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ClickLock Mac malware locks apps until you give in
A routine "verify you are human" page should never ask you to open Terminal, the Mac app used to run computer commands. Yet that is how a new malware attack appears to get onto a Mac. The page tells you to copy and paste a command into Terminal. It then shows a convincing progress bar while the command quietly downloads malicious software in the background.
Next, a password box may appear that looks like a normal macOS request. If you cancel it, the malware can come back after you sign in again and repeatedly close Finder, your browser and other apps. Your Mac may feel almost impossible to use until you enter your login password.
The malware, called ClickLock, is built to steal personal information from your Mac. It searches for saved passwords, browser data and cryptocurrency wallet files. It can also install a hidden tool that lets an attacker reconnect to your computer later and control it remotely.
Researchers at cybersecurity company Group-IB discovered the malicious script on VirusTotal, an online service that checks files for threats. Someone first uploaded it there on June 9, 2026, yet none of the security tools on the platform detected it at the time of the researchers' report. Group-IB says the campaign has targeted at least 100 systems across 33 countries since May.
Here is how ClickLock takes over a Mac and what you can do to protect yourself.
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FAKE PASSWORD-MANAGER ALERTS COULD PUT YOUR VAULT AT RISK
ClickLock is a set of malicious scripts designed to steal sensitive information from a Mac. The malware can collect your Mac login password and browser data. It also searches for cryptocurrency wallet files, password manager extensions and information stored in macOS Keychain.
One component installs a persistent backdoor. That hidden connection can allow an attacker to access your Mac remotely even after the other parts of ClickLock remove themselves.
ClickLock gets started without exploiting a known macOS flaw. It also does not need admin-level access at the beginning. Instead, the attack depends on convincing you to run the command yourself.
Group-IB believes ClickLock likely spreads through a tactic called ClickFix. ClickFix attacks show you a fake error or verification request. The page then gives you a command that supposedly fixes the problem.
In this case, the ClickLock script displays a fake Cloudflare verification sequence after you paste the command into Terminal. An animated progress bar cycles through reassuring messages about checking browser signals and confirming you are human.
Meanwhile, the script disables keyboard interruptions and hides the Terminal cursor. It then downloads several malicious components in the background. Researchers have yet to confirm the exact landing pages used in the campaign. They also do not know whether people reached them through malicious search results, compromised websites, phishing messages or social media. However, the script's design strongly points to a ClickFix-style lure.
After the malware begins running, it displays a fake macOS password window. The pop-up uses your real username and an Apple icon downloaded by the attacker. If you enter a password, ClickLock checks it against your Mac. When the password works, the malware records it and sends it to the attacker through Telegram.
An incorrect password brings up another request. If you cancel the window, ClickLock installs two LaunchAgents. A LaunchAgent is a macOS instruction that can automatically run software when you sign in. In this case, the LaunchAgents bring the password-stealing components back at your next login.
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When the password-stealing module returns, it begins closing visible apps every 210 milliseconds. It targets Finder, the Dock and Terminal. It also shuts down Activity Monitor, System Settings, Spotlight and common web browsers.
The fake password window may remain as the only useful item on your screen. That can make your Mac look broken while pressuring you to enter your password. Group-IB found that the loop can run for about 83 hours. It stops earlier when the malware captures a valid password.
A second ClickLock component targets Chrome's Safe Storage key. Chromium-based browsers use this key to help encrypt passwords, cookies and autofill information stored on your Mac. An attacker with the key and copied browser databases may be able to decrypt that information offline.
This part of the attack triggers a genuine macOS Keychain authorization prompt. However, the malware caused the request. ClickLock then runs another process-closing loop while waiting for you to approve access. Researchers found that this loop repeats every 200 milliseconds and can continue for nearly 35 days. The script also suppresses macOS NotificationCenter for roughly six hours. That could hide warnings or notifications that might reveal the attack.
ClickLock searches for information across eight browsers. Those browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, Arc and Chromium.
The targeted browser information includes:
The malware also searches for desktop cryptocurrency wallets and encrypted wallet vaults. It can collect cached blockchain addresses across several networks. Other targets include macOS Keychain, Terminal command histories and FileZilla server details. The malware also records basic information about your Mac and its public IP address. ClickLock packages the collected information into a ZIP archive. It uploads that archive through Telegram's Bot API. Files larger than 40 MB get divided into smaller pieces, while retry code keeps trying after network failures.
One ClickLock component uses a modified version of the open-source GSocket tool. The malware installs a reverse shell, which gives the attacker a command-line connection to your Mac. On macOS, it disguises the backdoor as an iCloud-related process.
ClickLock uses a LaunchAgent and scheduled commands to keep the backdoor running. It also changes shell configuration files. Most of the other ClickLock modules delete themselves after completing their work. The GSocket component remains installed, which means the attacker may retain access after your Mac appears to return to normal.
The original ClickLock script had zero detections on VirusTotal when Group-IB analyzed it. Security vendors may update their detection tools as they learn more about the threat. The attackers also stored payloads on compromised websites that previously had clean reputations. Some components run without saving a normal file to the drive. Others erase themselves after stealing data.
