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Kyle Shanahan, returning after serious car crash, has new perspective on Tesla Autopilot and concussions
At his first press conference since causing a car crash that left him with broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken left hand, facial lacerations and a concussion, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan announced he'll return to the sideline for his team's first preseason game this week.
But Shanahan wasn't done announcing.
He also made it clear his head-on collision in July, for which he's taken responsibility, has left him with a new perspective on Tesla's autopilot feature that seemingly drives the car by itself, and concussions, which are a significant part of all NFL seasons.
NFL EMPLOYEES’ TROUBLING DRIVING INCIDENTS MOUNT, COSTING JOBS AND PUTTING OTHERS AT RISK
"When you're going at 20 miles an hour and you're on autopilot, I honestly have zero worries," Shanahan told reporters. "I have so much trust in that stuff. That was a good lesson that you can't ever have zero worries. I think it definitely could be an example for a lot of people."
Shanahan is not a Tesla hater. He didn't protest the brand or Elon Musk back in 2025. In fact, he's owned Teslas for years.
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But this crash has made him see his driving experience differently.
"Dropping a phone, it falling all the way to my back seat to where I have to fully take my eyes off the road, it's something that I normally wouldn’t do," Shanahan said. "I've had autopilot for nine years, so I'm pretty comfortable with it. Who knows what happened when I turned around. Whether it malfunctioned or whether I knocked it off, that's something I don't know yet.
"But regardless, it is always your fault, whether you're on autopilot or not. You can't take your eyes off the road. It's a partnership driving. You don't just turn it over to a computer. It's a good lesson, no matter how comfortable I am with that, that I believe someday could save my life or someone else's. It's really helped me have perspective on that stuff."
Shanahan hasn't been coaching the Niners at the outset of training camp to the degree he normally would. Even now, with the stitches on his face finally out, and Thursday's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans looming, he's still walking around with a cast and some lingering effects of the crash.
And that has led him to view his players' concussions in a different light.
Shanahan, like many NFL coaches, is not intimately involved in the journey of his players through the league's concussion protocol. They do not determine when a player is cleared to return to practice or games.
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But now, Shanahan admits, he "no doubt" has a new perspective on concussions.
"Just little things, like when they label things, like whether it's severe or mild," he said. "You hear someone has a mild one, I'm like, ‘Oh, alright. It might be one game, but usually that's two.’ Then you kind of learn those are just words. Each one's a little bit different.
"I definitely can relate to how scary it is when you don't know if you will feel right again. It's definitely made me more educated on it. Usually I just listen, and like, ‘Tell me when, OK,’ and I move on. But I understand it a lot better and what guys got to go through the protocol to get back."
Shanahan admits he's still not 100% following his concussion. He reports he still experiences headaches and fatigue.
Noise, particularly the soundtrack played over loudspeakers at practice, is no longer the challenge it was earlier.
"AC/DC hurt a lot more than some smoother hip-hop, but I think those days are over," He said. "Noise doesn't bother me like it was. I actually have two symptoms, I feel like, and that's headaches and fatigue. That's all I'm feeling right now."
AEW star shows nasty cut on head, says he'll be out of action for 'a few days or weeks'
Andrade El Idolo was ambushed at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Grand Slam Mexico after he punched his ticket into the Casino Gauntlet match at All In.
MJF returned to AEW programming on Wednesday night and assaulted Andrade after the pro wrestler became the No. 1 entrant for the match. MJF left Andrade bloodied and declared he would enter a qualifying match to become the second entrant. The winner of the Casino Gauntlet match will earn an AEW World Championship opportunity.
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On Sunday, Andrade showed the aftermath of the attack. He posted a picture on social media of a brutal cut on his head and said he may be out of the ring for a few weeks.
"Hi everyone and especially Las Señoritas! I’ve just landed back in Miami, where I live, and I went straight to the DR," he wrote. "I hadn't been feeling well since the Wednesday after the Grand Slam, but as a professional, I had two shows in Canada with MLP.
