Fox News Latest Headlines
Three children shot near public pool in small Arkansas town, suspect taken into custody
Multiple children were shot over the weekend after gunfire broke out near a recreational public pool in Stuttgart, Arkansas, authorities said.
Officers responded Saturday just before 5 p.m. local time to reports of shots fired at John Cain Aquatic Center, the Stuttgart Police Department said in a statement.
Three children suffered gunshot wounds and were rushed to a local hospital, according to police. One child suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, though police did not elaborate on the injuries of the other two children who were shot.
A suspect was taken into custody within minutes of the incident with help from the Arkansas County Sheriff's Office, police said in a social media post.
TEEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER IN SHOOTING OF 11-YEAR-OLD BOY IN NEW YORK: 'AN UNIMAGINABLE TRAGEDY'
"At this time, no names will be released, as all parties involved are juveniles," the department noted.
In a statement on Facebook, the John Cain Aquatic Center said the aquatic center will be closed "until further notice."
It is unclear what led to the shooting.
SHOOTING AT ANTIOCH HIGH SCHOOL IN TENNESSEE LEAVES 3 INJURED, PROMPTS LOCKDOWN
Police said the investigation remains active, and officers are continuing to gather information regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Stuttgart police said the shooting left the department "deeply saddened."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and every person affected by this tragic incident," the police statement said. "We remain committed to thoroughly investigating this case and ensuring accountability for those responsible."
The Stuttgart Police Department, Arkansas County Sheriff's Office, Arkansas State Police and Stuttgart Parks Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Stuttgart is a small town in eastern Arkansas, about an hour southeast of Little Rock.
Jim Acosta ruthlessly mocked for comparing removal of Trump’s name from Kennedy Center to fall of Berlin Wall
A former CNN anchor turned YouTube content creator live-streamed for nearly 11 hours from Friday afternoon into early Saturday morning awaiting the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., only to make an absurd comparison that ended in widespread mockery.
Jim Acosta, a known anti-Trump media figurehead, was CNN's chief domestic correspondent and anchored "CNN Newsroom" from 2021 until early 2025. He worked for the network for 18 years in total, but left unceremoniously when executives proposed moving his morning show into the midnight to 2 a.m. slot.
Acosta hosted the marathon coverage, which he dubbed a live watch party, on "The Jim Acosta Show" on YouTube. The coverage mostly featured a live shot of scaffolding, obscured by a tarp, behind which workers toiled to remove Trump's name from the building.
"This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down," Acosta said in a strange comparison made around 3:30 a.m.
"It is a sign that mankind, that human kind can stand up against tyranny," he continued. "As long as it took, we pledged to continue to have this coverage going, and by golly, we did, because we knew how much this meant to a lot of people out there, and we know how important this was."
In December 2025, the board of the Kennedy Center voted to rename the performing arts complex to the "Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts," which drew backlash from the political left.
A Democratic congresswoman sued to have the change nullified, and a federal judge last week ruled that the center's original name, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, must be restored.
Before the climax of Acosta's evening, he had given up on the stream and retired to bed, leaving his producer behind to keep watch. He missed the removal of the letters, but was alerted to the goings on by his producer.
"It looks like they are potentially touching the letters," the producer said at 10 hours and 18 minutes into the stream. "I can't say whether or not they're removing them. But it looks like there might be progress."
WORKERS RIP TRUMP NAME FROM KENNEDY CENTER FACADE MONTHS AFTER IT GOES ON, HOURS AFTER FAILED APPEAL
"So yes, it appears they are moving the letters," he said. "I don't know if you guys can see it but they are loosening the letters. The letters are coming down officially. So this means I'm probably gonna have to give Jim Acosta a call and he's not gonna be very happy because he will be woken up."
Acosta rushed to the scene to deliver his report.
"I had just gotten home, and we thought this might take place later in the morning, and of course they did this in the dead of the night," Acosta said upon his return to the scene. "They did this at three in the morning, and to make it — the icing on the cake, the chef's kiss in all of this for Donald Trump — is that they had to put up a giant white tarp to shield Trump and his feelings from the humiliation of seeing this all come down in front of the cameras."
