German cardinal says Pope Francis’ same-sex blessings declaration ‘never would have happened’ under Benedict

A German cardinal in the Catholic Church remarked that Pope Benedict would never have approved Pope Francis' recent edict allowing priests to bless people in same-sex relationships.

Cardinal Gerhard Mueller made the comment to Reuters while attending an event marking the one-year anniversary of Pope Benedict's death on Sunday. 

"It never would have happened [under Benedict] because it was so ambiguous," Mueller told the outlet of Francis' decision. Mueller had served as the Church's doctrinal chief under Benedict, a post he lost upon Francis' ascension.

The Vatican released its new policy in mid-December, stating that, "people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to ‘an exhaustive moral analysis’ to receive it."

CATHOLIC CHURCH'S TEACHING ON MARRIAGE 'HAS NOT CHANGED' AFTER VATICAN DOCUMENT, US BISHOPS SAY

The Church noted that it remains firm in its stance that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman, and the policy mandated that blessings not be given at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals, or even with other actions or clothing related to weddings.

POPE FRANCIS ALLOWS PRIESTS TO BLESS SAME-SEX COUPLES

The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office says requests for such blessings should not be denied.

"Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God," the document said. "The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live."

"It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered," the pope added.

VATICAN COURT SENTENCES CARDINAL BECCIU TO PRISON FOR EMBEZZLEMENT, ABUSE OF OFFICE

In the new document, the Vatican said the church must shy away from "doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying."

The document stressed that people in "irregular" unions – gay or straight – are in a state of sin. 

However, it said that should not deprive them of God’s love or mercy.

Fox News' Pilar Arias and Reuters contributed to this report

Tom Wilkinson, 'The Full Monty' actor, dead at 75

Tom Wilkinson, best known for his role in "The Full Monty," has died. He was 75.

"It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Wilkinson announce that he died suddenly at home on December 30th. His wife and family were with him. The family asks for privacy at this time," his reps confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The cause of death has not been revealed.

Wilkinson portrayed former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper in "The Full Monty."

This is a developing story. Please check back for details.

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Biden admin unveils string of eco regulations in latest appliance crackdown targeting fridges, freezers

The Biden administration unveiled environmental regulations Friday targeting multiple popular home and commercial appliances in an action that will impact millions of Americans, but which federal officials said would help curb carbon emissions.

The Department of Energy (DOE) both finalized new energy efficiency standards for residential refrigerators and freezers, and proposed standards for commercial fans and blowers. Overall, the agency said the actions would eliminate 420 million metric tons of "dangerous carbon dioxide emissions" over the next three decades and save households and businesses $5 billion a year on utility bills.

"Today’s announcement is a testament to the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to lowering utility costs for working families, which is helping to simultaneously strengthen energy independence and combat the climate crisis," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. 

"DOE will continue to move quickly in 2024 — together with our industry partners and stakeholders — to update and strengthen outdated energy efficiency standards, which is critical to innovation, more consumer options, and healthier communities," she continued.

BIDEN ADMIN LAUNCHED AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN TARGETING HOME APPLIANCES WITH ECO REGULATIONS IN 2023

DOE's standards for refrigerators and freezers will be implemented between 2029 and 2030, and mark the first update to standards impacting those appliances in more than a decade. According to the announcement, the updated standards, which will take less efficient but cheaper models off the market, will in 30 years remove the amount of emissions generated by the combined annual emissions of 12.7 million homes. 

And the standards targeting fans and blowers are the first-ever federal regulations targeting those appliances. DOE said that proposal "follows the lead" of efficiency standards established by California and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 318 million metric tons in the next 30 years.

BIDEN ADMIN AIMS TO PUSH TOWNS, CITIES TO ADOPT GREEN ENERGY BUILDING CODES: 'VERY SUSPICIOUS'

"Refrigerator standard are much like dishwashers and clothes washers, where there've been so many standards over the decades that we're either at the point of diminishing returns or negative returns," Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday. "And there is a tendency for the agency's own analysis to inflate the benefits."

"Consumers are perfectly capable of making these decisions on their own, including consumers who want to buy extra efficient refrigerators or other models," he continued. "What these standards do is they force that choice on everyone, whether it makes sense for them or not. And we know from history that, in some cases, these standards raise the upfront cost more than you're likely to earn back in the form of energy savings."

In addition to potentially increasing upfront costs for consumers purchasing new appliances, Lieberman said the new efficiency standards may harm product performance. For example, he said new standards for dishwashers have led to cycles taking as much as twice as long to finish.

According to DOE, meanwhile, the standards mean the administration proposed or finalized a grand total of 30 such regulations in 2023 as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and "underscore the administration’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis." The agency projects that its regulations introduced since early 2021 will provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings and curb emissions by 2.5 billion metric tons.

DOE also pledged to continue moving forward with more such regulations in 2024.

WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS STRICT HYDROGEN REGULATIONS IN VICTORY FOR ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Experts, including Lieberman, have repeatedly warned over the last 12 months that the Biden administration's energy efficiency actions will ultimately harm consumers and drive prices higher since manufacturers will be forced to adopt newer technologies to achieve the standards.

In April, Lieberman led a comment letter alongside more than 15 other consumer organizations, arguing DOE's efficiency standards for stovetops proposed in February "almost certainly compromise some of the features that gas stove users want, and all for the sake of saving an insignificant amount of energy." According to the agency's analysis, those standards would effectively ban half of all available stoves.

In the months after DOE released its proposed stovetop regulations, it proposed regulations in February for clothes washers and refrigerators that it said would reduce emissions by 233 million metric tons; finalized standards for air conditioners in March; proposed regulations cracking down on dishwashers in May; issued a proposal targeting water heaters in July; and proposed standards for furnaces in September.

"They are trying to reshape the place that you live to make it look like the home they would like you to live in," O.H. Skinner, the Alliance For Consumers' executive director, told Fox News Digital in October. "They're really trying to impose what are progressive preferences from places in coastal enclaves and make it so that everyone has to live like that. And that affects you every day."

"What's crucial is to understand this administration isn't just tweaking regulations. They're doing things that effectively ban whole categories of things that exist on the market," Skinner continued. "Almost all of these decisions, as you work through it, are influenced by the overall climate agenda and the green agenda and the desire for us to change our lives."

Environmentalists have long argued in favor of appliance and energy efficiency regulations given their high use of electricity and natural gas. Green energy groups have called for the electrification of homes and businesses, reducing reliance on natural gas and simultaneously replacing current fossil fuel-fired power with alternatives like wind and solar.

According to federal data, the commercial and residential sector accounts for 30% of total end-use carbon emissions in the U.S., the largest share of any sector including industry, transportation and agriculture.

Jets head coach addresses not appearing ‘angry or upset’ after Browns loss

The New York Jets lost their 10th game of the season Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns, who clinched a playoff berth for just the second time since 2002. 

It’s been a rough year for the Jets, who lost Aaron Rodgers after just four snaps and have started four different quarterbacks this season. 

On Thursday, the Jets committed 12 penalties for 74 yards, a trend that has resulted in New York being the most penalized team in the NFL.

