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Socialists sweep NYC as Americans balk at movement’s brutal catch: ‘Talk to immigrants’
Americans gathered on the National Mall for President Donald Trump’s America250 kickoff at the Great American State Fair said New York’s socialist surge is a warning sign for Democrats — one they argue history has already rejected.
"If you study history, you will see that many countries have already tried to go down that path and ended up in disaster," said 11th grade Georgia teacher Jill. "If you talk to immigrants who came from countries that were socialist, they will tell you they left you know tending toward communist countries. They left for that reason."
Fox News Digital spoke with Americans who gathered on the National Mall Wednesday evening for Trump's rally kicking off the Great American State Fair celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary, where attendees shared why they believe socialism would fail in the United States.
The comments follow New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani scoring another political victory Tuesday, with all three congressional candidates he endorsed—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier—winning their respective Democratic primaries.
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The victories were widely viewed as another sign of Mamdani's growing influence in the Democrat Party and the increasing acceptance of socialism.
The socialist victories in several high-profile New York Democratic primaries drew a sharp political contrast that many attendees of Trump's rally told Fox News Digital served as a stark reminder of the direction they fear the country is heading.
Rally attendee Jill told Fox News Digital that she traveled to East Germany at the age of 16 when the Berlin Wall was coming down, an experience she now brings into the classroom by showing her students photos from the trip.
"I show my students pictures, and we talk about what communism means ... capitalism is what's got us here. We've been a capitalist country for a very long time. They have to be extremely careful when voting. They need to study and be well-informed voters," Jill continued.
While socialism collapsed in the Soviet Union and East Germany, it continues to shape the governments of countries such as Cuba and Venezuela—two nations that President Donald Trump has made a focus of his foreign policy efforts in an effort to support democratic change.
NYC VOTERS EMBRACE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM AS AOC, SANDERS STUMP FOR MAMDANI
"I don't support socialism ... If you look at Cuba, the difference there... compared to even the other Caribbean countries around it, it's totally different. And they're driving old cars. They don't have even heating and air ... capitalism makes that possible. And so I'm very much in favor of working for what you want ... I still think America is a place where the American dream can still come true," said Toni of Kentucky.
"A hundred million people died from communism, whether it be from China and Mao or Stalin and Russia, Hitler. We can't forget our history, or we have a tendency to repeat it, and we should definitely reject this. It's never worked anywhere. And capitalism and a free market society has benefited the world," David of Annapolis, Maryland, said.
Jennifer, who traveled from Tennessee, said she is worried about the rise of socialism in America.
"It's not something that's beneficial for our country and our values," she said.
Former Rochester, New York, resident Norma told Fox News Digital she has 10 grandchildren and is worried about the next generation.
"New York is pretty much, I hate to say, far gone... I lived there for 22 years. There are conservative people there, but unfortunately, there's this new agenda coming through," she said.
NYC VOTERS FLOCK TO SOCIALIST-STYLE FREEBIES AS MAMDANI PUSHES RENT FREEZES, CITY-RUN STORES
Mamdani has faced criticism from conservatives over proposals including fare-free city buses, universal free childcare and city-run grocery stores, with Americans at the event telling Fox News Digital that "free" programs ultimately come at taxpayers' expense.
"Socialism promises everything, but they can't deliver past everybody's money... history has shown where socialism fails... the proof is in the pudding," said Billy of North Carolina.
"I don't agree with it at all... we can't function on giving everything away for free," said Nicky of Tennessee.
When Fox News Digital asked Gen Z and Millennial voters whether Mamdani is "cool," Sarah of Massachusetts and Johanna and Elizabeth of California responded, "no."
"I understand the appeal that socialism has, but definitely don't think that it's the right way our country should be going. I think in theory it makes sense," said Sarah. "In reality, that's not how it ends up looking. It's definitely scary to see so many of my generation leaning that way."
"It's a really good concept to have everything for free in socialism, but it doesn't really work out in the real world," added Johanna. "If you look at the countries that have already tried socialism, it really hasn't worked. It also doesn't encourage innovation."
Elizabeth, visiting Washington, D.C. for the week, said she agreed with her friends, adding, "I'm not a socialist. I'm a Republican."
