US officials give warning on timing of Iranian regime’s possible strike on Israel
A U.S. official tells Fox News that Iran has been at a state of readiness to launch an attack on Israel within 12 to 24 hours since early August following the July 31 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
In recent days the U.S. has seen additional movement of missiles in Iran to prepare for the now “imminent” attack, the official said.
Iran started moving these missile launchers in recent days following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday. Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli airstrike.
The U.S. official said Iran’s attack could look similar to the one it launched in April against Israel, which had more than 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. However, the U.S. official did not know what the exact scope or size will be.
Iran could launch its attack as soon as this afternoon, U.S. officials also said.
The U.S. currently does not have plans to send in evacuation flights to rescue those stranded inside Lebanon as the conflict with Israel intensifies, Fox News has been made aware.
The State Department estimated that as of 2022, there were 86,000 Americans living in Lebanon. Israel’s military has launched limited ground operations inside the country targeting the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
Last week, the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon warned Americans there to “book any ticket available” on the dwindling number of flights departing the country.
“We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart Lebanon prepare contingency plans for emergency situations and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time,” it also said at the time.
Fox News’ Gillian Turner contributed to this report.
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
said Tuesday during a tour of weapons seized from Hezbollah in Lebanon that the terrorist group’s Radwan special forces unit is being dismantled.
“We are advancing the IDF’s operations and eliminating Radwan Forces — this reflects our determination to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” the Israel Defense Forces quoted Gallant as saying.
“Everything you see here – the weapons, missiles, explosives, RPGs – they were found by the IDF in areas from where Radwan forces planned launch attacks to kill and kidnap Israeli citizens,” Gallant continued.
“We are eliminating the Hezbollah terrorist organization in southern Lebanon and dismantling its Radwan forces along the entire border,” he also said.
The IDF says over the past few days, Gallant was briefed by the leader of the IDF’s Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, “on IDF activities to locate and destroy Hezbollah’s attack infrastructure in southern Lebanon” and “as part of the briefings, the Minister was shown a variety of Hezbollah weapons that were found and confiscated by IDF troops.”
The U.S. State Department announced Tuesday that sanctions are being imposed on two Israelis and a “violent extremist group” in the West Bank.
The move comes as a senior White House official tells Fox News that “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.
“The Department of State is today imposing sanctions on two Israeli individuals: a violent Israeli settler and the CEO and director of U.S.-designated Hashomer Yosh,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Hashomer Yosh describes itself as an organization that assists “various farmers throughout Judea and Samaria, who bravely protect our lands and stand strong in the face of economic difficulties and frequent agricultural crime.”
“The actions of these individuals have contributed to creating an environment where violence and instability thrive,” Miller said. “Their actions, collectively and individually, undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.
“Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating Hilltop Youth, a violent extremist group that has rampaged through Palestinian communities in the West Bank. It has carried out killings, mass arson, and other so-called ‘price tag’ attacks to exact revenge and intimidate Palestinian civilians,” he added. “Hilltop Youth has repeatedly clashed with the Israeli military when it tries to counter Hilltop Youth’s destructive activities.”
Fox News’ Gillian Turner and Nick Rojas contributed to this report.
A senior White House official tells Fox News that “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.
“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack. A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” the official said Tuesday.
The development comes after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah “the flag-bearer of resistance” in the region.”
The blood of the martyr shall not go unavenged,” Khamenei said after Nasrallah was killed late last week in Beirut, Lebanon, by an Israeli airstrike, according to Reuters.
Fox News’ Nick Rojas and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel on Tuesday has declassified military operations aimed at thwarting an October 7-style attack by Hezbollah along the country’s northern border with Lebanon.
In a video message,
Hagari said the Lebanese terrorist group since the onset of the war in Gaza has fired more than 9,500 rockets at Israeli homes, forcing 60,000 residents to evacuate.
“Hezbollah has openly declared that it plans to carry out its own October 7th massacre on Israel’s northern border, but on an even larger scale. They call this plan ‘Conquer the Galilee,” Hagari said. “For years, Hezbollah has been planning to do in northern Israel what Hamas did in southern Israel on October 7th: invade Israel, infiltrate civilian communities and massacre innocent civilians. To make sure that Hezbollah can never carry out such an attack and in order to enable all 60,000 Israelis to safely return back to their homes in northern Israel, the IDF is taking action.”
“Hezbollah planned to launch their October 7th attack from villages across southern Lebanon, where they have been building up their arms, capabilities and forces for the last two decades. Hezbollah also dug tunnels under homes in these villages close to the border with Israel,” Hagari continued. “Tonight, we are declassifying a series of IDF operations conducted since the beginning of the war aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure and capabilities in the area of the Israel-Lebanon border.”
