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Jerry Seinfeld turns tables on radical anti-Israel agitators after chaotic Chicago stunt backfires
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld turned the tables on anti-Israel hecklers who attempted to derail his Chicago performance last Friday, mocking the protesters as security removed them from the venue.
Viral video from the confrontation shows activists shouting at Seinfeld at the Chicago Theatre, accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and alleging that American taxpayer dollars are funding the deaths of thousands of civilians.
"Twenty-two thousand Palestinians who are children now are killed with our taxpayer money, and you’re making jokes!" a woman shouted in clips posted online.
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Seinfeld then dances on stage and mocks the protesters with sarcastic remarks, calling himself "racist" and saying, "It’s a genocide. I’m into it." He also joked that he would find out how much the protesters paid for their tickets and send the money directly to Israel.
As security personnel escorted the demonstrators out of the auditorium, one audience member shouted, "Rough her up!"
The Anti-War Committee Chicago and the Chicago branch of the US Palestinian Community Network have taken credit for organizing the disruption, writing on Instagram, "Friday’s disruption sent a clear message: Those who defend Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza and throughout Palestine will be met with protest and are not welcome on Chicago’s stages without opposition."
COMEDIAN DECLARES JERRY SEINFELD 'UNCANCELLABLE' DESPITE 'WOKE' ANTI-ISRAEL FESTIVAL BOYCOTT
Fox News Digital reached out to Seinfeld’s team for comment but did not hear back.
The altercation is the latest in a string of protests targeting the 72-year-old Jewish comedian over his staunch defense of Israel.
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Comedian and media analyst Tim Young told Fox News Digital he believes protesters are paying top dollar to hijack comedy shows for viral attention rather than political discourse.
"They know that once they start yelling, everyone will whip their cameras out, and it is a very direct interaction and maybe one of the only direct interactions protesters get to have with celebrities and with the internet," Young said.
"If you are in a very intimate environment where everyone is quiet, listening to one person, you will be heard. And, so, that's what they're taking advantage of here."
Young compared the disruptions at Seinfeld's shows to protests at political rallies, arguing that some activists are willing to pay steep ticket prices to confront the comedian.
"It seems like people are going to Jerry Seinfeld's shows like they're going to a Trump rally to protest," Young said. "They wanted to get Jerry's attention. They want to, for some reason, they're very, very adamant on getting him to react to the Israel-Palestine conflict."
Young also linked the disruptions to Seinfeld's past criticism of performing at universities.
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"It's why Jerry doesn't like to go and perform at college campuses. And he said he hates performing at college campuses specifically for that reason," Young said.
"He doesn't want to get into the political thing. He doesn't want to have protesters yelling back and forth with him. It's a waste of the rest of the audience's time, and he knows that."
In May 2024, dozens of students walked out during Seinfeld's commencement address at Duke University, some holding Palestinian flags.
Seinfeld returned to the university in September 2025 to introduce freed Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov at a campus event, where he addressed anti-Israel protests, saying, "Free Palestine is, to me, just — you’re free to say you don’t like Jews. Just say you don’t like Jews."
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"By saying ‘Free Palestine,’ you’re not admitting what you really think," he said. "So, it’s actually — compared to the Ku Klux Klan, I’m actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here because they can come right out and say, ‘We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews.’ OK, that’s honest."
Seinfeld also faced controversy overseas last month when several European acts withdrew from the inaugural MEO Commedia a La Carte Fest in Lisbon, Portugal, where he is scheduled to headline later this year.
The acts did not name Seinfeld directly in their withdrawal statements, but some cited concerns about the Israel-Gaza conflict. One performer said someone involved in the festival defended ideas they considered indefensible.
Young, who previously dismissed efforts to cancel Seinfeld over his support for Israel, argued that protesters target the billionaire comedian because of his influence and celebrity status.
"This is all about control. It's all about power. And it's all about the left having power over these very influential and powerful people," Young said. "And they’re not having it."
