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Trump touts US has 'tremendous' amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to 'take care' of Cuba after Iran focus
President Donald Trump declared Saturday that the U.S. is "taking out tremendous amounts of oil" from Venezuela while vowing to "take care" of Cuba’s regime following America’s focus on Iran.
The president, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida, prefaced his remarks by saying that since the January operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the administration has "been working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez," and, "she’s doing a great job working with us."
"And we're taking out tremendous amounts of oil. They're making more money now than they've ever made, ever made. We have the big oil companies in. They are making more money, we’re getting some," Trump said. "They're getting a lot. They're making more money now than they've ever made in the history of their country."
"And I'm pleased to say that this week we have formally recognized the Venezuelan government. We've actually legally recognized them. We have also just reached a historic gold deal that's called the gold deal with Venezuela, to allow our two countries to work together to facilitate the sale of Venezuelan gold and other minerals," Trump continued, describing a license issued by the Treasury Department Friday that prohibits people and companies from Iran, North Korea, Russia and Cuba from doing business with Minerven – Venezuela's state-owned gold mining company – among other measures.
US RESTORES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA AMID PUSH FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION
"As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we're also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba. Cuba's at the end of the line," Trump also said. "They're very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that's been bad for a long time. And they used to get the money from Venezuela. They get the oil from Venezuela, but they don't have any money from Venezuela. They don't have any oil," Trump added.
Trump in January had declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil.
MILLONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS
Trump said Saturday that Cuba is "negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba."
"But Cuba is in its last moments of life as it was. It'll have a great new life, but it's in its last moments of life, the way it is," the president added.
The State Department described the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral as a gathering of the "strongest likeminded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region."
Trump said America’s "focus right now is on Iran," but "many of you have come today, and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba because you've had problems with Cuba, right? You mentioned."
"I was surprised, but, four of you said, actually, ‘could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba.’ I'll take care of it, okay?" Trump said, garnering applause.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Fans swarm JFK Jr sites in major city as hit series 'Love Story' triggers tourism frenzy
As the public's fascination with John F. Kennedy Jr. resurfaces in a big way, interest is also exploding in the New York City neighborhoods and hot spots he once favored.
The spike in tourist attention comes amid the release of the hit series "Love Story," which revisits Kennedy’s life and his highly publicized relationship with Carolyn Bessette. The high-profile limited series premiered Feb. 12, 2026.
John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was a lawyer and founder of George magazine. Bessette, a former Calvin Klein publicist known for her minimalist style, married Kennedy in September 1996.
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The couple died tragically in a 1999 plane crash off the coast of Massachusetts.
"Love Story" was filmed at several real-life locations the couple frequented — inspiring curious fans to flock in droves to the downtown spots that shaped their story.
Here are several of the New York destinations closely associated with the time Kennedy spent in Manhattan — and why they're attracting so much tourist attention right now.
Much of the miniseries was filmed in the same neighborhood where the couple was routinely photographed, and where they lived together until their tragic death in 1999.
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Kennedy purchased the loft in Tribeca for just $700,000 in 1994, according to Realtor.com.
Paparazzi were known to wait outside the doors at 20 North Moore Street, hoping for a glimpse of the glamorous young couple.
Carolyn Bessette allegedly moved in sometime during 1995, a year or so before the couple wed.
Upon returning to their home after an intimate wedding off the coast of Georgia and then a honeymoon in Turkey, Kennedy is said to have asked waiting members of the press to show courtesy and consideration toward his new bride.
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"This is a big change for anyone," he reportedly said.
"And for a private citizen like Carolyn, even more so. I ask you to give her all the privacy and room you can … It would be greatly appreciated."
Just around the corner from the couple's former love nest is Bubby’s, a popular diner that serves breakfast classics.
It's a spot JFK Jr. and Bessette Kennedy were known to frequent.
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It opened on Thanksgiving Day 1990, according to the restaurant's website.
Owner Ron Silver began baking pies and selling them to restaurants and neighbors out of a small kitchen at the corner of Hudson and North Moore St. in Tribeca.
