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Innovation is key to America staying a superpower. But it is missing an essential piece
Former Wyoming Republican Sen. Malcolm Wallop once observed, "I don’t think the only place to fight for freedom is in the halls of Congress." The same can be said of innovation. America’s technological leadership is not secured only in research labs or startup incubators. It is also built in factories, machine shops, testing facilities and supply chains that transform bold ideas into real-world capabilities.
Washington talks constantly about innovation, but too often punishes the very capital investment, permitting, workforce development, energy production and industrial expansion that make innovation possible.
When people think of innovation, they often picture groundbreaking technologies or historic milestones. Recent developments like SpaceX’s record-breaking initial public offering or NASA’s continued progress on the Artemis program highlight an exciting era for aerospace. These achievements deserve recognition, but they also raise important questions about what actually drives innovation.
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Innovation is only as meaningful as a company’s ability to deliver it. A revolutionary design has limited impact if it cannot be manufactured efficiently, tested rigorously, or produced at the scale customers and government partners require.
That is why investments in manufacturing capacity, advanced production technologies and modern infrastructure deserve just as much attention as the breakthroughs they make possible.
The Boeing Company offers one example of this principle in practice. The company is investing in U.S. manufacturing facilities, production stability, domestic hiring, supply-chain resilience, including a $1 billion 787 expansion. Investments like these strengthen the industrial base that supports future technological advancement while helping modernize the systems that power American aerospace and defense.
Lockheed Martin is another industry leader making similar investments across its manufacturing footprint. The company has expanded facilities in Texas, Arkansas and New York while simultaneously investing in advanced manufacturing technologies, robotics and tools to increase production capacity and improve efficiency. These investments illustrate how innovation is not just designing ideas for the next generation. It lies in modern facilities and the industrial capacity to build them at scale.
While breakthrough discoveries often dominate headlines, sustained innovation depends just as much on the ability to manufacture, scale and continuously improve the systems we already have in place.
More often than not, the conversation centers exclusively on research and development or startup culture while overlooking one of innovation’s most important drivers, capital expenditures.
Also known as CapEx, these are the investments companies make to purchase, build, or modernize long-term assets like factories, manufacturing equipment, technology and infrastructure. These investments provide the physical foundation that allows new ideas to move beyond the drawing board and into production.
The benefits of CapEx extend far beyond a company’s balance sheet. Building a new manufacturing facility creates demand for construction workers, electricians, engineers, suppliers and numerous other Americans long before production begins. Once operational, those facilities support highly skilled manufacturing, engineering and technical careers that strengthen local economies while expanding the nation’s industrial capacity. In other words, investment in infrastructure is also an investment in people.
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This connection between investment and workforce development is particularly important in aerospace and defense. Modern facilities, resilient supply chains and advanced manufacturing capabilities allow companies to deliver increasingly complex systems with greater speed, quality and reliability. Those capabilities become even more valuable as global competition intensifies and demand for sophisticated defense technologies continues to grow.
But factories and equipment alone do not create innovation. Skilled workers remain the industry’s greatest competitive advantage. Engineers, technicians, mechanics, production specialists and skilled tradespeople are responsible for transforming concepts into certified, operational products. Their expertise allows companies not only to build advanced technologies but also to maintain the quality and reliability expected from the aerospace industry.
Unlike many startups, prime contractors possess the workforce, manufacturing capacity, and supplier networks necessary to bring complex programs from concept to deployment. Their role extends well beyond developing new technologies. They are responsible for designing, testing, producing and sustaining the systems that support commercial aviation and national defense for decades to come.
As policymakers and industry leaders look toward the future of aerospace, innovation should be viewed through a broader lens. Breakthrough discoveries will always capture public attention, but they represent only one part of the equation. The factories we modernize, the supply chains we strengthen, the workers we train and the infrastructure we invest in are equally essential to maintaining America’s leadership.
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We need more than great ideas. We need long-term commitment to build the capacity that allows those ideas to succeed. By continuing to invest in manufacturing, infrastructure and the American workforce, the aerospace industry can ensure that the next generation of innovation is not only imagined here but built here, too.
America cannot remain a superpower if we celebrate invention but neglect production.
