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BROADCAST BIAS: From space to ceasefires, networks still paint Trump as the problem
President Trump recently complained, "I get 93 percent bad publicity," and studies from the Media Research Center, where I work, have shown time and again that evening news coverage on the broadcast networks is around 90% negative, month after month. How can that be? It’s because these networks will find something negative no matter which direction the president, or the country, takes.
The motto might seem like "Good news is not news." Or maybe it’s not the big story.
Take the Artemis space mission to the moon. On April 1, during what may have been the most important moment in American space history since 1972, ABC’s "Good Morning America" aired seven anti-Trump reports for over 15 minutes before it finally started covering space. ABC was especially interested in arguing that Trump was out to undermine confidence in the midterm elections by pushing back on the inadequacies of mail-in voting.
Later in the day, when it was clear that the Artemis launch was a success, NBC reporter Tom Costello didn’t want any flag-waving for the USA: "I think it's important and relevant to take a moment and say wow, we should be collectively, not as Americans, not as North Americans, but just as humans, proud of the achievement here — that humans have been able to do this."
Then there was a daring rescue of an airman from Iranian territory, clearly very positive news. But during the Easter edition of "Sunday Morning" on CBS, they dedicated four minutes and four seconds to the war in Iran but spent only 43 seconds of that on the rescued airman, or about 18% of their Iran focus.
The rest was Pentagon reporter David Martin, presenting experts criticizing Trump’s threats to damage Iranian infrastructure. First, there was former Obama aide Tess Bridgeman: "Obliterating all power plants, threatening coercive actions against the civilian population to try to bring a government to the negotiating table — those kinds of things are flatly illegal." Martin also quoted former Reagan adviser Elliott Abrams suggesting the Trump message was all wrong: "We want the Iranian people on our side."
The coverage of Trump is so relentlessly negative that Iran’s Islamic theocracy, or what’s left of it, is almost receiving more positive press than the president. These networks talk about Trump’s punishment of the Iranians, but they can’t focus on the hundreds of protesters massacred by Iran’s government in the weeks before the war began.
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Trump’s Easter message on Truth Social threatening Iran riled up all the anchors and reporters. "Open the f---ing Strait [of Hormuz], you crazy bastards, or you will be living in Hell," he wrote.
The next night, CBS White House reporter Weijia Jiang promoted the opposing view: "In an open letter, more than 100 international law experts argue bombing power plants amounts to potential war crimes. Trump said he’s not concerned about that possibility." He said, "I hope I don’t have to do it." These threats are his unique method of negotiation.
The networks easily find one hundred "experts" to accuse Trump of "war crimes," but not "experts" who accuse Iran of human rights abuses.
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PBS located one of the open-letter signers, former military lawyer Rachel Van Landingham, who has written a series of vicious op-eds against Trump and Pete HegsethPete Hegseth on the MS NOW website. (PBS and MS NOW are indistinguishable.) She reliably trashed the president: "He’s threatening to make our military engage in war crimes and therefore stain their honor and their soul and come back with moral injury. Why? Because threatening to destroy every bridge and every single power plant in the entire state of Iran is called an indiscriminate attack. That is a war crime." The PBS expert dropped the term "war crime" 11 times in her interview.
When Trump announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, the TV spin shamelessly flipped. Trump went from war criminal to creating "TACO Tuesday," playing off the liberal phrase "Trump Always Chickens Out." It sounds bizarre to describe Trump ordering a series of devastating military attacks on Iran as "chickening out," but mockery is part of the broadcast-network toolbox.
The streaming service of CBS News brought on Financial Times commentator Robert Armstrong, who coined the "TACO" term last year to describe Trump’s method of tariff negotiations and how it roils the markets. He explained that he thought the acronym sounded funny and played off Trump’s "obsession" with the Mexican border. All the liberals clearly agreed.
The late-night comedians pounced. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel commented: "So, all day today, everyone, most notably the people of Iran, were wondering if their civilization was going to die tonight. Well, good news, it didn't. It was the TACO Tuesday of all TACO Tuesdays. The president decided not to drop the chalupa for at least another two weeks."
Much like the ceasefire in Gaza, the networks stayed negative, marking every "chaotic" episode that demonstrated the ceasefire was only partial, that it was messy.
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The pattern never ends.
Network coverage of Trump was negative even in the first days after Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
It doesn’t matter which direction Trump takes, it’s always wrong.
Maybe that’s why the president calls it "fake news."
Jillian Michaels tells Hannity she is done with Democrats, says the left 'keeps eating its own'
Fitness icon Jillian Michaels told Fox News’ Sean Hannity why she is officially done with the Democratic Party, claiming the left’s obsession with labels has led it to start "eating its own."