BROWNS' ELIJAH MOORE APPEARS TO CONVULSE AFTER FALLING HEADFIRST TO GROUND ON TACKLE

After the game, a reporter told head coach Robert Saleh that he didn’t appear "angry or upset" after another loss. 

"Do you want me to throw the podium on the floor?" Saleh asked the reporter before the press conference ended. 

While the Jets have struggled to do anything offensively after Rodgers tore his Achilles against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Browns have found their savior following the season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson. 

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Joe Flacco moved to 4-1 as Cleveland’s starting quarterback after signing with the Browns last month. 

Flacco threw for 294 yards in the first half Thursday, finishing the game with 309 passing yards while throwing three touchdown passes and an interception. 

"You don’t know how many of these moments you’re going to get," Flacco said. "I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life."

Flacco spent the last three years of his career with the Jets, where he went 1-8 as a starter. 

Since taking over in Cleveland, Flacco has thrown for at least 300 yards in four of his five starts. 

"Everybody always joked, even in Baltimore, was he elite?" Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley said of Flacco, according to ESPN. "He's showing it. Not a lot of guys, especially veterans like him and his age, just coming from home, hanging with his kids, do what he's done. I told him after the game, it's crazy to hear the Browns fans screaming, 'Flacco!' That was pretty wild to me, but I'm happy for him. Obviously, we wanted to get the win, but just as a friend, as a fan, I'm definitely happy for him."

The Browns are still alive for the top spot in the AFC with one game remaining on their schedule.

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Pacific Northwest sees increased popularity in 'assisted migration' as tree species face decline

As native trees in the Pacific Northwest die off due to climate changes, the U.S. Forest Service, Portland, Oregon and citizen groups around Puget Sound are turning to a deceptively simple climate adaptation strategy called "assisted migration."

As the world’s climate warms, tree growing ranges in the Northern Hemisphere are predicted to move farther north and higher in elevation.

Trees, of course, can’t get up and walk to their new climatic homes. This is where assisted migration is supposed to lend a hand.

DROUGHTS ARE CAUSING DIE-OFFS OF ICONIC RED CEDAR IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST, SCIENTISTS SAY

The idea is that humans can help trees keep up with climate change by moving them to more favorable ecosystems faster than the trees could migrate on their own.

Yet not everyone agrees on what type of assisted migration the region needs — or that it’s always a good thing.

In the Pacific Northwest, a divide has emerged between groups advocating for assisted migration that would help struggling native trees, and one that could instead see native species replaced on the landscape by trees from the south, including coast redwoods and giant sequoias.

"There is a huge difference between assisted population migration and assisted species migration," said Michael Case, forest ecologist at the Virginia-based Nature Conservancy.

IN SEATTLE, CITY TREES PLANTED TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE DYING AMID WORSENING TEMPERATURES

Case currently runs an assisted population migration experiment at the Conservancy’s Ellsworth Creek Preserve in western Washington.

Assisted population migration involves moving a native species' seeds, and by extension its genes, within its current growing range.

By contrast, assisted species migration involves moving a species well outside its existing range, such as introducing redwoods and sequoias to Washington.

A third form of assisted migration, called "range expansion," amounts to moving a species just beyond its current growing range.

Case’s project involves testing whether breeds of native Douglas fir and western hemlock from drier parts of the Pacific Northwest can be used to help western Washington forests adapt to climate change. He says the Nature Conservancy is focusing on population migration because it has fewer ecological risks.

"Whenever you plant something in an area where it is not locally found you increase the risk of failure," Case said. "You increase the risk of disturbing potential ecosystem functions and processes."

Population migration is the only form of assisted migration currently practiced nationwide by the Forest Service, according to Dr. David Lytle, the agency’s deputy chief for research and development.

"We are very, very cautious and do not engage in the long-distance movement and establishment of plant material outside and disjunct from the historic range of a species," said Lytle.

The Forest Service is pursing assisted population migration because it’s likely to have few if any "negative consequences" to ecosystems, he said.

Douglas Tallamy, professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, said one potential negative consequence of species migration is the possibility that native caterpillars might not eat the leaves of migrated nonnative tree species. Because caterpillars feed birds and other animals, this could lead to disruptions to the food web.

This could happen if the City of Portland migrates oak species from places to the south, Tallamy noted. "Oaks are the most important plant for supporting wildlife that we have in North America," he said, "but when you move them out of range, the things that are adapted to eating them no longer have access to them."

The City of Portland’s Urban Forestry program is currently experimenting with the assisted migration of 11 tree species, including three oak species to the south: California black oak, canyon live oak and interior live oak.

Asked via email about potential ecological disruptions Portland’s City Forester & Urban Forestry Manager Jenn Cairo responded: "We use research from universities, state and federal sources, and local and regional field practitioner experience."

Another advocate for species migration is the Puget Sound-based, citizen-led PropagationNation. The organization has planted trees in several parks in the Seattle area and has the ambitious goal of "bringing a million coast redwoods and giant sequoias to the Northwest," according to its website.

The PropagationNation website also recommends planting redwoods in areas where native western red cedar, western hemlock, Sitka spruce and big leaf maple already grow.

Western red cedar, western hemlock and big leaf maple have all seen die-offs and growth declines in recent years tied to climate.

Philip Stielstra, PropagationNation’s founder and president, and a retired Boeing employee, declined to comment for this story.

David Milarch, founder of the Michigan-based Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, which has supplied PropagationNation with redwoods and sequoias, says his trees aren’t intended to replace Pacific Northwest native species.

"All we are doing is extending the range (of redwoods and sequoias) north in the hopes that they will still be here in 100 to 200 years and not join the list of trees that are going extinct," said Milarch.

US OFFICIALS PROPOSE HISTORIC CONSERVATION MEASURES FOR OLD GROWTH FORESTS AMID GROWING THREATS

Robert Slesak, research forester at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, runs the Forest Service’s Experimental Network for Assisted Migration and Establishment Silviculture, or ENAMES project, which oversees population migration sites in Washington, Oregon and California.

Slesak called moving redwoods north a "risky proposition." He said he has serious concerns about both assisted species migration and assisted migration efforts that lack experimental rigor.

"Widespread assisted species migration without a lot of experimental results to guide it is risky," said Slesak. "Everyone knows we need to do some kind of action related to climate, but there’s a real risk of making it worse."

Nevertheless, with the effects of climate change increasing, it’s a risk increasingly being assumed by public and private groups around the Pacific Northwest.

Kaitlin Armstrong could have received a lighter sentence if the jury had known she was pregnant: Report

Kaitlin Armstrong was pregnant around the time of her arrest for murder, which could have swayed the jury to give her a more lenient sentence, according to court filings.

The new revelations were revealed in Armstrong's defense team's bid for a new trial, which was filed on December 15 and obtained by The Daily Mail.

"Kaitlin has also been pregnant twice, once (sic) occasion of which was during or near the time of her arrest," the filing says, according to The Daily Mail.

"Considering the sentence here was for 90 years and a maximum fine, there should be no question that this mitigating evidence would have resulted in a more lenient punishment.'"

KAITLIN ARMSTRONG SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF MO WILSON, GRAVEL CYCLING STAR

Armstrong was convicted by a Texas jury of fatally shooting Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson, a perceived romantic rival, after she went swimming and had dinner with Armstrong's then-boyfriend Colin Strickland.

