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Hotel fees are draining Americans' wallets as expert reveals how to avoid paying hundreds extra
Added resort fees still kicking up the cost of hotel stays for travelers and tourists — even as new rules aim to make them easier to spot.
A recent NerdWallet study of 160 hotels found that some resort fees average about $33 per night. The fees can range from roughly $15 to $50 a day.
These mandatory charges, often labeled as "destination" or "amenity" fees, are typically added on top of the advertised room rate.
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The fees remain common in major tourist destinations such as Las Vegas, Hawaii and Orlando, according to a number of sources.
Many hotels state clearly that the fees cover access to amenities like Wi-Fi, pools and fitness centers.
Some hotel chains also have higher resort fees than others, NerdWallet said.
The data compiled showed "the average cost of a resort fee, when present," was $50 at Marriott, $33.80 at Hyatt, $33 at Hilton, $32.57 at IHG and $25 at Wyndham.
Some hotel chains such as Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt waive the resort fees on bookings made with points, according to the study.
Top-tier hotel elite status can eliminate resort fees entirely. Hyatt waives charges on both paid and award stays for its highest-level globalist members — a handy benefit given the brand’s relatively high fees.
Critics argue the charges are misleading, particularly when they're unavoidable and not included in the initial price seen online, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says.
Federal regulators have recently stepped in to address that concern. As of May 2025, a new rule from the Federal Trade Commission requires hotels and short-term rental platforms to display the full price upfront, including mandatory fees, rather than adding them later on in the booking process.
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Still, the regulation does not eliminate resort fees — so travelers continue to pay them, even if they're now more transparent.
Hotels have long used resort fees to keep advertised room rates lower in search results while still collecting additional revenue through mandatory charges, according to Travel Weekly and other industry reporting.
Christopher Elliott, founder of Elliott Advocacy, which provides mediation assistance for issues between travelers and airlines, cruise lines and hotels, said he's skeptical hotels would reduce extra fees.
Hotel guests do have rights, however.
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"It depends where you are, but generally you have the right to pay the rate you were initially quoted," he told Fox News Digital. He's based in Spokane, Washington.
"If you can prove, in writing, that the rate is different, you can dispute your credit card charge," Elliott added.
Travelers remain frustrated by the issue.
"I see [fees] as an underhanded way to raise rates without paying commissions to travel agents/booking sites," one traveler wrote on Reddit.
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It's similar "to airline 'fuel surcharges,' as if anybody was ever buying tickets for an airplane with no fuel in it," another traveler responded.
"Congrats on discovering the American way of … squeezing the lemon for every last drop," a third person chimed in.
Elliott said resort guests need to advocate for themselves. "If you catch it early enough, a polite complaint to a manager" can help, he said.
"If you've already checked out, and if the hotel isn't responsive, [you can] dispute the additional charges on your credit card. I've seen that work."
Fox News Digital reached out to the American Hotel & Lodging Association for comment.
Thomas Rhett admits fame led him to 'living a double life' that nearly destroyed his marriage
Thomas Rhett is admitting to once "living a double life" that almost ruined his marriage.
"I look through my life and I think about all the things that have kind of twisted me or made me like not the best person to be around, and it has always been either around affirmation or lack of affirmation," the country star told Sadie Robertson Huff on her "WHOA That’s Good" podcast.
The "Die a Happy Man" singer, who appeared on the podcast with his wife, Lauren Akins, said that at the height of his fame, he experienced "the most affirmation I think I'd ever received in my life. And I really liked it."
But he admitted that he didn’t feel he handled his marriage very well at the time.
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"I look back at our life during that time, and I'm not — I don't think I stewarded it very well, to be honest with you," Rhett said. "I think I wanted to try some things better just to make her — It was all at the sake of making her happy. And this was back in the time when I thought I actually could make my wife happy."
He said there are "moments I think that I can, but if I look at myself as the pure sole source of her happiness, I'm going to always let her down," adding that it took him a decade to "truly learn that both of our sources of happiness comes from" God.