Emailer in Nancy Guthrie case claims to possess video of 'main guy' with Savannah Guthrie's mother
A person purporting to have direct knowledge of Nancy Guthrie's abduction is now also claiming to have video evidence and that there were two kidnappers directly involved, according to TMZ founder Harvey Levin, who received the message.
Levin revealed the latest email in a series of messages he said he's received since the early days of the case, from someone claiming to know what happened to the 84-year-old mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed the legitimacy of the first two notes that have been deemed possibly authentic — or the TMZ emails, and sources close to the investigation appear split.
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WATCH: Tipster claiming inside knowledge of Guthrie kidnapping says there were 2 kidnappers
Some investigators believe that the ransom demands are all bogus, while others are cautious about reaching that conclusion while Guthrie's whereabouts remain unknown, sources tell Fox News and Fox News Digital.
"I have a phone stashed in a secure location guaranteeing both the information it stores and the safety of the phone," the sender wrote, according to Levin. "What it contains is my definition of delivering them on a silver platter, a short video of the main guy with Nancy the day that was probably her last, pictures of both involved, names and addresses and age."
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In a video posted to X Friday, Levin challenged the sender to prove it.
"If you've got something, send it," he said, urging the sender to prove he or she isn't a fraudster.
"Either the author of those emails is a complete fool or it’s completely fake," said Jim Clemente, a retired FBI supervisory agent. "Why would you offer up exactly what the Guthrie family has been looking for and offered a $1 million reward for an exchange for one Bitcoin when if you actually give them the information that they need and that you say you have, you can get $1 million instead? In Bitcoin if you want it."
The emailer has sought various sums of up to $100,000 for the information they claim to be able to provide, according to Levin — and is now asking for a single Bitcoin, worth about $60,000 Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, there is more than $1 million available from Guthrie's daughter, "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, for her mother's return. And 88-Crime, Tucson's Crime Stoppers affiliate, is offering $102,500 for information leading to an arrest in the case, which can be claimed anonymously.
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Levin said he sent the email to the FBI, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
TMZ claims to have authenticated the email, with Levin explaining that the message included a Bitcoin account that had not been publicly revealed but had been included in earlier messages.
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The sender also appears to be following news updates on the case — questioning recent reports that he or she may be a female and reacting to viral reports about a false alarm last week.
"I am not the idiot who recently called in a tip about her burial site in Mexico," the sender allegedly wrote.
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.
Newsom begs Californians to vote 'no' on billionaire's tax in face of mass exodus, pitches nationwide tax hike
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing another blow after a massive wealth tax he warned could cause a wealth and business exodus from the state was officially added to the November ballot.
Despite his opposition, the measure's sponsor, Billionaire Tax Now, announced Thursday that it was officially being added to the state's ballot. The measure, called the California Billionaire Tax Act, would impose a one-time, "emergency" 5% tax on Californians with assets exceeding $1 billion. The tax has been endorsed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who called it "reasonable and necessary" "at a time of unprecedented and growing wealth consolidation and income inequality."
However, Newsom, a rumored frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, has come out strongly against the tax, citing fears that billionaires will simply up and leave to states like Texas or Florida.
In a lengthy Substack post on the tax, Newsom wrote, "Last night, it became certain that a wealth tax would be placed on the November ballot in California. I’m voting no."
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"You may not be able to pick up and move to Texas or Florida to shelter your income from taxation, but I promise you that billionaires can, and do," he wrote, adding, "Wealth is movable, and it shops for the state with the lowest taxes."
In a state that has already lost prominent business figures such as Elon Musk, Google co-founder Larry Page and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Newsom is not the only one warning that the billionaire tax could worsen California's ongoing exodus.
Earlier this year, Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Allison Huynh predicted in an interview with Fox News Digital that the tax would cause a "mass migration," starting with "not just the billionaires, but the people who are investing in new ideas, in new infrastructure, whether it's AI, healthcare, tech, robotics."
Huynh likened the proposed tax hike to a restaurant about to go out of business.
"Instead of lowering the price, they increase the price," she said. "And then you go into the restaurant, and it's like $50 for a bowl of really bad dumplings."
Fox News Digital reached out to Billionaire Tax Now for comment.
BLUE STATE'S BILLIONAIRE EXODUS ABOUT TO GET MUCH WORSE IN 2026, INSIDER WARNS
After news of the measure being added to the ballot broke, Newsom called on the U.S. to institute a national billionaire tax and what he referred to as "a new social contract."
