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Border Patrol union chief touts high morale despite clashes with agitators: 'They are patriotic'
National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez told Fox News Digital that, despite heavy criticism from the media and Democrats, as well as the consistent presence of agitators, officers’ morale remains high and there is "no shortage of volunteers" to assist with deportation operations.
Perez told Fox News Digital during an interview that though the "majority of our agents are stationed on the southwest border," members of his union understand the threat that criminal illegal immigrants pose to the entire nation after four years under the Biden administration.
"Unfortunately, you throw a dart at the map, and it's very likely that some of the people that Biden let in are there," he explained.
Though distinct from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who are primarily responsible for interior removal operations, Perez said there has been "no shortage of volunteers" for deployments for operations in cities across the country, including Minneapolis, Portland and Los Angeles.
BORDER PATROL COMMANDER PROVIDES UPDATE ON MINNEAPOLIS OPERATIONS
"We've got plenty of agents that are willing to go out there to go and help because they see the challenges that our ICE officers and our other our law enforcement partners are going up against and they want to be there to help," he explained. "They're very well-trained, they're very eager, they are patriotic, and they want to do their duty to secure the border and help secure America."
Perez said that because the Biden administration wanted the flow of migrants entering the country to be processed quickly, "there are very few records for us to rely on that are accurate."
"There's just so many people that were let in, to the tune of millions of people, and they were interspersed throughout the United States," he said, adding, "A lot of these people weren't required to put information that we could vet because the administration wanted them out quick."
Perez said that though Border Patrol agents have found themselves being deployed to communities far from home, they have approached operations with the same ethic. At the same time, he said the vitriol from some has had some impact on officers in his union.
DHS SAYS ICE AGENTS RAMMED BY VEHICLES AMID MINNEAPOLIS ENFORCEMENT SURGE: 'AGGRESSIVELY ASSAULTED'
"The rhetoric coming from the left, it does impact our families because of the doxing and the protesters thinking that it's okay because politicians are asking them to protest. They're seeing what they're doing as agitators, and they continue to up the ante and say, ‘Hey, go after these ICE officers, interfere, impede, and there's consequences to that," he said.
Despite this, Perez said that Border Patrol officers are as resolved as ever and they are "not going to back down."
Despite the backlash from protesters, the media and politicians, he said that Border Patrol officers in his union feel that "we've got more support now than we've ever had" because of the administration.
"From the human aspect, we know the type of people that we've come across, and we don't want them in the cities and communities of America because we know that the damage they can cause," he explained. "We've got so many murderers, rapists, burglars, robbers, and we want to get them out of our country."
"Our Border Patrol agents live in the communities that they serve, the communities that they patrol and protect. And so, when we go out into other municipalities across the country, we take that into account because that is somebody else's home, that's somebody's city that they live in, and we want them to be safe."
Beckham family feud: What to know about Brooklyn's wife, billionaire heiress Nicola Peltz
What started out as a fairy-tale romance between Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham has quickly become the root of one of pop culture's most public family feuds.
As tensions among the family continue to rise after Brooklyn's social media claims against his parents, all eyes are back on Peltz — the Hollywood actress and billionaire heiress whose private ways have rapidly been made public.
Here's everything you need to know about Peltz.
BROOKLYN BECKHAM BLASTS PARENTS DAVID AND VICTORIA, SAYS FAMILY ‘CONTROLLED’ HIM FOR YEARS
Peltz is the daughter of Nelson Peltz, a billionaire investor, and Claudia Heffner Peltz, a former supermodel. The couple share seven other children, including Will, Brad, Brittany, Matthew, Diesel, and Zachary and Gregory. Nelson is also father to two children from his previous marriage to Cynthia Abrams.
Peltz has opened up about her parents' "beautiful" relationship.
"My parents have been together more than 40 years, and they always make fun of each other," she said during an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2023.
"My dad is just so cute," she added. "When my mom leaves the room, he’s always just like, ’She’s so beautiful.' They still act like young kids in love. Literally, they’re always making out, to the point where my brother’s like, ‘I’m closing my eyes. Stop making out.’ They’re so in love, and being able to grow up with that is so beautiful. I would never settle for anything other than that. Brooklyn and I are always on each other’s laps. Anytime we walk around, we’re holding hands."
Peltz got her kick-start on screen at an early age. But it wasn't always smooth-sailing.
