https://meenews.co/post/6a08434ea200899a00ebff2f Jones Fire Near Wickenburg Destroys RVs, Closes U.S. 60 te 2026-05-16T10:13:34.544Z Jones Fire Near Wickenburg Destroys RVs, Closes U.S. 60 By Matthew Holloway | Fire crews have reached 90% containment on the Jones Fire burning near Wickenburg after the blaze forced evacuations, destroyed recreational vehicles, and temporarily shut down portions of U.S. 60 earlier this week. According to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, the fire remained at approximately 84 acres Thursday morning as crews continued patrol operations, hazard tree mitigation, and containment line reinforcement near the Hassayampa River bottom southeast of Wickenburg. By Thursday evening, InciWeb listed the fire at 90% containment. Jones Fire Evening Update for Thrs. 5/14: 90% containment with no change in acreage: 84. Across the fire, chipping operations resumed to cleanup previous chainsaw work as part of hazardous tree mitigation w/n the river bottom. Hand crews also worked near the elementary school… pic.twitter.com/tKW61CmFC7 — AZ Dept. Forestry and Fire Management (@azstateforestry) May 15, 2026 The fire began Sunday and rapidly spread through brush, grass, salt cedar, and cottonwood vegetation near U.S. 60 and South Kerkes Street. Officials issued evacuation orders for portions of the area, including residents near Arrowhead RV Park and sections of South Kerkes Street. Additional neighborhoods were placed under “Ready” and “Set” evacuation alerts as crews worked to contain the fire. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management reported Monday evening that firefighters had halted the fire’s forward progress at approximately 89.5 acres, although interior hotspots and heavy vegetation continued to pose challenges for crews. Officials stated that between eight and ten RVs were destroyed by the fire, displacing multiple residents; however, no injuries were reported. Jones Fire Morning Update for Thrs. 5/14: Containment has increased to 66% with the fire still sitting at 84 acres. This morning, Arizona Forestry's Type 3 IMT transitioned the fire down to a Type 4 incident w/some resources released to their home units. For today, resources… pic.twitter.com/ypiBEq2QUW — AZ Dept. Forestry and Fire Management (@azstateforestry) May 14, 2026 Temporary closures along U.S. 60 near milepost 111 disrupted travel in and out of Wickenburg during the height of firefighting operations. Maricopa County emergency officials also reported that Arizona Public Service shut off power east of U.S. 60 as a safety precaution while crews battled the blaze. Most roadway closures were lifted Tuesday evening as containment improved and calmer wind conditions aided suppression efforts. However, portions of South Kerkes Street and areas surrounding Arrowhead RV Park remained closed while firefighters continued mop-up operations and monitored flare-ups within the burn area. Investigators believe the fire was human-caused and originated in the riverbed area near Wickenburg. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management stated the dense salt cedar vegetation in the river bottom contributed to intense fire behavior and heavy smoke conditions, as seen in the Hazen fire that erupted along the Gila River bed on May 2 and is currently 93% contained. Approximately 150 firefighting personnel were assigned to the incident, including wildland crews from across Arizona. Officials said crews focused on strengthening containment lines, extinguishing hotspots, and removing hazardous trees damaged by the fire. The Jones Fire also prompted emergency shelter operations in the community. The American Red Cross opened a temporary evacuation shelter at Wickenburg High School for displaced residents affected by evacuation orders and damage to the RV park. The Jones Fire comes as Arizona continues facing multiple wildfire incidents tied to dry vegetation and dangerous fire conditions across the state. The Hazen Fire, located near Buckeye, burned more than 1,100 acres in heavy river-bottom vegetation near State Route 85, prompting road closures, power outages, and firefighting responses involving more than 160 personnel. Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com. The post Jones Fire Near Wickenburg Destroys RVs, Closes U.S. 60 first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a084339a200899a00ebff26 Rep. Crane Applauds Federal Grants Supporting Rural Arizona Health Care, Tribal Projects te 2026-05-16T10:13:13.357Z Rep. Crane Applauds Federal Grants Supporting Rural Arizona Health Care, Tribal Projects By Matthew Holloway | Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ02) welcomed a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announcement Tuesday that multiple Arizona health care providers, tribal entities, and state agencies are receiving federal funding through grants released by the agency. The grants were awarded to the Arizona Department of Emergency & Military Affairs, the Arizona Department of Health Services, Dignity Community Care, Dignity Health, the Havasupai Tribe, HonorHealth, and Valleywise Health. More than $5.5 million of the funding is designated for the Havasupai Tribe to repair damage caused by flash flooding in 2024. The project includes replacing four damaged bridges with structures designed to withstand major flood events, including 100-year flood events. The funding will also support fencing and erosion-control systems intended to protect ancestral burial grounds and culturally significant tribal sites. In a statement released by his office, Crane said, “On behalf of rural Arizonans, I’m grateful to President Trump, Secretary Mullin, Associate Administrator Phillips, and agency personnel for delivering this reimbursement. This funding will strengthen health care across our state, as well as provide meaningful assistance for the Havasupai Tribe.” “I also appreciate the work of Chairman Garbarino and Arizona’s congressional delegation,” he added, specifically highlighting the efforts of Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ05), whom he said, “demonstrated considerable leadership behind the scenes to resolve these long overdue needs.” Today, @fema announced the release of federal grants to strengthen Arizona’s health care system and support tribal infrastructure. We are grateful to @POTUS, @SecMullinDHS, @RepGarbarino, and everyone who played a role in finalizing these reimbursements:https://t.co/znA9saf3pn — Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) May 13, 2026 “We will continue to partner with the Trump administration to deliver wins for all Arizonans,” Crane said. The Havasupai Tribe, located within Arizona’s Second Congressional District, was among the entities identified in the release. Crane’s district includes a significant number of tribal communities throughout northern and eastern Arizona. The announcement follows a series of recent federal and congressional discussions surrounding rural infrastructure, tribal services, and health care access in Arizona communities. Last week, Crane participated in a Federal Partners Forum in Prescott focused on rural Arizona infrastructure and coordination between federal, state, and local agencies. Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com. The post Rep. Crane Applauds Federal Grants Supporting Rural Arizona Health Care, Tribal Projects first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a084324a200899a00ebff1d Maricopa Supervisors Lose Again In Court Fight Over Recorder Election Powers te 2026-05-16T10:12:52.300Z Maricopa Supervisors Lose Again In Court Fight Over Recorder Election Powers By Staff Reporter | The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) lost again in a court battle to keep election powers away from the county recorder. The Arizona Superior Court issued a short, two-page ruling on Wednesday denying a motion from the MCBOS to stay pending appeal an earlier ruling by the court that ordered the Maricopa County Recorder’s powers to be restored.  Judge Scott Blaney denied the argument by the MCBOS that restoring election powers to Recorder Justin Heap this late in an election season would burden election workers and complicate the voting experience. Blaney refused to suspend disbelief to entertain a notion that the MCBOS hadn’t planned to lose the court case.  “But the Court finds it inexplicable that the Board of Supervisors — in the nine months since Recorder Heap filed the present lawsuit — would not have considered and planned for the possibility that the Court would rule in favor of Recorder Heap,” said Blaney.  Blaney also commented on a recent filing by Supervisor Mark Stewart, who was the sole “no” vote to appeal Blaney’s initial ruling in Heap’s favor. Stewart requested court-ordered mediation between MCBOS and the recorder. Stewart expressed concern that the court ruling hadn’t yielded the resolve either party had desired. “While it appears that the Supervisor Stewart filed his request in good faith, the Court has little confidence that parties will use this stay for good faith negotiation and will instead see it as an opportunity to moot the Court’s Ruling through extended delay,” stated Blaney.  Blaney concluded by encouraging the MCBOS and Heap to engage in negotiations for a partial or full resolution of their election powers spat. Regardless of the outcome, Blaney pledged support for any mutual agreement.  “The Court remains willing to defer to the parties’ judgment as elected officials if they mutually reach a resolution through good faith negotiation,” said Blaney.  Heap said in a press release that the ruling further affirmed his right to maintain certain election authorities.  “This case was never about personalities or politics,” said Heap. “It was about whether Arizona law still means what it says. The Court answered that question decisively. It is time for the Board to accept reality, respect the rule of law, and focus on preparing for the upcoming elections.” BREAKING: Court Denies Board’s Motion to Stay Election Ruling Today, the Arizona Superior Court denied the Board of Supervisors’ Motion to Stay, delivering yet another decisive loss to the Board in its ongoing attempt to retain powers the Court has already ruled it does not… pic.twitter.com/nPuIDKMIPh — Maricopa County Recorder's Office (@RecordersOffice) May 14, 2026 MCBOS appealed Blaney’s ruling, which was decided last month. That ruling rejected the MCBOS claim of plenary authority over elections administration, and ordered the board to restore to the recorder his elections personnel, systems, and equipment.  The board chair, Kate Brophy McGee, called the ruling “a total bust” rife with “so many fatal errors” in an interview with KTAR News last month. McGee explained that the motion for a stay pending appeal was to allow this election to be conducted under the ruled-against arrangement, so that questions of dividing elections powers could be figured out later.  McGee said the ruling failed to specify what elections administration powers ought to be restored to Heap. “There is no clarity. There is confusion,” said McGee. “There is further potential for conflict, and we have to get this figured out[.]” Arizona’s primary elections are scheduled for July 21, followed by the general election on Nov. 4. AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link. The post Maricopa Supervisors Lose Again In Court Fight Over Recorder Election Powers first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a08430fa200899a00ebff14 ARMAN SIDHU: Underwater And Overbuilt: Scottsdale’s $375 Million Bond Bailout te 2026-05-16T10:12:31.087Z ARMAN SIDHU: Underwater And Overbuilt: Scottsdale’s $375 Million Bond Bailout By Arman Sidhu | On May 12, the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) Governing Board voted 5-0 to place a $375 million capital bond on the November 2026 ballot. Five months earlier, the same body voted 3-2 to close Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon K-8 over declining enrollment and its poor fiscal management. SUSD has lost roughly 6,250 students since 2010-11, a 24% decline. Applied Economics, the district’s own demographer, projects another 2,400-student loss by 2035-36. Six additional campuses sit on the Phase II repurposing list and are likely the next to close. Yet, the district wants a bond 64% larger than the last one approved by voters to renovate buildings it is in the process of closing. In 2019, Pima was rebuilt with funds from the last school bond approved in 2016 to boost the school’s enrollment. Seven years later, the Pima renovations are a startling example of hubris that comes at a colossal cost to taxpayers.  The Arizona Auditor General’s January 2026 financial risk analysis flags SUSD on five high-risk measures: State-funded enrollment is down 7.19% over four years, which directly reduces the per-pupil dollars the district receives. The day-to-day operating reserve lost nearly half its value in a single year, falling from $18.86 million to $10.60 million. SUSD spent more than it took in two years running, by 4.14% in FY25 and 8.52% in FY24. The General Fund savings account fell 25% in FY25 and 31% in FY24, a combined $28 million drawdown. SUSD pulled $4.2 million of its state capital aid, money meant for buildings, technology, and buses, and used it to cover payroll and operations instead. In other words, SUSD is so operationally distressed that it is cannibalizing its capital fund to make payroll. A bond cannot fix that. By law, bond proceeds can only be spent on capital projects, not on salaries or classroom costs. If this bond is approved, SUSD will still have to make cuts, most likely to staff while throwing away money to maintain spaces it cannot afford to operate. This pattern is statewide. Chandler Unified has similarly delayed school closures and narrowly forced through a bond in 2025 after a 2024 bond request led to the district’s first school bond rejection in 30 years. Kyrene passed a $161 million bond in 2023 and is still closing six schools. Bonds do not solve enrollment declines, nor do they save jobs. Scottsdale Governing Board member Pittinsky put it plainly in the December 2025 closure vote: “SUSD is nearly 25% smaller than we were 15 years ago, yet we have closed only one program in that timeframe.” The political machinery behind school bonds runs on the profit motives of vendors and not on the genuine needs of students, families, or the school district. The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting documented that three architects, three construction firms, and three subcontractors captured more than half of Arizona K-12 contracts from 2013 to 2016, doing so through hundreds of thousands in political contributions to pro-bond PACs statewide. SUSD voters have seen the worst side of school bonds co-opted by the greed and financial interests of vendors. In 2018, former Superintendent Denise Birdwell steered architectural work to Hunt and Caraway without competitive bidding, accepted $30,000 in payments during contract negotiations, and appointed an unlicensed architect with a prior felony theft conviction on the contractor selection committee. She was later indicted on 18 felony counts. Yet, the same conditions that enabled this malfeasance still remain in place with no real guardrails to protect taxpayers from the too cozy relationship between district leaders and vendors. Before SUSD asks taxpayers for $375 million, the Governing Board and Superintendent Scott Menzel owe the district three deliverables that address the Auditor General’s findings. Complete Phase II closures before any new funding request. Align capital planning to the 2035-36 enrollment projection of 17,340 students. Cut district-level overhead and stop diverting capital to operations. Non-instructional positions in SUSD grew while enrollment fell and instructional spending dropped to a 20-year low at 54.0%. These actions would constitute rightsizing in earnest through fewer schools, a smaller operational footprint, and a proportionally smaller payroll. A district carrying five high-risk flags from the Auditor General has not earned the right to ask voters for $375 million. Scottsdale voters would be well-advised to reject the request this fall.  Arman Sidhu is a lifelong Arizonan, a professional educator, and a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University, where his research focuses on school bonds and K-12 education funding. The opinions presented are solely his own. The post ARMAN SIDHU: Underwater And Overbuilt: Scottsdale’s $375 Million Bond Bailout first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0842dfa200899a00ebfdcf Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, leaving 330,000 commuters without service on busiest US rail line te 2026-05-16T10:11:43.259Z Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, leaving 330,000 commuters without service on busiest US rail line Workers for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) — the nation’s largest commuter rail line — went on strike early Saturday, leaving more than 330,000 commuters scrambling for alternatives. At 12:01 a.m., five unions representing roughly 3,700 workers — including ticket clerks, locomotive engineers, signalmen, electricians and machinists — walked off the job in the fourth strike in the rail line’s history. The LIRR confirmed in a statement that service has been suspended until further notice. "Avoid nonessential travel and work from home if possible," the railroad said. "We will have limited shuttle bus service on weekdays for essential workers and those who cannot telecommute." NYC REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER SLAMS MAMDANI ANTISEMITISM OFFICE AS A ‘BLACK HOLE’ LACKING PUBLIC-FACING RESOURCES Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new negotiations had been scheduled. "We’re far apart at this point," Sexton said. "We are truly sorry that we are in this situation." MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the agency "gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay" and claimed it appeared union leaders had intended to strike all along. NYC HOSPITAL ACCUSES NURSES’ UNION OF SEEKING PROTECTIONS FOR WORKERS ARRIVING DRUNK, HIGH AS STRIKE BEGINS Leading up to the strike, unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) negotiated a new contract that included work-rule changes and annual wage increases of 3% over three years. The dispute centered on a proposed fourth-year wage increase, with unions seeking a 5% raise for the final year. MTA officials said they could not meet that demand and warned it could force fare increases. BRONX MAN CONVICTED OF RUNNING SECRET CHINESE POLICE STATION IN MANHATTAN USED TO MONITOR DISSIDENTS The agency also warned the shutdown would cause severe congestion and delays across the region. As part of its contingency plan, the MTA said it would operate limited weekday shuttle bus service during peak commuting hours between select Long Island locations and subway stations in Queens. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the strike as "reckless" and "unacceptable." "Commuters are dealing with unnecessary dysfunction and thousands of union LIRR workers are being forced to go without a paycheck because of decisions made by a small group of union leaders," she said in a statement. "I stand with LIRR riders and will fight to preserve the long term stability of the MTA." "I believe a deal can be done and I urge both the MTA and these unions to return to the table and bargain non-stop until a deal is reached," she added. Hochul also blamed the disruption in part on the Trump administration, saying federal officials cut mediation efforts short and pushed negotiations closer to a strike. FEDS SAY WOMAN TRIED TO EXTORT NBA TEAM OWNER WITH FAKE SEX VIDEOS AFTER ONE-NIGHT STAND New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his office was helping coordinate contingency efforts. "New Yorkers should prepare for heavier-than-usual traffic, crowded transit options and additional travel time," he wrote in a post on X.
"The MTA has announced that limited weekday bus service will be available for essential workers and others who cannot telecommute." The first LIRR strike occurred in 1980 and lasted two days. Another strike in 1987 lasted 11 days, while a third strike in 1994 lasted two days. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0842cba200899a00ebfd09 EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bishop Barron to address 'true threat to democracy' at Trump prayer event te 2026-05-16T10:11:23.661Z EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Bishop Barron to address 'true threat to democracy' at Trump prayer event EXCLUSIVE: At President Donald Trump’s "Rededicate 250" prayer event on the National Mall this weekend, Bishop Robert Barron will address the "marginalization of God" and religion in society, which he said he considers a "true threat to democracy." Rededicate 250 is a major prayer event set for Sunday as a way of "rededicating" the nation as "One Nation Under God" ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. The event, which is being organized by the Trump-aligned "Freedom 250" nonprofit, is expected to include the president, White House Cabinet members and major faith leaders. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, perhaps America’s most well-known and beloved Catholic bishop, revealed that his address at the event will emphasize his belief that "if you marginalize and privatize religion, democracy is in danger." "God is essential to the very foundations of American democracy," he asserted. "There's a lot of talk today about the threats to democracy, that is a true threat to democracy, the marginalization of God." TRUMP LAUNCHES MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM 250’ PUSH TO IGNITE AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Barron explained that many of the societal ills seen today are due to this cultural separation from God. "Take God out of the equation, what are you left with? Radical self-choice. Welcome to wokeism. Welcome to the culture of self-invention. ‘I make myself up, values is up to me, my gender, it's up to the whole structure of my life, it's my choice,’" he said. "That’s deadly to our democracy." "Religion belongs to the very fabric of our democracy, that's the theme of my talk," he said. Barron said he will begin his speech by invoking Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. "We know from the early written versions [that] Lincoln didn't have the phrase ‘under God’ when he said that this nation might have a new birth of freedom. But when he delivered the speech, he said this nation ‘Under God might have a new birth of freedom.’ So, what prompted Lincoln, as he was giving the Gettysburg Address, to add that phrase?" he said. "You could say, ‘Oh, it's just a little pious declaration.’ No, no, no, I think that's born of a very, very deep and correct intuition, America is a nation that's conditioned by these great values, moral values, spiritual values that come finally from God." Barron argued that one of America’s most foundational ideas — that all men are created equal — is a novel concept made possible only by Christianity. "We're not equal in any way. Look at the classical political philosophers; they would never affirm the equality of all people. We're not equal in intelligence or moral virtue or beauty or courage or anything. We're radically unequal. So where does this come from?" he asked. "Why would you go from we're not equal at all to it’s ‘self-evident that we're equal’? And the answer is in that little word, ‘created,’ that ‘all men are created equal.’ So, despite all our differences, we are all equally children of God and then endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights." BIBLE PODCAST CRACKS APPLE TOP 10 FOR THIRD YEAR AS HOST CELEBRATES: 'PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY FOR GOD'S WORD' This second concept of all possessing inalienable rights, Barron argued, is a uniquely Christian idea imbued in America’s values. "No one in the classical world believed that. Aristotle didn't, Plato didn't. Cicero didn't, none of them," he explained. "Look in societies more recent that don't believe in God. Go to Soviet Russia, go to communist China, everyone has rights? No way." "Where do they come from?" he said. "Well, Jefferson gives away the game. They're endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Take the creator out of the equation, rights will go out in a minute. So, Lincoln's intuition to say that this nation under God would have a new birth of freedom, God is essential to the very foundations of American democracy. If you marginalize and privatize religion, democracy is in danger." Barron said he will also address the nature of freedom itself. "It’s a very modern sense of freedom that it means spontaneous choice, I'm free if I could just do whatever I want,’" he said. "But see, the founding fathers were trained both biblically and classically; they did not understand freedom that way." TRUMP CHAMPIONS JESUS' 'MIRACULOUS RESURRECTION' IN PALM SUNDAY MESSAGE VOWING TO 'DEFEND THE CHRISTIAN FAITH' "Freedom is more like this, it's an ordering of desire toward the good, so as to make the achievement of the good first possible and then effortless." He pointed to mastering a new language or the piano as examples. "Think of the way you become a free speaker of a language, not by talking any old way you want, but rather internalizing the laws of the language. How do you become a free player with the piano? Not by doing whatever you want, but by internalizing the structure of music." "That's the kind of freedom we're talking about," he said. "It’s the moral freedom to become the person you're meant to be, that you can now effortlessly achieve the good, that this nation under God might have a new birth of freedom." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0842b7a200899a00ebfc43 Hunter Biden resurfaces in LA, reacts to questions about Biden tapes, UFO files te 2026-05-16T10:11:03.654Z Hunter Biden resurfaces in LA, reacts to questions about Biden tapes, UFO files EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden was spotted by paparazzi in West Los Angeles this week, where the former first son briefly reacted to questions about ongoing litigation surrounding former President Joe Biden’s interview tapes and alleged government UFO files. "Hunter, what do you think of the DOJ when they release your father's interview tapes from the biography that he did?" a reporter asked as he approached Biden near Wilshire Boulevard. "What are you talking about?" Hunter Biden said. BIDEN SEEKS TO BLOCK DOJ RELEASE OF 2017 AUDIO, COURT FILING SAYS The exchange comes amid ongoing litigation seeking the release of audio tied to former President Joe Biden’s classified-documents probe, which fueled scrutiny over the elder Biden’s memory and fitness while in office. The probe examined Joe Biden’s handling and discussion of classified material during conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. Special Counsel Rob Hur said the author had deleted the files, but the Justice Department was able to recover them. BIDEN INTERVIEW AUDIO REVEALS WHO BROUGHT UP BEAU'S DEATH — AND IT WASN'T HUR The conservative watchdog Oversight Project sued the DOJ seeking release of audio recordings from Joe Biden’s interviews with special counsel Robert Hur. Biden has denied wrongdoing and said he cooperated fully with the probe. "I don’t know, man — I hadn’t heard that one," Hunter Biden later said. ASHLEY BIDEN SLAMS REPORTING ABOUT HER DAD'S MENTAL ACUITY AS 'DISRESPECTFUL AND UNTRUE' The reporter also asked about the recently released UFO Files. "It’s crazy right?" Hunter Biden replied, but did not elaborate. Hunter Biden was also one of several recent individuals whose Secret Service protection was rescinded by the Trump administration. TRUMP REVOKES SECURITY CLEARANCES OF FORMER OPPONENTS KAMALA HARRIS, HILLARY CLINTON Trump announced in March 2025 that Hunter Biden and his half-sister Ashley Blazer Biden — child of Jill and Joe — would cease to have such protection. The president criticized the fact that Hunter had "as many as 18 people" on his USSS detail. Hunter Biden’s appearance marked a rare public sighting for the former first son, who has largely stayed out of public view in recent months. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0842a4a200899a00ebfb8f Oklahoma woman discovers husband was a Canadian man who faked his death 37 years earlier in a barn fire te 2026-05-16T10:10:44.195Z Oklahoma woman discovers husband was a Canadian man who faked his death 37 years earlier in a barn fire Deb Proctor was at work when her phone rang from an unknown number — a call that would shatter everything she thought she knew about her husband. An investigator delivered the devastating truth to the Oklahoma woman: The man she knew as Jeff Walton was actually Ronald Stan, a Canadian man who disappeared 37 years earlier and was presumed dead after leaving behind a wife and two children. "After gathering my composure, I went to my immediate executive and explained this bizarre phone call," Proctor told Fox News Digital. "My colleagues were very concerned that my life was in danger, that maybe Jeff was in witness protection, and I had just blown it to some stranger who was not real, a so-called investigator." MASSACHUSETTS MAN’S DEATHBED CONFESSION RATTLES FAMILY AFTER DECADES ON THE RUN: ‘IT WASN'T A WEIRD DAD JOKE’ Proctor is coming forward with her story in the ABC true crime series "Betrayal: Secrets & Lies." Inspired by the "Betrayal" podcast franchise, the series explores how people from across the country survive scandalous confessions, financial ruin and acts of violence, among other hardships. "Deb Proctor’s story is an incredible exploration of what happens when the person closest to you is living a double life," Andrea Gunning, host of the "Betrayal" podcast, told Fox News Digital. "What stayed with me the most while working on Deb’s story was not just the scale of Jeff’s deception, but the deeply human process of Deb rebuilding her life after the truth was exposed." It was 1998 when Proctor, a 41-year-old divorcee and mother of two sons, was ready to meet someone new. She decided to join a dating site, where she came across Walton, an Ohio State graduate and former football player who traveled and played golf — a passion of hers. She was intrigued. WATCH: VANISHED: BEHIND THE STRING OF DEATHS AND DISAPPEARANCES OF SEVERAL AMERICAN SCIENTISTS After a year of talking, they decided to meet in person. When Walton stepped off the plane and saw Proctor, he asked, "You will marry me, won’t you?" Walton moved in a few months later. They married in 2000. "I felt like this was a person that I loved very much," Proctor said. "I could see us traveling together, creating a life together. I felt hopeful about the future." But a year into their marriage, Walton was struggling to find work. That’s when he told her for the first time that he was a Vietnam War veteran. According to the podcast, Walton claimed that at age 18, he served in the Special Forces when he was captured and held prisoner. For months, he was tortured before eventually escaping by following a stream. "[As a nurse] I had some experience working with Vietnam vets and PTSD," Proctor said. "It really tugged at my heart. He had also uprooted his life, given up his job as a project manager at a large industrial construction company, given up everything just to be with me. He had given up everything for love." Proctor’s seemingly happily ever after was disrupted. Walton, who was unemployed, suffered a heart attack requiring ongoing care. The couple struggled to cover his medical expenses. Proctor, who had worked at the VA years earlier, tried to convince her husband to seek help as the bills piled up. But he refused to get healthcare, insisting he was dishonorably discharged and wouldn’t be listed. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X "I was dumbfounded," Proctor admitted. "That’s the biggest moment when I thought, ‘Something’s not right here.’ I couldn’t put my finger on it. I just kept insisting on going to the VA so he could get healthcare. We were going to go broke. It was just a 30-minute drive to the nearest facility. But he looked at me strangely and said, ‘I’m not going. I was in Special Forces. Because of what I witnessed and what I reported, my actions were illegal and unethical. They won’t have me listed anywhere.’" "I kept saying to him, ‘You’ve served your country. There are records somewhere,’" Proctor continued. "But he said, ‘I will not get government healthcare.’ He got up and walked away." Confused, Proctor considered hiring a private investigator. But after realizing she couldn’t afford one, she put her feelings aside. Shortly after Walton’s heart attack, he had a stroke. Then he began exhibiting signs of dementia. The medical bills continued mounting into the thousands. Proctor was his primary caretaker while working full time as a nurse to make ends meet. She began drinking to cope with the stress. As Walton’s memory worsened, she was able to place him in a funded outpatient care facility. In 2014, Proctor received a phone call from a detective in Canada. Investigators were probing the cold case of Ronald Stan and were able to track him down through social media, according to the podcast. In September 1977, a barn fire killed several pigs. Stan, then 32, disappeared. Although human remains were never found, Stan was declared legally dead in 1986. However, the case was reopened in 2014. Using modern investigative technology, the Ontario Provincial Police discovered that Stan was alive and living in a rural part of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma under a new name, "Jeff Walton." He later admitted the truth to police. SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER "I thought to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve just spilled my guts, and now I’m in danger, he’s in danger,’" Proctor said about the phone call. "I felt like I was in somebody’s movie. I thought, ‘Who am I? Who was I married to this entire time?’ I was outside of my consciousness." Proctor immediately went to the Cherokee Nation Marshals Service. After an investigator made several phone calls, she confirmed that every detail was true. Stan had faked his death in a fire, abandoning his wife and two children. Proctor stayed with a friend and immediately filed for divorce. "I did love him," she admitted. "But it was all an illusion. He was not the man I thought I married. Nothing was real." Proctor said that Walton, now identified as Stan, made numerous calls to her and repeatedly tried to text her. She said that in one voicemail, Stan told her, "If you want to play hardball, then come on." He also tried contacting one of her sons and emailed several of her friends and colleagues. "I had nothing else to say to him," Proctor said. "But I was frightened. I remember walking out of my home and into the woods, where there was a worn-down pathway with a small seating area. I also noticed lots of cigarette butts. I don’t know. I just thought he was coming back to harm us. What if he was preparing to burn our home down because I knew about him burning down his place in Canada?" GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB She also wondered whether he was planning another escape. According to the podcast, the statute of limitations for arson had expired in Canada. It also noted that too much time had passed for Stan to face identity fraud charges in the U.S. In the series, Proctor said that Stan never apologized. The calls stopped, and she never heard from him again. In 2019, Proctor said his son reached out to her to say that his father had died. Today, Proctor supports victims of domestic violence in her community. She also remarried a longtime friend and fellow golf enthusiast. "I never intended to do this again," she said with a laugh. "But the gentleman I married, Richard, is absolutely the sweetest, kindest, most loving person I’ve ever known in my life. It’s a love that I’ve never experienced before. It’s genuine." If there’s one message Proctor hopes audiences take away, it’s this: Don’t ignore that nagging feeling. "Pathological liars, they’re a dime a dozen," she said. "They walk among us. Some people fall for them more than others, but it can happen to any one of us. If something doesn’t feel right, dig out the truth." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0834e1a200899a00ebf260 Red-state auditor reports 'explosion' of fraud tips as he targets state employees 'racking up' taxpayer waste te 2026-05-16T09:12:01.419Z Red-state auditor reports 'explosion' of fraud tips as he targets state employees 'racking up' taxpayer waste Nebraska’s top auditor says fraud complaints are surging as waste, fraud, and abuse dominate the national conversation, telling Fox News Digital that his own crackdown has uncovered alleged misuse of taxpayer resources inside state government. "It’s just extraordinary the explosion of phone calls and allegations and emails and so forth that are pouring into my office," Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley said as the fraud crackdown have become a national news story and the Trump administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, unleashed a task force to root out fraud.  "And as the media focuses on this more and more, it just makes the phone ring all the more, which is fine. We’re happy to receive those calls and try to filter through them and find out which ones are the most legitimate ones for us to pursue. But it’s clearly on the rise." Foley, speaking with Fox News Digital from the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Clearwater, Florida, is sounding the alarm specifically on what he says is an issue with taxpayer money being wasted or possibly defrauded by state workers, which he has made efforts to crack down on.  "Many of our state vehicles are now equipped with a GPS tracker," Foley explained. "We can see precisely where these state vehicles are really going during work hours and they're going to liquor stores. They're going into health appointments that the employee might have. They're on personal errands all across the state, and it's racking up a lot of expense for the taxpayers in a very improper way." 'MISSISSIPPI MUSK': STATE AUDITOR'S MOGE REPORT FINDS $400M IN GOVERNMENT WASTE Foley’s office reviewed GPS data from 45 state fleet vehicles and found employees allegedly using them for "trips to retail outlets, restaurants, medical facilities, residences of relatives, commuting home without permission and other private errands," the Nebraska Examiner reported last year. Foley put out a press release last year documenting how he uncovered what he described as a "disturbing uptick" in alleged financial improprieties across local governments statewide, detailing eight recent investigations involving suspected misuse of public money, questionable reimbursements and possible fraud.  "I can cite so many examples of contractors that are over billing or double-billing the state, all kinds of state employee infractions of using state vehicles and state assets improperly, having contractors bill us for hours which we know they did not work, having state employees billed us for time served when we know that they were at a different place of employment, public school districts that are milking public school funds for all kinds of extravagances and so forth, but at the end of the day, the tone has to be set at the top." At the top, Foley’s efforts on waste, fraud, and abuse have led him to a situation that he describes as "uncomfortable," which has put him at odds with Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen. FINAL WALZ FRAUD REPORT RIPS ‘CULTURE OF TOLERANCE’ AS MINNESOTA TAXPAYERS FACE BILLIONS IN ALLEGED LOSSES Foley has been involved in a highly publicized debate with Pillen, arguing that the governor improperly awarded a no-bid state contract worth roughly $2 million to a consultant with ties to the governor. Nebraska law generally requires public bidding for contracts over $50,000 and says the administration wrongly claimed there was an "emergency" to bypass that process.  "There was no emergency and later now they're claiming that she brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in grant awards," Foley said. "The truth is those grant award applications were filed by other people, other contractors before she was even on the job. So this is a very, very serious abuse and it sets the tone in the wrong way. For other people in the state government who can say the governor can do that, I can do it too. And that's wrong." Pillen’s administration has denied wrongdoing, maintaining the contract was justified because of the need to quickly pursue economic development opportunities and federal funding. "The contract was done the right way and is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of value to Nebraska, which otherwise would have been wasted in California," Pillen spokesperson Laura Strimple told Fox News Digital. "Auditor Foley disagrees and he is entitled to his opinion." Foley has referred the matter to law enforcement for further review, saying his office’s role is limited to conducting audits and highlighting potential violations.  "I’m not the most popular person in state government," Foley jokingly told Fox News Digital, but said "we must" track expenditures in order to safeguard taxpayer funds. "Nebraska regrettably is a high-tax state and people know that, and they're fed up with these high taxes, and they know that money is not being spent properly in so many instances, and they are relying on me and my office to catch this kind of thing, and we're doing a good job," Foley said.  "There needs to be consequences when we find these kinds of abuses, and there are. Many people are losing their jobs because they've abused the trust of having access to a credit card or other assets of the government, or there could be even further legal complications and infractions and jail sentences even. We've put a number of people behind bars because of abuse and stealing of public funds." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0834cda200899a00ebf257 After Indiana purge, Trump sets sights on Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy te 2026-05-16T09:11:41.605Z After Indiana purge, Trump sets sights on Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy BATON ROUGE, La. — After taking out five Indiana state senators who opposed his push for congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump's next target is Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Cassidy, who five and a half years ago voted to convict Trump in his impeachment trial, is fighting for his political life in a competitive race against two major challengers, including one backed by the president, in Saturday's GOP Senate primary in the solidly red southern state. Trump and his allies, including Republican Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana, are backing GOP Rep. Julia Letlow in the Senate primary. Also in the race is former Rep. John Fleming, who is the state treasurer. If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election. The primary is the latest test of Trump's endorsements in GOP nomination races and of the president's immense grip over the Republican Party. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB After cruising to re-election six years ago, Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate. But since the start of Trump's second term, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees, including voting to approve Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement are out for revenge. That's because Cassidy, a doctor, has been a skeptic of Kennedy's push to reform the nation's health policies, including Kennedy's efforts to cut back on vaccine recommendations. And Kennedy allies blamed Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, for helping sink the surgeon general nomination of Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally and top MAHA advocate, after Cassidy did not bring it to a committee vote. Meanwhile, Trump has blasted the senator as a "very disloyal person." And on the eve of the primary, the president took to social media to praise Letlow as a "Highly Respected America First Congresswoman." Making Cassidy's climb to renomination even tougher, Louisiana will now run separate party primaries in the Senate race, which replaces a system where all candidates appeared in one single jungle primary. That guarantees a more conservative and pro-Trump electorate for the GOP nomination. Cassidy is highlighting his record over two terms in the Senate in delivering for Louisiana, which is one of the nation's poorest states. And he's showcased his support for Louisiana's large oil and gas industry, which accounts for roughly 15% of the state's workforce. "When people ask things such as, can you work with President Trump, I point out that he has signed into law four bills that I wrote or negotiated," the senator said in a primary eve interview with Fox News Digital. "We continue to work together, by the way." And Cassidy touted that he's "a conservative senator who delivers." In trying to avert becoming the first elected Republican senator in nearly a decade and a half to be ousted in a primary, Cassidy and an allied super PAC have dished out more than $20 million on ads, according to AdImpact, a national ad tracking firm. That total is more than Letlow and Fleming, combined, have spent. Some of those ads have knocked Letlow over her past support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs during her tenure at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Cassidy argued that Republican voters are "concerned about her shifting position on DEI. She was all in for DEI." LETLOW EXPLAINS HER PAST SUPPORT FOR DIVERSITY PROGRAMS Defending her record, Letlow explained in a Fox News Digital interview on Friday that "back in 2020 whenever DEI was introduced to us, we had no idea what it was back then, and I quickly witnessed it. I was in higher education at the time. I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack it, turn it into this Marxist leftist indoctrination of our children. And so, when I got to Congress for the last five years, I've been fighting against it. And she charged that the criticism of her from Cassidy and Fleming over DEI is "all baseless attacks, desperate attacks." Letlow won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died six days after being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She was backed by Trump even before she entered the race. "Not only did he encourage me to get into this race, but also to have his complete and total endorsement has been, wow, the honor of a lifetime," Letlow said. Letlow has taken aim at Cassidy for his bipartisan efforts in the Senate, including his vote for the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law that was a signature domestic achievement for then-President Joe Biden. Asked about her criticism, Cassidy said the "people want someone who can deliver for Louisiana. The Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act has brought $13.5 billion to Louisiana for roads and bridges and high-speed internet, and along the way creating a lot of good paying jobs. My opponent opposed that bill." Fleming, who served as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, has argued that he's the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary. 'They see me clearly MAGA," Fleming told Fox News Digital, as he referred to Louisiana Republicans.  "I served in his entire first administration at various capacities. I was one of the first congressmen that endorsed him in 2016." Fleming claimed that Letlow is "not the prototype for a Trump endorsement. She's much more like a Democrat." And Fleming, apparently, has become a threat to Letlow, as a super PAC supporting the congresswoman started to run ads attacking him. But Trump's endorsement in the nomination race weighs heavily in a state he carried by 22 points in his 2024 election victory. "It's the most powerful endorsement in the world," Letlow said, adding that Louisiana Republicans "are huge fans of the president."  And the Louisiana primary comes a week and a half after Indiana's primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five state senators who had defied the president over his redistricting push. The political world was closely watching Indiana's primary because it was the first of a series of major tests this month of Trump's endorsement power in GOP nomination showdowns, and the president cleared his first hurdle with ease. Voters in Louisiana will also cast ballots in primary contests for State Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board, along with five proposed state constitutional amendments. But the primaries for the U.S. House seats were postponed by Landry after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's current congressional district map. Republican state senators in Louisiana on Thursday advanced a plan to eliminate one of the state's two majority-Black congressional seats ahead of the midterms. Louisiana's state House will likely vote on the map next week. The U.S. House primaries are being postponed until November. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0834a6a200899a00ebf24c In Congress, a Sexual Harassment ‘Minefield’ Persists, Aides and Former Staff Say te 2026-05-16T09:11:02.347Z In Congress, a Sexual Harassment ‘Minefield’ Persists, Aides and Former Staff Say Nearly 10 years after Congress instituted measures to make it easier for women to lodge harassment complaints, lawmakers and aides say the behavior is still rampant. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a083492a200899a00ebf23a What to Watch in Saturday’s Republican Senate Primary in Louisiana te 2026-05-16T09:10:42.780Z What to Watch in Saturday’s Republican Senate Primary in Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who has drawn President Trump’s ire, is fighting for political survival. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a08347ea200899a00ebf231 Rubio, Once a China Hawk, Strikes Softer Tone to Align With Trump te 2026-05-16T09:10:22.989Z Rubio, Once a China Hawk, Strikes Softer Tone to Align With Trump As a senator, Marco Rubio even hinted at the need for regime change in China. Now he talks about cooperation. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a08326aa200899a00ebf1fe Famed vocalist releases memoir te 2026-05-16T09:01:30.509Z Famed vocalist releases memoir Internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Dennis Rowland has written a new memoir with local author Marla Sheiner titled “Keeping the Beat: What Count Basie Taught Me About Music, Mentorship and Leadership” (photo courtesy of the author). Phoenix favorite and former Count Basie Orchestra vocalist Dennis Rowland released a new memoir in April that reflects on the musical and leadership lessons from his years with the legendary orchestra. An internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist, Rowland wrote “Keeping the Beat: What Count Basie Taught Me About Music, Mentorship and Leadership,” with Phoenix author Marla Sheiner. In the book, he recounts his time as a featured singer with the Count Basie Orchestra and explores the values he absorbed from one of jazz’s most influential bandleaders. The book arrived 40 years after Count Basie’s passing in April 1984 – a defining moment in jazz history. Rowland joins the distinguished lineage of Basie vocalists, including Jimmy Rushing and Joe Williams, whose voices helped define the orchestra’s sound. “Dennis Rowland represents the living lineage of the Basie tradition,” said Scotty Barnhart, Director of the Count Basie Orchestra. “To be a vocalist with this orchestra means you’re entrusted with a tradition that helped define American music. Dennis understands what that responsibility means, and his story reflects the values that have sustained this music for generations.” Valley audiences know Rowland as far more than a former Basie vocalist. For decades, he has been a vibrant presence in the Phoenix arts community – as a featured performer with Arizona Theatre Company, a longtime collaborator at the Herberger Theater Center, a regular performer at The Nash and as an educator and mentor in Phoenix-area high schools and community colleges. For his part, Rowland continues to carry forward the swing tradition by performing and mentoring young musicians, and he says that the memoir grew from a desire to pass on the lessons he has learned – especially after suffering a stroke more than a decade ago. “After my stroke, I realized how precious time is,” Rowland said. “If I’m still able to sing, teach and share what I learned from Basie, then that’s what I want to do. Basie’s example taught me that a life in music is really about mentorship, discipline and respect – and I hope young musicians can see what that tradition really means.” “Keeping the Beat” serves as both tribute and reflection – honoring Basie’s enduring influence while inviting a new generation to understand the principles that helped keep the music swinging across decades. The book is available through major booksellers, with a portion of book proceeds supporting music scholarships. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a083256a200899a00ebf1f5 Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory – May 15-18 te 2026-05-16T09:01:10.878Z Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory – May 15-18 The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is alerting drivers that a busy weekend is ahead for freeway improvement projects in the Phoenix area, May 15-18, with closures along sections of the I-10, SR 51 and Loop 101. Drivers should allow extra travel time and use detour routes as needed for these weekend freeway restrictions: Southbound State Route 51 closed between Northern Avenue and Highland Avenue (south of Camelback Road) from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (May 18) for pavement improvements. Detours: Consider using southbound Interstate 17 as an alternate freeway route. Drivers exiting southbound SR 51 at Northern Avenue can use southbound 16th Street to eastbound Highland Avenue or Indian School Road to access the freeway. Southbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) closed between Indian School Road and Interstate 10 in the West Valley from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (May 18) for the start of the Loop 101/I-10 interchange improvement project. Southbound Loop 101 on-ramps at Cardinals Way and Camelback Road also closed. Detours: Consider using southbound 91st or 99th avenues to reach I-10. Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) narrowed to two lanes in both directions between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (May 18) for pavement improvements. Expect southbound Loop 101 on- and off-ramp closures at times. Consider exiting ahead of the restrictions and using alternate routes. Eastbound I-10 closed between the I-17 “Stack” interchange and SR 51 from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday (May 16) for tunnel maintenance. Detour: Eastbound I-10 traffic can detour on southbound I-17 and reconnect with I-10 near Sky Harbor Airport. Westbound I-10 closed between the I-17 “Split” interchange and 7th Avenue from 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday (May 17) for tunnel maintenance. Detour: Westbound I-10 traffic can detour to northbound I-17 near Sky Harbor Airport and reconnect with I-10 at the Stack interchange north of Van Buren Street. Eastbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) narrowed to two lanes between Arizona Avenue and McQueen Road from 10 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Saturday (May 16) for widening project. Eastbound Loop 202 on-ramp at Arizona Avenue closed. Note: Lindsay Road closed in both directions at Loop 202 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (May 18). Use alternate routes. Eastbound Loop 303 closed between 43rd Avenue and I-17 from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday (May 16) for construction. Detour: Traffic can detour on northbound 43rd Avenue to eastbound Dove Valley Road to access I-17. Click on the Weekend Travel Advisory map graphic or visit the ADOT website for additional information. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a083243a200899a00ebf1ec The Nash opens a full bar te 2026-05-16T09:00:51.411Z The Nash opens a full bar After securing a full liquor license, the beautifully renovated bar at The Nash jazz club, now named JD’s at The Nash, will begin serving a full menu of cocktails, each inspired by classic flavors with a Southwest twist (submitted photo). In late 2024, The Nash jazz club unveiled a $2.5 million renovation and celebrated its 12th anniversary with the grand re-opening of its transformed performance space, Now, thanks to a lead gift from The John Dawson Foundation, the downtown Phoenix club has officially secured a full liquor license, expanding the club experience with the launch of JD’s at The Nash, a full-service bar designed to complement its intimate, world-class jazz performances. Named in honor of John Dawson, a passionate supporter of jazz and arts education, JD’s at The Nash recognizes Dawson’s commitment to the American art form and his interest in developing future generations of musicians. The addition of the bar not only enhances the audience experience, but also creates an important new source of ongoing support for The Nash’s jazz education programs. To celebrate, The Nash invited the community to help put the final creative touch on the menu through a contest to name six signature cocktails, each inspired by classic flavors with a Southwest twist. Visit www.thenash.org for calendar of upcoming events and to purchase tickets. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a08187aa200899a00ebe06c Voters will decide park’s fate te 2026-05-16T07:10:50.524Z Voters will decide park’s fate Sedona City Council will not appeal court ruling on Cultural Park initiative Proposition 403, the Sedona Cultural Park Preservation Act initiative, will appear on the Tuesday, July 21, ballot after Sedona City Council voted unanimously, 6-0, not to appeal the measure following a closed-door executiv Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a081607a200899a00ebdf95 Thousands celebrate the newest graduating class at U of A's 162nd Commencement te 2026-05-16T07:00:23.012Z Thousands celebrate the newest graduating class at U of A's 162nd Commencement Thousands celebrate the newest graduating class at U of A's 162nd Commencement mittank Fri, 15 May 2026 - 16:48 Thousands celebrate the newest graduating class at U of A's 162nd Commencement Today University of Arizona President Suresh G Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a080a6ca200899a00ebdbad Scene pkg May 15 te 2026-05-16T06:10:52.017Z Scene pkg May 15 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07f539a200899a00ebd569 Trump says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, killed in US-Nigerian operation te 2026-05-16T04:40:25.870Z Trump says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, killed in US-Nigerian operation President Donald Trump announced late Friday that U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out an operation that killed a global ISIS leader. Trump identified the terrorist as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally. "Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing," Trump continued. "He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans." 100 US TROOPS LAND IN NIGERIA AS ISLAMIC MILITANTS THREATEN WEST AFRICA REGIONAL SECURITY Trump also thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the mission. "With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished," he added. Additional details surrounding the mission were not immediately available. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment. US MILITARY IN SYRIA CARRIES OUT 10 STRIKES ON MORE THAN 30 ISIS TARGETS: PHOTOS The announcement comes after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out multiple strikes against more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria in February as part of a joint military effort to "sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network." CENTCOM said U.S. forces struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons-storage targets using fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aircraft. DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER Trump told reporters on Jan. 27 that he had a "great conversation" with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. "All of the things having to do with Syria in that area are working out very, very well," he said at the time. "So, we are very happy about it." CENTCOM announced in February that more than 50 ISIS terrorists had been killed or captured and more than 100 ISIS infrastructure targets struck during two months of targeted operations in Syria. The U.S. launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in response to an ISIS ambush that killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter Dec. 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria. Fox News Digital's Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07e729a200899a00ebd22f Route 66 centennial spurs tourism in historic small towns te 2026-05-16T03:40:25.487Z Route 66 centennial spurs tourism in historic small towns As U.S. Route 66 turns 100 years old, travelers are searching for the brightest motels, most unique attractions and tastiest diners to celebrate its centennial. The things Route 66 travelers seek today are the same ones that drew people out during the road’s heyday. "[The] trucking industry increased like 700% between 1939 and 1964. In 1964, 80% of people vacationed by automobile," Route 66 author, Jim Hinckley, told Fox News.  Historic Route 66 runs through dozens of towns — some have grown into larger cities, while others are now the bones of what once was. ROUTE 66: AN AMERICAN CELEBRATION, ALONG WITH AMERICA'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY "Think 1939, you’ve got a million cars coming through your town in a year. And after the war, that increases, and all of a sudden it’s like someone turned off the tap," Hinckley said. That vision becomes clear as travelers pass rundown businesses in dozens of small towns across the eight states. During that stretch is the Texas town of Adrian, which is coined as the "geographical midpoint" of Route 66, according to Gary Daggett, president of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas. "It's the nostalgia, ya know, there's so much of American history here at Route 66," Daggett said. ROUTE 66 HIGHLIGHTS COSMIC SITES ACROSS ARIZONA Daggett is also the gift shop manager at Midpoint Café in Adrian, which is hard to miss as it is marked by a sign that soars to the skies. The owner, Brenda Hammit Bradley, bought the café in 2018 and is still known for her endless pie flavors, like green Chile apple pie and Elvis, which is chocolate, peanut butter and banana. "Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it’s not hard, because it’s a job, but it’s just fun, I get to meet awesome people," Bradley told Fox News, adding that more than 70% of her customers come from overseas. Bradley said The Midpoint Café inspired Flo's V8 Restaurant in the Disney-Pixar movie Cars. Just 15 minutes east, is Vega, Texas – a small country town with sprinkles of Route 66 memorabilia. One block off the historic route is Dot's Mini Museum.   "Our town was bypassed by I-40, but you know, there are a lot of people who travel, who love to go into the town, meet the people, see the places," said Keila Bain, Dot's granddaughter. Bain said her grandmother's small museum of antiques is free to enter, and the door is never locked.  FOX'S STEVE DOOCY VISITS TULSA'S OUTSIDERS HOUSE MUSEUM "The thing that's mostly missing about Dot's mini museum is Dot herself, because she was a lot of life and a lot of fun," Bain said, adding that her grandmother inspired one of the characters in Cars, which allowed her to attend some movie events. Although Dot is not around anymore, a guest book inside the small museum is filled with names from dozens of countries. These small books are in several Route 66 attractions around the town, tallying the thousands of people who stop by. "From its inception, what it's about is the people. It has always been about the people," Hinckley said. "That's what gives it that infectious magic and enthusiasm." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07db71a200899a00ebcf83 Caitlin Clark honored for massive career milestone before Fever fall in overtime thriller te 2026-05-16T02:50:25.622Z Caitlin Clark honored for massive career milestone before Fever fall in overtime thriller Catilin Clark is just starting her third WNBA season, and she is already being honored for a big career achievement in a pregame ceremony. Is that good? I think that's good. The Indiana Fever played host to the Washington Mystics on Friday night in a battle of two 1-1 teams through the early going of the season. One of the big stories so far this season came in the Fever's season opener against the Dallas Wings, when Clark scored her 1,000th career point. She accomplished the feat in just 54 games, which made her the fastest player to reach 1,000+ points, 250+ assists and 250+ rebounds. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE The previous mark belonged to WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, and she did it in 62 games. So, before tip-off on Friday, the team recognized Clark's accomplishment. Clark didn't wait long to keep adding to that career point and assist total of hers, feeding teammate and OutKick favorite Sophie Cunningham to extend an early Fever lead. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Clark wound up with 32 points on the night, along with seven assists and four rebounds. The biggest came with just one second on the clock when she drained a three-pointer to force overtime. Clark simply has the clutch gene. While Indiana was able to get this one to overtime, the Mystics managed to hang on to win 104-102 despite a late push from the Fever. The Fever dropped to 1-2 on the year, and will be back in action on Sunday when they welcome the Seattle Storm to town. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07d239a200899a00ebcd9f Waymo driverless cars overrun Atlanta neighborhood, circling cul-de-sacs and alarming families with kids te 2026-05-16T02:11:05.559Z Waymo driverless cars overrun Atlanta neighborhood, circling cul-de-sacs and alarming families with kids One Atlanta neighborhood has dealt with Waymo problems than they expected recently. The Georgia city’s northwest Buckhead neighborhood has been overrun in the last couple of weeks by empty, driverless ride-share vehicles due to an apparent routing behavior issue. "It’s almost every little cul-de-sac in our area, so I think it’s a problem," a neighbor who lives on embattled Battleview Drive told WSB-TV. Video taken of the rogue Waymos shows them incessantly circling through a cul-de-sac and multiple cars causing a backup on one street after a neighbor tried to block the cars from entering the cul-de-sac. WAYMO AUTONOMOUS CAR BLOCKS AMBULANCE CREW RESPONDING TO DEADLY AUSTIN MASS SHOOTING "I think yesterday morning, we had 50 cars that came through between 6 and 7," another neighbor told the station. A third neighbor pointed out that the problem is more than just an irritation.  "We’re families, we have small animals and pets, got kids getting on the bus in the morning and it just doesn’t feel safe to have that traffic," they said. Waymo currently operates in 11 U.S. cities, including Atlanta. The company admitted to Fox News Digital that Waymos are staged in areas of the city where they are frequently hailed from, but said that shouldn’t come at the expense of residents. WAYMO UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION AFTER CHILD STRUCK "At Waymo, we are committed to being good neighbors," the company told FOx News Digital. "We take community feedback seriously and have already worked with our fleet partner to address this routing behavior. With over 500,000 weekly trips across the country, our service is proven to significantly reduce traffic injuries and improve road safety. We value our relationship with Atlanta residents and remain focused on providing a seamless, respectful, and safe experience for riders and residents alike." And the cul-de-sac quagmire isn’t the only issue Waymo has faced recently. This week, the company recalled nearly 4,000 of its vehicles due to a glitch where it may not stop before driving into "standing water," and video obtained FOX 4 appeared to show a Waymo running a red light at a busy intersection in Dallas. Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated Waymo after vehicles were allegedly seen illegally passing stopped school buses in Austin, Texas. And in January, a Waymo hit a student walking through a crosswalk near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California. The car was driving at a low speed and the student wasn't hurt. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07d226a200899a00ebcd96 Washington Nationals unveil the latest stadium snack that will excite some, horrify others te 2026-05-16T02:10:46.123Z Washington Nationals unveil the latest stadium snack that will excite some, horrify others We live in the age of a concession stand arms race where it's every professional sports team's goal — no, duty — to release the most mind-boggling game-day grub. Now, the Washington Nationals have done the unthinkable and bastardized the most beloved of all ballpark foods: the hot dog. And some people will love it, while others are sharpening pitchforks as we speak. On Friday, the Washington Nationals welcomed the Baltimore Orioles to town for Hot Dog Day. This involved all kinds of specialty hot dogs (though, in the past, I've talked about how a standard ballpark dog with yellow mustard is perfect), and the show-stealers were the hot dog fries. They are what they sound like: wieners sliced up shoestring-style served with some chipotle ranch. Alright, before we all run to opposite sides of the room on this one, at least we can all agree that it kicks ass that these come in a mini-batting helmet. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE Those are always great. Now, I can see both perspectives on this. On one hand, this seems like a bit of a horror show. I mean, frying hot dogs until they're dry sticks seems like a bad idea. Plus, I think if I ate fried hot dogs dunked in chipotle ranch, the doctor would probably wake up in a cold sweat. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Plus, I'm not a fan of messing with the sacred hot dog, especially in a ballpark. That said... If I were at a game with some pals, I might not order these (I mean, maybe for the mini helmet), but if someone else did, I'd probably see if I could take a taste. Y'know. Even if just for the story... and because I think chipotle ranch and hot dog sounds like it could be a flavor we have not explored enough as a society. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07d212a200899a00ebcd8d Senator John Kennedy introduces America to ‘Margaret,’ his elliptical trainer named after Thatcher te 2026-05-16T02:10:26.246Z Senator John Kennedy introduces America to ‘Margaret,’ his elliptical trainer named after Thatcher Margaret Thatcher once ran Britain. John Kennedy’s "Margaret" mostly runs him into the ground. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is going viral after posting a tongue-in-cheek workout video introducing followers to "Margaret" — his elliptical trainer named after former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — while wearing a red bandanna and speaking directly to the camera from his Louisiana carport. "Hey X, I have somebody I’d like you to meet," Kennedy says at the start of the minute-long video posted to social media Friday. "This is Margaret. Margaret is my elliptical trainer. I named Margaret after Margaret Thatcher because both kick butt and take names." ERIC SWALWELL'S 'CRINGE' WORKOUT VIDEO MOCKED FOR BENCHING LIGHT WEIGHT Kennedy goes on to explain that "Margaret" lives outside under the carport for three reasons: the machine is too heavy to move, his wife "won’t let" him bring it inside and because he enjoys getting in a workout during Louisiana summers. The Senator said he enjoys working outside during Louisiana summers, a detail that drew disbelief from many viewers familiar with the state’s famously brutal heat and humidity. "As you can see, Margaret, my elliptical trainer, is out here under my carport in Louisiana," Kennedy says. "After Margaret kicks my butt, I look for air conditioning." The surreal, self-aware clip quickly drew thousands of reactions online, with users roasting Kennedy’s bandanna look while also praising the senator’s everyman personality. SEN KENNEDY PRAISES FETTERMAN AS A ‘TOTAL BANGER,’ WHO 'DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN' ABOUT ANGERING LIBERALS "You are rocking the dadgum crap outta that bandana," one user wrote. "I thought you were representing the Bloods for a minute. Tell Margaret I think she’s cute but evil." Others praised Kennedy’s personality and down-home delivery style. "You are a gem to us normal folk Mr. Kennedy. Live long and prosper!" one supporter posted. "Senator Kennedy is that kind of Southerner that makes you feel you're sitting on the front porch having some bit of common sense enlighten you in that poetic Southern way," another wrote. The Louisiana Republican has long cultivated a folksy, humorous public image that often breaks through online with colorful one-liners and unconventional social media moments. Kennedy ended the video with a line that only added to the internet’s fascination. "My work here is done," he said. "And I can see myself out." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07cb09a200899a00ebcc06 Explosion at Lumber Mill in Searsmont, Maine, Draws Large Emergency Response te 2026-05-16T01:40:25.059Z Explosion at Lumber Mill in Searsmont, Maine, Draws Large Emergency Response Footage from the scene showed flames burning through the roof of a large structure as heavy, dark smoke billowed skyward. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07c8daa200899a00ebcba9 Judge blocks Pinal County Attorney’s rogue ICE deal, says he exceeded his authority te 2026-05-16T01:31:06.129Z Judge blocks Pinal County Attorney’s rogue ICE deal, says he exceeded his authority Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller speaks outside the Arizona Senate on Jan. 12, 2026, about upcoming legislation to criminalize interference with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Protesters shouted him down, and Miller and GOP lawmakers had to retreat inside the Senate building to finish addressing the media. (Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez/Arizona Mirror) A Maricopa County Superior Court judge on Friday shot down an attempt by Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller to use his office to help President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort, blocking a partnership that would have turned the county attorney’s 10 investigators into de facto immigration agents.  After a nearly three-hour long hearing, Judge Michael Gordon issued his ruling from the bench, saying that Miller has no legal authority to enter into agreements with the federal government without permission from the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.  “The county attorney has exceeded his authority,” Gordon said.   GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE The decision is a blow for Miller and other Republicans, who had been banking on a state law that bars local governments from “limit(ing) or restrict(ing) the enforcement of federal immigration laws” to open a path for immigration hawks to support Trump’s mass deportation campaign even in the face of opposition from governing bodies. Last year, Miller entered his office into a 287(g) task force agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While Miller has said he views the agreement as mainly an opportunity to share information with the federal government, it expressly allows the county’s 10 investigators, who are responsible for building cases for the county to prosecute people who commit crimes in Pinal County, to question and arrest people they suspect of being in the country without authorization.  The vast majority of 287(g) agreements are between the federal government and law enforcement agencies. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, which also joined the lawsuit against Miller, has had its own agreement in place — and it has been approved by the board of supervisors since 2008.  Miller’s move to unilaterally enter into his own agreement alarmed critics, who warned that local criminal cases would go unprosecuted and county investigators would risk alienating witnesses and victims. After fierce public backlash, the board in January ordered Miller to terminate the agreement. When Miller refused to do so, the board and sheriff’s office filed a lawsuit.  PCAO: Arizona law “encourages” local involvement with federal immigration law  The key argument advanced by Miller’s legal team is that Arizona law prohibits the board of supervisors from restraining his ability to participate in federal immigration enforcement. State law bars any county, city or town from limiting or restricting the enforcement of federal immigration laws to “less than the full extent permitted by federal law.”  Republicans have sought to weaponize that statute, a remnant of SB1070, the state’s notorious “show me your papers law,” to challenge anti-ICE policies adopted in Phoenix and Pima County. Those challenges have so far proven unsuccessful, with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes concluding that, while the law forbids restricting federal immigration enforcement, it doesn’t mandate cooperation.  The lawsuit against Miller is the first time the law has been tested in court.  Linley Wilson, an attorney for Miller, argued that the lawsuit should be thrown out because the Arizona law that forbids the county from restricting federal immigration enforcement means it has never had a say in deciding when local officials like the sheriff or the county attorney can get involved in supporting federal immigration goals. The fact that the county approved the sheriff’s 287(g) agreement is irrelevant because the board never actually had the option to reject it, she said.  “The board does not have discretion to tell these officers in the executive branch what sorts of decisions they should make about federal immigration policy,” Wilson said.  Gordon was skeptical, saying he read the law as a prohibition on attempts to act against federal immigration authority, but not as automatically greenlighting a bid to get involved with enforcing it at the local level.  Wilson claimed it does both. She added that the law, which is referred to as the “preemption statute,” supplements and protects the supremacy of federal immigration law. And because federal law gives the U.S. Attorney General the ability to authorize partnerships between ICE and law enforcement agencies, that means that all Miller had to do was have his agreement approved for it to be valid under state law.  “Arizona law encourages cooperation in these agreements through the preemption statute itself,” Wilson said. “Although it’s framed as a prohibition, it implicitly authorizes political subdivisions to enter into these agreements if they are deemed qualified by the United States Attorney General.” Can county attorneys enter partnerships, arrest people? Wilson also sought to convince the judge that Miller’s position as the county attorney made him eligible to join a partnership with the federal government in the first place. The board’s attorneys argued that no state law authorizes Miller to enter into intergovernmental agreements or contracts without the board’s permission, voiding the 287(g) agreement entirely.  Federal law surrounding the adoption of 287(g) agreements describes them as partnerships between ICE and the “state or any political subdivision of the state.” Under Arizona law, the board of supervisors is the state’s political subdivision, not the county attorney. And state law also explicitly reserves the ability to enter into intergovernmental agreements to a county’s governing body, not its executive officers.  Wilson argued that federal law has a broader understanding of what constitutes a “political subdivision” and said that the approval of Miller’s 287(g) agreement means his office has effectively been recognized as one. She pointed out that the sheriff’s office’s own agreement is further proof that Miller’s office counts as a political subdivision with the ability to sign onto federal partnerships.  Gordon grilled Wilson on how the county attorney’s office can fulfill the demands of the task force agreement, which includes the authority to make arrests. Wilson replied that the job descriptions of county investigators also include the ability to arrest people, if necessary, and she pointed out that the board has long approved budgetary language including that fact. And while state law doesn’t expressly outline arrest authority in the list of a county attorney’s enumerated powers, it’s implied, Wilson said.  “His duty to conduct prosecutions necessarily implies arrest authority to aid in prosecution,” she said.  Wilson argued that arrest powers aren’t exclusive to the sheriff, pointing out that FBI and ICE agents often conduct arrests across the state without being regarded as encroaching on the powers of local law enforcement agencies.   Board: implied powers don’t count  The bulk of the argument from the attorneys for the board of supervisors centered around pointing out that Miller’s claims were speculative, and that the powers they claimed he has don’t exist in state law — and are actually explicitly granted to either the board or the county sheriff.  Attorney Brett Johnson said that if the state legislature wanted to make Miller’s office a political subdivision of the state or imbue his position with the power to make arrests or enter into agreements without the board’s input, it would have done so. He noted that the ability of investigators to make arrests is limited — they must first be approved by a magistrate — unlike the power granted to sheriffs, who can conduct arrests based on a reasonable suspicion.  “If the legislature wanted to give that arrest authority to the prosecutor or the dogcatcher or the recorder or the treasurer, the legislature knew how to do it because the legislature gave it to the sheriff,” Johnson said.  And Johnson dismissed the idea that the preemption statute encourages involvement in federal immigration enforcement actions, calling the argument a “red herring” raised to distract from Miller’s unlawful decision to enter into an intergovernmental agreement. The board hasn’t even had the opportunity to act on the agreement, he added, because Miller never presented it to the board for a vote.  In opposing the 287(g) agreement, the board isn’t infringing on federal immigration enforcement, Johnson said, but rather reining in a rogue official.  “We’re ‘hindering’ an individual’s unilateral decision to make up a power that he doesn’t have and then say, ‘You can’t stop me from using this because of this statute,’” he said. In a last-ditch effort to preserve Miller’s 287(g) agreement, his legal team claimed that it doesn’t qualify as an intergovernmental agreement — which only the board can adopt — because it’s entitled a “Memorandum of Agreement.” But Johnson rebutted that it meets all the criteria to be regarded as an intergovernmental agreement under Arizona law, including a termination clause, purpose, financial considerations and an expiration date.   Judge blocks 287(g) agreement Gordon, who is retiring at the end of the month, provided his ruling minutes after the attorneys wrapped up their arguments. He said he was unconvinced that Arizona’s preemption law invalidated the lawsuit and approved a permanent injunction against Miller’s 287(g) agreement.  Earlier in the hearing, he pressed Wilson over whether preventing Miller’s office from operating under the agreement would make a difference to its ability to cooperate with federal immigration officials. At the start of litigation, Miller agreed not to use the agreement to carry out arrests and to limit his office’s involvement with it to information sharing.  Wilson argued that forcing Miller to terminate the agreement would negatively impact his ability to share that information, but Gordon said he was unconvinced, and his final ruling reflected that he didn’t believe the county attorney’s ability to communicate with the federal government would be significantly impeded. Gordon added that the Pinal County Attorney’s Office is not a political subdivision under Arizona law, so it has no power to enter into intergovernmental agreements on its own. And in doing so, he said, Miller was infringing on the powers of other elected officials. The judge ordered Miller to stay within his enumerated authority.  “The county attorney is intruding upon authorities authorized and provided to the sheriff and is also exposing the county to additional liability,” Gordon said. “I find there is harm that cannot be remedied because of those issues, and it advances public interest and public policy to require that the county attorney comply with his statutory obligations and to stay within his statutory authorization.”  Gordon acknowledged that the state’s public policy, as determined by the Republican-majority legislature, is in favor of promoting local involvement with federal immigration enforcement. But he said that because the preemption statute doesn’t include a way for officials like Miller to enter into partnerships with the federal government on their own, other state laws control the legal landscape instead.  “The court acknowledges that there is a contravening public policy, as expressed by the legislature in (state law),” he said. “Because that statute does not authorize the independent entering into an (intergovernmental agreement) in this case, it is overridden by the other public policies.”    In a post on social media, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office signaled it is considering an appeal. The statement reiterated that Gordon’s ruling prevents the agency from sharing information with federal officials and claimed it will negatively impact public safety. “The Pinal County Attorney can no longer share information with federal officials under the Task Force Model agreement to assist ICE in locating and arresting dangerous violent criminals in the community before they commit a crime,” reads the statement, which included the emphasis. “Instead, we must now wait until those individuals create another victim and end up back in jail on a new charge under the Sheriff’s Jail Agreement.” YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE. SUPPORT Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07c8aea200899a00ebcb70 Catholic Clergy Can Minister Within Illinois ICE Facility After Legal Agreement te 2026-05-16T01:30:22.801Z Catholic Clergy Can Minister Within Illinois ICE Facility After Legal Agreement Several clergy members and an advocacy group had sued the Trump administration, arguing that they were unlawfully denied access to detainees at an Illinois facility. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07c66da200899a00ebcb1a New Ebola outbreak leaves 65 dead as officials warn of cross-border spread te 2026-05-16T01:20:45.030Z New Ebola outbreak leaves 65 dead as officials warn of cross-border spread Africa’s top public health agency confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo on Friday after 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases were recorded in the country’s remote Ituri province. Health officials are now investigating whether the outbreak involves the Ebola Zaire strain — the deadliest and most well-known version of the virus — or a different variant, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neighboring Uganda also confirmed one Ebola-related death involving a Congolese man whose case officials said was imported from Congo. The outbreak has been concentrated in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones in eastern Congo, an area near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan that officials warned could become a regional transmission risk because of mining-related travel, weak infrastructure and ongoing insecurity. EBOLA OUTBREAK REPORTED IN AFRICAN COUNTRY — HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding. The Africa CDC said only four of the deaths have so far been laboratory confirmed, while testing and sequencing efforts continue to determine the exact strain involved in the outbreak. Initial tests suggested the outbreak may not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which was responsible for Congo’s devastating 2018-2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people. UGANDA STARTS CLINICAL TRIAL OF VACCINE FOR SUDAN STRAIN OF EBOLA AMID NEW OUTBREAK The World Health Organization (WHO) said it sent a response team to the region last week to help local officials investigate the outbreak and collect samples. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Congo has a "strong track record" responding to Ebola outbreaks and announced the agency is releasing $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts. Health authorities said Congo has stockpiles of Ebola treatments and approximately 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, though officials cautioned the vaccine is only effective against the Ebola Zaire strain and not against Sudan or Bundibugyo variants. This marks Congo’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. The Associated Press contributed to this reporting. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07c402a200899a00ebca8c Why Were These C.E.O.s in Beijing With Trump? te 2026-05-16T01:10:26.506Z Why Were These C.E.O.s in Beijing With Trump? Some of America’s most powerful C.E.O.s accompanied President Trump to Beijing during his summit with President Xi Jinping of China. Our reporter Ana Swanson explains what they were hoping to gain from the trip. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07bf76a200899a00ebc99a Possible hantavirus case under investigation in upstate New York; no connection to deadly cruise ship outbreak te 2026-05-16T00:51:02.973Z Possible hantavirus case under investigation in upstate New York; no connection to deadly cruise ship outbreak A "suspected" hantavirus case in upstate New York is being investigated, according to the Ontario County Public Health Department (OCPHD) based in Canandaigua. The department announced in a Facebook post Thursday that it is currently "investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case." "There is NO connection to the cruise ship outbreak, and there is no risk to the general public," OCPHD officials wrote. The investigation comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship that has sickened multiple passengers and crew members and left three people dead. AMERICAN EVACUATED FROM CRUISE SHIP TESTS POSITIVE FOR HANTAVIRUS, ANOTHER HAS SYMPTOMS, HHS CONFIRMS As of May 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Three deaths have also been linked to the outbreak. Health officials have emphasized that hantavirus infections remain rare and that the risk to the general public is low. Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is considered extremely rare and has only been suspected in certain strains, including the Andes hantavirus strain linked to the cruise ship outbreak. HANTAVIRUS IN THE US: WHERE THE RARE, SOMETIMES DEADLY DISEASE HAS BEEN FOUND "Hantavirus infections are rare in New York," the OCPHD said. "The virus is spread through mouse and rodent droppings, especially when urine, feces, or nesting materials become aerosolized during cleaning." The OCPHD urged residents to take precautions when cleaning enclosed spaces where rodents may be present, including wearing gloves and masks when opening or cleaning attics, cabins, sheds and garages. The OCPHD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. REPORTED HANTAVIRUS PROTOCOL BREACH AT HOSPITAL FORCES 12 EMPLOYEES INTO 6-WEEK QUARANTINE The cruise ship outbreak has prompted heightened precautions internationally. In the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members after officials said a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled under the strictest international protocols required for the specific virus strain. Hospital officials said the risk of infection to staff remained low but called the quarantine a precautionary measure. The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius began after a Dutch cruise ship carrying 147 passengers and crew departed Argentina on April 1 for a South Atlantic voyage. According to the WHO, investigators believe the initial infection may have stemmed from rodent exposure during birdwatching excursions before boarding the ship. Fox News Digital's Bonny Chu contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07bf63a200899a00ebc991 Vegas Golden Knights star Mitch Marner is doing the funniest thing ever with postseason explosion te 2026-05-16T00:50:43.345Z Vegas Golden Knights star Mitch Marner is doing the funniest thing ever with postseason explosion One of the biggest stories of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been Vegas Golden Knights star Mitch Marner. Everyone knew he was an elite player in the NHL, but the biggest knock against him during his time in Toronto was his play in the postseason. And, truthfully, it was not great. But, the second he skips town? Well, he's led Vegas to the Western Conference Final, and that's kind of hilarious because we've seen this happen before. Marner scored just over a minute into Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks, which Vegas went on to win 5-1 to punch its ticket for a date with the Colorado Avalanche (lucky them). GOLDEN KNIGHTS REPORTEDLY BLOCK OILERS FROM INTERVIEWING THEIR FORMER HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY The goal was Marner's seventh of the postseason, and he leads the playoffs in points with 18 points, three clear of the player tied for second, Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov of the now-eliminated Minnesota Wild. I think a lot of people saw this coming. Toronto's playoff problems are well documented. No Stanley Cup since 1967, and the Maple Leafs went nearly 20 years between series wins between 2004 and 2023. So, it's kind of hilarious to see Marner explode the second he gets a taste of the playoffs with another team after arriving in Sin City via a sign-and-trade last summer. In fact, I feel like we've all seen this before. Remember when Phil Kessel was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Much like Marner, he became a popular target among fans and the media. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Then, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the very next season, he won a Stanley Cup. Something similar happened with Nazem Kadri, who won a Cup in Colorado a couple of seasons after leaving Toronto. It seems like Marner got out of Dodge at the right time. Now, we'll see if that remains the case. While Marner avoided an abysmal 2025-26 season, the Leafs are expected to use the first-overall pick in the upcoming draft on Penn State star Gavin McKenna, the kind of player who should be able to help right the ship in a hurry. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07bd1fa200899a00ebc91b A replica of KITT from 'Knight Rider' got a traffic ticket in another state despite being in a museum te 2026-05-16T00:41:03.869Z A replica of KITT from 'Knight Rider' got a traffic ticket in another state despite being in a museum You'd think that one way to make sure you never get a traffic ticket in the mail is to stick your car in a museum and just not let it taste the sweet freedom of the open road. Well, you're wrong. It turns out that it doesn't even work if the car in question is a replica of KITT, the car from the David Hasselhoff talking car classic, "Knight Rider." The Volo Museum is a car museum outside of Chicago, and one of the cars on display is a replica of KITT, the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am voiced by the great William Daniels (who went on to play Mr. Feeney from "Boy Meets World"). MASSIVE DMV PHISHING SCAM TRICKS DRIVERS WITH FAKE TEXTS It's a cool piece for any car collection, but you can understand why the museum was confused when it got a ticket in the mail claiming that KITT had gotten caught going 36 mph in a 25 mph zone in Brooklyn. The car had never been out of the museum, let alone left the state, but sure enough, according to the Associated Press, the ticket came with a photo showing a black Trans-Am with a California plate that read "KNIGHT" getting caught on a traffic cam. That, of course, is the same plate seen on the show, and the same one on the Volo Museum's replica. So, how did a real ticket wind up getting sent to a museum that owns a replica of the car from "Knight Rider?" ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Well, no one seems to know. New York City hasn't explained, and the museum is as confused as the rest of us. "The fact that we’re legally tied to a movie prop is interesting," Volo Museum marketing director Jim Wojdyla said. "We’re known for having our Hollywood cars from TV and movies, but I have no idea how we got registered from a ticket in New York to the plates in California to the Volo Museum in Illinois. We’re still trying to figure it out." Oddly enough, the same Trans-Am has been tied to five more unpaid tickets in New York City. The museum has requested a hearing to fight the ticket, and I get the sense they will probably win. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07bcf7a200899a00ebc8fd Top Drug Regulator Is Fired From the F.D.A. te 2026-05-16T00:40:23.135Z Top Drug Regulator Is Fired From the F.D.A. Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg said she did not know who had fired her or why, but the dismissal came amid tumult at the agency in recent days. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07b870a200899a00ebc843 Here it is: The best and the worst of the NFL's annual tradition of the schedule release videos te 2026-05-16T00:21:04.073Z Here it is: The best and the worst of the NFL's annual tradition of the schedule release videos NFL schedule release day seems like a national holiday for football fans. They just can’t wait to see how creative, or how lame their teams and others around the league will share the upcoming season’s schedule. This year didn’t disappoint, overall. I say that because some teams did disappoint. That team likes to disappoint with their on-field play as well, but I won’t give it away just yet.  Without further ado, here are the winners and losers of NFL schedule release day. Los Angeles Rams At first, I thought it was going to be lame. It didn’t hook me from the start, coming across as low effort with the ASMR food presentation, but they delivered. 49ERS GM JOHN LYNCH SKEPTICAL OF RAMS' DECISION TO DRAFT QB TY SIMPSON WITH NO. 13 OVERALL PICK From poking fun at the Washington Commanders changing their name from the Redskins, to the conspiracy that the San Francisco 49ers power station near their practice facility was causing injury to the players via electromagnetic field emissions, to trolling the Democrat mayor of Philadelphia butchering the spelling of Eagles, it was a chef's kiss. Pun intended.  