The World Series hasn’t started yet, but one player is already a champion.
Relief pitcher Jake Woodford played for both the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays this season, guaranteeing that he becomes a champion.
The Rays traded the 29-year-old to Milwaukee just before the season began in March. Woodford was in the Brewers’ bullpen to start the season, appearing in 16 games. He had a 1-0 record with a 6.94 ERA and one save in 23 1/3 innings pitched.
On June 5, Woodford was designated for assignment and subsequently released a few days later. On July 4, he signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Woodford appeared in just one game for the Cubs, allowing three runs in two innings. The Cubs designated Woodford for assignment on July 11, and he was released on July 16. However, the Cubs signed him to a minor league contract on July 18. On July 29, the Cubs selected his contract, returning him to the major league roster.
Woodford threw one scoreless inning on Aug. 3 but was once again designated for assignment by the Cubs on Aug. 4 and released on Aug. 10.
The Rays then brought him back, signing him to a minor league contract on Aug. 11. After more than a month in the minor leagues, the Rays selected his contract and added him to their major league roster on Sept. 24.
Woodford pitched against the New York Yankees, giving up three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. He was designated for assignment on Sept. 25 and released again on Sept. 29.
Woodford’s roller-coaster ride took him through three different teams over the course of the 2026 season, but one of those teams is guaranteed to win the World Series.
However, Woodford is not guaranteed to receive a ring. There is no official rule that requires teams to give rings to every player, as ring distribution is at the discretion of team ownership and management.
The World Series begins on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, with the Brewers hosting the Rays.
"You made me promises. Promises. Knowing I'd believe. Promises. Promises. I knew you'd never keep."
— Promises, Promises by Naked Eyes
"I am a supporter of Medicare-for-all," declared Minnesota’s Democratic nominee for Senate, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, D. "I'm going to get there with my friend Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. And we are going to power map the s--t out of the U.S. Senate and figure out how to build power for the things that we know that we deserve and the things that we need."
Hard-left progressive House and Senate candidates like Flanagan are pitching Medicare-for-all. The abolition of ICE. The Green New Deal. An arms embargo for Israel. And a $25 an hour minimum wage.
Flanagan is in a race with Republican Senate nominee Michelle Tafoya to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. The race favors Flanagan. However, it’s not a done deal that she wins. But Democratic Socialist candidates for the House like Donavan McKinney in Michigan, Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, Melat Kiros in Colorado, along with Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York probably will. Come January, they will prospectively represent Democratic strongholds where progressive ideas are popular.
But if Democrats win either the House or Senate, it won’t be because voters pulled the lever for Kiros in Denver or Avila Chevalier in Harlem. They’ll win because Democrat Cait Conley defeated Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in Dutchess County, north of New York City. Maybe because voters cast their ballots for Democrat Brian Poindexter in Wooster, Ohio, rather than Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio. Democrats could flip the House if Democratic nominee Christina Bohannan appeals more to voters in Davenport, IA than Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.
This brings us back to the progressive agenda.
Democrats might win the House and or the Senate. But Valdez and Kiros aren’t the "majority makers." Candidates like Poindexter and Conley are. And if they’re elected to the House, it’s doubtful that moderates from swing districts can support progressive ideas like the Green New Deal or Medicare-for-all. It’s about the math. And it’s more than likely that Democrats will need the voters of those moderate "majority makers" from battleground districts to enact those policies.
That’s to say nothing about needing 60 yeas in the Senate to crack a filibuster – even if Democrats do marshal a slim majority there. And, if something extreme did get through both bodies of a potentially Democratically-controlled Congress, President Trump would like veto it.
It is said that you campaign in poetry but you govern in prose.
The left has pushed a lot of progressive poetry with their agenda items of late. They’ll tout the opportunity to enact some of those policies if Democrats win the majority.
However, the reality of advancing any of that into a legislative reality is slim. The progressive ideas may energize the base. But the Democratic base is sure to feel let down if Democrats can’t make good on some of their campaign promises.
We’ve seen this before. A party promises voters the moon in the midterm elections. Then struggles to make good on those promises.
Republicans won the House in 1994 for the first time in four decades with the 10-point "Contract With America." The document promised to cut spending and reduce influence in Washington. But in the end, the House and Senate only approved a few of the items. President Clinton vetoed others.
In 2006, House Democrats campaigned on drawing down the war in Iraq. They captured the House. Congress began defunding the war effort. But it took several years, much to the dismay of party activists who demanded an immediate pullout.
In 2010, Republicans won back control of the House, gaining a record 63 seats. The goal was to reduce spending and repeal and replace ObamaCare. It never happened. In fact, some Republicans are still trying to unwind ObamaCare today.
This is all about exciting the base. And then figuring out how to govern. What candidates promise on the campaign trail rarely morphs into a legislative reality.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is reportedly in discussions with DSA-backed candidates to secure legislative commitments before some of their candidates will back him in a potential race for Speaker. That said, political observers would find it hard to believe that Democrats would balk at promoting Jeffries, making him the first Black House Speaker in American history.
There’s a chance Democrats could face infighting if the party fractures between moderates and progressives.
Imagine for a moment that Democrats do have the House and intend to bring a Medicare-for-all bill to the floor. The House must first adopt a rule which governs how the House debates that measure on the floor. Would a moderate Democrat like Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., oppose the rule (provided she wins reelection)? After all, Gluesenkamp Perez voted for GOP procedural measures earlier this year, igniting an internal Democratic firestorm. However, those votes may have been good matches for her battleground district. But voting aye on a procedural plan for a controversial, progressive political initiative won’t work in Gluesenkamp Perez’s district. That’s why the progressive agenda may already be dead in the water.
If Democrats do win the House and Jeffries clasps the Speaker’s gavel, his role will be different. He needs to manage his entire caucus. So appealing to the hard left doesn’t work. He must also hear out the moderates. And certainly the majority makers.
For instance, Jeffries isn’t pushing the Medicare for all scheme.
"I haven't co-sponsored the Medicare for all legislation that has been introduced over the last several years. I do think we need to figure out how to fix our broken healthcare system and then build something better once we repair the damage that has been done," said Jeffries.
That’s a natural stance for a national political leader. Jumping feet first into such a nettlesome issue might not be sound politics. Especially since you must also address the concerns of the moderate majority makers.
But Jeffries may have an out that all Democrats can unify around: investigations of the Trump administration. Since President Trump began his term, Jeffries has promised to hold its officials to account. Jeffries has called out Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. Ridiculed Attorney General Todd Blanche. Blasted Vice President JD Vance. Spoken about alleged corruption by the Trump family.
Democrats are also campaigning as a foil to the Trump Administration. Their base will demand action via investigations, too. That certainly resonates with the progressive base. And, even moderates who may be the majority makers.
But it isn’t a $25 an hour minimum wage. It’s not the abolition of ICE. It’s not the Green New Deal. Democrats probably won’t get what they want legislatively if they attain the majority. Those are just the political realities. But they may be able to rack some points with investigations. Those would reflect the political realities as well.
Former Disney star Erik von Detten is being sued by an elderly California couple who claim he convinced them to invest more than $2.1 million of their retirement savings in overpriced gold coins.
Sheila Greenberg, 85, and her husband, Norman Greenberg, 97, filed the lawsuit against von Detten, who is best known for his roles in Disney's "Brink" and "The Princess Diaries," and his former employer, Rosland Capital, in Los Angeles County Superior Court on May 11. The complaint accuses the defendants of financial elder abuse, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud and conversion.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the Greenbergs believe Rosland "designed in large part to appeal to senior citizens through their television and internet advertising, direct mail brochures, and high-pressure boiler-room type sales practices."
The Greenbergs claim they contacted Rosland in 2020 after seeing the television commercials promoting gold as a safe way to protect their wealth.
Once put in touch with von Detten, one of the company's top advisors, the couple disclosed that their combined traditional IRA accounts contained more than $2 million.
"Von Detten earned Sheila’s and Norman's trust. They believed him to be an expert and thus placed their faith completely in Von Detten to make the correct choices and recommendations and expressed as much to him," the court documents state.
On Oct. 19, 2020, the Greenbergs allegedly followed von Detten’s recommendations and purchased more than $999,000 worth of Lady Liberty gold coins. The lawsuit claims Sheila paid $599,654.83 for 797 coins, while Norman paid $399,519.09 for 531 coins.