“During this operations, IDF Special Forces entered into Hezbollah compounds in dozens of locations along the border with Israel, collected intelligence, dismantled Hezbollah’s weapons and terrorist infrastructures. Our soldiers entered Hezbollah’s underground infrastructures, exposed Hezbollah’s hidden weapon caches, and seized and destroyed the weapons, including advanced Iranian-made weapons,” he also said.
“Overall, IDF soldiers exposed and dismantle over 700 Hezbollah terror assets during these operations,” according to Hagari.
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it has called up ” four additional reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena.”
“This will enable the continuation of operational activity against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the achievement of operational goals, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the IDF said in a statement.
The development comes as Israel’s military is conducting limited ground operations inside Lebanon.
Details are emerging Tuesday regarding Israel’s military operations inside Lebanon, with two Lebanese security sources telling Reuters
that units crossed the border overnight for probing and reconnaissance missions.
The maneuvers by the Israeli troops went only a short distance across the Israel-Lebanon border, an Israeli security official told the news agency, adding that there was no direct contact with Hezbollah terrorists.
Local sources also said to Reuters that residents in southern Lebanon have been fleeing their homes over the last two days as Israeli airstrikes are drawing nearer.
At least 600 are now taking refuge in a monastery near the border after the village of Ain Ebl received a warning from the Israeli military, the sources added.
Hezbollah also said Tuesday that it fired missiles targeting suburbs of Tel Aviv, which Israeli officials say left two wounded after they were hit by shrapnel from the blasts, according to Reuters.
As Israel continues to pound the Hezbollah terrorist movement in some of the most intense clashes since the 2006 war, United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSC) 1701 is facing new criticism for failing to disarm the Lebanon-based terrorist organization.
The U.S. and other world powers passed Resolution 1701 at the United Nations Security Council in 2006 in an attempt to prevent a third war between Israel and the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah. Israel fought Hezbollah in 1982 and in the summer of 2006.
Two key elements of Resolution 1701 have proved to be largely ineffective, according to experts on Lebanon and the U.N.
The first part involved the 10,000 peacekeeping (with added personnel) U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that was expanded in 2006 to aid the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in assuming military control over the region, replacing Hezbollah, between the Litani River and the southern border in Lebanon.
UNIFIL was tasked to work with the LAF to ensure the area was “free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons.” However, Hezbollah’s growing absorption of the Lebanese state has turned it the de facto ruler over the country, according to many experts, or a heavily armed “state within a state.”
The second crucial element of 1701 was to disarm Hezbollah. Yet, the Lebanese terrorist entity has dramatically re-armed itself to the point where it now has at least 150,000 missiles and rockets aimed at Israel.
North Korea on Tuesday is accusing Israel of committing “terrorist acts against Lebanon” following its strikes targeting Hezbollah terrorists inside the country.
“Israel is resorting to massacre, terrorism and assassination, talking about the ‘right to self-defense’ and ‘security.’ Its brutality and shamelessness are arousing great hatred and resentment of the international community,” North Korean state media quoted a foreign ministry spokesperson as saying Tuesday.
“It is a hideous war crime and unethical crime that Israel killed many civilians by committing indiscriminate military attacks and terrorist acts against Lebanon,” the spokesperson continued, describing Israel and the U.S. as “cancer-like entities of regional peace and stability and the common enemy of the Arab people.”
“We strongly denounce Israel which is expanding its large-scale massacre of innocent civilians to the whole Middle East… and express invariable support and solidarity to the Arab people in their struggle for defending sovereignty, right to existence and territorial integrity,” the North Korean official added.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement Tuesday slamming Israel’s limited ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, calling it an “illegal invasion attempt” that must “end immediately.”
“Israel’s violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon by launching a ground attack is an illegal invasion attempt,” the Ministry said. “This attack must come to an end immediately, and Israeli troops must withdraw from Lebanese territory.”
Turkey added that Israel’s military operation “targets the security and stability of the region and beyond.
“This dangerous invasion attempt is likely to spark a new wave of migration and to give ground to extremists all around the world,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
The Ministry concluded that the U.N. Security Council “must uphold international law and take the necessary measures against this attack that aims the occupation of Lebanon.”
Former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton, who has trained Israeli soldiers, told “Fox News @ Night” that the Israeli military has “done a very effective job by reducing Hezbollah’s rocket infrastructure to less than 50 percent.”
“Israel does feel, I’m sure, emboldened here with some momentum,” he continued. “I think they have to ensure that they keep their borders safe and we will see how long this goes.”