America’s promise to our Afghan allies is still unfinished five years later
In 2021, after nearly two decades, the United States abruptly withdrew military forces from Afghanistan, causing the nation to fall back under Taliban control. Almost five years later, it’s hard to forget the images of crowds of people clinging on to planes in a desperate attempt to escape what lay ahead for their country. In the aftermath, many conservative evangelicals and veterans’ advocates stood up for Afghans fleeing persecution and violence. But the job remains unfinished. Now is the time to renew our efforts and push for a lasting solution for our Afghan neighbors.
As the Taliban retook Kabul, those allies were suddenly in grave danger. Their ranks included many translators, drivers and others who became targets because they worked with the United States. Many turned to the U.S. for such a chance at safety, and in 2021, a multi-agency, public-private effort mobilized to rally around our allies.
Both our organizations support Afghan evacuees in different ways. World Relief, in coordination with hundreds of local churches, has spent years resettling Afghan families in American communities, and AfghanEvac has fought to bring home the mission partners who served alongside our troops and enabled the U.S. mission. Since the beginning of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, promises have been made to provide a pathway to legal residency in America for Afghan allies who assisted the U.S. government.
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Many evangelical Christians in the U.S. recognized the moral crisis at stake and were eager to help welcome and support people fleeing persecution in Afghanistan. Evangelical leader Franklin Graham led an initiative to organize support for Afghans. Here at World Relief, we were flooded by calls from churches wanting to help, and our offices were soon full of donations. At the time, polls found a majority of evangelicals supported taking in Afghan refugees. Due to unprecedented levels of support, many Afghan families were soon resettled in American communities.
Ideally, Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government would have arrived with approved Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) or through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, either of which would have ensured new arrivals that they had a permanent place in the United States. But due to the urgent nature of the evacuation, most of the roughly 70,000 Afghans brought to the U.S. by the federal government in the months immediately after the fall of Kabul were admitted on humanitarian parole, which allowed them to be lawfully present and authorized to work, but only temporarily. This was conducted through Operation Allies Welcome, an initiative made possible through grassroots veteran involvement. Some of these individuals were subsequently granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a distinct but still, obviously, temporary legal protection.
When the conditions in Afghanistan did not improve over time, it was clear a more lasting resolution was needed. The Afghan Adjustment Act was originally introduced in 2022 and 2023 to create a pathway to a green card and citizenship for Afghans with little hope of returning home. As its name suggests, the bill would establish an adjustment process for tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees to gain permanent legal status. The act has bipartisan endorsements and the support of many evangelical Christian organizations . However, despite the diverse coalition behind urging Congress and President Biden to act, the bill failed to become law, leaving many stuck in limbo.
Since the beginning of the second Trump presidency, their situation has not improved. Little has been done to help Afghans already present on temporary status, and pathways for those still stuck in Afghanistan or in refugee camps in neighboring countries have been shut down. No Afghan principal applicants have been issued SIVs in 2026, and for those SIV applicants still waiting to be processed, the average wait time is over 1,000 days, leaving them hanging in suspense. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has been effectively closed for all but a favored minority. In July of 2025, Temporary Protected Status was terminated for nearly 12,000 Afghans — despite pushback from evangelicals — forcing them into an impossible situation. By ending or suspending these programs, the administration has not just abandoned Afghans but has closed the door to anyone facing persecution abroad.
Despite many attempts since the early waves of Afghan arrivals, a legislative fix still has not been passed. A new bill has recently been proposed in both the House and the Senate — the Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026 — that would re-secure TPS for Afghans, protecting them from removal and buying more time to find a permanent fix. This act is needed to address the urgent crisis facing Afghan evacuees.
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The response in 2021 by churches, veterans’ groups and many other Americans, was overwhelmingly positive and extended welcome to Afghans. However, as we reflect on the five-year anniversary of the evacuation, the work of helping them integrate and make a home in the United States is incomplete. Now is the time for us to secure their welcome permanently. For the faith communities that have carried so much of this work, Scripture is direct about welcoming the stranger and loving your neighbor. For veterans, and for a country that gave its word, the obligation is just as plain. America told these men and women that if they stood with us, we would stand with them. Both roads lead to the same place.
