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More than 15,000 US flights have now been disrupted by America’s massive winter storm
The massive winter storm set to hit states across the country has caused more than 15,000 flight disruptions as Americans brace for snow, ice and low temperatures.
As of 5:40 a.m. on Saturday, the website FlightAware.com, which provides real-time data on flight disruptions, noted that nearly 10,000 flights had been canceled through Monday with another 5,000 being delayed.
American Airlines has seen the brunt of the disruptions on Saturday, with 822 flight cancellations and 30 delays, according to FlightAware. Southwest Airlines was shown to be the second most impacted airline with 571 cancellations and 33 delays, followed by Delta Airlines with 165 cancellations and 33 delays. United Airlines is the least impacted of the four, but still has 150 cancellations and 45 delays.
FEMA PREPARATIONS FOR ‘MASSIVE WINTER STORM’ SET TO IMPACT MORE THAN 30 STATES REVEALED IN MEMO
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Saturday reported airport closures across the country, including Harry Reid International Airport, John Wayne Airport and San Diego International Airport. Meanwhile, weather and air traffic professionals are hard at work monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of air travelers across the country.
In a video released by the agency on social media, Air Traffic Watch Officer Joshua Jennings explained the efforts taken to ensure safety, including snow removal and the de-icing of aircraft. Additionally, the FAA is urging Americans to check its website for updates on airport information.
CRUZ BACK IN TEXAS AFTER PHOTO OF HIM BOARDING PLANE SPARKS BACKLASH AHEAD OF WINTER STORM
This weekend's historic winter storm spans over 2,300 miles with weather alerts as far west as New Mexico sweeping across the country to Maine. More than 190 million Americans are under some type of winter weather alert, breaking the record for the most number of U.S. counties simultaneously under a Winter Storm Warning, FOX Weather reported.
On Friday, the National Weather Service (NSW) urged Americans in the storm's path to take it seriously, advising that individuals should "avoid travel if at all possible."
President Donald Trump shared the NWS message on Truth Social and said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was ready to respond.
"I have been briefed on the record cold wave and historic winter storm that will be hitting much of the United States this weekend. The Trump Administration is coordinating with state and local officials. FEMA is fully prepared to respond," Trump wrote, adding, "Stay safe and stay warm!"
'Well-preserved' 5,000-year-old dog buried with bone dagger unearthed in ancient bog
Archaeologists have unearthed an "exceptionally well-preserved" dog skeleton from the Stone Age — laid to rest alongside a 5,000-year-old dagger.
The discovery, announced by Arkeologerna, a Swedish archaeological consultancy, is centered around a site near Järna, southwest of Stockholm.
Arkeologerna worked with its parent organization, Sweden's National Historical Museums (SHM), during the excavation, which took place ahead of railway construction last fall.
SCIENTISTS SHATTER TIMELINE OF HUMAN FIRE-MAKING WITH 400,000-YEAR-OLD DISCOVERY IN ENGLAND
"Several thousand years ago, the 3,500-square-meter [37,700-square-feet] area looked very different," the release said.
"At that time, the bog was a shimmering lake used for fishing."
The dog was "deliberately" deposited with the bone dagger, which officials said was just under 10 inches long and was finely polished.
It was likely made from elk or red deer bone.
Officials described the dog as a "large and powerful male." He was between three and six years old when he died.
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Archaeologists believe the dog was placed in a bag or container with stones and deposited about 100 to 130 feet out into the lake.
Linus Hagberg, project manager of the excavation, told Fox News Digital his team is still in the process of analyzing the remains, which they hoped would shed light on when the dog lived and what he ate.
"Dog burials from early Neolithic times are very rare," said Hagberg.
"A couple of thousand years earlier, during the Mesolithic, dog burials appear on burial grounds and on settlements, but they were not common in those days either."
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Researchers believe that the dog's skull was crushed when it died, as opposed to being crushed during the burial.
The bones survived the millennia because they were deposited in water — and Hagberg described their good condition as "rare as well."
"The most surprising and unexpected event [of the excavation] was the finding of the deposited dog remains," he said. "Without a doubt."
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He also said that, while it's impossible to describe the dog in terms of modern breeds, the dog was "relatively large, with broad jaws and big teeth."
The discovery comes less than a year after archaeologists found another well-preserved dog burial from ancient Rome.
Archaeologist Arne Verbrugge told Fox News Digital that the burial, which was found in Belgium, was preserved "quite well," thanks to the calcareous sandstone under which it was buried.
DAVID MARCUS: From borders to bombs, 5 times Trump defied experts in Year 1
Donald Trump’s second first year in the presidency will go down in history as one of the most eventful in our nation’s first 250 years, largely because time and again he made experts who doubted his methods look like fools.
For decades, at least since the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, we have seen presidents as caretakers of our democracy, not as drivers of it, but Trump, seeing the caustic caution of a Congress which couldn’t pass a bill to decide where to have lunch, has acted.