Trump admin sued over alleged illegal collection of sensitive voter data from 47 states
The Trump administration is being sued over its efforts to collect and analyze sensitive voter data from across the country.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, alleges the Department of Homeland Security has obtained voter files from at least 47 states and handled the data in a way that violates federal law.
DHS' secretive probe of the voter data, which includes a policy to combine it with commercial datasets, ignores federal safeguards and the privacy rights of millions of Americans, the lawsuit says.
The case was brought by the League of Women Voters, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the League of United Latin American Citizens and is the latest legal challenge to President Donald Trump's efforts to combat noncitizen voting.
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The president has purported repeatedly argued that noncitizen voting poses a serious threat to election integrity, although studies and prosecutions have found documented instances of noncitizens casting ballots to be rare.
The administration has repeatedly sought a greater federal role in voter eligibility and election administration, areas traditionally overseen primarily by states under the Constitution and federal law.
Federal courts have repeatedly rejected administration efforts to compel states to turn over voter information.
The new lawsuit alleges the administration has obtained and processed voter records from at least 47 states, even though officials in 30 states have previously refused federal demands to turn over voter information.
The complaint urges the court to declare the administration's collection of voter data illegal, block DHS' policy and order the agency to delete and stop using the voter information it has already obtained.
The lawsuit comes less than three weeks before Election Day, and the administration continues to pressure states, alleging they are not doing enough to purge noncitizens from their voter rolls.
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The administration sued California election officials on Thursday, arguing they failed to act quickly enough to review names the federal government identified as "likely" noncitizens. The Justice Department asked a judge to block the state from counting mail-in ballots from those individuals unless their eligibility can be confirmed.
The California secretary of state's office said it was given only 48 hours to review roughly 20,000 names and said the federal government had not provided the underlying evidence or methodology supporting its claims.
The Justice Department's lawsuit, however, says U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted a "multiagency and multilevel review" and determined with "high confidence" that roughly 20,000 people on California's voter rolls were likely noncitizens.
DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrat's debate 'cue cards' steal spotlight in high-stakes Senate clash
Alaska Democratic Senate hopeful Mary Peltola faced ridicule Thursday night after her use of notecards during a debate with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan drew mocking responses from GOP critics — including a pointed jab from her incumbent opponent.
Sullivan is in an unusually close race with Peltola, a former congresswoman, that is further complicated by another candidate with his same name but a different middle initial, as Republicans fight to hold their narrow Senate majority.
"Really, Mary? Reading off a script? You can't cue-card your way through the Senate," Sullivan wrote on X after Peltola appeared to have a notecard-sized paper with bullet points that she looked down at for several seconds while responding to earlier questions.
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The criticism quickly became a flashpoint in the candidates' debate-night exchanges, with Republican commentators seizing on Peltola's apparent use of prepared notes.
"Mary, blink twice if you are okay. It seems you can't string a sentence together without reading from the talking points your Lower 48 handlers wrote you," NRSC official Joanna Rodriguez posted on X.
Another social media user took aim at Peltola's apparent reliance on notes even while discussing personal details.
"Mary Peltola can't read her name or that she's a grandmother without needing a cue card," the user wrote, adding a laughing emoji.
After Peltola appeared to read from her card another time, Sullivan cut in that he had a question for the moderators.
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"We weren't supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?" he asked the debate moderators.
"No sir," Alaska's News Source reporter Wil Courtney replied. "Absolutely not," added Alaska Public Media chief editor Lori Townsend.
"OK," Sullivan said. "I’m just watching my opponent."
Peltola defended herself, interjecting that she was better "prepared."
The Republican Party's research arm hit back on X, highlighting a clip of Peltola appearing to read from her card:
"Mary Peltola — who did not introduce a single bill to help Alaska fisherman during her first term in Congress — has to read off of a script when talking about Alaska's fishing industry," the party tweeted.
The debate also turned personal when Sullivan confronted Peltola over allegations that she mistreated former staffers, citing reporting by The New York Times and claiming that 25 employees had quit while working for her.