Oh, and they have a humorous "Napoleon Dynamite" reference at the very end with their mascot. Another nice touch. Atlanta Falcons The Dirty Birds put together a compilation of "This is SportsCenter"-style commercials to share their season’s schedule. The new President of Football Operations and Falcons’ legend, Matt Ryan recreated his infamous "GET F****** SET!" call, but this time in an office setting. The release included many of the Falcons starters, including Bijan Robinson and Drake London. They poked fun at how to pronounce Bijan and London met a co-worker named Kendrick, alluding to the Kendrick vs. Drake rap beef. Members of St. André Golf, a prominent Atlanta-based comedy trio, Aaron Chewning, Hannah Rae Aslesen and Jonathan Pawlowsk, were also featured.  To get all of your star players to participate, and your new coach to play a role too, is no easy task. Well done, Atlanta. Las Vegas Raiders Speaking of using star players, well, let’s just say star player (No offense Kirk). Raiders quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, who was signed in the offseason after his release from Atlanta, teamed up with the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, former Indiana Hoosier and national champion, Fernando Mendoza, to parody John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell’s comedy, Step Brothers. The video starts by recreating the classic nicknames stand-off scene from the movie, but instead of "Nighthawk" and "Dragon", Mendoza tells Cousins to call him "The Mendolorian", a reference to Star Wars’ show The Mandalorian, and Cousins telling Mendoza to call him "Kirko Chains." It’s hysterically poor acting, that’ll give you a Napolean Dynamite feel at times, and the tucked-in shirts are a funny touch.  Cousins in a tucked-in Yoda shirt was comical, and the two measuring the size of their hands was a witty PG version of the movie’s antics. Now fans hope the team’s play on the field will be as good as this video. If it’s anything remotely close, the season will be a success. Los Angeles Chargers The Rams awarded the Chargers a "Certificate of Achievement" for "Best Schedule Release Video" and I couldn’t agree more. My inner child was loving the Halo-themed release that was littered with Easter eggs trolling their opponents. One of the characters throws a sticky bomb at a Broncos-themed character, referencing Bo Nix’s injury last season. They poke fun at Texans QB C.J. Stroud giving Bears QB Caleb Williams advice after their primetime showdown in 2024. Diana Russini and Mike Vrabel’s affair is referenced with "1 Hour Until Next Photo Dump" with a "message" from the New York Post. They gave the Chiefs character "zebra armor" so it looked like a ref. The Rams were mentioned with a Colorado Avalanche logo making fun of their GM wearing an Avalanche jersey in the NFL Draft room.  It was so well presented with countless references to viral moments and gaffes. There’s a reason the video has more than 16 million views in 22 hours since it was posted. A+ Chargers. A+. HOW THE MIKE VRABEL-DIANNA RUSSINI SCANDAL COULD DERAIL THE PATRIOTS' SEASON ON THE FIELD Tennessee Titans The Titans’ went will the man of the street approach again and it paid off big time. Tennessee’s social media team went up and down Broadway, and the surrounding area in downtown Nashville to find lookalikes of key figures of their 2026 opponents. From Will Compton, to Dominico "Big Dom" DiSandro, the chief security officer of the Philadelphia Eagles, to some random white dude in a Myles Garrett jersey who looked nothing like Garrett, it was another cheesy, extremely low-budget video that is easily in my top 3 of best schedule releases. Arizona Cardinals I’ll keep this brief. The Arizona Cardinals put together a Zoom call with what looks like the AI-version of the mascots of all of their opponents, led by an AI Muppet-like figure presented as the "Director of Mascot Match-ups." This was hilariously bad. The sound drops off in a way that isn’t properly explained and it sounds like a voiceover you’d hear after recording a voice memo on your phone.  This may be worst schedule release I’ve ever seen. Incredibly forgettable and hard to get through. New York Jets This video is arguably not as bad as Aaron Rodgers' Achilles tendon rupturing in the first quarter of his first start in a Jets uniform, but it’s close. The team went arts and crafts in this year’s release, and I went to bed. This would be an entertaining video to show up on your doom scroll late at night, seeing how paint colors can be mixed and matched to present the color of your opponent, but two and a half minutes of this? Come on. Give your fans something to get excited about. JETS MAKE NFL HISTORY WITH SEASON OF UNPRECEDENTED FUTILITY AND RECORD-BREAKING FAILURES Not a single word was spoken in this video, but it screamed, "BORING!" to me. It’s fitting that two of the worst teams in the league would present schedule releases like this. Overall, the league’s social media teams do a solid job. It’s fun to look for the subtle and not-so-subtle digs at each other and spend a few hours checking each team’s page to see what they cooked up. It got me fired up for the season, as it did for you as well, I’m sure. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07b85ca200899a00ebc83a NAACP official condemns White politicians trying to replace resigning Black mayor te 2026-05-16T00:20:44.618Z NAACP official condemns White politicians trying to replace resigning Black mayor The North Carolina NAACP defended a local branch president, Corine Mack, after she argued that it is "seriously disturbing" for any White person to fill in as interim mayor of Charlotte after Mayor Vi Lyles announced her resignation. Lyles announced last week that she will be resigning as mayor on June 30, saying her term has been "has been the honor of my life." While some are puzzled at her resignation only about halfway into her term, one aspect that has been noted is her controversy on the national stage after the stabbing of Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska. According to Axios, numerous local politicians are jockeying to fill the position, but Mack voiced outrage at the possibility that Lyles — who is Black — could be temporarily succeeded by someone who is White. As Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP president, Mack shared a now-controversial post on Monday, arguing that a White person taking the role would be part of a larger phenomenon of usurping Black representation. "It is seriously disturbing for White folks to be lobbying to be the interim Mayor in Charlotte," Mack wrote. "Our Mayor who recently resigned is a Black woman who is a registered Democrat. While Black representation is being undermined and stripped nationwide; White folks are either tone deaf or worse ... self centered! It's not about YOU! CHARLOTTE MAYOR WINS LANDSLIDE REELECTION DESPITE CONTROVERSY OVER IRYNA ZARUTSKA’S SLAYING "In Charlotte, Black Voters have been intentional about having Black representation," she continued. "What is the consensus after several discussion; If the City Council votes a non-Black person in as interim Mayor again ... voters will hold you accountable next year." Mack made a similar statement, doubling down to Queen City News by declaring, "Why would we replace  the Black outgoing mayor with a White person? That simple." She later added, "My question for the white folks who, up in arms and outraged, are they outrage about the fact that Black representation is under attack?" Mack also defended the post on her personal Facebook page, arguing the outrage about how "any Black person who dares to have an independent thought and opinion." "On our NAACP Charlotte-Mecklenburg Branch page, White people are losing their minds in defense of Charlotte having the right to have a White Mayor. Anyone can run next year! This year the City Council will elect the interim Mayor," she wrote. "It is very interesting to watch some White people in a frenzy about Black people loving and supporting Black people. Meanwhile, they create movements and spaces solely for white people all of the time." NAACP POSTS SPLIT IMAGE COMPARING ICE AGENTS TO KKK MEMBERS: 'DIFFERENT MASK, SAME AGENDA' "The outrage must be about any Black person who dares to have an independent thought and opinion," she concluded. Poor things! White people created race and racism. But, they continue to play the victim and create fake narratives. Everything in this country is predicated on race ... White people did that! I won't be silenced! In the meantime, I'm praying for this country." WBTV reported that Deborah Maxwell, president of the North Carolina NAACP, addressed Mack's initial post on the following Wednesday. "NAACP North Carolina stands with the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Branch and its long‑standing work to advance equity, justice, and accountability for Black communities," she said. She added further, "The NAACP evaluates leadership by actions, policies, and results, not by personal identity. What matters is whether decisions made by those in power strengthen or harm the lived experiences of Black residents." CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Maxwell also defended the local NAACP chapter’s duty to raise concerns if they think Black communities are being excluded from "meaningful participation or progress."  "Black communities deserve leadership that listens, delivers results, and helps close long‑standing gaps in opportunity," she said. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07b5eea200899a00ebc7b0 F.A.A. Says Better Scheduling Can Address Air Traffic Control Staffing Issues te 2026-05-16T00:10:22.929Z F.A.A. Says Better Scheduling Can Address Air Traffic Control Staffing Issues In a new report, the F.A.A. says that by increasing controllers’ active work hours per shift, it could reduce its target for a fully staffed work force by over 2,000 positions. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07b397a200899a00ebc72f Tucson woman gets 14.5 years for 'criminal enterprise' that AG says involved drugs, guns & fake land mines te 2026-05-16T00:00:23.396Z Tucson woman gets 14.5 years for 'criminal enterprise' that AG says involved drugs, guns & fake land mines Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07b167a200899a00ebc6db Horse dies after crossing the finish line in his first career race in tragic start to Preakness weekend te 2026-05-15T23:51:03.147Z Horse dies after crossing the finish line in his first career race in tragic start to Preakness weekend There's always a lot of excitement about the Preakness Stakes — the second leg of the Triple Crown — but this year's weekend is off to a tragic start. Laurel Park is hosting this year's Preakness as Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore undergoes renovations, and on Friday, a horse collapsed and died after crossing the finish line in its first career race. Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell's horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died. "After pulling up and finishing the race, the horse was unsaddled, began walking back to the barn, and collapsed and ended up suffering catastrophic sudden death," Chief Veterinary Officer for 1/ST Racing Dr. Dionne Benson told WBAL. Dr. Benson said that an incident like this is often a sign of a heart condition, but they will not know for sure what happened until a necropsy is performed. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! This is obviously the last thing anyone wants to hear when it comes to horse racing, and it continues to be a major criticism of the sport. However, Dr. Benson insisted that fatalities are still rare and there is a procedure in place to determine what happened and prevent future incidents. "Fatalities, first off, are very rare in horse racing overall. It's less than 1% of 1% of horseracing. Realistically, it's something that when a horse dies of a sudden death, every horse that dies in Maryland on a race track goes for a necropsy or post-mortem, and then, there is a meeting that follows that so we can work with the trainer to find out if there was anything abnormal about the horse, and, really, the goal is preventing any future fatalities," Benson said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE "But, often, it's very difficult, especially with sudden death, to figure out what the cause is because, for example, if it's an electrical abnormality, there's no evidence of that in the heart after death." The Preakness Stakes is set to take place on Saturday. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07b153a200899a00ebc6d2 White House gets an unexpected buzz as thousands of bees swarm the executive mansion's North Lawn te 2026-05-15T23:50:43.666Z White House gets an unexpected buzz as thousands of bees swarm the executive mansion's North Lawn The White House got an unexpected buzz Friday when thousands of bees swarmed the North Lawn weeks after first lady Melania Trump added new bee colonies to the executive mansion grounds. Numerous black dots, later identified as a swarm of bees, were spotted on the White House near the press corps’ Pebble Beach media area on the North Lawn. About 20 minutes later, the bees swarmed into a hive on a tree on the North Lawn of the White House. NICKI MINAJ GOES WILD AFTER TRUMP AND MELANIA USE HER VIRAL SONG IN WHITE HOUSE TIKTOK It is unclear what led to the swarm, though just weeks ago the first lady announced the addition of two new bee colonies to the property's existing two. She also unveiled a new replica White House beehive on the South Lawn. It is unclear if the bees confused the historic mansion with their new, similarly styled home. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. MELANIA TRUMP'S 'SOFT POWER' ON DISPLAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE: SEE THE PHOTOS The hive took center stage during Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla's state visit when the royal couple, both longtime supporters of beekeeping, toured the newly expanded hive with the Trumps on the South Lawn. White House honey was also served in dishes at the state dinner. Fox News Digital previously reported the colony expansion is expected to boost annual honey production by an estimated 30 pounds, allowing for even greater use in preparing White House culinary dishes, serving as official gifts from the president and the first lady and supporting charitable donations of healthy foods to local food kitchens. The colony can grow to roughly 70,000 bees in peak summer months, producing up to 225 pounds of honey annually. Funded through the Trust for the National Mall, the new White House hive supports the existing colonies in pollinating the nearby White House Kitchen Garden, Flower Cutting Garden and vegetation on the National Mall. The White House beekeeping program started in 2009 after a White House carpenter, Charlie Brandt, started keeping bees on the complex as a hobby a few years prior. The Office of the First Lady said the hobby has since become "a lasting tradition." FOX Business' White House correspondent Edward Lawrence contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07af50a200899a00ebc696 Stolen sportscar worth $75K recovered in Goodyear te 2026-05-15T23:42:08.474Z Stolen sportscar worth $75K recovered in Goodyear The VIN number had apparently been altered by the time DPS recovered the stolen sportscar in Goodyear. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07af23a200899a00ebc665 Former Christian school teacher sentenced after pleading guilty to child seduction charge te 2026-05-15T23:41:23.165Z Former Christian school teacher sentenced after pleading guilty to child seduction charge A former private school teacher in Indiana pleaded guilty Thursday to child seduction, after authorities said she carried on a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student, according to court records. Fox News Digital reviewed court records showing Torrie Lemon, 24, was sentenced to four years, though she avoided significant prison time. Records show she was ordered to serve 40 days in jail or prison followed by 1,420 days (nearly four years) of probation. Prosecutors said the relationship came to light during a 2025 school trip after another student discovered explicit text messages on the teen’s cellphone. Lemon, a former kindergarten teacher at the Colonial Christian School, was later charged in both Hamilton and Marion counties, and admitted to the allegations during a police interview. "I was having an inappropriate relationship with a student from our school," she told authorities, FOX 59 reported. CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TEACHER ARRESTED ON CHILD SEX CRIME CHARGES The victim told investigators the relationship dated back to January 2025, when she and Lemon began spending time together and making sexual jokes before eventually kissing during a school field trip, according to court documents reviewed by FOX 59. Authorities said the relationship was uncovered in April during a school trip to South Carolina, after another student saw explicit messages exchanged between Lemon and the victim. Lemon was also allowed to sleep over at the victim’s home, where the two shared a pull-out couch in the basement, according to court documents, the New York Post reported. The girl’s father also told investigators his daughter began asking questions about Indiana’s age-of-consent laws after meeting the teacher. INDIANA SCHOOL SECRETARY CHARGED AFTER HUSBAND FINDS HER WITH STUDENT, PROBE REVEALS AFFAIR WITH ANOTHER: COPS The girl’s father told investigators he knew his daughter had "kissed, hugged and cuddled" Lemon, but said he did not report the relationship because he feared jeopardizing the teacher’s career, according to court documents. Lemon also allegedly told investigators the victim’s mother suspected "there was more to their relationship" than friendship. Court documents said the victim told investigators the pair had sex at Lemon’s apartment, which was located on school grounds. Police also recovered text messages allegedly sent by Lemon to the student, including one message that read: "I love you more than I can describe. I love my girl." The Colonial Christian School did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Lemon was expected to be sentenced Friday in Marion County on two additional child seduction charges tied to the same investigation. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07af0fa200899a00ebc65c Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley get heated with official over pace of play at PGA Championship te 2026-05-15T23:41:03.714Z Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley get heated with official over pace of play at PGA Championship After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday. However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated. Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year's United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them. "We just didn't really agree with it," Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. "We were behind. That wasn't our issue... It's just the fact that we weren't holding up the group behind us." Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole. GARRICK HIGGO SHARES BAFFLING COMMENTS WHILE REACTING TO TWO-SHOT PENALTY AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet -- though he was definitely not happy with the call. It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing. Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that's causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth. As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, "You're not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here." Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07aefca200899a00ebc653 Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Detransitioner drama, sex toy giveaways, shocking bathroom find te 2026-05-15T23:40:44.254Z Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Detransitioner drama, sex toy giveaways, shocking bathroom find FIRST ON FOX: Chloe Cole vows to return to UW after canceling appearance over alleged Antifa threats TRUTH DELAYED: Detransitioner Chloe Cole cancels UW speech after alleged Antifa threats PRIVACY VIOLATED: Loudoun County high school student accused of filming students in bathroom under investigation LEADERSHIP BACKED: Cornell board clears president of wrongdoing after confrontation with anti-Israel students GENDER FLASHPOINT: UVA installs tampon dispensers in men’s restrooms; students call move ‘absurd’ SCRUBBED: Liberal arts college drops prof’s name from campus hall after grave dig controversy YOUR TAX DOLLARS: San Francisco university hosts genital piercing workshop with sex toy giveaway for students Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07aa8aa200899a00ebc5ae Judge keeps Fondomonte groundwater case alive in La Paz County te 2026-05-15T23:21:46.185Z Judge keeps Fondomonte groundwater case alive in La Paz County PHOENIX -- A judge has rejected a request by a company accused of excessive pumping of groundwater in La Paz County to delay the case while state officials conduct a separate study of the entire area. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07aa5fa200899a00ebc582 Supreme Court deals blow to Virginia Democrats in fight over state court ruling te 2026-05-15T23:21:03.073Z Supreme Court deals blow to Virginia Democrats in fight over state court ruling Virginia Democrats suffered a major legal defeat after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a high-stakes redistricting dispute, leaving intact a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a voter-approved congressional map overhaul. The justices denied Democrats’ emergency request to block the Virginia high court’s decision, which found the amendment process violated the state constitution because lawmakers advanced the proposal after early voting had already begun in the required intervening election cycle. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled May 8 in a 4-3 decision that the procedural defect "incurably taints the resulting referendum vote," effectively killing Democrats’ effort to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. Virginia Democrats had argued the state court improperly overrode the will of voters who approved the amendment and claimed the ruling relied on an overly broad interpretation of election law by counting the start of early voting as part of the election itself. It is currently unknown which judges dissented. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07aa4ba200899a00ebc579 Colorado governor commutes Tina Peters' sentence as Trump posts ‘FREE TINA!’ te 2026-05-15T23:20:43.278Z Colorado governor commutes Tina Peters' sentence as Trump posts ‘FREE TINA!’ Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday commuted the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters — the former election clerk convicted in connection with a 2021 voting equipment breach case that became a flashpoint in the election integrity fight — drawing immediate backlash from Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and praise from President Donald Trump, who posted "FREE TINA!" on Truth Social. Polis announced clemency for 44 individuals Friday, including 35 pardons and nine commutations, according to the governor’s office. Peters was among those granted a commutation reducing her prison sentence and granting parole effective June 1, 2026. "The Clemency power is a serious responsibility, and not one that I take lightly," Polis said in a statement announcing the clemency actions. "This power has the ability to change lives - help grant a second chance for someone who has made grave mistakes - and it comes with great consideration, and sometimes even controversy," he added. TRUMP ANNOUNCES PARDON FOR COLORADO CLERK: 'SIMPLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ELECTIONS WERE FAIR' The move immediately prompted a blistering response from Griswold, who accused Polis of legitimizing "the election denial movement." "This clemency grant to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country," Griswold said in a statement Friday. "The Governor’s actions today will validate and embolden the election denial movement, and leave a dark, dangerous imprint on American democracy for years to come," she added. FEDERAL JUDGE REFUSES TO RELEASE PRO-TRUMP CLERK CONVICTED IN 2020 ELECTION SCHEME According to the executive order signed Friday, Peters’ sentence was commuted from 8 years and 3 months to 4 years and 4.5 months. The order grants her parole effective June 1, 2026, with conditions to be set by the Colorado Parole Board. "Tina M. Peters be and hereby is granted a limited commutation such that her total sentence, inclusive of time in County Jail and the Department of Corrections, is commuted to 4 years and 4.5 months, and that she is granted parole effective June 1, 2026," the order states. The executive order also explicitly noted that the clemency action "shall not in any way affect the underlying criminal conviction." TRUMP PARDONS RUDY GIULIANI, MARK MEADOWS, SIDNEY POWELL, OTHERS INVOLVED IN 2020 ELECTION INTERFERENCE SAGA Polis wrote in the order that "the constitutional and statutory conditions for granting this clemency petition have been satisfied, and granting this commutation is in the interest of justice." According to the executive order, Peters was convicted in 2024 of three counts of attempt to influence a public servant, along with conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation - cause liability, official misconduct, violation of duty elections and failure to comply with secretary of state requirements. She had been sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in Department of Corrections custody, along with 6 months in county jail. Her mandatory release date had previously been listed in 2033, while her estimated parole eligibility date had been in 2028. BIDEN SETS RECORD WITH FIRST-TERM CLEMENCY GRANTS, HERE'S HOW OTHERS PRESIDENTS RANK Griswold’s office said Peters’ actions stemmed from a 2021 breach involving Mesa County voting equipment. "In 2021, then-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters compromised her county’s voting equipment trying to prove conspiracies," Griswold’s office said in a release Friday. The office said Griswold responded by decertifying the county’s voting equipment, working with Mesa County commissioners to remove Peters from election oversight and appointing a former Republican secretary of state to oversee the election process. Griswold’s office also said Peters’ actions cost Mesa County "nearly one million dollars in replacement equipment." The secretary of state’s office noted that on April 2, 2026, the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld Peters’ convictions while ordering that she be re-sentenced by the district court. Trump weighed in on the commutation Friday afternoon with a brief Truth Social post reading simply: "FREE TINA!" Peters became a nationally known figure among 2020 election skeptics following the Mesa County voting equipment breach controversy and subsequent criminal prosecution. Friday’s clemency order immediately deepened political divisions surrounding one of the highest-profile criminal prosecutions in the wake of the 2020 presidential election. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a807a200899a00ebc513 Detroit Tigers broadcasters rip MLB replay after calls are overturned: 'This is gonna get ugly in a hurry' te 2026-05-15T23:11:03.016Z Detroit Tigers broadcasters rip MLB replay after calls are overturned: 'This is gonna get ugly in a hurry' Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti can't believe what he's witnessing from MLB's replay office. Is someone drunk? Are the replay officials even looking at the footage that fans at home are watching? Benetti and Tigers color analyst Andy Dirks worked a game Thursday that featured two calls that ended up in the hands of officials that went in favor of the Mets, who won the game 9-4 for a three-game sweep. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! "This is going to get ugly in a hurry," Dirks said seconds after the home-plate umpire announced that the New York office overturned a 5th inning call. To be fair, the game got ugly in the top of the 4th when Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was kicked out of the game after getting into a screaming match with the ump over a call at third base. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE The very next inning, Benetti and Dirks had seen enough. "I’ll tell you what, the Tigers have a good right to believe that something isn’t on their side right now, whether it’s the baseball gods or whatever," Benetti added after Dirks' comment. "The first one was ridiculous. The first one should have been safe. This one, I just don’t know that we’ve seen clear proof of anything." "If that one wasn’t clear proof at third, how do you have clear proof at first? I’m just beside myself with trying to understand what these rules mean and who’s got discretion of what," Dirks fired back. MLB maintains a page on its website where it shows multiple angles of replay challenges. Here's the play in the 4th inning. Even the Mets booth says the Tigers runner was safe. New York replay officials didn't see it that way. You make the call. Based on the extra footage provided by MLB, the 5th inning overturn appears to be the right call. To Dirks' point, how is the fifth-inning call any different from the fourth? Watch the videos and you tell me. What's clear is that baseball now needs to find a way to determine a definitive angle. And show fans in real time. They shouldn't have to visit MLB's replay archive on a nightly basis. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a7f3a200899a00ebc50a Molly Sims, Brooks Nader stuns in risqué gowns at the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch party te 2026-05-15T23:10:43.153Z Molly Sims, Brooks Nader stuns in risqué gowns at the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch party Molly Sims turned heads when she arrived at the launch of the 2026 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue event in New York City. The 52-year-old model stunned in a figure-hugging floor-length sheer black gown, which showcased her toned stomach and legs. She paired the look with gold jewelry, a black clutch and natural makeup. MOLLY SIMS STUNS IN PURPLE FLORAL BIKINI DURING WEEKEND BEACH GETAWAY WITH FRIENDS Sims appears in the issue this year, celebrating the accomplishment on her Instagram with a series of photos from inside the magazine. Also at the event was Brooks Nader, who posed for photos in a black, floor-length dress with a plunging neckline.  Nader posed on the red carpet alongside her "Baywatch" co-star Livvy Dunne, who opted for a little black dress with floral embellishments on the skirt. The "Love Thy Nader" star famously made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in 2019 after winning an open casting call, and made it onto the cover in 2023. She appears in the magazine again this year. This year's issue was celebrated with an exclusive party held at the Hard Rock Hotel New York, and included appearances from many big names, including three out of the four 2026 cover girls, Tiffany Haddish, Alix Earle and Nicole Williams English. Earle walked the red carpet in a gold crocheted dress which featured cutouts throughout and fringe, which she paired with matching gold strappy heels and gold jewelry. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER She reflected on what it was like traveling to Botswana for the photoshoot in an Instagram post, calling it "such a grounding/peaceful," which "was somehow so healing." "On the way back from this trip I traveled alone, sat at lunch with strangers, and it was such a beautiful way to start the year," she wrote. "Getting to share these memories with the amazing SI team and girls is so special 🥺🤍 forever grateful to have such a beautiful memory live on with these photos." Haddish also made a big statement on the red carpet in a red gown with a halter neckline. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS She and Earle posed alongside English on the carpet and inside the event, who opted for a 2003 vintage Roberto Cavalli dress. Once inside, the three cover girls jumped on stage during a surprise performance by hip-hop artist, Fetty Wap, who performed "Trap Queen," "679" and "Again." Also included in the pages of the Swimsuit Edition this year are Bethenny Frankel, Camille Kostek, Katie Austin and more. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a5c4a200899a00ebc4a4 Golden Knights, head coach John Torotella hit with major punishment after advancing to the conference final te 2026-05-15T23:01:24.042Z Golden Knights, head coach John Torotella hit with major punishment after advancing to the conference final The Vegas Golden Knights are on to the Western Conference Final, where they will face the Colorado Avalanche, but some news that broke on Friday is going to put quite the damper on the celebrations. The NHL is taking away a draft pick at the upcoming draft, and head coach John Tortorella is going to have to cut one heck of a check. The reason? Tortorella refused to talk to the media after Vegas' 5-1 Game 6 win over the Anaheim Ducks. However, after the game, Tortorella did not take part in the post-series handshake line and refused to speak to the media. Only players Brett Howden and Mitch Marner appeared at the podium. GOLDEN KNIGHTS REPORTEDLY BLOCK OILERS FROM INTERVIEWING THEIR FORMER HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY On Friday, the league levied some serious punishments. "The National Hockey League announced today that, as a result of flagrant violations of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Media Regulations following Game 6 of their Second Round series against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, May 14, the Vegas Golden Knights will forfeit a second-round pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft," the league said in a statement. "In addition, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella has been fined $100,000." The statement also notes that "these penalties come after previous warnings were issued to the Club regarding their compliance with the Media Regulations and other associated policies," and the team has the option to appeal. That doesn't make the situation any less crazy, though. Losing a draft pick and the coach having to cut a $100,000 check for not talking to the media? That seems virtually unprecedented. Vegas declined to comment on the penalties after they were announced. As for Tortorella's reason for skipping the handshake and media obligations, he hasn't given one. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! However, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that the veteran bench boss who took over in Vegas with just eight games left in the regular season was mad about the suspension of defenseman Brayden McNabb. McNabb was assessed a one-game suspension — which he served during Game 6 — after a controversial hit on Anaheim forward Ryan Poehling in Game 5. We should hear from Tortorella before the Western Conference Final gets underway, so hopefully he'll explain. He's not exactly the kind of coach who is afraid to speak his mind. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a5b0a200899a00ebc49b Navy veteran Rocky Rochford seeks to turn Tampa Bay red, unseat 20-year House incumbent te 2026-05-15T23:01:04.465Z Navy veteran Rocky Rochford seeks to turn Tampa Bay red, unseat 20-year House incumbent Navy veteran Rocky Rochford served his country for 33 years, holding the title of commodore. Now, he's on a mission to flip Tampa Bay from blue to red, in the midst of a spirited campaign to unseat 20-year incumbent Kathy Castor in Florida's 14th congressional district. Rochford recently sat down to discuss his campaign with Fox News Digital. "So in 20 years, Kathy Castor has been the author of two bills that became law. And both of those were to rename post offices. So I would say that Kathy Castor has been ineffective. She hasn't really helped Tampa Bay in the ways that matter the most. Affordability is probably the biggest thing on everyone's kitchen table list of discussion points. Gasoline, groceries, electricity, insurance. I mean, the list goes on and on and on." Rochford emphasizes that his leadership experience has prepared him to be ready to represent the people of Tampa Bay from day one. RAYS AGREE TO $2.3B DEAL FOR NEW BALLPARK IN TAMPA "So it's about leadership. I have spent my entire adult life…33 years in the Navy, four years at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. I got to go back to the age of 18 for the first time before I was actually part of the military. So, it's been entrenched in my being, it is in my soul, I'm very strong in my faith.  And I believe that we need someone who is not only going to bring leadership to the process, but is going to bring their faith to the process up in D.C., and be part of the solution. People who are anti the other side, whether it doesn't matter what side you're sitting on, when they are against the other side to the point where they won't even talk to them, that's problematic. We're not gonna get anything accomplished, we're not going to get anything done. And that's exactly what's happening up in DC right now, we see a lot of that." Children's rights is an issue at the forefront of Rochford's campaign. "I have three major bills that are the highlight of what I've been working on. And the first is my children's bill of rights. I do believe that children are the future, and they need to be protected far better than they're being protected now. So the laws that govern children are written amongst 11 different government agencies. Those agencies don't overlap and they don't talk to each other. This bill is designed to create a shield, an organization that oversees all of those laws.  "This covers everything from AI for kids, online predators, and it provides new penalties with teeth. This is we're going to get after those folks. The predators have been exploiting four different avenues on children across state lines. I'm going to close every one of those doors. Parental rights, no boys in girls sports. I mean, this bill covers adoption. It covers foster care, egg donor, IVF. It is complete." Rochford argues that foreign influence plays a large role in shaping electoral outcomes, and particularly singles out China-based political donor and activist Neville Roy Singham. "There's a lot folks who have nothing to do with the United States…that are influencing our elections, they're influencing the people…We know that Neville Singham, who's a U.S. citizen living in Shanghai, is taking money from the CCP to disrupt America from the inside. China calls this the smokeless war, and it really is and and they're not the only ones.  "Iran is doing the same thing, we know North Korea is involved, Russia so there's a lot of influence happening in here that are that are causing wreaking havoc but we as a society need to see beyond that. We are one America, and I'm America first. I'm American first before politics, America first before party." LAWMAKERS RAISE ALARM OVER NEVILLE ROY SINGHAM'S $278M NETWORK SPREADING CCP PROPAGANDA IN THE U.S. Florida's 14th district is hardly politically monolithic, and Rochford emphasizes that he seeks to represent the entire district, not merely Republicans. "I'm about listening. So I'm here to not only listen to the right, I'm here to listen to the center, and I'm here to listen the left. Because if we can't come together and find the commonalities that will make us a better country, then we are doomed as a country. So we must support what we're all after, which is a great America, a great society that takes care of its own and helps around the world." He views energy policy and independence as the foundation of affordability for American workers and families. "So I've been talking about affordability for some time. To me, the foundation of affordability for just about everything runs off of energy. The price of oil drives the price of gas, which is in our trucks, in our trains, in our airplanes, in ships. And so we need to get control. And so one of the bills that I have drafted will propose that…we first have to become energy independent. We're the largest producer of energy in the world. So our people should be benefiting from it, not hurting from it." Among the most important policy issues for Rochford is the national debt, which he has spent a great deal of time researching. He has a plan that would retire America's national debt by the 2060s: "We don't want to leave a legacy of debt to our children and grandchildren. So I had go back 40 years to try to figure out where this all started, and where we went off the tracks. And I now understand the entire policy. Balancing the budget is only treating a symptom. It does not treat the disease. So the disease is Congress, I'm sorry, but it's true.  "Every bit of money that comes in that's extra from Congress goes into the general pool and they spend it. And all of the great ideas that have been used in the past, because I studied them all in the past on how to get after the national debt, balance the budget, the things that'll help us get there. They were only policy, they were never law. So this suite of bills is law and it has teeth. And so the very first bill will design, it will create a trust and it is the American National Debt Trust. And when the money goes in there, it cannot come out and it cannot be spent by Congress in any other way. So if we enacted [my legislation] it would still take us to the 2060s to retire the national debt if we do nothing and we're on the path of doing nothing, in 10 years the national debt will be $61 trillion." Florida's primary election is August 18. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a587a200899a00ebc47f Supreme Court Rejects Virginia Democrats’ Efforts to Reinstate New Maps te 2026-05-15T23:00:23.518Z Supreme Court Rejects Virginia Democrats’ Efforts to Reinstate New Maps State officials had asked the justices to step in to allow the state to use a congressional map in the midterms that was drawn by Democrats and recently approved by voters. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a341a200899a00ebc419 Clavicular Gets Plea Deal After Alligator Shooting in Florida te 2026-05-15T22:50:41.148Z Clavicular Gets Plea Deal After Alligator Shooting in Florida The social media personality pleaded no contest and was sentenced to six months of probation. The deal allows him to avoid jail time. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a32da200899a00ebc410 Hospital Will Open First ‘Detransition’ Clinic in Legal Settlement With Texas te 2026-05-15T22:50:21.693Z Hospital Will Open First ‘Detransition’ Clinic in Legal Settlement With Texas Texas Children’s Hospital was under investigation for billing practices on gender-transition treatments. The settlement was expected to end that inquiry. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07a0eaa200899a00ebc3b7 Three college football storylines to focus on INSTEAD of LSU coach Lane Kiffin this offseason te 2026-05-15T22:40:42.731Z Three college football storylines to focus on INSTEAD of LSU coach Lane Kiffin this offseason We have reached what is, perhaps, the trough of the college football offseason. This is partly due to the time in between the end of last season and the start of next season being nearly identical and is also due to the fact that there is next to nothing of substance happening right now. Spring games for most if not all teams are over and official visits for recruits won't start until after Memorial Day. Hell, even media days seem like they might as well be decades away. WOULD YOU WANT YOUR COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH POSING FOR VANITY FAIR? That hasn't stopped people from talking, though. And the main topic on everyone's tongue is LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. Most of that is his own doing, but I have to say even I am guilty of mentioning the man's name when I maybe could have refrained. What can I say, he's an easy target. OLE MISS LEGEND DESCRIBES 'HURT' CREATED BY LANE KIFFIN'S DECISION TO JOIN LSU: 'THERE’S ANGER' Today, I'm here to tell you that offseason discourse doesn't have to center around the Lane Train. There are plenty of engaging storylines to dive into this summer that won't include the Bayou Bengals and their carnival barker of a head coach even in the slightest. Let's talk some college ball sans Kiffin, shall we? FIVE SEC TRAP GAMES IN 2026 THAT COULD UPEND THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RACE, FROM LSU TO GEORGIA If it wasn't for he-who-shall-not-be-named, I can almost guarantee the big talking point this offseason would be about whether the College Football Playoff should expand to 24 teams. I'm sure you all know my thoughts on the matter at this point, but I was shocked to see that the discourse on social media wasn't quite as lopsided against expansion as I thought it would be. The argument seems to splinter into two factions: people who view the regular season as sacred and people who want more programs to get a bite at the apple. ESPN IS REPORTEDLY PREVENTING THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FROM EXPANDING TO 24 TEAMS While it's noble to want to include everyone in the postseason, it does reek of "participation trophy" vibes, and if you want college football to be this egalitarian society, you're probably new here and you shouldn't hold your breath. College football has always been an aristocracy, and most fans like it that way. Besides, NIL has done far more to level the playing field than an expanded playoff ever could. Look at my darlings out in Lubbock, Texas Tech. You're finally legally allowed to pay players, and all the Red Raiders have done is summon their bottomless pit of billionaires to start purchasing five-star edge rushers and offensive tackles. Last year was supposed to be Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning's coronation. ARCH MANNING, TEXAS SIT ATOP PRESEASON AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL Many fans thought he should have been starting over Quinn Ewers a season earlier, and bemoaned the fact that the prodigal nephew had to wait his turn in this instant gratification society we have. 2025 arrived, but Manning took a little time to morph into even a shell of what Texas fans expected him to look like. By the end of the season, though, Arch had put together a hell of a second half of the season, ending with a brilliant performance against Michigan in their bowl game in which the Longhorns signal caller posted a QBR of 99.2 (they measure those bad boys on a scale that goes to 100, by the way). Now that we've seen what Manning is truly capable of, the pressure will be on for him to deliver in 2026. The redshirt junior is already the presumptive Heisman favorite heading into this season, and the Longhorns will be viewed as one of the teams with the shortest odds to win it all. Will Manning's 2026 resemble the first half of 2025, where he looked like a deer in the headlights at times? Or will he look more like the version of himself during the second half of last year, throwing darts all over the field and knocking off top-ten teams like Vanderbilt and Texas A&M? WHICH TEAMS HAVE THE TOUGHEST STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE HEADING INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON? There's only one way to find out. I wrote about this a little earlier with UCLA's surprising jump into the top ten of recruiting rankings, but the talent acquisition landscape as a whole is starting to look a lot different than it has in years past. Aside from UCLA, you have "new blood" Texas Tech knocking on the door of the top ten and boasting one of the highest class averages in the country, with three five-stars already in the fold. What's even more noteworthy than who is in the top ten is who isn't, as traditional recruiting powers like Georgia, LSU, Alabama and Clemson are all comfortably sitting outside of the top 20! Hell, even Texas finds itself on the outside looking in on the top ten. LSU and Alabama are fine, both already having at least one five-star commit in their class and their issue being more of a quantity than a quality thing, but Georgia specifically may have some self-evaluating to do. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! The Dawgs lost three blue-chip commits in the last month, including five-star cornerback Donte Wright, who flipped to the Miami Hurricanes less than a week ago. Georgia still has a pair of five-stars in the fold and plenty of room to grow, but this is an uncharacteristic spot for them to be in this far into the cycle. Does this represent a changing of the guard? A new era of recruiting where non-traditional powers will start to rise up and shrink the talent gap? It's too early to tell, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on as the recruiting season soldiers on through the doldrums of summer. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079e7ea200899a00ebc31c Ex-Texas Lottery Commission Leader Charged in Guaranteed Jackpot Scheme te 2026-05-15T22:30:22.816Z Ex-Texas Lottery Commission Leader Charged in Guaranteed Jackpot Scheme Prosecutors in Travis County, Texas, filed charges against Gary Grief and the disbanded Texas Lottery Commission in connection with a 2023 plan that arranged a surefire jackpot. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079c7ea200899a00ebc2ee 051526 MVFD Mulberry.jpg te 2026-05-15T22:21:50.409Z 051526 MVFD Mulberry.jpg No injuries were reported in a detached garage fire Friday, May 15, on Mulberry Drive in Mohave Valley. The potential cause of the blaze was weed burning earlier in the day, said Mohave Valley Fire Chief Ted Martin. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079c69a200899a00ebc2d8 Legislature gave Schools Chief Tom Horne $10M for the ESA program, GOP rival Kimberly Yee said he wasted the money on a vanity project te 2026-05-15T22:21:29.417Z Legislature gave Schools Chief Tom Horne $10M for the ESA program, GOP rival Kimberly Yee said he wasted the money on a vanity project Horne said lawmakers earmarked the money in 2024 to promote Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079c3ba200899a00ebc29d Spencer Pratt fires back as reports swirl that his LA mayoral bid is being filmed for a reality show te 2026-05-15T22:20:43.517Z Spencer Pratt fires back as reports swirl that his LA mayoral bid is being filmed for a reality show Is Spencer Pratt ready to step back in front of the reality TV cameras? Pratt's team was quick to push back on reports the former reality star was filming his bid to be the next mayor of Los Angeles. "This is inaccurate," a spokesperson told The Wrap. "There is no series in production and cameras have not been following the campaign." According to his rep, fans shouldn't expect to see any behind-the-scenes TV content even if he wins. "He does not have any signed contract," the rep added. "No contract exists related to this because it isn't true." SPENCER PRATT AND HEIDI MONTAG’S HOLLYWOOD JOURNEY FROM TABLOID FAME TO LA MAYORAL RACE Reports claimed Pratt had signed a contract with Santa Monica’s Boardwalk Pictures and that filming had already begun. "It’s both familiar and uncharted territory, isn’t it?" a production source told Deadline. "That’s part of Spencer and Heidi’s appeal, right?" Fox News Digital reached out to Pratt's representative for additional comment. Pratt's mayoral campaign has come under scrutiny as he fields various accusations, including questions over his current living situation. The speculation intensified following reports he was not living in an Airstream trailer parked on the lot of his former California home. The former "Hills" star acknowledged he is not actively staying in the trailer despite suggesting he was in a recent mayoral campaign ad. "Hey guys, why don’t they wanna talk about why I need a hotel in the first place?" Pratt wrote on X. "Karen Bass let my home burn down. Also 6,000 of my neighbors. NBD. SPENCER PRATT SAYS A-LISTERS PRIVATELY CHEER HIS CRITICISM OF CALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP, FEAR CAREER FALLOUT "Funny how they never attack my policy ideas," the reality TV star added in a separate post. "They can only try to assassinate your character. They don’t wanna talk about my debate masterclass a week ago, they wanna talk about a reality show from a lifetime ago." "That’s because they want the continued decline of the city," Pratt continued. "They are locked in an ideological death spiral and can’t shake it. Come at my policies or go sit back down on the back bench. I’m in the arena, son." Pratt has been staying at the Hotel Bel-Air for the past month while his wife and kids have been staying in Carpinteria, California, sources told TMZ. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER The 42-year-old told the outlet the Airstream had become unsafe as he campaigns to be Los Angeles’ next mayor, claiming the hotel’s "armed security" made it "the only option." "The reality is the Ba--holes and Ramaniacs are a little bit whacko, and since I destroyed them in the debate, and am surging in the polls, they are getting increasingly desperate and hostile," he explained. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Pratt doubled down during TMZ Live on Wednesday, claiming critics were missing his point. "I don't live at the hotel Bel Air. I don't live in the Airstream. I don't live in Santa Barbara. I don't have a house. They burned it down," he told the outlet. Despite his house burning down, Pratt emphasized the Palisades property is his home. "That is where I live, period," Pratt noted. "I don't need to sleep there every night. I don't need to go number two on that toilet. That is where I live." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079a49a200899a00ebc24f Letter to the Editor: Flagstaff resident says no vote on Regional Plan is about 'doing the right thing' te 2026-05-15T22:12:25.918Z Letter to the Editor: Flagstaff resident says no vote on Regional Plan is about 'doing the right thing' Dear Flagstaff residents, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079a35a200899a00ebc246 Letter to the Editor: Regional Plan change doesn't make sense at this time te 2026-05-15T22:12:05.629Z Letter to the Editor: Regional Plan change doesn't make sense at this time Something to think about. After APS shut down electricity to homes in a large area due to winds just a week ago, it gave a reality check to VOTE NO on May 19 on the City’s Regional Plan. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079a21a200899a00ebc23d Red Flag Warning issued by NWS for northern Arizona on Saturday and Sunday te 2026-05-15T22:11:45.636Z Red Flag Warning issued by NWS for northern Arizona on Saturday and Sunday Saturday's winds in Flagstaff expected to be between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0799f6a200899a00ebc211 Former NFL defensive end Josh Mauro died from fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol overdose: report te 2026-05-15T22:11:02.414Z Former NFL defensive end Josh Mauro died from fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol overdose: report Former NFL player Josh Mauro died from a drug overdose, the California Post reported, citing the Maricopa County Medical Examiner. The Post said that Mauro died from "acute combined fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication." Mauro's death was ruled accidental, the outlet added. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Greg Mauro, Josh’s father, announced his son’s death in a Facebook post last month, saying he passed on April 23. "With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new – live in the presence of the Lord – we humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend," Greg Mauro wrote in the post. "On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this Earth and his first breath in heaven. The Lord has been our strength in this unimaginable moment. Your prayers for continued strength and comfort mean more to us than words could ever express." WISCONSIN SENATOR SAYS 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' AFTER NFL PUTS PACKERS HOLIDAY GAME BEHIND NETFLIX PAYWALL Mauro entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014. But the Steelers didn’t hold on to the 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive end long, cutting him during final roster moves before the start of the season.  However, Mauro landed with the Arizona Cardinals, and he would spend the next four seasons in the desert helping their defensive line.  Over six seasons with the Cardinals, Mauro collected 83 combined tackles and four sacks across 55 games (29 starts). He worked himself into a starting role in 2016, when he saw seven tackles for loss across 15 games.  Mauro also spent time with the New York Giants and then-Oakland Raiders before a return to the Cardinals for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Mauro was born in England, where his father was stationed for work. He would eventually move from England to Texas and work up a high school resume that allowed him to play Division I football at Stanford.  Across 80 career games, Mauro had five sacks, 130 combined tackles (20 for loss), two forced fumbles and five passes defended. Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0799e2a200899a00ebc208 Minnesota Medicaid operator’s bankruptcy-to-riches rise crashes into fraud probe te 2026-05-15T22:10:42.910Z Minnesota Medicaid operator’s bankruptcy-to-riches rise crashes into fraud probe A Minnesota Medicaid-funded home care operator who once touted his climb from bankruptcy to multimillion-dollar businesses is under investigation by state officials over allegations that his companies failed to provide services they were paid to deliver to vulnerable clients. Arnold Kubei, who came to the United States in 2007 as an asylee from Cameroon, went bankrupt in 2014 after a failed investment in a gas station, according to an interview he gave to a local media outlet in 2022. By 2021, however, Kubei was running a pair of home care businesses that he told the outlet had brought in a total of $3.7 million that year. Now, the Minnesota Department of Human Services has suspended Kubei’s license to provide home and community-based services as it investigates allegations that he was failing to render the services the state was paying him to provide.  Kubei’s companies were expected to help find community-based housing for the disabled, former convicts, nursing home residents, and other people who have difficulty finding permanent housing. MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B The Minnesota Department of Human Services determined Kubei’s businesses presented an "imminent risk of harm to persons served" due to their failure to provide certain services. Letters from the department sent in late April state that Kubei’s businesses were failing to ensure that their patients were adequately medicated, seriously injured patients lacked a contact to reach for assistance and some patients struggling with addiction relapsed "due to the lack of staff supervision to maintain their sobriety." Kubei was also allegedly failing generally to provide patients with services "in response to identified needs as specified in their support plans." "The license holder and controlling individual are the subjects of a pending administrative investigation and pending administrative action related to fraud against Minnesota’s Medicaid program," a letter from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to Kubei reads. Home Sweet Home Minnesota alone has received nearly $3.2 million in taxpayer-funded payments since 2024, according to Alpha News’ review of Minnesota’s transparency database. "People use fraud, fraud, fraud everywhere, to attack us with it," Kubei told a local news outlet in April after his license was suspended. "We are not the guys. We are not the guys. We are the guys who want to collaborate with the Department of Human Services." "This is damaging of my reputation in this community. This is targeting. This is bullying," he continued. YOUTUBER TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON MINNESOTA'S MASSIVE $9B FRAUD NETWORK INVESTIGATION After getting the businesses off the ground, Kubei reportedly appeared for an interview on the YouTube channel "Immigrant Money" detailing how he "went from bankruptcy to multimillions in just five years," according to Alpha News.  The video, which included footage of Kubei drinking champagne inside his home, was made private on the account before Fox News Digital could review it. Footage of the interview has since surfaced on other social media platforms, including X.  MINNESOTA’S FRAUD SCANDAL WAS ‘SHOCKINGLY EASY’ TO PULL OFF, IS LIKELY WORSE THAN REPORTED: EX PROSECUTOR Kubei’s interview was preceded by a jingle, singing: "Immigrant money, immigrant money, I came from overseas and now I got the money."  "I urge you to come to my summit for me to teach you how these things are supposed to be done," Kubei said in the interview, per Alpha News. "I figured it out." Fraud in Minnesota has become a national flashpoint, with Republicans alleging that state oversight failures combined with norms in some immigrant communities have exacerbated the problem. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson claimed in December 2025 that the amount of fraud in the state’s Medicaid programs likely exceeds $9 billion since 2018. He has appealed his license suspension and is seeking to restore state-funded payments to his businesses.  Kubei did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Friday. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0797a1a200899a00ebc19b Eric Trump plans to sue Jen Psaki, MS NOW for alleged 'blatant lies' about him joining father's China trip te 2026-05-15T22:01:05.294Z Eric Trump plans to sue Jen Psaki, MS NOW for alleged 'blatant lies' about him joining father's China trip Eric Trump said Friday he plans to sue MS NOW and its primetime host Jen Psaki for what he called "blatant lies" she said about him regarding his recent trip to China alongside his father, President Donald Trump. During a monologue on Wednesday, Psaki put a spotlight on the president's adult son joining him despite him not having a government job and that "supposedly" he was firewalled from the administration to prevent potential conflicts of interest as he and his brother Donald Trump Jr. have taken over the family business. Psaki read off statements from the White House insisting there wasn't a conflict of interest, and a statement from Eric Trump's spokesperson said he was joining his father in a personal capacity and that he would not be involved in any business meetings and doesn't have any business ties with China. "Now, that is quite an interesting denial given this piece in the Financial Times out just today," a skeptical Psaki reacted before reading the headline, "Eric Trump joins Beijing trip as family-linked group chases China deal." MSNBC'S PSAKI CORRECTS HERSELF AFTER ACCIDENTALLY REFERRING TO TRUMP AS A 'PREDATOR' According to the report, Eric Trump was labeled an "observer" to the board of fintech company ALT5 Sigma last year. ALT5 Sigma has financial ties to the Trump family's crypto business and is currently exploring a deal with a Chinese chip manufacturer as ALT5 Sigma pursues building AI data centers in the U.S. However, in her monologue, Psaki said that Eric Trump "sits on the board" of the ALT5 Sigma and pointed to him and his brother ringing the Nasdaq bell on behalf of the company. "It certainly seems like Eric might be getting a little bit more than just quality time with his dad out of this China trip, doesn't it?" Psaki said before listing other "sketchy ways" she claims he and his brother Donald Trump Jr. are profiting from the administration. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL FILES $250 MILLION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ATLANTIC OVER ‘DEFAMATORY HIT PIECE’ On Friday, Eric Trump announced his intention to sue Psaki and MS NOW. "Contrary to her monolog [sic] and blatant lies, I have NEVER been on the board of ALT5 — not now, not ever. Any person with basic access to Google and willing to open a company’s annual report or proxy statements would know this," Trump wrote on X. "I have had zero involvement in any merger discussions involving any public entity I do not run or control. I have zero business interests in China. No properties, no investments, nothing!" He continued, "I joined this trip for one reason: as a loving son who adores my father and wouldn’t miss being by his side for this incredible moment. During the bilateral talks, @LaraLeaTrump and I went to the Great Wall of China. More to come…" CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS MS NOW did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07978da200899a00ebc192 Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: 'What a difference' te 2026-05-15T22:00:45.771Z Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: 'What a difference' The Trump administration marked a full year of "zero releases" at the southern border on Friday, a milestone officials touted as evidence that the president has effectively ended the catch-and-release policies that defined the Biden-era border crisis. "Zero releases" refers to U.S. border patrol not releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. interior after apprehension. It does not mean zero illegal crossings or zero apprehensions. In a news release announcing the decline in releases at the southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pointed to broader enforcement statistics showing illegal crossings and apprehensions at levels officials said have not been seen in more than three decades. CBP said Border Patrol recorded 8,943 southwestern border apprehensions in April, 94% lower than the Biden administration’s monthly average, 96% below the December 2023 peak during Biden’s tenure and fewer than the number apprehended in just three days in April 2024. "The days of catch and release are over," said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "We are enforcing the nation’s laws and sending illegal aliens back to their home countries."  TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMPARED TO BIDEN YEARS: 'UNPRECEDENTED' Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told Fox News Digital that the administration’s claim of "zero releases" from Border Patrol custody "does appear true," but noted that the figure does not capture migrants transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and later released on bond, parole, medical or humanitarian grounds, or after winning their cases. "What a difference," CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott said. "The U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into our country again this month, unlike April 2024 when more than 68,000 were released under President Biden. Every minute of every day President Trump’s border security policies are making every American safer." DHS said the April daily average of 298 apprehensions was lower than a single hour during the height of the Biden-era surge, when officials said Border Patrol was averaging 336 apprehensions per hour in December 2023. CBP also said total encounters so far this fiscal year, 215,876, are 13% lower than the total recorded in April 2024 alone. Beyond illegal crossings, CBP highlighted drug and trade enforcement numbers, noting that nationwide seizures of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana by weight increased 60% from April 2024. The agency said it seized 463 pounds of fentanyl in April and has seized 61% more drugs so far this fiscal year than during the same period in FY 2024. US DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS PLUMMET 20% AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON SOUTHERN BORDER "The specific claim of catch and release is in reference to the practice involving Border Patrol releasing migrants directly from Border Patrol custody," Reichlin-Melnick clarified when speaking to Fox News Digital. "Some people are still crossing the border, and then eventually being released. It’s just that they’re not being released directly from the Border Patrol." Reichlin-Melnick acknowledged that Trump’s hardline immigration approach has produced results at the border, saying apprehensions are "down significantly" and that "the hardened tactics against migrants has produced results." But he argued the administration’s policies have gone too far by effectively shutting off access to asylum at the southern border. "The Trump administration has sent the message to the world that the United States is no longer a place where people can seek safety," Reichlin-Melnick said. Reichlin-Melnick agreed the asylum system had long needed major reform, including more asylum officers, more immigration judges and changes to screening standards. But, he said the goal should not be to end access to the system altogether, something he suggested the Trump administration has effectively done. "I think most Americans believe we should be a place where people can find safety," he said, invoking Ronald Reagan’s image of America as a "shining city on a hill." "I don’t think the answer was to shut it off completely." DHS officials, however, have argued the dramatic decline in border crossings shows the administration’s policies are working after years of record-setting illegal immigration under Biden. Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Joe Biden, but did not receive a response in time for publication. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079304a200899a00ebc0be Louisiana Senate primary heats up as Cassidy accuses Letlow of Pelosi-style stock trading, DEI support te 2026-05-15T21:41:24.432Z Louisiana Senate primary heats up as Cassidy accuses Letlow of Pelosi-style stock trading, DEI support Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., accused his primary opponent, Rep. Julia Letlow, of taking a "Nancy Pelosi approach" to stock trades, claiming she made investments within days of subcommittee hearings involving those companies. Cassidy, the incumbent senator fighting to defend his seat, joined the "Fox News Rundown" podcast ahead of Saturday’s Republican primary election. "She's done well for herself financially," Cassidy told Fox News Radio’s Jessica Rosenthal. "Kind of the Nancy Pelosi approach to stock markets, I'll just point out, which is public record." Cassidy argued public records show Letlow had bought or sold shares within days of subcommittee hearings related to those companies. Letlow previously denied similar allegations in April after attack ads leveled the same point. NANCY PELOSI ERUPTS WHEN ASKED BY CNN'S JAKE TAPPER ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF INSIDER TRADING "I most certainly did not break federal law," Letlow told Fox 8 at the time. "I’ve had a portfolio that has been managed by a third party. And it was very important to me, whenever I was elected to Congress, to make sure that I had absolutely no direction over it." But Cassidy claims Letlow’s broker has not provided proof the trades were made independently. "She claims that her broker did that independently. They asked the broker for a letter to that effect, and the broker would not give the letter," he said. Letlow’s campaign fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling the claims a ploy to save his campaign. TRUMP CALLS SEN. BILL CASSIDY 'VERY DISLOYAL' AND URGES LOUISIANA VOTERS TO REPLACE HIM OVER NOMINEE FIGHT "This is a last-ditch effort by Bill Cassidy to smear Julia Letlow because he knows he is going to lose tomorrow," Letlow’s campaign spokesperson Katherine Thordahl said. "President Trump endorsed Julia Letlow because he knows she is a strong conservative who will stand with him and fight for the America First agenda in the United States Senate. At the end of the day, Bill Cassidy will do or say anything to distract from his own record, including his vote to impeach President Trump." Cassidy also reiterated comments labeling Letlow a "liberal," pointing to past remarks she made advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. EXCLUSIVE: UNEARTHED VIDEOS EXPOSE HOW TRUMP-ENDORSED CANDIDATE CHAMPIONED DEI IN UNIVERSITY HIRING PROCESS The comments came from a 2020 video of Letlow interviewing to become president of the University of Louisiana Monroe. In the footage, Letlow called the school’s record on faculty gender diversity "shameful," praised DEI efforts around the country and said she wanted to open the school's first DEI division. "She is saying there should be a completely staffed department of DEI reporting to the president and having input before any decision was made," Cassidy said on the podcast. "Now that's not the way folks in Louisiana believe." Earlier this week, Letlow took to the "Fox News Rundown" podcast to defend her record, arguing that DEI programs she once oversaw were "hijack[ed]" by the political left and turned into "Marxism." 'QUEEN OF DEI' RUNNING FOR CONGRESS RIPPED HER RURAL STATE AS 'BACKWARDS' ON PODCAST "DEI six years ago was introduced in higher education as something that could be a tool to encourage students, staff, faculty to work hard and go achieve the American dream," Letlow said. "I quickly witnessed the left completely hijack any of those efforts and turn it into indoctrination of our students, Marxism, holding people down instead of lifting them up," she added. Letlow said the DEI issue is more complex than the ads or Cassidy suggest, arguing it was initially presented as a tool for student success but later was distorted into something she opposes. "Once I witnessed that firsthand because I was in education, I spent the last five years in Congress fighting against it," she added. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0792f0a200899a00ebc0b5 President Trump reveals Xi Jinping's response to possibly releasing imprisoned Chinese critic Jimmy Lai te 2026-05-15T21:41:04.993Z President Trump reveals Xi Jinping's response to possibly releasing imprisoned Chinese critic Jimmy Lai President Donald Trump divulged how Chinese President Xi Jinping responded to his inquiry about releasing Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong businessman imprisoned after his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government. Lai, 78, is serving a 20-year sentence after the communist regime found him guilty of sedition and conspiracy to commit collusion with foreign forces. "I brought up Jimmy Lai. I would say the response to that was not positive. He said that he's been, you know, he said it's been sort of his worst nightmare," Trump told "Special Report" in an interview airing Friday. Trump said he spoke with Xi "at length" about Lai’s declining health as the media mogul remains in a Hong Kong prison under reportedly harsh conditions. TRUMP MUST FORCE XI TO ANSWER FOR CHINA'S CRUEL WAR ON JIMMY LAI "I said, well, I would appreciate it if you would release him. He's gotten old and he's probably not feeling too well, it would be nice," the president told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier. "I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one." Jimmy’s daughter Claire Lai expressed high hopes of her father’s release on "The Will Cain Show" Thursday, praising Trump as the "liberator-in-chief." "I'm more hopeful than I've ever been that he is the president and this is the administration that will free my father, and we are just so extremely grateful," she said before Trump spoke with Xi about Lai's release. MORNING GLORY: WILL XI FREE LAI? Lai, who was imprisoned in 2020, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that regularly criticized the Communist Party, which Chinese authorities say was an effort to undermine the government. Despite being unable to secure Lai’s release from Hong Kong, Trump touted the "hundreds" of prisoners he has helped release, including American Pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey. The president also criticized former President Joe Biden's prisoner release strategy, which he suggested was a waste of American money. "I've gotten hundreds of people out, and, by the way, I don't pay a lot of money. I don't pay any money, like Biden, where they give $6 billion all the time to get people out," he said. Lai’s release is not the only topic the two world superpowers cannot agree on. Another central fault line is Taiwan, which Xi warned could cause "clashes and even conflicts" between the United States and China. Though, Xi did offer to help the United States broker a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, striking a more collaborative tone. Trump indicated a "fantastic future" of U.S.-China relations and praised Xi as a "great leader" during the talks. He departed back to Washington, D.C., on Friday. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0792dda200899a00ebc0ac Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser named as the honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500 te 2026-05-15T21:40:45.043Z Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser named as the honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500 Friday is Fast Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as teams and drivers crank up their engines in preparation for a weekend of qualifying. And while it got off to a soggy, delayed start, there was a big piece of news, and that is this year's honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500. This year, the job goes to none other than actor Brendan Fraser. IMS announced the news on Friday while everyone was waiting for the rain to clear so cars could get on track. INDYCAR DRIVER ROMAIN GROSJEAN GIVES STOMACH-CHURNING DETAILS ABOUT HITTING A BIRD DURING INDY 500 TEST INDYCAR DRIVER ROMAIN GROSJEAN GIVES STOMACH-CHURNING DETAILS ABOUT HITTING A BIRD DURING INDY 500 TEST Fraser — who was born in Indianapolis — has a new movie coming out called "Pressure," in which he plays General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the hours leading up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy. IndyCar and IMS President Doug Boles said that this makes Fraser a perfect choice to start a race that is an American and Memorial Day weekend tradition. BRENDAN FRASER SAYS AMERICA IS ‘DOING IT WRONG’ COMPARED TO JAPAN AFTER 'EYE-OPENING' EXPERIENCE "Brendan stars in a movie about one of the most pivotal moments in World War II," Boles said in a statement. "His presence atop the flag stand is fitting as we honor the service and sacrifice of our military heroes on Memorial Day Weekend and prepare for another iconic edition of the world’s greatest race. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! "Brendan was also born in the Circle City, and we’re incredibly excited to give him a warm Hoosier welcome as he returns for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’" ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Fraser is best known for roles in the "Mummy" franchise and, more recently, won an Academy Award for his performance in the 2022 film "The Whale." He has been in some great stuff. Maybe steer clear of the live-action "Dudley Do-Right" movie. Not his fault. That was just a terrible idea to begin with. It's always great to see some serious star power getting in on not just IndyCar's biggest race, but one of the biggest races on the planet. Qualifying takes place on Saturday and Sunday, while the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be on Sunday, May 24, with coverage getting started at 10 a.m. ET on Fox. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a079098a200899a00ebc037 Lebanon accuses Iran of inserting IRGC terrorists into country 'under guise of diplomatic activity' te 2026-05-15T21:31:04.014Z Lebanon accuses Iran of inserting IRGC terrorists into country 'under guise of diplomatic activity' The Lebanese government filed a sharply worded complaint with the United Nations arguing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has abused diplomatic immunity by refusing to recall its ambassador after Beirut demanded his expulsion and to stop alleged terrorist activities on its soil, according to a recently surfaced letter from late April. The disclosure of the letter, which is reportedly a precedent-setting move by Lebanon, comes amid a second day of talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon to normalize relations (the countries are in a state of war) and dismantle the Iranian-regime-backed Hezbollah terrorist movement in Lebanon. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that "The United States facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon have resumed today and are ongoing. The atmosphere of talks has been very positive, even exceeding expectations." FAMILY OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE TORTURED IN LEBANON WINS LANDMARK CASE AGAINST IRAN State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote on X on Friday that "On May 14 and 15, the United States hosted two days of highly-productive talks between Israel and Lebanon. The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress. The State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3." He added that, "In addition, a security track will be launched at the Pentagon on May 29 with military delegations from both countries. We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border." As the sides report back to their capitals, the potentially game-changing letter in which Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Ahmad Arafa, slammed Iran for inserting alleged terrorists from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into Lebanon "under the guise of diplomatic activity," has given hope to critics of Iran and Hezbollah. Arafa said, according to the letter, that Iran committed "unlawful acts in blatant defiance of the decisions of the Government of Lebanon." He continued, "This Iranian conduct constitutes direct and blatant interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon and drags the country into a war it did not choose to become involved in." The U.S. and the European Union have classified the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The letter took the Iranian Ambassador to Beirut, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, to task for "blatant interference" in Lebanon. According to Lebanon’s U.N. letter, Beirut argued that Iran is violating the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and interfering in Lebanon’s state of affairs. IDF SOLDIERS ACCUSE UN PEACEKEEPERS OF ENABLING HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS AMID INCREASING CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS When asked about the details of the letter, a spokesperson for Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S. declined to comment. The spokesperson also declined to weigh in on the current talks with Israel in Washington. Walid Phares, a leading U.S. expert on Lebanon and the Mideast, told Fox News Digital that "Many have considered the Lebanese memo to the U.N. as the start of the Lebanese government change of attitude towards Iran and a sign of escalation by Beirut. While the tone of the letter and its narrative make people feel that there is a government resistance to Iran and Hezbollah reality is still lesser." He added that "The subject of the last quarrel is a legal change of status regarding the presence of Iranians on Lebanese soil. The Lebanese government has decided not to grant Iranians, government, and private citizens an automatic visa waiver, which upset Iran and Hezbollah. Besides, Tehran is furious at the fact that the Lebanese government has not been helpful in dealing with the elimination of a number of IRGC members killed in Lebanon by Israel. Tehran blames the foreign ministry of Lebanon, particularly foreign minister Youssef Raggi, for the ‘lessening of solidarity with Iran."' According to Phares, "Raggi represents a Lebanese Christian bloc in the parliament, who is not sympathetic to the regime. However, the actual talks in D.C. are designed by the Lebanese government to show the Trump administration that the ‘state wants to talk’ but not to reach an agreement that would trigger Hezbollah's wrath. The leaders of the Lebanese state are not yet where the U.S. and Israel expect them to be." A regional official well-versed in the U.N. dispute told Fox News Digital that Lebanon "argued that Iran had not given the Lebanese foreign ministry the list of all Iranians and the details about their place of stay. And that’s why Israel targeted that hotel in Lebanon in which six were killed, which is true." The official said that "Iran had not told the foreign ministry of Lebanon about those six people." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07906fa200899a00ebc01f Claudine Longet, Entertainer Who Shot Olympian Boyfriend, Dies at 84 te 2026-05-15T21:30:23.807Z Claudine Longet, Entertainer Who Shot Olympian Boyfriend, Dies at 84 A singer and actress, she drew wide attention for the fatal 1976 shooting of Spider Sabich. She was convicted of negligent homicide. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078e5ca200899a00ebbfbe Trump admin launches 'summer surge' of feds to make DC safest city in America ahead of 250th anniversary te 2026-05-15T21:21:32.104Z Trump admin launches 'summer surge' of feds to make DC safest city in America ahead of 250th anniversary The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force is launching a massive "summer surge" of federal law enforcement to ensure Washington, D.C., is the safest city in America ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebrations. During a news conference Friday, leaders touted the Trump administration's success in driving down violent crime in the city since the D.C. task force launched last year. The joint law enforcement operation has resulted in nearly 13,000 arrests, the seizure of more than 1,400 illegal guns, the apprehension of 32 murder suspects, and the recovery of 23 missing children. Due to the aggressive enforcement efforts, overall crime in D.C. has plummeted 26%, with homicides dropping nearly 50% and carjackings down 60%. The U.S. Attorney's Office added it has secured more than 7,000 convictions over the past year. TRUMP’S ‘NO-NONSENSE’ DC CRACKDOWN TOPS 10K ARRESTS AS DOJ DECLARES ERA OF ‘UNCHECKED VIOLENCE IS OVER’ Officials said a focal point of the summer surge will be crushing the "teen takeovers" that have terrorized D.C. neighborhoods and shut down local businesses. Blasting the D.C. Council for "refusing to deal with the problem," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a zero-tolerance policy that shifts the legal burden onto the parents of delinquent youth. Starting immediately, federal prosecutors will charge parents under a D.C. statute for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Parents who drop their kids off, fail to supervise them or allow them to skip school to participate in the chaos will face fines, court-mandated classes and up to six months in jail. DC US ATTORNEY SAYS ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ AS YOUTH CRIME PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON NATION’S CAPITAL "Law-abiding taxpayers should no longer have to pay for parental neglect," Pirro said. "Parents, do your jobs or we will do ours. In the end, taxpayers will no longer subsidize the chaos caused by parental neglect." Noting that the task force is "coming for perfection," officials said multiple federal agencies will flood the district with personnel and advanced technology to root out remaining criminal networks. A formal request has been made for an additional 1,500 National Guardsmen to deploy to D.C., bringing the total troop presence to 5,000. DC POLICE OFFICIALS FACE TERMINATION AFTER FEDERAL PROBE UNCOVERS ALLEGED MANIPULATED CRIME DATA BY DEPARTMENT The task force will also deploy high-visibility patrols, drones, tactical K-9 units and helicopters to curb crime. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said it will ramp up resources to target out-of-state drug trafficking cartels, arguing that drug dealers should be "treated like terrorists." Meanwhile, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it will increase operations to seize illegal firearms being trafficked into the city from Maryland and Virginia. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) will double its special agents on the streets to target identity theft and those who fraudulently obtain housing without paying rent. In a stark warning to anyone planning political violence in the capital, Pirro said offenders will face "the full wrath of the law," announcing her office filed notice to seek the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, 31, the suspect accused of murdering two young Israeli embassy staff members at the Capitol Jewish Museum on May 21, 2025. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078e33a200899a00ebbfa8 Ahead of U.S. 250th Anniversary, More National Guard Troops to Arrive in D.C. te 2026-05-15T21:20:51.654Z Ahead of U.S. 250th Anniversary, More National Guard Troops to Arrive in D.C. Federal officials say that hundreds of additional agents, officers and National Guard troops will be deployed ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078e20a200899a00ebbf9f Will the Iran War Backlash Save Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky? te 2026-05-15T21:20:32.203Z Will the Iran War Backlash Save Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky? A view from Thomas Massie’s district in Kentucky. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078c0ea200899a00ebbf41 Minnesota Timberwolves are cooked: Why San Antonio Spurs close out the series and cover in Game 6 te 2026-05-15T21:11:42.174Z Minnesota Timberwolves are cooked: Why San Antonio Spurs close out the series and cover in Game 6 The San Antonio Spurs (3-2) look to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (2-3) at the Target Center Friday for Game 6.  San Antonio crushed Minnesota in a pivotal Game 5, 126-97, to take control of the series. Victor Wembanyama got revenge for getting tossed in the first half of Game 4 for elbowing T-Wolves big Naz Reid Tuesday. Wembanyama had game-highs in points (27) and rebounds (17) in Game 5.  Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards has been fantastic while playing through injury in this series. Ant-Man is averaging a team-high 23.6 points in this series on 50.6% shooting and 40.0% from behind the arc. His teammates, on the other hand, not so much.  I’ll get into that below as part of my betting analysis for Spurs-Timberwolves Game 6.  There are two reasons why I’m betting San Antonio to wrap this series up Friday and cover the spread. First, Edwards doesn’t have enough help. Second, the only games the Spurs have lost in this series are when either Wemby has played terribly or gotten thrown out of the game.  SPURS PHENOM VICTOR WEMBANYAMA MAKES NBA HISTORY WITH FIRST CAREER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD This is a horrible matchup for Minnesota’s second-leading scorer during the regular season, PF Julius Randle. When Wembanyama is on the floor, it’s nearly impossible for Randle to attack the basket. Julius is averaging just 14.8 points in this series on 45.4% true shooting (.366/.211/.750). He can’t create off the dribble either when San Antonio wing Stephon Castle guards him. Castle is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and it’s much easier to play defense when you have Wemby protecting the rim.  Meanwhile, Timberwolves C Rudy Gobert is pretty much useless in this series offensively. He is a bad outside shooter and can’t pull Wembanyama out of the paint. Not that it wouldn’t matter anyway. Wembanyama is clearly in Gobert’s head because he is even smoking layups in this series.  ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! This brings me back to my second pro-Spurs factor: the best basketball player in the world, Wembanyama. San Antonio lost the series opener 104-102 because Wemby was awful. He scored just 11 points and went 0-for-8 from 3-point range. Then the Spurs lost Game 4 mostly because Wembanyama got that flagrant two. Otherwise, he has a +25 net rating in this series and Minnesota looks helpless when Wemby is on the floor.  Ultimately, San Antonio and Wembanyama are too big and athletic for the T-Wolves. Prediction: Spurs 111, Timberwolves 99 _____________________________ Follow me on X @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078bfaa200899a00ebbf38 Dodgers catcher takes out frustration on himself by banging bat over his own head after strikeout te 2026-05-15T21:11:22.704Z Dodgers catcher takes out frustration on himself by banging bat over his own head after strikeout Dalton Rushing is in a bit of a slump, and he sure knows it. The Los Angeles Dodgers catcher and first baseman got off to a scorching start to the season as he found playing time with Will Smith, hitting .444 with a 1.761 OPS in his first eight games of the season. But in 14 games since then, he's 7 for his last 39, which accounts for a .179 batting average, and has posted a .484 OPS. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM In the bottom of the fourth inning with a runner on second against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday night, Rushing struck out on a breaking ball out of the zone and was not pleased with himself. Rushing broke his bat over his leg and slammed his leg guard on the dugout bench. Two innings later, with men in scoring position, Rushing struck out on a high fastball, and he put himself in harm's way by slamming his new bat over his helmet — still on his head — three times. Overall, it was a game to forget for Rushing, who struck out three times in a hitless effort. He has not gotten a hit since May 6. BASEBALL FAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER FALLING INTO VISITING BULLPEN DURING WHITE SOX-ROYALS GAME After losing four consecutive games, each by at least four runs, the Dodgers, even with Rushing's struggles, got back on track to win the final two games of their four-game series against the Giants, including a 5-2 victory on Thursday. They haven't exactly wowed the competition, as they sit at 25-18, but they have not let go of first place in the National League West yet this season. However, the San Diego Padres remain right on their tail. The Dodgers embark on a nine-game road trip on Friday night, although they don't have to go far for the first three, as they'll face the Los Angeles Angels. But then, it's a big series against the Padres before taking on the Milwaukee Brewers in a National League Championship Series rematch. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078be6a200899a00ebbf2f FAA unveils new air traffic controller hiring plan after chief warned system was ‘chronically understaffed’ te 2026-05-15T21:11:02.858Z FAA unveils new air traffic controller hiring plan after chief warned system was ‘chronically understaffed’ The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled an aggressive new workforce overhaul on Friday aimed at tackling chronic staffing shortages, excessive overtime and aging technology across the nation’s air traffic control system. The newly released 2026-2028 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan calls for hiring thousands of new controllers, modernizing scheduling systems and replacing aging infrastructure across the National Airspace System. The plan comes months after FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford warned lawmakers that air traffic control towers would "never" reach full staffing levels if the agency continued operating under its current structure. "We’ll never catch up," Bedford said during a December congressional hearing. "The system is designed to be chronically understaffed." PRIVATIZE THE TSA: 3 STEPS TO BETTER SERVICE AND ENHANCED SECURITY The overhaul also comes amid heightened scrutiny of aviation safety following a series of airport disruptions, delays and close-call incidents that have raised fresh questions about whether the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure is keeping pace with growing travel demand. "This forward-thinking plan delivers on President Donald J. Trump’s promise to provide the American flying public with a world-class air traffic control system, and that starts with highly trained, professional air traffic controllers," Bedford said in a statement. "We can’t continue to operate the same way and expect better results," he added. "We’re changing how we hire, train and schedule our controller workforce — and providing them with the state-of-the-art tools they need to succeed." AI AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEM PROMISES FEWER FLIGHT DELAYS The FAA said the plan identifies a full staffing target of 12,563 certified professional controllers based on forecast demand. As of April 2026, the agency said roughly 11,000 certified professional controllers were deployed across more than 300 air traffic facilities. The agency also has an additional 4,000 controllers in the training pipeline, including about 1,000 who were previously fully certified but are now training at new facilities, according to the plan. Rebuilding the workforce will take time. The FAA said it can take more than two years to fully certify a new-hire controller depending on the complexity of the facility where they are assigned. FAA SCRAMBLES TO HIRE 8,900 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS BY 2028 AS SHORTAGE REACHES CRISIS LEVELS The agency plans to hire 2,200 new air traffic controllers in fiscal year 2026, 2,300 in fiscal year 2027 and 2,400 in fiscal year 2028 while expanding partnerships with colleges, universities and technical schools. The workforce plan also acknowledges the strain excessive overtime has placed on controllers. "Use of a limited amount of overtime is a reasonable means of addressing unexpected variances of work demands," the plan states. "However, the levels reached in FY 2023 – FY 2025 far exceed any reasonable use of mandatory overtime." "Chronic use of overtime leads to fatigue, controller burnout and ultimately loss of retention," the report says. The plan also notes that workforce scheduling and controller timekeeping are still handled manually by local facility managers. "It is difficult to understand why no automation tools have been deployed to schedule our workforce or track time, attendance and functional work accomplished," the report states. TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT DEPLOYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO SPOT AIR TRAFFIC DANGERS, DUFFY SAYS The FAA said improving average controller time on position from about four hours to more than five hours per eight-hour shift could increase effective workforce availability enough to meet current staffing targets. The workforce plan also calls for replacing decades-old infrastructure with a fully digital system, expanding simulator-based training and using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to better manage air traffic demand. Lawmakers also raised concerns during Bedford’s December testimony about the age of some FAA systems, including reports that certain facilities still rely on floppy disks. "When you’re still using floppy disks, that makes everybody less safe, that makes the agency less effective," Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., said during the hearing. Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., also said she saw floppy disks still in use during a visit to the FAA’s terminal radar approach control facility on Long Island, which manages traffic into major New York-area airports. Bedford told lawmakers the FAA had committed more than $6 billion of the $12.5 billion it received under Trump-backed legislation, including investments in telecommunications infrastructure and new radar surveillance systems. SEAN DUFFY PROPOSES BIG PLANS TO UPGRADE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, USE AI TO FIND ‘HOT SPOTS’ The new workforce plan says the FAA will replace "decades-old, unreliable, analog infrastructure" with a "fully digital network system," arguing that modern tools will improve reliability, reduce outages and give controllers a more stable working environment. The FAA said the plan builds on its fiscal year 2025 hiring surge, when the agency hired 2,028 air traffic controller trainees, its highest total since 2008. The agency also raised starting salaries for academy students by nearly 30% and implemented financial incentives for academy completion. Still, the FAA said total workforce losses in fiscal year 2025 — including retirements, resignations, promotions, removals, training failures and academy attrition — totaled 1,460. Nearly 400 retirement-eligible controllers were retained through a new bonus structure, according to the agency. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies previously found that about 30% of FAA facilities were staffed more than 10% below staffing targets, while another 30% were staffed 10% or more above targets. The FAA said prior hiring disruptions, including sequestration, government shutdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic, had long-term effects on staffing levels, particularly at major facilities serving some of the nation’s largest airports. Even with thousands of hires planned, FAA officials acknowledged the air traffic controller shortage will not be solved quickly. Between years-long training, retirements, staffing imbalances and modernization challenges, the agency’s own projections make clear the pressure on America’s air traffic control system is expected to continue even as air travel demand continues rising. Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan contributed to this reporting. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078bd3a200899a00ebbf26 Alex Murdaugh retrial could bring potential death penalty as AG says 'all our legal options are on the table' te 2026-05-15T21:10:43.190Z Alex Murdaugh retrial could bring potential death penalty as AG says 'all our legal options are on the table' South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Friday that prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Alex Murdaugh if he is found guilty again at a new trial after the state Supreme Court overturned his murder convictions. "In light of the Supreme Court’s decision, we’re back to square one on this case, and that means all our legal options are on the table, including the death penalty," Wilson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The South Carolina Supreme Court this week vacated Murdaugh’s 2023 convictions in the fatal shootings of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and younger son, Paul Murdaugh, citing improper contact with jurors by former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill. The court ordered a new trial. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0789a3a200899a00ebbeb7 Maitland Ward calls Sydney Sweeney's OnlyFans scenes in 'Euphoria' 'disgusting and vile' te 2026-05-15T21:01:23.966Z Maitland Ward calls Sydney Sweeney's OnlyFans scenes in 'Euphoria' 'disgusting and vile' Former Disney star Maitland Ward is not happy with Sydney Sweeney's portrayal of an OnlyFans model in season three of "Euphoria." During a recent interview with TMZ, the 49-year-old former "Boy Meets World" star and current adult film actress and OnlyFans creator took issue with the choices of Cassie, Sweeney's character, on the subscription-based website, particularly the scenes which show her sitting with a pacifier in her mouth and her hair in pigtails as she holds her legs open and is wearing sheer clothing. "There's all sorts of stuff that you can't do," she said. "The whole child-baby thing is so disgusting … You just can't go into that whole underage thing like that. I mean, you can do it to an extent if it's very, very playful, like, you're an adult being childlike or something. But just the way it was handled was so gross, and it's just disgusting and vile." She told TMZ the scenes go against the guidelines set forth by OnlyFans, because "you don't want pedophilia anywhere near pornography," later adding that it is possible to get kicked off the platform for breaking these violations. SYDNEY SWEENEY FANS BEG 'EUPHORIA' TO END THE 'HUMILIATION RITUAL' AFTER SHOCKING NEW CASSIE SCENE The third season of "Euphoria" sees Sweeney's character turning to OnlyFans, first to pay for her wedding, and then to make it on her own after finding out her husband, Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, is broke and owes people millions of dollars shortly after saying "I do." In addition to seeing her dress as a baby, viewers have watched as Sweeney dresses as a dog and drinks water from a doggy bowl, and in the most recent episode, she wore a low-cut polka dot bodysuit as she was jumping rope for her OnlyFans subscribers. She was also seen using a sex toy on herself, mailing used underwear to her subscribers and even sucking her own toe in a video. Ward took issue with the way OnlyFans has been portrayed in these episodes, saying it "is making fun of OnlyFans creators" rather than "celebrating" them. "It's saying how weird and creepy they are," insisted Maitland. "There's so many creators who are really working hard to build their brands every day, and this is really disingenuous." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Ward. As a former child actress, Ward recently shared her story in an episode of Investigation Discovery's "Hollywood Demons," telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview in April that "it was very therapeutic to tell the story at the age that I am now." She also touched on what it felt like to be a young actress at the time, having found fame as Jessica Forrester in "The Bold and the Beautiful," and later as Rachel McQuire in the beloved ‘90s Disney TV show, "Boy Meets World." Ward told Fox News Digital it often felt as if studios "wanted to mold and form these young actors into what they wanted them to be" and what they felt audiences would identify with. WATCH: FORMER DISNEY STAR MAITLAND WARD SAYS YOUNG ACTORS WERE TREATED LIKE A ‘PRODUCT’ IN HOLLYWOOD "I think it was such a factory kind of environment. Like you were just a product being sold, and you knew that yourself," she continued. "I mean, I didn't think anything was wrong at the time with anything that was going on, really. I mean, it felt ill at ease in my own body and all my feelings and stuff, but I thought that was just me being stupid. I have to be professional. I have to be part of that Hollywood machine. And that's really what it was." LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS The actress began starring in adult films about seven years ago, and told Fox News Digital in March 2025 that she feels more respect in Hollywood after making that transition. "I didn't get anybody coming out hating me for it or anything," she said of her decision to pursue pornography. "I really got a lot of positivity overall, which shocked everyone I knew. Everybody thought people were just going to rip me apart, and I was going to be judged and raked across the coals, but I got so much positivity and I think it's because I was so positive about it, and I was so happy about it." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078990a200899a00ebbeae ESPN writer says Lane Kiffin should try to stop Louisiana from 'eradicating' black voting power te 2026-05-15T21:01:04.333Z ESPN writer says Lane Kiffin should try to stop Louisiana from 'eradicating' black voting power OutKick recently credited ESPN for pivoting away from identity politics and incendiary rhetoric. Most of the network’s most racially idolatrous commentators are gone, from Mark Jones to Clinton Yates, from Elle Duncan to Sarah Spain. Still, a few holdovers remain. David Dennis Jr. is one of them. This week, Dennis published an inflammatory article for ESPN.com and Andscape titled "Why Lane Kiffin’s ‘Ole Miss’ virtue signaling falls flat." The piece responded to Kiffin saying, and later apologizing for saying, that some black families were uncomfortable with their sons and grandsons playing for Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi. And, oh, is it a doozy. Dennis opens by declaring that he would refer to the school as "Ole Miss" only once. "This is the last time I’ll use that name, by the way, as its origins are related to slavery as well," Dennis wrote. He then accused Kiffin of not caring enough about "diversity." "His actions before and since taking the University of Mississippi job haven’t shown any care about diversity, or that the lack thereof in Oxford bothered him. Instead, this just looks like virtue signaling to justify his controversial move to Baton Rouge, which is insulting to people actually affected by what the University of Mississippi represents." Dennis appeared even more upset that Kiffin took a job at LSU, in a state he accused of trying to suppress the black vote. "As [Kiffin] probably knows, Louisiana is ground zero for last month’s Supreme Court ruling that essentially gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965," Dennis continued. "The state is currently working to eradicate black representation from its congressional delegation. At the same time, there’s a groundswell movement calling for black athletes to avoid SEC schools because of the potential demolition of the Voting Rights Act." ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Eradicate black representation from its congressional delegation, huh? OutKick asked Dennis to elaborate on that claim. We did not hear back. We will update this story if we do. CLAY TRAVIS VS STEPHEN A SMITH: DEBATE SHOWS RESPECTFUL DISCOURSE, LIKE CHARLIE KIRK WOULD HAVE ENCOURAGED He concluded the section by suggesting Kiffin should use his platform to stop the alleged "eradication." "If Kiffin is so concerned with recruits being turned off by the anti-black nature of a state’s politics, he might want to hurry up and use his power to effect change. He may want to say something about preserving everyone’s right to equal representation," Dennis wrote. You can read the full piece here. The article gained traction Thursday night after OutKick founder Clay Travis posted about it on X. "ESPN, which is the only partner on SEC athletics, employing a writer who posts articles ripping coaches and stirring up racial angst through politics, is absolutely insane to me," Clay wrote alongside a screenshot of Dennis’ article. Dennis has apparently blocked him. Insane, indeed. And this is Dennis’ entire schtick. He’s a poor man’s Bomani Jones. For a refresher, Dennis is the ESPN writer who claimed Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad campaign "mortified" him. Let that sink in for a moment. Other highlights from Dennis’ résumé include publishing a hit piece on Hulk Hogan just hours after his death, arguing the wrestling icon should be remembered only as a racist. "When you are a racist that is your legacy above all else," Dennis wrote. "Hulk Hogan died being known as a racist who also became famous as a professional wrestler." The issue with Dennis’ framing is the contrast between how he eulogized Hogan compared to Kobe Bryant. Bryant faced a rape accusation and also made homophobic comments during his career. Yet Dennis mentioned neither in a fawning obituary titled "Remembering Kobe Bryant, a Man Who Never Trusted in Tomorrow," in which he praised Bryant’s character off the court. OutKick also asked Dennis about that apparent inconsistency at the time. He never responded. He appears to be another commentator who treats word crimes more seriously than alleged violent crimes. Clay Travis also pointed out how Dennis is bad for ESPN’s business by portraying SEC schools and fans as racist. He’s right. But Dennis has also undermined another ESPN property, the WNBA, by openly rooting against Caitlin Clark’s fans. "I hope the people who say they are staying away from the WNBA now that CC is gone actually keep to their promise," Dennis posted on X in 2024. "These are about to be all-time series and their toxicity isn’t needed. Let us enjoy things." For context, Clark’s fans made up a majority share of WNBA viewership in 2024. Sports media reporter Ryan Glasspiegel summarized Dennis’ comments with the headline: "ESPN employee says he wants lower ratings for ESPN property." At some point, you have to wonder why ESPN keeps Dennis on the payroll. He’s predictable, unprofessional, and painfully one-note. His fixation on race colors nearly every argument he makes. He’s the exact type of commentator who drove viewers away from ESPN in the first place. What’s more, ESPN regularly puts Dennis on flagship shows like "First Take," "SportsCenter," and "NBA Today." It’s one thing to let him post dubious, grievance-driven essays on "Andscape." It’s another to position him as a serious television voice on sports. Specifically, Dennis has virtually no background covering sports. He has spent most of his career writing about race, civil rights and his father. We can't say for certain why ESPN hired him in the first place, though the timing — at the height of BLM and the George Floyd riots — cannot be a coincidence. ESPN likely understands all of this, but also has to be cautious. Dennis seems like the type of person who would immediately claim racism and threaten legal action. Still, the network should probably soon find a way to announce that David Dennis Jr. has "mutually parted ways" with the company. Keeping him on the roster undermines all of the recent progress ESPN has made. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078968a200899a00ebbe99 With Possible Raúl Castro Indictment, U.S. Eyes Venezuela Playbook te 2026-05-15T21:00:24.291Z With Possible Raúl Castro Indictment, U.S. Eyes Venezuela Playbook Amid stepped-up surveillance flights, a visit of the C.I.A. director and an energy embargo, the White House is trying to increase pressure on Cuba. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07874ca200899a00ebbe3d Kimberly Yee says Tom Horne’s voucher program is ‘complete chaos.’ Horne says Yee backed DEI. te 2026-05-15T20:51:24.644Z Kimberly Yee says Tom Horne’s voucher program is ‘complete chaos.’ Horne says Yee backed DEI. Incumbent Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne answers a question during a May 14, 2026, Arizona Clean Elections Republican primary debate against challenger Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee. (Pool photo by Patrick Breen/Arizona Republic) Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and his challenger in the Republican primary, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, came out swinging during a Arizona Clean Elections Commission debate on Thursday.  Yee accused Horne of heading a department whose school voucher program was “complete chaos,” while Horne alleged that Yee wanted to allow parents to purchase Rolex watches with taxpayer money — and that she was part of a diversity, equity and inclusion committee.  Each vehemently denied the other’s claims.  GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Horne and Yee both have a long history in public office. Horne was a state legislator from 1997 until 2001, superintendent of public instruction from 2003 to 2011 and was state attorney general from 2011 to 2015. An independent investigation later found that Horne improperly used staff in the attorney general’s office in his unsuccessful 2014 reelection campaign.  He began his second stint as schools chief in 2023. Yee also served in the legislature from 2010 until 2018, when she was first elected treasurer. Prior to that, she was a top aide to then-state Treasurer Dean Martin. Horne and Yee were the only two Republicans elected to major statewide offices in Arizona in 2022, when Democratic candidates were elected governor, secretary of state and attorney general.  After parents who use the state’s universal school voucher program, called the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, became frustrated with Horne’s restrictions on purchases, leader of the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, Sen. Jake Hoffman recruited Yee to challenge Horne in the primary.  During the debate, Horne repeated many of the same talking points from his 2022 campaign, namely that he was fighting against critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion in Arizona schools. “I am the only one in statewide elective office who’s fighting for the normal, against left-wing, woke craziness,” he said.  Incumbent Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne answers a question during a May 14, 2026, Arizona Clean Elections Republican primary debate. (Pool photo by Patrick Breen/Arizona Republic) He directed viewers to therealkimyee.com, a website his campaign created that accuses Yee of being a member of the National Association of State Treasurers’ diversity, equity and inclusion committee. Diversity, equity and inclusion has become a boogeyman for Republicans and largely serves as a stand-in for opposing policies that recognize social and racial inequity in America.  Yee adamantly denied that she was ever a member of a DEI committee. “I believe that an individual should advance based on their skills, on their experience, on their merits,” she said. “And I have pushed forward, with our Republican majorities in the state legislature, bills that would ensure that we don’t use these types of DEI policies to advance state employees for hiring, training or promoting.”  Yee was listed as a member of the National Association of State Treasurers DEI committee from 2022 until March 2026, according to internet archives. By May 14, it had been removed from her profile.  In turn, Yee went after Horne’s management of the universal voucher program, which provides taxpayer funding for any K-12 student to attend private school or to be homeschooled. Since its expansion to all Arizona children in 2022, the program has grown to serve more than 100,000 students at an annual cost of more than $1 billion.  A report released earlier this week by the Arizona Auditor General showed that the Arizona Department of Education, which Horne leads, is not properly auditing purchases, allowing parents to buy things like planter boxes for $1,666 and gym equipment for $1,400.  “The ESA audit did show that there is complete chaos in the Department of Education with respect to the management of the ESA program under Tom Horne,” Yee said.  State Treasurer Kimberly Yee answers a question during a May 14, 2026, Arizona Clean Elections Republican primary debate against challenger Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. The winner of the July 21 primary election will be the GOP nominee to be the state’s schools chief. (Pool photo by Patrick Breen/Arizona Republic) She promised that, if elected, she would update the ESA program’s vendor contract, currently with ClassWallet, to upgrade its platform or to find a new vendor that would use artificial intelligence and other technology to streamline the approval process for purchases.  Yee said that her updated purchase platform would ensure “clear accountability on what those purchases are, so that they will flag what is defined as educational versus what is not.”  Horne’s Department of Education disagreed with most of the problems identified in the auditor general’s report, and accused the office of misrepresenting the facts or using inaccurate data.  “We’re working very hard toward perfection,” Horne said.  He added that ADE is working to implement AI oversight of ESA purchase approvals.  “We’ve had to use risk-based auditing, but we will reach perfection, and we’re working very hard on artificial intelligence to do that,” he said.  Horne said that the biggest issue blocking “perfection” in ESA oversight was inadequate staff. The program has a staffing level meant to oversee the program as it existed in 2021, when there were just 11,000 students enrolled, not one that has ballooned to serve more than 100,000 students.  He claimed that Hoffman recruited Yee to appease ESA parents who were angry about their purchases being denied, and that she would allow parents to buy anything they wanted, including luxury items.  Yee said that wasn’t true, though she accused Horne of limiting purchases in a way that state law doesn’t allow.  “So, the legislature defines the law, they pass those laws, and the role of the state superintendent is to administer those laws, not overstep it and create policies on his or her own,” she said.  Both Yee and Horne agreed that private schools that receive taxpayer money via the ESA program should not be held to the same standards, or have the same oversight as public schools. They also agreed that lawmakers should ask voters to extend Proposition 123, a K-12 school funding measure that brought in $300 million annually by increasing the amount of money set aside from the state’s land trust for public schools. Prop. 123 was approved by voters in 2016 and expired last year.  Republican lawmakers, who have been unable for three years to craft an extension that will be palatable to voters, told Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in March that a Prop. 123 renewal was off the table this year.  The candidates also agree that they support putting more police officers in schools.  Yee and Horne also concurred that social emotional learning and DEI don’t belong in Arizona classrooms, and that English language learners should be taught via full-English immersion instead of dual language instruction.  Teacher pay Horne said he would continue to advocate for money to be moved from paying for administrators, into classrooms. He said he attempted to lobby the legislature to cap administrative spending at 5%, but was unsuccessful.  Yee acknowledged that decisions on teacher pay are made by the district governing boards and said she would work with those boards to educate members about how to build effective budgets.  Test scores To deal with Arizona’s 4th grade reading scores, which are below the national average, Yee said she planned to bring phonics-based reading curricula back to schools.  Horne argued that a 2008 law already mandated phonics-based teaching in Arizona schools, and challenged Yee to point out a single school in the state that doesn’t teach phonics.  “I know for a fact that there are schools who might not be following the law,” Yee said. “And we can see that, because they have kids who are not reading.” YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE. SUPPORT Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078722a200899a00ebbe11 Navy Aircraft Carrier to Complete Longest Deployment Since Vietnam te 2026-05-15T20:50:42.762Z Navy Aircraft Carrier to Complete Longest Deployment Since Vietnam After being diverted for combat with Venezuela and Iran, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford will return to Norfolk, Va., on Saturday after nearly a year at sea. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07870fa200899a00ebbe08 Tina Peters, Colorado Election Denier, Will Be Freed by Gov. Jared Polis te 2026-05-15T20:50:23.037Z Tina Peters, Colorado Election Denier, Will Be Freed by Gov. Jared Polis Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, commuted the sentence of Ms. Peters, a former county clerk serving a nine-year sentence for her role in a plot to examine voting machines after the 2020 election. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0784b6a200899a00ebbd82 RJ Scaringe has raised more than $12 billion across three startups and investors still want more te 2026-05-15T20:40:22.463Z RJ Scaringe has raised more than $12 billion across three startups and investors still want more Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has a knack for raising money. So far, his three startups have raised more than $12.3 billion. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0782c8a200899a00ebbd50 Long-time LHUSD teacher Christina Musselman to become Oro Grande principal te 2026-05-15T20:32:08.137Z Long-time LHUSD teacher Christina Musselman to become Oro Grande principal The Lake Havasu Unified School District Governing Board has selected Christina Musselman as the next principal of Oro Grande Classical Academy. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07829ca200899a00ebbd1e Does UCLA's surprising top-10 recruiting class have legitimate juice or is it just fool's gold? te 2026-05-15T20:31:24.618Z Does UCLA's surprising top-10 recruiting class have legitimate juice or is it just fool's gold? College football recruiting is a 24/7, 365-day endeavor, but during the offseason, the discussion gets turned up another notch entirely. Some of you more casual college football fans may be thinking May is too early to be grabbing the scalpel and dissecting a recruiting class full of verbal pledges who won't even sign their papers until December at the earliest, but you could not be more wrong. More often than not, how you are recruiting post-spring practice is usually a pretty solid indicator of how your class will finish in the winter. Be forewarned, though. It takes more than just glancing at the number next to your team's logo and giving a thumbs up or thumbs down. HOW NAME, IMAGE AND LIKENESS LAWS HAVE CHANGED COLLEGE SPORTS Sure, it's nice to be ranked in the top 10 on recruiting sites in the month of May, but there are other factors involved when breaking down a class. Speaking of which, if you go to your favorite recruiting service and peruse the top 10, you'll see some familiar names littered throughout the page. Recruiting mainstays like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Miami, among others, are humming right along with their 2027 classes, but one logo may have stuck out to you. That's right, the UCLA Bruins, fresh off a disastrous 3-9 season where they eventually fired head coach DeShaun Foster, are sitting all the way at No. 6 on the 247Sports composite rankings (they're 11th on Rivals, but let's not split hairs). It looks like the boosters finally got serious about dumping some of that money they save for basketball into the football program's NIL budget, along with the fact that a young, successful coach like Bob Chesney may have injected some optimism into the fanbase. A top-10 class would represent a nearly historic finish for the Bruins, as I could only find one instance of UCLA finishing in the top 10 (2013) since recruiting rankings became more homogenized. PENN STATE'S JAMES FRANKLIN FACES SCRUTINY FOLLOWING BAD LOSS TO UCLA But can they finish strong and bring home a recruiting class that can compete with the big boys of college football? Let's start with the positives. The Bruins have 18 commits in their 2027 class, and 10 of those are four stars. This puts their "blue chip ratio" above 50%, which is considered the baseline for a competitive recruiting class. UCLA also has three top-100 prospects in their class, a pretty solid mark for any program in May. While a decent blue-chip ratio and three top-100 recruits is a great start, there is a problem, and it comes in the form of something I mentioned above. UCLA's 18 commits is a fairly high number, even in the NIL era of getting deals done early. This means their class doesn't have as much room to grow as some other classes with 11 or 12 commits currently in their class. At 18 commits and a class average below 90 (89.85), the Bruins would have to fill the rest of their class out with top-100 or borderline five-star players to have a chance at finishing where they sit right now. Take a look at their crosstown rivals for a good comparison. The USC Trojans have 13 commits in their class currently, but sit two spots above the Bruins. How is that possible? ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Well, the Trojans boast a class average of 93.39, more than 3.5 points higher than UCLA's class average. For context, a full class of 25 commits from last cycle with a similar average finished 13th (Washington), while everyone in the top five from the '26 cycle finished with a 91.90 or higher. USC already boasts double the top-100 pledges in its class and even has a five-star already in the fold. If I had to bet money on who finishes in the top 10 between the two Los Angeles schools, I'm taking the Trojans every day of the week with the data presented to me. Is there a path to a top-ten class for UCLA? Of course. They could catch fire on the trail this summer and make some inroads with some elite prospects. When you couple that with the possibility of having a stellar first season under Chesney, there's a chance the Bruins sneak into the upper echelon of recruiting rankings. It's just not likely given how far along they are already. Things change, and this new era of NIL-driven recruiting definitely shifts the timeline. But historical data would indicate the Bruins are more likely to finish in the top 15. That's still an incredible class, especially considering the doldrums that have plagued the UCLA football program for the past decade plus. Regardless, I will have both eyes trained on this Bruins recruiting class for the rest of the year. It will be fascinating to see if they can buck the historical trends stacked against them, and knowing my reputation, I may have just reverse jinxed them into an elite 2027 class. You're welcome, Bruins fans. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a078274a200899a00ebbd0c Fugitive Accused of Killing Punk Rock Singer in 1993 Is Arrested in Panama te 2026-05-15T20:30:44.578Z Fugitive Accused of Killing Punk Rock Singer in 1993 Is Arrested in Panama Richard Werstine was detained in Panama City last month after more than 30 years on the run, according to the authorities. He is accused of murdering Rodney Barger of the Detroit band Cold as Life. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07825fa200899a00ebbcf4 General Catalyst posted VC rage bait and it worked, especially on a16z te 2026-05-15T20:30:23.581Z General Catalyst posted VC rage bait and it worked, especially on a16z Compulsive X user Andreessen himself couldn't resist responding, many, many times. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07804aa200899a00ebbcd8 No injuries reported in Friday garage fire on Mulberry Drive te 2026-05-15T20:21:30.697Z No injuries reported in Friday garage fire on Mulberry Drive MOHAVE VALLEY — No injuries were reported Friday in a detached garage fire on Mulberry Drive. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07801ba200899a00ebbc94 Jena Sims covers her butt with a bow at the SI Swimsuit party, the NFL saves us from Romo & is Star Wars dead? te 2026-05-15T20:20:43.473Z Jena Sims covers her butt with a bow at the SI Swimsuit party, the NFL saves us from Romo & is Star Wars dead? We made it. We did it. Another week in the books. The LIBS let us get to another Friday, and another big weekend. We won ... again! And now, we ride. Middle weekend of May. We're officially at the halfway point of the month. Hard to believe, but this time next week we'll be gearing up for Memorial Day weekend. The (un)official start of summer. Wasn't it just January? Thank goodness it's not anymore. Winter is miserable. Spring is overrated. Summer is the real start of the year. Let's roll. Welcome to a Friday Nightcaps — the one where Jena Sims wraps herself in a bow as Brooks Koepka attempts to stay in contention at the PGA Championship. He should be in good shape after this! What else? I've got the best of the rest from a loaded week of #content, Shane Lowry had himself a MORNING in Philly and the NFL did us a major favor this year with the schedule release. You'll see. Thank you, Goodell! Grab you a pizza for National Pizza Party Day, and settle in for a Friday 'Cap! I've got nothing to say about pizza. I know I usually offer up some sort of hot take right around here, but I don't really have one in terms of pizza. It's delicious. Everyone loves it. A bad slice of pizza is better than 99% of other things in this world. It's like golf. A bad round of golf — and that's most of them — is better than a good day anywhere else. Personally, my perfect slice includes sausage and banana peppers, but I'm not even going to attempt a Mount Rushmore here. It's too subjective. I will say, the people who use their napkins to soak up the grease before eating it are insane. My wife is one of them, by the way. It's exhausting. We're better than that. HILARY DUFF'S LATEST INSTAGRAM CONTENT HAS SUBURBAN MILLENNIAL MOMS GASPING, A TENNIS MATCH TURNS NASTY & MEAT You're already eating PIZZA. What are you trying to accomplish with that move? Soak up a few extra calories? It's like the people who order sweet potato fries instead of regular fries because they're trying to be healthy. A little cutesy for me. Let's act like Americans. And now, let's start class ... with Brooks Koepka's wife, Jena Sims, putting on an absolute CLINIC at the SI Swimsuit launch party! Big week for Sports Illustrated. We gave them a lot of crap for years because they went woke. If we're gonna criticize them, we also have to applaud them when they do something right. To SI's credit, they seem to be righting the ship. Hilary Duff. Sophie Cunningham. Jena Sims. Olivia Dunne. It's never too late to right a wrong, folks. This is a good lesson for everyone. Good to see Jena Sims back in the saddle. Also, good to see Brooks Koepka competing again at a major. The win is coming. I can feel it in my bones. Speaking of, let's get to the best #content from a big week. We'll go ahead and start in Aronimink! Another solid week. The internet never stops. It's a 24/7/365 machine, and you guys delivered once again. Nice work. Couple thoughts ... 4 NFL TEAMS TO INVEST IN AND SHORT AT THE SPORTSBOOKS AFTER THE 2026 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE RELEASE SHOW Good stuff. Speaking of the Falcons, let's rapid-fire this Friday class into a big weekend of shenanigans. First up? Where do we land on this? As a Dolphins fan, I can assure the NFL that they will regret putting Tua in primetime three times this upcoming season. That will be a disaster. NFL’S GROSSLY EXPANDED NATIONAL SCHEDULE IS MAKING REDZONE AND SUNDAY TICKET LESS ESSENTIAL But that's not my point here. What I really want to ask the class is ... what's your ideal starting time for your NFL team? My Dolphins have no primetime games this season because they will most likely be terrible, but I'm fine with it. In fact, I'm more than fine with it. I prefer it. For me, the ideal start time is 1 p.m. on Sundays. That's peak NFL football. I want my team playing in the 1 p.m. window every single week. Naturally, the Dolphins start this year with back-to-back 4:25 games, which are just awful. So that's your homework for the weekend — what's the ideal start time for an NFL game? Let me know! While we all may differ on that one, here's one thing we can all 100000% agree on: YES! The NFL finally yanked the obligatory Mahomes/Allen matchup away from CBS and Tony Romo. Thank God. What a blessing. For years we've been forced to listen to Tony Romo absolutely slobber over these two for three straight hours. It's miserable. It's insufferable. Not anymore! That's the good news. The bad news? NO!!!!!! We go from Romo to Collinsworth! What a disaster. Head on a swivel in that booth, Tirico! It's gonna get uncomfortable. Finally, on the way out ... anyone excited for this new Star Wars movie coming out next week? The early reviews are in, and they are, generally, horrific. I wrote about it this morning if you really wanna get in the weeds. But, it did get me thinking, did you even know there was a new Star Wars movie coming out? I didn't until about a month ago. As a '90s kid who grew up during the prequels, the lack of hype around this "movie" is ... depressing. My God. Those were the days. Remember the old Taco Bell/KFC/Pizza Hut restaurants? Absolute kingdoms of the '90s and early-2000s. And they were always ALL-IN on Star Wars. A new movie was their Super Bowl. And now? Crickets. Sad. OK, that's it for today — and this week. Good work, everyone. May is halfway over. June is quickly approaching. Have a good weekend. Let's keep the momentum up and finish this month strong. See you Monday. OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots). Ideal time for an NFL game? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077e0aa200899a00ebbc26 Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Nancy Guthrie sheriff, Alex Murdaugh's win, Kouri Richins' message te 2026-05-15T20:11:54.430Z Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Nancy Guthrie sheriff, Alex Murdaugh's win, Kouri Richins' message BADGE OF DISHONOR: Move to oust Nancy Guthrie sheriff fails as Pima County supervisors refer perjury allegations to AG GAVEL DROPPED: Alex Murdaugh wins new trial after court clerk allegedly told jurors not to be 'fooled' by defense POISONED PLOTLINE: Children’s book author fires off message to sons in final court moments before sentencing for husband’s murder EVIDENCE HUNT: Feds could bring charges in Bahamas disappearance case without ever finding body, expert says SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER UNSOLVED HORROR: Black Dahlia breakthrough: LAPD examines new fingerprint tied to victim’s ex-boyfriend FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X DOUBLE LIFE: Fugitive tied to decades-old slaying of punk rocker roommate caught in tropical hot spot: feds SEND US A TIP HERE PRIVACY PUSHBACK: Prosecutors say Luigi Mangione defense team's juror questions are too 'intrusive' in federal case SYSTEM FAILURE: Nearly 1 in 12 defendants on ankle monitors in Chicago have gone AWOL, authorities say LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST DEADLY PATTERN: Suspected Texas killer is an illegal from Mexico accused in rash of 'extreme violence' against women LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB HELTER SHELTER: 'Cursed’ Sharon Tate murder-mansion site now for rent at $247K/month after years of failing to sell PLOT TWIST: Miami cops sue over Matt Damon, Ben Affleck ‘true events’ film, claim it falsely paints them as corrupt Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077de2a200899a00ebbc17 Texas Supreme Court Rejects Abbott Effort to Remove Democrats After Walkout te 2026-05-15T20:11:14.657Z Texas Supreme Court Rejects Abbott Effort to Remove Democrats After Walkout Republican state leaders tried to expel Democratic lawmakers during their fight over redistricting last year. The court said it was not necessary. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077dcfa200899a00ebbc0e Trump Administration Weighs $1.7 Billion Fund for Allies Investigated Under Biden te 2026-05-15T20:10:55.174Z Trump Administration Weighs $1.7 Billion Fund for Allies Investigated Under Biden Critics denounced the highly unusual plan, which has yet to be finalized or approved, as a vast political slush fund financed by taxpayers. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077dbba200899a00ebbc05 Inside the Secret History of the DeGrange Family te 2026-05-15T20:10:35.728Z Inside the Secret History of the DeGrange Family One fateful decision 100 years ago created parallel lives. How does a family broken by the bizarre rules of racism heal itself after three generations apart? Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077bd4a200899a00ebbbce Tucson man found guilty of killing pregnant girlfriend te 2026-05-15T20:02:28.669Z Tucson man found guilty of killing pregnant girlfriend A jury convicted the Tucson man of killing his 26-year-old girlfriend in 2025. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077b93a200899a00ebbb93 Judge Bars Kars4Kids From Broadcasting ‘Misleading’ Ads in California te 2026-05-15T20:01:23.914Z Judge Bars Kars4Kids From Broadcasting ‘Misleading’ Ads in California The ads with a repetitive jingle encouraging people to donate cars do not disclose that most of the proceeds go to a Jewish organization in New Jersey, the judge ruled. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077939a200899a00ebbb3a Alternative cancer treatments see spike after Joe Rogan podcast episode te 2026-05-15T19:51:21.695Z Alternative cancer treatments see spike after Joe Rogan podcast episode → Joe Rogan podcast appearance tied to rise in demand for alternative cancer treatment → Hantavirus fears spark COVID flashbacks, but experts note major difference → Celebrity chef reveals No. 1 mistake sabotaging weight loss → Experimental obesity drug outperforms traditional weight-loss treatments → Simple body movement could help brain 'clean itself,' researchers find → Alzheimer’s risk slashed by eating more of common food, study suggests CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES → Andes virus linked to cruise ship deaths raises concern over human-to-human spread → Common health condition gets new name after global experts call current term ‘inaccurate’ Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077926a200899a00ebbb31 NFL insists Vrabel-Russini scandal not considered in scheduling Patriots for 2026 kickoff game te 2026-05-15T19:51:02.248Z NFL insists Vrabel-Russini scandal not considered in scheduling Patriots for 2026 kickoff game The NFL considered multiple factors in scheduling its 2026 regular-season kickoff game with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and in picking the New England Patriots as the opponent, league executives insist the drama surrounding the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal played no part in their choice. So, yes, the league would have us believe it did not seriously weigh the sizeable elephant in the room. "Look, we focused on the football game and the reach of the Super Bowl, and that alone is an incredible story," NFL Executive Vice President Hans Schroeder said Friday during a league conference call. CHARGERS TROLL PATRIOTS OVER VRABEL-RUSSINI SCANDAL IN SCHEDULE RELEASE VIDEO Schroeder made the point that the NFL didn't consider the enduring drama that has become a shadow over the Patriots this offseason following the publication of photos showing their head coach spending time with the former reporter for The Athletic holding hands and embracing on the roof of a private bungalow at a Sedona, Ariz., resort. Those photos and others that followed eventually led to Russini resigning from her job, deleting all her social media accounts, Vrabel being asked about it multiple times in press conferences and missing the last day of the April draft in order to spend time with his family in Utah and get "counseling." "How do we deliver the best game into the best window?" Schroeder said, outlining the NFL's thinking on setting a Super Bowl rematch as its kickoff game. "And in this case, it felt like that rematch is going to be the most exciting when you can start it out of the box. "...We liked the idea of really celebrating the Seahawks, giving them a moment to start this year to celebrate their last year. And so we like the idea of opening on NBC on Wednesday, and really using that as a chance to celebrate the rematch, but celebrate the Seattle specifically." This, by the way, falls into line with the hands-off manner the NFL has viewed the entire Vrabel-Russini scandal. The league said early on that Vrabel was not subject to the Personal Conduct Policy as a result of the photos and the rumors they created. Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the NFL Draft that it was a club matter for the Patriots to handle. But while the league is declining to get involved in any way (perhaps rightly so) other clubs aren't looking away and neither are fans. FANS ROAST PATRIOTS FOR THEIR MOTHER'S DAY SALUTE IN LIGHT OF VRABEL-RUSSINI SCANDAL It should be noted that both the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings referenced the relationship between the coach and former reporter in their schedule release videos on Thursday evening, with the Chargers getting significant attention around the league for their move. The Patriots themselves suffered something of an embarrassing time on their own social media account when they posted a Mother's Day salute on Sunday. Some fans in the replies of that post pointed out, often in colorful ways, the apparent disconnect between a team lifting up moms while its coach has perhaps emotionally hurt the mother of his children. And this stuff is unlikely to stop. The Patriots are past the draft and schedule release, and players being asked their opinion about their coach in press conferences. It's also unlikely Vrabel will continue to be quizzed about the issue assuming no new photos or revelations become newsworthy. But the Patriots will be playing preseason games and have nine regular-season away games in 2026. Those will give opposing fans the opportunity to spoof New England's coach and the team by extension about the situation. Unlike the NFL, those opposing fans might not be solely focused on football when thinking about the Patriots. FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0778ffa200899a00ebbb26 Snorkeling at Pearl Harbor: Kash Patel’s Travels Add to Focus on Ethical Issues te 2026-05-15T19:50:23.162Z Snorkeling at Pearl Harbor: Kash Patel’s Travels Add to Focus on Ethical Issues The F.B.I. director continues to come under scrutiny for mixing government business with dates, vacation and leisure time. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07770aa200899a00ebbac3 Bruce Springsteen appears to leave Chris Christie hanging in viral concert moment caught on video te 2026-05-15T19:42:02.074Z Bruce Springsteen appears to leave Chris Christie hanging in viral concert moment caught on video Bruce Springsteen appeared to snub Chris Christie during an awkward concert moment caught on video. In a viral clip shared on social media, Springsteen can be seen walking through the crowd at his Brooklyn concert on Thursday before heading right past the former New Jersey governor. Christie held out his hand to Springsteen like other fans, but the 76-year-old musician didn't seem to acknowledge the Republican politician. It's unclear if Springsteen purposefully ignored Christie's gesture. Fox News Digital has reached out to the singer's representative for comment. Christie didn't seem fazed by the moment, and he returned to clapping as the show went on. CHRIS CHRISTIE SLAMS MAMDANI OVER HANDLING OF NEW YORK CITY SNOWSTORM, GARBAGE 'PILED UP EVERYWHERE' "HAHAHA Bruce Springsteen WAS NOT HAVING IT with Chris Christie. THE SNUB!" X user Mike Ryan shared on the social media platform. Some social media users weren't quick to agree. "It looks like Bruce thought he was just a guy showing him which direction to go," one user wrote in the comments. SPRINGSTEEN JABS TRUMP AS 'WANNABE KING' AS FAMED ROCKER LAUNCHES CONCERT TOUR ‘IN DEFENSE OF AMERICA’ "Christie is a huge Bruce fan," another wrote. "You can see him in a MSG live video from a few years ago." "They are actually friendly to each other, Springsteen didn't even notice him there he was looking at the opposite side," another noted. WATCH: FORMER NJ GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE LEFT HANGING AS BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN PASSES HIM AT CONCERT Springsteen has been a vocal critic of Republican President Donald Trump, especially during his latest tour. The "My Hometown" singer unleashed four pointed political speeches during the opening night of his "Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour." "We are living through some very dark times," he told the crowd mid-show, according to Variety. "Our American values that have sustained us for 250 years are being challenged as never before. We’ve got our young men and women’s lives at risk in an unconstitutional and illegal war. This is happening now. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "There are immigrants being held in detention centers around the country and being deported without due process of law to alien countries and foreign gulags. This is happening now." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER After criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department, Springsteen focused his comments on the White House. Springsteen said, "While working Americans struggle, our president and his family enrich themselves by billions of dollars trading on the people’s office in corruption unmatched in American history. This is happening now." "This White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation around the world," he added. "To many, we are no longer looked upon as an often imperfect but strong defender of democracy standing for the global good. We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are now, to many, America the reckless, unpredictable, predatory rogue nation. That is this administration’s and this president’s legacy. This is happening now." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0776f6a200899a00ebbaba Mother recounts horrors of brutal Chinese detention camp where infant son died te 2026-05-15T19:41:42.401Z Mother recounts horrors of brutal Chinese detention camp where infant son died At first, Mihrigul Tursun speaks with remarkable control. Sitting in Washington in a neatly pressed blue suit, the 35-year-old Uyghur mother answers questions softly, almost cautiously. But once the memories begin, they arrive all at once, in vivid and painful detail, as though the years separating her from China’s detention system no longer exist. The story pours out of her in relentless detail, one memory collapsing into another: the underground cells, the interrogations, the women screaming at night, the smell of overcrowded prison rooms, the body of her infant son lying motionless in her arms as she desperately tried to warm him back to life. For Tursun, the horror is not something she remembers. It is something she says she continues to live with every day. WOMAN WHO SPENT 7 YEARS IN CHINESE PRISON DESCRIBES TORTURE, SURVEILLANCE AND LOSS OF HER HUSBAND And always, there is fear. Not fear for herself, exactly. That, she suggests, stopped mattering long ago. The fear is for the family members she believes remain vulnerable inside China because she chose to publicly describe what happened to her, only because of her faith. Her story unfolds as President Donald Trump visits China this week for meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with trade, security and regional tensions dominating headlines. But for Tursun, China is not an abstract geopolitical rival. It is the country she says destroyed her family, shattered her health and left psychological wounds she still struggles to survive every day. She says she speaks publicly because too few people who survived China’s detention system are able, or willing, to tell the world what they saw. "People think this only happened in history," she said. "But it is still happening." ELITE US COLLEGES LINKED TO CHINESE SURVEILLANCE LABS DRIVING UYGHUR ‘GENOCIDE,’ STUDY WARNS Tursun was born in Xinjiang, the far western region China officially calls the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, home to millions of Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority with their own language and culture. For years, human rights groups, researchers and former detainees have accused Beijing of carrying out mass detention, forced labor, political indoctrination and severe religious repression against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. China denies the allegations, describing the facilities as vocational training centers aimed at combating extremism and terrorism. Tursun says her own relationship with the Chinese state began long before the camps. SURVIVOR OF CHINA'S CULTURAL REVOLUTION WARNS AGAINST LETTING 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS STUDY AT US COLLEGES At age 10, she said, she was sent by the government to study inside China in Mandarin-language schools designed to assimilate Uyghur children into mainstream Chinese society. "They educate us as Chinese mind," she said. Years later, she moved to Egypt to study business administration. There, she married an Egyptian man and gave birth to triplets in 2015: two boys and a girl. The children were only two months old when her parents urged her to return to China so they could meet their grandchildren and help care for them. Tursun resisted at first. The babies were too young to travel, she told them. But her mother insisted it was urgent. On May 12, 2015, she boarded a flight to China carrying the newborns. She says the nightmare began almost immediately after landing in Beijing. At the airport, two people approached and offered to help carry the babies through border control. Moments later, she said, they identified themselves as police officers. "They say, ‘Keep silent. Follow us,’" she recalled. TRUMP PLEDGES TO RAISE DETAINED PASTOR'S CASE WITH XI JINPING DURING BEIJING VISIT AS FAMILY PLEADS FOR HELP Tursun said officers separated her from the children and interrogated her for hours about her time in Egypt, asking whether she had participated in political activities or anti-Chinese events. She repeatedly asked to see her babies, explaining they needed to be breastfed. Instead, she says officers placed a black hood over her head, handcuffed her and transferred her to detention in Xinjiang. There, she says, interrogations and torture began. Weeks later, authorities temporarily released her after informing her that one of her children was sick. Escorted by police to a hospital in Urumqi, she found her surviving son and daughter separated on different floors, connected to oxygen tubes. The next day, doctors handed her paperwork to sign. At the top, she said, were the words: "Death certification." The document bore the name of her infant son. "They say, ‘This is your son,’" she recalled softly. Doctors refused to explain what had happened, she said. Because she was considered a political suspect, she says no one would answer her questions. For three days, she kept her son’s body with her at her parents’ home under constant police surveillance. As Muslims, the family wanted to bring the child to a mosque and bury him according to religious tradition, she said, but authorities would not allow anyone to see the body. "The body stayed with me three days," she said. "I try to give him warmth. I try to let him wake up." He never opened his eyes again, she says as tears filled her eyes. Following her son’s burial, she says authorities expelled her family from their home and detained her again. Between 2015 and 2018, she was transferred between multiple prisons and detention facilities where she endured psychological abuse, interrogations and torture. REPORT DETAILS RISING PRESSURE ON UNDERGROUND CATHOLICS AS CHINA DENIES CRACKDOWN One memory still haunts her more than any other. During an interrogation, she says officers mocked her faith after she told them God would punish them for what they were doing. "Chinese Communist Party is God," she recalled them saying. "Xi Jinping is God." Then, she said, officers shaved her hair and applied electric shocks to her head until she lost consciousness. Tursun also described what she says were systematic medical examinations performed on detainees, including blood tests and organ screenings. Similar allegations from former detainees have fueled longstanding accusations by activists and researchers that Chinese authorities harvested organs from prisoners of conscience, claims Beijing has repeatedly denied. Inside one detention facility, she says more than 60 women were packed into a small cell under constant surveillance. Some had not seen sunlight for more than a year, she claimed. CHINESE UNDERGROUND CHURCH PASTOR, FATHER OF US CITIZENS, DETAINED BY AUTHORITIES, FAMILY SAYS Many of the women were educated professionals: teachers, doctors, neighbors she recognized from outside prison. Others were barely more than children. She recalled one 17-year-old Uyghur girl from a remote village who had never traveled outside her hometown and asked basic questions about the outside world, like how people can fit inside airplanes. Weeks later, Tursun says, guards took the teenager away. When she returned, she appeared bloodied and severely traumatized. She was sexually attacked. Two months later, the girl died. Tursun broke into tears. "No one care about that." She says guards dragged the girl’s body away "like trash." Eventually, her husband was able to locate her and the children, and after the Egyptian authorities intervened, she was allowed to leave China — after both of them signed to never talk about their experience.  Today, Tursun lives in the United States with her surviving children after eventually receiving refuge following congressional testimony in 2018 about her experiences in China. In many ways, she is among the fortunate few. Her children are alive. They are safe. They are growing up in America rather than under constant state surveillance in Xinjiang. But survival, she says, is not the same thing as healing. Her physical health remains fragile. So does her mental health. She says trauma follows her constantly, affecting her sleep, her memory and even ordinary daily routines. "There is no one hour I forget," she said. CHINA FORMALLY ARRESTS 18 LEADERS OF UNDERGROUND ZION CHURCH AMID RELIGIOUS CRACKDOWN Sometimes, she admitted quietly, she no longer wants to continue living. It is her children, she says, who keep her going. And the obligation she feels toward the women she left behind. The women whose faces she still remembers. The women she watched deteriorate inside the camps. The women she says died there. That obligation, she says, is stronger than fear. Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, who interviewed Tursun for his recent book on religious persecution in China, believes stories like hers expose what he describes as the Chinese Communist Party’s deepest insecurity. "This is the issue they fear the most: religious freedom," Brownback said during an interview in Washington as Trump arrived in Beijing. "President Trump, you’re the president that’s done more on religious freedom than any modern president… You need to take this message to President Xi Jinping and his crushing of religion in China." "Our fight is not with the Chinese people," he added. "It’s with the party." In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said the Chinese government protects "freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law" and argued that people of all ethnic groups in China enjoy religious freedom. Liu pointed to official figures showing nearly 200 million religious believers in China, along with more than 380,000 clerical personnel, approximately 5,500 religious groups and more than 140,000 registered places of worship. Liu said Beijing regulates religious affairs involving "national interests and the public interest" while opposing what it describes as illegal or criminal activities carried out under the guise of religion. He also accused foreign countries and media outlets of interfering in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of religious freedom and urged journalists to "respect the facts" and stop what he described as "attacking and smearing" China’s religious policies and religious freedom record. As the interview ended, Tursun gathered herself slowly before stepping back out into the streets of Washington. To strangers passing by, she looked like any other young mother moving through the city. Only she carries memories most people cannot imagine. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0776cda200899a00ebba8f The same dark money groups keep turning up in redistricting fights te 2026-05-15T19:41:01.163Z The same dark money groups keep turning up in redistricting fights Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0776b9a200899a00ebba86 Suspending federal gas tax wouldn’t save drivers as much as they might hope te 2026-05-15T19:40:41.698Z Suspending federal gas tax wouldn’t save drivers as much as they might hope Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0776a5a200899a00ebba7b Az Attorney General Mayes moves to remove David Marshall as Navajo County recorder te 2026-05-15T19:40:21.901Z Az Attorney General Mayes moves to remove David Marshall as Navajo County recorder Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0774a2a200899a00ebba58 Court orders initiative back on the ballot te 2026-05-15T19:31:46.653Z Court orders initiative back on the ballot Judge Napper rules Cultural Park item doesn’t alter zoning Park Preservation Act initiative is not unconstitutional and must be placed before voters. Attorneys representing the city of Sedona, Sedona City Council and the Sedona City Clerk sued the Save Sedona Committee, a political action committee, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077475a200899a00ebba2b Congress may finally have a bipartisan path forward on college athletics with Cruz-Cantwell legislation te 2026-05-15T19:31:01.886Z Congress may finally have a bipartisan path forward on college athletics with Cruz-Cantwell legislation After years of wrangling over how Congress could help leaders in college athletics curtail some of the ongoing issues at the forefront of chaos, we might actually be witnessing a compromise coming soon to the Senate floor. As you have most likely seen, the ongoing debate over how to fix the issues that have arisen from the movement into a new era of college sports has led to disarray. Whether it's the transfer portal, NIL, potential cutting of certain programs or the ongoing discussions around athletic departments having enough money to sustain themselves in this era, the overwhelming thought process centers around Congress getting involved. EXCLUSIVE: WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS COLLEGE SPORTS PANEL WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, INCLUDING A-LIST ATTENDEES While this is obviously easier said than done, there has been movement recently that suggests the SCORE Act could make its way to the House floor next week, which is at least a step in the right direction. The problem is that even if this passes through the House, getting Republicans and Democrats to agree on something of this magnitude is highly unlikely if it were to make it to the Senate floor. EXCLUSIVE: CLARK LEA SAYS COLLEGE FOOTBALL WILL HAVE TO SACRIFICE TRADITION IN EXCHANGE FOR CFP EXPANSION In the meantime, you've seen President Trump sign an executive order pertaining to college athletics, with an emphasis on the transfer portal, eligibility (five years to play five seasons) and the current structure of NIL, along with other points of emphasis. Even though Trump signed this order, it doesn’t mean this is something that has to be abided by, with the President admitting that it would likely end up in a courtroom. PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TARGETING 'ILLEGAL' NIL PAYMENTS, SEEKS TO LIMIT NUMBER OF TRANSFERS But, over the past few months, Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) have been working on a bipartisan bill that would be introduced on the Senate floor that would actually have a chance at being pushed past the barriers that currently exist on both sides. What could this actually look like when introduced? The final wording of the legislation will be announced sometime next week. That part is still left to be determined, but sources tell OutKick that this could unite both sides of the aisle if they can agree on how to enact certain language centered around the number of transfers allowed without a penalty, how to work around the dreaded employment argument for college athletes, NIL structure and ways to prevent athletes from circumventing eligibility guidelines put into place by the NCAA. SCORE ACT FUMBLED: CONGRESS TRIES TO TACKLE NIL CHAOS, GETS RUN OVER BY LANE KIFFIN'S LSU PAYDAY In reality, if the government is going to come to the aid of college athletics, this is the only way it will actually happen. Having regulations put into place through this upcoming legislation is a win for both sides, especially if the overall revenue problems plaguing college athletics can at least be solved. Also, according to sources familiar with the upcoming bipartisan legislation, there would be a governing body enacted to provide clear guidance on rules pertaining to the potential changes coming, with college administrators being in agreement on how they are enforced. ' What type of rules are they planning to address? This part would include third-party NIL deals that are currently being argued about across college athletics, along with actually enforcing the revenue-share cap that was approved through the House settlement. In addition, this legislation could provide leaders with protection on state laws pertaining to NIL, which has led to lawsuits and a plethora of disagreements. GREG SANKEY NEEDS ANSWERS FROM NCAA, WHILE THE SCORE ACT SHOULD BE MAIN FOCUS, NOT MEDIA RIGHTS Essentially, Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, with the advice and guidance of the presidential committee on saving college athletics, have put together a bill that encompasses the current issues brought forth by athletic directors and commissioners, giving this an actual chance of passing through Congress. Sure, it won't be easy, but this feels like the only solution that can actually pass. There will be arguments made against it, because it wouldn’t be a political manuever without some type of pushback. But, we are now at a point where time is not on the side of congressional leaders hoping to pass something substantial that will actually help fix the current problems. The midterm elections are rapidly approaching, along with a recess for Congress, so if a bill is going to make it onto the Senate floor, the time is now. Can both sides actually agree on something that will help college athletics? We're about to find out. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a077462a200899a00ebba22 Brewers vs Twins betting preview: Why Minnesota's Joe Ryan is the play in Friday's matchup te 2026-05-15T19:30:42.131Z Brewers vs Twins betting preview: Why Minnesota's Joe Ryan is the play in Friday's matchup Baseball has been a solid moneymaker for me over the past couple of weeks, with very few bad days. Yesterday I had a play on the Astros, and they lost the game in a brutal fashion, but I made up for it with a bet on Yordan Alvarez that balanced it out. He also hit a homer, so if you bet on that, you had a +230 return. Today, I'm switching to a game between the Brewers and the Twins. The Milwaukee Brewers just keep doing it. They find ways to win games despite losing key players and people in their organization. This year is no different. They traded away Freddy Peralta, and they still have a winning record. Add Peralta to a long list of people they've had to abandon on this journey to find something that works for an eventual World Series title. At some point, though, the team has to be frustrated with just making the postseason. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! For now, they are 24-17 for the year and 2.5 games behind the Cubs in the National League Central standings. They have injuries hitting them right now, so maybe the team will be even stronger as the year goes along. Despite trading their ace, they have a team ERA of 3.35 and a 1.23 WHIP. Chad Patrick is going for the Brewers tonight (according to DraftKings, at least). For the season, Patrick has been solid with a 2-2 record, a 3.06 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. He has struggled on the road with a 5.84 ERA, and that is mostly due to his allowing four earned runs in each of his past two road outings. The Twins hitters are 5-for-15 against Patrick. For a team that was expected to be one of the worst in the league, the Minnesota Twins are showing remarkable progress. They come into tonight's game with a 20-24 record and are sporting a winning record at home. In reality, the home record isn't all that impressive, just 12-11, but still certainly better than a losing record. Despite a .236 batting average, the team has scored 211 runs for the year. The pitching staff has a 4.49 ERA, but the 1.36 WHIP is at least manageable. Tonight they have a guy who is likely to be on the trade market if the Twins' mild success doesn't improve by the middle of the year, Joe Ryan. A lot of teams view Ryan as a No. 1 or No. 2 option for a rotation, and there is good reason to think that. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Ryan is 2-3 for the year with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He is the proud owner of a 2.60 home ERA as well. He did leave a start with injury just two outings ago. However, he came back last week and threw six innings with one earned run and two hits allowed. Brewers hitters are batting just 14-for-69 against Ryan. I don't have a great look at a player prop today, aside from Andrew Vaughn going hitless. He is 2-for-12 against Ryan in his career with four strikeouts. Patrick has been decent this season, but he isn't the same level of reliability as Ryan. Give me the Twins in this one through five innings; that way, we shouldn't need to worry about any bullpen meltdowns. For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07720aa200899a00ebb9c7 Unlikely bipartisan Senate duo seeks to permanently ban ex-lawmakers from lobbying te 2026-05-15T19:20:42.331Z Unlikely bipartisan Senate duo seeks to permanently ban ex-lawmakers from lobbying A bipartisan Senate duo are pushing a proposal to permanently prohibit former lawmakers and elected officers of Congress from lobbying. Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have teamed up on a measure called the "Banning Lobbying And Safeguarding Trust Act," or "BLAST Act." UNIVERSITIES FACE FUNDING THREAT AS LAWMAKERS TARGET SCHOOLS WITH TIES TO ADVERSARIAL NATIONS "When politicians use their time in public office to cash in after they leave government, the American people lose. Trust in our institutions is at an all-time low, and the revolving door between Capitol Hill and K Street is a big part of that. We need to restore the American people’s trust in their government, and that’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to put government clearly back on the side of the people," Scott said in a statement. "Our founders never intended public service to become a training ground for a lifetime of lobbying. Senator Warren and I are working to end this practice once and for all," he added. ELIZABETH WARREN'S BEZOS MET GALA JAB BACKFIRES AS CRITICS MERCILESSLY DRAG ‘UN-AMERICAN’ LAWMAKER The proposal for a permanent lobbying ban on lawmakers would go further than current law, according to Warren's office. "Under current law, former members of Congress are allowed to lobby their former colleagues in Congress after a ‘cooling off’ period — one year for former members of the House of Representatives and two years for former senators," her office said. WARREN PUSHED ‘FREE AND EASY’ IRS FILING SYSTEM, BUT DOCS REVEAL WHAT SHE USED INSTEAD "It’s simple: Members of Congress should spend their time in Washington serving the American people, not preparing to cash in big time with a cushy lobbying career after they leave office," Warren said in a statement. "It’s long past time to close the revolving door that’s corrupted our government and destroyed public trust in elected officials. This bipartisan bill is an important push to get that done." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076d9ea200899a00ebb933 DPS: Mom, daughter saved from trafficking situation in Arizona te 2026-05-15T19:01:50.032Z DPS: Mom, daughter saved from trafficking situation in Arizona DPS said the mother was texting with law enforcement before troopers located the vehicle in the Kingman area. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076d89a200899a00ebb924 VVAC opens exhibit on Tim’s Cave & artifacts te 2026-05-15T19:01:29.570Z VVAC opens exhibit on Tim’s Cave & artifacts On April 25, the Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum opened the exhibit “Tim’s Cave Reimagined: Stewarding a Cultural Collection.” This exhibit tells the story of the sighting of prehistoric artifacts by helicopter, a recovery effort by the U.S. Forest Service, a theft and federal investigati Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076d47a200899a00ebb8df A hotel check-in system left a million passports and driver’s licenses open for anyone to see te 2026-05-15T19:00:23.039Z A hotel check-in system left a million passports and driver’s licenses open for anyone to see The tech company that maintains the hotel check-in system set its cloud storage to public, allowing anyone to access customers' data without a password. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076b3ea200899a00ebb893 Trump announces major new landmark project in DC's West Potomac Park honoring America's greatest heroes te 2026-05-15T18:51:42.288Z Trump announces major new landmark project in DC's West Potomac Park honoring America's greatest heroes President Donald Trump announced plans to build a National Garden of American Heroes in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park in a Friday morning post on Truth Social. "I am proud to announce the site of the NATIONAL GARDEN OF AMERICAN HEROES. This magnificent exhibition of statues will be located in West Potomac Park, which we are transforming into one of the World's most beautiful public spaces," Trump wrote. "Right now, it is a totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate along our Mighty Potomac River. When finished, West Potomac Park will be a World Class Masterpiece with elegant Landscaping, and adorned with Beautiful Statues, and be yet another one of my great projects to make Washington, D.C., the Safest and Most Beautiful Capital in the World," Trump's post continued. "The National Garden of American Heroes will feature the MOST BEAUTIFUL collection of statues of AMERICAN HEROES, featuring our Illustrious Founding Fathers, Military Warriors, Religious Leaders, Civil Rights Champions, World Class Athletes, Artists, Entertainers, and MORE. The people of America (and the World!) will come here to learn and be inspired by the 'Greats'. The National Garden of American Heroes is one more project we are undertaking to honor the 250th Birthday of the Greatest Nation on Earth, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!" Trump's post concluded. GOP SENATORS PUSH FOR CHARLIE KIRK STATUE IN TRUMP'S NATIONAL GARDEN OF AMERICAN HEROES The post also included an aerial photo of West Potomac Park, the planned site for the project. The project would build upon Trump's ongoing plans to significantly build legacy infrastructure in the nation's capital. The White House ballroom project, which is currently underway, is the most high-profile example of Trump's D.C. buildout, but the president is also seeking approval for a number of other major projects. WATCH: TRUMP REVEALS FLASHY NEW COLOR FOR NATIONAL MALL'S REFLECTING POOL MAKEOVER For upcoming celebrations of America's 250th birthday, Trump is renovating the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial, addressing leaks in the pool's structure and adding a blue liner to make the water more visually striking. Trump said the project will cost under $2 million. "It's so important for our country," he said in a May 7 announcement. Trump is also seeking approval from Congress and the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for a massive "Triumphal Arch" to be placed in front of the Arlington National Cemetery. The massive undertaking would be 250 feet high, making it taller than any building in D.C., White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced in April. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076b2aa200899a00ebb88a First Tren de Aragua gang member extradited to US on historic terrorism charges appears before Houston judge te 2026-05-15T18:51:22.729Z First Tren de Aragua gang member extradited to US on historic terrorism charges appears before Houston judge Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, an alleged senior leader of the Venezuelan Tren de Argua (TdA) gang, appeared before a judge in Houston Friday following extradition from Colombia in a historic first for cartel prosecutions. Martinez Flores, also known as Chuqui, was allegedly part of TdA's "inner circle," according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He is the first alleged TdA member extradited to the U.S. on terrorism-related charges since the gang was designated a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) in 2025. "This is a first of its kind, which is important. I think, as everyone knows, in 2025 with the new administration these cartels are now designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Not only does that give us more focus and attention on these groups but it gives us more resources, more ability to reach these individuals in their home countries, that's why this is so significant," Jason Hudson, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Houston, said during a Friday news conference. "Mr. Martines Flores was the first TdA member to be charged with material support of terrorism. Mr. Martines Flores is also the first TdA member thay has been extradited to the United States to face those charges in our country," Hudson continued. DOJ INDICTS ALLEGED HIGH-RANKING TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER ON TERRORISM CHARGES FOR THE FIRST TIME Colombian authorities arrested the 24-year-old Martinez Flores in Colombia on March 31 after U.S. authorities issued an arrest warrant for him. He appeared in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan Friday morning to face charges of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization and providing material support to a terrorist organization. Martinez Flores' indictment alleges his involvement in an international drug distribution conspiracy via the distribution of five kilograms of cocaine or more intended for distribution in the United States. The indictment alleges the proceeds were used to further TdA’s criminal goals. The Trump administration designated TdA as an FTO on Trump's first day in office of his second term in a sweeping executive order that also branded all international cartels as FTO. "Today's extradition sends a clear message: under President Trump’s leadership, foreign terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua will be hunted down and brought to justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076b16a200899a00ebb881 Georgia GOP gubernatorial hopeful vows to 'ban DEI' in state but his own nonprofit urged CEOs to invest in it te 2026-05-15T18:51:02.866Z Georgia GOP gubernatorial hopeful vows to 'ban DEI' in state but his own nonprofit urged CEOs to invest in it Rick Jackson, a Republican billionaire running for Georgia governor on a pledge to ban DEI in state government and public education, founded a nonprofit that promoted a 2021 workplace initiative urging Georgia CEOs to invest in DEI, measure progress, examine racial pay gaps, use race-conscious hiring practices and lead workplaces "with race in mind." Jackson, the billionaire healthcare founder of Jackson Healthcare and its network of smaller companies, including Jackson Physician Search and Jackson Therapy Partners, has said he would be President Donald Trump's "favorite governor," modeled his campaign launch after the president's and said he has never met a Trump policy he doesn't like. Trump, meanwhile, has made ending DEI in the United States a key part of his second term, issuing an executive order shortly after he was inaugurated to remove it from public services, universities and beyond. His administration has also taken an aggressive stance against DEI in the courts. In addition to his for-profit companies, Jackson is the founder and CEO of goBeyondProfit, a Georgia nonprofit. The philanthropic venture describes itself as a "no-cost resource for Georgia business leaders interested in evolving their corporate generosity efforts into a business strategy," and adds that Jackson has "long shared the belief that businesses can and should be a force for good in the world." In 2021, goBeyondProfit launched a DEI initiative focused on keeping "race in mind" in the workplace, which included a video series for CEOs to learn the "do's and don'ts" of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The "Telly Award-Winning video series" aimed at helping companies implement DEI initiatives remains active on the nonprofit's website. One of the videos promoted critical race theorist Ibram X. Kendi's book "How To Be An Anti-Racist," which has been characterized by critics as a leading text of modern race-conscious ideology that rejects colorblindness and defends discrimination when used to achieve equity. The initiative also featured experts who argued "doing nothing" on DEI was "cringe worthy" and framed workplace race issues through slavery and Jim Crow. GOP GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL'S PRO-TRUMP PITCH TO VOTERS CLASHES WITH PAPER TRAIL INSIDE HIS OWN COMPANY Among those experts was then-Jackson Healthcare DEI executive Matthew Harrison, who, in the DEI initiative's videos, touted how the share of "people of color" hired into new roles at Jackson Healthcare rose from 9% to 25% after the company implemented the diversity measures discussed in the initiative's instructional videos. Jackson’s business orbit has a history of DEI-friendly messaging and efforts that could complicate one of his central campaign pitches: that he is the candidate best positioned to root out DEI and restore merit-based policies in Georgia. Jackson’s campaign platform says he would prohibit DEI programs in state government, public universities and classrooms, while his campaign messaging has vowed to "ban DEI insanity" and "criminalize reverse discrimination." "We need to ban every bit of idiotic DEI insanity and criminalize reverse discrimination," he recently posted on social media. Fox News Digital reached out to Jackson’s campaign, Jackson Healthcare and goBeyondProfit for comment, including questions about whether Jackson was aware of the "Race in Mind" initiative, whether he approved of the DEI materials at the time and how he squared the nonprofit’s past race-focused workplace efforts with his current anti-DEI campaign platform. "Rick hires like the Georgia Bulldogs: only the best players hit the field, and he will prohibit reverse discrimination as governor," a Jackson campaign spokesperson said in response to Fox News Digital's questions.  The campaign added that "many of Georgia's most successful and conservative business leaders" have been "program ambassadors or members" at goBeyondProfit, citing Chick-fil-A's involvement and the involvement of Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus until his death. In 2021, at the height of the social justice movement following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others, Jackson's goBeyondProfit launched "Leading a Thriving Workplace with Race in Mind," a DEI initiative that included a "Telly Award-Winning video series" aimed at helping CEOs navigate the "do’s and don’ts" of DEI and make "impactful changes" in their workplaces. NEARLY ALL FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES STILL MAINTAIN CORPORATE DEI COMMITMENTS: REPORT The goBeyondProfit video series featured DEI experts, including Harrison, a former Jackson Healthcare executive, urging CEOs and their companies to invest in DEI, measure progress, examine racial pay gaps and use race-conscious hiring practices to increase workplace diversity. In one video, Harrison described implementing a "Rooney Rule" hiring policy at Jackson Healthcare after he took over talent acquisition in 2019, saying the company increased the share of "people of color" hired into new roles from 9% to 25% within a year. "Personally here at Jackson Healthcare, I took over leading talent acquisition here in June of 2019 and put that in place, and within a year, we saw our increase in the number of people of color that we hired into new roles. It went from 9% to 25% and that’s the only thing we changed," Harrison says. HOW TRUMP IS UPROOTING RADICAL '60S FOUNDATIONS OF POISONOUS DEI AND CRT PROGRAMS A separate speaker from the DEI video series discusses the importance of tying DEI metrics to employee evaluations, encourages "taking those proactive steps and being anti-racist" as discussed in Kendi's book that CEOs were encouraged to read, implored "employers do periodic pay equity reviews for their employees," and urged executives to financially invest in DEI work, saying companies needed to "put your money where your mouth is" on DEI efforts.  That same speaker framed workplace race issues through slavery and Jim Crow, saying slavery was "America’s first race-based economic system" and arguing that the "vestiges of slavery" still live on "even in the American workplace." "Oddly, the American workplace is the one place where we should be having more of these conversations, but ironically, it’s the one place where we’re least likely to do," Harrison adds in one of the videos. Meanwhile, at another point in one of the videos, Harrison described how Jackson Healthcare started a "race series" using an outside vendor in order to prevent it from being viewed as "this HR mandate" by employees. US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ACCUSED OF LEADING ‘WOKE CORPORATE AMERICA’ AS TRUMP DISMANTLES DEI AGENDA A related goBeyondProfit blog post authored by Harrison and the other DEI expert from the video series encouraged executives to take an Implicit Association Test to measure subconscious biases and create a "Bias Breaker" list cataloguing their known biases, including those involving "gender, sexual orientation, race or skin color, weight, age, and the list goes on." This revelation about the DEI past of Jackson's companies is not the first time the issue has come to haunt his campaign. Fox News Digital reported in March that Harrison, who wrote his thesis on "Colorism," said during a 2020 podcast interview that Jackson Healthcare and its leaders "get and see the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce." He even credited Jackson for inspiring "a learning experience about race during the interview. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital also reported last month that one of Jackson's companies focused on healthcare staffing produced numerous materials ridiculing Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The unearthed DEI efforts come as a brutal Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary nears its conclusion, with the election slated for next Tuesday, followed by the general election in November. At times, the primary race has centered on which candidate can claim the mantle of President Donald Trump’s fiercest ally. Georgia Lt. Gov Burt Jones has Trump’s formal endorsement, and Trump recently warned voters during a tele-rally that while others were claiming his support, "I endorse a man named Burt Jones." Jones’ campaign has branded Jackson a "Never-Trumper" and a "fraud," often citing the fact he funded many of Trump's political opponents, like Jeb Bush, in the past. Jackson, meanwhile, has tried to run as a Trump-style outsider, pledging to be "Trump’s favorite governor," donating $1 million to Trump's MAGA Inc. as he launched his campaign, modeling his campaign launch after Trump with a celebratory elevator descent, and telling local media he can't name a single White House policy from the Trump administration he doesn't like. Jackson has blasted Jones as part of the political establishment, while likening Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another one of his main primary opponents, to the Biblical character "Judas" for being disloyal to Trump during his efforts to contest the 2020 election. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076b03a200899a00ebb878 Mavericks star Cooper Flagg and Duke center Arianna Roberson go public with relationship in Turks and Caicos te 2026-05-15T18:50:43.017Z Mavericks star Cooper Flagg and Duke center Arianna Roberson go public with relationship in Turks and Caicos Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg's season ended last month, but that hasn’t stopped him from making big plays. Flagg confirmed his relationship with Duke women’s basketball center Arianna Roberson on Thursday with a post to his Instagram Story. Flagg posted a picture of them kissing while in the Turks and Caicos, and Roberson reposted it to her Instagram Story with two black heart emojis. Roberson also posted a TikTok of the pair together throughout their vacation, captioning it, "carry on." CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Rumors first began about their relationship when they posted pictures of just themselves to their own accounts at the same resort at the same time, leading fans to believe they were vacationing together. They were also seen together at Cameron Indoor Stadium in February, attending Duke’s 101-64 blowout win over Syracuse. The couple overlapped for a year at Duke in 2024-25, when they were both freshmen. Flagg declared for the NBA Draft after leading Duke to the Final Four and was eventually selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! While the Mavericks struggled and missed the playoffs in Flagg’s rookie year, he had a lot of personal success. He edged out former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, a forward for the Charlotte Hornets, to win NBA Rookie of the Year. In 70 games, Flagg averaged 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Roberson, in 33 games, averaged 8 points per game on 41.6% shooting with Duke. Her older brother, Andre Roberson, played seven seasons in the NBA, spending the majority of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0768c1a200899a00ebb832 Trump elections order would create chaotic ‘nightmare,’ Democrats and allies tell court te 2026-05-15T18:41:05.156Z Trump elections order would create chaotic ‘nightmare,’ Democrats and allies tell court A voter deposits a mail-in ballot at the drop box outside the Chester County, Pennsylvania, Government Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Pennsylvania Capital-Star/Peter Hall) WASHINGTON — Democrats and advocacy groups urged a quick rejection of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on compiling citizenship lists and creating traceable mail-in ballots in a federal court hearing Thursday. Lawyers for the Democratic National Committee, Democratic minority leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and interest groups argued that, with the midterm elections less than six months away, there was no time to see how the Trump administration executes the order. The Trump administration, meanwhile, argued the order had not been put into effect yet and therefore could not be overturned. The groups are seeking a nationwide preliminary pause on Trump’s late-March order that U.S. citizenship and age data from the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security be provided to states. The proposal would result in a “maximum amount of confusion” and be a “nightmare for election officials,” said Danielle Lang, who argued on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “Waiting will only erode public confidence in elections.” Thursday’s hearing marked the first courtroom showdown over the executive order. A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general have also sued to block the order. At least five lawsuits have been filed in total. Trump’s edict also orders the U.S. Postal Service to promulgate a rule that would design special envelopes for mail-in ballots, including a unique barcode. States, which the U.S. Constitution delegates authority over election administration to, have argued the order would restrict mail-in voting. ‘No one knows’ U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, had tough questions for both sides. He suggested the Democrats’ and aligned groups’ challenges may be premature because a rule specifying how the order would operate has yet to be written, though he also grasped their argument that the order was inherently unconstitutional.  “No one knows what’s gonna be in the rule,” Nichols told lawyers for the Democratic groups. “I think it’s very clear from the EO (executive order) that we know exactly what’s gonna be in the rule,” said Lalitha Madduri, who represented the Democratic groups and congressional leaders. After back-and-forth, Nichols conceded, “I agree with your point: There can be no rulemaking consistent with the EO that can be lawful.” Madduri also argued there is “no way to repair that harm” of uncertainty for voters. A mail ballot drop box at a polling station on November 4, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Department of Justice senior trial counsel Stephen Pezzi said the plaintiffs have a right to “prepare for the darkest fears,” but, he argued, they can’t win a preliminary injunction based on speculation of error-prone citizenship lists and a postal rule not yet created. There’s “certainly no irreparable harm,” Pezzi said. Of the lists of intra-agency government data compiling U.S. citizens and their ages, Pezzi said “it’s not a list of individuals to be targeted. It’s not a list of noncitizens.” He also said it’s “not a concern” of the federal government what states do with the lists, if they even decide to use them. “No list’s ever going to be perfect,” Pezzi said, adding that “responsible” states would not blindly kick people off voter rolls if their names do not appear on the lists verifying citizenship. Commitment to updates Nichols told Pezzi in the event he denied a preliminary injunction, he would expect information sharing from the government as the case continued. “Fair enough,” Pezzi said. “I didn’t hear a commitment,” Nichols warned, prompting agreement from Pezzi. Nichols said he would soon issue an order and opinion, but did not specify a date.  “I understand the time pressure here,” he said. He warned the government to notify him of “anything even approaching a material change” on implementing Trump’s executive order — though he stopped short of issuing an official order requiring updates. But, he said, “it would not be good for the government,” if they do not promptly inform him of new developments. Trump’s elections push Democrats and voting rights groups maintain Trump’s order is effectively compiling an illegal national voter list and usurping the state authority over elections. The order’s opponents accuse Trump of trying to unilaterally assert power over elections. Trump and his aides say the order will help secure the midterm elections this November. While voter fraud is extremely rare, Trump has long promoted false conspiracy theories surrounding his 2020 election loss. Supporters of President Donald Trump demonstrate at a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in front of the Maricopa County, Arizona, Elections Department office on Nov. 7, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) The executive order, signed by Trump on March 31, came amid a broader campaign by the president to influence how elections are run.  The Justice Department has sued 30 states and the District of Columbia for sensitive voter data that it plans to use to identify potential noncitizen voters.  Trump has demanded that Congress pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show documents proving their citizenship, though the bill has stalled in the Senate. Last year, Trump signed an executive order to unilaterally impose similar requirements that was blocked in federal court. “President Trump has tried repeatedly to rewrite election rules for his own perceived partisan advantage,” Madduri, an attorney at Elias Law Group, wrote in a court filing. GOP officials defend order Republican state attorneys general have intervened in the lawsuits on behalf of the Trump administration and have urged federal judges to uphold the executive order. They have cast the order as offering “optional” resources. Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas intervened in the suit argued Thursday and were represented in the courtroom.   The states “would like to access this resource so they may verify the accuracy of their own voter-registration lists. This flow of information between federal and state agencies is a common and critical feature of our federal system,” the Republican officials wrote in an April 20 court document. The order requires lists of voting-age U.S. citizens living in each state to be provided to state officials at least 60 days before each federal election.  The order does not tell states how to use the data, but it instructs the U.S. attorney general to prioritize investigations into state and local officials who issue federal ballots to ineligible voters. The list of citizens will be drawn from naturalization and Social Security records, according to the order. It will also include data from SAVE, a powerful computer program maintained by Homeland Security that verifies citizenship by checking names against information in federal databases.  The order also directs states, at least 90 days before a federal election, to tell the U.S. Postal Service whether they intend to allow ballots to be sent through the mail. States would then have to submit to USPS a list of voters planning to vote by mail at least 60 days before the election. Opponents of the order argue that under federal law Trump cannot direct the postmaster general to take any action — on elections or any other matter. The Postal Service is overseen by a Board of Governors and the postmaster general reports to the board.  Trump’s allies argue that the Constitution grants the president sweeping authority over executive branch agencies and that Congress cannot place agencies, like the Postal Service, beyond the president’s reach. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0768aba200899a00ebb811 North Texas dominates in population growth as big blue cities fail to recover to pre-pandemic levels te 2026-05-15T18:40:43.359Z North Texas dominates in population growth as big blue cities fail to recover to pre-pandemic levels Texas small cities are the fastest growing communities in the United States while the nation’s big blue hubs are failing to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, including the cities of Celina, Princeton, Melissa, and Anna saw population gains, according to figures released on Thursday. Celina, Texas tops the list as the fastest growing city in the nation, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on Thursday. The bureau announced that the five fastest-growing cities in the nation with a population of 20,000 or more were all in Texas — four in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington suburbs and one outside Houston. NYC BUSINESS OWNER KICKSTARTS MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN TO COMBAT MAMDANI-DRIVEN BUSINESS EXODUS "Celina, Texas (near Dallas), was the fastest-growing city in the nation, surging by a notable 24.6%. Rapid growth is nothing new for Celina, which was also the nation’s fastest-growing city in 2023," the Census Bureau reported. "Families are drawn to Celina for our outstanding schools, safe neighborhoods, and dynamic community life, while businesses recognize the strategic advantages of our location, robust infrastructure, and supportive environment," Celina Mayor Ryan Tubbs told Dallas local news affiliate WFAA. Tubbs did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The second-fastest growing city is Fulshear, located outside of Houston, according to Census data. The other Dallas-Fort Worth suburban cities round out the list of the top five fastest-growing cities. NEW YORK CITY LOST RESIDENTS ACROSS ALL INCOME LEVELS LAST YEAR, STUDY FINDS The South in general is outperforming the rest of the nation. "The South dominates the lists of the nation’s fastest-growing and highest-gaining cities. The region claims 10 of the nation’s 15 fastest-growing cities as well as 11 of the 12 largest numeric gains," the Census Bureau reported. While North Carolina saw the highest net domestic migration of any state in 2023, South Carolina has recently emerged as the fastest growing state in the nation by percentage. Between July 2022 and July 2023, the Palmetto State’s population grew by 1.7%, significantly outpacing the national average and fueled by a net influx of over 82,000 domestic migrants.   The growth in these states comes as several traditionally blue states struggle to return to pre-pandemic population levels. Major cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago have seen consistent downward trends in net migration. AMERICANS CONTINUE VOTING WITH THEIR FEET AS HIGH-TAX CITIES STRUGGLE TO RECOVER Los Angeles County has been particularly hard-hit. According to U.S. Census data, the county’s population has shrunk from roughly 10 million in 2020 to about 9.7 million today. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, the county lost more than 56,000 residents. New York City lost more residents than those that moved in last year, according to a new study from the Citizens’ Budget Commission released recently. "The nation’s largest counties ... are often international migration hubs," said Census Bureau demographer George M. Hayward. "With fewer gains from international migration, these types of counties saw their population growth diminish or even turn into loss." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0766bba200899a00ebb7c7 Section of Sonoran Desert designated as a 'Dark Sky Park' te 2026-05-15T18:32:27.730Z Section of Sonoran Desert designated as a 'Dark Sky Park' The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona has been certified as a "Dark Sky Park." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07668fa200899a00ebb797 DAVID MARCUS: China trip a glimpse into the surveillance state America must never become te 2026-05-15T18:31:43.037Z DAVID MARCUS: China trip a glimpse into the surveillance state America must never become Watching Bret Baier live from Beijing this week, you couldn't help but be stunned at his 'Special Report' team's coverage of the surveillance state in China. It's scary. Baier reported that in China, if you jaywalk, or ride a scooter without a helmet, cameras capture it and almost instantly you get a ticket on your phone. In fact, Baier’s own driver received one after illegally parking for just a couple of minutes. It brings up an important question for Americans, because our government has every bit the capability, and most of the equipment in place to enforce such laws so aggressively. If that happened, would America still be America? American society has a lot of unofficial wiggle room in such things. No tickets are given for double parking in New York City during street cleaning, even though it's illegal. Everyone on I-95 is going at least 5-15 miles above the speed limit. And as for jaywalking, most American cities have basically instituted a de facto Manifest Destiny of the intersection. TOO LOUD? TICKET’S IN THE MAIL This somewhat gentle and relaxed enforcement of laws that do not pertain to violence or rise to the level of felony, explains why every state has bizarre old laws still on the books that are simply never enforced. In Delaware, it is illegal to sell pet fur. In Massachusetts, swearing at sporting events is a minor crime. In Minnesota, you can be charged with using a greased pig in a contest. The reason these laws were never repealed is that we just stopped enforcing them and nobody cared. But what happens if every time a law is passed, it comes with an AI-driven surveillance regime that is capable of detecting almost every violation that takes place? How many speeding tickets did you actually deserve this year, according to the letter of the law? BRETT TOLMAN: MOUNTAIN RUNNER FACING PRISON FOR USING TRAIL BUREAUCRATS SECRETLY DEEMED OFF-LIMITS Much of this is cultural. I recall being in Tokyo in 2019, even before tickets could magically appear on your phone, and on a pencil straight, one-lane street, dozens of people on both sides stood waiting to cross. I was mystified, I remember thinking, "It's right there. We can make it. This isn’t storming Omaha beach." But for the Japanese, a rule is a rule. You follow it. The concern that we should have about the radical increase in the surveillance state in the United States is that it may make our American culture more like South Asian culture, and that is too high a price to pay for safety and order. JONATHAN TURLEY: ELITES CALL THE CONSTITUTION 'BROKEN' BUT AMERICANS KNOW IT'S OUR GREATEST GIFT The wiggle room described above along with, let's face it, a healthy dollop of disdain for authority, is as American as apple pie. In fact, it can almost serve as a kind of fourth branch of government when people en masse just ignore silly laws. For as bad as the COVID lockdowns were, and for all the horrible calls from progressives at the time for us to be more compliant, like the Chinese, we did see millions of Americans just disobey ridiculous restrictions. This defiant spirit is central to who we are as a nation, and we need to think about both how much surveillance we have and how our government might choose to use it. WE COULD WIN THE AI WAR AND STILL LOSE ALL OF OUR FREEDOMS IF WE AREN’T CAREFUL Given our devices, TVs, Ring door cameras, plus all the state surveillance out there, the tools are in place. So far, our government isn’t using it to control us. They could easily flip a switch and go totalitarian anytime they want. The means of state surveillance in our society that seemed like science fiction just a generation ago, aren’t going anywhere. That is a losing argument akin to lying in front of a bulldozer to save a tree. The real debate will be over how much latitude we give the state, not just to use technology to surveil us, but to punish us for transgressions of minor laws. This is a real challenge because Black’s Law Dictionary has no definition of "wiggle room." Do we want to live in an America where a human cop can make a judgment to give you a warning instead of a ticket, or a one where a Robocop simply enforces the letter of the law? Americans, it seems to me, prefer the wiggle room. But how to protect it, well, that is a very challenging question. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07667ba200899a00ebb78e Trump leaves China with breakthroughs — and unfinished business on Xi’s biggest fights te 2026-05-15T18:31:23.338Z Trump leaves China with breakthroughs — and unfinished business on Xi’s biggest fights President Donald Trump returned from his high-stakes summit in China with President Xi Jinping touting trade progress and warmer ties, but several of the biggest pressure points in the U.S.-China relationship — from trade and Taiwan, to AI and human rights — appeared to end without firm public breakthroughs. "We had a great stay. It was an amazing period of time. President Xi’s an incredible guy. We’ve made a lot of great trade deals," Trump said Friday aboard Air Force One while returning to the White House. The trip gave Trump several economic talking points, including potential Chinese purchases of Boeing aircraft, U.S. soybeans and American energy, but public readouts and Trump's recent remarks show some major questions went unresolved. WHAT XI WANTS FROM TRUMP AS BEIJING SEEKS LEVERAGE IN HIGH-STAKES SUMMIT During the summit, Xi warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to "clashes and even conflicts" between the two countries.  Trump said "he heard [Xi] out" on Taiwan, adding, "He does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation." There was no pledge from Beijing to reduce military pressure or any visible easing of the core Taiwan dispute. TRUMP WARNS TAIWAN NOT TO EXPECT BLANK CHECK FROM US MILITARY AFTER INTENSE XI SUMMIT Lawmakers have pressed Trump over Taiwan’s security and U.S. arms sales to the island, though Washington does not formally recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state and maintains a longstanding "One China" policy. "We’ve had it for thousands of years. And then, at a certain period of time, they left that they were going to get it back. They had the Korean War. A lot of things happened and all this. But no, yeah — Taiwan, he feels very strongly. I made no commitment either way," Trump said, referring to Xi’s view of Taiwan and Beijing’s historical claim to the island.  A White House official said Trump is expected to decide soon whether to move forward with a new Taiwan arms package, pointing to his December 2025 approval of $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan and arguing that his record remains consistent with decades of U.S. policy. The official also noted that Trump approved more Taiwan arms sales during his first term than any previous president, and said his first-year total in the second term exceeded the full amount approved during former President Biden’s four years in office. TRUMP SPEAKS WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT XI, WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL CONFIRMS The cases of jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai and detained house-church pastor Ezra Jin loomed over the summit, with Trump saying Xi is "giving very serious consideration" to releasing Pastor Jin, though Lai’s future may be less certain. "That’s a tougher one. I did bring it up. It’s a tough one for him. It’s a tough one," Trump said. "He said Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do. You know, he went through a lot — right and wrong, he went through a lot. So he told me that would be a tough one. He said he’s going to strongly consider the pastor." Jin, also known as Ezra Jin Mingri, is a Chinese house church pastor whose family and advocates have urged Washington to press Beijing for his release. Lai is a British citizen, Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist who has been jailed under Hong Kong’s national security law.  The two are often linked in coverage focused on human rights, freedom of the press, and China’s crackdown on dissent. Neither case appeared to produce a public release commitment before Trump departed Beijing. Lai’s daughter, Claire, commended Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their "continuous commitment to freeing my father and securing his freedom" during an appearance on "The Brian Kilmeade Show" Friday. "Of course, the dream was that he would fly back with my father this time, but I am still extremely confident that he is the president and this is the administration that will secure my father’s freedom," Lai said. China’s AI advances remain a major concern for U.S. policymakers and technology leaders as Washington weighs how to preserve its edge in advanced chips, computing power and export controls without accelerating Beijing’s push to build domestic alternatives. DONALD TRUMP DETAILS 'MOST EXCITING PART' OF CHINA TRADE AGREEMENT Trump said on Air Force One that discussions about chips did not come up.  U.S. officials said China continues to weigh whether to buy advanced U.S. chips or accelerate domestic alternatives, while Trump said the two sides discussed the possibility of AI guardrails. TRUMP REVERSES COURSE ON MIDDLE EAST TECH POLICY, BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO COUNTER CHINA? "As to whether the Chinese are going to buy [U.S. chips] or not, they’re making their own determinations," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday on Bloomberg TV.  "They’re very committed to domestic production. They often see U.S. high tech as a threat to them. If we’re ahead of the game on AI chips, sometimes they feel that can stop their own growth," he added. Trump said China may "want to try and develop their own" chips. TRUMP ANNOUNCES CHINA WILL RESTART RARE EARTH MINERAL SHIPMENTS TO US AFTER PRODUCTIVE CALL At the final meeting between the two leaders, Trump touted what he called "fantastic trade deals" during the summit. Trump said China agreed to purchase 200 Boeing planes and expressed interest in buying as many as 750 once the first deliveries are completed. While few details have been released regarding the specific agreements reached, Trump also said agricultural deals were pledged while at the same time stating tariffs were not discussed. "The farmers are going to be very happy. They’re going to be buying billions of dollars of soybeans," Trump said. The president added during a gaggle on Air Force One during his trip home that he and Xi did not discuss tariffs during the meetings, even though such duties have served as one of Trump’s central tools for pressuring Beijing on trade. TRUMP PUSHES XI ON TRADE AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING DENTS KEY CHINA PRESSURE TOOL "We didn't discuss tariffs - I mean they're paying tariffs. They're paying substantial tariffs," he said at one point. The talks come as Trump’s tariff agenda faced a setback after a Supreme Court ruling limited his use of emergency powers to impose duties, which cut directly into one of his preferred tools for pressuring Beijing. Trump also suggested an energy deal was close, saying China could begin buying oil from Texas, Louisiana and Alaska. "They’re going to go to Texas. We’re going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas and to Louisiana and to Alaska. And I think that was another thing that was agreed to. That’s a big thing," Trump said. Iran was an area where Trump could point to a clearer diplomatic win, saying Xi told him China would not provide military equipment to Tehran and that both leaders agreed Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. But broader concerns remain over Beijing’s economic support for Iran through oil purchases, dual-use exports and intermediary networks. China remains a major buyer of Iranian crude despite U.S. sanctions. Trump said that Xi and his wife will visit the U.S. in September. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076667a200899a00ebb785 Maine governor urges residents to stay clear after fiery lumber mill explosion in Searsmont te 2026-05-15T18:31:03.781Z Maine governor urges residents to stay clear after fiery lumber mill explosion in Searsmont Authorities are investigating after a fiery explosion Friday at a lumber mill in Searsmont, Maine. Officials have not yet released the number of injuries or fatalities. Camden Fire & Rescue confirmed it has a crew providing assistance. "Our thoughts are with the injured, medical professionals providing care and first responders working to control the situation," the department wrote in a statement on Facebook. "We anticipate having personnel committed to helping for several days." MAINE STUDENT PASSES OUT, 11 TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AS CAUSE OF ILLNESSES REMAINS UNKNOWN Ben Hamel, the mill's purchasing manager, told the Bangor Daily News that the fire started in an area where wood shavings are packaged. The fire then spread to a nearby dust silo, which exploded. The cause of the fire has not yet been released. A trooper at the scene told bystanders there is a "major fuel leak" and urged them to move away from the area, according to the outlet. Maine Gov. Janet Mills posted on X noting she has been briefed on the unfolding situation. "I urge folks to stay clear of the area, follow the instructions of law enforcement, and allow emergency personnel to respond," Mills wrote in a statement on X. "I ask Maine people to join me in keeping all those affected in their thoughts." Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, added he is "praying for the safety and well-being of first responders and everyone else on-site." "I’m aware of the fire and explosion in Searsmont," Golden wrote in an X post. "I ask locals to follow law enforcement instructions, and to look to official channels and trusted sources for more information as it becomes available." Searsmont is a small rural town about one and a half hours northeast of Portland and about four hours north of Boston. Maine State Police and the Augusta Fire Department did not immediately respond to additional inquiries from Fox News Digital. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076654a200899a00ebb77c Becerra's debate-stage beating: Rivals confront Dem California candidate over campaign scandal te 2026-05-15T18:30:44.319Z Becerra's debate-stage beating: Rivals confront Dem California candidate over campaign scandal Xavier Becerra was forced to fend off a barrage of attacks from rivals in the race for California governor after a pair of his former employees pleaded guilty in a campaign finance scandal the same day as the debate. After two of Becerra's staffers pleaded guilty on Thursday to siphoning money from an inactive campaign account to supplement their salaries, questions emerged over whether the former Health and Human Services secretary knew about, or assisted in, the act — a clear breach of federal restrictions on using campaign funds for personal ends. The guilty pleas complicate a tense political picture for Becerra, a Democratic frontrunner to replace outgoing California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Steve Hilton, a Republican frontrunner in the crowded field, said at Thursday’s debate that knowledge of the scheme should disqualify Becerra from pursuing the office any further. FORMER TOP BIDEN OFFICIAL RIPPED OVER SCANDAL-PLAGUED PAST DURING FIERY DEBATE: 'MORE FRAUD' "Today we learned that he knew about illegal and improper payments from his campaign account to his former chief of staff," Hilton said. "Honestly, it pains me to say because I like you personally, Xavier, but you shouldn’t be on this stage. You shouldn’t be in this race. You should be preparing your criminal defense," Hilton added. Becerra has denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement ahead of Thursday night's debate: "I did nothing wrong. Case closed." The candidate's former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie, and California political strategist Dana Williamson pleaded guilty to stealing $225,000 from an out-of-use campaign account that Becerra used to previously pursue a state-level office. According to prosecutors, McCluskie and Williamson withdrew payments in increments of $7,500 to $10,000 from Becerra’s war chest between 2022 and 2024. FORMER GAVIN NEWSOM CHIEF OF STAFF CHARGED IN $225K FRAUD AND CORRUPTION SCHEME, DOJ SAYS Under Federal Election Commission regulations, government employees are prohibited from using campaign funds for expenses unrelated to the election or official duties. Becerra countered the attacks at Thursday's debate by pointing out he hadn’t been named in the case. Fellow Democratic candidate Katie Porter, a former congresswoman, said that his defense isn’t proof of innocence. "What the quote was, was that you had not been mentioned in the charging documents," Porter remarked. "But as you know, that does not preclude, because you are also a trained attorney, you know that does not preclude an indictment from being issued against you," she went on. "We do not know what Dana Williamson said about your involvement, and the government will have the ability to reveal that later." EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL'S CAMPAIGN FACES HEAT AS MISSING CHILDREN SCANDAL RESURFACES: 'VOTERS DESERVE BETTER' In his role as HHS secretary, Becerra advised President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2021 to 2025. He began his political career as deputy attorney general of California and served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1992. Becerra then held a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017 before becaming California attorney general from 2017 to 2021 before being tapped to lead HHS. The California primary will be held on June 2. The top two candidates will advance to a general election on Nov. 3. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0764b2a200899a00ebb74b Rite of passage: Ultra runners tackle Grand Canyon’s grueling conditions te 2026-05-15T18:23:46.192Z Rite of passage: Ultra runners tackle Grand Canyon’s grueling conditions PHOENIX – The moon and the stars are the only natural light in the early morning as ambitious hikers and runners take to the Grand Canyon to attempt a rim-to-rim journey – or the more difficult rim-to-rim-to-rim voyage. Cold temperatures, wind and sometimes snow meet the runners on the north and the south rims before they begin their descent. As they find their way down the canyon, they’ll shed layers, working up a sweat from the physical exertion and the rising temperatures as they get closer to the canyon floor.  For ultra runners, going rim-to-rim-to-rim at the Grand Canyon, or R3 as it’s known in the community, is widely viewed as a milestone, even if it doesn’t cover the distance they often cover in other races. “There’s almost like a rite of passage of things that I feel like ultra runners feel like they need to accomplish,” said Zach Mayfield, a race director with Aravaipa Running. “Rim to rim to rim is one of them.” Ultra running is described as completing a distance longer than 26.2 miles, the length of a marathon. An R3 trek is between 42 and 50 miles, depending on the trails taken. The elevation gain is steep, with roughly 9,000 feet of climbing involved and hours spent on their feet.  Many ultra runners compete in 50-mile and 100-mile races in addition to 50-kilometer and 100-kilometer races. But the Grand Canyon’s out-and-back run has a special grip on ultra runners. Mayfield first ran R3 in November 2024 with a fellow Aravaipa Running coworker, Emily Harris. Harris and a friend had been planning the trip when Mayfield decided to tag along at the last minute. Though he and Harris ran extensively and trained consistently, they said they both felt unprepared for the excursion once in the canyon. “Zach and I went into it being like, ‘We run a lot, we’ll be fine.’ We did not train like we should have,” Harris said. “It’s essentially the opposite of what you normally do. You normally go up a mountain, and then it’s more chill coming down, and this is the opposite – once you’re three-fourths of the way done, you’ve got 6,000 feet of climbing to do.” Harris and her group left from the South Rim around 4 a.m. and arrived back close to 6 p.m., she said. They started in the dark and finished in the dark, battling snow in the early morning hours.  On top of the harsh weather, Harris said she got runner’s knee while returning down the North Rim. The downhills were meant to be the quicker part of the trek, but for Harris, it was where her knee hurt most and slowed her down. The physical strain also created mental distress for Harris.  “I was not speaking to anybody because I was just not OK,” she said. “And I’m not going to lie, I did have thoughts like, I’m definitely not paying for a helicopter if I need that. I’ll sleep in the bushes at Phantom Ranch if I have to.” It was no walk in the park for Mayfield either. On the final ascent up the South Kaibab Trail to the South Rim, Mayfield stopped fueling, he said. The trail out of the canyon is steep and known for false peaks. Several times, Mayfield was sure he was almost out, only to see 100 more feet of elevation ahead of him. He stopped fueling, thinking he was done. But despite their trials and tribulations, Harris and Mayfield said they were “having a grand ole time.” Their group went rim to rim to rim of the Grand Canyon in roughly 14 hours. For Harris, if offered clarity. She had no desire to do the trip all at once again, but rather backpack and take it in at a more leisurely pace. Nonetheless, she missed it immediately after it was over. “I feel like just all of us crazy ultra runners,” Harris said. “You always have the feeling that you want to be done, but then once you are done, you’re sad.” Lucas Tyler, owner of The Running Shop in Tucson, shared Harris’ sentiment, which is why he’s chosen to spread his R3 out. Rather than doing it in one day, he splits it into two, starting at the North Rim and staying the night at the South Rim before journeying back the following morning.  Tyler grew up running and has completed several marathons and ultra races himself, but the Grand Canyon R3 was something he didn’t feel the need to crank out under the duress of time. He’s completed the trek several times with a group of friends by his side. “We run this very casually, the Grand Canyon trip,” Tyler saiud. “It’s to take in the sights and see everything and experience the beauty of the canyon. I think that’s also part of the reason not to do it all in one shot, so that you’re not running a whole bunch in the dark.” While Tyler and his crew take their time in the canyon and soak up all the sights, they still leave for their run around 4:30 a.m. Starting at the North Rim, they journey across the canyon and stay at a hotel on the South Rim before waking up to do it all again the next day.  Manny Ochoa, an ultra runner in Tucson, has never made the full R3 trip, but he has opted for the more leisurely approach of rim to rim. The trek is still incredibly demanding, totaling roughly 24 miles and 4,5000 ft. of elevation gain. Ochoa also grew up running but fell out of touch with the sport after graduating from high school. Then in 2014, he picked up “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall and rekindled his interest. That same year, he made his first rim-to-rim journey alongside high school friends. “I was pretty naive back then,” Ochoa said. He had only been running ultras since earlier that year, but he couldn’t resist the pull the Grand Canyon created. “We all grew up in Arizona, you know, and the Grand Canyon, obviously being a National Park, and I would say, one of the wonders of the world, you get drawn to it,” he said. Ochoa’s rim-to-rim trek was successful but slow. His second time around, in 2024, he decided to take the lead and invite even more high school buddies. For his group, there was no exit plan other than making it to the other side.  The charming beauty of the Grand Canyon is part of what makes the trip so unforgettable. For Ochoa, the trek was almost indescribable. “It’s hard to explain it. Even looking back on the pictures, the pictures don’t do it justice,” he said. “Just kind of just being in the canyon and just seeing these walls of rock all around you, and you can’t see where you’re running to because it winds and turns.” The best and most daunting part for Ochoa is when you approach the river in the canyon, running alongside a slab or rock that suddenly opens up with a view of the South Rim.  “That’s kind of daunting because you know you have to get up there to be done,” he said. “I always enjoyed that part, when we get to the river, and you’re halfway done, you can kind of celebrate a little bit.” Rim to rim is physically demanding, but it’s also logistically simpler, Ochoa said. R3 runners end where they begin, for the most part, but a rim-to-rim trek requires a pick-up crew – someone willing to drive nearly seven hours from the North Rim to the South Rim. As ultra runners check off a run on their bucket list, drawing a line through rim-to-rim-to-rim, others take on the rim-to-rim journey for entirely different reasons – suffering, awareness and charity.  Run2Revive, a not-for-profit organization that raises money for ALS and Alzheimer’s, hosts an annual rim-to-rim trip in the Grand Canyon. The idea behind the trip: pushing the body to extremes mentally and physically for those who aren’t afforded the luxury. In late September, those who have signed up for the trek through Run2Revive depart from Las Vegas. They’ll spend the night at the North Rim before beginning the next morning, ending on the South Rim, met with cheers. Runners, hikers and people facing personal experiences with ALS and Alzheimer’s all go on their own unique journey that day. “We attract people who come from the running community, who come from the endurance, sort of junky side of the endurance challenge world,” said Tom Daniel, the cofounder and vice president of Run2Revive. “This is a pretty monumental trail run as well. We’ve got a large community of those that are currently caring for or have sadly lost people through Alzheimer’s and ALS. So it is a journey that everyone will take individually due to the sheer volume and scale of the Grand Canyon.” The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day is one of the best feelings for Daniel and the others who completed the rigorous adventure. “There’s nothing better than looking out over the Grand Canyon, on that South Rim, and seeing the lights twinkling on the North Rim at night, knowing that you’ve just crossed that yourself unsupported,” he said. Run2Revive has attracted international attention, with people from Canada joining the cause, Daniel said. But the Grand Canyon as a whole garners worldwide interest. Ochoa said he met several Australians who were there for the same reason on his rim-to-rim journey. “I think the fact that it’s beautiful, that it’s accessible, that it’s a national park, I think all that kind of contributes to people just wanting to go out there and do it, and then also the fact that people have done it and it’s achievable,” Ochoa said. Ochoa compared the feat of R3 to summiting Mount Everest. Once you know it’s possible, you’re more likely to do it and want to achieve it.  The worldwide recognition is part of the draw for ultrarunner Noah Dougherty, the event director at Aravaipa Running, said. It’s a sentiment that is shared by Harris, Mayfield, Ochoa and Tyler. “It’s not too uncommon for people to do it, but it is a big deal, like in the greater landscape of the population,” Tyler said. And while not entirely uncommon, it’s still an achievement, one that usually earns more than a couple of Strava kudos and leaves lifelong satisfaction.  “People see it as a badge of honor when they’ve done it and it is a pretty impressive accomplishment,” Dougherty said. “I think part of it is because you can say to somebody in the Midwest, the southeast or the northeast, like, ‘Hey, I did rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon,’ and they’re like, ‘Okay, I know what the Grand Canyon is.’” The post Rite of passage: Ultra runners tackle Grand Canyon’s grueling conditions appeared first on Cronkite News. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076484a200899a00ebb711 Mullin rips Spanberger for ‘criminalizing’ DHS while ICE arrests illegal alien felon in her ‘sanctuary’ state te 2026-05-15T18:23:00.961Z Mullin rips Spanberger for ‘criminalizing’ DHS while ICE arrests illegal alien felon in her ‘sanctuary’ state Following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that led to the arrest of a three-time felon in Virginia, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin took aim at Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Mullin spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital after a 4 a.m. trek to Manassas, Virginia, and a moonlit raid resulted in the arrest of Marvin Len Morales, a multiple-time felon who had been deported twice before. Morales had felony drug charges and a misdemeanor DWI charge on his record. The DHS secretary said the arrest underscored what he views as the consequences of Spanberger and Virginia Democrats limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, arguing the policies make it harder for ICE agents to remove repeat offenders from communities. "Well, unfortunately, we're not working with [Spanberger] at all. She's criminalized us to some degree. She went out there, she's warned all law enforcement not to work with us," Mullin told Fox News Digital standing just feet away from the handcuffed migrant.  "This individual right here that we just arrested, this is his third time to be deported. He self-deported once, he was deported again. He's snuck back across, he's been living back here in this country again with a history of criminal activity. This shouldn't be happening in our streets, in our neighborhood," Mullin told Fox News Digital. ICE NABS IRANIAN NATIONAL WITH RAPE, SODOMY CONVICTIONS AFTER VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS MOVE TO CURB COOPERATION Mullin lamented the lack of local cooperation with federal law enforcement and Virginia's sanctuary state status, arguing the policies lead to an influx of criminal activity. "They wanted to cancel all the 287G programs," he said of Spanberger's government. "This is where we have local law enforcement that partner with federal to get these criminals off the streets like this." "Just use Fairfax, Virginia, for example. Roughly 50% of the murders in Fairfax, Virginia... the perps are illegal, shouldn't even be in the country to begin with. That's just in Fairfax. You think about what's happening in Virginia. When you make Virginia a sanctuary city, you encourage more illegal activities," he said. "We want to have local partnership," he told Fox News Digital. "Ideally I wouldn't want to be picking this guy up. Ideally we'd want local to pick him up. He's been picked up for a DUI before. It would have been great to have a detainer on him, go and pick him up and deport him that way without us having to go through the neighborhood." 'AMERICANS FIRST': ICE SWEEPS UP CHILD PREDATORS, RAPISTS ACROSS US AS MULLIN TAKES HELM OF DHS He also criticized Democratic leaders who he argued are placing political aspirations over following the law. "They start causing all the political theater because they're too afraid of their own base and they're afraid that they're gonna get beat in a primary," he said. "You can't work that way, I'm sorry. Either we are going to work together to make sure that we have a nation of laws that we're gonna enforce, that by the way Congress passed, and allow law enforcement to do their job." Mullin lauded federal agencies like ICE for their work despite a lack of local and state support. "Right now what you're seeing is ICE doing their job. I mean, it's early in the morning and these guys are out there working every day, protecting their roads, protecting their streets," Mullin told Fox News. "We have 22,000 ICE officers, 80,000 officers throughout DHS, and they're doing their jobs." "They're doing exactly what President Trump said he wants to. Get America's streets safe again, the previous administration let them run amok that these are criminals. Even when we have you know politicians that want to protect the criminals, President Trump is still protecting all our neighborhoods and these guys around here doing their job even early in the morning," Mullin added. Fox News Digital contacted Spanberger's office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076471a200899a00ebb708 Dem Senate candidate pushing water affordability agenda racked up unpaid bills on $1.28M home te 2026-05-15T18:22:41.242Z Dem Senate candidate pushing water affordability agenda racked up unpaid bills on $1.28M home Democrat Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow accrued nearly a year's worth of unpaid utility charges on her million-dollar home while campaigning on affordability. Until Friday, McMorrow and her husband, former Gawker executive Ray Wert, had not paid water or sewer charges on their home in Royal Oak, Mich., since June 2025, according to records reviewed by Fox News Digital. The property had accrued $3,000.37 in unpaid bills and late fees.  The debt was paid shortly after Fox News Digital reached out for comment.  "The bills in question have been paid," the spokesperson said. "We respect the commitment to covering anything other than the fact that every single American’s bills – from gas to groceries to electricity – are going way up because of Donald Trump and his enablers like Mike Rogers." DEM SENATE HOPEFUL RIPPED FOR TRASHING MIDDLE AMERICA IN UNEARTHED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: 'TICKS ME OFF' McMorrow, a state legislator vying for the Democratic nomination in one of the country’s top Senate races, has repeatedly fallen behind on payments in recent years.  Records show the couple has been fined 10 times totaling more than $400 in late fees for nonpayment since late 2021, when they purchased a $1.28 million home in the Detroit suburb. A report in the Detroit Metro Times that year described the property — with a pool and outside courtyard — as a home "to marvel at." McMorrow and Wert also let overdue water bills pile up on the home in the latter half of 2024, when they went five months without making a payment. When the couple finally paid $917 in January 2025, records showed an unpaid balance of $45 in late fees. Royal Oak Township sends water bills quarterly and assesses a 5% late fee on unpaid balances. If McMorrow had failed to pay the balance by June 1, another 5% penalty would have been added, according to a billing notice. Under Royal Oak policy, unpaid water and sewer bills can eventually be added to the couple’s property tax bill and prolonged nonpayment can result in water shutoff. The delinquent payments come as recent disclosures show McMorrow and her husband may be millionaires.  She estimated her net worth between $588,041 and $1.87 million last year, Michigan Advance reported. Up to $1.15 million was reported under her name or as a joint asset with her husband, according to a financial disclosure filed last year. McMorrow earned $101,554 from her state senator salary, according to the filing. She also reported just over $106,000 in royalties.  BLUE STATE DEM CANDIDATE WHO MADE 'AFFORDABILITY' A KEY ISSUE IN CAMPAIGN RIPPED FOR CHARGING $13 FOR WATER While McMorrow and her husband were falling behind on payments, she championed "affordability" legislation that would end water shutoffs for not paying city bills.  McMorrow cosponsored a measure last year that would cap water bills for qualifying low-income residents and offer debt forgiveness for overdue balances. The program would be funded through a regular surcharge on most Michigan water customers. She has also backed the Human Right to Water Act, which would recognize access to affordable drinking water as a right and direct the state government to develop "affordability criteria." In a March 2021 Facebook post, she advocated for legislation that would "end water shutoffs." "Let’s be clear, access to water is a human right, even when there’s not a pandemic," she wrote. The late utility payments come as McMorrow is running in a combative three-way Democratic primary to succeed Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who is retiring.  The swing seat is a must-win race for Democrats hoping to retake Senate control, but Republicans also view the contest as a top flip opportunity. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., cleared the field last year with President Donald Trump’s backing while the Democratic candidates continue to duke it out ahead of the August primary. McMorrow is campaigning on a progressive platform that includes calling on the wealthy to pay their "fair share" in taxes. Democrat Sen. Bernie Sanders-backed Abdul El-Sayed is running to her left, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a candidate with support from the party’s establishment swing, has espoused more centrist views. Progressive Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., have endorsed McMorrow’s campaign. She recently faced scrutiny for deleting thousands of old social media posts prior to her Senate campaign launch that denigrated "Middle America" and associated Trump and his base with Nazi Germany. CNN first reported on the trove of since-deleted posts.  The Senate hopeful largely defended her posts in an interview with the network, arguing she "tweeted normal things like a normal person." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07645da200899a00ebb6ff Former Washington governor rips her own party for pushing millionaires out te 2026-05-15T18:22:21.538Z Former Washington governor rips her own party for pushing millionaires out Former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire attacked her fellow Democrats in the Washington state legislature after the state's recent millionaires' tax. While attending the Association of Washington Business 2026 Spring Summit on May 6, Gregoire, who served as Washington's governor from 2005 to 2013, was asked whether she believes the state legislature understands the impact of its economic policies. "No, I really don't, as evidence by, you mentioned the estate tax," Gregoire said. "I argued with some folks about the estate tax. We were the highest in the country, tied with Hawaii at 20%. We went to 35%. We're not just the highest. We're beyond the highest." WASHINGTON BUSINESS OWNERS FEAR SOCIALIST ‘MILLIONAIRES TAX’ IS DRIVING BUSINESSES OUT — AND THEY’RE NEXT Though Washington's estate tax was raised to 35%, a recent bill passed in April has since rolled back the rate to 20% after backlash. "And I said now, you understand the consequences of this?" she continued. "Can I see your fiscal note? Because I'd like to help it. Because here's what you can expect. Those people are not homeless. They will not pay. They’re leaving. When they leave, they stop paying capital gains. When they leave, they stop giving significantly to philanthropy, which would otherwise be necessary by government. So you understand, do you see the consequences of what you’re doing? And the answer is no." Gregoire also called out Democratic state House members for a lack of business experience in understanding the impact taxes have on small businesses. "I would suggest to you, we don't really have an income problem," she said. "We have a spending problem, and we're answering it by stacking one more tax, one more rule, one more regulation. And the one thing that the business community doesn't need is that lack of predictability. That's how businesses grow, that's how they thrive. That's not healthy for our business community at all." TECH ENTREPRENEUR FLEES WASHINGTON DUE TO COMPANIES BEING 'VILLAINIZED' Fox News Digital reached out to the Washington state legislature and Democratic caucus for comment. Pushed through by the Democratic majority during the 2026 session, the millionaires' tax imposes a 9.9% tax on annual income exceeding $1 million for individuals or households. While the tax was signed in March 2026, it is not scheduled to take effect until Jan. 1, 2028, with the first payments due in 2029. After the tax was passed, Starbucks, which originated in Seattle, announced that it would be moving 2,000 corporate jobs to a new regional headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. SEATTLE AI FOUNDER LOOKS TO LEAVE AS TAXES RISE: ‘EVERYBODY THAT I KNOW … IS IN THE PROCESS OF LEAVING’ The tax also came as Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a self-described socialist, faced criticism for her dismissive attitude toward the idea of millionaires leaving the state. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07644aa200899a00ebb6f6 Giants star Malik Nabers underwent second surgery to remove scar tissue on injured knee: reports te 2026-05-15T18:22:02.082Z Giants star Malik Nabers underwent second surgery to remove scar tissue on injured knee: reports New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers reportedly underwent a second surgery on his injured knee. Nabers, 22, initially underwent surgery on his ACL and meniscus on Oct. 28. The second surgery on his knee was to remove scar tissue that was causing stiffness, according to The Athletic. Nabers’ timeline isn’t expected to be impacted, as the second surgery took place weeks ago and was considered a cleanup, according to multiple reports. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM The team is still hopeful that Nabers will play in the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13. Nabers tore his ACL and meniscus in his right knee on Sept. 28 during the Giants’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The win marked Jaxson Dart's first career start, and the rookie quarterback didn’t even get to play a half with his top wide receiver due to the injury. Nabers was on his way to a dominant sophomore season before the injury. In four games, he had 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! As a rookie, Nabers caught a franchise-record 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns despite poor quarterback play. The Giants hope that Nabers will continue to thrive as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver for Dart, despite remaking their wide receiver room this offseason. Wan’Dale Robinson departed in free agency to the Tennessee Titans after he caught 92 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns last season. To replace him, they signed Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III in free agency. In the NFL Draft, they traded up in the third round to draft Malachi Fields. The Giants also signed tight end Isaiah Likely, giving the 23-year-old quarterback another weapon. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a076423a200899a00ebb6eb Back From China, Trump Faces Decision on Whether to Resume Strikes on Iran te 2026-05-15T18:21:23.152Z Back From China, Trump Faces Decision on Whether to Resume Strikes on Iran Top aides have drafted battle plans as peace negotiations have stalled. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07640fa200899a00ebb6e2 A ‘Man With No Country,’ Cassidy Fights for Political Future te 2026-05-15T18:21:03.685Z A ‘Man With No Country,’ Cassidy Fights for Political Future Senator Bill Cassidy, targeted by President Trump, is walking a political tightrope as he battles other Republicans for the chance to seek a third term. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0763faa200899a00ebb6c7 Silicon Valley’s vacationland needs a new energy provider just as AI is driving prices up te 2026-05-15T18:20:42.556Z Silicon Valley’s vacationland needs a new energy provider just as AI is driving prices up Lake Tahoe, Silicon Valley's favorite ski spot, is about to get hit with higher energy prices as AI drives demand for electricity. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0763e6a200899a00ebb6b6 Data centers, housing & Hobbs: Arizona's LD20 Dems debate ahead of July primary te 2026-05-15T18:20:22.242Z Data centers, housing & Hobbs: Arizona's LD20 Dems debate ahead of July primary Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0761caa200899a00ebb668 FBI brings Iraqi man accused of coordinating nearly 20 terror attacks in Europe to face trial in New York te 2026-05-15T18:11:22.065Z FBI brings Iraqi man accused of coordinating nearly 20 terror attacks in Europe to face trial in New York An Iraqi man accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States has been brought to New York to face federal terrorism charges after what the FBI described as a major international operation. Since early March, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi and his associates allegedly planned and coordinated 18 attacks in the name of Ashab al-Yamin, a pro-Iranian Islamist group that has taken credit for attacks against Jewish schools, synagogues and charities in Europe, as well as American, Israeli and Iranian opposition targets, according to the FBI. "The FBI’s successful FTOC (foreign transfer of custody) of Mohammad Al-Saadi, another high-value target responsible for mass global terrorism, is just the latest success in this administration’s historic work to bring terrorists to justice," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. "This was a righteous mission executed brilliantly by our agents, investigators, CIRG tactical units, and interagency partners who delivered yet again." RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE "We are greatly appreciative of the work of our allies around the world — especially Ambassador Tom Barrack, who led this joint sequenced operation and has been instrumental in bringing this successful mission home to the United States," he added. On March 9, Al-Saadi allegedly posted a message on his Telegram account with the logo of Ashab al-Yamin, calling on warriors of Islam to engage in jihad, the FBI said. FEDERAL PROBE CLAIMS UNIVERSITIES ARE 'LEGITIMIZING AND AMPLIFYING ANTISEMITISM' Al-Saadi has posted Ashab al-Yamin-branded propaganda videos claiming responsibility for the attacks, including video recordings from attacks against Jewish places or persons in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, according to federal prosecutors.  The FBI said it took action after learning that Al-Saadi was planning to expand Ashab al-Yamin’s operations to the United States. He allegedly directed other individuals in an attempt to coordinate terrorist attacks in the United States against synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the country. Al-Saadi has also allegedly publicly threatened President Donald Trump and his family, authorities said. He was expected to appear in a New York federal courtroom on Friday on six terrorism charges, including six terrorism charges in New York, including conspiring to provide material support to terrorist groups. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0761b6a200899a00ebb65f Cornell board clears president of wrongdoing after confrontation with anti-Israel students te 2026-05-15T18:11:02.218Z Cornell board clears president of wrongdoing after confrontation with anti-Israel students Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff has been cleared of wrongdoing by the school's board after he got into a confrontation with anti-Israel students in April. The incident took place on April 30 following a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Following the event, a group of anti-Israel individuals — who Kotlikoff said were both students and non-students — followed the university president to his car while questioning him. Kotlikoff said he told the group that he would not answer any more questions and asked them to stop recording, but they refused. He then got into his vehicle, backed out of the parking spot and left. While Kotlikoff said he waited until there was space behind his car, Students for a Democratic Cornell (SDC) alleged his vehicle struck one individual and ran over another person's foot. CORNELL STUDENTS ACCUSE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT OF HITTING THEM WITH CAR AFTER CAMPUS ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN EVENT An Ad Hoc Special Committee of the Board of Trustees issued a statement on Friday, detailing the review that took place following the confrontation and expressing support for Kotlikoff. The committee said that during the review it considered evidence gathered by the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), including verified footage and a sworn statement that Kotlikoff provided CUPD. In the statement, the committee said that the person at the scene who reported that Kotlikoff's vehicle had made contact refused treatment from the EMS team and would not provide a sworn statement to CUPD. The committee noted that none of the individuals at the scene gave sworn statements about the incident. "The Committee has found that the actions taken by these individuals on April 30th, which included following President Kotlikoff from an evening event into a parking lot and impeding his ability to leave, are inconsistent with university policies governing expressive activity and our standards for respectful conduct, safety, and the prohibition of intimidation," the statement read. 'CAME OUT OF NOWHERE': CORNELL STUDENT SAYS PRESIDENT'S CONFRONTATION IS UNLIKE ANYTHING SEEN ON CAMPUS CUPD presented the evidence it had gathered during the investigation to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office, which determined that criminal charges were not warranted, according to the statement. The committee also said that Kotlikoff declined to pursue a complaint against the students involved in the confrontation, but added that "appropriate action is being taken against the non-students involved." Cornell Law School Professor William Jacobson said the board's decision confirmed what publicly available videos had already shown. "The result of the Board of Trustees investigation into the incident between activists and Cornell's President confirms what the public videos showed - reckless conduct meant to trap and confront the President in a dangerous manner, and highly questionable claims of injury by the activists," Jacobson said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. In its statement, the committee reaffirmed Cornell's commitment to "robust debate and peaceful protest," emphasizing that "expressive activity must occur within the bounds of the law and with respect for the rights and safety of all members of our community." The committee also expressed confidence in Kotlikoff's continued leadership of the university. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0761a2a200899a00ebb656 WNBA legend slams general managers for disrespecting Caitlin Clark in annual survey te 2026-05-15T18:10:42.492Z WNBA legend slams general managers for disrespecting Caitlin Clark in annual survey Who would you rather start a WNBA franchise with: Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers? That was a question in this year’s annual general managers survey conducted by the league prior to the season opener.  Before the 2025 season, executives were asked which player they would want to start a franchise with, and 50% said Clark. This year, with Clark heading into her third season after an injury-riddled sophomore campaign, playing only 12 games, and Bueckers coming off an impressive rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year honors, GMs’ minds changed drastically. Clark received only 20% of the vote, while Bueckers led the voting with 33%. This is where WNBA legend, Lisa Leslie comes in.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE Leslie, who will soon have a statue of herself erected outside of Crypto.com arena, said those general managers who didn’t vote for Clark, "are probably gonna get fired."  She didn’t pull any punches as she expounded on her response to the survey saying, "This is a money business and the money is about Caitlin Clark." Leslie is spot on here. Reports say, Caitlin Clark has driven roughly 25%+ of the WNBA’s recent economic activity over the last two seasons. Clark has been the main driving factor for record attendance, record ratings, record merchandise sales, massive franchise appreciation, a $2.2B media deal, expansion fee inflation, and more. She’s not only the Indiana Fever’s, but the WNBA’s golden ticket. Her economic impact is off the charts. BASKETBALL LEGEND LISA LESLIE PRAISES CAITLIN CLARK, EFFECT SHE'S HAD ON WNBA Leslie reinforced these facts in her appearance on "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith stating, "Never in the history of the WNBA, have we had a player force teams to play in larger arenas." Just look at this staggering statistic between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. In the season opener in Indiana, as the Fever took on the Dallas Wings, the arena was obviously sold out with 16,000+ in attendance. It was Clark vs. Bueckers, with the addition of the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick, Azzi Fudd. It was obviously a hot ticket. Fast forward to game two for the Dallas Wings, who hosted Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream. They couldn’t even sell out the 7,000-seat arena. "If you’re the GM, you’re obviously supposed to be bringing in money," Leslie explained further. It’s true. As a GM, your job is to construct rosters, understand financials as it relates to contracts and player’s value, while having a healthy, long-term vision that leads to championships. Revenue is certainly a factor, not the main role, but vital. Clark's economic impact is far greater than Buecker's. We can certainly have a conversation about which player is better currently, and who will ultimately help lead their respective teams to a championship(s), but I’m with Leslie on this one. As she said, "I’m going with Caitlin Clark." If you factor in the marketability — though Kevin Durant’s media company, The Boardroom, believes Bueckers is more marketable than Clark — it’s a no-brainer who GMs should have picked. Just add this to a long list of snubs and disrespect Caitlin Clark has received over the last few years. As for stats between the two this season, Clark is averaging 22 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Bueckers is averaging 20.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Bueckers has been more efficient from three, some claim she’s a better defender, and she clearly takes care of the basketball better with fewer turnovers, there’s no doubt that Clark is still making a bigger impact overall on the court. Hopefully, these GMs will wise up before they’re told to pack up their stuff. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075fc8a200899a00ebb615 Ballot deadline for City of Flagstaff's special election is May 19 te 2026-05-15T18:02:48.718Z Ballot deadline for City of Flagstaff's special election is May 19 Voters are encouraged to return their ballots in person at early voting locations or drop them off in one of the 10 drop boxes located around Flagstaff. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075fb4a200899a00ebb60c Family Reunion: NPA’s Bethany Blair follows sister to Johnson University in Tennessee te 2026-05-15T18:02:28.573Z Family Reunion: NPA’s Bethany Blair follows sister to Johnson University in Tennessee Bethany discovered the Royals while researching colleges, leading her and Campbell to choose the NAIA school in Knoxville. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075fa0a200899a00ebb603 NAU ROUNDUP: Men’s basketball announces 3 incoming freshmen to 2026-27 class te 2026-05-15T18:02:08.490Z NAU ROUNDUP: Men’s basketball announces 3 incoming freshmen to 2026-27 class A look at news and results from NAU. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075f60a200899a00ebb5b9 Az Gov. Hobbs lifts bill-signing moratorium after week of budget negotiations with Republicans te 2026-05-15T18:01:04.099Z Az Gov. Hobbs lifts bill-signing moratorium after week of budget negotiations with Republicans Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075f4ca200899a00ebb5b0 Arizona drought declarations remain in place te 2026-05-15T18:00:44.669Z Arizona drought declarations remain in place Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075f35a200899a00ebb5a3 Get ready to vote: Meet your District 17 and District 20 candidates at this event te 2026-05-15T18:00:21.261Z Get ready to vote: Meet your District 17 and District 20 candidates at this event Tucson Spotlight and Arizona Luminaria are bringing candidates and community together again this June, this time for the state house and senate races that will shape Arizona’s legislative agenda for the next two years. The two newsrooms are co-hosting a nonpartisan state house and senate candidate meet and greet on Wednesday, June 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona campus at 5409 E. Broadway. The event is supported by Press Forward Southern Arizona, a program at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. The format is designed to move past the limitations of traditional candidate forums and debates. Attendees will be grouped by legislative district — 17 or 20 — for brief candidate introductions followed by informal small-group discussions. No panels, no moderators, no rehearsed statements. Just voters and candidates at the same table. It’s a chance to ask questions and hear the candidates talk about the issues that matter most to you. Both districts cover parts of Tucson and Pima County. District 17 includes Oro Valley, Marana and Tucson’s East Side and Vail. District 20 covers Tucson’s West Side and Downtown. Not sure which district you live in? Check here. Admission to the event is free, but space is limited and an RSVP is required. Walk-ins will not be admitted. Register here. The post Get ready to vote: Meet your District 17 and District 20 candidates at this event appeared first on AZ Luminaria. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075cffa200899a00ebb575 BEDRICK & DEANGELIS: How Channel 12 Manufactures Fake News About ESAs te 2026-05-15T17:50:55.107Z BEDRICK & DEANGELIS: How Channel 12 Manufactures Fake News About ESAs By Jason Bedrick & Corey DeAngelis | This week’s erroneous attack on Arizona’s popular Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) is another example of how biased reporting is misleading lawmakers and the public. When the Arizona Auditor General last week released its Single Audit Report on the state for fiscal year 2024, Craig Harris of Channel 12 News had another fairy tale ready for viewers and readers. The ESA program, he claimed, is “plagued by weak controls, questionable spending, and internal management failures.” No mention was made of the Arizona Department of Education’s recent finding that only 2% of ESA funds were spent on unallowed items (mostly innocent errors like backpacks and lunch boxes), and only 0.3% of ESA funds were spent fraudulently. Harris’s central numerical claim — repeated on social media and amplified by Democratic lawmakers and education-establishment activists within hours — was that the auditors had found a “34% misspending” rate in a “random” sample of ESA purchases. A new Arizona Auditor General report finds the the percentage of misspending in the state's Empowerment Scholarship program was a stunning 34 percent, based on a sample of transactions from July 23-October 25. The report also is highly critical of @RealTomHorne management…. — Craig Harris (@CraigHarrisNews) May 12, 2026 Both halves of that claim are false. And the falsehoods are not minor. Start with “random.” The Auditor General’s report describes the relevant sample in unambiguous language: “we judgmentally selected 63 expenditure transactions for review occurring between July 2023 and October 2025 totaling $251,446.” [Emphasis added.] A footnote on the same page adds, for the benefit of any reader who might be tempted to make the mistake that Harris did: “We selected our audit sample(s) to provide sufficient evidence to support our findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Unless otherwise noted, the results of our testing using these samples were not intended to be projected to the entire population.” [Emphasis added.] Judgmental sampling and random sampling are not synonyms. They are distinct methodologies with distinct inferential properties. A random sample can be projected to a population; that is its entire purpose. A judgmental sample cannot, which is why auditors use it to probe suspected weaknesses rather than measure their prevalence. In this case, the auditor general was testing the robustness of the Arizona Department of Education’s review process, not trying to determine the prevalence of misspending in the ESA program. More responsible journalists, such as Garrett Archer of ABC 15, made sure to clarify that the auditor general’s findings were not generalizable to the entire program. Note: This is not a program transaction error rate. The Auditor General's focus was on the review process itself. — The AZ – abc15 – Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) May 12, 2026 In other words, Harris completely misrepresented the auditor general’s methods and findings. That is sloppy at best, dishonest at worst. Not only is the “34% misspending” figure not generalizable, it’s also not all misspending. The 34.4% figure comes from dividing $86,599 in flagged transactions by the $251,446 sample. But Table 2 of Finding 2024-04 breaks those flagged transactions into five categories, and only two of them — “unallowable expense” ($2,155) and “overpayment” ($9,977) — involve money the program should not have disbursed. The other three — missing documentation ($42,760), missing accreditation ($14,175), and “indicators of possible misuse” ($17,531) — are paperwork and compliance gaps. A tutor’s accreditation certificate that wasn’t uploaded is not the same thing as a misspent dollar. The actual confirmed misspending share within the sample (combining 0.9% unallowable expenses plus 4% overpayments) is about 4.9%, not 34%. Moreover, as the report concedes, even the 4.9% figure cannot be projected to the entire program. In short, Harris conflates paperwork issues with misspending and treats a non-generalizable sample as generalizable, even though the auditor general warned readers not to do exactly that. Then Harris’s manufactured anti-ESA talking points are repeated ad nauseum by politicians and political activists. And that appears to be the point. Harris’s clumsy crusade against school choice, after all, is not new. Harris built an entire investigative series on a Department of Education internal review that supposedly reported a 20% misuse rate — except the internal review, like the auditors’ sample, was not designed to be projected. Harris projected it anyway. When the same Department then produced a separate analysis suggesting misuse was minimal, Harris turned around and faulted that study for over-generalizing from its sample. For Harris, non-generalizable findings become generalizable when they damage ESA. Generalizable findings become non-generalizable when they don’t. The convenient feature of this method is that the error always points the same direction. A reporter who genuinely struggled with the statistics of audit sampling would make mistakes in both directions over time. Harris’s don’t. They cluster. And they remain uncorrected. Harris’s original 20% claim has never been retracted. The “random sample” language and the 34% framing are now circulating through campaign statements, legislative press releases, and social media posts, citing Harris’s distorted reading of the Auditor General report. One cannot help but notice that Harris’s manufactured anti-ESA talking points come at a moment when anti-ESA groups are gathering signatures for two ballot initiatives to curb and regulate the ESA program. One also cannot help but wonder whether the downstream political effect is more than incidental to the reporting. The Auditor General’s findings on ESA are real and worth engaging on their own terms. The program’s risk-based audit methodology is likely better than any other program in the state, but it could still be improved. The auditor has some substantive criticisms, and ADE will have to answer them. Arizonans deserve honest reporting on those findings, not statistical fictions dressed up as “journalism.” Jason Bedrick is a Senior Research Fellow and Corey DeAngelis is a Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy. The post BEDRICK & DEANGELIS: How Channel 12 Manufactures Fake News About ESAs first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075ab0a200899a00ebb4c5 Cartel creep among 25 illegal immigrants caught turning scenic forests into lawless hideouts, police say te 2026-05-15T17:41:04.966Z Cartel creep among 25 illegal immigrants caught turning scenic forests into lawless hideouts, police say A sweeping multi-agency crackdown in northeast Georgia forest lands ended with the arrest of 25 illegal immigrants, including felons and an alleged cartel member, after authorities launched a dayslong operation that uncovered drugs, fugitives and suspects hiding in remote wooded areas. The operation, dubbed "Southern Forest Trident," was carried out between May 1 and May 6 across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina by the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations division alongside federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. In Stephens County, Georgia, authorities conducted checkpoints and aggressive patrols on remote roads surrounding forest service lands in an effort to intercept fugitives, drug traffickers and individuals living in the country illegally. The operation brought together officers and investigators from the U.S. Forest Service, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force. FEDERAL AGENTS ARREST HUNDREDS AT HYUNDAI PLANT CONSTRUCTION SITE IN GEORGIA DHS arrested 25 illegal immigrants in Stephens County, including 14 with prior felony convictions, officials said. Authorities also identified one suspect as a confirmed cartel member. One of the most dramatic moments of the operation unfolded Tuesday afternoon when two individuals bailed from a traffic stop on Highway 365 near Rock Road and fled into wooded terrain, the Stephens County Sheriff's Office said. Law enforcement launched a large-scale manhunt involving multiple agencies and K-9 units, including U.S. Forest Service K-9 teams, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Bane and Stephens County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Taz. ALLEGED FENTANYL-SMUGGLING IMMIGRANTS LEAD POLICE ON DANGEROUS CORNFIELD CHASE Hours later, officers captured one of the suspects near Trestle Ridge Road. Authorities identified the man as 31-year-old Minton Carreto, who officials said was wanted in the metro Atlanta area and illegally residing in the United States. The second suspect remains at large and is believed to have escaped the area entirely. GOT A TIP? Investigators also made multiple drug arrests during traffic stops throughout the operation, including suspects accused of possessing methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and oxycodone. FEDS ARREST FELON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AFTER SEIZING TENS OF MILLIONS IN METH STASHED IN BLACKBERRIES Authorities said Victor Pena, 42, of Cornelia, and Kristen Sloan, 33, of Maysville, were arrested after deputies allegedly discovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop. FOLLOW US ON X Mark Justice, 48, of Eastanollee, and Rebecca Wood, 30, of Toccoa, were also arrested after officers allegedly uncovered methamphetamine, marijuana and a glass smoking pipe inside a vehicle. Justice was additionally wanted on an outstanding Stephens County warrant, authorities said. Investigators also arrested Dakoda Ponder, 29, of Toccoa, after deputies allegedly found cocaine and a suspected oxycodone pill during a traffic stop before he was additionally charged with DUI. GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL Another arrest during the operation involved Christian Villagomez, 29, of Clarkesville, who authorities said was taken into custody on outstanding fishing violation warrants. By the end of the operation, the U.S. Forest Service had issued 33 federal citations ranging from traffic offenses to drug violations, and Georgia State Patrol issued 58 warnings and 36 traffic citations, while Georgia DNR officers handed out multiple hunting and fishing citations, according to the sheriff's office. CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS Stephens County Sheriff Rusty Fulbright praised the coordinated operation and warned that isolated forest regions can become hot spots for criminal activity if left unchecked. "Many of these areas aren’t frequently patrolled in most counties, and crime can go unnoticed," Fulbright said in a statement. "This behavior affects our families, as well as our social and physical environments." Fulbright said authorities remain committed to aggressive criminal interdiction efforts in rural northeast Georgia. "We are proud to work with our federal and state partners to curb the flow of illegal drugs and other crime in Stephens County," he said. "We are working to create a safer, stronger Stephens." Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Forest Service and DHS for comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075a9da200899a00ebb4bc Sky vs Mercury betting preview: Why the over 166.5 looks like the play in this WNBA matchup te 2026-05-15T17:40:45.046Z Sky vs Mercury betting preview: Why the over 166.5 looks like the play in this WNBA matchup The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it's just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury. The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it. There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE Even though they've had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started. They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence. The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury. I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game. The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game. I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them. For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075a89a200899a00ebb4b3 Harvey Weinstein rape trial ends in mistrial after jury deadlocked te 2026-05-15T17:40:25.569Z Harvey Weinstein rape trial ends in mistrial after jury deadlocked The judge in Harvey Weinstein's rape retrial declared a mistrial on Friday. While the former Hollywood mogul has been convicted of other sex crimes on two U.S. coasts and remains behind bars, the mistrial leaves the New York rape charge in limbo after three trials. The jury deadlocked after deliberating on whether Weinstein raped Jessica Mann in 2013. "After hearing the testimony three separate times, and after two different juries were unable to reach a unanimous decision, maybe it’s time for the District Attorney to stop retrying the same case and focus resources on the actual crimes impacting New Yorkers every day," a spokesperson for Weinstein told Fox News Digital. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0758c0a200899a00ebb44c Budget breakdown: Wastewater, water projects potentially coming down the pipeline te 2026-05-15T17:32:48.527Z Budget breakdown: Wastewater, water projects potentially coming down the pipeline Lake Havasu City’s next budget puts tens of millions of dollars toward the water and wastewater systems that keep the city running. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0758aca200899a00ebb442 Mayes pushes lawmakers to revive broader asset seizure powers te 2026-05-15T17:32:28.368Z Mayes pushes lawmakers to revive broader asset seizure powers PHOENIX -- Attorney General Kris Mayes wants state lawmakers to once again allow prosecutors to seize the assets of those they accuse of criminal conduct -- even before there has been a trial, much less a conviction. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075898a200899a00ebb439 Trump administration readying a plan to impose Colorado River water cuts on Western states te 2026-05-15T17:32:08.522Z Trump administration readying a plan to impose Colorado River water cuts on Western states After months of pressing Western states to come to their own agreement, the Trump administration told their leaders it’s drawing up a 10-year plan for dealing with water shortages on the Colorado River. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075884a200899a00ebb430 Small plane makes emergency landing near Havasu airport te 2026-05-15T17:31:48.798Z Small plane makes emergency landing near Havasu airport A small single-engine aircraft made an emergency landing Thursday afternoon near the south end of the runway at Lake Havasu City Airport after experiencing trouble during takeoff, authorities said. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075859a200899a00ebb404 Baseball fan hospitalized after falling into visiting bullpen during White Sox-Royals game te 2026-05-15T17:31:05.438Z Baseball fan hospitalized after falling into visiting bullpen during White Sox-Royals game A scary moment occurred at Wednesday's Chicago White Sox game against the Kansas City Royals after a fan was hospitalized following a fall into the visiting bullpen. Kansas City had runners on first and second with none out in the fourth inning when the game was briefly delayed while workers attended to the fallen fan. It appeared stadium workers used a stretcher to transport the fan out of the bullpen area beyond the wall. The White Sox released a statement saying the fan appeared to be headed in the right direction from a recovery standpoint. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "We reached out to the fan to check on his well-being, and his friend was able share a positive report," the team said before Thursday's series finale against the Royals. "The entire White Sox organization and clubhouse are wishing him a speedy recovery." Wide-angle video from MLB.com Research shows the fan fell over a roughly 3-foot-high barrier from the front row of Section 105 in the South Side ballpark's right-field seats and into the bullpen. The video shows the fan rising to his feet as Chicago second baseman Chase Meidroth hits a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Royals center fielder Lane Thomas for the first out in the bottom of the third inning. The fan continued over the barrier, fell in front of a red ad for a local butcher shop and landed in an area covered by grass and dirt at the west end of the bullpen. SHOHEI OHTANI MAKING UP FOR STRUGGLES AT PLATE AFTER LOWERING LEAGUE-LEADING ERA TO 0.82 The bullpen is located behind the stadium's right-field wall and in front of Sections 104 and 105. The base of the barrier is concrete, rising about 10 to 12 inches, topped by a metal fence that is roughly 2 feet high. The front row of seats is about 3 feet behind the fence. The Royals relievers moved into a far corner of the bullpen after the fan fell. A similar incident occurred last year at a Pittsburgh Pirates game when a fan fell over the wall and nearly 20 feet onto the outfield warning track. Kavan Markwood was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital’s trauma unit after the accident, where he was in critical condition. Players were visibly shaken, as were many in the stands, as medical staff from both teams and EMS placed him on a stretcher and carted him off the field.  Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075845a200899a00ebb3fb WATCH: Soros prosecutor’s hearing devolves into angry chaos over illegal immigrant rape case: 'Be quiet!' te 2026-05-15T17:30:45.970Z WATCH: Soros prosecutor’s hearing devolves into angry chaos over illegal immigrant rape case: 'Be quiet!' A House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing devolved into chaos Thursday as a North Carolina lawmaker demanded Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Descano "be quiet" while the prosecutor was reamed out over cases including the alleged rape of a 4-year-old girl by an illegal Guatemalan national. Descano and Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid, a fellow Democrat accused of lax enforcement involving illegal immigrant suspects, sparred with lawmakers during the hearing as many invoked the prosecutor’s written policy and campaign pledge to account for immigration-related "consequences" in prosecutorial discretion decisions. Descano, however, objected to characterizations of the policy from Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., and later Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who both lit into the Soros-backed attorney in charge of prosecuting crimes in Virginia’s largest municipality. Knott asked Descano if he believes he prosecutes cases in a way that defends the people of Fairfax and erupted at the attorney when he answered in the affirmative. HOUSE PANEL SUMMONS SOROS-BACKED FAIRFAX PROSECUTOR OVER RELEASES TIED TO VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CASES "When we prosecute… we are constrained by the evidence. We're constrained by the law. And I will tell you, Congressman, you know, I think what is happening here with the number of cases that we're talking about --," Descano began before Knott became angry. Knott recounted the case of Honduran national Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez – who was "caught-and-released" by an immigration judge in Eloy, Arizona, during the Biden administration – and who was later accused in a graphic case involving the 4-year-old Annandale girl. Knott noted how the girl’s mother woke up to the child screaming and appearing bruised on her buttocks and torso as the suspect "dropped" the girl and fled in what the lawmaker characterized as a potential attempted abduction. FAMILY DEMANDS FAR-LEFT PROSECUTOR BE OUSTED FROM OFFICE AFTER SISTER KILLED BY REPEAT OFFENDER Knott said Fairfax County Police obtained a warrant based on evidence of attempted murder, rape, robbery or arson, which he said carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, while intent to defile a youth carried a maximum life sentence. "Once it was handed over to your office, inexplicably so, you immediately reduced the burglary offense to a misdemeanor, which capped the sentence at 12 months. You then reduced the abduction charge to an offense that was a lower degree and capped the sentence at 10 years." "A disgusting, perverted individual preying on children that you dismissed the case — As the father of two young girls. One of them's five. That is as shameful as anything I have seen," Knott said as Descano became angry as well: "Please don't talk to me like I don't care about people in my community," he said, before Knott responded, calling him a "coward." Knott, himself a former Raleigh-area prosecutor, lit into Descano over the added fact that a "liberal" judge appointed by then-Gov. Mark Warner — now a top Democratic senator — rejected Descano’s plea deal. "This was not a right-wing judge," Knott fumed as Descano attempted multiple times to interject while tensions rose. "Overwhelming evidence," Knott said — "Can we talk about the evidence — I know it and you don’t," Descano cut in. "Quit talking!" Knott hollered. "He yanked a four-year-old girl out of her bed with the intent to harm her. And you wanted to give her a cap of two years?" "Sir," Descano attempted. GUATEMALAN MAN CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN POSSESSION RELEASED BY FAIRFAX COUNTY DESPITE ICE DETAINER, DHS SAYS "[Let] me ask Mr. Miyares about this," Knott said as he turned to the former Virginia Republican attorney general seated to Descano’s right, while Descano continued trying to plead his case to the Carolinian. "Be quiet!" Knott said as he asked Miyares what happens to a suspect after a case dismissal. "He walks free," Miyares said. Things did not improve for the Fairfax Democrat when Chairman Thomas McClintock, R-Calif., gave Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, the floor next – as Gill lit into Descano over a written policy that "prosecutors shall consider the collateral immigration consequences of the specific crimes the defendant is charged with and the detrimental impact the deportation removal has on the families and communities." Originally, Descano defended against critiques by saying an earlier reference to the policy was part of a campaign pledge, while Gill pressed him further on the issue. Gill asked about the case of Guatemalan national Jose Cortez-Mendez, accused of "carnal knowledge" of a teenager, which Descano said essentially meant sexual contact under Virginia terminology. "[A]n illegal alien who raped an underage American: Your office reduced those charges to a misdemeanor charge of consensual sex with a child 15 years and older. You offered him a 90-day suspended jail sentence, is that correct?" "How did you weigh the defendant’s immigration status," Gill added, with Descano replying that he was not the lead prosecutor in that case – which the lawmaker noted meant his office still was involved. In the case of Baquedano-Rodriguez, ICE Washington Field Office Removal Operations Director Russell Hott said his agency was eventually able to arrest the suspect after Descano’s failed case resulted in his release. "Every one of his convictions represents another one of our neighbors that Baquedano-Rodriguez has victimized. ICE Washington, D.C. will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders from our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities," Hott said in a statement. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075832a200899a00ebb3f2 NFL schedule releases are the antithesis of 'football guy' culture and must be stopped te 2026-05-15T17:30:26.369Z NFL schedule releases are the antithesis of 'football guy' culture and must be stopped Thursday was a huge day for football fans. Wait, no. Let me rephrase that. Thursday was a huge day for social media nerds and wannabe influencers masquerading as football fans. You see, Thursday was a little national holiday called NFL Schedule Release Day, a time when 32 social media teams ride the wave of trends experiencing their 15 minutes of fame under the guise of informing their fans what the upcoming season looks like. I wrote not too long ago about the abomination that was the Kansas City Chiefs' sourdough schedule release soft launch, which they "rectified" by doing a QVC-themed schedule release (hey, kids, remember the '90s?), but Thursday was the big day in which fans of every team got their precious schedule release video. PAIGE SPIRANAC AND HER MOM STUN THE INTERNET, LANE KIFFIN'S INCREDIBLE SHOT AT OLE MISS & THE NFL DID IT AGAIN And, like hamsters at a drip feeder, everyone lined up to suck down some of the dopamine being rationed out by their NFL overlords. Seriously, anyone who got overly excited about this stuff sounds like a 15-year-old girl. "OMG! Did you see Trevor Lawrence cut his hair?" Admittedly, there were some cool concepts, like the Colts' Simpsons' video or the Chargers' "Halo"-themed release (I guess they found their social media manager), so I can't knock some of the production work that went into these things (not you, Jets). Speaking of the Chargers, you know we've reached the days of "late-stage schedule releases" when people are actively anticipating what one team will do. I couldn't scroll on X for more than 12 seconds on Thursday without everyone predicting whether the Chargers will be the ones to make a Russini-Vrabel reference. MIKE VRABEL'S RELATIONSHIP WITH DIANNA RUSSINI TURNS PATRIOTS' MOTHER'S DAY POST INTO A TROLLING FRENZY Guys, it's a freaking schedule of football games and we've turned it into Super Bowl Sunday! By the way, getting excited about a schedule release even on the face of it, without all the pomp and circumstance of social media managers sniffing their own farts, is lame. There are 31 other teams and 17 games in a season, and you know you're playing everyone in your division twice. When you add in the fact that where you placed in your division last year determines the strength of your schedule and you'll usually know which other divisions you'll be playing, how many combinations would possibly surprise you? "Oh man! We have to play the Colts in Indy? I didn't see that coming!" How? Did you forget Indianapolis had a professional football franchise? Maybe I'm just speaking as a college football snob who knows everyone his team is playing years in advance, but I just don't get the excitement. WHICH TEAMS HAVE THE TOUGHEST STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE HEADING INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON? I found out Florida had a home-and-home with Notre Dame five years ago and we are still five years away from that series even being played (until they expand the Playoff to 84 teams and they cancel all Power 4 non-conference matchups). September 11, 2032. The Irish are coming to The Swamp. Mark your calendars, folks! Or should I make a TikTok with Ice Spice rapping every non-conference matchup the Gators have for the next decade with Steve Spurrier sitting on a throne in the background, nodding in approval? ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! The whole "social media schedule release arms race" is actually the antithesis of what being a football guy is, anyway. Getting excited about games that haven't even been played yet. What happened to "one week at a time" and "don't look ahead?" Vince Lombardi is rolling in his grave as we speak. Enjoy the memes and nostalgia bait, and wake me up when training camp starts. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0755eaa200899a00ebb347 With Memphis District Gone, Another Democratic Mainstay Retires te 2026-05-15T17:20:42.831Z With Memphis District Gone, Another Democratic Mainstay Retires Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat who has represented Memphis since 2007, leaving the field possibly to his young rival, Justin J. Pearson, after Republicans redistrict his seat. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0755d5a200899a00ebb32d Tesla reveals two Robotaxi crashes involving teleoperators te 2026-05-15T17:20:21.841Z Tesla reveals two Robotaxi crashes involving teleoperators Newly un-redacted crash reports reveal some of the troubles Tesla has had as it tries to scale its robotaxis. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0753aba200899a00ebb2e3 Youth e-cigarette use is a problem – HB 4001 is not the solution te 2026-05-15T17:11:07.877Z Youth e-cigarette use is a problem – HB 4001 is not the solution Brian Hummell Arizonans can agree — e-cigarettes should not be in the hands of our youth. While researchers continue to study the long-term health impacts of these products, the truth is, children and teenagers are at serious risk of health problems caused by these products, including a lifetime of nicotine addiction. While I commend state legislators for considering a solution to keep these products away from kids, HB 4001 is simply not the answer.  As currently written, there is no proof this bill would reduce the use of tobacco products like e-cigarettes because it does nothing to reduce demand or provide a commonsense approach to stricter enforcement. In fact, it ignores proven strategies to prevent youth tobacco use.  Public health advocates from all corners of the state are concerned about this proposal. First, this bill does not establish tobacco retail licensing. Without licensing, it is difficult to determine who is selling these dangerous addictive products. And, without licensing, it is unclear how penalties would work — especially those that stop a retailer from selling tobacco. It’s also unclear how this would be enforced.  While the bill would provide greater penalties for retailers who sell products to underage people, it does not contain additional resources for the Attorney General’s Office to carry out compliance checks and inspections. The bill sets its toughest penalties on violations that happen within a two-year period. That means a retailer would have to fail five compliance checks in two years before facing the harshest penalty — which isn’t so harsh — prohibited from selling tobacco but only for one year. Realistically, this won’t happen. Given limited resources, it’s highly unlikely a business would even be checked five times in two years.  Penalties are only meaningful if violations are actually detected. The standard is three violations over 36 months. This is an approach that is already working. Most of the cities in Arizona that have adopted tobacco retail licenses have their license revoked after a fourth violation in 36 months. Under the model tobacco retail license, there would be a minimum of at least one compliance check per year, with a recommendation of two. However, in this bill, there is no requirement for compliance checks at all! Without additional resources, on average, the compliance checks in Arizona would happen only once every three years. As a long-time public health advocate, I stand with my fellow advocates in calling for urgency to solve this issue. More than 17% of high school students in Arizona have reported using e-cigarettes. Big Tobacco spends more than $120 million each year marketing their products to Arizonans and studies have found that kids are twice as sensitive to the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics. Nationwide, youth use of e-cigarettes remains high despite declines. In 2024, 1.63 million youth reported using such products, with 90% preferring flavored products.  We all agree — now is the time to act to protect future generations of Arizonans from the dangers of e-cigarettes. So, why is the effective date of this bill not until January 2028? If we have the chance to do something now to help solve this problem, let’s do it the right way with knowledge from public health groups and methods that are proven to work. Why wait? Brian Hummell is Arizona’s government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. The post Youth e-cigarette use is a problem – HB 4001 is not the solution first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a075395a200899a00ebb2b9 Brooks Koepka opens strong at PGA Championship after admitting 'family issues' took a toll last year te 2026-05-15T17:10:45.711Z Brooks Koepka opens strong at PGA Championship after admitting 'family issues' took a toll last year Brooks Koepka has gotten off to a nice start at the PGA Championship, and each made cut has resulted in a top-20 finish this season. The five-time major winner returned to the PGA Tour this season after spending four years with LIV Golf and was one of 33 players to break 70 in the first round on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia. Last year was a struggle for Koepka on the course, as he missed the cut in three of the four majors and finished 31st in the individual LIV standings. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM But it was a struggle off the course as well, especially with his wife, Jena Sims, suffering a miscarriage at 16 weeks pregnant. Speaking after his first round Thursday, Koepka admitted that "a lot of family issues" last year "took a toll" on him and affected his play. "That was kind of tough to deal with," Koepka said, via the New York Post. But home is "in a much better place," which coincides with his impressive scores in the early going. "It’s easier to come out to work when everything at home lines up. Everything’s a lot better. Last year was just difficult personally with what was going on off the golf course, nothing to do on it. It was just off," Koepka continued. JON RAHM APOLOGIZES AFTER HITTING VOLUNTEER WITH FLYING DIVOT AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: 'INEXCUSABLE' "So, yeah, just being in a better place. It’s exciting. It’s a little bit of a fresh start as well. I think that’s a big piece of it. Yeah, when all that kind of lines up, it makes it enjoyable to be out here." "It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun playing golf. I was very frustrated last year. Just wasn’t in a good place, but I think a lot of times when you — it’s like anybody, right? If they’re happy off the golf course, they’re going to play well on the golf course. I think that’s a huge, huge piece of it, and I’ve found that," Koepka told Golf.com last week. "Refound my happiness, my love for the game. All the pieces are connected. It’s just now I’ve got to go out and go play." Koepka is currently aiming for his fourth PGA Championship victory, having also won in 2018, 2019 and 2023. He would join Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only four-time winners of the event. Koepka struggled in his early return to the PGA Tour, finishing T55 at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the Waste Management Open. But since then, despite two other missed cuts, his finishes have ranged from T9 to T18. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07537ca200899a00ebb270 Raytheon contract, protests put Tucson ties in focus te 2026-05-15T17:10:20.770Z Raytheon contract, protests put Tucson ties in focus Raytheon landed a $335 million U.S. Navy missile contract last month, renewing scrutiny of the defense contractor's role in the Tucson community. The April 24 contract modification funds the manufacturing, assembly and delivery of SM-6 missiles through May 2030, with 35% of the work taking place in Tucson, where Raytheon is one of the city's largest employers, according to The Defence Blog. The company says it has invested nearly $900 million over the past three years to expand production capacity at its Tucson and Huntsville, Alabama facilities to meet what it describes as unprecedented demand. The SM-6 is among the most versatile weapons in the U.S. Navy's surface warfare inventory, capable of engaging aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and surface targets. The Navy has been burning through its stockpile at rates that peacetime production planning did not anticipate, driven by missile defense missions in the Red Sea in response to Houthi attacks on commercial and naval shipping. "Standard Missile-6 is a critical, combat-proven system that provides a vital layer of protection for ships and sailors — a capability that has never been more critical than it is today," said Phil Jasper, president of Raytheon. The contract is the latest reminder of how deeply Raytheon is woven into Tucson's economy, and for some residents, into its civic life in ways they find harder to accept. In March, protesters gathered at the Tucson Festival of Books to push back against Raytheon's presence at the event, pointing to reporting that a Raytheon-built missile was used in a U.S. airstrike that killed more than 165 people at an elementary school in southern Iran. Responsibility for the strike is still under investigation. Raytheon's presence at the festival included partnering with a University of Arizona student group for a booth located near the children's area. The signage was discreet, with no company logo and only a small piece of paper taped to the booth that read "Paper rocket launch." In 2025, Raytheon drew criticism for hosting a booth that included hands-on paper airplane making activities for kids. A Raytheon spokesperson did not immediately respond to Tucson Spotlight's request for comment. "I don't want our taxes to be … (used) for bombs and killing children and bombing schools and bombing hospitals and things that our country is doing around the world," said a protester named Sarah, who asked that her last name be withheld. Chandler, who attended with the Tucson Anti-War Committee, a local branch of the National Anti-War Action Network, called on the Festival of Books to cut ties with the company entirely. "We would like to demand that the Festival of Books, as a nonprofit Tucson-based organization, completely financially and visibly divest from Raytheon," Chandler said. "They are one of the biggest … weapons manufacturers in the world and unfortunately have a lot of ties with our business community and we think that our workers and our educational events like this one deserve better." Raytheon's booth at the Tucson Festival of Books featured a "paper rocket launch" activity near the children's area. The booth carried no company logo, with only a small sign identifying the activity. Nya Belcastro / Tucson Spotlight. A representative of the Tucson Festival of Books did not respond to Tucson Spotlight's request for comment. Chandler also took issue with the activity at the booth, calling it "in very poor taste." Madilynn, who also asked that her last name be withheld, called Raytheon's community presence horrific. "I just think it's a beastly irony for Raytheon to be slaughtering children in Iran and across the world, bombing schools, bombing civilian places," Madilynn said. "It's like Raytheon's trying to prepare the American children of today to bomb the Iranian children that will never see tomorrow." Madilynn said she sees Raytheon's sponsorships of community events as a deliberate strategy to normalize the company's presence in Tucson. "This sort of insidious way how through their sponsorship of all sorts of Tucson community events that they're sort of trying to make a place in Tucson where they're desensitizing and normalizing the active presence of arms and war," Madilynn said. "They use it as a defense for themselves saying, 'Oh, look at all these good things that we do.' But is it really good when our community is being funded by bombs and the blood of innocent people? It's really just a matter of how can we as a community really stand for ourselves when we won't stand up for communities across the globe?" Nya Belcastro is a University of Arizona student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at nya2005@arizona.edu. Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation. Donate to Tucson Spotlight Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07512ca200899a00ebb218 Is that traffic ticket text a scam or real? te 2026-05-15T17:00:28.734Z Is that traffic ticket text a scam or real? You're going about your day when your phone buzzes. A text hits your phone. It looks official. It sounds urgent. And suddenly, you are being told you owe money for a traffic violation. That is exactly what Todd from Texas experienced. He emailed us and said: "I received this text message today. It was so baffling because I haven't lived in California for nearly a decade. I didn't click on anything or respond. How can I tell if this is for real or if this is a scam?" If you've gotten a message like this, you are not alone. This type of scam is spreading fast, and it is designed to pressure you into acting before you think. Let's break down what is really going on. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report FAKE AGENT PHONE SCAMS ARE SPREADING FAST ACROSS THE US At first, the message seems convincing. It claims to be a "final reminder" from the California DMV, and it warns of penalties like license suspension and added fees. It even includes a link that appears somewhat official. However, once you slow down and take a closer look, the red flags quickly start to pile up. Here are the key warning signs to watch for in messages like this. 9 WAYS SCAMMERS CAN USE YOUR PHONE NUMBER TO TRY TO TRICK YOU The message comes from a number with a +63 country code. That is the Philippines, not California. Government agencies in the U.S. do not send official legal notices from international numbers. That alone is a major warning sign. Legitimate notices from a DMV or court almost always include your full name or at least some identifying information. "Dear Driver" is vague on purpose. It allows scammers to send the same message to thousands of people. The message includes this link: ca.mnvtl.life/dmv That isn’t a government domain. Official DMV websites in California use ".ca.gov" or similar trusted domains. Scammers often create lookalike links to trick you into clicking. The message pushes you to act quickly with a deadline. It lists consequences like license suspension and extra charges. Scammers rely on fear. When you feel rushed, you are more likely to click without thinking. FBI WARNS OF DANGEROUS NEW ‘SMISHING' SCAM TARGETING YOUR PHONE The text says to reply with "Y" to get instructions. That is another trap. Responding confirms your number is active, which can lead to more scam messages. Parts of the message feel slightly off. The tone is formal but not quite right. That subtle awkwardness is common in scam messages sent to large groups of people. The message piles on consequences like license suspension, added fees, court action and even credit damage. In this case, it even mentions a license suspension and a $160 late payment charge. That combination is meant to overwhelm you and push you to act fast. Real agencies usually provide clear, specific notices, not a long list of escalating threats in a single text. INSIDE A SCAMMER’S DAY AND HOW THEY TARGET YOU Even if you have never driven in California, you could still receive this message. Scammers cast a wide net and hope someone takes the bait. If you click the link, you could be taken to a fake payment page. That page may ask for your credit card details, personal information or login credentials. In some cases, it can also install malware on your device or redirect you to credential-stealing pages. This isn’t about a ticket. It is about getting your data.  State DMVs typically do not send final legal notices or payment demands by text message. These messages work because they tap into something most people fear. Legal trouble, fines and losing driving privileges. They also look just real enough to pass a quick glance. That is all scammers need. As more services move online, these scams will continue to evolve. Start with a simple rule. Never trust a payment request that shows up out of nowhere. Here are practical steps you can take: If you are unsure, do not tap anything in the message. That includes links and reply options. If you accidentally click a link, strong antivirus software can help detect malware and protect your data. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com Go to your state's official DMV website by typing it yourself into your browser. Do not use the link in the text. Look at the phone number. International numbers or random strings are a clear warning sign. Real notices will usually include your name or case details. Vague language is a red flag. Scammers often get your number from data broker sites. Removing your personal info from those databases with a data removal service can reduce these messages. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com On your phone, block the sender and report it as spam. This helps reduce future attempts. Enable spam filtering on your phone or through your carrier to catch more of these messages before they reach you. Todd did the right thing. He paused, questioned the message and did not click. That one decision likely saved him from handing over personal information. When it comes to messages like this, skepticism is your best defense. If something feels off, trust that instinct. Should phone carriers and tech companies be doing more to block scams like this before you ever see them? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074efea200899a00ebb1b3 Fire restrictions go into effect Friday across Arizona te 2026-05-15T16:51:10.591Z Fire restrictions go into effect Friday across Arizona The restrictions apply to state parks and state trust lands in Maricopa, Gila and Pinal counties. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074ed1a200899a00ebb180 IED near Alabama reservoir detonated after officials warn of 'unprecedented' critical infrastructure threat te 2026-05-15T16:50:25.782Z IED near Alabama reservoir detonated after officials warn of 'unprecedented' critical infrastructure threat A grenade-type improvised explosive device was discovered and detonated in an Alabama reservoir that serves as the sole drinking water source for roughly 350,000 people, officials said Thursday. Divers surveying the Converse Reservoir Dam for routine maintenance discovered the bomb, which the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) described as a "grenade-type IED," and immediately alerted the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), according to authorities. The device was secured and detonated by a multi-agency team of operators including personnel from the FBI Bomb Squad, Mobile Police Department Explosive Ordnance Detail, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Bomb Squad, MCSO and the Daphne Search and Rescue Team, according to MAWSS. MAWSS Director Bud McCrory called the IED discovery "an unprecedented threat" to the area's drinking water, adding "we are fortunate that this device was discovered before it could cause serious damage to our water supply or harm to individuals." BIPARTISAN LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO BOLSTER WATER SYSTEM PROTECTIONS AGAINST HACKERS The Converse Reservoir is the sole source of drinking water for the Mobile area's 350,000 residents, according to MAWSS. "We are grateful for the professionalism and competency of our law enforcement partners – as well as the quick thinking of our contractors and divers – in identifying this device and safely destroying it," McCrory said. MAWSS said it is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate how the bomb got in the reservoir and how long it had been there. The agency will also work with law enforcement to increase security around the dam. The Converse Reservoir and its dam are federally designated critical infrastructure. The dam is classified as a high hazard potential, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. The high hazard designation means a structural failure would "probably cause loss of human life," according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Fox News Digital contacted MAWSS, MCSO and the FBI for additional comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074ca3a200899a00ebb0fa Taylor Sheridan shocks 'Yellowstone' fans with new spinoff series, provides viewers with dark ride te 2026-05-15T16:41:07.343Z Taylor Sheridan shocks 'Yellowstone' fans with new spinoff series, provides viewers with dark ride Taylor Sheridan's "Dutton Ranch" appears destined to be a monster hit. Basic info: TAYLOR SHERIDAN'S HIT CIA/MILITARY SERIES GETS MAJOR UPDATE AHEAD OF NEW SEASON PREMIERE There has been a shocking amount of hype surrounding Taylor Sheridan's latest "Yellowstone" spinoff. "Marshals" turned out to be a complete dud. That might sound harsh, but it's true. We all had high hopes for the spinoff with Luke Grimes. It simply didn't live up to expectations. "Dutton Ranch" with Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly returning as Rip and Beth is exactly what fans expect from the "Yellowstone" universe. The fact it airs on Paramount+ is a huge benefit because it allows the show to retain the gritty spirit of the original saga. I'll keep this review spoiler free because I'm sure many people haven't seen the two episodes released Friday. The series follows Beth and Rip to Texas where they look for a fresh start following the events of "Yellowstone." As you'd expect, there's tension, violence and trouble right from the jump. Annette Bening plays the new villain Beulah Jackson and Ed Harris stars as lovable veterinarian Everett McKinney. 'YELLOWSTONE' STAR COLE HAUSER SPILLS SPIN-OFF SECRETS, EMBRACES 'CLASSY' WORLD OF AMERICAN COWBOYS Ed Harris, as you'd expect, is phenomenal as McKinney. The man is a grizzled war veteran now dedicated to saving animals. When Harris first joined the cast, I thought he was likely going to be an antagonist character. Not at all. It's clear that Beth and he are going to have a positive relationship, and don't be shocked if he returns to his combat ways as "Dutton Ranch" unfolds. Overall, "Dutton Ranch" doesn't even feel like a spinoff. It feels like a direct continuation of "Yellowstone" because, in many ways, it is. It takes place in the direct aftermath of "Yellowstone," and is deeply tied to the roots of the original saga. It's vastly better than "Marshals." There is also a shocking death in the premiere that is bound to set the stage for whatever could be coming next. At a minimum, it will play a large role and set the tone for the villains. Overall, "Dutton Ranch" is another masterclass from Sheridan and "Yellowstone" fans are guaranteed to love it. Are you already watching? Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074c8fa200899a00ebb0f1 Bishop Barron slams 'borderline communists' Sanders, Mamdani ahead of Trump prayer event: 'Economy that kills' te 2026-05-15T16:40:47.570Z Bishop Barron slams 'borderline communists' Sanders, Mamdani ahead of Trump prayer event: 'Economy that kills' EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Robert Barron slammed "borderline communists" in the Democratic Party, explaining in an interview with Fox News Digital why he believes the "extreme leftward shift" in politics poses a serious danger to the American way of life. Barron, who leads the Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and is the founder of the massively successful Word On Fire Ministries, is set to give an address at President Donald Trump’s "Rededicate 250" prayer event on the National Mall this weekend. Besides being a high-ranking leader in the Catholic Church hierarchy, he is perhaps best known for his unapologetic social media defenses of Christianity and Western civilization. This January, Barron slammed socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for using his inaugural speech to praise the "warmth of collectivism," writing on X "for God’s sake, spare me." Speaking with Fox News Digital this month, Barron shared that hearing Mamdani’s collectivist line "just triggered something in me." He said that he has heard many, even in the Catholic Church, referring to capitalism as the "economy that kills." "Capitalism, like all economic systems, is going to be flawed because it's made up of flawed human beings, but the economy that kills? Socialism is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of people," he said, adding that "collectivism has been such a disastrous concept." BISHOP ROBERT BARRON SLAMS ZOHRAN MAMDANI 'WARMTH OF COLLECTIVISM' LINE: ‘FOR GOD’S SAKE’ Barron explained that he is "against socialism precisely as a Catholic," emphasizing that the church’s social teaching unequivocally condemns the theory. He admitted he has been surprised by the "extreme leftward drift of the Democratic Party" in recent years, which he said is evidenced by the broader acceptance of socialist candidates like Mamdani. "We have a two-party system. If one of our two parties has gone that far to the left where explicit socialists, even, I would say, borderline communists, are being proposed as serious candidates, I think we've got a problem in our body politic." As a bishop, Barron said he has looked on with concern as figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats, have gone from isolated lone wolves to the norm among new members of the party. "When Bernie Sanders first emerged … I thought, ‘Well, he'll never go anywhere.’ But of course, he was quite successful," he noted. "But to go from let's say Bill Clinton style Democratic Party to Bernie Sanders, that's a pretty big shift in a relatively short time." FAITH RETURNS TO THE PUBLIC SQUARE DURING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, CHRISTIAN LEADER SAYS Yet rather than standing by silently, Barron called on Christians to not "retreat into privacy" but rather "stand to thwart socialism." "There are forces that want us to withdraw into privacy, to be on the margins of society. [But] it's especially now that the religious, I think, have to assert themselves in the public square." To Barron, this means "talking about the faith publicly and with confidence and with panache." "It means entering into dialogue and debate. It means living out your faith in a public manner. It means getting into university culture and getting into the institutions of our country in a way that's not aggressive, but at the same time not apologetic," he explained. DNC CHAIR DOWNPLAYS SOCIALIST–MODERATE RIFT AS MAMDANI’S RISE HAS SOME DEMS RATTLED He noted that this taking of the faith into the public sphere is an "unrealized dream" of the Catholic Church’s Vatican II Council. "What we have to fight for is a democratic civilization predicated upon objective moral value and finally upon God who presides over the very freedom that we exercise," he said. "Fight for that culture in entertainment and in politics and in communication and in every aspect of life. That is a cultural war worth fighting." Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders and Mamdani for comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074c7ba200899a00ebb0e8 Murkowski vs Trump: Senator sides with Democrats on Iran after series of breaks with president te 2026-05-15T16:40:27.748Z Murkowski vs Trump: Senator sides with Democrats on Iran after series of breaks with president The Senate was two votes away from taking a step toward handcuffing President Donald Trump's war authorities in Iran this week.  It’s the closest Senate Democrats have come to trying to reassert Congress’ authority on the matter, and was nearly successful thanks to one Senate Republican known for an independent streak: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.  That vote, in particular, came after Congress had sprinted past the 60-day deadline to either authorize or halt Trump’s war. Murkowski argued that she hoped the administration would give more clarity on next steps, but so far hadn’t received such information.  SENATE DEMOCRATS FINALLY CRACK GOP UNITY ON TRUMP'S IRAN WAR AS MURKOWSKI FLIPS "So I felt that it was now time to advance a discharge so that we can discuss our responsibilities through the War Powers Act," Murkowski said. "So it's — we're in a different place than we were last time we voted on this." Many of her votes for or against any given piece of legislation are determined by a simple principle: how will this vote affect Alaska?  "Senator Murkowski approaches every decision thoughtfully, always asking what is best for Alaska," Joseph Plesha, a spokesperson for Murkowski, told Fox News Digital. "When she believes a policy advances those priorities, she supports it, regardless of party or politics."  That style of decision-making was on full display last year, when Murkowski cast the deciding vote for the president’s "big, beautiful bill," his most significant legislative accomplishment of his second term to date. But at the time, Murkowski described the decision as "agonizing," and one that she came to only after securing a spate of wins for Alaska. "I had to look on balance, because the people in my state are the ones that I put first," Murkowski said. "We do not have a perfect bill by any stretch of the imagination. My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet." Murkowski had hoped that the Senate and House would go into conference to iron out a better product, but that never came. After the upper chamber advanced the package, the House passed it several hours later to adhere to Trump’s July 4 deadline. SENATE PASSES TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMA Just a few weeks later, she bucked Trump and Republicans on a package designed to claw back billions in funding to public broadcasting and "woke" international aid programs.  Murkowski, an appropriator, argued that instead of legislating, "what we're getting now is a direction from the White House and being told, ‘This is the priority we want you to execute on it. We'll be back with you with another round.’"  "I don't accept that," she said at the time. She also went against Trump’s actions in Venezuela earlier this year, joining Democrats on a successful procedural vote that was ultimately later struck down after a heavy lobbying campaign from the White House and top Trump officials flipped key votes against the war powers resolution.  Similar to her reasoning on the Iran war powers vote, Murkowski contended that while the administration argued that the Venezuelan government was complying after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, there had been "no meaningful end state" given by Trump officials.  REPUBLICANS FAIL TO ATTACH SAVE AMERICA ACT TO PARTY-LINE FUNDING PACKAGE And on the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, Murkowski once again went against the president. She teed up her resistance to the voter ID and citizenship verification legislation early, weeks before Republicans launched a campaign on the Senate floor to debate the doomed bill.  Murkowski noted that when congressional Democrats "attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed." "Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska," she said.  Perhaps Murkowski's biggest break from Trump came as he was exiting office shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill. Murkowski was one of a handful of Republicans who voted to convict Trump.  "If months of lies, organizing a rally of supporters in an effort to thwart the work of Congress, encouraging a crowd to march on the Capitol, and then taking no meaningful action to stop the violence once it began is not worthy of impeachment, conviction, and disqualification from holding office in the United States, I cannot imagine what is," Murkowski said in a statement at the time. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074809a200899a00ebaff5 Rebecca Gau: Taking the right next step for Arizona’s children te 2026-05-15T16:21:29.309Z Rebecca Gau: Taking the right next step for Arizona’s children Since 1993, Rebecca Gau has worked in education policy and has advocated for continuous improvement in education performance. From working in Washington D.C. as an intern to former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s office and now the executive director of Stand For Children, Gau has spent more than three decades working to bridge public policy, education and child development. In a recent interview with the Arizona Capitol Times, Gau discussed her work with Stand for Children and some of the organization’s policy goals for this legislative session.  The questions and answers have been lightly edited for style and clarity:  Can you tell me a little about your professional background and the work you did prior to this position? I launched my career in education policy through an internship on Capitol Hill in 1993, and part of that internship was to study charter schools because we were reauthorizing the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. I was advising Congress members on whether or not they should vote for it, so I got to know a lot about charter schools and got to know a lot about Arizona. I moved here to be an education policy analyst at the Morrison Institute at Arizona State University. That led to me working at the Charter Schools Association as their vice president and that introduced me to Gov. Jan Brewer’s office. I was offered the position to lead Brewer’s education reform plan and, in doing that, my career had really been focused on the policy and data side of education.  Tell me about Stand for Children. How would you describe the organization? We’re a unique catalyst for supporting a strong education system and supporting kids and families with whatever it takes, whether it’s local parent engagement, working with local school districts, or lobbying at the Capitol. Sometimes, we do get involved in political campaigns and we’re unique with that flexibility. We have a 501(c)(3), which is called Stand for Children Leadership Center, and then we have a 501(c)(4), which is called Stand for Children Incorporated. Then we have the Stand for Children Arizona Independent Expenditure Committee, so essentially, I run three different organizations out of the Stand for Children Arizona umbrella.  What was it like working in Brewer’s office? Working for Governor Brewer was an absolute honor and privilege. The team we had up there was phenomenal, and she was committed to doing the right thing in the education space. Senate Bill 1070 happened right before I started working there, and I didn’t have anything to do with that, but Brewer’s commitment was to all Arizona students and that controversy didn’t impact her desire to do the right thing for all of Arizona’s children, regardless of ethnicity or background. They should be well educated — and I really respected that.  Last I checked, the waitlist for childcare subsidies is now at more than 12,000 kids. What kind of impact does that have on Arizona families? It’s a crisis. I know people throw that word around all the time, but I don’t. I’m a data worker. But when you look at the impact on families, particularly in this economy, it’s pretty daunting. Cost of childcare, regardless of whether it’s quality childcare or not, the cost of childcare is often the same as your mortgage payment. It can be the same as college tuition. Almost 20% of family budgets are going to childcare right now. That’s a lot and that impacts the economy when you have families that choose not to have a parent working because they can’t afford the childcare. It’s about a $5 billion hit to our economy. The Center for the Future of Arizona has a data point that if we were to invest properly in support of childcare, it would inject $12 billion into our economy. Arizona employers are seeing issues in not being able to hire enough people because they have to stay at home with their kids. There’s a huge problem there. So whether you’re looking from a family point of view or a state point of view, there is clearly an opportunity for economic growth and support. We have a lot of tax breaks for corporations and businesses in Arizona that are meant to spur the economy. The theory is if we’re not taxing them, they can invest that in employees and infrastructure and they can grow their businesses. If we’re willing to invest billions and billions of dollars on spurring economic development by giving tax breaks to corporations, why wouldn’t we spend $160 million for working families to create a $12 billion economic benefit that eliminates the childcare subsidy waitlist? Spending $160 million might be a difficult ask with this year’s budget. Is there a realistic number you’ve identified that could be spent? I think $45 million is realistic. Last year got $45 million one-time, so I think that’s what would likely happen again this year. Every year, we’re going to have to fight for at least the $45 million until hopefully we’re in a position that we can advocate for the full amount. Something is better than nothing.  Arizona’s voter-created state agency First Things First helps fund early childhood education, but its revenue has decreased by more than $60 million since the program was created. Can you talk to me about what’s happening here? First Things First is fascinating, and a lot of my early childhood advocacy colleagues are jealous of us for having this. They’re very envious of voters who clearly supported kids not starting from behind. If you are a policymaker who is interested in the actual long-term health of our state, you have to look at the younger generations and what kind of pipeline we’re building for a strong workforce and a strong economy. What really disgusts me is when people try to tie the immigration issue into early childhood funding because, as I see it, a kid is a kid. Most young children entering the K-12 space are here legally. The hiccup is that the way that initiative for First Things First was worded included tobacco products sales that went into early childhood education. Technology has changed and we have vaping products that aren’t necessarily using tobacco in the nicotine delivery system. They use the vape product now and with the legalization of marijuana, there’s a whole other product that people are substituting, so we have very much supported the vape tax bill.  What are some other issues you’ve been looking at this session?  We supported the child tax credit bills, and we were very invested in the high school state level grant program that’s at risk of being cut this year. It’s called the Ninth Grade on Track grant and it’s been funded for the last three years by the Arizona Department of Education that grants high schools up to $150 per ninth grader. It invests in research-based methods of ensuring they finish their first year of high school with a quarter of their credit requirements complete while also failing no more than one course. It’s hard for students to transition from rather small environments of a middle school to larger environments in a high school and we lose a lot of ninth graders in that process. Finishing a quarter of their credits in their ninth grade year is the highest predictor of whether or not a student will graduate on time. It’s stronger than socioeconomic status, income level and other factors we typically associate with academic success.  What are the biggest challenges to Arizona’s education system? Funding, either due to low enrollment or some people have concerns about the dip in the birth rate. Young people just aren’t starting families or growing their family in a way they had intended. When you have cuts to student enrollment, that’s not losing enough kids to not have a teacher. It’s losing the kids that pay for that teacher’s salary, so it creates a structural imbalance in schools. The politics of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts has created a bigger problem, which is unfortunate because even ESA advocates nationally don’t like the way Arizona did it. They don’t use us as a model because there’s no accountability in that system. Covid did a number on a lot of kids, but a lot of things related to that were already in play before. People blame Covid for kids being babysat by technology because of online schooling that made their attention span crappy, but the research shows that the beginning of the mental health crisis with teens started in the early 2010s.The rise of young people owning cell phones and the increase in social media use is so clearly correlated to increases in self-harm and a lack of self worth among youth and teens. That’s become a top priority for us in figuring out how to address that, whether it’s through state policy or local efforts and programming to get a shared definition of age-appropriate technology use so no one entity is the bad guy. Anything else? I just hope we can get back to a place where we don’t have to agree 100% on everything, but we can at least work together on doing the right thing. That’s what I would like to see at the Capitol.  The post Rebecca Gau: Taking the right next step for Arizona’s children first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0747f2a200899a00ebafcb Nicki Minaj blasts Gavin Newsom's silence, Jay-Z's alleged sabotage in scorched-earth break from Democrats te 2026-05-15T16:21:06.422Z Nicki Minaj blasts Gavin Newsom's silence, Jay-Z's alleged sabotage in scorched-earth break from Democrats Nicki Minaj says she’s done hiding her MAGA support — and she’s blaming California Gov. Gavin Newsom and rap titan Jay-Z for pushing her straight into President Donald Trump’s corner. The "Anaconda" rapper revealed in an interview with Time that feeling ignored by Democratic power players while receiving support from Republicans played a major role in her political transformation. Minaj, 43, said one of the biggest turning points came after her California home was repeatedly "swatted" by online trolls. According to the rapper, her attempts to seek help from Newsom’s office went nowhere. "He just completely ignored me, with all the money I spent in taxes," Minaj said. NICKI MINAJ ACCUSES CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOM OF 'TRYING TO BE TRUMP' IN SCATHING INTERVIEW The Grammy-nominated artist explained that her outlook began to change after Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida stepped in to assist her in 2025. "I was shocked," Minaj said of the help she received from Luna. "I'd never seen anyone in politics treat me that way." Luna reportedly connected Minaj with federal law enforcement officials and a private security firm following the incidents. Minaj said the support she received from Republicans ultimately convinced her to stop hiding her politics and go public with her admiration for President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "That’s what made me say that I don’t care to keep this a secret anymore," she said. For years, the rap superstar admitted she kept her pro-Trump views behind closed doors, fearing backlash from fans and powerful figures in the entertainment industry. "I felt that way already about him, just that I didn’t dare act like that publicly," Minaj explained. "It’s been ingrained in everyone’s brain in the music business that we are supposed to be a Democratic family. I just knew they would not like me supporting Trump." Minaj also reignited her yearslong feud with Jay-Z, accusing the hip-hop mogul and his company, Roc Nation, of exerting influence behind the scenes and attempting to derail her career. She suggested Jay-Z’s deep ties to Democratic circles — particularly his relationship with former President Barack Obama — further soured her on the party establishment. "I think Jay-Z ended up costing Obama a lot, whether he knows it or not," she said. "Lots of rappers don’t like Jay-Z and were afraid to say it." The "Super Bass" rapper also took aim at Obama’s 2024 campaign trail remarks urging Black men to rally behind then-Vice President Kamala Harris, saying many voters felt talked down to rather than understood. "I just saw so many videos of Black men saying that they didn’t like the way they felt about that speech that Obama gave," Minaj said. "They felt like they weren’t being listened to." Fox News Digital has reached out to Minaj, Newsom and Jay-Z for comment. As Minaj’s political transformation became more public, Trump embraced the rapper as one of his most outspoken celebrity supporters. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER While attending the February premiere of "Melania," the president praised Minaj during an interview with Fox News Digital. "Nicki Minaj is fantastic. She’s a terrific person," Trump said. "She was so nice, and she understands, you know, what we’re doing with the Trump accounts. We’re helping children grow up where they’re 18 years old. They’re going to have a lot of money. They’re gonna be rich. And she got it. She’s been a supporter from the beginning. And I think Nicki Minaj is a winner. Fantastic." The pair previously appeared together at the U.S. Treasury Department’s Trump Accounts Summit, where Minaj enthusiastically declared herself Trump’s "number one fan." "Well, I don’t know what to say, but I will say that I am probably the president’s number one fan," she told attendees. "And that’s not going to change. And the hate or what people have to say, it does not affect me at all. It actually motivates me to support him more." Minaj first publicly aligned herself with Trump in November 2025 after the president spoke out about violence targeting Christians in Nigeria on Truth Social. After Trump vowed the United States was prepared to protect persecuted Christians in the region, Minaj publicly thanked him, writing: "Thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0747dca200899a00ebafa9 Deported Despite DACA: Dreamers Face Uncertainty Under Trump te 2026-05-15T16:20:44.626Z Deported Despite DACA: Dreamers Face Uncertainty Under Trump The administration has said DACA isn’t a right to stay in the United States “indefinitely.” One man with DACA was detained and deported to Mexico in a matter of days. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0747c9a200899a00ebafa0 What to Know About DACA Recipients Amid Trump Deportation Push te 2026-05-15T16:20:25.055Z What to Know About DACA Recipients Amid Trump Deportation Push The Trump administration has said the program no longer shields immigrants from deportation, and renewal delays are costing DACA recipients their jobs. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0745c1a200899a00ebaf31 Viral businessman who bragged about wealth slapped with federal charges in endangered species harassment case te 2026-05-15T16:11:45.890Z Viral businessman who bragged about wealth slapped with federal charges in endangered species harassment case A businessman caught on a viral video saying he was "rich enough" to avoid the consequences of allegedly attacking a beloved endangered seal species in Hawaii might have to prove it after he was slapped with two federal charges stemming from the incident. Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is suspected of tossing a rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal — one of the rarest marine mammals on earth — on May 5 in an incident that was caught on camera by locals. Business records show that Lytvynchuk, who boasted about his wealth when confronted about his actions by angry passersby, owns a logistics and trucking company based in Kent, Washington. OREGON SEAL PUP STABBED MULTIPLE TIMES AS NOAA SEEKING TO TRACK DOWN PERSON OF INTEREST "What are you doing? Why would you throw a rock at it? Hello?" a woman can be heard shouting in the video as the man, wearing a white shirt and swim trunks, lobbed a rock at the seal's head on a Maui shoreline. The Hawaiian monk seal in the video is called "Lani" by loving locals, according to a Department of Justice release announcing the charges. There are only about 1,600 Hawaiian monk seals in the wild. Lytvynchuk has been charged with harassing and attempting to harass the endangered animal in violation of the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the DOJ. He was arrested near Seattle on Wednesday. He could face up to a year in prison for both the harassment and attempted harassment charges, along with a $50,000 fine under the Endangered Species Act and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. ‘ODD-LOOKING’ DEEP SEA FISH WASHES UP ON BEACH, SURPRISING LOCALS  "The rock narrowly missed her nose, startling her, and causing her to rear up out of the water," the release says. "According to witnesses, Lani remained largely immobile for an extended period of time after the incident, which caused much concern over her welfare." Upon being confronted by the witnesses, Lytvynchuk dismissed their concerns, noting that he was "rich enough to pay the fines" should he get in trouble. "The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity. We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular endangered Hawaiian monk seals, like Lani," said U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. "We pledge that those who harass and attempt to harm our protected wildlife will face rapid accountability in federal court."   The video set off a social media firestorm, and users quickly identified the suspect, leading to calls for his arrest. After his arrest, users celebrated. "Karma doesn’t care how rich you are," said on X user. "Let’s hope justice is served in court and this scumbag receives a significant custodial sentence," said another. It was not immediately clear if Lytvynchuk had an attorney. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0745aea200899a00ebaf28 California girls track star opens up on viral podium protest of trans opponent and if she'll do it again te 2026-05-15T16:11:26.174Z California girls track star opens up on viral podium protest of trans opponent and if she'll do it again Crean Lutheran High School girls' track and field star Reese Hogan went viral one year ago after stepping up from second place to the top spot on a medal podium to protest a trans athlete who beat her in the triple jump. Now, she is set to face off against that same trans athlete in the very same round of the postseason this weekend. Hogan came in second to that athlete last Saturday in the sectional preliminary round. Will Hogan make another demonstration if she ends up on the podium with the trans athlete again this weekend? CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "If the opportunity presents itself, we'll see, yeah," Hogan told Fox News Digital if she would do something similar this weekend on the podium. Hogan will face Jurupa Valley High School's AB Hernandez in long jump, high jump and triple jump, just as she has in each of her last three track and field postseasons. Her viral podium stunt last year came just days after an interview with Fox News Digital. The interview with her and other girls in the state tournament ultimately prompted a response from the U.S. Department of Education that preceded a public feud between President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom. And Hogan says that when the time came to do the podium protest, she thought of the whole thing on the spot. "It wasn't planned. It was kind of just something that I did in the moment, that felt right," Hogan said. "I was standing on the second-place podium and I just felt called to the first-place podium. I didn't want to disrespect anyone, so I made sure that the athlete stepped off the podium first before I stepped on." As soon as she stepped up to the first-place spot, a nearby crowd roared in applause for Hogan. "I felt validated in how I felt. I felt people saw me. I felt there was more support than I thought there would be, and more people who were backing our side of protecting girls' sports," Hogan said. CALIFORNIA GIRLS' TRACK AND FIELD STARS SPEAK OUT AS GAVIN NEWSOM'S TITLE IX CRISIS GROWS The stunt was caught on camera and posted to social media, catching the attention of countless "Save Women's Sports" activists, including Riley Gaines. The stunt became the latest flashpoint in the culture war over girls' sports, garnering millions of views across the internet. Hogan wasn't expecting that kind of attention, she just did it for herself and some of the people in the crowd. "I got sent a couple of the X posts and the ones on Instagram, and it only had a few likes when I first saw it, and then I checked back up on it, and it started getting more and more likes," Hogan said. "Now that I took a stand in this people do recognize who I am a little bit more, and they're like 'Oh, you're the girl who stepped up on the first-place podium.'" But as there is for all girls and women who go viral for standing up in the movement, a healthy amount of pro-trans critics came after Hogan after the stunt. "Yeah," Hogan said when asked if she got mean comments. "When you do stuff like that, you have to expect that there's going to be people who don't agree with you. But I mean that's how life works. The mean comments are mean comments, I don't let it affect me." Hogan and her Crean Lutheran teammate Olivia Viola have taken center stage in the Save Girls Sports movement for this season's California track and field tournament. They spoke at a rally during the first round last weekend before competing against Hernandez, and did a live TV interview on Fox News at Night on Tuesday. It is their last chance to win a sectional and state title in their high school careers, and with males still allowed to compete in girls' sports in California, a trans competitor still stands in their way of that goal. The situation has been so difficult for Hogan and her family the last three years, that she turned down every college offer she received from a school at home in California, and is going all the way to Texas for college at Texas Christian University. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074597a200899a00ebaefa Republicans Waited to Challenge Trump on the Iran War. Now It May Be Too Late. te 2026-05-15T16:11:03.230Z Republicans Waited to Challenge Trump on the Iran War. Now It May Be Too Late. Having deferred to the president for months, G.O.P. lawmakers missed crucial milestones to try to limit his war powers. That has tied their hands in seeking parameters and exit criteria. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074582a200899a00ebaedf OpenAI launches ChatGPT for personal finance, will let you connect bank accounts te 2026-05-15T16:10:42.294Z OpenAI launches ChatGPT for personal finance, will let you connect bank accounts OpenAI is launching personal finance tools for ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the U.S. first Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07456da200899a00ebaed3 Tucson refuerza alianzas frente al cambio climático te 2026-05-15T16:10:21.926Z Tucson refuerza alianzas frente al cambio climático Leer en inglés Los funcionarios de Tucson afirmaron el pasado 2 de abril que las alianzas público-privadas nunca han sido tan importantes. La ciudad invirtió más de $160 millones en proyectos relacionados con el clima en 2025 y obtuvo cerca de $94 millones en subvenciones, incluso mientras la financiación federal continúa reduciéndose bajo la administración Trump. "Ya sea ampliando la infraestructura verde, apoyando los esfuerzos para mitigar el calor, promoviendo la conservación del agua o involucrando a los residentes de manera significativa, estas alianzas han sido fundamentales en cada paso del camino,” declaró la alcaldesa de Tucson, Regina Romero, durante una asamblea pública celebrada el 2 de abril. Establecido en 2023, el plan Tucson Resilient Together traza estrategias para alcanzar las emisiones netas cero para el año 2030, identificar a las comunidades más vulnerables ante los impactos del cambio climático y proporcionar estrategias a largo plazo para la adaptación al mismo. Sin embargo, la ciudad ha tomado medidas adicionales más allá de lo estipulado en el plan, entre las que se incluyen promover moratorias en el corte de servicios públicos durante el verano, en colaboración con Tucson Electric Power y Tucson Water  y bloquear el desarrollo de nuevos centros de datos, los cuales pueden agravar el efecto de isla de calor en los vecindarios circundantes. "El cambio climático no es un juego. La sostenibilidad no es opcional para Tucson; es esencial para nuestra salud, para nuestro desarrollo económico y para las futuras oportunidades de desarrollo económico que tenemos como ciudad,” afirmó Romero. Entre las estrategias destacadas se encuentran la ampliación de la cobertura de sombra de la ciudad a través de la iniciativa Tucson Million Trees, la identificación de las áreas que requieren alivio térmico mediante la Heat Action Roadmap y el establecimiento de estrategias para la conservación del agua. A nivel del condado, Sarah Davis, asesora principal de la Oficina del Administrador del Condado de Pima, señaló que los residentes han manifestado inquietudes respecto a la calidad del aire, la reducción de emisiones, la sequía y la infraestructura verde; preocupaciones que, a su vez, han impulsado los esfuerzos de colaboración con las jurisdicciones vecinas. En 2023, indicó Davis, la ciudad y el condado se unieron a Oro Valley, South Tucson y la Nación Tohono O'odham para conformar una coalición climática regional financiada por la Agencia de Protección Ambiental dicha coalición elaboró ​​un plan integral de acción climática que establece objetivos compartidos de reducción de emisiones para los próximos cinco años. Sarah Davis, asesora senior de la Oficina del Administrador del Condado de Pima; Fatima Luna, directora de resiliencia de la Ciudad de Tucson; y Xochitl Coronado Vargas, coordinadora de divulgación pública del Programa Storm-To-Shade. Topacio “Topaz” Servellon / El Foco de Tucson. A nivel local, la Junta de Supervisores del Condado de Pima, junto con a la alcaldesa y el Concejo de Tucson, establecieron el objetivo de reducir las emisiones en un 60% con respecto a los niveles de 2021, utilizando datos de mapas de calor para implementar medidas de protección contra el calor para la fuerza laboral y coordinar esfuerzos con organizaciones asociadas. Fatima Luna, directora de resiliencia de la ciudad y principal supervisora ​​del plan, señaló que el 85% de las iniciativas contempladas ya están en marcha. "Solo en 2025, los departamentos municipales invirtieron más de $160 millones en proyectos relacionados con el clima, y ​​lograron asegurar cerca de $94 millones en subvenciones para dichos proyectos,” afirmó Luna. Uno de los objetivos, alcanzar los 30 megavatios de energía solar distribuidos en las 74 instalaciones de la ciudad, está próximo a cumplirse, indicó Luna. "La alcaldesa y el Concejo invirtieron $900,000 en el programa de empoderamiento solar. Esto contribuye significativamente a llevar la energía solar directamente a los hogares de bajos ingresos, en colaboración con SARI y también con Technicians for Sustainability,” explicó Luna. "Asimismo, estamos trabajando con Tucson Electric Power y el Laboratorio Nacional del Noroeste del Pacífico para diseñar e instalar un sistema de almacenamiento de energía mediante baterías en el Centro Donna Liggins; una vez cargado por completo, este sistema podría abastecer al centro durante un máximo de tres días, garantizando que este espacio comunitario de confianza pueda ofrecer a los residentes un refugio inmediato durante los cortes de suministro eléctrico, complementado con programas de preparación para emergencias.” Un acuerdo reciente con TEP destinará anualmente $2 millones, provenientes de los fondos de los accionistas, a proyectos de energía limpia, desarrollo de la fuerza laboral y educación climática para los jóvenes. El progreso hacia el objetivo de neutralidad de carbono que la ciudad se ha fijado para el año 2030 ya resulta mensurable. "(Hemos) reducido cerca del 44 % de nuestras emisiones, las cuales ahora son cubiertas mediante energía renovable,” señaló Luna. "También estamos llevando a cabo la transición de la flota (de autobuses) hacia una flota de cero emisiones. Actualmente contamos con 10 autobuses municipales (ecológicos) en circulación y otros 10 en camino." Flor Sandoval, del Instituto de Investigación Ambiental de Sonora, y Kevin Cook, de Technicians for Sustainability, se han asociado para proporcionar a familias de bajos ingresos de Tucson infraestructura de captación de agua y sistemas solares en los tejados para compensar los costos de electricidad. Topacio "Topaz" Servellon / El Foco de Tucson. Aun así, las autoridades afirman que la financiación sigue siendo uno de los mayores obstáculos para los esfuerzos de resiliencia climática de la ciudad. "Desde que ganó Trump, sabíamos que se desmantelaría gran parte de la financiación que había creado la administración Biden-Harris; una financiación a la que la ciudad de Tucson tuvo la gran fortuna de poder postularse, logrando con mucho éxito atraer fondos hacia Tucson,” comentó Romero. Aunque la administración ha eliminado los créditos fiscales y los incentivos para vehículos eléctricos, Tucson ha logrado conservar cierta financiación federal para apoyar los esfuerzos de silvicultura urbana a través del Servicio Forestal de los EE. UU. Xochitl Coronado Vargas, coordinadora de divulgación pública del programa Storm-To-Shade, señaló que Tucson Water y la ciudad están colaborando para ampliar la cubierta arbórea urbana, reduciendo al mismo tiempo el consumo de agua municipal. "Cuando llueve, el agua pluvial escurre sobre cualquier superficie dura aquí en Tucson, ya sea un techo o una carretera,” explicó Vargas. "La infraestructura verde para la gestión del agua pluvial permite que esta se infiltre en el paisaje, posibilitando así su uso como método de riego para las nuevas plantaciones de especies nativas, en lugar de seguir dependiendo del suministro de agua municipal para regar estos espacios.” Los usuarios del servicio de Tucson Water pagan aproximadamente un dólar al mes para financiar la infraestructura verde de gestión del agua pluvial en parques, propiedades públicas y viviendas sociales; el programa prioriza aquellos vecindarios con puntuaciones más bajas en equidad arbórea, así como las zonas que presentan una mayor vulnerabilidad socioeconómica, una menor cubierta arbórea y temperaturas superficiales más elevadas. Todos los espacios creados por el programa Storm-To-Shade, así como la infraestructura verde de gestión del agua pluvial existente con anterioridad al programa, reciben mantenimiento de forma perpetua. Al ampliar la cubierta arbórea y otros espacios verdes destinados a la recolección de agua, el programa mejora la calidad del aire, previene inundaciones y favorece a la fauna nativa. Actualmente, hay veinte proyectos ya finalizados y otros veinte en fase de construcción. "Hay uno situado en el parque Rudy Garcia, concretamente en el estacionamiento. También hay un proyecto a punto de iniciar sus obras en el Centro Vecinal El Pueblo se trata de un maravilloso proyecto de embellecimiento que recoge el agua pluvial de los techos de esos edificios, la infiltra en el suelo y añade una gran cantidad de nueva vegetación nativa,” detalló Vargas. Storm-To-Shade es uno de los varios programas que combinan la gestión del agua con la infraestructura verde en las comunidades de menores ingresos de Tucson. Flor Sandoval, del Instituto de Investigación Ambiental de Sonora, se ha asociado con Kevin Cook, de la empresa local de instalación de sistemas solares  para proporcionar a las familias de bajos recursos infraestructura de recolección de agua y energía solar, con el fin de ayudarles a compensar sus costos de electricidad. “Nuestro programa de conservación del agua promueve tanto la recolección de agua de lluvia como la reutilización de aguas grises, ayudando a las familias a captar, reciclar y aprovechar al máximo cada gota de agua pluvial en nuestro entorno desértico,” afirmó Sandoval. “Si bien es posible que estos sistemas no siempre reduzcan las facturas de agua de manera inmediata, resultan fundamentales para la conservación a largo plazo, al reducir el consumo de agua en exteriores y aumentar la resiliencia ante la sequía.” Luis Pesqueria, Iliana Islas, Thelma Magallanes y Ethan Van Alter (de izquierda a derecha) marcan casas en un mapa durante un evento de puerta en puerta de la Cruz Roja y la Ciudad de Tucson en 2025. Arilynn Hyatt / El Foco de Tucson.  Cook señaló que Technicians for Sustainability lanzó el Programa de Empoderamiento Solar en 2022, ofreciendo subvenciones que cubren hasta el 60% de los costos de instalación de paneles solares en los techos, con el fin de hacer que la energía solar sea más accesible para las familias de bajos ingresos. TFS ya ha instalado 15 sistemas de energía solar en viviendas de bajos recursos este año. Aun así, ambas organizaciones enfrentan desafíos: el deterioro de las condiciones de los techos, las brechas financieras, incluso contando con subvenciones parciales, y la necesidad de garantizar la seguridad de los técnicos ante el calor extremo. Dado que el crédito fiscal federal del 30% para instalaciones solares residenciales ha dejado de estar vigente, comentó Cook, algunos residentes se ven empujados hacia acuerdos de arrendamiento abusivos. "Hemos estado trabajando con cerca de 80 instaladores de sistemas solares en todo el país para crear nuestro propio producto de arrendamiento, el cual estamos lanzando ahora aquí en Tucson y que sitúa al propietario de la vivienda como la parte principal del acuerdo,” explicó Cook. "El año pasado, en 2025, el 26% de la energía consumida en esta comunidad provino de fuentes renovables, eólica y solar, ya ​​fueran propiedad de la compañía eléctrica o propiedad de miembros de la comunidad (quienes también se encargaron de su operación).” Uno de los temas centrales del plan de acción climática de la ciudad es la comunicación directa con la comunidad sobre los impactos del cambio climático. Monique Vallery, directora ejecutiva interina de la Cruz Roja Americana, ha estado recorriendo los vecindarios y conversando con los residentes sobre la manera en que el calor los está afectando. "El año pasado, tuvimos la oportunidad de interactuar cara a cara con cerca de 1.000 hogares de la comunidad,” comentó Vallery. Estos recorridos de concienciación sobre el calor, una iniciativa en colaboración con el Departamento de Salud del Condado de Pima, se dirigen específicamente a las comunidades que registran el mayor número de llamadas al 911 relacionadas con el calor, incluyendo parques de casas móviles y comunidades de viviendas para personas mayores. Esta labor de divulgación refleja un esfuerzo más amplio por lograr que el calor extremo sea reconocido a nivel federal. La ciudad ha enviado cartas anualmente a la FEMA solicitando que el calor extremo sea clasificado como un desastre natural. "Hasta la fecha, en nuestros primeros cinco recorridos por estos códigos postales seleccionados, hemos llegado a casi 800 hogares,” afirmó Vallery. "Registramos más muertes relacionadas con el calor que las causadas por todos los demás desastres naturales combinados. Si vamos a movilizarnos, la mejor manera de hacerlo es conocer a nuestros vecinos, conocer a nuestros colaboradores y conocer los recursos disponibles.” Monique Vallery, directora ejecutiva interina de la Cruz Roja Americana, y Ojas Sanghi, representante de Amistades y colíder de la Coalición Juvenil por el Clima de Arizona. Topacio "Topaz" Servellon / El Foco de Tucson. Ojas Sanghi, representante de Amistades y colíder de la Coalición Juvenil por el Clima de Arizona, habló sobre los esfuerzos para ayudar a desarrollar soluciones climáticas a largo plazo. Amistades es una organización sin fines de lucro dirigida por latinos que promueve la justicia social, la equidad y el empoderamiento comunitario en el sur de Arizona. Sanghi comentó que se sintió inspirado a dedicarse al trabajo climático tras haber crecido en la India y regresar a Tucson para cursar la escuela secundaria, etapa en la que observó de primera mano las disparidades y los impactos del cambio climático. "Realmente no recordaba cómo era la vida en los EE. UU., y luego regresé a Tucson para la secundaria y pensé: '¡Oh, Dios mío, puedo respirar, puedo ver las estrellas; es una locura!,” relató. Sanghi habló sobre el programa Justicia Juntos de Amistades, el cual emplea estrategias de divulgación con arraigo cultural para educar a la comunidad latina sobre el efecto de isla de calor urbana, las respuestas ante el calor extremo y el acceso a recursos para mantenerse a salvo. "Eso implica la creación de dos centros de resiliencia climática en dichas comunidades, una Coalición Juvenil por el Clima compuesta por 15 miembros, una iniciativa novedosa destinada a implementar medidas de resiliencia climática, y 10 defensores climáticos latinos capacitados que participan activamente en acciones a nivel regional,” explicó Sanghi. Raíces Vivas, es un programa que transforma espacios subutilizados dentro de las escuelas en áreas verdes dedicadas a la silvicultura urbana y al aprendizaje ambiental, con el objetivo de restaurar la cubierta arbórea nativa y los huertos escolares, al tiempo que involucra a estudiantes y familias. "Una escuela en particular con la que estamos trabajando actualmente es la Escuela Secundaria Apollo,” señaló Sanghi. "Este proyecto se apoya, por naturaleza, en gran medida en la conexión intergeneracional. Los miembros de la AZYCC se encargarán de dirigir actividades e impartir clases. Creemos que resulta más sencillo para los estudiantes conectar con sus pares, jóvenes que apenas les llevan unos años de ventaja, y aprender de ellos.” Topacio “Topaz” Servellon es periodiste en El Foco de Tucson. Puede contactarle en topacioserve@gmail.com. Esta nota fue traducida por los pasantes de la preparatoria San Miguel y editada por Diana Ramos, exalumna de la Universidad de Arizona, Directora de Iniciativas Bilingües y reportera del Foco de Tucson. Contáctala en diana@tucsonspotlight.org. El Foco de Tucson es una sala de prensa comunitaria que ofrece oportunidades remuneradas a estudiantes y periodistas emergentes del sur de Arizona. Por favor, considera apoyar nuestro trabajo con una donación deducible de impuestos. Donar a El Foco Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a074110a200899a00ebae07 Longtime Democratic Rep Steve Cohen announces end to re-election bid te 2026-05-15T15:51:44.732Z Longtime Democratic Rep Steve Cohen announces end to re-election bid Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced on Friday that he signed a document requesting not to be included on the ballot in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District. The congressman described the district determined by "new lines" as "nothing like the 9th district that I've represented." The Democratic primary in the district is scheduled to take place in August. Cohen's ending his re-election bid after 19 years in Congress. This is a breaking news story and will be updated Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0740fda200899a00ebadfe Tiger Woods spotted getting off private plane after weeks of treatment in Switzerland following DUI arrest te 2026-05-15T15:51:25.264Z Tiger Woods spotted getting off private plane after weeks of treatment in Switzerland following DUI arrest It appears that Tiger Woods' treatment overseas is over. The 15-time major champion was spotted getting off his private plane Wednesday afternoon at Palm Beach International Airport after staying in Switzerland for several weeks. Woods, with facial hair, donned a black long sleeve and hat with sunglasses, gray shorts and black shoes, while still wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg. He was also joined by a dog on the flight. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Woods was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on March 27 after getting into a car crash. Authorities said Woods appeared lethargic and found hydrocodone pills on him, although he did blow "triple-zeroes" on a Breathalyzer. Woods was granted permission on April 1 to travel out of the country "to enter into comprehensive inpatient treatment." "I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today. I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery," Woods said in a statement. "I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time." Woods has pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge but announced several days after the wreck he would "seek treatment." At the scene of the crash, he said he was "hoping to" play in the Masters, but his treatment put his eventual return to the course on hold. JACK NICKLAUS AND GARY PLAYER RALLY BEHIND TIGER WOODS AS HE SEEKS TREATMENT AFTER DUI ARREST Woods has been on the course since the 2024 Open Championship — this weekend's PGA Championship marks his sixth consecutive missed major. The arrest was Woods' second in under a decade, having also been handcuffed after being found asleep behind the wheel in Florida in the early hours of the day. Woods previously told law enforcement prior to the field sobriety tests that he underwent seven back surgeries and "over 20 operations on his leg." He told law enforcement that "I take a few" prescription medications. In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year. A judge recently ruled that Florida prosecutors can acquire Woods' prescription drug records from Jan. 1 through March 27. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0740e9a200899a00ebadf5 Progressive challenger complicates Democrat path in House fight to unseat GOP incumbent Rep Mike Flood te 2026-05-15T15:51:05.567Z Progressive challenger complicates Democrat path in House fight to unseat GOP incumbent Rep Mike Flood Progressive journalist Austin Ahlman announced he is running for Congress in Nebraska's first congressional district as a nonpartisan independent on Thursday, challenging incumbent Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., and Democratic nominee Chris Backemeyer. Ahlman, a journalist for the progressive left-wing outlet The Intercept, entered the fray Thursday, two days after his opponents advanced in their respective primaries. Flood has held his seat since winning a special election in 2022. Democratic challenger Backemeyer is a former State Department employee who worked in President Barack Obama's administration and also served as a Special Advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris on national security and policy issues. Ahlman criticized Backemeyer as a "creature of the establishment in D.C." and said he didn't see much of a difference between the Democrat and Flood. FROM NEBRASKA TO WEST VIRGINIA TO NEW JERSEY: PRIMARY CLASHES SET STAGE FOR FIERCE MIDTERM FIGHT "I have taken on the corporations that are actually hollowing out our state. I have uncovered the corruption among the politicians that are crushing us and selling us out. And I don't think that either one of the two can say that," Ahlman told the Lincoln Journal Star. "I think that they have just been a part of the system. They are the establishment, and I am not that. I'm actually from the working class," he said. After winning his 2022 special election by a five-point margin, Flood won both of his general elections by a comfortable margin. He won by 15 points in the 2022 general election and by more than 20 point in 2024. Nebraska's first district is also a solid Republican stronghold, according to the Cook Political Report. Cook posits it would take both an "anemic" Republican turnout and a strong Democrat one to turn the tables for Democrats in Nebraska's first district. The prospect is now made more complicated with Ahlman, as some of Nebraska's political leader point out to local press that the progressive candidate could split the vote. KEY HOUSE PROJECTION SPELLS TROUBLE FOR TWO REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS "Mike Flood has failed this district, and splitting the vote with a fringe third candidate won’t fix that," Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said in a Thursday statement provided to the Nebraska Examiner. "Nebraska doesn’t need noise from either extreme. We need a steady, experienced leader who will fight for fairness and protect our democracy. That’s Chris Backemeyer." Backemeyer’s campaign told the Examiner, "After winning almost every county by a large margin in the primary, Chris is focused on defeating congressman Flood in order to stop Trump’s tariffs, devastating healthcare cuts and illegal war that are hurting Nebraskans." Meanwhile, Flood's team pointed to the independent challenge as a weakness in the Democratic Party, claiming Ahlman is "trying to sabotage the campaign of a Kamala Harris adviser because the Democratic Party is in shambles." "While Backemeyer and Ahlman fight over which D.C. transplant finishes second, Congressman Flood will keep getting things done for Nebraskans," Flood spokesperson Daniel Bass told the Examiner. Fox News Digital contacted the Ahlman, Backemeyer and Flood campaigns for additional comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0740d1a200899a00ebadb4 US orders travelers on Air Force One to throw away gifts, pins, and burner phones after China trip te 2026-05-15T15:50:41.766Z US orders travelers on Air Force One to throw away gifts, pins, and burner phones after China trip People who travelled to Beijing for a summit between the United States and China had to throw away items they received during the trip before boarding Air Force One, presumably for security reasons. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0740bea200899a00ebadab Power prices are up 76% on America’s biggest grid, and a watchdog is pointing fingers te 2026-05-15T15:50:22.142Z Power prices are up 76% on America’s biggest grid, and a watchdog is pointing fingers Prices have nearly doubled in the largest U.S. grid thanks to surging demand from data centers. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073e6ca200899a00ebad84 Contentious GOP primary reveals Republicans’ latest party lines te 2026-05-15T15:40:28.780Z Contentious GOP primary reveals Republicans’ latest party lines Key Points: Republicans face divisive primaries amid shifting political dynamics, voter makeup Turning Point influence tested against independent voters’ growing electoral hold Conservative incumbents battle fellow Republicans across multiple statewide races Thirteen Republicans are vying for statewide office this year, but before they can take on their Democratic opponents, they’ll have to navigate increasingly contentious and fragmented primary challenges.  There isn’t a single Republican running unopposed in a statewide primary this year, while most of the Democrats hoping to keep or flip those same seats will not face any meaningful competition within their own party. Even Republican incumbents have not been spared; three officeholders with proven conservative chops are facing challenges from the right.  “That’s a Turning Point thing,” said Chuck Coughlin, a Republican-turned-independent consultant. “Are they going to be able to marshal Republican voters in opposition to fairly conservative candidates?” Hanging over it all is diminished public support for President Donald Trump, his policies and the Republican Party as a whole. Each candidate is walking a delicate tight rope between supporting the president enough to win over an engaged GOP primary voter and keeping enough distance so as to not alienate Arizona’s growing bloc of independent voters.  Some Republicans argue even Turning Point, the conservative youth organization founded in Arizona, might be losing its influence in the state after less than resounding results for TP-backed candidates in April’s Salt River Project Board elections.  “Turning Point puts their money behind people, and that machine rolls, but it turns off the independent voters,” said Lisa Everett, the former chair of Legislative District 29 Republicans. “Since they are the ones that decide the elections in Arizona, we need to figure out how to court them.” With the exception of the Republican primary for governor, GOP voters seem largely undecided about primary candidates in down-ballot statewide contests. Polling suggests that some of those candidates are unknown to the Republican electorate, even though most have held some form of elected office in Arizona.  Governor U.S. Congressman Andy Biggs speaking with attendees at the April 2026 “Build the Red Wall” rally at Dream City Church in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) Congressman Andy Biggs is widely viewed as the frontrunner in the GOP gubernatorial primary. His closest rival — fellow Congressman David Schweikert — is still behind by double-digits according to most polls and by several hundreds of thousands of dollars in fundraising.  “I’m trying to unify the Republican Party right now to win this governor’s race,” Biggs told reporters when asked about Schweikert on May 5. “I don’t talk about my primary opponent, because the reality is, I’m staying focused on Governor (Katie) Hobbs, what she’s not doing and what she is doing, and I’m trying to bring that message out.” Schweikert has maintained since he entered the race in October 2025 that Biggs cannot defeat Hobbs in the general election.  U.S. Congressman David Schweikert speaking with attendees at the 2022 Legislative Forecast Luncheon hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry at Chase Field in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) “The left is so giddy (and) wanting him to be the nominee because you see the polling, he can’t come within 10, 11 points of Katie Hobbs,” Schweikert told KTAR on May 7. Everett endorsed Schweikert on social media for precisely that reason, though she knows her opinion is not widely shared among the conservative grassroots.  “I attend lots of meetings, LD meetings, club meetings, council board meetings, etc. and what I am seeing is Republicans are coming up to me, and they’re whispering, ‘I’m supporting David Schweikert,’” Everett said. “They’re afraid to say it out loud, because the other candidates that are supported by these larger organizations are taking up all the oxygen in the room.” One slight wrinkle in Schweikert’s election theory is that polling numbers actually show he’s doing worse than Biggs in the matchup against Hobbs. According to a February survey from local pollster Noble Predictive Insights, Biggs trailed Hobbs by five points among registered voters, while Schweikert trailed the governor by nine points.  Biggs, the only candidate in the race with a Trump endorsement after Karrin Taylor Robson dropped out in February, doesn’t see the president’s support as a deterrent for voters. “If I had an issue, I would just call (Trump) up and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?,’” Biggs told reporters on May 5. “… I think you need to have somebody in office as the governor here who can actually call up the president … I think those relationships are important, and I think they benefit the state.” Secretary of State State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, speaking with attendees at a campaign rally for Andy Biggs for Governor at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) Rep. Alex Kolodin, a state lawmaker and election attorney, was the first candidate to cut into the secretary of state’s race. But, he did so as rumors of a run by Gina Swoboda, chair of the Republican Party of Arizona and the Legislature’s election policy lead, started to swirl around the political sphere.  Swoboda initially launched a campaign for the 1st Congressional District, but, in early February, she filed her statement of interest for the Secretary of State’s Office and pivoted her run.  “I love the office so much, and I love the people in it, and I love the work,” Swoboda said. “And I’m sad by how politicized it’s become, and I’m sad at where I think it will go if this continues for another four years.” Kolodin, with the endorsement of Turning Point Action, is angling his campaign at some election nerves frayed among his base. Along the campaign trail, Kolodin has focused on alleged noncitizen voting, championed the SAVE Act and pledged to cooperate with the federal government in granting access to state voter rolls.   “When I’m elected the very first thing that we need to do is partner up with our friends in the federal government who have graciously offered to allow us to use their SAVE Act database to ensure that we don’t have noncitizens on our voter rolls,” Kolodin said in an interview with former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz.  Gina Swoboda speaking with attendees at the Restoring National Confidence Summit at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) Swoboda, meanwhile, aims to capture the growing sect of Arizona’s independent voters through a focus on policy and operations.  “What I want to run on is transparency, accountability and competence. That’s all I want. And that’s what I think the voters want. I think that they are exhausted,” Swoboda said. “The last thing (people) need to worry about is what did the secretary of state do today? Why do people have to think about that?” She expressed some doubt that Kolodin could win over the third of the state’s voters who have no declared party affiliation. And Swoboda stressed the need to work well across the state with officials in every corner on election administration, a skill she claimed her opponent lacked.  Swoboda referenced the ongoing legal dispute between the Maricopa County Recorder and the Board of Supervisors as one example.  “It’s a disaster. I got into the race because I don’t want that to happen on a statewide level,” Swoboda said. “It will dissolve into dysfunction and infighting, and the voters will not have confidence in the process. Nobody needs that.” Attorney General Senate President Warren Petersen and Rodney Glassman framed campaigns for the Attorney General’s Office as a matter of legal experience. Rodney Glassman speaking with attendees at a campaign rally for Andy Biggs for Governor at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) Glassman, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. JAG Corps Reserve, former Tucson City Councilmember and longtime candidate for office — with past runs for the Arizona Corporation Commission, Maricopa County assessor and the U.S. Senate, as a Democrat — claims he is the only candidate who has ever practiced law, taken on a client or prosecuted someone in court. “My primary opponent is a termed-out career politician, a part time Realtor, and received his law license less than 28 months ago,” Glassman said. “He’s never had a client. He’s never prosecuted a criminal, and he doesn’t even carry professional liability insurance, aka, he doesn’t practice law. He’s never practiced law.” Petersen was licensed to practice law in 2023, though he passed the bar in 2020. And he corrected Glassman, noting he is not yet termed out from the Senate.  State Senate President Warren Petersen speaking with attendees at a campaign rally for Andy Biggs for Governor at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) Petersen claimed he is the most experienced person in the race, pointing to his part in a swell of litigation from the Legislature to defend public laws Attorney General Kris Mayes left by the wayside.  “We basically set up a mini Solicitor General’s Office here at the Senate,” Petersen said.  More significantly, Petersen pointed to Glassman’s past history of switching parties and continuing to pursue election as a downside.  “The people, they’re tired of him running for office. If you run twice and lose twice, normal people quit,” Petersen said. “If you run more than twice and you keep running, I think you’re achieving sociopath level.” Support and endorsement is currently split among both candidates. Glassman has courted support from Congressman Paul Gosar, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, and former Senate President Karen Fann.  Petersen meanwhile has shored up support withCongressman Biggs, a slate of Republican state lawmakers and Idaho and West Virginia’s attorneys general.  During Trump’s recent visit to the state, he declined to dole out any formal endorsement, but he did give Petersen a shoutout from the stage. And when Gosar voiced his support for Glassman, it drew a mixed reaction from the crowd.  Superintendent of Public Instruction The Arizona Freedom Caucus and Turning Point Action placed veteran incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in its crosshairs early on, recruiting outgoing Treasurer Kimberly Yee to oust him from office.  Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne speaking with attendees at the 2024 Legislative Forecast Luncheon hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry at Chase Field in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) Horne is keeping his messaging on improving academics across education and is hoping voters will keep him around for another four years to finish what he set out to do at the start of his term.  He pointed to the department’s Project Momentum, which lifted 80% of schools in the bottom 5% for academic performance to a higher bar.  “That’s an eight-year job, not a four-year job,” Horne said. “I want to finish the job. If the voters were to switch horses after four years, somebody else would start all over again and it would never get done.”  Horne is continuing his crusade against critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion and “woke ideology” as well. And in that vein, he did not have much to say about his opponent, other than claiming she had served on a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the National Association of State Treasurers.  Yee denies serving on any DEI committee and went so far as to send a cease and desist letter.  State Treasurer Kimberly Yee speaking with attendees at the “Rally to Protect Our Elections” hosted by Turning Point Action at Arizona Federal Theatre in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / The Star News Network) In her own campaign, Yee claims academic performance has not improved significantly under Horne.  “He’s had four years, and those numbers have not changed,” Yee said. “I see complete chaos in the Department of Education when it comes to management. I also see a real non-presence of this current superintendent with respect to his role as a statewide official.”  The two must also contend with the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, a live wire for Republicans staunch on supporting school choice, which has formed significant party lines surrounding the issue of ensuring there’s no misspending, fraud or abuse in the program.  Horne maintains the department is continuing to finetune its oversight of the program.  Meanwhile, Yee, in her role as state treasurer, recently put out a request for information to assess the field of financial vendors. She stopped short of wading into any policy questions for the program, though, claiming the specifics are better left to the Legislature.  “We have a superintendent of public instruction who has exceeded that authority and has gone beyond what an administrator is required to do by the law,” Yee said. “And if there ever is a question of administration or properties of educational definitions, those really need to be brought back to the Legislature.” Corporation Commission Corporation Commissioners Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson are not exactly known as moderate Republicans. But that did not stop the Arizona Free Enterprise Club and the state’s Freedom Caucus from recruiting two state lawmakers to run against them in the Republican primary.  That challenge lost a bit of steam recently, with former Rep. David Marshall ending his bid for the commission to accept a new role as Navajo County recorder. Marshall’s exit leaves Rep. Ralph Heap, R-Mesa, to fend for himself against the two incumbents. State Rep. Ralph Heap, R-Mesa, speaking with attendees on the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives on opening day of the 57th legislature in Phoenix. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr) “If you have two people on the commission that have similar ideas in terms of how to produce energy and what we need to do, that’s a stronger position,” Heap said. “So that does weaken the message I have and that’s frustrating.” Heap’s main message is that Myers and Thompson have not done enough to end “Green New Deal” policies at the state’s utility companies, nor have they done enough to support Trump’s coal-centric energy priorities.  “We need to immediately adopt the principles that are in the Trump energy agenda, which are continuing with reliable, affordable fossil fuels, and then move towards nuclear energy as fast as we possibly can.” Heap said. This combination photo features Arizona Corporation Commissioners Kevin Thompson (left) and Nick Myers. (Photos by Gage Skidmore) Myers and Thompson say they have done exactly what they set out to do, pointing to their votes to repeal the energy efficiency and renewable energy requirements past commissions imposed on utilities.  “We’ve delivered the promises that we campaigned on the first time, which was to eliminate the Green New Deal, eliminate mandates and subsidies,” Thompson said.  Myers noted that the pair is in favor of an “all of the above” approach to energy generation, though they believe natural gas is far more affordable and reliable than solar or wind. The two also said they have done everything in their power to cut the fat out of utility budgets in rate cases, though they know customers are still struggling with high bills. “We’ve been saving as much money as we possibly can and trying to keep those rate increases as low as we can, but we’re fighting an uphill battle when it comes to the weather and the things that we don’t have control over,” Myers said.  The duo said they are more focused on the general election than defeating Heap in the primary. “We’re just going to continue focusing on things that got us here, and talk about the great things the commission has done over the last three years and hope that the people of Arizona see that and decide they want to keep us in place,” Thompson said. Treasurer Katherine Haley, president of the State Board of Education, lodged her challenge against Elijah Norton, former treasurer for the AZGOP, late in the game, with an endorsement from sitting Treasurer Kimberly Yee in tow.  Norton has painted himself as the candidate with the most relevant experience. Besides guarding the AZGOP coffers, he founded and currently serves as president of Veritas Global Protection Services, an international vehicle insurance company.  “I don’t just have business experience. I also have experience investing money,” Norton said. “And that’s literally the treasurer’s job, the chief Banking and Investment Officer of Arizona.” He said Haley was a “nice person” but doubted her ability to manage the state’s $32 billion in assets.  “I always use the example of the Treasurer’s Office being like an airplane. Do you want someone flying a $32 billion airplane from Phoenix to Australia who’s never set foot in a cockpit before?” Norton said. “Or do you want a veteran person that has proven experience piloting that flight?” Haley is leaning on her background in public service to make her case to voters and pointed to her experience on the State Board of Education overseeing district budgets and the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.  “It’s about the mentality of service. It’s focused on Arizona taxpayers and what they need, rather than personal interest,” Haley said. “My opponent has a life career in sales, and I think that is just a different skillset than one that is focused on Arizona taxpayers.”  Norton noted, though, as the two have convened at legislative district meetings that straw polls have swung in his favor.  At the Legislative District 27 meeting on May 12, Norton said a straw poll yielded 68 votes for him and four votes for Haley.  “When people actually get into the weeds, and they listen to us talk about policy. There’s an obvious dichotomy, that she does not have the experience,” Norton said.  The post Contentious GOP primary reveals Republicans’ latest party lines first appeared on Arizona Capitol Times. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073c25a200899a00ebace1 Early reviews for new 'Star Wars' movie are generally horrific, but does anyone even care at this point? te 2026-05-15T15:30:45.979Z Early reviews for new 'Star Wars' movie are generally horrific, but does anyone even care at this point? We're one week away from a new "Star Wars" movie hitting the theaters. That's right. For the first time in seven years, an actual Star Wars movie will be at your local AMC, should it still be open and operational. And here's the thing ... nobody cares. How sad is that? I grew up during a time when the world revolved around the next Star Wars installment. Folks would start lining up outside the theater days in advance. Taco Bell would spend six months running promos and handing out special Qui-Gon Jinn cups. It's all folks could talk about for weeks. And here we are in 2026 — a full seven years removed from the last Star Wars movie — and nobody cares. Worse yet, the folks who do care about the release of "The Mandalorian & Grogu" aren't painting a great picture ahead of next week's worldwide release. Let's just say the early reviews are in, and it seems Star Wars fans may want to skip this one. DISNEY'S FIRST 'STAR WARS' MOVIE IN SEVEN YEARS IS TRACKING TO BE YET ANOTHER MASSIVE DISAPPOINTMENT Yikes. It's just brutal. Now, to be fair, there were some positive reviews, and I'm going to get to them in a minute. But, the negatives far outweigh the positives, so we're gonna start with them. Look, this film has a lot of pressure on it, and a lot of it probably isn't fair. Disney has, for the most part, completely botched Star Wars. The sequel trilogy was an unmitigated disaster. Most of the miniseries outside of a few have bombed. Streaming numbers released by Nielsen last week showed fans are still watching the franchise, but only the originals and the prequels. Disney did hit a home run with "Andor," but that's about it. So, yes, this movie about the silly baby Yoda creature has a lot riding on it. If it hits, perhaps Disney will have some real momentum for the first time since taking over the franchise. If it bombs, they're going to further alienate the fanbase. Sadly, it looks — and feels — like a bomb. Again, there's just no juice for this movie. Even with the sequels, for as bad as they were, there was still juice. 'ANDOR' SHOWRUNNER DENIES HIT 'STAR WARS' SHOW IS A 'LEFT-WING' POLITICAL STORY Do fans really care about the "The Mandalorian & Grogu?" I just don't think they do. This is the first Star Wars movie in SEVEN years, and nobody is talking about it. That's a major problem for Disney. Execs should be sweating right now. Lord knows I would be. Now, as I said, there were some positive reviews from the early screenings. Fair is fair: See? It's not all bad! Who knows? Perhaps when the fans get to see it, they'll disagree with the reviewers. Frankly, that happens all the time. Film snobs are the worst. But here's the real issue ... I'm not sure it'll even matter, because I'm not sure the "fans" are even showing up for this one. And it's a shame. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073c12a200899a00ebacd8 Iowa Dem admits being ‘uncomfortable’ with whiteness as she seeks to flip competitive House seat te 2026-05-15T15:30:26.379Z Iowa Dem admits being ‘uncomfortable’ with whiteness as she seeks to flip competitive House seat FIRST ON FOX — A Democrat running for Congress in Iowa admitted to feeling "uncomfortable" by the whiteness of her hometown in Minnesota after returning from a stay in New Mexico years ago. Sarah Trone Garriott, 47, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country, is coming under fire for her comments as she seeks to unseat incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa. "Yeah, I remember the first time I came back to northern Minnesota to visit, and I was kind of shocked at how many white people there were," Trone Garriott recalled of the area of the U.S. where she grew up in a resurfaced podcast episode released nearly a decade ago. "The feeling was very different. I was like ‘whoa,’ and again I was uncomfortable in a different way," she added. IOWA DEMOCRAT RUNNING FOR CONGRESS WROTE THAT 9/11 MADE HER MORE 'AWARE' OF 'ANTI-MUSLIM BIGOTRY' About 78% of Iowa’s third congressional district that Trone Garriott wants to represent in Congress is white, according to a breakdown by DataUSA. Republicans argue the candidate's past and recent comments are out of step with the district’s demographics. "Every time Sarah Trone Garriott's handlers let her loose, the wicked witch of woke finds a new way to insult Iowans," Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said. "We haven't even reached the general election yet, and she has already managed to call nearly every person in the state racist, sexist, and bigoted," he added. Trone Garriott’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on previous remarks. Nunn's campaign also did not respond when reached about his competitor's comments.  According to the Cook Political Report, Iowa's 3rd congressional district is among the 16 "toss-up" races in the 2026 midterms, with a slight R+2 lean. IMMIGRANTS NEEDED FOR ‘REDISTRICTING PURPOSES,' HOUSE DEM ADMITS IN VIRAL CLIP: ‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’ Nine years after Trone Garriott recorded the podcast interview, her comments highlight a wariness of homogeneity and underscore the candidate's belief that representation should be tied to demographics. In a separate interview with the University of Iowa in 2022, Trone Garriott hinted at support for demographic mandates and quotas for positions within the government, like those she learned about after meeting with legislators from Kosovo. "They actually have quotas, and I know that’s a dirty word for some people, but they have requirements of how many people from different ethnic backgrounds, religious minorities — and gender balance is part of their structure," Trone Garriott said of the Balkan nation. "And so, there’s kind of a preference for those folks that are underrepresented to be in government. Which I think is really important to bring those voices out," she added. IOWA POLL SHOWS DEMOCRATS IN POSITION TO FLIP 2 GOP HOUSE SEATS Trone Garriott was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After earning her undergraduate degree in Duluth, Minnesota, she went on to obtain a Master of Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School, and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She worked as a volunteer with the anti-poverty program under AmeriCorps VISTA in New Mexico — where she was apparently awoken to the 'whiteness' of her Minnesotan hometown. Trone Garriott began her career as an ordained minister for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), spending time in ministry in Pennsylvania, Chicago, Virginia and finally Iowa. From there, Trone Garriott embarked on a political career in the Iowa State Senate, where she has served since 2021. She announced a bid last year to unseat Rep. Nunn in the state’s third congressional district. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07379da200899a00ebabd3 Trump warns Taiwan not to expect blank check from US military after intense Xi summit te 2026-05-15T15:11:25.372Z Trump warns Taiwan not to expect blank check from US military after intense Xi summit President Donald Trump is putting Taiwan and China on notice, warning Taipei not to expect a blank check for American military backing if it triggers a war. In a sit-down interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier airing tonight on "Special Report" at 6 p.m. ET, Trump detailed his face-to-face negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and what they could mean for global security. "Should the people of Taiwan feel more or less secure after your meetings with President Xi?" Baier asked the president directly. "Neutral. This has been going on for years," Trump answered, noting that U.S. policy regarding Taiwan has not changed. "Nothing's changed. I will say this: I'm not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down." WOULD THE US DEFEND TAIWAN UNDER TRUMP IF CHINA INVADES? FOX NEWS INVESTIGATES Xi issued his own warnings about Taiwan, cautioning there could be future "clashes and even conflicts" with the U.S. over the island, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. Trump declined to commit to whether he’d sign off on the long-delayed $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan. While lawmakers pre-approved the package last year, the White House has not moved it forward.  When pressed about the arms package, Trump kept his options open. "I may do it. I may not do it," he told Baier. "We’re not looking to have wars. If you kept it the way it is, I think China is [going to] be OK with that. But we're not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let's go independent because the United States is backing us.’" China has claimed Taiwan as its own territory and opposed U.S. involvement in its affairs, including through weapons sales. The U.S. does not formally recognize Beijing’s claim over Taiwan but has unofficially supported the island through defense assistance. TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES $11B TAIWAN ARMS SALES DEAL Trump later gave an update on the conflict with Iran, denying that his administration underestimated the difficulty of the mission and saying the U.S. is currently choosing not to escalate further. "I didn't underestimate anything. We hit them unbelievably hard," Trump said. "Look, we left their bridges. We left their electricity capacity. We can knock that all out in two days. Two days." MORNING GLORY: WILL XI FREE LAI? "Vietnam lasted 19 years. Iraq was like 10 years. Korea was seven years. Another one was 14 years. Another one was 12 years. Another one was nine years. We're in there [Iran] for two and a half months," the president said. He also addressed the potential for political prisoner Jimmy Lai, along with two other detainees, to be released from China. Lai is a Hong Kong media mogul and Catholic imprisoned for criticizing the Chinese government. Trump confirmed he asked Xi to consider releasing Lai. "It's under consideration. I will say that I brought up Jimmy Lai, and I would say the response to that was not positive," Trump said, noting he was not optimistic. "He went through a whole thing and I said, ‘Well, we'd appreciate if you would release him. He's gotten old, and he's probably not feeling too well. It would be nice.’ And I did not feel optimistic. I have to be honest with you about that one. I did, I did feel optimistic about the second one that's now under consideration," Trump said. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073789a200899a00ebabca Coast Guard releases new photos of sailboat seized in missing American's Bahamas disappearance case te 2026-05-15T15:11:05.677Z Coast Guard releases new photos of sailboat seized in missing American's Bahamas disappearance case The Coast Guard released new pictures of the agency's seizure of Brian Hooker's sailboat as a criminal investigation remains ongoing into the disappearance of his wife. Agents with the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) seized the sailboat Soulmate, which belongs to Brian and Lynette Hooker, 40 nautical miles off the coast of Melbourne, Florida, according to a news release. A source previously told Fox News Digital the sailboat was seized between May 8-10. Lynette Hooker fell off a dinghy after leaving shore at Hope Town in the Bahamas at around around 7:30 p.m. on April 4, her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities. Brian Hooker claimed that rough waters caused Lynette to fall off the small boat. Brian Hooker paddled to shore and arrived at Marsh Harbour around 4 a.m. on April 5, according to authorities. The couple was headed back to their sailboat, their full-time home in retirement, when Lynette fell overboard. They frequently sail around the U.S. and Caribbean, according to their social media pages. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER Brian Hooker hasn't been charged with a crime. COAST GUARD OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO MISSING WOMAN LAST SEEN IN BAHAMAS The Coast Guard said the seizure was part of a "complex surveillance and interdiction operation." Soulmate was taken to Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce, where investigators are processing the boat for potential evidence. SEND US A TIP HERE "The vessel Soulmate is currently in the custody of CGIS as part of an active criminal investigation," the Coast Guard said. Images taken by Fox News Digital on Tuesday show Brian and Lynette Hooker's sailboat taped off as it sits at the U.S. Coast Guard's station in Fort Pierce. LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST The boat's seizure comes about a week after the Coast Guard sought the public's help in finding the owner of a sailboat that was moored near Brian and Lynette Hooker's Soulmate sailboat in the Bahamas. Brian Hooker left the island for the U.S. to tend to his ill mother, his Bahamian attorney previously said. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB His Michigan-based attorney previously asked Americans to give him the benefit of the doubt in an interview with ABC News. "I would ask those watching to treat him the way you would want to be treated, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and to consider that not all of us, nor you, considering your own relationships, the way you speak to one another, we all handle things in different ways," Crystal Marie Hauser said. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073776a200899a00ebabc1 Fox News Digital trounces broadcast news brands, along with CNN, MS NOW, NY Times, in key metrics during April te 2026-05-15T15:10:46.221Z Fox News Digital trounces broadcast news brands, along with CNN, MS NOW, NY Times, in key metrics during April Fox News Digital finished April as the No. 1 news organization in multiplatform minutes, views and total unique visitors as the brand continues to dominate the media landscape.  April saw the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner get interrupted by gunfire, forcing the Secret Service to quickly evacuate President Donald Trump, a return to the moon via NASA’s Artemis II, escalating global tensions, the ongoing war with Iran and constant news surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.  Along the way, Fox News Digital drove 3.6 billion multiplatform minutes, finishing ahead of runner-up The New York Times by over two billion minutes. It marked the 62nd consecutive month at No. 1 in multiplatform minutes among the competitive news set that includes CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, CNN and the Washington Post, in addition to the Times.  FOX NEWS TOUTED AT ANNUAL UPFRONT PRESENTATION TO ADVERTISERS: ‘WE’RE NOT JUST COMPETING, WE ARE DOMINATING’ When it comes to multiplatform views, Fox News Digital piled up 1.7 billion while The Times settled for 1.5 billion and CNN managed 604 million to rank third. It was the 24th consecutive month that Fox News Digital finished atop the key category.  Fox News Digital also grew a staggering 46% compared to last year among total digital multiplatform unique visitors to finish at 191 million.  The Fox News Mobile app drew 6.3 million unique viewers during the month, leading the CNN mobile app which saw just 3.7 million unique viewers. Fox News delivered 471.9 million video views on YouTube, nearly quadrupling ABC News and NBC News while septupling CBS News’ 62.6 million views for the month, according to Emplifi. FOX NEWS HAS BEST YEAR EVER ON YOUTUBE WITH 4.5 BILLION VIDEO VIEWS TO LEAD ALL NEWS BRANDS Fox News’ YouTube video views grew 45% compared to last year, crushing MS NOW’s 304.4 million views and CNN's 203.3 million views.  Fox News delivered 112.3 million social media interactions for the month with 50.2 million interactions on Facebook, 19.7 million interactions on Instagram and 6.5 million interactions on X. It was the 140th consecutive month that FOX News Media also topped all news brands among social media with interactions, according to Emplifi and Comscore Social. Earlier this week, Fox News Digital was touted when Fox Corporation held its annual upfront presentation to advertisers, media buyers and journalists. "We’re meeting audiences where they are, across platforms, across generations, wherever and however they consume news," Fox News anchor Bret Baier said. FOX NEWS CHANNEL DELIVERS HIGHEST-RATED NON-ELECTION YEAR EVER, ‘THE FIVE’ CONTINUES HISTORIC RUN  "Online, Fox News is [the] No. 1 publisher for time spent, averaging 143 million monthly unique visitors," he added. "So, to put it simply, more people spend time getting their news on FoxNews.com than anywhere else."  Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum told advertisers that it was also a record year for the company on YouTube, as Fox News had its best year in history with 4.5 billion video views. Fox News Digital, CBSNews.com, NBCNews.com, WashingtonPost.com, and ABCNews.com have opted in to account for Social Incremental in Total Digital Multiplatform Unique Visitors, while brands like CNN.com and NYTimes.com have not.  Digital data courtesy of Comscore. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073762a200899a00ebabb8 The best outdoor weekend in Northwest Georgia doesn’t require 'roughing it' or sleeping on the ground te 2026-05-15T15:10:26.433Z The best outdoor weekend in Northwest Georgia doesn’t require 'roughing it' or sleeping on the ground When it comes to hiking in the Southeast, most people immediately think of the Smokies, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Trail.  