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Ex-Fauci top advisor indicted over alleged COVID cover-up, hidden emails
The Justice Department is accusing a longtime senior advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci of using his private email to hide communication about the COVID-19 virus from public view while helping to shape the narrative about its origins.
David M. Morens, 78, who served for years as a top advisor within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), was indicted and is accused of using his personal email account to evade federal transparency laws and shield key discussions from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, according to a DOJ indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege that Morens conspired with others during the pandemic to hide communications related to a controversial coronavirus research grant that involved collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. The grant was later terminated amid scrutiny over whether COVID-19 may have originated from a lab leak.
The indictment alleges that Morens and his associates deliberately moved conversations off official government systems and onto private email accounts to keep them from public disclosure. The communications allegedly included internal discussions about COVID research, efforts to influence funding decisions, and exchanges related to messaging on the virus’s origins.
FAUCI HOLDS 'DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR' ROLE AT DC UNIVERSITY BUT HASN'T TAUGHT ONE CLASS: REPORT
The indictment also alleges that Morens played a behind-the-scenes role in relaying information to senior agency leadership, who in turn briefed the White House, Congress and the public during the pandemic.
Federal prosecutors also claim that Morens received gifts from a collaborator — including wine and offers of high-end meals — and later took steps to justify those perks by contributing to a scientific publication supporting the theory that COVID-19 emerged naturally rather than from the Wuhan lab.
Morens did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A spokesperson for the National Institutes of Health also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Morens previously faced scrutiny from House lawmakers over emails related to COVID-era communications. During congressional testimony, he said he regretted the tone of certain messages and described some remarks as "black humor."
The charges include conspiracy, destruction and concealment of federal records and related offenses. Morens faces decades in prison if convicted.
The case is likely to intensify scrutiny of how federal health officials handled key questions during the pandemic, particularly debates over the virus’s origins.
Mike Johnson faces revolt from GOP privacy hawks threatening to kill FISA renewal as deadline looms
House GOP leadership is struggling to win over GOP privacy hawks as lawmakers race to extend a powerful government surveillance program ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
The House Rules Committee on Tuesday postponed consideration of a rule teeing up a chamber-wide vote on an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as Republicans remain sharply divided over the program.
The plan would renew the spy law for three years while enacting new penalties for abuses of FISA searches. The measure, however, stops short of incorporating a warrant requirement desired by GOP privacy hawks, who want the adoption of tougher privacy guardrails.
The postponed committee action raises doubts about whether House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can pass an extension of the law before it lapses on April 30.
HOUSE VOTE ON 'VERY SIMILAR' SPENDING BILL EXPECTED FRIDAY MORNING, GOP LAWMAKER SAYS
The mounting obstacles to passing a FISA renewal in the House could also allow the Senate to act first and force the lower chamber to swallow whatever it passes. The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on a three-year extension bill later on Tuesday.
Democrats on the House Rules Committee blasted Republicans for indefinitely postponing consideration of the measure after punting a previously scheduled Tuesday morning meeting to take up the procedural measure. The panel initially adjourned on Monday evening after an hours-long session to allow for more time for Republicans to reach a deal.
"After waiting around all night for Republicans to make a deal — with themselves — on a procedural rule for the week, Democrats showed up to the Rules Committee for an 8 a.m. meeting," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., wrote on social media. "Unsurprisingly, when we showed up, we were told there is still no deal.
"Their chaos is only matched by their incompetence," he added.
The stalled rule also delays consideration of a budget blueprint to fund immigration enforcement and a sweeping bill authorizing agriculture and nutrition priorities known as the farm bill, which GOP leadership is hoping to pass on the floor this week.
House conservatives, who voted down two previous proposals offered by GOP leadership, have so far withheld their support for reauthorizing Section 702 absent reforms.