"Like joy comes from the Lord and there are things that we can do for each other that bring each other joy," he said. "But at the truest self of your heart, if you can't learn that true joy comes from the Lord, then you're always going to be searching for something that makes you happy."
At that time, he said he was trying to be successful "at all costs."
Fast-forwarding to a year later, he said he and Akins were about to have their first biological child and were also adopting a child from Uganda.
The couple, who first met in the first grade, married in 2012.
He said he "was the most spiritually unhealthy human being" at the time.
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Publicly, he said he kept up a façade of spirituality, "but internally I was dying. Like I genuinely, I just liked what was happening so much that I think so much of me was being sucked into the world so hard that it just kept pushing me and her like this," he said, moving his hands away from each other.
Rhett noted that he and his wife said from "day one, divorce is not an option," but "the more you actually think about it, anything is actually an option if you let it become that."
He said when they were around 25 to 26 years old, "I was living a double life."
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Rhett explained that around that time they were living for a year in Uganda while Akins was pregnant, and he was traveling for work all the time.
"I'm playing a show in Arizona, and then I'm traveling back to Uganda, and then I'm going to New York, and I'm going back to Uganda," he said. "Like I can never actually settle anywhere."
It wasn’t until 2020 that he said he "actually discovered bits and pieces of who I actually was at my core, without a microphone, without a stage with and without affirmation, because it was the first time it had ever been taken away from me, if that makes any sense."
In the last five years, he said, "Jesus has chiseled on my heart more" than he can remember.
"I'm not perfect," he continued. "I'll never be perfect, but I would say, like today, us looking at each other and being a married couple, I would say this is — I'm living my most true self now."
He pointed to his wife, saying, "She always sort of has been" living her true self, to which Akins modestly balked.
"It’s just such a peaceful feeling," he added.
Akins admitted earlier in the podcast that she hates the spotlight.
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She said in a roomful of people she knows, she feels comfortable, but if it’s not a "safe place" for her, she feels very out of her "comfort zone."
"We couldn't be more opposite," she explained. "He's been in every single talent show that's ever existed since we were little kids and the lead in all the musicals, and it just — we're so opposite."
But she said whenever she’s out of her comfort zone with Rhett, she knows "he's going to hold my hand and get me out on the other side. I may not be totally unscathed, but yeah, it's always been worth it."
Having grown up with faith, she said, "Your brain knows the truth, but it's one thing to, like, know truth and to be able to speak truth, but to believe and walk in truth are two very different things."
She added that she felt Rhett had given both of them the gift of "pushing us out of our comfort zones in very different ways. And it's not what I wanted to do, but I see his faithfulness through all of it … I love adrenaline, adventure. I’m here for all of that."
Akins said she never dreamed of what her life has become: "The family that we have, the life that we live now. I'm like truly — I told him just a few months ago, like through tears, I'm like ‘Every dream I ever dreamed as a little girl, like it has already happened and come true. Like I'm there. I'm living every bit of it, and I feel so unbelievably grateful even through all the tears and the hard moments, like he truly does just pay attention to our hearts and wants to care for us and wants to love us and show how much he loves us."
America’s ‘undeclared emergency:’ Palantir exec talks Iran, deadly new US weapons and how to avoid World War 3
As tensions boil over with Iran, Palantir Technologies CTO Shyam Sankar argues that, for the time being, America's superior weapons are humiliating adversaries on the battlefield — but the U.S. remains dangerously unprepared for a protracted global conflict, putting the global balance of power in jeopardy.
Sankar made the case that America faces an "undeclared emergency," having nearly lost the industrial deterrence necessary to prevent World War III as global rivals grow more powerful and more brazen.
"We've just started to restore deterrence. We have the Maduro operation, [Operation] Midnight Hammer, current events in Iran, but we need to... be very clear-eyed about the moment — that these could be the kind of skirmishes that lead up to a larger conflict," Sankar said during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
"And we should be asking ourselves the question, 'What can we do right now to deter World War III?'"