ROSIE O'DONNELL DEMANDS TRUMP'S REMOVAL FROM OFFICE OVER KENNEDY CENTER HONOR IN LATEST TIRADE
He went on a tirade against the president for several minutes upon his return to the scene in Northwest Washington, D.C., and continued moaning about the injustice of the tarp that blocked the project from public view.
Acosta said Trump "slapped his name illegally and obnoxiously on the exterior of the Kennedy Center," later adding that the president "operates like a small child [who] doesn't wanna give his toy away, doesn't want to hand over his toy after his mommy and daddy have told him it's time to go to bed."
The newly minted social media influencer was relentlessly mocked for the performance, which was posted on X and quickly went viral.
CNN'S JIM ACOSTA SAYS 'WE ARE NOT THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE' IN SHOT AT TRUMP AS HE RETURNS TO OFFICE
"Ah yes. The Berlin Wall famously came down to a crowd of one guy talking to himself and not throngs of elated prisoners. Jim Acosta is wild," said one popular X user.
"This is wild. I can’t imagine having so little going on in my life that I would sit outside a building all day waiting for a name to get removed from it," said Matt Whitlock, a conservative commentator. "Jim Acosta is making an aggressive play to take over as angry blueanon wine mom final boss. Watch out Jennifer Welch."
"Decades of Communist oppression V. a sign on a building," one user said after watching the clip. "The similarities are striking."
"Give that man a Pulitzer. What a dipsht [sic]," another person sarcastically said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Acosta.
Record-breaking daredevil who performed at Super Bowl with Madonna dies in BASE jumping tragedy
A record-breaking daredevil who performed alongside Madonna at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show is one of two men who died in a BASE jumping accident near Moab, Utah, over the weekend, according to the Grand County Sheriff's Office.
Andy Lewis, best known for setting a highline record 480 feet above Las Vegas in October 2013, died during a tandem jump with another diver Sunday in Mineral Bottom, Utah, authorities said.
"He was a very big personality," one Moab resident told Fox News Digital Monday. "Everyone knew him."
Lewis' final Instagram video, posted Sunday not long before his death, showed him doing a flip off a cliff in the desert outside Moab.
VIDEO CAPTURES DARING HELICOPTER RESCUE OF BASE JUMPER DANGLING FROM CANYON WALL
"Thanks for keeping me in frame for my test jump <3," he wrote. "...Stoked for the rest of the season. What a journey it’s been — and it’s only just begun."
During the tandem jump, something went wrong, and both men suffered fatal injuries, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
The second victim, described only as a man about 50 years old, has not yet been publicly identified.
"The Grand County Sheriff's Office extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and all those affected by this tragic incident," the statement concluded.
Lewis was originally from California and relocated to Moab, where he picked up the stage name "Sketchy Andy" for his death-defying stunts.
STRANGE UTAH MONOLITH TAKEN BY GROUP WHO SAID, 'LEAVE NO TRACE'
He appeared on an episode of Red Bull's "Ultimate Rush" in 2016, where he attempted a highline walk between two hot air balloons 4,000 feet in the air.
At the time of his death, he held a Guinness World Record for a slack rope walk above a waterfall in Mudanjiang City, China.
He had performed stunts on at least three continents and previously set records in Bangkok, Thailand, and at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Lewis had also been part of a group of four men who removed a mysterious 12-foot-tall metal monolith that appeared on public land outside Salt Lake City in 2020.
Upgrade your routine with 40% off Laifen hair dryers and electric toothbrushes
While Amazon gears up for Prime Day, personal care and beauty tech brand Laifen is offering discounts on some of its most popular products. Right now, shoppers can save up to 40% on SE 2 hair dryers and electric toothbrushes by using code PRPD at checkout. The sale ends on June 22, so take advantage of these savings now before Prime Day kicks off the next day.
READ MORE: 30+ early Amazon Prime Day deals worth shopping now, with discounts up to 79% off
Original price: $149.99
Small upgrades can make a big difference in your daily routine. Laifen's SE 2 hair dryer, now $100 off during this 40% off sale, uses a high-speed motor to dry hair quickly and a Temperature Cycling Mode to help regulate heat while styling. With two magnetic attachments included, it's designed to make everyday hair care easier to manage and maintain.