JOHNSON FACES GOP REVOLT OVER WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE POWERS AHEAD OF KEY VOTE
The spy tool allows the government to surveil foreigners abroad who use U.S. platforms even when those communications involve Americans. A mix of conservatives and progressives have long advocated for changes to the program to force intelligence officials to obtain a warrant prior to reviewing Americans’ data.
Several conservative lawmakers on Monday criticized leadership’s proposal as a minor reworking of the original 18-month extension bill that failed on the House floor.
"Really what we're doing is taking existing law improvements based on two years ago, making some improvements on penalties and on some FISA transparency… but not going further with respect to warrant protections for American citizens on warrantless surveillance," Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a key member of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC), said during debate on the measure in the House Rules Committee.
HFC members have sought to add a warrant requirement and language banning a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to the bill — policies they say are critical to winning their votes.
"Even as we are working to right the wrongs and abuses of FISA, it is important we permanently ban what would be the ultimate surveillance tool against our fellow citizens, a central bank digital currency," Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
The Trump administration has pushed for a clean reauthorization of the program, citing the law’s critical national security role. Proponents of the spy law have hailed its ability to gather intelligence that has stopped potential terrorist attacks and drug trafficking.
Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, a notable GOP privacy hawk, offered his support for the three-year FISA extension during a post on social media last week.
"Collectively, this set of reforms provides robust privacy protections for American citizens. Congress should bank this win and reauthorize Section 702," Davidson said. "Then, we should swiftly begin gutting the unmitigated surveillance state left growing unchecked during these 702 fights."
House Democratic leadership previewed their objections to Republicans’ FISA reauthorization plan on Monday. Widespread Democratic opposition means Johnson could afford to spare just a handful of GOP defections during a critical procedural vote that could occur as early as Tuesday afternoon.
"This surveillance mechanism could be abused by the likes of individuals like Kash Patel and the acting attorney general," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during a news conference Monday. "These people have weaponized the criminal justice system, and they simply cannot be trusted to protect the privacy and the civil liberties of the American people."
Pro wrestling star Steph De Lander reveals how colleague’s advice helped lead her to title triumph at ACW
Pro wrestling star Steph De Lander spent two years on the shelf with a serious neck injury that required multiple surgeries and nearly derailed her career.
Last month, De Lander made her triumphant return to the ring. She appeared in Awesome Championship Wrestling (ACW) and was put in a triple-threat match against Indi Hartwell and J-Rod for the ACW Women’s Championship. When the dust cleared, De Lander was the one wearing the title around her waist.
"It felt awesome because there’s nothing like wrestling," she told Fox News Digital when asked about her return. "There’s nothing like throwing yourself at the ground. There’s nothing like being body-slammed, right? I hadn’t been through that for so long. Initially, I was nervous about how my body was going to feel, how I was going to hold up. Is it going to hurt more than it did before? But it’s like riding a bike. Everyone says it but it’s so true.
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"As soon as I got back in the ring, as soon as I took my first bump, as soon as I took some hits, my body was just lit up in the best way. I hadn’t felt the physicality that you don’t get from anything else. I hadn’t felt that for so long. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. I’m in the phase right now of loving getting beaten up, loving getting back in the ring. My body feels great, and I definitely felt back in my element."
De Lander described getting involved in ACW as a bit of a whirlwind.
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She said she was going to manage her husband, the pro wrestler known as Mance Warner, in a different company before WWE star Matt Cardona gave her some poignant advice.
"It was actually Matt Cardona that messaged me and was like, ‘Hey, are you wrestling this weekend? Are you cleared to wrestle yet?’ I was like, I’m cleared by I got a booking to manage Mance at a different company. And he was like, ‘Look, if you just left because you said you wanted to wrestle, you need to wrestle this weekend.’ He was like, ‘There’s an ACW show you should reach out.’ And I was like, they actually reached out to me a couple of days ago and asked if I was available, and I wasn’t," she recalled.