"I’ll keep you posted, but I have to be out of action for a few days or weeks. It’s nothing serious, Take care! but... I have one question?"
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MJF took a victory lap in his dismantling of Andrade in a subsequent post on X.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA How you know? OH I KNOW HOW IT HAPPENED!" he wrote.
Andrade wrote in a separate post on Instagram that he needed six stitches.
Andrade and MJF have been in the midst of a feud since MJF was loosely aligned with the Don Callis Family.
Andrade eventually broke from the faction as MJF won the AEW World Championship back from Darby Allin at Double or Nothing.
After MJF lost the title to Kenny Omega, he returned last week with his personal Triple B title, which he declared the true championship. Regardless, MJF set out on a journey to get to All In and earn another chance at the title.
Hailey Bieber shows off toned figure in tiny yellow bikini while sharing summer snaps
Hailey Bieber sizzled in a bright yellow string bikini as she gave fans a glimpse into her summer.
On Saturday, the 29-year-old model and entrepreneur took to Instagram to share a carousel of photos, which she captioned, "August so far."
Bieber's slideshow included a selfie in which she was seen posing in front of a mirror while rocking a skimpy two-piece that featured a gathered triangle top and matching low-rise bottoms that tied at the hips.
MOLLY SIMS FLAUNTS TONED ABS IN MISMATCHED BIKINI DURING PERFECT BEACH DAY WITH HER KIDS
The Rhode founder pulled her hair into a slicked-back bun and accessorized with gold and diamond drop earrings. Bieber sported her elongated oval diamond engagement ring from her husband Justin Bieber and a sparkly pink manicure as she held her phone up to snap the photo.
In another image, Bieber was clad in a blue and red tank top with blue and black cropped sweatpants as she laid on a patch of grass and flashed a bright smile. Bieber's carousel also included a video of herself working out at a gym and a photo in which she was seen holding a plate of meatballs topped with red sauce and cheese.
The Arizona native also gave fans a peek at her beauty routine, sharing a photo in which she was seen wearing yellow Rhode eye patches with her hair rolled up in curlers.
Bieber launched Rhode in June 2022 with three products: the Peptide Glazing Fluid, the Barrier Restore Cream and the Peptide Lip Treatment. As the brand grew in popularity, she went on to release other makeup and skincare products.
Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. in May 2025 in a deal valued at up to $1 billion, with Bieber staying on as chief creative officer and head of innovation.
"When I launched @rhode in 2022, I always had big dreams for the company, and the most important thing to me is to keep bringing rhode to more spaces, places, and faces globally," she announced on Instagram. "So today I am so incredibly excited and proud to announce that we are partnering with e.l.f. Beauty as we step into this next chapter in the world of rhode."
In May, Bieber became the global digital ambassador for the Italian swimwear label Calzedonia and starred in its summer 2026 campaign. During an interview with Elle magazine, Bieber shared her top swimwear styling tip.
"The fit is the most important part. Fit is everything," Bieber said.
ELIZABETH HURLEY WOWS IN DARING YELLOW STRING BIKINI AS SHE CELEBRATES HER 61ST BIRTHDAY
Bieber admitted that she did not know exactly how many swimsuits she owns but told the outlet "it's definitely a lot."
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"I probably have around five or six in my regular rotation though," the mother of one added.
Bieber also explained how she approaches preparing her looks while packing for summer vacations.
"I’m someone that plans my looks ahead of time," she said. "I like to be organized so that I don’t have to think about it too much when I get there!"
SHAKIRA SOAKS UP THE MIAMI SUN AS BIKINI-CLAD NINA DOBREV, KIM KARDASHIAN SHOWCASE SUMMER GETAWAYS
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Bieber told Elle that she doesn't spend too much time working on her tan during summer getaways.
"My favorite thing to do is to swim!" she said. "Lounging by the pool is fun, but I prefer to get in the water."
