Dad recalls gut-wrenching moments after shooting erupted inside church: ‘Expecting a bullet’

Trump reveals purpose behind massive military gathering as Democrats question costs

President Donald Trump is set to attend Tuesday’s unprecedented all-hands meeting of U.S. military commanders in Quantico, Va., he said Sunday.

As speculation swirls over why generals and flag officers from around the world were summoned, Trump insisted the purpose was celebratory.

“It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump told NBC News.

“We have some great people coming in, and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”

SEN TAMMY DUCKWORTH: WHY TRUMP’S PATTERN OF PURGING OUR HIGHEST-PERFORMING MILITARY OFFICERS IS DANGEROUS

The gathering represents a major logistical and security feat, concentrating nearly every top U.S. military leader in one location. Trump’s attendance raises the stakes further, putting the Secret Service in charge of security.

Hundreds of generals, admirals and their senior enlisted leaders — ranked one star and above — were ordered last week to attend the meeting with War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The invitation offered no stated reason, fueling speculation it could herald mass cuts consistent with Hegseth’s push to shrink the general officer corps.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., wrote to the Pentagon seeking details on the cost of flying in officers on such short notice and whether virtual alternatives were considered. About 800 general and flag officers are stationed worldwide, and together with their enlisted advisors and aides, the number descending on Quantico could exceed 1,000, according to Duckworth. She also asked what accounts would cover the costs, whether return travel might be disrupted by a potential government shutdown, and if a cost-benefit analysis preceded the decision to meet in person.

TOP US MILITARY BRASS TO HOLD SECRETIVE MEETING WITH HEGSETH AS TRUMP RAMPS UP RUSSIA CRITICISM

Defense officials and analysts have suggested the meeting may preview cuts not only to the general officer ranks but also to civilian and contractor roles at bases worldwide. Others believe it could foreshadow reductions to the U.S. force posture in Europe and the Middle East, consistent with an expected national defense strategy that prioritizes homeland defense after years of emphasis on the Indo-Pacific and China.

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Hegseth has pledged to cut the general officer corps by 20 percent and has already dismissed roughly two dozen senior officers. Reports also suggest he intends to use the meeting to stress his “warrior ethos,” which defense sources suggest could be a way to remind commanders of their duty to remain apolitical, and reassert his personal authority over the force.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order directing law enforcement and the military to counter “domestic terrorism and organized political violence.” On Sunday, at Trump’s direction, Hegseth informed the adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard that 200 troops would be deployed for 60 days to protect immigration enforcement officials facing protests. The federalized Guard members will serve under U.S. Northern Command.

Suspected Kirk assassin’s new lawyer seen for first time since joining his defense

PROVO, Utah – Tyler Robinson’s new defense attorney has an uphill battle representing the accused assassin of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, experts say.

“The goal for his new high-profile defense attorneys in the Tyler Robinson case is going to be keep him off of death row,” said Maryland attorney and legal analyst Randolph Rice, who is following the case. “And that’s probably their goal right now, or at least that’s what they’re thinking about.”

One option would be to seek a plea deal that spares Robinson from the potential death penalty, like Bryan Kohberger‘s defense in the Idaho student murders. That could be months or even years down the line.

TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN FROM CAMPUS SHOOTING TO SHERIFF’S OFFICE SURRENDER

If the case does go to trial, prosecutors will have to prove that Kirk’s murder included aggravating factors that warrant execution if the suspect is found guilty.

“What the defense may be able to argue is to say, this was a single sniper bullet that had a single intended target — and therefore it posed no other danger to anyone else,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “And if they can prove that to a jury or they can convince a jury of that, then they won’t get the aggravating murder, and therefore they won’t have the death penalty on the table.”

Robinson, like all criminal defendants in the U.S., is considered innocent until proven guilty. But prosecutors are expected to unveil a mountain of evidence in court, and the politically charged case is being closely watched around the country.

Robinson is scheduled for a 12 p.m. ET court appearance Monday, but will not be appearing in person. Salt Lake City-based criminal defense attorney Skye Lazaro told Fox News Digital it’s “not common” for state courts to waive a defendant’s appearance, but it’s something attorneys can request.

Lazaro said she’s not surprised such a request was granted, but said she’d think the judge in Robinson’s case would want to get an affirmative waiver from Robinson himself.