"After chatting with Matt, that basically made me realize this is the opportunity to have an awesome return match at a great company. Start a run at ACW. I didn’t know I was going to be winning the championship, but I just thought this would be an awesome first match back. Having my best friend Indi Hartwell in the match, it felt very poetic."
She pulled out of the show and eventually became the new ACW women’s champion, beating Hartwell who came into the match as the titleholder.
De Lander will be back in action for ACW on May 16 for Reckoning. The event will take place at the MJN Center in Poughkeepsie, New York.
WWE STAR RHEA RIPLEY DROP KICKS FANS CRITICAL OF FEMALE WRESTLERS
She will be in a tag team match with Hartwell. The two will go up against Lady Frost and Vicious Vicki.
"Indi and I have been best friends for 10 years. Our careers have paralleled each other the entire time. We worked together at WWE; we worked together at TNA," De Lander told Fox News Digital. "We worked together on the independents in Australia, in America. We keep finding ourselves coming back together. This is another one of those situations. Despite the fact that I beat her for her championship, I think we both have a mutual understanding of what needs to be done.
"Lady Frost is coming in for the first time at ACW so that’s a wildcard. We don’t really know what to expect to see. But yeah I think it’ll be a hard-hitting match. I think it’ll be very entertaining and exciting. Indi and I have had a lot of time together as a team. We know what we’re doing in the ring. We’ll see if we know what they’re doing, but I’m anticipating a big fight. That’s for sure."
De Lander said it was a true delight to be able to work with her best friend, and even her husband, over the last several years.
"It’s awesome. You couldn’t write it. I’ve been lucky in my career to be able to work with a lot of my close friends," she said. "Tagging with Indi is awesome. Getting to work alongside Matt Cardona for so long was great. Getting to work with my husband Mance Warner has been awesome too. I’ve had a lot of scenarios where I’ve been able to work really closely with people that I’m close with in real life as well, and oftentimes, that chemistry does translate. It really is a dream come true."
With Warner winning the REVOLER World Championship over the weekend, De Lander said she and her husband have their eyes on more gold.
"Oh, it’s awesome. He’s been back on this new indie run for maybe a month and he’s already won the IWTV World Championship and now the REVOLVER World Championship," she said.
"Between the two of us, I mean, we’re gonna have to get some new display cases because we seem to be collecting gold left and right and I don’t think we’re gonna stop anytime soon."
Jacob Fatu hits Roman Reigns with the Tongan death grip, Seth Rollins calls out Bron Breakker
Roman Reigns walked out of WrestleMania 42 with the World Heavyweight Championship earlier this month, but it wasn’t long before a new challenger emerged with his eyes set on gold.
Jacob Fatu made clear on the following "Monday Night Raw" last week that he was gunning for his first world title. Reigns told him that he had to think about it and that Fatu had to prove that he was worthy of a shot at the championship. Fatu followed up by not only beating Solo Sikoa on "Friday Night SmackDown," but taking out the entire MFT faction along with him.
Entering Raw this week, Reigns was in a segment deliberating with Jey and Jimmy Uso about what he should do about the "Samoan Werewolf." Jimmy Uso said that Fatu’s pursuit of greatness and what comes along with shouldn’t "come at the cost" of Reigns. Jey Uso warned that Fatu was "dangerous."
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The power struggle came to a head later in the night as Reigns and Fatu met in the ring.
Reigns said he put the World Heavyweight Championship "in the main event" and that he made the title "relevant." Then, Fatu came out to address Reigns, who said he was hoping that Fatu "made the right choice" to unite the Bloodline and "not divide it."
"You said you gave me a week, I didn’t need a week. I didn’t need a day. Hell, I didn’t even need an hour to think about it. I know exactly what I wanted when I came out here last Monday," Fatu said. "I didn’t stutter, I didn’t hesitate when I told you I didn’t want that title, but I need that title."
Fatu said Reigns must have been "stuck" in his own main event mania and that Reigns didn’t "grind" like him to get to where he is.
