan gerrymandered map" expected to create a 10-1 advantage for a single party.

Kelsey went on to highlight that under Democrats' proposed new map, roughly 47% of Virginians who voted for one political party during the last congressional election would end up being represented by just 9% of Virginia's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, while 51% of Virginians who voted for the other major political party would be represented by 91% of Virginia's congressional delegation.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said Friday she was "disappointed" with the Supreme Court's decision and, along with other Democrats, blasted the state's High Court for invalidating the will of voters.

"More than three million Virginians cast their ballots in Virginia’s redistricting referendum, and the majority of Virginia voters voted to push back against a President who said he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress with a temporary and responsive referendum. They made their voices heard," Spanberger said after the ruling.

"I am disappointed by the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling, but my focus as Governor will be on ensuring that all voters have the information necessary to make their voices heard this November in the midterm elections because in those elections we — the voters — will have the final say."

Her first husband, Van Halen, died in October 2020 at the age of 65 from complications associated with throat cancer that later spread.

Following his death, Bertinelli paid tribute to him on Instagram, alongside a photo of their son, writing, "I’m so grateful Wolfie and I were able to hold you in your last moments," and that she "will see you in our next life."

The NFL's three highest-paid running backs at the moment? Saquon Barkley, who has a 2,000-yard season on his resume, Christian McCaffrey, who has eclipsed 2,000 yards from scrimmage three times in his career, and Breece Hall.

Hall doesn't have the credentials the other two boast. He's eclipsed 1,000 yards only once in four seasons. But the New York Jets obviously see the potential for him to reach greater heights because they just agreed to a three-year contract extension for Hall worth $45.75 million.

And that deal means Hall will be averaging $15.25 million per season — just behind Barkley's $20.6 million per season and McCaffrey's $19 million per season on average.

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

Hall is getting $29 million of his money guaranteed the first two seasons.

So if things don't work out, this is really going to be a two-year deal and Hall becomes a free agent again at age 26.

It's enough to make a running back cry tears of joy.

And we bring that up because, well, it's the Jets — a team with a recent history of not having things work out.

You'll recall the Jets drafted Sauce Gardner with a No. 1 pick in 2022 and then they traded him last season. They drafted Quinnen Williams in the first round in 2019 and also traded him last season. Both those blockbuster trades came with big compensation returns but also some unmet expectations.

The club decided to keep Hall, a 2022 second-rounder, amid the trade deadline sell-off.

JETS MAKE NFL HISTORY WITH SEASON OF UNPRECEDENTED FUTILITY AND RECORD-BREAKING FAILURES

That and the expensive new deal means Hall is a team cornerstone. A building block.

We'll see.

The Jets with Hall last season averaged 17.6 points per game. That was 29th in the NFL.

So obviously the offense was unspectacular even with Hall rushing for 1,065 yards.

Coach Aaron Glenn and Jets fans expect much, much better this season and that could start with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich orchestrating an overall offensive upgrade with Geno Smith rather than Justin Fields at quarterback.

Maybe.

Smith led the NFL in interceptions last season while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The expectation is Hall, nearing his prime, and a veteran such as Smith can do great things together. Maybe they combine on a lot of checkdown yards to pair with Hall's career 4.5 yards per carry rushing average.

If this doesn't go according to plan, the Jets just spent a lot of money — as in the third-highest salary in the NFL at running back — on a fine player who nonetheless plays a non-premium position.

That means this move comes with a lot to like.

And a lot to doubt.

FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO

US revises UN resolution on Iran but China, Russia still expected to veto

An unprecedented outbreak of hantavirus has rocked a luxury cruise ship off the coast of West Africa, triggering a tsunami of news stories and a flood of post-pandemic anxiety.

So far, eight cases have been reported, including three people who have died. The Dutch-flagged ship, MV Hondius, which began its journey from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, is still carrying 147 passengers and crew. To date, those remaining on board are showing no symptoms and have been asked to sequester themselves in their cabins. At the time of publication, the ship is sailing on a three- to four-day journey that began the evening of May 6 from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, where Spanish authorities have agreed to assist the imperiled vessel.

With the ship en route, experts assembled by the World Health Organization are now racing to create a novel step-by-step procedure to allow the remaining passengers and crew on board to disembark safely. Meanwhile, authorities are tracking down and monitoring 30 former passengers who disembarked the ship onto the remote island of St. Helena on April 24—before the outbreak was identified but nearly two weeks after the first passenger had died on board on April 11. Those 30 passengers hail from at least 12 different countries, including six from the US.

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The Canada Revenue Agency will not be ready to implement a four-day return to office come July 6 alongside many other federal departments and agencies, according to the union that represents tax workers. Read More

Trump releases government UFO files, more expected

White House considering naming FDA food chief as acting commissioner

It's Friday, May 8. Here are the top stories the Ottawa Citizen newsroom is following today. Read More

Exclusive: Kennedy's health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants

The NBA has had a flopping issue for years and I believe much of the discourse we have seen during this year’s playoffs, especially between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers is due, in large part, to the league refusing to properly enforce these rules and because its most well-known player made flopping mainstream.

After their Game 7 loss in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics’ guard Jaylen Brown said while streaming, "Flopping has ruined our game," while calling out former MVP Joel Embiid specifically. 

JAYLEN BROWN SOUNDS LIKE A 'SORE LOSER' AFTER BLAMING EMBIID FOR CELTICS' COLLAPSE

After Game 2 between the Thunder and Lakers, which was full of flops once again, Austin Reaves and the entire Lakers team confronted the officials after their 18-point loss. Much of the discussion following the game is about flopping and supposed favorable whistles for the Thunder. 

THE REFS IN THE OKC-LA SERIES WERE SO BAD, THE LAKERS HAD TO HAVE A POSTGAME MEETING WITH THEM

ESPN’s Jay Williams said, "..the flopping. The foul baiting. The constant manipulation of angles and officiating at times feels less like basketball and more like a legal hustle," while discussing the issue on his social media.

Kendrick Perkins, while on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday discussing the Lakers Thunder aftermath, stated, "I hated the way that game was called last night and there was a lot of flopping going on." Perkins continued, "The NBA has to get back to fining guys for flopping." Here’s the problem: The NBA hasn’t done a great job of that in the first place.

The NBA recognized that flopping was an issue over a decade ago. It was ruining the watchability and integrity of the game. Other leagues like the NHL had embellishment penalties, which help stifle the ability to get a cheap power play. NBA players were abusing the system and getting cheap free throws and affecting the flow and outcome of games. The league decided to introduce postgame flop fines in the 2012-13 season where plays were reviewed after games and those individuals were fined for exaggerating contact. 

Since those fines were introduced through the anti-flopping rule, there has been a shockingly low number of fines. Reports and Spotrac tracking say the total number of publicly documented postgame flopping fines since 2012 is likely somewhere around 100–120 total violations league-wide, including warnings and fines. That’s only 7–8 warnings and fines per season. We see about seven to eight flops per quarter, it seems like.

As for in-game flopping calls, those are exponentially more rare than post game warnings and fines. The NBA does not maintain a fully public official archive of every flopping technical, so most of the data was compiled by independent NBA technical foul trackers and community-maintained logs, which states that approximately 26 in-game flopping technical fouls during the 2023-24 season - the first year of the new live flop-tech rule. Since the first few months of that season, enforcement dropped dramatically, which became a major criticism around the league and online. The NBA later made the rule permanent in July 2024 despite the low call frequency. The only clearly documented 2025-26 flopping fine I could find in SpoTrac’s database was Malik Monk, who was fined $2,000 for flopping on Dec. 1, 2025.

Adam Silver has been gentle parenting the league’s players for far too long. The officials and the league are refusing to call these technicals in game and clearly have little intention to enforce these rules, so players face consequences for their actions. The inmates are running the asylum. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who ESPN’s Doris Burke has called a "free throw merchant" will continue to manipulate the system, as will many of the league’s top stars if the league continues down this road. It’s dominating the discussion in-game and online. Silver needs to address this in the offseason and ensure players, teams, media and fans that the league will be making the proper changes and live up to the rules they implemented because they really aren't rules to these players anymore. They’re guidelines. It’s basically a weak threat by a parent that just ends up giving in to what their child wants. The players have the league wrapped around their fingers. That’s a problem. 

It’s common knowledge that LeBron James has been a flopper throughout his career. I even wrote a piece that called him The King (of Flopping) and discussed how it has not only tainted his Hall of Fame career, but set a bad example for other players, who have obviously followed suit. James might not have been the first serial flopper in the modern NBA, but i do believe he’s the one that mainstreamed it. 

Did you know that James has only been fined ONE TIME for flopping? That’s it. I can see your face right now. You’re shocked, but maybe some of you are thinking that’s not too far fetched. Many of the league’s best players, in every major pro sports league, get a free pass more than others and a favorable whistle. Lakers head coach J.J. Redick claiming, "LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen" after game 2 vs OKC, is a ridiculous, unfounded, emotionally-blind statement. We can discuss that at another time, though.

I firmly believe that flopping is a form of cheating, or at the very least, cheating the game in some form of its integrity, flow and watchability. I’ve made that point clear (hopefully). James even admitted he’s flopping on purpose during the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, where he and Pacers’ David West were fined for doing so. "Some guys have been doing it for years, just trying to get an advantage," James said. "Anyway you can get an advantage over the opponent to help your team win, so be it." LeBron was pulling what SGA and OKC have been doing for over a decade. He set the standard. He became the poster boy before Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, SGA, Jalen Brunson and many others who are some of the league’s most egregious floppers, were even in the league. That’s why I believe he deserves some blame for the mess that the league finds itself in. He didn't set the rules, but I believe he set the standard.

