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Trump pushback, Biden 'disaster' and gender surprise: 5 key moments from Kansas Senate debate

Fri, 23 Oct 2026 06:00:04 -0400

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton sparred over President Donald Trump, immigration, Iran, transgender athletes, artificial intelligence and personal controversies during a contentious Kansas Senate debate Wednesday night.

The hourlong showdown came less than two weeks before Election Day as Marshall seeks a second term and Hamilton, a longtime pastor, tries to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas since 1932.

The race has drawn increased national attention as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of the Senate, with Trump traveling to Kansas earlier this week to campaign for Marshall â a topic touched on during the debate.

Here are five moments that stood out from Wednesday night's debate.

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The debate wasted little time getting contentious, opening with questions about controversies that have fueled attacks against both candidates.

Marshall was confronted with a New York Times review that found his former medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills.

"Every year we gave away $3 to $4 million of charity, but we also had a business," Marshall responded. "We had 300 employees, we had a mortgage payment, we had electric."

Hamilton, meanwhile, was questioned about his handling of allegations involving a volunteer at his church's summer camp who was accused of sexual abuse.

Hamilton acknowledged that he should have ensured the individual did not return to the camp following an initial investigation.

FROM 'THIRD REICH' TO âNOT THAT INFORMEDâ: SENATE DEBATES DELIVER FIREWORKS BEFORE MIDTERMS

"I should have checked to make sure that he wasn't going back," Hamilton said. "That was a mistake on my part."

Trump became part of the debate after moderators played footage from the president's campaign appearance for Marshall in Kansas earlier in the week.

"And at this election, I'm asking you to pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just pretend," Trump told the crowd.

Marshall was then asked whether Trump's support meant Kansans should expect him to back every part of the president's agenda.

"No," Marshall responded, saying there had been "multiple times" when he objected to Trump.

Pressed to identify a specific disagreement, Marshall pointed to recent immigration enforcement in southwest Kansas and Trump's approach to beef imports.

"Just like with my wife, I can disagree with her. My wife is always right," Marshall joked. "And President Trump is not always right."

Marshall nevertheless urged Trump voters to turn out for him, arguing that electing Hamilton could help Democrats capture the Senate.

The two rivals found themselves in agreement when the moderator asked each candidate how many genders there are.

"There's two. There's a boy and there's a girl," Marshall said. "I delivered 5,000 of them and almost half were boys and half were girls."

"There are two genders, male and female," Hamilton responded.

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The candidates then turned to the debate over transgender participation in women's sports.

Hamilton said decisions over athletic eligibility should generally be made locally but was unequivocal about whether biological males should compete against females.

"I have a 12-year-old granddaughter. I don't want biological men or boys competing against her that could harm her," Hamilton said. "It's not a fair, fair fight."

Marshall argued that by high school, "boys need to be in boys sports, girls in girls sports," while accusing national Democrats of pushing "transgender ideology."

Hamilton later accused Marshall of using the issue to "pick on" and "bully" people.

Hamilton called for greater federal oversight of artificial intelligence and compared the emerging technology to the development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons.

"We developed a Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We need to do the same thing with AI," Hamilton said.

But when the moderator pressed him to identify specific federal regulations he would support, Hamilton acknowledged he did not yet have an answer.

"You know what? I'm not sure, to be honest," Hamilton said, arguing that even experts are struggling to understand the technology's potential dangers.

Marshall advocated a "light touch" approach focused on national security, transparency, protecting children and privacy, while slamming a one-size-fits-all global order for artificial intelligence advancement.

Hamilton pushed back sharply.

"This is an existential â potential existential threat to the human race," Hamilton said. "We can't just go with a light touch and hope everybody does their best."

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Hamilton sought to put distance between himself and former President Joe Biden when moderators challenged the Democrat over his claim that he would "lead from the middle."

The moderator pointed to Hamilton's past donations to Democrats, including Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., before asking him to identify a progressive policy he opposed.

"The Biden policies when it came to the border were a disaster," Hamilton responded. "I believe in strong and secure borders."

"I'm not somebody who favors the Socialist Party," Hamilton added. "I'm somebody who stands in the middle."

Hamilton also reiterated during the debate that he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for majority leader if Democrats capture control of the chamber.

Injured Bend, Oregon teacher tried to shut classroom door during school shooting before playing dead

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:27:27 -0400

A teacher who was injured during last Thursday's school shooting in Bend, Oregon, said she tried to shut a classroom door before pretending to be dead in the hope that the gunman would not target her again.

Becky Drury made the remarks in a statement released to the media on Wednesday, as the Bend Police Department confirmed that the firearm used in the attack on Silver Rail Elementary, which left three children and one teacher dead, was "purchased legally."

"Here is what I remember: Once I realized something was happening outside, I ran to see what was going on. I then saw the shooter and immediately ran back into the classroom. I turned to shut the door behind me, but the shooter was already there. Before I could do anything more, he shot me at close range and I fell to the ground," Drury said.

"Lying on the floor, I saw that my left hand was almost completely severed from the gunshot, and my other arm was also severely injured. I could not get up, defend myself, or protect anyone else," she added. "So, I did the only thing I could do, which was to pretend to be dead in the hope he would not shoot me again."

HERO DAD WHO TOOK DOWN OREGON SCHOOL SHOOTER IDENTIFIED ALONG WITH TEACHER, STUDENT BOTH KILLED IN ATTACK

Drury continued, "What happened in that classroom was unimaginable, and like so many in this community, my heart is broken for everyone affected by this tragedy," and her "thoughts are with those who were hurt, those we lost, their families, our school, and the Bend community."

The Bend Police Department said on Wednesday that detectives are continuing a "complex investigation."

"They have served search warrants at the shooting suspect's home, as well as on his electronic devices and his social media accounts on a variety of platforms. That work continues, and it takes time," the department said in a statement.

BEND SCHOOL DISTRICT HONORS SLAIN TEACHER, PRAISES STAFF MEMBER'S COURAGE DURING ATTACK: 'FOREVER GRATEFUL'

The 16-year-old shooter was "neutralized" by a good Samaritan, police said.

Bend-La Pine Schools began welcoming students back to their other schools on Wednesday following the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary.

"Heartfelt artwork and messages of love reminded our students and staff that they are surrounded by a community that cares deeply for them," the school district said.

White House threatens Politico with 'consequences' if it doesn't retract Susie Wiles reporting

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:26:29 -0400

Politico has issued a correction and re-examined multiple articles after the White House threatened "consequences" if the outlet doesn't retract its recent reporting on President Donald Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles, Fox News Digital has confirmed.

In a letter addressed to Politico's global editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger on Monday, White House counsel William Scharf slammed three "demonstrably false and defamatory articles" about Wiles, including claims that Trump was mulling Wiles' ouster, and that he had a "freakout" when Politico published its story.

"These publications reflect far more than sloppy reporting or an unfortunate, inadvertent reliance on unreliable sources. They instead reveal a disturbing pattern of the publication of sensational falsehoods despite direct, on-the-record refutations from senior White House officials and even the President of the United States himself, as well as documentary evidence provided to Politico, all of which established clearly that claims central to Politico's planned reporting were false. Put simply, your publication was told the truth and presented with corroborating evidence, and yet chose to publish fanciful fiction regardless," Scharf wrote in the letter first reported by Axios that has been obtained by Fox News Digital.

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"This is not a question of competing interpretations, editorial judgment, or political disagreement. It is a question of whether a major news organization may knowingly publish demonstrably false factual allegations, disregard documentary evidence contradicting those allegations, and then hide behind anonymous sources when confronted with the truth. It may not. I therefore demand that Politico retract these defamatory articles and issue corrections promptly, or face the consequences," he later continued.

Scharf gave Politico "48 hours" to reverse its reporting and issue an apology to both Trump and Wiles before the White House explores "appropriate and available legal remedies."

WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS REACT TO KATIE ZACHARIA'S 'BRUTAL' EXIT AS TRUMP'S PRESS SECRETARY

"The White House has no obligation to pretend that this persistent conduct is consistent with responsible journalism. Nor should Politico expect that its institutional behavior will be insulated from scrutiny. After all, freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability," Scharf told Greenberg.

"I therefore demand that Politico immediately correct or retract these publications, issue a prominent and public apology to the President of the United States and to Ms. Wiles, and remove the false reporting from your digital archives. Failure to do so or otherwise respond justifying Politicoâs publications within 48 hours will prompt an immediate review of Politico's relationship with the White House, and, of course, consideration of all other appropriate and available legal remedies."

Politico responded on Wednesday, insisting it strives for accuracy in its reporting and "categorically rejects the false accusations" that it "chose to publish fanciful fiction" and "purposeful falsehoods designed to mislead the public."

"That said, Politico takes seriously assertions like those made in your letter. Accordingly, consistent with its commitment to ensuring its reporting is as accurate as possible, Politico re-examined all three articles identified in your letter and did follow up reporting," Politicoâs attorney wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.

"As a result, Politico determined it was appropriate to correct one of the three articles identified in your letter," the letter continued.

Politico did not offer an apology to Trump and Wiles, or correct the report that Trump was considering moving on from Wiles. Instead, Politico corrected an article to note that Wiles simply offered "positive reinforcement" for then-White House press secretary Katie Zachariaâs Fox News appearance on "Hannity" last week before she stepped down, but did not play a direct role in booking the interview.

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"The updated version of that article, reflecting the information obtained through Politicoâs further reporting, has now been published. Promptly and transparently making corrections, as Politico has done here, is a hallmark of journalistic ethics and integrity, and of the very professionalism your letter falsely claims Politico is lacking," Politicoâs attorney wrote.

The White House did not immediately respond when asked for comment.

Politico has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration in recent weeks as among the outlets that were banned by the White House last month, which had been reversed by a judge's ruling.

"To be clear, any error that you could identify in Politicoâs reporting about the President or his administration would not excuse the White Houseâs unconstitutional retaliation and discrimination against Politicoâs for the content of its news coverage," Politicoâs response said.

"The White Houseâs efforts to retaliate against Politico for its constitutionally protected journalism, and to discriminate against Politico based on what the President perceives to be its editorial viewpoint is a profound affront to the most fundamental constitutional rights," the response continued. "Politico will defend its journalism and the right of its reporters to pursue their mission and report fearlessly on the President and other White House officials for the benefit of the American public, notwithstanding the White Houseâs ongoing attempts to intimidate Politico and chill and punish that reporting."

Americans could be detained for years in popular travel destination, officials warn

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:49 -0400

Americans traveling to China are being warned about the possibility of detention, electronic surveillance and restrictions that could keep them from returning home â with a travel expert sharing critical information for people to know before they go.

The U.S. State Department issued an updated Level 2 "Exercise Increased Caution" advisory for mainland China this week, citing concerns about wrongful detention and restrictions on leaving the country.

Travelers are told to be aware that routine professional, academic and personal activities â which carry no risk in Western countries â may be treated as criminal offenses under China's broad security laws.

STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY AS ARRESTS AND EXIT BANS HIT POPULAR DESTINATION

The advisory also raises concerns about private communications, warning Americans that emails, texts and social media activity could be monitored by Chinese authorities.

"Assume that China's security services can read your emails, texts and social media posts if you send them to or from China," the Oct. 19 advisory states.

The State Department said some people have been detained or deported over private messages considered critical of Chinese authorities, even when those messages were sent outside China.

The risks extend beyond electronic communications.

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The State Department elaborated on possible detention without justification.

"The U.S. Department of State has determined that Americans are at serious risk of wrongful detention by the Government of China," the advisory states.

Those detained could spend years behind bars with limited contact with family members or U.S. officials, according to the department.

Travelers could also face restrictions that prevent them from leaving the country, even if they have not been detained.