Hamilton added that Israel wants peace and “they don’t want this conflict to continue.”
The Israeli military announced Monday night that its troops began “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
The Israel Defense Forces released a video Tuesday purportedly showing a missile that was fired by Hezbollah landing in a village in central Israel.
The IDF says the projectile landed in Kfar Qassem, which is located east of Tel Aviv.
“Hezbollah doesn’t care who, or how. They only care about harming Israelis,” the IDF wrote on X.
The two sides have been exchanging rocket fire since Hamas launched its war on Israel on Oct. 7 last year.
On Monday, Hezbollah’s second-in-command Naim Qassem said the terrorist group will continue to fire rockets at Israel, adding that “We know that the battle may be long,” according to Reuters.
Photos of Syrians celebrating the assassination of Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah last week put the spotlight
on the brutal activities of the terror group’s role in sex slavery, mass starvation and kidnappings in the Syrian civil war which led to the deaths of over half a million Syrians.
Walid Phares, a leading expert on Hezbollah and Lebanon, told Fox News Digital that Hezbollah has “committed ethnic cleansing” in Syria. He said Hezbollah “was behind the uprooting of millions of Syrians, of all communities, mainly Sunni. They have perpetrated rape. They have perpetrated mass sexual abuse, including keeping sexual slaves.”
Israel’s targeted assassination of Nasrallah last weekend has prompted greater interest in the inner workings of the Shiite terrorist organization that is widely considered the de facto ruler over Lebanon.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist entity is mainly known in America for bombing the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people in 1983, and the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut also in 1983, resulting in the murders of 241 U.S. military personnel.
A new investigative video series by the Center for Peace Communications (CPC) shines a rare light on the U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hezbollah’s role in sexual slavery, rape and mass murder. The shocking expose about Hezbollah’s enslavement of a Syrian woman aired days after Israel reportedly launched devastating explosions of pagers held by thousands of Hezbollah terrorists across Lebanon in September.
CPC President Joseph Braude told Fox News Digital “Hezbollah’s war on Israel obscures its larger war to subjugate much of the region — as a tyrant in Lebanon, an occupier in Syria, a mafia of sex and drug trafficking, and the nerve center of Iran’s Arab empire. Millions of Arabs whose lives have been shattered by the militia want a different future. Hezbollah does not want the world to hear their voices.”
The Israeli Defense Forces announced Tuesday it was carrying out “limited and targeted” raids along Israel’s northern border against the terror group Hezbollah.
The ground raids will target Hezbollah strongholds that threaten Israeli communities along the Jewish State’s northern border, according to IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
Hagari said Hezbollah turned villages in Lebanon into military bases in preparation for an attack on Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee is urging residents of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes Tuesday as the limited ground operation against Hezbollah is underway.
“Hezbollah’s activities are forcing the IDF to act against it. The IDF does not want to harm you, and for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately,” he wrote on X. “Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations, and combat equipment is putting [their] life at risk. Any home used by Hezbollah for its military needs is expected to be targeted.
“You must immediately head north of the Awali River. Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” he added. “Be careful, you are not allowed to head south. Any head south could put your life at risk. We will let you know when it is safe to return home.”
The IDF announced earlier Tuesday that it was carrying out “limited and targeted” raids along Israel’s northern border against the terrorist group Hezbollah.
The raids come after Israeli airstrikes over the last week killed multiple top members of Hezbollah, including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Helene death toll continues to climb as North Carolina reels from unimaginable devastation
North Carolina residents are detailing how their communities have been “decimated” by Hurricane Helene’s historic storm surge as hundreds remain unaccounted for.
Swannanoa resident Zach Dasher said his town, located just 10 miles east of hard-hit Asheville, endured “complete devastation” as the death toll from the storm continues to climb.
RESCUE MISSIONS UNDERWAY IN NORTH CAROLINA AFTER HURRICANE HELENE BRINGS ‘HISTORIC’ FLOODING, LANDSLIDES
“Our little town here has just been absolutely decimated,” Dasher told “Fox & Friends First” co-host Carley Shimkus on Tuesday.
“I’m talking about not only have the buildings gone on one side of the road, the ground that the building sat on is no longer there. It’s complete devastation. Lots of people lost their lives. Folks from our church that were helping rescue people out of the floods, they saw people lose their lives… We don’t have a final count or anything like that… It’s devastating.”
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” he continued. “Bridges, infrastructure, it’s just destroyed… It’s going to take years to build this back.”
Communities in western North Carolina were hit especially hard by the effects of Hurricane Helene, with catastrophic flooding destroying hundreds of roads and bridges. Access to several areas has been cut off, preventing crews from getting much-needed supplies like food, water and fuel to residents.
