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WATCH: America250 backdrop topples near Shapiro, Revolutionary War reenactors
A hefty backdrop sign toppled toward Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Benjamin Franklin reenactor and a woman portraying Betsy Ross on Thursday as the governor unveiled headliners for the "Commonwealth Concert Series" in anticipation of the nation's semiquincentennial.
Shapiro, Franklin and Ross announced five free, star-studded concerts would take place around the commonwealth leading up to America’s 250th birthday on July 4 – at a cost of $675,000 from Pennsylvania’s Marketing to Attract Marquis Events program.
As Shapiro joked that state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, would be a good singer for a concert in that city, he pivoted to announcing the finale of the series.
"Then on June 27th, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the newly refurbished, refashioned, redone Point State Park," he boomed, before being interrupted by a crashing sound as the large "America250PA" backdrop fell forward, nearly clipping him, Ross and Franklin.
$20M ‘ONE SMALL STEP’ CAMPAIGN AIMS TO REBUILD AMERICAN PRIDE AHEAD OF 250TH ANNIVERSARY
"You all right, Doctor Franklin?" Shapiro asked.
"I feel like Sandra Day O’Connor," Franklin replied – referencing a near-catastrophic incident in 2003 in Philadelphia as the Reagan-appointed Supreme Court justice was announcing the opening of the Constitution Center on Independence Mall.
At that event, Day O’Connor counted down to the pulling of ribbons to unveil the center, and when her count hit zero, a large horizontal beam crashed down within inches of her head.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT TO BECOME ‘BIRTHDAY CANDLE’ AS US MARKS START OF 250TH YEAR
Shapiro announced several acts including Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum), The Fray, Cole Swindell and Gabby Barrett, before the sign crashed down.
After ensuring all on the dais were unharmed Thursday, Shapiro finished his announcement, saying that Third Eye Blind would headline that final concert at the park – which is at the "point" confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers.
"I don't know if you saw this the other day, we redid the fountain there. Austin Davis, the great lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, y'all should give them a little grief for this. He turned that fountain on so high, he soaked himself and every other guest who was there that day," Shapiro quipped.
"Third Eye Blind and Nelly, that’s going to be a good one."
Adam Schefter grilled over Russini-Vrabel 'scandal' and it got uncomfortable
The Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel (alleged) SCANDAL is now on Day 3, with no end in sight.
The two spoke about it after the poolside pictures went viral. They both denied anything nefarious happening. And now, we haven't really heard a peep from anyone of importance since.
Until, of course, 97.5 the Fanatic in Philadelphia had Adam Schefter on their show Wednesday, and absolutely GRILLED ESPN's top insider about the whole thing.
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And I mean grilled. Poor Schefty. Or, I guess, not poor Schefty? I don't know. He chose to go on the show, so I assume he knew what was coming.
Still, this is 10 straight minutes of absolute peppering, and 10 minutes of hemming and hawing from Schefter.
Take a look!
Thoughts? First impressions?
I don't know. I think it's fine, if we're being honest. Again, what do we expect Adam Schefter to say here? At least he said … something? The Big Js are being real quiet on this one. Too quiet. They never shut up, and now all of a sudden nobody is really talking about it in the media? Seems fishy to me.
Now, Schefter didn't really give us anything of substance. Like, at all.
"I didn't report it. I saw it like everybody else did. And uh, I guess my thought would be, I don't know what's right. I don't know what's wrong. Uh, I feel bad for the families involved. It's unfortunate, you know? Um, I know both individuals.
"Um, and yeah, I guess my first thought would be they went to the families of the people involved and, you know, I just wish everybody the best and hope everything works out with everybody."
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION DEFENDS MIKE VRABEL, NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER OVER LEAKED PHOTOS
Moving stuff, Adam. Poetic. Quite the wordsmith!
Again, I'm not sure what I'd say here, either. Russini isn't an ESPN employee, so Adam certainly had runway to talk about this, and he sort of clammed up and kicked the can down the road every time these guys asked him about it.
Obviously, Russini used to work at ESPN, so she and Schefter go way back. He probably doesn't want to break some sort of Big J code by dragging her, which I understand.