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Chinese authorities have used the "exit bans" during investigations and business or civil disputes. Exit bans have also affected relatives of people under investigation, including children, according to the advisory.

Some travelers may not know they're prohibited from leaving until they try to fly home.

"U.S. citizens might only become aware of an exit ban when they attempt to depart China," the State Department said.

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Some bans have lasted for years â and officials warn there may be no clear way to challenge them in court.

Americans who plan to visit China are advised to travel with a U.S. passport and valid Chinese visa, enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program and arrange regular check-ins with family members or an employer.

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department for further comment.

"Be aware of your surroundings. Think before you take a picture," advised Bobby Laurie, a longtime travel expert and former flight attendant.

"This is one of those situations where maybe you were spotted taking pictures of law enforcement on the street, or you were somewhere you shouldn't have been. Maybe you were inadvertently near a protest â¦ on the streets," he added.

"Then as your trip comes to an end, you head to the airport. You scan your boarding pass, ready to get through immigration to fly home. And then you realize you're actually not allowed to fly home. There has been an exit ban placed on you."

He said anyone traveling to China should go with "a cell phone or electronic device that is really stripped down just to what you need for your trip."

Leave confidential information at home, he also urged.

Texas mom charged with manslaughter after allegedly driving 82 mph in crash that killed 2 recent college grads

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:47 -0400

A 22-year-old Texas mother accused of driving more than twice the speed limit with her two young children in the car faces manslaughter charges after a crash killed a couple who had recently graduated from college.

Aldrea Rogers, 22, was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Julian Harris and Madison Duren, Dallas County jail records reviewed by Fox News Digital show.

Rogers was allegedly driving 82 mph in a 35 mph zone when she crashed into the couple's vehicle, FOX 4 Dallas reported, citing a newly released arrest affidavit.

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Harris, 23, and Duren, 22, had recently graduated from Southern Methodist University, where they shared a passion for theater.

Harris died at the scene, while Duren was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

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Rogers' two children were also in her vehicle during the crash. All three survived, authorities said.

Investigators said Harris was driving a Toyota Prius with Duren in the passenger seat when he attempted to turn left onto a major roadway.

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The couple's car was struck by a Hyundai Elantra driven by Rogers, who investigators said was traveling at a high rate of speed before the collision.

Rogers was booked into the Dallas County Jail on Oct. 16, with bond set at $250,000 for each manslaughter charge, jail records show.

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Her total bond was listed at $500,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

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Harris and Duren were active in Dallas' theater community after graduating from SMU, where they shared a passion for acting.

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Their friends, Eli Barron and Emmet Overcarsh, described the couple to FOX 4 Dallas as curious, enthusiastic people who loved learning and connecting with others.

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Overcarsh also expressed disbelief that Rogers, who was the same age as the victims, allegedly had her two young children in the car when the deadly crash occurred.

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The couple had been leaving their apartment when the crash occurred.

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Friends said the deaths have been difficult to comprehend, particularly because Rogers was the same age as the victims and allegedly had her two young children in the car.

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Fox News Digital has contacted the Dallas Police Department and Dallas County court officials to obtain a copy of the arrest affidavit and additional details about the crash investigation.

A memorial service for Harris and Duren is scheduled for Oct. 31 at Southern Methodist University.

Chris Pratt says his faith will be 'the most important thing' that he passes on to his kids

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:13 -0400

Chris Pratt is shedding light on the reality of raising four kids in Hollywood while keeping his Christian faith present in their lives.

During an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the season 2 release of "The Terminal List," Pratt said that his faith is how he starts and ends each day.

The new season of "The Terminal List" premiered on Oct. 21, 2026 on Prime Video.

"Oh, God, you know, I'm for the most part, I'm always gonna be a man of faith. My faith is how I start my day, it's how I end my day. It's the most important thing that I'll be able to pass on to my kids," the actor began.

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"It's an incredible blessing to be a father. It's also a lot of hard work. And so I think I just want to teach them that ... I don't know, I want to do my best. I basically want to get right everything my dad got right and get right everything my dad got wrong. And I'm sure I'll screw up both, you know?" Pratt continued.

Pratt is married to author Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver. The couple began dating in 2018, became engaged in January 2019 and married in June of that year.

Pratt and Schwarzenegger have three children together: daughters Lyla Maria, born in August 2020, and Eloise Christina, born in May 2022, along with their son, Ford Fitzgerald, born in November 2024.

Pratt also shares a son, Jack, with his former wife, actress Anna Faris. Jack was born in August 2012. Pratt and Faris married in 2009, announced their separation in 2017 and finalized their divorce in 2018. Pratt is now a father of four.

Pratt was joined by his "The Terminal List" co-star, Constance Wu, during the Fox News Digital interview.

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"The Terminal List" is an action-thriller series starring Pratt as James Reece, a Navy SEAL whose platoon is ambushed during a covert mission. After returning home, Reece discovers conflicting evidence about what happened and begins uncovering a dangerous conspiracy connected to the operation.

WATCH: Chris Pratt says faith is the most important thing heâll pass on to his 4 kids

Wu plays Katie Buranek, a seasoned war correspondent who helps Reece investigate the truth. As a journalist, Katie uses her reporting skills and connections to expose information surrounding the military conspiracy, becoming one of Reece's key allies. The series is based on Jack Carr's novel of the same name and streams on Prime Video.

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Wu told Fox News Digital that she's "never felt safer" on a television set before, due to all the veterans involved in the production.

"Yeah, you probably weren't," Pratt said. "We have 17 veterans on this in front of the camera, behind the camera. Writers, directors, tech advisors, safety coordinators, stuntmen, actors. So it was awesome."

Wu explained that in season 2, her character Katie cares more personally for Pratt's character, Reece.

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"I think for Katie, I think she cares more personally for Reece, whereas before she cared a lot about the truth and the story, but she also cares for him as a person a little more, which I think changes a lot of things," Wu said.

WATCH: Constance Wu reveals Katie's feelings for James Reece deepen in 'The Terminal List' season 2

The new season of "The Terminal List" premiered on Oct. 21, 2026 on Prime Video.

El-Sayed, Rogers spar over Trump, guns in fiery debate and more top headlines

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:54:50 -0400

1. El-Sayed, Rogers clash over Muslim Brotherhood, Trump and guns

2. Trump voters reveal their biggest fear heading into midterms

3. Ilhan Omar addresses longstanding rumors she married her brother

EXIT STRATEGY â Trump orders US staff out of Saudi Arabia as he weighs a fateful next move. Continue reading â¦

WAKE-UP CALL â France's riot chaos fuels warning that mass immigration failures could haunt another country. Continue reading â¦

CIVIC BREAKDOWN â Town's entire police force quits after bitter feud with city leaders boils over. Continue reading â¦

SOUTH OF THE BORDER â Dog the Bounty Hunter hunted Max Factor heir Andrew Luster to Mexico in 2003, now serial rapist is free. Continue reading â¦

'A DANGER' â CEO sounds alarm over rapidly advancing AI, potential for âlarge-scale attacks.â Continue reading â¦

GLOVES OFF â Walz looms large in final Minnesota governor debate as candidates clash in must-see moments. Continue reading â¦

MIDTERM BATTLE â GOP senator breaks with Trump as Dem stakes out surprising positions in Kansas debate. Continue reading â¦

CAUGHT OFF GUARD â House Dem leader's attack on voter ID comes back to haunt him after election fraud bust in his home state. Continue reading â¦

RIGHTS ON THE LINE â ICE crackdown divides swing state candidates as GOP nominee vows to mandate sheriff cooperation. Continue reading â¦

Click here for more cartoonsâ¦

FAREWELL TOUR â McMahon calls for 'reset' of education after US spent $3 trillion and still saw reading scores decline. Continue reading ...

NOT ALRIGHT â Hillary Clinton critical of Matthew McConaughey's 'unfortunate' viral video. Continue reading â¦

SEAT AT THE TABLE â Stephen A Smith won't apologize for meeting with Trump as 'The View' grills him for details. Continue reading â¦

BUDGET CLIFF â California mayor touts cash handouts as cities struggle for permanent tax funds. Continue reading â¦

HUGH HEWITT â Trump must go to war on the airwaves to stop the Democratsâ blue-wave blitz. Continue reading â¦

ERIC PATTERSON â We need to talk to communists because there is so much they need to learn. Continue reading â¦

OUT OF BOUNDS â Enes Kanter Freedom swarmed by police officers while trying to enter WNBA Finals. Continue reading ...

MAKE CENTS â Americans are making costly grocery mistake even before entering the store. Continue reading ...

AIR BALL â Boston spoiled a 22-point cushion as Detroit erupts for a stunning 23-0 4th-quarter run. Continue reading â¦

AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ â Test yourself on culinary curveballs and airport antics. Take the quiz here â¦

Tune in as Florida's race for governor heats up, with rising living costs, property taxes, insurance rates, and campaign debates taking center stage. Check it out ...

Master pollsters expose what the real numbers reveal about the upcoming midterms on âHang Out With Sean Hannity.â Check it outâ¦

Cheryl Hines and Brett Cooper join this week's episode of âThe Girls.â Check it outâ¦

Professional bull rider Marco Rizzo joins âPlanet Tyrus' for conversation about the blue-collar grit and faith. Check it outâ¦

âWill Cain Country' explores culture, sports, and comedy with Dave Landau and Michael Malice. Check it outâ¦

What's it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue readingâ¦

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John Anderson, country music hall of famer, dead at 71

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:39:24 -0400

John Anderson, the Country Music Hall of Fame singer known for hits including "Swingin'," "Seminole Wind" and "Straight Tequila Night," has died. He was 71.

Anderson died on Wednesday, Oct. 21. His death was announced by his family in a statement shared on his official Facebook page and acknowledged by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend," the family wrote. "To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more."

The family described Anderson as "the heart of our family," and asked for prayers as they mourned his death.

A cause of death has not been publicly announced.

COUNTRY SINGER BRIAN 'NASHVILLE' DUCKWORTH, VOICE BEHIND FAMILY BAND TAYLOR MADE, DIES AT 56

Born Dec. 13, 1954, in Orlando, Florida, Anderson grew up in nearby Apopka before moving to Nashville after high school to pursue a career in country music. He signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1976.

Anderson rose to prominence in the early 1980s with a traditional country sound influenced by artists including Merle Haggard and George Jones. His early hits included "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal" and "Wild and Blue," followed by "Swingin'," which earned him the Country Music Association's Single of the Year award in 1983. He also received the CMA Horizon Award that year.

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His traditional sound helped shape country music's New Traditionalist movement, which gained momentum in the 1980s.

After a period of declining commercial success in the late 1980s, Anderson returned to the charts in the early 1990s with "Straight Tequila Night," "Seminole Wind" and "Money in the Bank."

Over his career, Anderson recorded 20 Top 10 country hits, including five No. 1 singles, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024.

"John Anderson was a one-of-a-kind song stylist who proved that fresh innovations were best born from time-honored traditions," Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement.

Young praised Anderson's distinctive voice and his ability to draw inspiration from traditional country music.

"He was already a diamond then, and a diamond he always will be," Young said, referencing Anderson's 1981 recording of Billy Joe Shaver's "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)."

In their statement, Anderson's family said his impact extended far beyond his music.

"His music will live on, but for us, his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave his family and the memories we will carry with us forever."

Republican lawmaker believes the WNBA should adopt the Olympic standard for women’s sports

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:33:34 -0400

The WNBA is still having a heck of a time definitively saying what a woman is, but according to a letter from league commissioner Cathy Engelbert to Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White are not it â women, that is.

Stutzman joined OutKick's Dan Dakich on the Wednesday edition of "Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich" to discuss it.

Dakich asked the representative point-blank what the league needed to put in writing so that this discussion â which Dakich called "dumbest conversation ever" â could be put to rest.

