Étiquette : FOX News

A surgeon in Austin, Texas, was in the middle of surgery when she was notified of a phone call from the patient’s insurance provider.Dr. Elisabeth Potter is a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstruction for women who have had breast cancer. Last year alone, she did about 520 surgeries for cancer patients.She recently shared a video of herself talking about the experience.HEALTH CARE COSTS UP TO 300% HIGHER FOR PRIVATELY INSURED PATIENTS THAN THOSE WITH MEDICARE, REPORT REVEALS »I just performed two bilateral DIEP flap surgeries and two bilateral tissue expander surgeries, » she said in the now-viral video. (In DIEP flap surgery reconstruction, skin, fat and blood vessels from the patient’s abdominal area are used to rebuild breasts.) During one of the DIEP cases, while the patient was asleep on the operating table, the doctor was interrupted by a nurse supervisor informing her that a call had come in from UnitedHealthcare, the patient’s insurance company, Potter said.The nurse who took the call said that Potter was in surgery and not available. « And they said, I need to get her a message because we need to talk to her about this patient, » Potter told Fox News Digital. « So they wrote a note and brought it into the operating room and I took a picture of it, because I’m like, I can’t believe this is happening. »HEALTH CARE IS ‘OVERWHELMINGLY COMPLEX’ FOR OLDER ADULTS, EXPERTS SAY: ‘EVER-INCREASING HURDLE’The note indicated the name and number of the person to call at UnitedHealthcare, along with the patient’s name and Dr. Potter’s name. (The note did not state that the caller had requested an immediate response.) »The nurse at the front desk of the OR who took the call and wrote this note said that the person on the phone first asked for the patient and then for me, » Potter told Fox News Digital. « He was told I was scrubbed in[to the] OR and he asked the nurse that I be contacted in OR and given the message. »Added Potter, « The nurse manager said she had never in her career received a call like that before. She thought it must be important and brought the message to the OR. »It was odd, Potter said, that the insurance company had called the front desk of the hospital, where she is not an employee. « They didn’t call my office. They didn’t call my cell phone. They didn’t send me an email. This wasn’t the billing department of the hospital. » Afraid that the insurance company might deny the patient’s service, Potter made the decision to scrub out mid-surgery to return the call to United. BOY FACING BLINDNESS GETS LIFE-CHANGING EYE SURGERY: ‘SUCH A BLESSING’The surgeon stated to Fox News Digital that UnitedHealthcare did not require her to leave the operating room or threaten to deny coverage.The patient was safe with another surgeon and the anesthesia team, who were finishing up the procedure.Potter was « scared » that the patient would wake up and find out that the insurance company said they didn’t have the information they needed and would deny the claim, she said. »I’ve seen it before, when people get stuck with bills that are $80,000 or $100,000, » she said to Fox News Digital. « And so I said to my partners, ‘I’m going to make this call real quick.’ » (See her video here.) »If it had been at a critical moment during the surgery, I wouldn’t have, » Potter clarified. « But I made that judgment call and I stand by that — I think it was the right thing to do for the patient. »On the phone, the insurance company stated that they needed to know the patient’s diagnosis and the justification for the inpatient stay, something Potter had already communicated, she said.WOMAN RECEIVES PIG KIDNEY TRANSPLANT, WALKS OUT OF HOSPITAL DAYS LATER: ‘SECOND CHANCE’ »And I was like, wait a minute, we got authorization for the surgery. We submitted all of our clinical documentation. We’ve done all the paperwork, the phone calls, all the stuff. You have her diagnosis codes, you have all of it, » she went on. »And they said, ‘Actually, I don’t, another department has that, but I need this right now,’ » Potter said. « There was a sense of entitlement to my time and to the information in that moment, » the surgeon added. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERPotter also noted that the person on the line didn’t have access to the patient’s full medical information, despite the procedure already being pre-approved. »I’m not sure that person even understood that they had an impact on those patients I was operating on, » Potter told Fox News Digital. « They were just thinking about money and numbers and were not understanding at all. » »It’s beyond frustrating and, frankly, unacceptable, » she told Fox News Digital. « Patients and providers deserve better than this. We should be focused on care, not bureaucracy. »Potter noted that she has always been « devoted » to providing care in-network through insurance. « Dealing with insurance is a really important part of taking care of patients affected by breast cancer, because the diagnosis is financially devastating, » she told Fox News Digital. »I’ve found that I really have to engage directly and think about insurance and whether they’re covering treatments and what my patients are experiencing. »Potter emphasized that she doesn’t think insurance is « evil, » noting that there are some « really good things » about businesses that take care of people. « But this has developed into something that no longer is devoted to patient care. This is just a machine that’s running and making money, and they don’t care about me as a provider, » she said.Many physicians have given up and refuse to deal with insurance companies, opting to stay out of network and let the patient pay upfront and deal with getting reimbursed, Potter noted. « I’ve gone to Washington, D.C., I have fought to protect access to [breast] reconstruction, » she said. « I have testified in the state legislature about these issues. »She added, « It’s just getting undoable. And this moment, this week, was like, we’ve crossed a line — they’re actually in the operating room. »HEALTH CARE OR HOUSING? MORE STATES ARE USING MEDICAID FUNDS TO HELP THE HOMELESSFox News Digital contacted UnitedHealthcare for comment. The company sent the following statement. »There are no insurance-related circumstances that would require a physician to step out of surgery and it would create potential safety risks if they were to do so. »It went on, « We did not ask nor would ever expect a physician to interrupt patient care to answer a call and we will be following up with the provider and hospital to understand why these unorthodox actions were taken. »Separately, the head of UnitedHealthcare group said on Thursday that the company is confident it will be able to grow its business in fiscal year 2025. « The people of UnitedHealthcare remain focused on making high-quality, affordable health care more available to more people while making the health system easier to navigate for patients and providers, positioning us well for growth in 2025, » CEO Andrew Witty said in the company’s earnings report on Thursday. For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/healthHis optimism comes shortly after the head of its insurance unit was gunned down in New York City, inciting a heated conversation about the role of the health insurance industry in the United States. Fox News Digital’s Daniella Genovese contributed reporting.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/health/surgeon-shares-story-insurance-provider-calling-during-patients-surgery

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-17 09:30:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Florida authorities have charged a second person with attempted murder this week in connection with the December shooting of an off-duty federal agent that left him paralyzed.The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tia Heyward, 23, on Wednesday after investigators determined she allegedly aided Christopher Smith, 18, in the Dec. 27, 2024, shooting of an off-duty Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent.Heyward is charged with first-degree attempted murder with great bodily harm (accessory after the fact), aggravated battery with great bodily harm (accessory after the fact) and two counts of simple battery.Smith, who was arrested hours later on Dec. 28, faces similar charges of first-degree attempted murder – discharging a firearm causing great bodily harm, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm with a deadly weapon, tampering with physical evidence and carrying a concealed firearm.POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN NORTH CAROLINA GROCERY STORE SHOOTING JUST DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMASFOX 13 Tampa Bay identified the ATF agent as Special Agent Matthew Murray, who serves with the bureau’s Tampa Field Division.Murray was shot at approximately 11:07 p.m. on Dec. 27 at The Alley at Southshore in Riverview, Florida, after attempting to deescalate a fight between two men and a woman in the parking lot of the bowling alley.He was out for a night of bowling with his wife, their children, and family friends, when they saw the fight break out while standing near the front door.SUSPECT ACCUSED OF FATALLY SHOOTING HOUSTON DEPUTY IS SHOT AND KILLED BY POLICEMurray’s wife said during a pre-trial detention hearing for Smith that her husband identified himself as law enforcement and told the group of people to go home, FOX 13 reported. One of them allegedly threw a bottle or cup at Murray, according to his wife. Meanwhile, Smith alleged that Murray hit him in the shoulder.Smith is then accused of shooting Murray in the back of the neck. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and remains in critical condition with permanent paralysis, Murray’s wife stated.Smith allegedly fled the bowling alley in a Nissan Altima and was located by Hillsborough County deputies at a nearby home approximately seven hours later.Smith has been behind bars since Dec. 28 and was denied bond earlier this month. Heyward is in jail on $42,000 bond. »Our detectives have worked tirelessly to ensure that all those responsible for this senseless act of violence are held accountable and face the consequences of their actions, » HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. « Our prayers remain with the ATF agent as he courageously embarks on his road to recovery. His bravery and selflessness exemplify his dedication to protecting our community. »



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/second-arrest-made-florida-bowling-alley-shooting-off-duty-atf-agent-paralyzed-senseless

