Fox News 2025-07-18 15:07:20


Trump to sign first fiscal ‘claw-back’ bill in decades as Congress delivers $9B cut

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Congress is officially sending a package detailing $9 billion in spending cuts to President Donald Trump’s desk, minutes after midnight on Friday.

The bill, called a “rescissions package,” was approved by the House of Representatives in a late-night 216 to 213 vote after intense debate between Republicans and Democrats. Just two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Mike Turner, R-Ohio, voted in opposition.

Friday was also the deadline for passing the legislation, otherwise the White House would be forced to re-obligate those funds as planned.

It’s a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., but a mostly symbolic one – the spending cuts bill was largely seen by Trump allies as a test run of a fiscal claw-back process not used in more than two decades.

FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP

“This bill tonight is part of continuing that trend of getting spending under control. Does it answer all the problems? No. $9 billion, I would say is a good start,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during debate on the bill.

When signed by Trump, it will block $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the remainder of the fiscal year. The dollars had been allocated by Congress for the duration of fiscal year 2025.

Republicans celebrated it as a victory for cutting off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to what they called “woke” initiatives abroad, while Democrats accused the right of gutting critical foreign aid.

Rescissions packages are a way for the president to have input in Congress’ yearly appropriations process. The White House sends a proposal to block some congressionally obligated funds, which lawmakers have 45 days to get through the House and Senate.

Republicans have also been able to sideline Democrats so far, with the rescissions process lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.

The last time a rescissions package was signed into law was 1999.

Consideration of the bill began with a House Rules Committee hearing at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.

Democrats attempted multiple times throughout the process to weaponize the ongoing inter-GOP fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein case, both in the House Rules Committee and on the chamber floor during debate on the bill. 

Multiple calls were made for votes to force the release of the so-called Epstein “files.”

“If every Republican votes to block our attempt to release the records, they are telling Epstein’s victims, you don’t matter as much as our political convenience. And that should disgust every single one of us,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Far-right GOP figures are demanding accountability, while Trump has called on his base to move on after the Department of Justice (DOJ) signaled the case was closed.

Initial plans to begin advancing the bill earlier in the day were quickly scuttled, with Republicans on the committee being concerned about being put into a difficult position with potential Epstein votes.

In the end, a compromise led to the House Rules Committee advancing a separate nonbinding measure dealing with Epstein transparency, on a parallel track to the rescissions bill.

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“All the credible evidence should come out. I’ve been very clear with members of the House Rules Committee. Republicans have been taking the incoming criticism because they voted to stop the Democrats’ politicization of this, and they’re trying to stick to their job and move their procedural rules to the floor so we can do our work and get the rescissions done for the American people,” Johnson told reporters during negotiations earlier in the day.

Democrats nevertheless pressed on, mentioning Epstein multiple times on the House floor. McGovern even briefly led a chant of “release the files” when closing debate on the bill.

Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of hypocrisy.

“Interesting how they talk about Jeffrey Epstein, because for four years, Mr. Speaker, President Joe Biden had those files, and not a single Democrat that you’re hearing tonight tried to get those files released,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said at one point during the House floor debate.

The House initially voted to advance a $9.4 billion rescissions package, but it was trimmed somewhat in the Senate after some senators had concerns about cutting funding for HIV/AIDS prevention research in Africa.

Trump is expected to sign the bill on Friday.

Illegal immigrant’s ‘kidnapping’ by ICE exposed as elaborate money-making fraud scheme

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A Mexican illegal alien living in Los Angeles was charged with orchestrating her own fake ICE “kidnapping” to generate sympathy and solicit donations, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, a resident of South Los Angeles, was charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers, the DOJ said.

Calderon had been living in the U.S. based on a federal law enforcement parole that expired in 2023. She is in federal custody after she allegedly faked her kidnapping.

This comes after local outlet KTLA reported on a news conference held by Calderon’s “loved ones and attorneys,” who claimed she had been “kidnapped” by uniformed men in unmarked cars June 25.

TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN LA IGNITES ‘SAME EMOTIONAL NOTES’ FOR DEMS, TOP LOCAL GOP LEADER SAYS

The outlet reported that a woman identified as an attorney named Stephano Medina claimed Calderon was cornered in a Jack in the Box parking lot in Los Angeles by men who did not identify themselves but were possibly bounty hunters. Medina claimed Calderon was taken to the border and presented to an “ICE staffer,” who demanded she sign self-deportation paperwork.

