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Nick Reiner's defense attorney weighs insanity plea as murder case enters discovery phase, legal expert says
Attorney Matt Murphy is sharing insight into what the road ahead looks like for Nick Reiner after he was taken into custody for allegedly murdering his parents, beloved Hollywood actor and director, Rob Reiner, and his wife, Michele Reiner.
When speaking with Fox News Digital, Murphy explained that discovery is still ongoing in this case, saying Nick's lawyer, Alan Jackson, "needs to carefully review as much discoveries as he can get," so that he can "confidently decide" if his client should "just plead not guilty" or to submit a "guilty by reason of insanity plea."
"So continuing an arraignment, there's nothing unusual about that. And it's also important to remember that Nick Reiner not being transported – there's no verdict on that. There's no mental health professional that is making that call. The defense has the unilateral ability to, like I said, declare a doubt. And they can say, 'My client isn't ready to do this yet,' and at this stage, the court basically has to take them at their word."
Murphy says Jackson now has to "get his clients stabilized [and] communicative," adding that the next step in the process is to "hurry up and wait." He added that he "wouldn't be surprised to see this arraignment continued" a few times, until Jackson "decides whether or not he's going to enter a plea."
ROB REINER AND WIFE MURDERED: TIMELINE SHOWS ARGUMENT WITH SON NIGHT BEFORE DEATHS
He explained that the defense will likely ask the court for time to evaluate everything, and knowing that this case has the potential for the death penalty, Murphy emphasized that he wouldn't "want the public's desire for an outcome ever to influence the constitutional rights of a criminal defendant" and therefore would support that.
"The defense will then prepare what's known as a live-z packet, or in Los Angeles County, they call it a live z hearing. He's gonna accumulate as much information as he can regarding factors in mitigation," he explained. "In the death penalty analysis, it's about factors in aggravation versus factors in mitigation. And some big factors in mitigation Alan Jackson's gonna argue are, the history of substance abuse, the family dynamics, the fact that these weren't strangers, these were his parents that knew him, et cetera, et cetera et cetera."
WATCH: ATTORNEY MATT MURPHY SHARES WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE IN NICK REINER'S CASE
Jackson will then present the packet to Los Angeles County District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, and his staff.
LEGENDARY DELI MADE FAMOUS BY ROB REINER'S MOST ICONIC MOVIE SCENE
"Nathan Hockman will then make a decision regarding whether they're gonna seek the death penalty or whether they are simply gonna seek life without possibility of parole," Murphy said. "And again, my prediction is they're going to seek LWOP. They're gonna to seek life without possibility parole. But I could be surprised. I've been wrong before."
After Nick was detained under suspicion of murdering his parents, his history with addiction and mental health struggles have resurfaced.
Murphy predicts Jackson will come in with "some sort of mental health defense based on the addiction," and his struggles with mental health issues, but said there is a difference as far as "organic mental illness" goes. Organic mental illness encompasses illnesses such as "schizophrenia that develops, that is no fault of the defendant."
NICK REINER WILL BE CHARGED IN ROB REINER, MICHELE REINER'S DEATHS
"In other words, they get sick, they get mentally ill, and then they try to self-medicate, or they get into drugs as a result of that," Murphy said. "I haven't heard any of that yet on Nick Reiner."
He went on to compare Nick's case to another he worked in Orange County, California, which involved a young man with documented organic mental illness, who murdered his parents and was deemed legally sane and found guilty.
"California uses what's known as The McNaughton Rule," Murphy said. "The McNaughton Rule is about 150 years old, and it basically stands for the proposition that if the criminal defendant understands the nature and quality of their acts, the nature and the quality of the acts at the time they commit the murder, then they are legally responsible even if they're high, even if their drunk, even they're suffering from mental illness."
WATCH: ATTORNEY MATT MURPHY SAYS ALAN JACKSON IS ‘UP AGAINST A TOUGH ONE’ DEFENDING NICK REINER
ROB REINER AND WIFE MICHELE WERE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR BEDROOM: LAPD
"So the way we would explain it to our juries is if the devil pops up on the guy's shoulder and says 'hey go over there and stab that banana,' the person does not understand that they're killing a human being," he continued. "In other words, they don't understand the nature and quality of their acts. However, if it's the devil pops up on your shoulder and says, go kill those people or I'm going to turn you into a frog, you still under the law have a moral and legal responsibility to tell the devil no."
WATCH: ATTORNEY MATT MURPHY SAYS IT WOULDN'T SHOCK HIM TO SEE ‘A BATTLE OF THE EXPERTS’ DURING THE NICK REINER TRIAL
Due to these factors, Murphy said that "as good as Alan Jackson is, he's up against a tough one," adding that being intoxicated is not a "true defense to murder," because if it was, "nobody would ever be held accountable for murder."
