Trump threatens ‘massive’ China tariffs, sees ‘no reason’ to meet with Xi
President Donald Trump has called off efforts to arrange a meeting with President Xi Jinping after China tightened export controls on rare earth minerals this week.
“Some very strange things are happening in China!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They are becoming very hostile, and sending letters to Countries throughout the World, that they want to impose Export Controls on each and every element of production having to do with Rare Earths, and virtually anything else they can think of, even if it’s not manufactured in China.”
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Trump added.
The president said his relationship with China over the past six months has been “very good” and called the crackdown on exports “surprising.”
“I have always felt that they’ve been lying in wait, and now, as usual, I have been proven right!” he added.
The administration had suggested Trump may be open to meeting Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation later this month in South Korea, but “now there seems to be no reason to do so,” Trump said.
China over the past few decades has captured a dominant position over the rare earth minerals and magnets industry, and now uses its supply, needed for electronics across the world, as political leverage.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“There is no way that China should be allowed to hold the World ‘captive,’ but that seems to have been their plan for quite some time, starting with the ‘Magnets’ and, other Elements that they have quietly amassed into somewhat of a Monopoly position, a rather sinister and hostile move, to say the least,” Trump added.
Professor joins fight to disband Turning Point USA chapter on public university campus
FIRST ON FOX: Rutgers University is defending a professor who signed an online petition that seeks to disband the school’s Turning Point USA chapter from campus.
The Change.org petition launched earlier this week accuses the conservative group of “promoting hate speech and inciting violence against our community.”
While Change.org does not allow the public to view the list of signatories, each petition features a rotating “Recent signers” carousel near the top of the page.
RUTGERS TPUSA OFFICERS SLAM PETITION TO SHUT DOWN CHAPTER, ‘BLATANTLY DEFAMATORY’
While monitoring the “Recent signers” carousel, Fox News Digital noticed that Tia Kolbaba, an associate professor of religion at Rutgers, signed the petition to boot the right-leaning group.
“Rutgers University is committed to providing a secure environment — to learn, teach, work and research, where all members of our community can share their opinions without fear of intimidation or harassment,” a spokeswoman for the school told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Rutgers is committed to upholding the rights of students and faculty to free speech and academic freedom as fundamental to our community.”
“The university does not comment on specific personnel or student conduct matters,” the statement finished.
Kolbaba did not return a request for comment.
The petition began circulating less than a month after Turning Point’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated during a campus event at Utah Valley University. Kirk’s alleged killer is Tyler Robinson, who is said to have written “hey fascist, catch!” and left-wing slogans on shell casings.
PETITION LAUNCHES FOR RUTGERS TO DISBAND SCHOOL’S TPUSA CHAPTER
A TPUSA member at the school slammed the petition on Wednesday.
“The petition to disband our Turning Point chapter is blatantly defamatory,” Ava Kwan, outreach coordinator for the Turning Point USA chapter at Rutgers, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“The accusations of ‘inciting violence’ and ‘making threats’ are complete lies,” Kwan said. “The same people claiming we’re suppressing their free speech are actively trying to silence us for speaking the truth. It’s not just ironic, it’s hypocritical and absurd.”
The Turning Point chapter last week launched its own petition demanding Rutgers fire professor Mark Bray, whom they call “Dr. Antifa.” Bray is the author of “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” a book that openly calls for “militant anti-fascism.”
He has also been accused of being an Antifa financier, and noted in his book that, “at the very least 50 percent of author proceeds will go to the International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund which is administered by more than three hundred antifa from eighteen countries.”
‘DR ANTIFA’ RUTGERS PROFESSOR ANNOUNCES MOVE TO EUROPE AFTER TPUSA PETITION CALLS FOR HIS FIRING
Amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on Antifa, Bray announced this week that he and his wife are fleeing to Spain.
Bray said his address was doxxed, and his life was threatened, prompting the move.
The petition to remove TPUSA at Rutgers suggests the chapter was responsible for Bray “fearing for the safety of their family due to threats and harassment cultivated by this group.”
There is no evidence to support that claim, and Kwan dismissed it.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Any opinion that challenges their worldview is immediately branded as ‘hate speech,’ a meaningless term weaponized to control dissent and protect their false narrative,” Kwan said. “The petition, Bray’s retreat abroad, and my own doxxing by unhinged Rutgers leftists all tell the same story: they know they’re losing.”
