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GLP-1 drugs and low-carb diets leave Americans short on fiber as protein craze grows, experts warn
Protein is practically everywhere. From protein coffee to protein-labeled desserts, grocery shelves now market the nutrient as a shorthand for "healthy."
On social media, influencers promote high-protein meal plans while warning followers to cut back on carbohydrates to lose weight, preserve muscle or adjust to the appetite-suppressing effects of GLP-1 medications.
The shift comes as GLP-1 drugs reshape eating habits and high-protein branding expands across the food industry.
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At the same time, the newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans place renewed emphasis on limiting added sugars and refined grains — guidance that some consumers and influencers interpret as support for lower-carbohydrate eating patterns.
But some nutrition experts say that interpretation risks oversimplifying what carbohydrates are — and how they function as part of a healthy diet.
"I think first and foremost, it's important for us to talk about what a carbohydrate is," Florida registered dietitian nutritionist Lee Cotton told Fox News Digital.
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"I think the illusion is [that it's] just pasta and croissants and doughnuts."
That perception, she argued, ignores the fact that carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables and whole grains — foods that provide fiber, vitamins and other essential nutrients.
The new dietary guidelines say Americans should "prioritize fiber-rich whole grains" and "significantly reduce the consumption of highly processed, refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, ready-to-eat or packaged breakfast options, flour tortillas and crackers."
Low-carb messaging has grown alongside the rapid adoption of GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
These drugs suppress appetite and slow gastric emptying, helping many patients reduce caloric intake and, in clinical studies, achieve significant weight loss and improved metabolic markers.
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"I believe in modern medicine," she said. "But with these medications, we are stepping away from really [noticing] how our bodies feel and that innate capability for our bodies to feel hunger and satiety."
Appetite suppression, she warned, can make it easier to overlook balanced nutrition.
In her new book "A Nourishing Perspective," released earlier this month, Cotton cautions that overly restricting carbs may lead to low energy, digestive issues or nutrient gaps for some individuals.
"If eliminating carbs worked long-term for most people, we wouldn't keep reinventing low-carb diets every five years," Cotton told Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, protein has been elevated to what Cotton calls the "golden child of diet culture."
She writes in her book, "It's promoted as the most important macronutrient, but this little trophy winner is no more important than any other nutrient for overall health and wellness."
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The apparent tension reflects a broader divide in how dietary guidance is interpreted. While federal recommendations emphasize improving carbohydrate quality and overall eating patterns, some popular diet approaches focus more directly on reducing total carbohydrate intake.
Dallas-based nutritionist Whitney Stuart said protein and carbs serve complementary roles in a healthy diet.
"When we talk about protein and carbohydrates, I believe they work best together rather than being treated equally," she told Fox News Digital.
"Think of protein as the building block that helps you feel full, while carbohydrates — especially those high in fiber — provide essential energy, support your digestive health and help keep your metabolism on track."
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Stuart said she believes the focus should shift from low-carb diets to emphasizing high-fiber carbs.
"The real issue for many Americans isn't that we eat too many carbs," she said. "It's that we don't get enough fiber."
Carlo Filippone, the New Jersey-based founder of the Chicken Pound meal prep company, said Americans should look at the new food pyramid as a "protein-first" approach.
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"Fill your plate with protein, add veggies next and complex carbs last and least," he told Fox News Digital.
"Refined carbs should be a once-in-a-while indulgence."
Some clinicians have raised concerns about muscle loss among patients who significantly reduce calories without adequate protein.
This concern has been noted among some who take GLP-1 medications, underscoring the importance of maintaining sufficient protein intake even as overall food consumption declines.
"The essence of a great nutrition pattern is adequacy, variety and balance when it comes to eating," Cotton said.
Cotton's message is less about defending carbs than restoring proportion.
"Carbohydrates are not always the villain," she said.
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"I think like anything else in life, it's just particularly what your choices are and how they impact your health."
Leftists are afraid that boys will grow to be men. They think that’s bad
The far-left mocked, belittled, and, in Hollywood productions (from Archie Bunker to Al Bundy to Charlie Sheen’s character Charlie Harper in "Two and a Half Men") parodied manliness into a thin cultural stereotype. With this accomplished, they began to blame masculinity (what they denounce as "toxic masculinity") for everything they’ve done to men, and/or, especially, to boys.
