Crowd erupts as MIT class president swaps speech to blast Israel as ‘genocidal’
A commencement speaker accused the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of being part of wiping “Palestine from the face of the Earth” Thursday, leading multiple students to walk out.
Megha M. Vemuri, MIT’s class of 2025 president, praised her classmates for protesting against Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and the ensuing Gaza War.
“Last spring, MIT’s undergraduate body and graduate student union voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with the genocidal Israeli military. You called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. And you stood in solidarity with the pro-Palestinian activists on campus. You faced threats, intimidation and suppression coming from all directions, especially your own university officials,” Vemuri said.
Her comments drew a mix of boos and cheers, according to video obtained by Fox News Digital. One of the attendants, waving what appeared to be a Palestinian flag, scuffled with security. Some students walked out as Vemuri spoke. Others in the crowd shouted, “Shame.”
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“But you prevailed because the MIT community that I know would never tolerate a genocide. Right now, while we prepare to graduate and move forward with our lives, there are no universities left in Gaza,” Vemuri continued.
She went on to say, “We are watching Israel try to wipe Palestine off the face of the earth. And it is a shame that MIT is a part of it.”
Jewish and Israeli students walked out and some in the crowd protested as Vemuri accused the university of being “directly complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”
“The Israeli occupation forces are the only foreign military that MIT has research ties with. This means that Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people is not only aided and abetted by our country, but our school. As scientists, engineers, academics, and leaders, we have a commitment to support life. Support aid efforts and call for an arms embargo and keep demanding now as alumni that MIT cuts the ties,” she said.
One graduating Israeli student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital, “All of our families came from far to see the ceremony and were extremely disappointed. All the Jewish families, not only the Israelis, stepped out and left the ceremony. MIT administration approved and supported that.”
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After Vemuri gave her speech at Thursday’s commencement event, she was told she would not be allowed at Friday’s undergraduate ceremony.
“With regard to MIT’s Commencement 2025 activities, the speech delivered by a graduating senior at Thursday’s OneMIT Commencement Ceremony was not the one that was provided by the speaker in advance. While that individual had a scheduled role at today’s Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today’s events,” an MIT spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“MIT supports free expression but stands by its decision, which was in response to the individual deliberately and repeatedly misleading Commencement organizers and leading a protest from the stage, disrupting an important Institute ceremony.”
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College campuses across the U.S. have been rocked with protests amid the Gaza war. MIT was among a plethora of campuses where antisemitic agitators delivered incendiary speeches and faced off with police.
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Not too far from MIT, Harvard is facing serious pressure from the Trump administration over allegedly harboring “pro-terrorist” conduct on campus, losing millions in federal funding.
JPMorgan’s Dimon urges US to stockpile guns and ammo as first option
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The United States should stockpile guns, ammunition and drones instead of bitcoin, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Friday at the inaugural Reagan National Economic Forum in California.
“We shouldn’t be stockpiling bitcoins,” Dimon said when asked about how industrial policy is entwined with national security policies during a panel. “We should stockpiling guns, bullets, tanks, planes, drones, you know, rare earths. We know we need to do it. It’s not a mystery.”
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that operates outside of banking or government authority. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March establishing a Bitcoin reserve, which he described as “a virtual Fort Knox for digital gold.”
“We should be stockpiling bullets,” he continued. “Like, you know, the military guys tell you that, you know, if there’s a war in the South China Sea, we have missiles for seven days. Okay, come on. I mean, we can’t say that with a straight face and think that’s okay. So we know what to do. We just got to now go about doing it. Get the people together, roll up our sleeves, you know, have the debates.”
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Dimon joined a fireside chat during the Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, California, at the Reagan Presidential Library Friday for a sweeping discussion on the economy and how the world’stectonic plates are shifting” in geopolitics in the form of wars, proxy terrorists and the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Dimon underscored during his address that he does not view China as America’s top adversary, and instead pointed his attention to the “enemy within” that could lead to the U.S.’ status as the world’s leader crater.
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“I’m not as worried about China,” Dimon said. “China is a potential adversary. They’re doing a lot of things well, they have a lot of problems. But what I really worry about is us. Can we get our own act together, our own values, our own capability, our own management?”
