Air traffic controller ‘pushed the line’ before deadly DC crash that killed 67
An air traffic controller failed to notify the crew of a commercial plane that an Army helicopter was moving toward the aircraft before the collision in Washington, D.C., in January that killed 67 people, a Federal Aviation Administration official said on Thursday.
The FAA’s first acknowledgment of a possible error in the control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport just before the fatal collision came on the second day of National Transportation Safety Board hearings looking into what led to the midair crash.
Officials testified at the hearing about a high number of takeoffs and landings at the airport that, in addition to heavy helicopter traffic, led to air traffic controllers testing the limits of safety, according to The Washington Post.
Among the methods used the night of the crash were the frequent use of allowing helicopter crews to use their own judgment and skills to avoid other air traffic and the use of runway 33, which is shorter and requires jets arriving from the south to leave the usual flight path and travel further east, the outlet noted.
ARMY HELICOPTER THAT CRASHED WITH COMMERCIAL PLANE IN DC WAS FLYING ABOVE ALTITUDE LIMIT: NTSB
The controller responsible for guiding the flights of the Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines jet arriving from Wichita, Kansas, had juggled communications with 21 different aircraft in the 10 minutes before the collision over the Potomac River, according to NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.
NTSB investigators were told by the controller — managing helicopter and airliner traffic at once — that he felt overwhelmed about 15 minutes before the crash, but that traffic later died down some, and he felt more comfortable managing the workload.
During the hearing, Homendy pressed FAA officials about the sequence of communications with the jet arriving, which was operated by regional carrier PSA, according to The Washington Post.
“Should the local controller have let the PSA crew know there was a helicopter there?” Homendy asked.
Nick Fuller, the acting number two ranking official in the FAA’s air traffic control branch, answered yes, adding that the controller should have told the airliner’s crew that the helicopter was using visual separation and that “the targets were likely to merge.”
The airport often saw nearly 80 departures and arrivals an hour, according to The Washington Post, citing an FAA email released by the NTSB this week.
Clark Allen, the operations manager in the airport’s tower on the night of the crash, was asked Thursday whether tactics that controllers used were jeopardizing safety.
“They’re pushing the line,” Allen testified.
Controllers told investigators that they did not feel outside pressure to keep up with the pace, but FAA managers described how American Airlines had a tight schedule that effectively boosted traffic. A manager for the airline testified that it had attempted to make changes after visiting the tower.
In the minutes before the crash, the controller was looking for pilots willing to land on runway 33 to relieve pressure on the main runway. One crew declined and the pilots of the American Airlines flight from Wichita initially hesitated before agreeing, according to a transcript released this week, The Washington Post noted. This sent them on a circling route that would bring them directly into the path of the Black Hawk, which was using a route that passed right under the plane’s landing path.
Officials said the tactics of managing heavy aircraft traffic have tower jargon, including “squeeze play,” which involves pushing planes through takeoffs and landings with minimal separation.
“It can be taxing on a person, you know, constantly have to give, give, give or a push, push, push in order to efficiently move traffic,” Allen testified.
NTSB LAUNCHES 3-DAY INVESTIGATIVE HEARING ON DEADLY DC PLANE CRASH
“Being a high volume, high complex airport with not a lot of real estate, you have to keep things moving,” he added.
The pressure at the airport extended to a nearby air traffic control facility that tees up planes to land, Bryan Lehman, a manager at that facility, testified on Thursday.
“We have many nonstandard tools that we use in order to be able to bring a significant amount of airplanes into DCA … on a daily basis to make it work,” Lehman said. “At a certain point, it’s too much.”
Planes approaching the airport from the south mostly land on runway one, which is close to 7,200 feet long and able to accommodate the large airliners common at the airport. Runway 33, which is only 5,200 feet long, crosses it at an angle. Runway 33 is available to controllers as a form of relief valve.
After the incident on Jan. 29, the FAA reduced the arrival rate of aircraft and said it would conduct a review. The agency said the current maximum arrival rate at the airport is 30 an hour.
Lehman said he told investigators that American Airlines also found a way to avoid limits on the number of flights each hour by packing them into 30-minute blocks.