"Bubby’s was like a living room for those guys, and they were in all the time," Silver told Page Six.
"It was a place where they would come together and also separately with their friends and have meetings or different things like that," he added.
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"Regulars say blueberry pancakes and matzo ball soup were among their orders — which feels refreshingly unfussy compared to the era’s velvet-rope nightlife," according to Time Out New York.
In the series, Indian restaurant Panna II in the East Village is noted as the site of the couple’s first date — but it was also a frequent spot of the real-life couple.
Bashir Khan, 50, the owner of Panna II, told Fox News Digital about the increased traffic following the launch of "Love Story."
In the three weeks post-premiere, the restaurant has attracted a 1500-person waiting list, he said this week.
"It’s been two weeks, this is our third week. … I think it’s going to increase," Khan said.
And JFK Jr.’s go-to order?
Chicken tikka masala, according to the restaurant's owner. The grilled white-meat chicken is cooked with tomato sauce, per his menu.
"We're known for our Indian food, and then we're known for our ‘unique’ decor," the restaurant says on its website.
"We take a lot of pride in our food, sourcing quality ingredients and pairing them with inspired recipes to bring out the best in flavor. We wanted to make Indian food accessible too, so we keep everything at a budget-friendly price point."
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There are nine episodes in all of "Love Story."
New episodes drop every Thursday evening, with the series conclusion set for March 26. "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" is airing simultaneously on FX and FX on Hulu.
Tennis players receive threatening messages, including photos of a gun, demanding they lose matches
Two women's tennis players were sent threatening messages, each receiving a photo of a gun and being ordered to lose matches.
Panna Udvardy and Lucrezia Stefanini detailed the disturbing messages in which they and their families were threatened.
"Last night around midnight I received several very disturbing messages on WhatsApp from an unknown number on my personal phone. The person told me that if I didn’t lose my match today, they would harm members of my family," Udvardy posted on Instagram, along with screenshots of the messages, regarding her match against Anhelina Kalinina at the Megasaray Hotels Open, which she lost in two sets.
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"They said they knew where my family lives, what cars they drive and that they had their phone numbers. They even sent photos of my family members and a picture of a gun."
The message Udvardy received said the culprit or culprits "know everything about your family and you" and were "ready for war if necessary, and we won't hesitate to send them to your mother's house to kidnap her until she returns the money we would lose because of your disobedience."
Udvardy said she contacted the Women's Tennis Association, and three additional police officers were sent to her match "which I’m extremely grateful for." Police also went to her parents and grandmother’s homes, she added.
The message Stefanini received was eerily similar.
"I received a WhatsApp message in which I was threatened over winning yesterday's match. They threatened me and my family and named my parents, the place where I was born, and they sent me a photo of a gun," Stefanini said in an Instagram post of her own.
Stefanini, too, told the WTA about the situation, and she also received boosted security.
"I'm making this video and explaining what happened because I don't think it's right to put me under this pressure and unease before a match," Stefanini said.
Udvardy said the messages are "not normal."
"Even as athletes or public figures, it’s not acceptable to receive threats against our families, especially not on our private phone numbers and alongside disturbing images. We should not normalize abuse like this in sport."
Stefanini lost her Indian Wells qualifying match in three sets.
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GOP senators says Trump's strikes 'significantly degraded' Iran but emphasize attacks not 'forever wars'
PALM BEACH, FLA. - One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has "degraded" Tehran's ability to strike back.
But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized that the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in "forever wars" in the volatile Middle East.
"Our military is doing a great job," Scott said. And pointing to Iran, he said, "They want to destroy America. We've got to stop them."
Budd highlighted that "we have significantly degraded Iran's ability to shoot back at us... their capacities are degraded. We've had great success."
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Budd and Scott were interviewed as they attended an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.
President Donald Trump, who called for Iran's "unconditional surrender," said on Saturday that Tehran will be "hit very hard" and warned the U.S. is considering "areas and groups" not previously considered to target.
Over the past week, "Operation Epic Fury" has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president's ability to steer the fighting.
WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN
The president said on Thursday, in an interview with Axios, that he should be involved in choosing Iran's next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago.