CHARLIE KIRK’S ACCUSED ASSASSIN ENCOUNTERED BY POLICE DURING RETURN TO CRIME SCENE: LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES

Kirk, an outspoken conservative whose organization sought to promote right-of-center thinking on traditionally liberal campuses, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Robinson allegedly told his roommate and romantic partner that he did it because he “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

The partner, who was identified as trans, is cooperating with investigators.

“Obviously they’ve got the concern about defending their client, they’ve got concerns about the media attention, but I also think that they may have concerns about their personal safety,” Rice said. “This certainly is a political assassination. It’s something that has been in the headlines. There are a lot of individuals who are emotional about this. And certainly people on the left are certainly emotional about it. People on the right are certainly emotional about it. And so there are concerns from the defense team’s perspective. About their personal safety and that’s something they’re going to have to consider throughout this entire trial.”

CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION LEAVES UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AS INVESTIGATORS PIECE TOGETHER GAPS IN CASE

Authorities say they’ve recovered messages to his romantic partner and other friends taking responsibility for the shooting. According to a probable cause affidavit, he had “confessed…or implied” guilt to a close family friend. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office later said his parents convinced him to surrender peacefully rather than take his own life.

Police recovered a rifle at the scene that investigators allege had Robinson’s DNA on it. They also have surveillance video on the campus and nearby roads and a footprint on the rooftop where a sniper fired the bullet that killed Kirk.

According to court documents, the suspect used his phone on school grounds at least once, on video. That could provide police with additional evidence. They also identified a suspect vehicle, a gray Dodge Challenger, like the one Robinson drives.

UTAH PROSECUTORS PREPARE POTENTIAL DEATH PENALTY CASE AGAINST CHARLIE KIRK SUSPECT TYLER JAMES ROBINSON

And as Fox News Digital reported Thursday, an officer guarding the campus perimeter “made contact” with Robinson near where police recovered the suspected murder weapon as he was allegedly texting his roommate about wanting to retrieve it before skipping town, according to law enforcement sources.

Defending a death penalty case will require Robinson’s legal team to hire forensic specialists, mental health evaluators and jury consultants, among other measures, Rice said, but his lawyers may have to fight for funding or risk being “hamstrung” before the case goes to trial.

Kirk’s family may also weigh in before prosecutors decide to offer a plea deal. His widow, Erika Kirk, said during her husband’s memorial service Sunday said she has already forgiven Robinson “because it was what Christ did, and it’s what Charlie would do.”

Separately, she said she did not want to get involved in the decision to seek capital punishment in an interview with the New York Times.

“I’ll be honest,” she told the paper. “I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger. Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like: ‘Uh, eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”

WHO IS KATHRYN NESTER, CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SUSPECT TYLER ROBINSON’S ATTORNEY?

If prosecutors decide to offer a plea deal, it may not look like the recent plea for Bryan Kohberger in the Idaho student murders case, according to Louis Gelormino, a Staten Island defense attorney who is following the case.

“One of the things that surprised me out there in Kohberger was they didn’t let him allocute to the crimes,” he told Fox News Digital. “Usually, when you take a plea, you have to confess to your crimes. I would imagine here, if they do take that off the table and they do get a plea out of him, that he’ll have to allocute and explain his crime in public.”

He said he expects Robinson’s team to explore a potential insanity defense, but his alleged escape from Orem and week spent plotting the crime could complicate that argument. He also expects defense attorneys to challenge as much evidence as possible in case prosecutors or police failed to “cross all their Ts and dot all their Is,” he said.

“It’s an incredibly tough case,” he added. “I don’t envy the defense attorney at all…They’ve got all the evidence in the world.”

Robinson is accused of shooting Kirk in the neck with a hunting rifle from a rooftop at Utah Valley University while the victim was speaking to students and other attendees at a Turning Point USA-sponsored event.

Robinson’s lead defense counsel, veteran lawyer Kathy Nester, was formally appointed to the case Wednesday.

CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON FACES DEATH PENALTY AS CHARGES FORMALLY ANNOUNCED

In Nester’s 30 years of experience, she’s defended capital cases in California and Utah, and recent high-profile clients include Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three accused of killing her husband and then writing a children’s book about dealing with grief.

She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray’s office announced the prosecution’s trial team would include six attorneys on Monday.