Medina said that when Calderon refused to sign the paperwork, she was taken to a warehouse until she agreed to sign the document.

Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the criminal complaint against Calderon, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. An affidavit filed with the complaint alleges that Calderon and others “planned a hoax kidnapping” for their benefit, “including their own pecuniary gain.”

The affidavit said that Calderon’s daughter set up a GoFundMe page to raise $4,500 after her mother was “taken by masked men in an unmarked vehicle.”

ICE MASK DEBATE HEATS UP AS DOXXING AND AGENT ASSAULTS SURGE

The daughter filed a missing person report with the Los Angeles Police Department, which notified Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of Calderon’s supposed kidnapping.

HSI determined Calderon was not in DHS custody and, out of concern for her safety, the agency launched its own investigation to find her. During the investigation, HSI noticed several irregularities, including that the phone calls to loved ones that Calderon had supposedly made via borrowed phones were made from her cell phone, intentionally masked to appear as an unknown number.

According to the affidavit, video surveillance of Calderon’s alleged forced abduction further showed her calmly leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot and getting into a nearby sedan. Despite the video showing a marked LAPD car in the vicinity, Calderon did not make any attempts to alert officers that she was in danger.

The affidavit states that “when confronted with true information that contradicted their kidnapping story,” Calderon and others lied to federal agents and “attempted to thwart law enforcement efforts” by keeping her whereabouts from law enforcement.

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According to a DOJ statement, HSI agents tracked Calderon down July 5 in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield, California. The statement said Calderon continued to claim she was taken by masked men and held in custody with others.

She is in U.S. immigration custody and is facing a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy and up to five years for false statements if convicted of the charges.   

Commenting on the charges, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli thanked HSI and “all federal agents facing unprecedented levels of assaults” for “providing cool heads and professionalism during these difficult times.”

Essayli said “dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents.”  

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HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang also decried the scheme, saying, “My office invested valuable time and resources working this alleged kidnapping investigation only to discover that it was a hoax.

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“Diverting critical law enforcement resources is not only reckless and irresponsible, but it also endangers the community,” Wang added.  “The real cost of a fraud like this is the amount of fentanyl not seized, child predators not removed from the communities and human trafficking victims not rescued because law enforcement redirected resources to recover the defendant.

“We want to assure the public that allegations of criminal activity will be thoroughly investigated by HSI and our law enforcement partners and that those who engage in fraud and deception will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”   

The White House also chimed in on the development. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital that “the Fake News is so desperate to believe any anti-ICE narrative that they refuse to actually check the facts and instead just echo the lies they’re fed.” 

“The truth has come out: this was nothing more than another Fake News Hoax,” she added. “Any outlet that participated in this hoax should be ashamed and apologize to their viewers for lying to them. Trust in the media is at an all time low and this is the perfect example why.” 

‘Woke’ politics on the ropes after Trump Jr. takes gun company public

NEW YORK, NY – A Donald Trump Jr.-backed online gun retailer went public on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday and the president’s son spoke to FOX Business about what that means for Second Amendment advocates in the United States.

Trump Jr. along with his business partner, Omeed Malik, helped take GrabAGun public on Wednesday in a move Trump’s son told FOX Business symbolizes the repudiation of anti-gun “woke” policies that have gained a foothold over the last few years.

“I think it’s important. It’s what we’ve talked about for a long time, allowing these great American companies to have the same chance as others that have perhaps been a little bit more politically correct,” Trump Jr. said. “So to come back as a former New Yorker, a political refugee to the free state of Florida, coming back to the People’s Republic and taking a gun company public is like a sort of a great vindication of so much of what we believe in, which is ensuring that sort of democratization of finance and capitalism, you know, across sectors in this country that many Americans care about and have for decades, but perhaps didn’t have the ability to get that sort of equal treatment.”

GrabAGun, which sells ammunition and firearm accessories on its website, went public through a merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC, named Colombier Acquisition Corp. The Palm Beach, Florida, company said the transaction netted it more than $119 million, which GrabAGun said will be used for working capital and “other purposes to accelerate the company’s future growth.”

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I think it’s tremendous,” Malik said about the symbolism of a gun company ringing the bell to open up trading at the stock exchange. “One of the things that I like to say is that we are all huge proponents of the First Amendment and we’ve done a lot in finance around that, but there is no First Amendment without a Second Amendment. So it was important for us to go and support the Second Amendment through a transaction like this. We’re one of the only teams that could do it or pull it off for a lot of reasons, and we did. And we’re thrilled about it.”

