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MIKE DAVIS: Federal court sets dangerous precendent against 99-year-old judge
The U.S. Supreme Court recently wrongly declined to hear U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. What has happened to her is outrageous, unconstitutional, dangerous, and unacceptable.
For several years, Newman has endured an unconstitutional suspension imposed by her colleagues on the basis of her supposed lack of mental competency—which anyone who has spent any time around Judge Newman knows is absurd. She may be 99, but she is still sharp—and can work circles around her junior colleagues.
The suspension bars Newman from hearing any cases and amounts to an unconstitutional impeachment and removal from office. The Supreme Court set a dangerous precedent by declining to take up the appeal.
MORNING GLORY: THE SUPREME COURT OFFICIALLY CLOSES THE BOOKS ON ANOTHER TERM
Newman has served on the Federal Circuit since 1984. Several years ago, she suffered some brief fainting spells. On that basis, Federal Circuit Chief Judge Kimberly Moore, the villain here hiding under a judicial robe, convened a panel of fellow Federal Circuit judges to determine whether Newman was competent to serve. The problem with this scheme is plain: separate from the Constitution giving lifetime tenure to federal judges to ensure their independence and granting Congress the sole power of impeachment, these judges handpicked by Moore were potential fact witnesses. The Federal Circuit is based in Washington, D.C. All judges serve in the same building. The judges on Moore's panel, which, incidentally, included Moore herself, observed Newman regularly. In other words, Moore assembled a kangaroo panel of judges who had knowledge of all relevant facts ahead of time. This farce is like a jury consisting of a dozen witnesses to an alleged crime sitting in judgment of the accused. Such an arrangement is plainly unconstitutional, as was Moore's rigged panel.
Newman submitted to examinations by three independent experts who evaluated her separately. All determined her to be of sound mind and fully capable of performing her judicial duties. Yet this was insufficient for Moore and her kangaroo court, as the suspension continues indefinitely. Moore has tried to minimize the egregious nature of the conduct by claiming, for instance, that Newman was permitted to attend court Halloween parties. Federal judges are lifetime-appointed to decide cases, not to eat ice cream. No amount of spin from Moore can remove the stench of Newman's mistreatment.
Chief judges appropriately have some leeway to briefly remove judges from judicial duties during the pendency of misconduct allegations. Samuel Kent, a judicial disgrace from Texas, was suspended while the court investigated whether he had sexually abused staffers. The evidence was overwhelming, and Kent — facing certain impeachment — resigned in disgrace and went to federal prison. The indefinite suspension of Newman, however, resembles nothing of the eminently reasonable exercise of judicial power in Kent's case. Newman has always displayed the highest integrity and has done everything possible to demonstrate her soundness of mind. Nothing is good enough for Moore and her sham panel, and Newman is now consigned to banishment thanks to the Supreme Court's shameful inaction.
FEDERAL JUDGE WHO HAD SEX IN CHAMBERS APOLOGIZES TO FORMER CLERK AS IMPEACHMENT PUSH RAMPS UP
The House is the sole body vested with the power to impeach judges. The Senate is the sole body vested with the power to remove judges after a trial. Chief judges hold no such power under the Constitution, yet Moore has effectively accomplished an impeachment and removal. While Newman still receives her salary, she is barred from performing the most essential task of a federal judge: hearing cases. Where does this end?
U.S. Circuit Judge Laurence VanDyke, a worthy Supreme Court candidate should a vacancy arise, is a frequent dissenting voice on the radical Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Could leftist Chief Judge Mary Murguia decree that VanDyke is cognitively deficient and thus incapable of serving? Can any chief judge handpick a panel to rubber-stamp a determination of mental deficiency and force out another judge? No limiting principle governs what was done to Newman. If Moore can do it to her, any chief judge can do the same to any other judge, even when Congress has shown no inclination to impeach that judge.
Some judges richly deserve impeachment. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross of Georgia, for instance, is a judicial disgrace who allegedly used her chambers like a room at Motel 6 to have loud sex with a married Atlanta police commander. Ross, who is also married, committed this disgraceful act many times within earshot of her aghast clerks. Yet she received a pitiful private reprimand for her judicial colleagues. She is not suspended and continues to hear cases despite deservedly being a laughingstock.
MIKE DAVIS: DISGRACED GEORGIA JUDGE MUST LEAVE THE BENCH OVER SEX SCANDAL
Newman, by contrast, has never done anything to dishonor the judiciary, yet finds herself permanently barred from fulfilling her primary responsibility: deciding cases. A judiciary where Eleanor Ross can preside over cases while Judge Newman cannot is one in utter disarray. The Supreme Court could have stopped this circus but chose silence. That disastrous decision could carry grave consequences for many judges, and many years, to come. Truly shameful.
Bringing the war to Putin’s front door: Is Ukraine’s energy strike strategy working?
Ukraine’s intensifying campaign against Putin's oil industry is having a growing impact inside Russia, forcing one of the world’s largest energy producers to restrict diesel exports, pursue fuel imports and confront shortages stretching from occupied Crimea to cities deep in the country.
