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Joe Manganiello turned to shamans and pagan rituals during seven-year health battle that nearly killed him
Joe Manganiello survived "multiple near-death experiences" over a seven-year battle with his health.
In his upcoming memoir, "Bloodlines," Manganiello detailed his experiences with a life-threatening medical scare, which led him "beyond medicine and into a remarkable, globe-spanning quest that revealed answers about his ancestry, inherited trauma and the deeper histories we carry," according to Simon & Schuster.
Manganiello, 49, endured a "cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses," that impacted his skin, thyroid, eyes, lungs and digestive system.
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During the seven-year medical ordeal, Manganiello battled "chronic pain, a life-saving organ amputation, existential crisis and a prolonged fight for survival that left doctors with few answers and no clear explanation."
As he struggled to not only survive, but also to find answers to his medical issues, the "Magic Mike" star pursued an unorthodox path.
Manganiello enlisted the help of "shamans, pagan rituals, ancient myths, long-lost family records and the rebirth of his own spirituality" in an attempt to cure his illness.
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Through researching his own genealogy, Manganiello discovered family members who survived the Armenian genocide, "ancestors shaped by violence and displacement, and the hidden patterns shared by others living with chronic illness."
"It was the most brutally difficult time of my life, one I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but also my greatest adventure," Manganiello told People in a statement.
"I hope that what I went through on this journey can give readers hope that answers and healing may lie for them on the other side of whatever they are fighting through."
He added, "The process of writing this book gave me the gift of perspective that helped me to see that my suffering was a cocoon from which I would emerge forever changed."
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Last year, Manganiello and his fiancée, Caitlin O'Connor, left Los Angeles behind for their shared hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"I mean, L.A. has been both of our homes for over 20 years. I was born in L.A., but raised in Pittsburgh, so we're both from the same hometown," she told People magazine.
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O'Connor explained that their shared roots were something they initially bonded over, and they're both thrilled to be "back home."
"That's what we really connect on, you know. We share the same upbringing, the same hometown knowledge. And that's what really connects us as a couple."
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Manganiello and O'Connor first sparked romance rumors in September 2023 and confirmed their relationship a few months later. They announced their engagement on Instagram in October 2025 and noted that the actual proposal occurred that June.
In July 2023, Manganiello and Sofía Vergara announced that they were getting divorced after seven years of marriage.
"We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives," the couple said in a joint statement at the time.
Fox News Digital's Janelle Ash contributed to this report.
Biden judge torches Trump ICE crackdown as ‘devoid of rational explanation,’ nukes courthouse arrest policy
A federal judge who has repeatedly blocked the Trump administration's immigration policies dealt another blow Tuesday, striking down rules that expanded courthouse arrests and prolonged detention in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facilities.
In a 71-page decision, U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, struck down the policies after finding that ICE and the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) did not provide the reasoned explanation required under the Administrative Procedure Act.
The ruling continues a pattern of Pitts intervening against Trump administration immigration policies. Earlier this year, he blocked an ICE initiative that would have allowed the agency to rearrest migrants it had previously released. In another case, he ordered sweeping changes at a San Francisco ICE detention facility, citing overcrowding and conditions he found likely violated constitutional standards.
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While Pitts' order applies nationwide, it differs from the broad nationwide injunctions that the Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional in its 2025 decision in Trump v. CASA. Rather than issuing an injunction prohibiting the government from enforcing the policies, Pitts vacated them under the Administrative Procedure Act. When a court vacates a policy, it removes the policy itself rather than just limiting how it can be enforced.
Pitts' ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of asylum seekers challenging ICE's 2025 policies that removed restrictions on civil immigration arrests at courthouses, including immigration courts, and a separate ICE policy allowing detainees to remain in short-term holding facilities for up to 72 hours instead of the agency's longstanding 12-hour limit.
The judge found ICE failed to adequately explain why it abandoned prior guidance that limited courthouse arrests because of concerns they could discourage immigrants from appearing for hearings and interfere with the administration of justice.
"As the Court has previously detailed, the policies entirely fail to address the chilling effect of courthouse arrests on noncitizens' attendance at court proceedings, which is both a critical factor underlying ICE's 2021 guidance and an 'important aspect of the problem' in its own right," Pitts wrote.
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Pitts was particularly critical of the government's handling of arrests at immigration courthouses. According to the ruling, the administration spent months defending the policy as applicable to immigration courts before later disclosing that ICE internally viewed the policy as not applying there at all.