Peltola rejected the allegations as "outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth," arguing that the election should not be about her "worst day."
The heated exchange prompted moderators to call for decorum and warn that microphones could be shut off if the candidates continued interrupting one another. Sullivan maintained that the allegations reflected a pattern of behavior, while Peltola accused her opponent of exploiting the controversy for political gain.
The candidates also faced questions over Alaska's long-discussed liquefied natural gas pipeline after moderators reported South Korea had not committed to investing in the project despite President Donald Trump's public promotion of a potential deal.
Sullivan defended the administration's efforts, arguing Seoul had committed funding through a broader trade agreement while acknowledging that the specific investment amount remained under negotiation.
DEM SENATE HOPEFUL VOWS TO UNLEASH ALASKA OIL — BUT HER RECORD TELLS A DIFFERENT STORY
Peltola also expressed support for the pipeline but cautioned against raising expectations without firm commitments, saying Alaska should not be "promoting falsehoods that just have no substance."
Both candidates emphasized the project's economic potential, although the exchange exposed uncertainty over whether promised foreign investment would materialize.
Peltola previously became the first Democrat in decades to represent Alaska in the House after the death of Republican Rep. Don Young, and her Senate candidacy again carries potentially sweeping statewide and national repercussions.
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The showdown comes as Republicans fight to defend their narrow Senate majority, with Sullivan's seat emerging as a major Democratic pickup opportunity in a state President Donald Trump carried in 2024. The Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up, making Alaska one of several battlegrounds that could determine which party controls the chamber in January.
Fox News Digital reached out to Peltola’s campaign for comment.
Denver Broncos survive ugly offensive night to beat Seattle Seahawks 17-14 in overtime
Broncos kicker Wil Lutz drilled a 53-yard field goal in overtime to elevate Denver to a 17-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Seattle got the ball first in sudden death and faced a third-and-7 from its own 28. Sam Darnold tried forcing a throw into double coverage along the sideline, losing sight of Denver cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. McMillian read it the entire way, stepped in front for the pick, and set the Broncos up at Seattle’s 43-yard line.
Broncos HC Sean Payton ran the ball three straight times to milk the clock and center the hash, and Lutz did the rest.
With clock management blunders headlining last week's slate of NFL action, it was refreshing to watch a coach who knows how to properly win a game.
For the first twenty minutes, Payton’s script was dialed to perfection.
Denver dominated time of possession and built a 14-3 halftime lead behind two methodical touchdown drives finished off on short plunges by J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. Then came the second half.
Denver’s offense looked like a unit that had never practiced together. Bo Nix finished the night with only 107 passing yards and zero downfield threat.
Seattle mounted a fierce fourth-quarter comeback, pulling within 14-11 on a George Holani touchdown and a two-point conversion pass from Darnold to Rashid Shaheed. After Denver stalled out again with barely a minute left, Jason Myers nailed a 34-yard field goal with three seconds on the clock to force overtime.
The Broncos managed just 36 yards on eight second-half possessions, racked up three-and-outs, and turned punter Jeremy Crawshaw into the busiest man in Colorado.
If you sat through the final two quarters of that Denver offense, you are owed an apology. The only reason Denver didn't get blown out was Vance Joseph's defense.
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Playing without Patrick Surtain II, Denver’s front seven spent all night hitting Darnold. The Broncos dropped him five times and generated turnovers whenever Seattle threatened to take control. Nik Bonitto stripped wideout Rashid Shaheed in scoring territory, Kris Abrams-Draine pulled down a fourth-quarter interception, and McMillian delivered the dagger in overtime.
Seattle put up 353 total yards and Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 12 passes for 134 yards, but three turnovers wiped it all out.
Bo Nix has plenty to clean up, and Payton gets a 10-day mini-bye before hosting the Arizona Cardinals to figure out how to move the ball past the line of scrimmage. It was ugly, but it counts in the standings as the Broncos move to 4-2, sitting behind undefeated Kansas City.