"They believed that, however valued, Von Detten was taking care of them and the price they paid was a fair price for what they bought and the gold they purchased was worth the money they spent. Afterall, this was an IRA rollover. An investment intended to protect their hard-earned wealth for retirement."
The complaint alleges the coins were sold at a premium of roughly 60%. The Greenbergs claim they paid the equivalent of $3,009.56 per ounce when the spot price of gold was approximately $1,903 per ounce.
The lawsuit claims the couple lost more than $367,000 in value almost immediately after the first transaction.
The Greenbergs allege von Detten continued contacting them and "hounded" them to invest even more money. The complaint claims Rosland "likely" viewed the couple as a "whale" after learning how much money they had available.
On Nov. 5, 2020, the couple allegedly made another purchase totaling more than $1.14 million. Sheila reportedly bought 885 additional coins for $677,644.50, while Norman purchased 614 coins for $470,139.80.
The lawsuit claims the second transaction resulted in another immediate loss of more than $418,000.
In total, the Greenbergs allege they paid $2,146,958.22 for coins worth approximately $1,360,925. The complaint claims the couple’s entire traditional IRA accounts were rolled over into the gold investments.
The lawsuit also alleges the physical coins were never delivered to the Greenbergs. Instead, they were sent to Delaware Depository for storage. The couple claims they continued paying fees to maintain their gold IRA accounts and store the coins.
After the retirement accounts were "depleted," the complaint alleges Rosland pursued other sources of money. In August 2021, the Greenbergs allegedly used their family trust to purchase nearly $200,000 worth of additional gold coins.
The lawsuit claims they paid $135,487 for 109 PAMP British Museum Lewis Chessmen coins that were worth approximately $48,832. They also allegedly paid $64,300 for 50 PAMP F1 Abu Dhabi coins that were worth about $22,420.
The Greenbergs claim they did not realize they had been overcharged until 2025, when they began looking into the value of their holdings. When an Advantage Gold representative allegedly suggested the company operated differently from Rosland, Sheila turned to AI to look into Rosland's business practices, a search that led her to uncover what she described as unethical conduct.
"By their conduct, Defendants took, secreted, appropriated, obtained or retained an unconscionable mark-up over the fair value of no less than $900,000 for a wrongful use, because they knew or should have known that doing so would likely be harmful to Plaintiffs," the documents state.
"Instead of helping them protect their hard-earned wealth, Defendants helped themselves to it. 49. In addition, Defendants committed financial elder abuse because they took, secreted, appropriated, obtained or retained Plaintiffs’ money with the intent to defraud."
The couple is seeking at least $900,000 in compensatory damages, double damages, punitive damages, prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees and costs. They have also demanded a jury trial.
A representative for von Detten did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. has not been seen in public since a pre-dawn raid of her Washington, D.C. residence last week — but Fox News Digital spotted her daughters descending on the home in recent days.
Isra Hirsi pulled black sedan into the driveway of the home under the cover of darkness Saturday night and stepped out of the vehicle carrying a bag with both hands. She walked directly into the front door of the same home that was swarmed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents a week prior.
"What's your problem?" Hirsi said to Fox News Digital after getting out of her car.
Just two days later, a young teenage girl believed to be Omar's second daughter also was seen entering the home with a woman that appeared to be her caretaker.
The daughters arrived on the scene roughly a week after the house was raided by federal agents. Omar also has a son who is the only immediate family member of Omar's that Fox News Digital has not seen arrive at their home in D.C., since the federal search where her phone and passport were reportedly seized.
The same night Omar's eldest daughter was captured entering the home, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) — whose jurisdiction is typically limited to U.S. Capitol building and grounds, but extends to protecting members of Congress and their families — showed up on the congresswoman's street.
Omar shares her three children with Ahmed Hirsi, who she ceremonially married in 2002 and legally married in 2018. During the time before her legal marriage to Hirsi, she was legally married to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who is allegedly her brother, from 2009 until 2017 — during which time Omar's youngest daughter was born. She married political consultant Tim Mynett in 2020.
Throughout the week after the raid, Mynett has emerged from the home intermittently, mostly to walk the family’s Golden Labrador Retriever dog, Teddy. He has defended his wife to Fox News Digital, saying he has "no concerns" about the investigation.
He also snapped when asked about unsubstantiated rumors that the congresswoman had fled the country. "You guys are annoying the hell out of the neighbors around here, man," said Mynett.
Omar's eldest daughter, Isra Hirsi, is controversial in her own right.
The 23-year-old activist and graduate of Barnard College — a Columbia University affiliate — was arrested at Columbia and later suspended from the school in 2024 after participating in the school’s now-infamous anti-Israel tent encampment, which lasted for two weeks until it was dispersed by NYPD.
She also co-founded the U.S. Climate Strike in 2019, part of a global movement that organized student walkouts of class as they demanded the passage of the far-left Green New Deal and a switch to 100% renewable energy.
Despite its name, the group didn’t stop at advocating for "green" energy policies. It also demanded universal healthcare, student debt relief, stronger union organization and advocated for giving land back to Native Americans.
Hirsi has also railed against capitalism publicly on social media.
Omar's sister, Sahra Noor, did not show up for a scheduled stop on her book tour in Minnesota last week due to a "family emergency," according to the book store hosting the event.
Omar’s home was raided by HSI, the chief investigatory body of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), at around 6:00 a.m., last Monday.
Sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that the agency executed a search warrant in relation to an immigration fraud probe. Specifically, investigators are probing whether the congresswoman and/or her father falsified information when filling out her citizenship paperwork.
Border Czar Tom Homan revealed over the weekend that if the allegations are proven, they could lead to Omar’s denaturalization.
The New York Times reported that about a dozen people, including Omar’s relatives, have been subpoenaed in the case.
Omar has not responded to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital, but she has reacted publicly to the raid on social media.
"This raid by Trump’s DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies," she said in a statement posted to X hours after the raid. For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back. Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies."
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital last Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said the investigation is not politically motivated.
"We don't want to be like the Biden administration. We never want to be like that — where they would allow the law to go after their political opponents," he said.
"We really want to let the law, the facts drive this," he continued. "And if justice requires something else be done, then, of course, we'll take a step when we have to."
Four in 10 college students believe people should face criminal prosecution for expressing opinions they find offensive, according to a new poll that raises questions about the next generation's attitudes toward free speech and the First Amendment.
"Four in ten (40%) agree that offensive speech should be subject to criminal prosecution, while 52% disagree. Agreement is up seven points from last year and is the highest in the three years this question has been asked," a recent survey from the Buckley Institute found.
The survey also found that 45% of students believe violence is acceptable to stop offensive speech.
"Forty-five percent (45%) agree that physical violence can be justified to prevent a person from using hate speech or making racially charged comments, while 50% disagree," the survey states. "Agreement is up six points from last year and ties the all-time high of 45% set in 2023. In 2017, the first year this question was asked, agreement was 30%."
The survey also found that 42% agree that political comments they disagree with can be harmful to their mental health, while 53% disagree, up four points from last year and is the highest reading in the five years this question has been asked.
The survey polled 803 undergrads at four-year colleges across the country in mid-September.
The survey included full-time undergraduate students under the age of 25 attending four-year public or private colleges and universities. It excluded part-time students, those 25 and older, and students enrolled in community colleges, technical schools or trade schools.
Lauren Noble, the executive director of the Buckley Institute, told Fox News Digital in a statement Tuesday that the support among undergraduates for prosecuting free speech is a red flag for the country.
"The high levels of undergraduate support for censorship should serve as a warning to America," Noble said. "The 40% of undergraduates who support criminalizing offensive speech will bring that perspective into their communities and workplaces after they graduate. Two hundred fifty years after America’s founding, defenders of the First Amendment should be worried about what the future holds when these censorious students assume positions of leadership."
She added that institutions of higher learning have dropped the ball when it comes to educating students on why the First Amendment is a crucial right.
"The survey data shows that America’s colleges and universities are clearly not doing enough to impress upon their students why free speech is so critical to a free society," Noble added. "When significant numbers of college students accept violence and shout downs as appropriate responses to speech they disagree with, alarm bells should be ringing for Americans across the political spectrum."
Urban Meyer knows a thing or two about what makes a great college football coach.