They include Gray, who spent 23 years with the state attorney general’s office and has appeared before both the U.S. and Utah Supreme Courts; Chad Grunander, who prosecuted Utah’s first-ever televised trial and has put cold case and cop killers behind bars; Christopher Ballard, who has argued more than 175 appellate cases; Ryan McBride, last year’s Utah Prosecutor of the Year; David Sturgill, a veteran prosecutor who is an adjunct professor at UVU, and Lauren Hunt, whose role in the case against double murder suspect Christopher Poulson garnered recognition from the FBI.

Robinson is due back in court on Monday for a waiver hearing, which will determine whether the defense forces prosecutors to present probable cause before the case proceeds.

Declining to waive is a defensive strategy that would give his attorneys access to additional discovery materials and a chance to cross-examine state witnesses early on, Rice said.

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Prosecutors have charged Robinson with seven counts, including aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty, felony firearms charges, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and committing violence in the presence of a child.

He has not yet entered a plea.

‘Constitution says president is head’: Court may expand White House agency control

The Supreme Court is set to reexamine a landmark decision about the president’s ability to fire members of independent agencies, and the outcome could expand executive power and have far-reaching implications.

The high court revealed in an order last week it would revisit Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a 1935 decision that Hans von Spakovsky, a legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said is now on “life support.”

Contrary to the decision in Humphrey’s, von Spakovsky said agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission and various labor boards ought not to be insulated from presidential firings.

“The Constitution says the president is the head of the executive branch,” von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. “That means, just like the CEO of a big corporation, they get to supervise and run the entire corporation, or in this case, the entire executive branch, and you can’t have Congress taking parts of that away from him and saying, ‘Well, they’re going to keep doing executive branch things, including law enforcement, but you won’t have any control over them.’”

SCOTUS ALLOWS TRUMP TO FIRE BIDEN-APPOINTED FTC COMMISSIONER

The Supreme Court’s decision came in response to a challenge from a Biden-appointed FTC commissioner whom President Donald Trump fired at will after taking office.

The high court said in a 6-3 emergency decision Trump’s termination of the commissioner, Rebecca Slaughter, could remain in place for now while it uses her case to take on Humphrey’s Executor, which centered on an FTC firing under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The high court found Roosevelt could not fire a commissioner without cause.

Slaughter has called her firing illegal, pointing to Humphrey’s and the FTC Act, which says commissioners cannot be fired from their seven-year terms without cause such as malfeasance or negligence.

Joshua Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law, told Fox News Digital that if Humphrey’s is overturned or narrowed, it will likely also apply to other agencies that have statutory protections against firings designed to preserve their independence.

“I think this ruling will necessarily reach beyond the FTC,” Blackman said. “The only question is whether they maintain that the Federal Reserve is different.”

SUPREME COURT SAYS TRUMP CAN PROCEED WITH FIRING DEMOCRAT-APPOINTED CPSC MEMBERS

The high court indicated in an earlier shadow docket decision about labor board firings this year that it views the Federal Reserve as unique, a ‘quasi-private’ structure rooted in the traditions of the first central banks. A separate case involving Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s firing is testing that position.

Von Spakovsky said the Supreme Court has been inching toward addressing Humphrey’s. The 2010 decision to narrow the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by stripping independence from an accounting oversight board and the decision five years ago finding the president could fire the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director at will were hints of this.

In the latter case, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president’s power “to remove — and thus supervise — those who wield executive power on his behalf follows from the text of Article II.” The CFPB’s “novel” structure defied that presidential power because a single director oversees an agency that “wield[s] significant executive power.”

TRUMP ADMIN URGES SUPREME COURT TO ALLOW PRESIDENT TO FIRE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION MEMBER

Ruling in Trump’s favor would help the president and his conservative allies realize their stated goal of achieving a unitary executive, a theory that says the president should have sole control over the executive branch.

As part of this vision, Trump abruptly sidestepped numerous statutes to pluck out protected appointees at independent agencies when he took office, moves the Supreme Court is now poised to weigh in on in Slaughter’s case.

Boston University School of Law professor Jed Shugerman said in a statement online that Trump has done “more to establish a unitary executive than all the judges and legal scholars in the world could ever do.”

However, Shugerman criticized the president, saying his tests of authority have also “done more to discredit and expose the unitary executive theory as lawless authoritarianism than any judge or legal scholar could ever do.”