Denver's defense won a game they had no business winning, and Darnold gave them the assist when it mattered most.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
Brewers officially end Dodgers dynasty with ridiculous 6-4 comeback in game four to complete NLCS sweep
The 2026 NLCS was a complete mismatch, though, not in the way many fans expected.
Despite winning 103 games in the regular season and employing a series of players unexpectedly having the best years out of their career, many believed the Milwaukee Brewers were big underdogs heading into the series. But through the first three games, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who looked like an overmatched small market franchise flailing against the big-budget Brewers.
Milwaukee, riding a combination of impossibly good relief pitching, exceptionally, uh, unexpected outcomes on balls in play, home runs, and a penchant for turning every ball put in play into an out, took a commanding 3-0 series lead into game four on Thursday night.
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In game one, they beat Tarik Skubal 2-1. In game two, they went 6-14 with runners in scoring position without a single hard-hit ball. In game three, they scored five straight runs after falling behind entering the seventh inning to coast home with a 6-2 win.
Game four then, set up an opportunity for Milwaukee to reach their second-ever World Series and first since 1982. For the Dodgers, it was the first of four win-or-go home games to try and save their dynasty and win a third straight championship.
For a few minutes at least, it seemed like they'd cruise toward forcing a game five on Friday night.
Against Milwaukee opener Shane Drohan, the Dodgers put together a quick rally. Kyle Tucker led off with a single, forcing Brewers manager Pat Murphy to go to his bullpen and bring in Dustin May. Teoscar Hernandez singled Tucker to third, and after Max Muncy struck out, Andy Pages finally came through with a runner in scoring position, lacing a single up the middle to give LA a 1-0 lead.
May got Kiké Hernandez to fly out, bringing up the Dodgers' struggling superstar, Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani, who hadn't driven in a run in the postseason, hadn't hit a home run in nearly two months, and had been clearly battling multiple health issues, promptly destroyed a 1-1 pitch at 113 mph and 428 feet to make it 4-0 LA.
You could see how much it meant to Ohtani and the Dodgers with the rare show of emotion afterward.
But as always, in this NLCS, the Brewers superteam offensive machine battled right back. In the fourth, Brice Turang worked a one-out walk, and William Contreras crushed a ground-rule double to left field. Jake Bauers, who until recently was one of the worst hitters in professional baseball, followed it with another ground-rule double to right field. While the Dodgers struggled with runners in scoring position this series, the Milwaukee superteam took advantage of every opportunity. And why not? With superstar players like Bauers and Contreras, who was 9% better than league average offensively in 2026.
In the fifth, they pulled even. Sal Frelick worked a one-out walk, then stole second. The unremarkable offensive player, David Hamilton, continued his exceptional run by driving in Frelick with a single and raising his postseason batting average to .500.
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Two Dodgers relievers, Evan Phillips and Alex Vesia, then walked three straight Milwaukee hitters, including Bauer yet again, to tie the game at 4-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. But that's what unbeatable superteams do, they come back from 4-0 in two innings behind the best players in baseball, Jake Bauers and David Hamilton.
Sure enough, the Brewers untouchable bullpen immediately got to work, getting a shutdown inning as JoJo Romero got Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman in order on just 12 pitches.
In the sixth? The offensive juggernaut sprung into action. Garrett Mitchell, facing elite lefty reliever Tanner Scott, crushed a homer to right field, playing small ball and just making contact instead of trying to hit for power. Mitchell had two home runs against lefties in years worth of major league hitting, then proceeded to hit two homers off of Blake Snell and Tanner Scott in back-to-back nights. The Dodgers 4-0 lead, erased in a few minutes by the unstoppable force of Milwaukee's unbeatable offense.