Let’s face the facts. The NBA has been rewarding this style of play and the players know the fines and discipline isn’t coming, especially for the league’s top stars. It’s the main complaint from fans and it’s dominating the discourse in this year’s playoffs.

The league has been allowing this for far too long. Lay down the law. Drop the hammer. Enough is enough. If not, the league’s reputation will only get worse and fans will be less interested in watching and celebrating the league's best team (Thunder).

A divided kingdom: pro-independence parties surge across Britain

Treasury yields declined Friday, ending the week around where they started.

Down 2-0 with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Reds got a gift when Dansby Swanson hit a grounder to third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Hayes touched third base for the first out of the inning and then fired home for the double play, and the throw beat Ian Happ by a mile. However, Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson never tagged Happ, instead catching the ball while on the plate.

Once Hayes touched third base, that took away the force at home, meaning Happ now had to be tagged. Instead, he was untouched and ran back into the dugout with the Cubs up, 3-0.

REDS CLOSER CARTED OFF FIELD AFTER SUSTAINING LEG INJURY JUST ONE PITCH INTO APPEARANCE

Stephenson apparently forgot that rule, but the Reds broadcasters didn't.

"It's a tag play! He's gotta tag him!" John Sadak said.

"No! No!" said Chris Welsh.

"Oh, this is a middle school mistake right here."

Chicago then scored four more runs in the inning en route to an 8-3 victory and a four-game sweep of the Reds, who have now lost seven games in a row.

The Reds recently tied an MLB record by walking seven consecutive Pittsburgh Pirates last week, so it's been quite the whirlwind for Cincinnati.

The winless road trip is over, though, and the Reds will host the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals over their next six games to try to get back on track.

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The documents form part of a broader federal effort to release records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena. Additional materials are expected to be released on a rolling basis.

"Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters," President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday. "GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

More UAP files were made available at WAR.GOV/UFO

Fox News' Peter Doocy and Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.

The brief pause in fighting, as well as a planned prisoner exchange, will coincide with President Vladimir Putin’s plans for the country’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow.

A federal jury in Florida convicted four men on Friday for their roles in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, a brazen plot organized in the Sunshine State that has plunged the Caribbean nation into unprecedented gang violence.

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages were found guilty of conspiracy to kill or kidnap Haiti’s elected leader, providing material support and violating the U.S. Neutrality Act. The men now face potential life sentences.

Federal prosecutors revealed that South Florida served as the central hub for financing and planning the deadly July 7, 2021, home invasion.

UN STAFF IN HAITI TOLD TO STAY OFF STREETS AFTER GANG COALITION FLEXES MUSCLE, US MARINES FACE GUNFIRE

The conspirators aimed to oust Moïse and install a new leader, dual Haitian-American citizen Christian Sanon, hoping to profit financially through the new regime.

Ortiz and Intriago ran a Miami-area security firm known as Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU), while Veintemilla headed a South Florida capital lending group.

During the trial, which kicked off in March, Moïse’s widow, Martine, delivered harrowing testimony about the night roughly two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombians, stormed their home near Port-au-Prince.

VIOLENT CRIMINAL GANGS HAVE 'NEAR-TOTAL CONTROL' OF WORLD NATION'S CAPITAL, UN SAYS

Speaking through a Creole interpreter, she recalled her husband's chilling final words as gunfire erupted: "Honey, we are dead."

Martine Moïse was wounded in the attack and flown to the U.S. for emergency medical treatment.

Defense attorneys argued the men were manipulated into taking the blame for an internal coup, and believed they were executing a legitimate Haitian arrest warrant to "liberate" the country from a president who had overstayed his term.

The Florida verdicts add to the growing list of convictions in the U.S., with at least five other people serving life sentences after pleading guilty.

In Haiti, 20 people, including 17 Colombian soldiers, are facing charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump says Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a 3-day ceasefire and a prisoner swap

Major universities in Canada are among thousands that have been impacted by a worldwide data breach involving the learning management system Canvas. Canvas’s U.S.-based parent company, Instructure, first notified users about a “cybersecurity incident perpetrated by a criminal threat actor” on May 1. On May 2, the company shared that the Canvas data breach involved […]

In a video message from Buckingham Palace, wildlife helps the King deliver a birthday card for Sir David Attenborough.

While not too much has been reported about the next Apple Watch models, there are a few rumors about potential design changes and watchOS 27 features.


Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models are expected to be released in September, and we have outlined some of the key rumored hardware and software changes below. A new Apple Watch SE is not expected this year, as that model was just updated last year and it typically goes two to three years between refreshes.

Apple will unveil watchOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and a developer beta will likely be available immediately afterwards. A public beta typically follows in July, and the update should be widely released in September.

Touch ID

Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, according to internal Apple software code that leaked online last year.

Touch ID would likely be built into the Apple Watch's side button, enabling users to unlock the device with their fingerprint instead of a passcode.

Even though new Touch ID references were discovered within the code, there is no guarantee that Apple will move forward with this plan either this year or ever. In addition, credible sources such as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have yet to mention Touch ID coming to the Apple Watch this year.

New Chips After One-Year Hiatus

While the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 all contain the same S10 chip as the previous year's models, the leaked Apple code indicated that the Series 12 and Ultra 4 will get a new chip. It is unclear if the chip will have S11 or S12 branding, but performance improvements are expected either way.

New Modular Watch Face

watchOS 27 will reportedly include new watch faces, including a variant of the "Modular Ultra" watch face that is currently exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra.

New Apple Intelligence Features

On watchOS 26, the following Apple Intelligence features are available on an Apple Watch when it is paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer:

• Workout Buddy


• Live Translation in Messages


• Notification Summaries

When it announced the dates for WWDC 2026, Apple promised to unveil "AI advancements" across its platforms, and it can be reasonably assumed that watchOS 27 will include some additional Apple Intelligence features powered by the iPhone.

New Satellite Features

Apple Watch Ultra 3 has built-in satellite connectivity, enabling Emergency SOS, Find My, and Messages via satellite without any reliance on an iPhone.

iOS 27 will reportedly include up to five new satellite features, and the following two would likely extend to watchOS 27:

• Apple Maps via satellite


• Photos support for Messages via satellite

Amazon last month announced plans to acquire Globalstar, the satellite company that powers Apple's satellite features on the iPhone 14 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In turn, Amazon announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features.
This article, "Apple Watch Series 12 and watchOS 27: What to Expect Later This Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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US court convicts four men in Haitian president's assassination

S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch records, boosted by AI and earnings optimism

A Colorado killer who mocked the court, skipped his own sentencing and forced a judge to order that he be brought in "by any means necessary" is now facing the rest of his life behind bars.

Caesar Lorenzo Wilson, 54, was sentenced to 224 years in prison for the 2024 murder of University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) professor Haleh Abghari, a killing prosecutors say began as a burglary and ended in a brutal stabbing inside her own home.

The sentencing capped a case marked by defiance and disturbing behavior.

Wilson initially refused to appear in court, declining to be transported from jail and prompting a judge to issue a rare warrant authorizing authorities to use force to bring him in, KTTV reported.

COLORADO REPEAT OFFENDER FREED FROM JAIL LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE ALLEGEDLY KILLING MOTHER OF THREE: REPORT

Even when he did appear, he showed little remorse, at one point asking his attorneys, "Do I have to hear this?" during the hearing, according to the Denver Gazette.

Prosecutors also revealed in court that Wilson made chilling remarks in a recorded jail phone call, allegedly telling his mother he would bring Abghari back to life and kill her again because he believed he had been treated unfairly. The comments underscored what prosecutors described as a complete disregard for human life, the outlet reported.

Tiana Longmire, a former UCCS student of Abghari’s, called those alleged comments "mind-boggling," saying they showed her what "true evil" looked like, according to the Denver Gazette.

SLAIN COLLEGE STUDENT'S PARENTS RIP INTO DAUGHTER'S KILLER AFTER MURDER GUILTY PLEA

The case dates back to August 7, 2024, when Colorado Springs police were called to a home on Caddy Point and found Abghari, 54, stabbed to death.

Investigators say Wilson entered through an open garage door intending to steal, but instead encountered Abghari inside. A struggle followed, and prosecutors say he stabbed her multiple times before stealing her car and fleeing.

Wilson vanished for months before being tracked to another state, where he was already behind bars under a different name on unrelated charges. He was extradited back to Colorado, where a jury later found him guilty of multiple charges, including second-degree murder and aggravated robbery.

CALIFORNIA MAN PAROLED UNDER ‘YOUTHFUL OFFENDER’ PROVISION FOR 2 MURDERS KILLS AGAIN LESS THAN A YEAR LATER

Jurors also determined he was a habitual offender with a lengthy criminal history, a designation that significantly increased his sentence.

"The violence perpetrated by the defendant against Haleh Abghari, an innocent woman alone in her own home, deserved the harsh sentence issued today in court," District Attorney Michael J. Allen said. "Ms. Abghari’s death was a devastating loss for her family, the UCCS community she helped shape for over a decade, and the entire 4th Judicial District."