"Nothing on the face of ICE's 2025 courthouse-arrest policies or in the administrative record suggests that ICE recognized it was removing all prior limitations on civil enforcement activities at immigration courthouses without any substitute guidance," Pitts wrote.
He ultimately concluded that the agency offered virtually no explanation for the change.
"ICE's 2025 courthouse-arrest policies are devoid of rational explanation for (or even acknowledgement of) the agency's choices," the judge wrote.
Pitts also vacated a related EOIR policy rescinding restrictions on immigration enforcement activity at immigration courthouses. The judge found the agency relied on flawed assumptions and failed to grapple with evidence that courthouse arrests could discourage immigrants from attending proceedings.
The judge separately struck down ICE's nationwide waiver of its 12-hour detention limit. The waiver was adopted after ICE reported that increased enforcement activity had strained detention capacity and complicated transfers to longer-term facilities.
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Pitts found the agency failed to consider alternatives, reconcile the policy with its own detention standards or adequately address whether keeping detainees in holding facilities for extended periods could create unconstitutional conditions.
"Nothing in the memorandum announcing the 12-hour-detention waiver or in the administrative record suggests that ICE engaged in reasoned consideration of its obligation to avoid creating punitive conditions of confinement," he wrote.
Throughout the opinion, Pitts emphasized that the administration remained free to pursue tougher immigration enforcement policies if it followed the procedural requirements imposed by federal law.
"An agency may not ... depart from a prior policy sub silentio," Pitts wrote, citing Supreme Court precedent.
The ruling follows a similar decision last month by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in New York, who largely barred ICE from conducting civil immigration arrests at or near three Manhattan immigration courthouses while a separate challenge proceeds.
The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Pitts' ruling.
"When a judge sentences a defendant, the defendant is taken into custody. If an alien is ordered removed by an immigration judge, the same should happen. A district judge ordering otherwise is naked judicial activism in service of an anti-American, open borders agenda," DHS General Counsel James Percival said in a statement.
Ranking the 10 best World Cup players of all time, from Messi to Maradona and everyone in between
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in full swing, we are seeing some of the best players on the planet duke it out for the most coveted trophy in soccer.
Plenty of all-timers are trying to stake their claim at immortality during this tournament, but few, if any, will ever catch the legends that came before them.
With that in mind, let's take a look at 10 of the greatest World Cup players in soccer history.
A note before we move forward: this list takes only their World Cup performances into account.
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Players like Johan Cruyff and Cristiano Ronaldo are legendary players, but lack some of the World Cup accomplishments that these 10 possess, be they missing titles or a dearth of longevity.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's begin!
Che Cannavaro! Che capitano!
We start this list off with a bang, as Italy's Fabio Cannavaro is arguably the greatest center back in World Cup history.
His 2006 run to the title is the stuff of legend, anchoring an Italy defense that gave up only two goals during the entire tournament, one of which was an own-goal and the other being a penalty.
Cannavaro was the captain of that '06 squad that knocked France out in the finals, and for the cherry on top, he won the Ballon d'Or that year, an extremely rare feat that only two other true defenders have accomplished.
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That's SIR Bobby Charlton to you!
English fans constantly bring up the 1966 World Cup, mostly because it was their last and only win, but also because of how magical that team was, and the heart and soul of it was Charlton.
His leadership and goal-scoring abilities were the driving force behind England's win on their home soil, and the country has revered him ever since.
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That '66 team is easily England's best team of all time, and Charlton was the talisman of that group, so he deserves his lasting place among this list of legends.
No one is more representative of the golden generation of Spain than Andres Iniesta.
The longtime Barcelona midfielder was the engine that made those legendary Spanish teams go, and his extra-time goal to win the World Cup against the Netherlands in 2010 is one of the most iconic strikes in the history of the sport.
That goal alone would have him in consideration as one of the all-time greats, but he's a complete player who had one of the most celebrated careers ever.
His composure, intelligence and passing prowess made him one of the best midfielders of all time, and the fact that he was one of the best players on one of the greatest teams in the modern era of world soccer makes him a no-brainer to be included on this list.
The youngest inclusion on this list by a decent margin, Kylian Mbappé's career so far stacks up against some of the best the sport has to offer, and the crazy part is, he's only 27 years old.