Michaels sat down on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast to discuss how the attributes that used to make her desirable to the left have now led the party to label her a "bigot."
"I sit here, and I watch, and I think like, ‘Wow, it just keeps marching on. The left just keeps eating its own,’" Michaels said.
She explained that because of her diverse background—being part Jewish, part Arab, a gay woman, and the mother to a Black child—she once fit into the labels the Democratic Party championed. Now, after leaving California and speaking out on certain topics, she says their perception of her has changed.
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"Now I'm just a bigot and a transphobe and a white nationalist," Michaels said of what she’s been called by members of the left.
Michaels argued the Democratic Party has become more liberal than she is and said she didn’t leave the party, it left her. She added it no longer represents the marginalized groups it claims to protect.
For Michaels, border security became a breaking point. She noted she used to work for the United Nations Refugee Agency and even adopted her child from Haiti, but explained that the open border situation made her concerned about national security.
She said while she’s always been "empathetic to people who deserve and want a better life," allowing so many unvetted individuals into the country puts a strain on infrastructure and can hurt legal immigration.
"You end up getting to a place where you're forced with a decision where like, ‘No, just no. No more of this. Close the border,’" Michaels said.
She argued the party has stopped listening to some of the people it represents, including Iranians and Venezuelans who, she said, support actions taken by the Trump administration in their countries.
"These clips of Venezuelans, Cubans, Iranians, literally saying to white, middle-aged liberals, ‘Stop doing what you are doing. You don't represent us. You don't represent what we want for Venezuela, Cuba and Iran,’" she said.
"And then immediately, those people no longer serve the agenda, and they purge those people. No matter the color of the skin, no matter how gay, no matter how marginalized," Michaels added.
As socialist mayor battles ICE, Seattle police and crime victims say repeat offenders are terrorizing the city
SEATTLE—Seattle police and crime victims say they’re being left behind as Mayor Katie Wilson focuses on clashes with ICE while repeat offenders continue to drive crime across the city.
"I think the center focus on that right now is ICE," Officer Kent Loux, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"It is the immigration," Loux said. "It's this federal feud that the mayor's office is having with the federal government. That is the confusion. I think if she wants to have her feud, have it. Leave SPOG out of it. We do not need to be a part of it, we have been apolitical on all these demonstrations. We clearly can demonstrate that. We are not worried about taking a side. We're not wanting to take a side, but putting us in this crossfire physically or potentially politically just isn't fair to SPOG members."
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Shortly after taking office on Jan. 1, Wilson announced on Jan. 29 a policy requiring the Seattle Police Department to "investigate, verify, and document any reports of immigration enforcement activity."
The announcement stated that "if dispatched to a location where apparent immigration enforcement activity is underway, officers will document the activity with in-car and body-worn video, validate the status of apparent federal law enforcement agents through official identification, and secure scenes of potentially unlawful acts to gather evidence for transmittal to prosecutors."
Loux told Fox News Digital that while Seattle law enforcement officers do not investigate immigration status and that "it is of no importance to us," Wilson’s stance is "confusing."
"The current city's policy on us investigating ICE is very confusing for officers," Loux said. "What does investigating mean? What does identifying mean? This is a disastrous policy that is potentially putting officers and federal law enforcement officers pitting against one another. Not just maybe a physical crossfire situation, but also a political crossfire situation."
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According to Loux, the city’s law enforcement officers are already struggling in a less-than-ideal environment.
"The members of the Seattle Police Department are trying their best," Loux said, "They're out there working, they're making arrests every day. They are doing the work. Understand, please understand, that the criminal justice system is much larger than just the police officers. We are hitting obstacles with King County Medical Jail declines. We're hitting obstacles with prosecution, with judges releasing people."
"We are spinning our wheels, and it really is trying on us," Loux added. "Please understand we are hundreds of officers short. And we have people working extra shifts all the time to just get to minimums. So we are working, delays are sometimes significant. We're trying to improve that as best we can, but people are — we are stretched thin."
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Melanie Roberts is the granddaughter of Ruth Dalton, an 80-year-old professional dog walker who was murdered in a carjacking on Aug. 20, 2024, by Jahmed Haynes, a repeat convicted felon who had served time in prison for vehicular homicide, robbery, and assault. Roberts told Fox News Digital that she is frustrated by the current approach to crime.
"It's time to stop taking such a soft stand on crime," Roberts said. "It's time to protect the citizens who follow the law and quit trying to mold the criminals into better citizens to be reintegrated. It's time to protect the citizens that are already following your rules and your laws. I want a harder stance on crime, I want more discipline. I want more consequence. And then maybe people will learn their lesson and maybe people will stop committing the crimes that are putting us all at risk."