"But it ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish," he continued. "And it got me standing here right now in front of your a--. Before WWE, you didn’t call me, Jimmy didn’t call me, Jey didn’t call me, but you know who did call me? Solo called me. Solo gave me a chance. Solo is the one who put me on since I got here."
Reigns suggested that Sikoa had nothing to do with Fatu’s arrival in WWE, saying "Solo couldn’t get a cup of coffee delivered here if he wanted to."
"Who you think runs this place?" Reigns asked rhetorically. "The ‘OTC’ runs this place. And yeah, I’ve been a little distracted. Things get a little hectic around here. But I never forgot about you and I’m the one that signed off on your a--. But you’re over here a little confused, sounding like a fool to me.
"You don’t deserve it. You haven’t earned it. Me allowing you to compete against me, that’s nepotism. I can’t do that."
Reigns didn’t finish his thought before Fatu attacked him with a Tongan death grip to the face.
"I’m going to take everything, everything from you," Fatu vowed.
Reigns then accepted Fatu’s challenge.
Later, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque announced the World Heavyweight Championship bout for Backlash – the next premium live event on the WWE calendar.
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Monday Night "Rollins"
Seth Rollins opened the show addressing Bron Breakker, who cost him a win over Gunther at WrestleMania. Rollins responded with attacks on Breakker and his Vision stablemates last week.
Rollins and Breakker bickered over who was responsible for Breakker’s success. Rollins wondered how it benefited Breakker in the end. Breakker responded that he didn’t need Rollins to climb to the top of the mountain, he wanted Paul Heyman.
"You needed us," Breakker said emphatically.
Rollins said he saw the potential in Breakker, and Heyman asked him to take Breakker under his wing as Breakker made his way from NXT to the Raw roster.
"Look at you, Breakker, you’ve got it all. And I’ve been here for 14 years. I have seen athletes from every single discipline come in here," Rollins said. "They are big, they are strong, they are fast, but you are unique. You are the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, the most versatile performer I have ever seen in the 14 years that I’ve been with this company. You have got everything, everything to be the next big star in this industry. Everything except the most important thing (points to his head).
"I know better than anybody what it means to be a 28-year-old young cat full of p--- and vinegar coming into this company thinking the business owes you something, not wanting to wait for nobody. I know better than anybody what it means to bet on yourself, to take chances, to make decisions, hard decisions that people aren’t going to be happy with. I know. But the difference between you and me is that you try, I succeed. You try, I succeed, and you know why? Let me just paint a few pictures for you. Every time I bet on myself, it ended in a main event or a world championship. You bet on yourself, what did it get you? It got you Austin Theory and Logan Paul."
Rollins plainly stated that Breakker was "not ready" for the big time just yet.
"I’m not ready? That’s the narrative you want to go with?" Breakker said. "I hate to break it to you, superstar, but before all this was a thing, I was well on my way to becoming a main-eventer with or without you. I didn’t need you or your help or anything. And you want to blame me for you losing the World Heavyweight Championship? That’s fine. The truth is: your body can’t handle it, your mind is too brittle, and your shoulder can’t handle the weight of a strap on it anymore."
Breakker then singed Rollins with being the best at "being No. 2." Rollins responded that Breakker "wasn’t even No. 2 in your own family."
Rollins said he would give Breakker the opportunity for a match at Backlash. Levesque made it official later in the night.
Other notes
Levesque also booked Iyo Sky vs. Asuka for Backlash. Asuka interrupted Sky’s Women’s Intercontinental Championship match against Becky Lynch, keeping their monthslong feud hot. The two Japanese women’s wrestling icons will now do battle at the next major event.
Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez attacked Stephanie Vaquer in the back. Michael Cole later said on the broadcast that Vaquer was dealt with a "sprained AC joint" and could be out "for a bit."
Paul and Theory interrupted Joe Hendry’s concert during the show and attacked him, seemingly starting a feud with Raw’s newest call-up.