In an X post, Newsom wrote that "the system is fundamentally broken. The federal tax code, a corporate code, and an inheritance code were written for a different set of Americans. It’s time for an economic reset."
In his Substack post, he argued "the fight to make the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes is not one we should be fighting state by state." Instead, he wrote, "The fight belongs at the federal level, where this broken system was created in the first place."
In January, Newsom said he felt vindicated in opposing the proposed wealth tax after reports showed some of California's wealthiest residents moving money and businesses out of the state, warning the measure would damage the economy and drive away investment.
"This is my fear," Newsom said in a Politico interview on Monday. "It’s just what I warned against. It’s happening."
"The evidence is in. The impacts are very real — not just substantive economic impacts in terms of the revenue, but start-ups, the indirect impacts of … people questioning long-term commitments, medium-term commitments," he continued. "That’s not what we need right now, at a time of so much uncertainty. Quite the contrary."
Despite Newsom's opposition, the group behind the tax effort — Billionaire Tax Now, sponsored by the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West — proceeded to add it to the ballot.
The union posits that the tax will "prevent the collapse of California healthcare and help fund California public K-14 education and state food assistance programs."
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Billionaire Tax Now is confident the measure will pass, posting on X that "while a few controversial billionaires and their buddies in Sacramento want to see California’s hospitals close and tax breaks for billionaires protected - popular support is on our side."
Meanwhile, some of Newsom’s detractors claim that his opposition to the measure is driven by a desire to appeal to potential presidential donors.
Billionaire Tax Now reposted an X post by David Sirota, founder of the progressive investigative news outlet The Lever, in which he asserted that "Gavin Newsom is trying to protect 250 prospective 2028 presidential donors, even if that means 3 million of his constituents are medically bankrupted."
Reached for comment, Newsom's office directed Fox News Digital to his Substack and video.
Former Mets pitcher narrowly escapes death in Venezuela earthquakes thanks to elevator malfunction
Thousands are feared dead in Venezuela after two massive earthquakes, but a former MLB pitcher is one of the lucky ones.
Jenrry Mejia, who now pitches in the Venezuelan Major League, said that divine intervention in an elevator saved his life during the earthquakes.
Speaking to a Dominican radio station, Mejia said he had just finished working out at the Hotel Eduards in La Guaira when, instead of going to the floor where he was staying, the elevator took him to the lobby, allowing him to escape.
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"I was in the gym area. And at that moment, I took the elevator to leave," Mejia told "Mañana Deportiva."
"In fact, I had pressed number 6, which was where my floor was. But … I think it was God because instead of going up, it went down to the basement," he continued. "The door opened directly into the lobby. That’s when I came out and the building started to collapse."
Mejia helped an older man out of the hotel and believes the two of them are the only ones to make it out of the hotel alive.
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"The others are still there, trapped under the rubble," he said.
The hotel, according to the New York Post, citing local reports, was hosting the families of players and staff members from the Delfines and the Guerreros de Lara baseball teams, with relatives of former MLB players Eliezer Alfonso and Gorkys Hernández missing.
Mejia pitched parts of five seasons for the New York Mets, becoming their closer in 2014, one year before they made it to the World Series. However, he ultimately became the first baseball player to be banned from Major League Baseball for life for violating its performance-enhancing drug policy.
Mejia was suspended for 80 games for his first offense in 2015. After pitching in seven games, he tested positive again and was given a 162-game suspension. The following February, he tested positive for a third time, prompting his ban. He has since applied for and been granted reinstatement but has not pitched in the major leagues since. He did play minor-league ball for the Boston Red Sox organization.
The death toll has risen to 589 with thousands reported missing.
Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.
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New high-tech jacket pulls drinking water from thin air, researchers say
Engineers have developed a jacket capable of converting water vapor from the air into drinking water.
A team of University of Texas engineers developed the jacket as part of their broader invention, AirGel, a technology that uses hydrogel material and solar energy.
"Water scarcity threatens two-thirds of the global population, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable and accessible clean water solutions," the researchers wrote in a Science Advances report on their development of a field‑portable, solar‑powered, water-harvesting device.
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"AirGel provides a complementary solution to existing water-processing systems," said Yaxuan Zhao, one of the UT researchers who developed the technology, in a UT press release. "It can produce water using only air and sunlight, and it can deliver water directly to the point of need."