The 62-year-old College Football Hall of Fame inductee won three national championships during his nearly two-decade career, two of which came while he was roaming the sidelines at the University of Florida.
His ties to Gainesville made him a trusted voice in the Gators' latest coaching search, and coaching searches have been frequent occurrences since he exited stage left in December 2010.
With Meyer's help, Florida selected Jon Sumrall, whose first year is off to a roaring start thanks to two top-10 wins (Ole Miss and Texas) before he's even had a chance to coach a full season.
Seven games into his tenure, Meyer has been blown away by Sumrall, and joined Dan Dakich on his show, "Don't @ Me," to discuss how he had a small part in helping usher the new Gator to The Swamp this past fall.
"I don't like him, I love the guy," Meyer said with the same smile a proud older sibling would wear when talking about his younger brother's accomplishments.
"I never met him until this year, I was involved in the coaching search. They asked me to kind of vet, and one phone call, I hung up the phone and I called a guy on the board of trustees and I said, 'you found your guy, man.'"
As I mentioned before, Meyer knows what a good coach looks like.
Outside of his accomplishments, Meyer's "coaching tree" looks as impressive as anyone's not named "Saban."
Just a few of Urban's notable assistant coaches over the years include Ryan Day, Dan Mullen, Brian Hartline, Charlie Strong, Steve Addazio, Luke Fickell, and Mike Vrabel, among others.
So, when Urban Meyer hops on the phone and says "you found your guy," chances are he's onto something.
"This guy doesn't b—h... you ever hear him bitch about the NIL? You ever hear him b—h about the transfer portal," Meyer asked rhetorically. "No, he loves the game. He loves his players."
Meyer also lauds Sumrall for how tough he is on his players while still showing them love.
"The number two in charge is their strength coach, just like us," Meyer recalls. "I believe he's a Green Beret who runs the strength program, and he's the culture."
It's early, and a lot of things can still change, but Sumrall is doing his best to make Meyer look like a genius since the moment he hung up that phone 11 months ago.
PARIS, France: Paris is burning. Yet again. But this time, according to officials and analysts, it’s different. And unrest here could have a lasting impact on France… perhaps the world.
I have been covering protests in France for decades. I lived in Paris for nine years. I know that the French are very skilled at taking politics to the street. The recent upheaval has many worried.
From all the people I hear from on the ground here, the rioting has been more violent, more destructive, more profound. Domestic strife seemingly out of control.
When I approached the bar at a brasserie near Place de la Republique, the server asked if I was an American and a journalist. After replying yes to both he concluded, "So you’ve come to cover the civil war."
The numbers tell the tale. Some 2,500 arrests during the last weekend of clashes between protesters and police. Around 1,000 officers injured. Many hurt, some seriously, on the activists’ side. And about 3,000 businesses impacted, trashed, looted. Damage estimated over one billion dollars.
What was most striking were the attacks on official buildings. An historic city hall in Limoges. A police headquarters in crime-ridden Marseille. An important tourist office in Lyon. Symbols of a French government under siege.
The mostly peaceful protests supporting recent student concerns, as well as working and middle-class economic worries, hijacked by those bent on anarchy. And opportunistic young crooks looking for cheap thrills.
Yes, there are immigrants and foreigners amid the rabble. Plus, those said to have ties with so-called "ultra-left" groupings. But this remains a very French uprising. Which in a way makes it even more unsettling.
Nearly ten years of rule by President Emmanuel Macron has left this country more divided, with promises unfilled, anger near the surface. And violence a real danger.
What was also deeply troubling about the latest bout of violence — and authorities have admitted it — is that there were periods of time when parts of Paris and other cities were out of control. Shop owners were forced to fend for themselves.
All of this plum pickings for politicians on the left and right. Either sympathizing with protesters’ demands. Or calling for more law and order. Both sides slamming those in power. With presidential elections upcoming in six months, timing is everything.
With the French treasury bare, it seems the more pressing and more promising route for the current authorities is greater security.
That’s why top government officials have been speaking out about their planning for the next big protest set for this weekend. French Prime Minister Lecornu says it will be countered by a "massive police operation" backed by the military. Activists will have to choose, Lecornu went on to say, between "violence" and the French "republic."
"Do or die" talk that still does not address the underlying problems, not just facing France but other countries as well. That’s why, in addition to the curiosity factor of everyone being intrigued by France, it could also provide some real-time lessons on how or how not to deal with a brave new world of inequality and dwindling resources.
'Nightcaps' is a daily column that catches you up on the biggest sports, news, and culture stories you may have missed while pretending to do work at your desk. It runs Monday-Friday on OutKick.com.
I don't know about you, but I've got that Tuesday feeling, and it's time to dig into some Nightcaps because we've got everything from Drake Maye's obscene milkshake habit to an Air Jaws sighting to discuss.
I'm deputizing for the great Amber Harding, and it's good to get back in the saddle after I had a short week last week to celebrate the wife's birthday.
And she did it right: an Airbnb with a pool, theater, and game room that was only about 20 minutes from our regular abode, and she invited friends and family over.
Between floating in the pool and watching hockey games on the outside TV (which was slightly broken; can't win them all) and watching the Vincent Price vehicle "The Tingler" in the theater, I had to ask myself a couple of times if it was my birthday too.
A great time was had by all, but those Airbnbs aren't cheap, and that's why it's back to work for this hombre!
So, let's dig right in.
Drake Maye had a wild milkshake habit
I'm a big milkshake guy, but I like an everyman's milkshake.
The fact that he was crushing that many milkshakes and is a starting quarterback in the NFL is crazy. You'd think he'd be washing himself with a rag on a stick and having to get weighed at the zoo.
Unreal. This needs to be studied by science.
Smart to cut back, but I bet he takes the occasional late-night trip down to Steak 'N' Shake to whet his whistle when he's jonesing.
He's only human.
Just when you thought it was okay to go back in the water, some shark goes and does this.
I'm not a beach guy. That's partially because of "Jaws" and also because I don't like sand or when seaweed touches my foot.
However, I've warmed up to the beach as I've gotten older, but consider me out again after seeing this video of a Great White doing its best Shamu impression off the coast of California that went viral.
Now, I'm a veteran "Shark Week" watcher, so I was familiar with the phenomenon of sharks breaching and doing flips like it's the X-Games.
I was, however, under the impression that this was something that only happened off the coast of South Africa, which was fine by me.
Now, the cartilaginous acrobatics are hitting American shores (technically, they're still off of them, but you know what I mean).
This sort of thing never happens in pools... right?
NHL goalie goes viral for the goalie-est interviews of all time
Perhaps more so than any other position in sports, being a hockey goalie attracts a certain offbeat breed.
It makes sense. Most of us would decline if asked to put a huge chunk of the team's fate on our shoulders while fighting off 100 mph howitzers.
That's how you wind up with Ilya Bryzgalov talking about the "hu-mang-ous big" universe, or Gilles "Gratoony the Loony" Gratton believing he's a reincarnated conquistador and sitting out a game because the moon was in the wrong part of the sky.
Let's add Calgary Flames netminder Devin Cooley to this list. It's been a slow start to the season, but Cooley played well in their recent win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and followed it up with some stellar interviews off of it.
I mean, that felt more like a psych lecture than the usual "We just need to go out and get pucks deep" brand of hockey interview, and I'm all about it.
There's more where that came from, and apparently, Cooley's teammates all run to the TV when he does an interview, and I think you can see why.
Great stuff. Hockey needs more of this.
Here are some ideas for acts Jay Z could've hired over himself
I've not been a fan of his work with the Super Bowl halftime show over the last few years. Save for the one with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Dr. Dre, most have been forgettable as far as the production is concerned.
I mean, can anyone remember any specific moments from them since he started in 2019? Not really.
Nonetheless, I like some of his tunes, and I kind of respect the audacity to be like, "Alright, the best person to do this is... me."
I wish I had more of that.
Still, it wouldn't be a Super Bowl halftime show if we didn't go over some acts that would've been great to see instead.
Metallica -Whenever the idea of a rock band doing Super Bowl halftime show duties comes up, 'Tallica is always first. They like big, unusual gigs. That's why they played in Antarctica and are currently in the midst of a Sphere residency. Speaking of which, have you seen what they do when they play "The Call of Ktulu" there?
Bring that level of show to the Super Bowl.
