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Dems reject Trump’s top spy pick after demanding replacement, leaving counter-terror tool in air
Senate Democrats demanded a new, experienced person to lead the nation’s spy agencies, but when given the chance, they rejected President Donald Trump’s latest pick.
Still, their resistance was not enough to stop Republicans from confirming Jay Clayton to be the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to replace former DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Clayton, who was tapped to be the top prosecutor in Manhattan last year, was confirmed on a party line vote Tuesday.
He will replace acting DNI and Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, whose interim appointment prompted Senate Democrats to demand an immediate, permanent replacement over fears that Pulte would weaponize the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies or try to dismantle them.
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Clayton’s confirmation was thought to be a means to an end for the ongoing standoff over Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a tool that has been used to thwart several terror plots, including a planned mass-casualty event at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria.
However, they changed their tune when it came time to vote, and after a contentious confirmation hearing where only Republicans voted to send him to the Senate floor.
"As Senate Republicans move to once again confirm an inexperienced and unqualified nominee to a position of massive national security consequence for years to come, one thing remains clear — this type of politicized leadership will only make Americans less safe," Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in a statement.
Boiled down, the Section 702 program allows the U.S. government to collect intelligence on foreigners abroad who are using U.S. communication systems, and it serves as a major part of Trump’s daily intelligence briefing.
But it also sweeps up communications from Americans who are talking to foreign suspects — a key issue that threatened reauthorization among privacy hawks in both parties well before Pulte’s appointment and Clayton’s subsequent nomination.
The program expired, however, last month in response to Pulte’s appointment, despite warnings from Republicans that allowing Section 702 to go dark could have dire national security consequences.
And Clayton’s confirmation, for now, does not appear to be breaking through the partisan logjam. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News Digital that the pressure wasn’t on to reauthorize FISA.
"Democrats have refused to pass a bipartisan FISA bill until a new DNI is confirmed," a spokesperson for Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital. "Now that Jay Clayton is confirmed, it’s time for them to stop playing politics with national security and put up the votes to give our intelligence community the tools it needs to keep this country safe."
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"You know … we don't have the immediate time pressure because the communication providers are still cooperating," Warner said.
Before the deadline to reauthorize, lawmakers had differing trains of thought on what would exactly happen should it go completely dark. Some argued that it would slowly draw down, given that FISA courts had already authorized continued intelligence gathering until 2027.
Others worried that telecommunications giants, like Google, would ignore agreements without explicit authorization from Congress.
But, as Warner noted, the latter isn’t happening.
Still, it leaves Clayton and the intelligence community on a murky path forward in the months ahead. And there’s not much time left on the Senate’s calendar to tackle the issue. The upper chamber is slated to leave Washington after the first week of August, and won’t return until early September. From there, keeping the government open will be a top priority for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Polls close in Georgia as voters decide successor in special election
The polls have closed in Georgia as two races in politically disparate parts of the country set the stage for one of the most unusual split-screen election days of the year on Tuesday.
Rep. David Scott’s death in April at age 80 created a vacancy in a heavily blue district encompassing the southern and eastern Atlanta suburbs of Stockbridge, Conyers and Snellville.
With the general election ballot already decided, Tuesday’s contest will determine who will finish out Scott’s term. Scott was notably related by marriage to Braves slugger Hank Aaron.
Across the country in South Dakota, Republicans vying for the Mount Rushmore State’s safely red governor’s seat have created the state's first gubernatorial runoff between incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden and self-made millionaire bitcoin investor Toby Doeden.
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Rhoden originally took the reins in Pierre after President Donald Trump chose former Gov. Kristi Noem to be Homeland Security secretary in his second term. He was unable to garner enough support in the June primary to secure the nomination outright in his first statewide election as governor.
South Dakota’s runoff is expected to be a classic establishment-versus-outsider race, with Rhoden heavily favored in the polls but Doeden hoping for a Sioux Falls-fueled upset.