During an interview with Coveteur in September 2019, Peltz said she had to convince her parents to let her pursue acting.
"I grew up playing ice hockey, and my dad really wanted me to focus on playing ice hockey, he thought it was so cool. I was center-right and right-wing," she said. "Then, when I was 11 years old, I asked my mom if I could try acting — it started because I loved my drama class. My parents were very against it [at first]. They didn’t get it."
"We lived an hour away from Manhattan, and I convinced my mom to bring me to one manager," she continued. "She was like, ‘Listen, if they take you, great. If they don’t, do not bring it up to me until you’re 18 years old.’ So I begged the woman to take me. I think she just felt so bad for me that she took me on as a client. My first audition, I ended up booking, and it was a play at the Manhattan Theatre Club called ‘Blackbird.’"
She later told Grazia, "I think my parents saw how much I really, really enjoyed it, how much I loved it, and how hard I worked at it, and that’s all they really care about. Now, they’re really supportive."
She made her film debut as Mackenzie in the Christmas comedy "Deck the Halls" in 2006. She later went on to star in films such as "The Last Airbender" in 2010, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" in 2014, and a handful of others. Peltz released her feature film directorial debut, "Lola," in 2024.
The couple were first linked in 2019 after being introduced through mutual friends, and their relationship moved quickly into the public eye.
After getting engaged in July 2020, the couple tied the knot on April 9, 2022, at the Peltz family’s oceanfront estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in a traditional ceremony attended by 500 guests, including celebrities like Serena and Venus Williams, Gordon Ramsay and Eva Longoria.
"We took a quick drive, just the two of us. It was perfect," Brooklyn told Glamour of the moment they shared before walking down the aisle.
"Weddings can be intense, especially when you’re busy making sure everyone else is having fun. That little break reminded us what it’s really about: us," Peltz added.
The lavish wedding, however, seemingly became the start of an ongoing family rift that would linger for years.
After years of rumored tension among the family members, Brooklyn confirmed the rift by posting scathing claims about his parents on social media.
"I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private," Brooklyn wrote. "Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed. I do not want to reconcile with my family. I'm not being controlled, I'm standing up for myself for the first time in my life."
The 26-year-old alleged that his parents had been trying to sabotage his relationship with Peltz long before their wedding.
"My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped," he wrote. "My mum canceled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress. Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children."
BILLY BUSH COMPARES BROOKLYN BECKHAM FAMILY FALLOUT TO PRINCE HARRY: ‘HE WENT NUCLEAR’
Brooklyn said he has received "endless attacks" from his parents, both publicly and privately, before detailing the embarrassing moment his mom "hijacked" his first dance with Peltz at their wedding.
"My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song," he claimed. "In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead. She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment."
Since Brooklyn's social media rant on Monday, younger brother Cruz has stayed active on Instagram while promoting his upcoming U.K. concert, but hasn't directly responded to his brother's claims. In a post shared to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Cruz thanked his fans for selling out his show and noted that he may be adding more dates. However, he accompanied the post with a popular Spice Girls song, "Who Do you Think You Are" — a song about how someone can lose themselves and get trapped in the glitz and glam of fame.
The lyrics read, "The race is on to get out of the bottom / The top is high so your roots are forgotten / Giving is good, as long you're getting / What's driving you is ambition I'm betting / Who do you think you are? / Who, some kind of superstar?"
While not directly calling out his brother, Cruz's song choice hints at where he might stand and where his loyalties lie.
Peltz and Brooklyn used to be extremely close to Selena Gomez up until recently. Though the three were often photographed together – and Gomez once said, "Fine calls [sic] us a throuple" – the friendship seemed to sizzle circa 2024.
A source told The Sun that Gomez felt "betrayed" for being cut off from the couple.
"There is no love left between the throuple, this trio is an old story," the source said. "Selena really understands how his [Brooklyn's] parents feel, she just doesn’t get how they [Brooklyn and Nicola] could be so cruel."
However, a source refuted the report, telling People: "Relationships evolve, and it’s true they’re not as close as they once were, but there wasn’t any one thing that happened."
Celebrity hairstylist Justin Anderson, who once worked with Peltz, took to his Instagram to share his own experience working with the "not nice" 31-year-old actress and revealed why he thought the marriage wouldn't be good for the Beckham family.
"I've worked with her," he said on his Instagram story. "Not nice. Not nice. I can say with my full chest, not good energy, bad news bears. And then, yeah, based on how many wedding planners she went through, I think she's the issue."