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In the sixth, the Dodgers got a one-out double from Kyle Tucker, but the Dodgers did what they do best: go hitless with runners in scoring position to waste the opportunity. In the seventh, they did it again. Andy Pages led off the inning with a double against super-reliever Aaron Ashby, and LA played small ball, bunting him to third with one out. Ashby though, wearing the correct uniform, got Ohtani to strike out on three pitches, and Mookie Betts to ground out to shortstop to end the inning. At that point, LA was once again 2-9 with RISP, the Brewers were 2-5.
Amazingly, the Dodgers did it again in the eighth. Will Smith doubled to left, advancing to third on an error from Sal Frelick. Once again, LA had the tying run at third base with just one out, and once again, the single greatest bullpen ever assembled in the history of professional baseball clamped down. Kyle Tucker popped up to center, and Teoscar Hernandez struck out on a ball off the plate by about two and a half feet. 2-11 with RISP. As one Dodgers' commentator wrote, "some of the most pathetic at bats" you'll ever see.
David Hamilton, who, again, is one of the worst hitters in professional baseball, provided the exclamation point with a home run off Edwin Diaz in the ninth inning. Why not? The Dodgers outhit Milwaukee, because of course they did, but when you have stars like Hamilton, nothing actually matters.
Milwaukee's bullpen has allowed just two runs in the entire postseason in almost 40 innings pitched. A unit that had a 3.40 ERA in the regular season has an ERA approaching zero in the playoffs. The Dodgers stranded the tying run at third base in three consecutive innings, and it wasn't even difficult for the single greatest pitcher who's ever lived, Aaron Ashby. Fittingly, in the ninth, Ashby endured a 110-mph out from Tommy Edman and an obliterating 108-mph line drive from Kiké Hernández that was caught for an out. Because Ashby knew that allowing hard-hit balls is simply playing the game the right way. That's how you reach the World Series, and Milwaukee did it.
The Brewers have shown how you ruin baseball, develop superstars like Garrett Mitchell, sign the best free agents available like Jake Bauers, use Cy Young caliber pitchers like Shane Drohan, Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Aaron Ashby to shut down talented offenses, and listen when your manager tells you to hit home runs or put the ball in play to the correct spot, instead of making outs.
That's the right way to play the game, and the Brewers do it in spades. The Dodgers, after playing the game the right way in 2024 and 2025, stopped playing the game the right way in 2026, and it cost them.
For Los Angeles, it's a depressing end to what seemed like a dynasty. In 2024 and 2025, the breaks, the clutch hitting and the quality pitching went their way. In 2026, that all came back to bite them in a single series. Milwaukee, though, proved why they should always have been overwhelming favorites to win the World Series: they simply have better players who are able to choose to hit .500 when it matters, instead of playing like they have their entire careers.
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Sarcasm aside, that's how baseball works. The teams that win get hot at the right time, and all the payroll and talent in the world can't predict which teams will get hot at the right time. There's no explanation for it, it's not a process or approach thing, there's nothing to learn from it, it's not meaningful or predictive, the postseason is a tournament, and tournaments have weird outcomes.
Milwaukee will now advance to face the winner of the Guardians-Rays series, while the Dodgers will start the long offseason targeting their next class of highly paid stars: David Hamilton and Jake Bauers.
FBI returns 'Most Wanted' fraudster to US after India arrest in alleged $600K SNAP food stamp scheme
A fugitive accused of stealing more than $600,000 in federal food stamp benefits has been returned to the United States after being arrested in India last month, FBI Director Kash Patel announced.
Manjit Singh Bedi, one of the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters, was wanted on federal charges stemming from an alleged Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud scheme at a grocery store in Tacoma, Washington.
"BACK IN THE U.S. - Manjit Singh Bedi, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters, arrested in September in India," Patel posted on X.
Patel highlighted the FBI's recent success in bringing fugitives back to the United States.
"This is the latest in an unprecedented stretch of success in bringing high-value targets back to the United States through strong partnerships with our foreign law enforcement counterparts," Patel said.
"Over the past 20 months, we’ve secured 260 extraditions and removals — an increase of more than 70% compared to the previous 20-month period," he added.