“No one will stop them,” Lehman said. “So, I don’t know how American has this much pull … but it’s a wink-wink, that people know what’s going on.”
Njuen Chendi, the FAA’s traffic management officer for the Washington district, told investigators that efforts to have the airline space out its flights to ease pressure on the airport have had only limited success.
Eric Silverman, an American Airlines manager, testified on Thursday that representatives from the carrier had visited the tower as travel was rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We made changes where we could,” Silverman said.
Another tactic for managing traffic that also contributed to the crash was controllers’ relying on visual separation, in which helicopters see and avoid airliners.
“Visual separation was used on a daily basis between the helicopter operators and the commercial traffic departing and landing at DCA,” Allen testified. “Visual separation was paramount to making the operation work efficiently for the amount of volume and complexity that the airspace has.”
The controller checked with the helicopter crew to confirm they could see the jet as they approached, but they appeared to be confused about the message and did not see the airliner even moments before they crashed into it.
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The FAA imposed limits on the use of visual separation in the aftermath of the collision.
Staffing at the airport has been a problem since the crash, according to NTSB investigator Brian Soper, who said that the latest FAA data shows that while there are 26 controllers assigned to the tower, only 19 are available to work.
“Every person we spoke with cited staffing as a significant concern,” Soper said.
Trump hikes tariffs on Canada while making other sweeping trade moves
President Donald Trump is increasing the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35% beginning on Friday, after the U.S. neighbor to the north failed to help curb the imports of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
The White House noted Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to increase the tariff in an effort to hold Canada accountable for its role in the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S.
Additionally, Trump signed another executive order on Thursday to modify the reciprocal tariff rates for some countries to further address the United States’ trade deficits.
The action reflects Trump’s efforts to protect the U.S. from foreign threats to national security and the economy by securing “fair, balanced and reciprocal trade relationships,” the White House said.
TRUMP THREATENS 35% TARIFF ON CANADA GOODS OVER DANGEROUS CROSS-BORDER FENTANYL DISPUTE
The president announced an additional 10% tariff on all countries, though he also announced higher tariffs for countries the U.S. has large trade deficits with, on April 2, and they became effective on April 9.
Trump and his team have since made several trade deals with several countries.
For instance, the U.S. struck a deal with the European Union in which the EU agreed to purchase $750 billion in U.S. energy and make new investments of $600 billion by 2028. The EU also agreed to accept a 15% tariff rate.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES SWEEPING 50% TARIFF ON BRAZILIAN IMPORTS STARTING AUG. 1
The U.S. also made a deal with Japan, which agreed to invest $550 billion in the U.S. to rebuild and expand core American industries. Japan also agreed to further its own market to U.S. exports, and like the EU, Japan agreed to pay a baseline 15% tariff rate.
A list of modified reciprocal tariffs from the White House shows that Syria will face a 41% tariff, while Myanmar and Laos will be charged a 40% tariff.
Switzerland will be required to pay a 39% tariff; Serbia and Iraq will be charged a 35% tariff; and Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lybia and South Africa will be charged a 30% tariff.
The White House said Trump is using tariffs as “a necessary and powerful tool to put America first after many years of unsubstantiated trade deficits that threaten our economy and national security.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES HIGHER TARIFF RATES FOR MORE COUNTRIES IN LETTERS PUBLISHED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
One threat to the U.S. is the flow of fentanyl from both Mexico and Canada, which Trump addressed with the 35% tariff on Canada.
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to impose the 35% tariff on Canadian goods on Aug. 1, after accusing Canada of failing to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country, and instead retaliating with its own tariffs.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 74 pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the northern border in fiscal year 2025.
The White House said Mexican cartels are operating fentanyl- and nitazene-synthesis labs in Canada.
The Trump administration also claimed Canada-based drug trafficking organizations maintain “super labs,” in rural and dense areas in western Canada. Some of the labs can produce 44 to 66 pounds of fentanyl per week.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES 25% TARIFFS ON JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month, Trump said it was a great honor to send a letter demonstrating the strength and commitment of the U.S. and Canada’s trading relationship. But he also pointed to a relationship gone sour, stating that the U.S. has agreed to continue working together, despite Canada imposing tariffs against the U.S.
