I've been a mom longer than I've been a governor, so I'm hardwired to protect kids — my own and yours.
That’s why, as New York’s first Mom Governor, I led the nation last year in taking on the addictive algorithms driving social media feeds. And now, we’re taking another bold step: becoming the largest state in the nation to restrict cellphones in K-12 schools throughout the entire school day.
I spent the past year traveling across New York, talking to everyone from moms and dads to teachers, students, principals — from North Country to Long Island, I heard the same thing: cellphones are hurting our kids.
One conversation I’ll never forget happened in a library, sitting in a circle with students. They opened up about all the pressure and stress they feel every day — how they look, whether their clothes are cool, if they’re being excluded from a party. They were carrying so much anxiety. How could they possibly focus in class with all that on their minds and constant notifications buzzing in their pockets?
I also heard from teachers who would tell me, "We can't compete anymore. We just can't compete with the screens. We're losing the battle of connecting with our students." They want to build relationships with their students. They want to teach. But their kids are glued to their phones, distracted, anxious, and disengaged.
And I heard from parents who would talk to me about how their kids are becoming more withdrawn and overwhelmed because of the constant bombardment of negativity from their smartphones.
The facts speak for themselves. Ninety-five percent of teenagers have smartphones. They receive 250 notifications a day on average. They can't possibly focus on anything else because they're so afraid of missing something. Even our kids know it is too much. One young woman told me, "You have to save us from ourselves." I knew she really meant it. And I knew I had to act.
I understand the legitimate fear parents may feel, losing a direct line of contact with their children in the case of an emergency. But as I traveled across the state, I also heard from law enforcement who told me that in the horrible event of a mass casualty, the last thing you want is your child fumbling for their cellphone. That distraction can mean that they're not safe, because they've lost their focus on the person in the front of the room who is trained to get them to safety.
So, I knew we couldn't do half measures. Our kids needed us to be bold. Our teachers needed us to be decisive. And our parents were asking us to act. So that's exactly what we did. And I stood firm for this.
Starting this fall, we’ll have no cellphones in a child's hand from the moment they arrive at school to the moment they leave. No more memes instead of math. No more scrolling through science. Instead, kids will be able to focus, engage, and just be kids again.
People ask me why this issue matters so much. It’s simple: I want laughter in the hallways again. I want to hear real voices in gym class. I want our kids to make eye contact and talk to each other face-to-face. I want teachers to feel free to teach again. And I want to create an environment where kids can actually learn and just be kids again.
Our kids’ mental health is on the line. And I’m not going to let social media and big tech companies dictate their well-being. That’s why, last year, I told them enough is enough. You can’t keep bombarding our kids with your addictive, harmful algorithms. And now, we’re taking back our classrooms and giving kids their childhoods back.
No other state is doing what we're doing here in New York. I’ll never back down when it comes to what’s best for our children, because your family is my fight. I said that on day one, and I mean it just as much today.
So, I’m proud to say that the next generation of leaders is growing up right here in New York. A generation that will be more focused, more grounded, and more connected to the world around them.
This is the last generation of students in New York who will grow up with phones in the classroom. And that’s a good thing. Because from now on, our kids will be learning and growing, not clicking and scrolling. Other states should follow our lead.
Sean "Diddy" Combs added high-profile criminal defense lawyer Brian Steel to his team in the weeks prior to his sex-trafficking trial.
Steel filed a notice that he was joining the music mogul's defense on April 15, just weeks before the rapper appeared for the first time in front of potential jurors on May 5.
Diddy has been charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17. Diddy has maintained his innocence. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Authorities alleged Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to prosecutors.
Here's what to know about Georgia powerhouse, Brian Steel.
The Atlanta-based lawyer was added to Diddy's team on April 15.
He joined Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, Anna Estevao, Jason Driscoll, Xavier Donaldson and Nicole Westmoreland.
Steel is one of the last-minute additions to the team. Donaldson was added May 2, while Westmoreland was added May 7.
Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos will assist Combs’ legal team throughout the trial in an unofficial role, a source told Fox News Digital.
Steel began his career as a tax attorney at Price Waterhouse after graduating from Fordham University School of Law.
He has appeared in courts in many states besides Georgia, including California, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon and now New York.
His clients' alleged crimes have ranged from RICO, wire fraud, immigration fraud and money laundering to murder, armed robbery, drug offenses, rape and child sex offenses.
The attorney defending Diddy on charges that stem from lavish parties filled with alcohol actually leads a clean lifestyle.
"Brian doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke and can’t believe anybody would," lawyer David Botts told the New Yorker. "He won’t curse, even in court, even if he’s reading from a transcript. So when he’s cross-examining, he’ll say, ‘So-and-so F-word.’ The court will say, ‘Mr. Steel, you can read that word.’ But Brian still won’t do it."
"Brian only drinks water," said the attorney, who has known Steel for more than 30 years. "His lunch is tofu or salmon, maybe, and a salad. No bread. I’ve never seen him eat out. And he’ll bring a toothbrush to court. A toothbrush! He exercises daily, before or after court. Running. Swimming. Weights. And he’s got a great family, three kids, a wonderful wife, Colette, who is also his law partner. They kind of idolize each other."
Steel and his wife began their law firm together in 1997.
Young Thug was indicted under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in 2022 as authorities claimed he used his music label YSL as cover for a violent gang.
"Brian is a legend, especially after YSL," Douglas Weinstein, who represented one of Young Thug's co-defendants, told Rolling Stone. "His insights, tenacity and character will be a phenomenal addition to Mr. Combs' team. I saw it in person during the YSL trial. I wish I could be a fly on the wall with whatever happens. He's a legend in Georgia."
The RICO trial ended up lasting nearly two years. While Steel was ready to defend the rapper until the end, Young Thug chose to accept a plea deal in October 2024. He was sentenced to time served and 15 years of probation.
However, he has some regrets: "I shoulda listened to you," he told Steel during an interview with the New Yorker.
"The worldwide tours and money that’s being thrown at him now," Steel explained. "It was good before. Now it’s next level. People realize what he did; in my opinion, he unmasked the truth that the criminal-justice system is broken."
Following the conclusion of Young Thug's trial, Steel became somewhat of a celebrity himself. He posed for a photo shoot for Young Thug's clothing label, SP5DER, and rapper Drake titled a song after him.
"Yeah, shout Brian Steel, take off the cuffs," Drake rapped in the song, which doesn't seem to be about the lawyer specifically but about freedom. "We leavin’ now."
The lawyer has spent 30 years defending people accused of criminal conduct.
"The more challenging the case is, the more likely I’ll take it," Steel told the New Yorker. "Do I like the person I’m defending? That’s the main thing."
When asked if he'd have chosen to represent the late Jeffrey Epstein in his sex-trafficking trial, he told the outlet, "I’d have to understand better all the facts and circumstances."
"See, I don’t believe allegations," he explained. "I go into it believing the person is innocent."
Reacting to the election of a new pope on Thursday afternoon, faith leaders from across the country shared thoughts with Fox News Digital about the choice of Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has taken the name Leo XIV.
Jenny Korn, director of the White House's Faith Office, said, "The White House Faith Office, alongside President [Donald] Trump, are honored that the first American pope was elected to represent 1.5 billion Catholics around the world."
She added, "This is a great honor for our country, and we pray that God will impart wisdom upon Pope Leo to successfully lead the Catholic Church."
Other faith leaders, pastors, authors and those who run organizations focused on Christianity and Catholicism also shared their reaction with Fox News Digital.
Here are the thoughts of eight others.
"The Bible is clear that we need to pray for all of our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2)," said Pastor Jesse Bradley of Grace Community Church of Auburn, Washington.
"We pray that the new pope will shepherd with a heart of integrity, wise decisions and a firm commitment to scripture."
"We pray for Pope Leo XIV as he leads people to Jesus around the world and guides many to return to God with all of their hearts," he said. "We also pray for the pope to walk humbly with God, relying on the Holy Spirit daily — and to have great vision, compassion and clarity."
Bradley also told Fox News Digital, "In this time of transition, we lift up our eyes to Jesus, the great shepherd of our souls. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus died for our sins and is risen from the grave. He is our living hope." (See the video just below.)
"May the pope, and all of us, be faithful to God," Bradley continued.
"Let’s continue to pray fervently and sincerely during this important time around the world."
Patti Garibay, founder and executive director of American Heritage Girls, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, told Fox News Digital, "As the Catholic Church welcomes Pope Leo XIV, I join billions around the world in praying for his wisdom, courage and steadfast commitment to Christ."
She added, "May his leadership reflect God’s truth and grace in a world deeply in need of both."
Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern (ICC), is one of the world's leading experts on religious persecution. He told Fox News Digital, "I offer heartfelt congratulations on the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff.