"This differs from a centralized system that might need to transport water a long distance, which can increase the cost and the energy demand," he went on.
"Since our system is portable, modular and only relies on solar energy, it can be used in many applications, such as outdoor activities, for household or community needs, and even disaster relief."
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The wearable prototype could be valuable to soldiers, emergency responders and others who spend time in remote outdoor environments, the researchers said.
"The fabric absorbs moisture from the air, then releases it when heated by sunlight, so the water can be condensed and collected," stated the news release.
In testing, the wearable prototype jacket proved to be a much less bulky, more efficient and portable method of harvesting water compared to conventional materials, which often involve a box or panel, according to researchers.
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The jacket produced about 14 to 30 ounces of water, depending on humidity levels, which amounts to between a threefold and 10-fold improvement in performance compared to other materials, the release said.
The research team used the same technology in a separate device, which pulled "a record amount of drinking water from the air in the hot, arid climate of the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and the more humid environment of Austin," the news release said.
"The important advance here is that the team did not simply make another material that absorbs water," Keith Johnston, co-author and chair professor of the Cockrell School of Engineering's McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, said in a statement.
"They designed a pathway for water to move quickly, from vapor in the air, to liquid on the fiber surface and then into the textile. That transport design is what allows the material to work not just in a small lab test, but in a wearable system."
UT's research commercialization unit, Discovery to Impact, has a patent pending on this technology, and is considering using it in other forms of outdoor gear, such as tents, and for various other applications.
Zhao and fellow graduate researcher Weixin Guan won international innovation awards for the AirGel technology, which received a Patent Acceleration Certificate from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, UT reported.
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"[We] hope to send AirGel to places globally that need water most, where we can further study their field performance and cost-effectiveness to bring AirGel one step closer to practical implementation," Guan said.
DAVID MARCUS: In rural Maryland, petty politics takes back seat to World Cup fever
There is a little restaurant here called Henny’s, but I call it the thermometer. In all my travels, this is the best place for me to find out what Americans really care about, which of the machine-gun outrages of the daily news cycle actually saturates.
As I said to Tom, who is retired, lives locally and has a beautiful view of the Appalachians from his deck, which I saw on his phone, "Anything that makes it through the mountain passes to this place is real."
One issue that has made its way is the Save America Act. Republicans see it as a means of stopping voter fraud, but Democrats like Tom disagree.
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"It’s not just voter ID, it’s a voter suppression act," Tom said in frustration over President Trump refusing to pass a bipartisan housing bill unless the SAVE act is included.
Josh, the 25-year-old bartender on his way to George Washington Law School in the fall, added, "You have to admit, the housing bill was bipartisan."
It was at this moment that something happened I have now seen hundreds of times. Tom began saying something about Trump, the tension in his body increasing until he just said, "You know what, I don’t want to talk about him."
I respected that, glanced up at the Japan vs. Sweden soccer match on the TV and said, "How are you liking the World Cup?"
"I love it," he smiled.
Not long after Tom left, Sweeney came in. Her real name is Jennifer but everyone, including me now, calls her Sweeney. She grew up here and lives in Indiana now.
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"I just love seeing these people here for the World Cup enjoying our country, it’s great," she said.
Soon, Paul came in, sturdy in his 60s or early 70s. I slipped in a remark to him about the communist sweep of the elections in New York. His expression was enough to let me know he was a Republican, but his reaction was less anger and more plaintive sigh.
Finally, Brian came over to my table. He remembered me from a previous stop at Henny’s, which is always nice. Like Tom and Sweeney, Brian is a Democrat.
We spoke of politics, but without anger, because politics felt far away, somewhere across the mountains and the ancient rolling rivers. Brian said that it's really "all about treating people with respect."
The lynchpin of the evening, without question, was the soccer game playing out on the TV above us. Josh and I laughed at how odd it was to think of Japan and Sweden in the same category of anything, and all of us had a fun conversation about the relative heights of World Cup nations. Turns out the Dutch are the tallest people on Earth.
What became clear, not just on Thursday night in Cumberland, but throughout the past two weeks in my travels through West Virginia, is that the biggest story in the country right now isn’t communism or the filibuster. It’s the rest of the world discovering how awesome America is.
"We sometimes forget," Sweeney wisely noted, about the magic of the American road and its pull-off attractions.