Match results
Penta def. Rusev
Becky Lynch def. Iyo Sky to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Rey Mysterio def. El Grande Americano
Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez def. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.
State Department urges Americans to avoid Mexican city just across Texas border
The State Department warned Americans to avoid a city in Mexico just over the border from Texas after receiving reports of "violent criminal activity."
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico said U.S. government employees have been ordered to stay away from the area of Reynosa, a city of about 700,000 residents located near McAllen, Texas.
"U.S. Consulate Matamoros has received reports of violent criminal activity including roadblocks in Reynosa," it said in the advisory, urging any Americans there to "be aware of your surroundings," maintain "a high level of vigilance" and to "keep a low profile."
The McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge links Reynosa to Texas. The State Department has issued a "Level 2 - Exercise increased caution" for all of Mexico, but in Tamaulipas state – where Reynosa is located – that risk is elevated to "Level: 4 - Do not travel," due to "terrorism, crime and kidnapping."
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"There is a risk of violence in the state from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations," the State Department said.
"Organized crime activity is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria. It includes gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault," it added.
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The State Department advisory noted that U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents "have been victims of kidnapping."
"Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol the state, especially along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo," it also warned. "They act without fear of punishment in these areas, and local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to crime."
Cubs' Venezuelan tank jumps into Rookie of the Year conversation while raking the baseball
The Chicago Cubs' lineup is filled with names that the eyes of every baseball fan immediately turn their attention to. When Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Seya Suzuki make up your core, it's easy to overlook others, but Moisés Ballesteros is making it impossible to pass over his name.
The 22-year-old Venezuelan has been punishing baseballs in 2026. Ballesteros' presence at the plate is not only presenting a good problem for Chicago manager Craig Counsell, who needs to find him at-bats, but he's also very loudly entered the conversation for National League Rookie of the Year.
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Ballesteros appeared in 20 games for the Cubs a season ago, and looking back on things, he gave the world a bit of a preview of what may come in 2026 by hitting .298 and driving in 11 runs in 57 at-bats. But he has taken a ginormous leap so far this season.
While the sample size is still small with just 69 plate appearances this season, his numbers are eye-popping: .387 batting average, five home runs, 16 RBIs, 12 runs and an OPS of 1.144. If you narrow things down to just his last seven games, his batting average jumps to .444 across 18 total at-bats.
The Cubs' Monday night contest against the San Diego Padres presented a new challenge for Ballesteros as he made his first start behind the plate. It's fair to say he was comfortable with the added responsibilities, as he launched a grand slam in the top of the third inning on the first pitch he saw.
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The Cubs fell to the Padres 9-7 on Monday and have now lost three games in a row after putting together a 10-game winning streak earlier this month.
Speaking after the contest, Counsell alluded to Ballesteros potentially getting more action behind the plate, but sliding him in as the top designated hitter option isn't too bad of an idea either.
"If things happen, it could be more often," Counsell said, according to The Athletic. "If things don’t happen, it’ll probably just be occasional. But being prepared — if it had to be more — is part of it."
Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya have more or less split time behind the dish this season, and make for a very formidable one-two punch, but getting Ballesteros on the diamond as frequently as possible is a requirement at this point of the proceedings.
Sage Steele says she'd be shocked if Disney disciplines Jimmy Kimmel over Melania Trump jab
Former ESPN host Sage Steele cast doubt on whether Disney will discipline Jimmy Kimmel over his "expectant widow" jab against first lady Melania Trump, saying she would be shocked if the company takes action despite growing backlash.
"I would say it would shock me if they did based on history..." Steele said Monday on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
"Will they? Who knows? Should they? Absolutely."
Steele, who worked for The Walt Disney Company for nearly two decades at ESPN, pointed to her own experience as evidence of what she described as a double standard in how the company handles controversial speech.