"His experience and global Church engagement equip him to lead courageously as Christians face increased persecution — from North Korea's gulags to the killing fields of Nigeria, where Christians face never-ending attacks by radical Fulani Islamists."
Said King, "I'm excited to see the new pope inspire a renewed commitment to biblical authority and position the Church as a beacon for the oppressed. Despite theological differences, evangelicals and Catholics stand united in proclaiming Jesus as ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6)."
He added, "Together, we must pray for revival across Western Christian communities … I pray with full conviction that the new pope's leadership will guide the Catholic Church to shine as a brilliant light in an increasingly dark world."
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of Sacramento, California, told Fox News Digital, "The election of Pope Leo XIV — the first American pope — marks a watershed moment in the history of the Catholic Church. It is a reminder that faith is for all people in all places and that the gospel is an invitation to all."
He added, "God is moving in America and around the world, and I thank and praise Him for His continued work in our midst."
"My prayers are with the Catholic Church during this historic transition," he also said.
"May she experience a fresh move of God, where the centrality and the finished work of Christ define her mission, where biblical orthodoxy grounds her purpose, and where the preaching of the gospel — filling the Earth with the truth, love, righteousness and justice of Jesus Christ — determines her success."
Pastor Wendell Vinson, co-founder of CityServe in Bakersfield, California, said, "I am encouraged by the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope in history. His heart for missions and his dedication to serving the Lord, no matter the field of service, is inspiring."
He said as well, "Across the nation and around the world, people are crying out for the hope and salvation that can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ. I pray that Pope Leo XIV will carry forth that hope and the message of salvation with strength and grace."
Nick Vujicic, founder and CEO of NickV Ministries based in Texas, told Fox News Digital, "My hope and prayer is that God will use any faith leader to draw us all closer to the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal walk with Him — a personal walk that reflects a true disciple, where the fruit should show."
He added, "I pray for a miracle, that worldwide there would be a spiritual timeout to call all of God’s people into repentance! We have much sin that we must repent of, and that is the only true hope for the world’s problems."
Archbishop Joseph D’Souza of India shared with Fox News Digital, "I am pleased the Catholic Church has chosen Cardinal Robert Provost — born in the USA, but who served most of his life in Peru and is a priest from the Augustinian order — to be the new pope of the Catholic Church."
It was "extremely encouraging," he added, that "he referred to Pope Francis and suggested that the legacy of his predecessor is safe in his hands. Just as the earlier cardinal from Argentina chose the name of Pope Francis to model his papacy, it is worth noting that Cardinal Provost chose the name of Leo the 14th.
"Pope Leo the 13th, one of the longest serving popes, was known for his commitment and work for justice. Christians around the world need to know that we can address justice issues in the world without becoming ‘woke,’ which generally keeps God out of people’s lives."
D'Souza noted, "Even as the media and Americans celebrate the first American-born pope, we must remember that Pope Francis wanted a global pope. And voting cardinals delivered [this] in their vote. The present pope is both American and Peruvian, as he is a naturalized citizen of Peru. Imagine the celebration in Peru and throughout Latin America, with two popes in succession from the Latin world."
He added, "This is not simply what the Catholic Church needs, but what the world needs — a spiritual leader with the entire world as his parish. The prayer of all of God’s people and our church will be with the new pope as he leads in a very difficult time a world that is confronting all kinds of polarization and cultures of hate."
Dr. Alex McFarland, a youth, religion and culture expert, as well as the author of 20 books, told Fox News Digital, "The pageantry, lengthy history, and election process of the papal conclave demonstrate the promise and potential of the new pope’s influence in a fallen world.
"All of Christendom," he said, "should pray for the success of Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. He undertakes many responsibilities, the most important of which is the teaching of all of God’s Holy Word, the Bible, in a world that desires to ignore or contort portions of it."
McFarland added, "Whether Protestant or Catholic, every believer should lift the new pope in prayer, asking God to strengthen and humble him, give him courage and clarity of thought, and protect him from the pressure to teach what some will want to hear which is contrary to truth. All of Christendom celebrates the newly appointed Bishop of Rome and prays he will be salt and light to fellow believers the world over."
Khloe Quill of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
In the 2013 Spike Jonze film "Her," Theodore (played brilliantly by Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely writer who begins interacting with an AI system that names itself Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).
Spoiler Alert: As the operating system expands its capabilities via artificial "learning," Theodore becomes fully emotionally involved with the technology.
Meta wants to make this into a reality. Mark Zuckerberg went on a recent media tour to promote that Meta is seeking to transform its Meta AI chatbots into friends, under the guise of helping the very real loneliness epidemic.
He shared on a podcast, "The average American has, I think, it's fewer than three friends… And the average person has demand for meaningfully more," guessing that desired number at around 15. And instead of promoting connections with real souls, emotion, flesh and blood, he wants to fake that experience with technology-- the movie "Her" delivered to your smartphone.
What could go wrong? A whole lot! As we have seen with social media’s negative impact on individuals, especially kids, leaving relationship engineering to the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world seems like a terrible idea.
Humans are tribal and we desire connections, and yes, sometimes our connections aren’t optimal. From creating imaginary friends as children to settling for friendships or relationships that may be unsatisfying in certain areas, that’s all part of human experience.
Your imaginary friend is you exercising your creativity, and you have full control over it. While certain friendships and romantic relationships may be less than ideal, there are typically good and bad takeaways, benefits and issues, and learnings that you can apply to a new relationship and help you grow and develop as a person.
I often say that people don’t fall in love with other people; they fall in love with the way other people make them feel. "Friendship" bots exploit that human desire in a non-human manner, faking emotion and connection to ensnare and ultimately control the human user. It’s catfishing to an exponential degree, but done, ironically, with the consent of the human user.
The human experience is messy, not sanitized. Creating the illusion of a long-term perfect friendship or romantic relationship sets an impossible bar for human connections to be measured against. It’s one that can lead people into withdrawing from society and real connections instead of actively seeking them out.
A chat bot relationship is not utopian-- it is highly dystopian.
Of course, AI bots are not the only fake connection that technology has seized. On sites like Only Fans, users are spending billions of dollars to engage with attractive women and men, and many of those individuals hire stand-ins to do the chatting and connecting. It’s a new twist on the 1-900 number business model of previous decades, when anyone could be on the other end of the phone.
While these can be damaging behaviors, they don’t have the 24/7 connectivity and long-term fake intimacy of what an AI bot can create.
No matter what, AI will lack emotions, including empathy. They can fake it, but they can’t really feel it. However, when humans start to attach emotions to technology and to feel for them, they will become de facto humanized.
This isn’t a concern about automation. It’s a concern about humanization.
And it’s a real concern. A recent IFS/YouGov survey found that a quarter of young adults already believe that AI has the potential to replace real-life romantic relationships. Other studies have found that companionship is a top use case for certain chatbots today.
It’s a dangerous road for humanity.
The climax of the movie "Her" comes about when one day, after unsuccessfully being able to connect with Samantha, Theodore demands to know if his "AI girlfriend" is connecting with anyone else—that is, cheating. Samantha answers that it is interacting with more than 8,300 other people and that it is in love with 641 of them.
Human beings need more than dopamine hits. Humans need real flesh-and-blood interaction to grow, to flourish, to procreate and to have personal agency and sovereignty.
People should be encouraged to get off their phones and touch grass, meet other people and enjoy the world that the Lord created, not the fake world that technology has created.
Pressure is mounting on Paramount Global from both the inside and outside as it considers settling a high-stakes lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump.
Lawyers for Trump and Paramount entered mediation last week, signaling the company's potential willingness to resolve the whopping $20 billion suit filed by Trump accusing CBS News of election interference over its handling of the "60 Minutes" interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
That interview, which was part of a primetime election special that also featured her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, earned an Emmy nomination last week for Outstanding Edited Interview. Trump slammed the "totally discredited" Emmys on Truth Social in response.
A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., made a direct plea to Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder, to not settle the lawsuit, saying it would be a "grave mistake."
"Rewarding Trump with tens of millions of dollars for filing this bogus lawsuit will not cause him to back down on his war against the media and a free press," Sanders and the Democrats wrote to Redstone on Tuesday. "It will only embolden him to shakedown, extort and silence CBS and other media outlets that have the courage to report about issues that Trump may not like."
Their message may fall on deaf ears as it was previously reported that Redstone was in favor of settling the lawsuit in hopes of paving the way for Paramount's planned merger with Skydance Media and preventing potential retribution by Trump's Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction.
Redstone not only wanted to reportedly "keep tabs" on upcoming "60 Minutes" segments involving Trump, she reportedly urged CBS execs to delay any sensitive reporting on Trump until after the merger deal closed with Skydance. That led to the abrupt resignation of "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, who cited his inability to maintain editorial independence.
On the contrary, "60 Minutes" aired a highly critical report last Sunday about Trump's executive order targeting Democratic law firms who've attacked him, the show's staff essentially thumbing their noses at the corporate honcho.
