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Hundreds of wild bird deaths reported across seven counties, prompting park closures
Hundreds of geese have reportedly died in New Jersey, and bird flu is suspected to be the culprit.
More than 1,100 dead or sick wild birds — almost all of them Canadian geese — were reported between Feb. 14 and Feb. 16 across seven counties, according to New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Although tests are still pending, officials say the deaths were likely caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as bird flu, which is a respiratory disease of birds caused by influenza A viruses.
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"I find the images of the dead and dying birds very troubling, unsettling, and a reminder that avian flu continues to be present," David J. Cennimo, MD, associate professor of medicine and pediatrics and an infectious diseases specialist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told Fox News Digital.
"It is important to note that at the time of this writing, the cause of death has not been announced, and bird flu is only strongly suspected, but the picture is consistent with avian influenza, and there is a good reason for the high-level suspicion."
Some local parks have temporarily closed out of an "abundance of caution," including Betty Park and Alcyon Park in Gloucester County.
"Residents are asked not to approach any geese in or around the area," the Borough of Pittman advised in a social media post.
Common symptoms of HPAI among birds include diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, discharge from the nose and lack of coordination, according to DEP. Some birds, however, may die from the virus even if they never appear to be sick.
While geese have made up the majority of the New Jersey fatalities, avian influenza also poses a risk to chickens, turkeys and ducks.
"We have seen cases of avian influenza in other animals, most notably dairy cows and cats," Cennimo said. "If possible, domestic animals should be kept away from sick birds."
Although the risk to the public is low, health officials recommend avoiding direct contact with wild birds or animals that could be infected.
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"Public awareness and precautionary measures are essential to mitigate the impact of bird flu on both agriculture and public health," the DEP stated.
Avian influenza viruses continue to spread in wild bird populations, Cennimo said, and transmission can be amplified by close congregations of birds. This can happen during a period of freezing temperatures, when there is limited availability of water.
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"The risk to humans remains low at this time," the expert confirmed. "If the birds did die of influenza, they could still have live virus and could infect humans. For this reason, people should avoid handling sick or dead birds, use protective measures like gloves and wash their hands."
Rebecca Carriere Christofferson, PhD, associate professor of pathobiological sciences at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, noted that mass bird deaths are a symptom of ongoing transmission of bird flu.
"It's sad from an ecological perspective, but also poses a risk to any nearby agricultural facilities, as we've seen spillover into poultry and dairy cattle in the last couple of years," she told Fox News Digital. "The more transmission, the more the chance for there to be transmission to humans."
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Last year, there were some human deaths due to bird flu, primarily linked to contact with infected animals, Christofferson noted.
"Surveillance is key to preventing uncontrolled spread, and understanding the patterns of where the virus is — and is going — can help mitigate the ongoing risk to our animal and human populations."
Under oath, Meta's Zuckerberg showed why Big Tech can't police itself
Wednesday was a historic day as Mark Zuckerberg took the stand and faced a jury under oath to answer allegations that Meta knowingly designed and promoted products that hooked young users — including children — despite internal warnings about the risks, marking the first time he has testified before a jury in such a case.
While Zuckerberg’s testimony was often characterized by sidestepping and dodging questions — to the point that the judge instructed him to answer directly — he can’t deflect his way out of this one. The evidence in this social media trial speaks for itself.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Lanier, focused on three central themes in his questioning: 1) addicting users; 2) allowing underage users access to the platform; and 3) making business decisions that put profits over safety.
Zuckerberg was presented with a 2015 email in which the CEO stated his goal for 2016 was to increase users’ time spent on the platform by 12%. Zuckerberg argued that Meta’s growth targets reflect an aim to give users something useful, not to addict them, and stated that the company does not seek to attract children as users.
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When asked whether he believes people tend to use something more if it’s addictive, he dismissed the premise. "I don’t think that applies here," he said.
But it absolutely does apply. Meta’s entire business model is built on user engagement. Social media appears "free," but a child’s time, attention and data are the product being sold. More hours with eyes glued to the screen mean more advertisements to sell. The user is the product. The incentive is to keep users engaged as much as possible.