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Stutzman had a pretty straightforward solution and one that would even allow the league to wipe its hands of criticism from the lefties by passing the buck.

"Well, I think they could just follow another organization's definitions," Stutzman suggested. "Say they're going to follow the Olympics organization's definition. They don't even have to define it themselves â there are already other organizations that define what a biological woman is."

That's about as easy as it gets. The International Olympic Committee took one on the chin from the pro-men in women's sports crowd, and, would you believe, the IOC is still, at last check, alive and kicking.

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Still, as Stutzman pointed out, the league shouldn't even need to hide behind another organization, because it does seem to know the difference between men and women.

"But apparently it's not hard, because Cathy Engelbert can decide that Enes Freedom is a male without even meeting him in person," Stutzman said. "So, it can't be that hard."

Rep Keith Self targeted in alleged assassination plot by Texas teen: report

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:32:23 -0400

Federal authorities arrested a 17-year-old Texas boy accused of plotting to assassinate Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, and carry out a separate terrorist attack in North Texas on behalf of ISIS, according to a local report.

The teenager, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested on Oct. 5 after acquiring a firearm, according to federal law enforcement sources cited by WFAA.

"I am grateful to the FBI and law enforcement for stopping this threat," Self said in a statement posted on X.

"My family and I are safe, and I remain focused on serving the people of Texas' 3rd District," he continued. "Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with itâname-calling, threats, and worse."

MALL OF AMERICA TERROR PLOT THWARTED; SUSPECTED ISIS SYMPATHIZER ARRESTED, FBI ANNOUNCES

"Our Founders believed this country was worth the sacrifice," Self added. "I served 25 years in the military because defending freedom was worth the sacrifice. This only strengthens my resolve. I will not back down."

Self spoke about the situation to CBS News Texas following the arrest.

"When we knew about it, they had him," Self said, admitting he had limited knowledge of what went on.

"The FBI, through the Capitol Police, only tells us so much," he told CBS, although he did note, "I understand that they've known about this kid for a while."

According to WFAA, the teenager allegedly planned to target Self at an event last Saturday.

Federal investigators also believe the suspect was planning a separate attack on behalf of ISIS, the outlet reported.

When asked by WFAA whether his public positions on Islamic extremism might explain why he was targeted, Self said he could not be certain.

FBI ARRESTS WOMAN WHO ALLEGEDLY PLOTTED ISIS-LINKED ATTACK ON NEW YORK STATE CAPITOL BUILDING

"If it's ISIS related, you kind of have to believe that. I can't prove that. I don't know that for sure," Self said.

Last month, Self introduced a nonbinding congressional resolution denouncing Sharia law and opposing its implementation in the United States.

He also co-founded the "Sharia-Free America Caucus" last year with Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, with the goal of opposing the influence of Sharia law.

Self is seeking a third term in Congress in November's midterm elections.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Self and the FBI for comment.

James Woods finds serenity settling into his life’s ‘second act’ of song-writing, releasing third album

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:30:43 -0400

Behind his countless roles in film and television productions, actor James Woods has experienced his share of "takes" and "wraps" just as endings and new beginnings have occurred in his creative and personal life.

Now, during what he's referred to as his lifeâs "second act" after his notorious Hollywood blacklisting and then later the Pacific Palisades fires in January 2025, which still has him and his wife Sara displaced due to their homeâs smoke damage, Woods seems to have settled into a life of songwriting serenity.

His third album, "The Killerâs Wife," is what became a concept record released under his own label, Breakheart Music. Created in collaboration with musical artist Bob Wayne and four-time Grammy winner Shooter Jennings, the album draws on Woodsâ early years as an actor on the road. At its heart is a true story that he initially treated as fiction: his past relationship with a young woman and mother whom he later discovered was married to a serial killer. That extraordinary saga inspired both the albumâs title and its featured song.

"Iâm not gonna reveal her privacy and her story. I have no way of knowing where she is now or anything, but I heard that she has a fine life, and she carried on, and she overcame this incredible moment in her life. But I always thought about this question. It intrigued me. Why didnât he murder her?" Woods explained to Fox News Digital, describing the inspiration behind the album.

"And knowing her, I thought, âThereâs something about her unbelievable purity of spirit that I think was more powerful than his satanic evil.â And considering the state of the world, I thought, well, now weâve got an epic, literally spiritual battle for the survival of the species, really, as a big idea behind the album."

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Woods describes "The Killerâs Wife" as "a musical parable into the dark heart of evil and the glorious triumph of good."

Other songs on the album explore that theme in different ways. "The Hearts of Men" came to Woods as he was reading Matthew 24:12 in the Bible, a passage that speaks of the hardening of human hearts as wickedness spreads. "One in the Chamber," which Woods calls his favorite track, came to him at the last minute and speaks to the need to be prepared for the violent times in which we live.

"Bob does it like a beautiful ballad â itâs so pretty â and everybody said, âThis song is so beautiful.â And then you realize what itâs about as youâre singing it, you know, and thatâs what I love about our music and why people are really responding to it," Woods said. "It has just such a unique flavor."

A serendipitous encounter at Dan Tanaâs, the iconic West Hollywood restaurant, brought Woods and his wife, Sara, together with Jennings and his wife, Misty Swain. Tana, who died last year, was a close friend of Woods. The two couples were the only diners in the restaurant before the dinner rush, and the chance meeting led not only to an unlikely friendship but also to a remarkable musical journey for everyone involved.

Sara has even become Breakheart Musicâs art director, creating all three album covers and every photograph used in the releases.

During dinner, Jennings asked Woods whether he had ever considered writing lyrics, telling him to send some along if he ever did. That night, Woods went home and wrote "Misty Morning" in the Notes app on his iPhone in just 20 minutes. Then he heard nothing from Jennings for nearly a month.

"I thought and said to Sara, âOh, what an idiot. I just ruined a good friendship.â And then all of a sudden, I got this song back (âMisty Morningâ), which is like one of the most beautiful songs ever. And my whole life changed."

Jennings described Woodsâ first album, "Hear the Thunder Crack" released in October 2024, as an "expansive poetic journey" and told Woods that it was, in fact, the actorâs autobiography.

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Wayne later came on board at the suggestion of Jennings, to sing on Woodsâ second album, "Tombstone Opera," which Woods described as a kind of "Sergio Leone revenge tale." The project marked another chapter in his second act, one that continued even after the Palisades fires.

Both albums reached the Top 10 on Apple Musicâs country album charts and have sold several thousand physical copies.

Like its predecessors, "The Killerâs Wife" was recorded at Hollywoodâs iconic Sunset Sound studio and follows Woodsâ steadfast rule against using Auto-Tune or artificial intelligence. In addition to writing the lyrics, Woods lends his own voice to the songs performed by Wayne, adding spoken-word passages layered throughout the music.

"It is unusual to have a spoken part, but in this album, it really serves a lot of the songs," Woods explained.

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The record is available on CD and vinyl through jameswoods.com. The vinyl edition, custom-made by Memphis Record Pressing, features translucent colors and sand-like, opaque elements evoking the seaside, along with a bright-red blood splatter representing the places where the serial killerâs victims were buried.

"One of my favorite things about working with James Woods is how cinematic his writing is. With âThe Killerâs Wife,â he really found such a unique way to unfold this mini-opera, and paired with Bobâs amazing musical structures, this album explores so much sonic space that we hadnât in the beginning," Jennings said.

For Woods, now 79, this musical chapter follows a remarkable acting career that included roles in Oliver Stoneâs "Salvador" (1986), Martin Scorseseâs crime drama "Casino" (1995), and Rob Reinerâs "Ghosts of Mississippi" (1996), among many others. Woods left MIT during his senior year in 1969 to pursue acting.

Numerous award nominations and accolades followed.

After being effectively sidelined by Hollywood around 2018 because of his outspoken conservative views and public support for Donald Trump, Woods found a new project in the book "American Prometheus," the biography of Robert Oppenheimer. The project eventually became Christopher Nolanâs Oscar-winning film "Oppenheimer," released in 2023, and helped put Woods back on the map as a producer.

Although Woods was reportedly advised to remain "invisible" during the filmâs release â he wasnât even invited to the Producers Guild Awards â he eventually discovered something unexpected. What initially felt painful also helped him realize that he no longer cared about the Hollywood world as much as he once had.

"Itâs important to understand, I loved being an actor. I loved my years in the film and television industry," he said, recalling roles such as his performance in 1979âs "The Onion Field." Whether based on real events or fictional stories, he explained, such projects often addressed the cultural and political issues of the day.

"And at the same time, I understood that my role as an actor was to take another personâs words and directorial concepts, knowing I was there to serve that."

"Those masters, not the people, but the story," he clarified.

Acting, as he has been quoted as saying, "is now a DEI exercise."

Simply put, Woods said he has turned toward "happier things" and spending time with talented musicians, whom he describes as true "magicians" and among the most jubilant people he has ever been around.

"I have this observation I made once. I thought, you know, whenever you look at statues anywhere in the world, they usually celebrate one of two kinds of people: warriors and poets. And I thought, you know, if you got a choice to do one or the other, Iâm tired of being a warrior for a cause, getting in the political fray. I want to celebrate art and poetry and music and things I love, and things other people love," he said.

"So, I want to talk about happier stuff. I want to talk about the creation of art. And I want to talk about how we create art, because I love what weâve created, and I think the people who are hearing it are loving it â¦ and I want to celebrate it," he continued.

McMahon calls for 'reset' of education after US spent $3 trillion and still saw reading scores decline

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:30:11 -0400

SALT LAKE CITY â Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Fox News Digital that the United States is due for a "reset" of public education after spending $3 trillion over decades while national reading scores have consistently declined.

"We've spent this $3 trillion that you referenced, and we've watched scores continue to come down. So we're doing something wrong. We need to reset," McMahon said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"We know that the president believes, as do I, that the best education is the one that's closest to the child with parental involvement," McMahon added. "Our goal is to make sure that we move administrative programs that focus more on adults out of Washington, D.C., so that we can get all of those dollars back into education in the states."

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS 'HARD RESET' FOR AMERICAN SCHOOLS, VOWS TO PUT PARENTS 'BACK IN CHARGE'

McMahon visited Utah on Tuesday to highlight the Trump administration's progress in reforming K-12 education. Delivering a speech titled "The Next 250: K-12 Education," the secretary emphasized returning education authority to the states, investing in proven academic interventions and expanding school choice for families.

"In every decision we make, we are not asking what's better for growing government power, ideological agendas or bureaucrats' careers. We are returning education to its most basic obligation: to nurture the God-given potential of our children," McMahon told a crowd of students, parents and teachers at American Preparatory Academy in West Valley City.

The Utah event marked the 47th stop on the department's 50-state tour aimed at decentralizing federal education authority. According to Department of Education officials, more than $3 trillion in federal taxpayer money has been spent over the decades, while national test results show that only about three in 10 students perform at or above the proficient level in math and reading.

Speaking with Fox News Digital following her address, McMahon said parental involvement in education increased during the pandemic.

"Parents, for the first time, could see what was going on with education, with the curriculum that was being taught to their children," McMahon said. "They became involved, they became concerned, and they started going to school board meetings. I think that really started to change the focus. And that, in conjunction with looking at the fact that NAEP scores â our national report card â have simply gone down since the Department of Education was established."

McMahon pledged upon taking office to work toward dismantling the federal agency, including hiring leaders tasked with phasing out their own offices. The push aligns with President Donald Trump's broader education initiative, which he highlighted at a White House Rose Garden event promoting school choice. Trump also pledged to eliminate "far-left extremism" from classrooms and argued that federal education spending has failed to deliver acceptable academic results.