Strickland and Armstrong briefly dated in 2021, broke up and got back together. 

TOP 5 REVELATIONS IN KAITLIN ARMSTRONG TRIAL

After the murder, Armstrong fled to Costa Rica, had plastic surgery in an apparent attempt to evade law enforcement and remained on the run for 43 days. 

The appeal also introduces new arguments in an attempt to portray Armstrong as a more sympathetic person. 

She was a victim of sexual abuse and raised by an alcoholic mother and abandoned by her father, according to the court documents.

"As her family struggled during her childhood, her childhood friend also recalled Kaitlin was the victim of multiple instances of (actual or attempted) sexual violence," Armstrong's lawyer wrote.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS

Armstrong's lawyer did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

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Tom Smothers, one half of comedy duo Smothers Brothers, dead at 86

Comedian Tom Smothers has died at the age of 86.

The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle.

"Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner. I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years," his brother and the duo's other half, Dick Smothers, said in the statement. "Our relationship was like a good marriage — the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed."

STARS WE'VE LOST IN 2023

The Smothers Brothers gained fame in 1967 with the CBS show "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." The show, which aired at the same time as "Bonanza," featured the duo joking about the Vietnam War, among other taboo topics.

CBS suddenly canceled the show in 1970 after years of back and forth between the brothers and the network censors.

After the show was canceled, the brothers sued CBS for $31 million and were awarded $775,000. Their battles with the network were chronicled in the 2002 documentary "Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour."

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Tom later thanked the show's writers while accepting an honorary Emmy award.

"It’s hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war," Smothers said at the 2008 Emmy Awards.

He dedicated his award to those "who feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power and won’t shut up and refuse to be silenced."

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Some of the duo's controversial jokes included one when they claimed Easter "is when Jesus comes out of his tomb and if he sees his shadow, he goes back in, and we get six more weeks of winter."

For another episode, singer Pete Seeger joined the brothers to perform his song, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy." The tune was widely believed to criticize then-President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Vietnam War. The episode did not air, so Tom and Dick brought him back for a second performance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Gazans flock to aid trucks as US, Israel discuss future of Hamas war

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:02:36 -0500

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Iran-backed Houthis launched two separate attacks on commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea on Monday, Fox News has learned.

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Houthis hit the Swan Atlantic, which is a chemical and oil tanker motor vessel. The Cayman Islands-flagged ship was targeted with a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile.

CENTCOM reported that the weapons were launched from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen.

USS Carney responded to assist the Swan Atlantic. A motor vessel named Clara reported an explosion in the water near them at around the same time.

The Swan Atlantic reported impact, but no one onboard was injured. The Clara did not report either damage or injuries.

Fox News Digital's Liz Friden contributed to this report.

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 05:49:10 -0500

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Gun ownership in California’s Jewish community is spiking as Jews take self-defense into their own hands while the war in Israel continues raging, according to a rabbi who trains the community on gun safety.

"Magen Am’s mission is to train and empower the community to deter and respond to security threats. We're trying to give everybody the tool to be empowered to protect themselves," Los Angeles-based Rabbi Yossi Eilfort said in a video produced by the NRA exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

Eilfort is an NRA instructor and founder of Magen Am USA, the only Jewish, nonprofit organization licensed on the West Coast to provide armed security services.

Magen Am, which operates in LA as well as Phoenix, trains volunteers and community members in extensive classes on gun safety, hand-to-hand self-defense, de-escalation, verbal tactics and the use of intermediate weapons such as Tasers or batons.

The video features a few women who Eilfort and Magen Am have trained on gun safety, as well as security personnel who work with the company to strengthen protection around Jewish institutions, such as schools and synagogues.

"Magen Am means ‘nation’s shield.’ I like to say we're like a shield. Were about 30-30-30: Where one-third is hired professionals dealing with institutional security; one-third dealing with community training; and then one-third is working with government law enforcement," Eilfort, who is also a former MMA fighter, explained in the video of how Magen Am operates.

War broke out in Israel on Oct. 7 when the terrorist group Hamas launched attacks on the nation, which sparked protests and antisemitic rhetoric stateside as supporters of Palestine took to the streets of cities such as New York and Los Angeles.

"I feel like a target. Explosives have been thrown at the synagogue right behind my house," one woman trained by Magen Am said in the video.

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 05:44:04 -0500

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The Israeli Defense Forces announced Tuesday morning that it has killed a prominent financier who helped funnel tens of millions of dollars to fund Hamas' military forces, salaries and war activities.

Subhi Ferwana, alongside his brother, "funneled tens of millions through his company 'Hamsat' to fund Hamas' military forces, terrorists' salaries and war activities," the IDF wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"Ferwana transferred funds to Hamas’ military wing during the war and was aware that these funds would be vital for continuing the wing’s ability to fight," the IDF continued. "The funds were used - among other things - for intensification of military forces, the payment of terrorists’ salaries during the war, and to finance Hamas' war activities."

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:09:05 -0500

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Alec Baldwin was spotted in a heated confrontation with pro-Palestinian activists as protests flooded the streets of New York City on Monday.

Livestreamed footage showed the actor being asked by a pro-Palestinian activist "Whose pocket are you in?" and pressing him on whether he condemns Israel while invoking Hollywood. 

"I'm in Hollywood's pocket, you say?" Baldwin responded before slamming the "stupid question."

The "30 Rock" star was then seen shouting in the activist's face, "Ask me a smart question!"

Read the full article about Alec Baldwin by Joseph Wulfsohn

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:08:32 -0500

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Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reported from Israel during his "Special Report" appearance on the latest news concerning the Israel-Hamas war.

Palkot reported that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin affirmed his support of Israel after a recent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Words of support and caution coming from the top man at the Pentagon as the region sees yet another visit from the Biden administration official as the troubles continue on a range of fronts," he explained.

The reporter also touched on the IDF's accidental killing of three Israeli hostages.

"As funerals continue for the three hostages killed mistakenly last week by Israeli forces, officials mourned the loss and pledged to learn from the incident," Palkot said. "[There is also] boosting ceasefire talks and angry protests by hostage families demanding the rescue of remaining captives."

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 17:34:54 -0500

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A group of anti-Israel protesters descended on the home of Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., over the weekend blowing car horns and screaming as they sought to punish him for what they claimed was his "silence" on the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel's war with Hamas.

"This is my home at 3 AM," Thanedar wrote in a post on X, including a video that showed cars lined in the street outside his home, an individual waving a cloth-like material, and others screaming through megaphones. The video appeared to be posted by a supporter of the protesters.

"You are complicit in the bombing of Gaza… Your silence is violence. Your silence is abhorrent, and we will not let you sleep!" one protester can be heard screaming.

Read the full article on Shri Thanedar by Brandon Gillespie

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 17:33:52 -0500

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Leading global freight firms have begun avoiding the Red Sea and rerouting vessels amid ongoing attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Oil giant BP on Monday was the latest major company to announce a pause in shipments through the Red Sea, following in the footsteps of Maersk, which had a vessel targeted by anti-ship missiles last week. 

The vessels have begun to sail around Africa, adding exorbitant costs and delays that industry analysts forecast will compound in the coming weeks. 