Archaeologists unearth secret church tied to Council of Nicaea, Christianity's defining moment
Archaeologists in Turkey believe they've made a groundbreaking discovery, possibly uncovering the remains of a church they believe hosted the First Council of Nicaea, one of the most pivotal events in the history of Christianity.
An international team of researchers in July excavated a church complex in the ancient city of Nicaea, now within the modern town of İznik, according to Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency (AA).
The building, which excavation director Mustafa Şahin identified as the Church of St. Neophytos, was destroyed by an earthquake in 368 A.D.
LOST SERMONS FROM ONE OF CHRISTIANITY'S GREATEST SAINTS DISCOVERED AFTER 1,600 YEARS
It was soon replaced by the Church of the Holy Fathers, built around 380 A.D.
Pictures show archaeologists excavating the stone foundations of the ancient church complex along the shore of Lake İznik, where trenches have exposed centuries-old walls and masonry.
Şahin told AA his team was tipped off to the existence of a smaller church after discovering that the floor paving extended beyond the walls of the existing basilica.
"That was our most important question this season," he said. "We began excavating east of the prothesis, outside the church's exterior wall."
'SIGNIFICANT' EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH EMERGES BENEATH FORMER FISH MARKET IN ANCIENT CITY
He added, "At the end of the first week, as we had hoped, we discovered that the floor paving continued beyond the existing church."
Nicaea is famous for hosting the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. — the first-ever ecumenical council in Christian history.
The council famously produced the Nicene Creed, affirming that Jesus was "begotten, not made" and fully divine rather than a created being.
It represented one of the earliest efforts to unify Christian doctrine across the Roman Empire, and rejected the beliefs of Arius, who argued that Christ was a created being rather than co-eternal with God the Father.
HOLY LAND DISCOVERY REVEALS ANCIENT CHARRED RELICS FROM ONE OF JERUSALEM'S DARKEST CHAPTERS
Archaeologists first identified a large submerged basilica at the site in 2014, later determining it was the Church of the Holy Fathers.
While that basilica has long been associated with the First Council of Nicaea, Şahin said the newly uncovered, smaller church beneath it is a more likely candidate.
Şahin said coins recovered from graves beneath the later basilica helped date its construction to around A.D. 380, reinforcing his conclusion that an earlier church occupied the site at the time of the council.
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Eusebius of Caesarea, who attended the First Council of Nicaea, described the meeting as taking place in a small church — a detail that Şahin said supports his hypothesis.
"The church was so small that one wonders how so many bishops fit inside," said Şahin. "This itself was a great miracle of God."
After uncovering evidence that the basilica had been built over an earlier church, Şahin said he was confident the Church of Saint Neophytos stood beneath the Church of the Holy Fathers and was the church that hosted the First Council of Nicaea.
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"The Church of the Holy Fathers... was built after 380 over the site of the First Council and in memory of the bishops who attended it," he said.
"As of this year, we are in a position to say definitively that the Church of the Holy Fathers is located here. We are very pleased because our hypothesis has been confirmed."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Şahin.
Turkey has been the site of numerous archaeological discoveries tied to early Christianity.
Last summer, archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Olympos in southern Turkey uncovered a fifth-century Christian church featuring a long-hidden inscription.
Later that year, archaeologists in southwestern Turkey uncovered the remains of a Roman hospital that was later converted into a Christian sanctuary.
A Southern state just took the top spot in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries
North Texas has beaten some of the world’s biggest data center hubs to claim the No. 1 spot in a new global ranking, as Texas becomes an increasingly powerful player in the industry.
Dallas ranked No. 1 in the 2026 Global Data Center Market Comparison by Cushman & Wakefield, a global commercial real estate services firm. The Lone Star State made a strong showing across the board, with Austin-San Antonio and West Texas also ranking first in their respective categories.