These actions have paid dividends, loath though the legacy media is to admit it, and they are reasons to be excited about what his next three years may hold.
ONE YEAR BACK IN THE OVAL OFFICE, TRUMP WHITE HOUSE SAYS EVERY MAJOR CAMPAIGN PROMISE DELIVERED
I’ll give you five examples where the experts said Trump was out of his mind, but, in reality, it all worked out fine.
Prior to Trump taking office, Democrats had assured the American people that the border could not be closed without congressional action, and the experts gravely agreed.
DAVID MARCUS: TRUMP UNDERSTANDS THAT SAFETY IS FOR EVERY CITIZEN, NOT JUST THE LUCKY FEW
"A president doesn't have the unilateral authority to shut down the border," insisted Alberto Benitez, director of the Immigration Clinic at George Washington University Law School, in 2024, for example.
That has simply, and objectively turned out to be false. According to Customs and Border Protection, there have been seven straight months of zero illegal immigrants being released into the country, not 1,000, not 100, but zero.
The border is shut. It's actually incredible, but too often when an incredible thing happens we just accept it as the norm, as if it's always been. No. Trump made that happen.
MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS BECOME THE 'PUNISHER-IN-CHIEF'
On "Liberation Day," as Trump dubbed it, in the spring of last year, tariffs went through the roof on almost every nation and the stock market tanked immediately, with pundits predicting the president’s approval ratings would tank just as quickly.
On every TV network and in every serious financial journal we were told that soon stock brokers would be selling apples on the street corner from carts in black-and-white photographs.
DAVID MARCUS: WHY TRUMP'S MAJOR TRIUMPHS WILL OUTLAST HIS POLLING DIP
"This is a disaster, and anyone who says otherwise is lying," the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted on X, back then.
In fact, Trump’s "yuge" tariffs were an opening position, and about four gazillion trade deals have been accomplished as a result. Like those deals or not, the stock market today is at record highs, and everyone on Wall Street is still in color.
Critics of Trump, from both the left and the right, warned that if he were to attack Iran, it could unleash unrest in the Middle East and perhaps even World War III!
LIZ PEEK: TRUMP IS PUTTING AMERICA FIRST BY BACKING IRAN INTO A CORNER
Ryan Crocker, a distinguished chair in diplomacy and security at RAND, said prior to the strike, "…it is unlikely that air power alone will eliminate Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons," adding, "Perhaps the U.S. force would persuade Iran to agree to such restrictions. If not, it will broaden the conflict and deepen Iranian determination to acquire nuclear weapons, whatever the cost."
Once again, Trump was right and the experts were wrong.
What actually happened was that the U.S. military, under the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, neutralized that very nuclear program that Barack Obama and his buddies wanted to contain through appeasement.
Now, Iran’s murderous regime is on the brink of destruction because Trump refused to listen to the experts.
The murder rate in Washington, D.C. dropped 40% last year, second only to Denver at 41%. For almost half of that year, President Trump had the National Guard deployed to protect the city and its citizens.
But what did the experts say at the time about the use of the National Guard?
DAVID MARCUS: SECURE BORDER BRINGS PLUMMETING OVERDOSE DEATHS, BUT DON'T EXPECT TRUMP TO GET CREDIT
David Kennedy, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, had this to say, "When communities don’t feel they’re being policed properly, they stop helping. It’s very common for what’s seen as illegitimate policing to result in spikes of violence. And I’m very concerned about that in this instance."
The experts insisted that the Guard wasn't even in the areas where most crime occurred, but Trump who witnessed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s miraculous anti-crime transformation of Gotham in the 1990s knew better.
According to The Trace, improvement was immediate, "From August 11 to October 11 — the first two months of Trump’s takeover — 41 people were shot in Washington, 10 of them fatally. That’s a 62 percent drop in the number of shootings over the same period last year."
The Trump administration’s broken-windows policing is working. And everybody knows it.
DAVID MARCUS: HOW MANY AMERICAN LIVES HAS TRUMP'S BORDER MIRACLE ALREADY SAVED?
Whether it was Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Sean Duffy, or Pam Bondi, almost all of Trump's cabinet picks, save maybe Marco Rubio, because everyone likes Rubio, were viewed by critics on the left as sycophantic wannabes who had no business in their roles.
Jonathan Hanson, a political scientist and lecturer in statistics at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, said a year ago, "We're in untested waters," going on to say, "It's true that people's standards have shifted, but the question is, when does it really cross a line?"
REBECCA GRANT: TRUMP’S 8 BIGGEST NATIONAL SECURITY WINS OF 2025
In practice, Trump’s Cabinet has been one of the most effective and cohesive cabinets in modern history and has delivered on several successes for the president, as listed above. Not only that, but televised, hours-long, cabinet meetings have kept Americans quite informed about what they are actually doing.
The expert class demanded that those of their own fill these coveted slots and basically make sure that nothing changes very much, even if they use big words to pretend it will.
