Fox News 2025-02-10 00:07:31


Blue state ranchers slam Dem governor for allowing ‘sickest thing you’ve ever seen’

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Splintered bone protruded above the intestines and other viscera spilling out of the cavity where the calf’s hind leg had been torn away. Blood pooled, dark and mirror-like in the pit of the animal’s remaining hindquarter. The front half of the calf looked untouched, its legs curled in a futile last effort to escape.

Across the field, dozens of cows huddled together, looking toward the tiny, mangled carcass. It was the fourth dead calf the Farrell family had discovered in the last 24 hours.

“We didn’t have any idea what a wolf kill would look like until this point,” rancher Conway Farrell said of the grisly find last April. “It’s the sickest thing you ever seen.”

Farrell and other ranchers on Colorado’s Western Slope feel their way of life has been threatened after wildlife officials began a voter-mandated reintroduction of gray wolves in late 2023. Now, they’re hoping the Trump administration will intervene on their behalf.

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Colorado wildlife officials released 10 wolves on public land west of the Continental Divide in December 2023. Livestock slayings began just a few months later.

Rob Edward of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Foundation, which spearheaded the ballot measure bringing wolves back, said that was to be expected.

“I would have been shocked if we hadn’t seen at least a dozen or more cows and/or sheep taken by wolves out of that first year,” Edward told Fox News Digital. “The sky isn’t falling, right?”

In the Northern Rockies, where gray wolves were reintroduced 30 years ago, wolves kill less than 1% of the cattle they share land with. In general, wolves are responsible for less than half as many cattle deaths as dogs, according to USDA data.

“Even though that’s the case, we know that an individual rancher losing livestock to wolves is a big deal,” Edward said. “It hurts economically. And so that’s why when we brought Proposition 114 to the ballot, we built in a compensation component.”

Ranchers file more than $580,000 in claims

The state is legally required to pay livestock owners for losses if their animals are injured or killed by wolves, up to $15,000 per animal.

But ranchers say it’s not that straightforward. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) biologists must first confirm that a wolf was responsible for an animal’s death, called a “depredation.” To do that, they need a body. One that’s still in good shape.

“It’s going to be really difficult, especially in the summer, to find a carcass in time,” rancher Caitlyn Taussig said. “If you are not finding it within the first few hours, it’s being scavenged or eaten by other animals to the point that it’s impossible to know what happened.”

In late December, ranchers in Grand County sent CPW a $582,000 bill for wolf kills and related losses. More than $420,000 of that came from a single ranch: Farrell’s.

Compared to an average year, 65 extra calves never returned from the summer pastures. The ranch recorded nine extra missing cows and 14 sheep. Cattle were also 40 pounds lighter on average and conception rates dropped, which Farrell attributed to stress.

“All from a couple little packs of wolves,” he said.

As of Feb. 1, Farrell said he had not received any compensation.

“I hope they pay for it,” he said. “Otherwise we might not be in business in a year.”

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Asked about livestock claims, a CPW spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a list of confirmed wolf depredations current through Sept. 9. The claim for the first calf killed on April 2, 2024, was still listed as “pending.”

A pair of wolves that bred and formed the Copper Creek pack was responsible for the majority of livestock killings in the claims, according to ranchers.

The female and four pups were ultimately relocated in an effort to cut down on livestock depredations. The male died from a gunshot wound shortly after he was captured by wildlife authorities. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and wolf advocates are offering rewards for information on the shooting, since gray wolves are currently listed as endangered both federally and in Colorado.

Ranchers seek presidential attention as local authorities deny their petition for pause on wolf releases

Tim Ritschard unfolded the American flag and then plucked a zip tie from between his teeth, using it to secure the corner of Old Glory to the metal fence post. The biting January wind soon had both flags billowing, bookends for a huge white banner that read “Gov. Polis is throwing us to the wolves! President Trump, please help!”

“There’s kind of a love-hate relationship between the president and our governor,” said Ritschard, a fifth-generation rancher and president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association. “So I think that this is where we thought we could maybe get his help and get this out there.”

Trump and the Colorado governor have sparred over subjects like tariffs and immigration, with then-candidate Trump calling Polis a “coward” and a “fraud” during a campaign trip to Aurora, Colorado. Polis, a Democrat, said ahead of Trump’s inauguration that he would welcome the federal government’s help removing criminals and gang members, but opposes deporting otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants.