Will we support and protect our Afghan neighbors through our hospitality or abandon them out and succumb to fear and apathy? Furthermore, to not fulfill our agreements with our Afghan allies would be to violate our promises as Americans. That is not abstract. By showing ourselves untrustworthy, we risk losing potential allies’ cooperation in future conflicts, putting the lives of our service members in danger.
Since Kabul’s fall, the need has been unambiguous, and through the beginning of 2025, the political will was strong. But as a nation, we have faltered. We must once again stand up for our allies and urge our officials to take action passing the Afghanistan TPS Act, the Enduring Welcome Act, and reopening the resettlement program to all eligible mission partners. Not just because it’s good for our service members in future conflicts, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Shawn VanDiver is the founder and president of #AfghanEvac.
Mexican national faces federal charges after CBP finds $238K in fentanyl inside electric moped
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered more than 16 pounds of fentanyl – with an estimated street value of nearly $240,000 – hidden inside an electric moped attempting to enter the U.S. at the southern border, authorities said.
CBP said a 22-year-old Mexican national is facing federal charges following the seizure earlier this month.
Officials said the man was driving a 2024 Revoo electric moped when he applied for admission into the United States on Aug. 3 and was referred for a secondary inspection.
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According to CBP, officers used a nonintrusive imaging system that detected anomalies beneath the rear of the moped.
After a CBP canine alerted officers to the area, a physical inspection uncovered seven packages containing 16.53 pounds of white fentanyl powder with an estimated street value of $238,032.
"Smugglers are employing innovative tactics to smuggle lethal drugs into the country," San Ysidro Port Director Mariza Marin said in a statement.
"Despite these challenges, officers remain vigilant while effectively utilizing their training, canine resources, and nonintrusive technology to thwart these smuggling attempts," Marin added.
CBP officers seized the fentanyl, moped, a GPS tracker and a cellphone.
The driver was arrested and will face federal prosecution for narcotics importation, officials said.
The seizure comes after CBP officers stopped two separate vehicles and confiscated more than $300,000 worth of narcotics in a single day in May.
Officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry referred a 2013 Honda Civic for secondary inspection on May 17 after a scan detected anomalies in the vehicle's firewall.
Officials discovered six packages containing white fentanyl powder worth an estimated $113,600, along with 8.4 pounds of cocaine valued at approximately $161,600.
That same day at the Calexico East Port of Entry, about 100 miles away, officers referred a 2011 Nissan Cube for secondary inspection.
A scan detected anomalies in the vehicle's flooring, where officers subsequently discovered 63 packages of methamphetamine, according to CBP.
Fox News Digital's Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
NYPD cop found guilty of chokehold in first conviction since restraint tactic banned after George Floyd death
A New York City Police Department officer was found guilty on Thursday of strangulation and using a prohibited chokehold, marking the first time an NYPD officer was convicted under the city's 2020 chokehold ban, enacted after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
Omar Habib was convicted of the misdemeanor established under the law prohibiting certain restraint tactics by police officers. He was also found guilty of second-degree felony strangulation and third-degree misdemeanor assault.
The felony strangulation conviction carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Bronx Criminal Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Isales ordered him held without bail.
Habib, who was earlier suspended without pay, was terminated from the police department following his felony conviction after serving since 2007. The NYPD said his termination was required by law.
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He was responding to a 911 call at a Bronx catering hall on July 28, 2023, when a drunk and disorderly man resisted arrest, according to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. Prosecutors said Habib put the man in a chokehold so tight that it impeded his breathing and circulation and caused him to lose consciousness.
Habib’s attorney argued during the trial that other factors could have caused the man to pass out, such as drinking without eating enough food.
Before his arrest, Habib had a history of substantiated misconduct complaints about excessive use of force and abusing his authority.
The Civilian Complaint Review Board substantiated an allegation that Habib used a chokehold in a separate 2017 encounter. Habib was also accused of lying under oath and tampering with evidence in a 2016 gun raid, resulting in several defendants withdrawing their guilty pleas.
The president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, Patrick Hendry, denounced Thursday's verdict.
The officer's conviction was "further proof of a grim reality: every second police officers spend on this job puts them at risk of criminal prosecution, and pervasive anti-police propaganda has made it incredibly difficult to receive a fair trial," the police union boss said, according to the New York Daily News.