The rankings underscore how quickly Texas has become a major destination for data center development as companies search for the land and electricity needed to support artificial intelligence and other computing. Cushman & Wakefield said the state is growing at a pace that could eventually match, or surpass, Virginia, the world’s largest data center market by operating capacity.
ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST MANUFACTURERS SAYS AI IS CREATING JOBS — NOT REPLACING THEM
Dallas isn't the world's largest data center market. Despite Dallas’ No. 1 ranking, Virginia remains the world’s largest data center market based on the amount of capacity already in operation.
Cushman & Wakefield’s ranking, however, looks beyond sheer size to where the industry is positioned to grow. The commercial real estate services firm compared 107 markets on factors including access to power and land, projects under construction, existing infrastructure and the regulatory environment.
Dallas has one of the largest pipelines of planned data center development, trailing only Virginia and Atlanta, according to the report. And that development is spreading across Texas.
Cushman & Wakefield said activity has pushed outward from the long-established Dallas-Fort Worth market as companies search for vast amounts of land and electricity needed to support AI and other computing. At the current pace, the firm said Texas could eventually match or surpass Virginia in total data center capacity.
Texas has several advantages in that race, including abundant land, a business-friendly environment, an independent and deregulated power grid and incentives for development, according to the report.
The rapid growth has also drawn political attention, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pressing data centers to provide more of their own power and cover infrastructure costs as development accelerates across the state.
TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT EFFECTIVELY PAUSES NEW DATA CENTER PROJECTS PENDING STATEWIDE GRID AUDIT
The scale of that growth is also putting pressure on Texas’ resources.
Water availability is becoming a concern in West Texas and the Panhandle, while the enormous amount of electricity needed for new data centers is putting greater focus on the state's power supply. Texas has also adopted new rules requiring some large electricity users to share infrastructure costs and account for their impact on grid reliability.
Finding enough power is an industry-wide problem.
Cushman & Wakefield said electricity is now the top consideration when companies choose where to build, with utilities taking an average of 4.4 years to connect large new projects to the grid. Those waits are prompting some developers to secure or generate power themselves.
Texas may already be home to the world’s top-ranked data center market, but staying on top could come down to whether the state can provide enough power for what comes next.
Dem rep, in first video since hit-and-run crash, opens up about wreck
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, has released a video on X saying she and her congressional staff involved in a Toledo, Ohio, car accident earlier this month are in good shape, thanking the well-wishes for helping fuel her "very rapid recovery."
"As I move to physical rehabilitation, sharing a message with the thousands who shared good wishes from our community, across our region, our country, and around the world," the longest-serving woman in U.S. House history, Kaptur, 80, wrote on X and sharing the video.
"It's made a huge difference in my very rapid recovery. Each of you continue to uplift my spirit as we move forward. Thank you!"
Kaptur, a 22-term House member serving since 1983, and her staffer Keegan Zimmerman were in a vehicle traveling to a church service when it was struck in what police described as a "hit-skip" crash near Detroit and Central avenues in Toledo. Ohio law uses the term hit-skip for a driver’s failure to stop following a crash.
OHIO REP MARCY KAPTUR HOSPITALIZED AFTER HIT-AND-RUN CRASH ON WAY TO CHURCH
"Dear friends, first of all, thank you so very, very much for the thousands of good wishes that are coming from our community, across our region, our state, our country, and even around the world," Kaptur says in the video, where she is seated on what appears to be a wheelchair in front of an office window. "Really, it's made a huge difference in my very rapid recovery.
"I want to thank all of you on behalf of myself, my beautiful staff, including Keegan Zimmerman who was with me on that fateful day on Sunday a week ago. He also is in good shape. And I'm working my way back and am so grateful for all of the help that has been given to me in this effort."
The House is on August recess, giving her additional time to recover before returning to Washington, D.C.
"We will not return to Washington until next month, so I'm blessed to have time to recover fully, and I want to thank the first responders, the fire and rescue squads, the police, and all of the medical personnel that served us at such a fateful moment," she added in the video.