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-17 08:14:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The NYPD has charged a woman in the fatal stabbing of an on-duty USPS worker on Thursday afternoon.The woman identified as Jaia Cruz, 24, has been charged with second-degree murder for the stabbing and slashing of the on-duty postal worker inside a Harlem deli.The victim, now identified as Ray Hodges, 36, was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem where he was pronounced dead, according to police.TEXAS MURDER SUSPECT RELEASED ON BOND 4 DAYS AFTER ARREST FOR 2021 FATAL STABBINGThe attack allegedly started after there was a dispute between two customers, according to police.The weapon was recovered. However, it has not been identified.The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) released a statement saying the postal worker was assigned to Manhattan, and they are working with the NYPD.TEXAS MURDER SUSPECT RELEASED ON BOND 4 DAYS AFTER ARREST FOR 2021 FATAL STABBING »USPIS takes matters involving the safety and wellbeing of postal service employees as a top priority. We are working diligently with the New York City Police Department on this investigation, » the statement said.Fox News Digital has reached out to USPIS for additional comment.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/nypd-makes-arrest-fatal-stabbing-on-duty-postal-worker

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 06:38:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

A tragic accident on New Year’s Eve claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy during a ski trip at Cranmore Mountain in New Hampshire.According to officials, the boy was skiing on a trail for intermediate skiers when the accident occurred.North Conway Fire and rescue team arrived on the scene and the boy had already been transported to the mountain base where he was unconscious.TIPS FOR ADULT SNOWBOARDERS, SKIERS JUST GETTING STARTEDCPR was performed by the Cranmore Ski Patrol team but was unsuccessful, and he was transported via ambulance to MaineHealth Memorial Hospital where he was unable to recover. He was pronounced dead due to the extent of his injuries.Cranmore Mountain resort as well as Conway Police Chief Christopher Mattei released statements expressing their condolences.COLORADO SKIER SPOTTED NIGHT SKIING AFTER HEAVY SNOWFALL | FOX NEWS VIDEO »On behalf of Cranmore Mountain Resort, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, » a spokesperson from Cranmore Mountain said in a statement. « The entire Cranmore family grieves for this tragic loss. » »On behalf of the Conway Police Department, and all the first responders who assisted, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the family members of the 12-year-old boy, » Mattei wrote.The victim’s name has not been released at this time.An investigation is in progress.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/ski-accident-new-hampshire-mountain-claims-life-12-year-old-boy

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 08:15:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday fended off an arrest attempt Friday after a hourslong standoff between investigators with the country’s anti-corruption agency and presidential security. Investigators left the president’s official residence after the presidential security service blocked them from entering for nearly six hours due to concerns about their safety. The agency expressed « serious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not respond to a process by law. »Yoon, who was impeached last month over his short-lived martial law declaration, has defied investigators’ attempts to question him for weeks. He has not left the residence since Dec. 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, vowing to fight efforts to oust him.ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR IMPEACHED SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT AS POLITICAL CRISIS DEEPENSApparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, Yoon declared martial law on Dec. 3 and dispatched troops to surround the National Assembly. Parliament overturned the declaration within hours in a unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion. Anti-corruption authorities and public prosecutors, meanwhile, have opened separate investigations. A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday, but enforcing it is complicated as long as he remains in his official residence.COURT ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT YOONYoon’s lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be enforced at his residence due to a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge.The office said it will discuss further actions, but did not immediately say whether it would make another attempt to detain Yoon. The warrant for his detention is valid for one week.If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved subfreezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans in his support. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.Nearly five hours after dozens of investigators and police officers were seen entering the gate of the residence in Seoul to execute a warrant for Yoon’s detention, the dramatic scene appeared to have developed into a standoff. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the presidential residence around noon.It wasn’t clear whether investigators successfully entered Yoon’s residential building, but South Korea’s YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police confronted the presidential security forces.Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14. Yoon’s fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor of removing him from office.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-koreas-impeached-president-avoids-arrest-attempt-after-hourslong-standoff

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 07:46:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

« Shazam! » star Zachary Levi feels a biblical disaster looming, thanks to artificial intelligence.On the « The George Janko Show » podcast, Levi compared AI to the great flood from the book of Genesis, saying, « I don’t think the flood is water. Honestly, I think the flood is AI. »He continued, « We can talk all day long and wax philosophical about how do we save the industry from itself in the way that it treats people, or it doesn’t make great content or whatever. Guys, honestly like, t-minus two years from now, good luck finding any job, because the studios will have a technology … it’s already basically here. » Levi went on to give an example of audiences being able to generate their own movies thanks to AI technology.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? »Imagine if you will, not only will every studio have possessed this technology, but then they’ll go to you and say, ‘Hey as a part of your HBO Max subscription you can pay ten extra dollars, and you get to use the creator sandbox, and in there, you can make your own movies. And you can type in anything that’s a Warner Brothers asset, so it can be Shazam and Batman and Neo from ‘The Matrix,’ and you can type in all these characters, and you want them to go on a treasure hunt on Mars and I want it to feel like a Stephen Spielberg movie, go.’ And then it will make that movie, and it will look indiscernible from human-made, in fact it will look amazing. And it will be entirely animated, but it will look like real life. This is where we’re about to be. »The « Tangled » star mentioned that he is working on his own studio to stay ahead of the curve, saying, « Right now, the studio I’m trying to build feels very much like the ark that God was telling Noah, ‘You gotta go build this thing, because the flood is coming.’ »When asked by host George Janko why he wanted to continue working in entertainment if AI poses such a threat, Levi focused on the power of the human element. »There should always be, hopefully will always be, a niche, at least a niche part of the entertainment industry where people are like, ‘I still want to go support humans making art. Human-made art.’ » ‘SHAZAM’ STAR ZACHARY LEVI RIPS HOLLYWOOD FOR MAKING ‘GARBAGE’ MOVIES: ‘THEY DON’T CARE ENOUGH’He admitted that it will become a harder sell as AI advances. »Like no matter how good AI-derived art becomes, it will become very, very, very, very good, and they’ll be cheap. Most people think, ‘Yeah, but I’m never going to want a computer-generated movie.’ If we’re being super-altruistic, obviously, but if a human-made movie still costs you twenty bucks, but for two bucks you can make a movie where you, by the way you get to scan your own face and your own voice and you get to be Superman or, better yet your kid gets to be Superman, and now you can shut them up for the next couple hours for two bucks and watch themselves be Superman in the movie, you are absolutely going to pay for that movie. » The « Chuck » star also pointed out that he’s facing new competition from actors of the past whose likenesses may be signed away by their families. He explained a hypothetical situation where Gene Kelly’s descendants could sell the rights to the star’s likeness. « And then all of a sudden we’re going to get to watch Gene Kelly movies again. Like how insane! And again, I don’t want to support that, but are you kidding me?! . . . Like a new ‘Singing in the Rain’ sequel? I want to watch that, take my money! »Levi’s example is not far off, as there have already been attempts to make a movie with an AI-resurrected James Dean, though none has been completed and released to date.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTEREntertainment, of course, isn’t the only industry that will see the impact of AI, and Levi urged people to stay alert. »I don’t want to be a doomsdayer, but I cannot stress this enough, please . . . wake up to AI. Please wake up to it. It is not, ‘Oh that’s fun,’ or some passing fad or whatever. It is going to replace so many jobs, and it’s going to happen way faster than you think it’s going to happen, » he said.The 44-year-old continued, saying, « In the larger grand scheme of everything, as far as technology and progress, I’m a firm believer that you can’t stop it, you can only hope to guide it. So, we’re not going to stop this flood. We can only build levees and dams and channels and things to try to make sure we’re guiding it in the best possible way. There’s still going to be casualties, there’s still going to be a lot of people who get hurt in the process, unfortunately. But I think at the end of the day, we are moving into what is going to be a whole new world, legitimately. » LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS »Ultimately, and this is part of the reason why I want to build, why I feel like I need to build the campus, or campuses plural if I can do multiple, is because I think that really, as humans, what we want to be focusing on are just, there’s two areas of vocation that mean anything anymore, moving into the future, and that’s creation and discovery. » He that added AI will still be a tool used in creation and discovery, but those two things are what « stimulates the human heart, mind, and soul, and I think as long as we really hold onto lots of places for people to work, because work is not just a matter of making income. Work is purpose. How many people retire, and they die just a few years after they retire, and why? Because they have nothing to do. They literally are sedentary, and we’re already sedentary a lot, and now they’re super-sedentary, and now they don’t have any purpose, and they die. » »I think it’s important, we must have purpose as we move into this new world, but I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s going to be like for everybody else in every other industry. And I don’t know for sure what’s going to happen in entertainment. I can guess, and my guess is, in very short order people, not just the studios but everyday human beings through the various catalogs of the studios, will have access to, by the way, not just make their own movies but TV shows, video games. »



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/shazam-star-zachary-levi-compares-ai-biblical-disaster

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 07:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