Habib was charged under a 2020 city law that was passed after Floyd's murder in May of that year, sparking racial justice protests and a push for police accountability across the country. The New York City measure criminalizes chokeholds and certain forms of pressure on an arrestee’s chest or back that compress the diaphragm while an officer is making or attempting an arrest.
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The law was challenged by police unions but was upheld by New York state’s highest court in 2023.
Police use of chokeholds was already prohibited in most cases by NYPD policy when the law was enacted, but officers who used them were almost never prosecuted.
NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo lost his job but faced no criminal charges after a department disciplinary proceeding found that he used a prohibited chokehold on Eric Garner, who died during a 2014 arrest after repeatedly saying he could not breathe, fueling protests over police use of force.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Murder suspect captured following 45-day, 3-state manhunt after victim discovered in shallow grave
Murder suspect Isabelle Johnson was arrested Thursday following a weeks-long multistate manhunt spanning Florida, Georgia and Alabama, authorities said.
A U.S. Marshals task force arrested Johnson, 38, at a home in Cottondale, about an hour west of Tallahassee, according to the Walton County Sheriff's Office.
She was wanted on a murder charge in the death of Jason Coulthart, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in Florida on June 25.
Authorities said Johnson was taken into custody without incident Thursday afternoon, capping a 45-day manhunt. She was booked into the Jackson County Jail and is expected to be extradited to Walton County. Officials said she could face additional charges.
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"We got her," the sheriff's office said. "Isabelle Johnson is in custody."
Officials said the arrest stemmed from information developed by the Walton County Sheriff's Office Cyber Crimes Unit about Johnson's whereabouts.
Jackson County Sheriff Donald Edenfield said that after receiving the information, his deputies and members of the task force responded to an address off Peanut Road, just outside Cottondale.
Walton County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Dustin Cosson praised the cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that led to Johnson's arrest.
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"It's absolutely a good day," Cosson said. "It's really important, again, just want to stress to the public. She's here, she's in custody."
"We can't express the amount of appreciation for the work that's been done," he added.
Cosson said investigators put in "tons and tons of man hours" during the roughly 45-day search for Johnson, while noting that the broader investigation has involved more than 40 subpoenas and over 20 search warrants.
Coulthart was reported missing May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums on East College Boulevard in Niceville.
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During the missing-person investigation, detectives developed information that led authorities to a property off Sunset Lane in Freeport. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found Coulthart's body buried in a shallow grave on June 25, according to the sheriff's office.
Five other people have been arrested in connection with the case. Michael Ray White, Kathleen Morris, Bobbi Wagstaff, Martin Leaverton and Sandra Leaverton have been charged with accessory to a capital felony after the fact.
Authorities said Thursday that they expect additional arrests in the case.
During the manhunt, the Walton County Sheriff's Office described Johnson as "cunning" and a "master manipulator" while warning anyone who may have been helping her to stop.
Officials said additional details surrounding Johnson's arrest could not immediately be released because the investigation remains active.
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Detransitioners reveal how doctors pushed them toward life-altering treatment as teens
Three detransitioners claim they were pressured by doctors and hospitals when they were young to pursue gender transition, including medical treatment in two cases while they were minors, according to a new HHS-commissioned report.
The stories of Clementine Breen, Soren Aldaco and Luke Healy were featured in the Department of Health and Human Services' "Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of "Gender Medicine" report released on Thursday. The HHS-commissioned report alleges financial incentives encouraged hospitals and doctors to provide gender transition treatments and identifies insurance billing practices that it says may be improper or warrant further investigation.
Breen was only 12 years old and struggling with a changing adolescent body and unresolved trauma from earlier sexual abuse when the then-minor learned about gender transition online. Breen alleges, according to the HHS report, that doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles told Breen’s parents the preteen was "100% trans" and at high risk of suicide without medical intervention.
According to the report, Breen began puberty blockers at 12, testosterone at 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 14.
Breen’s mental health later deteriorated, and the teen stopped taking testosterone at 18 after therapy led Breen to conclude that the distress surrounding gender identity was connected to earlier trauma, according to the report. Breen reported experiencing pain and irregular menstrual cycles and requiring estrogen.