Read the full article on Houthi attacks by Bradford Betz

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 17:28:30 -0500

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Pro-Palestinian protesters marched through New York City on Monday afternoon, making stops at major transportation hubs and disrupting traffic along the way.

The hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters walked in traffic lanes while passing buses and cars, demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.

Many of the protesters were seen holding Palestinian flags and signs that read, "From Gaza to Jenin, Revolution until Victory," and "Support Palestinian Resistance," among other things.

The protest began at Grand Central Station before moving to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and there were reports the protest would move to Penn Station next.

Read the full article on the NYC protest by Greg Wehner

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:20:34 -0500

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An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) paratrooper named Shahar appeared on "America's Newsroom" on Monday to discuss the latest developments with the Israel-Hamas war.

During his appearance, Shahar said that a cease-fire is "not an option."

"If we cease fire, it means that Israel ceases fire," Shahar explained. "Hamas is just going to regroup and do October 7 again and again and again until someone in the world or Israel can ensure that this never happens again and ensures that the education system, the radical jihadists education system that keeps growing up more and more terrorist is eradicated."

"We can't stop," he added. "And we saw what happened last time that the Israelis didn't have the IDF to protect it, and Israel didn't exist. So we have to really do what we have to do."

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:22:16 -0500

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Harvard-Harris Poll co-founder Mark Penn appeared on "American Reports" Monday to discuss U.S. perception of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

A recent poll reportedly found that 60% of Gen Z participants thought the October 7 attack against Israel was justified. During the interview, Penn told host John Roberts that it was unprecedented for participants to show so much support for a terrorist group.

"People do mature over time, but I've never seen anything like this," Penn explained. "I've never seen support for a terrorist group."

"I've never seen such upside down attitudes because none of these kids have been to Israel, really have a thorough understanding, and they only know what they've been told," he added.

Penn also said that the opinions were "clearly generated [from] and connected to social media, and far removed from what everybody else in the United States believes."

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:55:47 -0500

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The oil minister in Iran confirmed on Monday that a cyberattack caused a nationwide disruption to gas stations.

Reuters reported that the hacking group, Gonjeshke Darande, or "Predatory Sparrow," claimed to carry out the attack, as reported by Iranian state TV and Israeli local media.

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji told Iranian state TV early on that the disruption affected about 70% of the petrol stations in Iran, adding that the cause was possibly outside interference.

Read the full article about Javad Owji by Greg Wehner

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:50:26 -0500

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Monday that Israel was being attacked by Hezbollah terrorists who were firing from United Nations areas and Lebanese Armed Forces compounds.

"Since October 7th, the Hezbollah terrorist organization has carried out hundreds of attacks on Israel, including rocket, anti-tank missile and UAV attacks on communities and military positions in northern Israel," the IDF said in a statement. "To date, five Israeli civilians have been killed in these attacks and 80,000 civilians in northern Israel have evacuated their homes."

The Israeli military argued that Hezbollah is violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by "continuing to operate and fire projectiles and UAVs from southern Lebanon at Israel."

"Moreover, Hezbollah has carried out many of these attacks from areas near UN positions and Lebanese Armed Forces compounds," the IDF continued. "This demonstrates Hezbollah’s blatant abuse of the international and national institutions responsible for security in southern Lebanon."

The IDF concluded their press release by vowing that they would "continue to defend Israel's northern border from any threat."

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:31:25 -0500

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the official announced on X.

"Honored to meet with @IsraeliPM today," Austin's post read. "My fourth trip to Israel as Secretary of Defense and my second since the October 7 attacks underscores an important message: the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable."

Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who serves as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that he and Austin also met with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzl Halevi.

"Today, @SecDef and I met with @IsraelPM, @yoavgallant, and Chief of the General Staff LTG Halevi in Tel Aviv to discuss Israel’s ongoing campaign to defeat Hamas and emphasize the strategic alliance between our two countries," Brown said on X.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:23:05 -0500

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U.S. forces in the Middle East have been attacked 101 times in Iraq and Syria since October 17, Fox News has learned.

The latest three attacks happened on December 16, according to a U.S. defense official. There have not been any attacks on the American bases since.

Since October 17, there have been 46 separate attacks against American forces in Iraq and 55 in Syria. The attacks have been conducted with a mix of rockets and one-way drones.

It is unclear which group launched the weapons towards U.S. troops in the latest 3 attacks, but Houthis have continually targeted the U.S. in the region since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:56:23 -0500

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Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst confirmed on X that Hamas terrorists have released another Israeli hostage video on Monday.

According to Yingst, one of the hostages is 79-year-old Chaim Peri.

"Hamas released another hostage video tonight. The man in the middle is 79-year-old Chaim Peri," Yingst said on X.

"The Nir Oz resident spent his free time driving Palestinian children to hospitals for treatment and making art to protest violence against Palestinians," he added. "He is a peace activist."

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 13:10:14 -0500

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An Israeli hacker group is taking credit Monday for a cyberattack that disrupted operations at nearly 70% of the gas stations in Iran, reports say. 

Iranian state media is claiming that an Israeli hacker group called Gonjeshke Darande, also known as Predatory Sparrow, is behind the outages, according to Reuters. The news agency cited Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji as saying the disruptions at one point reached 70% of gas stations in Iran, before noting that 1,650 out of the 3,800 gas stations that the ministry supervises were operational. 

Gonjeshke Darande later claimed responsibility for the cyberattack, according to Israel's Ynet News and Times of Israel. A series of posts on a Telegram page reported to be theirs said the attack was carried out in response to "the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region." 

"Khamenei, playing with fire has a price," statements continued, referencing Iran's supreme leader. "A month ago we warned you that we’re back and that we will impose [a] cost for your provocations. This is just a taste of what we have in store."

Read the full article by Fox Business' Greg Norman

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 12:32:35 -0500

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Boston's leading newspaper called out Harvard University for its "confusing" message on plagiarism, after the university backed embattled President Claudine Gay amid allegations she plagiarized past academic writings.

"Last week the university’s governing board released a confusing statement that appeared to confirm a few instances of plagiarism — without using that word," the Boston Globe editorial board wrote on Monday.

Gay faced scrutiny last week after media outlets reported several instances of alleged plagiarism in Gay's past writings. The Harvard Corporation said an independent academic probe discovered "a few instances of inadequate citation" in her writings as well. However, they "found no violation of Harvard's standards for research misconduct." 

Despite this, Gay said she would be "proactively requesting four corrections in two articles to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from the original publications."

Read the full article by Fox News' Kristine Parks

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:54:58 -0500

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she personally warned President Biden about his re-election efforts and the importance of Muslim and young voters, who feel "heartbroken" about the Israel-Hamas war.

CBS Minnesota anchor Esme Murphy asked the far-left "Squad" member about an "abandon Biden" movement, and asked her if she would support the president in 2024. 

"I recently had a conversation with the president," she responded. "Muslims were very pivotal to his election, they mobilized in all the key states. Young people were very instrumental in getting him elected. And what I reminded him is that he needs to listen to these voices. People are heartbroken. It's been really hard to have conversations about politics and policy. People just want the images of young children's bodies that are piling up to end, and they want our support for this to end." 