Trump warned Canada that beginning Aug. 1, the U.S. would charge Canada a tariff of 35% on Canadian products sent into the U.S., separate from all sectoral tariffs. He also said any goods shipped in a way that evades the 35% tariff, Trump said, will be subject to the higher tariff.
Canadian Premier of Ontario Doug Ford responded on Thursday to Trump’s executive order to raise the tariff to 35%, saying, “We need to stand our ground.”
“The increase in U.S. tariffs to 35 per cent is concerning, especially with tariffs still in place on steel, aluminum, autos, forestry and now copper,” Ford said in a post on X. “While Canada continues to benefit from zero tariffs on all trade that’s USMCA compliant, representing over 90 per cent of our American exports, we need to do everything in our power to protect workers, businesses and communities from the impact of tariffs. The federal government needs to hit back with a 50 per cent tariff on U.S. steel and aluminum.
“Canada has what the United States needs: oil and gas, critical minerals, steel and aluminum, electricity, potash and uranium,” he continued. “We’re America’s number one customer and keep millions of Americans working. The federal government needs to maximize our leverage and stand strong in the face of President Trump’s tariffs.”
Ford said the Canadian government will do whatever to support its workers and businesses, as the country continues to build a more competitive, self-reliant and resilient economy.
“Canadian workers and businesses are desperate for certainty,” Ford said. “Let’s work together, united, to deliver it.”
Earlier this year, President Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian steel, automobiles and other goods not covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Canada retaliated by imposing $43 billion worth of its own tariffs against the U.S.
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Trump announced the tariffs on his first day in office in January after declaring fentanyl deaths a national emergency.
First lady’s lawyers force outlet to apologize after scandalous Epstein claims
The Daily Beast has pulled an article detailing allegations by journalist Michael Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Jeffrey Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady’s lawyers.
“Editor’s Note. After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” The Daily Beast posted in place of the article. The hyperlink to the article appears to have been amended to : https://www.thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed/.
Wolff initially made the scandalous allegations in an interview with Daily Beast chief content officer Joanna Coles for The Daily Beast Podcast, Saturday. The two were discussing Trump’s alleged connections with the disgraced New York financier. The two were friends for many years, but ultimately had a falling out. The president claimed Tuesday that Epstein had been stealing staff from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan prison while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking of minors charges. Wolff claimed Melania was “very involved in this Epstein relationship.”
JEFFREY EPSTEIN THROWN OUT OF MAR-A-LAGO FOR HIRING THE HELP: TRUMP
“[Melania] was very involved in this Epstein relationship. There is this model thing, and she’s introduced by a model agent, both of whom Trump and Epstein are involved with. She’s introduced to Trump that way, Epstein knows her well,” Wolff alleged.
President Trump has been dogged by demands by his MAGA base to release the so-called “Epstein files” after a series of missteps by his Attorney General, Pam Bondi. Bondi had distributed binders labeled “Epstein Files: Phase One” to a handful of conservative influencers in February. The binders failed to include any heretofore unknown details surrounding the case – which has been a magnet for unfounded conspiracy theories alleging that Epstein was an intelligence agent sexually blackmailing America’s most powerful figures whose death wasn’t actually a suicide – which caused an outcry among the president’s most online supporters.
Bondi subsequently made comments that some interpreted to mean an Epstein client list was “sitting” on her desk, though she later clarified in June that she was referring to the Epstein file, not a “client list.” The DOJ ultimately released a two-page memo that denied a “client list” existed and claimed there was no “credible evidence” Epstein had blackmailed other individuals via his sex trafficking activities. The DOJ memo failed to quell the furor in Trump’s base for greater transparency in the Epstein case, prompting Trump’s ire.
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Trump has disavowed his supporters who remain fixated on the Epstein scandal, labeling them “weaklings” who are buying into a “hoax” orchestrated by the Democrats.
“Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker, they haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial.