According to a FBI crime report for 2024, released in August, Seattle was ranked fourth-worst out of the 30 largest American cities for total crime.
According to the report, Seattle’s total crime rate per 100,000 residents was 5,782.7, and its total crime numbers were 172.9% higher than the national average.
Roberts said her grandmother had pulled over to the side of the road in the residential neighborhood in Madison Park to send daily Bible devotionals to her friends and family when Haynes tried to steal her car, causing Dalton to fall out before he ran over her.
Dalton’s dog was stabbed to death and thrown in a garbage can.
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Haynes did not trigger the state's three-strike law despite eight felony convictions, KIRO 7 reported. Roberts said her grandmother’s murder was a "failure of the system."
"He had been out of jail for, I want to say, seven years at the time that he killed my grandmother," Roberts said. "By his own admission, he was not on the straight and narrow for those seven years. He had committed other crimes but had not been caught. So frustrating to think that if the system would have been a little better, if a deal hadn't been cut in 2003, he would have been caught on any other charges [and] maybe my grandmother would still be alive. I feel it's a failure of the system."
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Michael Held, chief of staff for the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office, gave Fox News Digital an account of Haynes' case.
"In November of 2004, [Haynes] was committed to Western State Hospital for a competency evaluation; an assessment of his mental state at the time of the offense; and evaluation of his dangerousness to others/likelihood of committing further criminal acts," Held said, in part. "During the evaluation process, defense counsel reported to Haynes’ assigned forensic psychiatrist that he had never been able to give her a coherent account of the instant offense and that he typically does not speak. Haynes was found not competent to stand trial. The court entered an order staying proceedings and committing Haynes to Western State for further evaluation competency restoration. To that end, the and the court entered an order for the involuntary administration of medication. Eventually, Mr. Haynes’ competency was restored, and thereafter counsel for the State and the defense negotiated a plea to three nonstrike offenses with an agreed exceptional sentence of 180 months."
The prosecutor said mental competency in severe cases can be unstable, potentially delaying or preventing a trial altogether. Held noted that proving the weapon met the legal standard of a deadly weapon was uncertain, so prosecutors focused on securing a guaranteed outcome that would keep Haynes in custody for a significant period. Under the plea deal, Haynes agreed to plead guilty to two counts of custodial assault and one count of attempted first-degree escape, and to serve the maximum sentences consecutively, totaling 15 years in prison.
Roberts said that she is "very frustrated with Washington in general."
"I feel like they are very pro-criminal and very anti-victim," Roberts said. "[Haynes] has all of these rights. He has the right to have his attorney. He has a right to refuse medication for mental competency. He has the right for this and that and we, my family, my grandmother, have very little rights. There's very little that I've been able to do besides get in front of a camera and tell her story and tell the truth about what's happening and the frustrations. The media has been more help to me than the criminal justice system has to this point."
Matt Humphrey, a Seattle barber who has locations in the Ballard and Roosevelt areas, said he faces break-ins or security incidents at least once a quarter.
He told Fox News Digital that he lost $26,000 in retail in a robbery last year and lost $3,000 replacing a front window, and has hired professional help to protect his employees.
"I hired a friend who's a former ATF agent to do de-escalation and safety with my team so they know how to deal with it," Humphrey said. "And I need to hire him again. I need to bring him back in because I have a fresh new group of people working the front end who all need training on this. And I'm providing this training. I'm paying my friend to come in and do this. And I shouldn't have to deal with the level of frequency that we deal with here, like four times a year is four times too much when it comes to cost."
"And it comes really to the emotional part," he continued. "I mean, that's the hard part. I mean again, when you pour your whole life into something. I mean, I'm 32 years into this business and for the last six years it's just been miserable, and I don't want to give up. I don't want my kids to see me give up. And so rather than be a victim and be afraid to talk about crime, I'm standing up, and I'm talking to you guys because this has to end."
Meanwhile, State Rep. Shaun Scott of Seattle, a member of the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America since 2017, told Fox News Digital that he thinks law enforcement officers are doing things that are outside of their "expertise."
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"I think that right now we are asking police and law enforcement to do many things that fall outside of the bounds of, frankly, their expertise or their job training," Scott said.
"It is part of the reason why alternative 911 response is… an issue that I hear so much about in the state legislature, because people understand that if you're somebody who's going through an overdose, if you are somebody that's going through a mental health episode, if you're somebody that needs to be connected to services, you don't really need a gun in a badge response," he added. "In fact, we have criminalized too many public health issues in our state and our society generally. So I think that the role of alternative 911 response is to fill in the gaps and to really address issues that traditional law enforcement has not historically been equipped to."