She argued that Kimmel’s remarks crossed a line, adding that Disney’s new leadership has an opportunity to take a different approach.
"[CEO Josh D'Amaro] has an opportunity now to reset, to say, 'You know what? Enough is enough. We as a network are not going to contribute to this hateful rhetoric,' and he can drop the hammer now..." she added.
"This is your chance, not just to send a message to Jimmy Kimmel, but to all the other talent, to the executives, and most importantly to [the] American people, to say we are better than this. That was not a joke. It was much worse than that. Everybody knows it, it is time, and I hope the new CEO does it the right way."
Steele's remarks came after Kimmel quipped that the first lady had a "glow" like an "expectant widow" during a Thursday night sketch.
TRUMP WHITE HOUSE UNLOADS ON KIMMEL, CALLING HIM 'DERANGED' AND FOR HIM TO BE FIRED
The joke went viral on social media in the wake of Saturday's attack at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner, which federal authorities say involved an armed man trying to storm the event while targeting President Donald Trump and top Cabinet officials.
Kimmel rejected the criticism and attempted to clear the air during Monday's monologue:
"This was Thursday, and there was no big reaction to it until this morning when I greeted the day facing yet another Twitter vomit storm...," the ABC late-night host said.
"[This] obviously was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they were together."
He continued, "It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he's almost 80, and she's younger than I am. It was not, by any stretch of the definition, a call to assassination — and they know that."
"I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular, but I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house."
Neither ABC nor its parent company, Disney, responded to Fox News Digital's prior requests for comment regarding the matter.
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Jason Aldean says he and wife Brittany ‘agree to disagree’ after 11 years of marriage as they team up for duet
Jason Aldean wears many hats, but family man tops the list.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the country music star — who released his latest album, "Songs About Us," last week — opened up building and maintaining a healthy relationship with wife, Brittany, explained why the pair finally decided to collaborate on a song for the album, and shared how his family inspired him to write and produce a deeply personal record.
"It's all over the board," Aldean said of his album. "It's love songs, it's heartache songs, it's all of it. It's just things that we all kind of experience on a daily basis and definitely that I'm experiencing at the moment. That's kind of the meaning behind all of this."
One major theme in his life: his 11-year marriage to Brittany. While the pair are "best friends," said Aldean, it's not uncommon to have occasional disagreements.
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"I just think that sometimes you realize that you're just not always going to see eye-to-eye on things," Aldean said. "There are certain things that she's never going to see where I'm coming from and vice versa, right? And you just kind of have to go with it. Agree to disagree."
"But once you learn to kind of let go of that stuff instead of like let it just sit there and bother you all day... it's like, 'Yeah, we're never going to see eye-to-eye on this, so let's keep moving.'"
The couple, who wed in 2015, share two children together: son, Memphis, 8, and daughter, Navy, 7. Aldean is also dad to two other children, Keeley, 23, and Kendyl, 18, whom he shares with ex-wife, Jessica Ussery.
BRITTANY ALDEAN SAYS TRUMP WILL DO ‘GREAT THINGS’ FOR AMERICA, ‘TIDE IS TURNING’
"I just feel like we've always been super tight. I mean we're best friends," Aldean said of his relationship with Brittany. "I feel like that's why it works. We are super supportive of each other, whether it be my business ventures or her business ventures or whatever the case may be. I think she's turned into a great business-minded person. She's a great mom and all the things."
"When you're first getting married and getting together, you're just like, 'Well, this is fun.' And then as time goes on, it's like, she's kind of figured out her place in all this," he continued. "Because it was a big adjustment for her, you know, us getting married and her coming into a relationship where I have this established career and her trying to figure out how she kind of fits into all that."
"To see how she's handled that has been amazing. Where we're at now is, we have this amazing family, amazing life and careers, and it's just, it's been awesome."
Throughout their marriage, Aldean and Brittany — an entrepreneur and founder of Vada fragrance — hadn't found the right opportunity to collaborate professionally until now.