But, let me just remind everyone here, that the Big Js LOVE to act holier-than-thou … when it's convenient for them. They have no problem speaking up when they have the chance to virtue-signal about something, as long as it fits their narrative.
Remember the Liam Coen press conference incident back in January after the Jags got bounced from the playoffs? The sweet old lady reporter from some small Duval newspaper with a circulation of 10 told Liam Cohen how great he was after the season, and all the Big Js FREAKED out.
They acted like she had just committed murder. They wanted her banished from the beat FOREVER.
And now, three months later, when a fellow Big J is caught taking a swim with an NFL head coach at a romantic resort, they're all quiet?
OK. Sure thing!
PS: the tampering question in this interview was among the dumber questions in the history of time. I'm with Schefter on that one. Unfathomably stupid question.
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Melania Trump advisor says she's had 'enough' after breaking silence to deny Jeffrey Epstein connection
A senior advisor to Melania Trump revealed why the first lady broke her silence to deny any connection to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, saying she’s had "enough."
Marc Beckman joined "Fox & Friends" Friday and explained the first lady wants the public to focus on her accomplishments, not rumors spread about any connection to Epstein.
"First, enough is enough," Beckman said. "This has been ongoing, and it's time for the public to refocus their attention on what achievements our first lady has done."
The first lady made a rare on-camera appearance Thursday, pushing back on allegations tying her to Epstein. She said the rumors should "end today," calling them "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation."
TOP DOJ OFFICIALS TO BRIEF HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR JEFFREY EPSTEIN PROBE
Beckman explained that the first lady wanted to "set the record straight" and clear her name. Melania Trump has faced online allegations that she ran in the same circles as Epstein and that he introduced her to her eventual husband, President Donald Trump.
"She debunked all of the lies surrounding her and Epstein," Beckman said, adding that in speaking out, the first lady has supported victims of Epstein’s trafficking. In her speech, Trump called on Congress to hold hearings for survivors of Epstein’s trafficking.
"She's a real leader in Washington, D.C. She's calling on Congress to act now," Beckman said.
TRUMP THANKED FLORIDA POLICE FOR EPSTEIN PROBE IN 2000S, FLAGGED 'EVIL' GHISLAINE MAXWELL: FBI DOC
Beckman said the first lady felt she needed to defend herself in the media and that others haven’t come forward to do so. He said she’s tried to stop the lies using legal means but wanted to address the country directly.
MELANIA TRUMP'S YOUNG STATE OF THE UNION GUEST PUSHES FOR AI TO REVOLUTIONIZE AMERICAN CLASSROOMS
"All day long, lies and innuendos are coming through the media about the first lady. And she just wanted to set the record straight," he said.
"If she can defend herself and make sure that her reputation is impeccable, who will do it? Nobody's done it to date. All of this has been politicized, has been dragged through the media, and she's ready to fight," he added.
Beckman said Melania Trump’s efforts since returning to the White House should be what people remember her for, pointing to her advocacy work in foster care and education. She’s also worked to reunify more than a dozen Ukrainian children with their families through her negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We want to focus the attention on her good work and what she's accomplished as first lady of the United States," Beckman added.
Unique Shohei Ohtani exception draws Blue Jays star's attention in World Series rematch
In case you have forgotten, there has never been anyone like Shohei Ohtani.
The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar has an .896 OPS and an ERA of 0.00 early this season and has won numerous Silver Sluggers while being in the Cy Young Award conversation. Last year, he hit 55 homers and pitched to a 2.87 ERA.
However, pitching and hitting in the same game has caused a bit of a controversy.
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It's been a thing since Ohtani joined the majors from Japan in 2018, but it started to make the rounds during last year's World Series that when Ohtani takes the mound after being on the bases, he's given a bit of an extra grace period while warming up.
Normally, inning breaks are two minutes and 15 seconds for local games, and 30 more seconds are added for nationally televised games. However, Ohtani has been inadvertently an exception. Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider had some words with an umpire during Game 7 of the World Series last year regarding the ordeal.
Well, Ohtani was back on the Toronto mound for a Fall Classic rematch on Wednesday, and sure enough, he was given some extra time to warm up. Outfielder George Springer even had a conversation with the home plate umpire while Ohtani was throwing, but Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that it was simply just to ask how much time Ohtani had.