Wolff’s credibility in the journalism industry has faced scrutiny. In 2018, the journalist told Bill Maher he had evidence that President Trump was having an affair and claimed that a clue to his mistress’ identity could be found at the end of his White House tell-all “Fire and Fury.” Readers identified passages that seemed to implicate then-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Haley called the insinuation “disgusting” and “highly offensive.”
In a subsequent interview on “Morning Joe,” Wolff denied that he ever insinuated Haley was having an affair with Trump, but then said he “found it puzzling that she would deny something she was not accused of,” prompting co-host Mika Brzezinski to accuse him of “having fun… slurring a woman” and end the interview abruptly. Multiple figures in Trump’s orbit also denied having made quotes attributed to them in “Fire and Fury.”
“The scenes in his columns aren’t recreated so much as created — springing from Wolff’s imagination rather than from actual knowledge of events,” Michell Cottle wrote of Wolff’s reporting style in a profile in the New Republic.
Michael Wolff told Fox News Digital that he had nothing to do with the article.
The Daily Beast and the White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Overtourism turns popular city into ‘Disneyland’ as locals plead with officials
All across Europe, officials in popular vacation destinations have been grappling with the ravages of overtourism — prompting locals to speak out about the strain this has taken on their communities.
Last year, over three million people traveled to Paris, France, to witness the 2024 Olympic Games.
About 230,000 Americans attended the Olympics, accounting for the largest group of foreign visitors, according to the official website Paris je t’aime.
‘CARBON PASSPORTS’ WOULD TRACK TRAVEL AND EVEN RESTRICT HOW SOME PEOPLE TAKE VACATION
Now, locals in the hilltop area of the 18th arrondissement, Montmartre, are sounding the alarm about the surge of tourism in Paris.
Following the Olympic Games, the number of visitors traveling to Paris has skyrocketed, according to Reuters.
Paris officials say 2025 may rank as one of the busiest years yet, as there is a 20% rise in January bookings compared to last year, Reuters reported.
Montmartre resident Anne Renaudi has lived in the area for 29 years. She told Reuters a historic section of the city now looks like a theme park after it was made famous in the movie “Amelie.”
“People come for three hours, have fun, buy a beret or a crêpe, and leave — as if they were in an amusement park,” said Renaudie.
SUMMER BEACH BATTLE BETWEEN LOCALS AND VISITORS HEATS UP AS OVERTOURISM SOARS
She said, “We’re down to two or three butchers, two cheese shops. They’re disappearing one after the other … Now, it’s a lot of ice cream, crêpes, taco places.”
Renaudie heads the Vivre à Montmartre Association, which has proposed measures to crack down on the strains of tourism.
The group has looked at limiting tour groups to 25 people, banning loudspeakers and raising the tourist tax.
In 2024, 48.7 million visitors traveled across Paris with about 11 million of them spending time in Montmartre.
One popular landmark that tourists enjoy checking out is the 140-year-old Sacre-Coeur Basilica. It sits atop the Montmartre hill and is surrounded by narrow streets for visitors to explore.
Local resident Anthea Quenel shared her frustration over the tour groups that congest the streets.
“Sometimes I have to really raise my voice and say, ‘Sorry, I want to pass,’” said Quenel to Reuters.
She added, “It’s like Disneyland.”
The troves of tourists have impacted housing prices, with the 18th arrondissement mayor addressing the impact on residents.
“For me, the big issue is housing. That means fighting against Airbnb and rental platforms,” said Mayor Eric Lejoindre.
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In the past decade, real estate prices rose by 19%, according to Reuters.
Similarly, local residents of Mexico City have been making their feelings known about unwanted tourists visiting their home areas.
Residents were protesting mass tourism, with hundreds of people taking to the streets and demanding stricter housing laws and legislation to regulate tourism levels.
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Government officials caved to the requests by announcing a preliminary plan to address gentrification and the other concerns of locals, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
Female swimmers reject league’s plea for PR help amid trans controversy, lawsuit
Three female U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) athletes have spoken out against the organization for asking for help with public relations amid a scandal involving a biological male trans competitor swimming against females.