Earlier this year, the pair released their first duet, "Easier Gone."
"It was something we've always talked about," said Aldean. "It'd be cool to do this if the right song came along, that was always my thing. Because, you know, I always feel like the song has to come in. And then you kind of figure out who goes on it versus going, 'Hey, let's you and I do a song!'"
"And a lot of times, I feel like with husbands and wives doing songs, it could go one of two ways. It's either really cheesy or it could be cool," he continued. "I've seen it both ways. So, I wanted to be really selective about what we did and for it to still be kind of on brand with me and my music and what I do."
After some discussion, the couple decided against pursuing a "sappy love song" and went for something completely opposite.
"I tend to do more of those kind of songs anyway, the heartache and heartbreak type of songs," said Aldean. "We took Brittany into the studio and she crushed it, did great."
"I think I turned more into like producer mode at that point," he continued. "She had never been in the studio and never really gone in and done that... And then as she was in there getting it figured out, she just started doing stuff that was kind of blowing me away. It was a really cool experience for me, not only as the artist but as her husband and just kind of watching her do that."
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Another song that hits the heartstrings is a track titled, "Help You Remember" — a tune about the pain one feels while watching a loved one suffer from memory loss.
"It was just such a different kind of song," said Aldean, who has multiple family members who are suffering or have suffered from dementia. "I feel like a lot of times for us, we put an album out and the fans want to hear ‘My Kind of Party’ or 'She's Country,' or like those kind of things. I put a song like this out, it's a little bit outside the box for us, but at the same time, it was a little bit of a therapeutic thing for us to write."
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"After we started playing it for everybody, it was like, they would just tear up and start crying. It was hitting home with them. And you start figuring out that, man, there's a lot of people out there that are dealing with this kind of thing, whether it be dementia, Alzheimer's, whatever it is. And it's just, it's heartbreaking to watch."
With 12 studio albums under his belt, Aldean credits his success to one thing: authenticity.
"I think you have to be authentic. That's the only way it works," he said. "Some people are gonna like that and some people aren't. I'm never gonna make a fan out of everybody that's out there. It's never gonna happen. And I know that. That's not what I'm trying to do."
"I'm not trying to make a fan out of everybody I have a fan base that likes what I do. That's what I play for, and I feel like they know me, they know what I'm saying, who I am. It doesn't affect the way I go about my day or my business or how I release a record or what I say during a show or what kind of music I'm gonna record or whatever the case may be. If it feels good, and I like it, then that's what we're going to do."
Rep Cory Mills draws first Republican challenger as sexual misconduct allegations, expulsion threat mount
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., a scandal-plagued lawmaker facing bipartisan calls to resign, drew a GOP challenger Tuesday who threatens to scramble his re-election bid.
Ryan Elijah, a veteran former news anchor for FOX 35 Orlando, is launching a bid for Mills’ central Florida House seat, vowing to defeat the embattled incumbent in the Sunshine State’s August primary.
Elijah told Fox News Digital that Republican voters should have an alternative to Mills, who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations, among other improprieties.
"People in the Seventh District want another choice," Elijah said in an interview.
RESIGNATION IS THE NEW ESCAPE HATCH AS LAWMAKERS FACE EXPULSION
Elijah called the allegations against Mills "serious" and said the House Ethics Committee should continue its investigation into the incumbent’s alleged misconduct. The panel announced last week that its only active investigation related to "sexual misconduct and/or dating violence" is the Mills probe.
The committee has not indicated when it plans to wrap up its investigation into Mills, which began in November.
Mills allegedly threatened to release nude images and videos of an ex-girlfriend after their relationship ended, leading a judge to bar him from contacting that individual. He was also involved in an alleged domestic violence incident that drew a police response in Washington, D.C., last year.
The incumbent has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
"I've never been indicted for anything," Mills told Fox News last week. "Everything has just been an accusation, allegation."