Minnehaha County, home to Sioux Falls, is a key county to watch Tuesday after helping propel Doeden to a first-place finish in the June primary.
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Pennington County, on the state’s western side, will also be closely watched after contributing to Doeden’s top finish in June.
In contrast to what is expected in Scott’s district in November, Republicans are heavily favored because South Dakota has not elected a Democratic governor since the 1970s.
Then-Gov. Richard Kneip served nearly two terms before President Jimmy Carter nominated him as ambassador to Singapore. Gov. Harvey Wollman completed the final six months of Kneip’s term, and is the state’s last Democrat to hold the office.
Shifting back to the Deep South, Georgia Democrats are expected to hold Scott’s seat in the fall by a wide margin.
Efforts to replace Scott grew in recent months, particularly among the party's progressive wing, as the 12-term, often-combative lawmaker drew increasing frustration from Democrats.
Last year, Scott made waves in Washington media when he shouted expletives at a Politico photographer as he was wheeled through the Capitol by staff.
"Who gave you the right to take my picture, a--hole," Scott shouted at photographer Francis Chung in late 2025.
That demeanor was similar to what led Everton Blair to launch his primary bid against Scott, in what his campaign page calls a "voice for a new generation."
Blair previously told Fox News Digital it was a run-in with Scott at a Gwinnett County town hall, where the lawmaker gave insufficient answers to questions and then reportedly became confrontational, that led him to explore a bid.
Blair had said he would "love to just hear a little bit more of the congressional and legislative strategy, congressman, that you have for this administration, particularly as it pertains to safeguarding federal funds," according to Semafor, when Scott replied "hold on," before becoming agitated:
"I don’t know who sent y’all, but we got these folks here who are providing answers. And I’m doing this. That’s what I’m doing," Scott said, according to the outlet.
Blair responded by launching a primary bid, while remarking to Fox News Digital at the time that two other elderly Democratic members had recently died in office "at a time when every vote counts."
The wave of millennial candidates seeking to replace aging Democrats was at the time dubbed the "Biden effect" — Democratic lawmakers retiring or facing potential primary challenges following the octogenarian Delawarean’s disastrous debate performance, which led to his decision to step aside for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
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"Change can’t wait, and Democrats need a new bench of leaders who are committed to solving real problems for working people," Blair said in a previous press release.
Meanwhile, Scott’s daughter is hoping to replace her late father in Congress, remarking that she wants to continue his legacy.
"That is my thing, is to finish out his year strongly, make sure that this money gets down to the district, and just make sure the 13th district is taken care of, constituency-wise, and making sure the projects go into finalization," she told the Georgia Recorder, while adding she would retain her father’s staff locally and at the Capitol for added stability.
"[W]hen he first got into politics, I wasn’t even born, so I ran for some type of office or campaign every two years of my life, so this is just my norm, I’m just picking up where we left off with him," she told the outlet.
A third candidate, former Mississippi judge Carlos Moore, also criticized Rep. Scott’s tenure, telling the Mississippi Free Press he wants to be a "leader who actually shows up."
Moore had been suspended from the bench for one year in 2024 after a bar tribunal found he mishandled a wrongful death settlement, according to the outlet.
When asked by the press about the infraction, he pointed to Trump’s 34-count indictment in New York. He also pledged, if elected, to be a leader who understands "how to defend our democracy and Constitution" from the president.
The winner of Tuesday’s special elections will serve only until January.
Georgia state Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Tucker, won the Democratic nomination for the full term earlier this year and is heavily favored against Republican Air Force veteran Jonathan Chavez in November. Trump lost the district by about 43 points in 2024.
Raiders new head coach Klint Kubiak names Kirk Cousins starting QB over No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza
It may have been his plan all along heading into his first year as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, but Klint Kubiak confirmed who his starting quarterback will be to begin training camp this week.
It’s veteran Kirk Cousins – not Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
"When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk Cousins in the starting quarterback. He’s the guy, and he’s going to get a ton of reps. He deserves them because he’s played really good football," Kubiak told the press, via NFL.com. "But I want Fernando and I want Aidan [O’Connell] to push him."