USMS, a competitive swimming membership organization with over 60,000 adult swimmers, sent an email to its athletes Tuesday seeking help defending its public image after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched a lawsuit against the organization.
Paxton’s lawsuit stems from an incident in San Antonio at the end of April, when a trans athlete won five women’s events.
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“We need your help setting the record straight as part of our newly launched #SwimsuitsNotLawsuits campaign,” the email to members said.
The email went on to ask that members “share correct information when you see or hear inaccurate statements. Please help us by providing facts in response, whether it’s on social media, at the pool, or in your local community. Let others know what’s great about our organization.”
The email also referred to “rumors” about the situation.
“This situation began with rumors about one member’s performance at our Spring Nationals in April in San Antonio. An external organization fueled online speculation about this swimmer’s eligibility, which led to protests from fellow members and an investigation by the Attorney General in Texas,” the email added.
USMS revised its gender eligibility policy in June to restrict the competitive recognition biological males can attain in women’s events, but it still allows them to compete with females.
Veteran women’s swimmer Wendy Enderle, who competed against the trans athlete in April and previously told Fox News Digital she was never made aware of the athlete’s biological sex, told Fox News Digital she sees the email as “an insult.”
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“I think the email from USMS is insulting to the women who unknowingly competed against men and to all the members of USMS who support fairness in women’s sports, and it p—es me off,” Enderle said.
“It also makes me feel like my concerns have been dismissed and that U.S. Masters Swimming is trying to sweep this under the rug with a PR campaign, especially given the fact that they have yet to respond to the eligibility review requests submitted three months ago.
“It makes me feel hurt and sad because I train very hard to be one of the top swimmers in the world in my age group, and, like, my hard work and accomplishments in the pool don’t matter to them. I am very disappointed in USMS for sending out this tone-deaf email to its members.”
Enderle previously said she requested an eligibility review for the trans athlete but has never received a response.
Women’s swimmer Angie Griffin called out USMS for its policies that still allow males to compete in women’s events and for not responding to the request for eligibility review.
“USMS is asking members to publicly support the organization through a PR campaign, while continuing to ignore the women who were directly affected,” Griffin said.
“Placing the feelings of one athlete above the rights of many to fair competition was a mistake, and it still hasn’t been acknowledged. We’re not asking for much, just a response. Those of us who took the time to file formal protests deserve to be taken seriously. A simple answer would go a long way toward rebuilding trust.
“I appreciate that USMS has since revised its eligibility policy. That’s a step in the right direction. But real accountability means recognizing past harm — not rewriting history or shifting blame. Until that happens, asking us to be the public voice defending the organization feels premature and unfair.”
Fellow women’s swimmer Cissy Cochran told Fox News Digital she is refusing to compete in any USMS events after receiving the email.
“USMS has now sent out an email asking all the members to participate in a PR campaign to help clear up any misconceptions,” Cochran said. “They again place the Interim transgender policy at the forefront, making it look like they have cleaned up their act when, in fact, we have received no word on the eligibility request we have submitted the first week of May 2025. Maybe a first step should have been acknowledging the wrong that took place in April.
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“USMS refusing to acknowledge or even respond to our formal complaints speaks volumes about the leadership. I refuse to participate in any USMS events and welcome all the help from the Texas and Florida attorney general in our fight to save women’s sports.”
A USMS spokesperson told Fox News Digital the review process for the athlete is “ongoing.”
“USMS’s eligibility review process for one swimmer is still ongoing. We are navigating our process in a fair and deliberate manner and expect to have a decision soon. The members who submitted protests will be the first to know when that process is complete,” the USMS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also addressed the complaints made by the female swimmers.
“The messaging we sent to our members had nothing to do with the eligibility review process. We launched our Swimsuits Not Lawsuits campaign to correct misleading public statements about USMS and clarify what we do. Our mission is to empower adults to improve their lives through swimming,” the spokesperson said.
“We believe asking for our members’ help correcting misperceptions is an appropriate way to limit resources spent on legal action so it can be used for its intended purpose of serving our 60,000 members, and the response from our members thus far has been positive.”