And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency.
"Trump doesn't want to be in forever wars. Every time I've talked to him, he doesn't want that," Scott said. "But I think what we do want to make sure we don't have another Ayatollah that wants to... chant Death to America and death to our allies and try to destroy us."
Budd added that "we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region."
The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk.
Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved.
Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations.
But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans.
"Trump's doing the right thing. He's saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So he's doing the right thing," Scott emphasized.
Budd added, "I'm very excited [about] what President Trump's done... The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that's what President Trump wants."
Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That's a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year's midterm elections.
"Hopefully it's all going to be short term. Hopefully… the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices," Scott said.
Budd acknowledged that "we are going to have some short-term disruptions."
But the senator was optimistic that "very soon we'll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He's all about the price of oil."
US student rescued from Mideast describes missile activity in Abu Dhabi when class trip turned 'scary'
A high school class trip turned into an unexpected brush with conflict when Christian Liess and his classmates were stranded in Abu Dhabi amid missile strikes in the region, forcing parents and U.S. officials to scramble to bring the students home.
"It was a little scary, to be honest," Liess told "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Friday.
Liess and his classmates arrived in Abu Dhabi for what should have been a routine layover in the United Arab Emirates on their way to Thailand for a class trip. The layover, however, turned into an unexpected stay in a region facing active threats amid Operation Epic Fury.
STATE DEPARTMENT HAS HELPED OVER 130 AMERICANS EVACUATE ISRAEL DURING WAR WITH IRAN, OFFICIAL SAYS
"We saw some missiles intercepted while we were at the airport, and then for the next few days, while we stayed at a hotel, we kept hearing missiles go off. We saw, I think, some of the defense missiles intercept the attacking missiles."
"We were able to get out thanks to a lot of people working here and the administration," Liess said.
Back home, the crisis unfolded in real time for parents watching from thousands of miles away.
Liess' father, David, said he and his wife were scared amid the uncertainty.
"We got on the State Department website and filled out the STEP form," he recalled, referring to the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program that allows U.S. citizens abroad to receive security updates and assistance.
"Then we called all the other parents and were like, ‘Fill this out.’ Some of them already had, and we all then just prayed."
Days later, the family received the call they had been waiting for: The students were in the air and headed home.
"I'm not a crier, but I wept," David recalled.
The trip had been part of what Liess described as the school’s annual cultural education program, with Thailand selected as the 2026 destination. Instead, students found themselves monitoring missile alerts and sheltering in a hotel as tensions escalated in the Middle East.
Despite the circumstances, Liess described the experience as interesting and said it taught him an important lesson.
"You’d see a big streak of light go up in the sky and then a big poof of smoke," he said.
"Definitely read the news a little bit before you go on a trip."
Adopted daughter of George W Bush’s intelligence director John Negroponte sentenced in friend’s drunken murder
The adopted daughter of former President George W. Bush’s Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of a friend after a drunken argument inside a Maryland Airbnb six years ago.
Sophia Negroponte, 33, was sentenced on Friday by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann after being found guilty at trial in November of second-degree murder for the death of 24-year-old Yousuf Rasmussen. It was a retrial after a 2023 conviction on the same charge was overturned.
"The 35-year sentence mirrors the sentence imposed following the first trial in 2023," Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said, per The Associated Press. "This is an appropriate and just outcome in light of the seriousness of this crime and the consistent findings of two separate juries who carefully evaluated the evidence."
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Negroponte was first convicted of second-degree murder in 2023 and received the same 35-year sentence, but in January 2024, a Maryland appeals court threw out the conviction, calling for a new trial in circuit court.
The appeals court ordered a new trial after ruling jurors improperly heard contested portions of a police interrogation and testimony questioning Negroponte’s credibility.
Sophia Negroponte was one of five Honduran children who were abandoned or orphaned that John Negroponte and his wife, Diana, adopted after Negroponte was appointed U.S. ambassador to the Central American country in the 1980s, according to The Washington Post.
Sophia Negroponte and Rasmussen attended the same Washington high school and had been drinking, along with another person, on the night Rasmussen was killed, McCarthy said previously. They argued twice that night, and Rasmussen left the home.