Omar has been very critical of the president's position in the Israel-Hamas conflict and, in October, questioned his stance during a diatribe on Capitol Hill. 

Read the full article by Fox News' Hanna Panreck

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:33:07 -0500

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raffirmed U.S. support for Israel during a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday.

Austin also said the U.S. continues to urge Israel to do all it can to protect civialians in Gaza as the war against Hamas continues.

"Protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative. So we will continue to stand up for Israel's bedrock right to defend itself. And we will also continue to urge the protection of civilians during conflict," Austin told reporters.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:05:40 -0500

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Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.) provided analysis of the growing unrest in the Middle East after a cargo ship in the Red Sea was targeted by Houthi rebels yet again.

Houthi rebels are an Iran-backed terrorist organization, one of many that Tehran has used to destabilize the region further amid Israel's war against Hamas.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 10:44:14 -0500

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A suspect has been arrested in Washington, D.C., after allegedly spraying an unknown substance at two people while making antisemitic remarks in the vicinity of a synagogue, police say. 

Brent Wood, a 33-year-old with a last known address in Toledo, Ohio, is now facing charges of simple assault and resisting arrest in relation to the incident on Sunday morning, which is being investigated as an offense "being motivated by hate or bias," according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 

"On Sunday, December 17, 2023, at approximately 9:26 a.m., Second District officers responded to the 2800 block of N Street, Northwest, for the report of an individual spraying an unknown substance at two victims while shouting an anti-Semitic phrase," police said in a statement. 

"Responding officers located the suspect and placed him under arrest. As a precautionary measure, the suspect’s vehicle was swept with no hazardous materials found," police added. "No injuries were reported." 

Read the full article by Fox News' Greg Norman

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:14:53 -0500

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Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized President Biden's efforts to deter IRan from escalating war in the Middle East on Monday.

Pompeo joined Fox Business to discuss the nearly 100 Iran-backed attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since mid-October. Biden's administration has pushed a strategy of detering Iran and its proxies from escalating Israel's war on Hamas into a regional conflict, but critics argue it has had little success.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 09:19:53 -0500

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Italy's navy is weighing a decision to join a military coaltion seeking to secure the Red Sea against Houthi rebel attacks on trading vessels, Reuters reported Monday.

The U.S. called for nations to form such a coalition earlier this month as the Iran-backed Houthis ramped up missile and drone attacks on international shipping vessels. The Red Sea functions as a key artery for much of the world's fuel shipments.

The U.S., France and U.K. have already ramped up naval presence in the region. The U.S. Navy's USS Carney and USS Mason have also shot down multiple Houthi drones.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 09:06:11 -0500

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Israeli fighter jets carried out a series of air strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Monday.

"Fighter jets of the Air Force recently attacked a number of targets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, among them terrorist infrastructures, a launch site and a military structure. In addition, IDF fighters identified and attacked terrorists earlier today in a known area of ​​the terrorist organization Hezbollah," IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

"Also, a number of launches from the territory of Lebanon towards a number of areas on the border of Lebanon were detected," he added.

Israel has maintained a steady rhythm of strikes on Hezbollah as the Iran-backed terrorist organization has repeatedly probed Israel's northern border.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 08:33:27 -0500

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Harvard reported a 17% decline in its early admissions applications compared to a year ago as the Ivy League college remains embroiled in controversy over its handling of antisemitism on campus.

Harvard College announced Thursday that it accepted 692 students to the class of 2028 out of the 7,921 applicants who applied under Harvard’s Early Action Program, which required applications to be submitted by Nov. 1. 

That amounts to a 17% drop compared to last year’s early application window when 9,553 submitted applications, and is the smallest number of early applicants since the pandemic began – though this year’s group is larger than the annual early applications received in the 2017-2019 period.

Two of Harvard’s fellow Ivy League institutions saw increases in the number of early applications received. 

Yale University received 7,856 early applications this year, an increase of 1.4% from a year ago and the second-highest number in its history, the school announced in a release Friday. The University of Pennsylvania – which saw President Liz Magill resign last week amid a controversy over the handling of antisemitism on campus – also saw 500 more applications than last year, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Read the full article by Fox Business' Eric Revell

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 08:08:45 -0500

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The BP oil giant will pause all of its shipments through the Red Sea effective immediately due to a series of attacks on trade vessels by Houthi rebels in Yemen, the company announced Monday.

BP is the latest major company to announce a pause in shipments, following in the footsteps of Maersk, which had a vessel targeted by anti-ship missiles last week. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have sought to disrupt trade in the region in an effort to halt Israel's war against Hamas.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 07:41:09 -0500

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The largest health care union in America is calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, adding to the growing list of labor organizations in the U.S. urging Israel to end its strikes targeting Hamas terrorists due to concern for Palestinian civilians.

The executive council of 1199SEIU, which represents more than 450,000 health care workers throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida and Washington, D.C., called for the ceasefire in a statement Friday.

"1199SEIU calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, to allow for urgent humanitarian relief amid the collapse of the territory’s health and other infrastructure," the statement begins. 

"We reiterate our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ attack on October 7, the killings, use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and kidnappings of Israelis and foreign nationals. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas and the end to indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israel."

Read the full article by Fox Business' Breck Dumas

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 07:16:49 -0500

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Israeli Defense Forces uncovered a Hamas cash stash amounting to nearly $1.4 million at the home of a senior Hamas member on Monday.

"The fighters of the multi-dimensional unit under the command of the 551st Brigade Combat Team located in the house of a senior member of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Jabaliya area, suitcases of terrorist funds worth approximately NIS 5,000,000 and many weapons," the IDF said in a statement.

The 5,000,000 NIS translates to $1, 371,000.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:50:21 -0500

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Retired Navy SEAL Mike Sarraille joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss how the U.S. has responded to Iranian-backed attacks in the Middle East on Monday.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have suffered nearly 100 attacks by Iran-backed terrorist organizations, despite President Biden's efforts to deter Iran from escalating Israel's war against Hamas.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:35:55 -0500

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The Israeli Defense Forces offered new images of what they say is the largest-ever "terror tunnel" made by Hamas in Gaza, Fox News Foreign Correspondent Try Yingst reported Monday.

The IDF says the tunnel extends to just 400 meters away from the most heavily-trafficked crossing between Israel and Gaza.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:16:14 -0500

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Police in Washington state are searching for the suspects involved in vandalizing over 50 buildings with calls for a "ceasefire" and "free Palestine."

According to a post on Facebook from the Edmonds Police Department, on Saturday morning, dozens of business owners in Edmonds reported being vandalized with calls to end the Israel-Hamas War painted in red on their windows.

"Overnight, multiple businesses downtown (several blocks near 5/Main) were tagged with posters and graffiti. The graffiti stated 'free Palestine' or 'cease fire'," police posted.

Read the full article by Stepheny Price

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:13:36 -0500

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The Israeli Defense Forces announced the deaths of four soldiers who were killed in combat in southern Gaza as the war against Hamas terrorists continues.