The trans swimmer, 47-year-old Ana Caldas, dominated all five races the athlete competed in in April, taking gold in the women’s age 45-49 category in five races, including the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, freestyle and the 100-yard individual medley.
Parents’ worst nightmare caught on camera as man grabs little girl at mall
Police in Virginia released surveillance video of the moment a toddler was allegedly abducted by a 26-year-old man at a shopping mall.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, a toddler left the indoor play area at around 11:45 a.m. July 18 at the Fair Oaks Shopping Center in Fair Oaks, Virginia, when she was allegedly grabbed by 26-year-old Andres Caceres Jaldin, according to FOX 5.
Parents of the young girl found Jaldin on the second floor of the mall and got their daughter back.
CHILLING SECURITY FOOTAGE CAPTURES WOMAN’S DESPERATE ESCAPE FROM FLORIDA KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT IN PARKING LOT
According to police, Jaldin fled the mall but was arrested a short time later at the Extended Stay hotel in Chantilly, Virginia. Jaldin allegedly stole a car from an auto shop before the alleged abduction.
The surveillance video released by police shows Jaldin approaching the young girl before picking her up and walking away.
PROSECUTOR TO LET REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER WALK FREE AFTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT
Jaldin was charged with abduction of a minor and grand larceny.
He was arrested by police while exiting his hotel room, officials said.
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Jaldin is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Vicious street attack not covered on three major networks’ biggest news shows
Three major broadcast networks still have not covered the horrific viral brawl in Cincinnatti that left a woman unconscious on their main morning and evening news programs as of Thursday.
The Media Research Council’s Newsbusters analyzed ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight,” “CBS News Mornings” and “Evening News,” and NBC’s “Today” and “Nightly News” in the days since the vile Cincinnati assault – in which a woman was left on the ground unconscious – and found no coverage of the event through Wednesday, July 30.
A subsequent Fox News Digital analysis found that the fight was not covered on any of the aforementioned networks’ shows Thursday. ABC and NBC’s websites did cover the event, and NBC’s streaming service and early morning show also reported the story, per the report.
Five people were charged after the vicious altercation early Saturday morning. Disturbing video of the brawl shows a man wearing a polo shirt being attacked by multiple assailants, who proceeded to kick and stomp on him while he was on the ground, helpless. When a woman tried to intervene, she was knocked out cold by a man. Photographs of the female victim, known only as Holly, show her with a black eye and bloody lip.
CINCINNATI MAYORAL CANDIDATE, VP VANCE’S HALF-BROTHER, SLAMS CITY LEADERSHIP AFTER BRUTAL BEATDOWN
Newsbusters speculated that the lack of coverage on mainstream, liberal-leaning outlets was due to the racial dynamics at play.
“Given the victims appeared to be White and the mob Black, ABC, CBS, and NBC have steered clear given the clear racial breakdown and not given it a single second on their flagship morning or evening newscasts,” the report said.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, blasted the mayor and other city leaders for their handling of the assault during an interview on “Fox and Friends“ Thursday, calling it a “heinous situation.”
“Cincinnati is an amazing city, made by great people over decades, centuries actually. It’s one of the shiny jewels of Ohio, and these idiotic political leaders that the citizens allow to have office need to go,” Moreno said.
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Moreno said he’s demanding Cincinnati leaders produce a plan to protect the civil rights of all their citizens, and threatening to have federal agencies pull all funding for the city if they fail to deliver. The senator blasted the city’s police chief and other officials for their response to the crisis.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge blamed social media for the uproar surrounding the fight, saying that the video “does not depict the entire incident.”
“That is one version of what occurred,” the police chief said.
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A Facebook account that claimed to belong to City Councilwoman Victoria Parks said that the victims “begged for that beat down!”
ABC, CBS and NBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
‘Little House on the Prairie’ star reveals ‘horrible’ experience while dating Rob Lowe
Melissa Gilbert is reflecting on her past love life.
During an appearance on the “I Choose Me With Jennie Garth” podcast, the “Little House on the Prairie” star got candid about navigating fame from a young age and explained how dating Rob Lowe impacted her view on relationships moving forward.