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How's this for a World Cup résumé? He won the tournament at 19, scored a hat trick in the 2022 final, and he's on pace to absolutely shatter the all-time goal-scoring streak recently set by Lionel Messi.
If France were to win it all again in this World Cup or the next one with Mbappé playing a crucial role, then I could easily see him rocketing close to the top of this list by the time his storied career is over.
I'm as big of a Cristiano Ronaldo fanboy as the next guy, but this is all about World Cup performances, and Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario (better known by his first name) is the pick here and it isn't even close.
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During his peak, Ronaldo was one of the most feared strikers on the planet, and he saved his best performances for the biggest stage.
Ronaldo was a part of three World Cup teams with Brazil, and was arguably the best player in the world for two of those.
He scored 15 goals in World Cup play and won the Golden Boot in 2002, with his performance leading the charge for Brazil to win their fifth and most recent world title.
If this was a haircut ranking, however, Ronaldo wouldn't even sniff the list (look it up).
Before Kylian Mbappé was setting the world ablaze, French playmaker Zinedine Zidane was leading the charge for Les Bleus with his elegance and poise from the attacking midfielder position.
Zidane was an absolute delight to watch; a soccer player's favorite soccer player.
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His 1998 World Cup performance is the stuff of legend, as he led France to the title on their home soil, doing so by being the conductor for the team's entire attack.
He nearly repeated the feat in 2006, as he captained France all the way to the finals, before his unfortunate momentary lapse in judgment and subsequent headbutt of Italian player Marco Materazzi led to Zidane being sent off.
France would ultimately lose on penalty kicks, and if Zidane had just kept his head, he might have perhaps been the greatest World Cup player of all time.
Up until roughly 10 minutes ago when Lionel Messi set the new World Cup goal-scoring record, the previous record holder was none other than Germany's Miroslav Klose.
Klose was practically a walking goal with the ball on his foot, notching 16 World Cup goals in just 24 games, a prolific pace that is almost mind-bending to think about.
But he wasn't just scoring empty goals, either. Klose experienced plenty of team success on the world stage, helping Germany reach four consecutive World Cup semifinals, culminating in winning the 2014 title with Die Mannschaft.
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If you were building a fantasy World Cup team and needed a striker in his prime for one game, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone better than Klose.
There is perhaps no better "carry job" in World Cup history than Diego Maradona's 1986 campaign on the world stage with Argentina.
That's not a slight to the Argentine national team that year, it's just a testament to how dominant Maradona was during their tournament run.
En route to winning the whole thing, Maradona knocked out world powers such as Uruguay, West Germany and England, the latter of the three producing two of his most iconic goals.
His first goal against England was deemed "The Hand of God" for his disputed hand-assisted header (there was no VAR back in '86 to review it), but his second goal left no doubt, as he dribbled through the entirety of the Three Lions' defense, dipped around the keeper and slotted it into the back of the net.
It was dubbed "The Goal of the Century," and many famous soccer players call it the greatest goal they've ever seen.
Just edging out his fellow countryman and former coach, Lionel Messi nabs the silver medal spot on this list.
I mentioned the fact that Messi has the goal-scoring record for the World Cup, but he also has a title in 2022 as well as two FIFA Golden Balls, the only player to ever win the award twice.
He even saved his best performance on the world stage for the biggest game, scoring two goals in the 2022 final against France.
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There isn't much else to say about Messi. He is the modern-day GOAT, and if he wins it all again this year, I could maybe see him sliding into the top spot.
There is just one man, right now, who rightly holds the crown as the greatest World Cup player of all time.
It would be nearly impossible for anyone, even the esteemed Lionel Messi, to match Pelé's résumé on the world stage.
You want dominance? Pelé remains the only player in soccer history to win three World Cups. He has 12 total goals in only 14 World Cup matches. In addition to that, he was named the greatest player in soccer history by FIFA not once, but twice.
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Fellow countryman Ronaldo, a legend in his own right, even credited Pelé for inspiring him to play soccer. England's Sir Bobby Charlton once said that it seemed like the sport of soccer "was invented for this magical player."
When members of this list are in awe of you, you have rightly earned the top spot.
Letitia James fumes as Mamdani-backed socialists sweep New York primaries
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, bristled at fellow Democrat Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s growing clout after a slate of socialist candidates rode his endorsement to primary victories Tuesday night.
"Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals who do not understand the politics of New York City, the cultural differences from district to district, who have not been part of the history and the struggle of some of these districts, and are relatively new to the body politic," James, who famously prosecuted President Donald Trump on financial fraud charges, told CNN after the election results came in.
James added that she and other Democratic leaders are "disappointed" in Mamdani.
"[Black and Hispanic voters] don’t like the trick the DSA is trying to pull in Harlem — using the forces of gentrification to try to supplant our agenda and subvert our priorities," one Democratic political operative told the New York Post. "Abolishing the police and releasing every prisoner, even rapists and murderers, isn’t progressive. It’s nuts. It isn’t people with a doorman who have the most to lose; we know it’s us, people of color, who are going to suffer most from the DSA’s reckless agenda."
MAMDANI'S PRIMARY WIN EXPOSES DEMOCRAT DIVIDE AS TOP LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS
The dynamic described by the operative played out across New York on Tuesday night as more affluent voters backed candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, while working-class residents threw their support behind establishment picks.
In New York’s 13th Congressional District, for instance, Mamdani-endorsed graduate student Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
Espaillat overwhelmingly won lower-income and majority-Black precincts, while his socialist challenger carried areas with higher incomes, more university graduates and younger residents, according to demographic data compiled by The New York Times. In New York City, affluent, college-educated young people are more likely to be transplants from elsewhere in the United States than the general population.
Nine Democratic incumbents, among them seven state lawmakers and two congressmen, ultimately lost their seats as a wave of anti-establishment sentiment spurred by Mamdani washed over the state.
All three of the congressional candidates Mamdani endorsed ahead of Tuesday won their primary elections, with two defeating incumbent representatives and the third defeating the chosen successor of a retiring congresswoman.
Mamdani was quick to claim credit for the political shake-up.
"We are showing that last June, a year ago tomorrow, was not an anomaly," the mayor said Tuesday night. "It was not the end. It was the beginning."
REPUBLICANS PUSH TO MAKE MAMDANI THE NEW FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
James acknowledged that many were dissatisfied with the state of the Democratic Party, but warned that Mamdani’s movement could damage their electoral prospects by stoking internal divisions. James told the New York Times that she favors coming to "some sort of understanding" with the socialists to defuse tensions.
"All of us are a little frustrated with the Democratic Party. But you don’t blow it up," she said. "That’s what MAGA has done."
Some Republicans have cast the socialist victories as a boon for the GOP, predicting that inflammatory comments made by the political newcomers could damage the Democratic Party’s national branding.
The New York State Office of the Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Georgia Six Flags riders temporarily left dangling high in the air due to 'technical delay'
Passengers hung high in the air aboard a Six Flags Over Georgia ride, as seen in footage that one of the riders recorded and posted online.
In the viral video, the person can be heard asking, "Why the f--- are we stuck up here, bruh?"
WSB-TV indicated that the individual who recorded the video on the ride was David Early, and reported that he said he got back on the SkyScreamer ride again two days later.
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Six Flags Over Georgia attributed the episode to a "technical delay."
"The safety of our guests and team members is a top priority," Six Flags Over Georgia told Fox News Digital in an email.
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"The ride experienced a technical delay (similar to a check engine light) that paused its operation. Its safety system performed as designed, keeping all guests safe. Following a complete systems check, the ride was returned to its loading position and guests exited the ride," Six Flags Over Georgia noted.
"The delay lasted approximately 10 minutes," the message concluded.
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The Six Flags Over Georgia website describes the attraction as an "amusement park swing ride" that lifts riders 260 feet into the air.
Nancy Guthrie case could hinge on mystery tipster who emailed TMZ
A potential anonymous tipster in the Nancy Guthrie probe may be a female, even though she's been using male pseudonyms in her communications with the media, as experts believe human sources may be the best way to bring the unsolved case to a close.
"The person used several different male names, but it was always the same Bitcoin address," TMZ founder Harvey Levin, who has received a series of emails from the purported whistleblower, told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "Other than being told they think it might be a female, they didn't say why."
The individual used multiple male aliases in communications seeking payment in exchange for information sent to TMZ, although Levin said investigators recently told him they believe the sender could actually be a woman.
This person repeatedly claimed to know the identity of the kidnappers and the location of Guthrie's body, Levin said. The FBI, which is handling aspects of the Guthrie probe connected to the purported ransom notes, declined to comment.
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT NANCY GUTHRIE'S POSSIBLE RANSOM NOTE
"They are still actively looking for that person and believe they may well find this person now," Levin added.