Asked to identify examples of what law enforcement is doing effectively, and where it is falling short, Scott said he "would have to get back to you on that."
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Compounding the current crisis law enforcement and victims of crime are facing, some Seattle residents see the increase in socialist policies in the state as a great concern.
"The rise of socialism is a concern for me," Loux, the SPOG president, told Fox News Digital. "I think these socialist policies are a threat to public safety. What we're seeing is increased mandates, increased corporate taxes, and it seems that it is squeezing businesses and pushing them out of this city."
One of the best examples of increased taxes is the recently passed "millionaires tax" which Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson signed March 30. It will impose a 9.9% income tax on households earning more than $1 million each year. The tax applies to any money earned after the first $1 million of someone's annual income.
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"Even on a larger scale, I think out of the state I think it's very dangerous to public safety as it threatens budgets," Loux added. "Public safety is about resources, and I need a large tax base, I think we all do. All departments need a tax base to fund training, equipment, patrol operations in high crime areas, high traffic areas. And it's really putting a strain on things already. And you're seeing these businesses flee, and that's really going to distribute the budget."
Humphrey told Fox News Digital that socialist progressive urban policy is "like a foreign language I don't understand."
"I just, as a small business owner in America, none of that makes any sense to me," Humphrey said. "I just don't know how you create any incentive for someone to go out and do what I'm doing, it sounds anti-me. Like, to put it all on the line, to create jobs, to create a tax base, to do all this. None of that works in the conversations I hear in New York and when that party starts speaking up. None of it makes sense to me."
Humphrey said he isn’t sure that Wilson, Seattle’s new mayor, will take much of a different approach than former Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell in terms of addressing crime.
"I hope this new mayor can flip the script and get something changed, but I don't see any signs that it's going to be different," Humphrey said. "I see more traffic, shutting down more traffic lanes, making it harder to get to my shop in Ballard. I see, again, the musical chairs with homeless encampments three or four blocks away."
While Humphrey said he has considered running for office, it is not something currently in the cards as he focuses on keeping his business afloat.
"I love this city, and I was so close to running for office myself," Humphrey said. "But I just, there's no way. I have a small beauty empire I'm trying to grow, and I can't do it and clean up their mess. So I need this new mayor to do her job and get us some safety and security and make it a little more friendly on businesses, cut us a break, don't hit us with all these taxes. I get that you guys want to tax the rich, but we are not rich. Small business owners are not rich, so help us out."
Fox News Digital reached out to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, the Seattle Police Department, Gov. Bob Ferguson, and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Trump adversary running for Senate borrows his filibuster playbook
One of President Donald Trump's top Democratic foes running for the Senate is taking a page from his and conservatives’ playbook in their pitch to reform the filibuster.
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is running to unseat longtime Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, released her policy platform in recent days. Among several pitches to voters is a call to reform the filibuster.
Mills, if elected, said in the 19-page document that she would require "Senators to remain on the Senate floor and actually speak, rather than simply threatening a filibuster to delay action."
The filibuster has become a flashpoint in the Senate, particularly for Republicans, given that its current 60-vote threshold requires legislation to be bipartisan in nature. And Mills' position, which has been previously supported by Democrats, is one Trump and some in the GOP are pushing for to pass a massive election integrity bill.
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Her desire to change the filibuster echoes one made by Trump and conservatives, both in Congress and online, that have demanded Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., launch a talking filibuster to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.
"Washington is broken, and Maine people are paying the price," Mills said in a statement introducing the platform. "Donald Trump and Washington Republicans are undermining our fundamental rights and driving up costs, all while Congress fails to solve the big problems facing Maine people. Enough is enough. Maine people deserve better than what D.C. is giving them."
Mills and Trump have an adversarial relationship that reached a chaotic crescendo in 2025 when, during a meeting of governors at the White House, she declared, "We’ll see you in court," over the president’s executive order to deny federal funding to states that allowed transgender athletes to participate in sports.
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The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s main campaign arm, warned that Mills’ desired change to the filibuster was a dog whistle for Democrats’ plan to slow-walk Trump’s agenda.
"Janet Mills is saying the quiet part out loud: If she goes to Washington, she will use every tool at her disposal to push her radical anti-Trump agenda on Americans," NRSC spokesperson Samantha Cantrell told Fox News Digital.
Trump has asked Republicans to go a step further and nuke the filibuster altogether — an unlikely scenario in the Senate, given the lack of support to do away with the guardrail in its current form.