As confirmed earlier in the trial by addiction expert Dr. Anna Lembke of Stanford University, social media meets the clinical criteria for addiction, according to her expert testimony.
Lanier also questioned Zuckerberg extensively on Meta’s age-verification policies. He showed an internal Meta email from 2015 estimating that 4 million children under 13 were using Instagram — approximately 30% of U.S. children ages 10 to 12. One in three preteens.
Zuckerberg said the company removes identified underage users and includes terms about age requirements during the sign-up process. Lanier responded, "You expect a 9-year-old to read all of the fine print? That’s your basis for swearing under oath that children under 13 are not allowed?"
Zuckerberg added that some children "lie about their age in order to use the services." During this exchange, he also said, "I don’t see why this is so complicated ... we have rules and people broadly understand that."
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Waving his hand and saying "we have rules" is not an adequate defense. These are minors. It is the company’s responsibility to ensure the platform is effectively age-gated; otherwise, its stated age policy is meaningless.
In practice, age verification on most social media platforms relies largely on self-reported birthdates. A child can enter a false age, click to accept the terms and conditions and gain access within minutes. Critics argue that without meaningful safeguards, age restrictions amount to little more than an honor system.
Age of access is a key issue in this trial. The plaintiff, K.G.M., who got on Instagram at age 9, alleges that her social media use as a child and teenager led to body dysmorphia, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, addiction and depression. Her age when she began using the app — during a period of significant brain development between ages 10 and 12 — is central to the harms she alleges.
AUSTRALIA REMOVES 4.7M KIDS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS IN FIRST MONTH OF HISTORIC BAN
Instagram should never have allowed her on the platform at age 9, the plaintiff argues. Whether the jury ultimately agrees remains to be seen, but the case places responsibility for those decisions squarely on Meta’s leadership.
Lanier ended his questioning by unrolling — with the help of six others — a 50-foot collage of every selfie K.G.M. had posted on Instagram, many with beauty filters. He asked Zuckerberg whether Meta ever investigated her account for unhealthy behavior. Zuckerberg did not answer.
Earlier, Lanier pressed Zuckerberg about his decision to allow beauty filters that mimicked plastic surgery after 18 internal experts warned they were harmful to teenage girls and could contribute to body dysmorphia, according to internal documents. Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, ultimately reversed a temporary ban and allowed the filters on the platform. Plaintiffs contend that decision exposed vulnerable young users to tools linked to body dysmorphia and other mental health struggles.
Zuckerberg defended the decision by saying that after lifting the ban, Instagram did not create its own filters or recommend them to users. He added, "I think oftentimes telling people that they can’t express themselves like that is overbearing."
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What a spin. Removing plastic surgery filters that harm young girls is, in his words, "overbearing." Many parents would call it putting reasonable safeguards in place.
While Zuckerberg has publicly said Meta cares about children’s safety — telling Congress in 2024 that "Our job is to make sure that we build tools to help keep people safe" and that "We are on the side of parents everywhere working hard to raise their kids" — the internal evidence presented at trial suggests otherwise.
Though he would not admit in court that he knew his products were addictive or targeted teens, he didn’t need to. The jury — and the public — can weigh his answers against the internal documents and decide for themselves.
West Virginia sues Apple, accuses tech giant of letting iCloud become hub for child sexual abuse material
West Virginia brought a lawsuit against Apple on Thursday over allegations the big tech giant lets predators easily hide child sexual abuse material in its iCloud storage, marking the first time a state has sued the company over the issue.
Attorney General JB McCuskey, who is leading the lawsuit, told Fox News Digital in an interview that Apple is an "outlier in the marketplace" when it comes to cloud-based storage and that the company has long refused to run adequate filters through its storage, unlike Meta and Google, although those companies differ from Apple in that they run massive social media platforms.
"They're producing millions and millions and millions of reports for federal and state law enforcement officials about people trying to store child pornographic images in their clouds," McCuskey said. "Apple, on the other hand, their total number of reports is in the hundreds."