After years of gun companies being de-platformed and de-banked, Trump Jr. told FOX Business that his investment groups’s involvement with GrabAGun is a “catalyst for change” in an era where there has been a “cultural shift” in attitude toward the Second Amendment.

It’s the culmination of our thesis, we were doing this and talking about it very aggressively for five years. Back when those other things ruled, DEI, ESG, it was a very different world,” Trump Jr. said. “So I think in this space, we also have a lot of credibility in that we were the guys fighting it when it wasn’t just, hey, this is an opportunity to make a profit. But we’re like, no, we’re actually going against everyone that said you’re gonna ultimately fail and they’re gonna put up whatever obstacles they can to almost ensure that happens.”

CITI UPDATING POLICIES TO PREVENT DEBANKING OVER FIREARMS, POLITICAL VIEWS

Trump and Malik told FOX Business that young people and women that support the Second Amendment are a growing segment in the United States that GrabAGun “absolutely” intends to focus on while explaining that the barrier to entry that new gun owners find at gun stores is solved with the new company.

“They’re buying the way they buy everything else. Obviously, you still have to go through your federal firearms license, a gun’s not getting delivered to your doorstep, but to be able to purchase the way you do literally every other household good that you’re buying on a daily basis, you’ll cater to that market,” Trump said. 

“For a guy like me who’s been in the gun space forever and is a well-known entity and was a competitive shooter and these kinds of things, I can walk into any local gun shop in America and it’s like, ‘Hey Don, thanks for what you’re doing,’ you know, but if you’re a first time gun buyer, you are female, not really accustomed to it, don’t exactly know what’s going on and you don’t want to go into that experience often where you’re being mansplained or given, frankly, bad information, this creates an ease of access to be able to get into an otherwise perhaps intimidating space for a lot of people who aren’t as familiar.”

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Trump and Malik spoke to FOX Business about what the Second Amendment means to them and Trump, an avid outdoorsman, echoed the sentiment that there “is no First Amendment without the Second Amendment.”

Trump Jr. explained his belief that violence in the streets over the last several years, which he says has been celebrated by Democrats, has driven Americans toward the Second Amendment and the desire to protect themselves.

“Over the last four years, you’ve seen crime and the stuff through, whether it’s the rampant illegal immigration and the allowing of criminals to only take over a few buildings in places like Colorado, people understood, and now more so than ever, that fundamental right to protect yourselves and your loved ones is tantamount to all of the freedoms that we believe,” he said. “They get that.”

Trump Jr. said the civil unrest in recent years has been “the greatest marketing campaign for the Second Amendment.”

Trump and Malik appeared on Wall Street shortly after New York City’s political landscape was rocked by the surprise Democratic mayoral primary victory by socialist Zohran Mamdani.

Trump told FOX Business a Mamdani administration would likely be the “nail in the coffin” for the city.

Luxury cruise turns into a nightmare as over 140 fall ill aboard ship

A luxury cruise turned into a floating disaster when over 140 passengers became ill on a Royal Caribbean voyage.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 134 of 3,914 passengers and seven crew members aboard the Navigator of the Seas reported symptoms such as vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea during a voyage that concluded July 11. 

The exact cause of the outbreak remains unidentified.

The cruise, which departed from Los Angeles and made a round trip to Mexico, took place over the course of a week, as detailed by CruiseMapper.

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In response to the outbreak, Royal Caribbean introduced enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols, including isolating those who were sick, according to the CDC. 

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group, the cruise line’s parent company, emphasized in a statement to Fox News Digital that guest and crew safety is a top priority. They noted that their ships follow strict sanitation procedures, often exceeding public health requirements.

PASSENGERS ABOARD CRUISE SHIP FALL ILL DURING POSSIBLE NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK

“The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit are our top priority,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines.”

This incident is one of 18 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships in 2025 that met the CDC’s threshold for public notification, with most linked to norovirus. The same number of outbreaks was reported in 2024, while 14 were recorded in 2023.

MORE THAN 90 PEOPLE FALL ILL WITH GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE

This is not the first time illness has struck a Royal Caribbean cruise. In February, more than 90 people experienced gastrointestinal illness symptoms aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship returning to Tampa, Florida.

“Norovirus is often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don’t always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation. Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time,” the CDC said in a statement. 

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Although cruise ships are commonly associated with such outbreaks, the CDC said they account for only 1% of all reported cases. 