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A talking filibuster, as Mills suggested, would require senators to debate a bill rather than falling back on the typical 60-vote threshold.
The Senate is currently doing a version of the talking filibuster in the GOP’s bid to shine a light on Senate Democrats’ refusal to support the SAVE America Act. But it won’t lead to the legislation passing because the GOP isn't unified to block Democratic amendments that could drastically alter the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who handpicked Mills to run in Maine against Collins, has dubbed the legislation "Jim Crow 2.0" and rallied his caucus behind defeating the measure.
Before Mills has a chance to square off against Collins, she’ll first have to survive a tough primary battle against insurgent candidate Graham Platner, an oyster farmer who has the backing of Schumer’s left flank.
Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Mills, Platner and Collins, but did not hear back by publication.
Missing American’s husband had 'spotty' cell service during 8-hour trek to report disappearance: telecom boss
FREEPORT, Bahamas — Brian Hooker spent about 8 hours paddling his way across a 4.5-mile channel in the Bahamas after his wife reportedly fell off their 8-foot dinghy before anyone notified police.
Bahamian officials said Lynette Hooker, 55, and Brian Hooker, 58, departed from Hope Town's Abaco Inn at around 7:30 p.m. on April 4 and went on a smaller boat, referred to as a dinghy, to travel to their yacht. Brian Hooker reportedly told officials that Lynette fell into the water with the ignition key, which caused the engine to cut off. Brian told authorities that the current carried Lynette away, and he paddled the dinghy toward a marina at Marsh Harbour. The couple was originally headed to their yacht in Elbow Cay.
Local authorities said that Brian Hooker arrived at a marina at Marsh Harbour at around 4 a.m. on April 5, roughly 8 hours after Lynette Hooker went overboard.
A staff member at the Marsh Harbour marina told Fox News Digital that the husband walked along the south shoreline before arriving at the dock area, which may have required covering a significant distance on foot. Once at the marina, he went to an office and reported that his wife was missing, prompting staff to call police.
What remains unclear is whether Brian Hooker had access to his phone, or cell service, during those 8 hours on the water. His attorney didn't respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Lynette's daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told Fox News Digital that the couple usually carried phones on them while boating.
Dimitry Malinsky, founder and CEO of IntraTEM, a telecommunications company, told Fox News Digital individuals can likely receive cellphone reception, even if it's spotty, over the 4.5-mile channel Brian Hooker paddled his dinghy through.
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He said, however, some of the more remote Bahamian keys don't get cell service.
"If it's a remote key, like some of those remote keys in the Bahamas, it would be just as if you're in the ocean and not by land because if there are no cell towers," Malinsky said.
Criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno told Fox News Digital it would be difficult to prove if Brian Hooker's phone had service, if investigators determine he had access to it.
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"They may be able to show whether or not he was trying to conduct an outgoing call and he couldn't. But then again, if you're on some paddle boat trying to, you know, my guess is if he jumped in the water or if he tried to help her in any way, the phone was either left on the boat or the phone is in his pocket and then useless because of the water," Rotunno said. "Is that evidence? Yes. How compelling it is. We don't have that answer yet."
Brian Hooker’s lawyer, Terrel Butler, told Fox News Digital she doesn’t know whether her client had a cellphone on him the night his wife vanished.
Whether or not Brian Hooker had cell service, one local told Fox News Digital that the journey to Marsh Harbour presented a formidable physical challenge.
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A man who knew Brian and Lynette Hooker told Fox News Digital that paddling 4.5 miles from near Hope Town to Marsh Harbour without a working engine was a "Herculean" task, which is what officials say Brian Hooker did.
"To row four miles, the oars suck on the dinghies and they're very difficult to go anywhere. To row four is a Herculean task in these dinghies — we upgraded our oars because we couldn't go anywhere with the stock oars and it's really a Herculean task and it says a lot that he was able to even physically row that distance in the conditions," he said.
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Butler said on Friday that police were questioning Brian Hooker on a potential charge of causing harm resulting in death. The interview went from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Butler said.
Police, however, didn't question him about any physical or forensic evidence found, rather focusing on what the couple was doing in the Bahamas and what happened in the hours prior to Lynette falling out of the dinghy. He was also questioned on allegations of violence made by Lynette's daughter.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Butler said her client denies the allegations made by Aylesworth.
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"Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing and in particular the allegations recently made by Karli Aylesworth. He has been cooperating with the relevant authorities as part of an ongoing investigation," Butler said.
Butler on Thursday night said that Hooker voluntarily gave a statement to police believing he was helping them find Lynette.