When Breen later sought breast reconstruction, doctors questioned the teen’s mental stability, and some stopped responding, according to the report.
"She did not face this same scrutiny when seeking a mastectomy at 14," the report states. HHS also said Breen discovered letters in the medical record claiming a lifelong history of gender dysphoria.
Now studying theater at UCLA, Breen said in the report that the treatments and surgery continue to have physical consequences.
"How can a child consent to losing fertility or the ability to breastfeed if no one checks whether she even understand what that means?" Breen said.
Aldaco said gender-related distress emerged during adolescence and that online communities framed gender transition as the "appropriate response" to those feelings, according to the report.
After talking to a doctor, Aldaco was prescribed testosterone with several specialists treating the then-teen for gender dysphoria, and the report says Aldaco gave no indication that providers considered alternative treatment options outside what it calls a "sex rejection" model.
Aldaco began taking testosterone before receiving a double mastectomy to remove breast tissue. Aldaco then began suffering severe complications after surgery, causing pain the young person said "I don’t think I’ll ever forget."
"Despite these negative developments, providers did not initiate a structured reassessment of her treatment plan," the report says, adding that the support received after treatments was insufficient compared to the systems that pushed the life-altering decisions.
"Soren’s experience reflects the imbalance of care for cases like hers," the report reads. "While her pathway into sex rejection medicalization involved coordinated referrals, approvals, and interventions across multiple providers, the pathway out involved no comparable system of support."
Healy was just 10 years old when first learning of an online community where adults discussed transgender identities, according to the HHS report.
Within three years, Healy says he came to identify as a girl. After discussing the issue with his parents, Healy was taken to a counselor to talk about it.
"The only people who seriously asked what might have caused his distress were his parents," the report reads. "Meanwhile, institutional figures … treated his new identity as settled and moved quickly to affirm it."
"Luke’s parents refused to consent to puberty blockers or hormones while he was still a minor," the report added. "Luke now describes their refusal as one of the bravest things they ever did."
Still wanting to be a girl at 18, Healy began pursuing transitioning treatments.
Healy started with estrogen and began receiving consultations for surgical treatments before slowly starting to realize that the treatments were not easing psychological stress.
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"Each intervention led to pressure for further intervention," the report reads. "In his view, the model was built around escalation rather than resolution."
Healy eventually began to question the procedures doctors were recommending.
"One doctor quoted him approximately $200,000 for facial feminization surgery. Another, he says, spoke to him like a car salesman while encouraging tracheal shave," the report said. "Luke came to realize he was being sold procedures, not psychological help."
Rather than continuing the efforts to become a girl, Healy focused on battling the substance abuse problems developed during the process, quitting drinking and drugs.
"He recognized the same obsessive, destructive pattern in gender ideology that he had seen in addiction," the report reads.
Angel Reese smacked in the face by Sun's Aaliyah Edwards, has poor shooting night in Dream win
Angel Reese missed 10 of her 13 shots on Thursday night and was smacked in the face.
During the Atlanta Dream's 104-69 victory over the Connecticut Sun, Reese had a run-in with Sun player Aaliyah Edwards in the second quarter.
Reese attempted to make a layup while being double-teamed, and as she finally got the shot up, Edwards' hand came down right on Reese's face and head area.
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Edwards fell to the floor behind Reese after the smack. Reese, enraged, then turned, stood over Edwards and shouted at her.
Just moments later on the sideline, Reese was seen gesturing to indicate Edwards hit her in the neck.
Upon review, Edwards' foul on Reese was upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
The foul was not addressed in the Dream's postgame press conference.
But the foul wasn't the only tough moment Reese faced on Thursday.
Early in the first quarter, Reese had a shot brutally rejected by Sun player Brittney Griner. Griner ended up blocking two more of Reese's shots throughout the game.
But Reese returned the favor with a series of blocks and a brutal steal against Griner in the game, as the Dream showed off the sequence on social media.
Reese finished the game with eight points, making just three of 13 shots, with two turnovers. However, she did have 15 rebounds, her specialty.