“I guess looking back on those six years, I mean, I was such a baby when Rob and I were together,” said Gilbert, who dated Lowe on and off from when she was 17 to 23. “It was very tumultuous. I felt like a bit of an old sage in the business at that point because I’d been doing it for so long. And I was still on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ when we met, and it had already been years, and he was sort of starting out.”
‘LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE’ STAR MELISSA GILBERT’S NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER CAUSED ‘DIFFICULT’ CHILDHOOD
“He’d done a little bit of television. And so I was able to sort of sit back and watch this meteoric rise happen. I don’t think I was prepared for the stuff that came with it, necessarily. I was prepared for all of having to go to premieres and things and award shows and all of that, but I wasn’t prepared for the fandom and, frankly, the girls.”
“I always thought that every girl and woman was my sister. We’re sisters, but it was not evident at all when Rob and I were a couple. I mean, it was like I didn’t exist. They just pushed right past me and stuck phone numbers in his pockets and stuff.”
Gilbert admitted that period of her life was difficult.
“To say it was disconcerting is doing it a big disservice,” she said. “It was hard and horrible.”
A representative for Lowe did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Despite the challenges, Gilbert said the relationship helped her learn a lot about desires when it came to finding love.
“I think I learned a lot about what didn’t work for me, actually, and what I wouldn’t stand for later on,” she said. “They’re hard because they usually are born of heartbreak and angst, but those are really valuable and important lessons… We had some really, really, really fun times.”
Last year, Gilbert – who landed the role of Laura Ingalls Wilder at the age of 9 – opened up about her decision to leave Hollywood.
“All of the pressures, I faced all of them,” Gilbert explained to People magazine at the time. “When you live in Los Angeles, it’s like living at the mall when you work at the mall. Literally,everyone is in the business. When you walk into a restaurant, every head turns to see who walked in. Everybody’s always looking, curious, competing and that’s a really difficult thing, especially for a female actor. It puts a lot of pressure on staying thin and staying young, and really it makes it hard to feel comfortable in one’s own skin, because [of] the aging process.”
“No matter how much we push it downstream, it’s inevitable,” she continued. “So are you going to age comfortably and happily? Are you going to fight it, be unhealthy and feel like there’s something wrong with you for aging and that you’re defective because you’ve gotten older?”
Gilbert and her husband, actor Timothy Busfield, moved to Michigan in 2013. The actress spent the next few years without Botox or facial fillers. She even had her breast implants removed in 2015.
The 60-year-old film producer emphasized aging is a “blessing.”
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“I had to get out of there [L.A.], because it felt like I was not being authentically myself,” she told People. “In the five years that I was in Michigan, all of that stopped. … I stopped everything and just focused on being as physically and emotionally healthy as I could. And I think that shows, ‘Yes, I’m aging, but it’s not a curse — it’s a blessing.’”
Democrats pulled the greatest political con job ever on Americans. Now it’s unraveling
This week, Washington was rocked by new releases in the declassification of material related to the origins of the Russian investigation. The material shows further evidence of a secret plan by the Clinton campaign to use the FBI and media to spread a false claim that Donald Trump was a Russian asset. With this material, the public is finally seeing how officials and reporters set into motion what may be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated in American politics.
There never was a Russian collusion conspiracy. This is the emerging story of the real Russian conspiracy to manufacture a false narrative that succeeded in devouring much of the first term of the Trump administration.
What is emerging in these documents is a political illusion carefully constructed by government officials and a willing media. The brilliance of the trick was getting reporters to buy into the illusion; to own it like members of an audience called to the stage by an illusionist.
PATEL FOUND THOUSANDS OF SENSITIVE TRUMP–RUSSIA PROBE DOCS INSIDE ‘BURN BAGS’ IN SECRET ROOM AT FBI
The effort closely followed the three steps of the classic magic trick: The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige.
The Pledge
The trick began with the pledge, the stage where the public is set up by showing ordinary events with the suggestion that it is about to transform into something extraordinary. The key is to make something seem real that is actually not.
The Clinton campaign delivered the pledge by secretly funding the Steele dossier, using Fusion GPS and a former British spy named Christopher Steele, to create a salacious account of Trump being an agent of Russia.