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Allen added that the outcome reflects the work of investigators, prosecutors and jurors who saw the case through.

REPUBLICAN DA BUCKS BLUE STATE'S 'BROKEN SENTENCING' WITH TOUGH-ON-CRIME APPROACH

"We are grateful to see a just outcome in this case… and to the jurors who listened to difficult evidence and delivered guilty verdicts on all charges," he said.

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Beyond the courtroom, Abghari’s family and friends say the loss has been immeasurable.

Her sister, Niloofar Abghari, said the sentencing offered "little solace," describing Haleh as the most important person in her life.

EX-BOYFRIEND OF MURDERED MINNESOTA MOM MADELINE KINGSBURY SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

"Every night when I sleep, I think about what happened to her," she told the Denver Gazette. "There’s no joy anymore. It’s just survival."

In a fundraiser created after her death, loved ones described Abghari as a devoted daughter and sister who spoke with her parents every night and had visited them just weeks before she was killed.

They said she maintained close friendships across the country and around the world and was known for putting others before herself.

"This senseless act leaves a gaping hole in our hearts," the fundraiser reads, adding that she "took on the burdens of others in her ongoing quest to make the world a better place."

Fox News Digital reached out to Wilson's lawyers for comment.

Dunkin' owner Inspire Brands confidentially files for US IPO

I love minor league sports, and one of the reasons for this is that you could show up for a game, and then suddenly find yourself staring down the barrel of a fever dream.

Case in point: Ronald McDonald belting out the national anthem at a minor league baseball game.

The Charlotte Knights welcomed the fast-food mascot — no icon to Truist Field, and while we're all used to seeing Ronald hawking some burgers, it turns out that his pipes are as golden as the arches he represents.

I've always had a slight case of coulrophobia, but I never had a problem with Ronald. Probably because I'm not scared he's going to spray seltzer in my face, hit me with the electric joy buzzer or drag me into a primered van and harvest my organs.

ORIOLES NATIONAL ANTHEM SPEAKER GOES VIRAL AFTER INTERESTING RENDITION OF ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’

Nope, that grease-painted grease merchant just wants me to eat a cheeseburger. One that will probably put me out of commission for the rest of the afternoon.

That makes him a-okay in my book.

Now, that happened a few days ago, but the video started going viral later in the week. This is thanks to one video in which the reveal that the anthem duties are being done by the nation's premier fast-food spokesclown is done to perfection.

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

It's nice to see the McDonald land crew coming back in a big way, thanks to the sport of baseball.

First, you had Grimace sending the Mets on a winning streak a couple of years ago with his glorious first pitch (maybe they need to bring him back). Now, we've got Ronald going like Pavarotti in his prime. Maybe next we'll have the Hamburglar singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" or Officer Big Mac riding a giant unicycle and doing his best Red Panda impression by catching bowls on that big sesame-seed-covered dome.

At this point, all options are on the table.

Hell, it's just a matter of time before Mayor McCheese becomes GM and President of Baseball Operations McCheese.

An Ottawa-area driver was nailed Friday trying to sneak through a "high occupancy vehicle" lane on Highway 417 near Moodie Drive. Read More

Laura Fernández sworn in as Costa Rica president, keeping outgoing president in 2 high-profile posts

Schools reach out to Canvas hackers as breach hits US classrooms, source says

The top of a Google search page is prime real estate, but it has primarily been the domain of AI Overviews for the past two years. Websites that spent years optimizing for Google search haven't exactly loved being pushed down the page by a chatbot and may blame AI Overviews for recent traffic drops. Google is not admitting fault, but it is rolling out a number of changes that will place more links to websites inside AI answers.

Google says many AI Overviews are "just the beginning of exploring a topic you’re interested in." To support this supposed yearning to know more, AI Overviews and AI Mode will soon get a new section at the bottom called "Further Exploration." The new exploration box will link to articles and analysis that is relevant to the query in a bullet point list. In the example below, a search for urban green spaces produces suggested links to content about specific projects in New York and Singapore. This is also where you may see the bait questions that are so common at the end of AI outputs.

Google AI will offer links with more information at the bottom. Credit: Google

Similarly, AI Overviews may include a section of "Expert Advice" that offers a snippet of content from around the web that is relevant to your search. This can include news and reviews from around the web, as well as discussions from public-facing forums and social media. Each one will include a link so you can "jump to the full conversation."

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Satellite imagery revealed a massive suspected oil slick spreading near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, in what experts say could be evidence that Tehran’s oil infrastructure is buckling under mounting U.S. pressure.

The slick, seen in Copernicus Sentinel satellite images between Wednesday and Friday, covered roughly 45 square kilometers west of the island, according to analysts cited by.

The incident is emerging as a potential sign that Trump’s maritime pressure campaign is achieving one of its central objectives: overwhelming Iran’s export system to the point where Tehran can no longer move or store crude fast enough to sustain normal production.

US ECONOMIC CHOKEHOLD ON IRAN REACHES PEAK LEVERAGE AS COLLAPSE RISKS EMERGE

The suspected spill near Iran’s main oil hub is raising concerns that mounting U.S. pressure is overwhelming Tehran’s ability to store or export crude, potentially forcing risky workarounds with environmental consequences in the Gulf.

"At this stage I see two plausible explanations, and they’re not mutually exclusive," Miad Maleki, an Iran sanctions and energy expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

"One is operational: they simply didn’t ramp down extraction fast enough relative to their true onshore capacity and over-counted on empty tankers slipping through the blockade," he said.

"Now they’ve effectively over-delivered crude into the export system, with more oil at or near the terminals than they can actually load, and the ‘solution’ is to push some of that excess into the water."

Maleki said another possible explanation is mechanical failure tied to Iran’s use of aging tankers as floating storage or sanctions-busting carriers.

TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN 'STARVING FOR CASH,' 'COLLAPSING FINANCIALLY' AFTER EXTENDING CEASEFIRE

"They’ve dragged older, marginal tonnage into service as floating storage or sanctions-busting carriers, and some of those retired or poorly maintained hulls are now leaking," he said.

"Either way, the common denominator is the same — storage and evacuation capacity are out of sync with upstream output, and the Gulf is paying the price for that mismatch."

The incident comes as the Trump administration continues pressing its "Economic Fury" campaign against Iran, combining sanctions enforcement with a growing U.S. naval presence around the Strait of Hormuz aimed at restricting Iran’s oil exports.

Before the conflict, Iran exported roughly 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, much of it to China. Analysts say the blockade and the threat of sanctions on shipping companies and financial institutions have made it increasingly difficult for Tehran to move crude out of Kharg Island.

reported the slick appeared as a "grey and white" plume west of the 8-kilometer-long island. 

Leon Moreland, a researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory, told the slick was "visually consistent with oil," while Louis Goddard, co-founder of consultancy Data Desk, said it could be the largest spill since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran roughly 70 days ago.

Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports and has become a critical choke point in the Trump administration’s effort to cut off the regime’s main source of revenue during the ongoing war.

Energy analysts say Iran is now facing a dangerous dilemma. If Iran cannot export oil or find additional storage capacity, it may be forced either to shut down wells, risking long-term damage to oil fields, or dispose of excess crude in ways that could trigger environmental fallout across the Gulf.

US STRIKE ON KEY IRAN OIL HUB WOULD FIT TRUMP'S 'ENERGY DOMINANCE DOCTRINE,' SAYS EXPERT

"They’ve already reduced extraction. In a true blockade scenario, the constraint isn’t production at the wellhead, it’s the inability to load tankers at export terminals," Maleki said.

"Once onshore storage nears capacity, output has to be cut to match remaining headroom or wells get shut in," he added. "In Iran’s case, that’s roughly 13 days."

The environmental implications are also raising alarm across the Gulf.

Windward, a maritime risk intelligence firm, estimated the slick was moving southeast at roughly 2 kilometers per hour and warned it could reach Qatar’s exclusive economic zone within days and potentially drift toward the United Arab Emirates within two weeks.

The Gulf’s desalination infrastructure, relied upon by millions across the region, remains especially vulnerable to major oil contamination events.

The spill also is unfolding amid heightened military tensions in the Gulf. The war has trapped hundreds of vessels in the region and caused one of the largest disruptions to global crude and liquefied natural gas supplies in recent years.

Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the suspected spill or its possible causes.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Iran mission to the U.N. for comment. 

contributed to this report.

Tesla is recalling a subset of its rear-wheel drive (RWD) Cybertruck Long Range models due to faulty brake rotors that could cause the wheels to fall off. The recall was issued for 173 vehicles, which feature 18-inch steel wheels, late last month due to visible holes in the rotor that “may crack and allow the […]

As of today, end-to-end encryption for Instagram direct messages is no longer available. DMs that you send to people on Instagram will no longer feature full encryption, and your conversations are not protected from Meta.


Meta can potentially see what's in messages shared between users on Instagram, and that information can be shared with law enforcement agencies worldwide.

End-to-end encryption has been an opt-in messaging feature on Instagram since 2023, but Meta quietly removed it. Meta told The Guardian earlier this year that it is removing the encryption feature because not enough people adopted it. At the same time, Meta did not turn it on by default, nor did the company alert users that it was an option. Sending an encrypted message required turning it on for each individual conversation by tapping into a buried per-conversation setting. Meta also never rolled the feature out to all Instagram users.

"Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we're removing this option from Instagram in the coming months," Meta said. Meta suggests that people who want end-to-end encryption should use WhatsApp, which is another messaging app that it owns. iMessage and other apps like Signal that are not Meta-owned also offer end-to-end encryption.

Law enforcement agencies and child safety advocates have long pushed for Meta to remove encryption, but Meta could also be getting something out of the feature's removal. It's possible the company will be able to use direct messaging content for advertising algorithms or training chatbots. Meta says that content in DMs is not used for targeted ads right now, but there is wording that allows for product improvement.

Meta's decision to remove Instagram's end-to-end encryption comes 11 days before the Take It Down Act takes effect. The actf will require platforms to remove non-consensual intimate imagery like deepfakes within 48 hours of a takedown notice, but with E2EE in place, Meta can't access the content needed to comply.

Instagram users who have end-to-end encrypted chats have been given instructions on how to download media or messages that they want to keep.

Last year, Meta started using private generative AI conversations to personalize content and customize ad recommendations for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger users, so there seems to be little limit on the data that it will use to generate revenue. WhatsApp and Messenger continue to have end-to-end encryption for the time being.
This article, "Warning: Instagram DMs Lose End-to-End Encryption Starting Today" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A Delta Airlines employee is dead after an airport tug vehicle crashed into a jet bridge Thursday night at Orlando International Airport (MCO).

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News Digital a tug struck the bridge where Delta Air Lines Flight 2593 was parked at about 10:55 p.m. local time.

Passengers deplaned via the rear door and airstairs, FAA officials said.

AMERICAN AIRLINES WORKER KILLED IN CHARLOTTE AIRPORT VEHICLE ACCIDENT

Delta confirmed to Fox News Digital the employee was "on the job" at the time of the wreck.

"The Delta family is heartbroken at the loss of a team member while on the job at Orlando International Airport on the evening of May 7," an airline spokesperson wrote in a statement. "We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time. We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred."

Operations were paused immediately after the incident and one flight departure was canceled.

ORLANDO AIRPORT STOPS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PLANE TRYING TO TAKE OFF FROM TAXIWAY INSTEAD OF RUNWAY

Customers were accommodated on other flights.

An MCO spokesperson told Fox News Digital the airport is sending its condolences.

"The MCO community is deeply saddened about the loss of a team member from one of our airline partners, a member of our extended airport family," the spokesperson said. "We send our condolences to his family and friends."

The Orlando Police Department is conducting the investigation.

Trump administration appeals latest court loss on tariffs

Virginia court tosses Democratic map, dealing major blow to party’s midterm hopes

Democrats exploded in fury Friday after the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a party-backed redistricting map central to their midterm election strategy, with at least one prominent leftist voice going so far as to call violent revolution "inevitable."

In a 4-3 decision, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a voter-approved map, which would give Democrats a 10-1 advantage in U.S. House races, violated the state's constitution because of procedural errors in the map’s passage. Virginia voters will cast ballots in the 2026 midterms using the same district maps from the 2022 and 2024 elections, which Democrats currently hold 6-5.

But Democratic lawmakers and commentators alike have framed the Supreme Court's ruling as an act going against the will of the people. Hasan Piker, a popular leftist streamer who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric and campaigns with congressional candidates, accused the Virginia Supreme Court of denying the results of the state's redistricting referendum.

"Scotus gutted the voting rights act and tennessee carved up the last dem district destroying black voter power in the state," Piker wrote on X. "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable."

VIRGINIA’S MAP WAR LAYS BARE STATE'S SHARP PARTISAN TURN AS LEGAL FIGHT LOOMS

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., suggested that Democrats won their redrawn map fair and square by holding a statewide election.

"Unlike Republican-led states that have redrawn their maps through backroom deals, the Virginia General Assembly let the people decide for themselves in a free and fair election," Kaine said in a statement. "If the Virginia Supreme Court had legitimate concerns about this referendum, the time to stop it would have been before three million Virginians cast their ballots.

TRUMP URGES VIRGINIA VOTERS TO REJECT 'BLATANT PARTISAN POWER GRAB' BY DEMOCRATS

"But the Court let the process move forward, and Virginians sent a message loud and clear: we see President Trump’s brazen power grab in states across the country, and we won’t stand for it," Kaine continued.

Kaine also echoed Piker's sentiment that the ruling "eviscerates" the Voting Rights Act.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said they're "exploring all options" to fight back against Virginia's high court's ruling.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

"The decision to overturn an entire election is an unprecedented and undemocratic action that cannot stand," Jeffries said in a statement.

"MAGA Republicans have adopted voter suppression as a strategy, as also evidenced by far-right extremists on the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act to open the door to a Jim Crow-like attack on Black representation across the American South," Jeffries continued.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Don Scott took a more pragmatic approach, saying he respects the high court's ruling.

"We respect the court. But we will keep fighting for a democracy where voters — not politicians — have the final say. Because in Virginia, power still belongs to the people."

As Democrats describe the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling as a violation of the Voting Rights Act, Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, who spearheaded the lawsuit over the maps, said Virginia's ruling was not based on politics but on the "rule of law."

"Democrats just learned that when you try to rig elections, you lose," said Chairman Gruters. "The RNC led the charge in court against this blatant power grab, where Virginia Democrats poured more than $66 million into an effort to lock in control and silence voters. We took them to court, and we won."

Happy Friday — and Happy Alien Files Release Day to all who celebrate! We made it. We're done with another week, and now we're barreling towards the second full weekend of May.

Where should we start? Aliens? The rat virus? Are we still in a war with Iran? I have no clue. I assume so. A LOT of action right now in the US of A. You can call us a lot of things, but boring ain't one of 'em! You always have to be on your toes in this country, especially during this age.

But, that's why this class exists. It's why we win (alleged) awards. We keep up with the news, so you don't have to.

Let's roll.

DAN GAINOR: THE 7 CRAZIEST STORIES OF 2025. YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT MADE THIS LIST

Welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where Milwaukee Bucks Heiress Mallory Edens hits the beach while ex-boyfriend Aaron Rodgers mulls another season in Pittsburgh. Are the two related? Nope. But, here we are.

What else? I've got the best of the rest from a loaded week of #content, Tyreek Hill is having a typical NFL offseason, and Jenn Sterger celebrated May the Fourth as Princess Leia. Lord knows it's better than going as that lunatic Mark Hamill.

OK, grab you a coconut creme pie for National Coconut Creme Pie Day and settle in for a Friday 'Cap!

For those Nightcaps veterans, you know where this is going. We do it every year. Frankly, we do it multiple times a year.

For those new to class, here's the correct Mount Rushmore of Pies to celebrate this great day:

Yep. Chicken pot pie always makes the list, no matter the time of year. Nothing hits better than a hot chicken pot pie on May 8th in Florida. Especially today, when it's supposed to reach 92. The best!

I will say, coconut creme pie is super underrated in the world of pies. It deserves far more respect than it gets. Not here, though. We respect the veterans in this class.

CBS REPORTER JENNY DELL ESCAPES TO THE BEACH, SHILO SANDERS IS HUNGRY & NICK SABAN IS SCRAMBLING OFF THE TEE

OK, let's get it going. It's a Friday and I feel like cutting out early in case the aliens get pissed off enough that they decide to invade later on.

Bucks Heiress Mallory Edens turned 30 recently, and we somehow missed it. Today, we make amends.

Happy 30th, Mallory!

Been a while since we checked in with Mallory. Good to see she's doing well! I know she and Aaron Rodgers split up years ago, but man, what a great time that was.

Now, Aaron is married to some girl who we STILL somehow haven't identified and is apparently considering returning to the Steelers this season. How long is this dude gonna play? I realize the QB situation in Pittsburgh isn't great, but do Steelers fans still want Aaron Rodgers?

I would've bet big money that last year was his final season. Maybe it still will be? The guy changes his mind every other day. He'll be 43 later this year. Wild.

OK, let's get to the best #content from a big week filled with aliens and rats!

Another solid week. A weird one, admittedly, but a solid one. We have a lot of balls in the air right now, as I mentioned at the top. We're really living in a true "choose-your-own-adventure" game at the moment. What a time to be alive.

Couple thoughts ...

NICK BOSA'S MODEL GIRLFRIEND STARTS SUMMER IN A PINK BIKINI ON A TENNIS COURT, CRAZY MARK HAMILL & PLANDEMIC!

Speaking of ... let's go ahead and rapid-fire this Friday class into a big weekend. First up? Let's stick with aliens ... and the rat virus!

Whoaaaaaaaaaa Nellie! I'm not a conspiracy theorist, at all. My wife, on the other hand, often jokes about the birds in our yards being robots, and I'm never 100% sure she's joking.

But ... this isn't the best look for us. Surely this is just coincidence, right? Right?

... Right?!

I'm moving on, quickly ... to Tyreek Hill!

For those who missed it, Tyreek was in court this week to begin his battle against 6-1, 250-pound OnlyFans model, Sophie Hall.

Hall alleges that — and I hope you're sitting down for this — Hill invited her over a few summers ago to practice some football in the backyard. Seriously. He then had her do an offensive line drill, and she promptly knocked the 5-11 Hill to the ground. Hall then claims that Hill was so embarrassed by this, he fractured her leg.

Naturally, Hall claims, Hill then gave her a piggyback ride to the bedroom and they had a full night of sex. As one does, of course.

