Fox News Latest Headlines
Keir Starmer reportedly considering stepping down as PM and could announce timetable for departure
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly considering stepping down and could announce a timetable for his departure as early as Monday, according to a report published Saturday.
Britain's Observer newspaper reported that Starmer was discussing his future with his wife at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision.
The outlet reported that senior Labour Party figures expect a statement addressing his future as early as next week.
A government source told Reuters that Starmer remains focused on governing and pointed to previous comments in which he vowed to remain in office.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the prime minister's office for comment.
Pressure on Starmer has been building for months amid growing dissatisfaction within his party and concerns over the government's handling of the economy and cost-of-living issues.
The political threat to Starmer intensified Friday after rival Andy Burnham won a seat in Parliament, positioning him to mount a formal leadership challenge.
Starmer congratulated Burnham following the victory, writing on X that voters, "chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate."
When asked about Burnham's apparent ambitions to replace him, Starmer insisted he intends to remain in office.
"I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that," Starmer said.
UK’S STARMER JUGGLES TROUBLE AT HOME AS HE WALKS GEOPOLITICAL TIGHTROPE WITH TRUMP
Starmer has led the Labour Party since 2020 and became prime minister in 2024.
Calls for his resignation intensified last month, with more than 100 Labour lawmakers publicly urging him to step aside or set out a timetable for his departure. Several parliamentary aides also resigned in protest.
The internal revolt followed a series of disappointing local election results for Labour, which lost hundreds of council seats across England, surrendered long-held ground in Wales and fell behind political rivals in Scotland.
Starmer's popularity has also declined amid a persistently high cost of living, sluggish economic growth and criticism over his acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors.
Fox News Digital's James Cirrone and Emma Bussey, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Jazz Chisholm explains why he still won't wear a cup after fouling a pitch into his own groin
Men around the country are still wincing from the sight of New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. fouling a pitch straight into his own groin.
It was bad enough that Chisholm had to leave the game, and it left many wondering why he wasn't wearing a cup to protect himself.
Well, now we have an answer.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Yankees beat writer Gary Philips shared some quotes from Chisholm explaining why he wasn't a cup guy before taking a foul ball to the cojones, and why he isn't going to be a cup guy moving forward.
Chisholm said that the pain level was a "million," and that, "If you ever got hit in the testicles, you would know."
Most males reading this just nodded at that statement.
But Chisholm revealed that despite cups being mandatory in the minor leagues, he still skipped them and will continue to because he trusts his own defensive abilities.
"I've never worn a cup," he said. "I've never been hit in the balls. That was just unlucky."
Now, there are times when I wonder why men don't wear cups all the time just for some peace of mind (I feel that way about helmets too). You wouldn't regret not wearing a cup until the moment you're at a cookout and a rogue volleyball puts you in shambles.
But I also like that Chisholm trusts himself to react and protect the boys. I've always said that a fairly significant part of a man's life is devoted to protecting his lower anatomy.
You're ever vigilant, trying to steer clear of anything that could leave you doubled over on the ground, and spouting off every expletive you know and several others you didn't realize you knew.
Waist-high branches, table corners, projectiles, bicycle seats, even a pet jumping in your lap when you're not ready.
Chisholm is self-aware enough to know where his self-preservation reflexes stand, and I respect that.
But if he takes another foul ball to the lower area of his body, he might want to start rethinking that stance on cups.
H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Australia for the first time, meaning virus has now reached every continent
The first case of H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in Australia, meaning the virus has now found its way to every continent.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the virus was found in a single seabird, a brown skua, near Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia, in Cape Le Grand National Park.
Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it was "responding as part of a nationally coordinated plan with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and stakeholders across [Western Australia] to reduce the impact of this disease."
The outbreak in the U.S. has left millions of birds dead and has caused grocery store hikes and shortages, most notably with eggs.
BIRD FLU UPTICK IN US HAS CDC ON ALERT FOR PANDEMIC 'RED FLAGS': REPORT
The spread to humans is rare.