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Fans and media weren’t waiting anxiously for Kubiak’s decision, as he’s been straightforward with his thoughts after taking over as head coach following a Super Bowl-winning season as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator last year. But this solidifies the plan, at least to begin training camp.
While coaches can lead training camp with players in starting roles, nothing is final until players walk on the gridiron Week 1. And that’s exactly Kubiak’s thought process.
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"For every position, there’s gotta be competition, right?" he added. "The best player has to play, and that’s not just what I’m gonna see. You guys are gonna see it in the preseason games. We as coaches, we’re gonna see who the best guard is, the best quarterback, across the board.
"There’s battles everywhere on the roster. It’s important for me to be fair to the players to put the best player out there."
Kubiak has noted in the past that the ideal scenario for the Raiders is Cousins starting and Mendoza developing and learning from the 14-year signal-caller ahead of him on the depth chart.
But could things change if Mendoza is outperforming Cousins in training camp? As a first-year head coach, there isn’t a track record of a similar scenario with Kubiak, but he seems to be ready to evaluate every position no matter who’s in place.
Cousins was signed by the Raiders just days after Mendoza, who won a national championship with Indiana this past season, finally heard his name called first overall after months of speculation it was going to happen.
And while Cousins may be the man atop the depth chart, this will be Mendoza’s team at some point in the future. Kubiak wouldn’t want it to be right away, but if the time feels right for himself, his staff and the organization, they will hand the keys to their top draft choice.
In the meantime, all three quarterbacks will be working hard to build chemistry with their teammates and get after it as training camp begins across the league this week.
The Raiders’ first preseason contest will be against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 13. They will open the season against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13 at home.
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Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes' daughter Suri legally changes her famous last name
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' daughter Suri legally dropped her last name.
Suri, a 20-year-old college student, legally changed her last name from Cruise to Noelle, according to records obtained by Fox News Digital.
The voter registration report noted that Suri, a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, is registered to vote in Allegheny County, Pa.
Her registration is under Suri Noelle, an homage to her mother's middle name. Suri previously used the name during her high school graduation in 2024.
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Cruise and Holmes' representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Monica Mazzei, Chair of Buchalter’s Family Law Group, exclusively told Fox News Digital that Suri, as an adult, can change her name herself.
"Katie Holmes has had sole legal custody of her daughter, which means up until Suri’s 18th birthday, she could make all legal decisions without needing Tom’s permission and could have consented to the name change prior if there was a desire," Mazzei said. "You can legally change your name to anything you want."
The "Dawson's Creek" actress previously admitted she was looking forward to seeing how her daughter would embrace college.
"I’m proud of my daughter. Of course, I will miss the close proximity, but I’m really proud of her, and I’m happy," Holmes shared with Town & Country.
"I remember being this age, this time of beginnings. It’s exciting to learn about yourself, and I loved that time, so it makes me happy to think about it like that."
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In a rare move later that year, Holmes publicly spoke about her daughter after a report suggested Suri inherited millions of dollars from her famous father when she turned 18.
The actress wrote "completely false" over a screenshot of an article shared on social media.
Holmes added on Instagram, "Enough."
The image alluded to Holmes also having set aside a designated amount of money for her daughter, in addition to funds allegedly saved by her father.
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Holmes and the "Mission: Impossible" star welcomed Suri into the world in April 2006. In November of that year, they married in Italy.
Nearly six years later, Holmes and Cruise divorced in 2012. Holmes told Glamour in April 2023 that Suri's overly publicized childhood plays a part in how she raises her daughter today.
"What has been really important for me with my daughter, because she was so visible at a young age, is I really like to protect her," Holmes said.
She added, "I'm very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She's an incredible person."
In 2022, Suri followed in her famous family's footsteps and made her big screen debut in the movie "Alone Together" – directed and written by Holmes.