Josh Ritter, a California attorney and Fox News contributor, said the possibility that the mysterious tipster could be connected to the perpetrators fits a pattern often seen in criminal investigations.
"Even if people weren't aware of it ahead of time, they likely became aware of it once this became a media sensation case," he said.
WATCH: FBI source claims kidnappers panicked after Nancy Guthrie's alleged death: TMZ
TMZ was among a number of media outlets that received purported ransom demands in connection with the Guthrie case — and the outlet later received messages from someone claiming to have information on the case.
Levin said he'd offered to pay the purported tipster just to see if the information panned out as part of a planned documentary on the case.
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"They asked us to stand down on the documentary, which we did," he told Fox News Digital. "We told them we wouldn't do anything without their approval, because we don't want to mess with the investigation."
However, he said, while authorities have been unable to catch whoever sent the ransom notes through digital forensics, old-fashioned detective work and the potential for an accomplice to gab may lead investigators to the perpetrator or co-conspirators.
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"They're frustrated because they have put a lot of effort into tracking down whoever wrote these ransom notes to no avail, and I was talking to this person today from the FBI and this is the second time this person said this to me, that the likelihood is this case is going to be solved in six months, a year, two years," Levin said. "Somebody goes to a bar and starts bragging about it, or an ex-lover decides, screw my ex, and I'm going to authorities to blow the whistle...they believe that is going to happen. That it may happen sooner or later, but they really believe it's going to happen."
Guthrie’s daughter, "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, echoed that theme Tuesday as she renewed her appeal for the public’s help in an on-set appearance.
"I just want to take the opportunity to ask people, really to beg people to come forward," she said. "Somebody knows something. This is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives; I live; my brother lives; our extended families live; our children live every day. We are in agony."
Ritter said he's hopeful that the media star's public pleas are heard by the right person.
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"This was not some professional operation," he added.
And under similar circumstances, co-conspirators often have historically had a hard time keeping quiet about a case, he said.
"I firmly believe that there's somebody out there who is either directly involved or has come to learn who was involved after the fact," Ritter told Fox News Digital. "And with that many mouths out there, somebody's going to have a hard time keeping their mouth shut, and somebody's going to brag. Somebody's going to say something when they get in trouble."
Ritter said that after nearly 20 weeks, the most likely breakthrough may come from a witness or associate rather than a forensic development.
"Whatever forensic work they had to do, whatever work with the DNA, they've probably done that and seen it to its limit and it's not turning up anything," he said. "So in my view, the best chances this thing has is somebody says something."
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Levin said federal investigators appear to share the view that human sources may ultimately crack the case and remain focused on people who may have inside knowledge of the kidnapping.
"Somebody just needs to work up the courage that they're fearful for whatever reason of coming forward and they get past that fear, or the money becomes enticing enough and they come forward about it," Ritter said.
Anyone with information on Guthrie's case is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that cracks the case.
Tips can be provided anonymously to Tucson's Crime Stoppers affiliate, 88-Crime, at 1-520-882-7463.
Dana White responds to former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz: 'When somebody shows you who they are, believe them'
In May, former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz appeared on OutKick's "Tomi Lahren is Fearless" and discussed his nonexistent relationship with UFC boss Dana White, mocking his intelligence whenever his name came up.
Now, a month later, White was a guest on the show, and Lahren decided to get his side of the beef between the two MMA icons.
Lahren played the clip from Ortiz's previous appearance for White, and said she wanted to get the full story.
White first addressed the idea that he purchased the company because of Ortiz.
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First of all, we did not buy the company because of Tito Ortiz," he said. "That's how mentally ill this guy is — number one. Number two, yes, we loved Tito when we bought the company. We loved Tito. You know he was one of our guys at the time."
White talked about how he managed Ortiz and fellow UFC great Chuck Liddell at the time of purchasing the company, and said that Ortiz's refusal to fight Liddell sparked a feud.
"It got to a point where Chuck Liddell had beaten everybody... and Tito absolutely refused to fight him," White said. "He would not fight him because Tito knew Chuck was going to beat him. And ironically, the beef between me and Chuck and Tito at the time really helped build the UFC too, because it was, you know, the storyline that the fans loved."
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White then talked about how his and Ortiz's relationship deteriorated.