However, ClickLock still produces suspicious activity while it runs. Warning signs include nonstop app closures, repeated password requests and sudden access to multiple browser folders. Security tools may also detect unusual connections to Telegram's API. For you, the earliest warning sign is much simpler. A website tells you to paste a command into Terminal. Legitimate human verification happens inside your browser. It should never require you to run a Terminal command.
These steps can help you avoid the ClickLock trap and respond quickly if the password loop starts.
Leave the page when it tells you to open Terminal and paste a command. A polished design offers no proof that the request is safe. Familiar logos can also be copied. Group-IB warns that a website asking you to use Terminal for verification is attempting to compromise your system.
Terminal commands can download software and change important settings. Never run an unfamiliar command simply to see what happens. Ask a trusted technical professional to inspect it first.
Think about what you were doing when the password window appeared. A website verification should have no reason to ask for your Mac login password. It should also have no reason to request access to Chrome information stored in Keychain. Cancel the request when the timing feels wrong.
Install macOS updates and keep automatic security updates turned on. Apple builds malware protection into macOS through Gatekeeper, Notarization and XProtect. Apple updates XProtect automatically as it identifies new malware. However, no built-in protection can eliminate every risk when you manually run a malicious command.
Strong antivirus software can provide another layer of protection against malicious files and suspicious behavior. Still, a clean scan cannot guarantee that ClickLock left nothing behind. The backdoor persists after other components erase themselves. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com
Do not enter your password to make the pop-up disappear. Press and hold your Mac's power button for up to 10 seconds until the computer shuts down. On a MacBook with Touch ID, press and hold the Touch ID button. Group-IB recommends forcing a shutdown when your Mac becomes unresponsive and keeps requesting your password. The company then recommends starting the Mac in Safe Mode.
Mac with Apple silicon: Wait until the Mac shuts down completely. Press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears. Select your startup volume. Hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.
Intel-based Mac: Turn on or restart the Mac. Immediately press and hold the Shift key until the login window appears.
Once Safe Mode starts, turn off Wi-Fi or unplug the Ethernet cable. Then contact Apple Support or a trusted cybersecurity professional. Removing a browser extension or clearing your history will not remove ClickLock's persistent backdoor.
Use a separate trusted device to change the password for your primary email account. Then secure your Apple Account and any financial accounts stored on the Mac. Change password manager credentials and review active sessions. Sign out of devices or sessions you do not recognize. Review the devices connected to your Apple Account and remove unfamiliar ones. Apple also recommends changing your Apple Account password when you suspect unauthorized access. After a professional cleans or resets the Mac, change its local login password. Assume the attacker received that password if you entered it into the ClickLock window.
ClickLock depends on one dangerous moment: convincing you to paste a command into Terminal. Once that happens, the malware can begin stealing information before the password pressure even starts. The biggest red flag is easy to remember. No trustworthy website needs Terminal to prove you are human. If your Mac starts closing apps and demanding a password, shut it down rather than giving in. Start in Safe Mode and get help checking for the persistent backdoor. Then use another trusted device to secure your most important accounts.
Have you ever seen a suspicious password prompt or fake verification page on your Mac? Tell us what it looked like and what you did next in the comments below. Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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'Blue Lagoon' star Christopher Atkins says alcohol cost him iconic 'Footloose' role before getting sober
Christopher Atkins claims his drinking cost him the lead role in "Footloose," which ultimately went to Kevin Bacon.
The "Blue Lagoon" actor looked back at his career during a recent appearance at Fanboy Expo Knoxville in Tennessee, which celebrates pop culture and nostalgia, People magazine reported.
According to the outlet, the 65-year-old actor said filmmakers behind the 1984 classic wanted to meet with him before making their final casting decision, but he wasn't able to pull it off.
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"I was a mess back then," he told the panel, as quoted by People. "I was partying it up way too much, and they called me in."
"I said ... 'I can't go in right now. I've been drinking and carrying on,'" Atkins recalled. "And they said, 'No, they need to see you.' And I went in, and I just blew that audition ... I mean, it wasn't even an audition — I had the part, but I was so messed up that they said, 'Yeah, we're going to have to pass on this guy.'"
"And I'm almost 40 years sober, so there you go," Atkins added.
WATCH: CHRISTOPHER ATKINS LOOKS BACK AT ‘THE BLUE LAGOON’ AND ‘DALLAS’
The actor also reflected on his breakout role in "The Blue Lagoon" during the discussion. The former teen heartthrob was just 18 when he was cast in the 1980 movie opposite Brooke Shields.
"I'd never done anything before," Atkins explained. "Never wanted to be an actor — I only wanted to play baseball. That was my dream."
"I didn't know what a camera looked like. I had no idea what a mark was, and I knew nothing. And I had to jump on an airplane and fly all the way to Fiji," he said.
"I ended up modeling for [the] Ford Modeling Agency in New York City and auditioned for 'The Blue Lagoon'... And I kept getting called back and called back and called back. And then [after] a couple of months, I didn't hear from them... And then all of a sudden, I got another callback."
The "Dallas" alum said his "whole life changed" after the movie's release.
"We were young, and so you're constantly getting this notoriety," Atkins explained. "And the magazines need you to sell their magazines, and you're hot at that time. And so it does get overwhelming... There are times when you're doing interviews, and you have a line of people, and you have to say the same thing to each person because they have the same question."