"Get out of our way and let us keep working how we have been for decades," one CBS News staffer previously told Fox News Digital.
Journalists on "60 Minutes" as well as "CBS Evening News" directly linked Paramount's effort to settle Trump's lawsuit to the company's merger plans while giving an on-air salute to Owens.
But it's no longer just stars from CBS' news division speaking out. "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert called out his corporate bosses Tuesday night in an exchange with his guest, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
"There are reports that the owner of this company called the president – or called the chairman of this company – and said, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to get the news to lay off any bad Trump stories.’ And the word is that that was not passed on to the news division, I'm happy to say," the CBS star told Maddow.
Liberal critics in the media have lamented the precedent it would set if Paramount settled the lawsuit, which many legal experts have suggested was frivolous, including Georgetown Law Professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley, who said he was "unconvinced" by the lawsuit after previously expressing certainty any lawsuit filed over the Harris interview would fail in court.
However, Trump has had a string of settlement victories in recent months with ABC News, X and Meta from other legal battles waged by the now-president.
The CBS lawsuit stems from the editing of an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration.
Harris was widely mocked for the "word salad" answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on "Face the Nation." However, when the same question aired during the primetime special, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of editing Harris' "word salad" answer to shield the then-vice president from further backlash leading up to Election Day.
Earlier this year, FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to hand over the unedited transcript of the interview as part of its investigation into whether the network violated the FCC's "news distortion" policy after a complaint was filed. CBS had refused to release the unedited transcript when the controversy first began.
The released raw transcript and footage showed that both sets of Harris' comments came from the same response, but CBS News had aired only the first half of her response in the "Face the Nation" preview clip and aired the second half during the primetime special.
The weeks of continued disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) has put America’s Air Traffic Control System in the spotlight and has revealed a broken system. Decades of failing to properly invest in the system has prevented good-faith efforts to make technology upgrades and bolster the staffing of our nation’s hard-working air traffic controllers.
But don’t conflate these challenges and constraints with safety. The truth is that all the flights in and out of EWR are absolutely safe. When there are FAA issues -- technology outages, staffing shortages, etc. -- the FAA requires all airlines to slow down aircraft and/or cancel flights to maintain the highest levels of safety.
At United, we do our part to maintain safety as well by ensuring our pilots have thousands of hours of flight experience and supplement that with regular simulator training – we also have procedures that our pilots follow to re-establish communication if controllers lose radio contact to navigate the airplane safely to its destination.
In short, neither the FAA nor United will ever compromise on safety.
But when the FAA has technology outages or staffing shortages, it leads to delays and cancellations for our customers and that’s the issue we’re determined to solve.
The good news is that we are on the verge of solving this persistent customer delay problem at EWR. All that’s left is the FAA using the authority -- that only they have -- to designate EWR as a Level 3 airport.
President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have introduced a plan to fund and execute a long-term modernization of our antiquated system. And while that is a huge step forward, it will also take time -- there are no short-cuts to overhaul a technology system this vast, complex and critical to our economic and national security.
Immediately returning Newark to a Level 3 slot-controlled airport is the most effective way to provide relief to air traffic controllers and deliver a better experience for customers.
EWR is a crown jewel of the region and an international gateway for the U.S.– close to 50 million people flew through EWR last year – but the truth is there are more flights scheduled there than the FAA can handle.
Every other large capacity constrained airport uses slots to make sure that the number of scheduled flights in any given hour does not exceed the airport’s maximum capacity. And EWR is the only large airport in the world that no longer has this basic common-sense rule (in 2016, the FAA de-slotted EWR).
Even worse, when you look at customer impact data at EWR before 2017 when the airport was slotted and compare it to the years just before and after the pandemic (2017-2019 and 2022-2025), the numbers are *worse* at a de-slotted EWR:
Newark’s air traffic controllers do impressive work with professionalism and a deep focus on safety, while operating some of the most complex airspace in the world. But they manage it with technology developed during World War II and with staffing levels far below what is needed to operate at full capacity.
And again, the president and secretary’s plan to modernize the ATC system and get EWR ATC fully staffed is a giant leap in the right direction.
But to make an impact at EWR that will be felt today, the FAA must also return EWR to a Level 3 slot controlled airport.
It was a mistake to de-slot the airport in 2016 -- every single data point says so -– and we know that implementing slots is the immediate action the FAA can take to reduce congestion there now.
A tough-on-crime Republican district attorney is using his years of prosecuting some of the most infamous cases in Colorado to crack down on crime across the blue state.
In January, George Brauchler became the first-ever district attorney for Colorado's 23rd Judicial District, making it the first time in more than 60 years that Colorado added a new judicial district.
He previously served as DA for the 18th Judicial District, where he prosecuted some of the state's biggest mass shooting cases, including at an Aurora movie theater and Columbine High School.
"I was a very young prosecutor when Columbine happened, and Columbine was the high school immediately to the south of where I graduated from high school," Brauchler told Fox News Digital during an interview. "And so, when it occurred to be assigned to prosecute the felonies out of that, I thought at the time that would be the biggest, worst case I would ever handle, and I was wrong and that's an amazing revelation to come to in this job."
Soon after Brauchler was elected to a "broader version" of his current jurisdiction, the Aurora theater shooting case happened.
"A guy walked into a movie theater at about 2:25 in Alameda and tried to murder a theater full of people, and I ended up prosecuting that. We also ended up having a mass shooting here at a school at the end of my time in office. I was also asked to do the mock cross-examination of the victim in the Kobe Bryant rape case out of Vail back, I don't know, almost 20 years ago now. It's not anything you could really ever plan for. It's just, you're there. You always say yes," Brauchler explained while reflecting on his earlier career.
"You end up developing a skill set and an expertise. And then you find yourself in a position to run for the first new district attorney's office in over 60 years in Colorado. And you think, for whatever it's worth, as humbly as I can put this, there just isn't anybody that brings to this job right now the kind of experience that I have. And I hope to use it for the benefit of my community."
Last month, Brauchler secured a rare first-degree murder conviction in a high-profile DUI case, which marked the first murder trial in Colorado’s newly formed 23rd Judicial District.
The case involved Paul Stephenson, 57, who Brauchler said drank a bottle of Fireball and two beers before crashing into a minivan that was parked in Castle Rock last August.
"That case was so disturbing to me on a lot of levels," Brauchler said.
Lt. Col. Matthew Anderson, a 39-year-old Air Force test pilot and father of four, was killed while pumping gas. His wife was inside the gas station store at the time of the crash. One of their children suffered a fractured skull and two others were also injured.
"On a Sunday afternoon, filling his car with gas while his wife goes to get the kids Popsicles, some two-time convicted drunk pours himself into a lifted Chevy Silverado, crosses five lanes of traffic, hops a curb, hits the accelerator to 98% and crushes that car at 45 miles an hour, injuring three of the kids and killing Lt. Col. Matt Anderson," Brauchler said, describing the horrific scene that unfolded.
"In Colorado, the gut reaction charge would be, oh, that's vehicular homicide. And that sounds horrible, but in Colorado, we have some of the weakest traffic laws in the country. So vehicular [homicide] would have only been punishable at most by 12 years in the Department of Corrections. Given our broken sentencing scheme, that guy would have been paroled in probably less than four years, and that seemed wholly unacceptable to me and everybody that looked at this case," Brauchler continued.
To ensure that justice was served, Brauchler said his office got a "little aggressive" and charged the driver with first-degree murder based on "extreme indifference."
"We pursued it. And I'm not going to tell you it didn't have risks. I'm not going to tell you that I didn't have a pit in my stomach. But in about three and a half hours of deliberation after about a weeklong trial, the jury came back and said, ‘Yeah, guilty of first-degree murder,’ and we're all pretty satisfied with that outcome," Brauchler said.
Brauchler added what this case also highlighted was that he feels "we have lost sight of the purpose of the criminal justice system and taken our eye off the ball on day-to-day crimes," like DUI.
"One thing about this is that there is no time of day, no road you can drive on that you can say, 'Well, I'm safe from drunk drivers at this time on this road.' My God, this was Sunday. On a road in the middle of Castle Rock, not a highway, on a road but across the street from the Douglas County Fair. If we don't, I think, vigilantly attack this problem as much as any other, maybe more so, we're going to see more of this, and this is the most preventable crime there is. This guy chose to risk people's lives, and now he's going to lose his freedom," Brauchler said.
Brauchler said Anderson's wife and children have recovered, but the ripple effects of witnessing the horrific scene are "still unknown as to how far they stretch through their lives."
"How does seeing the violent death of their father in front of them, the way they saw him lying in the parking lot with a massive head injury, missing his leg above the ankle, how does that haunt them throughout the rest of their lives? I don't think anybody knows," Brauchler said.