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That’s not how Trump rolls, at least not in his second term.
The American people must hope that the Trump administration continues to confound the expert class, and the Davos conglomerates of too skinny billionaires.
The experts are on tap for Trump as they should be, but they are not on top. Instead, on top are the interests of America, and time and again, on that score, he always seems to prove the experts wrong.
Virginia Democrats blasted for threatening historic military college VMI with funding threat over DEI concerns
Virginia Democrats in the state’s House of Delegates introduced a resolution on Tuesday that would establish a task force to investigate the Virginia Military Institute and determine if the historic military college should continue to receive funding.
The move is the latest of Virginia Democrats’ efforts to reinvigorate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy in the state after much of the DEI mandates and policies were revoked after President Donald Trump was elected in 2024.
"This takes away from VMI, takes away from its mission," Virginia Republican Congressman Rob Wittman told Fox News Digital. "I think that it's harmful to the Commonwealth of Virginia, harmful to VMI as an institution, harmful to all the incredible military leaders and community leaders that have come out of VMI."
"It's just reprehensible that they would even go down this road," Wittman added. "But, it seems to be what's happening in Richmond."
Wittman, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, represents the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula and parts of the Peninsula of Virginia. He attended Virginia Tech University and was a member of the core of cadets, which he says had a friendly rivalry with VMI.
VMI was founded in 1839, making it the oldest public senior military college in the country. VMI has had several notable graduates, including sitting Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, and Lt. Gen. John "Dan" Caine, Trump’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Wittman was not the only member of Congress who voiced concerns about the potential Democratic-driven demise of the nation’s first state-funded military college.
TOM HOMAN VOWS TO WORK AROUND NEW DEM VA GOV SPANBERGER'S EXECUTIVE ORDER ENDING ICE COOPERATION
Congressman Pat Fallon, R-TX, also serves on the House Armed Services Committee and pointed to newly elected Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger as the culprit of the threat to VMI.
"Less than a month in office as governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger has shown a commitment to turning the commonwealth into California," Fallon told Fox News Digital. "The left’s renewed focus on VMI is not intended to benefit our military.
"Instead, it’s yet another avenue to tear down an institution that has developed exceptional leaders and statesmen who have made significant contributions to our nation, such as George C. Marshall, Mike Waltz, and the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, whom I had the privilege of serving with in the Air Force," Fallon added.
VIRGINIA DEMS INTRODUCE CLASSROOM DEI CURRICULUM LAW ON DAY 1 OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION
In 2021, then-Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered a state-sanctioned investigation into VMI’s DEI structure. An investigation which specifically looked for racism and sexism. The audit came in President Joe Biden’s first full year in the White House, when DEI policies were running rampant at universities and corporations across the country.
One of Spanberger’s first acts since being elected was appointing Northam to VMI’s Board of Visitors.
"To appoint disgraced former Governor Ralph Northam, a man of poor moral character, to the Board of Visitors at VMI is an insult to our nation’s oldest state-supported military school and the leaders it produces," Fallon told Fox News Digital. "He has no business overseeing VMI, and leftists like Spanberger can’t help themselves from advancing their radical, far-left agenda."
Spanberger has received sharp criticism for many of the liberal policies she has implemented in her short time in office, including an executive saying local and state law enforcement are no longer required to cooperate with ICE, a reversal from a previous order issued by former Republican governor Glenn Youngkin.
"Screw any and all of you who lied to low-information voters and sold Abigail Spanberger as some kind of moderate," Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, posted to social media. "She’s been in office like 6 hours and is already trying to turn Virginia into Minneapolis."
Should the legislation introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates make it to Spanberger’s desk, it is possible that the military institution will not survive if state funding is revoked.
"There is no logic, there is no logical reason why you would do this," Wittman told Fox. "If you have issues with VMI, many of those have played out in years past, the institution has done everything that the General Assembly has asked for them to do."
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
House candidate predicts historic rise of ‘new generation’ in Congress as parties target key demographic
After making historic inroads with Hispanic voters in the last several election cycles, the Republican Party is going all in on winning the Latino vote this midterm election. The party, which currently holds a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, is confident that Hispanic voters will help it retain and shape the future of its majority both this November and in the years to come.
Longtime South Texas Democratic Judge Tano Tijerina told Fox News Digital during an interview that he and Hispanics are ready to buck the Democrats and embrace a "new generation" of political leadership.
Alongside former assistant U.S. attorney Eric Flores and former California mayor Kevin Lincoln, Tijerina is one of three Hispanic Republicans running to unseat Democrats in Congress who have been endorsed by President Donald Trump. There are eight other Hispanic Republicans running in competitive, heavily Latino districts in border states, Texas, New Mexico and California.
If elected, these candidates will join an already influential group of Hispanics in Congress, including Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Gabe Evans, R-Colo.
HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE 'ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL': WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS
Tijerina is running to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in a district along the Texas-Mexico border. He said that despite long being a Democratic stronghold, the Biden administration’s mismanagement of the border and prioritization of DEI "really opened up a lot of eyes of the Hispanics down here in South Texas."
"Being a Democrat after so many years, I'm just sick and tired of seeing all the social issues that the Democrats are [promoting]. And I'm not the only one. That's why Webb County, that's why South Texas, voted for Trump plus 10 numbers."
"We have always been conservative, everybody knows it," he went on, adding, "Down here in South Texas, the only thing that we care about is good-paying jobs [and] making sure that we're getting protected."
Cuellar also counts himself as one of the last "blue dog" conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. He was highly critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border and immigration issues. Cuellar has said that it was this stance that led to him being indicted by the Biden Department of Justice on foreign bribery charges. He was later given an unconditional pardon by Trump, who also posited that the charges were politically motivated.
Though there was much speculation that Cuellar would switch parties after his pardon, he rebuffed those rumors, saying he would remain a blue dog Democrat. Tijerina said that it is just as well because the people of South Texas "deserve somebody that's actually going to go fight for them and not fight for themselves."
"[Cuellar] comes around and says, ‘I'm your money guy, I'm the one that brings the money.’ When in all reality, I, as a county judge, know that we've gone through commissioner's court, we're the ones with the ideas, we're are the ones that ask for the federal funding, we're the ones who do the cash match," said Tijerina.
"Henry's been for Henry all these years, and it's very obvious," he went on. "It's time for a new generation."
CALL TO DUTY: IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE, REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS LOOKING TO VETERANS
In response, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Spokesperson Madison Andrus told Fox News Digital that "during his time in office, Congressman Cuellar has brought billions of dollars back home to South Texas through his powerful position on the House Appropriations Committee."
Andrus knocked Tijerina for "fighting for a controversial $10 million spending project in Webb County" to purchase property for a new tax office.
"Tano should focus on his own backyard and do his homework on how members bring money back to their districts," she said.
A national Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital that Tijerina’s assertion that Cuellar has failed to bring money back to the district stems from a "misunderstanding" of how the House appropriations process works.
"Just based on how the House works, Tano will not be able to bring as much money to the district as Cuellar is," said the strategist, adding, "It is exceedingly rare that a freshman member of Congress gets a seat on the Appropriations Committee. So, Tano would not be able to sit on it, that just wouldn't happen. And so, that would necessarily lead to a significant decrease in the federal funding that Texas 28 would get."
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOHN THUNE PREVIEWS REPUBLICAN MIDTERM MESSAGE HEADING INTO 2026
Tijerina, however, is not the only candidate forecasting that the Democrats' hold on the Hispanic vote is nearing its end.
"For too long, Democrats took South Texas for granted, assuming our votes were virtually guaranteed, while they turned their backs on our values," said Flores, an Army veteran running as a Republican in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Flores asserted that Democrats have "traded the needs of hardworking families for a radical agenda that has left our borders open and our economy in shambles."
Lest one think this phenomenon is isolated to the Texas border, this sentiment was further echoed by Lincoln, a Marine veteran who is also running in California.
Lincoln told Fox News Digital that Hispanic families in the California Central Valley are "feeling the crushing pressures of the affordability crisis driven by Democrats from Sacramento to Washington who put political ideology ahead of kitchen table issues."
"Generations of families like mine came to America in pursuit of the American Dream, and the Republican Party is earning their trust by working to restore the affordability and opportunity that allows working families to get ahead again," said Lincoln.
GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY'RE IN SHAMBLES’
Despite this, the Democratic Party is also leaning into the affordability message and remains confident that Hispanic voters will stand by them.
"While Republicans are pushing policies that make everyday life unaffordable, Democrats are focused on lowering costs, creating good-paying jobs, and protecting health care for every American," DCCC spokesperson Bridget Gonzalez told Fox News Digital.
"Latino voters see through the GOP’s empty, hypocritical rhetoric because they’re living with the consequences of Republican extremism every day," said Gonzalez, adding, "Republicans can trot out all the talking points they want, but Latino families know who’s actually fighting for them — it’s the Democrats."
Meanwhile, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez told Fox News Digital that "outstanding" candidates like Flores, Lincoln and Tijerina "reflect their communities, understand the challenges working families face, and are stepping up to help grow a House majority focused on opportunity, security, and the American Dream."
"Republicans aren’t just talking about earning Hispanic voters’ trust, we’re continuing to work and build it," said Martinez.
THE PROSECUTORS: Arkansas father caught in legal nightmare for saving daughter from monster
A travesty of justice is unfolding in Arkansas, but it isn’t too late to stop it.
At 1:12 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 8, 2024, Aaron Spencer and his wife awoke to find their 13-year-old daughter missing from her bed. Spencer’s wife called 911, while Spencer jumped into his vehicle and sped off into the night, desperate to find any trace of his missing child. He hadn’t gone far when he spotted the truck of Michael Fosler, with his daughter inside.