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"But it changes your life, because all of a sudden you’re nothing and then you’re on every single grocery store magazine."
Back in 2025, Atkins told Fox News Digital he "didn't know that much" about Shields, then 14, before she joined him on the set of "The Blue Lagoon."
"I lived on [a] boat off the island [where we were filming]... she hadn't come yet," he said at the time. "She had another week or so before she was going to get here. The director had put her picture up over my bed so that I could start falling in love with her before the movie started. That was my introduction to Brooke Shields."
The movie was controversial for depicting the two young characters in a sexual relationship. Shields and the movie's crew have long maintained that she used body doubles for nude scenes and that her hair was glued to her body to avoid exposing her chest, People magazine reported.
"The crew was all Australian," Atkins said. "Back in the day, all the Australian beaches... were topless. It was very natural and freeing for the Australians... And being on a deserted island, there were no tourists, nothing. It was just us on this island... [And] these two kids, in a natural [and deserted] environment, they wouldn't wear clothes. It wouldn't be something that was in the forefront of their minds, that they needed to cover up."
"As time went on, it just became more and more natural not to have clothes on," Atkins said. "The crew made it very, very easy. Randall [Kleiser], the director, made it very, very easy about it. [The scenes] were absolutely important for the film, but it wasn't grandiose. It wasn't something that was there for the exhibition of the film. He really wanted this to be as natural and as real as possible. I understood that and got that."
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"By the time I was done leaving that island four and a half months later, it [was] really hard for me to keep my clothes on at a beach," he joked.
People magazine noted that critics largely panned the movie. However, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The outlet reported that the movie grossed more than $58 million worldwide, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1980.
Looking back at his Hollywood career, Atkins said he has no regrets.
"I got to a point in my life where I married young," he said. "I wanted to be a dad more than chase the business... When I was 16, I used to teach sailing in Rye, New York, to little kids. From that measly paycheck that I was getting, I used to put a dollar away for someday when I had kids. That's how badly I wanted kids. When I had my two kids, I just did whatever came my way to put food on the table for them and keep working."
"I've been blessed," he said. "I've done more than 100 movies and television shows at this point. Now my kids have their kids, and that's pretty remarkable... I've done everything in this business except make my own film. That's the last box I now want to check off... That's what I'm chasing right now, putting some really good projects together... So there are no regrets."
Too much screen time may trigger lasting brain delays, top health official warns
As screens compete for families' attention, children's development is paying the price, top federal health officials warn.
Early and excessive screen time can trigger severe neurocognitive delays in young children, impacting attention spans, memory and language skills, according to Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, interim surgeon general and principal deputy assistant secretary of health.
"Parents are now fighting for attention from the screens," Haridopolos told Fox News Digital.
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To help parents combat screen addiction, the U.S. Surgeon General's Office has released a targeted framework known as "the 5 Ds."
Don't wait for a conflict to establish boundaries, experts recommend. Sit down as a family to outline clear, age-appropriate rules regarding when, where and how long screens can be used throughout the day.
Setting explicit expectations ahead of time cuts down on daily arguments, experts say.
Parents should model healthy screen habits themselves, Haridopolos said.
"If we're constantly on our screens, then perhaps our children will be, too," she said, encouraging adults to "be good role models and lead by example."
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Rather than defaulting to giving children a tablet when they're bored, Haridopolos recommended steering them toward hands-on activities, such as doing arts and crafts or preparing a healthy meal together.
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Breaks like summer and the holidays are critical windows for families to reset digital boundaries, the interim surgeon general suggested.
Haridopolos encouraged families to build regular screen-free periods into their daily routines, including during meals, car rides and before bedtime.
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As part of the "Delay" step, Haridopolos recommended putting off children's access to screens whenever possible. One way to do that, she said, is by requiring phones and other mobile devices to be charged overnight in a shared household space — like the kitchen or living room — rather than in children's bedrooms.
"Those are some simple activities that you can do that will make huge changes in the future," the interim surgeon general added.
Wildfires displace more than 250,000 in France, threaten famed wine region
More than a quarter-million people have been driven from their homes in southwest France as a massive wildfire barrels toward the famed wine capital of Bordeaux, with officials warning the fast-moving inferno has become so fierce it’s creating its own winds and behaving erratically.
French authorities ordered another 55,000 people to evacuate overnight Sunday from communities south of Bordeaux, bringing the total number of evacuees in the region to about 250,000. Gusty winds, dry conditions and repeated heat waves have fueled a fire that has burned out of control since midweek.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said firefighters faced a "difficult" night and warned Sunday that "the situation remains very unfavorable."
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"The fire again became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area," Nunez posted on X, adding that the blaze "became calmer by the end of the night."
The fire has now burned an estimated 42,000 hectares, or about 162 square miles — roughly four times the size of Paris — in the Gironde region. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the flames came within about 9 miles of the city, prompting officials to partially close a major highway into and out of the region.
More than 2,500 firefighters, backed by 18 planes and helicopters, are working to slow the fire's advance. France has also deployed 1,500 soldiers to help clear vegetation and build firebreaks, while several European countries have sent aircraft and firefighting crews to assist.