Hill claims Hall broke her leg because she tripped on a dog.

And there's your weekly NFL offseason update! Perfect. No notes. 10/10.

OK, that's it for today — and this week! Good work all around. Let's have a big weekend and keep the momentum rolling. We're two weeks away from Memorial Day. Keep fighting.

See you Monday.

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots).

Were you let down by the alien report? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.

The Trump administration’s decision to declassify a batch of UFO and UAP files Friday drew unexpected praise from a prominent Democratic lawmaker. 

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the leader of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, cheered the release of dozens of never-before-seen images and videos, stating, "Transparency is the only path to truth." 

"I am encouraged that the administration has finally heard my call and the call of millions of Americans to begin unsealing these files," Gillibrand wrote on social media, adding that she has long advocated for the declassification and release of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) files.

"This is another important step, but there is much more work to do," the New York Democrat went on. "I will continue to fight to ensure the administration finally meets its legal obligation to the American people."

DECLASSIFIED APOLLO MOON DOCS DESCRIBE UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES, UFO LIGHTS 'LIKE THE FOURTH OF JULY'

The Trump administration's file dump, available on the newly created website war.gov/UFO, contains records related to UAP, including inexplicable lights and phenomena captured during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969 and Apollo 17 in 1972.

President Donald Trump in February directed the Department of War and other agencies to declassify and publish files related to alien and extraterrestrial life. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Friday that the administration would continue its declassification work.

GOP lawmakers widely praised the administration's effort to bring more transparency to UAP-related material.

"This is a massive first step in the right direction," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who has long pushed for the file release, said Friday.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., also called the move "historic" and said he hoped the file release would be the first of many.

The Pentagon's disclosure also prompted tepid enthusiasm from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who omitted the Trump administration in his statement.

"For decades, UFO disclosure has been a distant object — unidentified and unexplained," he said. "That’s starting to change. I’ll keep pushing until we land on the truth."

TULSI GABBARD TELLS PODCASTER ALIENS MAY BE REAL: 'WE'RE CONTINUING TO LOOK FOR THE TRUTH'

Trump argued Friday that his administration’s transparency efforts related to government secrets far surpassed those of his predecessors.

"Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social announcing the release of the files. "Have Fun and Enjoy!"

The Trump administration also declassified records last year related to former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

Daniel Dubois will not to be drawn into a war of words after weighing in at a career-heavy 18st for Saturday's all-British heavyweight world-title fight against Fabio Wardley.

The day after the Supreme Court struck down a set of Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, the president quickly imposed another, using a never-before-invoked provision of a decades-old trade law to order a global 10 percent tariff on most imports.

Now, that second set of tariffs has been deemed illegal, and there are no more emergency levers that Trump can pull to try to replace them any time soon. That leaves Trump without much negotiation leverage a week before he's set to meet with China's President Xi Jinping, who already appeared to have the upper hand heading into talks.

For Trump, when the US Court of International Trade invalidated his global tariffs, his key trade policy—which relies on imposing tariffs to supposedly drive more manufacturing into the US—was put at risk of being gutted.

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Oil futures ended the week with losses as a U.S. proposal keeps hopes alive for an end to the war with Iran and eventual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup

Apple, Intel reach preliminary chip-making deal, WSJ reports

Rep. Thomas Massie's campaign has raked in more than $1 million so far since launching a "Moneybomb" fundraiser on Monday morning, according to a running tally displayed on the fundraising website.

The embattled Republican, who represents Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, is competing in a GOP primary showdown against former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, the candidate backed by vociferous Massie critic President Donald Trump.

"This race has become a national referendum on whether our country is better served by Congressmen like me who keep their promises, or whether Congress needs yet another 'warm body from central casting' like Gallrein who pledges to be a rubber stamp for the uniparty," Massie wrote in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

"He's like central casting," Trump said of Gallrein while speaking in Kentucky in March, adding moments later, " ... give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie. And I got somebody with a warm body, but a big, beautiful brain, and a great patriot. He's unbelievable."

Massie added in his statement to Fox News Digital on Friday, "We are ahead in the polls, ahead in Kentucky fundraising, and way ahead in national support as shown by our million dollar moneybomb… as long as you don’t count the three liberal out-of-state billionaires propping up my opponent."

ACTOR ZACHARY LEVI BACKS THOMAS MASSIE AS TRUMP TARGETS THE REPUBLICAN FOR OUSTER: 'GOOD FOR THIS COUNTRY'

Gallrein's campaign fired back, providing Fox News Digital with the following statement from senior advisor Tim Murtaugh: "These are the last gasps of a member of Congress who promised to term limit himself to three terms, but is now seeking his 8th. He’s turned his back on Kentucky, he’s pointlessly antagonized President Trump, and has tried to obstruct the entire America First agenda. Thomas Massie serves only one person — Thomas Massie — and the voters of Kentucky’s 4th District are about to show him the door. Ed Gallrein is a heavily decorated, retired Navy SEAL a solid conservative who will support President Trump and the America First agenda.  Massie’s ego and his act are worn out."

Massie fired back in another statement to Fox News Digital, declaring, "In typical fashion, Ed has a surrogate repeating his lies. Ed is scared to debate me and even afraid to speak to the press."

Before taking office in 2012, Massie signed a pledge declaring that he would support a term limits amendment to the Constitution. "I, Thomas Massie, pledge that as a member of Congress I will cosponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits Amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit," the pledge read.

MASSIE ALLY SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER ACCUSING TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER OF ABUSING VA BENEFITS

During an appearance on KET's "Kentucky Tonight," Massie, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since late 2012, was asked about the issue.

"After 14 years, are you not wading into career politician territory? And for those curious about you re-upping your Washington service, how is that better than honoring the spirit of that pledge you signed back in 2012?" host Renee Shaw asked.

"Well I've honored both the spirit and the letter of that pledge. I have cosponsored the bill that I said I would cosponsor and I voted for it. In fact, now I serve on the Judiciary Committee where that bill starts. All Constitutional amendments begin in the Judiciary Committee," Massie replied. "So I've had the opportunity ... and taken it, to vote for that ... amendment to the Constitution several times."

MASSIE SAYS MUSK NEVER DONATED TO HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN DESPITE PRIOR PLEDGE

The upcoming May 19 primary in Kentucky is less than two weeks away.

A sea of police officers paid tribute to a fallen Chicago cop allegedly killed by a man with a decade-long criminal record who was free on pretrial release at the time of the shooting.

About 2,000 police officers, elected officials and law enforcement gathered Friday for the funeral of Chicago Police Department Officer John Bartholomew, who was allegedly killed by Alphanso Talley, 26, a man free on pretrial release at the time of the shooting on April 25. Bartholomew's partner, Officer Nelson Crespo, was also allegedly shot by Talley at Swedish Hospital on Chicago's North Side.

When Talley was accused of murdering Bartholomew, he was out of jail on pretrial release for a previous armed robbery case. A warrant for his arrest was issued on March 11 while he was on pretrial release for the alleged armed robbery after he had two electronic monitor violations in early March, according to court documents.

'GIGGLING' COP KILLING SUSPECT SLAMMED BY JUDGE AS PROSECUTORS FOUGHT BAIL RELEASE FOR REPEAT FELONY OFFENDER

Judge John Lyke, who presided over Talley's criminal cases for at least three years, noted during a December hearing that "It appears [Talley's] mind is finally developing, and he may be on the path to making better decisions," according to ABC7 News. Those records indicated that Talley first got an electronic monitor on Dec. 11, 2025, but his monitor alerted two violations within three days in early March.

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"To the children — your father was a hero. His legacy will live on," Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said at the funeral. "As John is to be laid to rest. The only thing that I would like to see laid to rest alongside John is violence. Those who go out and do harm to others. Those who take and destroy lives."

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Bartholomew, who was with the Chicago Police Department for 10 years, is survived by his wife and three children.

James Bartholomew said at the funeral that his brother had a "heart of gold."

WATCH: No-cash bail blamed for Chicago officer's killing

SLAIN STUDENT’S GRIEVING DAD VOWS ACTION AFTER REPEAT OFFENDER ALLEGEDLY MURDERED DAUGHTER

"If you worked with him. If you talked to him, if you laughed with him, if you walked with him. You are feeling what I'm feeling right now. It's as if an angel has left the earth. If you knew him. You knew his heart was full. His heart was pure," he said.

Bartholomew's death sparked outrage by people who say the state's cashless bail law is to blame for Talley's pretrial release from jail.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

CHICAGO TRAIN FIRE ATTACK SHOWS WHY ‘DECARCERATION’ POLICIES ARE PUTTING LIVES AT RISK: EXPERT

"The SAFE-T Act, let's be frank, the SAFE-T Act here is geared towards this national movement in America towards de-carceration. We're seeing it everywhere in the big blue cities and at the state level as in Illinois," former NYPD investigator Paul Mauro told Fox News. "And the idea is just that locking bad guys up isn't a good idea, it only creates more and deeper bad guys, and so we shouldn't be doing it. And quite frankly, that calculus essentially admits that innocents are going to be hurt, but that is a price to pay."

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB

Talley allegedly shot both officers around 11 a.m. on April 25 at the hospital, where officials said he was taken into custody for a previous armed robbery. While he was being taken to a CT scan, prosecutors said he had a gun underneath his blanket, which he pulled out and then shot both officers.