"I mean, Google her. Google her. Go into Reddit, go into the dark corners of Reddit and read a little bit about her. Not a good person. So, I perked up right when I saw that they were getting married."
Nicola’s reps could not be reached for comment.
"I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, this isn't going to be good for that family. It's not going to be good for that family.' Spooky energy, very spooky energy. I don't even feel bad saying that because when someone's just so not nice, it always comes out. You can't hide that. So, yeah, I do. I feel really bad for [the Beckham family]. I do. And I put my foot in my mouth when I talked about her years ago."
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital: "He worked with her over ten years ago, bleached and burned her hair to the point it was in the sink. He was fired by the studio. They had to promptly hire someone else to do her hair for the ‘Transformers’ press tour."
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Peltz's ex-boyfriend's sister Alana Hadid also gave her two cents on the Beckham family drama.
After photographer Eli Rezkallah commented about Brooklyn's post, saying, "Ending an eight paragraph rant about his family's dirty laundry with ‘all we want is privacy’ is all I need to know," Alana — whose brother Anwar Hadid dated Peltz from 2016 to 2018 — said, "Right and that girl doesn't want privacy she's been trying to be famous for a decade."
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Nicola was honored by PETA as a "Pawsome Adoption Advocate" in 2022 for her work in promoting pet adoption and fostering animals.
During his social media rant on Monday, Brooklyn accused his mom, Victoria, of refusing to help support Peltz's efforts in re-homing displaced dogs during the LA wildfires.
"The one time my wife asked for my mum's support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused," Brooklyn wrote.
The couple reportedly raised nearly $60,000 during their relief efforts.
Indiana stars reveal why Hoosiers can repeat as national champions under Curt Cignetti
The result of the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday marked a historic night for the sport, but no one expected it to be the Indiana Hoosiers making it happen.
The Hoosiers became the first-ever 16-0 college football team, as Curt Cignetti's squad defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 27-21, at Hard Rock Stadium. When Jamari Sharpe read Carson Beck's deep pass with 44 seconds left on the clock and picked it off, that kneel down to the ground cemented one of the great stories in college sports.
But despite how great this season has been for the Hoosiers, some question whether this is sustainable. Can Indiana continue its dominance like it did in 2025, securing the No. 1 overall seed in the CFP and winning a national title?
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One of its players has no doubt.
"I was just talking to one of the guys, and I was just saying, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Indiana makes it back next year,'" Hoosiers cornerback D'Angelo Ponds told Fox News Digital before his celebratory "shift" alongside Sharpe and receiver Elijah Sarrat at Raising Cane's in Bloomington on Thursday.
Ponds told reporters his plan is to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, ending his college career on the highest note possible as a national champion, but the main reason behind his thought about a potential college dynasty falls on his belief in his head coach.
Ponds was with Cignetti during his freshman year at James Madison University, and when "Coach Cig" made the move to the Hoosiers' program, the 5-foot-9, 173-pound cornerback went to Bloomington with him.
Cignetti went viral during his introductory press conference at Indiana for his answer after a reporter said what his pitch would be to recruit players to a program that had gone a combined 9-27 over its last three seasons before his arrival.
Cignetti, coming off a 19-4 career at JMU, including an 11-1 campaign in 2023, was blunt with his response.
"It's pretty simple. I win. Google me," he said.
The proof is in the hardware now.
"I felt like nobody expected us to do this, especially us coming from JMU," Ponds added. "But I trusted in Coach Cig and his process, and knew that we were going to be successful. Him just believing in himself and the guys he brought with him, we brought the standard to Indiana and made history."
Sharpe was already at Indiana when Cignetti took over, and he learned quickly what his new coach was all about. After a 3-9 season in 2023, Cignetti led the Hoosiers to the CFP with an 11-2 record, followed by a perfect season this year.
"This year has taught me a lot — brotherhood," he said. "It was a long year, and sticking together with my teammates to be able to go 16-0 and be able to win the national championship. It was a good season for us, and I’m just glad we were able to get it done."
So why can Indiana do it again in 2026 and beyond?
"Just from Coach Cig and his process — he’s a process-oriented guy. He doesn’t dwell on the past. He’s going to get right back to work and I wouldn’t be surprised we go back to back," Ponds responded.