“I always get asked this question: Are we going to be the reserve currency?” he said. “No. You know, if we are not the preeminent military and the preeminent economy in 40 years, we will not be the reserve currency. That’s a fact. Just read history.”
He referred to the U.S. government as a “Leviathan” that is too weak to carry out policies, while simultaneously imposing “things on the American public that they’re getting sick of.”
Dimon argued that instead, the U.S. needs to celebrate its long-held values.
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“Celebrate our virtues: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise, equal opportunity, family, God, country,” he said. “You know, and you can acknowledge the flaws that we have, which are extraordinary — what we did the Black population for years. Don’t denigrate the great things of this country, because those are two different things.”
“We don’t talk that much to each other — deal with our policies — this is the enemy within,” he continued. “We’ve got to fix our permitting our regulations our immigration our taxation, which I, I think they’re on their way. We have to fix our inner city schools, our health care system.”
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The Reagan National Economic forum kicked off Friday, and includes panels featuring Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, lawmakers such as Sens. Mike Rounds and Bill Cassidy, and leaders from the private sector, such as the CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton, Horacio Rozanski. The bipartisan event works to promote “President Reagan‘s enduring belief in the power of the free market and individual opportunity to drive national prosperity,” according to forum organizers.
Trump addresses the possibility of clemency for rapper in high-profile case
Speaking with members of the press on Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump floated the possibility of issuing a presidential pardon to disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying “it’s not a popularity contest” and “I would certainly look at the facts” if asked.
In a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 17, Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He has maintained his innocence throughout the ongoing trial in which witnesses have testified to alleged rape, sexual assault, severe physical abuse, forced labor and drug trafficking.
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In response to a question by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy about his previous friendship with Diddy and whether he would consider a pardon of the former rapper, Trump indicated that he would consider “if I think somebody was mistreated.”
The president said that so far “nobody’s asked” for any such pardon, but noted: “I know people are thinking about it. I know that they’re thinking about it. I think people have been very close to asking.”
“First of all, I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t been watching it too closely, although it’s certainly getting a lot of coverage,” said Trump.
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“I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years,” he went on, adding that Diddy “used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics … that relationship busted up.”
Trump said that though he never had a falling out with Diddy per se, after entering politics, he would “read some little bit nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden.”
“It’s different,” he went on. “You become a much different person when you run for politics, and you do what’s right. I could do other things, and I’m sure he’d like me, and I’m sure other people would like me, but it wouldn’t be as good for our country.”
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“As we said, our country is doing really well because of what we’re doing, so it’s not a popularity contest, so I don’t know, I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated. Whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me,” Trump concluded.
Ex-president’s son spotted in South Africa with rental car, no protective detail
Hunter Biden was seen out and about with his family in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday amid Republicans’ investigation into an alleged “conspiracy” related to his father’s cognitive decline as president.
The embattled son of the former president toured Cape Town with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and son, Beau Biden Jr., driving a rented Toyota sedan, a big change from the black Chevy Suburbans he was used to traveling in before President Donald Trump yanked his Secret Service detail.
In March, Trump terminated Hunter Biden’s Secret Service detail after former President Joe Biden extended his son’s detail indefinitely. Typically, children of former presidents only enjoy Secret Service protection if they are 16 or younger.
Trump’s move to remove Hunter Biden’s detail came as the former president’s son was once again vacationing in South Africa.
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Hunter Biden and his family were seen on the Sea Point Main Road, a main thoroughfare in a wealthy part of Cape Town, paying for parking and stopping into the local butcher. Based on the images, it is apparent Hunter no longer has the luxury of a Secret Service detail.
The new pictures also mark the first time Hunter Biden has been seen publicly since his father’s public cancer announcement.
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Republicans are launching a new investigation into the alleged “conspiracy” behind former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
Senstors Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced plans to hold a Senate Judiciary hearing June 18 to look into the alleged cover-up of the 82-year-old former president’s mental decline while in office by the media and those closest to him.
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The lawmakers are still gathering witnesses for the probe, which would be the first full congressional committee hearing on the subject.