• SSF Urija Bayer, 20-years-old, a combat soldier in Maglan

• SSF Liav Aloush, 21-years-old, a combat soldier in Duvdevan

• MSG (Res.) Etan Naeh, 26-years-old, a combat soldier in Duvdevan

• MSG (Res.) Tal Filiba, 23-years-old, a combat soldier in Yahalom

"The IDF expresses its deepest condolences to the families and will continue to standby them," the IDF wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 06:09:32 -0500

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Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari gave a press briefing about the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war on Sunday.

During his briefing, Hagari said that Hezbollah is "increasing its attacks against Israel, firing rockets, missiles and drones, killing Israeli civilians and soldiers and displacing over 80,000 Israelis from their homes in the north."

"Since Hezbollah began its attacks, the IDF has been responding by striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon," Hagari explained.

The spokesperson then accused Hezbollah of endangering Lebanese citizens.

"Hezbollah, a proxy of Iran, is dragging Lebanon into an unnecessary war that would have devastating consequences for the people of Lebanon," he added. "This is a war that they do not deserve."

Fox News' Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report

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LeBron James invokes 'viral plane lady' to tout 40-point performance in Lakers win

LeBron James was feeling himself on Sunday after he scored 40 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 129-120 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers superstar posted a video of Tiffany Gomas, the woman known as the "viral plane lady" or "crazy plane lady," in the midst of her famous rant from earlier this year. As she shouts, "this motherf---er back there is not real," Gomas points to a photo of James in the plane aisle.

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"Somebody come get her ASAP! She trying to blow my damn cover!" James wrote as the caption

James was 13-of-20 from the field with five 3-pointers in Saturday night’s win. He added seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. He scored 11 of his 40 in the final 4:29 of the game.

PISTONS TIE DEPRESSING NBA RECORD AS MASSIVE LOSING STREAK HITS 26 GAMES

"To know I can go out and still make game-winning plays, can affect the game in multiple ways and can still close out a game in the fourth quarter when our team needed when they started making a run is always a good feeling for sure," James said.

The Lakers themselves shot 52.2% from the field. Anthony Davis added 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Rui Hachimura scored 21 points.

"Everyone was making shots and everybody was passing the ball," James added. "We were trying to keep it on time, on target and not turn the ball over. That was the key to it."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Kicking footballs in Patriots loss to Chiefs were underinflated, Bill Belichick says

The New England Patriots dropped their 11th game of the season last Sunday, but the amount of air in some of the game balls raised eyebrows.

On Friday, six-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick confirmed that the kicking balls in the 27-17 loss to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs had not been properly inflated. The underinflated footballs brought back memories of the 2015 Deflagate scandal.

At its core, the scandal suggested that the Patriots engaged in an illegal process to lower the inflation of game balls in an effort to provide quarterback Tom Brady with footballs that had a softer grip. The NFL sanctioned an inflation check during halftime of the 2014 AFC Championship Game and proceeded to spend millions of dollars on an investigation that lasted multiple years.

However, Belichick made it clear that the Patriots did not have anything to do with the status of last week's kicking balls. "But we don’t have anything to do with it," Belichick said. "Were we aware of it? Yeah, definitely."

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Both teams kickers had a shaky first half, which some viewed as a red flag. The Chiefs' normally reliable kicker Harrison Butker missed a midrange field goal in the first quarter, while Patriots kicker Chad Ryland's 41-yarder was no good.

TRAVIS KELCE REVEALS HIS PERSONAL MESSAGE TO BILL BELICHICK AFTER CHIEFS-PATRIOTS GAME

"We were aware of it in the first quarter," Belichick told reporters. "The officials handle that, and they were underinflated by 2-2.5 pounds. I think you can see that by the kicks. Both kickers missed kicks. Butker hadn’t missed a kick all year. Kickoffs, we had two almost went out of bounds."

Under NFL policy, kicking balls should be inflated to between 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch. The responsibility of managing the kicking balls falls on the game officials.

Touchbacks on kickoffs have become more common over the past decade after the league implemented a rule that moved the kickoff up to the 35-yard line from the 30. Butker has a touchback rate of just over 87% this season, but he failed to kick the ball into the opposite end zone on the opening kick last week.

There were some adjustments made to correct the issues with the balls at halftime, Belichick said.

"Then they fixed them at halftime, but didn’t do it before then, which is another question you can ask," Belichick added. All of the ensuing kicking attempts were successful.

An NFL spokesperson declined to offer a comment on the situation.

Belichick doubled down on his position that the Patriots had nothing to do with the situation, and he referred other questions to the league.

"There were six balls, it was both sets of balls, it was all six of them," Belichick said. "I don’t know, you’d have to talk to the league on what happened with that, because we don't have anything to do with that part of that."

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Liberal activist disinvited from speaking at UC Berkeley after students complained he was pro-Israel

A University of California Berkeley professor uninvited a progressive environmental advocate and longtime Oakland City Council member from speaking to an environmental policy class after students found that he supported Israel – but the school insists it won’t happen again. 

Dan Kalb "spent decades working on environmental policy in the nonprofit sector, advocating for clean energy, combating climate change and working on other conservation priorities," according to J., the Jewish News of Northern California, and "was invited to address an undergraduate course called Environmental Problem Solving, something he’d done a few times in previous semesters."

However, Kalb was disinvited "after students discovered what they considered to be pro-Israel social media posts, questioned the ‘legitimacy’ of his views on environmental activism and accused him of supporting ‘apartheid’ and "ethnic cleansing," according to the publication. 

JEWISH GROUPS SUE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA FOR 'LONGSTANDING, UNCHECKED SPREAD OF ANTI-SEMITISM' AT BERKELEY

Students penned a "strongly worded" letter accusing Kalb of promoting "pro-Israeli propaganda" and gave it to UC Berkeley professor Kurt Spreyer, according to J.

"The letter accused Kalb of playing an ‘active role in retweeting and spreading pro-Israeli propaganda, which often equates pro-Palestinian voices as anti-Semitic,’" according to J.

A J. journalist posted the letter on X. 

Kalb, who announced a run for state Senate earlier this year, told the publication the letter was "crazy," and he’s simply a "passionate supporter of Israel’s right to exist." 

UC Berkeley confirmed the story and insisted the actions were not consistent with the university’s values. 

"What happened in this class is not consistent with the university’s values, particularly because the class discussion had nothing to do with the war between Israel and Hamas. Instructors are not supposed to rescind invitations for classroom speakers based on student disagreement with the speaker's views," a UC Berkeley spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

"Our provost, who first learned about this on December 12th, has written to Councilmember Kalb to express our dismay about what happened and to assure him that the leadership of the Rausser College of Natural Resources has reviewed the matter with the instructor to ensure nothing like this will happen again," the spokesperson continued. "The provost will also be sending a message to every dean and department chair to remind them of Berkeley’s support for an open exchange of ideas, and our rejection of political litmus tests when it comes to who can speak in our classes. The college leadership also intends to use what happened as an opportunity to engage the community in a discussion about the importance of diversity of perspective and the dangers of censorship of any sort."

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Kalb "accepted Spreyer’s decision to cancel the talk, acknowledging that the instructor was under pressure and had tried — unsuccessfully — to get the students to back down."