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She is seeking another term in November in a rematch against former Ohio State Rep. Derek Merrin after narrowly defeating him in 2024. The race will be a key battleground in the bellwether state of Ohio.
In 2024, she won by just more than the 0.5% margin that would have triggered an automatic recount, with a Libertarian candidate snagging about 4% of the vote.
But, she is recovering after the crash where she suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was active and alert after the collision, her office reported after the crash.
"It was not a pleasant experience and there were wounds that resulted, but let me tell you we have to be very grateful in this region to have the kind of dedicated medical staff that exists at Mercy St. Vincent's treating patients from across this region, many of are underserved," she said in the video. "Absolute dedication to saving lives. I was just so impressed."
TOP DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER SUFFERS MINOR INJURIES IN DELAWARE CAR CRASH
Kaptur closed the video by showing viewers a handmade get-well card she received from a child. The card included a drawing of a brown dog named Charlie, whom Kaptur jokingly described as "half-human."
"We've heard from many people of many ages, and I received this card from a young gentleman named Avery," she said. "Isn't this sweet? That's his dog, Charlie. And he and I happen to be friends. And he was worried about me. So he did this card for me.
"And I'll just read it for you: It says, 'Get well soon' – with Charlie, with hearts, because I really love this dog, Charlie. He's half-human. And signed Melanie, Adam, Eli, and Avery."
"These are wonderful people, and they uplift your spirits, and each of you uplift my spirit as we move forward."
Great-grandson of slaves has warning about Smithsonian’s anti-American ‘indoctrination’ and more top headlines
1. Bishop calls out Smithsonian’s anti-American ‘indoctrination’
2. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismisses past rhetoric
3. DiJonai Carrington, Sophie Cunningham feud goes viral
FRIENDLY FORUM – Pro-China outlet defends itself on Democracy Now!, which paid Singham-founded company millions. Continue reading …
BLOWING THE WHISTLE – WNBA coach benches several starters — sending an apparent message to the league. Continue reading …
FROZEN ASSETS – 'Squad' member shares fertility journey, takes aim at Trump over women's choices. Continue reading …
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TURNING HEADS – John Goodman spotted nearly unrecognizable in candid grocery store snapshot. Continue reading …
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PARTY PRESSURE – Bernie Sanders demands Democrats ban super PACs from primaries, blasts AIPAC, ‘corrupt system’. Continue reading …
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SPLIT VERDICT – House primary winner sets sights on flipping longtime GOP seat back from Dems: 'Ready for a change'. Continue reading …
RULES LEFT BEHIND – Flock Safety cameras need constitutional guardrails before further deployment, Tennessee mayor argues. Continue reading …
CIVIL WAR WITHIN – RNC warns socialists push Democrats ‘off cliff’ after DSA co-chair offers no tax rate. Continue reading …
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FREEZE FRAME – Ivanka Trump's gorgeous Iceland photos show off her stunning cool-weather escape. Continue reading …
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AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ – Test yourself on family fun and medical marvels? Take the quiz here …
Tune in as Wisconsin Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden discusses the stalled Farm Bill and proposed reforms to SNAP. Check it out ...
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Trouble sleeping? Your neighborhood could be partly to blame, experts say
Where you live in your neighborhood could significantly affect your sleep, according to experts and recent research on urban landscapes.
Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based nutritionist and author of "The Sleepdemic Solution," confirmed that household surroundings and ambient neighborhood conditions can directly interfere with restfulness.
Factors such as cohabitating with family members, pets or high-noise environments frequently disrupt sleep patterns, she said.
POPULAR SMOOTHIE INGREDIENT MAY REDUCE ONE KEY HEALTH BENEFIT, STUDY SUGGESTS
"If you live in noisy environments, the fact is that it is going to be noisy, and you do have to make some adjustments," Palinski-Wade told Fox News Digital.
She suggested that individuals living near busy city streets consider using a white noise machine because it "can cancel out some of that environmental noise."
