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.
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.
Chicago mayor escalates rhetoric while calling DOGE an ‘act of war’
Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson laid into the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and President Donald Trump’s economic policies during his weekly press availability, drawing parallels between the Third Reich in Germany and Trump’s second term in the White House.
Johnson said the Windy City is the most “pro-worker” city in the U.S., but faces “hostility” from Washington.
“The fact that the President of the United States of America is cutting off food supply and medicine to working people and families across this country — that is an act of war,” Johnson fumed.
“And we’re going to need leaders who are prepared and willing to stand up for working people, because this battle has reached our front doors all across America where people are struggling and suffering. And in order to alleviate that pain and discomfort, it’s going to require bold leadership. We can’t tippy toe.”
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Addressing a reporter who asked how to work with the Trump administration for the benefit of the city from such an adversarial position, Johnson cited Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State address in February, which referenced how it “took the Nazi’s one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a Constitutional Republic.”
“Governor Pritzker… offered up a warning,” Johnson said. “You have a president that is cutting off medicine and food, a president that is working to erase culture. I mean, you can’t make this up. He’s doing it in plain sight.”
Pritzker had compared the rise of former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler to Trump’s popularity, in that the eventual national-socialist dictator was seen as the answer to “inflation and [the public] looking for someone to blame.”
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In his remarks, Johnson noted how people have wondered how Germany could have descended into Nazism and anti-Semitism so quickly and dreadfully, saying that Trump is “carry[ing] out the playbook that was done against an entire people-group.”
“He’s doing it right here in this country, against working people, erasing Black folks from museums and the history and the culture. So, when you ask how we balance that, you have to fight it and resist it with everything that’s in you,” he said.
“The President of the United States of America is capturing the hopes and aspirations of working people and holding us hostage as he works to implement and annihilate democracy,” Johnson said, returning to comment on lawsuits the city has joined to halt DOGE-type efforts.
Chicago is party to a lawsuit filed by several municipalities, including Baltimore; Santa Clara, California; and the county that encompasses Houston, which seeks to stop DOGE’s slashing of the federal bureaucracy.
“Congress created these federal agencies. It funded them. But the president is trying to fire all these people and gut these agencies that Congress created,” Chicago Deputy Corporation Counsel Steve Kane told the city’s ABC affiliate, calling the situation unconstitutional.
DOGE-driven cuts affecting the Windy City have included the Energy Department’s 2025 Small Business Expo, originally pinned for June.
The cut came as part of billions in spending reductions for cabinet agencies, and other closures of clean-energy-centric operations have affected the city, according to reports.
Earlier in May, Chicago hired Ernst & Young, an international consulting firm, to find ways to bridge its own budget gaps, according to Bloomberg. The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from sanctuary cities, a definition within which Chicago falls.
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While city-specific data was not immediately available for DOGE-related cuts, the Trump administration saw the Department of Health & Human Services cut its regional office in Illinois, which served 28,000 low-income families.
Efforts to consolidate federal real estate and office space affected America’s third-largest city as well. The Federal Transit Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, Labor Relations Authority and Civil Corps of Engineers all saw their offices there shut down. A federally-owned art collection in Chicago also sees some of its staffing on the chopping block, according to Axios.
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Taxpayers save millions as Trump team exposes massive government waste in software
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saved over $5 million a year after discovering several agencies paid for far more software than they were actually using.
For example, the IRS was paying for 3,000 licenses for software but only used 25. Once DOGE discovered the waste, it cut the remaining 99% of the licenses.
“Agencies often have more software licenses than employees, and the licenses are often idle (i.e. paid for, but not installed on any computer),” DOGE wrote in a post on X. “These audits have been continuously run since first posted in February.”
The Department of Labor slashed 68% of unused “project planning” software licenses, DOGE noted, and the Securities and Exchange Commission cut 78% of the remote desktop software programs it was paying for after finding the commission was only using 22% of the programs.
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According to DOGE, the three changes saved over $5 million a year.
DOGE raised a red flag in February that agencies were paying for more software licenses than employees when it shared a post about the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).
With 13,000 employees, GSA was paying for 37,000 licenses for WinZip, a program used to archive and compress files.
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The agency also pays for 19,000 training software subscriptions, 7,500 project management software seats for a division with only 5,500 employees and three different ticketing systems.
The most recent post comes as billionaire Elon Musk steps down as the face of DOGE.
While DOGE was tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the budget, its efforts led to roughly $175 billion in savings due to asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud payment cuts and other ways to eliminate costs, according to an update on DOGE’s website.
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The savings translate to about $1,087 in per taxpayer, the website notes.
Musk told reporters in the Oval Office Friday the savings will continue to build, and he is confident total cuts will amount to $1 trillion in the coming years.