John Shu, a constitutional law expert who served in both Bush administrations, recently told Fox News Digital he believed the Supreme Court would narrow Humphrey’s Executor because the FTC’s powers have greatly expanded since its inception.

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“The Federal Trade Commission of 1935 is a lot different than the Federal Trade Commission today,” Shu said.

Shu said today’s FTC can open investigations, issue subpoenas, bring lawsuits, impose financial penalties and more. The FTC now has executive, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial functions, he said.

Socialist NYC mayoral candidate fires back at Adams’ warning about ‘extremism’

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani labeled Mayor Eric Adams “extreme” and “radical” on Sunday after Adams announced he was dropping out of the race.

Mamdani was asked during an interview on MSNBC’s “The Weekend Primetime” to respond to Adams’ parting message: “Extremism is growing in our politics. Our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country. Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change. That is chaos.”

“Well, I think that the only thing I truly find to be extreme is Eric Adams’s record. This is a man who’s raised the rent on more than 2 million New Yorkers by 12%, a man who slowed down already the slowest buses in the country, one who priced New Yorkers out of childcare that cost them about $25,000 a year. That’s what’s extreme. That’s what’s radical,” Mamdani responded. 

Mamdani insisted his vision for affordability was “common sense.”

‘NEW YORK DESERVES BETTER:’ MAMDANI REACTS TO ERIC ADAMS EXIT FROM MAYORAL RACE

The democratic socialist candidate also argued that New Yorkers wanted to go in a new direction.

“What I actually think of more in Eric Adams’ parting words are the ones that he gave us a few weeks ago, where he assembled a number of cameras and spoke to them directly, that Andrew Cuomo is a liar and a snake. And I think that New Yorkers are tired of that kind of politics. They’re tired of considering the architect of this affordability crisis and Andrew Cuomo as being the next mayor of the city. They want a new direction,” Mamdani said. 

Adams trailed both Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo significantly in campaign fundraising and spending. Cuomo still remains in the race but trails Mamdani significantly in the polls. 

Mamdani framed Adams’ exit as a pivotal moment in a social media post, pledging that voters in November will “turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas.”

MAMDANI APPEALS TO NON-DEMOCRATS WITH GENERAL ELECTION PUSH, VOWS GOVERNMENT CAN MEET VOTERS’ ‘MATERIAL NEEDS’

“Donald Trump and his billionaire donors might be able to determine Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo’s actions, but they will not dictate the results of this election,” Mamdani wrote in a statement. 

Mamdani was also asked during the MSNBC interview on Sunday if there would be any policy concessions he would be willing to make in order to gain ground with more moderate voters. 

“The policies that I’m running on are the ones still from the primary, but I’m also willing to speak to everyone and anyone, because sometimes the concerns are based more on a caricature of me as opposed to who I actually am,” he said. “There are people who have come up to me and said, how will we be able to pay for free rent? I said, no, you drop the z, it’s freeze the rent of 2 million rent-stabilized tenants.” 

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“People who ask me questions about is it possible to make buses fast and free? I say the cost would be about $600-$700 million, which is less than Andrew Cuomo gave to Elon Musk one year in tax breaks of $959 million. Showing people the context that we’re in and building a coalition where they may not see themselves in me, perhaps, but they may see themselves in the best and the brightest that I’ll hire to surround me in City Hall,” he added.

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Kamala Harris feared Trump would ask about her abortion history during debate prep

Former Vice President Kamala Harris revealed her debate preparation against Donald Trump during the 2024 election cycle included how to handle a handful of crude hypothetical attacks on abortion and Viagra use, according to her new book, “107 Days.”

Bolstered by a team of advisers and a veteran trial attorney Harris compared to a “wartime consigliere,” the then-vice president traveled to the basement of Howard University, her undergraduate alma mater, to prepare for her debate against Trump. Harris had prepped to debate JD Vance in a vice presidential debate ahead of then-President Joe Biden dropping out of the race in July 2024. 

Amid typical debate prep focused on providing Harris with intimate knowledge of topics so she could effectively present her argument on stage, she also was trained for the “the painful matter of imagining what kinds of personal attacks Trump might mount against me.”

“‘He might ask you if you’ve ever had an abortion,’ one adviser said,” Harris wrote of her time devising her debate strategies. 

NEW BOOK REVEALS WHAT KAMALA HARRIS ‘MOANED’ TO HER HUSBAND DURING WALZ’S DISASTROUS VP DEBATE

“If he did, the response would be: That’s none of your business and that’s not what we’re here for,” she continued. 