Inside Russia, the consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Former Russian opposition politician and commentator Maxim Katz said the shortages represent one of the first direct ways many Russians have experienced the consequences of the war — and could become particularly sensitive ahead of State Duma elections scheduled for September.
"This is the first time that Russians actually sees that the war has an effect on their day-to-day life — not only in the cost of fuel, but in its availability," Katz told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview from Israel, where he lives in exile. "You cannot buy it. And that’s a big deal for Russia."
Katz said elections in Russia are neither free nor competitive, but they still serve an important function for Putin by projecting public support to regional leaders, business figures and other members of the elite.
"If everybody sees in September that he has 20% support or 10% support, then questions begin about why he should appoint governors or control the system," Katz said. "That is something he does not want to deal with."
The fuel crisis, Katz argued, threatens Putin’s effort to portray himself as fully in control and to keep the cost of the war away from ordinary Russians.
"Putin tried to convince everybody that Moscow would continue to live its regular life and nobody would see the war," Katz said. "It was his war, not the war of ordinary Russians. But when the war comes home, this is a completely different story, and it changes the equation."
Katz also pointed to the striking reversal of Russia — historically one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and refined products — seeking fuel supplies from abroad. Reuters reported that Moscow had approached Kazakhstan about importing approximately 50,000 metric tons of gasoline after refinery outages reduced Russian gasoline output by roughly 25% from a year earlier.
The campaign reached a new milestone this week when Ukrainian drones struck the Omsk refinery, Russia’s largest, roughly 1,700 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. The facility temporarily halted processing after the attack, according to Reuters. Days later, another strike shut Russia’s Saratov refinery for the third time this year.
The expanding crisis raises a central question for Ukraine and its allies: Can attacks on the infrastructure that powers Russia’s military and economy alter President Vladimir Putin’s calculations — or will the Kremlin continue shielding its war effort while shifting the burden onto ordinary Russians?
"They have to buy fuel from Kazakhstan now," Katz said. "Russia is one of the biggest exporters of oil and oil products and always has been. This is crazy."
Still, Katz cautioned that the Kremlin would likely continue prioritizing military supplies even as civilian shortages worsened.
"He will find the fuel for the tanks. That is not the issue," Katz said. "The issue is his grip on Russia."
WATCH: FIGHTS BREAK OUT AT RUSSIAN GAS STATIONS AS PUTIN ADMITS FUEL SHORTAGES
Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, former commander of U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the effects are already becoming significant.
"Without question, Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s oil and energy infrastructure is having a real and growing impact on the Russian homeland," Breedlove told Fox News Digital. "The reported reductions in fuel production are significant — close to a third by some estimates."
"These strikes are beginning to seriously impact not just the economy but the Kremlin’s ability to sustain its war effort and military operations," he added. "When Ukraine is able to hit large, high-value energy targets deep inside Russian territory, that changes the equation."
"Russia cannot effectively defend every refinery and energy facility across their enormous territory, and that is the core problem for Moscow," Breedlove said. "Every asset they deploy to defend their infrastructure are assets not deployed to the frontlines."
Moscow has already taken emergency measures. Russia banned diesel exports through the end of July as drone attacks forced unplanned refinery shutdowns and reduced domestic supplies. Seaborne exports of diesel and gasoline fell 39% in June compared with May and 46% from the previous year, according to Reuters.
RUSSIAN GENERALS' ASSASSINATIONS EXPOSE GROWING RIFT INSIDE PUTIN'S SECURITY APPARATUS
Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, said American intelligence has played an important role in helping Kyiv penetrate Russia’s extensive air-defense network.
"You always have to give credit to the United States," Korniychuk told Fox News Digital. "U.S. intelligence is helping Ukrainian missiles and drones avoid Russian anti-missile defense."
The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, said in a 2025 report that "The U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure." Reuters, citing the Financial Times, also reported that "U.S. intelligence has helped Kyiv strike important Russian energy assets, including oil refineries, far beyond the front line, the newspaper said, citing unnamed Ukrainian and U.S. officials familiar with the campaign."
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the White House to confirm the reports and the Ukrainian ambassador’s claims.
Korniychuk said the strikes are creating serious pressure inside the Russian system, even if they have not yet persuaded Putin to change course.
"The majority of the Russian leadership understands that this is a crucial problem, but Putin personally does not," he said. "The distance between him and the rest of the Russian leadership is growing tremendously. Even people he has trusted for many years understand that this is going nowhere, but that will not necessarily bring Putin to the same conclusion."
Retired Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, former U.S. Air Force assistant vice chief of staff, argued that the broader strategic picture is shifting in Ukraine’s favor.
"Throughout the conflict, the vast majority of the Russian homeland has been a sanctuary," Newton said. "However, over the last several months, Ukrainian drone attacks have reached deep inside Russia — up to 1,500 miles recently."