Brian Hooker hasn't been charged with any crime. Butler told Fox News Digital that police had until 7:20 p.m. on Friday to either file charges, release his client, or request an extension of detainment. When that deadline passed, Butler said police extended it and Brian would remain in custody until 7 p.m. Monday.
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The U.S. State Department has issued a level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas. Americans are urged to "exercise increased caution" due to crime, beach safety, as well as jet ski and boating dangers.
A spokesperson for the State Department previously told Fox News Digital the agency is aware of reports regarding the missing American and is working with Bahamian authorities.
The State Department declined to share any additional details.
Boating in the Bahamas isn't well regulated, and the State Department has said that "injuries and deaths have occurred."
Trump backs Hilton ahead of California GOP vote, testing Bianco’s grip on party endorsement
California Republicans this weekend will vote to endorse their pick for California governor in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The vote, this Sunday in San Diego at the California GOP's annual convention, comes a week after President Donald Trump took sides between the two major Republican candidates in the race, backing conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host Steve Hilton over Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Trump, whose endorsements are extremely influential in GOP primaries, argued in his endorsement statement that California had "gone to hell" and that "Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so!"
The president's support for Hilton is expected to pay immediate dividends at the state GOP convention.
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"I think it definitely can help rally the base behind a candidate and generate some noise and some enthusiasm," California Republican Party chairwoman Corrin Rankin told Fox News Digital.
Bianco is a loyal Trump supporter who has plenty of friends and support among California Republican insiders. But Trump's endorsement of Hilton, a top adviser to then-British Prime Minister David Cameron a decade and a half ago before moving to the U.S. and becoming an American citizen in 2021, may boost him at the GOP convention, where backing from 60% of delegates is needed to land the party's endorsement.
But Bianco, the sheriff who recently grabbed plenty of national attention for seizing ballots in Riverside County, appeared defiant.
"For too long, politicians and insiders from Sacramento to Washington have tried to pick our leaders for us. That’s not leadership, that’s a coronation, and it’s exactly how we ended up with the failed leadership Californians are living with today," he said in a social media video. "This election belongs to the people, not the political class."
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Trump's endorsement may have another unintended consequence.
Candidates from both major political parties appear on the same ballot in the left-leaning state's June primary, with the top two finishers advancing to November's general election.
Some Democrats were concerned that with nine candidates in the race, support among Democratic voters would be so badly divided in the primary that no contender would reach the general election. Hilton and Bianco had been the top two candidates in some public opinion polls, giving some in the GOP hope of a final face-off between two Republicans.
That scenario may be less likely now, as Hilton's support is expected to rise and Bianco's drop in light of the president's endorsement. Polling in the past week gave a hint of a Hilton surge.
"Trump kills any GOP hopes of an R vs R runoff in the California governor's race," Rob Pyers of California Target Book, which describes itself as a non-partisan and unbiased political almanac, wrote last week in a social media post.
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But Hilton dismissed as a pipe dream talk of shutting out the Democrats from the general election ballot.
"That scenario of two Republicans [making the general election ballot], I've been saying this for months, was always a fantasy," Hilton said on Fox Business' "The Bottom Line." "The idea that the Democrat machine in California was just going to hand over the state to two Republicans was never serious. It was never, never going to happen."
He further argued, "What was more likely was actually...you were going to have two Democrats in the top two and then we'll have no chance of change. So this really makes sure that we have a Republican in the top two."
No Republican has won a statewide election in California since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2006 re-election victory.
And with the president's approval rating in California hovering in the 30s, Trump's endorsement will likely do Hilton no favors if he makes it onto the November ballot.
Watchdog, GOP lawmaker warn NY voter registration systems lacks key safeguards
One blue state is failing to enact adequate voting safeguards and refusing to correct its mistakes ahead of November’s midterm elections, an election integrity watchdog warns.
Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), a nonpartisan organization focused on election security, alleges the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) stonewalled a request to fix the state’s voter registration form to comply with federal voting law.
The watchdog sent the NYSBOE a letter in late 2025 outlining several violations they claimed could undermine the state’s election integrity if left unaddressed.
After the board failed to correct most of the violations, RITE and Tenney are demanding the board hand over comprehensive records and data to identify additional shortcomings in the state's voter registration system.
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"Your lack of a response is troubling and disregards the need to ensure public trust that New York is maintaining accurate voter rolls as required by federal law," they wrote in a letter to the NYSBOE earlier this week that was obtained by Fox News Digital.
If the board does not meet their May 2026 deadline, RITE and Tenney say they are prepared to go to federal court to enforce compliance with federal law.
The watchdog alleges two errors in New York State’s voter registration forms that violate the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
First, New York State did not instruct individuals that they must provide their driver’s license information if they have one. It also continued registering individuals who did not provide a driver’s license, the last four digits of their Social Security number or a declaration that the applicant has neither, as required by federal law.