Loretta Swit, beloved ‘M*A*S*H’ star who played Major Houlihan, dies at 87
Loretta Swit, who starred as quick-witted Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the TV series “M*A*S*H,” has died. She was 87.
A spokesperson for the actress confirmed to Fox News Digital that Swit passed away on Friday at her home in New York City. The suspected cause of death is natural causes.
In her lifetime, Swit was honored with several awards for her acting, including the People’s Choice Award, The Genie Award, The Silver Satellite Award, The Jean Golden Halo Award, the Pacific Broadcasters Award, and two Emmy Awards. With 10 Emmy nominations and four nominations for the Golden Globe, she most recently received her third Career Achievement Award.
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Swit previously made her Broadway debut in “Same Time, Next Year” opposite Ted Bessell and toured with Susan Hayward and Celeste Holm. She would go on to play the title role of “Mame” in New York and Pennsylvania.
Her television career boasts over 25 movies. She appeared in “Games Mother Never Taught You” with Sam Waterston, “Hell Hath No Fury” with Barbara Eden, “The Execution” with Rip Torn, “Dreams of Gold” with Cliff Robertson and “A Killer Among Friends” with Patty Duke. Swit also appeared in “The Muppet Show” with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
She starred in “Stand Up and Be Counted” with Jacqueline Bisset, “Freebie and the Bean” with James Caan and Alan Arkin, “Race With the Devil” with Peter Fonda, “Beer” opposite Rip Torn, “S.O.B.” with Julie Andrews and William Holden, “Whoops Apocalypse” with Peter Cook and Herbert Lom, “Forrest Warrior” with Chuck Norris, and “BoardHeads” with Bronson Pinchot.
Swit was also known for her passion for animals. She set up the SwitHeart Animal Alliance to prevent cruelty and end animal suffering. She also raised awareness of other nonprofit organizations and programs that protected and rescued animals in need, as well as wildlife preservation. She created her critically-acclaimed art book, “SwitHeart,” which featured 65 full-color paintings and drawings. It raised money for numerous animal causes. She also launched a fragrance, SwitHeart, where all proceeds go to SwitHeart.
Back in 2023, Swit spoke to Fox News Digital about Major Margaret’s famous nickname.
“I understand nicknames come with great love and admiration for a character,” the star explained at the time. “But it was an insult as far as I was concerned. She wasn’t just a piece of anatomy. She was a major in the United States Army, and she should not be disrespected.”
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“This was a woman who had rank, who worked hard and wanted to be good at her job,” Swit shared. “She was an inspiration. I was proud of her. I was proud to represent all the servicewomen out there. I wanted to make a change.”
Swit said she was also proud of being part of the celebrated sitcom, so much so she was worried the nickname would overshadow the heroic efforts of real-life servicewomen, belittling them to a punchline.
“I didn’t want those women to be disrespected,” Swit reflected. “Obviously, people are going to see it differently. Margaret did not see [the nickname] as a compliment. She saw it as disrespect. So, yes, I would say it was never a comfort zone.”
Looking back, Swit admitted she even approached the writers of the show to phase out “Hot Lips.”
“I think my perseverance probably became very annoying,” she chuckled. “But I felt it was important for the women out there who were supporting our country. I kept telling the writers, ‘She’s so much more than this.’”
“M*A*S*H” was based on the 1968 novel by Richard Hooker, which led to the 1970 film by the same name. The series, set during the Korean War, aired from 1972 to 1983. The finale was watched in over 60% of U.S. homes.
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Over the years, Swit stayed in touch with veterans. Many also flock to her appearances. Those encounters, she said, made her fight to ditch the “Hot Lips” title worth it.
“I worked for a long time with World War II vets and got to know them really well,” she explained. “It made you realize how much work we needed to do in this country to support them. So many of them came back to a life that was foreign to them. It took them a long time to grasp the situation. They endured so much and many faced those struggles in silence. It has been the honor of my life to help get their stories out there.
“It has been a privilege, an honor, to meet so many of these wonderful heroes – they’re still my heroes,” she explained. “The very fact that a serviceman or woman puts themselves on the front lines and says, ‘I give you my life’ – that’s the ultimate sacrifice. And we just don’t thank them enough. They give their lives to our country. These are the best friends I’ll ever have. And they always deserve our respect.