Newton said the pressure was arriving as Western support strengthened.
"That is a credit to President Zelenskyy, his military leadership and Ukraine’s defense industrial base," he said. "And it comes at the right time, with Europe now providing military capabilities and financial resources — and now, with renewed public support from President Trump."
Yet the strategy has limits. Russia continues to generate billions in energy revenue beyond the reach of Ukrainian drones.
Urgewald, a Germany-based nonprofit environmental and human-rights organization analysis of Kpler cargo data found that the European Union received 114 of the 118 cargoes shipped from Russia’s Yamal LNG project between January and May 2026 — about 97% of the project’s exports. The shipments totaled 8.37 million metric tons and had an estimated value of roughly $5.7 billion.
"Current trends show EU payments for Russian Yamal LNG are on course to reach almost $7 billion in the first half of 2026 alone," Alexander Kirk, a sanctions campaigner at Urgewald, told Fox News Digital. "These dollars support Russia’s war economy and help sustain Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, including the drone and missile warfare terrorizing Ukrainian cities."
The figures capture the dual reality confronting Kyiv: Ukraine can damage refineries, disrupt domestic fuel supplies and force Moscow to divert resources, while Russia continues earning substantial revenue from global energy markets.
Amb. Korniychuk said Zelenskyy had given the military 40 days to substantially change the situation.
Katz cautioned that there was no way to predict whether Putin’s system was approaching collapse, but said authoritarian regimes can appear stable until they unravel with extraordinary speed.
He compared that uncertainty to the final months of the Soviet Union.
"Nobody before the August Putsch could even think that in three months from now there would be no Soviet Union," Katz said. "Systems like this — this is one of their common things — collapse quick."
For now, Ukraine’s strikes have not halted Russian military operations or forced Putin to negotiate. But they have reached deep into Russia, strained its fuel system and undermined the Kremlin’s effort to keep the war distant from its population.
The question being asked by analysts is no longer whether Ukraine can hit Russia’s economic engine, but how much sustained pressure that engine — and Putin’s political system — can withstand.
Slain New Jersey therapist’s grad school roommate recounts friendship with couple during time in Boston
BOSTON – "I hope she was not miserable toward the end of things," said Jennifer Payne, a close friend and former roommate of slain New Jersey therapist Brooke Hanlon.
Payne told Fox News Digital she's known Hanlon since 2013. The two became very close friends while attending graduate school together at Northeastern University. They also were roommates for a few years in Boston.
Hanlon, a 35-year-old who had a baby last year, was found fatally stabbed inside her Chester, New Jersey home on June 6.
NJ HUSBAND BEGS FOR CPR HELP IN 911 CALL AFTER WIFE FOUND DEAD WITH STAB WOUNDS: AUDIO
Payne learned about the death of her longtime friend when a news outlet called her weeks after investigators made their discovery.
Authorities have not yet named a possible suspect or person of interest in the ongoing homicide investigation.
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Speaking about the limited release of information in the case, Payne said, "The whole complexity of it all—and not knowing—keeps you on bated breath all the time."
Payne's painful loss of her friend brings back numerous memories, including their post-grad trip to Europe she tells Fox News Digital.
SLAIN NEW JERSEY THERAPIST'S SISTER SAYS FAMILY IS LIVING A 'NIGHTMARE' ONE MONTH LATER
While Brooke and her husband, Conor, were dating, Payne said the group often hung out together and sometimes Conor's family members would join. The Hanlon family is from Boston's Brighton neighborhood.
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Conor had a reserved nature about him when she knew him, Payne said.
"He just didn't really have much personality. I didn't think he was very motivated."
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NJ HUSBAND BEGS FOR CPR HELP IN 911 CALL AFTER WIFE FOUND DEAD WITH STAB WOUNDS: AUDIO
Conor has yet to make a public statement about the death of his wife.
Conor Hanlon has not been charged with any crime or wrongdoing.
Fox News Digital has made numerous attempts to reach him but calls have not been returned.
How Texas hospitality shattered this World Cup traveler's fears of visiting the USA
A viral Japanese creator known as "Bob" arrived in the United States expecting hostility from a country he worried "hated tourists," but instead found himself embraced by a "kind and friendly country" during his journey, single-handedly dismantling narratives that portray America as a deeply divided and unwelcoming nation.
The "internet’s favorite tourist" made it all the way to the Lone Star State, where Fox News Digital caught up with him this week at popular spots in Dallas like the Katy Trail Ice House and Terry Black's Barbecue.
"I thought that American people hate tourists… but when I [came] here, that image, changed," Bob told Fox News Digital.
What started out as an exploratory trip to visit the United States during the World Cup turned this influencer, known for his high-energy reactions while experiencing heartland grit during his travels for the first time, into a social media sensation.
GERMAN WORLD CUP FAN BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS AFTER BEING BLOWN AWAY BY KINDNESS OF AMERICANS
"I think the media posts negative news because they want to attract [viewers], but… America is really kind and friendly and [a] really nice country," the Japanese tourist continued.