UC BERKELEY TAKES FIRE AFTER EXTRA CREDIT OFFERED IN CLASS FOR ATTENDING PRO-PALESTINIAN STUDENT ‘WALKOUT’

Antisemitism has been an ongoing issue at America’s top universities since the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7. Last month, Jewish groups sued the University of California Regents, President Michael Drake and other school officials for what they assert is the "longstanding, unchecked spread of antisemitism" on UC Berkeley's campus.

In a 36-page complaint, the Brandeis Center and the Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education (JAFE) allege "inaction" by UC Berkeley and Berkeley Law has allowed antisemitism to grow on campus. The groups say since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, antisemitism on campus "has erupted in on-campus displays of hatred, harassment, and physical violence against Jews." 

The groups argue courts must now intervene to protect the civil rights of Jewish students and faculty and end "anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment." 

US DEPT OF EDUCATION OPENS INVESTIGATION OF HARVARD OVER ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS

Kalb appears sick of the antisemitism on campus. 

"If someone wants to go speak about climate change — they are an expert on climate change — what the hell does Israel or Zionism have to do with that?" Kalb told the Jewish News of Northern California,. "Why not put a yellow star on our sleeve? How about we do that too?"

When reached for comment, Kalb said the Jewish News of Northern California article was accurate. 

"I was disinvited to speak to a class about local and state efforts to combat climate change," Kalb added. 

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

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Democrats should 'panic' over Biden's alarmingly poor polls, liberal political scientist says

President Biden's historically low polling numbers should "panic" Democrats heading into the 2024 election, a political science professor warned in Slate this week.

Several polls published this month show President Biden's approval at record lows. A new national poll from Monmouth University out this week has the president at its lowest approval rating ever, with just 34% of Americans saying they approve of the job he's been doing in the White House. 

Writer and political science professor at Roosevelt University David Faris called this bad news for the Democratic Party "even worse than it looks."

"Precisely how scared Democrats should be about Biden’s standing depends on how his plight compares with those of presidents past. And there’s no sugarcoating it: This might be the worst polling environment for an incumbent president one year out from an election since the advent of the polling era in the 1930s and also the most dire situation facing any Democratic presidential candidate in decades," the liberal-leaning political scientist wrote. "Panic is entirely warranted," 

BIDENS PRIVATELY UPSET BY POOR POLL NUMBERS, PRESIDENT DELIVERED ‘STERN’ MESSAGE TO TOP AIDES: REPORT

Faris acknowledged the polling "around an incumbent president’s reelection chances is an extremely small sample size," and finding comparable polling this far out from an election narrows the options even more. But looking to the elections of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, he found "this century’s incumbent presidents really haven’t had any dramatic shifts of the magnitude that Biden needs to win next November’s election."

Bush, Obama and Trump all had higher approval ratings at this point in the election cycle, with 58, 45, and 44 percent, respectively, he wrote. 

"Biden as of this writing is averaging just 40.5 percent in the RealClearPolitics average, with a net -15.4—nearly twice as bad as Trump on net. In other words, Biden isn’t just worse off than the presidents who were reelected this century. He’s in a considerably more grim position than the one who lost his second campaign by 7 million votes," the professor said.

However, approval ratings aren't "tightly tied to election outcomes," he argued, pointing to Democrats outperforming expectations in the 2022 and 2023 elections in spite of Biden's unpopularity.

FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP’S LEAD IN GOP PRIMARY WIDENS

But researchers say today's "heightened partisan polarization" has made factors like economy less "predictive" on determining election outcomes, he wrote.

For that reason, even if the Biden campaign was able to shift voters' perceptions of the economy, it might not change their vote, he explained.

"That’s the outcome predicted by the available data today. Taken together, the picture painted by horse-race polling and approval ratings makes Biden possibly the most vulnerable incumbent president since scientific polling was invented. Think of it this way: There have been incumbents with some bad head-to-head polling against likely challengers and some with poor approval ratings at various points in the year before the election. But the only incumbent president with both approval ratings and head-to-head polling anywhere near this bad at this stage of the race was Donald Trump, who went on to lose," Faris said.

Biden would "truly be making history" if he made a "comeback" from this poor polling, he added.

A new Fox News poll finds nearly half of voters (46%) say the Biden administration’s policies have hurt them personally. Another 39% think the policies haven’t made much difference either way. The number saying they’ve been hurt by Biden’s policies is up eight points compared to 2021.

Fox News' Dana Blanton contributed to this report.

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Warriors' Steph Curry sees epic 3-pointer streak come to an end

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s impressive streak came to an end on Sunday in the team’s 118-114 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Before the game, Curry had hit at least one 3-pointer in 268 consecutive games. He also has the second-longest run with 157 games. He last went without a 3-pointer on Nov. 8, 2018 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Against Portland on Sunday, he was 0-for-8.

"We can’t rely on Steph to bail us out on every single night," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "It was a tough night for him, but that’s what a team is supposed to be about. Everybody filling in for each other, different guys stepping up each night. That’s a great sign, because he’s carried us for long enough this year. We need to give him more help."

ERIC MONTROSS, FORMER COLLEGE BASKETBALL STAR AND FIRST-ROUND NBA PICK, DEAD AT 52

Curry finished with seven points and eight assists. He was +14 for the game. Klay Thompson added 28 points in the win. Golden State moved to 12-14 as Portland fell to 6-19.

The two-time MVP is the NBA career leader in made 3-pointers with 3,505.

FROM OUTKICK: STEPH CURRY DIDN’T HIT A 3-POINTER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS: WHERE DOES HIS STREAK RANK IN SPORTS HISTORY?

In 2022, his postseason streak came to an end in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. He had made 132 consecutive 3-pointers before the mark came to an end. Golden State won the NBA title the next game.

Curry is averaging 28 points per game this season and has a 41.1% 3-point percentage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jason Momoa shares surprising 'Aquaman' diet: 'I just shovel it in'

Jason Momoa's path to a ripped physique might seem counterintuitive. The Hawaiian actor recently revisited his 2018 role as "Aquaman" for the movie's sequel, and explained the diet he followed during filming.

Admitting to eating "everything," Momoa said he didn't focus on calories. "I just shovel it in, and then work hard. Work hard, eat hard, play hard, just do it," he told E! News. "Because you're burning so many calories, I just eat and consume," he added of being on set. His character also wears a weighted suit.

"I don't really do it for vanity. It's more so I don't get hurt. I mean, you to need to have, you've got to be prepared. You're putting on a suit that's gonna weigh 40 pounds. You've got to be able to move. That kind of action just puts a lot of weight on your knees. So we just do it so you don't get hurt," he said of being body-conscious.

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For "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," Momoa says he didn't actually have to "cut weight." That job was designated to other actors, Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. "Patrick's the one that's cut up on this one…. They gave me a break," the 6'4" star said. "I don't have to be like that … I didn't have to get like they had to get."

"They had to do that stuff where they got to cut weight and get all grumpy," he said of the inevitable attitude that comes with losing weight.

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In an interview with Men's Health in April, Momoa shared he underwent surgery for a hernia injury he got on the set of the sequel. In 2022, pictures circulated of the actor debuting a more relaxed body, dubbed the "dad bod."

On an episode of the now-defunct "Late Late Show with James Corden," Momoa said post-surgery he wasn't able to do situps, which was ultimately contributing to his figure.

For the first film, Momoa had a much more rigorous diet and fitness routine.