In terms of the actual trial, Murphy says that it's possible that the defense will "declare a doubt regarding the mental competency" of their client, after which "the court will appoint two experts to do an evaluation," and then "you wind up with this very long procedural process."
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"Doctors will evaluate Nick Reiner and render their opinions," he said. "And then if he's found to be incompetent, then he goes to a mental health facility. It's locked down for treatment and medication so that he will come back. And sometimes you see, it's almost like a game, a ping pong, where the mental health professionals will certify somebody for competency, send them back to court, and then the defense lawyer will declare a doubt again."
Murphy made it clear that the investigation doesn't stop when charges are filed and that both the defense and the prosecution will conduct "a very dedicated [and a] very professional investigation."
WATCH: ATTORNEY MATT MURPHY PREDICTS NICK REINER'S TRIAL ‘IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG PROCESS’
A video of Nick walking into a gas station and buying a drink following the murder has since surfaced online, and he allegedly was "acting bizarrely" prior to the murders while at Conan O'Brien's holiday party, two things Murphy says "can cut both ways."
"With a very skilled trial lawyer like Alan Jackson, he's going to argue, 'Look, that means he doesn't know that he did anything wrong,'" Murphy explained. "And what the prosecution is going to say is. 'Look, that guy, clearly, he's not howling at the moon. He knows how to use a credit card. He knows that he's dealing with a person behind the register.' And truly, under the law, it's a very, very strict standard under the McNaughton rule."
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Murphy ended by acknowledging that "addiction hits almost every family in America," and that so many people know someone like Nick, adding about Nick that "I think it's very clear that he was loved by his parents."
"The number we keep seeing is 17 stints in rehab. I mean, that's two parents that really love their son," Murphy said. "Even to the point that he's 32 years old and they're bringing him to Conan O'Brien's party. So he had a lot of advantages in life, and he's previously described himself as being a spoiled rich kid. So we'll see where this goes. This is gonna be a very, very interesting case to watch."
Australia terror attack exposes ISIS resurgence as experts warn of global jihadist networks
The terror attack in Australia has renewed urgent warnings from intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts that global jihadist networks are intensifying their reach, even as Western governments continue to frame groups like ISIS as weakened or in retreat.
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one of the longest-running trackers of jihadist movements, said the Australia attack highlights a persistent miscalculation in Western capitals.
"We’ve always been quick to declare terrorist organizations defeated and insignificant, and that couldn’t be further from the truth," Roggio told Fox News Digital.
Roggio, who is also managing editor of The Long War Journal, said ISIS remains far from dismantled despite the collapse of its territorial "caliphate."
FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’
"This attack in Australia is absolute proof that the Islamic State hasn’t been defeated," he said. "These groups are still able to recruit and indoctrinate people. They still have safe havens."
He pointed to ISIS’ enduring presence in Afghanistan. "I just read the U.N. report. There are 2,000 ISIS fighters there, according to the United Nations," Roggio said. "That’s not what a defeated group looks like."
Israeli officials say the threat revealed in Australia is part of a broader global pattern. Over the past year, they said, plots have been attempted or disrupted across Europe, North America, and elsewhere — signaling an escalating jihadist resurgence rather than isolated bursts of violence.
Corri Zoli, a research associate at Syracuse University’s Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute, said Western governments cannot ignore the indicators.
"Governments are on notice that there is a steep rise in the terrorist targeting of religious minorities, particularly those from the Jewish faith community and Israelis worldwide — a trend intelligence agencies say has accelerated in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel," Zoli said.
Roggio agrees the Israel–Hamas war has supercharged radicalization and emboldened extremists worldwide.
"With Israel’s war against Hamas, it’s given new life for people to attack Jews worldwide," Roggio said. "It’s a further reason to radicalize."
BYSTANDERS SEEN CONFRONTING AUSTRALIAN GUNMAN DURING ISIS-INSPIRED DEADLY RAMPAGE
Intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that extremist actors across ideological lines are leveraging the conflict to inspire supporters, amplify propaganda and justify attacks in the West. Terrorist organizations, they said, are adapting quickly — merging digital incitement with on-the-ground recruitment networks.
"Analysts at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center warn these networks are probing for openings in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States, exploiting ideological ecosystems that can radicalize individuals far from traditional battlefields," Zoli said.
GLOBAL WAVE OF TERROR PLOTS SPARKS NEW ALARMS OVER THE WEST’S GROWING VULNERABILITY
Zoli also noted that Australian authorities had acknowledged that the attacker’s family had been on the radar of domestic intelligence. "The son, Naveed Akram, was known to Australian officials for his extremism since 2019 and his association with extremist imam Wissam Haddad, a habitual violator of Australia’s racial hatred laws at the Al Madina Dawah Centre and a prominent figure in the Street Dawah Movement. Akram also maintained close ties to Isaac El Matari, who claimed to be an Australian ISIS commander and is currently serving jail time for insurgency and firearms offenses," she said.