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As part of the administration's broader effort to downsize federal oversight, the Department of Education announced an interagency agreement with the Treasury Department in March. Under the agreement, Treasury will take on certain responsibilities for managing federal student loans, including collections on defaulted loans, as part of the administration's effort to transfer administrative duties away from the Education Department.

The student loan transfer is one of nine interagency partnerships designed to serve as a "proof of concept" for Congress to show that federal education tasks can be reallocated.

"I've asked Congress, with this proof of concept and these interagency agreements: Let me prove to you that it works," McMahon told Fox News Digital. "I know, ultimately, Congress has to vote if we do close the Department of Education and if I, in fact, am able to fire myself. Hopefully, they will vote for it because I believe the outcome will be better for students â and that is the goal."

McMahon said that the federal agency functions largely as a "pass-through" for funding rather than controlling local school curricula, a distinction she noted is frequently misunderstood by the public.

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"The goal is to get rid of the bureaucracy of education that seems to focus more on adults and not on children's performance," she said.

Following her Utah visit, McMahon's four-part speaking series will continue with upcoming stops in Nevada, Arizona and Tennessee to address rising higher education costs and workforce Pell grants. Her final keynote in Tennessee later this month will focus on restoring accountability and standards in higher education.

Washington high school girl walks off starting line alone in protest of trans runner, ending her season

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:20:37 -0400

There was no group to stand with her in solidarity. No teammate to lean on.

We've seen other girls cross country runners in Washington state walk off the start line in protest of having to compete against a boy, but Elise Bierer was the first to do it all by herself.

It happened Wednesday during the Greater St. Helens League District Meet, where a runner for Camas High was competing as a girl after starting the year racing against the boys. And when the gun went off for the women's varsity race, Bierer walked off the line toward her mother, Sheona, who embraced her tearful daughter.

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This was certainly not how Elise, a sophomore at Battle Ground High, pictured her season ending when the school year began. She was the second-fastest female cross country runner on her team, and almost certainly would have advanced to regionals had she participated Wednesday.

But as her mom explained, Bierer had been anticipating a moment like this for a couple of years, and was prepared to stand â or more precisely, walk â on principle.

"Before she entered high school â she's a sophomore â I told her that it's a real possibility that this could come into play, that she might be forced to race against a male. When we talked about that, she said if that were to happen, she would stand up for what was right and just not compete," said Sheona Bierer, speaking for a daughter who didn't feel comfortable being interviewed.

So two Tuesdays ago, when Battle Ground met Camas in a dual meet, Bierer and other teammates decided that they were simply not going to compete. But there really wasn't a whole lot on the line in that race. This time, though, it was districts. This time, a protest meant saying sayonara to her season.

A CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER SWITCHED TO THE GIRLS TEAM MIDSEASON, PARENTS VOICE THEIR DISAPPROVAL AT MEET

Sheona said Elise and other Battle Ground girls who didn't want to compete against the biological boy were pressured into running in the JV race Wednesday. This would maximize Battle Ground's chances of finishing in the top three of four teams to advance to regionals.

Two things, though. 1) Because of all this controversy, only five Battle Ground racers even showed up for Wednesday's women's varsity race (the other three teams had seven apiece). And 2) Elise felt it was her rightful place to line up with the varsity. She'd earned that position.

Sheona said that the initial plan was for other Battle Ground girls to walk off the start line with Elise. But those plans changed before the race, leaving Elise to make a statement all by herself.

What was that like to watch as a mom? I asked.

"I'm super proud. I'm still overwhelmed," said Sheona, adding that Elise has been running since sixth grade but would not return to the team next year if she had to run against the Camas boy. "I know this is really hard, but I love her, and I'm so glad that she's going to stand up for what's right, even when everybody else is walking away from what's right and chose to buckle under pressure."

Sheona said Elise didn't inform Battle Ground coach Patricia Tester of her plan for fear of being relegated to JV. I attempted to ask Tester about Bierer after the race â and about the exodus of female runners from her team â but she wouldn't even offer a no comment.

Then, another Battle Ground coach stepped in.

"Go away, please. That's my comment," he said.

I told him I was just trying to get answers about an athlete who protested.

"Leave the kids alone," he said.

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I can't speak for other writers â and there were quite a few of them out there Wednesday â but I'd love to leave the kids alone. Unfortunately, Washington state law allows high school males to compete against high school females if they identify as the latter â leaving myriad girls distressed.

The Camas boy finished second out of 26 runners Wednesday, officially displacing a biological girl from competing in regionals â as only 21 can advance. He also helped lead his Papermakers to first place in the women's varsity team results. Earlier this season, he finished first in a varsity dual meet despite placing 76th among boys a couple weeks prior.

People are tired of this â and not just those on opposing teams. Eight days ago, about a dozen of the runner's own female teammates walked off the starting line for Camas.

One of them was Holly Burns, who spoke at a pre-meet rally attended by scores of supporters of Initiative 638, a Nov. 3 ballot measure in Washington state that would require K-12 athletes to compete according to their sex at birth. She had no idea her walking off the start line would spark the reaction it has â but it helped turn Wednesday's meet into the kind of media spectacle rarely seen in high school cross country.

"When I was talking about it with the girls, we were kind of like 'what's the point of even doing this?' It's not like it was going to change anything," said Burns, who, according to one parent, is one of 18 girls from Camas to have quit the team entirely. "But it seems like it definitely made a wave."

This won't be the only OutKick column from Wednesday's meet. There is much more to be written about the adults who are finally showing the courage that's been almost exclusive to the high schoolers so far.

But this one is dedicated to Elise Bierer, who showed what real integrity looks like. Her coach wants us to leave her alone. No. Not when she had the guts to stand alone.

Georgia town's entire full-time police force, city manager resign amid allegations against mayor

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:19 -0400

The entire full-time police force and city manager in a small town in Georgia recently resigned from their positions, officials revealed during a city council meeting on Monday.

Milner, Georgia, City Manager Tausha Grose told the city council Monday night that the town's entire full-time police force and most of its part-time volunteer officers have resigned. Grose also announced her own resignation during the meeting.

"It is with my extreme sorrow that our entire full-time police department has resigned, most of our part-time police. And also, I've also filed my resignation with the city clerk today," Grose said.

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Milner Police Chief Lamar Bunn accused city hall of secretly placing a tracker on his truck, paid for with personal funds and without the knowledge of anyone else in city government. He also said he had been falsely accused of having an affair with the city manager.

"City Hall every day, it's got a tracker on my truck, it was bought with personal funds and placed on my vehicle without the city council or my supervisor, city administrator knowing it," Bunn said at the meeting. "Here's the thing, still I'm looking for a glimmer of hope to stay in the city. I don't know why. It's because I've devoted my life to Lamar County. 15, 16 years with the sheriff's office and now I'm back here in this county. My dad was here in '74 policing with his police department. I got roots here."

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During the meeting, Mayor Craig Timmons acknowledged the concerns and said he hopes the situation can be resolved. Officials had disagreed over police overtime and a proposal to bar officers from using city vehicles for part-time work, but those disputes were not cited as the reason for the resignations.

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In resignation letters obtained by Fox News Digital, Bunn said he was stepping down over what he described as conflicts with city leadership on legal and ethical issues.

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"I have determined that it is in my best interest to step down at this time due to fundamental differences regarding leadership, governance, and ethical alignment. Regrettably, recent actions and governance decisions within city leadership â specifically regarding legal compliance, ethical standards, and core values â have compromised my ability to perform my duties with integrity," Bunn said.

Other full-time employees at the police department echoed Bunn's concerns, with Milner Police Captain Craig Walton demanding an investigation into Timmons in his resignation letter.

"I sincerely hope that the residents of Milner and the members of the City Council will take these concerns seriously and pursue an independent investigation into the mayor's conduct, including any potential violations of his oath of office or the rights of city employees," Walton said.

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Several other police department employees also cited disagreements with the mayor and city council as the reason for their resignations.

Fox News Digital reached out to Timmons for comment.

Marijuana use rises sharply among one group of Americans, new study finds

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:07 -0400

A growing number of American parents are using cannabis, prompting questions about potential child exposure and safety, according to a new study.

Cannabis use increased substantially among parents between 2012 and 2024, with researchers estimating that at least 5.9 million U.S. children were living with a parent who used marijuana on most days in 2024.

By 2024, 8% of parents used cannabis on most days, 5.2% used it daily and 6.7% met the criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD).

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Daily cannabis use among parents was about four times as common as daily alcohol use, the study found.

While increases occurred across nearly all demographic groups, some of the largest were seen among younger and unmarried parents, those in lower-income households and those without a four-year college degree.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), involving nearly 482,000 U.S. individuals ages 12 and older.

The findings were published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

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"Marijuana has become so socially acceptable that people are starting to overlook the risks," Dr. Jarid Pachter, who specializes in family medicine and addiction medicine at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, told Fox News Digital.

"Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's harmless," added Pachter, who was not involved in the study.

The physician also expressed concern about the example parents are setting for their children.

"If marijuana use is a regular part of life at home, children may start to see it as something that's normal and relatively harmless," he said, pointing to studies that show children whose parents use marijuana are more likely to use it themselves as they get older.

"That doesn't necessarily mean the parent's marijuana use is causing the child to use, but there's clearly an association."

The doctor also cautioned that THC, the main psychoactive chemical in the marijuana plant, is known to affect attention, memory, coordination and reaction time.

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"When you have young children, you need to be alert and able to respond to their needs," he said. "I'm not suggesting that someone who uses marijuana can't be a good parent. My concern is about being impaired when you're responsible for a child's safety."

"I also think we need to be careful about normalizing daily marijuana use," he went on. "We wouldn't automatically consider daily alcohol use harmless, and we shouldn't look at marijuana that way, either."

Pachter emphasized that accidental ingestion is another concern, especially with edibles like marijuana gummies or chocolate, which can look like regular candy to a young child.

"We've seen significant increases in emergency room visits involving children who accidentally consume marijuana," he told Fox News Digital.

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"Some develop severe sedation, confusion and difficulty walking. In more serious cases, children can have breathing problems and require hospitalization."

The more frequently someone uses marijuana, the greater risk of developing cannabis use disorder, the doctor cautioned.

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"We also know THC can affect memory, attention and coordination. Frequent use, particularly of high-potency products, is associated with an increased risk of certain psychiatric problems in susceptible individuals."

Smoking marijuana around children can also pose a risk of secondhand exposure.

"Marijuana smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke," the physician said. "We know children can be exposed to THC through secondhand smoke, although we're still learning about the long-term health effects."

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For those who use marijuana every day, Pachter suggests they ask themselves whether they can go without it, and whether it is affecting work, relationships or responsibilities.

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"And if you're a parent, you need to consider whether your marijuana use is affecting your ability to care for your children."

The study had some limitations. The researchers did not assess parenting quality or childrenâs health, and the findings do not establish that parental cannabis use causes adverse child outcomes.

Additionally, the data relied on self-reported substance use, which could be subject to recall or reporting bias.

The researchers called for further studies examining whether the frequency of parental cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, household exposure and storage practices are associated with children's health or developmental outcomes.

The researchers reported funding support from the California Department of Cannabis Control, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Ex-SJSU volleyball coach alleges trans player failed testosterone test, result was kept 'secret' from team

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:39:30 -0400

Former San Jose State University (SJSU) volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose alleges a school official told her transgender player Blaire Fleming could not compete at one point during the 2023 season because Flemingâs testosterone level exceeded the eligibility limit.

In a new interview with OutKick, Batie-Smoose, who is now the head volleyball coach at Cisco College, claimed SJSU associate athletics director Laura Alexander informed her of Fleming's failed test before the womenâs volleyball team left for its first conference match.

"So it was told to me by our associate AD, confirming to me that Fleming was not showing up for the test, the blood test," Batie-Smoose said.