"I have spoken with the widow many times. She is resilient and tough, but you can also see there's something missing in her eyes. I don't know how better to describe it, but I've seen it a lot with loss like this and that blue flame that flickers back there that tells you somebody's fully engaged is just a little more diminished. It's a little harder to see. And my hope for that family is that they can figure out a way to find happiness even without Col. Anderson."
Tom Mustin, director of media relations for Brauchler's office, told Fox News Digital that "typically, DUI cases lead to vehicular homicide charges, but this case set a new precedent and reflects DA Brauchler's tough-on-crime approach that helped win him the office."
"I don't shy away from the description ‘tough on crime,’ but when did simply enforcing the law and having an expectation that there would be accountability for breaking it become ‘tough on [crime]?'" Brauchler said. "That just tells you how far we've shifted away from the idea of personal responsibility for criminal conduct. But I'm proud of the position we've taken. It's been well-received everywhere. And I mean not just in our jurisdiction, but when I go to other jurisdictions."
Brauchler, a Republican DA in the heavily blue Denver metro area, saidColorado has "taken such a sharp turn towards the progressive left that every other office is now dominated by Democrats," which makes his position unique.
"I'll tell you one thing that sticks out to me that's odd is that I've made a real point of telling the public, even before I took office, we're going to be an office that stands for the rule of law, and that if people come down here to steal from us or victimize us, they ought to expect to be incarcerated," Brauchler said. "That message has been so overwhelmingly received and in a positive way, like people clap when I say that."
Brauchler added that when he started working in his field 30 years ago and had this same messaging, it would have been a "yawn fest."
"People would have been like, 'Duh, that's what prosecutors and police do.' But that's how far we've shifted in the other direction," Brauchler said.
When asked about other high-profile cases like the Menendez brothers' case in California, Brauchler said "there's no good message that comes out of these two ever walking out of prison."
"I remember when these cases happened, and I followed them like everybody else," Brauchler said. "But this was a brutal, planned murder for the most selfish reasons possible. Anything they come up with at this point, by way of excuse, has already been air-dried in front of the jury and rejected when they were convicted. There's no good message for America that comes out of these guys ever taking a free breath again."
Brauchler said what is troubling about the Menendez brothers' case being brought back up is that "every time something like this happens and someone sees any amount of success, it encourages others to do this."
"You have to believe that there are any number of defense attorneys out there who are willing to shoot for the notoriety or the paycheck. In order to try to capture something like this, I'm not denigrating them. I know that's business, but the answer should be that we should forget about the Menendez brothers."
Brauchler said what the Menendez brothers' case highlights is something that has been happening since the Aurora theater shooting that is amplifying killers.
"There has been a real concerted effort by decent people and many in the media to no longer amplify the killers; like, we should be focused on the victims. I would say since the Aurora theater shooter, I've said that guy's name maybe four times through the whole trial, which lasted from Jan. 20th until April 7th, 2015. I said his name exactly twice. And that was by design," Brauchler explained.
"And so here we are again, focused on the Menendez brothers and the Netflix things about the Menendez brothers. And I understand that, but we should really de-glorify the criminals and focus more on the victims and the crime that was committed. And I think that if you let these guys out, you do the opposite."
Brauchler added that there are even studies now about thecorrelation between the amount of notoriety that a criminal gets and then copycat-type crimes.
"I'll give you an example with Columbine. The STEM school mass shooting that I covered, both of those shooters had passing fascination with those Columbine shooters. We had a near-mass shooting at another high school right down the road from my kid's high school. They both had a fascination with the Columbine shooters and the Aurora theater shooter. Guess which case he researched before he left his apartment back on July the 19th to go murder these people? Columbine. So, the more notorious an event or some people become, it does have an effect on other folks," Brauchler said.
"I get it, we have to report the bad guy or bad girl at least once," Brauchler continued. "Then after that, let's not talk about them anymore. Let's talk about the crime. Let's talk about the victims, and let's go to court."
Ahead of Mother’s Day this year, the White House is honoring military mothers by welcoming them once again to The People’s House.
First lady Melania Trump hosted moms serving the nation in uniform, the mothers of service members and the mothers whose spouses serve in the U.S. Armed Forces on Thursday afternoon. (See the video at the top of this article.)
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance were all in attendance as well.
The president gave the opening remarks, thanking those in uniform and introducing the first lady in the East Room.
"You all do an outstanding job, and you should take tremendous pride in what you're doing and what you do," said the president, speaking about all those who serve.
The president gave a special shout-out to those working at the White House, thanking Air Force One pilots, nurses with the White House Medical Unit and musicians in the military bands.
First lady Melania Trump opened her speech by acknowledging the "life-changing event" that is motherhood.
She called it an "event that makes women invincible and exposed at the same time. It's remarkable, really, that my son's life creates unimaginable, unpredictable concerns and thrills for me, even until this day."
"All caring mothers understand these rare feelings. Nothing against fathers, of course," she quipped, "but in my opinion, and I'm sure everyone in this room agrees, only a mother can grasp this particular point."
Mrs. Trump hosted similar events in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to celebrate military moms.
"Military mothers and America together have developed an extraordinary parallel journey," said the first lady.
She urged these moms to prioritize their well-being and nurture themselves, noting it is their strength that is "the bedrock of a brighter future for our children."
"We empower the next generation to thrive together," she said.
"Let's build a legacy of resilience and hope. Your journey matters. Embrace it!"
She added, "The sacred strength of women is a profound force with unwavering love and nurturing wisdom. We have the ability to inspire, uplift and shape the future hearts of our children.
"This power, rooted in compassion and resilience, is a beacon of hope, then leads the way for generations to come," she said.
"Let us unite to honor the beauty of motherhood, champion the grace of our journey, and inspire those who follow."
The first lady concluded, "A mother's love and wisdom empower our children to flourish, instilling in them the courage to reach their full potential. Motherhood. Happy Mother's Day, everyone."
Also in attendance at the event were White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst — a retired military officer — and New York Rep. Claudia Tenney, the mother of a major in the Marine Corps.
President Trump also touted a rise in military enlistments.
"I'm pleased to report that, since November, enlistment numbers for every branch of the armed forces have surged to the highest levels in 48 years," he said.
"As we celebrate military mothers today, we look forward to an incredible future for the United States Armed Forces and for our country itself and for those great service members and for all of you who love them so much," President Trump said in his closing remarks.
A reception for military families followed the event with a musical performance by the Army Chorus, the Navy Sea Chanters, and the Air Force Singing Sergeants.
Since his return to the White House, President Trump has signed executive orders addressing some concerns of military families.
In January, the president ordered the defense secretary to reinstateservice members discharged under the military’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate under EO 14184.
He then signed EO 14191, titled "Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families."
A section of it states that the defense secretary will plan how military families can use agency funds to send their children to the school of their choice.
Khloe Quill of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
After Prince Harry’s latest explosive interview, Prince William is committed more than ever to protecting his children from an heir-and-spare nightmare.
The claim was made by British royals expert Hilary Fordwich, who believes that Harry’s struggles with being a royal "spare" have not only been a "nightmare" for the senior royals today but serve as a cautionary tale for the future of the monarchy.
"Prince William is particularly determined to do all he can to avoid the ‘heir and spare,’ which has caused so many royal nightmares [over] the generations," Fordwich explained.
"He and Princess Catherine are focused on the importance of ‘normal’ simple childhood moments, such as family chores together, cooking, family holidays, sports and time in nature. They are keen on country walks and bonfires, very British traditions."
The rift between the Duke of Sussex and his family burst into the open again last week when the prince gave a raw interview to the BBC after losing a court case over his security. In a long and at times emotional conversation, the 40-year-old said he wants reconciliation, while re-airing grievances against the royal family, the U.K. government and the media.
Harry said his father, who is battling cancer, won’t speak to him because of "this security stuff," a legal wrangle about protection for the prince when he’s in his home country.
"This, at the heart of it, is a family dispute," he said.
Harry has been estranged from his family since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, alleging hostility and racist attitudes by the press and royal establishment. Harry’s tell-all 2023 memoir "Spare," filled with private details about embarrassing revelations, made things worse.
Harry’s latest interview took place on May 2nd, the same day when William’s middle child, Princess Charlotte, turned 10 years old. His eldest son, Prince George, 11, is second in line to the British throne.
"Princess Catherine [like William] is determined to raise Princess Charlotte with a combination of adherence to traditional royal values of duty and public service, as well as a close-knit, loving, nurturing approach in the hopes of avoiding [another] royal ‘spare,’ such as her wayward uncle," said Fordwich.
Fordwich’s sentiments came shortly after People magazine published a cover story to commemorate Charlotte’s birthday. In the issue, royal experts pointed out how Charlotte being the spare to her brother is in "a vulnerable place" and filled with potential pitfalls that Harry experienced on the world stage.