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He advocated for empowering mold-breaking industry leaders to bypass Pentagon bureaucracy, and for sweeping investment in innovation and manufacturing to make the defense space competitive again. He explores these ideas as artificial intelligence radically transforms the battlefield in his new book, "Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Stop World War III."
Sankar emphasized the importance of funding technological research and development, contending that tech is the lever that directly leads to increased efficacy on the ground.
"If you look at the history of technology, it's always been the thing that's given us orders of magnitude of efficiency, of capability. Even if you look at the present day conflict in Iran, the sort of planning that we were able to do with one person in two weeks is something that in Gulf War II actually took 50 people six months," he said.
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"So that sort of efficiency translates that into lethality. It translates into cost. If you're not willing to invest in the technology, though, you'll never be able to realize that."
But the way the government conceives of tech investment is misguided, he asserted, stating that the industry should reward results today rather than allowing big defense contractors to prioritize their own balance sheets over putting working weapons in the hands of soldiers as quickly as they can.
He pointed to recent events as evidence of a roiling global order, including the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the militarization of the Spratly Islands in 2015, and Iran's nuclear progress, Hamas' attack on Israel in 2023, and the chaos caused by the Houthis "holding world trade hostage in the Red Sea."
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"The conflict with Iran shows us that we need to continue to go faster," he said, lauding Operation Epic Fury and claiming America owes her soldiers the best technology possible.
"And I think what we see in the current conflict is that the high-low mix really does matter — that we really do own the high end of the fight. Our weapons are quite exquisite... we're also humiliating our adversaries' weapons. From Maduro on, you look at the complete failure of Chinese and Russian air defense systems... We're doing great."
Still, Sankar said there is much to learn from challenges present at "the low end" of the fight. America isn't in a perfect defensive posture and risks being beaten by inferior technology that is more quickly produced, he cautioned.
"The difficulty we have countering the Shaheds, the lessons that we should be learning from Ukraine, from Iran, these are present. And we're going to need more heterodox thinking, more competing ideas, a bolus of investment to get after it."
"The good news is the department realizes this and these plans are well underway."
Savannah Guthrie speaks out on mother’s ‘grounded' faith, says it isn’t fake devotion
A tearful Savannah Guthrie said she believes in prayer while opening up about her mother’s faith in an emotional interview that aired Thursday.
Guthrie sat down with NBC News colleague Hoda Kotb for a multipart interview — the first she’s given since her mother's disappearance. After discussing the agony her family has been through, Kotb asked the "Today" co-anchor to describe her mother, Nancy, who has been missing since Feb. 1.
"My mom is so incredible, she’s resolute and strong. Quiet strength, quiet faith, but hard-fought. She’s funny and a little mischievous, I would say, in her humor. She’s a noble creature; she does what’s right," Guthrie said.
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"She walks in faith," she added. "Not a fake, pious put-on faith but, like, a grounded earthy, she-fought-for-it faith."
Kobt then asked her colleague if she felt the outpouring of support she'd received.
"I do feel prayers, you know, I do. I believe that. I think she would have been just amazed. Just truly amazed," Guthrie said.
Guthrie is believed to have been taken against her will. Her son-in-law dropped her off at home around 10 p.m. the night before she went missing from the same home the "Today" co-anchor grew up in. In the early morning hours, a masked man appeared on her doorstep.
At around 2:30 a.m., her pacemaker made its last sync with her Apple devices, indicating a potential timeframe for when she was taken out of the home. Her watch and iPhone were recovered inside. She called the home her mom’s "safe haven," and said it was "really hard to see that violated" when she visited the crime scene.
"The terror that she must have felt is unbearable," Guthrie said through tears.
Guthrie recalled being 16 years old and walking into her childhood home to see her mom praying because her father had passed away.
"It’s the house where all of our memories are. Good and bad," Guthrie said. "It’s hallowed ground. My mom loved and treasured that house."
Guthrie also said her mother taught her "a lot about grief" in the home.