Fosler was no stranger to the Spencers. In July of that year, Fosler allegedly raped Spencer’s daughter, resulting in his indictment for 43 separate counts including sexual assault of a minor, internet stalking of a child, and possession of child pornography. The Lonoke County prosecutors handled the case, with it landing on the desk of Circuit Judge Barbara Elmore. It’s a little unclear who dropped the ball—Lonoke County, Judge Elmore, or some combination of both—but what we know for sure is that this dangerous abuser of children was released from custody on a $5,000 bond, with a no contact order in place to prevent further abuse of Spencer’s daughter. Then Oct. 8 came, and neither the bond nor the no contact order were worth the paper they were printed on.
Spencer’s actions in that moment were nothing short of heroic. He ran Fosler's truck off the road, and firearm in hand, ordered him to release his daughter. Instead, Fosler fought back, and the struggle ended with Spencer emptying his firearm into Fosler. Spencer then rescued his daughter from the truck and called 911.
ARMY VET DAD RUNS FOR SHERIFF WHILE CHARGED WITH GUNNING DOWN DAUGHTER'S ALLEGED SEXUAL PREDATOR
Spencer never should have been in this situation. He shouldn’t have had to save his daughter from a monster. But because local elected prosecutors and judges failed him, that was the position he was put in. Astonishingly, the prosecuting attorney not only failed to take any responsibility for what had transpired; he charged Aaron Spencer with second-degree murder. And wouldn’t you know it, the judge on the case was none other than Circuit Judge Barbara Elmore.
Judge Elmore immediately took action to hide this affair from the public eye, dropping a gag order on everyone in any way connected with the case, preventing them, on penalty of contempt of court, from speaking with the press or the public about the case. Gag orders are not that unusual, but this gag order was so expansive and so obtrusive that the Arkansas Supreme Court stepped in and declared it unconstitutional, finding that it "was on its face a plain, manifest, clear, and gross abuse of discretion and in excess of its authority."
Judge Elmore was undeterred. Despite the constitutional right every defendant has to a public trial, she essentially closed the trial to the public, greatly limiting the seats available to the public, media, and even Spencer’s own defense team. Elmore did this without providing any alternative means of viewing the trial, and without any evidentiary hearing or judicial findings justifying it. For the people of Arkansas, it seemed like the fix was in. The judge who had once failed Aaron Spencer’s daughter was now committed to ensuring that his trial would happen in as close to secrecy as she could muster.
Fortunately, the Arkansas Supreme Court stepped in, again, vacating the judge’s order. But they didn’t stop there. The high court took the extraordinary step of removing Judge Elmore from the case. The unusual remedy showed just how egregious her behavior had become.
This is the first step toward justice, but it shouldn’t be the last. The prosecuting attorney should drop this case altogether.
Not that the prosecution’s behavior up to this point has been indicative of good judgment. Statements from the prosecutors in this case are not only embarrassing; they should trouble the people of Arkansas. Prosecutors suggested that Spencer’s angry comments from July—when he discovered that his daughter had been raped by Fosler—were somehow evidence of his intent in October. Never mind that such anger would be the natural reaction of any father. And never mind that Spencer didn’t hunt down Fosler and murder him in the weeks or even months that followed; he shot him while rescuing his daughter from another kidnapping by Fosler.
Prosecutors also suggested that Spencer should have just called 911 when he saw his daughter in the truck with Fosler. That a father should give up the pursuit of his daughter’s kidnapper and rapist in the hopes that the police could arrive in time to save her is so astonishingly absurd it boggles the mind that any prosecutor charged with protecting and defending citizens and victims of crimes would countenance it.
But the removal of Judge Elmore and the attendant delay in Spencer’s trial provide an opportunity to end this farce. The local prosecutors should drop this case. The state attorney general should refuse to defend any conviction, in the unlikely event a jury returns one. And the governor should promise to do everything in her power to pardon Spencer, if she must. To do otherwise is to turn justice on its head and to leave every person in Arkansas at the mercy of the predators who would victimize them and their children.
BROADCAST BIAS: Networks side with church invaders, call attack mostly ‘peaceful’
When the radical left feels the urgent need to protest, and to make it saucy enough to go viral, it doesn’t want to observe any rules, or even laws. On Sunday, Jan. 19, a "racial justice" contingent invaded the evangelical Cities Church in Minnesota. Organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong brought at least 20 other people who interrupted the sermon, yelling things like "Justice for Renee Good" and "Hands up, don’t shoot." The church emptied, and the activists closed down their operation about 45 minutes later, once police arrived.
The broadcast networks didn’t want to acknowledge this story, perceiving that it might be a little too extreme for the average American. This was a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act – and everyone can guess how energetically ABC, CBS and NBC would respond with outrage to protesters marching into an abortion clinic and interrupting anyone’s "right to choose." We could guess the same for Trump supporters walking into a mosque during their weekly worship.