Original price: $119.99
From busy mornings to travel days, the right tools can make daily routines run more smoothly. The Laifen SE Lite hair dryer, now $36 off, combines a lightweight, travel-friendly design with adjustable airflow settings that work for different hair types and styling needs. Whether you're getting ready at home or packing for a trip, it's built to make styling convenient and effective without taking up too much extra space in your bag.
For more deals, visit www.foxnews.com/deals
Original price: $89.99
Elevating your daily routine can be as simple as upgrading your toothbrush. The Laifen Wave electric toothbrush, also 40% off, offers customizable brushing through the Laifen app, with settings designed to align with your specific brushing preferences and cleaning goals. The battery also lasts for up to 50 days on a single charge and recharges fully in just three hours.
For even more discounts, shop Laifen's Prime Day deals on shavers, hair dryers, toothbrushes and other personal care products. Use the code PRPD for 40% off select items at checkout. This sale ends on June 22.
Amazon Prime Day deals 2026: Prime Day beauty deals | Prime Day camping deals | Prime Day sleep deals | Prime Day tool deals | Prime Day backyard deals | Prime Day clothing deals
Stanford University graduates protest Google CEO speech, triggering mass walkout and waving Palestine flags
Hundreds of Stanford University students were seen walking out of their commencement ceremony on Sunday in protest of their speaker, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
According to local reports, around 200 students walked out as soon as Pichai took the stage, before he even began to speak. During the walkout, some students were seen holding Palestinian flags.
The protest was likely against Google's involvement in "Project Nimbus," a $1.2 billion joint cloud contract with Amazon connected with the Israeli government. The deal was first announced in 2021 and has drawn controversy from anti-Israel activists since then.
MASKED ANTI-ISRAEL STANFORD PROTESTERS CHARGED IN DESTRUCTIVE 2024 CAMPUS BUILDING TAKEOVER
Fox News Digital reached out to Stanford University for comment.
Despite the protest, Pichai's speech largely avoided political issues such as international wars or artificial intelligence. The pivot sharply contrasted with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt's University of Arizona commencement speech last month, where Schmidt was booed while addressing AI.
Instead, Pichai focused on the importance of optimism.
"This might not ring true to you at this moment," Pichai said during his speech. "The world is going through a lot: global conflicts, economic anxiety, a rewiring of technology, information overload, all at a fast pace. It’s easy to look at the news of the day and think that we’re living in uniquely challenging times."
"For me, it’s helpful to remember that each generation has faced hardship in their own way," he continued. "We don’t get to choose the world we graduate into, but we do get to choose how we frame our circumstances."
Pichai was not the first commencement speaker that students have protested at Stanford University. Graduates also walked out last year during commencement speaker Katie Ledecky's speech to protest the school's alleged "complicity" in Israel's war against Gaza.
In 2024, students also protested then-university president, Richard Saller, and held their own "People's Commencement" ceremony to "honor Palestine."
Stanford was one of several major universities that came under controversy for what many considered a lackluster response to anti-Israel protesters on campus. In 2024, more than a dozen agitators occupied the offices of Stanford University’s president and provost, vandalizing the outside of the building.
Coalition warns 80% of kids have been exposed to porn, backs age-verification bill
FIRST ON FOX — Nearly 80% of children ages 12 to 17 have been exposed to sexually explicit material, according to a coalition of two dozen conservative and pro-family organizations urging Congress to pass legislation requiring age verification on pornography websites.
The groups are backing Republican Indiana Sen. Jim Banks' SAFE for Kids Act, arguing that a federal standard is needed to prevent minors from accessing online pornography and to replace what they describe as an ineffective patchwork of state laws.
"More than 90% of parents worry about their children’s online safety and more than half agree that politicians aren’t taking this issue seriously enough," the groups wrote in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital. "On the whole, 81 percent of voters support a federal age verification law to protect minors from accessing pornographic content. The SAFE for Kids Act will address a major element of parents’ worries, filling in holes in current deterring measures and establishing new protections."
Terry Schilling, American Principles Project president, who led the letter in support of the SAFE for Kids Act, told Fox News Digital in a statement, "The predatory pornography industry has enjoyed unfettered access to our children for far too long, profiting off the destruction of American families while the political establishment looked the other way,"
"Senator Banks’s SAFE for Kids Act finally puts the burden of age verification squarely where it belongs: on the adult websites themselves, not on overwhelmed parents," he added. "It is time for Congress to stand up to the pornographers, empower federal enforcement, and secure a safe digital environment for the next generation."