Trump ramps up Caribbean forces as analysts warn of potential Venezuela strikes
Publicly, the White House says the latest strikes in the Caribbean are aimed at cartel infrastructure. Privately, some analysts suspect the campaign is calibrated to do something else: weaken longtime U.S. foe Nicolás Maduro’s grip on power.
President Donald Trump is ramping up pressure on the Venezuelan regime, striking four boats in the Caribbean Sea linked to drug trafficking networks tied to Caracas over the past month. Alongside those strikes, the U.S. has repositioned three destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, a nuclear-powered attack submarine and a squadron of F-35s to Puerto Rico — a deployment that has prompted one question in Washington and across the region: is the United States preparing for all-out war on Caracas?
So far, defense analysts say that seems unlikely. A ground invasion would require far more troops than are currently in the theater — between 50,000 and 150,000 by some estimates.
Somewhere around 10,000 troops have been repositioned in Latin America, a senior defense official told The New York Times.
WAR ON CARTELS? WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT HAS AN IRON-CLAD CASE TO STRIKE NARCO-TERRORIST GROUPS
“The U.S. just doesn’t have enough forces there,” said Mark Cancian, a senior defense adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “What I think they’ve put in place is the capability to launch strikes at either the cartels or the Maduro regime. If I had to bet, it’s probably against the cartels — but I wouldn’t rule out something against the regime.”
That limited but flexible posture reflects what some experts call a modern form of coercive diplomacy.
“It sort of looks like we’re in the throes of a 21st-century version of gunboat diplomacy,” said Brandan Buck, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute. “The Trump administration is doing what it can to force some sort of transition [of] power — out of Maduro’s hands and into someone else’s — without a classic invasion.”
The pressure campaign has accelerated this year. The administration raised the bounty on Maduro — Venezuela’s kleptocratic leader for more than a decade — to $50 million, and officials familiar with internal discussions say Trump has grown frustrated with the dictator’s refusal to step aside. Diplomatic outreach to Caracas was reportedly suspended this week.
While the Pentagon continues to frame the campaign as counter-narcotics, the U.S. military’s posture now allows for much more. Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Washington’s evolving approach reflects a growing willingness to confront the regime directly.
“There appears to be growing appetite to confront Maduro’s regime directly — including potentially land-based strikes within Venezuela,” Berg said. “The force posture currently in the southern Caribbean is consonant with the potential for precision strikes using Tomahawk missiles or other weapons, but without risking the lives of U.S. service personnel.”
Behind the scenes, Berg noted, the administration has taken steps to prepare the legal ground for such action.
“The clearest signal yet is the legal justification for a non-international armed conflict,” he said. “That tells us several departments’ Office of Legal Counsel were tasked with building the case for potential strikes.”
The White House continues to describe the operation as homeland defense — stopping drug and fentanyl shipments before they reach U.S. shores — but analysts say Venezuela’s unique role in the drug trade blurs that line.
“Under Maduro, Venezuela is a criminal regime,” Berg said. “What makes the threat unique is that the regime controls the institutions of the state — and its military — to move drug shipments and participate in other illicit economies.”
CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH
That dynamic means targeting cartels could also destabilize the regime that depends on them. Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and retired Navy officer, said striking cartel networks could ultimately make Maduro’s rule unsustainable.
“The Maduro regime is reliant on the cartels to maintain its bottom line and stay in power,” Sadler said. “If you weaken the cartel backing of the regime, then the regime itself becomes unsustainable. You don’t have to go in guns blazing — you let it crumble under its own weight.”
Cancian said the expanding U.S. presence at sea and in the air “indicates this thing may end up being larger or go on longer than expected.” Any strikes against cartel production facilities inland, he added, risk bleeding into regime targets such as intelligence or defense ministries.
“They could easily strike the intelligence service or the Ministry of Defense,” Cancian said. “That’s where things could start to blur.”
But Democrats have accused Trump officials of trying to get the U.S. roped into another war. Republican senators on Thursday blocked an effort led by Senate Democrats to curb Trump’s war powers with a resolution stating Trump does not have the power to authorize strikes without approval from Congress.
The potential for retaliation remains a wild card. Venezuela’s conventional forces are weak, but analysts warn that the regime could rely on its cartel allies or proxy networks to strike back indirectly.