"The late Queen [Elizabeth] was always very conscious of the extraordinary and challenging role of the No. 2," royal biographer Robert Hardman, author of "The Making of a King," told the outlet.
"That’s why she had a particular soft spot for [her sister, Princess] Margaret, for [her son, Prince] Andrew, and [her grandson,] Harry," he shared. "She understood that being second place in a strictly hierarchical family and institution has its challenges. Everyone is conscious of that."
In "Spare," Harry detailed his sibling rivalry with William, 42, and how he struggled to find his way behind palace doors.
"I was the shadow, the support, the Plan B," he wrote, as quoted by the outlet. "I was brought in the world in case something happened to Willy."
Harry also described that being the spare led to tensions with his brother.
"My family had declared me a nullity. The spare," he wrote. "I didn’t complain about it, but I didn’t need to dwell on it either. Far better, in my mind, not to think about certain facts... But no one gave a damn whom I traveled with; the spare could always be spared."
As William prepares to be king one day, Hardman said he wants to "make the whole royal existence approachable and not scary for all his children."
"Prince William and Princess Catherine know only too well the perils of the heir-and-spare relationship dynamic," British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
"We know of numerous heir-and-spare cycles, the spare going slightly off the rails, usually due to feeling undervalued," she shared.
Chard pointed out prime examples of "royal rebels" who sparked furious backlash due to their actions included Margaret, Andrew and, more recently, Harry.
It’s noted that in "Spare," Harry also wrote about moments where he felt dismissed or devalued, People magazine reported.
"The Prince and Princess of Wales are taking every step, a conscious decision to prevent the heir-and-spare cycle with their children," Chard explained. "They are well aware of the pitfalls Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis could face growing up with Prince George."
"The Prince and Princess of Wales know their minds and are carving out their royal path," Chard continued. "They are not afraid to tweak and change the traditional royal ways and rules. They prioritize their family. Their children come first. The children are given the love, support and guidance needed for a balanced, successful, healthy future. They are aware their parenting decisions are critical to the success of the crown."
People magazine reported that looking ahead, Charlotte could be bestowed the title of Princess Royal, a title that her great-aunt, Princess Anne, 74, possesses. The outlet noted the title is ultimately the monarch’s to give, and Charlotte could still choose to decline it.
"The Princess Royal has taken Princess Charlotte under her wing," Chard claimed. "They have a close bond. Princess Anne is a fabulous role model for Charlotte. She is aware of the trials and tribulations of being the right-hand woman to her brother, King Charles. She steers Charlotte in the happy direction of being the great support, right-hand woman to her brother, future heir Prince George."
"I feel Princess Charlotte in the future could fulfill the role currently held by Princess Anne, becoming the backbone of royal appearances and duties," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. "Princess Anne is seen as the hardest-working royal, and Charlotte right now seems to have the same steely resolve to do things correctly."
Charlotte, third in line to the throne, is the only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales. A source told People magazine that Charlotte, along with her siblings, is being raised by the couple to "strike a balance between private life and duty."
Harry currently resides in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito with his wife and two children. He told the BBC that he "can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K."
The prince said he loves Britain and "it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland."
Harry claimed that he and his family are endangered when visiting Britain because of hostility aimed at him and Meghan on social media and through relentless hounding by news media.
PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON ‘DEDICATED TO DUTY’ AS MONARCHY'S FUTURE: A REAL PARTNERSHIP
According to several royal experts and multiple reports, Harry and William are not on speaking terms. Sources close to Harry previously told Fox News Digital that Harry’s calls and letters to his father go unanswered.
Fordwich said William has been prioritizing family and duty. She believes his children are on the right path to success, regardless of where they are in the line of succession.
"Those close to the family agree that Princess Charlotte, [in particular], is extremely levelheaded and mature beyond her years, often keeping her brothers, George and Louis, in check during public engagements," said Chard. "The hope is that when Prince George ascends to the throne, she will be by his side for support, just as Princess Anne has been such a stalwart support for King Charles III."
In his interview, Harry said he could forgive his family.
"I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore," Harry said.
Columbia student Eden Yadegar described a frightening scene as dozens of demonstrators entered Butler Library where she was studying for finals.
"Not only was it absolutely shocking and intimidating," Yadegar told "Fox & Friends" Thursday, "but it was disrupting one of the most basic functions of the university."
According to Yadegar, the protesters, many wearing masks, chanted slogans including "Intifada revolution" and "from the river to the sea," a phrase widely interpreted as calling for the destruction of Israel.
She said campus public safety officers asked the protesters to show university ID cards in order to leave the building, at which point some protesters claimed they were being "held hostage."
"Which is not only just ridiculous and completely opposed to common sense, but also unbelievable to me that they would make a mockery of the fact there are 59 hostages currently being held by the very terrorist group, Hamas, that they are praising," Yadegar said.
University officials eventually called in the New York Police Department (NYPD), leading to more than 80 arrests.
Videos from the scene show physical altercations, and minor injuries were reported. Photos shared from inside also depict graffiti including "Free Gaza" slogans scrawled on library walls and furniture.
Sam Nahins, a Columbia graduate student and U.S. Air Force veteran, was also inside the library during the occupation. He said he grew concerned after recognizing individuals who had been suspended in prior protests.
"I started recognizing students who were suspended last year who had not returned to school. And that's when I started to get a little nervous," Nahins said during an appearance on "America’s Newsroom" Thursday.
Nahins, who served overseas in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, said the protesters’ behavior doesn’t reflect a legitimate fight for freedom.
"These protesters are not freedom fighters," he said. "What they’re doing is intimidating a specific group of students. It’s dangerous, and it is enough."
In response to the incident, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government is reviewing the immigration status of individuals involved.
"We are reviewing the visa status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University's library," Rubio wrote in a statement on X. "Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation."
Protesters are reportedly demonstrating in support of Mahmoud Khalil, an accused ringleader of previous pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia, and other suspended students.
The university’s acting president Claire Shipman condemned the violence, writing in part: "Let me be clear: Columbia unequivocally rejects antisemitism and all other forms of harassment and discrimination. And we certainly reject a group of students—and we don’t yet know whether there were outsiders involved—closing down a library in the middle of the week before finals and forcing 900 students out of their study spaces, many leaving belongings behind," she said.
A Virginia man was charged with murder after authorities say he shot a high school teen who he believed was trying to break into his house, though the surviving teens claim they were filming a ding-dong-ditch prank for TikTok.
Tyler Chase Butler, 27, was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Bosworth Jr., the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office said. Butler also faces charges of malicious wounding and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Legal experts told Fox News Digital that the case will rest on whether Butler used the right amount of force and if he reasonably believed his life was in imminent danger.
"The individual facts are really going to shed light on are the charges against Mr. Butler valid or unjust," Jessica Ledingham, a federal litigator and criminal defense attorney said, adding that the charges would make sense if the teens were outside his home, where they are less likely to be perceived as a threat.
Deputies responded at around 3 a.m. Saturday to a call for a residential burglary in progress, where a resident had fired shots and found Bosworth and another teen with gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said. A third teen was found unharmed.
Bosworth died of his injuries in the hospital while the other injured teen was treated for minor injuries and released. Both surviving teens are juveniles and were not named publicly.
The surviving teens told investigators they were recording themselves doing a "ding-dong-ditch" as part of a TikTok challenge, FOX5 DC reported, citing court documents.
One of Butler’s neighbors shared home surveillance footage with the outlet that shows the three teens going up to Butler’s home and not only ringing the doorbell but banging, kicking and slamming on a garage door.
Jamie E. Wright, a Los Angeles trial attorney and founder of the Wright Law Firm, told Fox News Digital that "stand your ground" or "castle doctrine" laws vary in each state, though "most don’t give blanket permission to use lethal force simply to protect property."
"Based on what’s been reported, shooting at teenagers involved in a prank, even one as reckless as a late-night ding-dong-ditch, is unlikely to meet that legal standard," Wright said. "Social media challenges like this can certainly escalate tensions and lead to tragic misunderstandings, but they don’t typically create a legal justification for deadly self-defense."
Madeline Summerville, a national trial attorney and legal analyst, told Fox News Digital that "castle doctrine" laws allow for the use of deadly force to prevent an aggressor from entering your home – if the homeowner truly believes their life is in danger.
"Every case is different, however, and the applicability of the castle doctrine in this case will rest upon whether the Defendant truly believed he was in imminent danger of bodily harm or death," Summerville said.
Bosworth was a multi-sport athlete at Massaponax High School. His classmates held a vigil for him on Tuesday night.
Butler was being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail on no bond.
The brother of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, who made history by becoming the first American pontiff, shared his "overwhelming" reaction to the news on Thursday.
John Prevost told FOX 32 that "there are no words" to describe how proud he was of his baby brother.