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Nunez said 450 volunteers have also pitched in to help.
"We came to lend a hand because if it were our region, we'd want others to do the same," 65-year-old farmer Pascal Roudier told Reuters. "And given the scale of the disaster, we think our efforts are very welcome too."
The Bordeaux-area fire is one of several major wildfires burning across France. A separate blaze in the neighboring Landes region has forced another 36,000 people to evacuate, while nearly 3,000 others have left their homes in southern France's Var region along the Mediterranean coast.
Neighboring Spain is facing its own wildfire emergency.
Authorities there have evacuated about 116,000 people in recent days as fires burned across the Valencia region and west of Madrid. A fast-moving fire in a Valencia suburb killed one man Saturday, marking Spain's first wildfire death in the latest wave of fires.
Earlier this month, 13 people were killed in southern Spain in the country's deadliest wildfire in recent memory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dale Earnhardt Jr gets choked up as one of his drivers takes maiden victory at Brickyard
Motorsports is a business, but it's always cool to see a very human moment, and we got one courtesy of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Cup Series and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series are both at Indy this weekend, while the Craftsmen Truck Series raced at nearby Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
On Saturday, it was the O'Reilly Series' turn to hit the 2.5-mile oval for the Pennzoil 250, and there were a few Cup Series regulars in the field, including Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott, both of whom wound up finishing in the top 5.
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Chastain led 31 of the race's 100 laps, more than any other driver, but it was Carson Kvapil, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro, who had the most important lap.
Kvapil led 23 laps total to claim his first-ever win after coming in second five times, including at the previous race in Atlanta.
Everyone knew he was due, and it was time to put one in the win column, and where better to do it than at one of the most iconic tracks in all of motorsports?
The win certainly hit the JR Motorsports owner in the feels. Earnhardt's team is the most successful in the series' history, but there was something special about Kvapil's maiden win.
"Oh, man; It's been a long time coming," Earnhardt said as he was getting choked up. "He's like a son almost. Y'know, you work with these guys for so long, and you work so hard... you just want them to have success."
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It's awesome to see how much Earnhardt cares about his drivers' success, and not just because wins are good for the team as a whole.
"He's got to win to keep going," Earnhardt said. "You've got to win if you want to stay in this deal, and, man, he came close (before)."
Congrats to Kvapil, JR Motorsports, and Earnhardt, the latter of which continues to show why he's one of the good guys in the world of racing.
'The Odyssey' star Matt Damon reveals brutal six-month transformation behind Christopher Nolan film
Matt Damon is opening up about how achieving his dramatic physical transformation for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" "just kind of took over my life."
The 55-year-old actor appeared nearly unrecognizable starring legendary Greek hero Odysseus in the mythological epic, which dominated the global box office after its July 17 release with a roughly $264 million opening weekend — the biggest debut of Nolan's career.
During a recent appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark," Damon revealed what it took to fulfill the 55-year-old director's vision for the role.
"He said, 'I just want him to look lean and strong like somebody who's a veteran of the Trojan War and can handle himself, but wouldn't pass up a meal if it was offered to him,'" Damon recalled Nolan telling him.
"And that's kind of the hardest shape to get into, you know, that kind of lean-strong thing," the actor added. "But it just kind of took over my life."
In the movie, which is an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem "The Odyssey," Odysseus spends 10 years trying to return home after fighting in the 10-year Trojan War, enduring shipwrecks, battles with monsters, starvation, imprisonment and constant physical hardship on his journey.
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Damon told hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that he underwent an intense six-month process to realistically portray the weathered, battle-hardened warrior.
The "Good Will Hunting" referenced his January appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce's podcast "New Heights," in which he revealed that he had slimmed down to his "high school" weight for the role. While speaking with the NFL stars, Damon shared, "I used to walk around between 185 and 200 pounds. And I did that whole movie at 167 pounds."
"I was talking to the Kelce brothers on their podcast like six months ago, and we were talking about it," he told Ripa and Consuelos. "It felt more like an athlete's regimen, kind of like those guys who have to just dedicate every moment of their day to thinking about everything."
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Damon described how he followed a routine in which food portions were measured and every aspect of his diet was carefully monitored.
"Everything's weighed," he said. "It's just very, very intentional about everything."
Damon also reflected on adopting a gluten-free diet to shed the pounds. He noted that he had not previously realized how many food and drink items contain gluten.
"It's in a lot of things, but there are a lot of great things that it's not in," he said, before citing rice and potatoes.
However, Damon acknowledged that he had to make some difficult sacrifices to stay gluten-free.
"Listen, I had to give up beer. That was tough," he said.
"Is there gluten in beer?" Ripa asked.
"There sure is," Damon replied. "Yeah. There are some gluten-free beers though. I'm learning about all this."
"It's in bread. It's in pasta. It's in a lot of the stuff that we love," he added.
During a July interview with People magazine, Damon recalled that his commitment to remain gluten-free was tested when his wife Luciana, 50, and his four daughters Alexia, 27, Isabella, 20, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15, visited him while he was filming "The Odyssey" in Italy.
"I promised them I was gonna have pasta with them, and right after I ordered it, I just called the waiter back, and I was like, ‘I’ll just please have a steak instead,’" Damon remembered.