HIPAA defense claim rocks high-profile CEO murder prosecution

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Attorneys for Luigi Mangione claim the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office broke the law by gaining access to his private health records surreptitiously.

In a new court filing, the defense accuses prosecutors of violating HIPAA, the federal law that protects medical privacy. They say the DA’s office pressured Mangione’s health insurer, Aetna, into handing over documents without a court order or consent from any party involved.

According to the filing, prosecutors faked a court date and used a “false and fraudulent” subpoena, warning Aetna it would be held in contempt of court if it didn’t comply.

Mangione’s lawyers are now asking the judge to sanction the DA’s office, including the possibility of throwing out the charges entirely. They are requesting a formal evidentiary hearing on the matter.

LUIGI MANGIONE’S TEAM ASKS COURT TO REMOVE ‘SHACKLES,’ BULLETPROOF VEST ON UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office told Fox News it will respond in court papers. It said very limited information was requested from Aetna and Aetna sent additional materials in error.

“We deleted the materials as soon as we became aware of them and brought it to defense and the court’s attention,” the office said.

Mangione is charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Dec. 4, 2024, just before the company’s annual investor conference. 

Prosecutors say Mangione used a homemade ghost gun equipped with a silencer and shot Thompson twice at close range before fleeing the scene.

LUIGI MANGIONE ARGUES DOUBLE JEOPARDY IN BID TO DROP MURDER CASE, SUPPRESS EVIDENCE

The DA’s office argues the killing was ideologically motivated, calling it an act intended to “violently broadcast a social and political message to the public at large.” According to court filings, Mangione allegedly marked ammunition with the words “deny,” “delay,” and “depose,” and described himself as a “revolutionary anarchist.”

Prosecutors also cite journal entries and a note to the FBI in which Mangione allegedly expressed grievances against the U.S. healthcare system, writing that “these parasites simply had it coming.”

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

Defense attorneys have separately moved to suppress Mangione’s statements to law enforcement and evidence from his backpack, arguing both were obtained unlawfully. They’ve also asked the court to dismiss terrorism-related charges, citing constitutional concerns over double jeopardy and concurrent state and federal prosecutions.

The DA’s office calls it “an open and shut case” and argues that the evidence is “overwhelming.”

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A judge will now decide whether to grant the defense’s request for a hearing on the alleged HIPAA violation. The broader motion to dismiss and suppress remains pending.

The state case is proceeding ahead of a separate federal prosecution, where the government is seeking the death penalty.

Joy Reid squirms in interview when confronted about her controversial past writings

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Former MSNBC host Joy Reid was blindsided by Piers Morgan’s questions about whether she wrote the series of homophobic posts that were unearthed from her old blog in 2018, in a contentious interview published Thursday.

“Now you’re not at MSNBC,” Morgan asked. “Now you’re on your own doing your own thing, and you don’t have to worry about repercussions and stuff. Are you prepared to finally come clean and just admit that was your blog and you did say those things?”

“You know, Piers, I might have known that you would use this opportunity and interview and that this was your purpose, right?” Reid began. “This is your purpose and that’s fine. This is your show, and you can do whatever you like. You know, I could sit here and go on and on and fight with you about your strange, weird obsession with Megan Markle, but I won’t do that because that would be rude.”

“Happy to, if you want to!” Morgan interjected.

JOY REID ACCUSES ‘CHEAP’ PIERS MORGAN OF AMBUSHING HER IN NEW INTERVIEW

“We can do that as well,” Reid remarked.

Reid insisted that someone she didn’t know had access to her site for years but that she was “willing to take responsibility for anything that was on that site.”

“Did you say those things?” Morgan interrupted.

“Not to my—” Reid began.

“Come on ,Joy, you said them. You know you did,” Morgan said as the two began talking over each other.

“The reason that you are trying to go here is that you are trying to defend the idea that Moms for Liberty and these other organizations can take books that are not pornography—” Reid said.

“No, no, I’m just trying to see whether you like to hold people to account,” Morgan said.

“And I held myself to account—” Reid argued.

“I’m just trying to ask you questions about you being held to account,” Morgan finished.

Reid continued to apologize for everything on the blog, without clarifying if she wrote the comments, and returned to criticizing the Moms for Liberty political group for targeting controversial LGBTQ-themed books in schools.

Morgan disagreed with Reid’s comments on Moms for Liberty and returned again to the topic of Reid’s controversial blog posts. He pointed out that despite her support for the LGBTQ community, her blog posts had a very different message.