"I always want the highest level of talent," Holmes previously said in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. "So, I asked her. She's very, very talented. She said she would do it, and she recorded it, and I let her do her thing. That's the way I direct in general. It's like, 'This is what I think we all want – go do your thing.'"
Legacy media covers Anthony Fauci diary by criticizing Donald Trump instead of Fauci's dishonesty
Sen. Rand Paul in recent days dropped a massive bombshell about the former head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci.
Paul released a treasure trove of private diary entries and emails from Fauci to celebrity pals, friends, allied media figures, or his peers in epidemiology. There is an endless list of important takeaways from the new information, notably that Fauci was repeatedly and purposefully dishonest in order to get the public to comply with his policies and recommendations.
He realized lockdowns weren't working, that cases fluctuated with no relationship to closures or mandates. After repeatedly publicly denying he had anything to do with school closures, his diary revealed that he'd personally advised politicians in New York and California to close schools in 2020.
One of the most troubling is his immediate acknowledgment that the coronavirus might have originated through gain-of-function research in the Wuhan lab. Making a lab leak not only possible, but likely. Followed by publicly saying the exact opposite in order to protect himself, his profession and their research funding.
In many of his notes and emails, it's obvious that Fauci is an extreme narcissist. Obsessed with media attention, accolades, paid awards, becoming famous, and paling around with celebrities like Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand, or his Zoom calls with important figures.
There's even panic and fear from the eminent "expert" when he realized he might have contracted COVID from a gathering where proof of vaccination was required for entry. Incredible, considering Fauci relentlessly advocated for such policies and demanded everyone get mRNA shots to protect others. And indefensible, given he never admitted that vaccine passports were useless, potentially harmful policies despite having personal proof they were.
Then there are the notes about his relationships with influential media figures. He describes several dinners with CNN's Jake Tapper as part of their growing friendship. There's a note about feeding interview questions to a guest that disagreed with him. He and CNN's Dana Bash seem to be buddies too.
You'd think then that this has driven several national news cycles in legacy media. After all, there are hundreds of extremely damaging new pieces of information that undermine what Fauci said publicly. Scandalous and journalistically inappropriate associations with television hosts. Concerning revelations about world-changing policy being based on nothing.
But that would require legacy media to have a shred of intellectual honesty, an interest in the truth, or a willingness to cover subjects that make them or their party look bad. Instead, what we get is how USA TODAY covered the diary and emails, which is so unbelievably slanted and deliberately misleading that it beggars belief. Or would, if they had a single shred of integrity left among the tatters of their reputation.
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In a new article covering the email release, USA TODAY decided to focus on...Fauci criticizing then-President Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, Fauci wanted to keep the country shut down indefinitely, while Trump correctly realized that the lockdowns were destroying the country and must end.
Here's how their story starts.
"Dr. Anthony Fauci called President Donald Trump 'out of control,' a 'true embarrassment' and 'an idiot' in his personal diary as the nation's top infectious disease expert worked in 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic."
Fauci, who is a maliciously dishonest idiot himself, is treated as the hero in USA TODAY's version of events. USA TODAY notes that Fauci wrote on May 22, 2020: "Trump getting out of control in pushing to open up the country and get the economy back before election day. He is desperate. This is all about re-election."
That's the vast majority of the article, with a few hand-waved references to Fauci's narcissistic obsession with being on television. Just an endless series of complaints from Fauci about Trump and Republicans, surprise, surprise. Oh, and another article quotes another far left doctor from the Kaiser Family Foundation with a history of spreading dangerous misinformation on social media defending Fauci.
"Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist, told USA TODAY the hearing has already become highly partisan. 'There are those who would say this is about accountability for what happened during the pandemic,' said Gounder, an editor-at-large for public health at the news site KFF, who writes the blog Underlying Conditions. 'I think others would say that this is a witch hunt in terms of what was released from Dr. Fauci's diary.'"
What a shock. A liberal "expert" who lied about masks and other COVID policies is defending Anthony Fauci. Who'd have ever guessed?