Roggio rejects the notion that individuals like Akram should be viewed as "lone wolves."
"I disagree with that whole ‘lone wolf’ terminology," he said, arguing that extremist ecosystems continue to provide ideological motivation, guidance and validation even when attackers act alone.
A senior intelligence source put it even more starkly: "Today is ISIS, tomorrow is Iran."
Roggio also stressed that the threat is not confined to ISIS but spans an interconnected web of jihadist actors.
"This isn’t just the Islamic State. It’s al Qaeda," he said. "We were quick to declare al Qaeda defeated in Afghanistan. You read the U.N. reports, they’re still there. They’re in bed with the Taliban." "These groups aren’t defeated," he added. "They’re just operating differently."
Morgan Murphy, a national security expert and former Trump White House official, and current U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, told Fox News Digital that "Because of an unprecedented influx of unvetted, Islamist, fighting-age male migrants into both Europe and the United States, the West now faces a threat from within. That internal risk undermines our global leadership and drains resources that should be used to defend freedom abroad. This is a national security disaster created by the shortsighted policies of leaders like President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel, who welcomed so-called refugees without considering the long-term consequences for Western society."
Just because we want to declare the war against terror over doesn’t mean it’s over," Roggio said. "We wanted to end our involvement in these wars, but the enemy gets a vote. That’s what we just saw in Australia."
Flying for Christmas? Avoid 3 travel mistakes that ruin holiday trips and get people in trouble
It’s not always winter storms or airline mishaps that disrupt holiday flights — sometimes, it’s the passengers themselves.
With millions of Americans preparing to fly to see family or friends for the holidays, a former flight attendant is warning travelers not to commit common mistakes that can turn Christmas air travel into complete chaos — or make it far more unpleasant than it has to be.
Three issues tend to surface every Christmas and can quickly turn a routine flight into a stressful experience, Skye Taylor, a former flight attendant for 17 years, told Luxury Travel Daily and Jam Press.
BEST SEAT TO AVOID GETTING SICK ON A PLANE
Others weighed in as well on these issues.
Passengers bring a great deal with them during the holidays, said Taylor — from multiple changes of clothes to gifts for loved ones.
Extra items add to a plane’s weight and frequently create headaches when it comes to fitting bags into the overhead bins.
"If you can, ship gifts over before you travel so you have less to bring with you," Taylor suggested.
Taylor said the scramble for space often forces crew members to intervene, slowing down boarding and sometimes resulting in passengers having their bags removed from the cabin.
Travelers who rely solely on carry-ons are the most likely to be affected when bins fill up.
"It’s a total nightmare trying to fit everyone’s baggage into the overhead [bins] — and cabin crew get the brunt of this," she said.
STASH A SIMPLE ITEM IN YOUR CARRY-ON TO AVOID TRAVEL DELAYS AND STRESS, EXPERTS ADVISE
Jacqueline Whitmore, an etiquette expert and former flight attendant based in Florida, told Fox News Digital passengers should ensure their bags fit easily into the bin or under the seat in front of them — and they should never move someone else’s belongings without asking.
"Don't encroach on another person's personal space," Whitmore said.
Taylor and Whitmore both advised passengers who are traveling with heavier loads to consider checking a larger suitcase instead of bringing multiple bags into the cabin.
Winter weather routinely causes delays during the holidays, said Taylor.
Passengers often underestimate how long they may be sitting on the runway — and how cold the cabin can get while they wait.
"Always take a piece of warm clothing with you, even if you’re jetting off to Jamaica," she said. "You could be sitting on the runway for a while, and the air conditioning, which can be quite warm, does usually run cold in different parts of the aircraft."
Flights arriving from colder destinations, such as New York, are especially prone to additional delays because of snow or de-icing, Taylor added.
Whitmore said proper etiquette during winter delays is just as important as preparation beforehand.
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"Etiquette is about emotional regulation as much as it is about behavior," she said. "Losing your temper with the gate agents or flight attendants doesn’t make the plane go any faster. Keep your emotions in check and pack your manners."
She urged holiday travelers to arrive at the airport two to three hours ahead of boarding — and to "expect the unexpected."
She said frustration with delays or overcrowding issues can lead travelers to lash out improperly at crew members, said Taylor.
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She said abuse toward staff becomes especially common around Christmas, when both passengers and airline employees are under extra stress.
"We’re human, just like you," Taylor said.
"People and crew are away from home — sitting in a hotel room — rather than their own at Christmas. We’re missing family — or flying on the day to get you to yours."
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She noted that yelling at flight attendants does nothing to speed up delays or resolve issues, as crews are often given information at the last minute themselves.
"Use some humanity," she urged, during the season.
Whitmore agreed that remaining respectful is key even when travel goes wrong.
"Flight attendants are there for your safety, not to wait on you hand and foot," she said.