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"Tito did some really dumb things, like he said, and he destroyed the relationship, right? What if the UFC failed, and it didn't work? Would he want to let bygones be bygones? And no, you try to do some dirty stuff at the time when you thought you had the power to do it, and you destroyed relationships. And anybody that knows anything about me, call me petty, call me whatever you want. We're never gonna be friends again.
"...When somebody shows you who they are, believe them."
That led to Lahren asking if White thought going into business with friends was a bad idea.
"It's a really bad idea in my experience," he said. "...Being in business with your friends is definitely difficult, and it's not a great idea."
Swalwell friend Gallego defends campaign-funded Super Bowl, Miami trips: ‘Go where the money is’
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., defended his campaign-funded travel and fundraising events after recent reporting detailed luxury travel, childcare and event expenses paid through his political committees, arguing that trips to the Super Bowl and Miami were legitimate efforts to raise money for his political operation.
"You have to go where the money is to raise money," Gallego told Fox News Digital when asked about criticism surrounding the expenditures.
It was recently reported that Gallego used his leadership PAC to pay for a variety of luxurious trips, including trips to Miami, Saint Barthélemy, Disneyland, Disney World and Chicago, according to financial filings. A source familiar with Gallego’s spending said the senator often used campaign cash to bring his family on these vacations and used donor cash to fund babysitting services for his children, as reported by Politico.
Federal Election Commission records also show Gallego using a joint fundraising committee with former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who recently resigned from Congress after multiple women accused the California Democrat of sexual assault, that was used to fund tickets for him and his wife to attend the 2023 Super Bowl.
When asked about his recent financial controversies, Gallego claimed the Super Bowl endeavor to be a fundraiser event, the "Swallego Victory Fund," which he hosted with Swalwell.
"The Super Bowl was in Arizona, I represent Arizona," Gallego said. "We threw a Super Bowl fundraiser in Arizona where we raised money for my election in 2023. That's what you do."
The event was held with donors at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, just 20 days after Gallego launched his Arizona Senate bid. A copy of the invitation obtained by Politico shows tickets costing $5,000, including a brunch that could be attended before the game for an additional $1,000.
The event cost over $37,000, with both lawmakers each receiving roughly $8,000 and halting the joint committee after the game.
A Gallego spokesperson told Politico that the "tickets were purchased at fair market value" and that "hosting donors and supporters at sporting events in their areas is a common, bipartisan practice."
"There's a lot of people that do fundraisers at golf tournaments, at NASCAR, at IndyCar," Gallego told Fox News Digital. "So this is just the very same thing."
The Arizona Democrat also used PAC money for a trip to Miami that coincided with his wife, Sydney Gallego’s, birthday. The couple retreated to the Loews hotel on Miami Beach and charged over $9,000 in expenses.
"We raised about $50,000 in our nine events in Miami," Gallego said.
A Gallego spokesperson told Politico that the Gallegos "attended several widely attended political events and fundraisers" on their trip to Miami, but did not specify any specific numbers nor address the birthday aspect of the trip.
Federal campaign funds generally cannot be converted to personal use, but FEC guidance allows campaign-related travel, meals at fundraising events and childcare expenses incurred as a direct result of campaign activity. Mixed personal and campaign travel can require reimbursement for the personal portion.
Fox News Digital has not cited any FEC finding that the expenses violated campaign finance law.
Fox News Digital’s Robert Schmad contributed to this report.
Biden officials circumvented court order in Title IX cases, including males in girls’ sports, docs show
Documents released by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) show that officials in former President Joe Biden’s Department of Education (ED) circumvented a federal court injunction restricting the department’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) enforcement efforts under Title IX, including in cases involving transgender students’ access to restrooms and female athletic teams.
OSC's June 9 letter to the White House said the Department of Education ultimately "fully substantiated" a whistleblower’s allegations that the department’s Office for Civil Rights failed to comply with a federal injunction barring implementation of Biden-era guidance that interpreted Title IX to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.
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The whistleblower, a chief attorney in OCR’s Kansas City office, alleged that the department continued pursuing gender identity, transgender status and sexual orientation claims under Title IX in states covered by the injunction.
The OSC report said that by Sept. 26, 2022, former ED Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon laid out a way for OCR to keep handling SOGI cases in the states covered by the court order.
In that email, Lhamon told staff that the court had blocked the department from "implementing" documents addressing sexual orientation and gender identity in the 20 plaintiff states. But she also told them that "OCR will continue to carry out its statutorily required responsibilities," and said staff should not rely on the three blocked documents when deciding what Title IX means.