A former FBI special agent is calling on Americans to use caution when attending major national events after two deadly incidents happened back-to-back on New Year’s Day.  « Sadly, we’re going to continue to see these types of events occurring, whether they are ISIS-inspired or radical Islamic terrorist events or if they’re mass shootings or if they’re the CEO of UnitedHealthcare individual that just has lost his mind, » Nicole Parker, former FBI special agent and Fox News Contributor explained to Fox News Digital. « With a lot of these events coming up, there’s just a lot of activity that’s going to be happening with large gatherings, large groups of people. » Parker’s warnings come after a man, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, plowed a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, killing over a dozen people and injuring dozens. Hours after that deadly attack, a Tesla Cybertruck was blown up in front of the Trump Hotel Las Vegas, prompting fear and chaos to begin 2025. Parker said while these two events have been shocking and devastating, there has been a looming lead-up in our nation since the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre of the Hamas terror attacks on the Jewish State. « There has been a lot of activity leading up to this moment. I would say for our country, beginning October 7th, from a terrorism perspective, that’s when things definitely changed, » Parker said. »I think there was a lot of activity going on in the Middle East. A lot of these terrorist groups that people thought were gone, which frankly, they were. A lot of them were under the Trump administration. And then after the upheaval in the Middle East, I think it almost reignited a lot of activity and chatter, » she continued.WHO IS MATTHEW LIVELSBERGER? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE TESLA CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION SUSPECT »I think that in the US, especially under the Biden administration, they’ve been so focused on domestic terrorism of homegrown violent extremists, White supremacy, saying that that was the number one threat. There’s a lot of activity. And like Christopher Wray said, alarms are going off. »Parker said, unfortunately, after what we have seen happen in Las Vegas and New Orleans, it’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when the next strike could hit. « We’re dealing with the adversaries within our country as well. But in the next few weeks, the next couple of months, we will have many big, large events that are going to be going down. And those are events where people that want to wreak havoc and hurt others, they do it to get attention. They want to cause the most destruction they possibly can, » Parker explained, highlighting the Super Bowl, College Football National Championship, which also falls on the same day as President-elect Trump’s inauguration.The FBI and Las Vegas Police Department, along with other agencies, are continuing to investigate and determine what led the person of interest, 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger, an active-duty U.S. Army special operations soldier from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to blow up a Cybertruck in front of the Trump Las Vegas hotel Tuesday morning. INVESTIGATORS USE TATTOO, PHOTOS TO IDENTIFY SUSPECT BEHIND CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION AT TRUMP HOTELSeveral guests who were staying at the hotel when everything unfolded described to Fox News Digital the chaos and mess that unfolded in the hours after the explosion. « I actually had already taken my dogs out to go to the bathroom, and then I come back to my hotel. I fed them and I said, ‘okay, let’s go back outside.’ I just missed the guy. At 8:48, I mean, I walk right through that door with my dogs a couple of times a day, » Laurie Parent shared with Fox News Digital, narrowly missing the explosion. « In the morning, when I woke up, you know, I heard something…it sounded like people were cleaning the windows. And I heard this popping sound. And I said, ‘what the heck is that?’ And then all of a sudden, I heard all these police sirens and everything. So I looked at the window and I saw smoke coming out of a window because we were on the corner room upstairs and 23rd floor, » Carlos Reyes recounted what it was like inside the hotel. LAS VEGAS POLICE SAY CYBERTRUCK THAT EXPLODED AT TRUMP HOTEL HAD FUEL CONTAINERS, LARGE FIREWORK MORTARS »It’s surreal. We (Chris and his wife) walked down here, and you can still see it (the Cybertruck) was on fire. A lot of smoke was going inside…it was scary, » Chris Petrotta, a hotel guest who was celebrating his anniversary, described. Parker reiterated that these attacks are important reminders to stay vigilant and be aware of your surroundings and reach out to law enforcement if you see or hear something suspicious. « Don’t forget that the public is part of the solution because a lot of times, when these individuals, whether they’re terrorists or violent offenders or mass shooters, usually there’s something called leakage, where they give some sort of indication that they’re going to do something before they actually do it, » Parker said.Parker said while Americans should not live in fear, they should exercise common sense when at major events and even in everyday life. »We cannot let violent criminals win, we cannot live in fear. But you also have to be aware of your surroundings and listen to your gut. And sadly, I hate to say this, but this is not going to stop, » Parker said. »This is just the society that we live in, unfortunately. And you have to take certain measures in order to mitigate risk, obviously. »She added that while she is excited, like many Americans, for Trump to take office soon, things will not change overnight until real progress is made by elected officials and even inside the FBI. »Look, I love President Trump. But sadly, a lot of these things are going to come to fruition under President Trump because these are people that are sitting here quietly. We never know when they’re going to implode. So all these people that came across the border, I don’t know when they’re going to act out, just like on 9/11. You don’t know the day that they’re going to be operating, the day that they are going to decide this is when we’re going to do it, » Parker continued. Authorities are still working to determine a motive and investigate whether Livelsberger’s actions were an act of terrorism. »It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology, » said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-fbi-special-agent-says-americans-must-stay-vigilant-following-las-vegas-new-orleans-attacks

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 01:18:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Recent photos taken by India’s Space Research Organization moon orbiter, known as Chandrayaan 2, clearly show the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 landing sites more than 50 years later. The photos were taken by the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter in April 2021 and were reshared on Curiosity’s X page – which posts about space exploration – on Wednesday. « Image of Apollo 11 and 12 taken by India’s Moon orbiter. Disapproving Moon landing deniers, » Curiosity wrote on X, along with the overhead photos that show the landing vehicles on the surface of the moon. Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, making Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin the first men to walk on its surface. US PREPARES TO DEORBIT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AMID CHINA COMPETITION Astronaut Michael Collins, the third man on the Apollo 11 mission, remained in orbit while Aldrin and Armstrong walked on the moon. The lunar module, known as Eagle, was left in lunar orbit after it rendezvoused with the command module Collins was in the next day and Eagle eventually landed back on the moon’s surface. Apollo 12 was NASA’s second crewed mission to land on the moon on Nov. 19, 1969, in which Charles « Pete » Conrad and Alan Bean became the third and fourth men to walk on its surface.  The Apollo missions continued until December 1972, when the program was shut down and astronaut Eugene Cernan became the last man to walk on the moon. NASA FINALIZES STRATEGY FOR HUMAN PRESENCE IN SPACEThe Chandrayaan-2 mission launched on July 22, 2019, exactly 50 years after the Apollo 11 mission and two years before it captured images of the 1969 lunar landers. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPIndia also launched Chandrayaan-3 last year, which became the first mission to successfully land neat the moon’s south pole. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/science/orbiter-photos-show-lunar-modules-from-first-2-moon-landings-more-than-50-years-later

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 02:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles’ season finale against the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley might be trolling his old team with his new advertisement.Barkley, who played six seasons with the G-Men before joining the Eagles this past offseason, starred in an ad for Unisom, a sleep aid.But the ad posted a cryptic message that may or may not be directed at Giants owner John Mara, who infamously said he would « have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia. »CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM »I heard some of you were having trouble sleeping, so I wrote you a lullaby, » Barkley said in the ad. « Rockabye baby, awake in your bed, as the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football – not for me, though. Good night to you all. »Well, that’s exactly what happened, and Barkley is putting up historic numbers with the Birds.The Giants were featured in HBO’s « Hard Knocks » offseason edition, and Mara made the now-notorious statement in a discussion with general manager Joe Schoen, who never seemed all too interested in retaining Barkley, who was drafted second overall by his predecessor Dave Gettleman in 2018.LAWMAKERS IN INDIANA, HOME OF NCAA HQ, LOOK TO EXPAND TRANSGENDER SPORTS BAN TO INCLUDE COLLEGE PROGRAMSBarkley will rest for the playoffs in Week 18, which will leave him 101 yards short of becoming the NFL’s single-season rushing yards king and save the Giants from even more embarrassment. But, he surpassed the 2,000-yard mark after running for 167 yards on Sunday, becoming the ninth player to do so.Barkley admitted there is a part of him that wants to break the record, but he says there is a bigger goal in mind. »He asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it. On Sunday, I probably didn’t care too much for it, » Barkley said this week. « When I slept on it, was like, it’s an opportunity to implant my name in football history. [I] may never get another opportunity like that again. « So I’m down. But in the end of the day, I don’t care for putting the team at risk. »Instead, he will finish with 2,005 yards.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/saquon-barkley-appears-take-shot-giants-new-ad-after-rushing-2000-yards