LENGTHY SUSPENSIONS HANDED OUT TO MEMBERS OF WILD ANGELS-BRAVES BRAWL THAT SAW FISTS, TACKLES
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, though, appeared irked at Springer's apparent questioning.
"Just talking about the World Series, I think they were a little frustrated about how long Shohei takes in between innings. But if he’s on the bases, there’s got to be some grace, which the umpires are trying to give him," Roberts said after the game, via The Athletic. "Yeah, if you’re on the other side, you’re trying to rush him as much as possible and treat him like any other pitcher.
"But the truth is that he’s different. But I understand their gripe."
Due to his prowess both on the mound and in the batter's box, Ohtani is the overwhelming favorite to win his fifth MVP Award in the last six seasons.
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Cuban president clashes with NBC’s Welker over question about stepping down, presses if she asks same of Trump
Cuba's leader Miguel Díaz-Canel sparred with NBC News' Kristen Welker in an interview on Thursday, as the "Meet the Press" host questioned whether he would be "willing to step down if it meant saving Cuba."
"You are a very important journalist," Díaz-Canel responded via an interpreter. "Have you ever asked that question to any other president in the world?"
Welker noted that his stepping down was one of the conditions the United States has raised in diplomatic negotiations with the island nation.
SANCTIONED RUSSIAN JET TOUCHES DOWN IN CUBA, ECHOING SECRET FLIGHTS BEFORE MADURO'S OUSTER
After Díaz-Canel repeated his question, Welker replied, "I asked very tough questions to our own president."
He then asked, "Do you ask that question to Trump?"
Welker said she asked tough questions of President Donald Trump as Díaz-Canel responded, "Is that a question from you or is that coming from the State Department of the U.S. government?"
The NBC News host asked again, reiterating that political change in Cuba was one of the conditions brought up by the U.S. government.
"In Cuba, the people who are in leadership positions are not elected by the U.S. government, and they don’t have a mandate from the U.S. government," Díaz-Canel said. "We have a free sovereign state, a free state. We have self-determination and independence, and we are not subjected to the designs of the United States."
"We are elected by the people, although there’s a narrative trying to disregard that," he told Welker. "Any one of us, before we become part of a leadership role, we need to be elected at the grassroots level in an electoral district by thousands of Cubans. And then those who represent the Cubans at the National Assembly of People’s Power elect those leadership positions and those offices, like it happens in many other countries around the world."
CARLOS FERNÁNDEZ DE COSSÍO: CUBA 'PREPARING' FOR 'POSSIBILITY OF MILITARY AGGRESSION'
Cuba operates under a single-party socialist framework that prohibits the existence of organized political opposition. Although local elections are held to fill the National Assembly, the requirement that all candidates belong to the Communist Party leads human rights groups and political analysts to dismiss the process, as there is no true opposition.
The country's leader said the U.S. had no right to "demand anything from Cuba."
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Díaz-Canel said in March that the country was in talks with the Trump administration. He said in a broadcast by Cuba's state media that talks with Washington were aimed at finding solutions to the political differences that divide the communist island and the United States.
Army ROTC cadets recount taking down pro-ISIS shooter at Old Dominion University: 'I could have been next'
For the first time, the heroic students who helped take down an active shooter that killed a beloved professor and community member at Old Dominion University are telling their story, recounting the harrowing events of that day.
Mohamed Jalloh, a man previously convicted of providing material to support the Islamic State terror group, opened fire at the university on Thursday, March 12, killing one and injuring two others.
Jalloh was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday when officers arrived.
Beloved professor of military science Lt. Col. Brandon Shah was killed. FBI Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans told reporters that the students in the room during the incident "subdued" the gunman.
ODU GUNMAN WHO KILLED ROTC INSTRUCTOR HAD PRIOR ISIS CONVICTION, WAS RELEASED EARLY
Students involved in the incident reflected on that day, saying it was a day like any other.
During the class period, a student said a man they didn't recognize, later identified as Jalloh, walked into the classroom and repeatedly and nervously asked if this class was ROTC.
"I wasn't thinking about what that question really meant," said Cadet Louis Ancheta.
VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH SELLING WEAPON USED BY OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY GUNMAN
As Shah confirmed the class was ROTC, Cadet Wesley Myers, who was in class that day, said Jalloh shouted "Allahu Akbar" and began shooting at Shah.