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McCuskey argued that Apple, which prides itself on its encryption features of its iCloud which are lauded by privacy hawks, is incentivized to manage its iCloud data in a way that is lucrative for the company.
"Every single byte of data that you're using to store in the iCloud is a way for Apple to make money, and so they're using user privacy as a guise for what is really a bonanza for them to make money as child predators store their images, distribute their images through the Apple cloud," McCuskey said.
West Virginia’s complaint against Apple, filed in Mason County Circuit Court, demands that the company begin employing detective measures that scan cloud storage for child sexual abuse material.
An Apple spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital that its products effectively shield young users from harmful content, though the spokesperson did not address how it manages possible child sexual abuse material on the iCloud that adults could access.
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"At Apple, protecting the safety and privacy of our users, especially children, is central to what we do. We are innovating every day to combat ever-evolving threats and maintain the safest, most trusted platform for kids," the spokesperson said. "All of our industry-leading parental controls and features, like Communication Safety — which automatically intervenes on kids’ devices when nudity is detected in Messages, shared Photos, AirDrop and even live FaceTime calls — are designed with the safety, security, and privacy of our users at their core."
Central to West Virginia's complaint are internal text messages attributed to Eric Friedman, Apple’s former anti-fraud chief, describing iCloud as "the greatest platform for distributing child porn."
In an iMessage exchange about Apple’s perceived emphasis on privacy over child safety, Friedman wrote, "which is why we are the greatest platform for distributing child porn, etc."
When asked by a colleague whether there was "a lot of this in our ecosystem," Friedman responded, "Yes."
In another message, Friedman described Apple’s approach to oversight: "But — and here’s the key — we have chosen to not know in enough places where we really cannot say."
Friedman's messages underscore a defense Apple has raised in other similar lawsuits, brought by alleged victims. One of the major lawsuits is pending, though a judge dismissed some of the claims in favor of Apple's argument that it was protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Under that defense, Apple asserted that it had immunity under Section 230, which states that the court cannot force tech companies to design their software in a specific way.
Section 230 has been a top source of scrutiny in Congress for years as lawmakers spanning the political spectrum grapple with how to regulate big tech companies and artificial intelligence platforms in a rapidly evolving industry. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., recently introduced a bill to repeal Section 230 altogether to force tech giants to negotiate new protections.
Privacy advocates have argued that proposals to use child sexual abuse detection systems on Apple products represent a dangerous shift toward surveillance because Apple would be using scanning software on users’ devices, making the company more vulnerable to government pressure to scan for more expansive sets of data.
McCuskey noted that West Virginia was unique in that the state, located in the heart of Appalachia, is rife with child welfare inadequacies and that kids are at higher risk of exploitation in his state than in others.
"There is a direct and causal link between children who are in and out of the foster care system and children who end up being exploited in so many of these dangerous and disgusting ways," McCuskey said.
Federal judge strikes down large parts of Trump mass detention policies for migrants
A federal judge in California on Thursday tossed out a lower court ruling that supported broad detention powers of migrants by the Trump administration.
Judge Sunshine Sykes, a Biden bench appointee, said the government’s claim it was taking the "worst of the worst" criminal illegal immigrants for deportation was "inaccurate."
"'Worst of the worst’ is an inaccurate description of most of those affected by DHS and ICE’s operations," Sykes wrote. "Perhaps in utilizing this extreme language DHS seeks to justify the magnitude and scope of its operations against non-criminal noncitizens."
AMERICANS COULD PAY TO BRING BACK ALLEGED MEMBERS OF 'FOREIGN TERRORIST CARTEL' TO US
"Maybe that phrase merely mirrors the severity and ill-natured conduct by the Government," Sykes added. "Even though these press releases might contain an inkling of truth, they ignore a greater, more dire reality."
The ruling could block mass deportations and guarantee bond hearings for many non-criminal migrant detainees.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been allowed to deny bond hearings to those arrested by federal immigration authorities who had been in the United States for years.