But through mid-week, through early Wednesday morning, these networks could only muster two minutes and 43 seconds between them on their morning and evening newscasts. Most of that was NBC, because reporter Maggie Vespa offered Armstrong a platform to proclaim, "They need to be investigating Jonathan Ross for the killing of Renee Good, not trying to weaponize their power against nonviolent, peaceful demonstrators." Armstrong wasn’t asked how disrupting (and basically ending) a church service is "peaceful."
ABC gave this invasive protest 51 seconds overall in those first three news cycles, and CBS News – the supposedly Trump-friendly network under new boss Bari Weiss – gave it only 14 seconds to that point.
ANTI-ICE PROTESTER WILLIAM KELLY DARES PAM BONDI TO ARREST HIM AFTER MINNESOTA CHURCH DISRUPTION
Overall, the church protest, when it had to be mentioned, was merged into the constant template of "growing protests" and "rising tensions" – in other words, we’re going to play this story as long as we can. The deadly riots after George Floyd’s death were grist for the networks to tout a "racial reckoning" – as if the violent deaths would lead to a positive outcome for the "right side of history."
ABC’s Matt Rivers squeezed the church protest into a narrative of outrage at Trump, "as tensions rise in Minneapolis, as anti-ICE protesters disrupted this Sunday service demonstrating against one of the pastors who is also the director of an ICE field office, though it’s unclear if he was even there."
The "public" broadcasters didn’t love this story. "PBS News Hour" offered 14 seconds in passing on Monday and nothing on Tuesday, while they did offer an eight-minute segment with the online headline, "Migrant families allege children held by ICE face unsafe and unsanitary conditions." On Wednesday, Jan. 21, PBS anchor Geoff Bennett did ask St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her if the protest was appropriate in a "sacred space." She said no, but rhetorically added schools and hospitals into the "sacred space" category.
You couldn’t find a story on the church protest (other than one AP dispatch) in multiple searches of NPR’s website. But on Thursday morning, NPR did broadcast a three-and-a-half minutes pushing a focus group: "Some voters who backed Trump say ICE is going 'too far.'"
The Justice Department’s indictment of Armstrong on Thursday offered an exhibit in how much the networks cared about violating the FACE Act. ABC skipped it, pushing instead some fake news about a 5-year-old boy who was "detained by ICE" because his father was an illegal alien. CBS gave it 20 seconds in passing.
NBC’s 27 seconds were mostly Vespa offering the defense lawyer for Armstrong: "Well, now the DOJ announcing arrests of three protesters with charges, including conspiracy to deprive rights. A lawyer for one of them telling NBC News they were arrested doing a peaceful, non-violent protest in a church."
It’s not "peaceful" to force an end to a church service with incessant yelling.
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ABC and CBS also skipped it on Friday morning. Vespa’s outrage in her two Friday morning reports came from the left, after Team Trump digitally altered a photo of Armstrong’s arrest to make it look like she was crying after her arrest. In a brief burst at the end of each report, Vespa quoted a White House X account run by Kaelan Dorr announcing, "Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue."
None of the fragments of stories this church invasion received mentioned the on-scene cheerleading of former CNN host Don Lemon, who came along for the radical ride. Lemon later embarrassed himself by getting into a debate with people on the street, where he insisted misdemeanors weren’t "criminal acts." The media elites know that Lemon isn’t anyone’s best representative of the leftist viewpoint.
At this late date, the click-baiters like Lemon aren’t practicing journalism now, even if they protest that they are. What they’re doing is making anti-Trump content for clicks, and if that means egging on a church invasion, then they are proud to be part of "the struggle."
The media elites think objections to the church invasion are a "Republicans Pounce" story, a right-wing narrative, and that’s exactly why they are prone to avoid spending any serious time on it.
Winter storms can knock out your tech fast: Prepare now
Weather forecasters are warning that a major winter storm is expected to impact large portions of the United States starting Friday. Forecasts call for snow, freezing rain and ice stretching from Texas and the Southern Plains through the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast. This system is concerning because it combines ice accumulation, gusty winds and plunging temperatures. In many regions, especially across the South and parts of the Mid-Atlantic, infrastructure is not designed to handle prolonged ice events.
That increases the risk of extended power outages and disrupted cell service. When the grid goes down, everyday tech becomes critical. Phones, alerts, vehicles and apps may be your only connection to updates and emergency help. Preparing now matters far more than reacting later.
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RUSSIAN WINTER STRIKE LEAVES NEARLY 800K HOMES WITHOUT POWER AND HEAT IN UKRAINE’S DNIPRO REGION
Ice storms cause more damage than most people expect. Unlike snow, ice sticks to everything and adds significant weight. Ice builds up on trees and power lines, causing branches to snap and lines to fall. Utility crews often cannot begin repairs until conditions improve, which delays restoration. Forecasters at Fox Weather warn that freezing rain across the South and interior Southeast could be particularly damaging, while snow and wind farther north may slow emergency response.