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“I’m talking about you posting on your blog that you wouldn’t watch ‘Brokeback Mountain’ because you don’t want to see two male characters having sex,” Morgan said. “‘Does that make me homophobic? Probably. Most straight people cringe at the sight of two men kissing.’ Your words, not mine, Joy.”

“And your point is?” Reid said.

“That maybe that makes you a bit of a hypocrite when you’re taking the position of being an ally for the LGBTQ community,” Morgan said. “And actually the best way to handle it, I would argue, is just to say, ‘You know what? Actually, I did write that at the time. They’re not my views now. I’ve learned. I’ve evolved. I’ve moved on.’ Trying to pretend even now that you didn’t write it is preposterous. And I think you know that.”

Reid reiterated that she takes full responsibility for everything on the site and felt “deeply apologetic” for the things that hurt people. She added that her views are clearly different from what was written in the past blog posts. 

After claiming in 2018, when her blog’s old posts resurfaced, that the site had been hacked, Reid eventually admitted that could not be substantiated, and said, “The person I am now is not the person I was then.”

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Reid apologized but, while taking responsibility for the content, she repeatedly suggested she was not the actual author of some of the offending posts.

At the time, Reid was not formally reprimanded by MSNBC. The progressive network rallied behind her, saying the posts are “not reflective of the colleague and friend we have known at MSNBC for the past seven years. Joy has apologized publicly and privately and said she has grown and evolved in the many years since, and we know this to be true.”

Reid was fired by MSNBC earlier this year.

Coldplay concert Kiss Cam sparks affair speculation after couple’s awkward reaction

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What was supposed to be a romantic moment caught on the Kiss Cam during a Coldplay concert, has launched allegations of an affair.

During the band’s performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA on Wednesday, Martin serenaded the crowd with an improv of “The Jumbotron Song” where he sang about couples featured live on the big screen. 

One pair’s reaction raised eyebrows – and the 48-year-old couldn’t help but comment. 

KATY PERRY FAN ARRESTED AFTER STORMING STAGE DURING AUSTRALIAN CONCERT

“Whoa, look at these two,” Martin said, as a man and woman were seen cozying up with one another. 

Once the attention was on the pair, the woman immediately turned away and dodged the camera. The man also exited the frame. 

“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Martin joked as the audience laughed.

Online sleuths claim the gray-haired man and blonde woman are Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his Chief People Officer, Kristin Cabot. Astronomer is a New York-based tech firm. 

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Reps for Byron and Cabot did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment and neither has publicly commented.

Byron is the CEO of Astronomer, the cybersecurity startup, and Cabot, according to her LinkedIn, is the company’s chief human resources officer. It seems they have worked closely together for years.

MYSTERY COUPLE MISTAKEN FOR JEFF BEZOS AND LAUREN SÁNCHEZ AT CANNES

The two have appeared in company photos and at industry events together, but nothing about their relationship has suggested more than a professional connection.

WATCH: COLDPLAY’S CHRIS MARTIN CATCHES COUPLE ON KISS CAM, JOKINGLY ASKS IF THEY’RE HAVING AN AFFAIR

The internet can’t stop buzzing over what was supposed to be a sweet concert moment seemingly gone wrong. 

Comments flooded the CEO’s LinkedIn page with one user referencing Coldplay songs.

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“Coldplay setlist update: A Sky Full of Stars, Fix You, The CEO of Astronomer getting caught cheating with an employee in section 102.”

Another comment read, “caught on the Jumbotron,” as another questioned, “Where is the head of Hr.”

“Your wife, her husband,” a LinkedIn user wrote with a surprised face emoji.

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Basketball sensation makes ‘incredibly sad’ announcement just days before big event

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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said on Thursday she will not participate in the WNBA All-Star Game or the festivities around it after she appeared to re-aggravate a groin injury.

Clark announced the decision in a statement through the team.

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“I’m so excited for Indy to host WNBA All-Star this weekend. I want to thank the Indianapolis Host Committee and all of the people that have put endless work in over the past year to put this event together,” she said. “I know this will be the best All-Star yet.

“I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game. I have to rest my body. I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I’m looking forward to helping Sandy (Brondello) coach our team to a win.

“Can’t wait to see you all out there.”

FEVER COACH SAYS CAITLIN CLARK’S ALL-STAR GAME APPEARANCE UP IN THE AIR AS TEAM FOCUSES ON ‘LONG-TERM’ HEALTH

Clark suffered the injury in the waning moments of the Fever’s win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night. She appeared to tweak her upper leg on a bounce pass to Kelsey Mitchell.