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 04:13:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Angel Reese’s Instagram account did not make it to 2025.Reese’s Instagram appeared to be deactivated on Thursday – but not before she posted a revealing outfit.According to the New York Post, before Reese’s account was no longer available, she posted herself in a dress that exposed most of her stomach and cleavage.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMWhile the pictures are no longer on Instagram, Reese posted several videos on TikTok of herself in the dress.In one video, she is lip-syncing « Date Night » by rapper YFN Lucci, who says in the song, « I just hope it last, give that girl my last. Codeine in a glass. She shaped like a coke bottle made of glass. » In another, she raps a portion of Nicki Minaj’s verse from Trey Songz’ « Touchin’ Lovin’. »It’s not yet clear when the account was deactivated, nor is it known how she spent the New Year.OHIO STATE QUARTERBACK WILL HOWARD UNABLE TO TAKE ROSE BOWL CELEBRATION STAGE: ‘THEY’RE BLOCKING ME’Reese was one of two rookies named an All-Star in the WNBA this past season, along with Caitlin Clark. Clark received 66 of the 67 Rookie of the Year votes, with Reese receiving the other.The LSU alum, who had beaten Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 national championship, set the single-season record for most rebounds in WNBA history, but after her season was cut short due to injury, A’ja Wilson surpassed her and set a new record.Reese will be playing in the 3-on-3 « Unrivaled » league in Miami that begins later this month.She was the seventh pick of the WNBA Draft to the Chicago Sky and averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds in 2024.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/angel-reese-shows-off-revealing-new-years-eve-outfit-deletes-instagram-account

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 04:04:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The FBI on Thursday released a new video allegedly showing the Jan. 5, 2021 suspect who planted pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee offices in Washington, D.C. Along with the video, the FBI also revealed that the suspect is believed to be about 5-foot, 7-inches tall in an effort to elicit new tips from the public ahead of the fourth anniversary of the crime. The FBI noted that a $500,000 reward is still available for tips that lead to an arrest. The attempted attack occurred on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but there is no clear link between the two events. FBI CONTINUES TO SEARCH FOR JAN 6 PIPE BOMB SUSPECT 3 YEARS AFTER US CAPITOL RIOT, OFFERS $500K REWARD »Without being able to confirm the suspect’s identity, it is very hard to definitively establish motive, » David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, told The Associated Press. « Therefore, it would be difficult for us to state that there is a link, although we can’t state there is not one. »Investigators aren’t even sure if the suspect is a man or a woman. The suspect was wearing a grey hoodie, face mask, black gloves and Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes, the FBI said, adding that fewer than 25,000 pairs of the shoes were sold between August 2018 and the time of the attack.  « Based on attire, those are probably the most remarkable or distinctive feature when it comes to clothing the suspect wore, » Sundberg said. « We’re hoping that somebody might recognize that. »The FBI has assessed over 600 tips, reviewed about 39,000 video files and conducted more than 1,000 interviews over the past four years. The new video shows the suspect placing the first bomb near a bench outside the Democratic National Committee building just before 8 p.m. BOMB-MAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBAN STREET TERRORIST: REPORTThe suspect then placed the second bomb in an alley behind the Republican National Committee building at around 8:16 p.m. and was last seen in surveillance footage two minutes later walking past a row of D.C. houses wearing a backpack that investigators believe they used to transport the pipe bombs. « We still believe there is someone out there who has information they may not have realized was significant until now, » the narrator of the FBI video said. « We’re asking you to come forward and share that information with the FBI. » No one was hurt in the attempted attack and the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI said it could have been deadly. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPBoth Vice President Kamala Harris and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were near the DNC office before the first bomb was found on the afternoon of Jan. 6 and deactivated. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/fbi-releases-video-showing-january-2021-pipe-bomb-suspect-planting-device-outside-dnc-rnc-offices-dc

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 02:57:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

President-elect Trump announced several appointments to his administration Thursday, including the team that will work with his nominee for the U.S. Treasury, Scott Bessent.In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Ken Kies will serve as assistant secretary for tax policy.Kies, who has worked as a tax lawyer for 47 years, has served as the chief of staff for the Joint Committee on Taxation and the chief Republican tax counsel of the House Ways and Means Committee.Also joining the team is Alexandra Preate, who Trump appointed as senior counsel to the secretary.TRUMP PICKS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER KEVIN MARINO CABRERA FOR PANAMA AMBASSADORTrump said Preate is an accomplished executive in public relations.Trump appointed Hunter McMaster to serve as the director of policy planning and Daniel Katz was appointed to serve as chief of staff.Katz, Trump wrote, is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a graduate of Yale. Katz also served as a senior adviser at the Treasury Department.Trump’s appointment as deputy chief of staff in the Treasury Department is Samantha Schwab, who worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during the president-elect’s first term.GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? »All of them are incredible, hardworking Patriots, who will work tirelessly to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, » Trump said of the team.In addition to the Treasury Department appointments, Trump announced that Benjamin Leon James will serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Spain. »Benjamin is a highly successful entrepreneur, equestrian, and philanthropist. He came to the U.S. from Communist Cuba at 16-years-old, with only five dollars in his pocket, and proceeded to build his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business, » Trump wrote. « He has helped support many worthy causes, like La Liga Contra el Cancer, and important Medical Research at Johns Hopkins and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. »HOW PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP COULD PULL OFF ‘THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY’ AS HE ENTERS OFFICETrump also appointed Joe Popolo to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands.Popolo helped transform the Freeman Company into what Trump called « the world’s leading live event brand experience company. »Popolo also serves as founder and CEO of Charles & Potomac Capital, LLC; the chairman of the board of Pinnacle Live, LLC; and, as a board member of Ondas Holdings. »Joe is an E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, and also a recipient of the Dallas Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award, » Trump wrote. « He is a proud graduate of Boston College, a member of their Board of Regents, and also, a Patron of the Arts in the Vatican Museum. »Trump also appointed Cora Alvi to serve as his deputy chief of staff.Alvi, Trump wrote, most recently worked as the national deputy finance director for Donald J. Trump for President Inc.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-taps-team-work-us-treasury-nominee-scott-bessent

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 02:30:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Allstate CEO Tom Wilson ignited a firestorm of backlash on social media Thursday with a video statement addressing Wednesday’s terror attack in New Orleans that killed more than a dozen people. Wilson’s statement came ahead of the Sugar Bowl, of which Allstate is the official corporate sponsor, after the game was postponed to Thursday due to the attack. In the video, Wilson suggested Americans have an « addiction to divisiveness » and must « accept people’s imperfections and differences. » »Our prayers went to victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity. Join Allstate working in local communities all across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people’s imperfections and differences. Together we win, » Wilson says in the video. Wilson’s words sparked outrage among social media users. The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The FBI is working to determine Jabbar’s « potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations, » after an ISIS flag was found affixed to the truck.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMPolitical activist Charlie Kirk spoke out against Wilson for his comments amid Jabbar’s suspected ties to ISIS. Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of conservative magazine The Federalist, suggested it’s time to cancel Allstate insurance plans. Sports content creator Jon Root spoke out against Wilson and mocked his comments. SUPERDOME WELCOMES SUGAR BOWL FANS AFTER NEW ORLEANS TERROR ATTACKInjury lawyer Adam Loewy not only condemned Wilson’s statement, he called out Allstate as a company in response to the controversy.Other smaller social media users have expressed their own grievances and intent to end their insurance plans in response to Wilson. »What was Allstate thinking with that statement[?] I have just canceled my policy and signed up with State Farm, » one user wrote. « That limp-wristed Allstate commercial about the terrorist attack is just what I needed to know that I won’t give them my business, » another wrote.And one user even called the commercial « The worst, most ill-conceived of the college football season. »Allstate provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the backlash. « To be clear, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson unequivocally condemns this heinous act of terrorism and violence in all forms. We stand with the families of the victims, their loved ones and the community of New Orleans. The reference to overcoming divisiveness and negativity reflects a broader commitment to fostering trust and positivity in communities across the nation, » the statement read.Jabbar’s younger brother told the New York Times that he and his Army veteran brother were raised Christian in Beaumont, Texas, before the now-deceased attacker converted to Islam as an adult. »What he did does not represent Islam, » the younger brother said. « This is more some type of radicalization, not religion. »Retired FBI agents Scott Duffey and Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital that Wednesday’s attack could embolden ISIS, other terrorist groups or individuals who have been radicalized. »This is a time where ISIS is under extreme stress and their existence is being threatened in Syria and elsewhere. It would make sense for them to double down on their message to radicalize Americans to put them into action and activate any cells that they have in place, » Swecker said.Days before the attack, a pro-ISIS outlet called on Muslims living in the U.S., Europe and Russia to conduct attacks on New Year’s Eve. »Oh monotheists in Europe, America, Russia and other lands of the Crusaders, we know that you are eager to join your brothers in the land of Jihad, but the paths have been cut off for you, » a translated version of the post read on Sunday. « The Crusaders are among you. Their security has been prolonged, and your brothers are being killed. »The time has come to take out the swords from their sheaths and to hamstring the horses in their places that Allah loves and is pleased with, » the post continued. « They are preparing for the feast of their polytheism, so turn their feast into mourning and their joy into a calamity. »The outlet asked Muslims, or « Crusaders, » if they felt safe in their homes as their brothers and sisters were in detention centers and camps before calling on them to « repeat the attack on them and repeat the days of those who preceded you on this path. »The attack in New Orleans comes nearly two weeks after a suspected terror attack on a Christmas market in Germany.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ceo-sugar-bowls-corporate-sponsor-slammed-over-addiction-divisiveness-statement-after-terror-attack