Flagrant fouls in the WNBA have become a national storyline in 2026. Other infamous fouls this year have included Alyssa Thomas' throat punch on Caitlin Clark in June. Then, last Saturday, DiJonai Carrington smacked Sophie Cunningham in the face on a Cunningham layup attempt.
The WNBA is navigating an ongoing national controversy over incidents involving hard contact, and cultural discussions over trans athletes in women's sports.
Reese will represent Team USA alongside Clark at the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany in a few weeks, while the entire WNBA takes a break from the chaos.
Kyle Schwarber launches two homers into the corn after MLB's incredible HoF tribute at Field of Dreams game
It's not heaven, it's Iowa.
Major League Baseball returned to the baseball movie version of heaven on Thursday afternoon, with the now-traditional Field of Dreams game. A tribute to one of the most iconic baseball movies in film history, this time featuring two teams fighting for postseason spots: the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins.
Broadcast on Netflix for 2026, the game started with a fitting, and fantastic, tribute to both the movie's famous cornfield, and the history of real world baseball. After the two teams walked through the corn to enter the field, Kyle Schwarber and Byron Buxton introduced a group of 26 Hall of Fame players who followed suit.
"As the movie 'Field of Dreams' reminded us, the one constant through all the years has been baseball," Buxton said. "Inspiring us and connecting generations."
"Tonight we are honored to share this special field with many of the legends who shaped our careers and whose amazing careers took them all the way to the Hall of Fame," Schwarber added.
Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt represented the Phillies, while Joe Mauer, Bert Blyleven and Jim Kaat represented the Twins. Other players included Billy Wagner, Tony Perez, Scott Rolen, Paul Molitor, Jim Thome, Cal Ripken Jr., Andre Dawson, Rollie Fingers and Fergie Jenkins.
Some other more modern players included CC Sabathia, Trevor Hoffman, Ivan Rodriguez, Larry Walker, Fred McGriff, Adrian Beltre, as well as new inductees Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent.
Can't start it off any better than that. Unless you're Kyle Schwarber.
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Leading off the game, Schwarber launched a massive home run deep into the right field corn.
The Phillies added another run in the first to take a 2-0 lead, but the Twins battled back in the bottom of the second thanks to Luke Keaschall reaching the cornfield for a solo homer of his own. But Schwarber answered back in the top of the fourth, hitting his second homer of the game that quite literally bounced off Keaschell's glove at the right field fence.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola had one of his best performances of the season, striking out nine hitters over five innings with just one run allowed on the Keaschall homer. And his team's offense just kept adding on, with Brandon Marsh adding a two-run homer of his own in the top of the 7th, expanding the lead to six.
Minnesota never got much of a rally going against the Philadelphia bullpen, as the Phillies cruised to the 7-1 win.
Many fans on social media did point out the irony of MLB adding a "FanDuel" advertisement, essentially a betting platform, at the Field of Dreams stadium. Advertising a gambling site when the plot of the movie the game celebrates centers on the "Black Sox" gambling scandal and Shoeless Joe Jackson is a sign of how the times have changed.
But the story of the game, as always with this special event, is the incredible visuals and atmosphere created by playing a regular season Major League Baseball game in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa. Yes, it's become an expected start of the midsummer schedule, and yes, Netflix's pre-game hosting choices left something to be desired. But with the movie now somehow 37 years old, it's a wonderful way to connect the classic to younger generations.
Baseball is the American pastime for a reason, it connects fans from different eras in a way few other sports can. This tribute to the movie and its place in baseball history has been an overwhelming success, to MLB's credit. And the continuing popularity of it shows it's true that if you build it, they will come.
Anthony Richardson's turnovers in preseason opener raise more questions about his Colts future
If you're just looking at Anthony Richardson's statistics from the first half of Thursday's preseason opener for the Indianapolis Colts, remember this truth: Stats lie.
The stats from the first half of this game when the quarterback played speak to a solid outing. He completed 11 of 14 passes. That's good. His quarterback rating was a respectable 80.1.
And Richardson led the Colts on a second-quarter TD drive.
But those stats that suggest this was acceptable for a first game of 2026 lie. Because Richardson threw an interception on his third pass of the game. And he fumbled in the second quarter.