Harris continued that another individual in the debate prep room floated “a dark joke that if he got that personal, I should ask if he took Viagra.”

“Another: Had he ever paid for an abortion?” she continued. 

The pair were asked about abortion during the debate, but it never culminated into personal attacks on hypothetical abortions or Viagra use. 

KAMALA HARRIS BREAKS SILENCE ON BIDEN DROPOUT, ADMITS SHE HAS REGRETS ABOUT HER HANDLING OF SITUATION

“In the end, he didn’t go down that track. He probably knew a question like that would be exceedingly thin ice for him—and would infuriate just about every woman in America,” Harris wrote. 

Harris added that her team wrote a debate card “for every nuance of every subject, and once I memorized what was on that card, I’d draw a big, loopy X across it.”

KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS WHAT BIDEN TOLD HER JUST BEFORE CRUCIAL DEBATE WITH TRUMP THAT LEFT HER ‘ANGRY’

“I am not a trained seal; I’m not going to memorize lines and spout them. I have to understand the logic and building blocks of every argument so I can present it clearly and defend it persuasively,” she wrote.

Harris’ book, “107 Days,” hit shelves Tuesday and reflects on the 107 days she had on the presidential campaign trail after Biden dropped out of the race amid mounting concern over his mental acuity. 

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Harris failed to rally enough support to defeat Trump, losing each of the seven battleground states Nov. 4, 2024. 

Blue city under siege as gangs use teens to carry out brutal street violence

New York City has seen an alarming rise in juvenile crime since the state’s lax “Raise the Age Law” took effect, providing a startling incentive for gangs looking to exploit the Big Apple’s youth, one expert said.

The 2018 law, signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and endorsed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, raised the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, ultimately allowing underaged defendants to avoid being tried as adults. The law also permits defendants as old as 21 to be held in juvenile detention facilities, instead of the typical adult centers. 

However, one expert cautions the law incentivizes gang members to use juveniles to carry out serious crimes, pointing to the probability that the underaged defendant would not be tried as an adult. 

FBI TIP LEADS NYPD TO 16-YEAR-OLD ARRESTED WITH LOADED GUN INSIDE SCHOOL

“Juveniles are now being tasked with acts of violence that they weren’t part of years ago,” former NYPD lieutenant Darrin Porcher told Fox News Digital. 

According to Porcher, gangs previously tasked adults with committing more serious crimes. But in recent years, they have shifted to recruiting minors in hopes for a lesser prison sentence. 

“The organized faction of these gangs has now elevated the participation of juveniles in committing these crimes,” Porcher said. 

“Let’s say there’s a war between two gangs. One gang, as opposed to sending in someone that’s 21 and over, will send somebody that is 14 years old to commit one of these horrific assaults, knowing that person is not going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” 

DOZENS OF HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST CRACKDOWN ON DC YOUTH CRIME AFTER TRUMP BACKS OFF CAPITAL POLICE

The rise in more serious offenses is reflected in the numbers. 

According to Mayor Eric Adams’ 2025 annual report, 5,623 juveniles were arrested for major felonies – such as murder, rape and assault – in 2025, marking a 9% increase from the previous year. 

The statistics also mark a sharp increase in shooting victims under the age of 18, with the NYPD accounting for an 80% jump in incidents since the law was enacted in 2018. Additionally, the NYPD made 486 juvenile gun arrests in 2024, marking a quarter-century record. 

GOP SENATOR TARGETS DC ‘YOUTH OFFENDER’ LAW AS TRUMP DEMANDS TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR VIOLENT TEENS

“[The law] is not helpful to the community and it also allows the gangs to incentivize these young adolescents to embark upon crimes in the city of New York,” Porcher told Fox News Digital. 

The startling rise comes as concerned residents are preparing to cast their ballots in the city’s upcoming mayoral race.

Adams, a former NYPD captain, has sought to regain control over the city’s crime issues after following the far-left administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Democrats nominated self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani in this year’s primary, setting him up as the frontrunner in a race that includes former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

The key race heats up as instances of violence continue to plague the Big Apple. 

On Sept. 15, three teenagers – two 15-year-olds and an 18-year-old identified as Damien Calhoun – were arrested after allegedly exchanging gunfire in the city’s Harlem neighborhood, FOX 5 reported. Surveillance video captured the shootout that reportedly left the two 15-year-olds wounded. 