Banks’ legislation, introduced Tuesday, would require pornography websites to implement age-verification measures before users can access sexually explicit content.
It would also require commercial entities that distribute pornography on the internet to have age verification on their sites, and extend enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission through consumer protection law.
VULGAR PRO-PORN AD FOR DEMS SHOWS MAN IN SEX ACT
Additionally, it gives the Department of Justice authority to investigate platforms that intentionally violate the law and allows people, including parents and legal guardians, to sue companies or organizations that violate the law.
The 24 signers of the letter, sent to all 100 members of the U.S. Senate, include Kevin Roberts, president of Heritage Action, Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation of Virginia, Penny Nance, president and CEO of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, Craig DeRoche, president and CEO of the Family Policy Alliance, Melissa McKay, president of the Digital Childhood Institute, and Katy Faust, founder and president of ThemBeforeUs, write that pornography has become a serious danger for children online.
"Today, the average age of first porn exposure is 12 years old, with 54 percent of children ages 13 and younger and 80 percent of children ages 12–17 having been exposed to sexually explicit content," they wrote.
The groups also addressed the revenue generated by the pornography industry, writing, "Technology makes it easier than ever for young children to access pornography. Nearly 25 percent of children own a smartphone by age 8, and nearly 40 percent of children ages 8–12 use social media."
They continued, "Hence, the porn industry is not only harming the most vulnerable Americans but also profiting off of them. In 2025, the Adult Entertainment Market was valued at $191.69 billion and is expected to reach nearly $275.18 billion by 2032. It’s time to do better."
The signers also shared concerns over what they said were adverse effects of pornography, including brain development risk, low self-esteem, anxiety, body-image disorders, sexual violence normalization, hindrance of normal development of healthy relationships between boys and girls, and sexual activity at younger ages.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
They concluded the letter by urging lawmakers from both parties to support the legislation.
"As Congress considers a myriad of ways to protect kids online, we implore senators to consider what is perhaps the most grave threat to kids online: being exposed at an early age to the most violent, hardcore pornography imaginable," they wrote.
"Legislators have the opportunity, right now, to stand with parents, families, and voters across America in advancing a solution that has broad, bipartisan support," the letter added. "We, the undersigned conservative leaders and organizations, urge you to co-sponsor the SAFE for Kids Act and support its passage."
Haitian fraudster’s eye-popping taxpayer-backed drug scam puts Congress on the hunt
Members of Congress are calling for increased oversight and reform after a Haitian national in Florida was convicted in a healthcare fraud conspiracy that prosecutors said involved more than $58 million in false claims targeting Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers using a federal drug discount program.
Prosecutors accused Jean Jethro Alexandre and his co-conspirators in 2025 of recruiting fake patients and offering them financial kickbacks if they accepted fraudulent prescriptions — primarily for HIV and AIDS medication — written by nurse practitioners involved in the operation, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital. Alexandre would then cash in on the scheme through insurance reimbursements for filling the fake prescriptions.
He used the proceeds from his scheme to bankroll a life of luxury, including a fleet of top-end cars, a mansion near Miami and a slate of investment properties.
The case is drawing renewed scrutiny to the 340B Drug Pricing Program, a decades-old federal initiative designed to help safety-net providers serve low-income patients that is increasingly being criticized by lawmakers and industry groups who say weak oversight has allowed bad actors to exploit the system. Advocates for reform may point to Alexandre’s case as evidence that the program is in need of tweaks to reduce the risk of fraud.
MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR HEALTHCARE FRAUD SCHEME INCLUDED GIVING PEOPLE 'UNNECESSARY' SKIN GRAFTS: DOJ
"The 340B program was created with good intentions to help vulnerable and underserved patients access care, but unfortunately, it has evolved into a massive, poorly supervised program with weak transparency and accountability safeguards," Rep. Diana Harshbarger, herself a pharmacist, told Fox News Digital. "Cases like this demonstrate how the current structure can create opportunities for bad actors to exploit deeply discounted drugs, questionable contract pharmacy arrangements and opaque reimbursement practices for personal profit."