It was Elias who was the general counsel to the Clinton presidential campaign when it funded the infamous Steele dossier and pushed the false Alfa Bank conspiracy. (His fellow Perkins Coie partner, Michael Sussmann, was indicted but acquitted in a criminal trial.)
During the campaign, a few reporters asked about the possible connection to the campaign, but Clinton campaign officials denied any involvement in the Steele Dossier. After the election, journalists discovered that the payments for the Steele dossier were hidden as “legal fees” among the $5.6 million paid to Perkins Coie under Elias.
When New York Times reporter Ken Vogel tried to report the story, he said, Elias “pushed back vigorously, saying ‘You (or your sources) are wrong.’” Times reporter Maggie Haberman declared, “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year.”
Later, John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, appeared before Congress for questioning on the Steele dossier. Podesta emphatically denied any contractual agreement with Fusion GPS. Sitting beside him was Elias, who reportedly said nothing to correct the misleading information given to Congress.
The FEC ultimately sanctioned the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee over the handling of the funding of the dossier through his prior firm.
The Turn
The next step is the turn when the ordinary becomes something extraordinary. This required the involvement of the government. The Clinton team worked behind the scenes to feed the dossier to the FBI. It would be the criminal investigation that would transform the ordinary accounts, like Carter Page speaking in Moscow, into an elaborate Russian plot. Even though the FBI was warned early on that Page was a CIA asset, not a Russian asset, the Clinton team found eager officials in the Obama administration to assist in the illusion.
The newly disclosed evidence shows how the turn was made. In July 2016, Brennan briefed former President Obama on Hillary Clinton’s “plan” to tie then-candidate Trump to Russia as “a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.” The original Russia investigation — funded by Clinton’s campaign — was launched days after this briefing.
Months later, it would be Brennan who overruled his own CIA analysts in his ordering of a second last-minute assessment at the end of the Obama administration in support of the Russian allegations. It would help make the turn with the all-consuming Russian investigation that would follow.
Career analysts were not buying the turn. They objected that the reliance on the Steele dossier “ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment.” One CIA analyst told investigators that “[Brennan] refused to remove it, and when confronted with the dossier’s main flaws, [Brennan] responded, ‘Yes, but doesn’t it ring true?’”
That is the key to the turn; it needs only to be enough to fool the audience.
The Prestige
The final stage is called the Prestige, where the magician faces the toughest part of the trick. As explained in the 2006 movie “The Prestige,” the viewer is “looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because, of course, you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled.” However, “making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back.”
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The difference is that this trick was designed to derail Trump and it worked. In the end, however, the Special Counsel and Inspector General both rejected the Russian collusion claims. The public then reelected Trump. Now, the prestige may be revealed by the CIA.
Reports indicate that the CIA is about to declassify material showing that foreign sources were also in on the trick. The information reportedly indicates that foreign sources were aware of the move to create a Russian collusion scandal and expected that the FBI would play a role in the plan. That was before the bureau launched its controversial Crossfire Hurricane probe. One source said the foreign intelligence predicted the move “with alarming specificity.”
The most recently declassified material shows that the Russian actors in 2016 hacked emails from the Open Society Foundations, formerly known as the Soros Foundation. The emails show an even wider circle of activists and allies who were aware of the Clinton conspiracy.
Leonard Bernardo, who was the regional director for Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations, explained that “during the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated…from where the information would then be disseminated through leading U.S. publications.”
Bernardo added, “Julie (Clinton Campaign Advisor) says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. Now it is good for a post-convention bounce. Later, the FBI will put more oil into the fire.”
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The media (including the Washington Post and New York Times, which won Pulitzer prizes for reporting on the debunked claims) are apoplectic in dismissing these disclosures. The last thing they will do is report on how they helped sell a political hoax. The problem is that they never said it was a trick. They said it was the truth. That is why CIA Director John Ratcliff’s big reveals have this town on the edge of its seat.
It appears that everyone was in on the trick: the U.S. government, the media, even foreign governments. The only chumps were the American people. Now they are about to see how it was done.
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