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 01:22:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Investigators have yet to determine what drove an active-duty U.S. Army soldier to rent a Tesla Cybertruck and drive it to the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, where he appeared to shoot himself in the head before the vehicle exploded on New Year’s Day.Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs, Colorado as a person of interest in the matter, though he would not go as far as to say with 100% certainty that he is a suspect until DNA matches the remains of a body that was in the Cybertruck with Livelsberger.At about 8:40 a.m., the truck was seen pulling up to the valet entrance of the hotel before stopping. Seventeen seconds later, the vehicle blew up and fireworks could be heard shooting from the bulletproof truck.Along with fireworks, McMahill said the truck contained camping fuel and gasoline. The explosion did not damage the body of the truck, other than to the glass and bed cover, the sheriff noted.SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACKHe also said the glass doors to the hotel were not damaged, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries.While the subject’s body was burnt beyond recognition, McMahill also said the individual sustained a gunshot wound to the head prior to its detonation, and one of the handguns was found at his feet inside the vehicle.McMahill would not say Livelsberger was on a suicide mission, though he did go as far as to call it « a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately thereafter. »WHO IS MATTHEW LIVELSBERGER? WHAT WE KNOW ABOU THE TESLA CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION SUSPECTOn Thursday, FBI agents searched Livelsberger’s home in Colorado Springs to try and piece together what his motive was and how he got to Las Vegas. »We know we have a bombing, absolutely, and it’s a bombing that certainly has factors that raise concerns, » FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans said during a press conference Thursday. « It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building and that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us… it was because of this particular ideology or any reasoning behind it. »The Associated Press reported that Livelsberger had recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave when he died, according to a U.S. official.A law enforcement official also told the wire that investigators learned through interviews that Livelsberger may have gotten into a fight with his wife about relationship issues shortly before he rented the Tesla and legally purchased handguns that were found in the truck. The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.1 DEAD, 7 INJURED AFTER TESLA CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION OUTSIDE TRUMP HOTEL IN LAS VEGAS: POLICELivelsberger appears to have at one point been married to Sara Livelsberger, a 38-year-old who lives in Delray Beach, Florida. The Denver Post reported that he had divorced in 2018 and remarried in 2022.In Facebook posts from 2016, Sara said she was a registered Democrat and shared images that were disparaging of President-elect Trump.Although Livelsberger resides in Colorado, he has connections in Ohio.The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio reported that Livelsberger was issued a speeding ticket in Franklin County for driving 70 mph in a 65-mph zone in September 2011.BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERT BREAKS DOWN THE CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSIONLivelsberger reportedly had a Westerville address, the publication reported. He also owns property in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, according to property records obtained by The Columbus Dispatch.He graduated from Bucyrus High School in Ohio, where he was an athlete who participated in baseball and football. But after reportedly getting injured while playing football, Livelsberger enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked with the Special Forces as a communications officer.His uncle, Dean Livelsberger, told The Independent his nephew « was a 100% patriot, » and even described him « like a Rambo-type, for lack of a better term. »The Independent reported that Dean said his nephew had patriotic subject matter on Facebook and loved President-elect Trump.Dean also reportedly spoke to the publication about his nephew’s skills with explosives.INVESTIGATORS USE TATTOO, PHOTOS TO IDENTIFY SUSPECT BEHIND CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION AT TRUMP HOTEL »Matt was a very skilled warrior, and he would be able to make – if it was him, and if he did this – he would’ve been able to make a more sophisticated explosive than using propane tanks and camping fuel, » he reportedly said. « He was what you might call a ‘supersoldier.’ If you ever read about the things he was awarded, and the experience he had, some of it doesn’t make sense, when he had the skills and ability to make something more, let’s say, ‘efficient.’ His skills were enormous from what he had been taught in the military. »With those skills, Dean said, Livelsberger « could have fashioned a bomb that would have obliterated half of that hotel if he seriously wanted to hurt others. »Livelsberger was a Green Beret operations sergeant who spent most of his time at Fort Carson, Colorado, and in Germany. McMahill said Livelsberger was approved leave from Germany, where he was serving with the special forces group. He also previously served in the National Guard and Army Reserve.He also received several awards and honors while serving in the U.S. Army.U.S. Army Public Affairs told Fox News that Livelsberger has earned the Bronze Star Medal with Valor; Bronze Star Medal four times; Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal with Valor; Army Commendation Medal three times; Army Achievement Medal two times; Army Good Conduct Medal five times; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star three times; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon three times; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal two times; Special Forces Tab; Combat Infantryman Badge; Parachutist Badge; and Freefall Badge.Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/questions-remain-investigators-search-motive-las-vegas-cybertruck-explosion

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 01:14:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

College football fans showed their patriotism Thursday afternoon at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Before Notre Dame and Georgia played their College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Caesars Superdome, there was a moment of silence for those killed and injured in the New Orleans terror attack New Year’s Day. More than a dozen people were killed and many more were injured when Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through a crowd on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAfter the moment of silence was completed inside the Caesars Superdome, the crowd erupted into « U-S-A! » chants. The singing of the national anthem followed with a large American flag covering the turf. SAINTS, PELICANS ANNOUNCE MEMBER OF VIDEO PRODUCTION TEAM AMONG THOSE KILLED IN NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACKThe terror attack prompted the postponement of the Sugar Bowl, which determines who will play No. 6 Penn State in one semifinal of the College Football Playoff. Authorities opened Bourbon Street hours before the game Thursday, which Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry attended. « Security is going to be tight, » Landry said during an appearance on « Fox & Friends. » « We have all confidence that we’re gonna put this game on. The Superdome is completely secure. Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state. »Many reacted to the senseless act of violence, including Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who spoke to his team about what happened. « The first part of that meeting was to mourn and pray for our country, » he said during an appearance on ESPN. »In the toughest moments, the culture of any program, of a nation, are revealed. I have a lot of faith we’re going to rally around the city of New Orleans and support all the victims and families that were affected today. »Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/college-football-fans-start-u-s-a-chant-after-moment-silence-those-killed-new-orleans-attack

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-03 00:11:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming « border czar » Tom Homan issued a warning about the state of U.S. national security following the terror attack in New Orleans and the Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day.In an interview on « America Reports » on Thursday, the former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director said the United States is in imminent danger as the southern border remains vulnerable to national security. »We’re not out of the woods, » Homan said. « This country is in grave danger. We need to secure that border, and despite what’s happened in the last two days in Las Vegas and in New Orleans, this administration is not stopping. They’re still releasing thousands of people every week… without proper vetting. »WHO IS SHAMSUD-DIN JABBAR? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS NEW YEAR’S TERRORIST SUSPECT »We’ve got a record number of known gotaways. Over 2 million people entered this country. We don’t know who they are or where they came from or what their purpose was for coming to this country, » he continued.Homan said he looked forward to President-elect Donald Trump retaking « power » to « secure this border and protect our national security. »His warning came after the suspect identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar with an ISIS flag plowed into dozens at a New Year’s parade on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 30. He was killed in a shootout with police. Jabbar, a U.S. native born in Texas, had previously served in the U.S. military. Jabbar said in Facebook videos prior to the attack that he had joined ISIS before the summer and provided a will and testament, according to the FBI.SUSPECT BEHIND CYBERTRUCK THAT EXPLODED AT TRUMP HOTEL IDENTIFIED AS ACTIVE-DUTY US ARMY SOLDIERAuthorities had been investigating a potential military connection between Jabbar and the Las Vegas suspect, who law enforcement identified to The Associated Press as Matthew Livelsberger. He was a U.S. Army active-duty Special Forces operations sergeant on leave from Germany, where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group and most recently served as a Green Beret.Livelsberger is suspected of being the driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day. The truck contained gasoline and camp fuel containers, as well as large firework mortars, according to officials.When pressed on the nature of the attacks, Homan said he had a « gut feeling » that both the New Orleans New Year’s attack and the Las Vegas explosion were linked, despite the FBI and police finding no evidence to connect both attacks at this stage in the investigation. »This is a gut feeling. I’ve done this for three-and-a-half decades. I just think there’s too many similarities, » Homan told Fox News anchor Sandra Smith. « Too much coincidence. I think something down the road — they’re going to show there’s some sort of connection… I could be wrong — it’s just a gut feeling that I have. »Pointing to the military background of both individuals, Homan urged the incoming Trump administration to ramp up « insider threat analysis, » which, he said, was put on the back burner by the Biden administration. »We’ve got two people who served in the military that [allegedly] committed these terrorist acts. We need to really dig down into insider threats in our military and our federal service… » he warned.The FBI on Thursday said investigators believe the New Orleans terror attack suspect acted alone, despite previously considering a possible link to the Tesla Cybertruck explosion.Both Jabbar and Livelsberger served at Fort Liberty — formerly known as Fort Bragg — in North Carolina, but a U.S. official said there was no overlap to their assignments there. They served at the same base, but at different times, and more than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently stationed at Fort Liberty. »As you know, there’s also an FBI investigation in Las Vegas. We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling anything out. However, at this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas, » FBI Deputy Assistant Director of Counterterrorism Christopher Raia told reporters Thursday. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/tom-homan-warns-us-national-security-in-grave-danger-after-new-orleans-attack-tesla-cybertruck-explosion