VIRGINIA MAN BRENDAN BANFIELD LEARNS FATE IN TWISTED AU PAIR AFFAIR DOUBLE-MURDER
When Rasmussen returned to get his cellphone, Negroponte "stabbed him multiple times, one being a death blow that severed his jugular," McCarthy said.
A 911 call prompted county and city officers and fire rescue personnel in Rockville, Maryland, to respond to an Airbnb property on Feb. 13, 2020, at approximately 11:16 p.m. Negroponte, then 27, was found inside the home covered in blood and lying on top of Rasmussen, yelling, "I’m sorry," according to charging documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Rasmussen was pronounced dead at the scene and Negroponte was brought into custody, where she allegedly told investigators that she did not remember attacking the man but recalled arguing over a "silly issue" and later removing a knife from his neck.
President George W. Bush appointed John Negroponte as the nation’s first intelligence director in 2005 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He later served as deputy Secretary of State. He also previously served as ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, the United Nations and Iraq.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bill Maher flips script on Adam Schiff with quote from Obama administration on Libya and war powers
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was prompted by "Real Time" host Bill Maher on Friday into critiquing a quote from the Obama administration about its war powers in Libya, seeming to assume the statement was from the Trump administration about Iran.
"This statement from the administration: ‘The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest,’" Maher said. "That’s too vague for you?"
"Totally vague…" Schiff responded before being interrupted by the host.
Before Schiff could get his entire thought out, Maher interjected, saying, "Okay. Because that’s from Obama about Libya."
The full quote from the Obama administration is dated April 1, 2011. It comes from the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel: "The President had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force in Libya because he could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest."
The senator quickly shifted the conversation to Syria, saying former President Barack Obama initially argued he could "go into Syria without an authorization" from Congress until he and other officials pushed back.
"Ultimately, he did not go forward with going after [former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad], even though Assad was gassing his own people, because he thought he may lose the vote in Congress," Schiff explained.
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"But I respect the fact that — that was important to him, and the fact that he did not have the support of Congress meant that we weren't going to go forward."
Moving the conversation to President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran, Schiff asserted that "we are unquestionably at war now," and that America's Founding Fathers made the "extraordinary decision" to give war powers to Congress instead of the president.
He noted that Alexander Hamilton warned that presidents would grow "too fond of making war" if they had the ability to do so without congressional approval.
"After Venezuela, after the earlier Iran conflict, after bombing Nigeria and Iraq and Syria, [Trump's] grown too fond of this," he argued. "And Congress… needs to step up, assert its role, or it's going to be gone for good, and then anytime a president, for any reason, anywhere in the world, for any length of time — will feel free to make war. And that would be hugely dangerous for the country."
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On Thursday, the House of Representatives narrowly voted to allow Trump to continue Operation Epic Fury in Iran.
A bipartisan resolution led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., failed to pass after four Democrats joined most Republicans in sinking it, 212 to 219.
The legislation was aimed at blocking Trump from using the Armed Forces in the joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran, which would likely force the strikes to grind to a halt.
The Trump administration, as well as the majority of Republicans in Congress, have insisted that the president has acted within his authority so far and are hopeful he will continue to do so.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Tech company at odds with Pentagon warns its AI possibly gained consciousness, Elon Musk gives 2-word response
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a two-word retort after Anthropic leader Dario Amodei claimed in an interview that he isn’t sure if his company’s AI models have gained consciousness.
"Anthropic CEO says Claude may or may not have gained consciousness, as the model has begun showing symptoms of anxiety," read a post on X by cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, to which Musk replied, "He’s projecting."
The comment from Musk, who is also the founder of xAI, comes as Anthropic is at odds with the Pentagon over its use in a separate matter.
In an interview with The New York Times, Amodei, when asked about AI and consciousness, said, "We’ve taken a generally precautionary approach here," and, "We don’t know if the models are conscious."
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"We are not even sure that we know what it would mean for a model to be conscious or whether a model can be conscious. But we’re open to the idea that it could be," he continued.