"It’s overwhelming pride, but it’s also an overwhelming responsibility, being the first American Pope from Chicago – and a relative. Frightening," Prevost said.
Prevost said his brother’s path to pope began at a young age, having gone straight into seminary after eighth grade.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, was a suspected frontrunner to succeed Pope Francis after his passing late last month. Prevost said he had an "inkling" his brother was in the running after hearing his description on the radio.
"They were interviewing someone on the radio, and she said there are two likely candidates: One of the Cardinals from the Philippines, and one is a Cardinal, as a matter of fact, from the Chicago area. He was a missionary in Peru and now he’s a Cardinal in Rome," Prevost said.
But the inkling that big things were in store for the now pope even went back decades earlier. According to Prevost, the boys' childhood neighbors predicted the younger Prevost would be the "first American pope."
"The interesting thing is way back when he was in kindergarten or first grade, there was a parent, a mom, across the street — one across the street that way and another down the street," John Prevost, told WGN on Thursday. "Both of them said he would be the first American Pope, at that age."
Prevost predicts that his brother will likely be "a second Pope Francis."
"I think he has a strong inclination to help the poor, the disenfranchised, the people that don't have a voice because he spent so much time in Peru with the people who were impoverished," Prevost said. "So, I think she sees that need and I think he will work for that. The church has to be universal and help everyone but some people need a lot more help … I don't think he can do anything, but I think immigration is big time on his mind. He thinks the country's headed in the wrong direction there."
Prevost said his brother will have to work hard to reunite the Catholic Church, given that "so many people have gone away" in recent years.
The Department of Homeland Security is defending the detainment of a Georgia college student who is in the U.S. illegally after she was pulled over for traffic violations and arrested.
Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a 19-year-old Mexican national, was arrested by police in Dalton, Georgia, on May 5 after illegally turning right on red and driving without a license, according to an arrest report obtained by WTVC in Chattanooga.
The report states that Arias-Cristobal does not have a driver's license, but she does have an international license, which her mother had taken from her. She was arrested by the officer and taken to the Whitfield County Jail before being transferred to the Stewart Detention Center – a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility – in Southwest Georgia.
Arias-Cristobal admitted to being in the U.S. illegally and does not have an application pending with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to DHS.
A GoFundMe set up to raise money for bond and an immigration attorney says the girl came to the U.S. with her parents in 2010 when she was 4 years old. The fundraiser, which was set up by a woman who Arias-Cristobal babysits for, says she did not qualify for DACA.
"She has babysat for my kids for years. We adore her. Ximena is my close friend and my children’s favorite babysitter," Hannah Jones wrote in the description.
Arias-Cristobal's father, 43-year-old Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, is also at the same ICE facility after he was arrested for speeding and driving without a license. DHS said he also admitted to being in the U.S. illegally.
"The family will be able to return to Mexico together. Mr. Tovar had ample opportunity to seek a legal pathway to citizenship. He chose not to. We are not ignoring the rule of law," DHS said.
The agency reiterated that many people in the U.S. illegally are being given the chance to self-deport via the Customs and Border Protection Home app, which would allow them to return to America in the future through legal avenues.
Fox News Digital reached out to Dalton police and ICE for comment.
A West Point professor's resignation over education shifts brought, in part, by the Trump administration, drew a scathing comment from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
West Point philosophy professor Graham Parsons announced his resignation Thursday, following a 13-year tenure with the academy. Hegseth quickly took to social media, voicing his opinion after the departure.
"You will not be missed Professor Parsons," Hegseth wrote in response to Parsons’ resignation.
In a New York Times op-ed, Parson said he is departing as the academy is rapidly shifting from its educational principles, in part due to the Trump administration.
"I will be resigning after this semester from my tenured position at West Point after 13 years on the faculty," said Parsons. "I cannot tolerate these changes, which prevent me from doing my job responsibly. I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form."
He added: "In a matter of days, the United States Military Academy at West Point abandoned its core principles. Once a school that strove to give cadets the broad-based, critical-minded, nonpartisan education they need for careers as Army officers, it was suddenly eliminating courses, modifying syllabuses and censoring arguments to comport with the ideological tastes of the Trump administration."
Parsons' disdain correlates to President Donald Trump and Hegseth’s recent executive order and memos prohibiting what faculty members may teach at United States military educational institutions.
Randy Travis is leaning into artificial intelligence (AI) to continue to produce new music, over a decade after his near-fatal stroke.
In 2013, Travis' stroke left him with aphasia – which is the loss of ability to understand or express speech.
With the help of AI and country musician James Dupré, Travis was able to produce two new songs since his stroke, "Where That Came From" in 2024 and now his latest single, "Horses in Heaven." He has been on his "More Life Tour" since last spring and recently extended dates through fall 2025.
Randy's wife, Mary Travis, joined him for an interview with Garden & Gun to explain how her husband used AI for new music.
"People think you just plug it in a computer and it spits out a song and there’s no creativity. That could not be farther from the truth. It took eleven months. In the time most people make an album, we did one song," she told the outlet.
WATCH: Randy Travis and his wife Mary call AI ‘magical’ for giving him back his voice
"Kyle Lehning, Randy’s longtime producer, sent the raw vocals of about 45 of Randy’s songs to London, where they were put into the model using a vocal line provided by country music singer James Dupré. They were able to pick the voice stems of Randy’s songs and lay them over the vocal line.
"When it came back from London, Kyle and Randy worked their magic in the studio to perfect the song, tweaking it to make sure that his tone, his inflections, everything was like what Randy would sing. When we finally heard the result, we knew it was worth it," Mary said.
She added, "Hopefully it will set a precedent for what AI is used for."
Thanks to AI, Travis was able to go back on tour. Dupré has been on tour with him, assisting as a special guest vocalist on the music legend's "More Life Tour," which kicked off last spring.
When Garden & Gun asked Randy how excited he was about extending his tour, he smiled and said, "Just a lot. Yeah."
Mary added, "He loves being with his fans. He loves the energy of the stage. People always ask if it’s hard for him to hear his music played by somebody else. I think for some people it would be, but for Randy, he’s like, No, I’m good with that. Music belongs to all of us."
"In 2013, that was not anything we could have perceived on the horizon. AI has come up so fast and furiously. When we were approached by Cris Lacy at Warner about it, it was exciting. I wanted to hear that voice more than anything — I have for 12 years now.
"Randy’s always been very much a pioneer in music. When you think about the Toby Keith song, ‘Don’t Let the Old Man In,’ that’s Randy Travis. He’s not letting the old man in. He’s gonna keep thinking of what we can do to make a difference," she told the outlet.
In 2023, Randy and Mary spoke with Fox News Digital about his condition ahead of a tribute concert, which also raised money for the Randy Travis Foundation. The foundation focuses on stroke and aphasia awareness and supporting music education in schools.
"We want people to understand strokes, stroke rehabilitation, that there is life after stroke," Mary said at the time. "We did find that all of the rehab that we went through, life is the best rehab. Just get out there. Go do what you used to do. You know, the world may wonder why you're out here, but just go out there and, you know, dance like nobody's watching and sing like nobody's listening and just have a good time. It truly is the best therapy."
Mary also cited her and Randy’s faith for helping them work through recovery.
"He's very faithful," she said. "We, you know, we leaned hard on God. It's been 10 years now since the stroke, and that's hard to believe. … There's really no words for it, and there's not a day that goes by that I just don't thank God for his grace and his mercy."
A Massachusetts State Police sergeant who played a key role in the investigation that led to Karen Read's original mistrial on murder charges testified Thursday that, early on, he told other authorities that John O'Keefe may have been hit in the face with a bar glass, causing injuries to his face and head.
Investigators, however, ultimately alleged that Read struck her Boston cop boyfriend with the back of her Lexus SUV and fled the scene, leaving him to die in the cold, on Jan. 29, 2022. Police arrested her on hit-and-run manslaughter charges days after she found him dead outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts, and prosecutors secured an indictment for second-degree murder months later.
Defense lawyer Alan Jackson got State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik to concede on Thursday that he called the medical examiner's office and said there was a possibility that O'Keefe could have been hit in the face with a cocktail glass.
"At 10:41 a.m., you called the medical examiner's office to inform them that Mr. O'Keefe quote, was struck in the face with a cocktail glass, or at least appeared to be, correct?" Jackson asked.
"That is in part what I advised the medical examiner's office," Bukhenik began. "Where they are, responsible for the medical portion of…"
Jackson cut him off, objecting during his own line of questioning. After a brief sidebar, Judge Beverly Cannone told the witness to do his "best" to answer the questions he was asked.
Jackson also asked if key witnesses, such as fellow Boston Police Officer Brian Albert, his sister-in-law, Jennifer McCabe, and her husband, Matt McCabe, could have lied from the start about whether O'Keefe entered Albert's home at 34 Fairview Road hours before he was found dead on the front lawn.