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 23:32:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Dolly Parton doesn’t stress too much when it comes to enjoying the holidays.In an interview with Closer magazine, the « Jolene » singer shared some of her family’s favorite holiday traditions. When it comes to overindulging over the holidays, Parton said that she and her family don’t worry about it. »We all start eating around Thanksgiving, and we eat until the first of January, and that’s when we all go on our diets. You know how that goes? » she told the outlet, according to the Daily Mail. « So you think, ‘Well, I’m not going to even think about dieting now. I’m just going to eat everything I want to.’ »Although « you stretch your clothes out » while enjoying all the good holiday food, Parton explained that she doesn’t mind, because she knows she’ll be « ready for a diet after the first of the year. »DOLLY PARTON DOESN’T KNOW IF SHE’S ‘STILL CONSIDERED A COUNTRY ARTIST’The singer went on to say she goes « all-out for Christmas » with her family, sharing that different generations of kids each have a different nickname for her, including « Granny Claus, Dolly Claus, or Gigi Claus. » »I’ve been doing that since I had my younger brothers and sisters, » she said. « They’ve now got children, and now their children have children, so I’ve just been at it for years. Christmas is a big thing for us. »Part of their big family Christmas tradition is a big feast which Parton cooks for her and her extended family. Along with the dinner, Parton serves wine from her label, which she notes « is great, because it goes with different things. »LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS’We have turkey and ham, black eyed peas and cornbread dressing, and then we have lots of mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and that sort of thing, » she said about the big feast she cooks.Aside from the meal, another big part of Parton’s Christmas celebration includes her and her family gathering around the piano and singing classic Christmas songs together, like « O Little Town of Bethlehem » and « Silent Night. »Earlier this year, Parton expressed her interest in spending Thanksgiving with the royal family, and inviting them to Dollywood for the holiday.. »Oh, I would absolutely love for them to come to Dollywood, that would be fantastic! » she told Closer. « The kids could go on all the rides, and we would treat them like royalty! I’d give Kate my mashed potatoes – I wouldn’t put on any airs for them. I would just let them enjoy what we enjoy, and I’m sure that’s the way they would want it. I would love to have those kids at Dollywood. »CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERThe legendary country singer previously missed her chance to meet the Princess of Wales in 2023, when a scheduling conflict prohibited her from accepting an invitation from Middleton to join her at Buckingham Palace for tea. 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/dolly-parton-says-shes-ready-diet-after-eating-everything-she-wants-holidays

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 21:53:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

During his first term as president, Donald Trump saw the height of a violent civil war in Syria, a resurgence of Islamic State activity, and a rise in ISIS-inspired attacks both abroad and on U.S. soil.Eight years later, many of these bogeymen have returned.In the last eight weeks, Syrian rebels launched a lightning offensive, wresting back control of the country and then of its capital—forcing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia for safe haven. Like Trump’s first term, the instability in the Middle East has prompted fresh questions over if, or what role the U.S. should play in Syria—amid concerns that failing to act will further open the power vacuum in Syria, making it ripe for exploitation by Islamic State militants and other terrorist groups.And on Wednesday, U.S. authorities scrambled to investigate and respond to two separate attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Despite taking place thousands of miles apart, both are being investigated as possible acts of terrorism—a glaring indicator that the threat of homegrown extremism remains just as pervasive as ever. Ahead of Trump’s second term, the violence—and the unexpected collapse of Syria’s authoritarian regime— have prompted new questions as to how the U.S. might act.BOMB-MAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBON STREET TERRORIST: REPORT
 Options for TrumpTrump, for his part, has long opposed the idea of involving U.S. troops in foreign wars. In 2019, he ordered the complete withdrawal of all military personnel in Syria’s north.He reiterated that view in a post last month on Truth Social, saying the U.S. should « have nothing to do with » the situation in Syria. »Let it play out, » he said. It’s unclear whether, or to what degree, this week’s deadly attacks may have swayed Trump’s decision. Fourteen people were killed in New Orleans early Wednesday morning by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas native and U.S. army veteran who had driven from Houston to Bourbon Street in a rented pickup truck, plowing through crowds of people massed outside the famed string of bars to celebrate the new year. Jabbar himself was fatally shot by police.FBI officials said that Jabbar, who had affixed an Islamic State flag to the rented vehicle, was « 100% inspired by ISIS » in carrying out the terrorist attack, though it remains unclear whether he has any legitimate ties to the group.Jabbar had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and is believed to have joined the group this past summer, officials said. He was also seen on surveillance footage planting two explosive devices in coolers along the corners of Bourbon and Orleans Streets, and another intersection nearby, though both were later rendered safe by bomb squad teams.Separately, the FBI said they are investigating a Las Vegas explosion carried out in a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas as a possible act of terrorism. The suspect in that case, Matthew Alan Livelsberger, had been a member of the U.S. Army’s elite special forces unit prior to the explosion, and FBI officials raided a house in Colorado Springs on Thursday that they said they believe could be connected to the case.CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP INAUGURATIONShould Trump opt to maintain his longtime opposition to U.S. intervention in « foreign wars, » there are other options he could take to try to crack down on violent domestic attacks. This could include cracking down on immigration— a policy long embraced by Trump and many Republicans in Congress—to prevent possible threat actors from crossing the border.In fact, the Department of Homeland Security told reporters in June that it had identified more than 400 migrants from Central Asia and other countries who had been smuggled into the U.S. by ISIS-linked smuggling groups over the last three years, prompting a flurry of new arrests and « subjects of concern » designations.DHS officials said the arrests, first reported by NBC, were made out of « an abundance of caution, » and noted at the time that they had not identified any credible threats to the U.S. by the migrants, who may have simply been attempting to find a way to cross into the U.S. Still, a border crackdown might not be enough to solve the problem, made especially complex by the role of lone-wolf threat actors and individuals who become radicalized online.A pervasive threat The FBI has focused heavily on the risk of terrorism posed by domestic and homegrown violent extremists, as it noted in its most recent « Worldwide Threats to the Homeland » report. These small groups or individuals pose the biggest risk to national security, the report noted—often using easily accessible weapons, such as guns and cars, to attack so-called « soft targets, » or groups of civilians gathered en masse at accessible locations.The « greatest, most immediate international terrorism threat to the homeland » are individuals who have lived primarily in the U.S. and who carry out actions inspired by, but not at the express direction of, a foreign terrorist organization such as ISIS, the law enforcement agency said. Early in December, the FBI and other authorities warned of a heightened risk of vehicular attacks by lone-wolf offenders during the holidays, noting in a shared bulliten that threat actors have « plotted and conducted attacks against holiday targets » in previous years, with likely targets including public places with « perceived lower levels of security » holding large gatherings.The threat is also not going away. Trump’s first term as president saw multiple attacks carried out by individuals pledging allegiance to ISIS or other jihad groups—even if they had not been operating at the direction of the group itself. These individuals were responsible for the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, the 2017 New York City truck attack, a 2017 machete attack at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and many more acts of violence.Vehicular attacks have also increased: Since 2014, there have been at least 16 vehicular ramming attacks in the U.S. and Europe carried out by individuals practicing jihad, according to a report from the think tank New America.And since 2020, the number of domestic terrorism investigations conducted by the FBI has more than doubled—a staggering rate that indicates both the scope and the complexity of the growing problem.Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Thursday, FBI officials said the suspect in the New Orleans attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was « 100% inspired by ISIS. » « First and foremost, let me be very clear about this point, » the FBI Assistant Director of Counterterrorism, Christopher Raia, told reporters. « This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act. » 