Foo Fighters - If Metallica is busy, the next number most people call when they need a rock and/or metal band is Dave Grohl and Co., and I think they could do it. They've got plenty of hits and bring the energy as well as any band out there. Trying not to sing along with "Monkey Wrench." You can't.
Jack White - Now, I know he's got a sprinkling of TDS, but the man's repertoire speaks for itself. Plus, he played the Thanksgiving halftime show in Detroit just last year to rave reviews. Maybe he brings Meg White out for "Seven Nation Army" or something. It would be awesome.
The Muppets - Everyone would love this, and if you want to see 65,000 people weeping, just let Kermit the Frog whip out his banjo and uncork a stirring rendition of "Rainbow Connection."
Any country artist - I looked it up, and there have been some sporadic country artists over the years, like Shania Twain in 2003, and a full-fledged country-fied halftime show in the mid-1990s. But as big as country music has gotten, how has this not happened again? There are plenty who could handle it. Hell, Ella Langley has been annihilating the Billboard charts lately. Trot Chris Stapleton out there for a few songs with special guests, and I can assure you, there will be no complaints.
Still, best of luck to Jay Z, and what are the odds we get a Kanye cameo?
I'm going to guess quite low.
Yay or Nay on a possible all-indoor World Series?
I'm really looking forward to the World Series, because I'm psyched to see a new franchise win a World Series, but I'm torn on one aspect of it.
The indoors-ed-ness.
This has the potential to be the first completely indoor World Series ever.
Obviously, Tropicana Field is indoors, while American Family Field has a roof that can be opened and closed.
This is great for getting the series played on time... but it still feels wrong.
I don't like this trend we're seeing with more and more teams moving inside. Sure, I get the logistics and the financial upsides, but who doesn't get excited to see a football game in snow or a World Series game where you can see the players' breath.
I'll tell you: no one.
I hope the folks in Milwaukee come to their senses and pop the roof open if the weather is clear but cold.
Give the people what they want, and maybe a little icing on that slide will help Bernie get a little extra speed.
Vice President JD Vance said he isn't sure if he'd receive President Donald Trump's endorsement "right out the gate" if he were to run for president in 2028.
Vance expressed that uncertainty during a Monday interview with journalist Mark Halperin on his platform 2Way. The interview aired just weeks before the midterm elections, as Republicans and the White House are focused on maintaining control of Congress.
Vance emphasized that his top priority was the midterms and said he wasn't certain that a 2028 presidential run was in his future.
However, he said, "I think if I run, the president will endorse me."
"I would think so, but I don’t know, man," Vance said. "I haven’t talked to him about it."
Halperin suggested it might be "weird" if Vance were to share with Trump his 2028 ambitions and for Trump to sit on an endorsement, a characterization that Vance pushed back on.
"No, I don’t think it’d be weird," Vance said. "Again, I think I would get his endorsement, but I also think there’s something to be said for people actually running their own race, and because the president’s endorsement is so dispositive, you could absolutely see a scenario where the president says, ‘You know what? We need to let, like, this race play out and not, like, preemptively prejudge the results.'"
Earlier in the conversation, Halperin brought up previous remarks by Vance in which he said that "whoever the president endorses for the Republican nomination will ultimately win the Republican primary."
Vance said this is typically true of both the Democratic and Republican parties, but that Trump's endorsement is much more consequential because he first won the trust of everyday voters while Republican Party elites rejected him. Vance said Trump's endorsement signals to voters that a candidate is not beholden to the party's elite.
"That’s the person they say, ‘Okay, if Trump is with a guy, that must mean that the elites are against that guy," Vance said. "I think that Trump’s endorsement just carries more weight than any political endorsement in history because of that. Obviously, the voters are gonna decide. Donald Trump is only one vote of many, but I think his endorsement is still the most powerful."
Vance's uncertainty over winning Trump's blessing comes after Trump previously teased pitting Vance against Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his endorsement in the 2028 presidential race. Trump called Vance and Rubio the "dream team," at a May Rose Garden Club event but has refused to say who would be at the top of the ticket.
It's fair to say that Deebo Samuel has a history of missing games due to injury throughout his career. His style of play contributes to that, and he was inactive for Monday night's Commanders and 49ers game due to a hamstring injury.
He's expected to miss "at least a couple of weeks," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after he hurt himself in a win over the Seahawks. But that doesn't mean San Francisco's offensive weapon isn't playing through his injury.
He most certainly is, and he's putting it all on the line as a wingman. Not just any wingman, an e-dating TikTok livestream wingman. Is there anything Deebo Samuel can't do? And no, you're not allowed to say stay healthy.
It turns out he's a sucker for romance like the rest of us who have dropped our guards and allowed ourselves to be. The role of the e-dating wingman is exactly what it sounds like.
Deebo played, through his injury it's worth pointing out again, wingman/matchmaker over the weekend. He hosted an e-dating livestream on his own TikTok account for a couple during their virtual first date.
From the looks of it, his services as the wingman may have seriously been needed. Let's just say one of them on the online date really outkicked their coverage here.
Those not as in touch with their romantic side left comments on the screenshot of his livestream like "Step away from Antonio Brown, we should be concerned."
Others with a more refined perspective understood what Deebo Samuel was up to while trying to help two people connect with one another.
If he's too hurt to take the field, playing through his injury by helping to bring a couple of people together using the power of the internet is "doing gawds work."
Best of luck to Deebo and to Bebo, for that matter. Whether a connection was made with the help of the 49ers receiver or not, Isabel is going to be just fine.
The NFL is satisfied with the manner in which the Philadelphia Eagles handled the Jalen Hurts blood clot situation the past two weeks, a league source confirmed on Tuesday.
The matter is closed as far as the league is concerned.
That means the NFL review of the matter will not result in any team punishment for how the Eagles handled the injury designation for Hurts ahead of the Week 5 game between them and the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
The Eagles did not report Hurts had been discovered to have a superficial blood clot the day before the game.
Hurts played in the game and even practiced multiple days afterward. But late last week further evaluations revealed that Hurts has a deep vein trombosis as well as a bilateral pulmonary emboli – which the Eagles and Hurts' agent announced on Monday.
Hurts is out for the remainder of the season.
The Eagles have made it clear they have been in contact with the league throughout the process. That process included the NFL's chief medical doctor having Hurts seen at the Cleveland Clinic in London on that fateful Saturday before the game against Jacksonville.
The NFL released a statement provided to OutKick and Fox News Digital on the matter:
"The league had been in contact throughout the process with the Eagles medical personnel, and the Cleveland Clinic in London where the tests were conducted.
"The league’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills arranges for medical resources with leading providers in every international market with approval from the NFL Players Association.
"Medical care for players is provided by club medical staff in coordination with independent doctors."
After the superficial blood clot in Hurts’ calf was first discovered, the team, staff, doctors and Hurts made the determination that he could play the following day against the Jaguars.
Aside from their two publicly disseminated statements on the matter, the only person in the Eagles organization to discuss the Hurts matter is coach Nick Sirianni. And he hasn't been forthcoming.
"You know, the health of our players are, is always at the forefront of our mind," Sirianni said. "And leave that up to the medical experts, but we always, always care deeply about our players. And that's when you are completely focused on together and connection. You're always thinking about the well-being of your guys and that's what we were in that situation."
Beyond that, Sirianni repeated during his press conference on Monday that he is not a medical expert and added, "I trust the people that are involved in helping us all make these decisions."
But the club had no one from the medical staff answer reporters' questions. GM Howie Roseman, who is in charge of the medical staff under the Eagles structure, also did not address the matter.
Roseman typically does not speak with reporters during the season, in deference to the coaching staff's messaging, with the rare exception of trades being made and an NFL-required availability.
The lack of answers from the team has opened the door to more questions. And those will persist even as the team and the league are trying to move forward.
The U.S. Embassy in France is warning Americans to steer clear of violent protests as unrest sparked curfews and raised concerns about travel disruptions across the country.
The riots — fueled by a range of grievances, including rising living costs and mass migration — have been reported across France, with protests reported in cities including Paris, Lille and Lyon. Authorities have imposed localized curfews as a result.
The embassy said in a Monday statement that partial curfews had been introduced in several French cities, with additional restrictions possible.
"Following the October 17 protests that turned violent, media report the Prime Minister’s office introduced partial curfews for Monday, October 19 and Tuesday, October 20 in several cities across France, including Lille," the embassy said.