And those turnovers are what will glow in neon when coach Shane Steichen studies the game tape on Sunday, regardless of what he might tell reporters before or afterward.
So, the grand Anthony Richardson experiment that was supposed to deliver a franchise quarterback certainly by the start of his fourth NFL season isn't going as scripted.
The experiment instead caught fire Thursday evening and blew up the lab.
And what does this all mean?
This ain't it.
Richardson did lead a touchdown drive, completing an 18-yard pass and a 9-yard pass on a screen. He also had a 7-yard run and scored on a 1-yard sneak, reminding everyone that he’s a great athlete capable of doing damage with his legs.
But the turnovers were cringey. They remind everyone that Richardson didn't play enough his previous three seasons and he doesn't maximize opportunities when he does play.
Richardson, you'll recall, arrived in Indianapolis as one of the NFL’s biggest swings for the fences in the 2023 draft. Colts GM Chris Ballard drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick.
The GM weighed Richardson's 13 starts at the University of Florida, which everyone knew wasn't enough, against his amazing size, strength, ability to run and bazooka right arm.
And the decision was that Richardson was worth the risk. But the quarterback started only four games as a rookie before a shoulder injury ended his season. He returned as the Colts’ starter in 2024 and remained a dangerous runner, producing 499 rushing yards and six touchdowns, but his development as a passer was erratic.
He completed only 47.7% of his throws with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions, briefly lost the starting job after tapping out of a game because he was tired and finished the season having raised as many questions about his future as he answered.
Then things got really bad.
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The Colts signed Daniel Jones, himself a draft washout with the New York Giants, as a free agent to compete with Richardson.
Jones won the job — and quite easily, in hindsight.
To make matters worse, Richardson couldn't help the team when Jones got injured last year because he was also injured (again).
He actually injured himself prior to a game while working with stretch bands. So the Colts, needing a starter, turned to Riley Leonard and then to veteran Philip Rivers.
Now 24, Richardson is no longer being evaluated as the Colts’ quarterback of the future. He's competing with Leonard for the backup job behind Jones. Neither player is dominating because Leonard also threw an interception on his second possession of the second half.
Daniel Jones better stay healthy for Indianapolis.
White House exposes ‘Transshipment Scam’ costing US up to $26B, points finger at China
Concerns are growing that foreign exporters are routing goods through third countries to evade U.S. tariffs, according to a new White House report released Thursday.
As well as China, Panama, Mexico and Colombia are among more than 40 countries identified as posing a high transshipment risk, together with Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
Transshipment can involve routing goods through an intermediary country before they enter the United States under a different country of origin, potentially qualifying for lower tariffs.
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The 25-page report, titled "The Great Transshipment Scam," was produced by the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, which is led by trade adviser Peter Navarro.
The report says China offers the most developed historical example of transshipment.
Following the imposition of Section 301 tariffs on China in 2018, the direct U.S. trade deficit with China fell in 2019 and 2020.
"After their imposition, Chinese exporters increasingly routed goods through third countries," the report says, with goods that previously moved directly from China to the United States instead being shipped through jurisdictions where limited assembly, finishing, repackaging, relabeling or documentation changes could create the appearance of a different national origin.
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"Over time, these practices contributed to the development of a global network of production hubs, logistics platforms, free-trade zones, bonded warehouses, processing corridors, and re-export centers," the report said of the transshipment practice.
The report also estimates tariff-avoiding transshipment costs the U.S. Treasury between $19 billion and $26 billion in revenue annually.
"The Trump administration has taken steps to strengthen transshipment enforcement."
"For years, the great transshipment scam has let communist China launder its exports," Navarro said, according to The Associated Press.
TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH
Navarro also said countries such as India could also use transshipment to avoid tariffs and that new trade frameworks pursued by the Trump administration will include provisions to penalize trading partners that engage in the practice.
The report cites government and private-sector estimates putting the value of goods transshipped to avoid tariffs at roughly $34.2 billion to $303 billion annually.
Navarro said U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun using artificial intelligence in a prototype program to detect transshipment. He also said importers found to have falsified a product’s origin can face tariffs applied retroactively for roughly a year.
The report comes ahead of a planned September visit to Washington by Chinese President Xi Jinping, following President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.