“A few [agricultural] producers have asked for the feds to step in already because [wolves] are a federally protected animal,” Ritschard said. “And so we wanted the feds to come in and take over this.”

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All four of Colorado’s Republican U.S. House members have criticized wolf reintroduction, and in mid-January urged the incoming Trump administration to stop the “further importation of these foreign predators into the United States.” Two representatives are also seeking to remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list.

Ritschard spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of both the presidential inauguration and a pivotal local meeting: On Jan. 8, 2025, wildlife officials were set to decide whether to press pause on wolf reintroductions.

In late September, more than two dozen livestock and agricultural organizations petitioned the state to delay future wolf releases until depredations were addressed and conflicts with livestock could be mitigated.

After an hours-long meeting, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted 10-1 to deny the petition.

Within 48 hours, CPW agents were in British Columbia. As a transport helicopter landed on the snow and the roar of the rotor faded, wildlife agents heard a chorus of wolves howling. The Canadian province has “an abundant gray wolf population” somewhere between 5,300 and 11,600, according to CPW.

CPW captured 15 wolves and released them on three separate days between Jan. 12 and 16 in Eagle and Pitkin counties. There are now 29 wolves in total in Colorado, including some that wandered into the state from Wyoming.

Livestock industry fomenting ‘sense of victimization and outrage,’ needs to ‘adapt’

While Edward said he doesn’t want individual ranchers to have to worry about making a living, he accused the livestock industry of fomenting a “sense of victimization and outrage” rather than embracing solutions.

“If they cooperate with the state agencies, there’s plenty of resources to help them prevent future depredation. They just need to get in the game. It’s that simple,” he said. “They have a choice: They can fight, and they will lose ultimately, or they can adapt.”

Ranchers Fox News Digital spoke with broadly supported using range riders as a way to protect herds from wolves. Range riders patrol rough terrain on horseback, foot or ATV, and can use non-lethal deterrents to scare wolves. In 2024, the state hired four range riders, local outlets reported. This year, CPW hopes to hire up to a dozen range riders, using money from sales of Colorado’s wolf license plates, which had totaled $544,000 as of Nov. 1.

But Ritschard said other tools like fladry — bright flags hung along a fence line — are impractical.

“We have calving grounds that are 300 acres,” Ritschard said while driving down a remote country road near his family’s ranch. “We’d have to put three miles of fladry around the fence and that’s going to be pretty tough to keep up.”

Wolf reintroduction has taken an emotional toll on Taussig. She worries every day about the safety of her dogs and livestock. Even though she is ultimately raising animals for food, she said it’s her passion to ensure they have “wonderful lives” and a quick, painless death.

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The idea of her “sweet domestic cattle” being chased down by predators and eaten alive made her pause to wipe a tear from her eye.

“I think people think ranchers are really wealthy people, but we work brutally long hours with not a lot of pay, and it’s a dangerous life,” she finally said. “Then to turn around and have to worry about something new, it’s just really hard to deal with.”

Economic tiger booms with hardline Trump-like approach to sweeping global issue

Nothing seems to get in the way of Poland going from strength to strength despite being part of the sluggish European Union. There are multiple reasons why and many facets, including the country’s outstanding defense spending and its conservative Donald Trump-like approach to illicit immigration.

Late last month, Poland’s economy was estimated to have grown by 2.9% last year, according to the country’s StatOffice. That performance trounces Europe’s single currency area, also known as the eurozone, by more than threefold; it eked out a mere 0.7% over the same period. 

Poland’s growth also overtook the U.S., which grew a robust 2.5% in the 12 months through December. 

“The last year or two has seen a boom, and it’s getting publicity,” says Mateusz Urban, a senior economist at Oxford Economics in Warsaw, Poland, told FOX Business. “There really is a European tiger right at Germany’s door.”

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This isn’t a one-off event. By 2024, Poland’s economy had grown to 11 times as big as in 1986. That considerably outpaces the U.S., which grew its economy to be six times as big over the same period, according to data from Trading Economics. 

Urban says a big part of Poland’s fast growth involved unlocking human capital after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During the many decades of USSR rule, the government devoted a lot of effort to educating people in math, science and engineering, and the ongoing impact of those universities and schools is still much appreciated. 