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" is out in theaters now.

Haley responds to pressure to love or hate Trump: 'Normal people aren't obsessed with him'

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley responded on Sunday to pressure to love or hate former President Trump, claiming that typical voters care more about issues.

Coming off a key endorsement by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Haley slammed the media's preoccupation with Trump. 

"You guys are exhausting. You're exhausting in your obsession with him. The thing is, normal people aren't obsessed with Trump like you guys are," Haley said of the media during a sit-down interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that aired on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "The normal people care about the fact that they can't afford things. They feel like their freedoms are being taken away. They think government is too big. I know you all want to talk about every single word he says and every single tweet he does."

"That's exactly why we need a new generational leader," Haley, who was Trump's U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, continued. "Because people don't want to hear about every word a person says or every tweet. They want to know how you fought for them that day, and they want to know how their life is going to be different. And life would be a whole lot different if the media would stop this obsession with Trump." 

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Haley's remarks came after Karl pressed her on Trump campaigning on the idea of "retribution," which Sununu argued distracts the media and voters from Trump's record. 

"He does everything he can not to talk about issues. He almost acts like he wasn't there. He doesn't want to talk about building the wall and securing the southern border because he didn't do it," Sununu, interviewed alongside Haley, said of Trump. "He doesn't want to talk about fiscal responsibility because he made a hard promise that he would do it in that debate, 'I'm going to be known as the most fiscally responsible president this country's ever seen'. He said he balanced the budget. Yeah, didn't even try to balance the budget. And you know, the thing that for someone in New Hampshire where, you know, it's not about big government, we love the idea that he was going to drain the swamp. That was an amazing opportunity. Didn't even try. I mean, literally didn't even try. So if he talks about those issues, he has to kind of own those failures. So he's always going to talk about retribution and just kind of try to spur something up."

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Earlier in the interview, Haley also addressed pressure from those who wished she would take a strong stance regarding Trump.

"Anti-Trumpers want me to hate him, pro-Trumpers want me to love him, but this is where I stand. There are things I agree with the president on. I had a good working relationship with him. There are things I don't agree – I don't agree with the fact that, yes, we had a good economy while he was there, but he put us $8 trillion in debt that our kids are never going to forgive us for. I don't agree with how he handles national security. He focused on trade with China, but he did nothing about the fentanyl flow. He did nothing about the fact that fentanyl has killed so many of our Americans."

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Positioning herself for the GOP endorsement, Haley said Trump "was the right president at the right time," but stressed, "the world is on fire and chaos follows him, and we can't have a country in chaos for four more years, so we won't survive it." 

Chiefs’ Kadarius Toney says referee ‘didn’t make no effort’ on controversial offsides penalty

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney discussed his controversial offsides penalty against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, and it's safe to say the third-year wide receiver was not a fan of the call. 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Toney said the referee "didn’t make no effort" to let him know he was lined up offsides late in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Bills. 

"It’s important when they try to make it important, I guess you could say. Inch, two inches, whatever, in front of the ball, the referee has a job to let me know, I guess you could say. He didn’t make no effort. You watch the video, he didn’t make no effort to say anything about no alignment," Toney told reporters.

"Apparently, he wanted to do that."

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Referee Carl Cheffers, one of the game's officials, said that the player is ultimately responsible for lining up onside.

"Ultimately, if they looked for alignment advice, certainly we are going to give it to them," Cheffers said. "But ultimately, they are responsible for wherever they line up. And certainly, no warning is required, especially if they are lined up so far offsides where they’re actually blocking our view of the ball."

Toney scored a touchdown on the play after Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce threw a lateral to him deep in Buffalo territory. 

The offsides call negated the touchdown on a drive where the Chiefs were stopped on fourth down. 

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Video of the play circulated on social media of Toney appearing to briefly point toward the referee on the sideline before the ball was snapped. 

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes went ballistic on the sidelines after the possession, yelling at the referee who made the offensive offsides call. 

Mahomes was heard complaining about the call to Bills quarterback Josh Allen as the two players shook hands after the game. Mahomes expressed regret over the way he reacted, later in the week. 

"Obviously, you don’t ever want to react that way," Mahomes said in an interview on 610 Sports. "I care, man. I love this game, I love my teammates. I want to go out there and put everything on the line to win.

"But obviously, can't do that, can't be that way toward officials or really anybody in life, so I probably regret acting like that. But, more than anything, I regretted how I acted toward Josh after the game, because he had nothing to do with it."

Kansas City plays the New England Patriots on Sunday. 

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

Carbon monoxide poisoning leaves three men dead, one critically injured at Kansas City home

Three men are dead, and another is in critical condition after a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning incident in Kansas City Saturday morning.

The victims were discovered at around 6:50 a.m. by the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department, who were responding to a report of carbon monoxide at a home in the 1000 block of Fuller Avenue, according to Fox 4, which cited fire officials. 

Fire crews found three deceased Hispanic men aged between 20 and 40. A man in his 30s was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

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An indoor generator is suspected of causing carbon monoxide poisoning, Fox 4 reported, citing fire officials. 

Carbon monoxide is harmful because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen.

It is often referred to as the "silent killer," because it is odorless and colorless and can go undetected without an effective alarm.

On Wednesday, one student died, and two more fell ill, after an apparent carbon monoxide leak at Washington State College.

Last month in Kansas City, two men and one teenage male died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a gas-powered generator running inside a home to power electronics, Fox 4 reported.

Kansas City Fire Department spokesman Michael Hopkins last month warned of the dangers that gas generators pose.

"Never operate them in your home, not in the garage, basement, anywhere," Hopkins told Fox 4. 

"Make sure they’re outside, and they’re getting proper ventilation because even a small gas-powered engine’s putting off [carbon monoxide]."

"It’s a small amount, but it builds over time. So you may not notice it initially, but then you go several days with this very small leak that initially wouldn’t have been a big deal," Hopkins said. "But over time, it builds up, builds up in your system, and it can be deadly."

Steelers' Cam Heyward responds to Ben Roethlisberger's criticism of team's culture: 'I don't agree'

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward caught wind of his former quarterback's criticism of the current state of the franchise.

Shortly after the Steelers' disappointing loss to the struggling New England Patriots, two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger recently raised concerns over whether the organization's storied traditions were eroding.

Roethlisberger also took aim at coaching and leadership. He also openly questioned which players on the roster would set the proper tone for the team.

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Heyward, a six-time Pro Bowler, recently appeared on the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" and responded to Roethlisberger's sharp criticism.

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"Ben has an opinion. He’s entitled to that, but I don’t agree," Heyward said. "We lost these last two games, been rough, but the Steelers way is about grinding it out, and it doesn’t matter what’s going on. There’s plenty to be done about it, and tradition starts by winning games, having good defense and scoring points."

The Steelers' 2023 season has been somewhat of a roller coaster.

After being stagnant on the offensive side of the ball for most of the season, the team made a rare in-season coaching change. Last month, longtime head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that offensive coordinator Matt Canada had been fired.

Pittsburgh has also dealt with its share of injuries, including recent setbacks for quarterback Kenny Pickett and star pass rusher T.J. Watt. 

The Indianapolis Colts host the Steelers this Saturday.

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