"When there is limited federal oversight, little transparency into how 340B revenues are used, and enormous financial spreads between discounted acquisition costs and insurer reimbursements, it should not surprise anyone that fraudsters see the program as a target," she said.
Alexandre used a nonprofit health clinic that he secretly co-owned to purchase drugs at a discounted rate using the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program and had the prescriptions filled by pharmacies, who provided Alexandre’s clinic with reimbursements paid by insurers, including Medicare and Medicaid. The arrangement allowed Alexandre and his colleagues to pocket the difference between what he was paid in reimbursements and what the drugs cost him through the discount program.
While this is a legitimate way for healthcare providers to generate revenue generally, according to the Government Accountability Office, Alexandre's conduct was illegal because the underlying prescriptions were fake. Prosecutors allege, for instance, that in some cases the drugs were simply destroyed after being dispensed to fraudulent patients.
"Alexandre’s blatantly setting up a fraudulent medical clinic and disregarding important safety net programs, as well as finite taxpayer dollars, shows the need for the Committee to continue its important work in cracking down on harmful schemes like this one," Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., who sits on the health subcommittee of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, told Fox News Digital.
"Although I am supportive of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, this instance of fraud is yet another example of how the program has strayed far from its initial intent and is something my Health Subcommittee will continue to monitor closely," the congressman added.
Prosecutors said Alexandre used proceeds from the healthcare fraud conspiracy for personal benefit and traced assets from the scheme to a luxury-car collection that included a 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a 2023 Bentley Flying Spur, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG and a six-passenger golf cart-style vehicle.
Additionally, he purchased a $2.5 million 4,452-square-foot mansion on the southern coast of Florida equipped with a custom pool and spa.
The Trump administration has mounted a series of fraud investigations across federal programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, framing them as part of a broader push to root out waste, abuse and improper payments. That effort intensified in December 2025, shortly after Alexandre was initially indicted, signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture.
Alexandre, a native and citizen of Haiti, is to be handed over to ICE and processed for removal after serving his sentence of just under 10 years in prison. He will be barred from reentering the United States without written permission from the relevant authorities.
"Anyone who comes to the United States to steal from American taxpayers should be denaturalized and deported, which is why I introduced the Fraud Accountability Act earlier this year," Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox News Digital. "We’re grateful President Trump is laser-focused on rooting out fraud across the federal government, including in the 340B Program. The Trump DOJ and HHS are working hand in hand to eliminate health care fraud and hold every fraudster accountable."
In addition to prison time, Alexandre is on the hook for paying roughly $14.3 million in restitution, per the terms of his plea agreement. Alexandre's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
"Every dollar stolen from these programs is a dollar taken from families who need it most," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. "The 340B Program was created to help patients access affordable health care, not enrich criminals and fraudsters. I am working to strengthen transparency and accountability in 340B to ensure the program lowers costs and improves care for American families."
Vance says Trump administration's key objectives have been reached in US-Iran deal
Vice President JD Vance touted a newly reached agreement with Iran on Sunday, saying the Trump administration had achieved its key objectives and predicting the deal could "fundamentally transform the Middle East" for decades to come.
"I think it's a big moment for the United States of America, thanks of course to the president's leadership and the hard work of the entire team," Vance told "The Big Weekend Show."
Speaking to the show by phone, Vance said the agreement — which is expected to be signed Friday — would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and permanently prevent Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
IRAN'S REGIME SPINS NUCLEAR AND STRAIT OF HORMUZ DEAL WITH TRUMP AS VICTORY OVER U.S., ISRAEL
The vice president said the deal would not only end the conflict but could usher in a new era of stability and economic growth across the region.
"It's going to end the war. It's gonna make the Middle East more investable. It's going to mean a lot of prosperity, lower energy prices for the American people," he said.
"This region of the world has been a basket case for my entire life and longer than that, and what the president has really set us up to do is to certainly eliminate the nuclear threat of Iran... but now possibly to build to a new era of Middle East prosperity and success, where it's not a region of world where the United States has to worry about so much, but where frankly we can generate a lot of prosperity for the American people out of that region," he added.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES PEACE DEAL WITH IRAN, DECLARES STRAIT OF HORMUZ WILL REOPEN: 'LET THE OIL FLOW!'