Instincts immediately kicked in and Shah lunged toward the gunman, according to the students.
As Shah wrestled with the gunman, Ancheta leaped into action, taking a pocket-knife and repeatedly stabbing Jalloh.
"If he didn't lunge at him, I wouldn't be here right now," said Cadet Jah-Ira Utarte, who was sitting in the front row of the classroom at the time, said in an interview released by the Department of War. "There's a possibility he could've turned his gun and I could've been next."
Ancheta said during the fighting between his professor and the gunman, he was shot by a stray bullet.
"It really didn't feel like it hit me," Ancheta said. He continued to attempt to subdue the gunman alongside Shah and other cadets jumped in.
SHOOTING IN OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY HALL INJURES TWO; GUNMAN DEAD
Once the gun was away from Jalloh, Cadet Jeremy Rawlinson said they immediately switched to combat care.
"It just was what I felt I had to do in that moment, to get there and do what I could," Myers said. "It's different when it's not a mannequin and it's your friend."
Cadet Samuel Reineberg said he was "like a laser beam" to Shah, who had been shot in the chest.
PENTAGON LEADERS AWARD 2 PURPLE HEARTS TO OLD DOMINION CADETS WHO TOOK DOWN ISIS SUPPORTER
It wasn't until later that day, the students found out about Shah's death.
"There was definitely a sense of, ‘could we have done more?’" Cadet Oshea Bego said.
Shah is regarded as a hero among his students.
"[Shah] used the last of his strength to tackle that guy and it gave us just enough time that we needed to be able to get on [the gunman]," Rawlinson said.
"One of the last things he told my mom when they met this summer was that he would take care of me. He followed through on that word," Bego said.
"We’re not even commissioned yet and we’re dealing with these threats and pretty much unprecedented attacks," Bego said.
Brian O. Hemphill, the president of ODU, said the university will be conducting an independent review following the incident in a statement on Thursday. Hemphill described the shooting as a "defining moment" in the university’s history.
"This is not merely a procedural step; it is a moral imperative to ensure the safety and security of every member of our campus community remains first and foremost," Hemphill said in the statement.
The review will examine "critical procedures," "overall preparedness" and "[the university’s] response," according to the release.
UFC president Dana White hints at Trump's attendance for upcoming event in Miami
UFC president Dana White all but confirmed that President Donald Trump will be in attendance at UFC 327 in Miami this Saturday.
White said that "the big guy" will be coming to the Kaseya Center.
"It's good to be back in Miami. Yeah, I'm pumped. We got the big guy coming on Saturday, too. He's coming," White said on Adin Ross' recent YouTube stream.
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The event would be Trump's first appearance at a major sporting event since he attended the college football national championship in January, in which Indiana defeated Miami.
Since his second term began, Trump has attended several UFC events, a Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the NCAA wrestling championships, the FIFA Club World Cup final, the U.S. Open, a New York Yankees game, the Ryder Cup, and the Army-Navy game.
UFC is slated to have an event on the South Lawn of the White House as part of the America250 celebration on June 14, Trump's 80th birthday.
The most recent UFC event Trump attended was UFC 316 in Newark last summer.
Assuming Trump is in attendance this weekend, there will be two light heavyweight matches as co-main events, including one for the light heavyweight championship.
"UFC Freedom 250" will be headlined by Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria in a lightweight championship unification bout.
Trump has appeared at each of the last three UFC events in Miami.
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Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi in Beijing as Taiwan defense fight intensifies
KAOHSIUNG – Taiwan: For the first time in nearly a decade, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) supreme leader and the head of the communist party, Xi Jinping, held a meeting with the chairperson of Taiwan’s main opposition party. Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (also known as the Kuomintang, KMT), met Xi in Beijing on Friday.
Before their closed-door meeting the pair posed for pictures. Xi said that Taiwan is historically a part of China and remains an "inalienable" and "inseparable" part of Chinese territory. He said the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" was a "broader trend" that will not change. China’s state-controlled media and government officials often repeat these party lines, even though, after its establishment in 1949, the communist regime has not ruled Taiwan for a single day.