“I often quote this wonderful thing that I read,” she continued. “It’s a statement: ‘What is a veteran? A veteran is someone who at one time in their lives wrote out a blank check made out to the United States of America, giving them the sum of up to and including their life.’ That says it all to me what exactly our servicemen and women do. How could such a statement not make you emotional? It’s a lasting feeling. It’s a feeling that will always stay with me.”
Swit said, hearing the stories of veterans has “enhanced” her life.
“It gives you such a deep appreciation for our country, for the sacrifices they made, even after they come back home,” she said. “It can be difficult to absorb their stories. But they need us. So many of them are misunderstood. And a simple thank-you goes such a long way.”
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While Swit played an army brat on TV, the role has given her more than fame, she pointed out.
“It introduced me to the real experiences of our servicemen and women,” she said. “And I gained so many friends along the way. These friendships will last forever. And that has truly been a gift.”
Kentucky Democratic senator switches parties and reveals why she did it
Kentucky state Democratic Sen. Robin Webb, who represents Kentucky’s rural 18th Senate district, is switching her party affiliation to Republican after she says the Democrat Party “left me.”
“First and foremost, I’m a mother, a rancher and a lawyer with deep personal and professional roots in Kentucky’s coal country,” Webb explained. “As the Democratic Party continues its lurch to the left and its hyperfocus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values.
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“It has become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of my constituents for me to remain a Democrat.”
Webb was originally elected to the Kentucky State House after defeating Republican Ramona Gee in 1998.
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This comes as a major blow to Kentucky Democrats, who have historically held a stronghold in rural regions of the state largely due to union workers and the coal industry.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told a local Louisville news outlet that he “would consider” a run as the Democratic nominee for president in 2028, and the newly elected Democratic governor and potential presidential candidate now faces an additional challenge to mobilize his state’s party ahead of the 2026 midterms.
“Like countless other Kentuckians, [Webb] has recognized that the policies and objectives of today’s Democratic Party are simply not what they once were, and do not align with the vast majority of Kentuckians,” Republican Party of Kentucky Chairman Robert Benvenuti said.
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“I always respected that [Webb] approached issues in a very thoughtful and commonsense manner, and that she never failed to keenly focus on what was best for her constituents,” Benvenuti added. “It is my pleasure to welcome Sen. Robin Webb to the Republican Party.”
Despite Beshear serving in the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office, secretary of state and both chambers of the state legislature have a Republican majority.
The Kentucky Democrat Party responded to Webb’s party switch, saying “she isn’t a Democrat.”
“Senator Webb has chosen to join a political party that is currently working around the clock to take health care away from over a million Kentuckians, wipe out our rural hospitals, take food off the table of Kentucky families and take resources away from our public schools,” Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge told Fox News Digital. “If those are her priorities, then we agree: she isn’t a Democrat.”
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“While it’s cliché, it’s true: I didn’t leave the party — the party left me,” Webb said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Beshear’s office but did not receive a response.
High school with dominant trans softball player speaks out amid national controversy
A high school softball team in Minnesota is deep in the state playoffs and the political news cycle, both thanks to its dominant transgender pitcher.
Champlin Park High School in Minnesota defeated the defending state champions, Rogers High School, in the sectional final on Thursday by a score of 1-0. The trans pitcher threw 14 shutout innings, bringing the athlete’s season ERA down to 0.88.
Three anonymous players who claim to have faced the pitcher filed a lawsuit against the state on May 20 for allowing the athlete to compete against female players. The situation has prompted national scrutiny amid the ongoing political divide over biological males in girls’ and women’s sports.
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Champlin Park’s school district provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the decision to allow the athlete to compete on the softball team.
“Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law. Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete,” a statement from the Anoka-Hennepin School District stated.
“In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit which limits what information can be shared.”
The pitcher will now lead Champlin Park into the state tournament next week for the first time in program history.
The lawsuit against Minnesota was filed by the religious law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The defendants are Attorney General Keith Ellison, the Minnesota State High School League Executive Director Erich Martens, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero and Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett.