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/u-s-threat-landscape-domestic-extremism-pose-daunting-but-familiar-test-trumps-second-term

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 21:01:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Federal agents found one of the largest stockpiles of homemade explosives they have ever seized when they arrested a Virginia man on a firearms charge last month, according to a court filing by federal prosecutors.Investigators seized more than 150 pipe bombs and other homemade devices when they searched the home of Brad Spafford northwest of Norfolk in December, the prosecutors said in a motion filed Monday. The prosecutors wrote that this is believed to be « the largest seizure by number of finished explosive devices in FBI history. »1 DEAD AFTER CYBERTRUCK EXPLODES OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS TRUMP HOTELMost of the bombs were found in a detached garage at the home in Isle of Wight County, along with tools and bomb-making materials including fuses and pieces of plastic pipe, according to court documents. The prosecutors also wrote: « Several additional apparent pipe bombs were found in a backpack in the home’s bedroom, completely unsecured, » in the home he shares with his wife and two young children.Spafford, 36, was charged with possession of a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act. Law enforcement officers allege he owned an unregistered short barrel rifle. Prosecutors said that he faces « numerous additional potential charges » related to the explosives.Defense attorneys argued in a motion Tuesday that authorities haven’t produced evidence that he was planning violence, also noting that he has no criminal record. Further, they question whether the explosive devices were usable because « professionally trained explosive technicians had to rig the devices to explode them. » »There is not a shred of evidence in the record that Mr. Spafford ever threatened anyone and the contention that someone might be in danger because of their political views and comments is nonsensical, » the defense lawyers wrote.Messages were left Wednesday seeking further comment from the defense lawyers who signed the motion, Lawrence Woodward and Jerry Swartz.The investigation began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend, told authorities Spafford had disfigured his hand in 2021 while working on homemade explosives. Prosecutors said he only has two fingers on his right hand. The informant told authorities that Spafford was using pictures of the president, an apparent reference to President Joe Biden, for target practice and that « he believed political assassinations should be brought back, » prosecutors wrote.Numerous law enforcement officers and bomb technicians searched the property on Dec. 17. The agents located the rifle and the explosive devices, some of which had been hand-labeled as « lethal » and some of which were loaded into a wearable vest, court documents state. Technicians detonated most of the devices on site because they were deemed unsafe to transport, though several were kept for analysis.At a hearing Tuesday, federal Magistrate Judge Lawrence Leonard determined that Spafford could be released into house arrest at his mother’s home but agreed to keep him detained while the government files further arguments.In response, prosecutors reiterated why they believe Spafford is dangerous, writing that « while he is not known to have engaged in any apparent violence, he has certainly expressed interest in the same, through his manufacture of pipe bombs marked ‘lethal,’ his possession of riot gear and a vest loaded with pipe bombs, his support for political assassinations and use of the pictures of the President for target practice. »



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/fbi-found-150-bombs-virginia-home-december-prosecutors-say

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 20:19:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

A New York Times freelance contributor discussed Thursday a college newspaper interview he had years ago with Shamsud-Din Jabbar, saying he did not seem like the type of person who would commit the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans.Keenan spoke to CNN host Paula Newton early Thursday morning about the moment he found out that the suspect in the deaths of 15 people after deliberately driving his truck through Bourbon Street was the same man he interviewed in 2015 for Georgia State University’s college paper. »My head was spinning, » Keenan told the anchor, adding, « What little I remember from that interview was a very cool, calm, and collected guy. »Jabbar attended Georgia State from 2015 until 2017 and received a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. Keenan interviewed him for an article about college life as a veteran in 2015.OFFICIALS POSTPONE SUGAR BOWL IN  THE WAKE OF APPARENT TERROR ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET »Nothing about his character threw any red flags, » the journalist stated.Authorities say the 42-year-old Jabbar drove his truck through a crowd gathered on New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday as they rang in 2025. The suspect was a U.S.-born citizen who lived in Houston, Texas.After ramming through the crowd, Jabbar exited the vehicle and exchanged fire with law enforcement. The suspect was killed in the encounter. Bomb-making materials were reportedly found at a New Orleans Airbnb Jabbar was suspected to have rented ahead of the attack. Authorities so far believe that Jabbar acted alone in carrying out the rampage and was inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization. The suspect had been married twice and had two children. The FBI revealed that Jabbar also served in the U.S. Army as a Human Resource Specialist and Information Technology (IT) Specialist from March 2007 until January 2015, and served in the Army Reserves as an IT Specialist from January 2015 until July 2020.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTUREDuring his time in the Army, he deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. The FBI believes he was honorably discharged.Keenan told CNN that his shock at finding out Jabbar was capable of such an attack was shared by other people who knew him. »A lot of my colleagues at the New York Times talked to family and friends, and they’re telling you this was a wild 180, » he said.Keenan continued to describe the Jabbar he interviewed as having a « reserved demeanor. » « He was a little bit distant in the way that, you know, you sometimes see from veterans who have had difficult deployments, » the journalist said, adding that he’s « still processing it all. »BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER JAKE SULLIVAN OFFERED TO RESIGN OVER CHAOTIC AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: REPORTKeenan described the 2015 interview with Jabbar in a New York Times piece following the attack. In it, the reporter stated that Jabbar told him he had trouble adjusting to life after the military. »Mr. Jabbar complained that the complexity of the Department of Veterans Affairs bureaucracy sometimes made it difficult for veterans to get their tuition and other educational benefits paid through the G.I. Bill, and that even a single missing signature or sheet of paper could affect an applicant’s benefits, » Keenan recalled.The reporter noted that Jabbar’s other complaint was that it was hard « to communicate without defaulting to the military jargon he had adopted during his years in the service — and that doing so can make it difficult for veterans when applying for civilian jobs. »



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/ny-times-reporter-who-interviewed-new-orleans-terror-suspect-years-ago-says-he-saw-no-red-flags

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 19:36:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Christina Aguilera is kicking off the new year with an important message. On Tuesday, the Grammy Award winner posted a video montage to her Instagram that featured various footage of herself throughout the year and a slew of comments from online haters questioning her physical appearance following rumors of Ozempic use. In the caption, Aguilera reminded her 10 million followers that while judgments are inevitable, « no one deserves an explanation. » »This year, doing something a little different. This is a reminder to everyone that you are your OWN STORYTELLER in your OWN LIFE, » she wrote. « No one else can dictate who you are. No one deserves an explanation. I am evolved enough to know that nothing comes easy and no one is perfect. »CHRISTINA AGUILERA SAYS SHE ‘HATED BEING SUPER SKINNY’: ‘I HAVE A HARD TIME LOOKING AT THE EARLY PICTURES’ »Everyone will judge you. No matter WHAT you do, » she continued. « And/ or what you don’t do. Acceptance comes with accepting yourself first. And the difficult journey it takes sometimes to get there. I celebrate everyone taking the time to put one step in front of the next everyday in order to build the next version of themselves for the better. Allowing yourself grace, patience and respect. »Though Aguilera’s appearance has sparked debate online about whether she has dabbled with Ozempic, the « Beautiful » singer has not directly addressed the speculations. Ozempic, which is a semaglutide injection, was originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, but the medication has increasingly been prescribed off label for weight loss, along with several other similar medications. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERIn August, the pop singer – who is mom to Max, 16, and Summer, 10 – opened up about the pressures she has faced to look a certain way throughout her career. « When you’re a teenager, you have a very different body than when you’re in your 20s, » she told Glamour. « I started to fill out, and then that was unacceptable because it was like, ‘Oh, she’s getting thicker.’ Then I had industry people: ‘They liked your body and how you were as a skinny teenager.’ »OPRAH WINFREY, SHARON OSBOURNE, ROSIE O’DONNELL ADMIT USING WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION: ‘DONE WITH SHAMING’ »I have a maturity now where I just don’t give a f— about your opinion, » she added. « I’m not going to take it on. It must be your responsibility to take up your space. Other people’s opinions of me are not my business. »In May 2021, Aguilera told Health magazine how those certain pressures affected her self-esteem as a young woman.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS »I would never want to relive my 20s – you’re so in your own head and finding your confidence, » said Aguilera. « As you age, you stop comparing yourself to other people and start appreciating your own body and owning it. » »Accepting yourself is what beauty is really about, » she added. « As much as I also love being a glam girl and playing dress-up for the camera, when it all comes off, that’s what’s ultimately most rewarding – being able to feel really good about who’s staring back at you in the mirror, because you’re owning all of it. »



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/christina-aguilera-shuts-down-haters-ozempic-rumors-swirl