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5 'grandma-style cooking' recipes making a comeback as Americans ditch modern food trends
Amid pricey groceries and packed schedules, many Americans are gravitating toward simple, affordable meals rooted in tradition, connection and comfort.
From pot roasts to casseroles, "grandma-style cooking" is quietly taking over kitchens across the country. Dubbed "nonna-stalgia" online, the trend reflects a growing appetite for meals that warm the heart and home, especially in the cold winter months.
Experts told Fox News Digital the shift is a response to years of fussy food culture and constant trend-chasing.
CHICKEN SOUP OR TOMATO SOUP? DIETITIANS SAY ONE IS THE HEALTHIER CHOICE
"When the things around us feel overwhelming, we crave comfort and reach for the things that feel familiar and simpler," said Emmy Clinton, a Colorado-based recipe creator and founder of Entirely Emmy.
"Grandma-style cooking represents comfort and memories that can make us feel safe and life feel a lot less complicated."
Her favorite is a pot roast. "You can find hundreds of pot roast recipes online, but they all have the same grandma logic: time, simple ingredients and ‘let it cook.’"
Others say the fading tradition of daily family dinners is helping fuel the trend.
Dorina Lantella, an Italian-American entrepreneur born in Washington, D.C., and CEO of Dorina's Kitchen, has built her career around restoring shared tables and traditional cooking. She was inspired by the "Roseto Effect," a phenomenon linked to Roseto, Pennsylvania.
THIS BUDGET-FRIENDLY VEGETABLE IS BECOMING ONE OF 2026'S BIGGEST FOOD TRENDS
"People are yearning for traditional family meals and shared table experiences because we are starving for connection," said Lantella, whose go-tos are lasagna and a simple pot of soup.
Many agree the pull is emotional. California chef Jessica Randhawa, founder of the food blog "The Forked Spoon," said returning to family recipes helped her cope with the loss of her parents.
"For me, grandma-style cooking has been both a healing process after losing both my parents in the last four years, and a way to pass on family traditions, flavors and food smells to my son," Randhawa said.
That yearning shows up clearly in the recipes resonating most right now.
Here are five grandma-style dishes to consider this winter.
Today's home cooks are embracing the same mindset that shaped family meals in the 1960s, said Lanie Smith, the Kansas-based creator of TheVintageCook.com.
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"Families wanted real meals, but they also wanted time together," she said. "They did not want to invest in 15 ingredients for a single dish or spend two hours in the kitchen after getting home from a long day at work."
Smith's recipe for chicken and dumplings calls for just a few ingredients: rotisserie chicken, Bisquick mix, milk and chicken bouillon powder.
"It's a hearty meal in 30 minutes," she said.
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The dish comes together by simmering rotisserie chicken in a thickened chicken broth, then dropping spoonfuls of Bisquick-and-milk dough on top and letting them steam into fluffy, biscuit-like dumplings.
Smith also recommends a fun take on two American classics — hot dogs and chili — that come together as an easy, inexpensive and comforting meal.
"There is a return to cooking that respects people's time and budgets," she said.
Her six-ingredient hot dog chili includes inexpensive, higher-fat ground beef to create a sauce specifically for topping hot dogs. "People love it because it feels like the food they grew up with," Smith added.
Some recipes shouldn't be reinvented, Randhawa said, such as her dad's cream of mushroom pork chops.
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The dish is made with pan-seared pork chops simmered in canned cream of mushroom soup and milk, just as he cooked it when he was feeding his kids on a tight budget.
"It is pure, nourishing, easy and accessible comfort food," Randhawa said.
She insists on using Campbell's cream of mushroom soup.
"Using a homemade cream of mushroom soup simply will not do."
Also known as snert, split pea soup is a traditional Dutch dish that Randhawa's mother grew up eating in a small Iowa community.
After her mother died, the wholesome soup began appearing more often in Randhawa's kitchen as part of her grieving process, she said.
Made with a leftover ham bone, vegetables and split peas, the recipe reflects the kind of practical, nourishing cooking that stretches ingredients, improves with time and is rooted in family tradition.
Randhawa's Grandma's Spaghetti Sauce with Meat is a no-frills, extra-meaty sauce passed down from her grandmother to her father and now to her.
It is made by browning ground beef and Italian sausage, then simmering it with canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions and basic seasonings.
"It makes me happy to know that, even though my son never met his great-grandma, he loves her recipe," Randhawa said.