The two met in their capacities as heads of their respective political parties. China refuses to speak to the democratically elected government of Taiwan, led by President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The DPP won Taiwan’s presidential elections in 2016, 2020, and 2024, although in 2024 it narrowly lost control of the parliament to an opposition coalition led by the KMT.
TAIWAN 'WILL NOT ESCALATE, BUT WILL NOT YIELD' TO CHINESE INTIMIDATION, FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS
The meeting came as Taiwan is mired in a dispute over defense spending, with the opposition coalition blocking President Lai’s proposed $40 billion special defense budget. During a recent visit to Taipei, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said approval of the package would send a clear message that Taiwan is prepared to invest in its own defense and "peace through strength."
Hours before Cheng and Xi smiled for the cameras, Lai did not directly mention the Beijing meeting, but said on social media that any compromise with an authoritarian regime would damage Taiwan’s sovereignty. There are also concerns that if the special budget isn’t approved soon, the willingness of President Donald Trump to sell weapons to Taiwan could change should Trump decide to strike some kind of deal with Xi at a possible meeting in May.
Xi’s term "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," which was repeated by Cheng, is a reference to the goal of China becoming a – if not the – major world power by 2049, the centennial of the founding of the communist PRC.
In comments that are sure to evoke controversy in Taiwan, Cheng repeated much of Xi’s phrasing, claiming that in the more than 100 years of interactions between the KMT and the CCP, "all we ever wanted is to guide the Chinese nation out of decline and toward rejuvenation." Cheng went on to say, "The great Chinese rejuvenation involves people on both sides of the strait. It is about the reawakening and resurgence of Chinese civilization."
That’s not how many here in Taiwan see things. Rose Chou, 45, works as an administrator in one of the biggest primary schools in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan’s largest city and a major port. Chou told Fox News Digital it was time for Taiwan to dump any connection to being China or a part of China. "Yes, I want a Republic of Taiwan. I have an 18-year-old son. And yes, I realize we may have to fight. I’m willing to fight."
US LAWMAKERS WARN TAIWAN TO ‘MEET THE MOMENT’ AS CHINA STAGES INVASION-STYLE DRILLS
Chou readily admitted that most people she knows favor maintaining the status quo. A very small number, she said, are committed to the idea of unification – but under what terms they hope that could occur, Chou said she didn’t know.
Under the status quo that dates from the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, Taiwan’s official name remains the Republic of China, to nominally indicate that Taiwan is a part of China, just not "Red China." This formula previously satisfied the communist regime in Beijing, but – especially since Xi Jinping’s rise – Beijing has pushed Taiwan towards outright submission.
A meeting between the head of the KMT and the CPP hasn’t happened in almost a decade, but there is precedent. A KMT chair met Xi in 2015, and again in 2016, and separately, in 2015, then-Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou met Xi in Singapore, during which each addressed the other as "Mister," and titles used were "Leader of Taiwan" and "Leader of Mainland China," respectively.
In a statement after the meeting, a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei, said, "The United States supports cross-Strait dialogue. We expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait. Meaningful cross-Strait exchange should focus on dialogue between Beijing’s leadership and Taiwan’s democratically elected authorities without preconditions, while also including engagement with all other political parties in Taiwan."
Elizabeth Freund Larus, a Taiwan Fellowship Scholar in Taipei told Fox News Digital the KMT’s traditional China approach no longer connects with much of Taiwan’s electorate. "KMT Chair Cheng’s trip is trying to replicate Ma Ying-jeou’s approach to cross-Strait relations," Larus said. "But that approach is 30-years old and no longer appeals to the Taiwanese. As a result, many people in Taiwan are critical of her China trip."
Larus said Beijing is also likely to use the visit for domestic propaganda, presenting it as proof that Taiwan embraces cultural and social affinities with mainland China while casting the government in Taipei as an outlier. "Cheng may be welcomed in Beijing," Larus said, "but her party may receive a less enthusiastic reception" in local elections later this year and in the next presidential and legislative elections in 2028.
Taipei-based political risk analyst and Tamkang University assistant professor Ross Feingold told Fox News Digital, "President Lai’s DPP has a savvy media team, which for many years has successfully shaped public opinion towards China. Following today’s meeting, Cheng and the KMT will be portrayed as traitors willing to sell out Taiwan."