The left next conveniently spun this into a political and marketing scheme: They defined the enemy as knuckle-dragging Neanderthals on the right, and presented themselves as the ones who could solve the now well-established crisis with boys.
This is a clever political scheme, as manly men don’t tend to vote for Democrats — those men are too self-reliant for the left’s government-empowering, cradle-to-grave entitlement programs — so weakening men, via attacks on strong, caring, protective and chivalrous masculine men, is, to a leftwing political activist, smart politics.
Also, there is an angle here that gives the left a social issue in which they are cast as offering maternal care — this might impress unmarried women and single mothers who are more likely to vote for Democrats.
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Now, though it is an inconvenient fact to the far-left that the so-called "manosphere," a term that includes a lot of new voices — some beneficial to young men and some that are not — is clearly a countermovement to the left’s attacks on masculinity, they can talk this away by claiming toxic masculinity is to blame for all that is negatively impacting young men.
The left can even pretend they are virtuous as they rip down statues of America’s Founding Fathers and all but erase boys’ heroes from school textbooks — a tragedy I am pushing back against with my forthcoming book "Cool Heroes for Boys" — as they frame this as an effort to protect young, impressionable men from historically imperfect men (as if any of us are perfect).
With this all done, some on the left can even use this as a marketing opportunity.
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A current example is Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s — the wife of Calif. Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom — documentary "The Mask You Live In" (2015). This is a propaganda film on "toxic masculinity" that claims the phrase "be a man" is one of the "most destructive phrases in this society" and asserts that manliness is simply a social construct (no biology involved whatsoever). This film, along with curricula and educational materials, has been marketed to schools, universities and other institutions, many of which are in California, which have paid Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit.
Now enter the left’s Elmer Fudd and former nominee for vice president of the United States, Minn. Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, who actually said on a recent podcast with Gov. Newsom: "I think I scare them a little bit [on masculinity]. … My identity is not hunting. My identity is not football coaching. My identity is not, you know, a beard and a truck."
Actually, those are all stereotypes perpetuated by the left. Manliness is not a guy with bulging biceps either; any reasonable person, after all, would say that if there is, say, a car accident, and some scrawny man saves a life as a muscled jock panics and so is no good to anyone, then the unimpressive-looking guy is manly and the jock is not.
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Clearly, actually being manly is about character, not brawn. It is about competency, not uselessness. It is about actual compassion for others, not feigned virtue signaling. It is about selflessly being willing and able to be a hero even if no one is recording it on their phone. In sum, being a real is about deeper things. It is not, and has never been, misogynistic.
An interesting aside is that our teens feel the lack of depth in the left’s attacks on actual manliness; for example, a recent "Teens & Screens" survey from the Center for Scholars & Storyteller at UCLA found that teens want to see more good fathers in television shows and movies.
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The study’s results are interesting, if obvious to any good father.
These UCLA researchers concluded: "Gen Alpha and Gen Z are signaling a profound cultural pivot. They are not asking for the absence of strength, they are asking for a broader definition of it, one that includes the courage to care, the wisdom to ask for help, and the joy found in domestic life."
Exactly, being a good man is a complicated thing, but he is not toxic. He is the opposite of toxic. He is a role model who, though certainly not perfect, is nevertheless heroically trying to be the best he can be to and for the rest of us.
Former FBI agent Robert Levinson’s disappearance still unsolved as bureau presses for new tips
Nearly two decades after former FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran, the FBI is renewing its appeal for information as colleagues and family members continue pushing for answers about one of the longest-running hostage cases involving an American.
FBI Director Kash Patel last week marked the anniversary of Levinson’s disappearance while recognizing Hostage and Wrongful Detainees Day, saying the bureau remains committed to finding out what happened to him.
"Even almost 20 years later, Bob is on our minds as much as ever before," Patel said in a statement posted on social media. The FBI continues to offer up to $5 million for information leading to Levinson’s recovery, location or return, in addition to a State Department reward.