"Negative news is only a small part of the picture. Don't let it shape your entire view of [the] USA. I know it can be scary to visit a country or a city you've never been to before, but don't let negative headlines stop you from experiencing it for yourself," he added. "Come to the USA with an open mind and see it with your own eyes," Bob said.
Bob described the barbecue at Terry Black's as "amazing" and was in awe of the portion sizes and menu selections.
He was also pleasantly surprised that he could pick more than one dessert.
"When I eat Texas barbecue... I feel like I am in Texas," he said.
BLUE-HAIRED WORLD CUP FAN BREAKS SILENCE AFTER HIS EMOTIONAL REACTION GOES VIRAL
Once locals caught a glimpse of him out and about at the Ice House, Dallas residents immediately came up to Bob, snapping selfies with the local celebrity, complimenting his content exploring American culture.
"Everyone's so friendly and really talkative… more talkative than I expected," he said. "They have a lot of hospitality in mind. I feel really welcome[d] from Texas people."
Bob’s journey started after posting a TikTok sharing that he didn’t have a place to stay during a night of his travels, and one of his "really kind" followers offered up their home to him for 15 days.
WORLD CUP SOCCER FANS ARE DISCOVERING AMERICA’S GREATNESS. IT’S TIME AMERICANS DID, TOO
"That was an unforgettable experience," Bob shared. "They showed me around the city, it [was] really nice. They [were] so kind."
Bob, who revealed he would pick either Seattle or Dallas if he made a permanent move to the United States, shared that "you can't really lump the U.S. together as one place."
"Every state has its own culture and personality. So from now on, instead of saying, ‘I've been to America,’ I'm going to say which state I visited," he relayed.
DAN GAINOR: We got Twitter/X as a platform 20 years ago and global censors still hate and fear it
I’ve been online for more than 30 years. Sometime this July, my Twitter/X account turns 18. That means it’s old enough to vote. The site itself launched publicly 20 years ago, on July 15, 2006. In all, I’ve been online since before the World Wide Web was worldwide back in the 1990s. I’m still a fan of print, but the impact of social media is undeniable. What mankind is still wrestling with is whether that’s good or bad.
To be fair, it’s a lot of both. And that’s an unpredictability governments and lefty journalists hate. The Charlie Kirk assassination went viral unedited. We all saw it, and it was etched into our hearts forever. The same is true of the attacks on President Donald Trump, terrorism and the war in Ukraine. That level of unrestricted freedom is what governments around the world want to stop. If no one can tell what officials are doing, no one can stop them.
America came within a hair’s breadth of that freedom being taken away and censorship taking hold here — maybe everywhere. All the social media platforms were working together to control what we said online during the Biden years, working with foreign entities and so-called fact-checkers to censor more. Tesla founder Elon Musk and Trump stopped them. Musk bought Twitter, which broke the social media cartel, and Trump was reelected.
The censors and control freaks haven’t given up. There is too much power at stake for them ever to stop.
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It’s not all bleak, thankfully. Ordinary people — and even famous people — often go viral on Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and it can mark them for years. Tens of millions of people have seen the video of a young woman getting upset because puzzle pieces of various shapes all got placed into the square hole. Her reactions were hilarious and iconic.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio became a lasting internet meme for his ability to take on many jobs. He’s been edited into everything from the king of Iran to taking over for the U.S. Olympic ski team. Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham scored points with fans and non-fans alike simply by pointing. The WNBA player got into a verbal fight with another player, and Cunningham’s response was to point with all the power of Uncle Sam.
The internet connected our world. Social media connected people with shared interests — loves and often hates. Cooks joined groups about recipes, sports fans congregated around their favorite teams, and political addicts got their fix 24/7. Unfortunately, that also made it easier for criminal gangs and traffickers to communicate. Porn, violent videos and the worst of human behavior are now readily available almost anywhere. Spend lots of time on social media, and you see the best and worst of mankind.
All of this is because we have the power, ordinary people like you and me. That wasn’t the case for nearly all of human history. Everything people read or saw was curated. Someone else decided. A limited number of publishers produced books, a limited number of news outlets produced stories and so on. Only the verbal record was there to counter it. The internet changed that.
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Establishment media lost control. The Washington Post, The New York Times and the rest of the leftist media now face pushback whenever they dump especially biased stories on a now-critical public. Americans learned of the Hunter Biden laptop story from social media, despite a massive campaign to suppress it. The same goes for the bogus Russian collusion narrative and lots more. The so-called public media outlets, such as NPR and PBS, finally lost their taxpayer funding, at least here in the U.S., because people finally saw them for what they were. And we are all witnessing the media’s Graham Platner fiasco in real time.
But there’s a price to pay for that freedom. Popularity is outpacing our ability to distinguish fact from fiction and right from wrong. There is a global effort to demonize Jewish people and slander them with every crime imaginable, far worse than the made-up "Protocols of the Elders of Zion."