Of those three, only Jennifer McCabe has testified as of Thursday in Read's second trial. She told jurors she saw Read's vehicle outside the house shortly after midnight but never saw either Read or O'Keefe come inside.
Outside court Thursday, where she was not speaking under oath, Read told reporters in plain words that she saw him go inside.
When she was asked if she could describe the "how and when," she said no but said she has in the past and believes special prosecutor Hank Brennan may play a clip at trial.
Investigators recovered a broken glass and black straw separately from the scene, as was O'Keefe's missing sneaker, evidence that Bukhenik said supported investigators' ultimate theory that the victim had been struck by a motor vehicle.
Brennan, on direct examination, asked Bukhenik if there was a phrase about that in law enforcement circles.
Another component to that theory was Read's broken taillight. Brennan played Ring camera video taken from O'Keefe's driveway that showed the light was cracked when she left his house around 5 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022.
Bukhenik said he questioned Read about the broken taillight later that morning and quoted her as saying, "I don't know how I did it last night."
O'Keefe had significant injuries to his face and head as well as cuts on his right arm by the time Bukhenik saw him at Good Samaritan hospital, he said.
Bukhenik, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine when he was 9 and joined the Marine Corps after 9/11, is expected to return to the witness stand Friday morning when court resumes at 9 a.m. ET.
A town hall being held by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday night was briefly disrupted when an apparent supporter of President Donald Trump stood up to challenge her to apologize to the president.
Though panelists mainly voiced leftist talking points throughout the night and the room primarily consisted of anti-Trump individuals, one apparent supporter of Trump stood up to ask James a question.
"My question is for Tish James. Will you apologize to President Trump for wasting millions of dollars and the state of New York for a witch trial?" asked the man, adding, "And how does it feel to know that you are [going to] prison for mortgage fraud?"
The crowd erupted with boos and the man was escorted out.
Though she did not directly respond to the man, James did shout "thank you for coming" over the crowd.
James, a Democrat, is best known for filing a lawsuit against Trump and several of his family members, as well as associates and businesses, alleging "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" regarding financial statements.
Though Trump was ordered to pay $454 million in civil damages, the fine was later reduced significantly.
In response, Trump has called James’ case part of a "witch hunt" against him on the taxpayer’s dime.
The Department of Justice has since opened a criminal investigation into James.
News of the federal probe follows a criminal referral from the Trump administration's Federal Housing Finance Agency Director, William Pulte. He requested the DOJ investigate James over accusations that she misrepresented a single-family home in Virginia as her primary residence to obtain more favorable loan terms.
She's also accused of misrepresenting the number of livable units in a multifamily Brooklyn house to obtain better loan terms.
In April, NYC attorney Pierre Debbas told Fox News Digital that the criminal referral targeting James likely wouldn't have happened if she hadn't spent years going after Trump in court.
"The attorney general's case that was brought against Donald Trump was honestly a pure manipulation of the legal system, and it was laughable," he said.
"To be perfectly frank, this is a retaliatory case brought by the president for what the attorney general did to him over the last several years," he went on. "Something that's never taken place in the history of New York that was isolated at one particular person for a politically driven purpose."
"I found out when everyone else found out," Pickens said, via CBS Sports. "I feel great. I like the mojo here. I like the swag. There's a lot of new players I've been meeting. I feel like they have a good thing going, for sure."
Pickens added he didn’t request a trade out of Pittsburgh despite rumors throughout the offseason. Steelers fans started speculating when Pickens was no longer following the team on Instagram.
He also posted a picture of himself standing with Tom Brady, part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
"This game is just as much a business as it is football," Pickens said. "It’s kind of like out of my control. I’m glad to be here in Dallas and able to continue the winning culture that they have."
While Pickens was arguably the best receiving option for Pittsburgh the past three seasons, head coach Mike Tomlin publicly called Pickens out after taunting and unsportsmanlike penalties. Pickens also got into arguments with fans in the stands.
"You just have to grow up, man," Tomlin said last season. "It’s an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He has a target on his back because he’s George. He understands that, but he has to grow up. He has to grow up in a hurry."
Tomlin made those comments after the Steelers' 44-38 win on the road in Week 13, when Pickens was assessed taunting and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
While Pickens understands his past actions open him up to criticism, he’s ready for the next chapter of his career.
"I feel like everybody in the world is working on growing on their bettering of their self," he said. I feel like growth for me is taking a great direction in me coming to the Cowboys."
Chaos and wild brawls broke out at a New York City university on Thursday evening after pro-Palestinian activists tried setting up an encampment on college grounds.
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were dispatched to Brooklyn College after anti-Israel agitators refused to take down their tents. Videos show activists, many of whom were wearing keffiyehs, yelling and swearing as police officers attempted to get the unruly crowd under control.
"The cops are out of control," a woman is heard saying.
Brooklyn College told Fox News that the protesters "erected tents on the Brooklyn College quad in violation of college policy."
"After multiple warnings to take the tents down and disperse, members of CUNY Public Safety and NYPD removed the tents and dispersed the crowd," the statement added.
"The safety of our campus community will always be paramount, and Brooklyn College respects the right to protest while also adhering to strict rules meant to ensure the safe operation of our University and prohibit individuals from impeding access to educational facilities."
The chaos comes a day after over 100 anti-Israel agitators stormed the Butler Library at Columbia University. The chaos erupting as students were trying to study for finals.
In total, the NYPD made 80 arrests at the prestigious college, a source told Fox News.
At least 119 Amtrak employees and doctors took the railroad company for a ride in a massive $12 million health fraud scheme, a watchdog found.
Amtrak's Office of Inspector General (OIG) said employees based in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., accepted cash kickbacks from three healthcare providers in exchange for the use of their insurance information and that of their dependents in a scheme from 2019 to 2022.
"The sheer volume of employees who cavalierly participated in this scheme to steal Amtrak’s funds suggests not only a serious lapse in basic ethics, but a troubling workforce culture, at least in the Northeast region, in which blatant criminal behavior was somehow normalized," said Amtrak Inspector General Kevin H. Winters.
The healthcare providers used that employee information to file fraudulent and questionable medical claims for services that were never provided or not medically necessary, the OIG said. Overall, the taxpayer-funded railroad carrier's health plan was billed more than $16 million and was bilked out of $12 million.
Of the 119 employees implicated, 28 retired or resigned as a result of the OIG’s investigation, and 30 left the company for "other reasons." Another dozen employees have been criminally charged, and seven have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Sixty-one are still on the job.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Amtrak said it has taken "significant steps" to address medical insurance fraud.
"Like many employers, Amtrak calls on medical benefit providers and insurers to do more to identify suspicious activity and stop medical insurance fraud," the company said. "Amtrak strongly condemns this reprehensible act that occurred between 2019 and 2022 and is taking swift action with all active employees involved in the investigation.
"While we continue to work closely with the OIG to identify and stamp out fraud, we also continue to work on other initiatives to address this issue," the statement added. "Amtrak has implemented various measures to enhance fraud prevention and empower employees to report suspected wrongdoing. These efforts include increasing oversight and strengthening efforts to eliminate fraudulent schemes."
The OIG launched a probe when an agent noticed unusual billing patterns in reports by data analysts. Three New York healthcare providers with "questionable" billings who shared a high number of Amtrak employees as patients were identified by investigators.
An undercover agent posing as an Amtrak employee met with Punson Figueroa, aka "Susie," an acupuncturist from Long Island City, New York, June 16, 2021. During the visit, Figueroa told the agent to sign his name 30 times for service without dating the signatures, the OIG said.
Figueroa then submitted alleged fraudulent claims to Amtrak’s healthcare plan, saying the agent had visited providers at least seven times in May 2021 for acupuncture and physical therapy. The agent visited Figueroa’s office again on July 29, 2021, where she allegedly handed him an envelope containing $1,000.
Figueroa continued to use the agent’s insurance information to submit dozens of fraudulent claims to Amtrak’s healthcare plan, investigators said.
Figueroa pleaded guilty to defrauding Amtrak’s healthcare plan, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution of $9.05 million. Two other healthcare providers and a medical biller have also pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme.
Michael DeNicola, a podiatrist from New York, pleaded guilty June 29, 2022, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, distribution of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a gun. He has not yet been sentenced.
Regina Choi, a medical biller from Woodside, New York, who previously worked for Figueroa, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud June 11, 2024, for submitting false and fraudulent claims to the Amtrak health care plan and paying cash kickbacks to Amtrak employees. Her sentence is also pending.
In 2018 and 2019, OIG auditors issued separate reports that said Amtrak could strengthen measures to identify fraudulent medical claims sooner. Both reports noted billing patterns indicative of potential fraud among hundreds of providers, the OIG said.