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“The DOGE influence will only grow stronger,” Musk said. “I liken it to a sort of person of Buddhism. It’s like a way of life, so it is permeating throughout the government. And I’m confident that, over time, we’ll see $1 trillion of savings, and a reduction in $1 trillion of waste, fraud reduction.”
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.
LGBTQ protester arrested at California track meet amid trans athlete controversy
The California track and field state championship prelim round in Clovis on Friday was a scene of conflicting beliefs and even police intervention amid an ongoing controversy involving a trans athlete competing in the girls’ category.
At least one person was arrested, the Clovis Police Department confirmed Fox News Digital. The person arrested was a protester who is accused of shattering a car window with a flag pole. The department confirmed the person arrested was an LGBTQ activist.
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“This afternoon at 3:55PM, a disturbance between two adults occurred at the intersection of Nees/Minnewawa. One adult on the sidewalk and one in a vehicle at the intersection became involved in a disturbance that turned physical. During the disturbance, one of them used pepper spray against the other. EMS was called and one of the adults was arrested,” a statement read.
The person has been arrested for assault with a weapon and obstructing a police, according to Sergeant Chris Hutchison.
“We don’t have room for violence or property damage or anything like that,” Hutchison.
Meanwhile, a plane flying a banner that read “no boys in girls’ sports” passed over the California track and field championship Friday in Clovis.
Footage provided to Fox News Digital by California activist Beth Bourne showed the plan flying overhead at Buchanan High School’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The stunt was organized by two women’s advocacy group, Women are Real and the Independent Council for Women’s Sports.
“California is beginning to reap the consequences of defying federal law and brazenly harming girls,” said Kim Jones, co-founder of ICONS in a press release announcing the aerial banner.
“How long will Governor Newsom and legislators in this state continue to prioritize granting a few boys the right to take opportunities and recognition away from girls? Not one single boy should ever be in girls’ sports. It’s the easiest problem in the world to solve—and the most brazen public ‘screw you’ to female athletes by Democrat leadership. Since when do we tell a single boy he is more important than every girl in the competition? That he has the right to ruin sports for all of them? It’s time for California to pay and it’s time to right these wrongs.”
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Witnesses at the event told Fox News Digital that pro-transgender protesters attended the event in support of transgender athlete AB Hernandez.
The meet and the California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) entire track and field postseason has been under a national microscope in recent weeks. Trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School has dominated the girls’ track and field postseason in 2025, prompting national backlash and even the attention of President Donald Trump.
Trump sent a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, warning the state and Gov. Gavin Newsom of potential funding cuts and orders to local authorities to prevent a trans athlete from competing in the girls’ category.
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Then the Department of Justice announced it would launch an investigation into the CIF and California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the state’s law that allows biologically male trans athletes to compete with girls and women on Wednesday.
The CIF announced a pair of rule changes on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the backlash, expanding the size of the competitor pool and even handing out medals to any “biological female” athlete displaced by a transgender athlete at the meet.
Seattle pastor shares how ‘Antifa militants’ swarmed Christians during worship event
A Seattle pastor is speaking out after violent protests engulfed a worship event earlier in May and persisted in a follow-up event on Tuesday outside City Hall.
Organizers hosted a Mayday USA rally at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle on Saturday, which The Pursuit NW Pastor Russell Johnson helped lead. The event reportedly offered free haircuts, free bike giveaways and free groceries for the community as well as time for prayer and worship.
The event was later “swarmed” by protesters, some of whom reportedly threw urine-filled water balloons at attendees, and more than 20 arrests were made.
“[Saturday’s] event has, of course, been labeled by the media as some sort of anti-LGBT-type rally, and it wasn’t,” Johnson said Thursday on “The Ingraham Angle.”
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“We were swarmed by hundreds of Antifa militants… They were throwing water-balloons filled with urine at Christians who stood in the park and were assaulted for the high crime of worshiping Jesus in a public space,” Johnson told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
After police reported multiple arrests at Saturday’s rally, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office released a statement defending the LGBTQ community and protesters while criticizing the “far-right rally” for provoking the violent reaction.
“Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice,” the statement read. “Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason — to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood.”
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While the mayor seemed to pin blame on the Christian group, Johnson rejected the notion that the Mayday event was designed to “provoke” a reaction.
While a portion of the rally provided a space for parents and individuals who had de-transitioned to share their testimony and highlight concerns with transgender ideology, Johnson said it was done in an “uplifting, hopeful, God can change anything, Jesus has the power to transform your life” way.
“It wasn’t this Westboro Baptist, hateful rhetoric. It was people sharing a hopeful, optimistic outlook on what it looks like when God begins to work in your life,” he told Ingraham.