Levinson, a former FBI agent and Drug Enforcement Administration investigator, disappeared on March 9, 2007, while visiting Iran’s Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. Levinson was the longest-held hostage in U.S. history, and his family had fought for over a decade for his safe return, blaming the Iranian regime for his capture and imprisonment.
In 2020, U.S. officials said they believed Levinson likely died in Iranian custody, though his remains have never been recovered.
For former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker, who worked alongside Levinson years earlier, the case remains personal.
"I met Bobby Levinson when I was transferred to Miami in 1987," Swecker told Fox News Digital. "He was kind of the iconic agent on the squad because he was prolific in developing cooperating cartel members and informants."
Swecker said Levinson had built a reputation within the bureau for his ability to cultivate sources inside criminal organizations.
"He was a craftsman, a journeyman-level agent who knew what he was doing and was good at what he was doing," Swecker said.
Levinson previously worked for the DEA before joining the FBI. Colleagues remembered him as a seasoned field investigator who preferred working cases rather than moving into management roles.
Swecker described the 6-foot-3 agent as both serious about his work and deeply devoted to his family.
Levinson was 58 when he traveled to Kish Island, Iran, in 2007 working as a private investigator. He reportedly was taking part in an unauthorized CIA mission.
Upon his arrival, Levinson was said to have met with an American fugitive – Dawud Salahuddin – targeted by the CIA for recruitment, a source close to the Levinson case told Fox News in 2016.
Salahuddin was wanted by the CIA for allegedly murdering an Iranian diplomat in Maryland in 1980, and Levinson hoped the mission to deliver him to the agency would secure him full-time employment with the CIA, the source told Fox News at the time.
Shortly afterward, Levinson disappeared, but Iran repeatedly denied capturing him or knowing of his whereabouts.
"I eventually read that he had been hired on contract with the agency," he said. "Just such a risk to go to the island of Kish with his background."
Iran has long denied responsibility for Levinson’s disappearance, though U.S. officials say evidence shows Iranian authorities detained him.
The U.S. Treasury Department in 2020 sanctioned two Iranian intelligence officials accused of involvement in Levinson’s disappearance and cover-up.
Nancy Guthrie’s family urges renewed attention, won't cease until she's 'brought to a final place of rest'
With the hunt reaching seven weeks Sunday, the family of missing Nancy Guthrie, 84, is "desperately" urging "renewed attention" in a search for answers and their mother, missing since Feb. 1.
"We desperately ask this community for renewed attention to our mom's case — please consult camera, footage, journal notes, text messages, observations, or conversations that in retrospect may hold significance," wrote the "The Guthrie Family: Camron and Kristine, Annie and Tommaso, Savannah and Michael" in an Instagram post Saturday night.
"No detail is too small. It may be the key," the statement, shared on the NBC "Today" and KVOA Instagram pages, reads.
The family outlined "the key timelines" of Jan. 31, the last evening the mother of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie was seen alive, the "early morning hours" of Feb. 1, when Nancy Guthrie was reported missing, and "the late evening" of Jan. 11. The latter date's importance might be tied to door security camera footage related to past revelations of a masked man on her doorstep.
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"We miss our mom with every breath, and we cannot be in peace until she is home," the statement concluded. "We cannot grieve; we can only ache and wonder. Our focus is solely on finding her and bringing her home.
"We want to celebrate her beautiful and courageous life, but we cannot do that until she is brought to a final place of rest," the statement said. "Thank you for continuing to pray without ceasing."
The family said they believe someone in the community may be holding a critical detail, even if they do not yet realize its importance. In their statement, the Guthries wrote, "Someone knows something," and added that "No detail is too small. It may be the key."
"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring from neighbors, friends, and the people of Tucson," the statement, posted just before midnight ET, began. "We are all family now."
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"We continue to believe it is Tucsonans, and the greeted Southern Arizona community, that hold the key to finding resolution in this case," the statement said. "Someone knows something. It's possible a member of this community has information that they do not even realize is significant."
Nancy Guthrie disappeared the night of Jan. 31 after a dinner with family and was reported missing Feb. 1 after she did not show up for church.
Since then, investigators have released video of a suspected abductor at her doorstep and asked residents within a two-mile radius of her Catalina Foothills home to review and submit any unusual footage recorded between Jan. 1 and Feb. 2.