Meanwhile, the terrorist group Hamas, which filmed and shared its barbarism against the people of Israel, is beloved on much of the internet. That is despite — or because of — posting videos of its members murdering more than 1,200 men, women and children and kidnapping 250 more.
That freedom terrifies governments, and they are fighting back against it. Not just communist China or authoritarian Russia, either. The allegedly free nations that are our core allies — the U.K., Germany, Canada, Australia and France — have all turned against free speech online.
British police ignored a victim’s fatal wounds and, instead, arrested him. But the video went viral, and now millions know the name Henry Nowak. Only, instead of turning away from censorship, the U.K. is embracing it.
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British politicians decided to simply take free speech away from their citizens. They went from going after a few troublesome posters to arresting 12,000 people a year for free speech crimes. That was only the beginning. The current Labour government "has proposed tighter restrictions on social media platforms during general elections," according to GB News. The EU has advanced age verification, forcing users to identify themselves online. That’s the beginning of the end for European free speech online.
Both the EU and the U.K. have tried repeatedly to use those powers against American firms, too. British regulator Ofcom has sent letters to at least 197 U.S. firms about content that is perfectly legal here in America. The foreign tyrants tried to fine two of them.
We have to fight for the future of online freedom. There used to be three schools of thought on censorship. China believes in complete state control. Europe wants some regulation, and the U.S. wants mostly free speech. That’s no longer the case. Europe wants the same control China has. And many leftists in the U.S. want that here, too.
This battle begins again when Trump leaves office. If the Democrats win, they will try to align with foreign regulators who want to shut down American free speech. They may even join in and try to prosecute Musk, as European regulators have discussed.
President Abraham Lincoln warned that "this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free." The same is true for the internet. If the U.S. stays mostly free online, the EU and U.K. will either have to accept it or take action against U.S. firms and executives. Right now, they are hoping to wait out Trump and find friendlier Democrats who oppose hate speech, which is really just speech they hate.
Either way, expect European censors to continue efforts to force Americans to censor and many on the left to help them. We have to stop them. Our entire lives are lived online now, and if we lose free speech there, then we lose it entirely.
Judge Judy's son Adam Levy says he could fix Los Angeles ‘in a month’
The recent mayoral election in Los Angeles was "obviously not" a reckoning, according to Judge Adam Levy, because the city needed a serious overhaul.
Los Angeles endured a series of wildfires last year that destroyed thousands of homes and put a spotlight on some of the decision-making by local leaders. Former reality show star Spencer Pratt, who lost his own home in the Palisades fires, challenged Mayor Karen Bass in the mayoral primary, largely focusing his campaign on her response to the infernos. His message helped him surge in the polls before ultimately failing to advance in the June primary.
Pratt also centered his campaign on fighting the city’s crime and homelessness, particularly rampant open-air drug use.
Levy, the son of "Judge Judy" star Judy Sheindlin, who has starred in a few courtroom shows himself, said he had a checklist of what he'd do as mayor of Los Angeles to address some of the same issues.
SPENCER PRATT'S UNEXPECTED POLITICAL RISE FROM MTV VILLAIN TO KAREN BASS CHALLENGER
"I would have to get rid of a lot of people, but I could fix it in a month," Levy told Fox News Digital.
"As mayor, you got to sit down with your DA and with your police chief," he began. "And he needs to say that we got to turn this ship around. You will have 100% support from the mayor's office in focusing your attention on repeat offenders, violent offenders. And those first-time offenders, they need to be moved out of the criminal justice system into an alternative program, community service-based program. Where you commit a crime, you do community service. You complete community service successfully. Whatever crime you committed gets wiped off your record. Easy-peasy."
If first-time offenders fail to complete their community service, then they would be prosecuted, he explained. It would be on their record, affecting their ability to get housing and benefits and jobs.
He blasted judges who he said are trying to be criminals' friends rather than doing their jobs.
"And as DA, I absolutely would focus my prosecutor's attention on the repeat offenders, on the violent offenders," he said. "And as the mayor, you've got to appoint judges that have that same mindset. You've got to stop appointing judges that really want to be social workers."
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When he was a Republican DA in a county in upstate New York, Levy said he got along with both Republicans and Democrats because they agreed the top priority was to keep families safe. He said some of the major cities have lost the plot.
"When I ran for DA, I made it very clear: ‘You vote for me, and I promise to protect your family the same way I would protect my own,'" he said. "They don't do that in LA. They don't do that in New York. They don't do that in certain cities that have lost their way. And it's the politicians, unfortunately, that get to go back to their homes and good neighborhoods behind gates, where these repeat criminal offenders are not being released back into. That's the problem, and it really is infuriating."
Mayor Bass pushed back on the notion that LA is a danger zone after President Donald Trump pledged that "Los Angeles is going to be safe" under his lead.
"L.A. is safer than it’s been in decades, including declines in violent crime for the last two years and homicides at a 60-year low," Bass said in a statement to LAist in February. "We will be even safer when ICE is out of Los Angeles."