Dozens of people are now confirmed dead in North Carolina, and hundreds of people remain unaccounted for due to the lack of power and communication access.
Appalachian State University student Dana Lheureux said her apartment building was hit by a tree during the severe wind gusts Friday morning, and if it had hit the other side of the building, it would have fallen into her bedroom.
“The hurricane hitting us was devastating. None of us expected to be hit as bad as we were,” Lheureux told Trace Gallagher during “Fox News @ Night” on Monday. “The tree went through my building at 6 a.m. on Friday morning. And yeah, I live on the other side of the building and if the tree had fallen on my side of the building, the tree would have gone through my bedroom.”
“Fortunately enough, everyone survived and we are all okay, but it was devastating,” she continued. “I have friends that lost their apartments, their cars, all of their belongings… The town of Boone is devastated. We’ve never experienced anything like this… As a community, we’re doing our best to band together and to support everyone that’s gone through this disaster.”
PANTHERS OWNERS DONATES $3 MILLION TO HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS; BUCS ALSO GIVE 7 FIGURES
There are at least 128 people confirmed dead across six states since the hurricane made landfall on Thursday – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
Widespread power outages persist across the region, although some progress has been made in restoring critical infrastructure damaged by Helene.
While power outages have fallen below 2 million for the first time since the storm, approximately 1.6 million homes and businesses remain without electricity in the hardest-hit states as of Tuesday.
Dasher, who is already working to coordinate relief efforts with a children’s shelter, urged other local churches and the federal government to get involved as the community begins to pick up the pieces from the historic, life-changing storm.
“I’m hoping that the churches in this area are going to step up. I hope donations will pour in. I hope that the government will come in with a large financial aid package to help,” Dasher said. “Because here’s the deal… This isn’t like a flood that comes up and then goes back down and you go muck everything out and go back to work.”
“Our infrastructure has been severely damaged or destroyed, and so there’s going to be a ton of rebuilding just to get commerce back, just to get where kids can get to school,” he continued. “I don’t know how long this effort’s going to last, but I would have to imagine it would be years just because of the devastation.”
Biden approved a major disaster declaration for North Carolina over the weekend, and more than 800 Federal Emergency Management Agency staff, along with distribution centers and equipment, have been deployed across the states that were impacted by Helene.
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Vance mocks MSNBC anchor for fact-checking ‘most obvious hyperbole’ about his son
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance ridiculed a post from MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle over-analyzing his recent off-the-cuff comment about how many eggs his sons eat.
On Sept. 21, Vance visited a supermarket in Reading, Pennsylvania, to discuss the rising prices of groceries under the Biden-Harris administration. He was accompanied by his two young sons, Ewan and Vivek, who interrupted his speech to reach for a carton of eggs.
“Yes, buddy. Want some eggs? Let’s talk about eggs. Because these guys actually eat about 14 eggs every single morning. Is that right?” Vance said.
By Sunday, Ruhle caught wind of his comment and posted her own analysis of it.
MSNBC’S STEPHANIE RUHLE CALLS OUT HARRIS FOR DODGING HOW SHE’D RAISE TAXES: ‘SHE DOESN’T ANSWER THE QUESTION’
“14 eggs per day. 98 eggs per week. 2 children consuming 8+ dozen eggs per week,” Ruhle calculated.
By Monday, Vance himself replied, ridiculing what he considered obvious hyperbole.
“One time I said I was so tired I could sleep for days. Stephanie Ruhle: Vance, in fact, only slept for 8 hours,” Vance wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Ruhle for a comment.
Several other people across X also mocked Ruhle over her original post with a similar joke.
“Vance: ‘I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!’ Ruhle: ‘TONIGHT, we talk to PETA to get to the bottom of this Republican-led equine eating catastrophe,’” CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings wrote.
Reason senior editor Robby Soave joked, “One time I said I was so hungry I could eat a horse. But I actually couldn’t eat a horse. Hopefully we’ll get the fact-checkers on this soon. Very important.”
“Tim Walz lied about his military service and no can say for sure whether Harris worked at a McDonalds, but they’ll fact check the most obvious hyperbole imaginable,” RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway remarked.
Washington Free Beacon reporter Andrew Kerr commented, “Eggs are a superfood and you should be eating them everyday.”
“This response reminds me of the time CNN reported on a family who couldn’t afford their 12 gallons of milk a week and others in the media ignored the fact that milk was unaffordable and pivoted to making fun of the family instead,” political commentator Kate Hyde recalled.
RedState writer Bonchie said, “Stephanie Ruhle is out here fact-checking light-hearted hyperbole. This is who the Harris campaign called up to give an interview to. Now, you know why.”