And for good reason. The area is an absolute wonderland for outdoor enthusiasts. You could spend a lifetime exploring these mountains and still not run out of trails, waterfalls, trout streams and scenic overlooks. But, for my money, the most overlooked pocket of outdoor paradise in the Southeast sits right around Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK I’ve written before about Cloudland Canyon State Park — one of my favorite underrated spots in this little corner of the world. Just across the state line, Alabama’s DeSoto State Park and Little River Canyon are also wonderful for stunning views, hikes and whatever else tugs your trotline. In fact, last fall, I laid out for you an itinerary for the perfect camping and hiking weekend, hitting all of these destinations. And while I got a lot of "hell yeahs" in my email inbox, there was also one very common theme. Amber, that’s cool and all. But after a day in the woods, I need a hot shower and a real bed. You know what? I don’t even blame you. Taking a sponge bath with water you boiled over an open fire has a way of making a person feel decidedly NOT very on vacation. Lucky for you, I’ve found a solution. And before you accuse me of going soft, I need you to hear me out. A few months ago, somebody tipped me off to a resort perched atop Lookout Mountain near Cloudland Canyon — one Golf Digest had honored for having one of the most majestic 18th holes in the country. "Few anywhere are more memorable or more resplendent than this one." - Golf Digest Resplendent! Adjective — shining brilliantly; full of splendor and magnificence. There’s a word you don’t hear very often. Now admittedly, I don’t golf. I’m even a pretty pitiful putt-putter, if we’re being totally honest. But a majestic 18th hole means a majestic view in the rest of the resort. And y’all know I’m a sucker for a scenic overlook. So my husband and I found ourselves booked for a two-night stay at Cloudland at McLemore. Now, walking into this place is an experience in itself. Pull open a mammoth wooden door and you get yourself two eyeballs full of McLemore Cove — a valley nestled between Lookout and Pigeon Mountain. Yeah, this is gonna be just fine. My husband is a total freak, so his first stop was the hotel gym. Not your average hotel gym, by the way. It’s a zen fitness center complete with weights, cardio equipment, a Peloton room and real water rowing machines. Have fun, baby, I’m opening a bar tab at the pool.  It’s an infinity pool, by the way. It doesn’t flow off the cliff edge (for obvious safety reasons), but it’s still very cool. I began to wonder, What kind of money do I need to make where lying in a partly submerged lounge chair with a book, a cocktail and a mountain view is a realistic daily occurrence? Best not to start crunching those numbers. We had reservations that night at Auld Alliance, the resort’s designated fancy restaurant. Meaning I put on a dress instead of my usual uniform of a T-shirt, muddy pants and boots. Who am I? Someone who gobbles up a filet mignon and mashed potatoes like a rabid animal, that’s who.  By the way, their mashed potatoes are called "rumbledethumps." It's a Scottish dish, I'm told. But I could not, for the life of me, remember this word. I called them "tweedledees, humpty-dumpties, whoopdie-doos," and God bless our server Nico for deciphering my nonsense. Whatever they’re called, they are full of butter, and they are magnificent. And I promise that’s not just the Scotch Old Fashioned talking. Which was also magnificent. The next day, we had an adventure planned: "Open Gate Days" at Lula Lake Land Trust. Lula Lake is a protected 8,000-acre watershed and nature conservation area. You cannot just show up there and take a look around. But on the first and last weekend of the month, you can buy a pre-booked ticket ($16 per vehicle) to explore the grounds. It’s well worth the price of admission. Now, my husband and I have been to Cloudland Canyon State Park a handful of times and are working our way through all the trails there. Until this trip, we were unaware Lula Lake even existed. It’s a hidden gem. Unfortunately, the forecast called for heavy rain all day long. Not ideal hiking weather, obviously, but we had already committed to 7.5 miles, and by golly, we were going to tough it out. Might as well put our expensive rain gear to use. And boy, did we use it. The sky opened up less than a mile into our trek, and we knew we were in for a long day. Not as long, perhaps, as the woman we saw huddled under a trail map sign wearing a T-shirt, shorts and tie-dyed Crocs. As we say in the South, bless her (highly unprepared) heart. HERE’S HOW TO DO THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS WITHOUT TRAFFIC AND CROWDS Fortunately, the rain let up just as we reached the absolute star of the hike: Lula Falls. You catch a glimpse of this 120-foot waterfall from above pretty early in the trail. But trust me when I say you’re going to want to take the maybe half-mile detour loop that goes down to the base of the falls.  The waterfall is stunning. Peaceful. A reminder of why you slog through the woods in the pouring rain in the first place. And totally Instagram-able. One thing my husband hates is when I ask strangers to take a picture of us. "Can’t we just take a selfie?" he asks every time. No. We cannot. Because I don’t want close-up photos of our sweaty faces. I want photos of nature’s splendor. And so I clocked a 20-something female (they take the best photos) and asked her to snap a picture of us in front of the waterfall. We even climbed up on a big rock to make it look cooler. Friends, never again will I simply assume the photography skills of a Gen-Zer. I’m not kidding when I say this girl zoomed all the way in on my husband and me. By looking at the photo she took, you would never know we were standing in front of a 120-foot majestic waterfall. Just two waterlogged dorks on a rock. But I’m too nice to hurt anyone’s feelings, so then we had to sit there and wait for her to leave so that I could ask someone else to take our photo. Come to think of it, maybe this is why my husband would rather take selfies. Worth the wait. The second lady nailed it. Scroll to see more photos from Lula Lake Land Trust: We climbed out of the bottom of the waterfall through some particularly cool rock formations, and that’s when the torrential downpour began. And it persisted for about an hour. By the time we reached the bluffs, every thread of every fabric on my clothing was soaked through. Guess it’s time to upgrade that rain gear. In fact, the only part of my body that was dry was the most important part, my feet. (If you’re a hiker or a runner, you know wet socks are blister city. So shoutout to KEEN for waterproof boots that are, in fact, waterproof.) Still, it was in this moment I was very happy to have a nice hotel, a hot shower and dry clothes to return to after the hike. This was not the weekend to go camping. Finally, though, Mother Nature threw us a bone. The rain stopped, the fog cleared and we were treated to a stunning view of the Chattanooga Valley. A sight to behold before the soggy trek back to the trailhead. Even with the rain, though, Lula Lake Land Trust was a spectacular find, and I’m glad we did the full 7.5 miles. I would have been bummed if I missed those overlooks from the Bluff Trail. They also have mountain biking trails — if that’s more your speed — and the preserve is dog friendly. This was a very rare trip where our German Shepherd didn’t come along. We’ll definitely take him next time, though. He needs a photo with that waterfall. If you’ve been reading my travel blogs for a while, you know I don’t put in those miles for nothing. So I was thrilled to head back to the resort for a frosty brew. Here’s a fun surprise: Cloudland at McLemore takes its happy hour seriously. A staff member told us to head to the Pocket Cafe for two free wine, beer or cocktails per guest. Twist my arm. As we sat on the terrace with our cocktails enjoying the view, we overheard groups of golfers debriefing from their day on the links. I learned that McLemore has three golf courses: The Highlands, The Keep and a six-hole short course called The Cairn. I guess you can play The Cairn for free as a hotel guest. Which feels like an incredible perk if I were a golfer. I did hear rave reviews about the 18th hole on The Highlands, though — the same one Golf Digest was all worked up about.  Conveniently enough, the resort has a hiking trail leading right up to the famous finishing hole. I made a mental note to walk out there before we checked out the next day. The hiking trail on the property was only about a mile, but very peaceful and pretty. It was especially cool (and a little spooky) with the morning fog thick through the trees. The hotel also has bikes for guests to use and is planning to implement some rock climbing and bouldering areas as well. Plenty of ways to scratch your outdoor itch, which I always appreciate. Look, I’m not giving up camping (or "glamping") anytime soon. But after spending a day hiking waterfalls in the pouring rain, then coming back to dry clothes, mountain views, good bourbon and a mattress that didn’t require inflating with my own lungs, I certainly understand the appeal. Maybe all the "hot shower, real bed" people in my inbox were onto something after all. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07350ca200899a00ebab2a Auburn grad who just landed dream job allegedly shot and killed by boyfriend's father in Alabama te 2026-05-15T15:00:28.239Z Auburn grad who just landed dream job allegedly shot and killed by boyfriend's father in Alabama An Alabama man is facing charges two months after allegedly shooting his son's 22-year-old girlfriend, who was a recent Auburn University graduate and had just landed her dream job as an interior designer. Whitney Harlow Robeson, a 22-year-old Virginia native, died on March 7 from a gunshot wound at a home on Deer Trail in Trussville, Alabama, about 15 miles northeast of Birmingham. Police responded around 9:30 p.m. First responders rushed her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead just over an hour later. This week, Trussville police announced an "extensive investigation" led them to the arrest of her boyfriend's father, Jeffrey Scott Towers, 54, on a charge of reckless manslaughter. Public records indicate he and his son, also an Auburn alumnus, both live at the Deer Trail address. SEND US A TIP HERE Court records have not revealed details of the shooting or evidence surrounding the charges against Towers, other than to allege he shot Robeson. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X In a statement, Towers' attorneys John Amari and Dain Stewart called Robeson's death a "tragic event." LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST "We know that the facts will show that Mr. Towers has no criminal history, has been a productive and upstanding citizen for his entire life and is not guilty of these charges," they wrote. POLICE SHOULD BE TAKING 'CLOSER LOOK' AT COLLEGE STUDENT'S DEATH AFTER MOTHER'S ALLEGATIONS: FORMER PROSECUTOR Robeson's death was initially reported as accidental to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner's Office, according to AL.com. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB In an online obituary, Robeson's family revealed she had wanted to work in interior design since her childhood, inspired by shows on HGTV. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER After graduating summa cum laude from Auburn's interior design program, she got a job as a trade consultant for RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, doing just that. She grew up in Richmond, where she had been a lifeguard and a clerk at boutique shops downtown, according to the obituary. Towers has been freed after posting $30,000 bail. He's due back in court on July 22. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0732f0a200899a00ebaab7 Council adds $1.76M in spending to FY27 budget te 2026-05-15T14:51:28.477Z Council adds $1.76M in spending to FY27 budget City pauses talks on school programs to later meeting Sedona City Council gave its tentative approvals and rejections on decision packets on April 23, the second day of its two-day budget work session. The packets totaled $1,476,899 in one-time and $285,472 in ongoing spending, $1,762,371 in total. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0732daa200899a00ebaaa3 The redistricting frenzy is scrambling the midterm elections. Here’s where things stand now. te 2026-05-15T14:51:06.872Z The redistricting frenzy is scrambling the midterm elections. Here’s where things stand now. Tennessee Democrats lock arms on the Tennessee House floor in protest of a Republican redistricting vote that split up a majority-Black, majority-Democratic congressional district. Tennessee is one of several states redrawing its congressional maps in the aftermath of a recent US Supreme Court decision. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) In the past two years, a dozen states have either approved new U.S. House maps or are moving toward doing so — a highly unusual mid-decade revamp prompted by President Donald Trump and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling late last month. And the situation isn’t settled yet — even as ballots are being printed and early voting is already underway in some places. Pending litigation could scramble the situation even further. Redistricting, the process of redrawing the geographic boundaries of U.S. House and state legislative districts, usually takes place every 10 years following the census. Trump upended that schedule early last year, when he began pressuring state GOP officials to redraw their maps to help Republicans hold onto a slim, five-seat majority in the U.S. House ahead of potentially grim 2026 midterm elections for his party. The Supreme Court recast the redistricting fight with its ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. That decision all but nullified a provision of the federal Voting Rights Act that required states to draw electoral maps to give racial minority voters the opportunity to elect their chosen candidates. A total of nine states — Alabama, California, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah — have redrawn their maps since last year. At least three other states — Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina — appear likely to follow suit, though Georgia’s new maps would not be in effect for the upcoming midterm elections. As things currently stand, Republicans are likely to gain up to 17 seats, while Democrats are likely to gain up to six seats. In the aftermath of the Callais decision, hundreds of protesters have gathered at statehouses in recent weeks, particularly in the South, to decry what they say is a concerted effort to dilute Black voting and governing power. Republicans argue that maps should be “colorblind.” Gerrymandering to benefit one political party over another is legal at the federal level, though some states have their own laws restricting it. The latest redistricting efforts are changing elections that have already begun. Some candidates must now pivot to races in brand-new districts with just a few weeks until their primaries. They’ve spent money and time reaching people who can no longer vote for them, fighting opponents different from the ones they now face. At least one Tennessee Democratic candidate no longer lives within the new boundaries of the district he’s seeking to represent. Voters in states such as Alabama will now be asked to turn out for primary elections in both May and August, in addition to the November general election. Here’s where things stand now. Nine states already have redrawn their maps Alabama Republicans could gain 1 seat.* A 2023 court order required Alabama to draw a congressional map with a second majority-Black district. But after the Callais decision last month, Alabama’s Republican state officials asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let them reinstate the old map, which has just one majority-Black, majority-Democratic district and which the court had previously ruled racially discriminatory. The high court quickly agreed. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has announced new primary elections in August for the affected districts. These will be held in addition to next Tuesday’s statewide primaries for other federal and state offices. Alabama is also appealing a separate ruling requiring it to redraw two state Senate districts. That case is still ongoing. California Democrats likely to gain 3-5 seats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year led the Democratic response to Trump’s call for Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps. In November 2025, California voters approved Newsom’s proposal to temporarily override the state’s independent redistricting commission and instead to allow the Democratic-dominated legislature to redraw the maps to create districts more favorable to Democrats. The new map is valid through 2030. Florida Republicans likely to gain 1-4 seats. Last month, the Republican-majority Florida Legislature approved Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new congressional map that could net the GOP up to four new congressional seats. Both DeSantis and the voting rights organizations suing to block the new map agree it violates parts of the state constitution. But DeSantis argues the constitution’s anti-gerrymandering amendments, which were overwhelmingly adopted by Florida voters in 2010, are invalid, partly due to the Callais ruling. Missouri Republicans likely to gain 1 seat. Earlier this week, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the state’s gerrymandered 2025 congressional map, handing Republicans a victory. Last summer, Trump pressured Missouri Republicans to help maintain the GOP majority in the U.S. House, so lawmakers met in a special session to draw a map that likely will give them an additional seat by carving off parts of Kansas City into surrounding rural districts. The new map will be used in Missouri’s August primary, the state Supreme Court ruled this week, because it’s uncertain whether a referendum petition seeking to repeal the map will succeed. North Carolina Republicans likely to gain 1 seat. At Trump’s behest, North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature redrew the state’s congressional map last fall. It was an effort to make the state’s only competitive district solidly Republican. The maps passed strictly along party lines. The state’s congressional delegation is now likely to be 11 Republicans and three Democrats. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is a Democrat, but redistricting isn’t subject to the governor’s veto. Ohio Republicans likely to gain up to 2 seats. Last fall, Ohio Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman publicly rebuffed Trump’s national push to gain more seats in Congress, while state Democrats proposed their own maps. An Ohio redistricting commission eventually approved a new map last October that is likely to yield 12 Republicans and three Democrats, compared with the current 10-5 split. GOP and Democratic lawmakers called it a “compromise.” That map will be in place for the next six years. But political operatives told the Ohio Capital Journal they expect to see more redistricting efforts in 2030. Tennessee Republicans likely to gain 1 seat. In a chaotic special session earlier this month, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee redrew congressional maps to shatter the state’s only majority-Black, majority-Democratic district. The newly passed map now favors Republicans in all nine Tennessee districts. Hundreds protested at the Tennessee statehouse as House Republicans voted on the new map and House Democrats gathered at the front of the chamber, locking arms in a show of solidarity. This week, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, punished his Democratic colleagues for their protests by stripping them of committee and subcommittee appointments. Texas Republicans likely to gain 3-5 seats. The nation’s redistricting battle kicked off in Texas last summer, after Trump pressured the Texas GOP to redraw the state’s congressional map to add up to five more Republican seats. State House Democrats pushed back, fleeing the state temporarily in August to halt the vote. But the map eventually passed after they returned. Civil rights groups sued, saying the new map was racially discriminatory. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court permanently upheld the new map, ensuring it remains in place for the 2026 midterms. Utah Democrats likely to gain 1 seat. In 2018, Utah voters approved an anti-gerrymandering ballot measure that created an independent redistricting process, but Utah’s Republican-dominated legislature repealed and replaced it in 2021. Voters rights groups sued, arguing the resulting new map was a partisan gerrymander. Eventually, after a multi-year legal battle, a new court-ordered map in 2025 gives Democrats a chance to win one of the state’s four congressional districts. The Utah GOP proposed a ballot initiative this year to ask Utah voters to officially repeal the 2018 anti-gerrymandering law, but it failed last month after thousands of petition signers removed their signatures. Three states are in the process of redrawing their maps Georgia Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has refused to pursue redistricting ahead of this year’s elections, which are already underway. But Kemp announced Wednesday that he will call a special session to redraw the state’s political maps for the 2028 elections. Georgia’s congressional delegation currently has nine Republicans and five Democrats. Louisiana Republicans could gain 1 seat. The day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s existing congressional districts as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry suspended the state’s congressional primaries to give lawmakers enough time to pass new maps. This week, in a nearly 10-hour overnight committee hearing, Louisiana lawmakers advanced a bill that would eliminate one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. The new map, if it passes, likely would give Republicans another seat in Congress. The new map must win approval from both chambers by June 1. Litigation over the decision to delay primaries is ongoing. South Carolina Republicans could gain 1 seat. South Carolina legislators will gather Friday for a special session to redraw the state’s congressional lines just 12 days before early voting opens. Lawmakers have set a deadline of May 26 to pass a new map. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who previously said the matter was for the legislature to decide, called for the special session under pressure from the White House and state GOP. The South Carolina GOP’s goal is to pass a bill that would delay U.S. House race primaries until August while keeping other primaries on schedule for June. One proposed map would cut South Carolina’s lone congressional Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, out of the seat he’s represented since 1992 and create all seven Republican seats. At least a half dozen other states are interested in redrawing their maps Mississippi This week, Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves canceled a special legislative session he’d called to redraw districts for the state’s Supreme Court. Some GOP officials had hoped he’d add congressional redistricting to the agenda. Instead, he said this week, he’s working with Trump and the White House on a plan to redraw Mississippi’s congressional districts and legislative districts in the future. Reeves wants a map that would boot the lone Democrat in Mississippi’s U.S. House delegation, Rep. Bennie Thompson, from his seat. If that happens, Republicans would likely gain one congressional seat. Virginia The Virginia Supreme Court earlier this month struck down a voter-approved redistricting amendment that could have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage in the state’s U.S. House delegation. Virginia voters last month had approved a referendum that would have netted Democrats three or four additional seats. Earlier this week, Virginia Democrats asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive the amendment, in a case that’s ongoing. Arizona, New Jersey, New York, Washington  Officials in Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Washington all have suggested drawing new maps following the Callais decision, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The Colorado Voting Rights Act, passed last year by the state’s Democratic-majority legislature, will likely prevent the state from embarking on a redistricting effort. The state’s congressional delegation is currently split 4-4 between Democrats and Republicans. But a Democratic-led group is gathering signatures for ballot measures that would allow the state to change its maps ahead of the 2028 election. *Seat gain predictions from The Cook Political Report. Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org. This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Arizona Mirror, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0732c4a200899a00ebaa82 Gina Carano says defending free speech against Disney was worth the cost ahead of Netflix fight te 2026-05-15T14:50:44.958Z Gina Carano says defending free speech against Disney was worth the cost ahead of Netflix fight INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Nearly 17 years after her last pro fight, MMA pioneer Gina Carano walked into Thursday’s press conference already holding a victory: a landmark legal settlement with Disney, the studio that famously fired her from "The Mandalorian" for her outspoken views. As she prepares to headline Netflix’s first live women’s MMA event against Ronda Rousey this Saturday, Gina Carano is looking back at the public backlash that nearly sidelined her career. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! After hanging up the gloves in 2009, she stormed Hollywood in 2019 as Cara Dune in "The Mandalorian," quickly establishing herself as a fan favorite in the Star Wars universe. Two years later, she was dropped from the role of a lifetime over social media posts that challenged the status quo at the height of COVID mandates and social justice awareness. A national debate sparked over free speech, politics and ideological conformity in Hollywood. When asked by OutKick at the news conference on Thursday whether she would still stand by her beliefs despite the professional fallout, Carano made it clear she has no regrets. Before her response, "F--- Disney" was blurted out in the crowd. "Standing up for freedom of speech in this country," Carano said, "I don't apologize one bit for anything that I said. I look back and I have so much confidence in myself because everything that I've said came true. Everything that I have said happened." WATCH: When asked about her impact after taking on Disney, Carano responded, "Everybody was holding their breath and I didn't, and I'm usually the one that's really relaxed and calm, but I stood up and I spoke out and I paid a heavy price for it. But I would pay that price again and again, because we cannot let what was happening to this country happen again." Carano has long argued she was targeted because of her conservative views. This claim became central to her lawsuit against Disney following her firing in 2021, which occurred after Lucasfilm publicly condemned her social media activity. Reflecting on the moment she chose to speak out, Carano described a calm resolve that contrasted with what she viewed as a culture of fear inside the entertainment industry. WHY ABC BRINGS BACK JIMMY KIMMEL TODAY AFTER ITS DEBACLE OVER FREE SPEECH Carano’s legal battle took a major turn in August 2025 when she reached a settlement with Disney and Lucasfilm after a lengthy legal fight financially backed by Elon Musk and X. "We cannot let go of our freedom of speech even if you don't like it. We need to be able to speak to one another, to open up speech, and we can't lose our rights. There have been people that have been fired whose opinions I disagree with, but I don't think they should be fired." The agreement was widely viewed as a significant victory for the actress, especially after Lucasfilm issued a statement describing her as a "well-respected" talent and expressing openness to future collaborations. RONDA ROUSEY RETURNING TO FIGHTING AFTER NEARLY 10-YEAR HIATUS: 'THIS IS FOR ALL MMA FANS' Carano framed the dispute as a line she believed was worth holding, even at the expense of her career. She also warned against what she sees as growing corporate influence over personal beliefs and private opinions, insisting Americans should not fear losing their livelihood because of their views. "I don't think we should take their livelihood from them," Carano added. "We should be able, in America, to set the precedent of freedom. And I'm not sorry one bit, and it turned out well. Disney settled, and I'm proud of that. That was a huge victory for me." The Disney settlement provided a legal and financial victory, but for Carano, the last several years have been a grueling marathon of public defiance. The May 16 bout, which headlines Netflix’s first live women’s MMA event, marks Carano’s first professional appearance since 2009. "That was a physical victory," she said, referring to the legal battle. "This is kind of more personal; a reclaim my body victory." Carano sounded at peace with taking on the Mouse and enduring years of backlash for championing what she believes is her right to freedom of speech. Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0732aea200899a00ebaa50 Spotlight on China Adds to Some Chinese Americans’ Fears te 2026-05-15T14:50:22.326Z Spotlight on China Adds to Some Chinese Americans’ Fears The Trump-Xi summit emphasized stability. But China’s recruitment of foreign agents has fueled suspicion of Chinese Americans. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07306da200899a00eba9f1 Obama remains Dem headliner while president with most votes ever fades into background: 'It was all a dream' te 2026-05-15T14:40:45.922Z Obama remains Dem headliner while president with most votes ever fades into background: 'It was all a dream' President Barack Obama has been at the center of Democrats’ biggest political fights, from redistricting fights to last year’s gubernatorial races, while former President Joe Biden — despite winning more votes than any presidential candidate in history — has remained largely absent from many of the party’s biggest political battles since leaving office. "We went through an election in Virginia that the Democrats invested a lot of money in, and we did not see Joe Biden once to the best of my recollection," Virginia GOP Chair Jeff Ryer told Fox News Digital, referring to Obama’s heavy campaigning for the Democrat-backed redistricting referendum later struck down by the Virginia Supreme Court. "We did, on the other hand, see Barack Obama on television ad after television ad, during the Democrats’ $80 million campaign, he was clearly the leader of it." Biden’s absence from several major Democratic campaigns has fueled Republican claims that Democrats are quietly moving on from the former president. "Joe Biden is becoming like the ninth season of ‘Dallas.’ It was all a dream," Ryer said, referring to the infamous retcon of CBS’ hit show "Dallas," in which the events of Season 9 were revealed to have never happened. FORMER CLINTON CAMPAIGN MANAGER LAMENTS 'LEADERLESS' STATE OF DEMS AS BIDEN REMAINS 'OFF THE RADAR' For many Democratic strategists, Obama’s prominent role reflects a broader belief that he remains far more popular and politically valuable than Biden, even ten years after exiting public office. "I think there's a lot of nostalgia for the Obama presidency," Democratic strategist Andrea Riccio told Fox News Digital. "I do think there's a once in a generation excitement around him that just hasn't been replicated by other presidents, so I can understand why he's sought after right now." Riccio said Democrats are likely still reeling from their 2024 presidential election loss, and with the Democratic Party still lacking a clear leader, "Obama is one of the best surrogates" the party has at the moment. Earlier this week, Obama traveled to Texas and met with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, who is gaining momentum in polls against Republican candidates Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Winning over Black voters in Texas will be crucial for Talarico, and strategists have said Obama could play a key role in boosting turnout this fall. Fox News contributor and Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov argued that Talarico likely would not campaign with Biden because "a lot of what he is" politically involves distancing himself from the Biden administration. "He's been very open about mistakes that were made in the Biden administration, especially vis-à-vis immigration," Tarlov said. "He wants to represent Texas. So, obviously, the border is a really big deal there." She added that Obama is just more popular than Biden. "I think Biden will go where people want him to, and is taking much more of, like, the Nancy Pelosi approach, which is, 'if you want me, I'm there for you. If you don't, I totally get it,'" Tarlov said. "And Obama's, obviously, fielding requests for those that want him, and there are going to be lots of candidates that don't want Obama on the trail with him." "But he makes a lot of sense for someone like James Talarico, especially because he's a millennial and kind of grew up on Obama," Tarlov continued. HEATING UP: NEWSOM, PRITZKER, BUTTIGIEG MAKE EARLY MOVES IN 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE However, Tarlov did say she would have thought California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom would have asked Biden to join the campaign for his redistricting effort in California. "Gavin Newsom is one of the most public defenders of the Biden record," Tarlov said. "So I think that he would have had Biden if that was possible." Instead, Obama was the leading voice in Democrats' redistricting push in California and Virginia, appearing in several advertisements aimed at rallying voter support, while Biden has remained mum. Amid the high-profile governors' races last November in Virginia and New Jersey, Obama spoke at rallies promoting now Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger. But Biden, who previously endorsed both women amid their prior congressional races, was nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail. But Democratic strategist James Carville told Fox News Digital that Biden isn't as young as Obama and likely doesn't have the same level of energy. Last May, Biden was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. BIDEN CLAIMS HE'S 'GETTING CALLS' FROM EUROPEAN LEADERS WANTING HIM TO 'GET ENGAGED' While Biden may no longer be leading the Democratic Party’s biggest initiatives, he remains engaged. On May 1, he endorsed Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia's gubernatorial primary, and a few days later he endorsed his former aide Dan Koh in Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District. In April, Biden spoke at Delaware Democratic Party's annual First State Dinner, and in February he spoke at a South Carolina Democratic Party dinner to commemorate his six-year anniversary of winning the state's primary election, deemed pivotal in him winning the general election. A Biden insider shared with Fox News Digital that more is to come from the former president this election season. And the Republican National Committee is looking forward to Biden's growing involvement, according to an RNC spokesperson. "It would be a gift to Republicans for Joe Biden to get involved in the midterms," Republican National Committee spokesperson Zach Kraft told Fox News Digital. "We will happily buy him a plane ticket to every swing state in the country." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a073057a200899a00eba9c0 Fierce Fights Over House Seats to Replace Nancy Pelosi and Jerrold Nadler te 2026-05-15T14:40:23.285Z Fierce Fights Over House Seats to Replace Nancy Pelosi and Jerrold Nadler Nancy Pelosi and Jerrold Nadler are retiring, sparking fierce fights in San Francisco and Manhattan to succeed them. Whoever wins their seats could tap big donors and shape the Democratic Party. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a072e03a200899a00eba966 David Letterman drops F-bomb, destroys CBS property in defiant final 'Late Show' appearance with Colbert te 2026-05-15T14:30:27.427Z David Letterman drops F-bomb, destroys CBS property in defiant final 'Late Show' appearance with Colbert David Letterman and Stephen Colbert targeted CBS during "The Late Show" on Thursday, as the pair threw furniture and watermelons off the roof onto the Ed Sullivan Theater at a CBS logo on the ground below. Letterman joined Colbert roughly a week before "The Late Show" will officially end. The pair appeared on the roof of the theater as Letterman said, "I thought this occasion would be sad, but this brings true joy to my heart. We are up here for the wanton destruction of CBS property." The two aimed furniture, watermelons as well as a cake that read "The Late Show 1993-2026," at a target on the street that looked like CBS' eye logo. As Letterman signed off he said to Colbert, "Thank you for everything you’ve done for our country." DAVID LETTERMAN CALLS OUT CBS' 'PURE COWARDICE' FOR CANCELING 'THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT' Colbert asked the comedian if he had any final words for the viewers and Letterman said he had something to say to CBS. He said, "In the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, motherf------!" CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  CBS announced in 2025 that it would be canceling Colbert's "The Late Show" at the end of its 2026 season. DEMOCRATS FAWN OVER STEPHEN COLBERT FOR HOLDING 'TRUTH TO POWER' AFTER CBS CANCELS SHOW The final show will air on May 21, 2026. Colbert has hosted a slew of comedians, prominent politicians, and more to mark the end of the CBS late-night show. Former President Obama sat down with Colbert earlier this month, during which the former president suggested the late-night comedian could make a better president than President Donald Trump. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE Fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver joined Colbert on set earlier this week. Kimmel questioned why Colbert was being asked to defend or make the case for late-night TV's existence. "Why should you have to defend late-night? Why should that question even be asked?" Kimmel asked Colbert. "Like Ryan Seacrest doesn’t get asked [about] 'Wheel of Fortune' or whatever the hell he’s hosting." The LateNighter reported that Kimmel's program is preparing to do dark the night of Colbert's final show, as the comedian did with Letterman when his version of "The Late Show" ended. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a072ba7a200899a00eba872 Trump Loyalist Leads Administration’s Hunt for Fraud in Elections te 2026-05-15T14:20:23.762Z Trump Loyalist Leads Administration’s Hunt for Fraud in Elections The loyalist, Dan Bishop, put his fealty to the president on display when he pressed the F.B.I. to chase investigative leads it had already rejected. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07297aa200899a00eba817 Taylor Sheridan’s 'Yellowstone’ formula turns country stars into scene-stealers as Morgan Wade makes her debut te 2026-05-15T14:11:06.317Z Taylor Sheridan’s 'Yellowstone’ formula turns country stars into scene-stealers as Morgan Wade makes her debut Taylor Sheridan is the mastermind behind "Yellowstone," which led to spin-offs "1883," "1923," "Marshals," and "Dutton Ranch." Sheridan continually taps into the world of country singers to cast his "Yellowstone" projects — a strategic move that not only brings authenticity and grit to the characters, but also introduces a new audience to the "Yellowstone" universe. His latest casting introduces country singer Morgan Wade into the world of "Yellowstone." Wade joins fellow country stars Riley Green and Lainey Wilson in the "Yellowstone" universe — as they add acting to their many talents. Wade will play bartender Carol at a local bar in Rio Paloma, Texas in "Dutton Ranch" — a nine-episode series spin-off of "Yellowstone," according to Deadline. 'YELLOWSTONE' STAR COLE HAUSER SPILLS SPIN-OFF SECRETS, EMBRACES 'CLASSY' WORLD OF AMERICAN COWBOYS "Dutton Ranch" follows Beth Dutton, played by Kelly Reilly, and Rip Wheeler, played by Cole Hauser, as they start their new life in Texas after leaving Yellowstone. The series debuts on May 15 on Paramount+. Wade, who hails from Floyd, Virginia, has released five country albums and has toured with Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Joan Jett, Alanis Morrissette and Shinedown. COUNTRY SINGER RILEY GREEN LANDS IN EMERGENCY ROOM AFTER BEING ‘IMPALED’ ON HUNTING TRIP Riley Green got his first acting credit in "Marshals." The singer, who is known for his hit songs "Worst Way," "I Wish Grandpas Never Died," and his duet with Ella Langley "You Look Like You Love Me," played the character Garrett, a troubled Navy SEAL who seeks help from Kayce Dutton (played by Luke Grimes) and Pete Calvin (played by Logan Marshall-Green) in the series. COUNTRY STAR RILEY GREEN ADMITS FAME IS 'NOT REALITY' COMPARED TO FARM LIFE IN ALABAMA Green appeared in four episodes, and performed an original song called "My Way." The role came after Green revealed to real-life friend Grimes that he wanted to break into acting while the duo were working on writing music together. "I mentioned I had some interest in acting. I didn't know it would turn into a job so quickly. [Grimes] certainly threw me a bone getting me on this show," Green said to USA Today. During his interview with Entertainment Tonight, the country singer revealed that growing up, he never thought he would be an actor. "I don't know that I really grew up thinking I was going to be acting, but when I got that call from Luke to be able to come be a part of the show, how do you not do that? And that's kind of how I look at it now. My granddaddy always used to say to make hay while the sun's shining. And it's been shining for the last two, three years. And it's awesome that I've got these opportunities," he explained. Grimes told Taste of Country the story on how they became friends: "We met out one night at Losers [a bar in Nashville]. I would see him there from time to time... and we talked at some point about writing a song and then kind of made that happen." During one of their writing sessions, Green shared his interest to Grimes that he wanted to act. Grimes said at that time, the show "Marshals" was coming together. The actor told the outlet that Green had to audition for the role of Garrett despite his country star status. "Kind of the weird thing about Hollywood is, they don't tend to know country musicians as well. So they made him audition, which I thought was really funny. This guy is a superstar guys, I think you should just give him the part that was written for him, and they wanted him to audition," Grimes said. But Grimes read lines with Green during his audition: "I auditioned with him," he added. 'YELLOWSTONE' STAR LAINEY WILSON 'COMPLETELY SHOCKED' BY FIANCÉ'S PROPOSAL "Somewhere out there, there is an audition tape of me and Riley Green getting him a part in 'Marshals.' But he was great. Honestly, I think he would have gotten it anyway, because he was that good in his first ever audition tapes." Green told Decider he was happy he got to audition instead of just being given the part because of his music career. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER "I wouldn't want to be given a part because of something I've done in music. I want to somewhat earn it, if I can. I think I skipped a lot of steps by getting a part like this as my first gig, but I'm very thankful that I was given that opportunity," he explained. LAINEY WILSON SPILLS DETAILS OF INTIMATE PROPOSAL, EYES 'VERY SIMPLE' WEDDING Lainey Wilson made her acting debut in "Yellowstone." The country star appeared as Abby, an aspiring musician, in season five of the show. Wilson appears in five episodes. In July 2024, Wilson revealed on the "TODAY" show about how Sheridan created her character. "Taylor Sheridan told me… ‘I want to create a character specifically for you, and I want you to sing your music and kind of be yourself, but go by a musician named Abby,'" she told Hoda Kotb on the morning show. Adding: "I said, ‘Well, you know, I’ve never acted a day in my life.’" On the similarities between her and her character, Wilson said on Sirius XM: The Highway: "I really had to kind of dive in there and try to figure out what my version of Abby is. Of course, there's a lot of myself in her. I will say, I feel like she's an artist that maybe was driving through Montana and found a niche of people who really started to love her music, and she knows she's not supposed to be messing with cowboys but she does it anyway." Tim McGraw, who has already established himself as both a country star and actor, paved the way for the crossover from country music to acting. The star also appeared in the "Yellowstone" universe, appearing as James Dutton in the "Yellowstone" prequel "1883," along with his real-life wife and fellow country star Faith Hill. Hill played his on-camera wife too — Margaret Dutton. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS The miniseries was released in December 2021 and concluded in February 2022. Country singer Ryan Bingham also appeared in the world of "Yellowstone," appearing as Walker in 37 episodes of "Yellowstone" from 2018 until 2024. Zach Bryan appeared as himself in season five, episode seven of "Yellowstone." The singer performed at a county fair in the December 2022 episode. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a072963a200899a00eba7de In Kentucky, the Iran War Complicates a Republican Primary te 2026-05-15T14:10:43.681Z In Kentucky, the Iran War Complicates a Republican Primary Representative Thomas Massie, the incumbent, has opposed President Trump’s military strikes on Iran. He is now facing the biggest challenge of his career. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07294ea200899a00eba7c3 Runway started by helping filmmakers. Now it wants to beat Google at AI. te 2026-05-15T14:10:22.797Z Runway started by helping filmmakers. Now it wants to beat Google at AI. AI video generation startup Runway is betting that video generation is the path to world models. And that being an AI outsider is an advantage, not a liability. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0724a2a200899a00eba6f6 Ring girl Sydney Thomas turns heads at poker table as she takes on fellow celebs, king cobra surprise & MEAT te 2026-05-15T13:50:26.321Z Ring girl Sydney Thomas turns heads at poker table as she takes on fellow celebs, king cobra surprise & MEAT It's Friday, the sun is blazing (it's like 53 degrees), you can just feel summer starting to crank up and Screencaps gets rolling with news that one of our favorite biological females who rose to fame during the transG era, Sydney Thomas, IS BACK and now she's playing poker against other celebrities. Thomas, 22, is still in that period of her career where she's trying to find her place. Is it in modeling? Is it in acting? Can her agent get her placed in an Adam Sandler movie? Would she form an alliance with Sydney Sweeney and join the SYRN lingerie team? She's already done the boxing ring girl thing. That wasn't going to be an actual career. Thomas' agent needs to place Sydney behind home plate at Dodgers games. Get her into suites at Rams games. She needs to be at the World Cup this summer. Sydney should throw out a first pitch at a Cubs game. I'm talking a playbook straight out of 2010 when Internet models throwing out first pitches at Cubs games was a rite of passage into pop culture fame. SYDNEY SWEENEY AND LIVVY DUNNE FORM ALLIANCE AS LINGERIE WAR WITH VICTORIA'S SECRET OFFICIALLY HEATS UP I get to the ballpark where Screencaps the III was practicing and I quickly learned that Mrs. Screencaps had been sitting through the 90-minute practice with the van in accessory mode. 90 MINUTES! The battery was completely dead. Ironically, I posted this pickle jar meme on Facebook earlier in the day. Ladies, it's nice to know you still need us from time to time. By the way, here's what the lawn looks like this morning. I was sitting there appreciating my work and then the call came in. DANICA PATRICK IMPRESSES THE MAHA CROWD BY TAKING UP TENNIS AS HER NEWEST FITNESS WORKOUT, BAT DOGS & MEAT! – John in Surfside Beach, S.C. is fired up: It's only 5pm on the first day, already sick of the ESPN broadcast.  My God, do they ever stop talking! Kinsey: I didn't see coverage until around 10 p.m. after my night getting the van jumped, mowing, taking the trash out, etc. I did see Smylie Kaufman hitting shots on the Golf Channel and doing a great job explaining the course and the conditions the guys faced on Thursday. I'm turning into a big fan of Kaufman's broadcasting style: cool, calm, collected. The guy is smooth. I'm even a big fan of the Happy Hour bit that Golf Channel is doing with Smylie. We just aren't getting much live content like that on TV these days. I LOVE the relaxed approach Golf Channel is taking with Smylie. Keep it coming. – Chris A. tells me: I absolutely will not go to Costco on Saturdays or Sundays, and Fridays are turning into no-go lately. My semi-retirement schedule has me off Tuesdays and Fridays, so I thought this past Tuesday morning would be a good time to do my monthly Costco discount shopping. Nope. Packed. They clearly need more locations, at least around me. At least they brought back the Jones sandwich-sized sausage patties and ashcanned the terrible Kirkland ones they rolled out several years ago to replace the Jones patties. They are perfect for the sausage, egg and cheese on English muffin sandwiches I make at home. Kinsey: Same here, Chris. What I've found is that if I go at like 6 on a Saturday night, I'm typically good. People are burnt out for the day. They've taken their two-pound queso barrels to parties. Unless I'm in a pinch, I go during off-hours on weekends. – Speaking of Costco, Mike T. in Idaho stopped by one in Canada and reports: They still have polish dogs at Costco Canada $1.50 Canadian. Kinsey: That's $1.09 USD! – Mark in Tennessee reports: The Franklin Noon Rotary Club puts on an annual rodeo as our primary fundraiser. This event has grown from some local cowboys having some fun to the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi. We will gross well over a million dollars and net $4-500K for our charitable foundation. This is our 75th rodeo, and I have worked 36 consecutive events. Three nights of hard work for a great cause. And I can legitimately say "this ain't my first rodeo." – Jon C., who is not a LIB loser, writes: This popped up in my newsfeed and thought it might be of interest since the evils of travel ball are frequently discussed.  Some of our elected leaders are proposing legislation to regulate travel ball.  Still on my first cup of coffee so hard to make it make sense, seems the answer is for parents to be adults.  – Mike T. in Idaho sent in a Substack link to Pacific Northwest sports writer John Canzano's Substack where he rails against private equity in youth sports. Canzano writes: The youth sports money grab must stop. The skyrocketing costs need to take a rest. The predatory squeeze for profit should take a break. Things such as mandatory hotel stays, streaming subscriptions, invasive apps, and participation fees that price out low-income families should all just go away. The scene has turned into a vulture’s paradise. IVANKA TRUMP HAS THE ANGRY LIBS ON HIGH ALERT AS SHE SLIDES INTO AN AMAZING DRESS, WAFFLE HOUSE CHAOS & MEAT! Kinsey: My reaction? Who has been screaming about this for the last 3-4 years now? I HAVE! Screaming and screaming. Screaming to the point where Screencaps readers got tired of me screaming, but this is a hill I will die on. Yes, it's nice for some of these people who've had their head in the sand to see the light of day on this topic. Yet again, this column was ahead of everyone on another topic. I'm getting like 10 emails a day on Wendy's. – Brandon in NKY reports: Reading about the 13u rec league exploits got my brain on the way back machine. My son graduated from high school last night. It seems just like yesterday I was helping coach his school team in Knothole T-Ball. Those were fun days, trying to keep the boys engaged instead of making piles of sand or picking dandelions was a tall task in practice and during the games. After the game you tell them to get a drink and a snack from the concession stand then buy a round for the other coaches. Fast forward a few years and I can no longer coach because he was poached by a travel/summer ball team and the days of camaraderie are gone. I say that to say this, I never enjoyed watching his team play after knothole, it all seemed like an exhibition game, no true rivalries, no league title to play for. No after parties since we were at a treeless softball complex for 12hrs on a Saturday in the heat. You seem like you’ve got an awesome thing going with your boys and parents, keep fighting for it and also enjoy it because one day they’ll graduate and all you will have left are the memories. Make Rec Ball Great Again. 100% sponsored by Brandon in NKY. – Christopher T. emails: Great piece but I wish you had included the part about her being a caregiver to her mom who had early onset dementia. That needs a voice and you have a bullhorn. – Steve in Clarkston, Mich. says: I've followed her since she started. Man, if only I was younger. She is the closest thing to a perfect woman there can ever be.  Don't forget that in addition to being SI Swimsuit model beautiful and can repair cars and plumbing she's also a brainiac. She was on "MythBusters" and also at 18 won a bronze in an international science and engineer competition. She invented a new football helmet to reduce injuries.   #################### That is it this morning. I have a big day of joining the Dakich show coming up, meetings, Zooms and a plumber running a new water line so Mrs. Screencaps can add drip lines to a previously inaccessible part of her garden. The goal is to automate the watering process to this behemoth she's created. Today, we make that happen. I hope all of you have had a great week of life. Let's go enjoy a weekend. Enjoy those youth sports events. Enjoy those graduations. Take care. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07224da200899a00eba68a City of Flagstaff approves first reading of updates to short-term rental licensing te 2026-05-15T13:40:29.151Z City of Flagstaff approves first reading of updates to short-term rental licensing The City of Flagstaff plans to increase the short-term rental registration fee from $185 to $250 and add new requirements for postings inside of the rentals. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a071d96a200899a00eba529 Even GoPro is pivoting to defense te 2026-05-15T13:20:22.370Z Even GoPro is pivoting to defense The action camera maker, like so many other companies these days, is looking to defense applications as it evaluates a possible sale. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a071b8fa200899a00eba4e2 Retired Navy admiral makes bombshell claim about UFOs and 'non-human intelligence' controlling them te 2026-05-15T13:11:43.546Z Retired Navy admiral makes bombshell claim about UFOs and 'non-human intelligence' controlling them Are UFOs controlled by non-human entities? There are few topics in America that generate more attention and interest than UFOs/UAPs. One of the big reasons why is that there's no clear answer for what is going on up in the sky or down in the ocean. There are countless videos and stories about unexplainable sightings, but very few concrete answers. Well, prepare for things to get amped up. REP TIM BURCHETT CONVINCED THAT ALIENS EXIST, SAYS HE'S 'SEEN TOO MUCH' IN GOVERNMENT BRIEFINGS Retired Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet is a leading voice in America when it comes to the UAP phenomenon, and he thinks whatever is going on...might not have a human explanation! Gallaudet said the following, in part, on "Tomi Lahren Is Fearless" when discussing the subject: You can watch his full comments in the video below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com. UFO TASK FORCE EYED AS LAWMAKER WARNS OF STRANGE OBJECTS IN SKIES AND WATERS DEFYING KNOWN TECHNOLOGY Not ideal if there are non-human entities roaming around controlling whatever is up in the sky. That's a situation I'd very much like to avoid. It's almost surreal to even think about, but this claim isn't coming from some random guy on the street. It's coming from a retired Navy rear admiral. That immediately brings extra gravity and seriousness to the claim. What I do know for sure is that the UFO topic isn't going away. It's here to stay until people get some answers that actually make sense. What do you think UFOs truly are? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a071b7ba200899a00eba4d9 Key China-Iran infrastructure exposes critical hole in Trump's war strategy te 2026-05-15T13:11:23.658Z Key China-Iran infrastructure exposes critical hole in Trump's war strategy The U.S. is trying to choke off Iran’s economy at sea, but a growing China-linked rail corridor is giving Tehran a workaround that Washington cannot easily shut down without risking a wider conflict. As freight traffic between China and Iran increases along an overland route beyond the reach of American warships, the dynamic is exposing a core limitation in the U.S. strategy: maritime pressure is powerful, but it doesn’t fully extend across Eurasia. According to Bloomberg, cargo trains running from central China to Iran have jumped from roughly one per week before the blockade to one every three or four days, highlighting a growing alternative channel as Tehran looks to blunt maritime pressure. The corridor runs through multiple sovereign countries, including Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, making it far more complex to disrupt than shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf. CHINA-LINKED ROUTE EXPOSED AFTER US SEIZES IRAN-BOUND SHIP WITH SUSPECTED DUAL-USE CARGO Directly targeting that overland network would risk widening the conflict and escalating tensions with Beijing, which has spent years investing in trade routes designed to bypass maritime choke points dominated by the U.S. Navy. That combination of geography, diplomacy and escalation risk helps explain why Washington has focused overwhelmingly on maritime interdiction rather than attempting to shut down overland trade routes. Experts say the rail corridor remains limited in its ability to offset Iran’s main oil exports. "There’s no substitute for a very large crude carrier," Isaac Kardon, a senior fellow focused on Chinese strategy and maritime security, told Fox News Digital. Kardon estimated that "maybe like 1% of the exports that Iran would typically be pushing out through Hormuz could go over land." Max Meizlish, a former Treasury official focused on sanctions policy, similarly described the rail corridor as "a drop in the bucket compared to Iran’s traditional oil exports over maritime transit routes." TRUMP WARNS CHINA OF 'STAGGERING' 50% TARIFF IF CAUGHT SUPPLYING MILITARY AID TO IRAN Still, analysts warn the route carries strategic risks beyond its limited scale. Meizlish said the rail network "provides a pathway for China to supply Iran with critical dual use goods or just military logistical infrastructure" beyond the reach of U.S. naval enforcement. Kardon pointed to similar concerns, including the potential movement of "parts for drones" and "missile precursor chemicals." Even so, Kardon emphasized the corridor cannot sustain large-scale economic or military flows. "It’s a flow question," he said. "Can you sustain the Iranian war-fighting effort solely with cargoes from China or from its other Eurasian neighbors? And I think the answer is really no." Taken together, the rail corridor is not an economic lifeline for Iran, but it underscores a broader shift as China builds trade networks designed to blunt U.S. pressure at sea and test the limits of how far Washington is willing to go to enforce its strategy. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a071b68a200899a00eba4d0 ‘Duck Dynasty’ star opens up about wife’s affair, says marriage ‘doesn’t have to end’ after betrayal te 2026-05-15T13:11:04.203Z ‘Duck Dynasty’ star opens up about wife’s affair, says marriage ‘doesn’t have to end’ after betrayal Al Robertson doesn’t believe a marriage always has to end after an affair. The eldest son of Phil and Miss Kay Robertson of "Duck Dynasty" fame is joining his wife, Lisa Robertson, to confront their painful past in a new Lifetime film premiering Saturday titled "Faith & Forgiveness." The movie reveals how Lisa became involved in an extramarital relationship 15 years into their union — and how their faith ultimately restored their relationship. "When unfaithfulness happens in a marriage, so many times, that’s the end of it, but it doesn’t have to be," Robertson told Fox News Digital. "Everything can be worked through." 'DUCK DYNASTY' STAR SADIE ROBERTSON HUFF SAYS SHE EXPERIENCED CANCEL CULTURE OVER CONTROVERSIAL TIKTOK VIDEO "I think the reason I was willing to fight for my marriage was that I had made a lot of mistakes on my own," he admitted. "When I first met Lisa, she was actually a good girl, who had experienced some hard things in her life up until that point, but really was looking for what she called her ‘knight in shining armor,’ someone to take her hand and lead her out of some things. And I just wasn’t that guy in the early years." The couple first met in a McDonald’s parking lot in West Monroe, Louisiana, a popular teen hangout. Robertson was 17 and a senior, while Lisa was 15 and a sophomore. They dated on and off before tying the knot in 1984. After welcoming two girls, Robertson served as a pastor at a church where his family had been members for years. Lisa found herself lonely and isolated while her husband was away. "To be quite honest with you, I made a huge mistake in not pulling Lisa in as a partner in what we were doing, in my career and my dreams," said Robertson. "[She] was also dealing with all this internal stuff from when she was young. I just didn’t recognize it. I didn’t see it." WATCH: AL AND LISA ROBERTSON SAY FAITH HELPED HEAL THEIR MARRIAGE AFTER INFIDELITY Lisa told Fox News Digital that behind closed doors, she struggled with memories of her childhood. "From an early age, at age 7, I was subjected to someone molesting me," she explained. "I believe that at age 7, I began to be dishonest with who I was and what I was. I think the evil one played a huge part in that because he would constantly remind me. I believe I started on that trail of dishonesty at that point, and that darkness really began there. As I grew older, it got worse and worse." Years later, Lisa was contacted at work by an old boyfriend. She soon found herself caught up in an affair. During the summer of 1999, Robertson became suspicious that Lisa may have been seeing someone behind his back. She repeatedly denied his accusations. "I had prayed all through this affair that God would open a door for me to walk away and that nobody would ever find out because I didn’t want to hurt Alan," said Lisa. "I didn’t want to hurt our family. [But] I didn’t think [our marriage] would make it. If he ever found out, I just knew that it was over. I’m convinced that it’s going to be over, especially whenever he says, ‘I’m leaving.’ And I just knew it because he had always told me that. If I ever crossed the line, that would be the end of it." Robertson used cellphone records to piece together the truth. The couple then agreed on a temporary separation. "I think for the first few weeks, I was leaning toward thinking that it was probably over," he said. "I was just not sure if I could ever fully trust again. [I wasn’t] sure Lisa really wanted to be in our marriage. Do you really know if your spouse wants to stay? Do they want something more than you have to offer?" CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Lisa recalls a moment when, overwhelmed and completely broken, she stepped into her backyard and cried out to God for forgiveness. During her prayer, she was fully honest with God about what she had done. She describes that moment as a turning point in her faith. She was ready to truly repent and begin a new life. "The role of faith played a very significant part in my life," she explained. "Once I turned my life over to the Lord, out in the backyard, when I finally called out to God, He came and met me right there in the backyard. From that day forward, I think I knew I could make it because I’d never called on Him before. I’d never asked for His help and asked Him to rescue me. [But] He came, and He rescued me. I think that was the most important thing I did." Lisa was not only baptized, but she surrounded herself with women who had already developed a strong foundation in their faith. Together they studied and uplifted each other. She, along with her husband, also pursued counseling. "I changed the way I dressed," said Lisa. "I changed the way I wore makeup. I changed what I listened to. I changed the way I approached men. I changed the way I talked because I had a potty mouth. I changed so many things. "But the first thing was that I cried out to God. The second thing was to surround myself [with those women]. But then also the third thing was counseling — finding someone who could help me get rid of those negative things in my life and finally put those to rest." Robertson noted that in their early years together, he was unfaithful to Lisa. She not only forgave him but married him. Robertson wondered: Could he also forgive? LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS "What changed my mind and heart about Lisa was her," he said. "It was obvious to me from talking to friends who were with her that she wanted this marriage to stay together. She was very sorry for what had happened. She had finally come to a reckoning in her own life. She was dealing with a lot of her past through counseling, through people who were helping her life." "I think out of my own appreciation for not only what God had done for me, but also what Lisa had done for me, it gave me that capacity to forgive infidelity," said Robertson. "Her growth as a person and as a Christian in those early weeks is what won me over to say, ‘If she has the capacity to change who she is, like I did many years earlier, then I have the capacity to forgive as God forgives.’ That’s when it all changed. We knew we were going to find our way back together." In December 1999, the couple renewed their vows. Together, they’ve been devoted to God and each other. Over the years, they’ve traveled across the country, speaking to couples struggling in their relationships. They're happier than ever. "To have a really strong and very intimate marriage — not just sexual intimacy, I mean spiritual, physical and emotional intimacy — there has to be honesty," said Lisa. "Honesty is the most important thing that you can do to have a very successful marriage. We also need to look at ourselves the way Jesus looks at us." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a071b50a200899a00eba48c Meridian Ventures launched $35M fund to back MBA-deferred founders te 2026-05-15T13:10:40.475Z Meridian Ventures launched $35M fund to back MBA-deferred founders Meridian Ventures, the venture firm founded by Devon Gethers and Karlton Haney, announced on Friday the raise of a $35 million second fund to back pre-seed and seed-stage companies founded by those who have deferred MBAs. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a071b3ca200899a00eba47d Supporting three live births is the ultimate final exam for these Southern Arizona high school students te 2026-05-15T13:10:20.096Z Supporting three live births is the ultimate final exam for these Southern Arizona high school students Bouncing on a pink yoga ball, senior Annel Perez is clearly in labor — alternately crying and shouting — and her impression is so good, you want to ask her how far apart her contractions are. “AHHHHHHHH!” “Help me.” Annel’s acting is over the top, yet her scene partners take their cues from her. As the nurse, Maya Gomez asks the pregnant person what they need. Ashley Acuña Grijalva, 18, in the role of doula, wonders if she can help Perez, obviously in pain and scared. The birth partner stands by, puts a hand on Annel’s shoulder. She shakes it off. While the high school students work on a labor scenario in the front of the classroom, the stakes are high. They will soon experience the reality of live birth: As student doulas, they must support three births this summer to become certified. Teachers Shannon Alexander and Joyce Wall nod their heads, circle the room and wonder aloud. “I want to see what the rest of you remember,” says Alexander, also an advanced certification doula. “What is your ratio for two people doing CPR on an infant? And how many compressions are you getting in within a minute’s time?” Heads in the classroom go down.  The birth at the front of the room takes a pause. Students in the doula certification class at Pima JTED continue their work, knowing they have two weeks left until they complete Arizona’s only course to certify high-school age doulas.  A birth doula provides emotional, physical, and informational support before, during, and after labor and birth.  At Pima JTED, students from high schools across the Tucson area have spent the school year in the community health and wellness program. As part of that program, this doula certification class will see 10 students complete the course this week. Because they are 18, six students are eligible to become certified doulas this summer — four others may follow as they reach certification age. To earn that certification, students must be at least 18 and provide support at three live births, the Arizona Department of Health and Human Services says. Arizona’s $300 licensing fee is covered by JTED. Some of these students may want a career as a doula or midwife, others are getting a head start as a nurse, social worker or even a dermatologist. “The students are the ones who show up. And it was quite mind-blowing to see the growth,” Alexander said. “We’ve got future pediatricians and obstetricians and midwives and they’re going to be so much better at their future careers because they’ve learned community health work and they’ve learned doula skills.” Pioneering a doula program Pima County’s Joint Technical Education District is a public school district that teaches about 20,000 high school students from across Southern Arizona, often at off hours — think after school and evenings. Students get free career and technical education and can be certified in everything from welding to veterinary and medical tech programs to culinary arts and being a doula. Pima JTED students work on a labor scenario at their doula certification class on April 7, 2026. Sophia Gonzalez squeezes the hips of teacher Shannon Alexander, as co-teacher Joyce Wall and student Maya Gomez give feedback. Credit: JTED “While the Arizona Department of Education does not regulate or certify doulas, their Career and Technical Education (CTE) division has formally recognized our doula program as a certification pathway within the community health worker program,” said Beth Francis, a registered nurse and JTED’s healthcare professions manager. “While there are several approved programs statewide, our program is currently the only one operating at the high school level.” Research indicates doulas can positively impact several maternal and infant health outcomes and experiences, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Expanding access to doula care improves maternal outcomes for people of color, says a 2024 study from the National Institutes of Health. About 9,000 people in the United States practice as doulas, typically contracting privately with families and earning $1,500 and up for an experienced doula-assisted birth. Some doula care is covered by insurance, including Medicaid programs in 25 states, of which Arizona is one. “The birth doula program was the result of nearly a year of planning, research, and collaboration,” Francis said. “During that time, we worked to better understand community needs, identify healthcare workforce gaps, and build strong partnerships (local hospitals and practicing birth doulas) that would help create a meaningful and sustainable program for students. We connected with community organizations, maternal health professionals, and educational partners to ensure the program would provide both high-quality instruction and real-world experiences.” High school doula certification programs exist in some states including Massachusetts and Arkansas, though they are rare. JTED’s program uses a curriculum developed by Wall and Alexander, who is certified through DONA International, the oldest and largest doula certification program in the world. JTED’s community health and wellness program also offers a class in community health and wellness. Most of those in the inaugural doula certification class — which started the year with 19 students —  were surprised to find themselves there, they said, after not getting into the other class.  “I think these two facets of community health and doula marry up really well because as a birth doula you need to know what community resources are available,” said Wall, who is a registered nurse with 35 years of experience. “And as a birth doula, you’ve got that compassion, that empathy that comes out, which normally the two work hand-in-hand. If you don’t have that empathy, you don’t care for people, then you’re probably not going to be in health care.” “Where I see my future …” An aspiring labor and delivery nurse, Ashley Acuña Grijalva joined the community health and wellness program this school year. The senior at Alta Vista High School had an aunt who used a doula at her birth, but Ashley was unclear about the doula’s role.  “When I got into this program, I learned what birth doula was and community health work and the birth doula really fascinated me,” she said. “I see myself in the future becoming a labor and delivery nurse. Especially because my best friend wants to be a NICU nurse so I feel like that would be the thing.” Next fall, Ashley will head to the University of Arizona as a first-generation college student. The JTED program helped her see her strengths, she said. “She’s grown so much,” Alexander said of the soft-spoken Ashley, who found purpose in community health events where she spoke in Spanish about suicide prevention, nutrition and asthma. “They’ve just made this program really fun. We did our first community health event in Safford,” she said. “That was super interesting to me. We went out to give flyers. And that was the first time I really ever interacted with people. And it felt amazing. That’s where I see my future.” Like her classmates, Ashley has navigated a class rooted in real-world issues. “There were definitely conversations about whether students might feel intimidated by the subject matter because maternal health, childbirth, and advocacy can be emotionally sensitive and complex topics,” Francis said. “However, we also believed students would be drawn to the program because it offers something unique, meaningful, and directly connected to helping people during one of the most important moments in their lives.” Admittedly shy, the hands-on work “felt really good,” Ashley says. Her aptitude surprised her most. “I feel like the program offered a lot,” she said. “The fact that we’re going to have births, like real life births to do, I’m a little bit nervous.” Insight and résumé building If Edwin Moreno Rios felt apprehensive about taking the doula certification class, he hid it from everyone. The Sunnyside High School senior will finish the program as the only male in the class. Community health and wellness was a focus for him on the path to becoming a dermatologist, he said.  But the doula class? “I kind of didn’t expect it, but it’s pretty nice because it gives me a better look on my résumé,” Edwin said. Learning about labor and delivery is also sobering, he says. It’s the other side of a sex-ed class. “What’s pretty cool is the fact, like a lot of people my age are, how do I say this? Loose? And you know, not protected at all,” he said. “So, it gives a good insight as to what can happen, to be careful. “When I got here, I felt fearful and I felt like ‘oh God,’” he said. “Obviously, I still kind of do, but swear it off.”  He realizes, he says, that the birthing person doesn’t necessarily relate to him. But, he learned immediately that “everyone has a story and people need help with almost everything,” he said. “I recognize my community, the Hispanic community, we need help and being a doula can do that.” Maternal mortality rates among people of color are at crisis levels,  according to a 2024 Arizona Department of Health Services report from 2018-19, the most recent data available. Arizona ranked 11th in maternal mortality rate at 30 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2018-2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s higher than the national average of 23.2. Seeing that need here, helped shape JTED’s program, Francis said. “Maternal health is not only a medical issue,” she said. “It is a community health issue influenced heavily by social determinants of health, access to care, mental wellness, education, socioeconomic status, and cultural support systems.” Stretch, grow, respect Connecting with community and imbuing that group with her vibe, is what Desert View senior Sophia Gonzalez says she wants to do as a social worker. She’s headed to Northern Arizona University next fall as a first-generation student.  “I’ve had social workers in my life. I’ve met them through my school. I’ve met them in my house,” she said. “I’ve been with them in their offices and facilities. I want to do what they do. “This class has truly helped me with first of all my presentation skills a lot, my communication skills, my being able to work with more people and being a team player and it’s just it’s helped me open up myself more to that like idea of being just a helping hand and collaborating and actually getting my ideas out there,” she said. As a new teacher, Alexander also learned those new skills and grew this school year too. Although she’s a mother of four and been a doula for about 14 years, leading a classroom forced her to stretch, she said. Students Annel Perez, center, Ashley Acuña Grijalva, holding notes and Maya Gomez are in JTED’s doula certification program. They act out a birth scenario on May 5, 2026 as doula and teacher Shannon Alexander looks on. Credit: Shannon Conner Credit: Shannon Conner “I relate to my students this way, even becoming a doula for the first time,” she said. “Sitting in the discomfort, learning a new skill like teaching and presenting. … It’s life changing and I’m not that kind of person. I never was. And I became that person.” The “as-if” technique is not a substitute for the real thing. But for now, the students have each other and their roles at the birth in the front of the room. As the doula in the next scenario, Edwin asks Maya, playing the nurse, to step outside and talks with her softly. “What does she need? Maybe a translator,” he offers. The scene stops. “Did you guys all notice that he called the nurse aside to have a private conversation? That’s very well done,” Alexander says. “Sometimes you actually need that time to talk to someone and to figure out, OK, what do I need to say, she said. “What language was effective with this? Just show that respect.” The post Supporting three live births is the ultimate final exam for these Southern Arizona high school students appeared first on AZ Luminaria. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0718ffa200899a00eba37f New Zealand rugby league player dead at 30 after suffering 'unsurvivable' injury in season opener te 2026-05-15T13:00:47.185Z New Zealand rugby league player dead at 30 after suffering 'unsurvivable' injury in season opener A New Zealand rugby player died Tuesday after suffering "unsurvivable" injuries during his team’s season opener, the club confirmed. He was 30. Glenora Rugby League Football Club Chairwoman Janet Hunt confirmed the death of Eugene Hanna in a post on Facebook. According to Hunt’s statement, Hanna was gravely injured during a game against the Te Atatu Roosters. "It is with a heavy heart that we inform our members of the passing of Eugene Hanna on Tuesday. Eugene was a valued player in our Premier Reserves squad and although a new Bears member had good friends within the club," Hunt’s statement began.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "Eugene sustained an injury in the team's first game of the season against Te Atatu which was tragically unsurvivable. Glenora Bears would like to extend its gratitude to the Te Atatu Roosters members who helped at the scene, the attending paramedics and Auckland Hospital for their care these last two weeks." The Roosters also released a statement extending condolences to the club. JOSAIA RAISUQE, RUGBY STAR WHO WON SILVER AT PARIS OLYMPICS WITH FIJI, DEAD AFTER ACCIDENT INVOLVING TRAIN While no other details surrounding the circumstances of Hanna’s death were immediately known, the New Zealand Rugby League did issue a statement Thursday warning of the dangers of head injuries and the importance of concussion protocols. "NRZL places the utmost importance on player safety and welfare and work hard to prevent such tragic outcomes. We have rigorous head injury and concussion protocols in place and work with our rugby league community to ensure appropriate resources and education are provided year-round. "We urge anyone who sustains a head injury or experiences any symptoms to follow the guidelines in place, seek the appropriate medical advice and treatment, and only return to play when advised and appropriate."  Several clubs issued statements showing an outpouring of support following Hanna’s death, including the Renegades FC of the New Zealand Christian Football League, where Hanna previously played.  Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0718eba200899a00eba376 Joe Rogan stunned at how many Americans think Trump assassination attempts were staged te 2026-05-15T13:00:27.520Z Joe Rogan stunned at how many Americans think Trump assassination attempts were staged Podcaster Joe Rogan blamed TikTok and social media culture for widespread conspiracy thinking on Wednesday after discussing how many Americans believe at least one assassination attempt against President Donald Trump was staged. "This is TikTok. It’s f---ing ruined," Rogan said during "The Joe Rogan Experience" while reacting to survey data showing many Americans either believe at least one attempt was staged or are unsure whether the attempts were authentic. "Rotting their f---ing brains out from inside their heads." "Meanwhile, you go on Chinese TikTok, it’s all like traditional dance and martial arts, science projects," Rogan said. "It shuts down for kids after 10 p.m." After Rogan read the survey findings, his guest, comedian Brendan Schaub, responded, "And that’s the problem." WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL CONNECTS MISINFORMATION BY BIDEN TO WHY PEOPLE BELIEVE CONSPIRACY THEORIES According to The Washington Post, "Roughly 1 in 3 Democratic respondents said they believed the [White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting]  event was staged, compared with about 1 in 8 Republicans, according to a survey published Monday by NewsGuard, a company that rates the reliability of online news outlets. Respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were also more likely than older people to think the incident was staged, according to the report."  Rogan and Schaub spent several minutes discussing conspiracy theories surrounding the multiple assassination attempts against Trump, including the July 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. Rogan argued people who believe the Butler shooting was staged do not understand firearms. FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY "The people that thought that the Butler, Pennsylvania one was staged don't know anything about guns," Rogan said. "I don’t know anybody who knows anything about guns that thinks that the president would let some guy nick his ear with a bullet." Rogan pointed to the death of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the Butler rally shooting while attending the event. "That guy got shot by a bullet that was intended for Trump," Rogan said. "And then there’s a photo of a bullet whizzing by his face. Anybody that thinks that that staged is out of their f---ing mind." For the 2024 attempt, the Post explained, "Regarding the Butler assassination attempt, 24 percent of respondents said they believed it was staged. Forty-two percent of Democratic respondents said they thought the shooting was staged, compared with 7 percent of Republicans."  CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE The pair also referenced another assassination attempt connected to the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Schaub questioned why anyone would believe an individual would destroy his own life to participate in a fake attack. "They think that’s fake," Schaub said. "It’s like, hold on. So, you think this guy, who’s a teacher, educated, clearly kind of had his s--- together, threw away his life?" The podcasters also discussed Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate Trump in Butler, with Rogan questioning the lack of publicly available information about him after the shooting. "That one was weird as f---," Rogan said. "That guy’s house was professionally scrubbed. He didn’t even have silverware there. He had no online activity. He had no social media." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0711f7a200899a00eba1e8 AI data centers may soon ride ocean waves te 2026-05-15T12:30:47.757Z AI data centers may soon ride ocean waves Artificial intelligence (AI) already shows up in your phone, your searches and plenty of apps you use every day. Now, some Silicon Valley investors are betting the machines behind those AI answers could one day run at sea. A company called Panthalassa has raised $140 million in new funding to develop and deploy autonomous, floating AI computing nodes powered by ocean waves. The Series B round brings Panthalassa's total funding to $210 million, a sign that investors are taking this ocean-based AI idea seriously. The round was led by Peter Thiel, the Palantir co-founder, and the company says the money will help complete a pilot manufacturing facility near Portland, Oregon. Panthalassa also plans to deploy its Ocean-3 pilot node series in the northern Pacific Ocean later in 2026. Instead of building another giant AI data center on land, Panthalassa wants to place computing power out at sea. Ocean waves would generate electricity. Seawater would help with cooling. Onboard computing systems would process AI prompts and send the results back to land through low-Earth-orbit satellites.  Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report LOWERING YOUR ELECTRIC BILL COULD BE FLOATING IN THE OCEAN META BUILDS WORLD’S LARGEST AI SUPERCLUSTERS FOR THE FUTURE Panthalassa's floating nodes are designed to capture wave motion and turn it into electricity. The company says it has spent a decade developing the technology behind its power generation, onboard computing and autonomous ocean operations. Its earlier Ocean-1, Ocean-2 and Wavehopper prototypes were tested in 2021 and 2024. Think of each node like a floating power station with AI hardware inside. Waves move the system. That motion helps drive a generator. The power then feeds the onboard chips. WHY AI IS CAUSING SUMMER ELECTRICITY BILLS TO SOAR The company's plan is to use those chips for AI inference. That is the part of AI where a model responds to your prompt after it has already been trained. In simple terms, it is what happens when you ask a chatbot a question and get an answer back. That makes the ocean plan a little easier to understand. Training massive AI models requires huge data movement and tight coordination. Answering prompts may be more realistic for a floating node, at least in some situations. AI data centers need huge amounts of electricity. They also need space, cooling systems and local support from communities that may not want a massive facility nearby. Those problems have pushed companies to look for unusual answers. Ocean-based computing is one of them. Panthalassa says its nodes would operate far from shore in wave-rich parts of the ocean. The goal is to use that wave energy directly onboard instead of sending the power back to land. "We've built a technology platform that operates in the planet's most energy-dense wave regions, far from shore, and turns that resource into reliable clean power," said Garth Sheldon-Coulson, Panthalassa's co-founder and CEO. A SUPERCOMPUTER CHIP GOING TO SPACE COULD CHANGE LIFE ON EARTH The ocean also offers cold surrounding water. That could help cool the chips onboard. Cooling is a major issue because data centers produce a lot of heat. Panthalassa is taking a different path from traditional land-based data centers. Instead of pulling more power from the grid, it wants floating nodes that generate their own electricity from waves. A SUPERCOMPUTER CHIP GOING TO SPACE COULD CHANGE LIFE ON EARTH The ocean may help with power and cooling, but it creates another problem: connection. Traditional data centers rely on high-capacity fiber-optic connections because they need to move huge amounts of data fast. A floating node far out at sea may depend on low-Earth-orbit satellite links. That can work for some AI responses, but it may be slower and more limited than fiber. SOLAR DEVICE TRANSFORMS USED TIRES TO HELP PURIFY WATER SO THAT IT'S DRINKABLE The challenge grows when multiple nodes need to work together. AI systems often depend on fast communication between chips, servers and storage. If those parts are floating in the ocean and talking by satellite, coordination gets harder. That means AI data centers at sea may not replace land-based data centers anytime soon. They may be better suited for certain AI tasks where the model can live onboard, and the response does not require constant back-and-forth with other machines. There is another practical question: What happens when something breaks? A land-based data center can send in technicians. A floating AI node in rough seas may need a ship, special equipment and the right weather window. That adds cost and delay. Panthalassa says it is developing autonomous systems meant for harsh ocean conditions. Its press release says Ocean-3 testing is meant to demonstrate AI inference and refine manufacturing before commercial deployments in 2027. Still, the ocean is brutal. Saltwater eats away at equipment. Storms can turn a routine repair into a major operation. Constant motion also puts stress on the hardware. For this plan to work, Panthalassa will have to show that each node can keep running for years in harsh ocean conditions without frequent human repairs. WHY AI IS CAUSING SUMMER ELECTRICITY BILLS TO SOAR Ocean data centers are not new. Microsoft experimented with underwater data center servers through Project Natick, including tests in 2015 and 2018. Those tests showed that sealed underwater servers could run reliably while using seawater for cooling, with Microsoft reporting a lower failure rate than comparable land-based systems. Microsoft later ended the project. Chinese companies have also reportedly pushed ahead with underwater data center projects near Hainan and Shanghai. Keppel has explored floating data center designs in Singapore, where land constraints make the concept especially attractive. Panthalassa's plan goes in a different direction. It combines wave power with onboard AI chips and satellite-based results. It also depends on floating nodes that would need to operate far from the kind of support a normal data center gets. That is why the idea is getting attention. It is also why skepticism is fair. FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: SCAMMERS CAN EXPLOIT YOUR DATA FROM JUST 1 CHATGPT SEARCH For now, this will not change how your phone or computer works. You will not suddenly see a "powered by ocean waves" label on your favorite AI app. But the bigger picture affects everyone. AI needs an incredible amount of electricity. As more companies add AI tools to their products, they need more places to run those systems. That pressure can affect energy grids, water use, local battles over new data centers and even your utility bills over time. Panthalassa argues its approach could reduce the need for new data centers and power plants on land. That could ease pressure on local communities and the grid, but the company still has to prove the system can work reliably at sea. If ocean-based AI moves beyond testing, it could also raise fresh questions about marine maintenance, environmental oversight and who controls computing infrastructure in international waters. Take my quiz: How safe is your online security? Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com Everyone is using AI on their phones and computers these days, but the heavy lifting often happens in huge data centers behind the scenes. That is why Panthalassa's ocean plan is getting attention. The company wants to use waves for power and seawater for cooling. The hard part is proving that floating AI nodes can survive rough seas, limited satellite links and complicated maintenance. If Panthalassa can pull it off, ocean-based AI could become part of the tech we use every day. If it cannot, it may show just how difficult it is to keep feeding AI's growing demand for power. If this kind of ocean-powered AI takes off, would you worry about what these floating nodes could mean for our oceans? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0711e4a200899a00eba1df TANVI RATNA: How Trump’s NATO reset is becoming military reality te 2026-05-15T12:30:28.051Z TANVI RATNA: How Trump’s NATO reset is becoming military reality For decades, if Europe faced a major war, the hidden assumption was not just that America would show up. It was that America would organize the fight. The United States would provide the top commanders, the logistics, the intelligence, the airpower, the nuclear umbrella, the reinforcement routes, the satellites, the refueling aircraft and the command networks that made NATO work when things got real. European allies contributed forces and geography, but the American machine held the alliance together. That is changing. TRUMP EFFECT FORCES GERMANY TO REPRIORITIZE DEFENSE AS NATION PLAYS CATCH-UP IN MILITARY SPENDING Trump’s NATO reset is no longer just a demand that Europe spend more money. It is becoming a change in who plans the fight, who moves the forces, who covers the flanks, and who supplies the weapons Europe would need if the next crisis arrives while Washington is focused elsewhere. I previously argued in this space that the 2026 National Defense Strategy put the new bargain in writing: Europe remains allied with the United States, but it no longer gets to be the first claim on American military capacity. Iran made that prioritization visible faster than Europe expected. Now the military machinery is moving. NATO SECRETARY GENERAL SAYS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE TO DO 'MUCH, MUCH MORE' TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING The most important evidence is NATO’s command map. In February 2026, mere days after the launch of the National Defense strategy, NATO allies agreed to redistribute senior command roles so that for the first time, not Americans but Europeans moved into leadership of all three major Joint Force Commands: Norfolk, Naples and Brunssum. The United Kingdom is slated for Norfolk, Italy for Naples and Germany and Poland for Brunssum. For context, a Joint Force Command is the war-planning layer between political decisions and battlefield execution. If Russia pressures the Baltics, if the Mediterranean erupts, or if reinforcements have to cross the Atlantic, these headquarters matter because they organize the campaign. They decide how the theater is run: where forces go, what gets reinforced first, and how land, air, sea, cyber and logistics are coordinated in a crisis. Moving Europeans into all three is therefore not a staffing shuffle. It is Europe being moved into responsibility for the actual conduct of regional war. 'PUTIN IS PUSHING THE LIMITS’: EASTERN ALLIES WARN TRUMP NOT TO PULL US TROOPS Brunssum is the Eastern Flank command closest to Russia. In practical terms, that means Poland, the Baltics, the Suwałki Gap and any serious Russia contingency. Germany and Poland moving into leadership there matters because Poland is no longer only the frontline country warning Western Europe about Moscow, spending heavily on tanks, and serving as Ukraine’s logistics hub. It is being pulled into NATO’s operational core. Naples is the Southern Flank command closest to the Gulf region and Africa. That means the Mediterranean, the Balkans, North Africa, migration pressure, Red Sea disruption, energy routes and Middle East spillover. Italy’s elevation matters because Iran showed that the southern theater is no longer secondary. A Gulf crisis can hit European shipping, fuel prices, naval deployments and NATO politics almost instantly. Norfolk is the Atlantic and High North command. It protects the reinforcement artery between North America and Europe. If American or Canadian forces have to cross the Atlantic to reinforce Europe, Norfolk matters. It also links the Arctic, the Nordics and the North Atlantic sea lanes. EUROPEAN OFFICIALS PITCH NEW IDEA TO SHORE UP DEFENSES WITH TRUMP'S RETURN This is a new military map of Europe. The old political map was Paris, Berlin and Brussels. The emerging military map is Poland on the Eastern Flank, Italy in the Mediterranean, Britain on the Atlantic artery, Germany as the logistics and industrial base, and the Nordics tied into the High North and Baltic theater. But Washington is not giving Europe the whole machine. ‘MAKE NATO GREAT AGAIN’: HEGSETH PUSHES EUROPEAN ALLIES TO STEP UP DEFENSE EFFORTS The United States keeps SACEUR, the top NATO military command, and the commands that integrate air, land and maritime power. That means Europe is being asked to run more of the regional fight, while America keeps the pieces that decide capabilities and whether the fight can be sustained, escalated, reinforced and won. That is exactly what a Trump NATO reset looks like in practice. Europe gets more of the commands and America keeps the system. The force posture is starting to follow the same logic. The planned withdrawal of about 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany is not just a headcount story. The drawdown reportedly affects a brigade combat team added after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and cancels a planned long-range fires battalion with Tomahawk missiles that German officials viewed as a deterrent against Russia. HEGSETH WARNS EUROPEANS 'REALITIES' OF CHINA AND BORDER THREATS PREVENT US FROM GUARANTEEING THEIR SECURITY That matters. A brigade combat team is combat power. Long-range fires are what allow a force to strike deep targets, command posts, air defenses and logistics nodes before they hit NATO troops. These are exactly the kinds of capabilities Europe long assumed America would provide in a serious contingency. Pulling them back tells Europe the new strategy is not paperwork but serious. NATO’s exercise schedule points in the same direction. The drills are not random. They show the wars NATO thinks it may have to fight. Exercise Steadfast Dart 26 involved more than 10,000 troops from 13 member states and tested rapid deployment and sustainment of the Allied Reaction Force in Brunssum’s area of responsibility. Translation: can NATO move forces quickly into the Eastern Flank before a Russian crisis becomes a disaster? Amber Shock 26 put roughly 3,500 troops and heavy equipment into the crucial Suwałki Gap with Russia to practice movement and logistics in one of Europe’s most dangerous corridors. Cold Response 2026 brought about 30,000 troops from 14 allies across Norway and Finland, tied to the High North problem in the Arctic theater against Russia. NATO CHIEF SIGNALS ALLIES MAY ACT ON HORMUZ, WARNS OF ‘UNHEALTHY CODEPENDENCE’ ON US The Strait of Hormuz was not Europe’s battlefield, but Europe was exposed. Oil, LNG, shipping insurance, industrial costs and inflation all depend on maritime security. When Washington pushed allies to help police the strait, Europe faced a real military question: could it help secure an energy artery when America was busy elsewhere? The EU’s Operation Aspides had supported more than 640 merchant vessels in its first year, including more than 370 close-protection escorts. But it operated with only a handful of high-end European ships. When Hormuz became the crisis point, EU ministers had no appetite to extend the mission into the strait, even while acknowledging Aspides lacked enough naval assets. That was not just political caution. It exposed the mechanics of European power: too few ships, narrow mandates, legal constraints and limited appetite for risk. BRETT VELICOVICH: IRAN BUILT A DRONE TERROR MACHINE — AMERICA JUST HACKED IT Iran did not create the NATO reset. It showed why the reset has urgency. Europe is now building around the gaps the old bargain allowed it to avoid. Air and missile defense is one example. Europe is expanding initiatives such as European Sky Shield and signing contracts for systems like IRIS-T SLM. But serious air and missile defense depth could take five to ten years, and some deliveries run toward 2028 to 2030. Drones show the same gap. Europe is launching drone and counter-drone initiatives, including cooperation with Ukraine, but there is still limited evidence of European mass production on the scale Ukraine, Russia or Iran have made central to modern war. Ammunition is improving, but the math is brutal. Europe is trying to move from roughly 300,000 shells annually toward 2 million while supporting Ukraine and rebuilding its own stockpiles. Military power is not a press release. It is output per month. The most revealing dependency may be above the battlefield. Europe can get more command responsibility, but it still relies heavily on the American layer that makes command effective. That is why spending alone is not the story. Europe can spend more and still fail if the money buys fragmented national arsenals instead of one usable military machine. Collaborative procurement was only 18 percent of EU defense investment in 2022, far below the 35 percent benchmark. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, urgent buying flowed heavily to non-European suppliers. In plain terms, Europe has to stop building 27 separate shopping carts and start building a war machine. That is the next phase of Trump’s NATO reset. He got Europe to spend. Now Europe has to convert spending into hard power: air defense, drones, shells, ships, logistics, space assets and industrial surge. The important point though is that what Trump foreshadowed is now happening. The Pentagon formalized it. NATO’s command map is changing. The old NATO bargain made America the automatic first responder in Europe. The new bargain gives Europe more command responsibility and more of the conventional burden, while America keeps the strategic levers. That is Trump’s NATO reset becoming military reality. This article is a Fox News Digital exclusive from the Tanvi Ratna’s Substack series on different theaters President Trump is realigning with the Iran War. CLICK FOR MORE FROM TANVI RATNA Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a070f9fa200899a00eba14e How Trump handed the Democrats a gift by seeming to dismiss financial worries of Americans te 2026-05-15T12:20:47.508Z How Trump handed the Democrats a gift by seeming to dismiss financial worries of Americans The speaker of the House is trying to rescue the President of the United States from a bad blunder. Or, to put it in layman’s terms, "Cleanup on Aisle 3!" In what can only be viewed by Democrats as a gift-wrapped present from the political gods — and which you will hear repeated thousands of times before November — Donald Trump appeared to blow off concerns about the financial struggles of his fellow citizens. Mike Johnson began: "I don’t know the context in which he made that comment–" Hold on. When a seasoned lawmaker begins that way — even though the offending words were said on camera and already blasted around the world — he is saying he doesn’t want to answer the question. He wants to immediately pivot to his spin. TRUMP PROMISED LOWER COSTS; THE IRAN CONFLICT NOW THREATENS THAT PLEDGE  A quick recap for those living without electricity: Donald Trump, who spends more hours talking to journalists than any president in history, had committed a linguistic felony. He is usually immune to such missteps by reframing the question, which all pols have some basic ability to do. Before he left for China, a reporter asked whether he was motivated to make a deal with Iran because of "Americans’ financial situations." "Not even a little bit," Trump said — and he didn’t stop there. "The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all." That’s where he stepped in it. Trump repeated the negative premise in a complete sound bite, rather than focusing solely on nukes. The Johnson explanation: "I can tell you the president thinks about Americans’ financial situations. I talk to him on average twice a day, sometimes three or four times a day, and we talk about it constantly. He is laser-focused on trying to resolve the conflict in Iran. Because if we get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, that will alleviate pressure on gas prices and other things in the economy." Message: He cares. TRUMP TORCHES DEMS' 'FAKE AFFORDABILITY' PITCH – BUT GOP PANIC IN DEEP RED STATE HINTS VOTERS AREN'T BUYING IT Which is reminiscent of George H.W. Bush (who had a tendency to read his talking points) saying after winning the Persian Gulf War, in response to criticism that he was too focused on policy: "Message–I care." The Louisiana congressman did try to convey that message without contradicting what Trump had actually said. Now you could argue that Trump was just being ham-handed, that he was trying to convey that nothing was more important to him than stopping the Iranians on the nuclear front. But in recent weeks, the president has talked a great deal about his White House ballroom. He has said Barack Obama should be imprisoned over what happened in 2016. He has continued his retribution campaign against political enemies, especially James Comey, who he’s called a "dirty cop" and against whom he orchestrated the "seashell" indictment after a previous one was thrown out of court. None of this broadcasts a message of affordability, especially with soaring prices on such items as beef, coffee and tomatoes. MIKE JOHNSON SAYS HOUSE GOP WORKING FULL STEAM AHEAD ON TRUMP'S 'AFFORDABILITY AGENDA' In his comments the other day, Johnson turned to a favorite Trump punching bag. He said they were trying "to reverse the inflation of the Biden years that was at a 40-year high." Small problem. The annual inflation rate was just announced at 3.8 percent for April, eliciting gasps from some TV economists.  The president did draw support from an unexpected source: John Fetterman. The Democratic senator told Fox News this his stance is rooted in his support for Israel and Trump being the first president to take on the terrorist state of Iran. "I mean, he said  something that got clipped, saying, ‘I’m not thinking about American people financially.’ But what he really was saying, what he did say is like, ‘I am really thinking that we can’t ever let Iran building a bomb’.’  It didn’t get "clipped" by most media outlets. But I’m sure Trump appreciated Fetterman’s vote against invoking the War Powers Act, which would have required Hill approval before the war could continue–especially with three Republicans breaking ranks with their party. No president can single-handedly turn around the economic ship of state. Even with Trump’s pick, Kevin Warsh, confirmed as Fed chairman, there’s no guarantee that interest rates will quickly be cut, despite a long lobbying campaign by the president. And he certainly didn’t help himself with his ill-chosen words. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a070f87a200899a00eba108 Osaurus brings both local and cloud AI models to your Mac te 2026-05-15T12:20:23.506Z Osaurus brings both local and cloud AI models to your Mac Osaurus combines local and cloud AI models in a Mac app that keeps users’ memory, files, and tools on their own hardware. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a070d48a200899a00eba0b4 30,000 angry Red Sox fans send blunt message to owner during another embarrassing loss te 2026-05-15T12:10:48.427Z 30,000 angry Red Sox fans send blunt message to owner during another embarrassing loss It's been two weeks since the Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora and five other coaches in a desperate move to save a sinking ship, so let's go ahead and check in on the club and see how much they've turned it around. You ready? OK! Get your calculators out ... In the 16 games since Boston axed Cora, the team has turned into an absolute juggernaut, going ... 8-8. That's right. 8-8! They are just as mediocre now as they were weeks ago, which shouldn't surprise anyone with eyeballs and half a brain. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! I've said for months now that this team is awful. I've ripped them, mocked them and begged the owner to sell the team. And I've had angry fans email me calling me all sorts of names because I was too mean and nasty to their beloved Red Sox. Well, they've gone 8-8 since Cora's firing, and stink just as bad today as they did two weeks ago. The latest embarrassment came in Thursday's loss to Philadelphia, when Trevor Story (awful) made another horrendous error late in the game that led to the third and final run of the inning for the Phillies. TREVOR STORY QUESTIONS RED SOX'S DIRECTION AFTER FIRING MANAGER ALEX CORA, FIVE COACHES: 'UP IN THE AIR' Fans, rightfully so, were furious, and they let owner John Henry hear about it from his cozy suite overlooking Fenway Park: It's just so pathetic. The organization is so cooked. Anyone who thought firing Alex Cora was going to fix a thing is just insane. I had one reader actually email me and tell me it was a blessing because now the minor league guys were going to come in and save the day. Seriously. Nobody is saving the day, folks. Not until John Henry listens to the fans and sells the team. That's the reality of the Red Sox right now. The experiment has failed. It's all just failed. They tried to become the Rays when they traded Mookie Betts six years ago. They wanted to focus on the farm system and saving money. They didn't want to pay big taxes anymore for spending too much money. And it's completely crashed and burned. All of it. They've finished near or at the bottom of the AL East in all but two seasons since 2020, and one of those (2021) was a fluke. They're headed that way again this season, by the way. They traded guys like Rafael Devers and Mookie Betts. They watched cornerstones like Xander Bogaerts walk in free agency. They refused to engage with Alex Bregman last year when he wanted to talk about an extension. Now, Bregman and the Cubs are 28-16 while the Red Sox are 18-25 and his "replacement," Caleb Durbin, might be the worst player I've ever seen wear a Red Sox uniform. Roman Anthony, the top prospect in baseball last season, is hurt right now. Before he got hurt, he was awful. Truly dreadful. The regression has been shocking. Jarren Duran, who fans BEGGED Craig Breslow to trade last offseason, hasn't hit since 2024. He's currently hitting .178 and part of a logjam in the outfield because the GM refused to deal any of them last winter. Trevor Story is hitting .206 with 57 (!!!) strikeouts this season. That's tied for eighth-most in all of baseball. He's committed the fourth-most errors (5) out of all qualified shortstops. This was supposed to be the team "leader" after they sent Bregman packing. Nice work. I could go on and on. Believe me. For now, though, the fans did all the talking last night at Fenway. Sadly, it won't be enough. The next step? Stop showing up altogether. Hit Henry where it hurts the most. That's the only option. Chants are cute, but they fall on deaf ears while you hold a $15 Michelob Ultra. Should be a fun summer at Fenway! Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a070d34a200899a00eba0ab Ancient artifacts found beneath Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as one mystery still stumps researchers te 2026-05-15T12:10:28.682Z Ancient artifacts found beneath Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as one mystery still stumps researchers Florida students are uncovering remnants of the past in a place many associate with the future: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. University of Central Florida students and faculty are currently excavating the DeSoto site at Cape Canaveral, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The site dates back to the Malabar II Period, which lasted from roughly 900 to 1565 A.D. It consists of black earth midden deposits — meaning it sits atop layers of ancient refuse. ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER REMNANTS OF FLORIDA'S SHORT-LIVED BRITISH PAST IN ST. AUGUSTINE: 'ALWAYS FASCINATING' Middens "contain the garbage that people left behind after undertaking their daily tasks," said Sarah "Stacy" Barber, an anthropology professor at the University of Central Florida. Barber told Fox News Digital that "obtaining and preparing food" was an important daily activity for the people who lived there. "They didn’t farm, although research by Neil Duncan has shown that at least some people in the region had access to ground corn, which was being farmed by the Indigenous people of North Florida," she said. Instead of farming, Native Americans in the area largely relied on local resources, though some people in the region had access to imported foods such as corn and beans. ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER CENTURIES-OLD SHIPWRECK BENEATH HISTORIC CITY: 'UNIQUE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE' They also dined on seafood, including shark, fish, clams and other local species — remains of which have turned up in the midden. "We have found the refuse of many dozens of meals," she said. "We know from our finds this year at DeSoto that turtles, shark, black drum, and coquina clams were on the menu." Barber added, "So, ancient people fished the lagoon and the beachfront. Once we can add in the plant remains, which take longer to process in a lab, we’ll know whether these animals were supplemented with plant foods like acorns and greenbriar." ARCHAEOLOGISTS STUMPED BY STRANGE ALIEN-LIKE FIGURINE DATING BACK 7,000 YEARS: 'RAISES QUESTIONS' The professor said there is even evidence of seasonings — suggesting ancient people "spiced up their food just like we do." "We have made a number of really interesting finds this year," she said. Those finds include the "complete vertebral column of a shark," which the Native Americans would have eaten, as well as "something that is either a fossil or a whale bone near the shark." The anthropologist said the unidentified object "has really stumped us." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER "We look forward to figuring out what that is," she said. Archaeologists have also found hundreds of pottery sherds, as well as "the remnants of at least one hearth where food was likely cooked." Barber added that samples still need to be sent to an outside lab for radiocarbon dating. At the site, archaeologists also found tools such as conch shell hammers and shark tooth knives used to prepare food. CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES Researchers say the remains show that Indigenous people made deliberate choices about what they ate, with shark remains found at the site but little evidence that dolphins were hunted. Finds suggest the Native Americans relied largely on local resources for centuries, while also having contact with other tribes. "The Indigenous people of Cape Canaveral lived in relatively dense communities and relied 100% on locally obtained food," Barber said. "They did it for thousands of years, and they didn’t put the kind of stress on the local environment that we have in far less time." TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ Rather than living hand-to-mouth, Barber said the community was well-connected and far from isolated. "Our sites show an abundance and diversity of food, time to produce pottery when needed, and the opportunity to either travel or interact with people in distant regions," she said. "It was probably a comfortable, beachfront lifestyle." Above all, Barber said the excavations show how the past and present can exist side by side. "There are few places in the world highlighting the role of the past in the present than somewhere like Cape Canaveral, where the future of space flight literally sits atop and among Native American landscapes," she said. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a070883a200899a00eb9f7d Trump departs China after touting trade deals, agreement with Xi on Iran and more top headlines te 2026-05-15T11:50:27.942Z Trump departs China after touting trade deals, agreement with Xi on Iran and more top headlines 1. Trump departs China after touting trade deals, agreement with Xi on Iran 2. Trump says China's Xi Jinping offered to help end Iran conflict  3. Demi Moore accused of spreading ‘fascist propaganda’ HUNTING GROUNDS — Criminal profiler reveals 'extremely rare' red flag in case of suspected serial killer migrant in Texas. Continue reading … 'THUCYDIDES TRAP' — Trump responds to Xi's reported comments about America's decline. Continue reading … FOLLOW THE MONEY — $1B leftist network behind coordinated global anti-Israel rallies exposed. Continue reading … DORM DANGER — America's top party school rocked by reported sexual assault in campus housing. Continue reading … GOLDEN YEARS — How much money it takes to retire comfortably in every state in America. Continue reading … -- HOUSE DIVIDED — GOP can't agree on key part of Trump's housing affordability push as impasse continues. Continue reading … ISLAND TENSION — CIA chief tells Cuba the US ready to engage if regime makes major changes. Continue reading … WALLET SQUEEZE — Senate votes to throw its own paychecks into escrow during shutdowns. Continue reading … POWER TO PARENTS — Education Secretary McMahon touts Trump admin record of 'education renewal.' Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons…   FACT-CHECKED LIVE — Conservative radio host corners 'The View' panelist over Duffy attack on air. Continue reading … BRAINSTORM BACKFIRE — Kamala Harris goes viral after controversial 'no bad ideas' session on livestream. Continue reading … FRIENDLY FIRE — Carville warns Democrats anti-Israel ‘loudmouths’ could cost elections. Continue reading … POWER PLAY — Rubio warns America must 'stay ahead of the curve' as China works to surpass the US with stolen tech. Continue reading … REP. YOUNG KIM — The CCP controls the most intimate elements of our life. Most Americans have no idea. Continue reading …  ANNE SCHLAFLY — Phyllis Schlafly was right: America must put babies and mothers first. Continue reading … -- PAY TO PLAY — Wisconsin senator says 'enough is enough' after NFL puts Packers holiday game behind Netflix paywall. Continue reading … GROUNDS FOR CHANGE — Scientists used electricity on coffee and discovered what makes it taste good. Continue reading … DIGITAL'S NEWS QUIZ — Which official blew the whistle on COVID-19 origins? What town is losing its last casino? Take the quiz here … EXPLOSIVE RELICS — Ancient artifacts found beneath Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as one mystery still stumps researchers. Continue reading … FIRSTHAND LOOK — Take a peek inside the hantavirus quarantine unit at University of Nebraska Medical Center. See video ... PRESIDENT TRUMP — There are no games with President Xi. See video … RET. GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE — Xi is trying to pull a veil over support for Iran. See video … Tune in for a closer look at a new investigation into the mysterious deaths and disappearances of U.S. scientists tied to nuclear, defense, and aerospace work. Check it out ... What's it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading…   Facebook Instagram YouTube Twitter LinkedIn      Fox News First Fox News Opinion Fox News Lifestyle Fox News Entertainment (FOX411) Fox Business Fox Weather Fox Sports Tubi Fox News Go Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07062ea200899a00eb9ee8 Fox News Digital's News Quiz: May 15, 2026 te 2026-05-15T11:40:30.207Z Fox News Digital's News Quiz: May 15, 2026 Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz, a former government official blowing the whistle on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a town that's losing it's last casino. Looking for another challenge? Reality star Spencer Pratt and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass engaged in a heated mayoral debate, and a lawsuit over "tomato fraud" were featured in last week's News Quiz. Test your knowledge of party pours, Hollywood hurdles and more in this week's American Culture Quiz. If you're looking to play even more, you can find all of our quizzes by clicking here. Check back next week for the latest News Quiz from Fox News Digital. Thanks for playing! Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0703cfa200899a00eb9e0c Indian Uber rival Rapido raises $240M at $3B valuation te 2026-05-15T11:30:23.203Z Indian Uber rival Rapido raises $240M at $3B valuation Rapido has driven its growth by enabling ride-hailing for lower-cost and more flexible modes of transport such as motorbikes and autorickshaws. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a07017aa200899a00eb9dac Hollywood director rips 'smug' White liberals, says 'no group is worse' te 2026-05-15T11:20:26.707Z Hollywood director rips 'smug' White liberals, says 'no group is worse' Hollywood director Adam McKay unloaded on White liberals during an interview on Wednesday in a fiery critique of the Democratic Party. "I could go on with a list of 400 things, the same party that kept healthcare private," McKay told host Jesse Damiani during his "Urgent Futures" podcast after railing against prominent Democratic Party members. "That, you know, on and on and on. And it was like, we are being hit with the high grade marketing and no group is worse than White liberals." "I mean, they are the worst. I've tried to talk to them about climate. They are so smug and captured. And really, it boils down to privilege. I mean, when you talk to White money liberals, they're getting a lot from this broken system. So at some point, I realized these are bad-faith arguments and conversations," he said. McKay said he couldn't support a party that didn't back universal healthcare. FETTERMAN TORCHES DEMOCRAT PARTY IN NEW BOOK: 'ELITIST,' 'LOST TOUCH' WITH WORKING CLASS "You can't support a party that doesn't want universal healthcare. The Democrats don't have that in their party platform. Kamala, Hillary never brought it up. If you were in like Norway or France or Australia. And you were like, we don't need universal healthcare. People would be like, 'You are a Nazi,'" he said. McKay continued, "Like even the neo-Nazi parties in Europe don't campaign against nationalized healthcare. So I think the U.S. is essentially an island country and no group of people has, you know, heads full of bees more than White liberals. Like, I've heard the craziest s--- from White liberals." McKay argued that White liberals benefit from the system and only care about their class and social scene. "I almost can say I despise American White liberals," he said. "They are the grossest of the gross." PROGRESSIVE PROFESSOR DITCHES DEMOCRATIC PARTY OVER 'DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC' ISSUE: 'ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH' McKay announced in 2024, following President Donald Trump's election victory, that he would be leaving the Democratic Party. "It is time to abandon the Dem Party," McKay wrote on X at the time. "I’m registering Green Party or Working Families. But am open to ideas." CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE The director ripped the Democratic Party for what he deemed a series of missteps leading up to Election Day, including how it handled former President Biden bowing out of the race to make way for former Vice President Kamala Harris on the ticket. McKay has in recent years championed progressive causes and has donated millions of dollars to fight climate change. His activism has also bled into his work. His movie "Don't Look Up," for instance, served as a critique of a lack of action when it comes to protecting the environment. The 2021 satire film centered on two scientists who tried in vain to warn the world about a planet-destroying comet. McKay claimed in December 2024 that "America has never been more right wing and propagandized," after predicting that the film "Wicked" would eventually get canceled. "On a pure storytelling level, 'Wicked Part 1' is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made," McKay posted on X. Fox News' Cortney O'Brien contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06ff38a200899a00eb9d19 Trump tries to cut blue-state Medicaid fraud and save more green te 2026-05-15T11:10:48.242Z Trump tries to cut blue-state Medicaid fraud and save more green Just how bad is Medicaid fraud? Six months ago, Minnesota dominated the news for losing an estimated $9 billion to thieves since 2018. Yet now the federal government is saying that medical providers are likely fraudulently billing about $100 billion every year. The good news is that the Trump administration is now fighting to close what is likely one of the biggest loopholes behind this unprecedented theft of taxpayer money. On April 21, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — Dr. Mehmet Oz — announced that his agency will require states to develop stronger plans to review their Medicaid providers. Nationwide, there are millions of such providers, and by law, states must revalidate their enrollment in the program at least every five years. Through this process, states check providers’ medical licenses and confirm their compliance with all relevant state and federal laws. Revalidation is expressly designed to prevent fraudsters from cheating taxpayers.  But states are failing this basic job. My organization has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to 48 states and D.C., seeking their data on how many Medicaid providers have been revalidated. Roughly two-thirds of states haven’t responded at all, while still others provided partial responses with useless data. Still, among those few states that have taken our request seriously, the data they provided points to a deeply concerning nationwide trend. READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD Consider Georgia. The state has a record of 374,774 Medicaid providers, yet roughly 21,000 are longstanding providers that haven’t been revalidated in the past five years. Things are far worse in Illinois. Of the 222,000 Medicaid providers in the state, more than 25% have gone longer than five years without proving the validity of their participation in the program. One Illinois provider hasn’t been revalidated in more than nine years. It’s unlikely that all these Medicaid providers are defrauding taxpayers. But without strict state enforcement, fraud inevitably becomes more common. Revalidation looks at license verification, checks providers against death records, flags providers excluded from participating in Medicaid, and otherwise confirms that these providers are who they say they are and do what they say they do. The Trump administration cracked down on 447 hospices in Los Angeles alone for fraudulent billing — the very sort of thing revalidation can identify. Revalidation can also ferret out providers that are banned from practicing in one state yet still bill Medicaid in another state. For example, my organization’s research on the "Little Mogadishu" complex in Minneapolis found multiple healthcare providers that were placed on Minnesota’s Medicaid exclusion list, but not the federal exclusion list. VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 447 HOSPICES IN LOS ANGELES OVER MORE THAN $600M IN SUSPECTED FRAUD One was an adult day care where its license was revoked for 35 violations — including staff failing to interact with patients. Separately, an Inspector General’s report found 12% of all providers terminated for cause in one state were participating in another state’s Medicaid program just months later. Revalidation can even flag providers that are using the identity of someone else — say, a doctor who retired years before. In California, con artists stole the identities of doctors —two of whom were deceased — to fraudulently bill millions for hospice care.  Operation Never Say Die in April 2026 charged multiple individuals for $60 million in fraudulent billings through phantom hospice clinics. When states don’t look into their Medicaid providers, scams like this abound. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION Dr. Oz has given states 30 days to tell his agency how they’ll strengthen their legally required review of Medicaid providers. History shows how urgently necessary this is. Some 1.6 million providers in the separate Medicare program were revalidated in the early 2010s, and more than 500,000 had their status deactivated and another 34,000 had their status revoked altogether, saving taxpayers $2.4 billion. Today, if better provider revalidation prevented even just five percent of improper payments in Medicaid, taxpayers would save billions annually. It remains to be seen how states will respond to the Trump administration’s demands, which are more than justified for the sake of taxpayers. Yet even if governors get serious about revalidation, the five-year timeline is still too long. Over the course of a half-decade, bad actors could easily bilk Medicaid for enormous sums, then rinse and repeat under a different provider name in the same state or somewhere else. It would be far better if states had to review providers every few years. The Trump administration could pursue this via regulation — or better yet, legislation like another reconciliation bill. In the meantime, every state should follow Dr. Oz’s lead and come up with a serious plan to confirm that every single Medicaid provider is above board. Because states have gotten lazy, untold billions of taxpayer dollars have been stolen. The Trump administration is right to demand immediate change, so that the Medicaid fraud crisis doesn’t become even more mind boggling than it already is. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06ff24a200899a00eb9d10 Cancer-related brain fog may improve with 2 simple treatments, scientists say te 2026-05-15T11:10:28.591Z Cancer-related brain fog may improve with 2 simple treatments, scientists say A common over-the-counter medication combined with a home exercise program could help ease cognitive issues for cancer patients. That’s according to a study from the University of Rochester, which tested the effects of physical activity and low-dose ibuprofen on patients receiving chemotherapy treatment. "Chemo brain" (also called chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, or CRCI) is a known side effect of cancer treatment that can affect memory, concentration and multitasking ability. Up to 80% of people who receive chemo experience some degree of cognitive impairment, previous studies have shown. BRAIN AGING MAY ACCELERATE AFTER CANCER TREATMENT, STUDY SUGGESTS Rochester’s phase 2 trial studied 86 adult cancer patients in New York undergoing chemotherapy who were experiencing cognitive problems. The average age was 53 and nearly 89% of participants were women, according to a university press release. Patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group participated in home exercise designed specifically for cancer patients, a second group combined the exercises with ibuprofen (200 milligrams, or one pill, twice a day), the third group took ibuprofen alone and a fourth took a placebo alone. TWO POPULAR TYPES OF EXERCISE COULD REDUCE CANCER GROWTH, STUDY FINDS The exercise program consisted of low to moderate-intensity activity, including progressive walking and training with resistance bands. "This is one of the first studies specifically designed to assess these interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment during chemotherapy in patients with multiple diseases using both performance-based cognitive assessments and patient-reported outcomes," said lead author Michelle C. Janelsins, Ph.D., MPH, of the University of Rochester and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, in the press release. After six weeks, exercise was linked to the clearest improvements in attention and cognitive function, according to input from family and friends. Those in the group who combined exercise and placebo showed better attention levels compared to those who took just a placebo. CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES Participants who took only ibuprofen also showed greater cognitive improvements than the placebo group. The findings suggest that ibuprofen may provide some improvement in cognitive function, although the benefits appeared to be smaller and less consistent than those seen with exercise. This suggests that inflammation may contribute to cancer-related cognitive impairment, and that anti-inflammatory medications could be an effective therapeutic approach. "We are encouraged by the findings of this trial that suggest possible benefits of both interventions for some cognitive domains," Janelsins said. "Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER No adverse side effects were reported during the trial. The findings were published in Cancer, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. There were some limitations of the study, the researchers noted, including the small sample size and short duration. The effects were also not consistent across every measure of cognitive function. As the majority of participants were women, the findings may not be generalized to broader populations. Researchers are planning larger phase 3 trials to confirm whether ibuprofen and exercise can effectively improve chemo-related cognitive impairment. "Since we saw cognitive benefits in some domains and not others, we will also consider additional doses and longer durations in future research trials," said Janelsins. TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ Investigators emphasized that patients should speak with their oncology team before starting ibuprofen or exercise interventions during chemotherapy, as certain treatments or medical conditions could increase the risk of side effects and complications. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06fa9aa200899a00eb9be9 4 NFL teams to invest in and short at the sportsbooks after the 2026 regular-season schedule release show te 2026-05-15T10:51:06.569Z 4 NFL teams to invest in and short at the sportsbooks after the 2026 regular-season schedule release show Time to lock in. For me, the NFL season officially begins after its schedule release show. Because, honestly, betting on regular-season baseball sucks, the NBA Playoffs don't have that many games going on right now, and I don't bet hockey. Instead, I just do deep dives into the roster moves, coaching changes and regression metrics to begin investing in NFL futures. So, in celebration of the NFL's new fiscal year, here are four teams I'm buying stock in or shorting this season. This is an easy fade candidate after winning the NFC South last season with a losing record (8-9), going 7-3 in one-score games, which usually regress year over year (see the Kansas City Chiefs' record in one-score games in 2024 and 2025) and has the third-toughest schedule this season. Plus, every year, five teams that made the playoffs the previous year don’t return to the postseason. However, the Panthers made two huge additions to their defense, including LB Devin Lloyd and pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips, who were Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) fourth- and 15th-ranked free agents. Lloyd was a second-team All-Pro last season and PFF’s third-best linebacker in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins traded Phillips to the Eagles before Week 10 last season, and he made a big impact on Philadelphia’s defense. From Weeks 1-9, the Eagles ranked 17th in defensive EPA/play, per RBSDM.com. After acquiring Phillips, Philly’s defensive EPA/play went to seventh from Weeks 10-18. More importantly, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and I’m a believer in Panthers QB Bryce Young as a franchise quarterback worthy of a second contract. Young was third in fourth-quarter comebacks last season and second in game-winning drives, which is the essence of playing quarterback. Carolina’s offensive line is solid at every position and WR Tetairoa McMillan won the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Between their defensive additions and my hunch that Young will improve, I’ll take the PANTHERS to win the NFC South (+310) again, which is the softest division in the NFL. I might have to eat crow if the Broncos make the playoffs again this season, but I refuse to believe QB Bo Nix, who fractured his ankle in Denver's win over the Buffalo Bills in the 2026 AFC Wild Card Round, is a franchise guy. Frankly, I could just be a hater and stuck on my pre-draft analysis of him because what I wrote about Young’s fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives last season applies to Nix. Regardless, I’m holding the line with my Nix instinct because I just feel like his success is a combo of dumb luck, his surrounding talent and Denver head coach Sean Payton’s smoke-and-mirrors offensive scheme. The Broncos traded for WR Jaylen Waddle this offseason, but he is more of a No. 2 guy than a game-breaker and wide receivers are overrated in terms of impacting wins and losses. Meanwhile, they have a ton of signs pointing toward regression this season, such as its first-place schedule (11th-easiest), above-average injury luck (eighth in "adjusted games lost to injury," per FTN Fantasy), and going an unsustainable 11-2 in one-score games. Denver’s first six games are brutal, too. The Broncos play Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 1, the reigning AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, the Super Bowl 2027 betting favorite Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5 and the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. CHARGERS TROLL THE PATRIOTS IN SCHEDULE RELEASE VIDEO WITH A NOT-SO-SUBTLE VRABEL-RUSSINI REFERENCE Furthermore, the AFC West has two legitimate Super Bowl contenders, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers, both of whom have better odds of winning the division, conference and Lombardi Trophy. Since team win total bets don’t usually come down to a half-game, there is value in their alternate win totals, Under and Over, aka "playing the longtail". And I don’t like laying -110 or worse for a future. Hence, I’m betting BRONCOS UNDER 7.5 ALTERNATE WINS (+280) at DraftKings with the notion that they face-plant this season and Nix gets exposed.  The Titans are +320 to make the playoffs at DraftKings and the Over for their 8.5-alternate win total is +250, which isn’t that much lower. There’s a solid chance they win 9+ games and don’t make the playoffs. Also, if Tennessee wins what I think will be a competitive AFC South this season, between the Titans, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, Saleh’s odds to be the NFL Coach of the Year will close lower than +1000 and the Titans are just +800 to win the division. THE COLTS CHANNELED "THE SIMPSONS" FOR THEIR SCHEDULE RELEASE, AND IT'S A MASTERPIECE That said, I endorse them hiring Saleh to be their head coach, and I like their core: Saleh, first-year offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, QB Cam Ward. It didn’t work for Saleh when he was the New York Jets’ head coach from 2021 to Week 5 of 2024. I’m not holding that against him, though, because the Jets are cursed. If you don’t believe me, ask any NYJ fan; they’ll tell you. Anyway, Saleh is a good defensive coach and that side of the ball wasn't the problem while he was their head coach. His downfall with the Jets was that the organization couldn’t find a quarterback. But Saleh doesn’t have an excuse with the Titans. Ward is his franchise quarterback and Daboll, who also had a bad quarterback in New York, with the Giants. Yet, Daboll won the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year award and at least had a small part in developing Josh Allen when he was the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator from 2018-21. Together, Saleh and Daboll could work. The biggest question is, "How good is Ward?" Well, I’m a shareholder in "Ward as a franchise quarterback" and I’ll buy more of his stock if you’re selling. Ward has 90% arm strength; he’s athletic enough to play the position in 2026, makes throws on the run and plays with his legs. By drafting Carnell Tate fourth in the NFL Draft last month, the Titans are at least trying to get Ward a No. 1 wide receiver. And they signed a solid slot receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson, in free agency. In fact, Tennessee spent the most in free agency this offseason, so Daboll and Saleh got to build a roster that fits their systems. If Ward is who I think he is, Saleh makes their defense league average and Daboll returns to being a good offensive coordinator, the Titans can overperform their betting odds this season.  For the record, I'm betting three-fourths of a unit on Tennessee's alternate win total and the other quarter-unit on Saleh winning NFL Coach of the Year. I’m buying stock in the Vikings signing QB Kyler Murray on a team-friendly deal this offseason after he pretty much busted as the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Murray has something to prove and could get a raise if he has a solid year in Minnesota this season. Sam Darnold is an example of a castoff quarterback who had something to prove and did so with the Vikings. With that in mind, this is a great second chance for Murray, who has a higher ceiling and floor than QB J.J. McCarthy. Murray has made the playoffs once and two Pro Bowl teams. He is one of the elusive runners in football and has a cannon. Whereas the Vikings immediately regretted choosing McCarthy over Darnold last offseason. McCarthy was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league last year and Darnold won a Super Bowl. That’s a tough look and it effectively got their now-former general, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, fired at the end of last season. Nonetheless, Minnesota fourth-year head coach Kevin O’Connell can build a winning team around Murray as his quarterback. O’Connell has a 43-25 career record with 13- and 14-win seasons with Darnold and Kirk Cousins and won the 2024 NFL Coach of the Year award. The Vikings have one of the best pass-catching crews in the NFL, featuring a top-five game-breaker in the business, Justin Jefferson, WRs Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings and TE T.J. Hockenson. Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores is one of the best defensive minds in football and will get another NFL head-coaching job. My biggest concern is the division. The NFC North is the most competitive division in the league and all four teams could win it. The bottom line is that, considering their talent and coaching staff, the Vikings could be the NFL’s "worst to first" team this season and their +550 odds to win the NFC North should be closer to +400.  _____________________________ Follow me on X @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06fa87a200899a00eb9be0 Trump wraps widely-watched trip to China, departing on Air Force One after high-stakes Xi meeting te 2026-05-15T10:50:47.009Z Trump wraps widely-watched trip to China, departing on Air Force One after high-stakes Xi meeting Air Force One lifted off after U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to China where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. The visit between the two leaders occurred amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran, as America continues to conduct a blockade against the Islamic Republic. A White House release about a meeting between Xi and Trump read, in part, "The two sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon." This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06fa73a200899a00eb9bd7 Wisconsin senator says 'enough is enough' after NFL puts Packers holiday game behind Netflix paywall te 2026-05-15T10:50:27.555Z Wisconsin senator says 'enough is enough' after NFL puts Packers holiday game behind Netflix paywall After the National Football League announced its inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game, a U.S. senator was not pleased. The Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams will face off in Inglewood, California, on Thanksgiving Eve, and the game is set to be broadcast exclusively on Netflix. That, of course, requires a paid subscription, which is unacceptable for Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Baldwin last month introduced a bill that would give fans free live broadcasts of their home state's professional sports teams. Shortly after the NFL's announcement, she ripped them. "As the cost of just about everything continues to rise, the NFL is once again asking Wisconsinites to spend their hard-earned money on another streaming service. Enough is enough," Baldwin said in a statement. "My For the Fans Act would stop this exact scenario and prevent Wisconsin families from being forced to pay for Netflix just to watch the Packers play this Thanksgiving." Games played on other streaming sites, or even the NFL Network, have been made available to fans on local television, but Netflix remains an exception. NFL ANNOUNCES THAT INAUGURAL THANKSGIVING EVE GAME BETWEEN PACKERS AND RAMS WILL BE STREAMED ON NETFLIX A few years ago, the NFL realized Black Friday could be an option for fans to gather around their televisions, and it found another as hometown bars will be packed the night before the big holiday. The NFL has dipped its toe into holidays, also becoming the new king of Christmas. Netflix holds the rights to five NFL games in 2026, including the league’s first-ever game in Australia. The streaming service will have five regular-season games as well as the NFL Honors through 2029. It had been carrying two games on Christmas Day since 2024. While Netflix's push into live sports has drawn some criticism, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the strategy is not aimed at securing full-season rights packages for any sports league. "We’re not bidding on whole season of sports, including the NFL," Sarandos told FOX Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" on Tuesday. So far, Sarandos' comments have held true with Netflix prioritizing marquee events, including Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and the New York Yankees' opening-day shutout of the San Francisco Giants. However, federal scrutiny into sports fragmentation has brought the topic of live sports on streaming services to the forefront. Fox News' Chantz Martin and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f8e8a200899a00eb9b71 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Rock Star Dads te 2026-05-15T10:43:52.285Z Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Rock Star Dads (StatePoint) If you have a “rock star” dad, a traditional Father’s Day gift may not strike the right note. For dads who rock, consider these awesome gift ideas instead: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f8d4a200899a00eb9b68 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Rock Star Dads te 2026-05-15T10:43:32.224Z Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Rock Star Dads Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f8c0a200899a00eb9b55 Best Bets: Friday, May 15, 2026 te 2026-05-15T10:43:12.254Z Best Bets: Friday, May 15, 2026 Today Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f8aca200899a00eb9b4c Davis Dam releases for May 15 te 2026-05-15T10:42:52.558Z Davis Dam releases for May 15 Saturday Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f898a200899a00eb9b43 Gas prices May 15 te 2026-05-15T10:42:32.856Z Gas prices May 15 National average: $4.51 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f885a200899a00eb9b3a Arizona lottery results for Friday, May 15, 2026 te 2026-05-15T10:42:13.246Z Arizona lottery results for Friday, May 15, 2026 Powerball - May 11 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f871a200899a00eb9b31 Today's poll: Should Arizona keep universal school vouchers if it adds stricter spending oversight? te 2026-05-15T10:41:53.166Z Today's poll: Should Arizona keep universal school vouchers if it adds stricter spending oversight? Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f85da200899a00eb9b28 Our View: School choice needs rules taxpayers can trust te 2026-05-15T10:41:33.022Z Our View: School choice needs rules taxpayers can trust Arizona voters should not have to choose between school choice and basic accountability. They should expect both. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f848a200899a00eb9b1f Arizona police say bone found near Nancy Guthrie home is ‘prehistoric’ te 2026-05-15T10:41:12.957Z Arizona police say bone found near Nancy Guthrie home is ‘prehistoric’ “Mixed DNA” that was found outside Guthrie's home is still being tested. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f82ea200899a00eb9ae0 Israel, Jews targeted worldwide as well-funded leftist, Islamist groups join for ‘Nakba 78’ protests te 2026-05-15T10:40:46.850Z Israel, Jews targeted worldwide as well-funded leftist, Islamist groups join for ‘Nakba 78’ protests A global network of anti-Israel activist groups is mobilizing coordinated "Nakba 78" protests across the United States and around the world today, with organizers using the anniversary of Israel’s founding to challenge the Jewish state’s right to exist. A Fox News Digital investigation found that about 425 organizations — including communist groups, Muslim advocacy organizations and anti-Israel activist coalitions attributed with blatant antisemitism — are working together in a coordinated transnational protest network with a combined funding footprint of about $1 billion in annual revenues. The groups have organized an estimated 736 events across 39 countries this weekend in locations including New York , Chicago, Los Angeles, London and Sydney, according to an analysis of protests listed at a website organizing actions against Israel. Organizers describe the demonstrations as marking the "Nakba," an Arabic word for "catastrophe" used by Palestinians to describe the founding of Israel on May 14, 1948, the displacement of Palestinians and their historical grievance. The "Nakba 78" protests reflect a "sinful marriage between the radical left and radical Islamism, the groups that hate Western liberal democracies and desire to destroy them," Dalia Ziada, a Middle East scholar and Washington, D.C.-based coordinator at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, told Fox News Digital. 500 GROUPS WITH $3B IN REVENUES ARE BEHIND THE #NOKINGS PROTESTS AND COMMUNIST CALL FOR 'REVOLUTION' Critics say that the coordinated organizing of the mass protests reveals a global antisemitic movement that presents itself as humanitarian while mainstreaming rhetoric that denies Jewish self-determination and the right of Israel to exist as a state. SHANGHAI SABOTAGE: INSIDE SINGHAM'S SECRET STRATEGY TO DEMONIZE AMERICA In New York City yesterday, the People’s Forum, a pro-communist activist hub and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, funded by a Marxist tech mogul, Neville Roy Singham, made signs at an "art build" for a protest today against the "ongoing Nakba." Their Marxist comrades within the Party for Socialism and Liberation are fanning out across the country to rail against Israel’s existence. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR SYNAGOGUE Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a member of the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees, told Fox News Digital that she is very concerned about the Chinese Communist Party and its sympathizers using the U.S. nonprofit industry to create an infrastructure to pull people together to undermine the United States. "One of the things we know about the Singham group and about the Chinese Communist Party is they are going to look for a fellow bad actor… and they're going to try to partner with them in causing chaos in our cities," Blackburn said. CHINA'S AMERICAN MAO: INSIDE SINGHAM’S BLUEPRINT TO ‘WAGE WAR' FOR A 'NEW WORLD ORDER' Blackburn added that such efforts are part of a broader strategy. "There is no limit to what the Chinese Communist Party will do to create chaos in the United States,": she said. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A 'REVOLUTIONARY BASE' AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM Over almost a decade, Singham has funneled $278 million into a network of nonprofits, including the People’s Forum, CodePink and BreakThrough BT Media, which have organized a steady wave of anti-Israel protests in the United States, particularly after the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis by Hamas militants, and they are now supporting this year’s "Nakba 78" protests.  A Fox News Digital investigation identified the flow of Singham’s money into nonprofits promoting the propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party, and U.S. Treasury, Justice, State Department officials are investigating their funding structures and operations in the U.S. Lawmakers in the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees are also investigating the Singham network and the nonprofits it supports for possibly violating laws that require agents of foreign interests to register with the Justice Department, as well as other possible improprieties. ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS TERRORIZE AMERICANS: SEE 2024'S MOST EXTREME MOMENTS A Fox News Digital investigation of mobilization materials, social media posts, event graphics, coalition lists and public announcements found that the "Nakba 78" campaign isn’t about a ceasefire to conflicts or a two-state solution, but the dismantling of the state of Israel itself. The U.S. is the No. 1 hub for events with 187 events, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Canada, Spain, France, Ireland and Australia, all countries with organized Muslim and Palestinian diaspora communities. Organizers say they are standing against "genocide," "apartheid’ and U.S. "imperialism." MAY DAY PROTESTS ACROSS EUROPE AND ASIA TURN INTO ANTI-AMERICAN, ANTI-ISRAEL POLITICAL BATTLEGROUNDS In the San Francisco Bay Area, University of California, Berkeley lecturer Hatem Bazian is slated to speak at a three-day "Islam, Memory and the Nakba" conference in Burlingame, Oakland and Los Gatos. In Brooklyn, activists with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Al-Awda and Within Our Lifetime are continuing a "Nakba Week of Action" that included violent protests directed at Jews at Manhattan's Park East Synagogue and Brooklyn's Young Israel of Midwood earlier this week. In London, police are preparing for a major "Nakba 78" march amid warnings about hate speech and public disorder. In Sydney, activists are calling demonstrators to town hall for a protest declaring, "Stop the Genocide! Free Palestine!"  FIRST ON FOX: POWERFUL HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS CHAIR THROWS HAMMER DOWN ON 'FOREIGN-ALIGNED INFLUENCE NETWORK' Fox News Digital used a large-language model to analyze scores of "Nakba 78" protest literature and found that 85% of the protest language repeatedly parrots the language of U.S. adversaries, framing the United States as a "fascist" and "imperialist" nation and Israel as a "genocidal settler state," a "Zionist entity," a "Zionist project" and part of a "grand settler-colonial design," erasing any use of the country’s name. The other 15% frame the protests as "solidarity with Palestine." The organizers’ materials call for "Unity, Liberation, Return," an arms embargo and end to U.S. aid to Israel and the "right of return" for millions of Palestinian in the diaspora, in a demand Israel’s defenders argue would demographically end Israel as a Jewish state. The chants on social media are filled with the battle cry to destroy Israel "from the river to the sea," a phrase that critics argue denies Israel its existence. FAR-LEFT ANTI-ISRAEL GROUPS WHITEWASH, IGNORE HAMAS MASSACRE ON OCT 7 AS THEY MARK TWO YEARS SINCE ATTACK Under a working definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, criticism of Israel isn’t antisemitic, but antisemitism may include "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination," including by claiming that Israel’s existence is a "racist" endeavor, applying double standards to Israel or comparing contemporary Israeli policy to that of "the Nazis." The definition isn’t legally binding but widely used by governments, law enforcement and civil society groups as an educational and analytical tool.  "Nakba 78" protesters reject that charge, framing their activism as "anti-Zionist," "anti-colonial" and "anti-imperialist." The network analysis found that the Palestinian Youth Movement, which works closely with the far-left activists at the People’s Forum in midtown Manhattan, is a central organizing node across many North American events, appearing with socialist, Muslim, student and local activist partners in city after city. The Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Democratic Socialists of America chapters provide an "anti-imperialist" infrastructure, while groups such as American Muslims for Palestine, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Muslim American Society and Students for Justice in Palestine broaden the campaign into Muslim spaces. FROM LONDON SYNAGOGUES TO NEW YORK PRESCHOOLS — ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS ESCALATING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC The result is a synchronized campaign running on three tracks: street protest, ideological education and "agitprop," a Soviet-era tactic used to describe "agitation propaganda" designed to foment discord in a society. ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN AMERICA AS SOME INVOKE INTIFADA AND TARGET JEWS In New York City, organizers have structured the demonstrations as a "Nakba Week of Action," following clashes outside synagogues earlier this week involving groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement New York City, Al-Awda New York/New Jersey and Within Our Lifetime. STANDING UP TO ANTISEMITIC MOBS SHOULDN’T LAND YOU IN PRISON They plan to gather today at 4:30 p.m. in Washington Square Park, with the rallying cry, "RESISTANCE SINCE 1948," and another protest is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday at 72nd St and 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, in a neighborhood filled with Muslim halal meat grocery stores and local mosques. Within Our Lifetime, co-founded by a local activist Nerdeen Kiswani, has long been one of New York’s most confrontational anti-Israel groups. The Anti-Defamation League says Kiswani has promoted "extreme anti-Zionist rhetoric," including calls for "Zionists" to be excluded from community spaces. Brooke Goldstein, executive director of The Lawfare Project, a nonprofit that challenges antisemitism in the courts, told Fox News Digital that authorities should closely monitor conduct at the demonstrations, particularly near Jewish institutions and places of worship. THE GLOBAL INTIFADA IS HERE. HAMAS-ALIGNED NETWORKS BROUGHT TERROR TO US SOIL AND WE NEED TO STOP IT "When there is assault, vandalism, trespass, obstruction, targeted harassment, discriminatory denial of access, or coordinated conduct that creates a hostile environment in schools, workplaces, or federally-funded institutions, this is action. Not protected speech," Goldstein said. Goldstein said Jewish communal spaces are increasingly being treated "as proxies for the Israeli government," adding that authorities should closely watch for obstruction, intimidation and violence targeting Jewish communities. In Los Angeles, a May 16 protest is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard, but organizers are calling the location the "Zionist Consulate." Local partners include the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition – another major Marxist group in the Singham network – and Nodutdol, a pro-communist Filipino group. The materials reviewed by Fox News Digital describe the conflict as part of a "grand settler-colonial design" targeting "sovereignty and freedom" across the Middle East. ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN AMERICA AS SOME INVOKE INTIFADA AND TARGET JEWS In Boston, the Palestinian Youth Movement Boston and the Party for Socialism and Liberation teamed up on Wednesday with the National Iranian American Council, which supports the theological regime that runs the Islamic Republic of Iran, for a teach-in, "Arab Gulf States and U.S. Imperialism," at the Boston Liberation Center in Roxbury, followed by an action today at 4 p.m. at the "Zionist consulate" on Washington Mall. In Detroit and nearby Dearborn, Mich., the campaign fuses foreign policy with domestic economic grievances. In promoting their protests, the organizers accuse the U.S. and Israel of threatening "genocidal attacks" from Palestine to Iran and Lebanon, while arguing that "illegal wars" are driving up fuel prices and making basic needs harder for working-class Americans to afford.  CARVILLE WARNS DEMOCRATS ANTI-ISRAEL ‘LOUDMOUTHS’ COULD COST ELECTIONS In Chicago, organizers from local chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and American Muslims for Palestine, two groups that UC Berkeley lecturer Bazian established, are rallying to also support the Islamic Republic of Iran and its "Axis of Resistance" against Israel and the U.S. "What we are seeing is the spread of jihadist radical Islamist racist ideologies married to extreme-left Marxism," said Goldstein. She noted these groups "don’t agree on anything other than destroying America and killing Jews." Internationally, the mobilization is also escalating. London police said the Nakba Day protest will form up in Exhibition Road in Kensington before marching to Waterloo Place via Brompton Road and Piccadilly, with a rally at the endpoint. In Sydney, the site of an assault on Jewish worshipers earlier this year by a pair of father-son Muslim extremists, organizers plan a nationwide "Nakba Day" protest today at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, according to event listings, alleging Palestinians are living through "another modern day Nakba." Across the materials, the "Nakba 78" label functions as more than a historical commemoration. It links 1948 to the present day, presenting Israel’s founding, U.S. support for Israel, the war in Gaza, and regional conflicts involving Iran, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq as one continuous struggle. Fox News Digital’s review found the repeated use of "ongoing Nakba," "78 years of genocide," "apartheid," "settler-colonialism," "U.S. imperialism" and "resistance" as unifying slogans.  Ziada said the alliance between the far-left and Islamists intensified after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas militants, creating a "moral umbrella" for the movement and giving organizers "moral legitimacy to go on and accelerate the process of destroying the West." Ziada said that "they all agree on one thing, which is destroying the United States or weakening the western world." Late Friday, as protesters readied their pre-printed signs, a video rallied their foot soldiers: "The harder they attack, the stronger we fight back!" CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital's Kyle Schmidbauer, Tessa Hoyas and Preston Mizell contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f81ba200899a00eb9ace GOP can't agree on key part of Trump's housing affordability push as infighting continues te 2026-05-15T10:40:27.419Z GOP can't agree on key part of Trump's housing affordability push as infighting continues President Donald Trump is leaning on Congress to tee up an affordability win ahead of November’s midterm elections, but entrenched GOP disagreement on a sweeping housing proposal threatens to derail it.  Trump on Monday called on the House to swiftly approve Senate-passed legislation aimed at easing housing affordability that has languished in the lower chamber for several months. House Republicans, however, have balked at that request and are pitching a rival plan.  House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., teased earlier in the week that Republicans and Democrats would come together to bring a "bipartisan, bicameral bill to the president’s desk."   "I think everybody feels like it's important, so we're just working out some nuances," Johnson said. TRUMP-BACKED AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERHAUL CLEARS SENATE, WHILE HOUSE GOP RAISES RED FLAGS Senior House lawmakers on Thursday unveiled a modified version of the Senate’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which is expected to receive a vote in the lower chamber as early as next week.  Any changes to the Senate’s proposal would force the upper chamber to consider the measure again, prolonging the timeline lawmakers can send legislation to Trump’s desk. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of the chief architects of the Senate’s bill, declined to say whether she was speaking with her counterparts in the House about tweaks to the bill, and argued that lawmakers were running out of time to do something. "There’s a housing crisis out there," Warren said. "This bill can pass today if the House would just put it on the floor and vote on it.
We need to get started, and if the House has more ideas than they'd like to add, start another bill."  Some GOP lawmakers are not sweating the wait. "We cannot take the Senate bill to the floor," House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital in an interview earlier this week. The political dynamics are much different in the Senate, however. And the housing bill passed with fewer than a dozen defectors in March — a rare feat in such a hyper-partisan Congress.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that the easiest route to putting the legislation on Trump’s desk is passing the Senate’s version. "It's been sitting over there for a while and the president’s weighed in on it. I think, you know, the White House made it clear, they would like to see the House pick up and pass the Senate bill," Thune said. "We’ve done what we can do. It's in the court of the House now." The House product struck out a controversial provision taking aim at the build-to-rent market that drew the opposition of conservatives, who argued the language amounted to excessive government interference in the housing market. The clause in the Senate’s proposal would have specifically required some developers to sell single-family homes built for the purpose of renting within seven years after construction. The build-to-rent industry and opponents of the provision argued their properties provide a more affordable option for some Americans priced out of the housing market and could imperil the supply of rentals across the country. "We’ve got to make sure we do it in a right way that continues to keep free markets," Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, said, adding that the clause in the Senate bill could make it "impossible" for some people to access housing. FOREIGNERS ARE SNAPPING UP US HOMES AND STEALING THE AMERICAN DREAM OUT FROM UNDER FAMILIES The proposal, however, would also weaken a ban on large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes — a priority of the Trump administration. The House’s rival housing bill notably preserves a ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC) through 2030 that was included in the Senate’s legislation. House conservatives raged at the Senate bill for stopping short of enacting a permanent CBDC ban — a top priority of GOP privacy hawks, who have sought to add the language to various legislative vehicles. "It has to be permanent," Cloud said. "We've got to put the nail in the coffin on it." House Financial Services Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., a co-author of the House’s rival housing package, said he shared Trump’s goal of expanding access to affordable homeownership in a statement Thursday. "It cuts unnecessary barriers to new home construction, modernizes HUD programs, and allows banks to more freely deploy funding into their communities," Hill said regarding the lower chamber’s proposal. "We must get this right — and I am committed to working hard to do that." Not everyone in the Senate is upset by the House’s decision to modify the bill.  Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was one of the few lawmakers to vote against the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, and told Fox News Digital that housing affordability isn’t something that’s dictated by the federal government. "If you wanted to actually reduce housing costs, it's local governments who are gonna have to allow more houses to be built," Scott said.  The legislative standoff comes as a recent Fox News poll found that nearly 80% of voters said housing costs were a problem for them or their family. The same survey also found that Democrats hold a lead over Republicans on inflation and the economy. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f5c4a200899a00eb9a31 Mariners' Cal Raleigh lands on injured list for first time in career as nightmare season continues te 2026-05-15T10:30:28.802Z Mariners' Cal Raleigh lands on injured list for first time in career as nightmare season continues Last season, Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh had a season people dream of. No one is dreaming of having Raleigh’s season this year. The 29-year-old’s nightmarish 2026 campaign continued Thursday when the Mariners placed Raleigh on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Raleigh left the Mariners’ 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday after appearing to aggravate an injury on his right side. Raleigh snapped the longest hitless streak in the major leagues during the team’s 10-2 win over the Astors on Tuesday, breaking out of an 0-38 slump with a pair of singles. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM It is the first IL stint of Raleigh’s six-year career. Raleigh missed three games from May 2 to May 4 with soreness in his right side. Last season, Raleigh hit .247 with 60 home runs and 125 RBI in 159 games. He broke Kansas City Royals star catcher Salvador Perez’s record of 48 for most home runs by a catcher in a single season. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Raleigh broke New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle’s record of 55 for most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter. He also set the Mariners’ franchise record for most homers in a season, passing Ken Griffey Jr.’s previous record of 56. This season has been a much different story. In 41 games this season, Raleigh is hitting .161 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, four doubles, 18 walks and 16 runs. His .161 batting average is second-lowest in the majors among hitters with enough at-bats to qualify. Only Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Cedric Mullins (.150) has a lower average. To fill Raleigh's spot on the active roster, the Mariners recalled catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Tacoma. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f392a200899a00eb998d Criminal profiler reveals 'extremely rare' red flag in case of suspected serial killer migrant in Texas te 2026-05-15T10:21:06.175Z Criminal profiler reveals 'extremely rare' red flag in case of suspected serial killer migrant in Texas A prominent criminal profiler is warning that a suspected budding serial killer in Texas has allegedly started years earlier than expected and fears there may be more victims due to a six-year gap between murder charges. Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a 26-year-old previously deported Mexican national, is accused of strangling two women in the area of Austin, Texas, in 2018 and 2024. Police announced his arrest earlier this week after two more women survived shootings in 2025, including one who fought back and police say swiped her attacker's cellphone. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X "The rub for me...is that he is accused of killing Alba Jenisse Aviles-Marti when he was only about 18 years old," said John Kelly, a criminal profiler who had been following the case since before Austin police and the U.S. Marshals announced an arrest. "We worked hard looking for this guy, because we believed there was a serial killer in this area. Little did we expect a budding serial killer who allegedly started killing at 18." Historically, most serial killers are older when they evolve into murderers, he said. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER "This is extremely rare, as serial killers usually start killing between 23 to 35 years old," the STALK Inc. founder told Fox News Digital. "We usually never find out who the first victims really were. I just wonder how many this guy has killed with his homicidal anger towards women over the years?" Investigators working the case are asking the same question. SEND US A TIP HERE "We believe that there is a strong likelihood that Benitez is responsible for further acts of extreme violence," said Chris Anderson, a homicide detective with the Austin Police Department. He said police are already looking into more cases for potential connections. He is urging anyone with additional information on Benitez-Gonzalez to contact the Austin Police Homicide unit at 512-974-8477 or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477. LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST The suspect, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who voluntarily self-deported in 2020 before reentering the country at an unknown time, is believed to have ties to Austin, Houston, Dallas and Hidalgo County. WATCH: Texas authorities say illegal migrant charged in 2 murders, 2 shootings and more victims possible ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WANTED FOR BRUTAL BATHTUB MURDER ARRESTED IN TEXAS AFTER CROSSING SOUTHERN BORDER AGAIN Authorities announced charges against him Tuesday in connection with the murders of Aviles-Marti and Alyssa Ann Rivera, whose remains were found just three miles away in 2024. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB Anderson said that it's suspicious that there's a six-year gap between the slayings and that evidence shows an alleged "repeated pattern of violence conducted against vulnerable female victims." "He has a 2018 case, and he has a 2024 case," Anderson said. "People who commit crimes of this nature, with the very distinct MO, they usually don't take a break. Benitez-Gonzalez is also accused of shooting two more women in Austin in November and December 2025. Both of them survived, which helped authorities catch Benitez-Gonzalez. He allegedly claimed self-defense in all four cases, but authorities said they don't believe him. He has not yet entered a plea. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f37ea200899a00eb9984 Scientists used electricity on coffee and discovered what makes it taste good te 2026-05-15T10:20:46.304Z Scientists used electricity on coffee and discovered what makes it taste good An inconsistent cup of coffee can make or break your day — but new research is shedding light on just how the industry can dial up the production process for a more reliable flavor. University of Oregon researchers repurposed a tool called a potentiostat, typically used to test batteries, to send an electrical current through coffee.  Through this simple process, they were able to identify coffee's "chemical fingerprint" that determines the drink's flavor. YOUR MORNING COFFEE COULD BE MAKING YOU MORE TIRED, EXPERTS WARN: 'LIKE A ROLLER COASTER' "It's an objective way to make a statement about what people like in a cup of coffee," university chemist Christopher Hendon, the lead researcher known around campus as "Dr. Coffee," said in a news release. Traditional tests mainly focus on measuring the strength of coffee. Yet many other factors go into the way coffee tastes, including roast color and extraction strength. The team's research shows how to move beyond measuring the strength of coffee alone to produce a more complete flavor profile cafés can replicate. CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES "The reason you have an enjoyable cup of coffee is almost certainly that you have selected a coffee of a particular roast color and extracted it to a desired strength," Hendon said.  "Until now, we haven't been able to separate those variables. Now we can diagnose what gives rise to that delicious cup." During testing, the researchers used four samples from the same English roaster and were able to identify a defective sample that had failed the roaster's quality control, despite the identical appearance of all the batches. "In the short term, we hope this is something that will make a difference in coffee shops and in the coffee industry," Hendon said. These findings, which the researchers published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, are remarkable, but they will take some time to drip down to the consumer, said Bryan Quoc Le, a consulting food scientist and founder and CEO of California-based Mendocino Food Consulting. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER "[The science] still relies on expensive components to make it work into a feasible technology," Le told Fox News Digital. TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ "The interesting bit here is that now we have a way to access the subjective quality in the taste and flavor of coffee using quantifiable measurements. Which means we could start seeing a serious improvement in the coffee game across all coffee shops over the years." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06f36aa200899a00eb997b This Midwestern state leads the nation in home foreclosures as US filings jump by 26% te 2026-05-15T10:20:26.873Z This Midwestern state leads the nation in home foreclosures as US filings jump by 26% Home foreclosures in the U.S. are up 26% from last year as inflation rates and rising costs are catching up with homeowners. Indiana was hit hardest and logged one foreclosure filing for every 739 housing units in the first quarter of 2026, according to findings from property data firm ATTOM. This is nearly two-thirds higher than the nationwide rate of one in every 1,211 house facing foreclosure in that same period. The latest data released in April shows that red states are being hit the hardest by the sweeping affordability crisis — and with the 2026 midterm elections approaching, economic woes are at the top of mind for many voters and policymakers. WHITE HOUSE TEASES MAJOR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PLAN AS PRICES SQUEEZE AMERICANS The top three states with the worst foreclosure rates at the start of 2026 all voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. South Carolina came in second behind Indiana with one in every 743 properties with foreclosure filings in the first quarter of the year, and Florida was in third with one in every 750 housing units facing the same fate. While foreclosure activity is on the rise across the U.S., it remains well below levels seen during the 2008 housing crisis. But that isn't stopping Democrats from pouncing on the issue, and using affordability, inflation and rising housing costs as their candidates' leading messaging ahead of the November elections. A total of 118,727 U.S. properties had a foreclosure filing in the first quarter of 2026, up 6% from the previous quarter and 26% from a year ago. Foreclosure filings came in for 45,921 properties for March alone, increasing 18% from February and 28% from March of last year. THE PRICE OF BUILDING A HOME KEEPS CLIMBING — AND UNCERTAINTY ISN’T HELPING Looking more closely at the data, more homes are entering the foreclosure process, a potential sign of future distress. A total of 82,631 properties started foreclosure processes in the first quarter of 2026, up 20% from the year prior, while lenders repossessed 14,020 properties, marking a 45% annual increase. Blue states like Delaware and Illinois are also facing high foreclosure rates — showcasing that the issue crosses party lines. Among major metro areas, cities like Cleveland, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; and Indianapolis, Indiana ranked among the highest for foreclosure rates. The revelation of spiking foreclosure rates comes as the U.S. grapples with a slew of housing challenges that have helped contribute to today’s crisis.  Against that backdrop, experts say rising mortgage rates, higher living costs and other homeownership expenses are putting increasing pressure on some homeowners, pushing up monthly payments and making it harder to keep up with housing costs. THE TOP 3 REASONS HOUSING HAS BECOME SO UNAFFORDABLE IN THE US MARKET The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.37% for the week ending May 7, up from 5.98% in late February. Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM, said that while foreclosure levels remain below those seen during the housing crisis, the recent uptick suggests more homeowners may be coming under financial strain. Taken together, the data points to a housing market that remains stable overall, even as affordability challenges persist for some homeowners. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06eeeca200899a00eb9883 U.S. Inflation Rises To 3.81 Percent In April As Energy Prices Surge te 2026-05-15T10:01:16.897Z U.S. Inflation Rises To 3.81 Percent In April As Energy Prices Surge By Matthew Holloway | The Consumer Price Index rose to 3.81 percent year-over-year in April, marking the highest annual inflation rate in nearly three years, according to the latest Monthly Inflation Update released Tuesday by Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee (JEC). According to the report, headline Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased from 3.26 percent in March to 3.81 percent in April. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose to 2.75 percent year-over-year in April, up from 2.60 percent in March. April’s increase marked the highest annual headline inflation rate reported since mid-2023, reversing several months of comparatively slower price growth. CPI surged to 3.81% in April, the highest rate in nearly 3 years & up from 3.26% in March. Core CPI, which excludes food & energy, was 2.75% y/y, compared to 2.60% in March. Y/y, energy inflation was 17.87%, a 21.61pp change while food inflation was 3.18%, a 0.42pp increase.… — Joint Economic Committee Republicans (@JECRepublicans) May 12, 2026 The JEC reported that energy prices experienced the sharpest annual increase among major categories, with energy inflation reaching 17.87 percent year-over-year in April, representing a 21.61 percentage point increase compared to April 2025. Food prices also increased year-over-year. According to the report, food inflation reached 3.18 percent in April, 0.42 percentage points higher than the same period last year. Regionally, inflation rose across all major areas of the country between March and April. The Northeast recorded the highest inflation rate at 4.4 percent, followed by the Midwest at 4.1 percent and the South at 3.6 percent. The West recorded the lowest regional inflation rate at 3.5 percent. While the West recorded the nation’s lowest regional inflation rate, the 3.5 percent increase still remained above the Federal Reserve’s long-term two percent inflation target. Declining real wages indicate that inflation continued to outpace earnings growth for many workers during the month, reducing purchasing power despite nominal wage increases. The JEC’s Monthly Inflation Update compiles and analyzes federal inflation data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report also found that inflation-adjusted earnings declined during the month. According to the JEC, real average weekly earnings for all employees decreased by 0.19 percent from March to April. Real average hourly earnings declined by 0.53 percent year-over-year, representing a 0.44 percentage point decrease compared to April 2025. Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com. The post U.S. Inflation Rises To 3.81 Percent In April As Energy Prices Surge first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06eed7a200899a00eb987a Activist Groups Promote ‘Neighborhood Defense’ Trainings On ICE Raid Preparedness te 2026-05-15T10:00:55.905Z Activist Groups Promote ‘Neighborhood Defense’ Trainings On ICE Raid Preparedness By Staff Reporter | Activist organizations are promoting online “neighborhood defense” trainings that teach participants how to canvass communities and prepare local businesses for potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, according to event listings and organizing materials circulated in Arizona and California-linked activist networks. The trainings, promoted under the title “WOB Neighborhood Defense Team Training,” are scheduled as recurring virtual sessions and described as instruction on how to “canvass your community to prepare people in case of an ICE raid.” A May 14 event listing states that ICE raids are “intensifying across the country” and that worksites and businesses are being targeted. One Reddit post, circulated through the Arizona-focused “AZAdvocacyHub” community, advertised the training as an online event hosted by Organized Power in Numbers, encouraging users to register even if they could not attend live to receive “the recording of the training and the materials.” According to the event description, the trainings take place monthly on the second Thursday of each month over Zoom. An additional event listing published by Indivisible Roseville in California described the sessions as “Neighborhood Defense Team Training” events designed to prepare communities and businesses for ICE enforcement activity. Organized Power in Numbers describes itself as an organization that combines organizing, digital infrastructure, and data strategy to “build worker power in the South and Southwest.” The organization’s website lists campaigns including “Workers Over Billionaires” and “Power Up AZ.” The organization’s resource pages include downloadable “Know Your Rights” materials and workplace guidance concerning immigration enforcement encounters. One document distributed through the group advises businesses that ICE officers may not enter “private areas” of a workplace without permission or a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Organized Power in Numbers has also promoted what it calls an “Emergency Worker Defense Fund,” launched in partnership with the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, to support workers affected by ICE enforcement operations in Los Angeles and the Southwest. The trainings and organizing efforts come amid continuing national debate over immigration enforcement policy and workplace raids. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, worksite enforcement investigations are intended to reduce illegal employment practices, hold employers accountable for unlawful hiring practices, and protect lawful employment opportunities. ICE states that Homeland Security Investigations conducts worksite enforcement operations targeting employers suspected of knowingly employing unauthorized workers or engaging in labor exploitation and related crimes. Immigration enforcement operations have increasingly become flashpoints in states such as California, where state and local officials have enacted sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. California officials have also expanded worker notification requirements related to immigration enforcement activity. Earlier this year, the California Department of Industrial Relations announced implementation guidance for a state law requiring annual workplace notices informing employees of their rights during immigration enforcement encounters, regardless of immigration status. Supporters of the “neighborhood defense” trainings characterize the efforts as legal-rights education and community preparedness intended to ensure that workers and residents understand constitutional protections during enforcement encounters. Critics, however, argue that activist-organized ‘community defense’ infrastructure risks crossing the line from legal education into organized interference with federal immigration enforcement operations. Immigration attorneys and advocacy organizations, however, commonly advise employers and workers regarding distinctions between public and private workplace areas during enforcement encounters. The issue has gained renewed attention as federal immigration enforcement priorities continue to expand under the Trump administration. Reuters reported earlier this year that the administration was planning broader immigration crackdowns and increased workplace enforcement efforts. The Department of Justice has also challenged sanctuary policies in several jurisdictions, including Los Angeles. AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link. The post Activist Groups Promote ‘Neighborhood Defense’ Trainings On ICE Raid Preparedness first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06eec2a200899a00eb9871 Republican Lawsuit Challenges Arizona’s 2025 Elections Manual Over Voter Removal Rules te 2026-05-15T10:00:34.892Z Republican Lawsuit Challenges Arizona’s 2025 Elections Manual Over Voter Removal Rules By Ethan Faverino | On behalf of the Pima County Republican Party and Chairwoman Kathleen Winn, the Oversight Project, filed suit over the 2025 Arizona Elections Procedures Manual (EPM) that grants election officials broad, vague authority to remove voters and involve law enforcement. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, with the approval of Attorney General Kris Mayes and Governor Katie Hobbs, issued the 2025 EPM through 2027. The document carries the force of law, with violations punishable by up to four months in prison. The challenged provisions allow election officials to remove voters or summon law enforcement for actions such as wearing clothing, uniforms or official-looking apparel “intended to deter, intimidate, or harass voters”; “aggressive behavior”; “raising repeated frivolous voter challenges”; and electioneering that is “audible” inside a voting location. Critics argue these standards lack clarity and invite arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement under the pretext of preserving order at polling places. “The Arizona EPM encourages arbitrary enforcement that results in politically motivated disenfranchisement, stated Oversight Project Director of State Litigation Neal Cornett. “The Oversight Project is always ready to help conservative leaders like Chairwoman Winn challenge government weaponization, especially when it involves such fundamental rights as freedom of speech and voting. The Secretary of State and Attorney General should disavow the challenged provisions and work with Arizona leaders to draft a fair manual that follows Arizona law.” This is not the first time Arizona officials have faced legal pushback. The Secretary of State and Attorney General were previously enjoined from enforcing similar provisions in the 2023 Manual. Pima County Republican Party Chairwoman Kathleen Winn emphasized the importance of clear rules for all voters: “Every Arizona voter deserves clear, consistent rules at the polling place that protect their right to vote free from arbitrary enforcement. Vague standards invite abuse, and when election workers are given unchecked discretion to remove voters or call law enforcement based on unclear or unspecified conduct, no voter or vote is truly safe. This lawsuit is about ensuring that the rules governing our elections are written plainly, applied fairly, and consistent with Arizona law, regardless of party.” The lawsuit contends that the EPM’s vague language unconstitutionally threatens voting rights and free speech by empowering subjective decision-making that could disenfranchise eligible voters. Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link. The post Republican Lawsuit Challenges Arizona’s 2025 Elections Manual Over Voter Removal Rules first appeared on AZ FREE NEWS. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e3c9a200899a00eb9534 Blue state bill targets homeschoolers in latest government power grab te 2026-05-15T09:13:45.471Z Blue state bill targets homeschoolers in latest government power grab After decades of parental rights victories, Connecticut may become the first state to go backwards on homeschool freedom in the past 50 years. The Connecticut Senate advanced a bill attacking homeschooling families by a vote of 22 to 14, mostly along party lines. Three Democrats joined all Republicans in opposition. The measure cleared the House 96-53 last week, with four Democrats crossing the aisle to stand with Republicans. Those margins fall short of the two-thirds supermajority required in both chambers to override a gubernatorial veto. Connecticut families now have only one remaining safeguard. Leadership should respect the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children and block this Orwellian legislation. BLACK CONSERVATIVE FATHER AND FAITH LEADER HOMESCHOOLS 6 KIDS TO 'GET GOD IN': 'WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT?' The proposal would force homeschooling families to prove their innocence to the government before they can educate their own kids at home. It requires annual notices of intent and background checks by the Department of Children and Families when a child is withdrawn from public school. Families would be barred from homeschooling altogether if a parent or any other adult in the household faces an active DCF investigation or appears on the state’s abuse and neglect registry. For decades, states across the country have steadily expanded parents’ rights to direct their children’s education. This legislation reverses that progress in one stroke. "Everyone agrees that child abuse is a serious concern and the government has an important role in addressing it," Home School Legal Defense Association attorney Ralph Rodriguez said. "But expanding regulation over thousands of homeschooling families is unlikely to solve failures that occur within the child protection system itself." Added Mr. Rodriguez: "The more effective approach is to strengthen the institutions responsible for identifying and responding to abuse rather than placing new regulatory burdens on families exercising their constitutional rights." Democrat-led states have launched similar assaults on homeschooling in recent years. Proposals surfaced in California, Illinois, and New Jersey. Those efforts stalled or failed — for now. Connecticut has now emerged as the latest battleground. During floor debate, Sen. Rob Sampson (R) delivered a powerful closing statement: "Parents are not subjects–they are citizens–and they do not need the permission of this state government or anyone in this room to educate their own children." Such a broad attack on parental rights is blatantly unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed the primacy of parents over the state when it comes to child-rearing decisions. If the proposal becomes law, parents should challenge it in court, where it deserves to be struck down. In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the Supreme Court declared that "the child is not the mere creature of the State." The state cannot override parents’ authority without compelling justification. Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) protected Amish parents’ right to direct their children’s education beyond the eighth grade. Meyer v. Nebraska (1923) struck down a state law restricting foreign-language instruction, affirming parents’ liberty "to establish a home and bring up children" and "to control the education of their own." Homeschool Legal Defense Association President James R. Mason put the problem plainly: "As the US Supreme Court has affirmed, a state cannot treat every parent as a potential threat simply because some parents do wrong. That presumption of suspicion — applied universally, before any evidence of harm — is, in the court’s own word, ‘repugnant’ to American tradition." Mr. Mason also noted that "the way Connecticut places families on the registry has been ruled unconstitutional by the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, which includes Connecticut." CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION Even if approved, the bill may have little immediate bite. During the May 4 floor debate, it was even admitted that the legislation as written lacks an enforcement mechanism. Parents denied approval by the government could simply continue homeschooling their children with no consequences for noncompliance. That admission raises an obvious question. If the bill carries no real penalties, why adopt it at all? The rational explanation is that this might be the opening move in a longer campaign. Collecting data and establishing oversight on innocent families today sets the stage for clamping down with real enforcement teeth tomorrow. Connecticut has no business targeting homeschool families while its own public schools are failing spectacularly. In Hartford, only 16 percent of students are proficient in math and 18 percent are proficient in reading. This dismal performance comes despite annual per-student spending exceeding $25,000. Lawmakers should focus on fixing the government monopoly schools under their control before harassing families who have chosen to raise and educate their own children. Connecticut should block this proposal and send a clear message that the state stands with parents, not against them. Parental rights are not privileges granted by the state. They are fundamental liberties that government exists to protect. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY COREY DEANGELIS Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e3b5a200899a00eb952b Phyllis Schlafly was right: America must put babies and mothers first te 2026-05-15T09:13:25.741Z Phyllis Schlafly was right: America must put babies and mothers first "Feminism has changed the way women think, and it has changed the way men think, but the trouble is, it hasn't changed the attitudes of babies at all," said my mother, Phyllis Schlafly. I am so fortunate that my mother put babies first. In the 1960s and 1970s, a new ideology was fashionable: that women do not need or want either men or babies. Phyllis Schlafly lived a fulfilling life centered on her husband and children; which was in stark opposition to the idea that single women are happier alone. I am so happy that she did put babies at the center of the conversation, because, as her child, I was the beneficiary of her putting babies first. The current birth dearth is not due to lack of government money; it is due to a culture that tells young women to put career first and that men are expendable. Today, 40% of births in the United States are without the benefit of marriage. And marriage is definitely a benefit for the child. Children who are raised with a mother and a father married to each other are the most privileged group in America. These children are more likely to finish school, get employed, earn more money, be happier and healthier, and also to start their own families.  