"We all knew we couldn't be bird flu-free forever," Australia’s federal Agricultural Secretary Julie Collins said in a press conference on Saturday.
Jackie Jarvis, Western Australia’s agricultural minister, said in a press conference on Friday: "As a result of WA’s established early detection system, appropriate action was taken, including isolating the bird and collecting samples for testing."
HUNDREDS OF WILD BIRD DEATHS REPORTED ACROSS 7 COUNTIES PROMPTING PARK CLOSURES
She added, "this shows that Australia’s and Western Australia’s preparedness measures have worked. We are pleased to see the surveillance, and reporting system working as intended, with the bird reported through to DPIRD for further investigation."
By Saturday, Jarvis said further testing confirmed the strain that she said was consistent with bird flu found in the remote Australian territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, which devastated the wildlife there.
Last year, around 13,000 of a population of 17,000 elephant seal pups died there in just a few months after being exposed.
The islands are wildlife sanctuaries.
"Importantly, there have been no detections in poultry and there is no evidence of mass mortality," Jarvis said of the mainland case.
A second case of another migratory bird is also suspected near Esperance.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Pope Leo sends unmistakable message on immigrants during visit honoring America's first saint
Pope Leo XIV used a visit Saturday honoring St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first American saint and patron saint of immigrants, to deliver his latest appeal on behalf of them, asking Catholics to look to her example at a time when migration remains one of the defining issues of his emerging papacy.
The remarks came as Leo continues to make migration a central focus of his public ministry, a position that has sparked months of public friction with President Donald Trump over immigration and foreign policy.
"What could be more relevant today than a missionary charism dedicated to serving migrants?" Leo said during an evening prayer service in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, the northern Italian town where Cabrini was born.
The American-born pope prayed at Cabrini's tomb and urged young Catholics to learn from the saint's life of serving immigrants, many of whom had left their homelands in search of better opportunities.
But Leo also invoked his predecessor, Pope Francis, whose own papacy was defined in part by calls to welcome migrants.
"Let us ask ourselves: if Mother Francesca were alive today, what would her missionary spirit tell her?" Leo said. "And what would a pope like Francis — who, as the son of Italian immigrants, made service to migrants one of the key priorities of his pontificate — ask of her?"
The comments are the latest in a series of migration-focused appearances that have helped define Leo's first year as pope.
POPE LEO APPOINTS PRO-IMMIGRATION BISHOP TO DIOCESE HOME TO TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO
Last week, Leo traveled to Spain's Canary Islands, a major destination for migrants departing West Africa, where he met migrants and called for greater efforts to welcome and integrate people fleeing hardship and conflict.
During that trip, Leo urged world leaders to create "legal and safe pathways" for migration and warned against reducing migrants to statistics.
Leo's migration advocacy has frequently drawn criticism from Trump, who has accused the pontiff of venturing into politics and sharply disagreed with some of his comments on immigration and foreign affairs.
The public disagreements have become one of the most closely watched relationships between the Vatican and Washington during Leo's papacy.
INCLUSIVE TONE OF NEW POPE ISN'T SITTING WELL WITH SOME IN THE 'AMERICA FIRST' MOVEMENT
Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to meet with Vatican officials and Italian leaders during a period of heightened tensions between the Holy See and the Trump administration.
Leo has rejected suggestions that his remarks are political attacks, arguing instead that his appeals stem from Catholic teaching on human dignity, peace and care for vulnerable people.
Saturday's visit centered on Cabrini, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen and spent decades serving Italian immigrants through schools, hospitals and orphanages before her death in Chicago in 1917.
The Vatican has also announced that Leo will travel to the Italian island of Lampedusa on July 4, a date likely to draw attention in the United States given the pope's American roots.
Lampedusa has become one of Europe's most recognizable migration flashpoints because of the thousands of migrants who attempt dangerous crossings from North Africa each year. The island also carries symbolic importance within the Catholic Church because it was the destination of Pope Francis' first trip outside Rome after becoming pope in 2013.