No interest in the contradictions, the hypocrisy, the inappropriate media friendships, the dishonesty about lockdowns, the lab leak, or masks. Just, Fauci didn't like Trump because Trump contradicted him. And was right.
This is why the media has become what it is: a thoroughly untrustworthy source of hand-selected information to push the message they want to push. And promote the political party they want to promote. There is no intellectual honesty, no care given to accuracy or thoroughness. Just sheer unadulterated bias. And it's why their reputation and public trust in these outlets has never been lower.
But no matter how hard they try, it can't change the truth. Anthony Fauci misled the American people, repeatedly and purposefully. That's the real story, not that a left-wing discredited expert disliked a Republican president who contradicted him.
Baker Mayfield's self-imposed contract deadline arrives as Buccaneers and quarterback fail to agree on deal
Baker Mayfield's relationship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has reached a defining moment and how it goes after Wednesday could determine whether this is the quarterback's final year with the club.
Mayfield reported to training camp Tuesday, as all Bucs veterans were scheduled to do. But for Mayfield, this day might have signaled the end of his desire to engage with the team about a new contract.
The Bucs and Mayfield do not practice until Wednesday but they may be already past the deadline Mayfield imposed for getting a new deal done before turning his attention to football.
And football only.
"Obviously, yes, I would love to have a long-term deal done, but they know my deadline," Mayfield told reporters weeks ago. "As soon as training camp starts, we're not doing any contract stuff. It's all ball. It's not up to me when that gets done by. Hopefully before that, but if not – still going to have a good year."
Multiple reports citing unnamed sources said Mayfield reporting to training camp without a new deal was his red line. It means he intends to play out the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
That's a big deal.
It means Mayfield is now figuratively betting on himself in the coming season, letting his performance determine what sort of contract he gets after the season. This could reward him with the kind of deal he's been trying to convince Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht to offer – a deal that pays in the mid-to-high $50 million per year on an annual average basis.
Or this could penalize Mayfield with a mid-tier sort of deal, averaging in the $35-$38 million per year, that Mayfield has already rejected and the Bucs see as more fair.
For the team, meanwhile, this is a gamble. It has clearly declined to meet Mayfield's asking price over the months of negotiations and that has spoken loudly that it really likes Mayfield but doesn't love him on par with other franchise quarterbacks.
If Mayfield proves the Bucs right, it's bad news because it means he didn't play well enough this coming season.
If Mayfield proves the Bucs wrong, it's potentially still bad news because he's going to be a very hot commodity in free agency next offseason and the Bucs might not be able to pay him what he wants.
(That's to say nothing of the fact Mayfield may be a little irritated with the club for not believing in him now.)
So everybody's opinion of Mayfield is riding on what happens this season and what's at stake is both the player's and the franchise's future.
The Buccaneers, by the way, are at something of a crossroads.
They didn't move quickly to extend receiver Mike Evans before the 2025 season, so he played out his contract and left as an unrestricted free agent to San Francisco this offseason.
Nose tackle Vita Vea, meanwhile, has asked for a trade because he is unhappy the team has not given him an extension offer he believes fair before the final year of his current deal.
Vea, like Mayfield, is in the final year of his deal.
That's a lot of talent the Bucs have either let leave their building or put at risk of leaving.
And here's a Hail Mary idea: The team will practice for the first time Wednesday. So, technically, training camp doesn't begin until then.
Maybe the Bucs try one last time to get a deal done with Mayfield before that moment he steps on the field and his self-imposed deadline becomes concrete.
It's hard to believe the impasse of the previous few months can be overcome in one day. But that's why it's a Hail Mary.
Reds get majorly hosed by winning a challenge that leads directly to a Guardians grand slam
With challenges becoming a bigger and bigger part of more sports, including Major League Baseball, we're going to see lots and lots of ways that they can backfire.
However, you'll be hard-pressed to find a way that hoses the team that won the challenge more than what happened on Tuesday to the Cincinnati Reds.