LA has fewer homicides than Washington, D.C., when population differences are calculated. In 2025, the homicide rate was 5.9 per 100,000 residents, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department, the lowest homicide rate since 1959.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mayor Bass's office for comment.
Levy pivoted his attention to New York City. Even though Rudy Giuliani has become a controversial figure in recent years, Levy said he was exactly who New York City needed as mayor in the 1990s. The city had devolved to the point that even the deep blue Big Apple had had enough and was willing to hire a Republican for the job, the judge said.
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"Because New York City became so terrible, so dangerous, so dirty, so stinky, no one wanted to be here anymore," Levy said. "And people finally got fed up – Democrats finally got fed up. It’ll happen too in LA — it’s just a matter of how bad is it going to get before the people wake up and start electing adults in the room."
During Giuliani's term, violent crime declined by more than 56 percent in New York City, compared to about 28 percent in the nation as a whole. Property crimes decreased by about 65 percent, compared to 26 percent nationally, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Levy credited the statistic in part to Giuliani leaning on the "broken windows" policy, a practice in which law enforcement focused on strictly policing minor offenses, in hopes it would lead to a drop in overall crime.
"I remember what New York City was like in the ‘70s and in the ’80s. It was a s--hole," he added. "And he came in, and he cleaned it up. He cleaned it up for [Michael] Bloomberg, who then brought the businesses in. You couldn't have Bloomberg without Giuliani. He got rid of the panhandlers, the aggressive panhandlers, the homelessness, people taking craps on the street, the garbage. It was the broken windows' theory. He and his police chiefs were on the same page. And then people felt safe, because they were safer."
Levy's new show "Adam’s Law," from CBS Media Ventures, is premiering in national syndication on Sept. 14. The show is produced by Judy Sheindlin’s Queen Bee Productions.
CM Punk to defend Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam
CM Punk appeared on "Friday Night SmackDown" ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the "Monday Night Raw" after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell "out of the sky."
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"When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them," he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the "American Nightmare" came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
"I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore," Punk told Rhodes.
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Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just "say when." It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, "when." SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
Former top cop warns of loophole exploited by illicit Chinese vape companies 'targeting our youth'
A former top law enforcement official is sounding the alarm on an attempt by illicit Chinese vape companies to exploit legal loopholes by replacing nicotine with an unregulated substitute to continue selling flavored disposable vapes to children.
"These Chinese organized crime groups, what they realized is if they go ahead and just change the ingredients in the packaging, then they create confusion and there is no enforcement or regulatory agency that then is responsible to address these illicit, illegal, disposable vapes," former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Deputy Director Edgar Domenech told Fox News Digital in an interview.
The synthetic compound, 6-methyl nicotine, also known as 6MN or "NIX," is a nicotine analog marketed under brand names including Nixodine and Metatine, with some manufacturers arguing 6-methyl nicotine products fall outside the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authority.
Domenech, the former sheriff of New York City, said that while nicotine is a well-known addictive substance regulated by the FDA, the nicotine substitute "manufactured illegally in China" is an "unknown variable" that hasn't been studied enough.
"It's a different type of substance," he said. "Now, all of a sudden, the FDA doesn't have oversight, but it's the same product. It's a disposable vape product with flavors targeting our kids and our youth with unknown chemicals."
Pointing to law enforcement's role in combating the illicit trade, Domenech said the companies create "confusion" by changing the product's ingredients, causing law enforcement and regulatory agencies to "take no action."
"The organized crime groups — they're five steps in front of us," he said. "By changing the substance, they are now creating additional new obstacles to figure out."
Domenech said the companies keep the same branding, packaging, and flavors while changing just one ingredient, allowing them to profit from children who may not realize what they're consuming.
CORPORATE AMERICA'S CHINA ADDICTION HAS BECOME A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT
"They're putting these products side by side in these big shops, because the packaging is all the same," he said. "All they've done is changed one of the ingredients in the product."
Domenech said the companies are targeting "our youngest, most vulnerable generation" with flavored disposable vapes containing chemicals whose long-term health effects remain unknown.
"They're targeting our youth with flavors," he said. "Whether it's fruity flavors, candy-type flavors, dessert flavors. They're targeting our kids to go ahead and ingest these products with unknown consequences because we don't know what's in them to begin with."
As youth vaping has become more widespread, Domenech said some schools have installed bathroom sensors that detect vaping, adding, "We've got 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds, 14-year-olds vaping these products."
He said that the products could lead to "unknown health and mental well-being issues down the line."
"There is nothing healthy about the illegal disposable vapes that are flavored targeting our kids," he said.
A recent Duke University study found 6-methyl nicotine may be stronger than nicotine, raising concerns it could be more addictive. Public patent records list Geoff Habicht, CEO of Arizona-based Mi-Pod, which Fox News Digital previously reported on as part of an investigation examining ties between the vaping industry and China, as an inventor on U.S. patents referencing 6-methyl nicotine and related compounds.