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These errors have, in part, led to millions of New York voters providing incomplete information during the registration process, making it more difficult for the state to accurately maintain voter lists, according to RITE.
RITE and and Tenney also allege the board did not perform a requested audit to identify how many incomplete voter registration applications have been processed.
A 2022 report from the conservative Public Interest Legal Foundation found that at least 3.1 million New York registered voters have not provided a driver’s license or Social Security number on their application form.
"The law is clear: states may not accept registration forms that lack required identifying information," RITE President Justin Riemer said in a statement. New York’s own regulations direct officials to do exactly that. This flagrant violation of an important federal safeguard significantly erodes the integrity of New York’s voter registration system."
"We are committed to getting answers about the breadth of the problem and ensuring the state fixes it," Riemer added.
Tenney, who is chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, said she has called for an investigation into the NYSBOE since 2022.
"Transparency and accurate voter rolls are essential to maintaining public trust in our elections," the New York Republican said in a statement. "The people of New York deserve answers, accountability, and full compliance with HAVA to ensure the integrity of every vote."
The New York City Board of Elections system has also come under recent scrutiny for failing to enact adequate safeguards.
One of its employees declined to block a reporter who was posing as a noncitizen from attempting to register to vote, according to video footage obtained by Fox News Digital in February.
Fox News Digital reached out to the New York State Board of Elections for comment.
Vance arrives in Pakistan for high-stakes Iran talks as ‘fragile’ ceasefire teeters
Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan early Saturday, where he is leading high-stakes negotiations with Iran aimed at preserving a fragile ceasefire and preventing a broader regional war.
Vance is joined by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as part of a senior delegation engaging Iranian officials in Islamabad.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will be negotiating for Iran.
The talks, scheduled for Saturday, come over a month after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28 — a sweeping military campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure following the collapse of nuclear negotiations.
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That operation pushed the U.S. and Iran to the brink of a ground war before a tenuous diplomatic breakthrough in recent days.
Trump announced a two-week ceasefire Tuesday, agreeing to suspend further U.S. strikes on the condition that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route.
While Iran signaled it would allow passage through the strait as part of the agreement, traffic remains severely disrupted, with shipping companies hesitant to resume normal operations amid ongoing security concerns and uncertainty over enforcement.
Vance struck a cautious tone before departing, warning Iran not to test the U.S. negotiating posture.
"If they’re gonna try and play us, then they’re gonna find that the negotiating team is not that receptive," Vance said, adding he still expects the talks to be "positive."
The outcome of the talks could determine whether the ceasefire holds or collapses into renewed hostilities, as both sides remain deeply divided after weeks of conflict.
Iranian officials have struck a cautious and conditional tone ahead of the talks.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it accepted the two-week ceasefire but warned "this does not signify the termination of the war," adding that "our hands remain upon the trigger" if the agreement is violated.
Vance described the agreement Wednesday as a "fragile truce."
Iran also has tied the success of the ceasefire to developments in Lebanon, insisting that Israeli strikes on Hezbollah must stop as part of any broader agreement. Tehran has warned that continued attacks could jeopardize the talks, highlighting a key dispute with Israel and the U.S., which have argued Lebanon is not covered by the truce.
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Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary, positioning itself as a neutral venue between Washington and Iran after helping broker the initial truce. But that role is already facing scrutiny.
Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, sparked backlash recently after calling Israel’s actions a "curse on humanity" in a now-deleted X post and, in a separate exchange, saying critics should "burn in hell."
The remarks drew a sharp response from Israeli officials, who questioned Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral broker. Israeli leaders described the comments as "outrageous" and warned such rhetoric was incompatible with serving as a mediator, while Israel’s ambassador to India publicly said, "we don’t trust Pakistan."
Pakistani officials have not directly addressed the controversy surrounding Asif’s remarks but have defended their broader role, emphasizing Islamabad’s efforts to broker the ceasefire and facilitate talks. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for "dialogue and diplomacy," while officials say both Washington and Iran have expressed confidence in Pakistan’s mediation.
The talks are also unfolding against a challenging security backdrop.
U.S. officials have long treated Pakistan as a high-threat environment for official travel, with strict movement controls and layered security measures typically required for American personnel.
Bill Gage, a former Secret Service agent who traveled to Islamabad with President George W. Bush, told Fox News Digital the threat environment in Pakistan historically has ranked among the most severe faced by U.S. protective teams, requiring constant coordination and heightened precautions.