"Media report more curfews may follow for parts of Paris and in prefectures across the country, and that scattered protests could continue."
In Paris, authorities also imposed overnight curfews in areas including Place de la République and the Les Halles Shopping District, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Riot police deployed tear gas across the streets near Place de la République in an attempt to disperse crowds during the escalating street battles, the same source reported.
Major tourist attractions have also been impacted.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was forced to close Monday after protesters blocked its entrances, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Travelers visiting Paris are being advised to avoid popular protest gathering spots, including Place de la République, Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation, along with major thoroughfares such as Boulevard Voltaire, which are frequently used for demonstrations, according to The Times of London.
Outside the capital, Lyon's tourism office at Place Bellecour was vandalized and set ablaze during the Oct. 17 demonstrations, according to city officials.
Visitor services have since been relocated to a temporary facility on the same square.
The violence also spread to other French cities, including Limoges, where the historic town hall was set ablaze during the Oct. 17 unrest, according to numerous reports.
In Bordeaux, the mayor reported that as many as 100 stores had been looted during the demonstrations, Reuters reported.
Despite the violence, flights to and from Paris have largely continued operating, according to flight data reviewed by Fox News Digital.
However, travelers could still face disruptions on the ground, with the embassy advising Americans to check for Metro station closures and other transportation interruptions before heading out.
The embassy also urged travelers to confirm flight schedules directly with their airlines and allow extra time to reach their destinations.
"Monitor media and local resources for updated information and curfews in your area," the statement added. "Plan alternative routes and allow extra travel time for travel."
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment.
When you do something on the baseball field that’s only been done twice in nearly 114 years by two Hall of Famers, you know it’s extraordinary.
Tampa Bay Rays star and ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta has been lights out down the stretch. In his last 10 starts dating back to the regular season, he has pitched more than 50 innings, allowed one run or fewer in each start, and his team has won all 10 games, according to Opta STATS.
The only two other pitchers to have such streaks were St. Louis Cardinals legend Bob Gibson in 1968 and Walter Johnson in 1913 with the Washington Nationals. However, Johnson’s Nationals are not today’s Nationals. The franchise later became known as the Washington Senators before moving to Minnesota and becoming the Twins in 1961.
When the Rays acquired Peralta from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, he had a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts. While they expected him to improve, no one could have expected this.
"This is crazy," Peralta said. "I’m very happy to be here and grateful to be here because when I was in July, I had no idea where I was going to be. I think that this was the right place."
Since joining the Rays, the 30-year-old went 5-2 in 10 regular-season starts with a 3.25 ERA and was named the American League’s Pitcher of the Month for September. In the postseason, he has been especially dominant. In four appearances (three starts), Peralta has a sparkling 1.08 ERA in 16 2/3 innings pitched.
Nicknamed "Fastball Freddy" for his heater, Peralta credited Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder, along with bullpen coach Jorge Moncada and bullpen catcher Charlie Valerio, for his turnaround.
"They helped me a lot," Peralta said. "I can’t thank them enough because the way that they helped me is amazing, something I’m never going to forget in life. I’m very grateful to have people like that here, people that I never saw before and now they are part of my family."
While Peralta is on a roll, the World Series is going to be a little odd for him: He will face the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he spent the first eight seasons of his career.
"Milwaukee is a team and a city that gave me the opportunity to make my dream, and also Milwaukee is going to be always in my heart," Peralta said. "But this is a time to compete ... and excited to go."
The right-hander is set to hit free agency this offseason and could earn a big payday. First, however, he is looking to take down his old team and help the Rays win their first World Series title.
Italy is moving to deploy 500 troops with expanded police powers following a weekend of violent riots, taking a more direct military approach to public security than France, where weeks of unrest have prompted authorities to bolster their security response.
Videos of unrest in France and Italy flooded social media on Saturday and Sunday, showing violent clashes between demonstrators and police amid burning buildings and looted storefronts. At multiple points during the chaos, police attempting to contain the violence were forced to retreat.
In Paris, for instance, roughly a dozen officers confronted several hundred demonstrators but were unable to make arrests, using rubber-bullet launchers and grenades to keep advancing rioters at bay as they made a gradual retreat. Italian police in Milan, meanwhile, made a similar retreat as hundreds of young rioters threw explosive firecrackers, metal barriers and glass bottles at them in their attempt to occupy a public square.
Though France is escalating its response now, demonstrations have been ongoing in the country since last month, with many schools being burned and ransacked by rioters.
A Fox News Digital investigation found that socialist groups, Islamic advocacy organizations and environmental activists were involved in the French riots, which financial analysts estimate caused over $1 billion in damages. Videos from the unrest also showed demonstrators waving foreign flags, including Palestinian flags in France and an Albanian flag during the violence in Milan.
Italian media reported that many first and second-generation migrants were among the rioters in Milan.
With another wave of riots planned for this coming weekend and authorities bracing for more violence, France and Italy are turning to their armed forces to reinforce security after days of rioting.
France’s gendarmes, essentially military police officers, assisted in containing last weekend’s riots. The nation’s interior minister announced on Tuesday that the military would be increasing its presence in anticipation of further rioting.
"We will deploy the Sentinelle force, obviously as a substitute to interior security forces ... mostly to free police and gendarmes in their mission to maintain order," he told France’s legislature.
France has upcoming presidential elections, with some political observers viewing the migrant-heavy riots as an electoral boon for Marine Le Pen, the most popular right-wing candidate.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced a similar deployment, pledging that 500 troops will be entering Milan. The country’s deputy prime minister explained that the police would be granted police powers, providing some insight into the role they could play in squaring off against rioters.
A spokesperson for Trader Joe's told Fox News Digital that stores are typically added to the list three to six months before planned openings.
Three of the newest additions — in Bend, Oregon; Boynton Beach, Florida; and Phoenix — are expected to open in 2027, according to local and national reports.
"We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Illinois has the most locations on the "coming soon" list, with four stores planned in Oswego, Chicago and Joliet. California, Florida and Texas have three each.
Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Washington have two apiece, while Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and Oregon each have one.
Trader Joe's operates about 660 stores nationwide. Shoppers can check the company's store-opening announcements for updates as more locations receive opening dates.
"Since Trader Joe's began in 1967, we have been in growth mode," the spokesperson added. "Some years we grow more than others, and our goal is always to bring delicious products at great values to as many people and neighborhoods as we can."
The chain was founded in Pasadena, California, by Joe Coulombe. It has since built a following around its private-label groceries, from seasonal favorites such as Apple Cider Donuts, Pumpkin-Flavored Joe-Joe's cookies and holiday Jingle Jangle to affordable skincare that shoppers have called "dupes" of high-end brands.
The store's $2.99 mini canvas totes recently went viral, with shoppers lining up for new colors and some resale listings asking for hundreds of dollars.
Its crew members, meanwhile, are known for their unusually warm, chatty checkout demeanor that some shoppers mistake for flirting, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Trader Joe's gets hundreds of requests each day for new stores but expands cautiously, prioritizing real estate and supply-chain efficiency, Entrepreneur magazine editor-in-chief Jason Feifer previously said in a viral post. He argued that the deliberate pace helps the chain keep prices low and preserve its in-store "treasure hunt" feel.
Ever notice that websites keep asking you to verify your identity when you're using a VPN? Whether you're checking your bank account, signing into email or shopping online, those repeated security checks can get frustrating. Your VPN may be part of the reason.
A VPN changes the IP address websites see, which can sometimes trigger additional verification requests. Fortunately, a dedicated IP address may help reduce those interruptions while keeping your VPN protection enabled. Here's what you need to know.
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First, let's set the record straight: A VPN generally does not interfere with how your passkeys or two-factor authentication codes work. Time-based authenticator codes are generated on your device and can work without an internet connection. Passkeys use cryptographic keys to verify your identity during a sign-in, while push notification approvals require a network connection. A VPN can usually work alongside all of these methods. What it does change is the public IP address websites see. When you connect through a VPN server, websites and apps see that server's IP address instead of your usual public IP address.
That's the whole point. But it's also why banks, email providers, and financial apps sometimes get nervous. These services use your IP address as one of many signals to decide whether a login looks legitimate. If you always log into your bank from roughly the same location and the same address, and suddenly your account is being accessed from a different city or a different country, the system flags it. Not because your VPN broke anything, but because from the app’s point of view, someone new just walked in the door.