Ruhle was previously mocked for repeatedly defending Vice President Kamala Harris dodging difficult questions even after giving Harris her first one-on-one cable interview Wednesday.
MSNBC’S STEPHANIE RUHLE FAWNS OVER HARRIS, SAYS NON-ANSWERS ARE ‘OKAY’: THESE AREN’T ‘CLEAR AND DIRECT ISSUES’
“[D]o I think that she answers every single question and gives people exactly what they want? She doesn’t. You know why? Because she’s a politician, and none of them do. They all speak in platitudes,” Ruhle said.
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‘SNL’ mocking Trump assassination attempts doesn’t even land with former exec
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” has been blasted as “completely inappropriate” for making light of assassination attempts against former President Trump in its latest episode.
“SNL” has managed to take a break from comedy for somber moments in the past, such as when Kate McKinnon performed a version of “Hallelujah” while impersonating Hillary Clinton following Trump’s shock 2016 election victory. But while the Democratic nominee losing to Trump in 2016 was worthy of a melancholy cold open, recent assassination attempts on Trump were not.
The long-running program began its 50th season on Saturday evening with a variety of special guests mocking current political affairs, such as Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as her husband Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan as Gov. Tim Walz and Dana Carvey as President Biden.
James Austin Johnson played Trump and lampooned the first assassination attempt – which killed one of Trump’s supporters – that occurred July 13 in Butler, Pa., as he depicted the former president at one of his rallies.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN PUSHES BACK ON ‘SNL’ SKIT ABOUT ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS: ‘DISGUSTING’
“Where the hell is everyone going? Where are you going? I see you trying to leave, but the doors are locked. Come on back — we’re having fun. We love my rallies, except when someone does the ‘bing, bong, bing, bing, bing’ right at me,” Johnson as Trump said, referring to the sounds of bullets. “You know that happened because of the rhetoric of the radical left. They say that me blaming the Democrats for inciting violence is the pot calling the kettle black.”
Former NBCUniversal senior executive Mike Sington, who now bills himself as a pop culture expert and Hollywood insider, couldn’t believe “SNL” went there.
“I was watching it live, and actually cringed when they mocked the assassination attempts in an effort to be funny. I’m no fan of Trump’s, but I thought it was in extremely poor taste,” Sington told Fox News Digital.
Fox News host Jimmy Failla wasn’t surprised because “SNL” has pivoted from comedy to “activism masquerading as comedy” in recent years. The show openly celebrated Trump losing in 2020, and its cast members
“’SNL’ has basically devolved into a group therapy session for liberals who are wildly out of touch with the zeitgeist,” Failla told Fox News Digital.
Failla said the infamous “Hallelujah” rendition following Clinton’s 2016 loss proved how self-absorbed the show is, specifically when considering that Trump was a longtime NBC personality prior to entering politics.
“They go after things that work well in a liberal bubble, but look stupid to the rest of us, because it looks like activism masquerading as comedy,” Failla said.
“The things they made fun of with Biden are the harmless things, whereas the things they make fun of with Trump always have the undercoating that’s looking to steer the conversation towards how their viewers are going to vote,” he continued. “It’s beneath the show that really forged an identity by dabbling in politics, but in an accessible way, which is what we try to do on my show.”
Failla, who hosts “FOX News Saturday Night,” believes anything can be mocked if it’s done tastefully.
MSNBC GUEST CLAIMS LATINOS ‘WANT TO BE WHITE’ WHILE DISCUSSING THEIR SHIFT TOWARD GOP
“If you’re making fun of a situation where he was shot and someone else was killed, then it better be funny. Like the juice better be worth the squeeze, which it clearly wasn’t in this case,” Failla said. “And they didn’t make any effort to hide their political bias in how they covered this.”
Failla said a lot of people turn to comedy as a distraction, but “SNL” doesn’t offer the escape that it used to.
“They’re keeping the focus on division. And I cover politics every week. So, I’m not saying they shouldn’t. I’m just saying they’re covering it in a way that’s clearly catering so wholeheartedly to one side of the aisle that sometimes you see the malice in what they’re doing,” Failla said.
“You can mock anything in the name of comedy. But if you’re mocking it in the name of a political ideology, you’re no longer doing comedy,” he added. “You’re doing activism masquerading as comedy. And that’s what that came off as. It came off as just tasteless activism.”
FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS CITE HIGH PRICES AS BIGGEST MOTIVATOR TO VOTE
Political satirist Tim Young believes the NBC program “jumped the shark politically” years ago, particularly when they treated Trump’s 2016 victory “as if it were a funeral” with McKinnon playing the piano on a dark stage.