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 18:25:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day has been identified as active-duty U.S. Army soldier Matthew Livelsberger, The Associated Press is reporting, citing law enforcement officials. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.Livelsberger, 37, has several addresses associated with him and was on leave from Germany where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group. On Wednesday, he reportedly pulled the truck up outside the hotel at around 8:40 a.m. local time, and it exploded about 15 to 20 seconds later. The explosion killed Livelsberger and injured seven others. SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACKAuthorities say the truck contained gasoline and camp fuel containers, as well as large firework mortars. Video of the incident captures the truck exploding in a ball of fire and fireworks can also be seen going off in all directions. A bystander can also be seen just feet from the truck as it goes up in flames. An Army spokesperson tells Fox News that Livelsberger began active duty Army in January 2006 and reached the rank of master sergeant. Livelsberger spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command.Livelsberger joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier.Additionally, U.S. Army Special Operations Command confirms Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of his death. Records viewed by Fox News Digital show Livelsberger’s most recent address as a ⁠⁠US Armed Forces overseas mailing address. Before that, a house in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, is listed, and before that, an apartment in Colorado Springs, Colorado. FBI Denver posted to X on Thursday that they are at a home in Colorado Springs and will remain there for several hours. The investigation is related to the Las Vegas explosion. One relative told CBS News that Livelsberger’s wife had not heard from him in several days.Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a press conference on Wednesday that the Cybertruck was rented in Colorado. Earlier Wednesday morning, Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S.-born citizen who lived in Texas, drove a white pickup truck into a crowd on the famed Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 15 people. The FBI has said it is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.On Thursday, the FBI in Houston said it carried out a court-authorized search and cleared the 12000 block of Crescent Peak Drive in relation to the New Orleans attack. The agency said there is no threat to residents in that area and it is unable to provide any more details regarding the search due to the « ongoing nature of the investigation. »The truck Jabbar drove was rented from the peer-to-peer car rental company Turo, as was the Cybertruck that burst into flames in Las Vegas. Jabbar’s rented vehicle also donned an ISIS flag on its trailer hitch.The Cybertruck did not have an ISIS flag like the truck in New Orleans.WHO IS SHAMSUD DIN JABBAR? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS NEW YEARS’ TERRORIST SUSPECTA Turo spokesperson told Fox News Digital the company does not believe either renter in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had criminal backgrounds that would have identified them as a security threat.Meanwhile, McMahill said that the Cybertruck withstood most of the explosion on Wednesday and was still completely intact afterward. »The fact that this was a Cybertruck, really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out, » McMahill said. « In fact, if you look on that video, you’ll see that the front glass doors at the Trump hotel were not even broken by the blast. »The preliminary investigation to this point involved input from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who McMahill said gave quite a bit of information about how the vehicle was locked after it exploded because of the force of the explosion.Musk also helped when it came to capturing surveillance footage from Tesla charging stations across the country.The billionaire kept followers up to date about the Cybertruck explosion on his social media platform X. »We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion, » Musk wrote in one post. »The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards, » he said in another post. « Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken. »



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/us/suspect-behind-cybertruck-exploded-trump-hotel-identified-active-duty-u-s-army-soldier

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 17:16:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Former NFL star Antonio Brown launched a fund for the victims and their families of the terror attack that took place in New Orleans in the wee hours of New Year’s Day.More than a dozen people were killed and several more were injured when the suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street. He was killed in a firefight with officers after the ramming and is believed to have been inspired by ISIS.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMBrown launched the GoFundMe on Thursday with more than $3,500 raised in the first few hours. »This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with helping the families who lost their loved ones in New Orleans, » the fundraiser’s description read. « I will work with Gofundme to make sure any dollar raised is split between the 15 families who lost their loved ones on January 1st. Prayers. »Brown is not the only NFL figure to lend a helping hand to victims.NEW ORLEANS POLICE OFFICIAL GIVES MESSAGE TO NFL FANS ON FENCE ABOUT ATTENDING SUPER BOWL LIX AFTER ATTACKNew Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan donated $25,000 to a fund set up by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and the city of New Orleans. »I am joining @GNOFoundation and the @CityOfNOLA by donating $25,000 to the New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund to support victims of the attack, » Jordan wrote on X. « Please consider donating to assist the families of those who lost their lives and those who were severely injured. »The attack forced the postponement of the Sugar Bowl, which is now set to take place at the Caesars Superdome at 4 p.m. ET.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ex-nfl-star-antonio-brown-launches-fundraiser-new-orleans-terror-attack-victims-families

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 16:41:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

President-elect Donald Trump’s allies are excoriating the FBI for its initial characterization of the brutal car attack in New Orleans as not terror-related, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency backtracked and launched a terrorism investigation allegedly connected to ISIS. « The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It’s a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP, » a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning. Early Wednesday morning, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as New Year’s Eve revelers partied on the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowds on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. As details filtered to the public on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference where a special agent initially told the public that the attack was not related to terrorism. NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: SEARCH CONTINUES FOR BOURBON STREET ‘PEOPLE OF INTEREST’ AS STATE AG VOWS DEATH PENALTY »We’ll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event, » said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during the press conference. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACKThe mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan in the same press conference, declaring that the attack was connected to terrorism. « Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It’s all still under investigation. You’ll hear more after me, » Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser. The FBI released statements later Wednesday outlining that the attack was now under investigation as an act of terror, including reporting that an ISIS flag was found on the truck that rammed into the crowds. « An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations, » one FBI statement said. SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACK »The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject, » the statement added. Conservative lawmakers decried the attack and mourned for the victims, while also directing their ire at the FBI for its alleged failures in handling the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key Senate ally of Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, slammed the FBI in a series of messages posted to X and again rallied support for Patel’s confirmation to serve as FBI director. OFFICIALS POSTPONE SUGAR BOWL IN  THE WAKE OF APPARENT TERROR ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET »The tragic terror attack that killed innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America needs a fearless fighter like @Kash_Patel at the FBI, » Blackburn posted on Wednesday. Blackburn also took issue with the FBI for allegedly reporting to the suspect’s home in Texas after the media had already staked out the property. « The FBI didn’t show up to the NOLA suspect’s address until 1pm today. We were on scene before. No one came out of the home or answered the door, » New York Post reporter Jennie Taer posted to X on Wednesday. Blackburn responded to the Post reporter, saying that the FBI had « failed » its mission as the nation’s top law enforcement agency. « The fact that a reporter has better intel than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed its core mission, » Blackburn posted. WHO IS KASH PATEL? TRUMP’S PICK TO LEAD THE FBI HAS LONG HISTORY VOWING TO BUST UP ‘DEEP STATE’When approached for comment on the criticisms, the FBI directed Fox Digital to its three previous statements on the attack that described it as an act of terror but did not comment on the New Orleans’ agent saying Wednesday that the attack was not connected to terrorism. « This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism, » the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital. Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. He was an Army veteran who served as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 until Jan. 2015, and he deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010.Trump slammed President Biden and his administration’s policies for the attack. TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL SHOULD TAKE THESE CONCRETE STEPS TO RESTORE TRUST: FORMER SPECIAL AGENT »With the Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy’ I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, » Trump posted to Truth Social. Biden mourned the attack on Wednesday, highlighting that despite the violence, « our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated. » »New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world, » the president said. « It’s a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture, and above all, its people. » »So I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated, » he added.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/when-fail-americans-die-trump-source-blasts-fbi-urges-swift-confirmation-kash-patel-director

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 15:53:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said Thursday he will attend the Sugar Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish after a terror attack left over a dozen dead in New Orleans.The game was moved from Wednesday night to Thursday evening after the terror attack. The game is now set to kick off at around 4 p.m. ET.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMLandry appeared on « Fox & Friends » and vowed security would be tough. »Security is going to be tight, » he said. « We have all confidence that we’re gonna put this game on. The Superdome is completely secure. Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state. »Landry’s comments came as authorities sought persons of interest in relation to Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s attack on Bourbon Street. He was the suspect who drove a truck into a crowd before being killed in a firefight with police officers.SUGAR BOWL SECURITY BEEFED UP TO SUPER BOWL LEVELS, OFFICIAL SAYSThe attack left 15 dead and several others injured.Jabbar had posted videos to social media prior to his attack expressing allegiance to the Islamic State. The FBI’s investigation has now spread across multiple states, though the number of potential persons of interest remains unknown. « FBI special agents and our law enforcement partners are currently conducting a number of court-authorized search warrants in New Orleans and other states, » the bureau said in a statement. « The FBI’s Evidence Response Team continues to process the crime scene to meticulously gather all relevant evidence. »The FBI said it does not believe the driver acted alone. Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device inside Jabbar’s truck along with other devices elsewhere in the French Quarter.Fox News’ Anders Hagsstrom contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/sports/louisiana-gov-attend-sugar-bowl-vows-superdome-completely-secure

Author :

Publish date : 2025-01-02 13:50:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.