“These kinds of institutions have a long-lasting legacy,” Urban said. “After 1989, Poland inherited quite a well-organized system that managed to produce a good number of specialists in mechanical engineering and information technology.”

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That focus on science, tech, engineering and math helped the country build an impressive tech sector estimated to be worth $32 billion, or 4.5% of the economy this year, according to the Mordor Intelligence research company. 

Polish workers are also “very hardworking, with high standards, and cheaper to employ than people in the United Kingdom,” Elias Haddad, a senior markets strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in London, told FOX Business. 

Another factor Poland is benefiting from is the appointment of EU veteran Donald Tusk as prime minister in December 2023. Previous to him, the Polish Law and Justice Party, led by Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki, had been sanctioned by the European Commission [EC] due to the belief that Poland’s judiciary was not independent of the government. 

“The party were not abiding by some of the EU rules,” Haddad says.

The result was the EC held back EU funds meant to help Poland. But now with Tusk firmly in the hot seat, EU money should all be released, giving the economy yet another boost.

While the country is growing fast, it is also on the front line of NATO, the military alliance founded after WWII, bordering Ukraine. The country is expected to spend 4.7% of its GDP on defense this year, which is a larger percentage than any other NATO member, and it led the way in 2024 as well. 

“We are aware that Germany won’t be able to rescue Poland,” Urban says. “That’s why the government is pushing spending to near 5% of GDP.” 

For decades, Germany failed to reach its NATO commitment of spending at least 2% of GDP on defense, according to the World Bank. In 2024, it reached 2.1%.

While Poland has responded positively to the Ukraine-Russia war during that time, it has also taken on a burden of more than 7 million refugees from Ukraine. 

“Since the war, we became an attractive place for immigration and refugees,” Marcin Klucznik, a senior advisor for the world economy team at the Polish Economic Institute, told FOX Business. 

However, that massive influx has led to discussions of who Poland wants to attract to its country, Klucznik says. Last month Rafał Trzaskowski, a candidate for Poland’s presidency, requested the government stop paying so-called child benefit subsidies to Ukrainians with children but who aren’t officially working. He has stated that only those working and paying their taxes should get aid from the state.

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Klucznik said the country is conservative and cautious with its immigration policy. 

“We are aware of some of the mistakes made by other European countries such as Germany, France and the U.K., and we want to avoid some of that,” he said. 

In particular, those three large countries have failed to get many immigrants to integrate fully into the local culture. 

Beauty brand owner exposes America’s ‘pathetic’ website line the Trump admin will rewrite

As the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement gains momentum, U.S.-made products are getting closer attention by many across the country.

In an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, TV personality and clean beauty brand owner Emily Austin expressed excitement about the push for change. (See the video at the top of this article.)

Austin, the CEO of People’s Beauty in New York City, said her skincare brand is made with “clean ingredients” — with no parabens, sulphates, phthalates, silicone, dyes or fragrances.

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The People’s Beauty website states that its products are formulated to “EU cosmetics standards (the highest standard in the world), banning over 1,300 toxins.”

“But how sad is it that we have to fit another country’s health standards?” Austin said. 

“I would love our website to say, ‘We meet the U.S. health standard – because America has higher standards for their consumers.’”

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Austin said she considers it “pathetic” that the U.S. “brags” about meeting Europe’s standards of safety.

“It should be all across the globe,” she said. “But especially a country like the U.S., where everyone has eyes on [us] – I think it’s a shame.”

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Just as the Mediterranean diet has been widely dubbed one of the healthiest eating plans to follow, Austin suggested the U.S. should take a page out of Europe’s book when it comes to food as well as cosmetics.

Austin said she is optimistic that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — leader of the MAHA movement — will tackle the issue of preservatives and pesticide use in the U.S. food supply.

“Why are we eating poison, hen questioning why so many Americans are sick?” she said.

“Too many people are focused on the cure and not on preventative care.”

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For cosmetics, Austin challenged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the same toxins as the EU bans, particularly offenders like parabens, also known as preservatives, which have been linked to endocrine issues.

For women, this may manifest as reproductive complications or hormone disruptions that could lead to cancer, according to Austin.

“Just because [some companies are] legally allowed to have parabens to a certain extent doesn’t mean they should,” she said.