According to federal officials, Bedi allegedly defrauded the U.S. government of at least $600,000 through a SNAP fraud scheme between March 2024 and June 2025 while operating an Asian grocery store in Tacoma.
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The FBI said Bedi allegedly swiped SNAP recipients' Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, provided cash instead of eligible food purchases and kept roughly half the benefits for himself.
After being indicted in connection with the scheme, Bedi allegedly drove to Canada before fleeing to India.
A federal arrest warrant charging him with violating the conditions of his release was issued on May 21, 2026.
Patel said Bedi is now one of six fugitives captured through the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters program since the list was created three months ago.
FBI ADDS 2 FUGITIVES TO 'MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS' LIST AMID HISTORIC $6.5B HEALTHCARE TAKEDOWN: PATEL
"This marks yet another significant moment for the historic FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters program," he said.
Bedi, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was previously the subject of an FBI reward offering up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Patel said Bedi will now face justice in the United States for his alleged crimes.
"Thank you to our outstanding partners for their assistance in this case," Patel wrote.
Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller contributed to this report.
Less than 2 years after coaching college hoops in Florida, Karl Smesko leads Atlanta Dream to WNBA Finals
Karl Smesko enjoyed notable success during his time coaching the Florida Gulf Coast women’s basketball team. But rather than remain at the college level, where he had built a powerhouse at FGCU, Smesko chose in pursue a new challenge in the WNBA.
When Smesko arrived at FGCU, the program competed in Division II. By the time he left to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Dream, the Eagles had established themselves as one of the premier programs in Division I women’s basketball.
Under Smesko, FGCU routinely led the nation in 3-pointers made. The Eagles also recorded eight 30-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA tournament 10 times with Smesko at the helm, but he never captured the ultimate prize: an NCAA Division I championship. Perhaps the call about the opportunity in Atlanta came at just the right time for Smesko. He may have accomplished nearly everything possible at FGCU, effectively reaching the program's ceiling.
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Perhaps Smesko realized that his long-sought dream of hoisting a championship trophy would require him to step outside his comfort zone and take a chance with the actual Dream at the professional basketball level.
So far, Smesko’s gamble has worked out. He has guided Atlanta to back-to-back 30-win seasons, and after a first-round exit last year, the Dream have swept their first two opponents in the 2026 postseason to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013.
The championship he was never going to get at FGCU is now four wins away, with the title series against the favored Golden State Valkyries set to begin on Saturday.
"As good as we were at Florida Gulf Coast, the odds were very stacked against us to make that type of championship run," Smesko said. "In the pros, I definitely thought there was more of an opportunity. It’s a more equal playing field to win the whole thing and that was appealing to me."
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The 2026 Finals will feature a matchup of second-year coaches: Smesko in Atlanta and Natalie Nakase in Golden State, which is in just its second year of existence. The Valkyries went 3-0 against the Dream this season, making them just the second team to sweep Smesko’s club in his tenure there. Las Vegas did it last season, and the Aces went on to win the WNBA title as well.
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But in Smesko the Dream trust.
"He’s a coach that really believes in you and he knows what’s best," Dream star Angel Reese said. "And I’m really thankful for him, for being able to help me with my career and help me be better for the team — because I don’t think I would be in this situation and thriving as I am individually without him."
Smesko is quiet in many ways, and fiercely loyal. The offer from the Dream came as FGCU was starting its 2024-25 season; he wound up leaving after two games that year, though some at the school believe he was tempted to try to handle both jobs at once for a few months and finish that season.
He ended up turning the keys to FGCU over to longtime top assistant Chelsea Lyles. She ended up following in her mentor’s footsteps, winning 30 games and taking the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament.
Lyles wound up following Smesko to Atlanta after that season, as did others with FGCU ties. He has made clear that the familiarity has made life easier.
"It’s been huge," Smesko said, "because we think about the game a little differently."