"My father passed when I was 16-years-old. He was only 49, and it was a shock," she said.
"I remember my mom saying, in those early days when daddy died, ‘You have to get up and decide and do – just decide and do,’ she had read that in a book and that meant a lot to her in her grief," Guthrie added. "I always remember that."
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A series of unverified ransom notes were sent to media outlets, including TMZ and a local Tucson station, leading many to believe the disappearance is somehow financially motivated.
Guthrie has been away from the show since her mother went missing but returned to the Rockefeller Center studio to visit colleagues on March 5. Kotb has been anchoring alongside Craig Melvin while Guthrie is away from the show.
NBC has not announced when Guthrie will return to "Today." An NBC insider told Fox News Digital that she wants to return, and the show wants her to as well, but it remains a question of when and how.
Guthrie’s family recently issued a renewed plea to the public.
A reward of more than $1 million is being offered for information leading to Guthrie’s recovery.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Jim Jordan says probe into former CIA Director John Brennan is 'heating up' as DOJ seeks testimony records
A Justice Department probe into former CIA Director John Brennan is "heating up," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News, pointing to new requests for congressional testimony records as a sign the investigation is gaining momentum.
"Maybe there's ultimately going to be some accountability for Brennan…" Jordan said Wednesday night on "Hannity," later adding, "I think it's getting serious here."
Jordan tied the probe to a broader dispute over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, arguing key intelligence conclusions were improperly changed at Brennan's direction in late 2016.
"This is when it all began," Jordan said.
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"They changed the intelligence community assessment from December of 2016, when it said there was no conspiracy, no collusion between Trump and Russia to influence the election. One month later, they changed it… at the urging of John Brennan, and he lied to us about it when we were deposing him last Congress, and that's why we sent the initial criminal referral letter that we sent in October."
Jordan referred Brennan to the Justice Department last year, citing allegations that Brennan lied in his 2023 Judiciary Committee testimony by denying that the CIA used the Steele dossier in preparing the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference and claiming the CIA opposed including the dossier.
Attorney General Pam Bondi's Justice Department has reportedly sought records from the House Intelligence Committee, including transcripts of Brennan's past congressional testimony.
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Lawyers for Brennan said they have been informed he is a target of the investigation but have not been told of any "legally justifiable basis for undertaking this investigation," according to the Associated Press.
Brennan also previously pushed back on the Trump administration's allegations of wrongdoing, including claims from Trump and his allies that Brennan helped promote a "contrived narrative" that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump, which was central to investigations into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
In a joint New York Times guest essay with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, the pair wrote, "That is patently false. In making those allegations, they seek to rewrite history."
Jordan and other Republicans remain critical of the intelligence community’s handling of the Russia investigation, arguing it was politically motivated.
"God bless the attorney general for initiating this conspiracy investigation down there and putting this unit together at the Justice Department to look into all of this," Jordan said.
"Now I think we're maybe hopefully finally going to get some accountability."
Fox News' Alexandra Koch and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
Melvin Foster, former college football star who later served as Texas deputy sheriff, dead at 59
Melvin Foster, a former college football star who later became a sheriff’s deputy in Texas, has died, according to an online obituary. He was 59.
Foster was a standout linebacker with the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was on the team that won a Big Ten Championship and made a Rose Bowl appearance. He led the team in tackles during his junior and senior seasons.
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After his collegiate career was over, he had a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys.
He later joined the Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office as a deputy sheriff and a field training officer. He was with the department for more than a decade.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described Foster’s death as "unexpected."
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"We’re saddened by the recent and unexpected passing of our teammate, @HCSOTexas Deputy Melvin Foster," Gonzalez wrote on X. "Melvin was an incredible man and public servant. He leaves behind a strong legacy. He served Harris County for almost 15 years.
"Melvin played for @JackYatesHigh, Class of 1986. He played linebacker for the football team and participated in a state championship in 1985. He played college football for the @IowaFootball Hawkeyes and appeared in the Rose Bowl in 1991. He was awarded @USATODAY All-American, All-State honors. He was a member of the @dallascowboys in 1992. He was inducted in the @HC_HSA Hall of Fame.