Investigators later concluded that this approach was not real compliance with the injunction. The report said OCR leadership had created "a path for carrying out its preferred SOGI policies" in the plaintiff states despite the court order. The report also said OCR regional offices were then directed to act "in defiance" of the injunction.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Lhamon for comment.
The court order stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a coalition of states challenging three June 2021 guidance documents issued after Biden signed Executive Order 13988, "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation."
In July 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee issued a preliminary injunction blocking the department from implementing those documents against the plaintiff states. The Sixth Circuit later affirmed the injunction in June 2024.
The dispute was broader than girls’ sports, but girls’ sports were a major part of the concern.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which joined the Tennessee case on behalf of Arkansas female athlete Amelia Ford and the Association of Christian Schools International, argued that the guidance would force schools to allow males who identify as female to compete on female athletic teams and use female-designated showers and locker rooms.
The Education Department initially denied wrongdoing. In a December 2024 report, the department said OCR had not violated the injunction because it was not citing or relying on the challenged guidance documents. The department argued it could still investigate complaints involving sexual orientation or gender identity so long as it grounded its actions in Title IX, its regulations, case law and the facts of each case.
But according to the Office of Special Counsel, the department reversed course after a supplemental investigation. The later report found "significant shortcomings" in the department’s initial response, including a failure to assess available evidence, conduct relevant interviews and directly address whether OCR leadership had failed to follow the injunction.
The department’s own first report said the cases cited by the whistleblower included allegations involving a transgender student’s access to a restroom consistent with gender identity and a transgender student’s participation on a female athletics team consistent with gender identity.
The matter is now closed at OSC, but the watchdog’s letter calls for further accountability inside the Department of Education and before Congress.
ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs said the documents show Biden education officials tried to keep enforcing their gender-identity policies after the court stepped in.
"What apparently Biden administration officials and the Department of Education did is say, ‘Hey, we can’t enforce these policies, but the injunction doesn’t reference the content of the policies,’" Scruggs told Fox News Digital.
Scruggs said the blocked guidance would have had major consequences for schools, including disputes over girls’ sports and private spaces. The policy, he said, would have pushed schools to allow "men in women’s sports" and "men in private spaces."
"The Department of Education was continuing to pressure and enforce these illegal policies," Scruggs said. "So that means, again, more men in women’s restrooms, redefinition of the meaning of sex in federal law as applied to these school districts."
Scruggs said the public release of the records should help expose what happened and prevent similar conduct in the future. "All you can do is shine a light on it," he said, adding that congressional or agency oversight may be needed "to ensure that this doesn’t happen again."
Minor crash, stolen Buffalo Wild Wings food lead deputies to alleged murder plot against teen's parents
A damaged street sign along with food allegedly stolen from a Buffalo Wild Wings in Virginia, helped authorities uncover a murder plot against the parents of one of two suspects arrested last week, officials said.
The investigation began on June 16 when authorities responded to a report of reckless driving in Stafford after a vehicle veered off the road and struck a road sign, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies located the vehicle at a Wawa convenience store and detained two suspects: Louis Conely and an unidentified 17-year-old.
Both were found with unopened alcoholic beverages and a tray of food stolen from a Buffalo Wild Wings visible on the vehicle’s dashboard, authorities said. The pair allegedly admitted to stealing the food tray from the restaurant. As deputies searched the vehicle, they found opened alcoholic beverages, multiple knives, medical items and a notebook detailing a murder plot.
Conely, 19, owned the notebook, authorities said. Investigators revealed that the evidence showed the pair had developed two detailed murder plots against the underage suspect's family.
In April, they allegedly sent text messages planning the murders of the 17-year-old’s parents inside their home, discussing how to avoid security cameras and debating whether to shoot the parents or slit their throats, Fox 5 DC reported.
FOUR DEAD AND 29 SHOT IN CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE AS LEADERS TOUT CRIME PROGRESS
A search of the underage teen's bedroom uncovered multiple BB guns, edged weapons and archery equipment, according to charging documents obtained by the news outlet.
Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive.
Conely faces a slew of charges, including two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of felony written threats, petit larceny, unlawful purchase of an alcoholic beverage, drinking while operating a motor vehicle, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance, hit-and-run and reckless driving. Conely was held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
The younger teen is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of felony written threats, and is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
It was not immediately clear how Conely and the teen knew each other.