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"And that Fleming had one day left before we were going to leave for our first conference match, and that he needed to come in and test. And then, then she proceeded to tell me the next day that after the test, that the testosterone levels were too high, and Fleming is ineligible to play and will not be going on the trip that day."

The coach added that the alleged failed test was kept "a secret" from the rest of the team.

The allegation also appears in Batie-Smooseâs Oct. 13 federal lawsuit against the California State University (CSU) trustees and 11 SJSU employees.

Fleming then missed a long stretch of the 2023 season. SJSUâs athletics website claimed the player had not competed since Sept. 16 of that year "due to injuries," in a November 2023 game recap.

Batie-Smoose said, "The injury happened the day that Fleming went to go get tested, and it was very questionable."

Batie-Smoose believes the injury explanation helped keep the alleged eligibility issue secret. Her lawsuit also describes that conclusion as her belief.

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"Around the same time the testosterone results were revealed, Fleming thereafter missed conference matches because of a reported hand injury, which Plaintiff believes was an excuse to hide his ineligibility to play because of his hormone level," the lawsuit states.

SJSU's own game records confirm that Fleming missed matches, but they do not establish whether a testosterone test result played a role in the absence.

In 2023, NCAA rules allowed transgender women to play on womenâs teams, but they had to meet requirements for hormone treatment and testosterone levels. The NCAA kept that policy, known as Phase Two, in place through the 2023â24 school year.

Under that framework, transgender women had to complete at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment before competing on a womenâs team. They also had to provide blood-test results that met the NCAAâs limit for their sport. For womenâs volleyball, the Phase Two limit was below 10 nanomoles per liter of total testosterone in the blood.

The requirements applied before an athleteâs first competition in each season segment, including nonconference games. Schools had to submit eligibility documents for an NCAA medical panel to review before the athlete competed. The requirement did not begin only when conference play started.

Schools also had to certify athletesâ eligibility before allowing them to compete. If an athlete became ineligible, NCAA rules required the school to immediately keep that athlete out of competition.

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Batie-Smooseâs account does not establish that Fleming played while ineligible. Fleming did return in November of that season, missing 17 matches.

SJSU has declined to respond to a request for clarification.

"Due to pending litigation, San Jose State is unable to respond to your inquiry," a university spokesperson told OutKick.

OutKick also reached out to Fleming, the NCAA, the Mountain West and the CSU for comment, but did not receive a response.

Batie-Smooseâs allegations extend beyond Flemingâs eligibility. She also says her relationship with head coach Todd Kress unraveled as their political views grew apart â and accuses him of using her support for Trump to turn players against her.

She described Kress as a longtime friend who once shared her conservative beliefs.

"Todd was a conservative Republican, and we shared the same views on a lot of things. And thatâs why we were friends for so long," she said. "And then somewhere in the craziness, he went left and really extreme left."

Asked when she noticed that change, Batie-Smoose said it happened "before the first Trump election."

The two continued discussing politics, she said. But she alleges Kress began raising their differences in front of athletes, crossing a boundary she wanted to keep between their personal disagreements and their coaching jobs.

"Oh, yeah. We talked about politics all the time," she said. "You know, once he turned, it was more, um, he would bring it up in settings that I felt like it was very inappropriate."

"We can talk and debate on those subjects when weâre in a room together, but not in front of student athletes. I feel like that is not the time and the place to speak on that."

Batie-Smoose said the treatment intensified after they arrived at SJSU in 2023. She believes Kress brought up her political and religious views to mock her and weaken her relationships with the team.

"Especially once we arrived at San Jose State, and Iâve referred to this before, this man was unrecognizable," she said.

She alleged that Kress knew which players would object to her views and raised the subject in front of them to create division.

Asked whether Kress told those players that he had once held similar conservative beliefs, Batie-Smoose replied: "Oh, no way. No way. He would never state that."

She said she did not share his past political views with the athletes herself.

"I do not talk about those things in front of athletes ever," she said.

Her lawsuit alleges that Kress called her a "Trump lover." It also says she repeatedly expressed her religious belief that "God made man and woman," and that she believes his treatment reflected hostility toward her faith.

She further alleges that he cornered and berated her during an office confrontation in about August 2023, after a canceled recruiting visit. The complaint says he threatened that he could get her fired.

Batie-Smoose says she reported the encounter to administrators and human resources. She alleges they told her Kress was her boss and she needed to listen to him.

Her attorney, Vernadette Broyles, described what she sees as a broader effort to silence her client.

"There was a watchdog that was assigned to be at every practice and to travel with Melissa to watch what she said, to watch what she did," Broyles said.

The lawsuit identifies a university administrator in connection with that allegation. The complaint presents the claimed purpose as Batie-Smooseâs belief.

CSU has defended its handling of Batie-Smoose in its March lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education.

The employment dispute grew as the volleyball controversy spread.

During the 2024 season, former SJSU co-captain Slusser publicly challenged Flemingâs participation, and several opponents refused to play against SJSU. Batie-Smoose filed a Title IX complaint Oct. 29 alleging unequal treatment and failures to address concerns inside the program.

SJSU placed Batie-Smoose on paid leave days later. Its suspension letter cited several grounds, including alleged disclosure of private student information, differential treatment of athletes and unprofessional conduct. Batie-Smoose disputes those grounds.

On Jan. 31, 2025, the university told her it would not renew her temporary appointment. Batie-Smoose then filed an employment lawsuit against SJSU last September.

Then, this year, on Sept. 4, Judge NoÃ«l Wise dismissed her second amended complaint in an earlier employment case. Wise found that her allegations did not adequately show that SJSU punished her because of her sex or for raising complaints protected by law. The judge emphasized the complaintâs account that SJSU acted after she shared student information with the media despite instructions to keep it confidential.

Wise allowed her to amend. The ruling addressed whether that complaint stated a valid legal claim. It did not decide the dispute after a trial.

The October filing accuses officials of violating her rights to speak, practice her faith and hold political beliefs. It also alleges unequal treatment under the law. Batie-Smoose seeks reinstatement or a comparable job, compensation and correction of adverse personnel records.

Federal investigators have separately challenged SJSUâs handling of the volleyball program.

In January, the Education Departmentâs Office for Civil Rights concluded that the school violated Title IX over athletic participation, facilities and its response to complaints. The agency also raised concerns about unequal treatment in employment, while acknowledging that incomplete records limited its conclusions.

CSU disputes the federal findings. The system sued the Education Department in March, arguing that SJSU followed the law and NCAA rules that governed the seasons under review.

Batie-Smoose says legal advice shaped how much she shared publicly as the dispute unfolded.

"When this all began, I did not have legal representation," she said.

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"I mean, we have a lawsuit here and we want to win, and we also want to make change."

She has since returned to coaching. Cisco College in Texas announced her hiring as head volleyball coach in April.

"This is what God intended me to do," she said.

She described the new job as a chance to lead young women again while her case moves forward.

"God put me here. I have a purpose, and Iâm so blessed that I get to lead these young women again, and Iâm having a lot of fun at it."

Macron has one more chance to save the country or ‘it’s lost for France,’ business owner warns

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:19:17 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: A French business owner who had five of her family's stores wrecked by looters last week said this coming Saturday's protest could be a watershed moment for France.

Her message to President Emmanuel Macron: "Next Saturday is your last chance to save France," Michele Teboul, the business owner, said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Addressing both Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Macron, she said, "If they don't do whatâs necessary to do next Saturday, I think it is lost for France."

Teboul lost more than merchandise when looters ransacked 15 of the stores owned by her family, leaving five completely destroyed. She is also losing faith in whether the government of France can still protect them.

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: FRANCE BRACES FOR MORE UNREST AFTER PARTS OF PARIS SPUN OUT OF CONTROL

Teboul accused authorities of failing to provide enough police to protect businesses, leaving families like hers facing destroyed stores and a costly recovery. She demanded that they protect the population before another Saturday.

Her retail operations include stores in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier. Her sons work within the same company and operate their own brand, she said.

For her family, protections put in place before the violence proved insufficient. Attackers used axes to break through boarding, she said, leaving her sons facing a difficult recovery.

"We can say that five of the most important stores have been looted," she said, describing those locations as "completely destroyed."

Now, her family needs to pay for additional protection while trying to meet insurance security requirements.

Teboul said it would take at least two months to repair and secure the stores to the required standards. She described those requirements as a condition for obtaining insurance coverage, adding another obstacle to reopening and recovering the business.

"I think the winter season is dead," she said.

VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST IS BEING EXPLOITED

Companies with established operations and financial reserves may be able to absorb the disruption, she said. Younger businesses face a more difficult path.

"The government said they would help us," Teboul said. "We are going to see."

Her sons have hired security guards with dogs. She also said she had heard of other shopkeepers obtaining weapons or tear gas, emphasizing that her sons had not purchased weapons.

"Some have bought weapons," she said. "You know, we are not used to weapons in France."

The concern extends beyond damaged merchandise and storefronts. Teboul, who is Jewish, said that many Jews are considering leaving France and warned that further disorder could deepen that uncertainty if things don't get better.

SOME SYNAGOGUES CANCELED PRAYERS AS FRENCH JEWS FACED WARNINGS AMID VIOLENT PROTESTS

"It is going to be very hard to imagine a future in France for us, especially for Jews," she said of her hope that the coming Saturday would be different.

Teboul said Jewish schools, synagogues and community businesses have dedicated security arrangements. Teboul is a former director of CRIF, the umbrella organization representing French Jewish institutions.

She stressed, however, that the weekend's violence was a national problem affecting people beyond the Jewish community.

"The specific problem of last Saturday is not a problem of Jews," she said. "The whole of France is concerned by this problem."

Teboul said looters sought streetwear and expensive merchandise. She accused police of failing to protect businesses during the unrest on Saturday, saying officers were overwhelmed as large crowds descended on city centers, particularly in Marseille and Lyon.

She cited an estimate she had heard being talked of as being around 30,000 young people arriving in central Marseille, a figure Fox News Digital could not independently verify.

Leading French broadcaster BFM reported on its X account that "Between 1,800 and 3,000 people" engaged in "the ransacking of the city center of Marseille, according to the prosecutor's estimates."

MACRON JETS OUT OF RIOT-TORN FRANCE FOR GULF TRIP AS POLITICAL PRESSURE MOUNTS

"They were not enough," she said of the police.

The French government has acknowledged failures in its response to the unrest.

She said that authorities had mistaken the threat for an ordinary demonstration. "Of course they could prevent it," she added.

Teboul distinguished between students protesting over grievances and those who used the demonstrations as cover to steal.

"There were two events on Saturday," she said. "The looters, they took the opportunity that there were many people downtown, and then they came."

For Teboul, the next test is whether authorities can protect what remains of their livelihood and everyone else in the country and restore their sense of security in France.

"We have to feel secure," she said. "We do not feel secure for the moment."

Teboul warned that another failure to protect the population could also have consequences for the government of Emmanuel Macron.

"The government may fall down," she said.

Fox News Digital's Sydney Finver contributed to this report.

House Dem leader's attack on voter ID comes back to haunt him after election fraud bust in his home state

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:52 -0400

House Democrats' No. 3 leader is under fire for his opposition to voter ID in his home state of California.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., spoke at a press conference earlier this month criticizing a measure on Californians' ballot this Election Day that, if passed, would mandate that voters show government-issued photo ID at the polls.

He made the comments just weeks before the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a crime bust that saw several U.S. permanent residents accused of registering to vote despite not being citizens.

MAP IT: DOJ ILLEGAL VOTING CRACKDOWN SWEEPS 17 STATES AS RAZOR-THIN ELECTIONS FACE SCRUTINY

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., hammered Aguilar's opposition to voter ID and argued the DOJ's recent actions made it "obvious" that the ballot measure, called Proposition 39, was needed.