"He was an impactful leader and was beloved by his teammates. We extend our deepest condolences to his family. Melvin will be missed and never forgotten."
Foster was remembered in his obituary as a "giving man with a big heart."
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Ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich says Sheridan Gorman’s killing may have been a 'gang initiation'
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich says the illegal immigrant accused of gunning down Sheridan Gorman in Chicago did so as part of a "gang initiation."
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, allegedly shot and killed 18-year-old Gorman on March 19 at around 1:06 a.m. while she was at a pier with friends in the city's Rogers Park area. Medina-Medina entered the country illegally on May 9, 2023, and was apprehended then released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In a post on X, Blagojevich said he thinks Gorman's alleged killer is being held in isolation as part of a "cover-up," saying he believes her murder was part of a gang initiation.
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"Sheridan Gorman’s killer is being held in isolation. I suspect Pritzker & the Dems are hiding him to COVER-UP the fact that this illegal immigrant killed an innocent young girl as part of a GANG INITIATION. I know gangbangers & how they operate. I lived with them for 8 years. And I know Pritzker & the Dems," Blagojevich said. "Bet you I’m right."
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Gorman was described as someone who was "everyone’s cheerleader," as those who knew her said she had a way of making others "feel seen, valued, and believed in."
"People often say someone ‘lit up a room’ or had "inner and outer beauty," but in Sheridan’s case, those phrases fall way too short. She radiated something even greater—a rare and unmistakable warmth, a spirit that was vibrant, compassionate, and full of life," according to an obituary for Gorman. "She loved fiercely—her family, her friends, her community, and her faith. She brought people together, lifted them up, and made the ordinary moments feel extraordinary simply by being in them."
Medina-Medina was scheduled to appear in court on Monday but the hearing was postponed because he's hospitalized with tuberculosis. The hearing is scheduled for Friday morning.
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Medina-Medina in 2023 was charged with shoplifting after prosecutors said he stole just over $130 in merchandise from a Macy's in downtown Chicago.
He failed to appear for a court hearing for the shoplifting charge, resulting in a failure to appear warrant being issued. That warrant was still active when he allegedly shot and killed Gorman, according to court records.
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A police source earlier told Fox News that the shooting was an apparent ambush, adding that the suspect was reportedly wearing some kind of face mask or covering.
An arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital states that after the shooting, Medina was seen on video in his apartment building's lobby waiting for an elevator while he wasn't masked. A building engineer told police that he knew the suspect who had a "very distinct limp and gait."
Images of the suspect were sent to a police database, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina. He was arrested at his apartment in Rogers Park, according to the arrest report.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital show that Medina told officials he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants.
The city-sponsored shelter closed in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.
Blagojevich warns justice system is 'broken,' says his case was blueprint for Trump prosecutions
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sounded the alarm on what he calls a "broken" justice system, claiming the tactics used against him paved the way for the later prosecution of President Donald Trump.
Blagojevich, a former Democrat turned Trump ally, spent nearly a decade in prison after being found guilty of corruption in 2011. He has long maintained his innocence, arguing that the actions he was imprisoned over were simply routine aspects of politics.
"If they want to get you, they do this. And we saw what they did to President Trump, which is unprecedented, unbelievable. I really believe they started with me," Blagojevich said on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast.
In FBI wiretaps, Blagojevich was heard discussing his power to appoint a successor to the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after he was elected president in 2008. Prosecutors argued the wiretaps proved he planned to use the appointment to secure personal political favors.
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A jury also found he demanded donations from the head of a children’s hospital in return for state support and extorted donations from racing executives in exchange for favorable legislation.
"These weaponized, politicized prosecutors who are abusing their power. It’s uncontrolled, their power, unlimited resources, and they're creating non-crimes for things that are routine and necessary in politics and government," Blagojevich said.