The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will face off at Chase Center in San Francisco in Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals on Oct. 17.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Katie Zacharia addresses brevity of first press briefing, defends legal credentials after criticism
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said that she did her "very best" during her first briefing as she defended herself against criticism surrounding her legal credentials on "Hannity" Thursday.
The Pepperdine Law graduate made her White House briefing room debut on Tuesday, just days after President Donald Trump announced her appointment on Friday, leaving her with what she said was little time to prepare for the high-profile role.
"What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference," she told host Sean Hannity. "With very little prep time, I received briefing materials in the morning of Tuesday."
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Zacharia was heavily scrutinized for taking only three questions during her roughly 14-minute briefing, much of which she spent touting the Trump administration’s accomplishments ahead of the midterm elections.
She pushed back on criticism of her performance, saying she was on the job for less than eight hours before stepping behind the podium. She also challenged criticism that she fielded questions exclusively from conservative-leaning news organizations.
"Given the fact that I'd been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day," Zacharia said.
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"I took several questions and I think it's been mixed because they've said I only took questions from conservative outlets. However, the Daily Mail is not known to be a conservative outlet or friendly to conservatives so I do challenge that narrative."
Zacharia delivered a piece of major breaking news during her debut, that the Trump administration had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her ambassador role.
"I was able to deliver breaking news, which I do believe was the right thing to do as the press secretary," she said.
The scrutiny surrounding Zacharia’s debut was compounded by questions about her legal credentials after The Wall Street Journal reported that she had failed the California bar exam.
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Hannity challenged Zacharia over social media posts in which she had been identified as an attorney.
"There's a report out tonight that showed 15 social media posts where you identify yourself as an attorney," Hannity asked the press secretary.
"I think they were retweets, and I corrected the record and said that there's not endorsing the title. They were retweets of a title that had been given," Zacharia responded.
Zacharia revealed that after failing the bar the first time after graduating law school, she did not take the test a second time.
"I graduated Pepperdine, got married in the same week, and we had all intent to move out to China," she explained. "I had already preregistered for the bar exam and... during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the results of the bar were inconsequential, and I sat for it because I didn't wanna have a withdrawal status."
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"When I went to go engage in media and give legal analysis, I consulted attorneys and legal professionals as to whether or not they agreed that I could be labeled a lawyer, both because I had a valid juris doctor from a good law school, a reputable law school, Pepperdine Law School, and in conjunction with the fact that I did have actual substantive legal experience."
After facing days of intense backlash, including from comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who compared Zacharia’s intelligence to that of a kindergartner, she vowed to continue fighting.
She said she hopes to develop stronger relationships with members of the White House press corps and have more substantive interactions with reporters going forward.
"I would love to build a relationship with all of those members of the press corps so there is a substantive component to us having an ability to interact," Zacharia said. "And I will be very prepared, Sean, and I will step up to the duty that President Trump has asked me to as press secretary."
Trans neo-Nazi accused of plotting Hindu temple massacre, will receive hormone treatment in jail: officials
A transgender 19-year-old who authorities say identified himself as a neo-Nazi allegedly plotted a mass shooting at a Hindu temple outside Chicago, but a tip from a coworker helped authorities thwart the attack, according to police.
Alexandros Paporakis, of Palatine, was arrested on Sunday after allegedly plotting to open fire at a Hindu temple in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago, Palatine Police said at a news conference on Thursday.
Paporakis faces one felony count of making a terrorist threat and one felony count of unlawful possession of a weapon.
A Cook County judge has ordered Paporakis held without bond and has put a jailhouse healthcare order into place, saying that the teenager receives hormone injections for gender transition and is being treated for ADHD, depression and anxiety, according to NBC Chicago.
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Prosecutors allege Paporakis drove to the Hindu temple in Aurora armed with a modified rifle and about 300 rounds of ammunition and equipped with body armor and other tactical gear. Authorities said Paporakis intended to carry out a shooting, but returned home after the rifle malfunctioned.