School board member’s explosive lawsuit claims teachers union lied about funneling money to political groups
EXCLUSIVE: A union watchdog organization has filed a lawsuit in tandem with a Utah teacher alleging that the Utah Education Association (UEA) falsely claimed on multiple occasions that members' dues are not used to fund political activities.
The UEA is the state affiliate of America's largest teachers union, the National Education Association (NEA). Cole Kelley, a 29-year teacher and Republican member of the Utah State Board of Education, is a co-plaintiff, along with the Freedom Foundation, which says it works to liberate public employees from political exploitation via various means, including litigation.
The lawsuit, filed in Utah’s 3rd District Court, alleges that the UEA made false statements on its website and social media claiming that "UEA member dues are never used for political activities."
Freedom Foundation says in the lawsuit that that statement appeared on the UEA's website, X account and Facebook on or around March 26, 2025. On May 1 of that year, the group says it reached out to the UEA and notified the union that the statement was false and violated the Utah Truth in Advertising Act.
'WE'RE TAKING SCHOOLS BACK.' RYAN WALTERS' TPUSA EXPANSION MARKS NEW FRONT IN CULTURE WAR
Days later, according to the suit, the UEA changed the statement to say, "UEA member dues are never used for political parties or candidates." Freedom Foundation says that assertion is also false.
Kelley told Fox News Digital that the lawsuit is meant to expose the truth. Kelley and Freedom Foundation are only seeking $2,000 each in damages.
"I think that it's time for the UEA to tell the teachers in Utah the truth about what they do, what they represent, what they stand for, what they're advocating for," said Kelley, adding that the union's politics are clearly left-leaning.
"And I think it's important for teachers to understand that when you join, your dollars are going towards supporting these political activities," he said.
The lawsuit lists several examples of UEA and NEA "dues-funded" contributions to "Utah political committees." For example, the suit claims that more than $30,000 was given by the UEA to a group called Protect Utah Workers split over four separate contributions in April 2025.
A portion of UEA dues are kicked up to the NEA, and the lawsuit claims that NEA also supports political causes.
Thus, the lawsuit says the UEA's statements were false because, "on information and belief, UEA members pay a single, unified dues rate which is apportioned among a local NEA affiliate, the UEA, and the NEA, which — with UEA’s knowledge — uses its share of UEA members’ dues to support and/or oppose political parties and candidates with millions of dollars in spending each year, with most of the expenditures done through the NEA Advocacy Fund, a 'political organization' for the purposes of federal tax code."
The lawsuit says that the NEA contributed about $35,000 to Protect Utah Workers, split over five payments in April 2025.
"Unions like the UEA often operate a political action committee funded by voluntary contributions solicited from members and use these highly visible funds to deflect questions about whether members’ dues are used for politics," said Maxford Nelsen, the Freedom Foundation’s director of research and government affairs. "Unbeknownst to most teachers, the vast majority of teachers unions' political spending is financed with member dues, and the UEA is no different."
Kelley said that when he ran for the state education board position as a Republican, the UEA contributed to his opponent.
"There's no question that they are left-leaning and that's — you know, when you go look at their donations, especially at the NEA level, and you look at their donations to campaigns — they, by a very large margin, support the Democratic Party and are making significant donations to Democrat candidates for office," he said.
"My big frustration is that, you know, I feel like that what they're telling their members and what they are telling those teachers that do choose to join their organization — that they're not being forthright, they're not being honest— they're telling half-truths, mis-truths and sometimes flat-out lies."
Ryan Walters is the former Oklahoma State Superintendent. He now runs the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a new union alternative which supports educators who wish to teach free from ideological bias.
"This lawsuit exposes what teachers unions have long tried to hide: a coordinated taxpayer-funding scheme that funnels dues into radical political activism aimed at undermining America," Walters said. "The abuse of both teachers and taxpayers will not go unnoticed, and these organizations will be held accountable."
The UEA said it does not comment on pending litigation.
The NEA did not return a request for comment.
Indiana judge shooting: Police arrest 3 on attempted murder charges, 2 others in custody
Police in Indiana announced the arrest of five suspects in the shooting of an Indiana judge and his wife at their home earlier this week.
The Lafayette Police Department said Raylen Ferguson, 38, and Zenada Greer, 61, both of Lexington, Ky., and Thomas Moss, 43, Blake Smith, 32, and Amanda Milsap, 45, all from Lafayette, Ind., were taken into custody following the Jan. 18 attack on Tippecanoe County Judge Steven Meyer and his wife Kimberly. Steven Meyer sustained an arm injury, while Kimberly Meyer had a hip injury. Both are now in stable condition, police said.