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Trump commuted Blagojevich’s sentence in 2020 before granting him a full pardon in 2025. After leaving the White House, Trump faced several legal battles that he, like Blagojevich, blasted as political "lawfare."
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Beyond Trump, Blagojevich also compared his case to Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chair who was convicted of financial crimes before being pardoned.
"Those tactics they used to pressure and squeeze Paul Manafort to say things about Trump that weren’t true, those are Soviet-style, KGB, police-state tactics in the United States of America."
"It’s very corrupt. And again, when you inject it into the political process, it’s even more corrupt. This is the greatest constitutional crisis in American history since the Civil War," he added.
Four separate cases were brought against Trump during his reelection bid: a Georgia RICO case, a classified documents case, a federal election interference case and a New York "hush money" case.
Hannity's twice-weekly podcast launched this month, featuring interviews with Stephen A. Smith, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. John Fetterman and more.
Lawyer for Boston cop facing manslaughter charge in on-duty shooting calls out DA’s ‘unprecedented’ move
FIRST ON FOX: The attorney for a Boston police officer who has been arrested after allegedly shooting and killing a suspect in a carjacking says his client has an impeccable service record, and that the District Attorney's handling of his client's case has been unusual.
"He's never been disciplined, never reprimanded, no trouble whatsoever," Ken Anderson of the law firm Anderson and Goldman told Fox News Digital.
Nicholas O'Malley, 33, was arrested on March 19 stemming from an on-duty shooting of carjacking suspect Stephenson King, 39, on March 11. Police were called after a woman who was sitting in the passenger seat of her idling vehicle called 911 and reported that a man, later identified as King, assaulted her and dragged her out of her vehicle before fleeing in it.
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O'Malley has been on the Boston Police force for six years. He reportedly fired three shots upon confronting King, who ignored lawful commands during the attempted arrest, according to Larry Calderone, head of the Boston Police Patrolman's Association. Police described a chaotic scene in which King nearly backed over his partner before accelerating forward, resulting in the shooting.
King is described as having a lengthy criminal record that included gun charges, and was reportedly known to police.
District Attorney Kevin Hayden's office alleges O'Malley committed voluntary manslaughter by shooting and killing King without reasonably fearing for his own safety.
But Anderson described the district attorney's actions as unusual.
An internal investigation into the shooting had not yet been completed, and a grand jury had not been impaneled before the arrest.
"I think most of the outrage here is just the fact that they made a decision eight days into this just to go arrest him without any grand jury presentation," Anderson said.
Anderson said the DA's office is "trying to send a message." Prosecutors asked for a $25,000 bond.
"You know, obviously, the district attorney decided to make this bold, unprecedented statement that has created furor or backlash," said Anderson. "I don't know why he did it. There's really no reason to do it. Again, my client, he's 33-years-old. He's lived in Massachusetts his entire life. He's married. He's got a six-month-old. He's got a three-year-old. He owns a house. He's not a flight risk."
"Instead of actually, letting the process run its way through, completing the reports — these firearm discharge investigation reports usually take months to complete — in this case, just to make the decision, eight days in, to just go arrest him and not even give the courtesy of the opportunity just to turn himself in," he said. "I don't know why, they acted that way. To me, it's very disturbing."
O'Malley has received vast support among his fellow officers, many of whom appeared in court during his first hearing to back him.
"It’s a complete tragedy that we’re here today talking about this," Calderone said in a press conference after the hearing. "We’re here very strongly to tell you that we back our officer. The facts are going to come out. That officer was in fear of his partner. It’s very easy to come in Monday morning and take a look at a body camera and try to determine what an officer felt from your point of view. No one knows how it is to be a man or woman in uniform."
Calderone said it is difficult for non-police officers to understand what goes through an officer's mind when a split-second decision about whether their life, the life of their partner or the life of an innocent victim could be at risk.
O'Malley has pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Hayden is up for reelection this year, and the shooting has become a political flashpoint.
The arrest has sparked interest among several people, including Democrats, in running against Hayden, Axios reported.