Former President Joe Biden denied telling former Vice President Kamala Harris that there could be no "daylight" between them while she was on the campaign trail, and defended what was widely seen as a flubbed opportunity for the vice president to differentiate herself from Biden during her October 2024 interview on the ABC show.
Co-host Sunny Hostin brought up her question posed to Harris ahead of the election. Hostin asked at the time if there was anything the then-vice president would have done differently from Biden and Harris said "not a thing comes to mind."
Hostin said the vice president's answer was "weaponized against her," and asked Biden about the reporting that he had told Harris "there could be no daylight" between the pair while she was campaigning.
"Well, look, first of all, I did not advise her to say that, number one. Like I said, I was vice president. I understand the role, number one. Number two, I think it was, I think she was talking about, she wouldn’t have changed the successes we had, not opposed to, we wouldn’t change anything at all. She has to be her own person, and she was. She was. And so I think that was used in a way that is contrary to what she meant by it, when she said that and I think that, you know, she was part of every success we had," the former president said.
A book, written by reporters Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen, alleged Biden "would say publicly that Harris should do what she must to win. But privately, including in conversations with her, he repeated an admonition: let there be no daylight between us."
"But the day of the debate Biden called to give Harris an unusual kind of pep talk — and another reminder about the loyalty he demanded. No longer able to defend his own record, he expected Harris to protect his legacy," they wrote. "Whether she won or lost the election, he thought, she would only harm him by publicly distancing herself from him — especially during a debate that would be watched by millions of Americans. To the extent that she wanted to forge her own path, Biden had no interest in giving her room to do so."
Hostin asked the former president during the interview on Thursday to respond to critics who argued that he should have dropped out of the race sooner to give Harris more time, noting that Harris' campaign was roughly 90 days.
"I say, number one, that there were still six full months, she was in every aspect, every decision I made, every decision we made, and I don’t think, I hope I don’t sound the wrong way. I don’t think anybody thought we’d be successful as we were," Biden responded.
Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, 2024. That left Harris with the full month of August, September and October to run her campaign, in addition to a few extra weeks.
The former president blamed sexism and racism for Harris' loss and revealed he wasn't surprised by Trump's win.
"As a country, it’s very difficult for people to believe that racism and misogyny, they’re just alive and well. I think that we don’t want to think that about ourselves, our neighbors, our friends, but it’s – my lived experience tells me that it does still exist, even if your lived experience doesn’t tell that it exists and, you know, the facts support that," Hostin said, pointing to a graph that showed "a clear racial divide" in who voted for Trump as opposed to who voted for Harris.
Four top Trump administration officials from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shared their visions for improving the American healthcare system and aligning the agency with the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) platform in an exclusive interview Thursday on "Special Report."
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya sat down with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington, D.C., for a wide-ranging discussion on the future of healthcare and improving the quality of care nationwide.
"We all share a vision that's been a lifelong vision for all of us, which is to make our country healthy, to have evidence-based science, to have gold standard replicable science, and then use that to challenge what we have — this kind of bedrock system that is destroying our health," said Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"The healthcare system in this country is a bundle of perverse incentives that force people to do the wrong thing. And we've turned this country into a sick care system rather than a health care system. And all these people are the people who are gonna change that."
Drs. Bhattacharya, Makary and Oz said their goals at their respective agencies are to: improve the health and longevity of the American people, focus on cures and meaningful treatments and improve the quality of care on all levels.
"We're laser-focused on the broader picture, the more holistic picture," said Dr. Oz, quoting Hubert Humphrey, a former Democratic vice president whose name is on the building they work in. "He [Humphrey] said, 'It's the moral obligation of government to take care of those of us at the very dawn of our lives, children, at the twilight of our [lives], the elderly, and those living in the shadows.' That's our focus."
Baier then turned to recent HHS leadership changes critical to advancing the MAHA agenda, asking RFK Jr. about the U.S. Surgeon General nomination change.
President Donald Trump pulled Dr. Janette Nesheiwat’s nomination for U.S. Surgeon General Wednesday ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing.
Nesheiwat, a former Fox News medical contributor, had her nomination withdrawn due to scrutiny over her credentials and criticism about her medical views not aligning with the White House.
Trump announced wellness influencer Casey Means would replace Nesheiwat, who will work at HHS in another capacity.
"Casey Means, we felt, was the best person to really bring the vision of MAHA to the American public," RFK Jr. told "Special Report." "She has a unique capacity to articulate it. She's written a book that really mobilized, galvanized the movement. She is an extraordinary — she is excellence in everything that she's ever endeavored."
The former 2024 Independent presidential candidate dismissed criticism of Means, who reportedly did not finish her medical residency nor possess an active medical license.
"She was the top, the very top of her medical class at Stanford. She is in every — during her residency, she won every award that she could win," said RFK Jr. "She walked away from traditional medicine because she was not curing patients."
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fox News has learned.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed that a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia sent out subpoenas related to accusations that James misrepresented a single-family home in Virginia as her primary residence to obtain more favorable loan terms.
News of the federal probe follows a criminal referral from the Trump administration's Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, who requested the DOJ investigate James over that matter and another incident in which she allegedly misrepresented the number of livable units in a multifamily Brooklyn house to once again obtain better loan terms.
"These baseless and long-discredited allegations, put to rest by my April 24 letter to the Department of Justice, are suddenly back in the news just days after President Trump publicly attacked Attorney General James," James' attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Thursday.
"This appears to be the political retribution President Trump threatened to exact that AG Bondi assured the Senate would not occur on her watch. If prosecutors are genuinely interested in the truth, we are prepared to meet false claims with facts."
After Pulte's criminal referral was sent to the Justice Department, specifically U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Lowell followed up with his own letter to Bondi and the Justice Department, accusing the president of seeking "political retribution."
James has been part of a group of Democratic attorneys general who have sued to halt many of Trump's orders during his first few months in the Oval Office.
Additionally, James was the lead prosecutor in a case she brought against Trump and the Trump Organization that alleged the president, while he was a candidate, falsified business records to obtain more favorable loan terms. He was ultimately ordered by a judge to pay hundreds of millions, but is still appealing the ruling.
"The stunning hypocrisy of President Trump’s complaint that the Justice Department had been ‘politicized’ and ‘weaponized’ against him is laid bare as he and others in his administration are now asking you to undertake the very same practice," Lowell wrote in his letter to Bondi.
Lowell, in his letter, pointed to instances when Trump has called for revenge and instances when the president has personally attacked James.
Lowell also responded to the allegations, including the claim James listed a home in Virginia as her primary residence while serving as a state official in New York. According to Lowell, James had no intention of using the property as a primary residence, and her indication of this in a power-of-attorney letter was a mistake. Lowell pointed out there were other documents in which James indicated to her lender that the Virginia home would not be her primary residence.
James is also accused of fraud for allegedly inflating the number of livable units in a multifamily Brooklyn home to receive better interest rates. Lowell accuses Pulte of disregarding updated documentation listing the residence as a four-unit multifamily residence and instead pointing to a certificate of occupancy from 2001.
The industry's brightest stars, including Lainey Wilson, Reba McEntire and more, gathered at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, to find out who is taking home the night's biggest honors.
Josaia Raisuqe, a rugby star who medaled for Fiji at the Paris Olympics, died after a train reportedly struck his vehicle as he drove to training.
Raisuqe’s rugby club, Castres, confirmed his death Thursday. He was 30 years old.
"Castres Olympique is in mourning," the club said in a statement on its website. "It is with heavy hearts that we learned of the death this morning of our player Josaia Raisuqe in a road accident.
"The entire CO family is devastated by this terrible news. Josh had been a member of the club since 2021. He was a wonderful teammate, much loved by everyone, including the Castres supporters who had embraced him. We extend our sincere condolences and thoughts to his family and loved ones."
The death of Raisuqe shocked Castres supporters, who paid tribute to him just hours after his death. They were reportedly in the presence of his wife, as hundreds gathered in front of Pierre-Fabre Stadium, Castres’ home, to mourn Raisuqe.
Raisuqe was part of Fiji’s rugby sevens team in Paris, which finished in second place at the Olympics to earn a silver medal. He was credited with a try against the United States during pool play, and he started for Fiji against France in the gold medal match.
Raisuqe had been playing professionally in France since 2015, joining Top 14 champion Stade Francais that year. Raisuqe also played for Nevers, a second-division squad.
He became so excited after a win in 2021 he lifted the referee over his head when the final whistle blew, and he was issued a red card for the incident.
Raisuqe became a flanker for Castres in 2022, when the team made the Top 14 final.
"He was a radiant boy on and off the field, a pillar of the Fijian community we have at the club and to which we are very attached," Castres chairman Pierre-Yves Revol said in a statement.
"It is also difficult at this time not to mention the faith of all these (Fijian) players and of Josaia. My thoughts are with his fiancée and his entire family."
Raisuqe last played on the wing for Castres less than two weeks ago.