He was wanted after allegedly robbing a Family Dollar store and pistol-whipping a female employee, taking her wallet and keys.

Talley was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated unlawful restraint, armed robbery, aggravated discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated battery of a peace officer, aggravated battery, escape and unlawful use of a weapon.

Fox News' Patrick McGovern and Philip Bodinet contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Alabama Republicans are moving to force through a new congressional map that could reduce Democratic representation amid a narrow national GOP House majority, while rebuking Yankee Democrats traveling to the Yellowhammer State to gin up opposition.

State leaders argue the new Supreme Court ruling limiting the use of race in redistricting has changed the legal landscape, giving Alabama grounds to revisit and undo a court-imposed map that recently reshaped its congressional districts to help minority voters.

As attention shifted from Louisiana to Alabama after the high bench tossed the Pelican State's map last week, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., traveled south to stump in Birmingham with fellow Democrats bemoaning legislators’ attempts to force the high bench to reconsider a partially conflicting order from three years prior.

"Well, I'm probably guessing that's first time Cory Booker's ever been in Alabama," Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainville, told Fox News Digital.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

"The thing about it is the people that we represent have lived here most of all of their lives and they're the ones that ask us to do something for them — not the Cory Bookers," Ledbetter said. "And he can nationalize it all he wants to, but it's not going to change facts."

Booker joined Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham, the state’s lone Democrat, until the court-mandated redraw produced a Democratic flip by Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile.

"We are in a storm right now — the question is, where will you stand, will you hold up your light," Booker addressed a redistricting town hall in Birmingham, where he declared voting rights are on the ballot, according to the Alabama Reporter.

The Yankee Democrat said he came south out of obligation to recognize that the Supreme Court upended decades of progress made by Alabamians, according to the city’s NBC affiliate.

Late last month, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s 2-Democrat congressional map, in which Reps. Cleo Fields and Troy Carter’s Democratic districts were drawn with race as a significant factor.

Alabama faced a similar fight after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan forced the state to redraw its map, leading to a court-imposed plan that shifted its delegation from a 6-1 Republican split to 5-2 after Republicans created but were rebuked for the so-called "Livingston map" that gave minorities districts with 55% and 40% representation respectively.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

The interceding Livingston map, so named for Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, should be revisited and upheld by the Supreme Court in line with its more recent ruling, Ledbetter argued.

In passing the map, Ledbetter said he expects the Supreme Court will be forced to weigh in, via a new legal challenge or otherwise, and that the Louisiana ruling gives Alabama the precedent it needs to undo the high court’s prior ruling and imposed map.

"Once that happens, it gives the governor opportunity to call a special election."

While any action taken by Ledbetter’s legislature would likely spur court action, he suggested quick passage is needed as Alabama’s primaries approach on May 19.

"If we did nothing, we had no shot, and doing this gives us the opportunity to have a ball in the air in case they do overturn [Milligan]."

Gov. Kay Ivey called the legislature to special session Monday to create plans for potential adjustment of upcoming primary elections, if the state is able to force the redistricting issue upon the Supreme Court.

Ledbetter said the Livingston map was fair, and attempted to follow the will of the court originally — adding that he plans to force the issue this week during the special session.

"Our goal is to pass the Livingston map and give the governor the opportunity if the 14th Amendment [provision] is removed; that gives us the opportunity to go forward with it," he said, arguing the earlier ruling relied on legal standards that may now be affected by the court’s more recent decision.

"That's really the only shot we got to be able to do this before the November elections is that map that's existing," he said.

SUPREME COURT JUST GAVE BLACK VOTERS A SHOT AT REAL POWER BEYOND SAFE SEATS

Pushing back again on Booker and critics of Alabama’s prior attempt to redraw, Ledbetter said the Livingston map, under today’s population footprint, actually gives all voting blocs a better shot.

"When that was redistricted that was a 50-50 seat," he said of one of the Democrat-friendly districts on the map. "It gives everybody a shot and it’s got all seven seats open."

He criticized national Democrats for descending on other states like Virginia to try to tip the scale of their own redistricting, noting that Alabamians elected a Republican supermajority in Montgomery and want to reflect that in Congress.

DEMS CIRCLE THE WAGONS BY BLAMING GOP FOR THEIR REDISTRICTING RESPONSE AHEAD OF MIDTERMS: 'VERY DESPERATE'

"I don't think it's right for the courts to overstep their boundary and try to do legislation."

Ivey said in a statement the state has been battling "federal courts and activist groups who think they know Alabama better than Alabama" since the 2020 census.

"By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am ensuring Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state Senate maps to be used during this election cycle," she said.

With Ledbetter and his partners on the Senate side primed to repass the Livingston map, the Supreme Court would have about a week to step in ahead of the May 19 primary, while Secretary of State Wes Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser that no matter the result of the special session, that date is set in stone — setting up a reason for national attention to turn toward the Yellowhammer State.

Fox News Digital reached out to Booker and Ivey for additional comment.

Emergency crews are responding to a New Orleans refinery after a large explosion rocked the Chalmette community.

Video showed a large plume of smoke at Chalmette Refining, which produces roughly 189,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

It is unclear if there were any injuries or fatalities.

FIRE AT CHEVRON REFINERY SENDS MASSIVE FLAMES SHOOTING INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NIGHT SKY

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed there was a fire at the refinery, noting a number of road closures while emergency responders work at the scene.

"Motorists are asked to avoid the area and seek alternate routes until further notice," the agency wrote in a Facebook post. "Please use caution and allow first responders space to safely perform their duties."

Chalmette Refining did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.

Chalmette, Louisiana, is located about five miles east of downtown New Orleans, along the Mississippi River.

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

US employment boom? Maybe, maybe not. A look under the jobs report's hood

The $1.2 trillion fund manager has already added assets totaling more than half the amount it collected in all of last year.

Reform are the winners so far, with more results still to be declared.

Diamondback bets on wider WTI-Brent gap amid US export ban concerns

A Georgia high school teacher has been arrested for alleged sexual misconduct with one of her students, including having a tryst in a school closet.

Maris Nichols, 25, was taken into custody Thursday and booked into the Douglas County Jail on two felony counts of sexual assault by persons with supervisory or disciplinary authority, according to jail records.

Nichols, a teacher at Alexander High School, is accused of having sex with a student on two occasions: once on April 23 in a school closet, and again on May 2 in a Hummer parked in a residential driveway.

FORMER MISSOURI SUBSTITUTE TEACHER GETS 10 YEARS FOR TRADING STUDENTS MONEY, DRUGS FOR SEX

The Douglas County School System told 11Alive that it was investigating allegations involving an individual associated with Alexander High. In a Thursday letter to parents, the district said it was "deeply troubled" by the allegations.

EX-MAYOR CONVICTED AFTER SON WALKS IN ON LEWD ACT AT ALCOHOL-INFUSED POOL BASH

"Upon learning of the alleged misconduct, the district immediately launched an investigation," the statement read. "The Douglas County School System will continue to cooperate fully with state and local law enforcement. The district cannot provide additional information regarding the allegations. Any further inquiries should be directed to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the school district to ask if Nichols is still employed, as well as the sheriff's office.

Her arrest follows an announcement earlier in the week from the district stating an unidentified female teacher had been put on leave during an investigation.

The Greens secured their first-ever elected mayors and took control of councils, including Norwich.

"Today’s sentence makes clear that if you target America’s elderly, sick, or vulnerable — and rob America’s purse doing so — you will be targeted and brought to justice."

The Department of Justice said French worked with overseas telemarketers that pressured elderly Americans to provide their health information and agree to accept unnecessary braces. The telemarketers would alter call recordings to make it sound like the patients agreed to the braces if they had not.

French paid fraudulent companies to get signed doctors’ orders, despite oftentimes never interacting with the patients.

FOUR MORE WOMEN ACCUSE FORMER NFL PLAYER OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AMID EXISTING ALLEGATIONS: "BLATANT LIES"

French was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks.

He was also ordered to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit roughly $17 million that the government seized from bank accounts.

French's son, Charleston, plays football for Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina.

French starred at Ole Miss and was twice a First-team All-SEC tight end — he was also a unanimous All-American in 1998.

He went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft but managed to play in two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

An out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic suffers defeat on his return to action as he is stunned by gutsy qualifier Dino Prizmic in the Italian Open second round.

Perhaps the longest thank-you in world history resumes this weekend with the 74th edition of the Canadian Tulip Festival. Read More

US economy posts second straight month of strong job gains, but strains remain

It comes as the two countries accused each other of violating separate ceasefires to cover the celebrations of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

Canada is set to receive its first batch of Chinese-made EVs under the new trade agreement, as Lotus has shipped its Eletre SUVs. The brand, owned by Geely, reportedly shipped 18 Eletre SUVs from its Shanghai port on May 7, with the cars destined for Canadian dealers. This shipment of Eletre vehicles is the first delivery […]

Clavicular, the popular "looksmaxxing" influencer famous for producing viral videos, has landed himself in legal trouble yet again after Florida authorities allege he repeatedly shot a dead alligator on a social media livestream. 

The 20-year-old social media tycoon, whose real name is Braden Eric Peters, is facing a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in public, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The accusations stem from an incident in which Peters allegedly livestreamed himself repeatedly shooting a dead alligator at the Francis Taylor Everglades Wildlife Management Area in the Everglades on March 26, People reported. 