Tuesday saw the two Ohio-based teams meeting for a day-night doubleheader, and it was in the first game that the Reds had a big challenge win, followed by a big loss.
In the top of the first inning, the Guardians managed to load the bases with Kyle Manzardo at the plate.
With a 1-2 count, Manzardo took a pitch from Reds righty Chase Burns high and inside.
It was certainly in on his forearms, and Manzardo did his best to let the home plate umpire know that the pitch clipped him.
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It was ruled that he had been hit by a pitch, which brought in a run.
However, the Reds challenged and won, so the at-bat resumed with Manzardo facing a 2-2 count.
He fouled off one pitch and then blasted the next into the outfield bleachers for a grand slam that wouldn't have ever happened just a few years ago.
I'll be honest: I'm just shocked this sort of thing didn't happen to the Mets.
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First of all, top-notch acting from Manzardo on that one. I thought it did hit him in real time, but when you slow it down, it wasn't even close. He'd have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for video review.
But then, what are the odds that the Reds feel like they had another chance to end the inning, and Manzardo does the worst possible thing in that situation and goes yard?
What's worse is that the Reds did manage to battle back, but that early grand slam was the difference-maker. The Guardians took the first game of the doubleheader 6-5.
Children's YouTube star 'Ms. Rachel' stirs controversy with racial claim about Nolan Wells investigation
A controversial children’s educator and YouTube star is weighing in on the investigation into Nolan Wells’ mysterious death, with a now-viral social media post pointing to unsupported allegations that race played a role in law enforcement’s handling of the case.
In a post shared on Instagram, Ms. Rachel — a popular content creator whose real name is Rachel Accurso — appeared to question the case surrounding Wells’ death, suggesting the investigation would have played out differently had the races been reversed.
"We know the investigation and everything that followed would have been different if Nolan Wells were white and his friends were Black," Accurso wrote in a post on Monday. "Nolan and his family deserve justice."
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Wells, 18, vanished while on a July 4 boat trip with a group of high school friends to Horn Island, a barrier island located roughly eight miles offshore from Mississippi's Gulf Coast.
His remains were found on the northwestern tip of the island by a National Park Service ranger just two days later, with his friends returning to shore on the evening of his disappearance without him.
An independent autopsy later commissioned by Wells’ family labeled his manner of death to be "undetermined" pending further investigation.
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Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who was hired to represent the Wells family, revealed the findings last week at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago, according to the Associated Press.
Crump reportedly pointed out that the autopsy report showed no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries, and labeled a "red discoloration" located on the back of Wells’ skull as "inconclusive" — meriting further investigation.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Roger Mitchell reportedly wrote that, without the additional information, he was unable to rule out the possibility that "non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death."
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The results of a second autopsy, commissioned by the Mississippi medical examiner, have yet to be released. Additionally, authorities have not announced charges stemming from the case.
The case has sparked questions surrounding the circumstances of the 18-year-old’s death, with rampant online speculation pointing to the fact that Wells was Black and his friends are white.
Following Accurso’s Instagram post, hundreds of her followers took to the comments to echo their support for her suggestion that the investigation into Wells’ death would have played out differently had the group’s races been reversed.
"If Nolan was white, the friends would have been arrested the day of, no questions asked," one commenter wrote. "Now all these ‘friends’ and their parents have had more than enough time to destroy and hide any potential evidence that would have proved that Nolan was murdered."
Another follower shared the same sentiment, commenting, "The stuff coming out about the case is so crazy, but it all sounds about white also. I just hope they are actually held accountable for once."
However, former Palm Beach County, Fla., State Attorney Dave Aronberg cautioned against online personalities, such as Accurso, jumping to conclusions surrounding race in such sensitive — and ongoing — investigations.
"I'll be the first to tell you that the investigation into the tragic death of Nolan Wells needs more transparency," Aronberg told Fox News Digital. "His family deserves answers."
"But jumping on social media to race bait — without a shred of evidence — that law enforcement is covering up a murder is not helping," Aronberg continued. "But she always has to throw gas on a fire."