After making it home, the suspect searched the internet trying to learn how to unjam the gun and allegedly called a colleague informing them of the intent to carry out a mass shooting, according to police.
Paporakis' coworkers at Taco Bell reported to Mount Prospect Police that they had received a suspicious message that day from Paporakis, leading police to obtain a search warrant and detain Paporakis before the suspect could return to the scene to carry out the alleged attack.
Authorities praised those who reported the threat and encouraged others who come across something suspicious to report it to law enforcement.
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"I want to praise and offer my personal, sincerest thanks to the individual who stepped forward in many successful disruptions by law enforcement and potential acts of violence or terrorism attacks. It is a single, courageous member of the public who comes forward to prevent attacks," FBI Chicago Field Office acting special agent in charge Lucas Rothaar said at a press conference on Thursday.
Police said they identified a red Acura registered to Paporakis after receiving the tip. Surveillance video showed the suspect in the vehicle entering the parking lot at the Hindu temple at 12:25 p.m. before exiting a few minutes later.
Paporakis was later observed driving to a residence on Rand Road in Palatine shared with the suspect's mother. Police executed a search warrant and found a rifle, a loaded magazine, hundreds of rounds of rifle ammunition and other tactical gear in Paporakis' possession.
Police also found what they described as an eight-page manifesto, which authorities said detailed the alleged attack and Paporakis' white supremacist views.
The writings "expressed words of hate, violence, superior race and mass shooting of Indian people. [Paporakis'] hatred was against Jewish people, African-Americans, Indians, and 'non-white' people," according to police. Paporakis described them as "subhumans" and planned to kill as many of them as possible.
Police said the suspect "expressed pleasure calling himself a sociopathic white supremacist Neo-Nazi filled with hatred, fantasizing about mass murder nearly every day."
The manifesto also referred to Paporakis as the "Aurora Shooter."
A judge ruled that Paporakis will remain in jail, with the next court appearance scheduled for Oct. 30.
The temple said it was aware of the recent security threat and has boosted security.
"Please know that the safety of our devotees, employees and volunteers is our highest priority, and we have implemented additional security measures effective immediately, including increased armed security presence at the Temple and are taking additional steps to ensure an ongoing safe environment for everyone at the Temple," the temple said in a message on its website.
21-year-old football player dead after head injury sustained during Division II college game
A Division II football player has died five days after sustaining a "traumatic injury" during a game.
Tyler Ulrich, a 21-year-old sophomore who played at Southern Nazarene University (SNU) in Oklahoma, passed away from the injury he sustained, the school announced on Thursday.
Southern Nazarene, located in Bethany, Oklahoma, did not reveal what exactly caused Ulrich’s death, but he did suffer a head injury this past Saturday.
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"It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of our SNU football player, Tyler Ulrich," SNU Athletics posted on its X account.
"This loss is deeply felt across our campus. Our hearts are with his family, friends, teammates, and everyone who knew him. We ask that you join us in lifting them up in prayer."
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Dustin Hada, the head coach of Southern Nazarene’s football program, also mourned the loss of his player on social media.
"Man of God, ultimate example of quiet strength, loyal, worker, joyous. That’s who Tyler was!!"
Ulrich’s father, Mark, also posted on Facebook earlier Thursday as his son continued to fight, saying the family "truly need a miracle." Unfortunately, he was unable to make a recovery.
"Our family is truly blessed to receive all the love and prayers for our young Tyler and we are ever grateful," he posted on Thursday afternoon. "But as much support and love that was given, it is with a heavy heart I am writing to say the Lord called Tyler this morning at 11:13 a.m."
The game was delayed for nearly an hour on Saturday as Ulrich received medical attention on the field following a play where he suffered his injury. He was later transported to a hospital.
Ulrich was in his third season with SNU, where he started 16 of his 20 games with the program. He had six starts this season, tallying 36 tackles on the year.
SNU canceled its game at Southwestern Oklahoma State this Saturday as a result of Ulrich’s death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.