Raising awareness among lawmakers, health professionals, parents, and schools is vital to closing regulatory gaps and preventing more children from using the products, according to Domenech.
"Education is paramount for us to combat this issue," he said. "We need to educate our policymakers, we need to educate our health professionals, we need to educate our parents, the educational system to make them understand that these products are illegal, they have unknown substances that can have unknown consequences, health consequences."
Domenech said lawmakers and law enforcement need clearer guidance to identify and seize the products.
"We need to have a concerted effort to educate our policymakers at the federal level but also at the state and local levels because we need boots on the ground to understand what they can do legally in seizing these products," he said.
Domenech called the companies a "national security problem," saying the products "should be seized the moment they enter this country, period."
"We're losing a generation of our future, our future leaders to this product," he said.
America's cheapest city to grab a cheeseburger, fries and soda isn't where you'd expect
A cheeseburger, fries and a soda remain one of America's classic comfort meals, but what Americans pay for that combo depends heavily on where they live, according to the so-called Cheeseburger Index.
A new DoorDash State of Local Commerce report, which compares the average price of a cheeseburger, fries and a soda across U.S. cities, found the average price of the meal is lowest in Austin, Texas, at $12.94.
DoorDash said cities in the South and Southeast tend to be more affordable because of structurally lower operating costs, helping the region rank well across both grocery and restaurant price indexes.
The highest cost topped out in Anchorage, Alaska at $28.28 for the same meal, according to the report.
The 10 best-value cities in the study are concentrated in the Midwest and Texas, with four cities in the Lone Star State making the list — Laredo, Texas ($13.39), Lincoln, Nebraska ($13.86), Detroit ($14.99) and Philadelphia ($15.41) rounded out the top five.
The rankings come as eating out continues to get more expensive, even as prices for many grocery and household staples have stabilized.
DoorDash found the average price of a cheeseburger, fries and soda climbed 3.2% over the past year.
THE COST OF THIS GROCERY STAPLE IS NEARING RECORD HIGHS — AND AMERICANS CAN’T GET ENOUGH
While rising beef prices have drawn attention this year, DoorDash said higher restaurant prices appear to reflect broader operating costs — including labor, rent and energy — rather than food costs alone.
Local labor markets and operating expenses also help explain why the same meal costs less than $13 in Austin than in Anchorage where it's more than double that cost.
"There isn't one economy. There are a lot of local economies," Jessica Lachs, chief analytics officer at DoorDash, told Fox News Digital.
She said the Cheeseburger Index was designed to illustrate how those local differences translate into everyday prices for consumers.
"Really, the story here is local variation," Lachs said. "The same basket of goods — a cheeseburger, fries and a drink — costs $12.94 on average in Austin, Texas, but $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska. Same basket, same quarter, but a very different local reality."
ONE LITTLE-KNOWN MEETING HELPS DECIDE WHAT AMERICANS CAN AFFORD — AND WHAT THEY CAN’T
The Cheeseburger Index is one of three affordability measures included in the State of Local Commerce Report. DoorDash also publishes a Breakfast Basics Index, which tracks the cost of common breakfast items, and an Everyday Essentials Index, which measures the price of household staples.
Sections of the report found prices for many household essentials remained relatively flat, while some grocery items have begun climbing again.
Egg prices, which helped pull grocery costs lower earlier this year, have eased, but avocado and milk prices rose 12.4% and 8.3%, respectively, from the previous quarter.
"The Cheeseburger Index is a really great way to distill the information into a simple, fun and relatable metric," Lachs said.
"If you were to place that same order for a cheeseburger, fries and a drink every month, how much would it cost you? It's a great way to showcase price changes," she added.
Prince William dumped Kate Middleton with one phone call and then came ‘crawling back,’ royal author claims
Before they became the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William walked away from Kate Middleton — only to come "crawling back."
The claim was made by Christopher Andersen, author of "Kate!," which explores how the once commoner became the universally adored face of the British monarchy.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. A spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital it does not comment on books.
"Kate Middleton certainly was strategic in winning Prince William back," Andersen told Fox News Digital. "And she had [her mother] Carole Middleton as her general or field marshal or strategist — we’re going to call it. But Kate was crushed in the beginning. [It] was completely out of the blue. I was in London when they broke up in 2007, and it was shocking. Everyone thought they were on the verge of announcing their engagement."
William and Kate met in 2001 when they were students at the University of St. Andrews. The pair were friends at first but eventually started dating. After several years, William reportedly broke up with Kate over the phone.
According to Andersen’s book, Kate was "clutching her cell phone close to her ear" behind a closed door at Jigsaw, where she worked as a children’s accessories buyer. In a conference room, Kate "listened to the man she had loved for five years tell her they were through." Coworkers were straining to hear what was happening on the other side of the door.