"And the kids were like, ‘but you promised!’, and I said, ‘I’ll have a bite of each of your pastas,’" he continued. "So I took a bite of each of theirs."
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"I was just in it, I just, it was gonna be four or five more months. It’s all or nothing at this point," Damon added.
While speaking with Ripa and Consuelos, Damon explained why he has continued to maintain a gluten-free diet after completing production on "The Odyssey."
"I just felt so much better," he said.
Damon has previously opened up about drastically transforming his body for roles. For the 1996 war drama "Courage Under Fire," Damon lost between 40 and 50 pounds in about 100 days to play a Persian Gulf veteran dying from addiction and trauma.
The actor later said that his extreme weight loss was dangerous and revealed that a doctor told him that he "could have shrunk my heart permanently."
"I went too far," Damon said via the U.K. outlet Express. "I got sick, and I wouldn’t do that again because it was just too much."
"At the same time, it helped the performance," he continued. "I didn’t have to act at all; I was a wreck. I was getting dizzy spells and hot flashes. I didn’t say anything to anyone for a while because I was afraid I might be really ill."
Meanwhile, Damon has previously said that he had a more enjoyable experience when he gained about 30 pounds to play real-life whistleblower Mark Whitacre in 2009's "The Informant!"
"It was very, very easy to gain the weight. Very, very fun," Damon told reporters in 2009, via NBC."I just basically ate everything I could see for a few months."
However, Damon recently shared that he is no longer willing to subject himself to extreme weight fluctuations for roles.
While discussing transforming his body for "The Odyssey" in an interview with People magazine, Damon noted, "I didn’t change it in an unhealthy way."
"I think if I had done the opposite and put weight on, that would have been dangerous and it’s not something I’ll do anymore," he continued. "I was happy to do it earlier in my life."
Damon has previously shed light on other aesthetic changes that he made to play Odysseus, including growing a long beard and keeping it for a year.
While speaking with USA Today, Damon said that he and Nolan agreed that a fake, hand-laid beard was out of the question due to the water stunts that the actor had to perform for the movie.
"Any movie problem, the best solve is a practical one," Damon said. "In that case, it was like I was going to be thrown around. I was gonna be thrown into the water. Like a beard that wasn't — that didn't stay, you know, a hand laid beard would just come off in salt water."
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He continued, "And so there was no point trying to hand lay a beard, which I've done for other movies and works very well. But in this case, [Nolan] was like, ‘The only practical solution is just just to have the beard.’"
"So I had a big bushy beard for, you know a year or so. My kids thought I looked like Santa Claus," he added with a laugh.
Nolan is known for his commitment to authenticity, which is a hallmark of the Oscar-winning director's filmmaking. "The Odyssey" marked a reunion for Damon and Nolan after they previously collaborated on the hit movies "Interstellar" and "Oppenheimer."
While speaking with Ripa and Consuelos, Damon praised Nolan's directorial style and preference for practical effects.
"It's amazing working with him," Damon said. "He's a great actor's director. He's just so fun to work with."
"And he gets this elite crew," he continued. "They're so good and up for how he wants to do things. He wants to shoot everything in camera. There's no CGI. So if you see a thousand people in a battle, there were a thousand people there. If there are ships in the background of a shot, those are real ships."
"And the amount of coordination it takes between all these departments, that's actually, in this day and age, extraordinary," Damon added. "It really is. It's great to be a part of. It felt like we were doing a movie from 70 years ago, which is very cool."
Damon told Ripa and Consuelos that for him, committing to "The Odyssey" required little deliberation. Recalling the moment Nolan first offered him the lead role, the actor said the director spent about 15 minutes catching up before mentioning he was thinking about going back to work.
"And I'd like to offer you the central role," Damon recalled Nolan saying.
Damon said he immediately accepted, prompting Nolan to ask, "Don't you want to hear what it is?"
"I was like, ‘Sure,'" Damon said. "And he goes, "It's a two-word pitch: The Odyssey."
"My heart skipped a beat," he recalled. "It's an incredible part to play for an actor. The role of a lifetime."
Depression-era Little Debbie snack that built a family-run bakery still has Americans hooked
What began as a 5-cent snack sold during the Great Depression has grown into one of Little Debbie's best-selling treats more than 90 years later.
The Oatmeal Creme Pie was Little Debbie's first snack cake, tracing its roots to 1935, when O.D. McKee developed the treat after selling baked goods from the back of his 1928 Whippet, according to Little Debbie's website.
In 1934, the McKees had purchased a bakery near Chattanooga, Tennessee, using the family car as collateral, according to the website.
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"Money was so tight, they had to put up a sheet near the back of the bakery for the family's living quarters," the company history says.
Fast-forward to the 1960s, and Little Debbie, named after McKee's granddaughter, was an established brand.
Oatmeal Creme Pies are "the snack that started it all!" Little Debbie's website proclaims.
"Oatmeal Creme Pies have been satisfying families since 1960 as the very first snack baked under the Little Debbie brand name," the website's product description says. "Whole grain oats, molasses and irresistible crème filling combine to create this classic treat."
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The original family packs of baked goods contained the Oatmeal Creme Pie and were sold for 49 cents a carton.