“From that point forward, it’s been full-on leftist propaganda. Their mocking of Trump’s assassination attempts was completely inappropriate,” Young told Fox News Digital.
Young believes poking fun at the assassination attempts “feeds leftist conspiracies that it never happened” and also “downplays the seriousness of the threats on Trump’s life.”
“Which I believe encourages more lunatics and foreign adversaries to try,” Young said.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT WROTE CHILLING LETTER MONTHS BEFORE GOLF COURSE PLOT
The Trump campaign posted to social media, “There were two assassination attempts against President Trump within a span of seven weeks. @nbcsnl apparently finds that funny. Disgusting.”
“SNL” also referenced the assassination attempts during the “Weekend Update” segment, during which Colin Jost quipped that he was “starting to worry that bullet got a little more than just the ear,” after playing a clip of Trump saying he had a better “body” than President Biden at a recent rally.
Conservative radio host Jason Rantz said he is “all for comedy having no rules about what it targets” for humor as long as everything is balanced and amusing.
“Bad taste? Sure, but that’s their choice to make. My issue is how disgustingly one-sided the humor has become,” Rantz told Fox News Digital.
“It’s not just Trump they loathe—it’s everyone who supports him,” he continued. “At the very least, you’d hope they’d be funny while being so obnoxiously partisan. But no, they’re not funny. They haven’t been funny in decades.”
CNN’S DANA BASH ADMITS SHE PREPPED ‘MUCH MORE’ FOR HOW TRUMP WOULD ACT DURING FIRST DEBATE THAN FOR BIDEN
When Trump narrowly survived the assassination attempt against him in July, a bullet grazed the president’s ear and the shooter killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore — a husband, father and former fire chief at the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, also critically wounded two other rally-goers. Weeks later, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested on Sept. 15 after allegedly pushing the muzzle of an AK-47 through the chainlink fence outside where Trump was golfing in Florida.
While Young is appalled the program would make light of the assassination attempts, he also noticed something “significant” during the same sketch.
“They mocked all of Biden’s confusion, smelling hair, etc. for one of the first real times since he’s been in office,” Young said.
“’SNL’ defended Biden by not being hard on him before,” Young added. “Now that Kamala has been installed as the Democrat nominee, they finally treat him like they have other candidates pre-Trump.”
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Dockworkers defend decision to strike as American families brace for impact
U.S. port workers are starting to speak out on the picket line, providing a better understanding of the top issues union members are advocating for.
“I started 27 years ago and my wages increased only $25 over the 27 years,” Joe Mosquera told FOX Business’ Lydia Hu outside his workplace in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on “Mornings with Maria.“
“So to me, I believe that we’ve taken less than we’ve deserved in the past. So now it’s time,” he added.
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), which represents 45,000 dockworkers, began its first strike since 1977 after its six-year contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents port employers, expired Monday night.
U.S. SHOPPERS START TO ‘STOCK UP’ ON ESSENTIALS AS PORT STRIKES PRESSURE PRICES TO GO ‘HIGHER THAN EVER’
Negotiations between the ILA and USMX have been deadlocked thus far over the union’s demands related to wage hikes and compensation, as well as protection from automation at ports.
“We are just looking to be paid fairly and for the goods we take care of every day. And we did not stop during COVID, and we don’t want to stop right now,” Mosquera explained. “We are willing to go back as soon as they decide that they’ll give us a fair contract.”
USMX reportedly made a new offer to the ILA on Monday afternoon that would’ve raised wages by nearly 50% over the new contract as well as tripling employer contributions to retirement plans, better health care and kept language about automation in the deal. Sources told FOX Business that the ILA rejected the offer and didn’t make a counter.
“What’s fair is whatever my union president is willing to negotiate to. But to be low-balled, he’s not going to agree to that,” Mosquera said.
ILA President Harold Daggett claimed the initial negotiation offers “didn’t work out,” but the group is “always willing to sit down when the right number is hit.”
“Right now, everything is off the table,” Daggett told FOX Business. “Nobody’s talking right now. We got Congress trying to bring them to the table. And that’s where we are right now.”
Though the union’s president declined to disclose what that exact wage number is, President Biden, whose administration has tried to facilitate talks between the two sides, has said that he won’t use a federal labor law known as the Taft-Hartley Act to intervene in the strike.
Under that law, Biden could take action that results in an 80-day “cooling off” period for negotiations to resume while workers are back at work.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest trade group representing American businesses, urged Biden in a letter to invoke Taft-Hartley to “protect our economy” by avoiding a work stoppage.
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But Mosquera stood firm that union workers are committed to staying on the picket line “as long as it takes.”