"Give me a break," Calvert told Fox News Digital. "You have to show an ID to board an airplane, cash a paycheck, rent an apartment or even buy cold medicine at the grocery store. Democrats claiming that requiring photo ID before casting a ballot is somehow 'racist' or 'voter suppression' is complete nonsense and an insult to every voter's intelligence."

NEW YORK CITYâS LONE REPUBLICAN IN CONGRESS ACCUSES MAMDANI, SCHUMER OF 'HYPOCRISY' IN VOTER ID FIGHT

Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., said voter ID "is basic election security that the vast majority of Americans support, and 36 states already require."

"While opponents are resorting to lies and fearmongering, Proposition 39 is commonsense reform in a world where you need an ID to rent a car, stay at a hotel, open a bank account or board a flight," Fong told Fox News Digital. "The DOJ's recent voter fraud bust in California is exactly why these safeguards matter."

Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., similarly said showing photo ID is a "simple standard we already require to board a plane, purchase alcohol or pick up a prescription."

"This isn't controversial and it shouldn't be complicated. Our elections deserve at least as much consideration as a beer or a bottle of wine," Kim told Fox News Digital.

Aguilar, meanwhile, criticized Proposition 39 during a press conference with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Biden administration Cabinet Secretary Xavier Becerra earlier this month.

"We will not stand for this, because we will not stand for people to lose an opportunity to exercise their ability to vote. In Arizona, they tried this. They wanted folks to put their driver's license numbers on their ballots. Think about that. What if you miss one digit? Your vote doesn't count?" Aguilar proposed. "What if you're married in California? What if you're married, and you haven't changed your name and you go to vote? No longer will you be able to vote. That is what is at stake for Californians."

SCHUMER SAID 'DEMOCRATS SUPPORT VOTER ID' â THEN EVERY SENATE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST GOP BILL

He called it a "voter suppression effort" pushed by Republicans.

"Republicans can win only when they suppress the vote. Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans know that they are bankrupt of ideas and solutions, and so they have to change the rules of the game," Aguilar said.

NEWSOM SPARS WITH TRUMP-APPOINTED PROSECUTOR OVER 20,000 SUSPECTED NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS

Meanwhile, the California government criticized the DOJ's operation while pointing to reports that said more of those charged were registered as Republicans rather than Democrats.

"For nearly a decade, Trump has baselessly alleged mass voter fraud rings were employed by Democrats and utilized 'illegal immigrants' to sway elections across the country â often pointing to California," a release on Gov. Gavin Newsom's state website read. "Courts at all levels have rejected the claims of vast voter fraud or that elections were rigged against the President."

Voter ID laws currently exist in 36 states and polls have shown they have a majority of Americans' support.

But in Congress, several efforts to pass federal voter ID legislation have been thwarted by Democrats in recent years.

Fox News Digital reached out to Aguilar's campaign for a response to his GOP House colleagues' comments.

Americans are making costly grocery mistake even before entering the store, expert warns

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:50 -0400

A grocery shopping mistake that could be costing Americans money starts even before they get to the store, according to cookbook author Jenn Lueke.

"The No. 1 biggest mistake is just not taking the time to plan ahead," Lueke, Boston-based author of "Don't Think About Dinner," told Fox News Digital.

Making a grocery list and deciding what to cook for the week ahead can help shoppers save money and stress less about meals, she said.

SCIENTISTS SAY YOU'VE BEEN THROWING AWAY PERFECTLY GOOD MEAT BECAUSE OF ONE COMMON MISTAKE

Another source of overspending may be the pressure to make a different, impressive dinner every night of the week.

Social media can offer inspiration, but Lueke, known online as Jenn Eats Goood, said home cooks can lean on familiar meals and switch them up with ingredients already in their pantries.

CELEBRITY CHEF SAYS IF YOU CAN DRIVE TO MCDONALD'S, YOU CAN COOK HEALTHY MEALS AT HOME

"You really can repeat meals," she said, adding that a "base recipe" can also be tweaked seasonally or depending on what is in your freezer at the moment.

One example from her cookbook is a one-pot chicken thighs and rice dish. Lueke said cooks can swap in different proteins or add seasonal ingredients such as squash in the fall or asparagus and peas in the spring.

NEW PROTEIN RANKING NAMES UNEXPECTED WINNER OVER BEEF, SALMON AND EGGS

A bowl-style meal or vegetable frittata can also serve as a flexible starting point for using up any food that is about to go bad, she said.

Keeping pantry and freezer staples on hand can give shoppers more options during the week, Lueke also said.

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She recommends ingredients such as canned beans, rice, pasta and quinoa, which can be bought in bulk or picked up on sale. Frozen proteins can also help cut down on weekly shopping trips.

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For shoppers trying to stretch a $50 to $75 grocery trip, Lueke suggests bulking meals up with hearty, lower-cost produce such as carrots, onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes, along with proteins like chicken thighs, tofu and chickpeas.

She also recommends getting more than one use out of an ingredient. If a recipe calls for only part of a can of artichokes, for example, use the rest in another meal, she said.

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Spice blends and homemade sauces can also change the flavor of a protein, allowing shoppers to prepare the same ingredient in different ways.

"The biggest thing is having that plan, but also using one ingredient in more than one way, if you can," she said.

France's riot chaos fuels Farage's warning that mass immigration failures could haunt another country next

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:41 -0400

As violent riots grip France, British political leader Nigel Farage warned Americans against repeating what he described as Europe's mass immigration failures, arguing that years of unchecked migration have transformed European cities and fueled unrest that could eventually spread elsewhere.

"People like me who were warning about this years ago have sadly been proven right, but the problems are gonna be here for a very, very long time," Farage told Fox News Digital in an interview. "Please, please don't make the same level of mistakes that we have," he said in his message to Americans.

Violent riots have erupted across parts of Europe in recent weeks, particularly in France, with Farage pointing to years of mass migration and failed political leadership as key factors fueling the unrest. The Reform UK leader singled out Emmanuel Macron, arguing that the French president should have mobilized the military to confront the violence, after education protests spiraled into riots, destruction and theft.

MACRON JETS OUT OF RIOT-TORN FRANCE FOR GULF TRIP AS POLITICAL PRESSURE MOUNTS

"Macron was asleep at the wheel, and it isn't just that he was at a concert," Farage said. "And whilst the French do have effective police forces, the scale of the uprising, I mean the mass looting, the mass looting and violence that took place in Paris was genuinely horrendous."

"Meloni's reaction was swifter and a better sign of leadership," Farage said, referring to the Italian leader deploying 500 military troops to Milan in response to recent riots. "But the problem is, for people like Macron, who have always said, any criticism of immigration, whether legal or illegal, makes you racist, they psychologically find it hard to face up to their own failures of policy."

Farage warned that the unrest he described in France and elsewhere in Europe could eventually erupt in Britain, pointing to demonstrations in London and questioning whether British leaders would respond more forcefully than Macron.

ITALY UNLEASHES MILITARY RESPONSE TO VIOLENT RIOTS AS FRANCE FACES A RECKONING OF ITS OWN

"You know, my real worry is they can happen in this country too," Farage said. "We've got the same hard left here. We've the same hate mobs that march, chanting in the streets of London, from the river to the sea."

"I'm concerned that these things could happen here. And I wonder whether a British prime minister has got any more courage than President Macron in France," he added.

Farage contrasted Europe's failure to control its borders with President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the United States.

TRUMP, WALTZ LINK FRANCE RIOTS TO MASS IMMIGRATION AS THOUSANDS ARE ARRESTED

"Look, whatever you think of President Trump's current policies, one thing he has done, and he promised he'd do. He's closed the southern border," Farage said.

Trump vowed Tuesday to treat potential rioters in the U.S. "very rough," pointing to the unrest in France, he said at a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, before being interrupted by a protestor in the crowd.

"They're crazy, these people. Look at that guy. He's a nutjob," Trump said, in reference to the protester.

He warned that he would crack down on potential threats, saying he would not allow similar unrest to take hold in the U.S.

FRANCE COULD FACE EVEN WORSE DESTRUCTION WITH SECOND WEEKEND OF PLANNED RIOTS, STATE DEPT WARNS

"That's what you witness over the last three or four days. You watch nutjobs like him in France ruining their country," Trump said. "We're not going to put up with it by the way."

"If a possible threat, which could happen, I hope you won't get angry if I treat them very, very rough, because that's what's going to happen. They're not going to destroy our country," he said.

On Tuesday, British counterterrorism police rearrested two men suspected of assisting Iranian intelligence in an alleged plot targeting RAF Fairford, a U.K. base used by U.S. bombers.

Authorities say Iranian state involvement is "highly likely," though no charges have been filed.

FOILED TERROR PLOT AT BOMBER BASE SIGNALS WIDER THREAT TO US MILITARY INSTALLATIONS: EXPERT

Farage said he has foreshadowed such criminal acts, alleging that Iran has exploited illegal crossings of the English Channel to move operatives into Britain.

"I've called again and again for this to be declared a national security emergency. I have been ignored. If the Americans removing their bombers from RAF Fairford isn't enough warning. I don't know what is," he said.

"We've just become so caught up over here in Europe and Britain with this human rights culture, which puts the interests, frankly, of the bad guys above the interests of the majority."

El-Sayed, Rogers clash over Muslim Brotherhood, Trump and guns: 5 fiery debate moments

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:24 -0400

Former Rep. Mike Rogers and his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, tore into each other at their second Michigan Senate debate Wednesday evening.

Rogers, a former FBI special agent and the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, clashed with El-Sayed over the personal barbs, accusations and fierce divides that have defined one of the countryâs most anticipated Senate elections.

Here are some of the most noteworthy moments from the fiery faceoff.

As evidence of Rogersâ alignment with President Donald Trump, El-Sayed accused him of backing the war in Iran, a conflict El-Sayed himself described as "aimless."

"He's got a war for everything, and he won't back off the war now. He supports this war," El-Sayed said.

"If you don't believe me, I want you to pay attention. On Sunday, when Donald Trump comes here at the invitation of Mike Rogers to remind you that, in fact, Donald Trump is on the ballot through Mike Rogers. They are hip to hip on this war, and you are paying the cost," he added, referring to one of Rogers' upcoming campaign events.

Rogers quickly fired back, reiterating a moment from their first debate when El-Sayed refused to answer whether Israel or Iran posed a greater threat to the U.S.

"My opponent can't even condemn the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], which is the terrorist enforcement arm of Iran, and doesn't believe Iran is any more dangerous than Israel. This is an absolute nonstarter," Rogers said.

THE MEDICARE FOR ALL TRADE-OFFS SOCIALISTS AREN'T TALKING ABOUT, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS

At one point during the debate, Rogers accused El-Sayed of deleting social media content about defunding the police, a progressive stance that circulated among far-left Democrats in 2020 after the death of George Floyd.

"I will tell you this: he did call for defunding the police â¦ [and] he deleted all of this material. Why would you do that? Why would you go through and take all of that time to delete all of the material? X videos, comments, podcast. Why? Because he was passionate about defunding the police," Rogers said.

"As a matter of fact, he asked the Muslim Brotherhood head, Morsi, in Egypt to defund the police there, too," Rogers added, referring to the former Egyptian president associated with the group.

The last remark triggered a fierce reaction from El-Sayed, who has fended off questions about ties to the Muslim Brotherhood throughout his campaign.

"He keeps raising this question about this association with the organization," El-Sayed said. "It's really quite beneath you."

Although Fox News Digital has not discovered any links between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, critics have pointed to El-Sayed's ties to the Muslim Students Association (MSA), a group listed as part of a strategy memorandum for North America written by one of the Muslim Brotherhoodâs members, Mohamed Akram.