Fox News Digital's Eric Mack and Robert McGreevy, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Angel Reese opens up on singing Black National Anthem while Fever fans booed her
Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese was seen singing the Black National Anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the home of Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever earlier on Thursday, just ahead of Juneteenth.
Reese addressed the singing after her team beat the Fever for the second straight game on Saturday, referencing how the Fever fans booed her in Indiana two days earlier.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
"It was just one in the moment of where I was, and how it felt, and how it hit, and the things that I've had to experience the last couple years, and they haven't always been great," Reese told reporters Saturday.
"It's not supposed to be easy, but I am very, very grateful for this opportunity to be a Black woman, it's a privilege... being where I was, hearing the loud boos when I was in the arena, and then when I heard 'Lift Every Voice,' it just made me feel like, this is for the ones that walked for me."
Reese also answered a question about representing "Black culture" in Atlanta.
"Those young girls, those young boys out there, when they see a Black girl being able to run up and down the court and just have this life and have this experience, I think it's really important. Representation is important, for me to use my voice, for me to use my platform, I'll never stay silent for things I believe in," Reese said.
"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is often referred to as the Black National Anthem. The NAACP says the hymn began as a poem written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, with music composed by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson. A choir of 500 schoolchildren first performed it publicly in Jacksonville, Florida, for a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
The song has also been part of WNBA Juneteenth programming in recent years. The NBA said in 2021 that WNBA teams would play "Lift Every Voice and Sing" in arenas during Juneteenth celebrations, alongside other league social justice initiatives.
Reese has previously accused Clark's fans of "racism" during the first episode of Reese's podcast in September 2024.
"I think it's really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it's very disrespectful. I think there's a lot of racism when it comes to it," Reese said.
WNBA INVESTIGATION FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF HATEFUL COMMENTS TOWARD ANGEL REESE
"Multiple occasions, people have made AI-images of me naked. They have sent it to my family members. My family members are like uncles, sending it to me like, ‘Are you naked on Instagram?'"
In May of last year, after the Fever and Reese's old team, the Chicago Sky, faced off in the first game of the season in Indiana, the WNBA launched a probe into alleged racist behavior by Fever fans, but the league found no evidence. Still, Reese seemed to acknowledge the allegations anyway after the game.
"Obviously, there's no place in this league for that," Reese said at that time. "I think the WNBA and our team and our organization has done a great job supporting me. ... Going through this whole process, if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone."
Now, Reese's latest comments come during a high-profile week for Reese, Clark and the WNBA, as two of the league’s most-watched players met twice in three days.
Atlanta defeated Indiana 108-101 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, with Reese posting 21 points and 11 rebounds and Clark scoring 26 points in the loss. The Dream followed with a 113-96 win over the Fever at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday, a game in which Clark again led Indiana with 26 points.
Saturday’s win also gave Reese a league milestone. The 6-foot-4 forward became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, doing so in her 79th game, 10 games faster than Tina Charles. Reese finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds as Atlanta improved to 11-4 and Indiana dropped to 9-7.
The Dream acquired Reese from the Chicago Sky in April in exchange for Atlanta’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2028. The trade brought the two-time WNBA All-Star and 2023 national champion to an Atlanta team coming off what the franchise called a historic 2025 season.
Reese and Clark have been linked since their college careers, most notably after LSU defeated Iowa 102-85 in the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship game. That matchup drew 9.9 million viewers, then the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record.
James Burrows, legendary Hollywood director behind 'Cheers,' 'Friends' and 'Will & Grace,' dies at 85
Beloved Hollywood director James Burrows died Friday at the age of 85.
Burrows' family confirmed the actor's death in a statement to People magazine, The Associated Press reported, saying they are celebrating "the extraordinary life and enduring legacy" of the director who "passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family."
"For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history," the statement read. "As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world."
The statement then highlighted his "unparalleled career." He directed over "1,000 episodes of television and was instrumental in creating some of the most iconic series ever produced."
'CHEERS' STAR GEORGE WENDT'S CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED
Often referred to as the "king of the multi-cam sitcom," Burrows had his big break in the industry when he directed episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," which led to him becoming one of the principal directors of "Taxi," which earned him his first two Emmy Awards.