In response to the mayor, Johnson helped organize an event at Seattle City Hall on Tuesday, which he said was met with “similar” opposition from protesters.
“Antifa was out in force. They bloodied and beat up good church people who stood in line to try to get into a rally to sing hymns and worship songs and pray for the direction of the city,” Johnson said.
The pastor noted that after announcing Tuesday’s rally, he was “inundated” with support from people beyond Christian and conservative circles who wanted to “stand with Christians at City Hall because we believe in the First Amendment.”
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Harrell’s press secretary, Callie Craighead, previously told Fox News Digital that Harrell “remains steadfast in his denouncement of rhetoric from groups whose messages promote exclusion, intolerance, and undermine the dignity and rights of any community member — particularly those that are marginalized, like our LGBTQ+ community.”
Craighead added at the time: “As a Christian himself, the mayor is guided by the Christian values of love and justice, and his comments have specifically addressed ideologies that are in contrast to Seattle’s commitment to being a welcoming city for all. Like any faith community, Christianity is not a monolith — and many Christians throughout Seattle do not hold the beliefs expressed by the organizers of the Mayday rally.”
Johnson criticized Harrell’s stance, arguing the Seattle mayor has “terminated his political career by releasing those statements.”
“It’s a clown show with these leftist, agitator-supporting politicians who are so out of touch with a wide swath of their constituents,” he said.
Harrell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment for this article.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Tuesday he had requested an investigation into allegations of “targeted violence” against religious groups after the rally at Seattle City Hall in response to the mayor purportedly blaming Christian activists for igniting a weekend demonstration that turned violent.
Boston cop’s mother sends clear message to accused killer in courtroom
John O’Keefe’s mother sent a solemn message to Karen Read, his suspected killer, in court last week during her trial on murder and other charges, according to a body language expert.
Read, 45, is accused of slamming into O’Keefe with her 2021 Lexus SUV and leaving him to die on the ground in a blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022.
Her attorneys deny that a collision happened and assert that something else killed O’Keefe, a 46-year-old Boston police officer.
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Throughout the bitter court battle of her second trial, the sides have been called to sidebar repeatedly as lawyers on both sides object to one another’s questioning.
As Read walked to the bench with her legal team, Peggy O’Keefe, seated every day front and center, gave the defendant a grim look, video shows.
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“It was so overt that she didn’t even hide it, because the mom shows every expression on her face throughout this trial,” Susan Constantine, the expert, told Fox News Digital. “There’s no love lost there. She does not like Karen Read, doesn’t trust her, doesn’t believe her, thinks she’s killed her son.”
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She called the look “stalker eyes” – like a lioness – and was a way of speaking to Read without saying a word, she said.
“She was following her as if she was sending the message, ‘I’m watching you, I see you, I’m following you,'” Constantine said. “She’s doing what she normally would do as a protective mother.”
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O’Keefe could not immediately be reached for comment. She was back in the front row, observing the proceedings, the next day.
“She’s the mother,” Constantine said. “She has every right to believe what she believes.”
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The relationship between O’Keefe and Read had been deteriorating in the weeks before his death, his niece, a juvenile, testified earlier.
Texts between Read and a potential romantic rival, Brian Higgins, showed she complained about having to deal with O’Keefe’s adopted children.
He was caring for his young niece and nephew after their mother and father died within months of each other.
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Similar to O’Keefe, Karen Read’s father, William Read, has been in court every day as both parents look to cement a sense of solidarity with their children.
“The jury misses nothing about family and friend activity in the audience area,” retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge and Boston College law professor Jack Lu told Fox News Digital.
But in a stark contrast, Read’s father has been mingling with her fans and chatting with the press in an apparent bid to win public sentiment over to his daughter. On Friday, he was seen shaking hands and posing for photos with her supporters shortly before arriving for the first day of the defense team’s testimony.
“I’m always the oldest one in these shots,” he told the group as he smiled for the camera. “I guess it’s better than the alternative, huh?”
WATCH: Karen Read’s father greets supporters outside daughter’s trial
Read’s father’s demeanor directly conflicts with the behavior of O’Keefe, with experts pointing to key differences between the parents.
“He’s very cordial,” Constantine told Fox News Digital. “There’s a stark contrast from the opposing side and [O’Keefe’s] mom. [She] is distressed, angry and disgusted. The sneering and all that, we don’t see in Karen Read’s father at all. I mean he is certainly a trooper, standing in the gap for his daughter and he’s standing strong.”
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William Read has frequently stopped to speak to reporters on the steps of the courthouse as his daughter’s entourage is leaving for the day, and previously said he would like to be called as a witness in her trial.