Beyond the immediate bedroom environment, the visual characteristics of one’s neighborhood can subconsciously influence sleep patterns, research shows.
A study led by Professor Daisuke Matsushita of the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan analyzed more than 200,000 Google Street View images, using artificial intelligence to assess streetscape features.
WHERE YOU LIVE COULD SHAPE YOUR RISK OF CANCER MORTALITY, STUDY SUGGESTS
"Based on the technique used in this study, cities could potentially measure perceived safety, beauty, liveliness and enclosure, as well as pollution and noise," Matsushita stated in a press release.
The study examined 1,089 working adults residing on lower apartment floors in Tokyo. Individuals living in neighborhoods with a stronger perceived sense of safety tended to experience longer sleep durations, the researchers found.
Visual elements like trees and other greenery, and high "enclosure" rates (tall vertical buildings with few open spaces) aligned with longer sleep and fewer insomnia symptoms.
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Alternatively, highly walkable environments with abundant sidewalks and traffic signs were linked to a lower sense of safety and shorter periods of sleep, possibly due to increased foot traffic and crowdedness, the study found.
"We hope that opening up this new perspective creates further possibilities for designing healthier neighborhoods," Matsushita said.
Palinski-Wade recommends using blackout curtains to "shut out some of that light pollution and get more restful sleep."
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Environmental factors inside the home, including room temperature and whether bedroom doors are left open or closed, can also impact how much outside noise gets into the bedroom.
The findings do not necessarily suggest that people need to relocate, the researchers noted.
The study relies on self-reported sleep data from working adults in Tokyo, which may be subject to imperfect memory, and only represents a specific group of people.
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Because the research focused strictly on residents living on the lower floors of apartment buildings in a single city, the findings may not apply to people living on higher floors or in rural and suburban settings.
"The simplest thing you really can do is try to set yourself on a schedule where you go to sleep, and you wake up at the same time each night," Palinski-Wade advised, noting that maintaining this consistency on days off or weekends has the biggest impact on sleep quality and quantity.
We grew up before screens took over. Our kids deserve that chance too
As I scroll through Instagram Reels romanticizing life in the late 1990s and early 2000s — girls gathered around a boombox at a sleepover, kids riding bikes until the streetlights came on and teenagers hanging out at the mall instead of staring at their phones — I'm struck by the irony: I have to browse social media to recall what life felt like before it took over.
Millennials may have been the last generation to grow up with technology instead of growing up inside it. We had family computers, Nintendo 64, DVDs, flip phones and, eventually, iPods, but those tools occupied a place in our lives rather than becoming the center of them.
Technology made our lives easier. It just hadn’t become our childhood.
Interim U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos recently warned that early and excessive screen time in young children can delay attention, memory and language development. Parents, she noted, are now competing with screens for their children’s attention.
Her "5 Ds" framework — Discuss expectations, Do by modeling healthy behavior, Divert children toward other activities, Disconnect for screen-free time and Delay access to devices — offers parents a practical roadmap for reducing excessive screen time and helping children develop healthier habits.
Haridopolos is right to sound the alarm. Excessive screen time can affect how children think, learn and develop. That’s reason enough to pay attention. Her warning is also an important reminder that childhood is about more than cognitive development.
That’s why reducing excessive screen time isn’t just about protecting developing minds. It’s about ensuring screens never replace the experiences that shape childhood.
Screens are not inherently bad. They help us work, communicate and learn, and they aren’t going away. But when they become children’s primary source of entertainment, companionship and stimulation, they begin replacing the experiences that help them grow.
When we were bored, we looked for people, not screens.
I remember summer mornings beginning with a knock on the front door from my neighbors, Krista and Courtney, asking my mom, "Can she come out?" The rest of the day usually took care of itself.
We rode bikes, climbed trees, built forts and played until the streetlights came on. We didn’t need entertainment delivered to us. We created it. Boredom wasn’t something to escape. It became imagination, curiosity and adventure.