Even if cell towers remain standing, networks often overload during severe weather. When thousands of people try to call at once, connections fail. Texts and alerts usually have a better chance of getting through. That is why you should assume you may be offline longer than expected.
These steps are simple, but timing matters. Do them before the weather conditions worsen.
A fully charged phone, smart power settings and a reliable portable charger can keep you connected early in an outage while longer-term home power solutions carry you through the days ahead.
Clear expectations reduce panic and unnecessary phone use.
Emergency alerts can reach your phone even when apps and social media cannot. They are designed to cut through network congestion and deliver critical warnings.
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Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer
On some phones, you may also see options for Public safety messages or Emergency alerts, which should be turned on. These alerts may include evacuation notices, shelter updates and severe weather warnings.
Both iPhone and Android let you preview alert sounds and settings in these menus, so take a moment to test them now and make sure alerts are loud enough before severe weather hits.
If you need help during a winter storm, Emergency SOS can contact emergency services even when you cannot unlock your phone or make a normal call. Set this up now. Do not wait until you are stressed, cold or without power.
To activate Emergency SOS during an emergency, press and hold the side button and a volume button, or quickly press the side button five times, depending on your settings.
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer
On many Android phones, pressing the power button five times will trigger Emergency SOS. Emergency SOS can call for help, share your location and alert emergency contacts when conditions are dangerous.
If cell towers go down during this storm, features like Emergency SOS can still help you reach emergency services. Our guide explains in more detail how these lifesaving settings work.
The right apps can deliver critical updates when power is out, cell networks are strained and social media is unreliable. Install and set these up before the storm arrives.
Using more than one weather app can give you redundancy if one service is delayed or overloaded.
These apps can confirm outages, provide restoration updates and reduce unnecessary calls to utilities when systems are overwhelmed.
Your vehicle may become a critical resource during extended outages.
Severe weather creates ideal conditions for scams. Power outages, delayed responses and anxiety make people more likely to trust messages that appear urgent or official.
Scammers often impersonate electric, gas or water utilities.
What to know: Utilities do not charge fees to restore power and do not demand payment by text, gift cards or apps.
These scams spike right after storms hit.
What to know: Legitimate aid is announced through official government or well-known nonprofit channels, not unsolicited messages.
Storms disrupt normal services, which scammers exploit.
What to know: Do not click links or pay deposits without verifying the company independently.
Storm chaos makes it easier for attackers to slip through unnoticed.
What to know: Never share one-time codes or login details, even if the message looks legitimate.
Taking a few precautions now can help you avoid costly mistakes when outages, delays, and scam messages start piling up.
Scammers rely on panic. If a message pressures you to act fast, stop and verify it through a trusted source.
Go directly to official websites or apps instead of tapping links in texts or emails. Keep your operating system up to date and use strong antivirus software to block malicious links and fake websites.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on email, banking, and utility accounts so stolen passwords cannot be used alone.
Many storm scams work because criminals already have your phone number, address or email. Using a data removal service to opt out of data broker sites can reduce how easily scammers target you during emergencies.
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
Utilities and government agencies do not charge fees to restore service or release emergency assistance.
When power and internet access are limited, it is harder to verify messages quickly. That makes preparation just as important as awareness. A little skepticism now can prevent financial loss and identity theft when help is hardest to reach.
Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com.
Winter storms can turn small tech decisions into critical ones. Ice, power outages and overloaded cell networks can leave people cut off faster than expected, especially in regions not built for prolonged winter weather. Preparing your devices, alerts, vehicles and accounts ahead of time gives you more control when conditions worsen. It also reduces panic and limits your exposure to scams that thrive during emergencies. A little planning now can make a big difference when help is harder to reach.
Have you taken steps to prepare your tech for this winter storm, or did this checklist highlight something you still need to do? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Virginia Democrats frustrate law enforcement with bill axing prison time for violent crime, expert warns
A new bill proposed by Democrats in the Virginia state legislature is raising concerns regarding the removal of minimum prison sentences for various violent felony crimes.
Within days of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger being sworn in, members of her party introduced a flurry of amendments looking to end mandatory minimum sentences for various crimes within the state.
According to Jason Miyares, the former Republican attorney general, House Bill 863 includes proposals to effectively eliminate minimum sentencing for manslaughter, rape, possession and distribution of child pornography, assaulting a law enforcement officer and other repeat violent felonies.
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Additionally, Democrats are also looking to remove the mandatory five-day minimum sentence for certain first-time DUI offenders.
"HB 863 is a common-sense proposal that eliminates the requirement for one-size-fits-all minimum sentences for certain crimes," Delegate Rae Cousins, who sponsored the bill, said, according to ABC 7.
"This change would give the experienced judges in our communities more discretion to make decisions based on the unique facts of each case. As the General Assembly session continues, I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and promote fairer outcomes in our justice system."
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However, law enforcement experts are pushing back against the bill while expressing concerns about how the possibility of more lenient sentencing could impact victims of violent crimes.