Recent migrant arrivals have traditionally not been guaranteed an immediate bond hearing. In June, the Trump administration singled out California and launched a mass detention policy focusing on migrants in the Los Angeles area in an effort to arrest criminal illegal immigrants.
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Several people detained sued, alleging they had been denied bond hearings. Sykes said the administration’s policies swept too broadly.
"Americans have expressed deep concerns over unlawful, wanton acts by the executive branch," Skyes said. "It is not the ‘worst of the worst’ that are swept into the nationwide and reckless violations of the law by the executive branch. In the past weeks, the Government detained Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son without a valid warrant."
"Beyond its terror against noncitizens, the executive branch has extended its violence on its own citizens, killing two American citizens— Renée Good and Alex Pretti—in Minnesota," the judge added. "The threats posed by the executive branch cannot be viewed in isolation."
A federal appeals court based in New Orleans last week ruled for the administration, concluding the current DHS detention and bond policy was legal.
The Justice Department had no immediate comment on the latest ruling but is expected to appeal the decision and request the detention policies be allowed to continue temporarily while the issue is being litigated.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to the White House.
Former NYPD chief calls police cuts 'recipe for disaster' as Mamdani threatens tax hikes
Former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chief John Chell blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for walking back the planned hiring of 5,000 more police officers amid a city budget shortfall of billions of dollars, calling it a "recipe for disaster."
Mamdani's predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, proposed at the end of his term that the city hire 5,000 more NYPD officers.
Upon entering office, Mamdani moved to cancel all orders signed by Adams after his Sept. 26, 2024, indictment, including the proposed NYPD personnel increase.
MAMDANI SIGNALS DISBANDING NYPD PROTEST UNIT, CALLS FOR HIGHER TAXES ON TOP 1% AMID BUDGET RECKONING
Under Adams' plan, the NYPD would gradually hire more officers over the coming years, ultimately allowing the NYPD to deploy around 40,000 officers to the streets, while Mamdani's plan caps the number closer to its current level of around 35,000.
"We need about 40,000 [officers], and we're roughly close to 34,000. So, cutting back 5,000, we're probably going to lose another close to 4,000 like last year," Chell said Thursday on "Fox & Friends."
"Recipe for disaster. Public safety is the key to New York City."
Mamdani has also faced backlash for threatening a nearly 10% property tax increase that could affect millions of residents if Albany does not agree to raise income taxes on the city's wealthiest.
Detractors say the move could squeeze middle-class homeowners — many of whom voted for Mamdani — by triggering rent hikes as landlords pass along the cost to tenants.
MAMDANI PROPOSES CUTTING NYPD BUDGET, CANCELING 5K NEW OFFICER HIRES
When Mamdani unveiled his administration's fiscal year 2027 preliminary budget on Tuesday, he laid out two paths available to the city to balance its budget in light of a $12 billion funding gap identified by his team that was whittled down to $5.4 billion after projected savings, revenue and state aid.
The first path involves working with Albany to increase personal income taxes on the 33,000 New Yorkers earning more than $1 million per year and raising corporate taxes on the city's most profitable corporations, Mamdani said.
The second option involves a 9.5% property tax hike that the mayor estimates would affect more than 3 million residential units and more than 100,000 commercial buildings. It would also require drawing $980 million from the city's Rainy Day Fund and $229 million from the Retiree Health Benefits Trust.
"So, you're gonna raise my taxes 10%, and you're going to reduce my public safety for my city. That's very appetizing for me to stay in New York City, isn't it?" Chell said.
"We can't pay for everything. Everything can't be for free. But what you need is cops out in the street. Tell me how all these programs are gonna help when you're getting robbed in the middle of the street?"
Fox News Digital's Amanda Macias and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Casinos brace as Las Vegas tourism plunges 7.5% in sharpest annual visitor decline outside COVID pandemic
While the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is reporting a new record, tourism numbers in Las Vegas remain on the decline.
Nearly 55 million passengers traveled through LAS in 2025, giving the airport its third-highest annual total.