“Yes, it’s better for the companies, of course — your products don’t expire — but at whose expense?” she went on. “It’s at the consumer’s health expense.”

To consumers, Austin recommends sticking with ingredients that come from nature and steering clear of plastics in exfoliating products and chemical-based oils.

“Nature provides you with every single alternative that you need for cosmetics,” she said. 

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“I really don’t think there’s a good excuse anymore to use chemicals. Maybe it’s a lot cheaper, but nature always has the same solution.”

Deadly plane crash makes ominous state history as ‘item of interest’ found at site

The remains of 10 people who were in a commuter plane that crashed off the coast of Alaska have been recovered, authorities said Saturday. 

“All ten individuals aboard the Bering Air plane have been officially brought home,” the Nome Volunteer Fire Department wrote on Facebook.

Rhone Baumgartner, 46, and Kameron Hartvigson, 41, boarded the flight to Nome after traveling to Unalakleet to work on a heat recovery system servicing the community’s water plant, according to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, The Associated Press reported.

The pilot killed in the crash has been identified as Chad Antill, 34, of Nome. The other victims, according to the Anchorage Daily News, were Liane Ryan, 52, of Wasilla; Donnell Erickson, 58, of Nome; Andrew Gonzalez, 30, of Wasilla; Jadee Moncur, 52, of Eagle River; Ian Hofmann, 45, of Anchorage; Talaluk Katchatag, 34, of Unalakleet, and Carol Mooers, 48, of Unalakleet.

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The fire department said officials were using a break in the weather Saturday “to bring Bering Air passengers and crew home today.” Crews were still working on recovering the single-engine turboprop plane.

The plane was traveling from Unalakleet to Nome when it disappeared on Thursday. The U.S. Coast Guard found the wreckage of the plane the following day on sea ice about 30 miles southeast of Nome. It will later be removed from the water by a Black Hawk helicopter.

The Coast Guard determined the severity of the wreckage was beyond the possibility of survival but announced an “item of interest” related to the search was recovered.

This was one of the deadliest plane crashes in the state in 25 years.

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The Bering Air commuter flight, which left Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m. Thursday, disappeared about 12 miles offshore, according to the Coast Guard. The flight was regularly scheduled.

Data from FlightRadar shows the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX last reported just after 3:15 p.m. local time Thursday over Norton Sound.

The Coast Guard said data showed a “rapid loss in elevation and rapid loss in speed” for the aircraft at 3:18 p.m. Thursday. However, authorities have not yet pinpointed why that happened.

“Please know that we’ll work diligently to determine how this happened with the ultimate goal of improving safety in Alaska and across the United States,” National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference Saturday afternoon.

No messages or distress signals were relayed.

The National Transportation Safety Board was sending nine people to the scene from various states.

The Federal Aviation Administration is providing an investigator from the Aviation Safety Office of Accident and Prevention, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

He added the Department of Transportation will offer its full support, as other plane crash investigations remain in progress.

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The Alaska crash was the third fatal U.S. plane collision in eight days.

A passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter crashed midair near Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, killing 67 people.

A medical plane carrying an ill child plummeted onto a Philadelphia street Jan. 31, killing all six on board and a bystander on the ground.

Boy Scouts of America officially changes name to be more ‘inclusive’

Nine months after announcing a name change was coming, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) on Saturday officially changed its name in an attempt to “meet the evolving needs of young people.”

The organization adopted the new name, Scouting America, on its 115th anniversary, “marking a pivotal moment in the organization’s journey,” according to a statement released Saturday.

The shift comes after a recent policy change in 2018, allowing girls to join the program. The organization began allowing gay youth in 2013 and ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015. 

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President and CEO Roger Krone told the Associated Press there was “some backlash,” but said there was a small spike in membership after announcing the rebranding in May.

“The fact that we were going with a more kind of gender-neutral name, a lot of people kind of wanted to know more about it,” Krone told the AP. 

More than 15,000 scouts joined, the AP reported, bringing total membership to more than 1 million.

As the nation’s foremost youth program, Scouting America said it provides children opportunities focused on character development, leadership, fun and outdoor exploration.

The adaptation will “ensure future generations have the opportunity to benefit from this transformative program,” according to the statement.

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While the name changed, the Texas-based organization said its mission has remained the same for a century: to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. 