Video of the incident subsequently went viral online, in which an airboat carrying Peters can be seen stopping in front of the deceased animal.

FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED FOR SHOOTING NEIGHBOR'S PREGNANT COW AFTER IT WANDERED ONTO HIS PROPERTY 

"Should we shoot it?" one of the men is heard asking in the clip. 

"Is it dead?" Peter appears to say in response, adding, "Let’s just test how dead it really is." 

The video prompted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to release a statement on social media that it was "aware of a video depicting individuals in the Everglades on an airboat who appear to be discharging firearms at an alligator," and that officials were "looking into the incident."

FLORIDA MAN SHOT BY DEPUTIES AFTER ALLIGATOR ATTACK, CHARGING OFFICERS WITH GARDEN SHEARS 

FWC did not mention Peters by name in the post. 

"Our client has been summoned to appear for a misdemeanor charge that stems from following the instructions of a licensed airboat guide," Peters' attorney wrote in a statement to People. "He relied on that guidance. No animals or people were harmed. We are confident that once the full picture is understood, people will see this for what it is."

Peters, who has not been arrested in connection to this incident, is reportedly charged alongside Yabdiel Anibal Cotto Torres and Andrew Morales, who are facing the same allegations. If convicted, the three men each face up to one year in prison.

TIKTOK INFLUENCER WHO BRAGGED ABOUT STEALING FROM TARGET ARRESTED AGAIN

In a statement to the outlet, a lawyer for Morales said, "We encourage the public to keep an open mind while the legal process moves forward. At this point, there is no claim that any animal suffered injury, and much of the public reaction has been driven by incomplete or misleading portrayals online." 

"My client relied on representations made by individuals in positions of authority and never acted with criminal purpose or intent," the statement continued. "Mr. Morales intends on resolving this matter in a way that promotes the rule of law and respect for law enforcement."

The charges are not the first time the influencer has faced legal woes in the Sunshine State.

FLORIDA INFLUENCER, 41, ACCUSED OF INAPPROPRIATELY TOUCHING, EXPOSING HERSELF TO TEENAGE SON'S FRIEND

In March, Peters was arrested in Fort Lauderdale on a warrant for alleged battery and criminal conspiracy to commit battery issued by officials in Osceola County. 

The charges stemmed from an incident in which Osceola County deputies responded to an Airbnb near Kissimmee regarding an alleged altercation on Feb. 2, according to a statement from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office sent to Fox News Digital.

When authorities arrived at the scene, an unidentified 19-year-old woman told police she had allegedly been battered by 24-year-old Violet Marie Lentz, who is reportedly Peters' girlfriend.

NFL INDEFINITELY BANS YOUTUBER WHO WALKED ONTO DRAFT STAGE AND GRABBED THE MIC DURING STEELERS' PICK

Upon further investigation, detectives revealed Peters had allegedly instigated the fight between the pair and posted a video of the altercation on social media to "exploit the two women," authorities said. 

Peters was subsequently taken into custody on $1,000 bond, with authorities also issuing a warrant for Lentz on charges of misdemeanor battery.

Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys for Peters, Torres and Morales for comment, as well as the FWC and Miami-Dade Prosecutors' Office Prosecutors Office. 

Fox News Digital’s Olivia Palombo contributed to this report. 

Ukraine's Zelenskiy confirms US announcement of ceasefire, prisoner exchange

Anthropic signs $1.8 billion AI cloud deal with Akamai, Bloomberg News reports

The WNBA struggled to capitalize on its momentum last season following a series of injuries to Caitlin Clark. In total, Clark played just 13 games. League partners are banking on her return this season, which tips off Friday night. The Indiana Fever will become the first WNBA team in history to have all 44 regular-season games aired nationally.

On the surface, the unprecedented TV schedule suggests the WNBA is ready to embrace Clark as its biggest star. Whether it and the players actually follow through is another question.

Though it drew less attention in 2025 because of Clark’s limited playing time, the other players continued to target, bully, subtweet and harass her. Many have convinced themselves that Clark is only popular because she is a straight White woman in a league full of Black LGBTQ women.

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

The talk shows have only reinforced that thinking. In fact, commentators are already gearing up to reignite the narrative. This week on ESPN, analyst Lawrencia Moten argued that Clark isn’t that good and that the Fever are tougher to guard without her.

Notably, Moten shared the segment with ESPN's Monica McNutt, who gained national attention last year for accusing young girls of favoring Clark due to racial bias.

"Caitlin represented, and again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality, but she was a white girl from the middle of America," McNutt said while discussing Clark’s popularity among young fans.

Is that so?

What about Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Steph Curry? Are they only popular among young fans because they are Black? OutKick asked McNutt for clarification at the time. She didn’t respond.

The players should understand that Clark’s success can elevate them as well. So far, Clark’s teammate Sophie Cunningham seems to be the only one who does.

Players like Angel Reese, DiJonai Carrington and Chennedy Carter have used the increased attention on the WNBA to signal virtue and showcase poor impulse control. During Clark’s rookie season, the three established themselves as her foils through cheap shots, hard fouls and subtweets.

The strategy earned them relevance, but in a negative light.

WNBA SHOULD INVESTIGATE BRITTNEY GRINER VIDEO AFTER PROBING FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT FEVER FANS, GOVERNOR SAYS

"[Reese’s] attention, her notoriety is based off Caitlin Clark because she wins the national title, the first thing she does is mock Caitlin Clark," radio host Dan Patrick said. "And then she doesn’t even celebrate with her teammates. So she’s made it personal with Caitlin Clark. Then she’s played off of that."

Reese didn’t help her case either by promoting two separate race hoaxes, one involving a fan and another involving a man at a hotel.

That bitterness and jealousy might drive engagement on social media, but it’s bad for the league. It makes the WNBA look bush league, unruly and driven by resentment.

History shows there’s one reliable way for a niche sport to break into the mainstream: through a transcendent star. Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey all proved it. The WNBA has that level of star in Caitlin Clark. However, it has to embrace her, not bury her in marketing campaigns out of fear of racial tensions.

The WNBA has a golden opportunity this season. It can grow its brand, showcase new stars and expand its audience. To do that, the league and its players have to accept that the interest starts with the White girl from Iowa.

We’re not convinced they can do that.

New York Mayor Mamdani's 'freeze the rent' promise survives a noisy vote

The attorney for a Connecticut man who was recently acquitted of first-degree murder charges stemming from a booze-fueled brawl between prep school students is making another move to ensure his client's freedom.

Last July, a jury found Raul Valle, now 19, not guilty of murder and intentional manslaughter in the May 14, 2022 stabbing death of James "Jimmy" McGrath. Valle was 16 at the time of the incident, and McGrath was 17.

The jury was deadlocked on lesser charges of reckless manslaughter in that trial, leading to a partial mistrial.

Valle attended St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, near Fairfield Prep, where McGrath was a junior and star lacrosse player. Prior to the stabbing that evening, both had been at a house party that involved underage drinking and a fight.

DEADLOCKED JURORS IN PREP SCHOOL LACROSSE PLAYER'S KILLING A 'GREAT SIGN' FOR DEFENSE: EXPERT

After heading to another location to continue partying, tempers flared again and about 25 people engaged in another brawl on the front lawn of the second home, whose owners were present at the time, witnesses told police. It was during that fight that the stabbing death occurred.

Valle admitted to the stabbing, but said it was committed in self-defense and in defense of a friend.

The day after Valle's July 9, 2025, acquittal on the most serious charges, the state filed new reckless manslaughter and reckless assault charges.

TEXAS JURY RETURNS VERDICT IN 2022 STABBING DEATH OF HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATE: REPORT

Now, Valle's attorney, Darnell Crosland, has filed a motion claiming that the reckless manslaughter and reckless assault charges constitute double jeopardy, which is unconstitutional, according to The Connecticut Post.

Crosland's motion says the only explanation for the initial jury's decision to acquit on the first-degree murder charge was that his client acted in self-defense.

"No other theory explains the acquittals," he wrote in the motion.

KAREN READ LOSES DOUBLE JEOPARDY APPEAL IN BOSTON COP SLAYING CASE, WILL RECEIVE NEW TRIAL

"The jury has spoken," he continued. "The law is clear. The court must dismiss these charges with prejudice — immediately."

The Connecticut Post reported that in an interview after Valle's acquittal, the jury foreperson said self-defense was not discussed.

In their own filing, prosecutors disagreed with Crosland's reasoning, according to the report.

ACCUSED AUSTIN METCALF KILLER WON'T FACE DEATH PENALTY OR LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: DA

They described self-defense as a "justification defense," not one that is central to the elements of the charges Valle still faces, and thus, cannot be used as an argument to have the current charges dismissed.

"The fact that the jury acquitted the defendant of murder, intentional manslaughter and intentional assaults, but could not reach a unanimous verdict as to the reckless charges, demonstrates only that the jury must have reached the conclusion that the defendant lacked the specific intent to either kill or to cause serious physical injury," the filing reportedly said.

McGrath's family was shocked by the results of the 2025 trial.

"I'm astonished at the results, but, you know, it's due process," a stoic Kevin McGrath said outside the state Superior Court in Milford, Connecticut, later describing his son as a "wonderful person."

"He's entitled to it," said McGrath. "And at the end of the day, the jury made their verdict. I'm not sure if, you know, they were in the same courtroom as we all were together, but that's the verdict. And we'll live with it." 