Investigators have also examined reports tied to a masked intruder seen on doorbell cameras and ransom demands involving cryptocurrency. TMZ reported one of the messages described itself as a "highly sophisticated" ransom demand and was forwarded to the FBI. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department continue to investigate the suspected abduction.
A more than $1 million reward is being offered for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip through the Pima County Sheriff’s Department or the FBI’s online tip form.
American Culture Quiz: Test yourself on Costco cravings and bridal blooms
The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people — including current events and the sights and sounds of the United States.
This week's quiz highlights Costco food cravings, bridal blooms and blossoms — and a whole lot more.
Can you get all 8 questions right?
Give it a try and see how you do!
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To try your hand at more quizzes from Fox News Digital, click here.
Also, to take our latest News Quiz — published every Friday — click here.
Churchill, Shakespeare and the UK flag all under siege in modern Britain, commentators say
Over a century ago, Britain was seen as the place to be. It pioneered science, including medicine. It built industries such as railroads, major bridges and created a strong middle class. And despite what some would say, it was the only major empire that abolished slavery and policed the oceans, at its own considerable expense, to make sure other countries didn’t enslave people. And it had the largest Navy in the World. Now, many say that all seems like a distant memory.
The latest controversy involves images or statues of some of the United Kingdom’s most lauded people. The face of Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, is being removed from the five-pound note by the Bank of England. The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the decision "absolutely crackers," noting the proposal was to replace Churchill and others with a picture of a beaver.
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Churchill’s statue in Westminster was vandalized in 2020 and again last month. Churchill led the defense of Britain, which was the only country in Europe that didn’t fall during WWII.
"Decades of woke education policy have taught people to deny and decry the history of this country as it is deemed to be oppressive, racist and unfair," Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. He says the teaching labor unions controlled by the hard left have enforced their agenda on generations of pupils. "It is no surprise, therefore, that at least some of their victims have imbibed this philosophy and are acting on it."
Statues of British people who lived centuries ago have been targeted to be pulled down and then destroyed. Some of these efforts have been successful. Some have not. William Gladstone, Robert Peel, James Cook, and Francis Drake were targeted for destruction by activists, according to Sky News. These men were, respectively, a reformist prime minister, the founder of the police force, a naval explorer and a privateer. Luckily, their statues remain largely intact.
Now William Shakespeare is under attack. Apparently, being white is a bad thing, and some say the Bard was really a black woman. The activist summary is that Shakespeare might be used to advocate white nationalism.
These attempts to erase high-achieving Brits from history might appear trivial, Matt Goodwin, a GB News Presenter, wrote on X. "It matters far more than many people realize," he wrote. "Across the Western World, an assortment of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [DEI] bureaucrats, radical activists, and increasingly compliant public institutions are engaged in a cultural project that seeks to delegitimize our national."
It’s not just statues and images that have been targeted. Flying your own country’s flag can get you in trouble. Left-wingers in Britain, such as Labour Party supporters, often view the flying of the United Kingdom’s Union Flag, or England’s George Cross, as racist or anti-immigration.
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"So strong has become the voice of DEI and immigrants that any sign of a proud U.K. gets denounced," Ben Habib, founder of the Advance UK political party, told Fox News Digital. "DEI cannot bear strong nations - it wants them set aside so minorities feel at "home".
Habib also notes there’s an added complication with the Union and St. George's flags - they both represent Christian Saints. "That is offensive to the growing numbers practicing foreign religions in the U.K.," he told Fox News Digital.
Much of this flag-hating began following the invasion of Israel by Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist organization. The U.K. then witnessed a surge in Palestinian flags flying on public buildings. This upset more than a few British patriots, who then stepped out with the British flags. "We need to start cohering around national stories and symbols, and the flag is the most visual way of doing that," says Colin Brazier, a British culture commentator had previously told Fox News Digital.
Planning authorities, usually the local U.K. councils, do not need to grant permission for people to fly either the Union Flag or the George Cross. Other flags are seen as an advertisement. However, spray-painting a George Cross on a building that’s not yours is not allowed.
Despite the George Cross being seen as anti-immigrant in the U.K., the historical St. George, who died approximately 1700 years ago, is mentioned in the Koran as a friend of Moses. And some religious scholars suggest he is a servant of God.