Ferguson, Moss and Smith were arrested on charges including attempted murder, aggravated battery and intimidation with a deadly weapon, with gang and firearm enhancements. Police also listed Moss and Smith as "habitual offenders."
Milsap was arrested on bribery and obstruction of justice charges, while Greer was charged with assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice.
INDIANA JUDGE SHOOTING CAME OUT OF NOWHERE, COPS SAY
"These arrests are the result of a comprehensive, collaborative effort among multiple agencies," the Lafayette Police Department said.
Sunday’s incident marked the first recorded act of violence against the judge, according to the Lafayette Police Department. Officials had no records of previous threats against Meyer or 911 calls from the judge’s Mill Pond Lane address, a department spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital.
INDIANA JUDGE INJURED IN SHOOTING BREAKS SILENCE
Dispatch audio obtained by Fox News Digital showed that the unidentified shooter allegedly knocked on the door of Meyer's home around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, then fired gunshots through the door. Before firing the gun, the suspect said, "We have your dog," according to the audio.
"I am so grateful for the outpouring of support from friends, the community, court colleagues, and law enforcement," Judge Meyer said in a statement Wednesday in his first public comments since the shooting. "I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my medical team. I am receiving excellent care and I am improving. Kim is also deeply appreciative for the community support, and she too is healing."
"I want the community to know that I have strong faith in our judicial system," the judge said. "This horrific violence will not shake my belief in the importance of peacefully resolving disputes. I remain confident we have the best judicial system in the world, and I am proud to be a part of it."
Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
Private autonomous pods could redefine ride-sharing
Crowded cabins and forced small talk have long defined ride-sharing. A California startup wants to flip that idea on its head.
Pliyt believes the future of ride-sharing means sharing the ride as little as possible. Instead of one shared cabin, its autonomous vehicle concept divides the interior into four fully independent pods. Each one acts like a private room on wheels.
The goal is simple. Get you from point A to point B without invading your personal space.
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Pliyt's vehicle is designed from the inside out. Each passenger rides inside a self-contained capsule that prioritizes privacy, comfort and control. The company says the idea resonated strongly when the prototype debuted at CES earlier this month. Here is what sets the concept apart:
You decide how social or private your ride feels. Traveling with a companion? The divider between pods can be lowered so you can share the space by choice.
"We believe rider choice and personal space will be foundational to the future of shared autonomous mobility," the company told CyberGuy. "As vehicles become autonomous, differentiation will shift from driving to experience. Giving riders control over privacy, comfort, and interaction, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all shared cabin, will be critical for trust and adoption, especially in dense urban environments. Shared mobility doesn't have to mean shared personal space, and we see that as a key evolution of the category."
Yes. Pliyt vehicles are designed to operate without human drivers. However, the company does not plan to build its own autonomous driving system. Instead, Pliyt intends to partner with established autonomy providers once development progresses.
"Our current plan is to launch an initial service in San Francisco around 2028, beginning with controlled, geo-fenced deployments and expanding gradually as autonomy, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks mature," a spokesperson for Pliyt told CyberGuy. "Our focus today is on building the right vehicle architecture, partnerships, and user experience to support that rollout responsibly."
Privacy sits at the center of Pliyt's design philosophy. Every pod is built for in-ride anonymity even during shared trips. Fellow passengers cannot see you, and you cannot see them unless you choose to. This approach stands out in a world where many mobility platforms depend on data collection and shared environments. Pliyt positions privacy as foundational rather than optional. The company says no personal identities are visible during rides. The experience aims to feel calm, intentional and free from observation.
CAN AUTONOMOUS TRUCKS REALLY MAKE HIGHWAYS SAFER?
Pliyt also leans heavily into comfort. Seats feature what the company calls zero-gravity positioning. You will not float like an astronaut, but the posture is designed to reduce pressure and fatigue. Large windows offer panoramic city views while still maintaining privacy. Personal lighting and climate controls help tailor the ride to your preferences. If relaxing is not your goal, productivity comes built in. The retractable workstation allows you to work, review documents or create content while moving through the city.