Far-left Rep. Ayanna Pressley D-Mass., whose district includes Boston, released a politically-charged statement about the shooting.
"I am deeply alarmed by the recent shooting by police in Roxbury of Stephenson King. My heart is with his family as we grieve this killing and everyone impacted in our community," she said. "The District Attorney’s office moved quickly to bring charges, and it is essential that Stephenson’s family has access to body camera footage to ensure a full, truthful account of the shooting, along with critical resources to support their healing. While justice would mean Stephenson’s life was not taken in the first place, we must have transparency and accountability. That means holding everyone involved to account. The trauma of violence reverberates far beyond a single instance, so we must remain committed to enacting policies that truly keep us all safe."
Hayden's office did not return a comment request.
Comedian Bill Maher to receive Kennedy Center's Mark Twain humor prize after initial White House denial
Comedian Bill Maher will receive the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, according to a report published Thursday, after the White House denied that was the case last week.
The Atlantic reported last week that Maher was set to be awarded the prize. Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, called the report "fake news" on X. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also called it "fake news," according to Politico.
A Trump administration official told Fox News Digital, "This was false reporting at the time of The Atlantic’s reporting, but the situation changed after further conversations took place between the Trump-Kennedy Center and event organizers over the past week."
Maher will receive the prize during a Netflix broadcast in June. The event will be one of the Kennedy Center’s last before it closes for renovations.
BILL MAHER CALLS OUT TRUMP'S 'BULLS---' TRUTH SOCIAL POST ATTACKING HIM
Beginning in 1998, the Mark Twain Prize has been given to comedy legends, from its inaugural recipient Richard Pryor to other giants like Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Carol Burnett, Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler. Last year's recipient was Conan O'Brien, honored by previous Kennedy Center leadership.
"Anonymous sources with half-baked information leaked to The Atlantic before conversations were finalized," an anonymous source told Politico of a report from The Atlantic last week. "There was nothing to confirm at the time and it is not appropriate to get ahead of any settled agreement between multiple parties involved."
"Thank you to the Mark Twain people: I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win," Maher said in a statement, according to Politico. "I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain," he quipped, according to the outlet.
BILL MAHER SAYS HE NEVER WINS AWARDS BECAUSE 'WOKE' HOLLYWOOD HATES HE CAN 'SPEAK FREELY'
The Atlantic reported, citing anonymous sources, that President Donald Trump was supportive of the idea that Maher would receive the award, though he was unsure if "Maher accepted it."
Maher is a frequent critic of the president, but also does not shy away from criticizing the Democratic Party.
The comedian went to the White House in 2025 for dinner with the president. Trump has slammed Maher in multiple statements since the dinner, as the president remains a major subject in Maher's comedy.
In a monologue earlier this month, Maher fired back at the president, insisting he doesn't have "Trump Derangement Syndrome" but rather the president has "Bill Maher Derangement Syndrome."
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"Let's go through the things you're butthurt about people not having noticed. Because some people do have TDS. But you know what? I've called people out for making hating you their entire reason to live. Get a life. Stop making him your whole personality," Maher argued. "But Don, you have to take some responsibility for that because you make people crazy. Because you do things that are racist, misogynistic, anti-democratic and corrupt. But I'll prove now I don't have the dreaded TDS."
Maher has had a roller coaster of a relationship with Trump going back more than a decade. In 2013, Trump sued Maher after the liberal comedian jokingly wagered him $5 million to charity to prove he wasn't the son of an orangutan — a tongue-in-cheek response to Trump's demand for then-President Barack Obama to release his birth certificate to prove his US citizenship. Trump later withdrew the lawsuit.
During Trump's first term in office, Maher leaned into the Russian collusion narrative and warned liberals that Trump would not voluntarily leave office in 2020 if he lost. Trump ultimately left office without conceding defeat.
While Maher is not shy about ripping Trump, he also frequently attacks the president's foes on the left and warns of wokeness and political correctness crippling the Democratic Party.