Injuries have been the main storyline for Clark this season. She’s missed nearly a dozen games because of injuries but still managed to lead fan voting for the All-Star Game.

It’s unclear how long Clark will be out for.

Indiana is 12-11 following Wednesday night’s loss to the New York Liberty.

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The team will return to action on July 22 – back on the road against New York.

Major hospitals halt ‘chemical mutilation’ of children as DOJ investigates

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More hospitals are pulling back on providing “gender-affirming care” for youth patients, in accordance with a recent executive order against these practices.

Rush Medical Center in Chicago is the latest large health system to announce that it is stopping these gender-related treatments.

The hospital’s spokesperson, Tobin Klinger, confirmed to local outlets that it has “paused” hormonal therapies for new patients under 18.

GENDER DYSPHORIA TREATMENTS POSE ‘SIGNIFICANT RISKS’ TO KIDS AND TEENS, HHS REPORT REVEALS

Rush has not provided gender-related surgery for minors since 2023, according to Klinger.

(Adults will continue to be eligible for treatments, as will minors who were already receiving care.)

These changes follow President Donald Trump’s executive order, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which was issued on January 28, 2025.

The order states that the administration will not “fund, sponsor, promote, assist or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another,” and that it will “rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.”

For patients age 19 and under, “chemical and surgical mutilation” includes the use of puberty blockers, sex hormones and surgical procedures, according to the order on The White House’s website.

TRANS SURGERIES INCREASE RISK OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, SUICIDAL IDEATIONS: STUDY

On July 9, the Department of Justice announced that it has issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in performing “transgender medical procedures” on children.

“Medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement on the DOJ’s website.

Other hospitals appear to have followed actions similar to Rush Medical Center.

NewYork-Presbyterian appears to have removed and changed online verbiage for its COMPASS Program, which was previously described as a “a safe space for youth navigating their gender experience” offering “puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormone treatment.”

“You don’t permanently alter your body without exhausting every other option first.”

The website now describes the program as “a supportive space for youth and gender,” and references to gender-affirming care have been removed.

A spokesperson for NewYork-Presbyterian provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.

“We continue to work through this evolving situation to comply with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. As always, our priority is to serve all our patients in a compassionate and responsible way.” 

Stanford Medicine has also reportedly halted “gender-affirming surgeries,” according to a statement provided to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“After careful review of the latest actions and directives from the federal government and following consultations with clinical leadership, including our multidisciplinary LGBTQ+ program and its providers, Stanford Medicine paused providing gender-related surgical procedures as part of our comprehensive range of medical services for LGBTQ+ patients under the age of 19, effective June 2, 2025,” the statement said.

GENDER DYSPHORIA AND EATING DISORDERS HAVE SKYROCKETED SINCE PANDEMIC, REPORT REVEALS

It was also reported that shortly after Trump’s executive order, NYU Langone canceled some appointments for hormone treatments and gender surgeries, with parents claiming they were told the hospital no longer offers those services to new patients under 19.

Cleveland Clinic also responded to Fox News Digital’s inquiry, confirming that the clinic “does not provide gender-affirming treatments for patients under the age of 19.”

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Previous studies have suggested that “gender-affirming surgeries” can be harmful to young people’s mental health.

Researchers determined that rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and substance-use disorders were “significantly higher” among those with gender dysphoria who underwent surgery.

Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Brett Osborn and Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and author, both previously cautioned against gender-affirming surgeries for youth.

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Teens who are being treated for gender dysphoria should be “properly supported and treated with compassion” without being pressured into making “life-altering” medical decisions, Alpert advised.

Osborn also stressed the need for comprehensive psychological evaluations, especially for those with preexisting mental health challenges. Mental health support, lifestyle modifications and counseling should all take precedence before surgery, not after, he said.

On July 9, the Department of Justice announced it’s issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics involved in performing “transgender medical procedures” on children.

“You don’t amputate a limb because of temporary pain, and you certainly don’t permanently alter your body without exhausting every other option first,” he said.

Osborn expressed the same cautions about hormone therapy — “we’re talking about irreversible changes that demand lifelong management.”

“This isn’t about politics and ideology — it’s about health, longevity and making sure people don’t undergo drastic, life-altering procedures only to regret them,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to all hospitals mentioned above for comment.