It struck me that the media has made it very hard for all Americans to come together and celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year. Even the Freedom 250 group organizing the national celebration has been too partisan, allowing a UFC fighter to defame former first lady Michelle Obama at an official event.
But, the World Cup has come just in time to save the patriotic day. Unlike almost everything else in our lives, cheering on team USA and reveling in the joy that travelers find in our homeland has nothing to do with politics or Trump, and frankly, it's just beautiful.
On Saturday, Cumberland, which boasts having once been a headquarters for George Washington’s army of rebels, will hold its celebration of the 250th birthday of America, and I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll run into some of the gang from Henny’s. I’ll certainly make some new friends.
But already, here in the mountains in the land of golf shirts and pickup trucks, I can feel the urgency of politics receding, as if finally the last decade of everyone hating each other because of Trump has just become too much.
In 1994, when the World Cup landed in the United States, it was a curiosity and a party. Thirty-two years later, it is much more. Today, it serves as a reminder, from foreign shores, that at the end of the day, we really do like each other.
MS NOW's longest-tenured anchor Alex Witt to exit network amid weekend programming overhaul
MS NOW’s longest-tenured anchor Alex Witt will exit the network later this summer as part of a weekend programming shake-up that includes "a small number" of layoffs and the cancelation of "The Weekend: Primetime," Fox News Digital has confirmed.
MS NOW President Rebecca Kulter informed staffers of a series of changes in a Friday morning memo, including replacing "The Weekend: Primetime" with taped programming. The network has been airing highlights from Crooked Media podcasts, including "Pod Save America," "Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams" and "Pod Save the World," as part of a content agreement with the company founded by former Obama administration staffers.
MS NOW is expected to add additional taped hours and other similar formats with to-be-announced programs and content partnerships in addition to "The Best People with Nicolle Wallace" and "Why Is This Happening with Chris Hayes."
While the network is pivoting away from live programming after 6 p.m. ET on weekends and will instead be on tape, MS NOW will continue to be staffed during these hours to deliver coverage of major breaking news when necessary.
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The memo also announced that Witt, who joined the network in 1999 when it was known as MSNBC, will exit later this year. She has anchored a variety of offerings and reported from the field during everything from election cycles to overseas conflicts. Along the way, Witt has anchored more hours on MS NOW than any other anchor on the network.
"Alex Witt has shared with us her plans to conclude her tenure with the company later this year, following an extraordinary career. A beloved longtime member of our MS NOW family, Alex has been a continued, trusted, and steady presence for our audiences," Kulter told staffers in the memo that has been obtained by Fox News Digital.
"Alex has guided our viewers through many of the most significant stories that have defined a generation," Kulter continued. "We thank Alex for her endless contributions to the network and will have more opportunities to celebrate her in the coming months."
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"The Weekend: Primetime" will air its final broadcast on Saturday. Ayman Mohyeldin, Elise Jordan, and Catherine Rampell will all remain with the network and continue to contribute across MS NOW platforms.
MS NOW reporter Antonia Hylton will anchor the 1-4 p.m. ET timeslot on weekends in the coming months. She will also be fill-in anchor for the 11 a.m. hour until Peter Alexander begins later this summer.
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The changes come with a headcount reduction of "less than approximately 2% of roles across the entire organization," and impacted employees are being encouraged to explore other roles at MS NOW that are currently open.
"As part of the changes being announced today, a small number of roles across the organization are being impacted. All affected employees have already been notified," Kulter wrote.
Athletics and Angels set up a pitching duel as JT Ginn and Walbert Urena face off for the third time
Another baseball play, and another loss. I'm just starting to learn how to handicap soccer, and I'm having more success at that currently than I am with something I've bet on for years. I have to get some things going and get off this losing streak. I'm hopeful I can do that tonight as the Athletics take on the Angels.
The Athletics are under .500, but most of the American League West is hovering right around that .500 mark. They are actually owners of a winning road record. Last season, almost no team was good on the road; it seems like most are pretty strong on the road this season. Overall, the Athletics are 39-42 for the year. Over the last 10 games, the Athletics are 4-6, and they are just 1-4 over their past five games. They just hosted the Angels a few games ago, and they split a four-game set.