DC POLITICIANS KEPT ‘CHOPPING AWAY’ AT LAW ENFORCEMENT, PAVING WAY FOR TRUMP TAKEOVER, FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS

Police say they responded to the shooting after hearing gunshots while leaving the nearby Wagner Houses, and subsequently fired their weapons while on scene. It is unclear if any of their bullets struck the teenagers, according to the NYPD. 

Police said they also discovered a high-capacity magazine while searching Calhoun’s backpack. 

The criminal histories of the teens involved have also been called into question, with Calhoun possessing an extensive record, including a guilty plea for attempted murder. One of the 15-year-olds also has an open violent felony case, FOX 5 reported. 

DC US ATTORNEY SAYS ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ AS YOUTH CRIME PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON NATION’S CAPITAL

“It’s unfortunate whenever a police officer has to discharge their firearm for the safety of the officer, or people in that community,” Porcher said. “We want to do the best that we can, [and we] want to – as much as possible – prevent using deadly physical force.” 

New York City has seen juvenile murder arrests quadruple since the law was enacted, rising from eight in 2017 to 30 in 2024, according to the NYPD. 

However, Adams has acknowledged the law’s impact on young people throughout the city and its contribution to the rise in arrests. 

NYPD HUNTS FOR MAN ACCUSED OF BEATING OFF-DUTY COP AND STEALING HIS GUN, ALLEGED ACCOMPLICE ARRESTED

“Mayor Adams has been clear that the ‘Raise the Age’ legislation passed by the former governor has contributed significantly to both perpetrators and victims of violent crimes being younger,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“That is why we continue to press state legislators to reform laws like these and ensure the public is safe and people are held accountable. It is unfortunate that this legislation has contributed to higher rearrest rates among youth probationers and youth arrests for felonies, but the Adams administration is committed to educating and engaging youth before they ever make contact with the justice system.” 

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As a result, Adams has pledged to invest in community resources targeting gang, youth and domestic violence. However, Porcher cautions parents that their teenagers could be participating in gang activity without showing any indication of their involvement. 

“Ultimately, it’s those social constructs that the adolescent is a part of, whether they’re in school or just hanging out in the neighborhood that leads these adolescents to the nefarious behavior,” Porcher told Fox News Digital. “And in many instances, the parents may not even know that that’s what their kid is doing unless they’re alerted by police. But a lot of times this stuff doesn’t come into the house.” 

UFC boss reveals what Obama whispered to him at Trump’s inauguration

UFC president Dana White opened up about the brief chat he had with President Barack Obama during President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year.

White and Obama were seen talking in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington back in January. But White had never spoken about the interaction until Sunday night’s appearance on “60 Minutes.”

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CBS host Jon Wertheim asked White to respond to fans who have felt that UFC has “taken a side” when it came to politics.

“I am an American citizen. Biden was my president. Trump is my president,” White said. “I was at the inauguration and I was sitting behind all of the ex-presidents and there was this stuff going around like, ‘Dana’s mad-dogging President Obama.’ President Obama turned around, the only president that did, and shook my hand and said, ‘Congratulations on all your success.’ And I said, ‘Thank you very much Mr. President.’

UFC CEO DANA WHITE CALLS FOR UNITY, NORMALCY AFTER CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION

“That’s what happened. I never talked about that publicly. If President Obama called and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to come see a fight.’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah, buy some tickets and good luck’ or whatever? No, the sitting president or the ex-president of the United States wants to come to your event, you treat them with respect.”

White has been ingrained in the political landscape since he stumped for Trump during his first campaign in 2016. Since then, the UFC boss has been seen at the Republican National Convention and other rallies that have featured Trump.

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The president has also been at several UFC fights before, during and after his presidency.

South Korea’s new leftist president pulls a fast one on Donald Trump

President Donald Trump had South Korea’s new leftist President Lee Jae-myung panicking after his Truth Social post a few hours before meeting in late August. 

Here’s what Trump wrote:  

“WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there. I am seeing the new President today at the White House. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!” 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES MEETING WITH XI JINPING AT SOUTH KOREA APEC SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH

Trump was referring to the Lee administration’s aggressive efforts to punish former President Yoon Suk Yeol and to intimidate conservative opponents, including religious groups. A South Korean government investigative raid on the jointly operated Osan Air Base was also on Trump’s mind.  