"The threat environment in Pakistan was one of the worst the Secret Service had ever operated in," Gage said of his experience in 2006. "We were briefed that al-Qaeda wanted to kidnap an agent, so we always had to be in pairs."
Pakistan continues to grapple with persistent terrorism threats.
The State Department currently classifies the country as a Level 3 travel risk, warning of potential attacks, crime and kidnapping, and noting that extremist groups have carried out strikes in major cities, including Islamabad.
Still, U.S. officials view the Islamabad meeting as a rare opening for diplomacy, with discussions expected to include nuclear restrictions, sanctions relief and broader regional security issues.
Whether the talks produce a lasting breakthrough or plunge the Middle East back into conflict may hinge on whether both Washington and Iran are willing to move beyond decades of mistrust.
Kai Trump shares photos from Augusta National after Tiger Woods' DUI arrest, treatment departure
Amateur golfer Kai Trump was on hand for one of the sport’s premier events this week. The granddaughter of President Donald Trump traveled to historic Augusta National Golf Club, where she had the opportunity to get an up-close look at some of the world’s top golfers competing for the coveted Masters green jacket.
But Trump traveled to Georgia knowing five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods would be absent. Woods was arrested after a rollover crash in Florida late last month.
He later announced he would not compete at this year’s Masters. A Florida judge allowed the golfer to travel outside the U.S. to enter a "comprehensive inpatient treatment facility," court records showed.
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Trump’s mother, Vanessa, has been publicly linked to Woods and showed support after his DUI arrest, writing "Love you" in an Instagram Stories post featuring the pair.
The 18-year-old Trump shared highlights from her visit to Augusta National in a post on Instagram Thursday, including a photo with LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau and his caddie, Greg Bodine.
"What a special place," Kai, who is set to take the next step in her golf career at Miami, captioned an Instagram post with a heart emoji.
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The Martin County Sheriff's Office in Florida said Woods was traveling at "a high rate of speed" when his vehicle collided with another car, causing it to roll over onto the driver's side.
Authorities said Woods "exemplified signs of impairment." He blew "triple-zeroes" for alcohol but refused a urine test.
"DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests," a sheriff's department spokesperson said.
Woods entered a not guilty plea in response to the DUI charges. Before his arrest, he indicated that playing the season's first major was a possibility.
In the 14 majors since he won the green jacket in 2019, Woods has failed to muster a top 20 finish. It’s his longest such streak since failing to finish in the top 20 in the first six majors of his career in 1995 and 1996. In his last 26 majors, he has only four top 20 finishes.
Since finishing tied for ninth at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, his best finish in his 18 official events since then has been a tie for 37th at the 2020 PGA Championship.
Woods has not competed in a professional golf tournament since 2024, when he competed in just five events — the Genesis Invitational and the four majors. He withdrew from the Genesis, finished dead last in the Masters and missed the cut in the other majors.
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Epstein survivors push back on Melania Trump hearing call as Comer vows ‘we will have hearings’
Some Jeffrey Epstein abuse survivors are pushing back on first lady Melania Trump’s call for public congressional testimony, as House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., confirmed Friday "we will have hearings," following a rare public statement Thursday by Trump at the White House where she came out swinging at those who have linked her to Epstein.
The first lady also called on Congress to conduct hearings "specifically centered around the survivors."
"Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony," Trump said. "Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional Record."
But a group of 15 Epstein victims released a joint statement Friday against the move.
"First Lady Melania Trump is now shifting the burden onto survivors," they said. "Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony," they added. "Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility, not justice."
Comer said such hearings have always been on his radar.
"I agree with the first lady and appreciate what she said. We will have hearings," Comer told Fox News' Sandra Smith. "I've always planned on having hearings with the victims.
"My attorneys on the Oversight Committee have been communicating on a constant basis for months with the attorneys representing Epstein victims," he added. "There are some victims who are willing to come in, [but] most victims aren't, and I completely understand that, but we have always planned on having a hearing with Epstein's victims once the depositions have been completed."
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both sat for closed-door depositions with the House Oversight Committee in February for questioning related to Epstein, and a deposition is forthcoming for Microsoft founder Bill Gates in June.
"The first lady accomplished three things [Thursday] as it relates to the disgraceful Epstein," the first lady's senior advisor, Marc Beckman, told "Fox & Friends" Friday. "First, she cleared her record; she set the record straight, she debunked all of the lies surrounding her and Epstein."
"Second, she became a champion for these women, for the victims, and finally, third, she's a real leader in Washington, D.C. She's calling on Congress to act now."
It is unclear when or how many of the survivors will come forward to testify.
"Survivors have done their part. Now it’s time for those in power to do theirs," the survivors said in the statement.