‘The View’ had 128 liberal guests but only two conservatives in 2025, study finds
FIRST ON FOX – "The View" had a total of 341 guests in 2025, but only two of them were conservative, while 128 were liberal, according to a new study conducted by the Media Research Center.
"The View" aired its final new episode of the year on Friday, so the MRC analyzed how the ABC News program presented political discussions to its audience. The conservative media watchdog found that the daytime gabfest chatted with 128 liberal guests, including 25 Democratic politicians, but only spoke to a pair of conservatives the entire year.
"Their noticeable lack of right-leaning guests is just like their search for someone to fill the ‘conservative seat’ in the panel. They don’t want to have anyone on the show who’s going to lead to embarrassing moments of their leftist cast members being held to account for the wild and controversial things they say or call them out on their hypocrisies," MRC associate editor Nicholas Fondacaro told Fox News Digital.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. John Fetterman, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. JB Pritzker, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Gov. Wes Moore, former President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Rep. Anthony Weiner, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Joe Manchin, former Vice President Kamala Harris, then-mayoral candidate Zohan Mamdani, then-mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo and Sen. Bernie Sanders were all guests on "The View" in 2025.
Obama staffers turned "Pod Save America" hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor were also guests on the show, and Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared twice. "The View" also welcomed Sarah Kate Ellis of left-leaning GLAAD and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
When it came to conservative guests, only actress Cheryl Hines — who is married to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., appeared on the program.
Fondacaro noted that Hines isn’t truly even a conservative.
"While having left-wing politics herself, she was forced to defend her husband’s — and, by extension, the Trump administration’s — policies. Thus, she was counted as right-leaning," he wrote when detailing his findings.
"They only had Greene on because she was being a headache for Congressional Republican leadership during the government shutdown. The cast also tried to recruit her to become a Democrat," Fondacaro wrote, adding that he doesn’t expect things to change anytime soon.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG SUGGESTS TRUMP BONUS FOR TROOPS IS BRIBE TO MAKE THEM FOLLOW HIS ORDERS
"With the show set to return on January 5, 2026, and President Trump speaking out against her, Greene was already announced as a guest for their January 7 episode," he continued. "Two days after she was set to step down from Congress and one day following Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett making her third appearance on ‘The View’ in less than a year."
As a result of the analysis, MRC President David Bozell doesn’t feel "The View" is truly a news program.
"'The View' should be renamed ‘The Cackle’ and eliminated from the ABC News Division and placed in the comedy line up with a warning label, ‘This show is for non-entertainment purposes only.’ We welcome an FCC investigation into whether ‘The View’ still qualifies as a bona fide news program. We don’t think it does," Bozell told Fox News Digital.
‘The View’ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The MRC also noted that co-host Joy Behar claimed that Republicans wouldn’t go on the show because "they’re afraid of us," which led to many prominent conservatives coming forward with evidence that the show had rejected them or ignored offers to appear.
The MRC cited the following methodology: "For a guest to be counted as either liberal or conservative, they needed to express such views during their appearance on ‘The View.’ If a celebrity did not discuss politics, they were not included in the count of political leanings even if they had a history of being outspoken in the past. For example, actor Robert De Niro had a history of speaking out against President Trump, but was not included in the liberal count because politics did not come up."
Leaked University of Illinois lecture material blames Trump for 'white supremacy,' embraces far-left activism
Leaked PowerPoint lessons from a first-year education course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign show extreme left-wing bias on the topic of illegal immigration, as well as race and gender.
Fox News Digital obtained slides of EDUC 201, an education course for first semester students titled "Identity and Difference in Education," from a student whistleblower.
The lesson from week 15 was called "Living in Uncertainty: Understanding Immigrant, Migrant, & Refugee Student Populations," containing 25 slides promoting leftist talking points on immigration. The course is taught by professor Gabriel Rodriguez in the school's college of education.
The first slide features a photo of a person holding a sign at a demonstration that reads, "No human being is illegal."
The fifth slide is called "Language Matters," and polices students' language about immigration and immigrants.
"Embrace using humanizing language when talking about immigrant communities that don’t have documentation – consider using the language of 'undocumented,'" the slide says.
"Using terms like 'illegal immigrants,' 'illegal aliens,' or 'illegals'" is harmful, the slide says, explaining that using those terms is "dehumanizing and degrading," that they reinforce existing negative stereotypes about immigrant communities and connect immigration with criminality, that they fuel perspectives that immigrants have no rights and that they facilitate "scapegoating communities for larger systemic issues."
Explaining the difference between immigrants and refugees, the presentation insists, without making the distinction between illegal and legal immigrants, that, "Immigrants migrate to pursue better opportunities (e.g., work, education)." Refugees flee other countries to avoid "persecution, conflict, or violence."
IMMIGRANT MATH TEACHER SAYS HE WAS BRANDED 'TRAITOR' TO PEOPLE OF COLOR FOR QUESTIONING WOKE LESSONS
Citing PBS News, the presentation makes the dubious claim that there are only 13.7 million illegal aliens present in the United States.