El-Sayed served as the vice president of the MSA chapter at the University of Michigan during his time there as a senior in 2007, according to College Fix.

ABDUL EL-SAYED'S ALLEGED FAMILY TIES TO MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SURFACE AFTER DENYING ANY LINK DURING NBC INTERVIEW

Throughout the night, El-Sayed doubled down on promises to expand government programs like Medicaid and measures to "put money in your pocket," a refrain that has been a cornerstone of his campaign.

But Rogers made sure to cast doubt on those commitments, arguing that the policies would carry with them a heftier price tag than the Democratic nominee would acknowledge.

"So think of all of the three things he just talked about. Put money in your pockets. It's a great slogan. There's nothing behind it. Matter of fact, when his Democratic socialist-aligned policies are engaged, you'll be lucky to have a damn pair of pants when you're done," Rogers said.

"Medicare for All. He doesn't tell you how much taxes you have to get charged, and you lose your private health insurance. These aren't real solutions. These are solutions that are going to make your life more miserable. And it's going to take away your choices in healthcare."

When asked about AI regulation, Abdul El-Sayed briefly mentioned he would support having "democratically appointed folks on the board of these AI corporations," citing what he described as an existential threat to the workforce.

Rogers seized on the moment, accusing El-Sayed of verbalizing a desire to exercise public control of private companies.

"He said the quiet part out loud," Rogers said.

"He wants government to go into these businesses. That is the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). [They] come in for your business and your future. And so, you need to really stop for a minute and think about, do you want somebody who wants the government involved in these companies?" Rogers added.

Notably, Abdul El-Sayed has not officially received an endorsement from the DSA, nor has he affirmed the group's platform. Even so, he has endorsed and received endorsements from a number of candidates who have received the DSAâs backing. Among them, El-Sayed supported New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist, in his bid for office last year.

ROGERS WARNS MICHIGAN VOTERS AGAINST EL-SAYEDâS âEXTREMEâ AGENDA AHEAD OF ELECTION

At the close of the debate, Rogers fired back at El-Sayed when the Democratic candidate needled him for refusing to answer yes or no to a question about implementing universal background checks for gun purchases.

"It all depends. It all depends," Rogers said.

"It's not hard. Look at that. So dependable," El-Sayed quipped.

Rogers fired back, noting that El-Sayed had once called for doing away with the Second Amendment in comments he had made before he launched his Senate bid.

"You want to ban the Second Amendment. Why don't you talk about that?"

Rogers was alluding to a video published on YouTube in 2023 in which El-Sayed had compared the right to bear arms to a right to healthcare.

"What if we tweaked the Constitution, amended the amendment, and instead of the right to bear arms, we change it to the right to have healthcare?" El-Sayed said.

He claimed altruism in the proposal, saying more people would live and arguing against individuals owning firearms, instead suggesting that only designated community-based groups like police forces should be issued firearms.

The video has since been made private.

With their second debate now in the rearview mirror, El-Sayed and Rogers have closed out their scheduled debates and are unlikely to meet again until after the election. Having cleared their respective primaries and secured their parties' nominations, the pair will face off in Michigan's general election on Nov. 3.

After the debate, MIGOP Chairman Jim Runestad said in a statement to Fox News Digital: "Mike Rogers demonstrated yet again why he is the commonsense, steady hand Michiganders want to see in the U.S. Senate. We cannot afford Abdul El-Sayed's far-left, big-government policies, and we cannot risk electing a person who campaigns with the likes of Hasan Piker and seemingly justified the horrific terrorist attack targeting children and the Jewish community in Bloomfield Hills."

Dog the Bounty Hunter hunted Max Factor heir Andrew Luster to Mexico in 2003, now serial rapist is free

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Twenty-three years after Duane "Dog" Chapman chased fugitive Max Factor heir Andrew Luster to Mexico and tackled him on a Puerto Vallarta street, the convicted serial rapist is a free man â despite an initial sentence of 124 years.

"I hope he's smart enough â and he's smart â to never do anything like that again," Chapman told Fox News Digital Wednesday, more than two decades after the capture that helped make him a household name.

MAX FACTOR HEIR'S FORMER LAWYER DETAILS JUDGE'S ERROR THAT WIPED OUT 124-YEAR RAPE SENTENCE

Chapman, his son Leland and several others went to Mexico after receiving a tip about Luster's whereabouts â months after he fled the U.S. in the middle of a California rape trial. They first identified him from the tipsters' photo, which showed a knee and a watch.

'AMERICA'S MOST WANTED' EX-COP FUGITIVE RETURNED AFTER 20 YEARS ON THE RUN TO FACE MURDER, CHILD SEX CHARGES

Chapman had been studying his face closely for weeks, but he also recognized the watch from a televised interview, he said. And he credits his son with first spotting Luster, who was speaking with a young woman in a bar on June 18, 2003.

PARENTS OF SLAIN PREGNANT MOM CHRISTA GILLEY DEMAND LEE GILLEY'S RETURN FROM ITALY FOR MURDER CASE

"When I saw him, you talk about an adrenaline rush went through my body," Chapman told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "Tim got down . ..he snuck up behind him, and then I pushed him. He fell over. We all jumped on him, and I screamed, 'You're under arrest by the United States of America.'"

EXCLUSIVE: FBI EXTRADITIONS SOAR AS PATEL RAMPS UP FOREIGN OUTREACH, VOWS 'NO SANCTUARY'

They pulled him into an SUV and drove off â only to be intercepted on the road outside town by Mexican authorities who arrested everyone amid the chaos.

Luster claimed he'd been kidnapped, Chapman said, so he handed the lead investigator what Chapman called a "bible" of information on the case.

NEWSOM-BACKED LAW LETS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHILD RAPIST SEEK EARLY RELEASE AGAIN AS DA URGES 'STOP THE MADNESS'

Luster, the great-grandson of makeup mogul Max Factor, vanished during a recess in his trial and was convicted in absentia on 86 counts involving the drugging and raping of three women between 1996 and 2000 at his home in Mussel Shoals, California.

One of the victims, who asked not to be named out of concerns for her safety, said she's still struggling to comprehend Luster's release even though she knew it was

coming.

SENATOR TIM SHEEHY: SOFT-ON-CRIME JUDGES NEED CONSEQUENCES. THE JAIL ACT DELIVERS

"Itâs very unsettling knowing that he is not behind bars, not in a closed facility," she told Fox News Digital Wednesday. "He is out in the public, in a community that just â it just doesnât feel very good at all."

She said she has concerns for her own safety, her family, Luster's other victims and even investigators after a notebook containing a "payback list" was recovered from his Mexican hotel room â with their names on it.

CAPTURED 'AMERICA'S MOST WANTED' FUGITIVE RONALD FISCHER ABANDONS ALIAS AFTER 20 YEARS ON THE RUN

She said she dated Luster for five or six months without knowing she'd been drugged and raped the night they met â something detectives discovered years later, after they recovered videotapes from the home.

"It was me, comatose on his bed, wearing the clothes that I was wearing the first night I met him," she said. "Thatâs how I knew when it happened, because I had just bought that outfit, and I was wearing it the night that I met him. So thatâs how I figured out when it happened to me, which was absolutely horrifying."

AMERICAN WHO FLED US AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING PREGNANT WIFE COULD RETURN WITHIN DAYS WITH MURDER CHARGE DROPPED

Police found more than 100 videos, she said. Not all of them involved criminal activity, but those that did were "mortifying," she said, as Luster spoke to the camera like he were playing with "a toy."

"Theyâre pretty brutal," she added. "The things that he did to us while we were completely unconscious were things that, I mean, had we been able to feel anything, it would have been awful. He narrated the video and talked to the camera throughout and thoroughly enjoyed the whole entire thing."

He initially received consecutive sentences totaling 124 years â later reduced to 50, and he was released earlier this month after over two decades behind bars.

Prosecutors had opposed early release in 2024 and again in 2025. However, he was able to earn substantial early release credits under California's controversial Proposition 57 criminal justice reforms, and his prison term came to an end on Oct. 11.

"I did not know that [Prop 57] meant that it was gonna make Andrew Lusterâs crimes be deemed nonviolent," Doe No. 3 told Fox News Digital. "Thatâs just so baffling. I just feel like if anybody could watch these tapes of what he did to me and all of these other women, just to look at that and try to put the word nonviolent on it, that word could not come out of your mouth. It just would be impossible."

Doe was among those who successfully lobbied for changes to the law to close that nonviolent loophole.

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Chapman said he never received the bounty for Luster and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money for the operation and ensuing legal fallout.

Mexican law did not allow bounty hunters to apprehend fugitives. Chapman said he was arrested alongside his son Leland, longtime friend and associate Tim Chapman, who is not a blood relative, and members of a camera crew.

"He told me, 'Iâm going to get him for you,' and he did," Doe said of Chapman. So to help him get out after he put Luster back behind bars, she kicked off a legal fundraiser that she said attracted donations from around the country.

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A judge in Mexico later dismissed the case.

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The incident happened shortly before Chapman rose to fame with A&E's reality series, "Dog the Bounty Hunter."

Chapman is returning to the screen with a new YouTube series launching Saturday â "Dog the Bounty Hunter ... Everyone Deserves a Second Chance."

GOT A TIP?

As part of the series, he plans to help bail out certain inmates with a history of good behavior and positive reports â but not for people facing serious felonies or sex abuse charges, he said.

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"We'll call out the ones that deserve a second chance, right, and you can't be perfect OK, so if they run, yeehaw," he said. "I don't wish they would, but if they do, then I'm going to catch them."

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He said he's got at least another five to seven years of bounty hunting left in him.

Fox News' Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MORNING GLORY: Trump must go to war on the airwaves to stop Democrats’ blue-wave blitz

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:35 -0400

Should President Donald Trump deliver a primetime address next week with the avowed purpose of impacting the elections nationwide?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

President Trump is often the best proponent of his own policies, and the much-anticipated "blue wave" would effectively paralyze those policies and his plans to finish the battle with Iran, build the Golden Dome and Golden Fleet, and slow, if not reverse, the regulatory overhaul underway.

MORNING GLORY: MINNESOTA'S MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL COULD DELIVER A STUNNING SENATE UPSET

Loss of the Senate majority would also mean near-zero chances of confirming any appellate judges or Supreme Court justices. Spending on the Pentagon would also plummet as Democrats return to their long-standing position of insisting that every dollar of increased defense spending must be matched by one for non-defense domestic discretionary spending.

If President Trump makes these arguments directly to voters and names the names of the senators or Senate candidates who are key allies or the Democratic nominees he believes are from the far, far left, the sharpened focus could help mobilize his base to again support his agenda one last time.

13 DAYS UNTIL MIDTERMS, TRUMP HEADS TO SOUTH CAROLINA AS DEMOCRATS WIDEN BATTLEGROUND MAP

There are precedents for such an appeal, and they had mixed results.

On October 24, 2022, President Biden made a direct closing argument for Democrats at Democratic National Committee headquarters, 15 days before Election Day. The expected "red wave" that year was reduced to a ripple.

On October 25, 2006, President George W. Bush held a nationally televised news conference less than two weeks before the midterms. President Bush discussed Iraq and framed the election choice around national security and taxes. It was a news conference, not a formal primetime address. The GOP got "thumped," to borrow President Bushâs own characterization of the 2006 results.

The takeaway from that limited data set? A speech could work to rally a presidentâs base voters. A press conference wonât.

President Trumpâs rallies around the country have always served as a feedback loop for his messaging. He knows itâs his base that turns out, and he tries out various messages and themes, then amplifies what works and cuts what doesnât in subsequent rallies and in his conversations with the press.