“Whether it’s a camping trip, a pinewood derby car race or a trail hike, every adventure encourages personal growth by teaching youth how to set goals and achieve them with determination,” spokespeople wrote in the statement. “As we look to the future, Scouting America is dedicated to providing young people with the values, skills and experiences they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

The organization’s website features its new name, but social media accounts still have the traditional handles.

“Scouting America has helped instill timeless values for multiple generations of Americans,” Krone wrote in the statement. “In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, the values and skills instilled by Scouting are more critical than ever and the need for strong character, ethical decision-making and effective leadership remains paramount.”

Krone added it is reaffirming its commitment to providing a “safe and supportive environment” where young people can develop essential qualities.

“Scouting America has remained committed to providing youth with a safe environment where they can learn meaningful life skills, create lifelong memories and grow into tomorrow’s leaders,” the organization wrote in the statement. “In fact, more than 130 million Americans have been through Scouting America programs since our founding in 1910.”

Fox News Digital previously reported the rebranding came after a substantial hit in membership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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It also follows a court order to pay out a $2.46 billion settlement involving about 82,000 former Boy Scouts who claimed they were sexually abused by BSA officials and volunteers.

Filing for bankruptcy allowed the organization to keep operating.

Fast-food chain bucks ‘woke’ Hollywood, brings back iconic bikini-clad ad for Super Bowl

Eight years after pivoting on advertisement strategies, fast food chain Carl’s Jr. is bringing back its iconic bikini model advertisements for the upcoming Super Bowl.

This year’s ad features TikTok influencer Alix Earle in a campaign for the chain’s new “Hangover Burger.” Earle, 24, is presently in a relationship with Miami Dolphins player Braxton Berrios.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Earle said making the commercial was “a lot of fun” and that it was shot in Hollywood.

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“Just like seeing a set like that, it was like Wistera Lane, which is kind of an iconic set,” she said, referring to the fictional location of the show Desperate Housewives. 

“Just being there in general was like, mind-blowing for me,” she said. 

Earle told Fox News Digital she believes her commercial is a “modern twist” on some of the chain’s past work, which featured Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton, and Heidi Klum. 

“I think Carl’s Jr. is a great brand, and they have great burgers – especially the Hangover Burger – and they’ve done so many fun, iconic commercials with iconic girls in the past, so it was really fun to be a part of that and kind of do it in a new way.” 

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The ad depicts a bikini-top clad Earle walking through a neighborhood filled with the remnants of a party.

“Let’s be real. Everyone’s going to be a hot mess after the big game,” said Earle, who is originally from New Jersey. 

“Been there. Done that,” said Earle. “And I’ve got just what you need to cure that post-party bug: the Carl’s Jr. Hangover Burger,” she said. 

The burger contains “egg, double bacon – yeah, you need that double bacon – charbroiled beef, hash browns, cheese, and sauce,” said Earle, adding “just the way I like it.” 

As part of a promotion, Carl’s Jr. will be giving away free “Hangover Burgers” the day after the Super Bowl for all users of its app who belong to the chain’s rewards program. 

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Executives from Carl’s Jr. praised Earle as someone who lives an “unapologetic, bold style – much like the Carl’s Jr. brand.”

“Alix shares not just the highlights of life, but also the moments that are a hot mess, like the day after the big game. We wanted a partner who embraces all aspects of life, and Alix was a natural fit,” said Kara Gasbarro, vice president of creative at CKE Restaurants, in a statement released by Carl’s Jr.

“Her fans and followers know she loves late-night burger runs and any cure for a fun night out, making this partnership a perfect match. We’re excited about this uniquely delicious burger and the way Alix helps us bring this campaign to life,” said Gasbarro. 

On YouTube, many seemed to have enjoyed Carl’s Jr.’s new advertisement.

“We’re soooo back! God bless you, Carl!” wrote one YouTube user.

Others praised the return to the chain’s old style of advertising. 

It feels like the 90s again!

“A commercial with a hot girl talking about hangovers and burgers! It feels like the 90s again! The world is healing!!!” said one user.

“This is such a throwback to the old Carl’s Jr ads! I would love to see more commercials like this in the future!” said another.

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In 2017, Carl’s Jr. announced that they would no longer feature scantily clad models in its advertisements, instead focusing on food quality and an all-American image, Fox News Digital previously reported.