"After its initial introduction, more than 14 million cakes were sold within 10 months," Little Debbie's website says. "While the Oatmeal Creme Pie was the original Little Debbie snack cake, there were 14 different varieties by 1964, including the ever-popular Nutty Buddy wafer bars and Swiss Cake Roll."
Little Debbie has rolled out various iterations of the Oatmeal Creme Pie, including Oatmeal Creme Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches and Oatmeal Creme Pie Ice Cream Bars. Home bakers have also created many copycat versions of the iconic snack.
Today, McKee Foods, still based in Tennessee, describes itself as "America's largest family bakery."
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The company produces more than 75 Little Debbie products. Oatmeal Creme Pies, along with Swiss Rolls and Nutty Buddy wafer bars, remain the company's most popular items. More than 200 million cartons of these three products are sold each year.
Little Debbie continues as a family-run company, and Little Debbie herself is still involved. The fourth generation of the McKee family is learning the business, and Debbie McKee-Fowler serves as chair of the McKee Foods Board of Directors.
The company is "honored" by the success of the Oatmeal Creme Pie and the brand's other products, McKee Foods said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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"Our success ultimately means we are delivering a product that people genuinely love," the company said. "The Oatmeal Creme Pie, for instance, has been a part of family gatherings and shared moments with friends for over 60 years. Being family-run keeps us grounded in our core values."
Oatmeal Creme Pies have stood the test of time, according to McKee Foods, because the flavor appeals to many different demographics and generations.
"The spiced cookies are nostalgic of a home-baked oatmeal cookie, and the sweet crème middle adds extra whimsy to the product for younger consumers. It's a little treat that isn't polarizing."
A customer recently relayed a story to McKee Foods that the company said captures the essence of how the Oatmeal Creme Pie is often associated with fond memories. The customer would eat an Oatmeal Creme Pie every time he went fishing with his grandfather.
"Today, every time he eats an Oatmeal Creme Pie, it instantly brings back the good memories of those fishing trips," the company said. "That powerful sense of nostalgia and comfort is what makes our products so much more than just a snack for so many people."
‘Vibrant’ Florida grandma allegedly killed by illegal immigrant outside Publix, family fights for justice
A Venezuelan man allegedly in the United States illegally is in jail after being charged in the death of an elderly Florida woman by backing over her with an SUV in a grocery store parking lot.
On May 17, Deborah Murphy, an 82-year-old grandmother, was walking back to her car on a crosswalk outside a Publix in Panama City Beach when she was struck by a Toyota 4Runner, according to court records.
She was pushed to the ground by the SUV, but the vehicle continued backing up, "running over Ms. Murphy," according to an arrest affidavit submitted by the Florida Highway Patrol.
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Carlos Suarez-Contreras, 26, was the driver of the vehicle, court records show. Luis Sanabria, 29, was the front-seat passenger.
Both were determined to be in the country illegally, according to arrest records.
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Both men told deputies they were born in Venezuela. The two were issued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and booked into the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Jail, court records show.
Suarez-Contreras submitted a written plea of not guilty to the charge of driving with a canceled license and causing a death, a third-degree felony. His Georgia license had been canceled, according to arrest records.
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Under Florida law, an illegal immigrant cannot obtain a state-issued driver’s license. However, 19 states and the District of Columbia do issue licenses to "unauthorized residents," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
At the scene, Sanabria gave sworn testimony to law enforcement that Suarez-Contreras "was operating the vehicle at the time of the crash."
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Before conducting an immigration investigation, the deputy on the scene noted that Suarez-Contreras gave "suspicious" answers to his questions.
Sanabria immediately left the scene on foot before law enforcement arrived, according to arrest records. He "only returned when I had Suarez-Contreras call him," a deputy reported later.
Sanabria was found to have an expired visa, according to the incident report. He was released into the custody of ICE, Jacob Navarro, public affairs specialist for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox News Digital.
Suarez-Contreras is being held without bond because of his immigration status and because it is believed that "he is a potential flight risk," Florida Highway Patrol records show.
Just after the incident, Murphy was taken to the hospital and died from injuries related to the crash, according to court documents.
Suarez-Contreras is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 17 at the Bay County Courthouse in Panama City, Florida.
"We’re determined to find justice and see Suarez-Contreras held accountable for his reckless actions," Murphy's twin daughters, Beth Schulz and Amy Edge, told Fox News Digital on a phone call. "She touched so many lives as an amazing friend, teacher, mother and grandmother."
Her family remembers her as "a light" who was "vibrant with so many more memories to be made."
About 16% of fatal traffic crashes in the U.S. involved drivers with invalid licenses in 2024, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That same year, 7,080 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes and more than 71,000 pedestrians were injured.
The state of Florida reported 10,501 pedestrian-related crashes in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. There were 678 deaths attributed to those incidents. Drivers failing to look behind them when backing a vehicle in a parking lot is listed as one of the most common reasons for pedestrian crashes by NHTSA.
The Georgia Department of Driver Services told Fox News Digital that Suarez-Contreras' license has been canceled. The agency would not say when it was canceled, citing privacy reasons.