"From a law enforcement standpoint, I think police generally want offenders to be held accountable, and frustration among law enforcement officers grows when individuals are released quickly and subsequently re-offend – and even more so if it involved a violent felony," law enforcement expert Josh Ederheimer told Fox News Digital. I think that also tracks the thinking of many members of the public. I think there is more tolerance for flexibility for minor offenses.
Ederheimer, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia's Center for Public Safety and Justice and a retired law enforcement officer, went on to explain that police typically understand unique circumstances that can point to a defendant receiving a lesser sentence, but frustration still exists surrounding more serious crimes.
"For violent felonies, however, the biggest practical concern is that the defendant will re-offend, and that the public is not alerted or aware that the defendant has returned to the community. It’s an accountability concern that falls on the shoulders of judges and prosecutors."
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The proposed bill would allow courts to hand down sentences based on the individual facts of each case, rather than statutory mandates implemented by the state’s government. However, it does not impact maximum penalties in such cases.
Ederheimer further explained that the bill could have a negative impact on victims and their families regarding accountability for violent offenders.
"I think that the police and public alike have expectations that convicted criminals will be held accountable, and that full sentences should be served," Ederheimer said. "Mandatory minimums assure victims – and the community – that a convicted person will serve their sentence."
"It is the circumstance when convicted felons are released early that victims may feel a sense of betrayal or that justice was not served. That’s the dilemma."
The bill is set to be reviewed by the House and Senate Justice Committees, where it will likely be amended.
However, Ederheimer added that mandatory minimum sentences may not actually encourage violent offenders not to commit crimes, further adding to the complex balance of maintaining justice and community safety.
"From a law enforcement perspective, I don’t think mandatory minimums serve as a deterrent," Ederheimer told Fox News Digital. "I think that largely defendants are not focused on repercussions at the time of their offense."
Director Kevin Smith says podcasting medium became 'a waste,' lost its soul when it became political
Director Kevin Smith, an early pioneer of podcasting, told Fox News Digital the medium has lost much of its soul and originality after becoming too inundated with politics in his view.
Launching "SModcast" in 2007 with his friend and fellow director Scott Mosier, Smith said he considers himself a "Johnny Appleseed for podcasts," encouraging other artists to create their own podcasts and teaching them the ropes along the way.
As the years went by, Smith noticed that the "layer of intimacy" podcasts originally offered had faded, transforming the medium into just another iteration of "traditional media."
"When I was enjoying podcasting, it was basically radio all over again, but now podcasting has become basically TV all over again," he explained. "That's the thing that's mind-bending. They could have gone anywhere with it."
While Smith initially thought others would use the medium to discuss pop culture, film and other passions, he said he was shocked to see how much podcasting had been co-opted by politics, although there are still countless programs related to other topics.
"You know what I never foresaw? So many people would do political podcasts," he recalled. "What a f------ waste of a beautiful medium where you could talk about anything — anything! And instead, you're like, 'Let's talk about what he said and did.'"
"Oh, I f------- hate it. It disgusts me. But a lot of people are getting rich off it," Smith added.
The director noted that the early movers in the podcasting space didn't get rich "by any stretch of the imagination," but said it was the next generation that figured out how to maximize profits — though he disagreed with how they went about doing so.
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"A bunch of people figured out that they could turn people against one another politically and just divide a nation by being like, 'You know what I hate? I f------- hate this, don't you hate that?' And because it's such an intimate medium, people [felt] like they were being talked to," he theorized, accusing right-wing radio outlets of doing so for decades.
Looking back on his podcasting journey, Smith recalled a conversation he had with his business manager about podcasting being "free," which led him to the realization that the medium was headed toward a similar fate as television and radio.
After being informed that podcasting was not in fact free, and that server costs were burning through his wallet, Smith and his co-host set out on what they originally thought was a creative way of generating revenue.
The duo began reaching out to companies and projects they'd worked with in the past to promote their products on "SModcast" and found success in doing so.
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"I felt so smart. I was like, 'This is nuts. We're getting somebody to give us money so that we can practice our art,'" he remembered. "And then Scott was like, ‘Yes, just like television and just like radio.’ And I was like, 'Oh, that's right.' It's an old model, we're all doing it."
"Nobody's discovered anything new and watching podcasting go all the way back around to f------ TV, like, what a disappointment. Part of the beauty of podcasting was you don't have to get dressed. You can f------ roll around in your pajamas in front of a microphone. It was all audio, theater to the mind, getting into people's heads. Now there always has to be a video component and stuff, and that just makes it f------ television."
According to Smith, what started as a medium that was accessible to anyone has become far less feasible to produce as production standards have skyrocketed over the past two decades. He predicted that "within the next 10 years, podcasting is not going to be accessible to everyone."
Smith is known for such comedy films as "Clerks," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Chasing Amy," and "Dogma," as well as horror movies like "Red State" and "Tusk."