While passenger numbers still declined from the prior year, the airport attributed its 2025 success to various changes, such as TSA wait times on flight information display screens, a new airport website and two new lounges.
POPULAR LAS VEGAS ATTRACTION SEATING THOUSANDS WILL EXPAND TO NEW VACATION DESTINATION
James Chrisley, director of the Clark County Aviation Department, told Reuters, "Our peaks are still peaks, and our valleys are softer."
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LCVA) released its year-end summary for 2025 as well — and those numbers are worrisome to many.
There were 38,545,700 people who visited Sin City — down 7.5% from 2024, the report said.
The highest visitation year ever recorded in Las Vegas was in 2019, with 42,523,700 people coming by.
That was before a dip during the COVID pandemic, according to LCVA data posted on its website.
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The noted visitor volume in 2025 closely mirrors the levels seen in 2000, 2002 and 2003.
Total occupancy in 2025 was 80.3%, with average room rates at $196.54 and a convention attendance of 5,988,200.
In comparison to 2024, convention attendance, visitors, occupancy and the daily roommate were all down.
Steve Hill, LVCVA president, reportedly spoke about the effect that tariffs have had on both returning and potential new visitors.
"Some of the decisions our administration has made around international relations [have] caused a drop in tourism," said Hill, according to local outlet KTNV Las Vegas.
Many officials, hotel owners and travel experts are citing a drop in Canadian tourism as a major reason that tourism numbers have been down.
Now, Circa Resort & Casino has launched an "at par" promotion — making the exchange rate for Canadians equal at its properties.
"Canadian [visitors] are down anywhere from 20% to 50%, depending on what month you look at over the course of the last year," Casino owner Derreck Stevens previously told Fox News Digital.
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Reuters called Las Vegas "a city powered by leisure spending that just posted its sharpest annual visitor decline outside the pandemic."
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Meanwhile, a tour guide told the outlet that travelers are bristling at how pricey Las Vegas has become.
"Ten bucks for a bottle of water," said the guide. "People don't see a deal anymore."
Reuters contributed reporting.
Armed Georgia man arrested at US Capitol told police he wanted to 'talk' to Congress: docs
The Georgia man who was arrested while carrying a loaded gun and running onto the U.S. Capitol grounds told authorities he wanted to talk to a member of Congress, according to court records.
Carter Camacho, 18, appeared in federal court Wednesday and was ordered held without bond.
Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, parked a Mercedes SUV near the Capitol, exited and ran toward the building carrying a loaded shotgun and additional rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
INVESTIGATORS SEEK MOTIVE AFTER GEORGIA MAN ALLEGEDLY RAN TOWARD CAPITOL WITH LOADED SHOTGUN
He was wearing body armor and camouflage-style clothing, documents state.
As he climbed up the stairs to the building, a uniformed U.S. Capitol Police officer asked Camacho what he was carrying. Camacho raised his right arm and clutched a gun, a Mossberg Model 88 12-guage shotgun, federal prosecutors said.
He complied with orders to halt and get on the ground.
"He also told USCP officers he was just there to talk to a Member of Congress," court records state.
Court documents did not say if Camacho mentioned a specific lawmaker.
The shotgun was loaded with seven rounds and the safety was off, authorities said. An additional 17 rounds of ammunition were stored in a carrier attached to the stock of the weapon, authorities said.
Near Camacho's vehicle, officers found a knife. The area outside the Capitol was later cleared and reopened.
Camacho was charged with unlawful possession of a gun on Capitol grounds. His next court date is March 2.
Top Maryland Democrat defies Jeffries on mid-cycle redistricting push to boot state's lone Republican
A top Democrat in Maryland's state legislature threw cold water on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' campaign to oust the state's lone Republican from Congress.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., was in Annapolis on Wednesday meeting with state leaders to discuss redrawing Maryland's congressional map before the November 2026 midterms.
He's one of the highest-profile Democrats pushing the state to join the growing redistricting war, which could see Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., effectively drawn out of the one Republican-leaning district in the state.