“Minnesota is failing its female athletes. The state is putting the rights of males ahead of females, telling girls their hard work may never be enough to win and that they don’t deserve fairness and safety,” Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher told Fox News Digital.
“By sacrificing protection for female athletes, Minnesota fails to offer girls equal treatment and opportunity, violating Title IX’s provisions. Our client, Female Athletes United, is right to stand up for its members by challenging the state’s discriminatory policy and advocate for true equality in sports.”
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Ellison’s office has responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“In addition to getting exercise and the fun of competition, playing sports comes with so many benefits for young people. You build friendships that can last a lifetime, you learn how to work as part of a team, and you get to feel like you belong,” the statement read. “I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are. I will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.”
Ellison is also suing President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice to ensure transgender athletes can continue participating in girls’ sports in the state.
After Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would defy federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women’s sports. Ellison then claimed at a press conference on April 22 that he received notice from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if the state did not follow the executive order, so the AG decided to sue first.
The White House later responded to the lawsuit, condemning Ellison for taking legal action to enable trans inclusion.
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“Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women’s sports? This is creepy and anti-woman,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital.
Minnesota’s state legislature failed to pass the “Preserving Girls’ Sports Act” in early March, which would have stated that “only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls.”
FOX News correspondent returns after successful Mount Everest summit climb
Fox News Senior Correspondent Mike Tobin has completed one of the riskiest feats in the world: climbing Mount Everest.
Along with a team, Tobin hiked the mountain in the Himalayas, reaching the highest point on Earth.
Tobin was back on the channel, joining “America’s Newsroom” on Friday from China to share the details of his experience.
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“Some people say weather-wise, it was one of the best summit windows they’ve seen in like 20 years,” said Tobin.
“And you compare that to the other people who climbed Everest this season — most of them got beat up on the summit.”
He said that his team saw people going down the mountain with “big black mittens on,” indicating that “they were covering up frostbite damage.”
Tobin shared that when he reached the summit, it was a little bit cloudy.
“I’m very well aware that 90% of the accidents happen on the way down and so you’re tired, you’re a little hypoxic, and it was a moment of concentration for me,” said Tobin.
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“I wanted to make sure that I didn’t let up because we still had a long way to get down to advanced base camp.”
In 2023, 12 climbers were reported dead while five went missing following 478 hiking permits issued by Nepal, according to Reuters.
“I was just trying to think, ‘Keep your head about yourself. Don’t make any mistakes, don’t turn what’s otherwise going to be a celebration into a tragedy.'”
About 700 to 1,000 climbers attempt the summit each year, with success rates ranging between 60% and 70%, according to Climbing Kilimanjaro.
“I was trying to think, ‘Keep your head about yourself. Don’t make any mistakes.'”
Tobin said he “certainly was spooked at different times on the climb,” sharing that it hit him when he came back down on the second step.
The second step is on the northeast ridge of Mount Everest, one of three major obstacles.
He said it was a bit “odd” as he “was pretty enthused on the way up,” but added that other team members shared the moment was spooky for them, too.
While in the “death zone,” Tobin participated in the 22 Pushup Challenge to raise awareness about the issue of veteran and first responder suicide.
“The only way you survive the death zone is to get in and out of there as fast as you can before the sand runs out of your hourglass or before the oxygen runs out of your bottle,” said Tobin.
The “death zone” is an area above 26,247 ft. on the mountain; the air is too thin to support human life without supplemental oxygen.
“It was kind of an add-on to the climb … You’ve seen some of the different events that people have done as far as the 22 push-ups in recognition of veteran suicide,” said Tobin.
“I hope that a troubled guy out there somewhere who was looking at suicide as a reasonable response to his troubles will realize that someone took the time to do that in a perilous situation and reconsider before he hurts himself,” he added.
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Tobin credited his wife for keeping him on track during his preparation leading up to the hike.
“Between work and training for Everest, there really wasn’t any time, and she ran the house and made sure I got fed.”
He shared that the training process was pretty “arduous.”
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“I did crazy kinds of training, like I’d take the sandbags that our cameramen use, and I put them in a backpack, and I ran up and down the Indiana Sand Dunes for hours at a time,” said Tobin.