The attorney defending Suarez-Contreras told Fox News Digital in an email that his client "didn’t commit any crime regarding the charges he was arrested on."
"It’s simply an unfortunate incident and not criminal in nature," wrote Russell Ramey of Musca Law in Panama City.
One of Murphy’s grandchildren presented the family with a collection of reflections on life from Murphy in her own words, her daughters said.
"My husband and I always felt that the best thing we could do for generations to come would be to leave this world with people who would make a difference," Murphy wrote in one of the reflections shared with Fox News Digital.
"It has been a delight to witness one’s own legacy. I thank my daughters for making our dream come true!!"
Fireworks are fading, but their high-tech replacement comes with new risks
Drone shows are rapidly replacing fireworks at concerts, sporting events and Fourth of July celebrations as communities embrace what many see as a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative. However, as the skies become more crowded with drones, security experts say the increasingly crowded airspace around large public events can make it more difficult to detect potentially bad actors.
R2 Wireless CEO of U.S. Operations Cordell Bennigson, who is a retired Marine Corps officer, told Fox News Digital that the growing prevalence of drone shows demonstrates how accessible the technology has become, creating new challenges for event security and public safety.
Bennigson said that he personally enjoys drone shows and finds them to be "impressive," but said the displays highlight a growing security challenge that extends well beyond the shows themselves.
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"A drone show itself isn't a security risk, but it's an indication of how accessible drones are," he said. "The other piece of the puzzle is what happens in the clutter and the noise of the full RF spectrum, all the wireless transmissions that are out there."
The radio frequency (RF) spectrum is made up of the invisible wireless signals used by everything from cellphones to drones. These airwaves can become busy during drone shows, due to the tech involved in the show and the spectators taking videos on their phone. According to Bennigson, the additional wireless traffic can make it more difficult for security officials to identify an unauthorized drone flying near an event, allowing it to blend in with legitimate electronic activity.
"Detection is the first line of defense," Bennigson said. "Obviously, we want to be able to defend against a drone from a bad actor, but we have to be able to detect it, and we have to be able to see through all of that clutter, all of the noise in the electromagnetic spectrum, in order to do that."
While some might think reducing wireless transmissions could be a solution, Bennigson said the idea is "unrealistic." In fact, he believes the technology will only become more prevalent, making it even harder to mitigate noise on the RF spectrum. Instead, Bennigson said that experts need to focus on refining detection capabilities.
"The question has to become, how do we get better at seeing or detecting within the noise, within the clutter?" he said.
Bennigson compared the approach to the use of night vision goggles.
"People with bad intentions used to be able to hide in the dark, and then we didn't get rid of the dark in order to mitigate that. We got better at seeing in the dark in order to mitigate it. And then it turned out actually we could use that capability for other kinds of things as well. So, we have to get better at seeing in the electromagnetic spectrum, which is what our focus is at R2, being able to do exactly that," Bennigson told Fox News Digital.
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Bennigson said artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important tool in detecting potential bad actors. He noted that the technology is able to rapidly sift through enormous amounts of wireless data, something that would be hard for humans to do in real time.
"AI is really good at picking up patterns. It's really good at rapidly going through large amounts of data," he said. "And so if you want to detect a drone or any other kinds of radio transmission that's happening in an environment where there's lots of other transmissions going on, how do you sort through all of that information really quickly? And how do you learn really quickly when something new shows up that maybe you haven't seen before? AI is very, very effective and very powerful in that environment."
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The challenge of drones becoming more prevalent and crowding the RF spectrum extends beyond shows and events, according to Bennigson. He believes that as drones become more common, cities, states and the federal government will need to rethink how they monitor airspace around stadiums, critical infrastructure and other places where large crowds gather.
"This needs to be something that we are paying attention to at the national, at the state, at city, and at the individual event level. We need to recognize that this is a very easy to acquire and very easy to employ capability for anybody who wants to get their hands on it," he said.
Bennigson added that it is crucial to have detection and defense capabilities that are ahead of the bad actors, rather than chasing them.
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As drone traffic grows, the new challenges that emerge will also require regulators tasked with monitoring an increasingly crowded airspace to make changes.
Bennigson said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has systems that work well for aircraft and drones that are operating legally and broadcasting their location. The problem, he said, is when someone with malicious intent who is unlikely to follow those rules enters the picture.
"We can't be relying on them telling us that they are there. We need to have systems that are in place that can identify them. One way that we're familiar with for that is radar."
He warned that while radar can detect things that are not transmitting their location, it also has limitations. One problem, according to Bennigson, is that having radars blasting in urban environments risks disrupting other signals. Additionally, radar can have difficulties picking up low flying first-person view drones. He believes that "radar is a piece of the puzzle, but it can't be the only tool."
"If the FAA is only relying on radar and only relying on friendly transmitters, that leaves a gap for some bad actors to be able to utilize, to be able to operate without being seen," he said.
Democrats are in big trouble because Black and brown voters don’t want socialism
The Democratic Party is being hijacked, and the people it claims to fight hardest for are the first ones bailing out.