That would require both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly to approve a new map recommended by Gov. Wes Moore's redistricting commission earlier this year. But Senate President Bill Ferguson is resisting pressure from fellow Democrats.
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"It's precisely because we want Leader Jeffries in the majority that most members in the Maryland Senate Democratic Caucus do not support moving forward with mid-cycle redistricting that will backfire in our State courts and lose Democrats in Congress," Ferguson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
It's a position he's held since last year, when he wrote a letter to state Democrats warning that "mid-cycle redistricting for Maryland presents a reality where the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined."
Ferguson said they also discussed "the importance of responding to the lawless Trump Administration through economic, social, and immigration policies" and how they could cooperate in those areas.
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But redistricting remains a sticking point dividing Democrats in the Old Line State.
Moore, who spoke with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, called for Ferguson to at least allow a vote to be held on the new map.
"As someone who fought for this country and someone who fought for democracy, I just believe in fighting for democracy, and I think that requires a vote, no matter how the vote turns out," Moore said. "It frankly doesn't matter, but just vote. And so I think that was also the message that Leader Jeffries shared with the Senate President."
Jeffries has met with Democrats in various states about redistricting across the country, but it's rare for him to wage such a public pressure campaign on a fellow party leader.
He told reporters on Wednesday that he shared with Ferguson, "It's our view, and I believe this is the view that has been clearly and decisively shared by Governor Wes Moore, that the best course of action at this moment is to allow an up-or-down vote in the Maryland State Senate so that we have an opportunity to move forward in a transparent way and see where things will land."
Jeffries also suggested Ferguson's decision was not final and that there were still ongoing conversations on the matter.
REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS
Harris, Maryland's lone Republican representative, is the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
He told Fox News Digital last month that he would bring a lawsuit to challenge the new map if it somehow did get approved.
"Wes, we’ll see you in court," the conservative caucus leader said.
Redistricting is normally a process seen every 10 years, after a new census calls for the modification of congressional districts based on changes in population.
But a redistricting war has broken out ahead of the November midterms that could upend electoral maps across the country.
Both Texas and California have moved to redraw their congressional maps in favor of Republicans and Democrats, respectively.
A similar effort by Indiana Republicans, backed by President Donald Trump, was shot down by members of their own party while pushes in Ohio and North Carolina prevailed in favor of the GOP. But states like Virginia and Florida and could follow suit.
Gov Wes Moore stands by account of grandfather's interaction with KKK amid scrutiny: 'Hurtful and offensive'
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, widely believed to have presidential ambitions, is standing by his account of his family's history of fleeing the Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina in the face of a report questioning the details about that story.
"It's hurtful, and it's offensive," Moore told Fox News Digital when asked about the report.
Earlier this month, the Washington Free Beacon published an article that disputed a story Moore told about his family’s background, in which his grandfather and great-grandfather were forced to flee the state of South Carolina due to threats from the Ku Klux Klan.
"I know my family's history, I know that James Joshua Thomas was born in South Carolina, and when he was a toddler, when he's just a child, was run out by the Ku Klux Klan, that his family picked up and they moved to Jamaica, but that he came back to this country, and he became the first black minister in the history of the Dutch Reformed Church," Moore said.
Moore has frequently referenced his maternal grandfather, James Thomas, as the figure in the story, including during a 2020 appearance on the Yang Speaks podcast titled "Wes Moore on how the KKK ran his family into exile," where he detailed how his great-grandfather was a minister in Winnsboro, South Carolina, who fled to Jamaica with his son after being threatened by the Klan.
MARYLAND GOV WES MOORE IN HOT SEAT AFTER REPORT QUESTIONS CLAIM ABOUT GRANDFATHER AND KKK
However, the Free Beacon report cast doubt on the specifics of that story, claiming that historical records from the Protestant Episcopal Church and contemporary newspaper reports indicate that Thomas’s departure was not a secret, middle-of-the-night escape, but an orderly and public professional transfer after he was appointed to replace a deceased pastor in Jamaica.