He then went on to co-create the hit sitcom "Cheers" and directed all but 35 of the 275 episodes of the show. His work on the show earned him six Emmy Awards throughout its run.
"But beyond his remarkable achievements, Burrows will be remembered for something even greater: his kindness, generosity, and unwavering belief in the people around him," the statement continued. "He possessed a rare ability to make everyone better and was known for remembering every person he met by name, making colleagues at every level feel seen, valued, and appreciated."
Burrows also directed the pilot and key episodes of "Friends" and every episode of "Will & Grace" and was one of Hollywood's most sought-after sitcom directors, who worked on "Two and a Half Men," "The Big Band Theory," "Two Broke Girls," "Frasier" and many others.
"Burrows understood that great comedy was never simply about laughter. It was about humanity, connection, and truth. That understanding became the foundation of a career that forever changed television," his family wrote in their statement to People. "His influence will continue to be felt for generations through the countless artists he inspired, the stories he helped tell, and the millions of people whose lives were brightened by his work.
"Above all else, Burrows was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather," the statement concluded. "He is survived by his beloved wife, Debbie, his four daughters, and his seven grandchildren. He will be profoundly missed and forever remembered. Our thoughts are with Debbie, his children and grandchildren, his family, friends, collaborators, and all those whose lives he touched. May his memory be a blessing."
Throughout his career, Burrows earned 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors' Guild Awards and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2006.
Upon learning of his death, many actors who worked with him throughout their careers, including Jennifer Aniston and Debra Messing, paid tribute to Burrows on social media.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Messing shared a series of photos from their time together on "Will & Grace" on Instagram, and, in the caption, called him "A singular talent and revolutionary in television."
"I can’t express the pain of his loss, and I know that is true for everyone who was lucky enough to be loved by him," she wrote in part. "Jimmy changed my life 28 years ago and has been in my life ever since. He had a dry sense of humor but exploded in laughter when he orchestrated comic moments that landed. I wanted his laughs most of all."
Aniston, who he directed on "Friends," referred to him as "Papa Burrows" in her Instagram tribute, adding, "The hardest thing about writing this is that you spent a lifetime making people feel loved, and now it feels impossible to put all of that love into a few paragraphs.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
"He was a father figure to me. He always checked in on me," she wrote in part. "He worried about me, celebrated me, taught me, guided me, and held me through the hardest times and the best of times. He spoiled us rotten. Most of all, he taught us—the kids—how important it is to love and respect one another. To take care of each other. To have each other’s backs and support each other, no matter what. And we did just that."
Burrows is survived by his wife, Debbie, who he married in 1997, and his four daughters, Katherine, Margaret and Ellie, who he shared with his first wife, Linda Solomon, and Paris, who is Debbie's daughter from a previous relationship. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren.
Former Olympian among those charged with vandalizing Reflecting Pool; Trump says basin must be drained: report
Multiple people have been arrested this weekend after allegedly vandalizing the newly refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, prompting a strong response from President Donald Trump and an increase in security at the site.
In a statement on Truth Social Saturday night, Trump announced "many additional people" have been arrested after suspects "took some form of knife or blade, and put a 250-foot-long gash into the beautiful facade of what took so much work, competence, and money to build and complete."
The president also alleged suspects "poured corrosive and destructive chemicals" into the basin.
"It hasn’t looked or worked like this since 1922, when it was originally built, but even then, it leaked badly, and didn’t work," Trump wrote in the post. "Ours worked perfectly, including the mirror like finish, perfectly reflecting the two Great Monuments, which it never had before! What these terrible Vandals have done is a true affront to both Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and should be dealt with accordingly."
TRUMP SAYS VANDALS USED CHEMICALS TO DAMAGE NEWLY RENOVATED REFLECTING POOL NEAR LINCOLN MEMORIAL
Trump said administration officials met with contractors Saturday and will likely need to drain "much of the water" in order to do the necessary repairs.