At the same time, Britain’s economy has slowed to a near total stop under the present center-left Starmer government. The unemployment rate increased to 5.4% in December, up from 3.6% in August 2022, according to data from Trading Economics. The country’s GDP growth has been stuck at 1% or less since the first quarter of 2022.
Part of the rush to take up flags may be the disastrous economy in Britain. One outstanding, poorly thought-through government policy came from the Labour Party, which mandated an increase in National Insurance contributions (the U.S. equivalent to FICA) by corporations, undermining any chance of increasing employment, as the jump in costs effectively acted as a tax on employment.
Fox News Digital's Michael Saunders contributed to this report.
King Charles' chicken coop at Highgrove has a name that will make you do a double take
Between royal duties, King Charles checks in on his flock.
The monarch recently gave longtime royal photographer Chris Jackson a tour of "Cluckingham Palace," the chicken coop at his beloved Highgrove estate. The photos are featured in Jackson’s new photo book, "Modern Majesty." Jackson has photographed Charles, 77, for more than 20 years.
Cluckingham Palace, a cheeky nod to Buckingham Palace, was recently featured on Amazon Prime Video’s "Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision."
"One of my favorite pictures in the book is King Charles feeding his Burford Brown and Maran chickens at his home called Highgrove," Jackson told Fox News Digital.
"Many people don’t know he keeps chickens in a chicken coop called Cluckingham Palace," Jackson said, laughing.
"Many people didn’t know about it until the recent documentary he made. But he’s very passionate about the environment. He’s very passionate about the countryside. And I think feeding his chickens in the morning is probably very far removed from many of the royal engagements he has to attend in a day. So, I would imagine it gives him a little bit of reflection and down time away from the formalities of his day-to-day life."
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"Capturing those moments was very special because it’s not often something we imagine when we think about the king feeding chickens at Cluckingham Palace," Jackson added.
In the documentary, Charles is seen in rain boots bringing a bucket of feed into Cluckingham Palace. He leaves with a basket full of brown eggs.
"Well, the great thing is you give them something in return," the sovereign said with a chuckle.
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Charles has always had a great love for farming and the great outdoors. He purchased Highgrove, the royal country home, in 1980 and redesigned its landscape.
"Why chickens? Well, it was often said that Charles used to have his kitchen staff boil seven eggs each morning so he could find the perfect one for his breakfast," said Turner.
"In his early days, Charles became a ‘tree hugger’ and used to regularly talk to his plants, which he felt helped them grow. He also had a keen interest in farming and helped to develop the farm shop at Windsor, which sold meat and vegetables grown on the royal estates."
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Jackson noted that the king has been in good spirits, tending to his chickens despite his health woes. In December, Charles announced that his cancer treatment would be reduced in the new year, a positive development in his health journey.
"Of course, it was probably the last thing he expected post-coronation, to be diagnosed with cancer," said Jackson.
"It’s clearly a very difficult time for both himself, Queen Camilla and the royal family. But it’s been absolutely fantastic to see him bounce back with renewed energy. And certainly, it’s pretty difficult to keep up with him these days. He’s a very busy man, with multiple daily engagements and royal visits over the last couple of days. It certainly hasn’t stopped him from traveling abroad."
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital he isn’t surprised Charles refers to his chicken coop as Cluckingham Palace. The monarch, he said, has always been known for his sense of humor.
"[One of my favorite stories] involves Charles trying to move a flock of sheep at Highgrove," said Fitzwilliams. "Instead of obeying the royal command, they scattered in all directions with his arms waving, exacerbating the situation, until a nearby farmer stepped in. His affection for the countryside is also reflected in his watercolors. He has genuine talent and loves painting in the outdoors."
Helena Chard, a British broadcaster and photographer, told Fox News Digital that Charles has one thing in common with the goats on his property.
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"His wife has shared how he can now out-walk anyone, similar to an old goat!" she exclaimed.
"King Charles feels most at home in the tranquil countryside. Highgrove is his happy place where he is relaxed and away from royal duties. His gardens and eco-friendly practices highlight his passion for sustainability. The four-acre wildflower meadow is now home to 120 different species. He even devised tiny ramps positioned in all his fountains and ponds to help hedgehogs escape if they fall in."