Additionally, archival data and the diocese's own historical accounts suggest that the White community in Pineville, S.C., actually held Thomas’s church in high regard for its medical services, with no mention of racial animus or Klan interference during his tenure.
"The irony," Moore said, "is that when he became the first black minister in the history of the Dutch Reformed Church, threats started coming to him because not everybody was happy, and he stuck because this is a man who had a deep Jamaican accent his entire life and was maybe the most patriotic American I've ever met."
"And so to hear now him and his story being attacked by a right-wing blog. It's just deeply hurtful and deeply offensive. And I said it before, but if they have questions about the Ku Klux Klan's activities in the 1920s in South Carolina, then don't ask me, ask the Ku Klux Klan."
The Washington Free Beacon has publicly stood by its reporting on Moore's life story.
Moore has previously faced other questions about misrepresenting his past, including on Sunday when CBS' Norah O'Donnell pressed the governor on another Washington Free Beacon report alleging discrepancies about his claims about his tenure at Oxford University.
"Oxford says it does not have a copy of your thesis," O’Donnell asked. "Did you submit it? Any idea why it’s missing?"
Moore responded, ""I think Oxford has said that I have completed my degree. There is no denying that. And that I received a Master’s degree at Oxford University in international relations after being the first African American Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University. And so, there is no denying that."
In September, Moore said he is "not running for president" in 2028 and is "excited" about serving a full term if he wins re-election in November, although many still believe he has presidential ambitions at some point in the future.
Jewish group demands firing of broadcaster who called 'Zionist' Israeli Olympian supporter of 'genocide'
Liora Rez, the founder of StopAntisemitism, is calling for the firing of a Swiss broadcaster who questioned an Israeli athlete's participation in the Winter Olympics.
Radio Telesvision Suisse commentator Stefan Renna dubbed Israel's skeleton competitor, A.J. Edelman, a "self-defined Zionist" who has posted several messages on social media in support of the "genocide" in Gaza. Renna mentioned the United Nations when clarifying his use of the word "genocide."
"It's almost like Al Jazeera, puppet-state media broadcasting versus a European TV network, and it was entirely inappropriate," Rez said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "We firmly believe that Stefan needs to be terminated, and an apology needs to be issued by his broadcasting network."
The network said it "removed the segment from our website" after the remarks, "although factual...may have appeared inappropriate due to its length within the context of a sports commentary."
Rez also called on the International Olympic Committee to "step in and make it clear that political commentary, specifically chastising the world's only Jewish nation, is just completely wrong and will not be tolerated."
"Unless consequences are enacted, more and more things like this are going to happen...just because these platforms and events are so large with massive, massive audiences," Rez said.
"Listen, we're talking about the Olympics during a bobsled competition. These guys are flying down this ice track in northern Italy going at 100 plus miles an hour. It was not the time for commentary on the Israeli-Gaza war," she added. "There's plenty of chances to speak about it. That was clearly not it... Rather than commenting on the bobsled competition and form or speed, he took it to vilify not only Israel, but to maliciously isolate and go after the team captain. It is just wholly inappropriate, and he needs to be held responsible."
The IOC found itself in the headlines when they sold controversial t-shirts featuring Nazi propaganda, which were sold out.
"If they truly wanted to showcase extraordinary athletic talent, they could have honored someone like Jesse Owens, whose achievements at the 1936 Berlin Olympics stood in direct defiance of Nazi ideology. Instead, they chose to pay homage to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. That choice speaks volumes," Rez said of the shirt.
Rez said she has seen antisemitism "skyrocket" since Oct. 7, 2023, and it has reached the sports world.
"The Band-Aid of antisemitism has been completely ripped off. It's very much normalized in certain areas and before it gets normalized in the sports arena," Rez said. "That's why the IOC and other sports bodies need to take a stand, put their foot down and say this will not be tolerated. They have to ensure that things like this never happen again in the future. It was again wholly wrong, entirely inappropriate."
Rez hd a message for the Jewish athletes who will still have to deal with antisemitic comments.
"There are millions supporting you, behind you. Keep your head up, be proud, and just do your best. We're behind you."
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