It is unclear if the contractors mentioned are the same ones initially employed to carry out the renovations.
"[We] will have them done as quickly as possible," the president wrote. "What they have damaged does not even include the earlier killing of a large amount of grass which was, by far, the least of it.
"… The Reflecting Pool was never so beautiful as it was just one week ago, even going back to 1922 when it opened. We are very proud of what we have done with this magnificent structure, and we will get it repaired, quickly, to an equal level of Beauty."
The announcement came as the administration faces scrutiny over peeling paint and algae growth just weeks after a $14.8 million restoration project was completed.
While Trump did not specify who was responsible for the alleged gash in the lining and subsequent peeling, multiple arrests were documented over the weekend by local reporters.
TRUMP TAKES MOTORCADE INTO REFLECTING POOL, BLASTS PAST ‘$38M DISASTER’ FIX UNDER OBAMA
Journalist Emily Miller posted a two-minute video on X Friday showing a man in lime green racing gear questioning a National Guardsman before being handcuffed by U.S. Park Police.
The Washington Post later identified the man in Miller's video as David Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympian who was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property.
Hearn told the outlet he had just finished a 52-mile bike ride when he noticed a "partially detached piece" of the new pool liner and "reached into the water to see what it felt like."
The Bethesda, Maryland, native told The Associated Press he owned a company that made composite used to build watercraft.
While Miller claimed in her post that Hearn "grabbed" a hose that National Park Service workers were using to remediate algae growth, Hearn told The Washington Post the hose "may" only have been touched by his bike tire.
"I didn’t vandalize anything," Hearn told the outlet.
Hearn, who was arrested in 1996 on charges of canoeing on the Potomac River but later had them dropped, said, "I didn’t destroy, break or peel anything. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already being handcuffed."
Miller reported that seven people were detained Friday and five people were detained Saturday in separate incidents, which has led to a major security surge.
In an earlier Truth Social post Saturday, Trump questioned, "Who would do such a thing?"
"These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments," the president wrote. "Years in jail! Work will begin immediately on its repair."
The White House, U.S. Park Police and Miller did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News Digital's Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
Cowboy-hatted Swedish World Cup fan should be Buc-ee’s next spokesman after singing its praises on local TV
Swedish soccer fans descended on Texas this week to watch their team take on the Netherlands in the World Cup.
And, of course, a trip to Texas leads to some discoveries, including one big, beaver-mascotted gas station.
That's right: Buc-ee's.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
And if the brisket-slingin' convenience store chain needs a new spokesperson — a human one — I think we may have found the guy.
Houston's KHOU was chatting with World Cup fans, something most local news stations have realized is usually gold, Jerry.
One reporter decided to ask a Sweden supporter about his cowboy hat, and wound up getting a Buc-ee's commercial.
"From Buc-ee's!" the fan said when asked where he got his Texas-sized lid. "So go, Buc-ee's. Great place. I love the beef jerky. We love the cowboy style!"
Of all the things the rest of the world has discovered about America in the last week and a half, nothing seems to shatter brains quite like Buc-ee's.
I mean, it shatters American brains. The first time I walked in, my head was spinning. There were cartoon beavers everywhere, brisket sandwiches far better than any gas station should be able to produce, and a bar of jerky (and a wall of jerky next to it for the impatient or antisocial). They even sold artwork in the immaculate bathrooms!
FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE
Now, imagine coming from Linköping or Malmö, where you've never seen a soda cup bigger than 20 oz., and wandering into Buc-ee's.
Yeah, I'd buy a cowboy hat and start shilling for them on television too.
Unfortunately for this Swedish fan and his pals, it was a rough day for the team. The Dutch put on an absolute show and annihilated them 5-1 to take control of Group F.
Well, maybe on the way back to his hotel he can swing by Buc-ee's and drown his sorrows in a Texas cheesesteak burrito.
Counterterrorism officials investigating after suspect goes on rampage in alleged hate attack: report
Counterterrorism officials are investigating after a suspect allegedly went on a rampage in Scotland, leaving five men injured.