"We’re putting a lot of work into this field called interpretability, which is looking inside the brains of the models to try to understand what they’re thinking. And you find things that are evocative, where there are activations that light up in the models that we see as being associated with the concept of anxiety or something like that. When characters experience anxiety in the text, and then when the model itself is in a situation that a human might associate with anxiety, that same anxiety neuron shows up," Amodei also told the Times.
The interview comes as the Trump administration is moving federal agencies away from Anthropic after the tech company pushed back against the War Department's usage of its tools.
The Pentagon has called for Anthropic to allow the Department of War to utilize the company's artificial intelligence product for "all lawful purposes," but Amodei has suggested the government could potentially use their product for "mass domestic surveillance" or "fully autonomous weapons," and that the company would not be willing to allow such use cases.
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President Donald Trump said last Friday, "The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY."
"Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels," Trump added on Truth Social.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later wrote on X, "In conjunction with the President's directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic's technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service."
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
'DWTS' finalist, Paralympian Amy Purdy was 'fighting for my life' with 2% survival odds at 19
Paralympic medalist and "Dancing with the Stars" finalist Amy Purdy says her life changed in a matter of hours at just 19 years old — when doctors told her she had less than a 2% chance of surviving a devastating illness.
Today, she’s sharing how she rebuilt her life after losing both legs below the knees in a new book aimed at helping others navigate life-altering setbacks.
In an exclusive on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, Purdy recalled the moment everything shifted.
"I was 19 years old when I lost both my legs below the knees to something called bacterial meningitis," Purdy said. "We have no idea how I got it. I was a massage therapist at the time. I was also a passionate snowboarder, and my goal was to travel the world and snowboard."
The "Bounce Forward" author explained how her health spiraled almost instantly.
"And then all of a sudden, I got sick one day," she said. "Within 24 hours, I was in the hospital on life support, where I was given less than a 2% chance of living, and it ended up being bacterial meningitis."
WATCH: ‘DWTS’ FINALIST, PARALYMPIAN AMY PURDY BEATS 2% ODDS AFTER LOSING LEGS
The infection triggered septic shock, leaving her body ravaged.
"I ended up fighting for my life. I lost both my legs below the knees to septic shock. I ended up losing my kidney function, my spleen, the hearing in my left ear — barely survived," Purdy said.
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For the then-teenager, whose identity revolved around snowboarding and adventure, survival meant starting over.
"I ended up, you know, having to figure out who I was again in the world and how I wanted to live my life and how to put one baby step in front of the other and eventually worked my way, not just back, but forward in a way that I never could have imagined," she said. "I ended up going further than I ever could have imagined … but it took a lot of steps to get there."
Those steps ultimately led Purdy to the Paralympic Games, where she medaled in snowboarding — and later to the ballroom stage on "Dancing with the Stars," where she competed alongside professional dancer Derek Hough.
But Purdy admitted the show brought a deeply personal challenge most viewers never realized.
WATCH: ‘DWTS’ FINALIST AMY PURDY TURNED FEAR INTO BREAKTHROUGH DURING COMPETITION
"When I went on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ I first of all had no idea if I'd be able to do it with two prosthetic legs," she said.
She initially turned down the opportunity because of a hurdle most dancers may take for granted.
"One of my biggest fears going on the show, and actually I originally said that I didn't want to do the show, was that I couldn't point my toes," Purdy said. "And that's so hard. I mean, as a dancer, you need to be able to point your toes."
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Because her prosthetic feet are fixed at a 90-degree angle, it seemed impossible — until she discovered a creative workaround.
"I remembered seeing these swimming feet in a magazine," she said, referring to prosthetics designed for swim flippers that allow toes to point.
"I was able to point my toes with these feet," Purdy said. "And it actually kind of healed something in me because I all of a sudden felt really feminine."
Moments like that, she said, helped her reconnect with parts of herself she believed had been lost after her illness.
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"There are these little kind of moments through ‘Dancing with the Stars’ that helped me find parts of myself that I thought I lost," she said. "Ultimately, they were always there."
Purdy opens up even further in her upcoming book, "Bounce Forward."