"Eating his way through local and seasonal produce from his estate, it is well-documented that the king is a lover of eggs," Chard shared.
"Paying great attention to their preparation time, they play a huge part in his diet. After hunting, he has been known to invite guests back for boiled eggs, washed down with lashings of whiskey. Charles was introduced to chicken keeping by his beloved grandmother, the Queen Mother. He continues the tradition as a nod to animal welfare and sustainability."
"He finds all of his breeds inquisitive, much like himself. Thankful for his steady supply of fresh organic eggs, he enjoys the personalities of his flock and the calm as they peck around Cluckingham Palace, living their best lives."
Fitzwilliams noted that the king’s deep love for the countryside stems from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. England’s longest-reigning monarch died in 2022 at age 96.
"It has been said of Queen Elizabeth that if she had not been queen, she would have been happy as a countrywoman among her corgis," he said.
"King Charles inherited his father and mother’s affection for the countryside. He was the first major figure [in the U.K.] to espouse environmental causes as early as 1970. He has a focus on biodiversity, soil health and sustainability. He supports British farming and has been a keen rider, although his polo-playing days are long over. But he has participated in sporting country pursuits too, including fishing in Scotland."
Back in 2023, Jackson told Fox News Digital that over the years, he’s learned plenty about the British royals. He described how the king is known for making an entrance in his vintage Aston Martin, just like James Bond.
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"Did you know he had an ejector button in his Aston Martin? Probably not," the royal photographer chuckled.
"He’s got this beautiful Aston Martin that runs on biofuel, which is basically surplus wine and cheese whey, which is pretty incredible," Jackson said. "He’s obviously very passionate about the environment, [and] he’s got this beautiful car, an Aston Martin DB6 Volante, that’s environmentally friendly."
The king, who has been a longtime advocate of sustainable living, bought the car in 1970. He converted it to run on biofuels, which use ethanol created from cheese-making whey and wine. He loaned his beloved vehicle to his son, Prince William, who used it to drive his bride, Kate Middleton, from their nuptials in 2011.
Charles’ cousin, Lord Snowdon, once joked, "How does [the former] Prince Charles drive his Aston Martin? Caerphilly."
According to Jackson, Charles finds solace behind palace doors. Gardening has been his longtime hobby, with his garden at Highgrove described as "his pride and joy." When he’s not feeding his chickens or collecting eggs, he’s painting landscapes or scenes from his travels.
Jewish security organization working to keep its community safe amid elevated terror threat
Law enforcement agencies across the United States are on high alert over an elevated terror threat, prompting Jewish communities in particular to ramp up security after a series of recent attacks, including an incident at Temple Israel synagogue in Michigan.
Experts warn that the most pressing danger comes from so-called lone wolf attackers — individuals who act independently and are often difficult to detect before they strike.
The concern intensified after two separate attacks took place nearly two weeks ago on the same day: one targeting an ROTC classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia and another at Temple Israel in Michigan.
At synagogues nationwide, security has become a constant presence. In Phoenix and other cities, Jewish organizations are taking proactive steps to prepare for potential threats. One such group, Magen Am, a nonprofit focused on community security, is training volunteers to respond in the event of an attack.
During a recent training session, volunteers practiced defensive tactics, preparing for a scenario they hope never becomes reality — placing themselves between an attacker and their community.
"Magen Am—the shield of the nation—it’s about standing up and saying, ‘You’re not getting through,’" volunteer Valerie Smilovic said.
The organization, which operates in Los Angeles, Orange County and Phoenix, was founded in the wake of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Ian Turner, who leads the Phoenix branch of Magen Am, said that tragedy served as a wake-up call for many in the Jewish community.
"American Jewry got the memo that they need to do some form of proactive security," Turner said.
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Jewish organizations have reported a recent spike in online threats, particularly following U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran. Experts say monitoring those threats is critical, though challenging.
"The only way to stop attacks is to identify individuals before they act," counterterrorism analyst Aaron Cohen said, "Right now, law enforcement is very limited in that capability."