Their starter for today is J.T. Ginn. That's good news for the Athletics because he is one of the best starters that the team has. Ginn is 5-4 for the year with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. His ERA is actually 18th in the majors. He has been very good on the road this season, allowing just nine earned runs in 40.2 innings pitched, good for a 1.99 ERA. He has made two starts against the Angels this season, one was tough -- his last one -- where he allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings. The other start was last month, where he went eight innings and allowed just two earned runs while striking out 10 hitters.
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The Los Angeles Angels are well below .500 at 34-48 for the season, but they are more successful at home with a 19-21 record. They are in decent form at the moment with a 4-1 record over their past five games. That does include two wins over the Athletics. Because of how bad their division is, they are just seven games back, so they aren't really out of the race. The Angels' stats, as a team, are not that much different than the Athletics, so that could encourage them to add to the team instead of subtract. The reality is that this team needs to be blown up.
They are going to get a lot of calls next month about their roster. There are a lot of good players on the team, and there are a lot of serviceable arms they could ship off. I doubt they would get rid of today's starter, but he would likely bring a nice return. Their starter for today is Walbert Urena. For the season, he is 5-5 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has been great at home this year with a 1.85 ERA, allowing eight earned runs over seven starts. He has been awesome against the Athletics this season, going 11 innings, allowing just eight hits and no earned runs.
The question to answer in this matchup is whether the Athletics will have finally figured out Urena in this game. They haven't been able to get much going against him in the first two starts. The Angels won both of those starts. He also outdueled Ginn in his last start, giving the Angels a win.
The Angels are playing good baseball at the moment as well. It is hard to take the Athletics, although the odds are shifting in their favor, signaling that they may be getting sharp money. I don't think I can get there with either team because I can make a case for both winning the game. I am going to take the under 8.5 runs, though. I expect the Athletics to break through against Urena. However, I think Urena and Ginn are in their optimal spot. I'll take the under 8.5.
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Pro wrestling star Jonathan Gresham talks first PRODUCE event, expresses love and concern for the sport
Jonathan Gresham is one of the biggest stars on the independents circuit and he will be one half of the headlining event on Monday when he goes up against Fuminori Abe.
Gresham and Abe will participate in a new wrestling series presented by Orange Crush. The event is called "PRODUCE Volume 1: The Octopus." It will take place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, at 8 p.m. ET.
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The show, backed by Adam Abdalla, will also feature a musical performance by Abel Ferrara.
"The one thing I think – attention to detail and consistency over time," Gresham told Fox News Digital when asked what fans can expect from the event. "I think that’s something that is missing in modern wrestling and that’s something that’s something Adam and I talk about quite a bit."
Gresham said that his idea of what pro wrestling can be in the grand scheme ultimately drew him to the event.
"I think for the most part some time ago I started to flirt with the idea about what pro wrestling can be and I think at the same time so many people around the world start to flirt with the same idea. I think we are probably the first duo to take advantage of that thought process and put it on display for an audience," he told Fox News Digital. "So, I don’t know, maybe six years ago now, it was definitely before the pandemic, the pandemic really brought it home for me to really start exploring this idea more and more deeply."
He said fans should expect to see two competitors who truly love professional wrestling.
"This is not me trying to sound braggadocios. I feel like there’s several athletes across the pro wrestling space that feel the way that I do about their work. I believe that these individuals exist, but I’m going to talk about myself right now and Abe. I think on Monday you’re going to see two people who are in love with pro wrestling perform for you," he said. "I’m a firm believer in there’s two sides of the coin here.
"There’s one side where there’s individuals that love the idea of being a professional wrestler. They love the fame, being on television, the moves, the fans clapping for them and all that stuff. I am in love with pro wrestling. I understand professional wrestling on a different level, on a more visceral level than most people and I feel like Abe feels the same way about his craft. So, on Monday, you’re gonna see two people in the main event that are in love with pro wrestling and perform for you."
Gresham expressed an admirable passion for pro wrestling.
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He described the current state of the sport as being on a "spectrum" and a concern about pro wrestlers being properly trained.
"Currently, modern wrestling, I look at it on a spectrum, it’s gotten so far to one end to where, on a weekly basis, on television, at most indie shows that we go to, we see these young athletes, people that have never made it to television, and quite frankly just starting their life, just starting their career, take these big risks," he said. "And these promoters are perpetuating this thought process by rewarding the people continuously risking their bodies. I see people diving from balconies, missing tables, just doing some of the most ridiculous things and this way of thinking has left the independents and is now taking place on national television and I just don’t think it is sustainable for the wrestling community going forward."