“We want to protect our jobs. We want to protect our jobs for the future,” he said. “We want to make sure that everybody will have the chance to make a good living working down in the port.”
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Popular health myth that may be causing more harm than help
Advertisements and social media often suggest that vitamin supplements are important for optimal health — but are they really essential for everyone?
“Vitamins have become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with shelves full of supplements promising better health, more energy and a longer life,” Andrea Soares, a registered dietitian from Top Nutrition Coaching in Miami, Florida, told Fox News Digital.
Just over 57% of American adults took dietary supplements between 2017 and 2020, with multivitamins and minerals being the most popular, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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But what does this mean for you? Fox News Digital spoke to the experts to find out.
What is a vitamin?
Vitamins are nutrients that are essential for the body to function normally, according to Jennifer Messer, president of the New Hampshire Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a registered dietitian in New Hampshire.
“We cannot make vitamins in our bodies, and so we must get them in our diets,” she told Fox News Digital.
(The one exception is vitamin D, which people can also get from the sun.)
Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E and K — are stored in the body’s fatty tissue, liver and muscles, so they are absorbed better when taken with fatty foods.
Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, so any excess amount is usually excreted in the urine.
Thirteen vitamins are considered “essential.”
These include vitamins A, C, D, E and K, as well as the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12 and folate), according to the NIH.
“For most people, a well-balanced diet is sufficient to meet daily vitamin needs,” Soares told Fox News Digital.
“For most people, a well-balanced diet is sufficient to meet daily vitamin needs.”
Vitamin A is easily obtained from eating a balanced diet, vitamin E is abundant in common foods, and most people get enough vitamin C if they eat fruits and vegetables like oranges, strawberries and bell peppers, she said.
Some people don’t get enough vitamins from dietary sources, however.
When are vitamin supplements necessary?
Certain vitamin deficiencies can potentially cause health problems.
“In the U.S., the FDA updated nutrition labels to reflect nutrients of public health concern due to deficiencies or inadequacies in the general population,” Messer told Fox News Digital.
Vitamin A helps maintain good eyesight, for example — and children who get an inadequate amount are at risk for blindness, according to the CDC.
As vitamin D supports bone health and immune function, people with limited sun exposure may be more prone to bone diseases like osteoporosis, research has shown.
“As of recent regulations, vitamin D is required on nutrition labels,” Messer noted.
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Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cell production and nerve function, according to Soares.
Folate supports DNA synthesis and prevents neural tube defects (birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord), so it is important for women to get adequate amounts before and during early pregnancy, per the CDC.
It’s a common misconception, however, that vitamin supplements are beneficial for everyone, according to Messer.
“Technically, all vitamins are necessary — however, it is unnecessary to supplement a vitamin unless you are found to be deficient,” she said.
“An individual’s supplement requirements will vary based on medical conditions, dietary restrictions, malabsorption issues and nutrient deficiencies.”
“It is unnecessary to supplement a vitamin unless you are found to be deficient.”
Certain groups may have a greater need for vitamin supplements than others.
“While a vegan diet can fulfill many nutrient requirements, there are certain vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and vitamin D, that may need closer attention,” Messer said.
People who need to avoid certain foods due to allergies or intolerances may also require supplementation.
People managing certain gastrointestinal conditions like Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can have impaired nutrient absorption, particularly with fat-soluble vitamins, Messer noted.
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Liver disease can also impair the body’s ability to store some vitamins, particularly those that are fat-soluble.
Chronic kidney disease can affect the balance of certain vitamins, especially vitamin D, Messer said.
Athletes with a high training load may also require additional vitamins to support energy metabolism and bone health, she added.
Experts recommend consulting with a doctor before taking a supplement. A simple blood test can reveal if any nutrients are at deficient levels.
Ensuring supplement safety
Fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E and K — can accumulate in the body and lead to toxicity if taken in excess, according to Messer.
“Water-soluble vitamins (like B and C) are generally excreted if taken in excess, but mega-dosing can still have unwanted side effects,” she told Fox News Digital.
Experts recommend talking to your doctor before starting any new supplements.
The quality and safety of dietary supplements can vary widely, as they are not FDA-regulated.
“It’s important to choose reputable brands and products due to possible variances in the amount of nutrients listed on the label, as well as potential contamination,” Messer advised.
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She recommends searching for a third-party tested seal on the supplement’s label, such as “USP Verified,” which indicates that the product “contains the ingredients listed on the label in the declared potency and amounts.”
Many people often inquire about vitamin D supplements, Messer said.
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“It’s important to supplement only with the required amount of vitamin D if a deficiency is confirmed through labs,” she cautioned.