Why changing IP addresses can trigger extra security checks
One common trigger is a VPN connection that uses shared IP addresses. Your public IP address may change when you reconnect or switch servers, although some VPN connections can keep the same address across multiple sessions. For a bank or workplace login portal that recognizes your usual login patterns, an unfamiliar IP address or location can raise a red flag.
The second trigger is shared IP addresses themselves. When hundreds of users connect through the same VPN server, they all appear to be coming from the same address. Websites and security systems recognize these addresses as VPN traffic and treat logins from them with extra suspicion. That means more CAPTCHAs, more verification steps, more temporary lockouts. Neither of these is a flaw in your VPN. It's doing exactly what it's supposed to do. But if you're regularly logging into sensitive accounts, those extra security checks can get frustrating fast.
How a dedicated IP can reduce login interruptions
One potential solution is a dedicated IP address. Instead of sharing an IP address with other VPN customers, you receive a fixed address reserved for your use. Each time you connect to that dedicated VPN location, websites see the same public IP address. This consistency may help reduce unnecessary CAPTCHAs and security checks, especially on services that consider your usual login location.
However, a dedicated IP doesn't guarantee that a bank or website will recognize your connection as trusted. Security systems also evaluate your device, account activity and other risk signals.
Some VPN providers offer dedicated IP addresses as part of their subscription plans or as a paid add-on. These services let you maintain a consistent IP address while keeping your internet traffic encrypted through the VPN. However, privacy protections vary by provider, so check how your dedicated IP is assigned and whether it can be linked to your account.
There is also an important trade-off. Because only you use your dedicated IP, websites may find it easier to associate repeated visits with the same address. Shared VPN addresses can provide greater privacy against IP-based tracking by mixing your traffic with other users.
For people who frequently encounter login interruptions, a dedicated IP may provide a more consistent browsing experience without giving up VPN encryption.
For the best VPN software, see my expert review of the best VPNs for browsing the web privately on your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
If you're still running into extra verification requests, here are five things worth trying.
1) Switch to a different VPN server
Some VPN server IP addresses trigger more security checks than others. Try connecting to a server closer to your actual location. This may help reduce verification requests, although websites can still recognize VPN traffic.
2) Use split tunneling for trusted apps
Some VPN services offer split tunneling, which lets you choose which apps use the VPN connection. For example, you might allow your banking app to connect directly to the internet while keeping other apps protected by the VPN. Just remember that apps bypassing the VPN will expose your regular public IP address. Feature availability varies by provider and device. Only bypass the VPN for sensitive apps when you're using a network you trust.
3) Check your authenticator app's clock
If your six-digit authentication codes aren't working, your device's clock could be the problem. Time-based codes depend on accurate time settings. Make sure your phone's date and time are set to automatic. If codes still fail, confirm you're selecting the correct account in your authenticator app.
4) Let trusted websites remember your device
Some websites offer a "Don't ask again on this device" option after you verify your identity. Selecting it can reduce repeated security checks on your personal computer or phone. Make sure your browser allows cookies for those websites, since private browsing or automatically clearing cookies can cause them to forget your device. Never use this option on a shared or public computer.
5) Don't approve unexpected login requests
A VPN can trigger extra security checks, but that doesn't mean every authentication request is legitimate. If your phone asks you to approve a login you didn't initiate, deny it. Someone could be trying to access your account. Check your recent account activity for unfamiliar sign-in attempts. If you spot anything suspicious, change your password and review your account's security settings.
I like the extra privacy a VPN provides, but I can understand how repeated security checks could get frustrating. A VPN generally works alongside passkeys and two-factor authentication without interfering with their underlying security. However, changing IP addresses and shared VPN connections can prompt websites to request additional verification. A dedicated IP may reduce those interruptions by giving websites a more consistent connection to recognize. It won't eliminate every security check, but it can make frequent logins more convenient. The most important thing is to keep your authentication protections enabled, even when an extra verification step feels inconvenient.
Have you ever been locked out of an account while using a VPN, or found a solution that smoothed things out? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Just over a year after the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, the organization is teaming up with Students for Life of America (SFLA) to launch a tour focused on discussing feminism and abortion with college students. The tour will be the first-ever partnership between the two groups.
The tour, which is being called "Feminists Lied: Prove Me Wrong," is kicking off on Tuesday with eight events scheduled at campuses across the country, including University of North Texas, Grand Valley State University, University of Cincinnati, Boise State University, University of New Mexico, University of Arizona, Southern Oregon University and University of Washington.
The organizations say that the campus tour is aimed at challenging "the claim that feminism and 'reproductive rights' have helped women more than they’ve harmed them."
"There’s a lot of young women who have bought the lies of the second wave and third wave of feminism, and are actually walking around hurt on college campuses unaware of where the pro-life movement really stands with women, all that we do to serve women and families facing unplanned pregnancies and beyond," SFLA President Kristan Hawkins told Fox News Digital.
Hawkins is set to speak at the events and ask the students a fundamental question at the heart of the debate topic: "Have women been told the truth about career, equality, empowerment and motherhood?"
"If men do not have to sacrifice their children in order to succeed, why should women?" Hawkins said in a statement announcing the tour. "A society that values women should treat motherhood as an essential contribution worthy of honor, not a liability. Students deserve to hear that case, and we are going to make it on their campuses."
The "Feminists Lied: Prove Me Wrong" events will mirror Kirk’s famous "Prove Me Wrong" sessions during which he would debate college students and allow them to ask questions about various controversial topics. He was in the middle of one of these events on Sept. 10, 2025, when he was shot and killed.
Since his death, TPUSA has kept Kirk's spirit alive through the Pick Up the Mic initiative, bringing debates and open conversations with a full roster of speakers, including Hawkins.
"Charlie and I were friends, and so it means a great deal to me to be on campuses with his chapters at Turning Point and to really continue doing the work that he set out to do," Hawkins told Fox News Digital.
Hawkins said that prior to Kirk's death, the two had been trading stories and photos of their visits to various college campuses where they would speak with students, and she believes it is "extremely important that we continue this free speech work" that Kirk started.
Hawkins rejected criticism of college visits like hers as a form of "rage bait," saying that they are not meant to merely incite division and spark anger, but rather to change minds in meaningful ways.
"These videos, these conversations that we're having, not only do they change [the] minds of the 100-plus students who are gathered who can actually hear the conversation happening in real time, they change tens of thousands of minds of young people online," Hawkins said.
Hawkins told Fox News Digital that she has seen the results of these conversations for herself in real life. She said that she has held children whose mothers were thinking about getting an abortion and changed their minds after watching videos of debates online.
"There's not a doubt in my mind that these conversations are important for saving lives and changing minds," Hawkins said.
Hawkins is no stranger to campus debates. Over the course of 20 years, she has built a national network of Student for Life campus groups across all 50 states. This past spring, she embarked on the "Abortion is Human Sacrifice" tour, which was also aimed at discussing the issue of abortion with college students.
Hawkins told Fox News Digital that it doesn't matter whether she is at an Ivy League or a community college campus, the conversations often involve the same arguments from pro-choice advocates.
"It really doesn't matter, to be honest with you, if I'm at Harvard or if I'm in a community college or a high school, the questions about abortion are about the exact same, no matter where you go," she said. "You will always get a question about children in foster care, as if a child being in foster care somehow justifies the violence of abortion against a million children a year. You will hear horrific stories about sexual assault and rape, and sometimes these are very deeply personal stories."
Ultimately, Hawkins believes that the key to winning over the hearts and minds of those on the other side comes down to the question of "what is inside a woman?"
"If what's inside a woman is a meaningless clump of cells that is not a human person, then there is no permission needed for abortion, abortion's fine, abortion is nothing," Hawkins said. "But if what's inside of the woman is unique, all-living human being who is completely unique and unrepeatable, then we need to have a conversation about that human being because all of those things that you hear as a justification for abortion under circumstances, those stop being justifications for harming another member of our human species."
While the conversations may have stayed the same, the demographics, according to Hawkins, are changing. She noticed that Gen Z men tend to be more pro-life than millennial men. However, Gen Z women still tend to be pro-choice, according to Hawkins. The pro-life advocate wants to help these young women understand how feminism has failed them.