He said when he started to come up through the business, there were three "platforms" in which a pro wrestler could evolve into – Lucha Libre, deathmatches or pure wrestling. He said a wrestler first starting out could subscribe to a certain style. He said, now, wrestlers are "walking around aimlessly" trying to figure it out for themselves.
Gresham is trying to change the structure.
"I hear a lot of older veterans talk about the evolution of wrestling and I think it’s just the idea of, well, yes, social media, and the misunderstanding of different genres and styles of wrestling and that misunderstanding came from different regions of the world and we have taken those misunderstandings and built this new homogenistic style that has no real reason outside of right here, right now, getting what I want, instant gratification," he told Fox News Digital of what changed in the business. "There is very little attention or care to build to things like I would like to say our predecessors did. I think that’s kind of it. The biggest issue is the promoters that, for lack of a better word, don’t really understand what their job is, who are perpetuating the issue by rewarding the young men and women that are going out of their way to do these crazy things – jumping off of balconies, crazy moves every match. And the individuals that understand psychology, that understand character, that cut the promos before the shows, these people are going unrewarded.
"Meanwhile, the people that show up and do the craziest moves and do the five-star matches every show are getting pushed. But then when those individuals get the opportunities to go on television and get an opportunity to go on TNA, AEW, WWE, normally those opportunities are eight-minute matches that, right out of the gate, when you’re about to go out, turn into four-minute matches."
Gresham lamented indie wrestlers going from the 15-minute classic matches on an independent promotion to finally getting TV time, which more often than not, sees their potential of having an eight-minute match get trimmed down to four minutes.
"So, that’s when you get this super homogenistic style that everybody is trying to replicate over and over again. Because, I mean, at one point, it was working, it was new, everybody was chasing it," he said. "It started around 2006 or so and then it just got progressively crazier as time went on and now we’re like in the thick of it and I really fear that we’re gonna see people on national television seriously get maimed and injured because of this style and the promoters are perpetuating this issue."
Gresham will continue to hone in on his own style of wrestling when the first PRODUCE event occurs at the end of this month.
Joey Janela, Effy, LaBron Kozone, Mance Warner, Man Like Dereiss, "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams and Mad Dog Connelly are expected to be featured on the show. Gresham is listed as a co-producer and Abdalla is listed as the creative director.
Chicago man charged with obstruction of justice in connection to White House UFC attack plot
A 20-year-old Chicago man has been arrested in connection with a thwarted violent plot targeting the Freedom 250 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House.
Alexander Iniguez Mercado was indicted Thursday in federal court for allegedly serving as an administrator and member of Signal messaging groups used to plan a violent attack on the June 14 event, Fox News has learned.
He is one of eight suspects from across multiple states who have been charged in connection with the conspiracy.
RECORDS REVEAL THE MASSIVE ARSENAL OHIO MAN ALLEGEDLY BUILT TO ATTACK WHITE HOUSE UFC EVENT
According to the indictment, the FBI contacted Mercado by phone just one day before the White House event to discuss online threats.
When a special agent asked if Mercado was planning to travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the attack, he allegedly denied the plans and refused to meet with law enforcement.
Immediately after the call, Mercado allegedly uninstalled the Signal app from his phone, rendering the critical message data unavailable to investigators.
Because of the alleged attempt to destroy evidence, Mercado has also been charged with obstruction of justice, according to the DOJ.
Mercado was taken into custody Thursday and is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in Chicago today at 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
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Hours before the Justice Department confirmed the indictment against Mercado, officials on Friday morning announced the arrest of Ohio teen, Tycen Proper, another suspect in the alleged plot.
Proper, 19, allegedly used $3,000 of his "graduation money" to amass a massive arsenal of weapons and tactical gear before his parents turned him in, Fox News Digital previously reported.
His stockpile included an AR-15 rifle, American flag-painted 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to criminal complaints and sheriff's office reports.
In addition to the guns, he allegedly gathered extensive tactical and survival equipment including ballistic plate carriers, a tactical bump helmet, a loaded battle belt, knives, a hatchet and medical trauma gear.
The alleged plot was disrupted after Proper's mother called 911 to report his online activities and weapons purchases, noting she removed the guns and ammunition from his room.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Fox News Digital's Adam Sabes contributed to this report.