The urgency of preparedness was underscored on March 12 when a man armed with a rifle and fireworks rammed a truck into Temple Israel in Michigan. Authorities credited the synagogue’s security team with responding quickly and preventing further harm.
Despite the heightened concerns, community leaders acknowledge there are limits to what can be done.
"Beyond increasing security and staying alert, we’ve done all we can," Turner said. "This is something we prepare for every day."
The FBI has not yet determined a motive in the Michigan attack. However, Israeli officials say the suspect, identified as Ayman Muhammed Ghazali, is the brother of a Hezbollah commander killed earlier this month in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
Family reunited with their lost cat 5 years later when she was found in stranger's basement
Five years after a Maryland family lost their cat, Artemis is back in their lives.
Melissa and Brooke Garci did everything they could to find Artemis, who is an indoor/outdoor cat, after she went missing in 2021, WJZ-TV reported.
Melissa Garci told the news station she canvassed the neighborhood with flyers but to no avail.
Fast-forward five years to when a woman brought in a cat to the Humane Society of Harford County that she said she found in her unfinished basement.
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"Artemis was brought into our shelter by a caring community member," the Humane Society said in a post on Facebook.
The nonprofit said they scan every animal brought in for a microchip as part of standard protocol and found one on the wayward feline.
"We traced her chip with the manufacturer and called the owner. Her owner picked up the phone and was speechless. Artemis had been missing for 5 years!!" the Humane Society wrote, adding, "Tears were shed over this sweet reunion. We are so happy to have brought this family back together again!"
Erin Long of the Humane Society told WJZ: "This woman answered, 'Hello?' And we said we have your cat, and she was unbelieving. And she said, 'Are you sure? My cat has been missing for five years.’"
Brooke Garci told the station she felt like she couldn’t even cry yet when she saw Artemis again, "because I was in disbelief, but when I saw her, I was like, 'Omg, she looks exactly the same.’"
"Her instincts are strong," Brooke added.
Long said when Artemis first left her kennel she walked over to the Garcis and got on both of their laps.
"It was a beautiful thing," she said.
Colorado River management plans to be determined by government after negotiations stall
The federal government is stepping in to help resolve a long-running dispute between seven Western states and 30 tribal nations over access to the shrinking Colorado River, as negotiators miss multiple deadlines to reach a new water management agreement.
The river supplies drinking water and irrigation to tens of millions of people across the West, but the system that divides its water, based on agreements more than a century old, is under increasing strain after years of drought and declining reservoir levels.
Interim guidelines used for nearly two decades to manage shortages are set to expire at the end of the year.
Without consensus among states, the Department of the Interior is moving forward with its own proposal, with a deadline of Oct. 1 to establish new rules.
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement that he believes a fair compromise is still possible.
Yuma, Arizona, is known as the "winter lettuce capital of the world." The region produces about 90% of the nation’s leafy vegetables during the winter months.
"We also pick up cabbage, and broccoli, and cauliflower, the whole salad bar, if you will," said John Boelts, president of the Arizona Farm Bureau.
Farmers in the region rely almost entirely on Colorado River water for irrigation and face potentially steep cuts under future agreements.
"We do have groundwater available, but it’s not of good enough quality," Boelts said. "We don’t even use it for irrigation. We use Colorado River water. It really makes the crop. We really can’t get by without it."
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The Colorado River system is divided into two regions, the Upper Basin, which consists of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and the Lower Basin, which is Arizona, Nevada and California.
Under current rules, Upper Basin states are not required to reduce water use when reservoir levels fall. They have resisted new mandatory cuts in future agreements, arguing they already reduce usage during dry periods.
"The lower basin is saying, ‘Come on. You know this system administration is a supremely overallocated system that doesn’t really have reference to getting water into Lake Powell,’" said Sarah Porter, a water policy expert.
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Arizona has already absorbed some of the deepest cuts in recent years. Farmers in Yuma say they are doing what they can to conserve water, carefully managing irrigation and limiting usage.
"We only give the crop what it needs," Boelts said. "We haven’t irrigated this field in about two weeks."
Still, uncertainty over future water allocations is making it difficult for farmers to plan next year’s crops.
Boelts said he remains hopeful that a deal can be reached before the current guidelines expire, but acknowledged the stakes are high for agriculture and communities across the region.