"Ms. Rachel is at it again. Whether it's injecting division into domestic tragedies or spreading toxic, antisemitic rhetoric in her posts about the Middle East, she constantly pushes narrative over facts," Aronberg told Fox News Digital, adding, "We need real investigative transparency [in the Wells case], not popular children's creators using tragic deaths and foreign policy to divide us."
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Accurso’s comments come on the heels of similar posts made to her Instagram account, in which the viral children’s educator fired back at critics who suggested she "stay in [her] lane" when speaking on hot-button political issues.
In one recent post, Accurso shared a carousel of images showing her response to criticism she has received surrounding her decision to be politically outspoken.
"I liked you better when you just sang on YouTube," one slide read.
"Ok. I never just sang on YouTube though. I’ve always cared about how children around the world are treated," Accurso responded.
She also recently made headlines after she posted a video to Instagram pushing back against President Donald Trump for sharing a viral video showing several children wearing hijabs at a Minnesota kindergarten graduation.
Fox News Digital reached out to Accurso, Crump and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for comment.
Fox News Digital's Madison Columbo and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
Kelsey Grammer suspects he 'may have' lost Hollywood roles due to conservative views
Kelsey Grammer suggested his decades-long embrace of conservative politics may have come at a professional cost.
The "Frasier" star said he couldn't say for certain whether his politics had cost him work, but he believed his conservative views may have kept him off Hollywood's radar altogether.
"I have no idea," he said when asked whether he'd ever lost a role because of his political views during an appearance on "The Katie Miller Podcast." "I suspect I may have, but I suspect I may be, you know, in that category where they just don't even think about me, so it’s okay."
"'Oh, we wouldn't work with him, he's a conservative,'" he mused. "I hope that's not the case because I'm actually pretty good at what I do."
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Grammer said the same political dynamics extended beyond casting decisions and into Hollywood's biggest honors. The 71-year-old actor argued political leanings had possibly become part of the equation when performances alone should decide who gets recognized.
"You know, there's always been sort of a popularity contest with awards anyway," Grammer explained. "And you surprise them a little bit, you do something good once in a while that might get attention. But there's so many overlays of what people will vote for and not vote for."
"I mean, politically, I'm kind of, you know, on the fringe of Hollywood. It's okay, I don’t mind, because I've been a, I'm a conservative. I've been a conservative in Hollywood for 40 years. I declared early. So, it’s been okay. They're kind of used to it with me," he added. "But there are other concerns that actually probably shouldn't enter into it. It shouldn't be politics. It should be performance, you know."
Grammer said he had privately found support from others in the entertainment industry who shared his political views but had chosen not to express them publicly.
"There's several of us in the closet," he admitted. "There's never those who aren't in the closet. Some of us who left the acting profession entirely."
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Grammer also weighed in on the state of television comedy, arguing modern sitcoms had lost the qualities that once made them resonate with audiences.
"...as a format, it's struggling again for the right writers and for trust in the human experience. They don't trust their audience anymore," the actor explained on the podcast. "And the key, the key to ‘Frasier's' success, was that it trusted the audience."
"It thought it was smart enough, and we thought they were intelligent enough to enjoy discovering that we had a family and lives and things we cared about, as well as being funny," Grammer added. "And they've lost that again."
When asked whether Hollywood writers had become too disconnected from audiences by embracing political correctness and an insular industry mindset, Grammer said one factor stood out.
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"The idea of being too politically correct is probably killing the process, I think," the "Cheers" star said. "It's not necessarily destroyed funny for everyone. It's just, they've eliminated funny based upon human behavior. They've made it just too on point on people that don't actually behave that way."
"But, so, I think it may have maybe made a big wrong turn in terms of what people think is funny. It's mostly slapstick, and you have to earn slapstick to make it believable," Grammer noted. "If it's not believable, it's just a terrible joke. And I think that's where they've gone mostly."