Even as teenagers, the memories we still laugh about came from living life, not documenting it. My friends and I once printed MapQuest directions to a New Found Glory concert and somehow ended up three hours off course. We were frustrated, argued over whose directions were wrong and thought we’d never get there. Today, a navigation app would correct the mistake within seconds. Back then, getting lost became part of the adventure, and one of the stories we still laugh about.
Today’s childhood often looks very different. Concerts disappear behind a sea of glowing phones because we’ve been conditioned to believe that if there aren’t pictures, it didn’t happen. Fireworks are watched through tiny screens as people record videos almost no one will ever watch again. Some of our greatest memories exist only in our minds because we were fully present when they happened.
Social media has also turned comparison into a daily part of childhood. Awkward childhood moments now live online forever. Self-worth is increasingly measured in likes, views and follower counts instead of being built through real-life relationships and experiences. What was once a pressure largely confined to celebrities and public figures now follows nearly every child in America through the device they carry in their pocket.
As a mother of three, I am grateful for technology that makes parenting safer, easier and more convenient.
But I also worry about what it quietly steals.
I want my children to climb trees and enjoy the moment without stopping to capture the perfect photo. I don’t want them to be spectators of life. I want them to be participants in it.
I don’t want them spending their childhood watching other children play with toys on a screen when they could be outside creating adventures of their own. I want them to build friendships face-to-face, discover who they are without comparing themselves to everyone else online, learn how to work through uncomfortable conversations and become comfortable simply being present with other people. I want them to have stories they laugh about years from now because they lived them, not because they posted them.
We don’t need to reject technology.
We simply need to put it back in its proper place.
It begins with screen-free dinners, device-free car rides and family time that isn’t interrupted by notifications. It means modeling presence instead of merely demanding it from our children. It means allowing boredom to become creativity and delaying personal devices until children have had time to develop an identity rooted in real-life experiences instead of digital validation.
Haridopolos is right to urge parents to protect their children’s developing brains by reducing excessive screen time. We should take that advice seriously.
But we should also recognize what excessive screen time is replacing. Childhood is where we discover who we are, learn how to relate to other people and create the memories that stay with us for a lifetime. Those experiences cannot be downloaded or taught by an algorithm.
Our children deserve more than endless content. They deserve connection. They deserve meaningful relationships. And above all, they deserve a childhood they actually lived, not one they merely recorded.
Subpoenaed pro-China outlet defends itself on Democracy Now!, which paid Singham-founded company millions
A U.S.-based pro-China media outlet subpoenaed in a Congressional probe of communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham's funding network mounted its public defense on Democracy Now!, a progressive news outlet that once paid millions of dollars to a software company Singham founded.
BreakThrough News, one of three organizations subpoenaed by the powerful House Ways and Means Committee last month, used Democracy Now! to portray the investigation as an attack on journalism rather than what the committee said is a probe into its funding and alleged foreign influence.
During an interview with Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, BreakThrough News presenter Rania Khalek slammed the subpoenas as a McCarthy-style attack on free speech and independent journalism. She also warned investigators could eventually target Democracy Now! itself and encouraged viewers to financially support BreakThrough News as it fights the subpoenas.
‘MCCARTHY TRIALS’: HASAN PIKER, FAR-LEFT FIGURES ERUPT OVER SUBPOENAS IN $39M SINGHAM PROBE
"They're attempting to criminalize dissent and an independent press because they're losing the argument," Khalek told Goodman.
Khalek described the subpoenas as a "flagrant attack" on the First Amendment and argued lawmakers were reviving McCarthy-era tactics because they were losing the public debate. She said the committee had cited the outlet's coverage of Israel and ICE's immigration enforcement.
According to a previous Fox News Digital investigation cited by the House Ways and Means Committee, BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent organization of BreakThrough News, received about $1.1 million from Neville Roy Singham.