(The Endocrine Society — a global organization focused on endocrinology and metabolism — now no longer recommends routine screening or vitamin D supplementation for healthy adults under the age of 75 years old.)
“It can be dangerous if vitamin D levels remain high over a prolonged period, as excessive amounts may cause an array of issues, including kidney stones,” Messer added.
It’s also important to be aware of any potential interactions between vitamins and other medications, experts say.
“Medication interactions occur when vitamins like K reduce the effectiveness of blood thinners, or calcium affects antibiotic absorption,” Soares warned.
Experts recommend talking to your doctor before starting any new supplements to discuss potential risks and safe dosage amounts.
‘American Pickers’ star Frank Fritz dead at 60 following health battles
Frank Fritz has died, Fox News Digital can confirm.
“We are saddened to share that our friend and beloved member of The HISTORY Channel and ‘American Pickers’ family, Frank Fritz, has passed away on September 30, 2024,” The History Channel and Cineflex Productions shared in a statement with Fox News Digital. “Frank filmed ‘American Pickers’ for over a decade. We will always remember ‘the bearded charmer’ and his never-ending search for vintage motorcycles and bikes. Our thoughts are with Frank’s loved ones during this difficult time. He will be deeply missed.”
His former co-star Mike Wolfe also posted about the “American Pickers” star’s death on Instagram. “It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night,” he wrote.
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“I’ve [known] Frank for more [than] half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny. The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
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Danielle Colby, who also stars in “American Pickers,” shared a tribute to the Midwestern native.
“Frank, I will miss your ability to make everyone laugh, your love for talking tattoos, your epic collections but what I will miss the most are those little glimpses of vulnerability from time to time,” Colby wrote on Instagram. “Frank, you loved your cat and your momma and we bonded on those things. You will be missed for all of these reasons and so many more.”
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Fritz suffered a stroke in 2022 and had been recovering.
“I have been very private in the past year in regards to Frank’s life and the journey he’s been on,” Wolfe wrote on Instagram at the time. “There has been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Frank’s friendship and the show but now is not the time to set the record straight. Now is the time to pray for my friend.”
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The TV star had left “American Pickers” earlier that year.
“We all do care about Frank, and we want him back on the show,” Wolfe told The Sun at the time. “I would love to talk with him again, we would absolutely love to, but he just can’t get it right.”
“Frank is just going through a lot personally with addictions,” he alleged. “It’s unfortunate that he’s made decisions that have him the way he is.”
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College football star’s girlfriend goes scorched earth on trolls roasting her boyfriend
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck struggled early in the team’s loss to Alabama over the weekend but turned it on in the second half to give his team the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Beck finished 27-of-50 passing with 439 yards, three touchdown passes and three interceptions. He was also sacked three times. Alabama immediately after Beck helped Georgia to the lead and eventually won the game, 41-34.
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Hanna Cavinder, the Miami Hurricanes women’s basketball star who is a social media influencer and Beck’s girlfriend, had enough with the trolls who targeted Beck’s appearance and went scorched earth on Monday.
“OK, I’m just gonna get this off my chest because this s— just literally fires me up and annoys me so much about social media and society nowadays,” she said in a TikTok video. “I don’t understand why viewers or fans or whatever it is get satisfaction of commenting on a person or athletes’ looks on social media — or roasting them and thinking it’s just OK to comment about what they look like, come at them, tear them down like these people aren’t human beings.
“It’s actually sickening nowadays how society can just, you know, we turn a blind eye to someone’s comments about what a person looks like online. And it’s just sickening that people all get satisfaction of humiliating someone about their looks.
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“It just doesn’t sit right with me. It makes me sick to my stomach that people can just got out of their way to comment on anyone’s looks anonymous or literally, with not even a burner account and be like, ‘Oh this person’s ugly,’ or commenting on someone’s weight – whatever it is.
“I mean, I get it all the time and I think it’s absolutely ridiculous how people can go out of their way and do that. And it just fires me up, so I’m gonna get on here and tell you guys, if you have anything not nice to say to a person, maybe shut up and don’t say one word because it affects people’s lives. We’re all human beings, and we all look at our comments. Grow up.
“And who raised these people is my question. I would never have the nerve to go comment on what a female looks like, what a male looks like on social media and be OK with myself … I don’t understand how you were raised to do that and feel OK to do that as a human being to a human being.
“I think it is sick, and I’m going to choose to rant about it today. But anyways, have a good Monday… because if people are commenting about you and your looks, how would you feel about it every single day.”
Beck and Cavinder confirmed their relationship over the summer.
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The senior quarterback entered the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He has 1,119 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes this year so far.