"Between 2007-2019, number of undocumented immigrants held steady at around 11 million, but since then the numbers have increased by almost 3 million," one slide says.
A 2018 Yale study concluded that, using an "extremely conservative model," there are between 16 million and 29 million illegal aliens in the United States, with the mean resting at 22.1 million. Those numbers were calculated before the four-year Biden administration, which was known for its open borders policy.
The presentation includes a slide titled, "Shifting Support for Immigrant/Refugee Student Populations in Schools," and compiles headlines about negative academic impacts of stricter immigration policies. The slide reinforces that the anti-immigrant/refugee climate increases discriminatory practices, makes students feel unsafe and increases absenteeism, among other negative ramifications.
Slide 17 of the presentation features a study co-authored by Rodriguez, called, "'This is What I go Through:' Latinx Youth Facultades in Suburban Schools in the Era of Trump." Rodriguez's study examined reactions from 11 "Latinx youth" in predominantly white suburbs.
A screenshot of his study references "White supremacy and xenophobia brought on by ... Trump."
On the same slide, Rodriguez quotes one of his own study subjects, Jose, an illegal alien who is worried about being deported.
"I can’t think of any other time when my grades have mattered the most than after this election," says Jose's quote. "If anything happens to me at least I have good grades, [to] build on my case. Maybe if I’m excellent they won’t kick me out. The fear is so real. Right now, we don’t know what’s going to happen. My parents tell me, ‘Do well in school.’ So really, I’m worth a grade right now. I want to excel in academics. Hopefully, I’m one of the good ones."
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS COAST TO COAST ADOPTING RADICAL CURRICULUM FROM ORG NAMED FOR 60S RADICAL
Further slides instruct students on how to deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a school setting.
A student in the class, who spoke with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity, said that these lessons aren't just suggestions for how to teach future students.
"So in the lectures, my professor would constantly say, 'you as educators, you as future educators, you need to do this, you need to know this,'" the student said. "That's one thing that he says, just over and over, like 'we as future educators,' kind of reminding us like, oh, we need to use this when we go to teach later on."
Fox News Digital also obtained slides from week 8 of the education course, which focused on the implicit meanings of silence in the classroom, and how sometimes silence is the result of racial or sex-based discrimination.
One such example is "Internalized Oppression," defined as "assumed racial inferiority on the part of people of color."
"Let's think about how students with minoritized identities (e.g., race, gender, sexuality) are silenced by peers and educators," one slide says.
Silence can be a survival and resistance method, according to the presentation.
"Let's think about how students, particularly those with minoritized identities use their agency by turning to silence to resist contexts they perceive to be harmful to their identities and sense of community," one slide said.
The following slides featured anecdotes from people described as high school students. The source of the anecdotes is unclear, and Rodriguez did not respond to a comment request seeking clarification.
One relays the story of someone named Joaquín, billed as a senior in high school, who reported that people ignored him when he gave his opinion, and suggested that his race played a factor in the ignoral.
"Joaquín’s decision is calculated, as he preferred to be quiet, rather than continue to subject himself to being ignored and dismissed," was the takeaway from Joaquín's story.
More slides featured anecdotes about racism.
UC BERKELEY CLASS FOCUSES ON HOW ‘RACIAL SUPERIORITY’ SHAPES IMMIGRATION LAW, ANTI-ICE RHETORIC
"During Lissette’s AP English class, she sat at her desk and took notes as she listened to the teacher review the agenda for the day. Students were reading The Great Gatsby and got in small groups to tackle discussion questions. Lissette was in a group with three female students and started the conversation by beginning to suggest how they should go about answering the discussion questions listed on their handout," one anecdote from a slide called "Group Work Gone Awry" said.
"Lissette did not finish making her suggestion as she was quickly cut off by one of her white peers who suggested to the group that they should read portions of the text out loud first before proceeding to answer the discussion questions. The two white students in the group delegated tasks to Lissette and Marie, a female Asian student in the group. Throughout their group work, Lissette’s white classmates took time to socialize and not include her and Marie."
"This conversation highlights that even when Latine youth did want to verbally participate and take the lead, as in this small group conversation, white youth often did not let them," the next slide explains. ("Latine" is a gender-neutral term used in place of "Latino" or "Latina").
In response to this, the student whistleblower from whom Fox News Digital obtained the lecture slides quipped that they were quiet in school growing up, not because of racism or sexism, but simply because of their personality.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST
Silence can also be caused by factors like gender.
One anecdote, attributed to a high school senior named Clarissa, claims that a male classmate named Michael receives all the credit for the ideas that were conceived together.
"But it is definitely why there are less women in leadership because – I could only handle it for a few months, and then I was like, ‘I don’t wanna do this anymore,’" Clarissa concludes.