He concluded by noting, "Ultimately, though, the success or failure of Cheng’s visit to China and meeting with Xi will be determined by Taiwan’s voters, despite efforts from China and the United States to influence events. For the Trump administration, though, its near-term priority in Taiwan remains legislative approval to purchase billions of dollars of American weapons and speedy implementation of Taiwan’s commitment to invest $250 billion in the United States."
Iran’s ‘Godfather of propaganda’ tactics resurface in war with US and Israel
Just hours before the ceasefire deal went into effect on Tuesday between the U.S. and Iran’s clerical regime to pause fighting for two weeks, the regime urged young children and adults to surround Iranian energy facilities as human shields in reaction to President Trump's threat to wipe out its energy infrastructure.
The thinking behind Iran’s regime's willingness to use children and civilians as cannon fodder, according to observers, is that an American airstrike that kills children or civilians will dramatically sway U.S. public opinion against the war and create a rally-round-the-regime effect in Tehran.
And now with high-level peace talks due to start between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan, Tehran can be seen as the godfather of propaganda when it comes to manipulating much of the world's media — even more skilled than its terror apprentice forces in Gaza and Lebanon. Yemen and beyond.
Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert, told Fox News Digital that the theocratic state’s exploitation of civilians for their war aim is part and parcel of their nearly half-century playbook against the West. "The Islamic Republic is the Godfather of propaganda. It has spent 47 years perfecting the art of saying one thing at the negotiating table and doing another in the field. The Trump administration should walk into these talks with maximum skepticism. This regime has never kept its word on its weapons, and there's no reason to believe this time is different."
She pointed to Tehran's "record of positioning civilian infrastructure — hospitals, mosques, schools and now power plants — as military shields. They did it in Lebanon through Hezbollah. They did it in Gaza through Hamas. And they are doing it now on their own soil, with their own people, under coercion. Iranians who refuse to participate face consequences."
Daftari, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Desk, added that, "Iran's regime has never hesitated to use its own people as a shield. The difference now is they're doing it in front of cameras, in real time, knowing exactly which images will make prime-time news around the world. This is propaganda. And the two-week ceasefire just gave them more time to manipulate the West and continue on in their narrative warfare."
Right at the beginning of "Operation Epic Fury", the world's media was full of accounts from Iran of an air strike that reportedly hit an Iranian school for girls in the town of Minab Feb. 28. The air strike reportedly killed 175 people, most of whom were children, at the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, according to the regime. The school was located on the same street as buildings used by the IRGC. A Pentagon investigation was launched in March to look into the allegations that a U.S. missile struck the school.
Speaking to Fox News Digital last month, Iranian-American journalist Banafsheh Zand, who has been following the reporting, pointed to the fact that the school that has been there for more than a decade and its reported affiliation with Iran’s military. She said that while the regime claims between 168 fatalities and 180 fatalities, mostly girls between the ages of 7 and 12, along with teachers and parents from the school, there has been no independent confirmation of the reported casualty figures.
TRUMP’S IRAN CEASEFIRE ROCKED WITHIN HOURS AMID REPORTED MISSILE, DRONE ATTACKS
"There is no confirmation on the number of people, from anyone other than regime sources," she said. "Some people in the area said it was 65 boys. Sixty-five boys? What are 65 boys doing in a girls’ school at 10:30 on a Saturday morning?"
Both Democratic and Republican U.S. administrations have classified Iran’s regime as a leading state-sponsor of terrorism.
Speaking on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,' on Thursday, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the American media was "essentially… carrying water for Iran."
Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at JINSA, told Fox News Digital, "The regime wants to show the Iranian people that it is not weakened despite all the deaths in its leadership and losses in its arsenals, and to claim legitimacy by showing it is winning against the eternal American and Israeli enemies."
He said, "Like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran uses civilians as human shields for propaganda purposes. It cares nothing for the safety and fate of its own people. It wants to portray the country as undaunted and willing to sacrifice for victory. And if civilians are killed, all the better for the regime's political goals… Iran wants to undermine U.S. domestic support for the war by framing it as America doing Israel's bidding, and by using AI-generated disinformation to depict massive destruction and casualties at U.S. bases in the Middle East."