"When I'm on campus today, when I am on campus this semester, a lot of my conversations are going to be towards the women and really addressing the lies that the second wave, the late second-wave feminists, the third-wave feminists, told women, that they needed abortion in order to be free and equal. That that was going to make us happy and responsibility-free, and it hasn't worked and by any measure by looking anxiety rates, depression rates, SSRI use, that hasn't worked," Hawkins told Fox News Digital.
FLUSHING, N.Y. — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz confronted employees at two New York City senior care centers over suspected Medicaid fraud, challenging their billing practices as Fox News Digital got an exclusive look at the crackdown in action.
Oz, accompanied by senior federal health officials, delivered warning letters to Kent Senior Care and Evergreen Adult Day Care in Flushing, Queens, during a broader fraud crackdown that involved the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the NYPD and other agencies.
The letters notified the facilities that their billing practices had raised concerns among federal authorities. The two visits by Oz were part of a broader crackdown in which CMS officials conducted more than 80 visits and delivered warning letters to providers across New York City on Tuesday.
Fox News Digital accompanied Oz as he pressed employees about questionable billing records and challenged their explanations for how taxpayer dollars were being spent.
"The whole experience was suspicious," Oz told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview following the visits.
Oz said federal authorities were conducting a broader crackdown that included arrests, search warrants and efforts to stop certain operators from billing Medicaid, although Fox News Digital did not independently witness those enforcement actions at either Queens facility.
Kent Senior Care declined comment during a phone call with Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Evergreen Adult Day Care did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Oz questions senior center director: 'We don't believe you'
The first stop came around 8:30 a.m. at Kent Senior Care, where Oz entered the facility and personally handed its director a letter from the federal government notifying the business that its billing practices were under scrutiny.
"The bills are much higher than they should be," Oz told the director. "The billing is for more people. It doesn't look very crowded here."
The director pushed back during the exchange, explaining that it was still early and additional seniors would arrive later in the morning, as Oz questioned whether the facility's Medicaid billing records accurately reflected its actual attendance.
The occupancy of the space was 70 persons, according to an observe posted maximum occupancy sign on the wall.
"The bills we're getting are as though it's completely full all the time," Oz said.
The director maintained that the facility billed only for seniors who actually attended, and that it required participants to sign attendance sheets.
"You're getting this letter from the U.S. Government because we don't believe you," he told the director.
During the exchange, Oz also questioned why the center's billing records appeared to reflect seniors attending five days a week when the director acknowledged that many participants typically attended only two or three days.
The director insisted the facility billed for actual attendance and said some seniors attended more frequently than others.
The confrontation intensified when Oz and other federal officials raised questions about specialized transportation services billed for seniors using wheelchairs.
"I don't see any wheelchairs here," Oz told the director.
Fox News Digital observed seniors inside the facility, including individuals using walking aids, but did not see anyone using a wheelchair during the visit.
Another official said billing records included charges for specialized wheelchair transportation, raising questions about whether the services had been provided and which company was responsible for submitting the charges.
The director said some seniors had mobility difficulties, including those recovering from strokes, and that the facility had wheelchairs available. He also said that workers could have copied information from previous files instead of properly updating the billing codes as it applied to wheelchair use.
"Probably he just copy and pasted," the director said.
During the visit, Oz walked over to several mahjong tables set up inside the facility, questioning whether taxpayer dollars were being properly spent on the recreational activities offered through the Medicaid-funded program.
"Should the American taxpayers be paying so folks can play mahjong?" Oz asked the director.
The director defended the activity, explaining that mahjong helps seniors exercise their fingers, socialize and improve their memory, particularly those experiencing cognitive difficulties.
"It's free for them, not free for the taxpayers," Oz responded. "Is that what our federal tax dollars for Medicaid is supposed to go to? Or is it life-saving heart surgery? Or, you know, new therapies for cancer?"
Oz raises concerns over seniors entering without signing in
Oz raised additional concerns about the facility's attendance records after observing seniors entering without signing in, despite the director's insistence that participants were required to document their attendance.
"People were just walking in there without signing anything," Oz said. "And then after I showed up and he saw what we were doing with my team, he started collecting these documents to be signed."
Oz said the apparent inconsistencies raised further questions about whether the facility's attendance records accurately reflected the services being billed to Medicaid.
Fox News Digital also witnessed several seniors enter Kent Senior Care without immediately signing attendance sheets. Additional seniors who arrived later were instructed to sign in.
Social adult day care programs can provide eligible seniors with structured activities, supervision, meals and social support. Medicaid reimbursement depends on applicable program rules, individual eligibility and documentation of services provided.
At the second stop, Evergreen Adult Day Care, Oz confronted a floor manager over another set of billing discrepancies before examining the facility's attendance records.
The manager told Oz that approximately 200 seniors attended the facility on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, compared with about 150 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, although it was unclear whether those figures represented total daily attendance or the number of seniors present at one time.
But Oz questioned those numbers after walking through the facility and observing significantly fewer people.
"So I look at maybe 25 people in the whole space now," Oz said.
The manager disputed that estimate, explaining that some seniors were participating in classes while others had left to shop, visit a pharmacy or attend medical appointments.
"The numbers don't seem to add up," Oz responded.
Oz also questioned the manager about wheelchair-related billing, asking how many participants used wheelchairs.
The manager initially indicated that none did before acknowledging that a small number of seniors used them.
"But you said there weren't any, were you?" Oz pressed.
He subsequently discussed the apparent discrepancy with other federal officials accompanying him.
"I'm struck by how few people are here as well," Oz said. "This makes me wonder how they sustain these billing levels."
The visit took another turn when Oz examined the facility's attendance books, which he said contained "fraud."
Fox News Digital observed sign-in sheets that appeared to contain names entered for Oct. 22, and Oct. 23, dates that had not yet occurred at the time of the visit.
The entries dated Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, both after the visit, raised questions about whether the facility was documenting attendance in advance, although Fox News Digital could not immediately establish whether the entries were completed attendance records or advance schedules.
Oz alleges organized crime ties to NYC Medicaid fraud
Oz said federal authorities believed organized criminal networks were exploiting the Medicaid-funded programs by offering seniors money to attend facilities and then billing the government for services that were not actually provided.
Oz alleged that individuals he described as being connected to the "Chinese mafia" were paying some seniors between $1,000 and $1,200 to participate in fraudulent billing arrangements, though the administrator did not identify a specific criminal organization or provide supporting evidence during the interview.
Oz said the federal government had identified significant spikes in billing across the industry and claimed that annual spending on the programs had approached $1 billion.
"We know from the billing here that there's no way this business is running in the way that they claim to be running without something being wrong," Oz told Fox News Digital.
"Is it an innocent mistake? A hundred times in a row, I don't think so."
Oz alleged that proceeds from fraudulent Medicaid billing schemes were being used to finance other criminal activities, including money laundering and human trafficking, although Fox News Digital had not independently verified those connections or established any such link to the two facilities visited.
"It's really a clubhouse for crime," Oz said while describing the alleged broader scheme.
He said fraud accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized the previous administration for failing to address what he described as rapidly rising spending and suspicious billing.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged the crackdown on Tuesday, calling it part of a "massive effort to combat fraud and abuse" in Medicaid and confirming that state health officials had joined federal and state law enforcement in targeting suspected fraud at social adult day care programs.
While Oz personally delivered warning letters to the two Queens facilities, state, local and federal law enforcement officials were simultaneously conducting searches at other locations across New York City as part of the coordinated crackdown.
Specific details about the facilities targeted, individuals involved and evidence recovered were not immediately available as the investigations remained ongoing.
Violent riots sweeping France have exposed a far-left network of communist groups, labor unions and political activists mobilizing around student grievances, raising questions about whether similar political and immigration tensions could ignite unrest on American streets.
A Fox News Digital investigation identified 50 organizations involved in France's student protest movement and its broader network of supporters and international amplifiers, including communist and socialist groups, labor unions and political parties.
The American parallels extend beyond political rhetoric. Fox News Digital previously reported that agitators at Delaney Hall in Newark used encrypted Signal chats to coordinate transportation, supplies and demonstrations before clashes with federal agents.
Santiago Vidal Calvo, a researcher at the Manhattan Institute, singled out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, arguing that their approaches to immigration enforcement could move the United States closer to conditions he associates with France's crisis.