Getting the feedback is particularly important when it comes to turning out the base. As the president has been everywhere in the past month, he has a good idea of what "works" in this campaign cycle.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN INSIDER REVEALS STRATEGY BEHIND MIDTERM BLITZ THAT WHITE HOUSE HOPES PAYS OFF BIG

The Trump PAC may even want to buy network time for an address, or it may simply allow social media to do its thing. A tight 15 minutes would play and play, give birth to ten thousand posts and reels and, crucially, focus the base and independent voters on the stakes, which are very high indeed.

President Trump has got a fine writing staff, but brevity is not second nature to him or them when it comes to speeches. If he does try such a direct appeal, the crucial points I hope he makes in succinct fashion are these:

TRUMP'S UNUSUAL ROLE AT MIDTERM CONVENTION REVEALED AS SCHEDULE GOES PUBLIC

VOTERS PREPARE TO WEIGH-IN ON TRUMP'S ECONOMY AS COSTS CONTINUE TO SURGE

The president should explicitly ask voters to support Mike Rogers in Michigan, Michele Tafoya in Minnesota, Ken Paxton in Texas and Susan Collins in Maine. President Trump should note that Rogers and Tafoya are likely to be as independent-minded as Sen. Collins, who has often opposed presidential policies, but that all of them represent their states very well.

States that are "light blue" or "light red" deserve senators that represent them, not Hamas or other extremist positions.

President Trump should close by reminding everyone of the mess he inherited. The once wide-open border is now completely closed and sealed tight, with the long-awaited wall nearing completion. Fraud in Minnesota, California and other blue states is being exposed and corrected. Inflation is way down from the 9.1% it reached under President Joe Biden but needs to go down further still, and President Trump and his economic team can get that done with support from Congress, not obstruction.

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And the evil regime in Iran that has terrorized the world for 47 years is on its last legs and wobbling. Its nuclear weapons program is obliterated and will not be allowed to be rebuilt. There is work to be done with our allies across the globe, but taking us down the impeachment road because the Democrats have no proposals to do anything else would be a disaster for everyone.

"Americaâs Golden Age is indeed upon us," President Trump should conclude. "I need your vote, and so do these great Republican candidates. Please make a plan to vote and turn out. Thank you. God bless our troops everywhere, but especially in the blockade and at the bases around the Islamic radicals in Iran, and those confronting Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and God bless the United States."

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

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Independent voters aren’t picking a political team, they just feel picked on

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:28 -0400

Regardless of the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections, any party that wins the majority will have done so because of the independent vote. For the past several elections, this cohort has been the crucial swing vote that ultimately decides the election. Independents are the kingmakers.

If Democrats win big on Nov. 3, expect a familiar story. Pundits will call it a mandate. Party leaders will say voters want their agenda. They will be wrong.

I have spent my career in partisan politics, and I keep seeing the same mistake. Both parties read the results of a protest as an endorsement.

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Here is why. Independents do not fit neatly into a partisan box. They are not secret Democrats, and they are not secret Republicans. They agree with each side on some things and with neither on others, which is exactly why neither party can claim them.

That does not mean they lack convictions. Independents, like most Americans, have coherent views on politics and policy. And these positions are widely shared and present opportunity for meaningful legislation. On energy, 70% of Americans want government to actively expand supply: more energy, lower prices, less pollution. On immigration, 77% want legal immigration maintained or expanded, focused on the skills the economy needs. Respect our laws and welcome those who contribute.

WASHINGTON REWARDS FAILURE. ITâS TIME TO SEND CAREER POLITICIANS HOME

On technology, 83% want parents to have the legal right to see and control what their kids do on social media. On spending, 73% want to bar Congress from using accounting tricks that hide the long-term cost of a bill. On corruption, 78% support term limits for members of Congress.

Put those together and the agenda is clear. Live within our means. Keep our promises. Win the future while protecting our communities, kids and liberties. Build a government accountable to people, not parties. That is not the progressive wish list, and it is not the Republican platform either. A vote against whoever is in charge is not a vote for anyoneâs program. It is a demand for these things.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS QUESTION WHETHER AIâS PROMISE OUTWEIGHS ITS RISKS

Look at what independents are actually upset about. The border is still unresolved after years of promises. Energy costs keep squeezing family budgets. And artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping jobs and daily life while Congress offers speeches instead of a plan. These are not left or right complaints. They are complaints about people in charge who are not getting results.

Independents are now the largest bloc of American voters. They decide close elections, and they have no loyalty to either team. They vote for whoever seems least likely to make things worse. Two years ago, that was one party. This year it may be the other.

DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS BUILDING. HERE ARE 3 FORCES THAT COULD STOP IT

The numbers tell the story. Roughly two-thirds of independents say Washington does not hear them. That is not a number that describes people who have found a new political home. It describes people who feel abandoned and are looking for the exit.

For a blue wave to occur, it will rest on independents who are holding their noses. They will be voting for Democrats because the alternative looks worse, not because they have embraced the progressive wish list. Treating that vote as a blank check is how a party loses the same voters two years later.

MINNEAPOLIS PROGRESSIVES TURN ON GEORGE FLOYD-ERA PUBLIC SAFETY OVERHAUL, PUSH TO DISMANTLE OFFICE

Consider crime. Most Americans, whatever their party, want safe streets and a justice system that works. Imagine House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stepping to the microphone to announce a serious, commonsense crime bill. Fund good policing. Go after repeat violent offenders. Protect due process. It would not be a radical idea. It would be a reasonable one.

That single act would change the national story. Independents would take notice. It would say the party is willing to govern from the center and listen to people who do not agree with it on everything.

SCANDALS, SOCIALISTS AND TRUMP ROIL PRIMARIES, SEND INCUMBENTS PACKING AT NEAR-RECORD PACE

But that bill will not come, and the reason is not hard to see. A party that wants the support of the middle is being pulled by a left flank that treats a compromise on public safety as betrayal. Groups like the Democratic Socialists of America hold enormous sway over the energy and the primaries. Jeffries cannot move toward the center without a fight inside his own coalition, and so he does not try.

That is the real danger for Democrats. The very independents who may hand them a majority will be watching to see what they do with it. If the answer is a sharp turn toward the activist left, those voters will leave just as fast as they arrived.

NEWT GINGRICH: REPUBLICANS CAN WIN THE 2026 MIDTERMS â IF THEY FOLLOW THE PLAN

Republicans should not take comfort either. If they lose, it will be because they too failed to listen. Both parties have spent years competing for the loyal base and ignoring everyone else. The result is a country in which most voters feel they are choosing between two disappointments.

There is a better path, and it is not complicated. Secure the border and fix the legal immigration system. Lower energy costs by building what we need. Set sensible guardrails on AI before the technology outruns us. Do these things in a way that respects voters of every stripe, and independents will reward you. Ignore them, and they will punish you, whatever letter follows your name.

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This is why just a few handfuls of independents can entirely change the way we view and conduct politics. A growing share of the country is independent, yet very few members of Congress are. That gap is the story behind the story this November.

When the votes are counted, the winners should ask a hard question. Did voters choose us, or did they simply reject the other side? The honest answer will decide whether this election is a turning point or just another swing of the pendulum.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ADAM BRANDON

We need to talk to communists because there is so much they need to learn

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 05:00:24 -0400

A friend was recently startled to find a Soviet-style hammer and sickle prominently displayed at a farmers market just a block from a monument to those who sacrificed their lives fighting totalitarianism. It's particularly jarring for immigrants from former communist countries to see these hateful symbols cheerfully displayed alongside fresh greens, organic honey and homemade pies.

When my friend engaged the affable twentysomething about her advocacy for communism in America, the conversation quickly became absurd. "Don't you know about the Gulag, the torture chambers, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the murder of 100 million men, women and children?" to which she replied, "I'm not sure what you're talking about â¦"

The young woman then parried, "All I know is that America has a shameful past, and we should try to atone for the crimes of capitalism."

LIBERAL HOT SPOT RESIDENTS CAN'T AGREE ON WHAT SOCIALISM MEANS AS FAR-LEFT MOVEMENTS GAINS STEAM

"What âcrimes of capitalism?â"

"I'm not sure about the specifics â¦ " She then went on to deliver a short address on how communism will deliver a high standard of living by redistributing the obscene wealth of the rich.

LIBERAL-CITY RESIDENT HESITATES WHEN PRESSED ON BELIEFS: 'I HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT SOCIALISM THAT WAY'

When pressed about the historical record, either of communism's brutality or specifics about so-called American imperialism, the young woman's friendly smile never faltered. She really couldn't name any of the crimes of capitalism.

Calling for the overthrow of the system that allows for a peaceful Saturday at a farmers market made the entire conversation seem absurd.

JONATHAN TURLEY: SOCIALISM IS BACK IN STYLE AND DEMOCRATS ARE BUYING THE PITCH

Conversations like this one, between average Americans and self-styled communists and socialists, break down due to differences of content and perspective.

When it comes to perspective, many of the 62% of young Americans, aged 18-29, that think that socialism or communism is a good idea have been educated with a simplistic neo-Marxist lens: U.S. history is a story of oppressor versus oppressed (i.e., patriarchy, race, religious bigotry). The Marxist model can be found in everything from "The 1619 Project" to the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America. Neo-Marxist critical theories attack the perspectives once widely held by most Americans regarding the American Dream and America's exceptional service to humanity.

SOCIALISM LOOKS APPEALING WHEN SCHOOLS REFUSE TO TEACH ITS HORRIFIC, REAL-WORLD COST

The part of these conversations that's the most flummoxing, however, is not ideological. It is the part of the conversation that is about content: cold, hard facts. Anti-communists of all stripes typically point to the overwhelming evidence of the past and present crimes of communism. At 100 million men, women and children murdered, one would think that the evidence âprovesâ that this is not just an inefficient system, but a diabolical one.

We have survivor testimony, government records and some photographic evidence of the concentration camps (e.g., Soviet Gulag, China's Laogai), torture, extermination of minorities, deportations and forced starvation. The violence continues in today's communist and communist-legacy regimes, from Belarus to Cuba and Eritrea to North Korea.

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The young person at the farmers market will blankly stare when you recite the crimes of communism. She has no point of reference. The crimes of communism are largely unknown; they are untaught and unchallenged in today's university and high school settings. She has never heard of these things, and she is not sure they are believable. Indeed, she will counter, these atrocities have likely been exaggerated and were undoubtedly justified self-defensive measures against capitalist imperialism.

When one does not feel (perspective) that the evidence of communism's crimes demands a verdict, and even disregards that there is evidence of wrongdoing (content), one is living in a different reality than that of most Americans born in the twentieth century. What is to be done?

WANT TO STOP SOCIALISM? A MODERN CIVIC EDUCATION NEEDS A LOT MORE THAN YOU'D THINK

First, we need to work hard to return all of the institutions of our civic life â media, schools, houses of worship, the business sector, K-12 and higher ed and especially the family â to the basics. That is where we educate the rising generation with the facts and values of what we are for and what we are against. We adhere to the principles found in the Declaration of Independence, representative government, free-market economics, personal and local responsibility and democratic institutions.

Second, we need to transmit the facts: the personal stories and larger historical narratives of communism's crimes and America's valiant, sacrificial efforts at self-defense and global freedom: the Berlin Airlift, the creation of NATO and the United Nations, the defense of Koreans, Vietnamese and many other oppressed peoples, Cold War victory and post-Cold War friendship (i.e., Eastern Europe) and America's stunning philanthropic giving.

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Accurate content and right perspective should also reinforce what we are against: all ideologies and regimes that are anti-human, anti-freedom and anti-family. Communism in any form is a political fantasy rooted in envy and a political program rooted in brutality. We need to make it clear to the rising generation of citizens that communism in any form has not been good for others and will not be good for them.

How does one talk to a communist? Our best hope lies in inoculating our young against communism at the very youngest age with the right perspective and accurate content.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY ERIC PATTERSON