The presentation also covered "microagressions," defined as "everyday, verbal, nonverbal slights, snubs, or insults regardless of intent that sends a hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their minoritized group membership" — and "stereotype threat," defined as, "socially premised psychological threat that arises when one is in a situation or doing something for which a negative stereotype about one’s group applies."
"So it's very much like, 'these are the ideas you need to have,' and it's kind of interesting to me too, because this class was required and this is like one of the first education classes I'm taking," the education student told Fox News Digital.
"And so far, I haven't actually learned anything for education about, like, how to set up a classroom, what methods work best with kids for learning — just like basic curriculum that kids are going to be taught, like math and science. There's nothing of that that I've been taught, like this is the first thing."
The University of Illinois did not return a request for comment.
Click here to view the week 15 slides:
Click here to view the week eight slides:
Trump taps Republican governor to serve as special envoy to Greenland
President Donald Trump announced he is tapping Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to serve as U.S. special envoy to Greenland, asserting that the island is key to national security.
"I am pleased to announce that I am appointing the GREAT Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as the United States Special Envoy to Greenland. Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World. Congratulations Jeff!" the president said in a Truth Social post.
Landry said the new position would not impact his role as governor.
GOV. JEFF LANDRY WARNS CRIMINAL MIGRANTS IN BOLD AD: ‘WE’VE GOT A PLACE FOR YOU' AT LOUISIANA LOCKUP
"Thank you @realDonaldTrump! It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!" Landry wrote in a post on X.
The Republican, who has been serving as governor since early 2024, previously served as Louisiana attorney general and as a lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives.
"The appointment confirms the continued American interest in Greenland. However, we insist that everyone – including the U.S. – must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," Denmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen noted in a statement, Reuters reported.
BORDER PATROL CHIEF URGES ILLINOIS TO FOLLOW LOUISIANA BLUEPRINT AS THREATS AGAINST AGENTS SURGE
Trump has expressed ambitions for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.
"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," he asserted in part of a December 2024 Truth Social post.
LOUISIANA INTENSIFIES IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN AS BORDER CHIEF WARNS FAR-LEFT RHETORIC ENDANGERS AGENTS
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"Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" he declared in a January 2025 Truth Social post.
Colorado governor accuses Trump of playing 'political games' after FEMA denies disaster requests
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, on Sunday accused President Donald Trump of playing "political games" after the federal government denied disaster declaration requests following wildfires and flooding this year in the Centennial State.
The governor received two denial letters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) late on Saturday.
The letters came after Polis' requests for major disaster declarations following wildfires and mudslides in August and what Polis called "historic flooding" across southwest Colorado in October.
Polis denounced the administration's denials and said the state would appeal the decision.
NOEM HITS BACK AT FEMA CRITICS, REVEALS VISION FOR DISASTER RELIEF AGENCY
"Coloradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing," the governor said in a statement.
Colorado's two U.S. senators, Democrats Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, also blasted the administration for the denials.
"FEMA’s denial of Colorado’s request for federal disaster assistance is unacceptable," Bennet wrote on X. "Western Colorado communities need help recovering after the historic flooding and wildfires this year, and federal assistance should be available to every state and county that needs it."
NOEM ANNOUNCES $1B FEMA PAYOUT TO GEORGIA AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EYES AGENCY OVERHAUL
"I will take every available step to appeal this decision," he added.
Hickenlooper wrote: "This isn’t a game. These are people’s lives."
"Coloradans are trying to rebuild their lives after fires and floods destroyed homes and communities across our state," he continued. "Trump’s decision to reject our disaster requests, and therefore withhold resources as our communities continue to recover, is unacceptable."
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson claimed there was "no politicization" in the administration's decisions on disaster relief.
Jackson said Trump responds to each request for federal disaster assistance "with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement — not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters."
Trump has suggested the possibility of "phasing out" FEMA, saying he wants states to take more responsibility. States already lead the government response after disasters, but officials may seek federal assistance when the needs exceed what they can manage on their own.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From prison to pardon: How President Trump gave me back my life
Leaving prison after almost 20 years felt like waking from a nightmare. I had been sentenced to life for a first-time, nonviolent drug offense. My two brothers were locked away too, and while we served out our terms, both of our parents passed away. That loss hurt more than the sentence ever could.
We weren’t there to support them in their final days. We couldn't comfort them, or each other. We couldn't say goodbye. And knowing that when it mattered most, we were locked behind bars … it crushed us.
So, when I finally came home — thanks to President Donald Trump granting me clemency from what would have been an unimaginably harsh life sentence — all I wanted was to stand with my brothers, the only family I had left, and scatter our parents’ ashes together. It wasn’t just about honoring them. It was about closing one of the most painful chapters of our lives. It was about being a family again.
But even after our release, we couldn't grieve together.
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Here's the problem. We were placed on federal supervised release. That meant we needed permission to see each other, even though our cases were nonviolent, and we had no further violations. The government denied us the chance to mourn our parents in the way families should.