“What this state is doing is a persecution of Karen Read,” her father said on the courthouse steps earlier this month. “And this collection of actors [and] witnesses is disgraceful.”
Constantine points to his confidence as another indicator of how the family feels about Read’s case.
“I think that he feels that he’s got a great case,” Constantine said. “They’ve obviously had great counsel, and you could tell that he feels very confident having his daughter being represented by this team. I think he feels that she’s fairly represented.”
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Hours after her father made his appearance with supporters outside the courthouse, Read spent Friday’s lunch recess shaking hands and thanking those who came to show solidarity – a move that mirrors her own father.
“You can see a lot of Karen in her father,” Constantine said. “You could see that they were waving at everybody. I saw a picture of Karen [and] she’s waving at everybody as the car’s pulling up. It reminded me of Michael Jackson – he did the same thing in his case. But [William Read] was resting his arm out, and he’s waving at everybody as if they’re a celebrity. I don’t think he is doing it in a showy way or in a narcissistic way at all. I see him as being very, very supportive and cordial with everyone, trying to connect with other people out there and Karen’s supporters, and I think he’s very appreciative of it.”
Doctors share cautions after Miley Cyrus lands in ICU after filming music video
After filming a music video on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Miley Cyrus said she was recently hospitalized with a knee infection, prompting doctors to weigh in on how certain environments can expose people to harmful bacteria.
On a Thursday episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Cyrus, 32, recalled the moment she filmed her “Something Beautiful” visual album and then landed in the ICU.
“I filmed this video in October [2024],” the singer said. “By November at Thanksgiving, I was put in the ICU for a moment — just for a moment.”
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Cyrus described rolling on the sidewalk as part of her shoot, and shortly after, she developed symptoms that required intensive medical attention.
“I caught something,” she remarked. “My leg began to disintegrate … around the kneecap area. And then the doctor goes, ‘Do you have any idea why you would have such a brutal infection on your kneecap?’”
While the singer did not disclose a specific diagnosis, medical experts say her case is a reminder of how everyday public spaces can present hidden health hazards.
“Strep or staph bacteria are common causes of skin infection like cellulitis.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and Fox News’ senior medical analyst, noted that extremely aggressive bacteria are not common in urban settings.
“Flesh-eating bacteria on city streets is very rare,” Siegel, who did not treat Cyrus, told Fox News Digital. “Rat urine can cause leptospirosis, a bacteria that causes flu-like symptoms.”
The doctor said he believes the likely cause was a more typical bacterial infection rather than something exotic, although common bacteria can cause serious skin reactions.
“Strep or staph bacteria are common causes of skin infection like cellulitis,” said Siegel. “Bacteria can be found [on streets], like E. coli, shigella and enterococci, which are from fecal matter, and may get onto the bottoms of shoes,” he added.
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These infections do not typically originate from the street itself, the doctor said, but can develop when skin comes in contact with bacteria, which can happen during close exposure to surfaces like sidewalks.
The risk of infection often increases when the skin is broken or irritated, allowing bacteria to enter the body more easily.
Even minor cuts and scrapes can become gateways for infection when exposed to contaminated surfaces, according to Dr. Ken Perry, an emergency medicine physician in Charleston, South Carolina.
“For most patients, these infections are contracted from open wounds in the skin or some other breach in the skin barrier,” Perry, who also did not treat Cyrus, told Fox News Digital.
Such infections are usually easily treated with common antibiotics, according to the doctor.
Cyrus’ shoot put her in close contact with one of the busiest sidewalks in the country, which doctors say can heighten the danger.
“In the case of Miley Cyrus, she states that she contracted this after rolling around on the ground during the filming of her music video,” said Perry.
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“The foot traffic could easily contaminate the area with bacteria from animal or even human sources,” he hypothesized.
“For the majority of the population, rolling around on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is not common behavior, but even casual interaction could put an individual in contact with harmful bacteria,” Perry added.
Hygiene as first line of defense
Doctors agree that basic hygiene is one of the best ways to avoid infection, especially in public spaces.
“The best way to keep this from happening is to be fastidious with hygiene,” said Perry.
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“We know to wash our hands after being in public to keep from possibly transferring bacteria to the mucus membranes of our eyes, or even ingesting bacteria.”
Experts recommend covering wounds and washing them as soon as possible if exposed to public environments.
“If the cut or scrape occurs while out in public, make sure to wash with soap and water,” Perry advised.
“If an individual has a cut or some break in the skin, it is best to keep it covered, especially when out in public.”
It is important to seek medical care if there is redness, swelling or drainage, as these could be signs of a worsening bacterial infection, the doctor cautioned.