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Elijah, a 20-year Florida resident, said he decided to challenge Mills after receiving "overwhelming support" from community leaders in the district to jump into the race.
He also characterized Mills as vulnerable in a general election setting who could put the GOP in danger of losing the Republican-leaning district in November’s midterm elections. Democrats are notably targeting Mills’ seat as a top flip opportunity in the Sunshine State.
"There's obviously a chance we could lose the seat," Elijah said, if Mills is the Republican nominee.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report downgraded Mills’ re-election bid from "solid" to "likely" Republican in February.
Mills’ campaign entered April with just over $115,000 in the bank and is more than $2 million in debt, according to recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.
Former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton, Mills’ leading Democratic challenger, ended 2026’s first fundraising quarter with $464,000 in cash on hand.
Mills is running for a third House term with President Donald Trump's endorsement, which can be consequential in competitive GOP primaries.
Elijah said he would still vie for the president’s support.
"I'm not going against the president's endorsement or even going against the party. I'm going for both of those," Elijah told Fox News Digital. "Right now, I'm just focused on getting out of the gate and just talking to people, and we'll see where those chips fall."
Mills is also facing a potential expulsion threat from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has yet to force a vote on her removal measure.
Three House members facing misconduct allegations resigned from Congress earlier in April to avoid potential expulsion votes. Those lawmakers were former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla.
Mace’s measure accuses Mills of misrepresenting his military service and of illicit involvement in federal contracts as a sitting lawmaker, in addition to alleged sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.
"This guy has no place in Congress, especially if you're a woman, especially if you're a military vet, what he's done is shameful, and at some point we have to take responsibility for ourselves," Mace told Fox News on Monday. "If we're going to hold the left accountable, we’ve got to hold the right accountable too."
Asked whether Mills should resign, Elijah said members of Congress could force the issue.
"There's been a lot of calls for him to resign. He obviously decided he wasn't going to," Elijah said. "He was going to fight it out at this point. So I think his fate is in the hands of Congress."
Fox News Digital reached out to Mills’ campaign for comment.
FBI raids Minneapolis childcare facilities, part of sweeping fraud investigation
Federal authorities raided more than 20 locations, including childcare facilities, in Minneapolis on Tuesday as part of a sweeping fraud investigation into largely Somali-owned businesses, sources confirmed to Fox News.
"Today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation," a Department of Justice spokesperson said.
Authorities executed 22 federal search warrants in Minnesota on Tuesday morning as part of the operation, which is not immigration-related, sources said.
The raids center on federal fraud investigations into largely Somali-owned businesses, including childcare facilities that registered their daycare with the state but were allegedly billing for care that was not provided.
MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL: SIXTH FAMILY MEMBER WHO MET WITH AG ELLISON SET TO PLEAD GUILTY
Sources told Fox News that two of the raids were conducted at the Quality Learning Center and Baby Halimo Child Care, both in Minneapolis.
Vice President JD Vance addressed the raids in a post on X, writing, "The task force and the DOJ will be relentless in exposing these fraudsters wherever they may be hiding."
The Quality Learning Center received national attention after blogger Nick Shirley visited several childcare addresses only to find an assortment of vacant or non-operational storefronts, closed businesses or angry Somali occupants who refused to answer questions or entertain the pair’s mock efforts to "register" a child with the supposed daycare.
TRUMP ADMIN SCORES MINNESOTA COURT WIN IN MEDICAID FRAUD CRACKDOWN
Minnesota has been under the spotlight for years for Medicaid fraud, including a massive $300 million pandemic fraud case involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. It drew renewed national attention in 2025 as convictions piled up and the state became a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s broader "war on fraud."
In 2022, during former President Joe Biden’s administration, 47 people were charged. As of December, 57 people have been convicted, either because they pleaded guilty or lost at trial. Most of the defendants are of Somali descent.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz and Ashley Oliver, along with The Associated Press contributed to this report.