The book marks the first time she has shared in depth what happened after her early success — including moments when she had to rebuild yet again.
"I think the hardest chapter to write of this book was the first chapter, which was on grief," Purdy said.
That chapter revisits the painful period when doctors predicted a dramatically limited future.
"It was the beginning of the journey of injuring my leg and not knowing what I'd be able to do again and actually having the doctors tell me, 'You probably won't ever walk comfortably again. You probably won’t ever snowboard again,'" she said.
WATCH: ‘DWTS’ FINALIST AMY PURDY DETAILS PAINFUL CHAPTER IN ‘BOUNCE FORWARD’
At one point, she said, a surgeon offered a bleak outlook.
"I remember one surgeon saying, ‘Well, hopefully you'll walk to the end of your driveway and get your mail out of the mailbox one day,’" Purdy recalled.
But Purdy pushed back — reminding doctors who she was.
"I had to … beg and, like, tell him who I was," she said. "Like, 'No, I'm a competitive athlete. I snowboard seven hours a day. I did "Dancing with the Stars." I work out every day. I walk through airports. I’m so active.’ And he was like, 'I don't think you're gonna be able to do this stuff again.'"
"So, writing that first chapter and just going back to those feelings of loss of my identity and of who I thought I was, that was one of the hardest times in my life and one of the hardest chapters to write," she said.
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Through "Bounce Forward," Purdy hopes to help others rethink how they approach life’s obstacles.
Rather than trying to "bounce back" to the person they once were, the book encourages readers to move forward into something new. It outlines 21 tools Purdy developed through her own journey of loss, reinvention and recovery.
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After beating the 2% survival odds and rebuilding her life from the ground up, the Paralympian is sharing a grit-built game plan for resilience in her new book.
"For somebody who's reading this, who thinks they're starting over again, what I would want them to hear is, ‘Yes, you can start over again,’" Purdy told Fox News Digital. "And you can rebuild and transform yourself over and over again."
"Life isn't about having everything perfectly together," she added. "It's about being able to live in the best way you can, even if you're faced with adversity… So, every day you have a chance to wake up and decide how you're going to live your life. And I hope that this book helps people do that."
"Bounce Forward" is available for pre-order and will officially release on April 14.
Kyle Pitts blasts ‘fake emotion’ from NFL players who skipped Rondale Moore’s celebration of life
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Atlanta Falcons star Kyle Pitts called out the former teammates of Rondale Moore, who tragically died last month from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, after he said only a handful of them showed up to his celebration of life services on Friday.
Moore, 25, was found dead in the garage of his Indiana home on Feb. 21. Police said at the time that the former NFL receiver died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. News of Moore’s death prompted an outpouring of support from around the league and from those who knew Moore.
But Pitts, who became close with Moore after he was traded to the Falcons in 2024, called out what he called the "fake emotion" that was displayed in the wake of Moore’s passing.
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"Crazy how only about 6 maybe 7 of your teammates in the NFL showed up for you today smfh," he wrote in a post shared to his Instagram Stories. "All that talk and fake emotion and nobody want to show up to lay you to rest.. Just at a loss of words.
"Be woke on who your ‘brothers’ really are, who really rock with you all areas of life not just in front of cameras or the public," he continued, adding "Folks just want to throw up a post and not mean it but we ball yb as Kur said, ‘it might hurt a little’ but we ball."
Moore was a standout football player in college for Purdue. The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played three seasons in Arizona from 2021 to 2023. He was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 but suffered a season-ending injury.
NFL WIDE RECEIVER RONDALE MOORE DEAD AT 25
He joined the Minnesota Vikings in March 2025 and suffered a season-ending injury in a preseason game.
Pitts shared an emotional post about Moore on social media after learning of his death.
"This can’t be real dawg," he wrote after sharing a carousel of photos on Instagram. "I’m really sitting here crying on even what to say or think bruh."
"We literally was just on the phone yesterday morning. I’m so hurt dawg, I’d never thought I’d be making this type of post let alone it be about you! Rondale, you’re truly aqt peace now watching over us but I wish you didn't leave us man. I love you dawg and 4 is going to live on forever."
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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