WATCH: HOW KATE MIDDLETON WON PRINCE WILLIAM BACK AFTER THEIR SPLIT
William "stammered" that he was unwilling to commit, arguing he was "only 25" and "too young." He stressed that the press would make her life "unbearable" as long as they remained a couple. He feared that her life was in danger, and she wasn’t entitled to royal protection when he wasn’t around.
Kate "pleaded" with William to reconsider. She offered to ask her parents to hire private bodyguards if that’s what he wanted. William didn’t budge. Instead, he said he was under so much pressure now that he was taking on the duties of a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals Regiment of the Household Cavalry. He had made up his mind.
"What had happened was Camilla and [the former Prince] Charles had actually convinced William to either ask for her hand in marriage or cut it off and not let the poor girl suffer anymore," Andersen told Fox News Digital.
"Charles was always incredibly fond of Kate. He never doubted that she would make an excellent wife for his eldest son, and she had all the qualities necessary to become a future queen. But it wasn’t fair, in Charles’ view, to keep the poor girl hanging. And so, [William] chose to cut it."
"Her coworkers could hear Kate on the phone begging to know what was wrong, begging to know why this was happening, and crying," Andersen claimed. "Understandably, Kate was devastated. Her coworkers overheard Kate pleading with William, asking, "Why?" It all came as a total shock."
The book describes how Kate "had been gently pressing William for a commitment but was careful not to overplay her hand." Still, it was over.
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That evening, Andersen said Kate returned home to her mother, who encouraged her daughter to get out and embrace her independence.
"Carole Middleton, a very smart woman, told her, ‘Just go out there and [show him] what he’s missing,’" said Andersen. "And so, she went back into society."
Kate refused to stay heartbroken. The book claimed that she embarked on a new diet and exercise regimen and began slipping "into a series of micro-miniskirts" and "painted-on designer jeans."
She returned to London’s nightclub scene with her sister Pippa Middleton "riding shotgun." In between having fun "with a succession of young men," as reported by local newspapers, she also signed up with Sisterhood, an all-female rowing crew. She was far from moping around.
"Carole Middleton came to her daughter’s rescue," said Andersen. "She convinced Kate not to let the hurt show, to go out and date other young men in their circle and join a women’s rowing crew to make it look like she was having the time of her life. Kate and her sister Pippa were out on the town practically every night, making sure they were photographed in the company of handsome young aristocrats."
The headlines reportedly stung William. The book claimed that when it was reported that Kate and Sir Henry Ropner, a "dashing heir to a shipping fortune," were "in each other’s arms on the dance floor," William realized he’d made a huge mistake.
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"William went on a couple of drunken sprees," said Andersen. "In fact, at one point, he was in a London nightclub, shouting ‘I’m free!’ But six weeks after the split, he came back to Kate with his tail between his legs."
"The breakup was a total wake-up call for William," Andersen continued. "After all the years he and Kate had been together, he somehow felt it was his obligation to sow some additional wild oats. After all, that’s what most male members of the royal family did. But fairly quickly, he realized that Kate was the love of his life and someone you could build a future with."
And there was one party that changed everything.
In the book "William and Catherine" by Russell Myers, the royal editor of the Daily Mirror, he wrote that one of their mutual friends, Sam Waley-Cohen, was throwing a party at his family home, a 17th-century manor in Oxfordshire. The theme of the night was "Freakin' Naughty."
WATCH: INSIDE THE PARTY THAT CHANGED PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON'S FUTURE
William, who was "missing" Kate, reached out to her, asking if she would be attending the party that had been in their diary for months. Kate, reluctant to commit over the phone, said she would consider it.
"Keen to make an impression, and perhaps to help break the ice when he saw Catherine for the first time in months, William dressed in tight black hotpants and a plastic policeman's helmet," Myers wrote. "Catherine also turned heads when she arrived in a showstopping 'naughty nurse' outfit, complete with fishnet tights and a short dress."
"Fellow guests said as soon as William and Catherine set eyes on one another, it was clear their love had not extinguished," he wrote. "The couple peeled off from the rest of the party and spent hours locked in deep conversation. Catherine listened intently as William attempted to break the deadlock, laying out his reasons for doubting what they had."
"He talked of his fear of letting someone truly experience the world in which he lived, and also his fear of rejection if he did let himself get too close," Myers continued. "Catherine, of course, knew that she still loved William deeply."
"As the cocktails flowed, and the dance floor filled, they only had eyes for each other," Myers wrote.
In the summer of 2007, William and Kate rekindled their romance.
"Kate graciously made it clear that she understood the pressures he was under," said Andersen.
"At long last, William was no longer confused about the part she was destined to play in his life. Kate was in love with William and vice versa. It had been that way for five years by the time of their breakup.
"She never doubted William’s love for her, and he never doubted her commitment to him. But you have to understand that a future king has so many expectations heaped upon him that, at some point, he is going to crack. And that’s what happened when he initiated the breakup."
"Fortunately, William soon came to his senses," Andersen added.
Three years later, in 2010, William and Kate announced their engagement. They married the following year at London’s Westminster Abbey. Today, they are now proud parents to three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.