The attacks, which are believed to have been anti-Muslim, began near a mosque in Edinburgh where two men were injured just before 9 p.m. Friday, officials said, according to BBC News.
The suspect, who is a 36-year-old Scottish man, also allegedly attacked three other men in another part of the city.
None of the victims, who range in age from 22 to 39, have life-threatening injuries. Three of the victims were taken to hospitals.
The suspect also allegedly attacked a car at a gas station, which was found with its windows smashed out and an axe inside, and he was seen pushing down shelves inside the station’s market, BBC News reported.
He was also caught on surveillance video allegedly on the attack outside a pizzeria with a weapon, the outlet reported, adding that social media videos show havoc in other areas of the city as well.
"Officers responded to multiple reports of a fast-moving sequence of events across Edinburgh before arresting a man, and public safety was our priority," Police Scotland said in a statement.
UK COUNTERTERRORISM POLICE PROBE ANTISEMITIC ARSON ATTACK AS IRAN-LINKED GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY
The man was taken into custody around 9:30 p.m., and he remains there.
"This was a shocking attack, and my first thoughts are with those who were injured and most directly affected," Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said.
"I want to send a clear message of support to all our communities that there is no place for racism or faith-based hate in a Scotland which is at its best when we stand together."
The suspect allegedly told police when he was caught that he was "protecting the country," BBC News reported.
"Extensive work is ongoing to establish all the circumstances," Paton said. "We are being supported by Counter Terrorism Policing and working under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
The Muslim Council of Britain condemned the attack, saying the community is "rightly nervous and worried."
"This incident comes not long after racist pogroms on the streets of Belfast that targeted minority families and is a direct consequence of political rhetoric that demonises entire communities," the council added. "To our community: stay vigilant, look out for one another, and please report any Islamophobic hate crimes to the police.
Popular beaches closed as high bacteria levels raise health concerns for swimmers
Officials in several states are warning beachgoers to check local water quality advisories before swimming this summer.
Elevated bacteria levels have prompted beach closures and health alerts in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington state.
Last summer, the Environment America Research & Policy Center reported that "61% of U.S. beaches had potentially unsafe contamination levels in 2024."
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Beaches can be contaminated with fecal matter from urban runoff and sewage overflows and by unhealthy pathogens from factory farms, the center said.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) warned people that swimming is not recommended at Backbone Beach, Pine Lake South Beach, Geode Lake Beach, Union Grove Beach, Pleasant Creek Beach and Nine Eagles Beach due to elevated E. coli levels.
E. coli is normally harmless and "part of a healthy intestinal tract," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But certain strains can cause serious health problems for some people, such as the very young, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
The Iowa DNR maintains a beach-monitoring page online where it reports the status of beaches as "OK for swimming, swimming not recommended, beach closed, insufficient data or special status."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Massachusetts officials closed several beaches to swimming this month due to high bacteria levels, toxic blue-green algae and other concerns. They include: Damon Pond Beach, both beaches at Cliff Pond, Cochituate State Park, College Pond, both Fearings Pond beaches, Forest River and Juniper Point, NBC Boston reported.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health maintains an Interactive Beach Water Quality Dashboard with data updated hourly throughout the beach season.
Earlier this week, Fox Weather reported that high fecal bacterial levels prompted health officials to issue swimming advisories at eight beaches and lakes: Ferry and Bay, Baywyn and Bay, Wildwood and Bay, Cedar Point Beach, Beachwood Beach West, Mirror Lake, Sleepy Lagoon and Vernon Valley Lake. Officials closed Beesley’s Point Beach.
Washington state’s official beach advisory map cautions that "increased levels of bacteria are present, and a swimming advisory is issued by a local health department" at Freeland County Park/ Holmes Harbor, Walker County Park, Squaxin Park, Little Squalicum Park, West Bay Park and Thea Foss Waterway. Several of these water advisories are listed as "permanent."
Lake Meridian Park is also closed because of high bacteria levels, the City of Kent announced.
Symptoms of E. coli infection can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever. Severe cases may lead to dehydration, according to the CDC.