That moment opened my eyes to how broken supervised release is. It wasn’t meant to be this way. The system is supposed to help people rebuild their lives, find work, reconnect with family safely reenter society with support and stay crime-free (as my brothers and I did). Instead, in many cases, it becomes another punitive sentence. It hinders rehabilitation rather than supports it.
But there's hope. Members of Congress introduced the Safer Supervision Act, a bill designed to fix what's broken. Because a system that wouldn't allow me and my brothers to mourn our parents together is not a system that advances safety or rehabilitation.
Supervised release often feels like a trap. The rules are so strict and unforgiving that even people doing the right things are constantly under threat of being thrown off track, despite years of progress. Travel bans across state or county lines without permission. Required frequent meetings with probation officers, ignoring work or family commitments. A blanket ban on being with anyone else who has a criminal record, even your own brothers.
I defy you to find how any of that keeps society safer or helps someone rebuild. It prolongs punishment, undercuts redemption and blocks genuine second chances. Meanwhile, it distracts law enforcement from focusing on people who are truly dangerous. That doesn’t make sense.
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It doesn’t have to be this way. If the Safer Supervision Act becomes law, it restores fairness and balance. It will allow people who meet strict safety criteria to earn their way off supervision, so authorities can focus on the real threats, as they should.
Trump, though known for being tough on crime, also understood this: that people who've paid their debt deserve a shot at rebuilding. That’s why I’m profoundly grateful to him. His decision didn’t just give me back my freedom; it gave me back my hope.
He brought me home to my son, my family, my brothers and my community. He saw the humanity in someone the system had too often ignored. I stand with the president in supporting others like me, and our families will remember his act of compassion for decades.
If we build on his example and pass the Safer Supervision Act, we can make sure that our federal supervision system truly supports second chances.
I share my story not out of bitterness, but in gratitude for a president who believes in redemption, and for the chance to speak as a free man.
My family still carries the weight of the years we lost. But we also carry hope — hope that America can learn from stories like mine and ensure no other family endures what mine did.
I was a Christian kid in Hollywood. Here’s that I learned about cancel culture
For most of my life, I have lived simultaneously in two very different worlds. In my most recent book, "I’m The Worst," I detail my story of both having grown up a pastor’s kid and the son of a bestselling Christian author, living within the faith community many know as "the Christian Church," and at the very same time, working as a television and film actor in the entertainment industry, or as some know it, "secular Hollywood," for the better part of two decades.
If you listen to some preachers or much of the mainstream media, they would have you believe that both of these worlds are completely different, and from an outside perspective fueled by blogs, headlines and comment sections, it makes sense. But having lived in and loved both worlds, I can tell you they have many wonderful things in common. They each revolve around great stories, they each have immeasurable influence around the world, and they each are filled with people trying to make the world a better place. But, while sharing many similar values, every now and again during my tenure in Hollywood, I would take note of the meaningful differences between the way of Jesus and the way of Hollywood.
One of the most clear examples I saw of the differences between these worldviews came in the late 2010s, with the seemingly sudden and meteoric rise of the #MeToo movement — a movement addressing longstanding and often covered-up abuse that plagued the industry for decades. And while the movement began in Hollywood, it quickly caught fire and spread to numerous other industries and communities, including the church.
JULIA ROBERTS AND SEAN PENN WEIGH IN ON CANCEL CULTURE, SAYS SHAME IS 'UNDERRATED' THESE DAYS
There was a lot of good that came out of the movement — justice for victims, increased accountability for people in power, a greater sense of professionalism and safety. Most saw these changes as good. But as with most things, another equally powerful and controversial thing was created from this moment. As excitement for seeing justice being served grew, so did the online mobs who, after lighting their digital torches, began hunting for any public figures who were (or even slightly looked) problematic to take down. This phenomenon was quickly and aptly deemed "cancel culture."
It was fascinating living in Hollywood at this time, when I would go to church on Sunday, and be on set on Monday, where I had a firsthand look into the effect that cancel culture was having on the people around me, and the difference between how Christianity and Hollywood dealt with this issue. Christianity is no stranger to having to deal with broken and toxic people. It is, however, unique in its philosophy and practice of how it does.
As I watched cancel culture unfold into the city and industry around me, I found myself remembering how Christ taught us to deal with these issues, and how far secular culture had drifted from God’s way of handling people caught sinning. I began to have some concerns, not with the justice being served and boundaries being made, but rather with some of the unintended consequences to the entire idea of "canceling." And I wondered how God thought of the whole situation.
CANDACE CAMERON BURE REFUSES TO LET CANCEL CULTURE TAKE HER DOWN DESPITE INDUSTRY BACKLASH
In looking at scripture and comparing and contrasting how justice and accountability was practiced by the early church and how they were being practiced by secular culture, I began to formulate where I saw the cancel culture movement go wrong.