Autonomous pods are not entirely new. Companies like Zoox and Waymo already operate self-driving vehicles with unique interiors. Waymo's Zeekr RT, for example, focuses on spacious seating and rider comfort. Pliyt's difference lies in isolation by design. Instead of rethinking a shared cabin, it breaks the vehicle into four private spaces. The result feels closer to a personal lounge than a ride-share.
If this concept becomes reality, ride-sharing could feel very different. No forced conversations. No shared armrests. No feeling watched. For commuters, it could mean working quietly on the way to the office. For travelers, it could mean relaxing without distractions. For introverts, it could mean finally enjoying shared mobility on their own terms. It also raises bigger questions about how future cities balance efficiency with dignity and personal space.
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Pliyt is not promising faster rides or cheaper fares. It is promising something more subtle. A calmer, more respectful way to move through cities. Whether the concept scales will depend on partnerships, regulation and public adoption. Still, the idea challenges long-standing assumptions about what ride-sharing has to feel like. If autonomous vehicles are coming either way, designs like this suggest they do not have to feel crowded or impersonal.
Would you choose a shared ride that feels completely private, or does part of you still want the human element along the way? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Trinity Rodman becomes highest-paid women's soccer player in the world with Washington Spirit deal
Trinity Rodman will remain in the United States, as the NWSL’s Washington Spirit gave her a record-breaking deal for women’s soccer.
Rodman, 23, is now the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world after agreeing to a new contract with the Spirit worth an annual salary of over $1 million, her agent Mike Senkowski told ESPN.
Rodman’s deal keeps her with the Spirit through 2028.
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"I’ve made the DMV my home and the Spirit my family, and I knew this was where I wanted to enter the next chapter of my career," Rodman said in a statement. "I’m proud of what we’ve built since my rookie season, and I’m excited about where this club is headed."
As Rodman put pen to paper on Thursday night, it ended the back-and-forth regarding her contract. She had been a free agent since her last contract expired at the end of 2025, and there was an onslaught of teams trying to sign the U.S. Women’s National Team star around the globe.
Rodman, the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, had reported offers from teams mostly in England. With the NWSL’s salary cap, it was expected those deals overseas would rival whatever the Spirit could give Rodman.
However, both sides started to negotiate a deal that could be backloaded. The deal, which was worked on in November 2025. But NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman killed the deal, which was reported to be a four-year contract worth over $1 million per season.
At the time, Berman called the deal violating "the spirit of the league."
Rodman’s chances of remaining in the States appeared slim after that, but the NWSL wanted to keep one of Team USA’s bright, young stars in the U.S.
Thus, the board of governors approved the High Impact Player rule, which allows teams to spend up to $1 million over the cap on contracts for star players like Rodman who meet specific parameters, including performance on the pitch and marketability.
Rodman was emotional as she signed the deal, wiping away tears after a long process.
"Trinity is a generational player, but more important, she represents the future of this club and the future of women’s soccer," Spirit majority owner Michele Kang said in a statement. "This agreement reflects our belief that elite talent deserves elite commitment.
"At the Spirit, we are building something enduring: a club that competes for championships every year, invests in excellence and creates an environment where world-class players can thrive long-term. Trinity choosing to continue her career in Washington is a powerful statement about what we are building here."
Rodman has totaled 28 goals and 17 assists in 97 matches played through her five seasons with the Spirit, the team that drafted her second overall in the 2021 NWSL Draft.
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WATCH: Former ICE director reveals what goes into agency’s decisions on cities to target
While some Democrats have accused the Trump administration of politically targeting Democratic cities for enforcement, former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Sandweg shared insight about how the agency selects the next city for operations.
Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2014, told Fox News Digital during an interview that the existence of sanctuary policies harboring illegal aliens does play a major role in determining cities for targeting. However, Sandweg said that this is not for purely political reasons.
"The biggest driver would be immigrant population, how significant a population is there in that particular community. And then the second thing is, is there something like a sanctuary policy that would increase the number of at-large targets, meaning people who ICE wants to take into custody who are not currently in a prison or jail," he explained. "Those are the traditional factors that ICE would rely on in making determinations about where to do at-large surges."
In 2025, the Trump administration surged ICE agents to cities like Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. All of these were major cities with significant immigrant populations, and all had sanctuary policies. Sandweg said that he expects crackdowns such as these to be "just beginning."
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"You want to go where the criminals are … and so, you're going to be looking at data about where is it that we can find the biggest bang for our buck," he explained, adding, "Traditionally, that's going to be in larger urban cities, just because they're higher density population, and you're more likely to find your criminal populations there."