Fox News Digital reached out to Crosland for comment.

As the Premier League title race nears its conclusion, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta tells his players and the Gunners fans to "stay present and live the moment".

After about a 10-year hiatus, Skip Bayless was back on ESPN’s First Take battling against his familiar foe, Stephen A. Smith. 

From debating where LeBron James ranks on the list of all-time NBA greats, to Smith making fun of Bayless’ favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, to rehashing old debates, the reunion was a roller coaster ride that brought us all back to a time when this show was still outlandish, yet watchable.

Skip Bayless, who believes he’s rarely been wrong throughout his television career, and never lost a debate to Stephen A., said he was right about Tim Tebow being a success in the NFL. Throughout the years, many critics considered Bayless "obsessed" with Tebow and some even considered his advocacy of the former Heisman winner a "shtick," which he’s denied. Smith believed part of the reason the two hosts were in hot water with their bosses years ago was because of Bayless’ incessant coverage of the quarterback, so naturally, they brought it up in the reunion.

SKIP BAYLESS TO REUNITE WITH STEPHEN A. SMITH ON ESPN AS FIRST TAKE'S RATINGS SLIP

Bayless doubled down on his claim that Tebow was a successful NFL QB and not a bust. Bayless even called Tim Tebow’s 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime to give the Denver Broncos a 29-23 AFC Wild Card playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, "the greatest overtime touchdown pass in the history of the National football league."

Bayless is too prideful and blinded by his love of Tebow to admit he wasn’t a success in the NFL and his constant use of Tebow’s Wild Card win as an example of success is a weak argument in my opinion. The man was a phenomenal college quarterback who only played three seasons in the NFL. Let's be honest. He was a bust.

STEPHEN A SMITH IS UPSET OVER AN OUTKICK ARTICLE ABOUT 'FIRST TAKE'S' RATINGS

One of the most heated, lively aspects of the Smith vs. Bayless rivalry was the constant poking fun of the Dallas Cowboys’ lack of success. Smith, though he is no longer debating Bayless about this every football season, still loves to make fun of Bayless’ favorite football team and relishes in their shortcomings online and in studio. 

Bayless passionately stated during the segment discussing Smith’s Knicks fandom and Bayless’ Cowboys fandom, "You for years and years have constantly ridiculed my Dallas Cowboys." He even admitted that Smith had "often been right" in his assessment of their failings.

ESPN STAR GETTING 'VERY, VERY WORRIED' ABOUT JERRY JONES, HAS JOE BIDEN IN MIND 

This is where Bayless lowered the boom on Smith’s New York Knicks. "Since 1973, you have not won a championship," Bayless proclaimed proudly. "Since 1973, my Cowboys have actually been to six Super Bowls and won four of them. I would much rather be a Cowboys fan than a Knicks fan."

To that, Smith responded, "The difference between New York Knicks fans and Dallas Cowboys fans is that when we sucked, we knew it, we admitted it, we acknowledged it." Touché. 

Smith then humorously highlighted how Skip Bayless has crashed out over the years due to Cowboys’ playoff collapses and other failings by throwing jerseys and other merchandise away.

STEPHEN A SMITH MAKES BOLD CLAIMS ON COWBOYS, DAK PRESCOTT'S MVP HOPES AMID TEAM'S OFFENSIVE SURGE

Truly, this was one of the best parts of today’s show. It’s fun because it feels like bar talk between argumentative friends who get lost in their fandom, trying at all costs to get under the skin of their opponent and trump their argumentation. It’s relatable to the average fan.

If you’ve kept up with Smith and Bayless over the years, you knew a LeBron James GOAT conversation would be on the table for today’s reunion. What you might not have expected was how low Bayless had LeBron on his top-10 list of all-time NBA greats. 

Bayless had LeBron all the way at #9 on his list. Smith’s reaction was priceless. Hand on his chin, leaning to the right side of his chair, staring off to the ends of the studio behind the camera, rolling his eyes in disbelief like he’s done many times over the years in response to Bayless’ outrageous claims. Smith’s initial vocal reaction before Bayless tried to substantiate his claim was, "For the audience to have to be subjected to this drivel that’s about to come out of your mouth… You got me defending LeBron James. NINTH?! NINE?!"

MICHAEL WILBON REVEALS JORDAN'S TRUE FEELINGS ABOUT LEBRON

After the two quickly agreed that "Michael Jeffrey Jordan" was the unquestionable greatest player in NBA history, Bayless shared the eight players he has ranked ahead of James.

LeBron James was at 9 and Wilt Chamberlain was at 10.

Bayless’ reasoning was that the eight players ranked ahead of James were "cold-blooded basketball killers, who I would trust with games for my life" and added, "LeBron James, to me, has proven over many, many years to be the most mentally fragile superstar I have ever closely observed. I mean, the poor man, as gifted as he is, was born without a clutch gene." Smith could only continue to look disgusted, leaning on the large studio desk, speechless.

LEBRON JAMES' FORMER TEAMMATE EXPLAINS WHY IT 'SUCKS' PLAYING WITH HIM

Bayless unsurprisingly noted LeBron’s 4-6 NBA Finals record, his poor three-point and free-throw shooting, especially in late-game, clutch situations, and after Skip stated his four greatest NBA players, Smith shouted, "This is blasphemy!" 

What Bayless did crown LeBron was "longevity GOAT’, claiming, as many objective observers would, "He’s the most durable player in the history of sports."

CLAY TRAVIS, STEPHEN A SMITH SET FOR DEBATE AT FRONT OFFICE SPORTS' MEDIA SUMMIT

What ESPN did here with this reunion was similar to what Disneyland Parks did recently with Star Wars land. They leaned on nostalgia and went back to familiar characters, who draw an audience. Disney went back to Han Solo, Princess Leia and Darth Vader. ESPN went back to the dynamic duo of Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. While Bayless and Smith aren’t a mainstay like those old Star Wars characters will be, they highlight how things have changed over the decade. Are any of these ESPN shows better than they were a decade ago? Is Star Wars better? I hope you get the point.

No doubt, this reunion will be proven to have drawn big numbers when the viewership is revealed. It’s caused quite the stir on social media, with personalities like Clay Travis weighing in, saying First Take should have Bayless on during the NFL season. 

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith are two sides of the same coin. They both say ridiculous stuff, bend over backwards to substantiate their claims, and undoubtedly, have some of the best chemistry in the history of sports television. At times it felt like a sequel to a movie that didn’t actually need a sequel, relying heavily on callbacks, but I found it an enjoyable watch.

ESPN had Rich Eisen return to ESPN to host SportsCenter from the Bristol, Conn., headquarters for the first time in over 20 years on Sunday, April 12, 2026, so they obviously are testing the waters on nostalgia and doing their best to draw audiences back to the network.

We’ll see if this was just a one-off or if this is some sort of comeback tour for Bayless. I’m with Clay Travis. Bring him back. It’ll be much more entertaining than the race-baiting from Ryan Clark.

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New York's political and financial leaders have launched efforts to combat Mayor Zohran Mamdani's policies that they say have driven multiple billionaires to look elsewhere for their business homes.

After Mamdani named Citadel LLC CEO and owner Ken Griffin in an advertisement for a new tax on second homes in the city, Griffin publicly rebuked him as "creepy."

The COO of Citadel then indicated in a letter to employees that the company may not move forward with plans to continue a $6 billion renovation of a new Midtown Manhattan office skyscraper.

"What the mayor of New York has made clear to my partners... and principally my New York partners... is that we need to double down on our bet in Miami, because we want to be in a state that embraces business, that embraces education, that embraces personal freedom and liberty, and that embraces people having an opportunity to live the American Dream," Griffin said during the Milken Institute Global Conference in New York City on Tuesday.

'WE'RE TAXING THE RICH': NYC MAYOR MAMDANI TOUTS NEW $500M-A-YEAR TAX ON LUXURY SECOND HOMES

Now, local business leaders are pledging time and money into a campaign hoping to keep business in the Big Apple. 

Andrew Murstein, founder of Medallion Financial Corp., launched Operation Boomerang in an effort to lure defectors back to New York.

Murstein pledged $1 million of his own money into the effort, which will see him sending New York hot dogs, bagels and Katz’s Deli to businesses that fled to Florida, he told the New York Post.

"The last 10 years with mayors and governors, those things pass, and they should be in it for the long run," he told the Post. "I’m trying to convince them not to abandon ship. Whatever it takes."

MAMDANI’S CLASS WARFARE AGAINST NEW YORK BUSINESSES IS ‘ECONOMIC VANDALISM’

Murstein also added that he's going to leverage his initial contribution into the campaign to raise more money, which he anticipates will net the project between $20 million and $30 million, according to the Post.

Former Mayor Eric Adams also lent his voice to re-luring efforts, imploring Griffin to "stand your ground," in a post on X.

Mamdani's attacks on the rich have even spooked his own employees, according to the Post's sources.

"The mayor’s office is feeling pressure around this, and they are looking for ways to change the narrative around business," an anonymous local business leader reportedly told the Post.

"They’re in a pickle because he’s hearing all the business leaders are looking for exit strategies now and Mamdani needs money and needs to keep his base happy," the source allegedly continued.

"This might be an inflection point because NYC is already a welfare state supported by very few people at the top who can leave," the source concluded, per the Post.