President Trump announced the major diplomatic breakthrough on Sunday, authorizing the "toll-free" opening of the Strait of Hormuz in a Truth Social post.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, was the first to announce the peace deal, saying a signing ceremony is scheduled to take place Friday in Switzerland.
According to Sharif, the deal includes the termination of military operations across the region, including in Lebanon, where Iran-backed terrorist proxy Hezbollah has been engaged in conflict with Israel.
Vance thanked the American people for their patience throughout the ordeal, offering a glimmer of hope that energy prices could soon fall in light of the agreement.
Fox News' Bonny Chu and Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
North Carolina student wins $95K after school accused her of vandalizing spirit rock with Charlie Kirk tribute
A North Carolina high school student has reached a $95,000 settlement with her school district after she was publicly accused of vandalism and told she was under police investigation. The controversy revolved around painting a campus "spirit rock" with a Bible verse and patriotic message in tribute to the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Fox News Digital has learned that a settlement was reached this week between the family of Ardrey Kell High School student Gabby Stout and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. Under the terms of the agreement, the school board will adopt a new free speech policy, issue a public statement expressing regret, and pay $95,000 to Stout's legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
The settlement comes six months after the Stouts filed a federal lawsuit alleging rampant violations of the student's First Amendment rights.
Stout told Fox News Digital the settlement ultimately clears her name.
"This settlement finally reinforces that I did nothing wrong, and the school system has to admit that publicly," she said. "After I got permission to paint a message sharing my faith in God, school officials accused me of vandalism in front of my whole school and my entire community. Then they put me through an unfair investigation. They never should have treated me this way, and by saying they regret that I had this experience, they are finally acknowledging that publicly."
The dispute began on September 12, 2025, two days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a TPUSA event on Utah Valley University's campus. Stout decided to paint a patriotic message on the school's spirit rock to honor the slain conservative activist's outspoken faith. According to her complaint, Stout called the school's front office and received permission to paint the tribute, as long as it avoided profanity or vulgarity.
The following day, she and two friends painted a heart, an American flag and the words, "Freedom 1776" and "Live Like Kirk—John 11:25" on the rock. Within hours, school officials painted over the rock, according to the complaint. On September 14, Ardrey Kell Principal Susan Nichols sent out a school-wide message saying that the spirit rock had been vandalized with a message that was not authorized, that the student code of conduct had been violated and that law enforcement had been contacted to launch a criminal investigation.
Stout previously told Fox News Digital she was shocked and shaken by the message, but acknowledged to school officials that she had painted the rock, only to be pulled out of class and told she must write a statement admitting what she'd done and was ordered to hand over her cell phone so they could search her call logs.
The next day, the school district announced it was changing its speech policy regarding messages written on the rock, saying they must now be "inclusive," be in "good taste," reflect "positive school spirit" and not be political or religious.
Principal Nichols allegedly told Stout's mother the investigation into her daughter had been closed and she would not face any discipline, but the district refused to issue a public statement clearing the student's name.
About a month later, the school district sent a schoolwide message clarifying that the incident was not an act of vandalism, did not violate the student code of conduct and that law enforcement had not been contacted. However, the family said the school board refused to apologize and Stout was ostracized by classmates and faced online bullying and threats over the incident.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
The federal complaint, filed by ADF, asserted that the district weaponized a baseless criminal investigation to retaliate against Stout, violating her First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
According to the complaint, the incident reflected a double standard in how the school treated student speech. In 2020, students painted a pro-Black Lives Matter "Black Power" fist on the spirit rock. After other classmates painted over the message, the school board held an emergency meeting and allowed students to repaint the BLM message again, this time with more political messages, including, "No Justice. No Peace," "I can't breathe" and "End police brutality."
Stout told Fox News Digital she hopes the settlement will ensure the school protects students' constitutional rights.
"I hope they learn that students don't leave their faith or their free speech rights when they walk into school," she said. "I didn't do anything wrong, as they now admit. I was sharing a message I believe in, a message that inspired me, and a message that honored Charlie Kirk by pointing people to the hope for salvation through Jesus Christ. And they made me feel like a criminal for doing this. School officials can't just silence a student because they don't like what the student says or believes."
"I hope this settlement is a wake-up call, not just for my school, but for every school," she added. "And I hope it inspires and empowers students to express their views freely."
ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham commented, "Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools should be ashamed at how it treated Gabby. She did everything right, and they did everything wrong. She got permission, and she painted an uplifting message of faith. They censored her speech, publicly denounced her, and then punished her for expressing her views. In this country, no student should ever be threatened, investigated, or publicly smeared for expressing her faith. Schools cannot pick and choose which viewpoints can be expressed on campus, and this settlement makes that crystal clear."
Under the agreement, the school board must issue a formal public statement within 15 days to finally clear Stout's record.
The mandatory statement reads, in part: "The students’ painting of the Ardrey Kell spirit rock on September 14, 2025, did not violate the Code of Student Conduct or other school system policies in place at the time. It was not an act of vandalism, and the school did not report the incident to law enforcement. The Board regrets that the student had this experience."
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Big 12 files lawsuit against Texas Tech seeking court approval to sanction school over Brendan Sorsby
The Big 12 Conference wants to sanction Texas Tech for its intention on playing Brendan Sorsby this upcoming season, and it is asking a court in the Northern District of Texas to pave the way for its penalties to hold up.
In a lawsuit filed Monday morning in the Northern District of Texas, the conference took direct aim at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt and others involved in a legal battle that resulted in a local judge granting Sorsby an injunction and restoring his eligibility for the upcoming season.
TEXAS AG THREATENS LEGAL WAR AGAINST BIG 12 OVER POTENTIAL SANCTIONS AROUND BRENDAN SORSBY
This was all ramped up last week, when Paxton, along with lawyers representing Texas Tech, published a statement saying both parties would sue the Big 12 conference if they were to hand down any sanctions toward the school for abiding by a judge's order in allowing Sorsby to play.
During meetings with athletic directors and the executive committee over the past five days, the Big 12 had made it clear it was looking into potential ways to sanction Texas Tech.
The problem was that the school, or Sorsby, would immediately file a lawsuit against the conference in hopes of another injunction being granted.
What could these potential punishments against Texas Tech look like?
There could be "Prohibitions on appearance in postseason events or televised events" (such as conference championships) and "restrictions on revenue distributions", which is just an example provided by the Big 12 conference.
Officials have also discussed ruling Sorsby ineligible, which would mean every game he plays for Texas Tech would technically be a forfeit against the opposing team.
"During the week prior to filing this Complaint, TTU communicated its intent directly to the Conference to field Sorsby in Conference football games. Though TTU has been asked by both the Conference and many University Presidents, Athletic Directors, and other representatives of Big 12 Member Institutions to choose not to field Sorsby in Conference competitions, TTU has not agreed to such requests," the complaint reads.
In their calls last week, Big 12 officials essentially asked Texas Tech not to force them into this move of filing a complaint against them, by simply not playing Sorsby this season and abiding by the NCAA ruling.
"In an industry that rarely agrees on anything, there is finally an issue that everyone seems to agree on [other than TTU and the Attorney General]: universities should not field players who have bet on their own team's games in college athletics," the complaint reads.
Obviously, that has fallen on deaf ears, which then led to a very awkward 22-minute video last week from Texas Tech officials discussing why they were standing beside Sorsby.
In their reasoning for their stance on Sorsby and gambling, Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec tried to make the point that NCAA rules were antiquated, and that millions of students have access to apps that allow the placing of bets.
"I think we have to recognize the rules in place now we’re made long before there were millions of young people walking around with a legal gambling apparatus in their pocket"
Judging by the responses on social media, that argument did not sit well with plenty of college football fans across the country.
What is the reasoning for which the Big 12 feels as though these actions from Texas Tech constitute punishment? It all centers around the thousands of wagers placed by Sorsby over the past four years, which included betting on his own team while at Indiana, along with Hoosiers' basketball and Cincinnati hoops.
"When one Member Institution allows a student-athlete whose admitted conduct creates serious integrity concerns to compete in Conference games for Conference championships, the consequences extend beyond that institution," the complaint reads.
In essence, the Big 12 has filed this lawsuit against Texas Tech to be granted the actual power to punish the school if it does end up playing Sorsby.
The conference just wants a judge to say it’s OK, and grant them an injunction to do so.
Now, we wait on another Texas judge to decide where this saga goes from here, but it's clear that the Big 12 conference is ready to sanction the Texas Tech program.