When it comes to the role of sanctuary cities in ICE’s targeting process, Sandweg said that "sanctuary policies are not all equal."
"ICE is really good at getting people in prisons and jails. There isn't a person booked into a prison or jail in the United States today that ICE doesn't get visibility on," he explained. "While we're paying a lot of attention to these kinds of very public standoffs between protesters and DHS agents in Minneapolis and other places, there's a lot going on behind the scenes the public doesn't understand, including the picking up of people in prisons and jails, federal, state, local, across the country."
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Though he said that some sanctuary jurisdictions are willing to cooperate with ICE in arresting illegals with serious criminal charges, such as violent crimes, there are some that are not willing to do that.
Sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to honor requests by ICE to hold illegal aliens, called "detainers," present their own operational challenge, said Sandweg. This, in turn, can potentially lead to the agency deciding to surge more agents and resources to the area.
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"There are jurisdictions … that have very restrictive sanctuary policies, where you're sitting there scratching your head saying, these are bad guys, why won't they give us custody of this person in jail?" he said. "In those jurisdictions, you're going to find more targets because those people, ICE normally would take custody of them in jail or prison."
SEN JAMES LANKFORD: When we March for Life, we must fight for the Hyde Amendment
This Jan. 23, as we mark the 53rd annual March for Life, we also recognize the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, which settled in law that American taxpayers do not subsidize elective abortions. Period. The Hyde Amendment is not about if elective abortion should be legal, it’s about who has to pay for it. For five decades, each Congress has voted in favor of the annual appropriation bills to affirm the Hyde Amendment. The citizens of our great nation have strongly held and widely diverse opinions about abortion, but in poll after poll, Americans agree that they should not be forced to pay for someone else’s abortion.
The Hyde Amendment has two clear tenets: federal taxpayers do not pay for abortions or subsidize programs that pay for abortions. Every federal healthcare program has Hyde Amendment protections, including Medicaid, Tricare, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and Indian Health Services and Medicare, except for one healthcare program: Obamacare.
The so-called "Affordable Care Act" is the only healthcare plan that circumvents Hyde protections with its notorious "Section 1303" accounting gimmick created when the bill passed 16 years ago.
Democrats will often say that Obamacare abides by Hyde because Section 1303 requires a "separate payment" of at least a dollar each month for abortion coverage, which they know is an accounting sleight of hand. As soon as the law passed 16 years ago, the Obama administration ruled that "separate" actually meant "together" which allowed one payment to be split into two parts, often paid for by federal tax dollars.
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The millions of people paying zero premiums for Obamacare do not pay an additional dollar for their abortion coverage; it’s included in their taxpayer-subsidized premium tax credit.
There are now 12 states that will not even allow a healthcare plan to be sold in the state unless it covers surgical and chemical abortion. In those states, every taxpayer is forced to subsidize abortions with their tax dollars and with their monthly premium dollars. Roughly 15 different insurers failed to even itemize dollars associated with abortion coverage on their enrollees’ bills, nor did they separately bill for the abortion premium amount, which is required by law.
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Of course, the biggest evidence that Obamacare does not really have Hyde Amendment protections actually comes from the pro-abortion groups Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Reproductive Freedom for All. They recently sent a strong letter to all Democratic members of Congress letting them know that they would fight against any member of Congress who adds Hyde protections to the Obamacare tax credits. They know that Obamacare is the only federal healthcare that pays for abortions, and they do not want to lose that revenue stream.
There is no debate that the cost of healthcare has skyrocketed. Former President Barack Obama’s pledge of a $2,500 savings for all American families in healthcare premiums has never materialized. For years, Republicans have laid out simple strategies to reduce the cost of healthcare, like allowing small businesses to join together into groups, creating subsidized high-risk pools to lower the cost for all health insurance and confronting the pharmacy benefit managers that limit formulary choices and drive up costs for the consumer.
But, each time we attempt to address healthcare costs, Democrats demand that any deal must include elective abortion coverage, paid for by American taxpayers. That is a non-starter for the millions of Americans that want healthcare to save lives, not take it. We don’t believe that some children are disposable and some children are valuable. We believe all children are valuable.
Which is why the conversation about the 50-year-old Hyde Amendment matters, because children matter. All of them. We can reduce the cost of healthcare, but to do it, Democrats are going to have to be more flexible on Hyde.