The regime suffered a crisis of legitimacy after millions of Iranians poured into the streets in January and demanded the dissolution of the Islamic Republic.
Both the IRGC and Basij — the regime’s street fighting paramilitary troops — played a key role in the mass murder of 45,000 Iranian civilians in January, who protested the regime. President Trump said in his address to the nation that the regime killed 45,000 people. The previous death toll was estimated to be over 35,000 people.
Ruhe said, "As it did before the war, it also wants to delegitimize protesters and other internal opposition by depicting them as American and Israeli agents. It can be expected to ramp up all of these propaganda efforts during the ceasefire. The United States and our partners will be part of this intended audience, too."
Adding to its deadly propaganda mix, the regime freely uses child soldiers to achieve its goals. According to Amnesty International, "Eyewitness accounts and verified audiovisual evidence show child soldiers having been deployed at IRGC checkpoints and patrols, armed with weapons, including AK47pattern rifles."
Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, for Amnesty stated in the report that, "The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children as young as 12 to join an IRGC run military campaign, putting them in grave danger and violating international law, which prohibits the recruitment and use of children in the military. Recruiting children under 15 into the armed forces constitutes a war crime."
Jennifer Dyer, a retired commander of U.S. Naval Intelligence, told Fox News "I’d say the remnant of the regime can’t muster enough human shields to be doing it all over the place. The people are too resistant. Protests continued in the country the last couple of days, and some reporting on social media indicated a crackdown by the Basij on protesters after the so-called ceasefire was announced."
In late March, a deputy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Rasoul Allah Corps of Greater Tehran, Rahim Nadali, declared that the state launched a recruitment campaign called the "Homeland-Defending Combatants for Iran" that is "open to volunteers" aged 12 and older. The drive to recruit child soldiers took place in mosques and bases of the paramilitary organization Basij. The recruitment campaign sought adolescents to join "combatants defending the homeland."
Fox News Digital reached out to Iran’s U.N. Mission in New York for a comment.
Trump's specific placement of Queen Elizabeth portrait at Mar-a-Lago revealed in new book
President Donald Trump reportedly has a reproduction of Queen Elizabeth II’s last official portrait hanging in the dining room of his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
The president wanted to have a "permanent reminder" of the late monarch, who died in 2022, according to a new book about the queen titled "Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story," according to People.
The queen sat for the portrait by Basia Kaczmarowska-Hamilton, a Polish-British artist, in May 2022, four months before her death, to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee.
She decided to keep the original in Windsor Castle. One reproduction was sent to London’s Polish Institute, and a second reproduction was given to Trump by Kaczmarowska-Hamilton, the book's author, Robert Hardman, wrote.
"She was so great. I wanted to hang her picture in a room where there is no one else on the wall," Trump reportedly told Hardman.
Hardman wrote that the portrait hangs in the dining room over a painting of a medieval ship.
PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CAUSED 'UNFORGIVEABLE' STRESS FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH IN FINAL YEARS: AUTHOR
The painting can be seen in a picture taken at Mar-a-Lago during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit in December 2025.
Trump first met the queen at Windsor Castle for tea in 2018 when he traveled to the United Kingdom on a working visit during his first term.
In 2019, they met once again during an official state visit, which included a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
In December of that year, Trump also attended a Buckingham Palace banquet hosted by the queen for NATO members.
"Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," Trump wrote on Truth Social after the queen’s death in September 2022. "Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief."
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"Queen Elizabeth's historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain," he added. "Her leadership and enduring diplomacy secured and advanced alliances with the United States and countries around the world. However, she will always be remembered for her faithfulness to her country and her unwavering devotion to her fellow countrymen and women."
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Trump also added that he and first lady Melania Trump "will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor. What a grand and beautiful lady she was — there was nobody like her!"
He added, "May God bless the Queen, may she reign forever in our hearts, and may God hold her and Prince Philip in abiding care."
In a recent interview for an upcoming book titled "The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History," Trump told author Susan Page that he had been impressed by her diplomacy when he spoke with her.
"She was there for so many decades, and she literally never made a mistake, if you think about it," Trump said. "I mean, everyone was making mistakes around her, but she never made a mistake."
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are expected to come to the White House later this month during a state visit to the U.S.