But then Trump eased up. 

Later, in a good-natured joint press conference with Lee, Trump said it might have just been a “misunderstanding” or “rumor.” 

Maybe the $350 billion in South Korean investment into the U.S. and buying another $100 billion of U.S. energy loosely agreed to in July had something to do with it.  

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But Trump squandered a golden opportunity to bolster the pro-U.S. constituency in South Korea and to put Lee on notice. 

Lee probably couldn’t believe his good fortune. He had avoided the Zelenskyy treatment — a dressing down in the White House — and could go home saying the Americans approved of him and his administration. And this despite allegations of election fraud and Lee’s heavy-handed treatment of opponents — and the apparent pro-North Korea, pro-China and anti-American leanings of Lee and certain of his officials.  

Lee could even quietly claim he tamed Donald Trump. 

TRUMP CLAIMS PUTIN, XI, KIM ARE CONSPIRING AGAINST THE US AFTER MILITARY PARADE IN CHINA

Has he reciprocated Trump’s restraint?  

Hardly. 

He’s stepped on the gas — and doesn’t seem to care if Washington notices.  

Lee is still targeting religious organizations and arresting pro-conservative religious leaders. 

TRUMP TOUTS KIM JONG UN RELATIONSHIP AMID SOUTH KOREA SUMMIT

He continues to imprison the former president under harsh conditions, and has arrested and imprisoned Yoon’s wife. 

He’s harassing opposition parties — including police intimidation of citizens, especially those promoting electoral integrity. 

Lee probably couldn’t believe his good fortune. He had avoided the Zelenskyy treatment — a dressing down in the White House — and could go home saying the Americans approved of him and his administration. 

And as for the U.S.-South Korea military alliance that Lee said was so important shortly after taking office — Lee recently posted on social media: 

“What is important is to reject the submissive mindset that national self-reliant defense is impossible without foreign troops.” 

SOUTH KOREA TO END SOME MILITARY ACTIVITY ON BORDER TO EASE TENSIONS WITH NORTH KOREA 

In other words … South Korea would be better off without U.S. troops around.  

Lee had to know how it would be interpreted. Not least since he’s already on record calling American forces “an occupation force.” 

And his administration cracks down on anti-China protests while allowing anti-U.S. protesters to deface pictures of Trump while protesting in front of the American Embassy. 

Lee has also just backpedaled on the promise to invest $350 billion in the U.S. – saying it will wreck the South Korean economy.  

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO ‘ROCKET MAN’ AND NORTH KOREA’S THREATS OVER DENUCLEARIZATION

Why did the Trump administration back off instead calling out Lee’s anti-democratic behavior?  

Maybe lobbyists got to somebody close to Trump? Maybe he was following U.S. Embassy Seoul or State Department advice? 

But Trump squandered a golden opportunity to bolster the pro-U.S. constituency in South Korea and to put Lee on notice. 

U.S. Embassy Seoul does sometimes act as if ROK leftists are the preferred South Korean administration.  

And the State Department usually wants to deal with the government in power — and try to ride out any rough patches. 

NORTH KOREA BREAKS SILENCE ON TRUMP’S RETURN, SENDS MESSAGE FROM ‘ROCKET MAN’

In South Korea’s case, it’s thought the fundamental relationship is solid — forged in blood of the Korean War. And any leftists are just a noisy minority posing little danger.  

And anyway, if Lee crosses some ill-defined line, Washington will act. 

The problem is, Washington never does.  

There’s always a reason not to act. Too busy with other things, it’s provocative and will just make things worse. 

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With South Korea, there’s too much focus on the military-to-military ties and the bilateral economic relationship. These are strong. But that doesn’t matter much as hardcore radicals are trying to undercut the relationship and seize total power and shift South Korea away from the U.S. and toward China and North Korea. 

Most Koreans don’t want this, but ruthless radicals have moved a democratic, pro-U.S. country where most people don’t want to go.  

Recall Venezuela. Once democratic and America’s strongest ally in Latin America, but now a dictatorship and America’s biggest enemy. 

Clearer thinking is called for in the White House when it comes to South Korea. 

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It appears Lee Jae-myung pulled a fast one on President Trump in the White House last month — and perhaps figures he can do it again.  

If he gets away with it, others will think they can too. 

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