First, that the threat of being canceled didn’t actually make people better — just better at hiding their worst parts. Then, that cancel culture seemed to have become a mechanism for punishment with no chance at redemption, only condemnation. And lastly, that cancel culture made all of us experts at seeing the flaws, mistakes and sins of others while inhibiting our ability to address or even see our own.
The God found in scripture is big on calling out and putting a stop to evil in swift, substantive, even dramatic ways (throwing tables over with a whip in the temple, destroying towers, turning people to salt). But He’s also big on being outwardly and inwardly righteous, being honest about our faults and need for help, and on forgiving, restoring, and redeeming broken people.
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While cancel culture started and acted out of a desire for justice in a broken world, without the leading of God it can quickly devolve into a mob filled witchhunt that doesn’t resolve, redeem and rebuild, but merely destroys. The world’s way turned out to be strictly reactive, punitive and destructive, whereas the Christian way was of justice, is holistically redemptive and restorative.
SYDNEY SWEENEY CALLS TRUMP AND VANCE SUPPORT FOR HER CONTROVERSIAL JEANS AD 'SURREAL'
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul says, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13, NIV) — reminding us that we all are broken and in need of forgiveness, and that knowledge of the mercy God has given us should change how we approach judging and others. There’s an old saying: "To err is human, to forgive is divine." But perhaps we could say, "To cancel is human."
It’s a very human proclivity to see and point out the flaws in others while ignoring our own. We have become experts in seeing the specs in others’ eyes while ignoring the logs in our own. This is natural. But God calls us to a better way, a supernatural way.
Living as a Christian in Hollywood, I of course have and still do have the temptation when I see someone fail or fall to join the mob, pick up some digital stones and start hurling. Especially if it can distract me from my own shortcomings. But in making the choice to follow God’s way, I try to remind myself to choose a different way — a better way. One that both calls out bad behavior and offers the forgiveness I, myself, have been given. One that both seeks justice and desires redemption and restoration. One that is honest about both the sins of others and the sins of myself.
Here's how we can live and work with artificial intelligence without losing our humanity
The Vatican’s recent document on artificial intelligence, Antiqua et Nova — "The Old and the New" — is not a technical treatise, but a philosophical reminder: The advance of AI provokes in new ways fundamental questions about the nature of intelligence and the kind of people we must become to wield powerful tools responsibly.
Pope Leo XIV has echoed this concern, praising AI as an "exceptional product of human genius" while warning that instant access to information can swiftly become a counterfeit for genuine understanding — especially by the young, whose intellectual and moral development will be stunted if machines do the "thinking" for them.
You need not be a person of faith to recognize the problem. Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI," has warned that the risks have moved beyond science fiction, and is increasingly worried about AI’s ability to outperform humans in ways that are not in the best interest of humanity.
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Speed, however, is not insight. Pattern-matching is not judgment. AI is an astonishingly powerful tool, yet it remains utterly blind to the things that make us wise.
The core issue is perennial: What is intelligence, and how is it formed?
There is a difference between knowing information and being wise. Real knowledge isn’t the compilation and synthesis of data; it’s apprehending what a thing is, understanding its essence; discerning why it is, understanding its purpose; and cultivating practical wisdom (what Aristotle calls phronesis) to judge what’s called for in real-life situations.
By that measure, today’s AI is not intelligent in a human sense. It manipulates symbols at astonishing speed but cannot grasp meaning, deliberate about the good, or decide what is worth doing.
The real danger, then, is not that AI will become "conscious" and dominate us, but that we will deskill ourselves — producing generations adept at prompting machines, yet impoverished of right judgment. As psychologist Jordan Peterson puts it, we must "get our act together" and become wise in proportion to our technological power before the destabilizing consequences overwhelm us.
The solution is not to reject AI altogether — as it can and will be used for any number of projects that will benefit us — but to revive the habits of mind and character cultivated by a serious education, and one that is all too rare in today’s marketplace of higher learning.
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The fruits of what’s come to be known as a classical, liberal arts education are all the more important to consider in today’s age:
These disciplines are more urgently needed than ever precisely because our tools are growing more powerful. The best engineers and policymakers will be those who have wrestled with questions of ends as well as means — who can ask not only "Can we build this?" but, "Should we?" And if it is to be built, how can it be done so as to augment rather than diminish the human estate?
Regulation is necessary; debates over AI in warfare, surveillance, and education are already under way. Yet laws alone cannot produce citizens and leaders able to scrutinize these systems and insist that technology remain a servant, not a master, of human development.
That is a cultural task. It begins in homes and schools that prize truth and beauty over convenience, and in universities that refuse to outsource thinking to machines. In the age of AI, societies that flourish will be those that still know how to form leaders capable of saying, when necessary, "We must not." Wisdom, not computational processing power, will become the even scarcer resource that no machine can supply.