Separately, IRS filings show Democracy Now! paid about $2.5 million between 2019 and 2024 to ThoughtWorks, the software company founded by Singham, for software development services. Democracy Now! is not a target of the House Ways and Means Committee investigation and the committee has not suggested those payments are part of its inquiry. Singham sold the company in 2017.
BreakThrough News and two other organizations are being scrutinized over funding tied to the Singham network and for failing to produce documents requested by the committee earlier this year. The committee said it is examining whether nonprofit laws adequately protect against foreign influence and whether Congress should strengthen those laws.
The committee alleges the Singham network routed money through shell companies and donor-advised funds in ways that obscured the original source of the funding.
The committee is specifically investigating about $39 million it says flowed to BreakThrough News, as well as People's Forum Inc., a New York-based activist organization, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which describes its work as rooted in "national liberation Marxism." BreakThrough News operates from People's Forum's West 37th Street address in Manhattan.
HOUSE PANEL SUBPOENAS 3 LEFT-WING GROUPS IN PROBE OF $39M TIED TO MARXIST TYCOON NEVILLE SINGHAM
Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold ThoughtWorks for an estimated $785 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, has directed at least $278 million into six core nonprofits within a broader international network of media organizations, activist groups and think tanks, according to a previous Fox News Digital investigation.
Organizations within the broader network have regularly organized or participated in anti-ICE, anti-Israel and pro-Iran demonstrations, Fox News Digital previously reported.
During the Democracy Now! interview, Khalek argued the committee was investigating BreakThrough News because of its political views. Khalek also disputed the committee's characterization of the investigation.
"They are explicitly saying it's because of our viewpoints," she said.
However, in a cover letter accompanying the subpoenas to BreakThrough News, the House Ways and Means Committee rejected such arguments made by attorneys for the organization that the investigation infringed First Amendment protections. The committee said its inquiry concerns BreakThrough News' "financing arrangements and organizational structure" — "not its speech, editorial positions, or political viewpoints."
The cover letter stated that the committee is seeking internal communications, financial records and documents relating to the committee's investigation into organizations connected to the Singham network.
Khalek later expanded on her McCarthyism comparison, arguing Republicans were attempting to shape public opinion because they were "losing the argument." She said the original McCarthy era succeeded because it won public support.
"This smear that we're part of a 'foreign plot' is all they have left because they can't win on their merits," Khalek said. "That's what people need to understand this as."
Khalek did not address the committee's questions regarding BreakThrough News' finances or organizational structure during the interview.
INTEL EXPERT SAYS SINGHAM NETWORK IS MORE THAN A NONPROFIT SCANDAL—IT'S A SECURITY THREAT
Her remarks echoed messaging that quickly spread among left-wing activists and organizations defending BreakThrough News after the subpoenas became public. Supporters portrayed the probe as an effort to suppress dissent rather than scrutinize the network's funding and alleged foreign influence.
As Fox News Digital previously reported, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin, socialist politician Kshama Sawant and others — rapidly characterized the investigation as "McCarthyism," a "witch hunt," an attack on independent journalism and a "war on the left."
Many argued the probe was aimed at suppressing dissent rather than scrutinizing the network's funding and alleged foreign influence.
Benjamin also appeared on the same Democracy Now! program, where she discussed a separate Treasury Department investigation into CodePink following the group's Cuba convoy earlier this year.
Benjamin co-founded CodePink with Jodie Evans, who married Singham in 2017, the same year he sold ThoughtWorks.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York has separately opened a grand jury investigation into alleged wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and other financial crimes involving Singham's funding network. The investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been announced.
In March 2026, Piker, Benjamin and Evans traveled to Cuba to express support for the country's communist government.
Later in the interview, Khalek broadened her warning beyond BreakThrough News.
"It starts with BreakThrough News. But if we let them win, next they come after Democracy Now!, and it only gets bigger from there," Khalek said.
BreakThrough News and Democracy Now! did not respond to a request for comment.