MORE AND MORE GEN Z WOMEN SAY THEY DON’T WANT KIDS. AS A YOUNG MOM, HERE’S WHAT THEY GET WRONG Intact families should be celebrated, not economically punished by bad tax policies. A true choice for mothers is the choice to nurture their own children, not to succumb to the economic and social pressures for them to farm them out to institutional day care. Mothers should never be economically punished for raising their own children. Babies were always the first priority for Phyllis Schlafly. She especially liked to talk to babies. Whenever she saw a baby or toddler in public, she would immediately engage in an active conversation with the child. Today, digital interactions have replaced much face-to-face communications and our daily spoken word count has diminished. Texting is a poor substitute for talking! Babies need to hear a rich variety of words in order to develop speech, especially the sound and inflection of their own mother’s voice. Institutional day care cannot provide the same vibrant, nurturing chatter that comes from a mother. Phyllis Schlafly rightly saw that feminist ideology devalued motherhood. She started an award for the Full-time Homemaker of the Year to honor women who prioritize their babies. Phyllis asked: would you rather be in an office instructed by a boss or managing your household from your own kitchen? She rejected the phrase "working mothers" to describe employed women, because, as she said, "all mothers work all the time". The concept of taxpayer-paid day care for young children reflects a misplaced understanding of who is responsible for their care. Young children want and need their parents, not a nanny state, to look after them. Government welfare programs encourage the disintegration of the family by leading mothers to seek government support rather than support from fathers. Subsidized day care can undermine the family unit by diminishing the provider's role in the home. Americans consider whether it is wise policy to encourage mothers to leave their babies with government employees. What most mothers desire in paid work is to work inside their home or to work a flexible schedule that allows them to prioritize their family. At Eagle Forum, we believe in public and private virtue, meaning taxpayer money should be spent wisely and families should have control over their own households. If Congress truly wanted to help families, it should increase the dependent deduction on income taxes. Those savings would directly benefit families, without routing taxpayer money through a government intermediary. Here is who loses under taxpayer-paid babysitting: CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION The child loses because what the child most wants is mother care, not day care. Day care may be expensive, but mother care is priceless. The mother loses because no one cares more about her child than she does. The day care worker can never be emotionally invested in the welfare of the child. The day care workers lose because wages are still low. Increasing the supply of day care will not raise workers’ wages. The taxpayers lose because when the government pays, prices rise (as we have seen in the ever-rising prices of college education and health care). The subsidies will ensure that the day care businesses can raise their prices without losing customers. Stay-at-home mothers lose as they do not receive any subsidy for choosing to remain at home and raise their own children. They have resisted the social pressure to return to paid employment and place their children in institutional babysitting.  However, there are some winners under taxpayer-paid babysitting: Day care bureaucrats win because they can expand their business models. As in education, additional government funding often goes to administration rather than workers. Instead of supporting small family-run daycares, the industry will shift toward larger, institutional services. Politicians win by pretending to give money to the people. No job is more vital than motherhood. We honor all mothers who choose this important job. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e3a1a200899a00eb9522 The CCP controls the most intimate elements of our life. Most Americans have no idea te 2026-05-15T09:13:05.933Z The CCP controls the most intimate elements of our life. Most Americans have no idea Critical minerals quietly power every aspect of modern American life. As you pour your morning coffee, you are relying on copper wiring and silicon chips working behind the scenes inside your coffee maker. When you grab milk from the refrigerator, you are depending on metal components, copper wiring, and electronic controls to keep everything cold. Turn on the TV to another round of bickering politicians on cable news, and you are looking at a screen built with indium, lithium, and rare earth phosphors.  Flip off the lights, hop in your car, connect your phone to Bluetooth, and turn on your favorite podcast for the drive to work. That everyday routine depends on copper, lithium, and a whole host of other critical minerals that power batteries, speakers, navigation systems, electric motors, and modern communications technology.  These materials are so deeply embedded into our daily lives that most Americans would never think twice about them. But they should.  TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WORKS TO BREAK CHINA’S RARE EARTH MINERAL STRANGLEHOLD ON AFRICA Beijing certainly has. The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades and hundreds of billions of dollars cornering the market on critical minerals, from mining to processing and refining. Today, China controls roughly 70 percent of global rare earth mining and nearly 90 percent of rare earth refining capacity, dominating the supply chains that underpin America’s economic and national security.  This is not just about what goes into your coffee maker or your iPhone. Critical minerals are essential to America’s military strength, powering everything from advanced fighter jets and missile systems to radar, satellites, and communications technology. China knows this and has demonstrated time and time again its willingness to weaponize global supply chains for geopolitical leverage.  Last year, Beijing imposed sweeping export controls on rare earth elements, disrupting global markets and sending shockwaves through defense and manufacturing supply chains. The consequences hit Americans directly. Supply disruptions drive up costs, slow manufacturing, threaten jobs, and make everything from cars to consumer electronics more expensive and harder to produce.  My home state of California’s aerospace industry offers a clear example of what is at stake. The sector supports more than 350,000 jobs and generates tens of billions of dollars in annual economic output. It is also central to America’s defense industrial base, producing advanced aircraft, satellites, and missile systems. Without reliable access to critical minerals, thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity are at risk. President Trump and his administration understand the urgency of this challenge and are moving quickly to restore American energy and mineral dominance. Recent efforts to strengthen domestic mining and support companies like MP Materials and Lithium Americas are important steps in the right direction.   But America cannot solve this problem alone. Even with increased domestic production, global demand for critical minerals is projected to skyrocket in the coming decades. Some estimates show the world will consume as much copper over the next 25 years as humanity has in all of recorded history.  This is why we must work alongside our most trusted allies and friends to build strong, resilient supply chains away from China. This week, my Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies (DOMINANCE) Act passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The DOMINANCE Act helps lock in President Trump’s critical minerals strategy and creates a coordinated approach to secure the supply chains that power our economy and national defense. This legislation strengthens America’s ability to work with allies, reduces dependence on China, and ensures the free world — not the Chinese Communist Party — controls the resources that will define the 21st century.  This is not just about energy or industrial policy. It’s not about military might or geopolitical competition, although that is certainly part of the calculus. At its core, this challenge is about protecting the American Dream, and our way of life. The appliances in our homes, the cars we drive, the technology we rely on each day, and the military systems that defend our nation all depend on secure critical mineral supply chains. America can either meet this moment now, or risk regretting it for the next 100 years.  I am optimistic that, under this administration and alongside our allies, America can reclaim our critical minerals supply chains and take back our energy future.  CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REP YOUNG KIM Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e38ba200899a00eb94f7 Deported Despite DACA: Dreamers Face Uncertainty Under Trump te 2026-05-15T09:12:43.790Z Deported Despite DACA: Dreamers Face Uncertainty Under Trump The administration has said DACA isn’t a right to stay in the United States “indefinitely.” One man with DACA was detained and deported to Mexico in a matter of days. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e378a200899a00eb94ee What to Know About DACA Recipients Amid Trump Deportation Push te 2026-05-15T09:12:24.301Z What to Know About DACA Recipients Amid Trump Deportation Push The Trump administration has said the program no longer shields immigrants from deportation, and renewal delays are costing DACA recipients their jobs. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e364a200899a00eb94e5 Oysterman, Veteran, Prep-School Alum: A Senate Candidate’s Complex Class Story te 2026-05-15T09:12:04.700Z Oysterman, Veteran, Prep-School Alum: A Senate Candidate’s Complex Class Story Democrats are pinning their hopes of flipping the Senate on Graham Platner, who has made his working-class persona key to his campaign. His background defies easy categorization. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e351a200899a00eb94dc As Powell Steps Down, the Fed Confronts ‘Regime Change’ te 2026-05-15T09:11:45.247Z As Powell Steps Down, the Fed Confronts ‘Regime Change’ Jerome H. Powell is passing the chair’s baton to Kevin M. Warsh at the Federal Reserve, an institution that President Trump’s pick says needs an overhaul. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e33da200899a00eb94d3 Nebraska Blocks Bar From Using ‘Barber Shop’ Name, Saying That’s Just for Haircuts te 2026-05-15T09:11:25.578Z Nebraska Blocks Bar From Using ‘Barber Shop’ Name, Saying That’s Just for Haircuts The Omaha establishment changed its name this week from the Barber Shop Blackstone to the Censored Shop Blackstone in protest while it is suing the state in federal court in a trademark fight. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e329a200899a00eb94ca Bernie Sanders Endorses Slate of Candidates in Bid to Cement Progressive Legacy te 2026-05-15T09:11:05.965Z Bernie Sanders Endorses Slate of Candidates in Bid to Cement Progressive Legacy The five dozen endorsements mostly feature those seeking state or local office who have previously supported the Vermont senator. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e316a200899a00eb94c1 A Republican’s Mysterious Absence Reflects Congress’s Silence on Health te 2026-05-15T09:10:46.511Z A Republican’s Mysterious Absence Reflects Congress’s Silence on Health Presidents are expected to tell the public basic health information, but members of the House and Senate often stay silent about medical conditions, even those that affect their ability to do their jobs. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06e303a200899a00eb94b8 Even Alex Murdaugh Didn’t Think His Convictions Would Be Overturned te 2026-05-15T09:10:27.066Z Even Alex Murdaugh Didn’t Think His Convictions Would Be Overturned His lawyers said he was stunned to learn that South Carolina’s top court had reversed the murder convictions. Prosecutors plan to retry the case, but a second trial could look very different. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06dbfba200899a00eb9326 Bronx man convicted of running secret Chinese police station in Manhattan used to monitor dissidents te 2026-05-15T08:40:27.451Z Bronx man convicted of running secret Chinese police station in Manhattan used to monitor dissidents A New York man was convicted Wednesday of helping operate a secret Chinese government-linked police station in Manhattan used to monitor dissidents, federal prosecutors said. Lu Jianwang, 64, a U.S. citizen also known as "Harry Lu" from the Bronx, was convicted by a jury on two counts related to operating an overseas police station in New York City on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), as well as obstruction of justice for destroying evidence. According to prosecutors, Lu and his co-defendant, Chen Jinping, acted as illegal agents of the Chinese government beginning in 2022 and established what authorities described as the first known overseas Chinese police station in the United States. Chen pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China in connection with the operation. CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS Prosecutors said the station operated out of an office building in Lower Manhattan, where investigators found a blue banner reading: "Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York, USA." U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr. said the conviction disrupted a Chinese government operation on American soil. "A police station operating in New York City at the direction of the Chinese government has been exposed, its sinister purpose disrupted, and its founder held accountable for blatantly disregarding the law and our country’s sovereignty," he said in a statement.  CHINESE SPY INFILTRATION: MAYOR’S BUST ADDS TO GROWING TIMELINE OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE CREEPING INTO US "Our Office remains resolute in protecting the rights of people seeking freedom from repression and speaking out to bring democracy, reform, and human rights to China," he added. James C. Barnacle Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said the verdict should send a message to foreign agents operating in the U.S. "May today’s verdict send a message to other foreign agents – the FBI maintains its unwavering resolve to reveal and disrupt the clandestine operations of adversarial nations," he said in a statement. CHINA TARGETS US MILITARY MEMBERS IN OVERSEAS SPY OPERATIONS, FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS Prosecutors said the Manhattan outpost was part of a broader Chinese government effort to monitor and intimidate dissidents abroad, including in the United States. According to the DOJ, Lu gathered information for the Chinese government, including helping locate a pro-democracy activist who fled China for the United States. The FBI searched the outpost in October 2022 and seized phones belonging to Lu and Chen. Investigators later discovered WeChat messages between the men and their Chinese government handler had been deleted. ATTORNEY RAISES BROADER CONCERNS AFTER MAYOR ADMITS TO ACTING AS CHINESE AGENT IN SHOCKING CASE Prosecutors said Lu admitted to FBI agents that he established the Manhattan outpost, communicated with his handler through WeChat and deleted the messages. Lu spoke briefly to supporters outside federal court following the verdict but declined to answer questions from reporters. His attorney argued the outpost functioned as a community center where Chinese residents could renew driver’s licenses and gather socially. "This is not espionage. This is not spying. This is not intelligence gathering," attorney John Carman said outside the courthouse. "He wasn’t charged with any of that." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06cdeea200899a00eb9015 Lake Havasu High School names Cal Sheehy, Kim Zack as 2026 Distinguished Alumni recipients te 2026-05-15T07:40:30.278Z Lake Havasu High School names Cal Sheehy, Kim Zack as 2026 Distinguished Alumni recipients Lake Havasu High School will honor two graduates at next week's 2026 commencement ceremony with the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06c939a200899a00eb8e06 Green Card Holders Targeted for Deportation by New ‘Removal Apparatus’ te 2026-05-15T07:20:25.732Z Green Card Holders Targeted for Deportation by New ‘Removal Apparatus’ The Department of Homeland Security recently formed a unit tasked with revetting thousands of immigrants with permanent residency. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06c239a200899a00eb8c76 Arizona domestic violence hotline discontinued; experts warn this may put those in crisis at even higher risk te 2026-05-15T06:50:33.833Z Arizona domestic violence hotline discontinued; experts warn this may put those in crisis at even higher risk The 24-hour centralized hotline, which allowed those in crisis to get help in just one call, is no longer available starting May 15. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06bb31a200899a00eb8a87 NAU ROUNDUP: Track and field ends outdoor regular season on high note te 2026-05-15T06:20:33.142Z NAU ROUNDUP: Track and field ends outdoor regular season on high note A look at news and results from NAU. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06af78a200899a00eb878f Arizona GOP schools superintendent debate turns combative over Empowerment Scholarship Account oversight, DEI te 2026-05-15T05:30:32.959Z Arizona GOP schools superintendent debate turns combative over Empowerment Scholarship Account oversight, DEI Incumbent Tom Horne and state Treasurer Kimberly Yee traded accusations during a heated Scottsdale debate ahead of the July Republican primary. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06ad1ea200899a00eb86b8 Trump touts ‘fantastic trade deals’ in final Xi meeting amid tariff standoff te 2026-05-15T05:20:30.207Z Trump touts ‘fantastic trade deals’ in final Xi meeting amid tariff standoff President Donald Trump held his final meeting with Chinese President Xi touting a big win on one of the central focuses orf the high-stakes summit after the two leaders held a bilateral tea at the Zhongnanhai compound. "This has been an incredible visit," Trump said to reporters. "I think a lot of good has come of it, and we've made some fantastic trade deals. Great for both countries."  The announcement comes against the backdrop of a yearslong tariff standoff between the U.S. and China, with Trump arguing aggressive duties are needed to force fairer trade terms while Beijing has repeatedly pushed back. While it is unclear which deals were reached, it was shared that China agreed to order 200 Boeing jets. TRUMP MEETS US AMBASSADOR TO CHINA AS TENSIONS FLARE AHEAD OF XI SHOWDOWN U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were present for the meeting. America’s top business leaders traveled with Trump to Beijing and met with Premier Li Qiang Thursday to discuss U.S.-China economic and trade cooperation. "China is willing to work with the United States to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strive for more positive outcomes, achieve mutual success and promote common prosperity, and better benefit the people of both countries and the world," reads a press release about the meeting from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. TRUMP AND CHINA CLOSE IN ON TRADE DEAL AFTER PRODUCTIVE TALKS, BESSENT SAYS The ministry stressed that both countries should "meet each other halfway" and "safeguard bilateral economic and trade relations." The White House and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment on the matter. During an interview Thursday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said China was interested in investing "hundreds of billions of dollars" alongside the American business leaders visiting Beijing. "Those business people are here to make deals and to bring back jobs," Trump said. TRUMP PUSHES XI ON TRADE AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING DENTS KEY CHINA PRESSURE TOOL A major piece of Trump’s "America First" agenda has focused on leveling the global trade playing field by holding other countries accountable for trade deficits. One of his first moves after returning to office was rolling out the "Liberation Day" tariffs in April 2025, which were designed to serve as leverage in trade negotiations while also generating new revenue. Tariffs have been at the center of Trump’s China strategy since his first term, when he imposed duties on Chinese imports and Beijing retaliated with tariffs of its own. The fight has remained one of the defining pressure points in the relationship between the world's two largest economies.  Trump’s first visit in 2017 produced more than $250 billion in announced commercial deals and cooperation pledges, but it did not prevent trade relations from deteriorating in 2018. Most notably, Trump announced a $12 billion deal for cellphone chips from Qualcomm and $37 billion for Boeing commercial jets, AP reported at the time. Trump said that Xi and his wife will visit the U.S. in September. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a069f35a200899a00eb836f Hobbs lifts bill-signing moratorium after a week of budget negotiations with Republicans te 2026-05-15T04:21:09.193Z Hobbs lifts bill-signing moratorium after a week of budget negotiations with Republicans Gov. Katie Hobbs speaking with attendees at the 2026 Legislative Forecast Luncheon hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Jan. 9, 2026. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0) Arizona’s Democratic governor lifted her month-long bill-signing moratorium on Thursday.  Gov. Katie Hobbs implemented the moratorium April 13, promising not to sign any bills until the Republicans who control the Arizona legislature revealed their budget and engaged her in “good-faith” negotiations on the annual spending plan.  GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Republicans, who hold the majority in the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate, revealed their budget on April 27, and swiftly voted along party lines to approve it.  The GOP budget fully conformed Arizona’s tax code with the changes made at the federal level through President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and paid for the tax cuts with fund sweeps and cuts to most state agencies.  Hobbs vetoed the Republican budget on May 5, and days later, Republicans in both chambers of the legislature voted to adjourn for most of the remainder of May. The Arizona House of Representatives hasn’t met since then, but the Senate met on May 11 and plans to meet again May 18. “After a week of good-faith negotiations and productive exchanges on the best path toward a bipartisan and balanced budget, today the Governor’s Office informed Republican budget negotiators that the bill moratorium has been lifted,” Hobbs spokesman Christian Slater told the Arizona Mirror via text message.  The Democratic governor initially put pressure on Republicans to publish their spending plan, revealing how they would pay for the Trump tax cuts on March 20, when she paused budget negotiations. That move came after she said that legislative Republicans refused to negotiate on Proposition 123, a K-12 school funding measure that brought in $300 million annually and expired last year.  Republicans accused Hobbs of basing her own budget plan, released in January, on funding that wasn’t guaranteed, including Prop. 123, which would have to be put to voters in November.  Hobbs and legislative Democrats characterized the Republican budget plan as favoring corporations over people who depend on government programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.  A budget must be in place before July 1, or state government will shut down. Negotiations are always tense since the budget requires approval from both Republican-led chambers of the legislature, as well as the Democratic governor, whose priorities often do not align. YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE. SUPPORT Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a069f1fa200899a00eb834e Trump reveals Xi’s stance on arming Iran as Hormuz tensions rattle markets te 2026-05-15T04:20:47.205Z Trump reveals Xi’s stance on arming Iran as Hormuz tensions rattle markets President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he will not provide military equipment to Iran, which has been a central focus of the high-stakes meeting marking a possible win for the Trump administration. Xi "said he's not going to give military equipment. That's a big statement. He said that today. That's a big statement. (He) said that strongly," Trump said to Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday.  The pledge comes as the Trump administration increasingly has cast China not just as an economic rival, but as a key enabler of adversarial regimes, with Beijing’s economic and material support for Iran emerging as a central focus of this week’s high-stakes talks with Xi. U.S. officials have increasingly accused China of helping prop up Iran’s military and economic strength through oil purchases, dual-use exports and intermediary networks. TRUMP TO CONFRONT XI AT HIGH-STAKES SUMMIT OVER CHINA BACKING FOR IRAN, RUSSIA Trump added that Xi also offered to help end the conflict.  "He said, if I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help," Trump said.  The White House and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment on the matter. "But at the same time, he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there, and they'd like to keep doing that. He'd like to see Hormuz Strait opened," said Trump. "I said, well, we didn't stop it. They did it." TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH China heavily relies on Iranian oil imports purchasing around $31 billion to $32 billion of Iranian crude annually, according to Reuters. Beijing ordered firms to ignore U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil in May — a direct challenge to Washington’s crackdown. China’s Commerce Ministry invoked a 2021 "blocking statute" ahead of the summit which bars companies from complying with "illegitimate" foreign sanctions. The order targets several Chinese refiners accused by the U.S. of buying Iranian crude, including large independent processors known as "teapot" refineries. CHINA ORDERS FIRMS TO IGNORE US IRAN SANCTIONS, DARING US TO ENFORCE CRACKDOWN "He didn't like the fact that they're charging tolls," said Trump. "I don't know if they are or not. I don't know who would pay him. I mean, where do they put the money to come to countries decimated, you know, they're charging tolls where's the money going," said Trump. Trump said that he believes a deal will be reached with China buying oil from the U.S. by the end of the trip, prompting a spike in oil prices. "They're going to go to Texas. We're going to start sending Chinese ships to Texas and to Louisiana and to Alaska. And I think that was another thing that was agreed to it. That's a big thing," said Trump. The two leaders held a bilateral tea meeting Friday morning local time in Beijing at the Zhongnanhai compound in their final meeting before Trump's return to the White House. Fox News' Morgan Phillips and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a069f08a200899a00eb831f 5 Key Moments During the California Governor Debate te 2026-05-15T04:20:24.719Z 5 Key Moments During the California Governor Debate Candidates have become increasingly combative as they enter the final stretch before the June 2 primary. Once again, Xavier Becerra, a Democratic front-runner, drew most of the attacks. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a069354a200899a00eb8003 Cedric Alexander becomes new TNA X Division champion, crushing Leon Slater's history-making attempt te 2026-05-15T03:30:28.117Z Cedric Alexander becomes new TNA X Division champion, crushing Leon Slater's history-making attempt All eyes were on the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) X Division Championship on Thursday night as Leon Slater looked to retain the title over Cedric Alexander and solidify himself as the longest-reigning X Division champion in the company’s history. Slater knew a legacy was on the line as he looked to break a record set by Austin Aries. But he needed to pin Alexander twice in one match to retain the title. It was a steep mountain to climb as Alexander had been just as dangerous since he entered the company. The match started off hot with Slater and Alexander trading blows to begin the match. But a quick-thinking Slater rolled up Alexander quickly for the first fall. Alexander was able to go on offense from there. He hit a nasty German suplex on the outside of the ring. He continued to work on Slater’s tweaked neck. He later hit a Lumbar Check to tie the match at 1-1. Slater went deep into his bag. He hit an avalanche Styles Clash, which could have kept anyone else down. However, Alexander kicked out. Alexander was able to counter Slater’s high-flying abilities just for a moment and knocked him back out of the ring. Alexander sent Slater into the steel steps, leaving him busted open. Alexander declared that he would be the "greatest" X Division champion. One brainbuster later, Alexander tried to pin Slater, but couldn’t get him down. Alexander hit a Lumbar Check again, but Slater kicked out. Slater mustered up the last ounce of energy. A tilt-a-whirl slam set Alexander up for a swanton 450. Slater missed and Alexander hit another Lumbar Check, and then again. Alexander pinned Slater for the win, completely shocking the fans in Sacramento, California. It will be the first reign for Alexander and his first title of any kind in TNA. Alexander is a reminder, at least for TNA, that "The System always wins." ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Moments before TNA went off the air, the lights went out in the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Emerging from the darkness was Fabian Aichner. Aichner stared down Alexander and appeared to name himself the next challenger for the X Division Championship. Aichner, known as Giovanni Vinci for much of his run in WWE, hadn’t really been seen or heard from in months since his departure from WWE. Aichner wrestled under his real name for a stint in WWE before he came back as Vinci in June 22. He was with WWE until 2025. He was a two-time NXT tag team champion and an Evolve champion before it became a WWE brand. Eric Young outlasted nine other men in an over-the-top battle royal and earned a shot at Mike Santana’s TNA World Championship to start the show. The match came down to him and Elijah after the latter was able to toss members of The System out of the ring while also avoiding Frankie Kazarian trying to get back into the match following his own elimination. Young and Elijah came to blows on the apron, knowing that as soon as their feet touch the ground, they would be eliminated. Young grabbed onto Elijah’s hair to try to hang onto the moment. Elijah broke away with Young’s back turned to him. Elijah, however, didn’t account for his wide stance. The TNA original kicked Elijah in the groin and pushed him down to the ground. Young won the match and received a shot to win the TNA World Championship in the future. He also made clear that Santana was next on his list of people to wipe out as he did to Joe Hendry, EC3 and Ricky Sosa in weeks past. "Mike Santana, you’re gone next," he declared. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Mike Santana came out to address the crowd and praised Young for his efforts to help build TNA from the ground up. "You better be coming with something different because while you may be someone who helped build this place, when it comes to the new era of TNA on AMC, I’m the guy. I’m the man. I’m the one who holds down the fort week after week as your TNA world champion." While Young might have earned a title shot, Daria Rae came out and revealed to the crowd that Steve Maclin was cleared to return to action following an injury at the hands of Santana. Maclin will get a shot at Santana’s TNA World Championship next week on "Impact." Santino Marella also came out during the segment after he was "suspended." He revealed that Indi Harwell re-signed with TNA. Lei Ying Lee brought the TNA Knockouts Championship back home last week with a win over Arianna Grace. She addressed the crowd before being interrupted by her former best friend, Xia Brookside. In all black, Brookside claimed she was already in Lei’s head. "You’re such a fraud. I’ve destroyed you mentally, I’ve destroyed you emotionally, I’ve destroyed you physically, and that title will be around my waist." Both competitors tossed expletives at each other before the segment was over. But Brookside made clear that she had her eyes on the title. A.J. Francis told Fox News Digital before the SacTown Street Fight on "Impact" that he was going to bring the pain to Navarro. While wearing "Show Stealer" across his back, Francis did just that. Francis took some punishment from Navarro – a few shots from a baseball bat and a drop kick with a trash can. Francis was able to turn the tide for a few moments, using the baseball bat to his advantage. But Navarro dug deep. He aligned six chairs in the ring, hoping to splash Francis through it. Instead, Francis countered and attempted an avalanche Down Payment. Somehow, Navarro countered with a cutter as both men crashed through the sea of chairs. It looked like it could’ve been it. Navarro went for the pin, but only got a two count. Francis turned on the heat from there. He got ahold of Navarro and hit a Down Payment through tables lined up on the outside of the ring. He rolled Navarro back into the ring and picked up the pinfall victory. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0689f7a200899a00eb7da7 Audit recommends lease overhaul, policy updates for Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport te 2026-05-15T02:50:31.484Z Audit recommends lease overhaul, policy updates for Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport An independent audit found Lake Havasu City’s airport is running on a patchwork of outdated leases and policies, creating problems for oversight, private investment and the airport’s long-term finances. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06879ba200899a00eb7cd4 Paul Finebaum roasts Lane Kiffin for recent comments: "Trying to wipe Ole Miss off the map" te 2026-05-15T02:40:27.373Z Paul Finebaum roasts Lane Kiffin for recent comments: "Trying to wipe Ole Miss off the map" The world of college football is rarely dull. Even with the regular season a few months away from starting, this week has been full of drama. And most of the most recent drama has been created by LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin, who's no stranger to making headlines, made several comments that garnered attention in new interviews. The most contentious and controversial being some very pointed criticisms of Ole Miss, his former school. Specifically Kiffin claimed Ole Miss would lose out on recruits because of supposed concerns over racial diversity on campus and in Oxford. "'Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren’t letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi.’ That doesn’t come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana," Kiffin said to Vanity Fair. "Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus’s diversity feels so great: 'It feels like there’s no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.'" LANE KIFFIN TAKES SHOT AT OLE MISS, CITES RACISM IN RECRUITING GAP WITH LSU IN AWKWARD INTERVIEW Reactions on social media were immediate and generally dismissive of Kiffin's claims. And you can add one of the SEC's biggest supporters to the list of those roasting him for bringing race into the Ole Miss discussion. Even at a new school. ESPN's Paul Finebaum, during a new episode of his "The Paul Finebaum Show," went after Kiffin and had some thoughts on what motivated him to say what he did. "An SEC coach at LSU is breaking big news in Vanity Fair," Finebaum said. "Has to be shaking up Fifth Avenue right now. But it's Lane Kiffin. "The most important thing to factor in here, this wasn’t a slip of the tongue. I talked to the writer who did the Vanity Fair piece the other day, Curt [sic] Smith, he said he didn’t even ask Kiffin about the racism aspect, he just started rifting [sic]. This is Kiffin trying to wipe Ole Miss off the face of the Earth, he’s still very bitter at them, even though they're the jilted lover. He's bitter at them because they wouldn’t let him coach in the playoffs. "And he has to recruit against them, he has to coach against them on September 19th, a game that will get a little bit of attention." Finebaum then took a minute to address Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian's comments, which implied that Ole Miss has an advantage because it's not a good academic school. "The Sarkisian thing is even more amazing. The fact that any coach is whining and complaining about anything ... Steve Sarkisian makes about $12 million a year, and not one person on his roster is going to the University of Texas for their curriculum. They're going for the money." OLE MISS PLAYERS PUSH BACK ON LANE KIFFIN’S CLAIM THAT TEAM ASKED AD TO LET HIM FINISH SEASON WITH REBELS Paul Finebaum, not holding back. And he's right. Lane Kiffin is bitter, upset, whatever the adjective, that Ole Miss didn't let him coach in the playoff after taking the LSU job. But he knew that was going to be the outcome if he decided to leave, and he left anyway. Kiffin then essentially proved Finebaum right in another interview with Wilson Alexander from On3.com. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! "Obviously, I wish the timing was different. There was no way around it," he said. "Tried to do everything possible to still coach and, obviously, that was [athletic director Keith Carter's] decision and understandable. Do I still wish that had happened? Yeah, I do. I wish that would have been allowed to happen. Maybe we would have won it all." That's why he's so upset. He believed Ole Miss had a chance to win a national championship. And he would have that on his résumé, winning a title, especially at a program like Ole Miss. But he has no one to blame but himself for missing out on that opportunity. Even if the LSU job is a better one in the long run. And he's right on Sarkisian too. Sark knows the Texas football team isn't there for academics, or at least, the starters. If any coach is going to complain about putting together a roster, it shouldn't be the head of arguably the richest program in the country. With a massive NIL budget, classic uniforms, a legendary stadium and history, and a gigantic, devoted fan base. Credit where credit's due, Finebaum didn't pull any punches. Even though the target was based in his beloved SEC. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a068344a200899a00eb7a92 Trump says Xi agreed US became a ‘declining nation’ during Biden years te 2026-05-15T02:21:56.329Z Trump says Xi agreed US became a ‘declining nation’ during Biden years President Donald Trump turned Chinese President Xi Jinping’s reported swipe at the West during the U.S. and China's high-stakes meetings in Beijing into a political attack on former President Joe Biden Thursday. "When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct," Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the second day of talks between the U.S. and China. After the U.S. delegation was greeted with pomp and circumstance at an opening ceremony Wednesday night, Xi invoked the so-called "Thucydides Trap" during opening remarks, asking whether China and the United States could avoid the historical pattern of conflict between a rising power and an established one. TRUMP-XI’S CHINA SUMMIT IS A DEFINING TEST FOR AMERICA IN THE NEW COLD WAR The line echoed Beijing’s broader view of a shifting global balance of power, though it is unclear if Xi explicitly called the U.S. or the West a "declining nation." "President Xi was not referring to the incredible rise that the United States has displayed to the world during the 16 spectacular months of the Trump Administration, which includes all-time high stock markets and 401K’s, military victory and thriving relationship in Venezuela, the military decimation of Iran (to be continued!)," Trump added in his post. "The United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world, and hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!" Trump continued. BEHIND SUMMIT SMILES, XI GIVES BLUNT WARNING TO TRUMP OF 'CLASHES' AND 'CONFLICTS' Trump went on to say that the United States "suffered immeasurably" under Biden-era policies like open borders, increased taxes, DEI, "transgender for everybody," and sanctuary city ordinances. He agreed that "two years ago" the nation was "in decline." Fox News Digital reached out to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the White House for comment.  A White House spokesperson referred Fox News Digital back to the president's Truth Social post, but a Chinese Embassy spokesperson said in a statement that "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand." However, the Chinese embassy spokesperson did not respond to inquiries asking for more context about Xi's reported comments.  Xi’s "Thucydides Trap" reference was not a direct statement that the United States or the West is declining, but it invoked a geopolitical theory about the danger of conflict when a rising power challenges an established one and came as the Chinese president raised the prospect of a future U.S.-China clash over Taiwan. The phrase has been used in U.S.–China policy circles to describe fears that China’s rise could put it on a collision course with Washington. "On a welcoming banquet for President Trump, President Xi pointed out that this year marks the start of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. The over 1.4 billion people of China, drawing on the rich heritage of our over-5,000-year civilization, are advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development. This year is also the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The over 300 million American people are reinvigorating the spirit of patriotism, innovation and enterprise, and ushering in a new journey for the development of the United States," the spokesperson said in their statement to Fox News Digital. "The peoples of China and the United States are both great peoples. Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand. We can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world. President Xi and President Trump also agreed to build a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability to promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and bring more peace, prosperity and progress to the world." Former President Biden's personal history with Xi dates back to both their tenures as vice presidents.  But as president, Biden’s relationship with Xi was one that involved an ongoing strategic rivalry, with the two leaders meeting in Bali in 2022 and California in 2023 as Washington and Beijing tried to stabilize ties amid disputes over Taiwan, a spy balloon caught over the United States, fentanyl and other disputes. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden's representatives for comment, but did not immediately hear back in time for publication.  "We should be partners, not rivals," Xi told Trump during opening remarks that followed the welcome ceremony in front of Great Hall of the People in Beijing. "We should help each other succeed and prosper together and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06832ba200899a00eb7a42 Supreme Court keeps telehealth & mail access to abortion pill te 2026-05-15T02:21:31.389Z Supreme Court keeps telehealth & mail access to abortion pill Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a068317a200899a00eb7a39 Trump, Hobbs: Flags to half-staff Friday for National Peace Officers Memorial Day te 2026-05-15T02:21:11.759Z Trump, Hobbs: Flags to half-staff Friday for National Peace Officers Memorial Day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a068304a200899a00eb7a30 States demand transparency as businesses get billions in Trump tariff refunds te 2026-05-15T02:20:52.355Z States demand transparency as businesses get billions in Trump tariff refunds Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0682f0a200899a00eb7a27 Iranian World Cup prep moves FC Tucson from usual digs; locals continue tune-ups vs. Barça te 2026-05-15T02:20:32.478Z Iranian World Cup prep moves FC Tucson from usual digs; locals continue tune-ups vs. Barça Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a068091a200899a00eb79df The Colts channeled "The Simpsons" for their schedule release, and it's a masterpiece te 2026-05-15T02:10:25.762Z The Colts channeled "The Simpsons" for their schedule release, and it's a masterpiece The NFL schedule release has turned into an arms race among teams' social media departments to see who can get the most attention. I don't care about that. All I care about is that the Indianapolis Colts just threw down the greatest schedule release of all time. And I'm not just saying that as a die-hard fan of "The Simpsons." I mean, I am, but that's not the only reason I'm saying it. For the 2026 season, the Colts' cromulent, Simpsonized schedule release video was kind of a two-parter. The first part was a reworking of the long-running primetime sitcom's iconic opening sequence that was jammed full of very funny NFL Easter eggs, starting with a classic Bart Simpson chalkboard gag that reads, "WE WILL NOT INCLUDE TYREEK HILL IN THESE VIDEOS." CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE Then, the second part was the actual schedule reveal, and that was where this went from being cool to being brilliant. Each game was introduced with a clip from the show that fits it perfectly, starting with the Colts' Week 1 date with the Baltimore Ravens. That one used a clip of "The Simpsons'" adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" from Season 2's "Treehouse of Horror." Pour yourself a Duff and maybe gnaw on a pink donut, because this is a masterpiece you will probably watch several times. Just speaking from experience. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Perfect. No notes on this end. Honestly, with more than 800 episodes, every NFL team could do a Simpsons schedule release video, and there wouldn't be too much overlap. I kind of dig these schedule releases, because they honestly get better and better. I think we're probably only about a year or two from James Cameron directing one of them... and then directing five more sequels no one asked for. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a067e38a200899a00eb7927 Former Oklahoma Death Row Prisoner Freed Before Retrial in a 1997 Killing te 2026-05-15T02:00:24.336Z Former Oklahoma Death Row Prisoner Freed Before Retrial in a 1997 Killing A lawyer for Richard Glossip said the ruling provided a step forward in his client’s efforts to escape a “decades-long nightmare” in a case that has faced substantial criticism. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a067bdfa200899a00eb788b Man Charged With Posting Bomb Instructions Used in New Orleans Attack te 2026-05-15T01:50:23.179Z Man Charged With Posting Bomb Instructions Used in New Orleans Attack The man, a former Army engineer, was accused of posting videos showing how to make explosives. Authorities said those videos were used by the man who carried out a deadly attack in New Orleans last year. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06799da200899a00eb7830 US moving to indict former Cuban leader Raúl Castro: source te 2026-05-15T01:40:45.061Z US moving to indict former Cuban leader Raúl Castro: source The United States is moving to indict Raúl Castro, the former Cuban president, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News Digital. The potential charges against Castro, 94, come after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Thursday with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior during a high-level visit to the island nation. CBS News first reported on the potential charges. CUBA SAYS CIA CHIEF RATCLIFFE MET WITH OFFICIALS IN HAVANA AMID US TENSIONS Raúl Castro is the younger brother of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who died in 2016. Castro is reportedly being indicted in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago, U.S. officials familiar with the matter told CBS News. This is a developing story, check back for updates. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a067989a200899a00eb7827 NBA tries justifying egregious, game-changing no-call in Pistons-Cavs in final seconds te 2026-05-15T01:40:25.597Z NBA tries justifying egregious, game-changing no-call in Pistons-Cavs in final seconds The NBA says the officials were correct not to call a foul on the Cavaliers in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter against the Pistons, in a game Cleveland won in overtime. "[Jarrett] Allen and [Ausar] Thompson legally step to the same spot while pursuing the loose ball [before either player has possession], and both lose their balance from the marginal contact," the league said via its Last Two Minutes Report on Thursday. Except that is not what happened. As the video below shows, Allen tripped Thompson and committed a foul. Had the foul been called, Thompson would have gone to the free-throw line with the score tied 103-103 with less than a second to play. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! That's a trip right there," said game analyst Tim Legler on the replay. "There's a couple of tenths left when that happens." Though Thompson is just a 60% free-throw shooter, the odds would have heavily favored a Detroit win had the officials properly called the foul. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff agreed. "[Allen] fouled Ausar -- clearly," Bickerstaff said after the game. "He tripped him when he was going for a loose ball." Bickerstaff came into the game already displeased with the officiating in the series, noting the free-throw disparity in Game 4. "It’s unacceptable, it is," Bickerstaff said, via the Detroit News’ Coty Davis. "We didn’t do enough honestly to help ourselves, and I’ll start there. But ever since we came to Cleveland, the whistle has changed. There’s no way that one guy on their team shoots more free throws than our team." CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK ANALYSIS For context, the Pistons shot just 12 free-throw attempts in Monday night's loss to the Cavaliers. Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell shot 15 free throws himself. Still, crew chief Tony Brothers stands by his poor officiating. "During live play, both players were going for the ball, and there was incidental contact with the legs with no player having possession of the ball," he said about the no call on Wednesday. "There was incidental contact on the play. The play will be reviewed by the league office tomorrow, and it will be posted in the L2M," he added. The Cavs host the Pistons on Friday for Game 6. Detroit would like some makeup calls. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06774aa200899a00eb7792 Senior living is close to home te 2026-05-15T01:30:50.589Z Senior living is close to home For many longtime North Central Phoenix residents, the area is more than just a place to live – it is a community built on connection, history and neighborhood pride. Tucked just minutes from the restaurants, parks and familiar streets, Beatitudes Campus, located at 1610 W. Glendale Ave., has quietly become one of the most vibrant communities for older adults in the Valley. “For more than six decades, Beatitudes Campus has welcomed seniors who want to stay active, engaged and surrounded by friends,” leadership said. “Residents often describe the campus as feeling less like a traditional retirement community and more like a lively neighborhood – one where there is always something happening. Through May 31, Beatitudes Campus is offering several limited-time move-in opportunities. These include incentives for rental residences, entrance-fee/life-plan residences and assisted living and early memory support levels of care. Prospective residents can schedule a tour and learn more by calling 602-536-4734 or visiting www.beatitudescampus.org. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a067737a200899a00eb7789 Harkins to debut 4D theater te 2026-05-15T01:30:31.019Z Harkins to debut 4D theater Harkins Theatres announced plans in late March to introduce 4D sensory immersive moviegoing experiences at three Arizona locations, with three additional locations to be announced soon. Partnering with Lumma 4D E-Motion, the Harkins 4D experience will incorporate full sensory-engaging effects, including synchronized motion seating, coordinated scents, air, water and environmental cues, to fully connect moviegoers with the on-screen action. The first new 4D auditorium set to open this August at Harkins Norterra in far North Phoenix. There is no word on whether the company plans to introduce new theaters closer to the Phoenix city center after closing the 21-year-old Bell Road location in 2022, which has since been replaced by a multi-family housing development, and the 31-year-old Metrocenter location in 2023, which was forced to close by the demolition and redevelopment of Metrocenter Mall. For more information, visit www.harkins.com. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a067503a200899a00eb76fb Kris Mayes moves to remove David Marshall as Navajo County recorder te 2026-05-15T01:21:07.975Z Kris Mayes moves to remove David Marshall as Navajo County recorder David Marshall in January 2025. (Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0) Attorney General Kris Mayes is asking the courts to remove Navajo County Recorder David Marshall, alleging that his appointment to the post last month blatantly violates the Arizona Constitution. In a rare legal filing known as a quo warranto — Latin for “by what authority” and designed to prevent the unlawful usurpation of office — Mayes says that, because Marshall was elected to the state legislature in 2024 and was sworn into office in January 2025, the Arizona Constitution bars him from holding any other public office. The claim centers on a constitutional provision that restricts what public roles members of the legislature can hold during their elected term: “No member of the legislature, during the term for which he shall have been elected or appointed shall be eligible to hold any other office or be otherwise employed by the state of Arizona or, any county or incorporated city or town thereof.” Mayes contends that the language, particularly the phrasing “during the term for which he shall have been elected,” makes clear that legislators are ineligible to hold another office or work a government job until their two-year term ends. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Last month, the Navajo County Board of Supervisors appointed Marshall as recorder to fill a vacancy created when the elected recorder, Tim Jordan, resigned in January. Marshall resigned his seat in the Arizona House of Representatives three days later and also ended his bid for the Arizona Corporation Commission. On April 24, Mayes sent a letter to Marshall demanding that he resign and warning him that she would seek to have him removed from office if he didn’t.  “Because your term as an elected representative will not conclude until January 2027, you are not currently eligible to hold another public office or be otherwise employed by the state or ‘any county … thereof,’” she wrote. Mayes noted that a legal opinion the attorney general’s office issued in 1977 concluded that the constitutional language “clearly prohibits the taking of any other office or employment during the elective term, whether or not the legislator resigns.” On May 6, Lainey Wilson, a private attorney representing Marshall, responded with a letter arguing that Mayes is relying on a 49-year-old advisory opinion — and ignoring Arizona Supreme Court precedent in the process. Because Marshall resigned from the legislature prior to being sworn in as Navajo County recorder, Wilson wrote, the constitutional provision no longer applied to him. “The evil that Section 5 was designed to prevent simply does not exist when a legislator, like former Representative Marshall, has resigned from the legislative body before assuming the new office,” she wrote.  And not only has “no Arizona court … ever held that a legislator who resigned before assuming another appointed office was subject to ouster,” but several Supreme Court rulings indicate that the constitutional provision Marshall is alleged to have violated applies only to sitting lawmakers. For instance, in a 1973 case, the high court found that “the most reasonable interpretation of the subject provision is to hold that ‘member of the Legislature’ is the office” held, not the person who holds the office. And in 1961, the court ruled that a person who was elected to the legislature, but never sworn in, was not disqualified from another post.  “Consistency does not equal correctness, and no number of advisory opinions can override a contrary holding of the Arizona Supreme Court,” Wilson, a former deputy solicitor general at the AG’s Office, wrote. In a statement, a spokesman for Mayes said the AG was unpersuaded by Wilson’s arguments and believes the courts will side with her and remove Marshall from office. “The law is clear, Mr. Marshall is not eligible to serve in this office. AG Mayes alerted him to this in late April and asked him to resign — he did not do so, which led to today’s action,” Richie Taylor said. YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE. SUPPORT Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0674eda200899a00eb76da Trans athlete AB Hernandez's mother says criticism is politically motivated ahead of midterm elections te 2026-05-15T01:20:45.802Z Trans athlete AB Hernandez's mother says criticism is politically motivated ahead of midterm elections As the debate over transgender athletes continues in California, concerns surrounding competitive fairness remain at the center of the conversation. Jurupa Valley senior AB Hernandez, born male, delivered three dominant performances in girls' events at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries. Save Girls’ Sports activists gathered outside Yorba Linda High School in protest, which OutKick documented firsthand through conversations with parents and attendees at the meet. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! One attendee acknowledged that debate surrounding a high school athlete can become contentious, but argued the issue of fairness is straightforward. The results, they said, spoke for themselves after Hernandez’s dominant showing. As criticism over competitive disparities intensified following the meet, pro-trans activists pushed back with the familiar argument that inclusion matters more than results, while opponents argued female athletes lose opportunities in the process. Hernandez will continue competing under CIF rules permitting transgender participation and is scheduled to compete Saturday, May 16, before advancing to the CIF finals in Clovis later this month. CALIFORNIA GIRLS' TRACK ATHLETE OPENS UP ON LOSING FIRST-PLACE TITLE TO TRANS COMPETITOR AB Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda, declined to speak with OutKick about fairness in women’s sports, but told the Los Angeles Times in an exclusive interview that criticism directed at her child is being fueled by politics during a midterm election cycle. Addressing the backlash from the May 9 preliminaries, Nereyda said she encouraged AB to ignore activists and dismissed much of the criticism as politically motivated. Nereyda told the Times, "Once they started posting [online] about their protest, I thought, ‘Wow, it’s going to be another crazy year,’" she said. "But no, on the outside, they had maybe, maybe 10 people. … They’re there to target one child, but they affect all of them." Nereyda also suggested the controversy surrounding AB has become increasingly politicized as the national debate over transgender athletes intensifies. "I told AB, this is a [midterm] election year," Nereyda said. "They’re gonna hit us hard, because they’re using us for their campaigns." Hernandez’s standout performance at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries included victories in the triple jump by more than four feet and the long jump by over a foot. TRANS ATHLETE LAUGHS OFF BACKLASH AFTER WINNING CALIFORNIA GIRLS' TRACK AND FIELD TITLES Those margins are substantial at the elite high school level. Supporters of Save Girls’ Sports say Hernandez’s results highlight the competitive advantages created by biological differences in girls' athletics. Nereyda and activists supporting AB have defended CIF policies allowing transgender athletes to compete based on gender identity, even as California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly acknowledged concerns surrounding fairness. "I think it’s an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that," Newsom told Charlie Kirk during a podcast appearance in early 2025. The California governor continued, "It is an issue of fairness. It’s deeply unfair," he said. "I’m not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you." Despite growing backlash, Nereyda Hernandez remains unwavering in criticizing protestors for disrupting her family’s peace. She dismissed much of the criticism as outside agitation rather than concern from families directly involved in the competition. "She has been doing this sport since freshman year [of high school]," Nereyda said. "She’s not doing anything wrong." "It’s just the outsiders," Nereyda added. "They’re infiltrating, pretending they’re parents or they know people, but I’m the mom. I know who they are." Supporters of Save Girls’ Sports often point to high-profile collegiate cases as evidence of what they believe is a widening competitive gap in women’s athletics. Critics portray the movement as politically motivated, but many athletes and parents involved insist their concerns center on competition rather than ideology. They argue women’s sports exist to preserve opportunities and protected competition for female athletes under Title IX. Among the most frequently cited examples is former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who transitioned from competing on the men’s team, where Thomas ranked 462nd nationally before winning an NCAA Division I women’s national championship. SJSU TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: TIMELINE OF ALLEGATIONS, POLITICAL IMPACT AND A RAGING CULTURE MOVEMENT Advocates argue retained physical advantages still created disparities female athletes could not overcome through training alone. The movement also points to San Jose State volleyball player Blair Fleming, whose presence on the court sparked national controversy and prompted opponents to forfeit matches over safety concerns and the integrity of the women’s category. In a separate statement released through TransFamily Support Services, Nereyda Hernandez said much of the harassment directed at AB has come from adults, including some "in positions of power who should be protectors of our youth." MOST CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS OPPOSE TRANS INCLUSION IN GIRLS AND WOMEN'S SPORTS: SURVEY She said AB has been "attacked for simply being who they are," while noting competitors themselves have generally shown respect. While the emotional weight of a mother defending her child is undeniable, supporters of Save Girls’ Sports argue compassion for one athlete should not come at the expense of opportunities for other young women. They point to widening performance gaps as evidence supporting those concerns as transgender participation expands in girls and women’s sports. For years, athletes and parents who questioned transgender participation in women’s sports were often labeled transphobic. But as the debate gains national attention, more families argue that acknowledging biological differences is not an act of hatred. Supporters say girls are losing podium spots, titles and scholarship opportunities to competitors with measurable physical advantages. Nereyda Hernandez told the Times that her family is looking forward to the meet, despite expected protests. TRANSGENDER ATHLETE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS AS SPOTLIGHT INCREASES ON GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL PARTICIPATION Meanwhile, supporters insist their goal is not to attack a student, but to defend women’s sports. For supporters of Save Girls’Sports, the answer is clear: protected competition for female athletes must come first. Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0674d7a200899a00eb76ab Trump-Ordered Citizenship Lists for Voting Are Likely Unreliable, Justice Dept. Says te 2026-05-15T01:20:23.411Z Trump-Ordered Citizenship Lists for Voting Are Likely Unreliable, Justice Dept. Says At a court hearing over a presidential order seeking to exert more control over elections, a government lawyer said no “responsible state” should rely on the lists to update their voter rolls. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a067281a200899a00eb763b Trump Might Welcome Chinese Investment, but America Is Wary te 2026-05-15T01:10:25.662Z Trump Might Welcome Chinese Investment, but America Is Wary A pledge for more Chinese investment could face backlash given longstanding national security concerns in the United States. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a066dd1a200899a00eb754c Chargers troll the Patriots in schedule release video with a not-so-subtle Vrabel-Russini reference te 2026-05-15T00:50:25.642Z Chargers troll the Patriots in schedule release video with a not-so-subtle Vrabel-Russini reference The Los Angeles Chargers have the reputation of producing the NFL's best schedule release videos and the only people they disappointed Thursday evening might be the New England Patriots, that team's fans, coach Mike Vrabel and former reporter Dianna Russini. Because in their video, the Chargers went there. They referenced the relationship between the Patriots' head coach and the former reporter in their video. The entire Halo-themed video is worth your 6:13 viewing time. NEW YORK TIMES INVESTIGATING NFL REPORTER DIANNA RUSSINI AFTER PHOTOS WITH PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL EMERGE But in Week 12, when the Chargers host the Patriots at SoFi Stadium, the video makes that point by showing a couple of militiamen on ATVs headed into the playoffs when suddenly they get a message. "NYPost sent you a message," pops up on the screen. And suddenly the militia guys wipe out. It was, you'll recall, the New York Post's Page Six that first published photos of Vrabel and Russini lounging by a pool, and in a hot tub, and holding hands and embracing on the roof of a private bungalow in Sedona, Ariz., the first week of April. Those photos and several others, released by both the Post and other online publications, eventually led to Russini resigning from The Athletic and deleting her social media presence. Vrabel, meanwhile, stumbled though multiple press conferences while trying to both avoid and explain the issue without ever really providing details. He missed the final day of the NFL Draft while flying to Utah and seeking "counseling" after what he called painful conversations with his family. This was not the first time the Patriots got tagged as the team with a coach who had a cozy "relationship" with a reporter. The club was swamped with snarky comments when it saluted fans on Mother's Day. PATRIOTS MOTHER'S DAY SALUTE TURNS INTO A TROLL FRENZY The Chargers didn't merely pick on the Patriots and their "situation." They went after every opponent in some form or fashion. They mocked the Ravens for their aborted trade for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby. They went after the New York Jets for their inability to intercept passes after that team failed to collect even one interception on defense in 2025. And aside from making reference to the Vrabel-Russini situation, the Chargers also pointed out the Patriots played an easy schedule last season. "Conquer the cupcakes," the video flashes. The NFL, by the way, does not oversee, approve or disapprove of team schedule release videos. So, the league is washing its hands of what the Chargers or any other teams might do to troll the Patriots. And if the Patriots are upset with this mere 10 seconds of video on an opposing team's video because it brings up an uncomfortable situation, they're probably in for a long season of mocking by opposing fans. FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a066ba0a200899a00eb74bb Edwin Diaz reportedly appeared in cockfighting tournament graphics wearing his Dodgers uniform te 2026-05-15T00:41:04.593Z Edwin Diaz reportedly appeared in cockfighting tournament graphics wearing his Dodgers uniform The Los Angeles Dodgers could face a massive PR nightmare from LA vegans as star pitcher Edwin Diaz finds himself at the center of a federal animal cruelty scandal. A USA Today investigation linked the $102 million closer to an illegal cockfighting ring in Puerto Rico through incriminating social media posts and promotional materials. Despite the federal ban on the blood sport that took effect in 2019, Diaz reportedly appeared in tournament graphics ... wearing his official Dodgers uniform. The controversy also took a turn after the discovery of a March 2026 interview with outlet El Nuevo Día in which Díaz openly discussed his family’s involvement in the underground circuit. Diaz described cockfighting as a pastime he has followed since childhood and confirmed that his family entered four roosters into a recent tournament. NYC RADIO HOST RIPS METS OWNER STEVE COHEN AFTER HOMEGROWN STAR LEAVES: 'SOLD US A BILL OF GOODS' While cockfighting has long been part of local tradition in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a total federal ban in 2021, making participation a potential federal crime. But the star reliever known for his "Timmy Trumpets' intro wasn't the only high-profile name caught in the crosshairs of the investigation. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! Champion jockeys Jose Ortiz and Irad Ortiz Jr. were also identified in social media footage tied to the events. According to the report, the Ortiz brothers, who recently dominated the Kentucky Derby, appeared on video collecting cash bets at one of the alleged cockfighting gatherings. Although no criminal charges have been filed against Diaz, MLB’s personal conduct policy allows the league to impose significant discipline regardless of the legal outcome. It won't be long until PETA comes after Major League Baseball and the Dodgers with escalating pressure to respond to allegations involving animal cruelty and illegal gambling. For a Dodgers team already resented for buying up baseball with its massive payroll, watching its star closer stroll through a cockfighting pit in full uniform feels tailor-made to ignite outrage back home. In a city where animal rights are practically civic doctrine and oat milk has a stronger lobby than most politicians, Diaz showing up at a bird fight lands as a direct shot to LA culture. Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a066b8da200899a00eb74b2 Cardinal Dolan thanks New York faithful at golden jubilee Mass: 'Without Jesus, I could have done nothing' te 2026-05-15T00:40:45.131Z Cardinal Dolan thanks New York faithful at golden jubilee Mass: 'Without Jesus, I could have done nothing' Archbishop Emeritus of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated a significant milestone on Thursday: the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, which he celebrated with a special Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Flanked by several clergy members of various denominations, Dolan, 76, thanked his former colleagues, as well as civic and community officials, before praising Jesus Christ for his lengthy career in the church. "After 17 happy years, you're my family. You're my friends, and I love you. And I thank you. I thank you so much," he said. "My years as a priest and a bishop might be worthwhile. If so, it's because of you. Without Jesus, I could have done nothing; without you, none of the meager accomplishments you so graciously pointed out could have ever, ever happened." PRIEST, PASTOR, RABBI ADDRESS 'CRISIS' OF DECLINING FAITH POPULATION IN DIVIDED AMERICA: IT'S AN 'OPPORTUNITY' The Mass held special significance because Thursday fell on the Feast of the Ascension, a major Christian festival celebrating the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, occurring 40 days after Easter Sunday. During the service, various clergy members read from Scripture, including the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the New Testament, and the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians, which calls for unity in the church. Dolan led the Archdiocese of New York beginning in 2009 before stepping down in December. He was replaced by Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois. According to his biography on the New York archdiocese website, Dolan was ordained into the priesthood by the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on June 19, 1976. He served as associate pastor at Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights, Missouri, until 1979, when he began studies for a doctorate in American Church History at The Catholic University of America. CARDINAL DOLAN GIVES INSIDE LOOK INTO CONCLAVE, HOLY SPIRIT'S ROLE IN SELECTING A NEW POPE In May 2025, he participated in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. Hicks, whom Pope Leo once dubbed his "Mini-Me," spoke in Spanish before transitioning back to English to praise Dolan. Both Hicks and Leo grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and served as missionaries in Latin America and are fluent in Spanish. "Regarding being a bishop for Cardinal Dolan, you might be wondering why right now—why I'm the one giving the homily," Hicks said of Dolan. "Well, after 50 years of being a priest, I think you deserve a little break now." ARCHBISHOP HICKS CELEBRATES 'BEAUTIFUL' ST PATRICK'S DAY MASS IN NYC WITH MAYOR MAMDANI IN ATTENDANCE Hicks recalled an archdiocese board meeting this week in which the board president shared how he had been involved with the Catholic Church for many years. Though he was not Catholic, his involvement led him to decide that "the Lord was calling him to become Catholic." "So he turned to his good friend Cardinal Dolan and said, 'Cardinal, it's time. I want to become Catholic. Do you know a priest you can recommend to me who could help me?'" Hicks recalled. "And without missing a beat, Cardinal Dolan said back to him, 'Well, you know, you're in luck. I am a priest. And I am happy to help you.'" "Those words reflect who and what Cardinal Dolan is to his core," Hicks added. "He is a priest who is happy to help. He is a priest following the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd." Much of the Mass followed Biblical readings and songs. In his final remarks, Dolan thanked his parents, who were married in Missouri on May 14, 1949, as well as his brother, Pat, who provided a reading during the service. He then thanked everyone in attendance. "To be close to you here in New York is a gift I will treasure forever," he said to end the Mass. "Now, it may be Ascension Eve, but for me, it's Christmas Eve, and I'm a kid looking out at a lot of gifts under the tree. Thank you." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a066b76a200899a00eb7483 Dallas Asks Its Residents: What Should We Do With City Hall? te 2026-05-15T00:40:22.548Z Dallas Asks Its Residents: What Should We Do With City Hall? Faced with a billion-dollar repair bill and a desire to find a new arena for the Mavericks, the city is considering options that include demolishing the building. Residents submitted their own ideas. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0666e4a200899a00eb73ca International dreams: NASCAR, IndyCar face uphill battle to go global te 2026-05-15T00:20:52.878Z International dreams: NASCAR, IndyCar face uphill battle to go global PHOENIX – American sports leagues are going global. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0666d0a200899a00eb73c1 International dreams: NASCAR, IndyCar face uphill battle to go global te 2026-05-15T00:20:32.899Z International dreams: NASCAR, IndyCar face uphill battle to go global While many U.S. sports leagues have exported their product across the globe, American racing series have remained largely stateside due to a number of factors, including travel and scheduling. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0664b6a200899a00eb72ff Mother's Day chaos at a steakhouse includes knives thrown at waiters and a touching mother-daughter arrest te 2026-05-15T00:11:34.461Z Mother's Day chaos at a steakhouse includes knives thrown at waiters and a touching mother-daughter arrest An upscale steakhouse in West Little Rock, Arkansas, descended into chaos on Mother's Day when the staff failed to show the proper level of respect to the TikTok food influencers who entered their establishment. Words were exchanged between the influencers and staff; other customers got involved in the verbal exchange; it got heated and turned physical. According to the Little Rock Police Department, knives were thrown. Asia, Allyssia and Alivia Yarbrough, who, according to the Daily Mail, all have large numbers of followers, had an issue with how their steaks had been cooked at Arthur's Prime Steakhouse on Sunday. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! They asked the restaurant staff to have all three of the steaks remade to their specifications, reports KATV. The manager initially refused to remake one of them, then later brought it out and shoved it in one of their faces, saying, "this is how it's done." There's a chance you can get away with that when dealing with regular customers, but it's not going to fly with disrespected food influencers. They have millions of followers and can't stand for that. At minimum a scene will be caused. A scene where you're going to find out from a proud momma that her kids have tens of millions of social media followers. CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK CULTURE COVERAGE Allyssia, 25, reportedly said that she shoved her phone into a 62-year-old waiter's face. He grabbed the phone, and she said she responded by punching him in self-defense. She added that the elderly waiter slapped her back using two hands and that's when another waiter, 57, jumped in to assist his co-worker. The LRPD's investigation into the matter found that a third steak could not be fixed because it had already been cut into. The police department’s reports also stated that the security camera footage showed the Yarbroughs "causing a disturbance throughout the restaurant." According to the police report, Asia Yarbrough, 22, threw knives at two waiters during the madness. None of the videos that went viral on social media after the incident appear to show the alleged knife throwing. The same can’t be said for Kimberly Forga, the mother of the influencers. She's accused of causing $2,500 in damage to the restaurant's grand piano by slamming the top of it. In one of the videos, it does appear as if the piano's top is being slammed. Although it's hard to tell what, if any, damage was done. The legal system will have to sort all of that out. According to the Arkansas Times, the daughter was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Mom was hit with a felony charge of criminal mischief and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. That's about as touching as a Mother's Day visit to an upscale steakhouse gets. On Monday, both mom and daughter pleaded not guilty and were released on bond. They're due back in court on July 7. They've created a real problem for themselves, aside from any upcoming legal issue they may face. The bigger problem is how do you make Mother's Day next year as memorable as this one? Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a0664a2a200899a00eb72f6 McMaster revives Trump-backed push to oust Biden kingmaker from Congress te 2026-05-15T00:11:14.760Z McMaster revives Trump-backed push to oust Biden kingmaker from Congress South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a top Trump ally and fellow Republican, announced Thursday that he is convening the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, starting Friday for a special session to "address the state budget and congressional districts" in his largely Republican state. "I have issued an Executive Order calling the General Assembly back for an extra legislative session to address the state budget and congressional districts beginning Friday, May 15, at 11:00 AM," McMaster wrote on X.  The move comes amid intraparty Republican tensions over the Trump-backed effort to redraw the state’s congressional map — a push that could threaten the tenure of Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the man credited with reviving former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and four other senators originally joined Democrats to defeat a proposal that would have allowed the chamber to vote on redistricting after the South Carolina legislative session closed Thursday. The roadblock came hours after President Donald Trump warned he is "watching closely" the redistricting effort that proponents hope will ultimately rid the state’s congressional delegation of its lone Democrat, while advising lawmakers to move the primary for House members to August. SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, TANK REDISTRICTING, FOR NOW Clyburn, the octogenarian Orangeburg, South Carolina, lawmaker considered a kingmaker in Palmetto State Democratic politics — and credited with reviving then-candidate Biden’s floundering campaign with his endorsement in 2020 — may not be long for Capitol Hill, as a redraw would almost certainly redistribute the state’s heavy Republican advantage across its seven districts. Clyburn said he remains confident he can win re-election even under a new map. "I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina," Clyburn said in a CNN interview. "I have a district that’s about 45 percent African American. I have no idea what the number will be after the legislature finishes, but whatever that number is, I will be running on my record and America’s promise." Massey argued in a floor speech that following Trump’s lead on redistricting would run counter to the interests of the Palmetto State. "South Carolina has always punched above their weight," Massey said. "Doing this will diminish that influence." But he also acknowledged that he will likely face political payback from Trump and the president's allies. TRUMP TARGETS RED STATE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS IN PUSH FOR CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING "There are likely consequences for me, personally, taking the position that I am right now," Massey said. "I’m comfortable with that. I may not like it, but I’m comfortable with it. ... My conscience is clear on this one." The recent Callais decision at the Supreme Court — which eliminated Louisiana’s race-conscious map that provided for two largely minority-heavy Democratic strongholds — has already spurred action in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, and with Clyburn’s district itself reportedly the product of a George H.W. Bush Justice Department request regarding racial makeup, its days may be numbered. The DOJ in 1992 recommended creating a majority-Black district in South Carolina, and Clyburn swiftly won the seat upon the retirement of fellow Democratic Rep. Robin Mooneyhan Tallon of Hemingway, according to a Government Printing Office publication on Black Americans in Congress.  Clyburn is also reportedly a relative of the previous Black South Carolina congressman, Republican George Washington Murray, who served in the 1890s. The 85-year-old recently signed documents to make his run for re-election official, quipping that he is in good health and simply celebrating the 47th anniversary of his 39th birthday soon. If redistricting fails and Clyburn is able to run again, he will join a growing list of octogenarian — and some nonagenarian — lawmakers who remain bullish about their political prospects. The oldest sitting member is Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is 92, while elderly lawmakers facing re-election in 2026 besides Clyburn include Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., who is 88, and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who is 87. Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, is 83 and running for re-election, which would make him 89 at the end of his next term. Alabama convened a special session earlier in May that House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, correctly predicted would force the courts to rule on the validity of a special-case redistricting referendum there. Tennessee successfully redrew its map, which is likely to result in the ouster of longtime Shelby County Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, while Mississippi hit a snag in its own efforts after Gov. Tate Reeves pumped the brakes on a Callais-spurred effort to boot former House Jan. 6 Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson in the Delta. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06648fa200899a00eb72ed NYC Republican lawmaker slams Mamdani antisemitism office as a ‘black hole’ lacking public-facing resources te 2026-05-15T00:10:55.197Z NYC Republican lawmaker slams Mamdani antisemitism office as a ‘black hole’ lacking public-facing resources As anti-Israel agitators take to the streets in New York City, a councilwoman is calling out the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, saying that it lacks public-facing resources. "Mayor Mamdani continues to gaslight the Jewish community in New York City by creating a black hole of an office — the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism — an office that has no website, no phone number, no resources," New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, R-District 48, told Fox News Digital. "There's nobody to reach out to, there's nobody to talk to. The public has no sense of how this office can help Jewish New Yorkers." The councilwoman said that after a recent hearing, she feels that "the office does nothing to combat antisemitism." However, Vernikov said that the issue was not merely a matter of access and stated that even those who reach out to the mayor's office "really don't get a response that makes them feel safer or their children feel safer." NYC LAWMAKER SLAMS MAMDANI OVER RESPONSE TO ANTISEMITIC GRAFFITI, SYNAGOGUE CLASHES: 'NOT A LEADER' Vernikov, a Jewish Republican, serves as a co-chair of a bipartisan task force aimed at combatting antisemitism alongside Councilman Eric Dinowitz, D-District 11. The task force, which was formed earlier this year, is separate from the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism. An online search for the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism leads to a page on the New York City government's website that includes a press release announcing the office, a description of its goals and a list of "recent events and services." One of the items on the events and services list is a "listening tour," the findings of which will be used to "inform a report and a subsequent strategy on combatting antisemitism in New York City." Other events and services include Mayor Zohran Mamdani's visit to the Jewish Children's Museum in Crown Heights, Passover Seders, Food Distribution with Chasdei Lev and an Orthodox Community Leaders Roundtable. VIDEO SHOWS CLASHES ERUPT OUTSIDE SYNAGOGUE AS ANTI-ISRAEL MOB WREAKS HAVOC AT REAL ESTATE EXPO In recent weeks, New York City has seen a slew of antisemitic incidents, including swastika graffiti in Queens and protests outside a Manhattan synagogue and in a Jewish neighborhood of Brooklyn. Following the protest outside Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, Mamdani said that his administration was committed to ensuring New Yorkers could safely enter or exit a house of worship. However, he said that he "firmly" disagreed with the event taking place inside the synagogue, a statement that critics interpreted as support for the protesters. "When we have a real estate expo that is promoting the sale of land which includes the sale of land in the occupied West Bank, in settlements that are a violation of international law, that is something that I firmly disagree with," Mamdani said in response to a reporter's question. The mayor added that he saw the land sales as something that "has been at the heart of an ongoing effort to displace Palestinians from their homes." The proximity of the protests to Jewish institutions has many Jewish New Yorkers concerned for their safety, something Vernikov said she has heard from her constituents. Vernikov argued that the debate over where protests take place is not about restricting freedoms, but preventing intimidation. "This has nothing to do with the First Amendment. It has everything to do with trying to intimidate and harass Jews, and that's all these protesters are fighting for," Vernikov said. Amid the protests and vandalism, Mamdani has faced criticism for his decision to veto a bill that would have created a "buffer zone" around educational institutions to protect them from protests. The City Council also passed a version of the bill aimed at protecting houses of worship, which Mamdani did not veto. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's office for comment. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06647ba200899a00eb72e4 Shohei Ohtani might be on his way to even more history with 0.82 ERA and Cy Young discussion te 2026-05-15T00:10:35.775Z Shohei Ohtani might be on his way to even more history with 0.82 ERA and Cy Young discussion If it seems like there's a new astonishing fact about Shohei Ohtani every few days, that's because there is. Ohtani is a one-of-one player, someone who's already accomplished virtually everything a player can accomplish in Major League Baseball. He's won back-to-back World Series championships after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season. He's won three straight Most Valuable Player awards, becoming the first player ever to win multiple MVPs in different leagues. His most recent win, for the 2025 season, made him the second player ever to win four MVP awards, along with Barry Bonds. Ohtani won the Rookie of the Year award in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels. Then followed it up by getting selected to five straight All-Star teams. He's a four-time Silver Slugger winner. He's been selected to six straight All-MLB first teams. DO THE DODGERS GET AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE WITH 'BIZARRE' RULE IMPACTING SHOHEI OHTANI? In 2024, Ohtani had one of the greatest offensive seasons in baseball history, becoming the first player ever to hit more than 50 home runs and steal more than 50 bases. And it wasn't close; he finished with 54 home runs and 59 steals. Oh, and he hit .310, with a .390 on-base percentage and .646 slugging percentage. Good for 79 runs of production above an average player, per FanGraphs. Then, he followed it up in 2025 by hitting 55 more home runs, setting a new career high. All while returning to the mound for the first time since 2023, putting up a 2.87 ERA and 1.90 FIP, with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings and 1.9 wins above replacement. What could possibly be left to accomplish? Just one thing: a Cy Young Award. And after yet another outstanding start on Wednesday night, Ohtani might be well on his way to making more history there too. Ohtani faced off against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, and was once again dominant. He went seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks, while striking out eight hitters. The performance lowered his ERA through mid-May to an incredible 0.82. It's still early, of course. The Dodgers have played 43 games out of 162, meaning there's just over 73% of the season remaining. But if the season were to end today, it's hard to argue with Ohtani as the National League Cy Young winner. And if that happens, it would be the latest in a long line of historic accomplishments for baseball's best player. Ohtani, should he win, would become the first player ever to win an MVP as a hitter and pitcher. He'd become the first player ever to win multiple MVP awards, and win a Cy Young. There have been 11 pitchers who won a Cy Young and MVP in the same season, but no pitcher has ever won a second MVP. And his manager and teammates are already talking about it. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! "Like I've said for a long time, he's a different person when he's pitching," manager Dave Roberts said after the 4-0 win over the Giants. "I think he wants to win the Cy Young. I think that that helps the Dodgers, too, in 2026. When he's pitching, I just sort of let him go and…he's in a zone." Santiago Espinal, who hit a home run to give LA the lead, added, "When he's pitching, everybody expects a Cy Young. When he's hitting, everybody expects an MVP and all that stuff. That's what he showed tonight. It’s just Cy Young-caliber." Again, there's a long way to go. And the National League has several other pitchers having great starts to the 2026 season. Defending Cy Young winner Paul Skenes has seen his ERA drop from 1.97 in 2025 all the way to ... 1.98 so far in 2026. Christopher Sanchez has once again been excellent, and Jacob Misiorowski has often looked unhittable with over 14 strikeouts per nine innings. But it's yet another reminder that what Ohtani does, night in and night out, is essentially unprecedented. A top five pitcher in the sport, and a top two or three hitter. At the same time. It's remarkable, and his already remarkable career may somehow become even more historic this year. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06622fa200899a00eb724c Man shot at In-N-Out drive-thru drove family to safety with bullet lodged in head te 2026-05-15T00:00:47.995Z Man shot at In-N-Out drive-thru drove family to safety with bullet lodged in head Oregon police have arrested two suspects in connection with the shooting of a father who drove himself to a hospital after being struck in the head by a bullet after shots rang out while he was pulling out of In-N-Out drive-thru with his wife and two young sons. Ethan Adrian Armenta-Lagunas, 20, and Gabriel "Alex" Javier, 18, both of Salem, were taken into custody Wednesday. They face charges of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, criminal mischief, and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the Feb. 9 shooting of Marcio Garcia. Multiple guns were allegedly found at Armenta-Lagunas’ apartment, the Keizer Police Department said. Javier was arrested later in the day. Authorities are still searching for a third suspect, 22-year-old Anthony Taylor-Manriquez, who is considered armed and dangerous. GUNMAN REMAINS AT LARGE AFTER SHOOTING FIVE PEOPLE AT CONNECTICUT MALL Garcia, 28, was in a car with his wife and two children, ages 2 and 7, when shots rang out near the burger chain. The gunfire shattered the car windows and struck Garcia in the head; his wife and children were uninjured, police said. FLORIDA AUTHORITIES RESCUE 122 MISSING CHILDREN IN HISTORIC OPERATION, MANY EXPLOITED AND ABUSED: OFFICIALS "In the middle of chaos and fear, while he was injured and in pain, he somehow found the strength to drive us out of the scene to safety," his wife wrote in an online fundraiser. "He protected our family before thinking of himself. That is the kind of man and father he is." Images posted online showed the bullet that was removed from Garcia’s head during surgery in February, according to his wife. She also noted that Garcia did not suffer major brain damage and is currently recovering at home. "The doctors told us what we already believe—this is nothing short of a miracle," she said. "Now he faces a long road of rest, healing, and recovery." Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/post/6a06621ca200899a00eb7243 Khloe Kardashian questions lack of progress in Nancy Guthrie disappearance case te 2026-05-15T00:00:28.107Z Khloe Kardashian questions lack of progress in Nancy Guthrie disappearance case Khloe Kardashian questioned how there haven't been any new breaks in the case of Nancy Guthrie, who has now been missing more than 100 days. "Nancy Guthrie. I mean, is that not heartbreaking?" the 41-year-old posed to "Crime Junkie" podcast host Ashley Flowers on the latest episode of her "Khloé in Wonder Land" podcast on Wednesday. "I don't know. I'm just like, are you? This is 2026. There is nothing? Like, we don’t, that is mind-blowing." She and Flowers agreed that they’re both a bit "conspiratorial" when they follow missing person cases. "I don’t know if I know enough about this case, but like all the things I was reading about the brother-in-law and that kind of stuff, I'm like, oof," Kardashian said. "The ransom notes going to all the media outlets first. How weird was that?" NANCY GUTHRIE MISSING 100 DAYS AS SHERIFF SAYS 'NOTHING NEW' AND VOLUNTEER GROUPS ARE SHUT OUT OF SEARCH She continued, "It's so much. And I just I can't understand that in 2026 there's not – like you said – that's what I don't believe… that there's not one piece of information. I just… they're not telling us." Flowers agreed authorities aren’t telling the public everything, "which is like so common with like enforcement, right?" Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her Tucson home on Feb. 1, and authorities said this week they have "nothing new" in the case. NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE: SHERIFF SAYS AUTHORITIES LOOKING INTO CAR CAUGHT ON RING CAM, HAVEN'T MADE ID YET The 84-year-old is suspected to have been abducted from her bedroom in the early morning hours. There have been no signs of her since. There are no publicly identified suspects, beyond a masked man who appeared on her front steps on doorbell video. On Saturday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Digital that his investigators are getting closer to solving the case. He did not elaborate, however. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER The most recent publicly known development is that a private lab in Florida that received DNA evidence from inside Guthrie's home back in February had transferred the sample to the FBI for more advanced analysis after 11 weeks. The case entered its 14th week Sunday. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Speaking with Fox News' Jonathan Hunt Monday, Nanos said investigators were still working with the labs and following up on leads. "There is really nothing new," he said. All of Guthrie’s family members have been cleared of involvement in the case, authorities said back in February, including Savannah Guthrie’s brother-in-law Tommaso Cioni. Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana https://meenews.co/home