Grammer has become one of TV's most recognizable stars thanks to his decades-long career in drama and comedy. He landed his big break in 1984 with "Cheers." Playing the supporting role of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane eventually led to the long-running spin-off "Frasier," which earned him multiple Emmy Awards and cemented his place in TV history.
He's also appeared in "The Simpsons," "Toy Story 2" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."
Experts scorch Mamdani's grocery plan as an 'illusion' that will have taxpayers footing the bill
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is promising New Yorkers a 30% discount on a core basket of groceries at city-backed stores, a pledge that now faces scrutiny over whether the numbers add up.
The announcement raises a straightforward economic question: How?
The city's own numbers illustrate the challenge. If grocery prices have climbed 33% nationwide since 2019, how can city-backed stores offer a cart of groceries at prices 30% below private competitors? That's the question economists say the proposal must answer.
MAMDANI’S PUBLIC GROCERY STORES MAY HAVE DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON CITY'S FOOD SUPPLY
Mamdani's administration claims its plan will save the average New Yorker about $1,000 a year while keeping grocery costs predictable and stable.
The proposal is rooted in a simple reality: grocery prices remain significantly higher than they were before the pandemic.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data show food-at-home prices climbed sharply following the COVID-19 pandemic, with most major grocery categories remaining significantly more expensive than they were in 2019.
City Hall says it can achieve savings by eliminating major overhead costs that private grocers face, including rent and property taxes, while contracting with private operators to run the stores. Under the proposal, a core basket of everyday groceries — including all fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with roughly 20 categories of pantry staples, dairy and refrigerated goods — would have prices locked monthly rather than fluctuating week to week.
Richard Stern, vice president of the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at Advancing American Freedom, argued the proposal ultimately relies on taxpayer dollars to make up the difference between the discounted prices and the cost of operating the stores.
"They're just going to use New York City budget money to insure the discount," Stern told Fox News Digital.
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Adam Lehodey, a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, took that argument a step further, saying the city's ownership model masks the true cost of the discounts.
"The 30% savings that Mamdani announced on his government-owned stores are an illusion," Lehodey told Fox News Digital. "Taxpayers will foot the bill for millions of dollars in subsidies, and they will operate on government-owned land with rents waived. New Yorkers will still be paying the full price, just indirectly," he added.
Lehodey also warned that pricing groceries well below market rates could create unintended consequences.
"Pricing goods significantly below market price creates an additional problem of people purchasing them to resell elsewhere," he said. "Shortages are also likely as people buy more than they otherwise would due to artificially low prices."
'WASTEFUL DISTRACTION': EXPERTS SLAM MAMDANI'S TAXPAYER-FUNDED GROCERY STORES
E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, also questioned whether the city's pricing model is financially sustainable, arguing that grocery stores already operate on razor-thin profit margins.
"A 30% discount at stores with a 2% profit margin is simply a loss for taxpayers who will have to make up the difference," Antoni told Fox News Digital. "These artificially low prices will also harm small businesses which will lose sales to taxpayer-subsidized grocery stores."
Antoni said the proposal effectively shifts grocery costs from the checkout line to taxpayers while creating a competitive disadvantage for private supermarkets that must cover their own operating costs.
The administration, however, says the proposal will deliver substantial savings for shoppers.
Mamdani's office announced this week that visitors would save an average of $90 per month, or about $1,000 annually, under the plan. To deliver those savings, the city has allocated $70 million in capital funding to open five municipal grocery stores — one in each of the iconic NYC boroughs. The first is expected to open in Hunts Point in the Bronx by the end of 2027, with additional locations planned for East Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island before the end of the mayor's first term.
Under the proposal, private grocery operators will manage the stores' day-to-day operations, including staffing, merchandising and product sourcing, while the city sets pricing requirements and operating standards, provides the locations and absorbs major occupancy costs.
Fox News Digital asked Mamdani's office how the administration calculated the projected 30% discount, whether any independent economists reviewed its financial assumptions and how much ongoing taxpayer support, if any, would be required to sustain the stores. The office did not immediately respond.