The Democratic Socialists of America have gone from a fringe debate club to a governing faction inside the party in the span of a single election cycle. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani sits in Gracie Mansion. The organization is reportedly drafting a new platform calling for abolishing the U.S. Senate. This is not a healthcare plan. This is not a "tax the rich" bumper sticker. This is socialism, and in places its more radical wings openly flirt with communism, gaining real traction inside one of America's two governing parties. Democratic leadership is too terrified of its own base to say so out loud.
Here is what should terrify them more: the coalition they need to win national elections is not buying what the DSA is selling.
Start with New York City, ground zero for this movement. In the June primary, Mamdani lost to Andrew Cuomo among Black voters by nearly six points citywide, and he got wiped out in Brownsville and East Flatbush, two of the city's poorest neighborhoods where more than 60% of residents are Black.
It took Mamdani months of dedicated outreach and a general election pivot toward pocketbook issues like housing costs before he clawed back enough of that support to win in November. That is not a story of Black and brown voters embracing democratic socialism from the start. It is a story of a Democratic Socialist having to run away from his own movement's brand to survive a primary.
The pattern held again just weeks ago. In New York's 13th Congressional District, DSA member Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 49.4% to 45.9%, but the coalition that put her over the top looked nothing like the district's base. The New York Times reported Chevalier held just a 5.1-point advantage in higher-income areas, while Espaillat won lower-income areas by 9.1 points.
Espaillat also dominated majority-Hispanic precincts with 56%, particularly in working-class neighborhoods like Morris Heights and Kingsbridge, according to VoteHub's analysis of the results. Chevalier's win was built almost entirely on a 24.5-point advantage with younger voters and a 20-point advantage in college-educated precincts, the same coalition that carried Mamdani, not the working-class Hispanic voters who anchor the district.
That tension finally boiled over. A senior Mamdani campaign adviser called Black homeownership "a weapon of White supremacy masquerading as 'wealth building' public policy," prompting Queens Borough President Donovan Richards to accuse the DSA of acting like White supremacists.
The head of a Bedford-Stuyvesant organization founded in 1978 to keep Black families in their homes pushed back hard: homeownership is the thing generations of Black New Yorkers fought redlining to secure, not their oppressor. When a mostly White socialist movement tells Black homeowners their biggest asset is a tool of oppression, it should not be surprising that the movement struggles to hold their votes.
That tracks with who the DSA actually is. Its own 2021 internal membership survey found the organization is 85% White and only 4% Black, with a median age of 33. More than 80% of members hold a college degree, and better than a third hold a graduate or professional degree, more than double the national rate, with nearly a third clearing six-figure incomes. That is not a working-class movement. It is an upper-middle-class ideological project wearing working-class language as a costume, and Black and brown voters are not fooled by the costume.
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I am not the only one saying this. Democratic political analyst Van Jones, no one's idea of a conservative, called out DSA activists directly, warning that "no police, no prisons, no borders" is not progressive, it's regressive, and it threatens to drag the party somewhere voters do not want to go.
HBO "Real Time with Bill Maher" host Bill Maher has spent months warning Democrats that embracing Mamdani and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders as the party's future is a gift to Republicans, noting that Vermont couldn't sustain single-payer healthcare for 626,000 people, let alone a nation of 340 million.
And former Biden White House aide Yemisi Egbewole has described the DSA's rise as a socialist cub that establishment Democrats let grow into a full-sized lion because nobody had the nerve to stop it while it was small.
These are not Republican talking points. These are Democrats watching their own party get eaten from the inside and saying so publicly, because the alternative is pretending it isn't happening.
Look at what the DSA actually wants once you get past the slogans. Abolish the police. Abolish prisons. End cash bail and misdemeanor prosecution outright. Decriminalize prostitution. Strip mayoral control of public schools. Advocate for government seizure or replacement of private housing and grocery markets.
These are not modest reforms. They are a rejection of property rights, of public safety, of the basic bargain that working people in Black and brown neighborhoods have fought for generations to secure: safe streets, stable schools and a shot at ownership. The National Black Empowerment Action Fund, a Black-led advocacy group, put $2 million behind ads warning that the DSA agenda threatens decades of social and economic progress built by Black Americans.
Let me be honest about where I sit in this. I am a Republican. The collapse of the Democratic Party as a functioning, majority-coalition institution is no sweat off my brow. If the party wants to hand itself over to an organization that thinks abolishing the Senate is a serious policy position, I will not lose sleep over the electoral consequences.
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But there is a bigger stake here than partisan advantage, and it is worth saying plainly: watching an avowedly socialist faction consolidate control over one of America's two major parties should worry every American, not just Republicans.
Socialism has a track record, and it is not a good one. Every serious attempt to centralize economic control at scale has ended in scarcity, corruption, or authoritarian consolidation, usually all three. The DSA's defenders will tell you this is just Scandinavian-style social democracy with better branding. The platform documents say otherwise. So do the voters, and now the Black homeowners and political leaders, who keep pushing back against it.
For the sake of a Democratic Party that might someday remember it needs Black and brown voters to win anything outside a handful of gentrifying ZIP Codes, and for the sake of not letting a genuinely dangerous ideology dress itself up as compassion, the DSA should have no place in serious American politics. From the mayoral primary to the homeownership fight, the coalition it claims to represent keeps telling it no. Democratic leaders can keep pretending otherwise, or they can look at the numbers.