"I have absolutely no doubts that if we had Mamdanis or El-Sayeds or AOCs in charge of immigration policy, our immigration landscape would be very different today than what it currently is," Calvo told Fox News Digital.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has made a similar argument, explicitly tying France's violence to the stakes of the 2026 midterms.
"France is descending into chaos because they wanted OPEN BORDERS — just like the socialist Democrats in America," Johnson wrote on X. "What we are witnessing is a chilling warning for all Americans of what happens if the radical Marxist insurgent left gets their way."
Johnson argued that a Democratic victory in November would lead to more permissive immigration policies, casting the election as a choice between the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and the approach favored by Democrats. President Donald Trump similarly posted on Truth Social that "migrants have taken over France," urging the country to "CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!"
The immigration debate is also playing out directly in the 2026 midterms. In Michigan's closely watched Senate race, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed has made abolishing ICE a campaign position, arguing that the agency cannot be reformed. His Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, has sought to portray El-Sayed as an ideological extremist as the two compete for a seat that could help determine control of the Senate.
In New York City, Mamdani signed a February executive order reinforcing sanctuary protections and restricting federal immigration enforcement on city property without a judicial warrant. Both Mamdani and El-Sayed frame their policies as safeguards against abusive enforcement, while critics warn they could weaken immigration controls.
The unrest began with students protesting conditions in France's education system before labor unions, political activists and groups with separate grievances joined the movement. Fox News Digital's investigation found that 15 of the 50 organizations identified in the broader network were student or youth groups.
Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, described a convergence of frustrations over school funding, rising costs, France's stagnant economy and longstanding tensions surrounding immigration and assimilation.
"You've got the simple educational one which is partially economic, you've got the larger economic one and on top of that you have the assimilation issue," Arthur said.
"Now can we see mass protests like this in the United States? I don't think so," Arthur said, noting that protests over urban ICE operations have not escalated into a comparable nationwide movement.
Nathalie Szerman, a Europe-based researcher with the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), pointed to another potential factor: The demonstrations intensified around the 65th anniversary of the Oct. 17, 1961, massacre of Algerian demonstrators by Paris police.
"October 17 is a very symbolic date for the Algerian-ethnic groups," Szerman told Fox News Digital, describing demonstrators memorializing a deadly 1961 crackdown by Paris police on Algerian demonstrators.
"The first protest groups were not ideologically aligned with 'political Islam' but were students from immigrant suburbs, driven by education concerns. Agenda-driven, organized 'Political Muslim' groups used the momentum of the protests for their own ends," Szerman said.
"It's a lot of things together, the resentment towards France and the political agenda," she said.
Alan Mendoza, executive director of the U.K.'s Henry Jackson Society — named for the late Washington Sen. Scoop Jackson — argued that the far-left movement led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon helped encourage broader mobilization ahead of France's next presidential election.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed Mélenchon and his party for the unrest, according to Le Monde, while Mélenchon fired back after Lecornu demanded that LFI "choose a side" between France and the rioters — calling the either-or "detestable."
Mendoza warned that similar political tensions could surface in America, citing backlash against socialist New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani from anti-Israel activists who had previously supported him.
"What was interesting was the sight of him being turned on by the pro-Palestinian protesters the other day, when he was acknowledging October the 7th, the loss of human life on his radio site, he was turned on by the very hard left people who had helped propel him to power," Mendoza said.
"What that shows you is that it is very real a possibility at the hard left who are never satisfied and actually want chaos more than anything else," Mendoza added.
Arthur said France's far left can openly champion expansive immigration policies, while American Democrats face a different political reality: They cannot publicly embrace open borders without risking backlash, he argued, pointing to the Biden administration's tendency to portray illegal immigration as a problem it could not control rather than a policy it actively supported.
"Riot is to France what football is to the United States," said Arthur.
Szerman, however, said comparable unrest was possible despite differences between the two countries.
"I definitely think that what's happening in France could happen in the United States," she said, while noting that the more accommodating U.S. education system and different approach to immigrant integration could reduce the severity of any such violence, making a French-style nationwide crisis less likely.
Calvo, meanwhile, warned that adopting more expansive immigration policies without adequate screening and integration safeguards could create pressures similar to those he believes contributed to France's unrest.
"France is in this mess because of the horrible policies they had in immigration over the last years," he said, warning that importing similar approaches could bring unrest to American communities.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani, El-Sayed and Ocasio-Cortez for comment.
Fox News Digital's Ashely DiMella contributed to this report.
The title of that 1960s movie came from a message Adolf Hitler sent to his commanding general in Paris in August 1944. He wanted Paris to burn if he couldn’t keep it.
Today, the call isn’t coming from the Führerbunker; it’s from inside the house. It’s not Nazis, but the French — and quasi-French — burning Paris and other French cities.
The Louvre museum in Paris, home to the Mona Lisa, closed Monday "due to a student social movement." That’s one way to describe the utter chaos overtaking French cities.
In Limoges, rioters set fire to the town hall, destroying its iconic tower. In Marseille, they broke into city hall and vandalized the interior. In Paris, a video circulating online appeared to show young thugs shouting, "Wallah! Kill her!" and "Dirty whore!" [my translation] at a policewoman they chased and threw to the ground — all while trashing property and assaulting people on the streets.
What’s happening in France is both familiar and new. It’s familiar in that mass protests are endemic to France. They happen every few years when a feckless government tries to balance the books by reforming France’s ruinously generous public benefits. What’s new is the addition of foreign influence and the scale of the violence.
The high-schoolers who kicked off this round of protests are angry about class sizes, dilapidated schools, and access to college. Retirees who joined them say state pensions aren’t enough to live on. Everyone complains about the high cost of living. They all want more state spending to cure their ills.
French protests often turn violent. Torched cars, vandalized property, and looting are common. What has added fuel to the fire this time is the "Casseurs" (breakers), looters, and violent thugs going beyond what was tacitly tolerated in the past. Many seem to be of migrant background, and some carry Palestinian flags or those of the North African countries they or their parents came from.
Videos in French media showed streets of looted stores. Rue Paradis in Marseille has many high-end jewelry and fashion stores, but also many mom-and-pop shops whose owners work long hours for little profit. Dozens of these are now looted shells. Their metal shutters — designed to prevent windows from being broken and stores from being burglarized — lie torn off or broken.
Many of France’s major cities are run by socialists. Marseille’s mayor, Benoit Payan, blames the French government for failing to protect city hall — where his own office is — and local stores. He wants Paris to pay for all the damage. Once again, the French taxpayer is on the hook.
How does this end? Not quickly. The political left is well organized, galvanized, and funded — including with foreign money. We are likely to see more promises of increased spending from lame-duck President Emmanuel Macron, now in the last year of his two terms and unable to run again. He gave a speech condemning the violence on Sunday, but he’s been notably absent as it has unfolded. On Tuesday he stuck with his schedule and flew to the Gulf region.
France has presidential elections next April. Two leading contenders are Marine Le Pen of the right-wing National Rally (NR) and Jean-Luc Melenchon of the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI). Of the two, Le Pen promises to lower migration and limit welfare payments to migrants. Melenchon welcomes mass migration and opposes any reduction in benefits. Le Pen opposes illegal migration, but she hasn’t campaigned on reducing the bloated benefits bill.
But France’s checkbook is tapped out. It hasn’t balanced a budget in 50 years, and this year’s deficit is over 5%. Economic growth is under 1%. Diesel costs about $10 a gallon. National debt is 120% of GDP, and the bond market is getting nervous.
Like other developed countries, France’s fertility rate is below replacement, and the country has allowed in millions of immigrants from its former colonies. On balance, these new arrivals and their children have a lower employment rate than native French, but they get the same social services. Those numbers don’t work, no matter how smart the president in Paris.
Not only is France broke, but it has too few bodies to handle multiple riots at once. France’s national police handle the cities, while the gendarmes enforce the law in the countryside. Both are funded centrally by the French state. Towns have municipal police, but they aren’t equipped or trained for law enforcement, let alone riot control. France has specialized riot-control units, but only so many. The French military is probably Europe’s best, but it is not used for internal operations.
Like France, some of our major cities, New York and Seattle, are now run by avowed socialists. Arguably, administrations in Boston and Los Angeles are also closely aligned with DSA values. And more cities will be in the future.
The DSA wants open borders, nationalized health care, curtailed law enforcement, and higher taxes. If we don’t take heed, France’s present could be our future.
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