“Maduro could facilitate their retaliation,” Cancian said. “That could mean attacks on DEA agents or American citizens in the Caribbean. The cartels have the ability to do that.”
So far, few regional actors appear willing to come to Maduro’s defense. Berg said even many of the regime’s neighbors would quietly welcome his fall.
“Many would be secretly happy to see him go,” he said. “But you’d expect a few voices — [President Gustavo] Petro in Colombia, [President Inacio] Lula in Brazil — to object to the use of force.”
MADURO CLAIMS US SEEKS ‘REGIME CHANGE THROUGH MILITARY THREAT’ AMID CARIBBEAN BUILDUP
Erik Suarez, a Venezuelan-born political activist, said the hemisphere is already dividing over the issue.
“We can divide South America [into] two sides,” he said. “Lula in Brazil and Petro in Colombia are aligned with Maduro, but many others — Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, and Caribbean states — see Venezuela as a major threat because of mass migration and the spread of drug traffickers and terrorists.”
Suarez said the Maduro regime’s alliances with armed groups and terror networks make it not just a domestic problem but a direct threat to U.S. security.
“Venezuela represents a huge national security threat — not only ideologically, but to homeland security,” he said. “They’ve issued passports to Hezbollah members and targeted dissidents abroad. Keeping Maduro in power is a long-term danger to the U.S.”
That view is shared by Venezuelan opposition leaders in the U.S. and many Latin Americans who fled communist dictatorships and their descendants, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Even if Washington succeeds in toppling Maduro, rebuilding Venezuela would be a monumental challenge. The country’s opposition — led by María Corina Machado and 2024 President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia — has legitimacy but faces the task of stabilizing a shattered state.
“The opposition has had months to prepare for governing,” Berg said. “They’re full of plans to get Venezuela back on a path of development and greater security.”
Family’s touching response to ‘wrong order’ pizza delivery leaves millions in tears
A pizza delivery gone wrong is going viral for all the right reasons.
Pastor Neal Seiwert of Castle Rock, Colorado, placed a Papa John’s delivery order for himself and his family over the weekend.
The delivery driver, Suzanna, arrived to drop off the order — realizing at that moment that she had the wrong order with her, Seiwert told Fox News Digital.
COFFEE SHOP THAT HONORED CHARLIE KIRK SEES HUGE SALES SURGE AFTER IT’S FLOODED WITH RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE
“I’m sorry, I’m getting old,” Suzanna told the family, adding that she saw order No. 57 but the Seiwerts were actually No. 67.
“I screwed up. I’m sorry,” she added.
The pastor replied, “Don’t you, for one second, feel bad. We love you and Jesus loves you. And we hope you have a great night.”
The pastor, his wife and their three young daughters then came out to the front porch, placed their hands on the woman’s shoulders and prayed for her.
“When she was explaining herself … I really felt the love of God for her and wanted to do anything I could to relieve any pressure and anxiety she was [feeling],” said Seiwert.
DEMI TEBOW WARNS AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SELF-WORTH, POINTS TO BIBLE’S ‘PERFECT PLAN’ FOR EACH LIFE
He said he learned to trust his feelings of compassion for a stranger, adding that it can be “an opportunity to shine our light and help someone experience love.”
Seiwert added, “I didn’t want her to experience just our family’s love, I wanted her to experience God’s love too.”
The moving moment was captured on their Ring camera and eventually shared on social media — garnering over a half million likes on Instagram and over 5 million views.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
“Jesus, we thank you for Suzanna, and Lord, I thank you that we crossed paths tonight,” Seiwert prayed. “In fact, Lord, she’s more important than any of these orders tonight because you matter to her. She matters to us.”
“Lord, I just pray you would bless her.”
He closed by saying, “Lord, I just pray you would bless her. I pray that you would open the windows of heaven over her and bring any healing she needs to her body in the name of Jesus, any financial need to her, Lord — and God, that she would encounter you and live for you and follow you [with] everything she has, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
The Seiwerts later tracked Suzanna down, asking her permission to set up a GoFundMe to help her with her needs.
Seiwert said the support has been overwhelmingly positive. Their original goal of raising $25,000 for the delivery driver was quickly surpassed in less than two days.
He said he was so touched to see the reaction of viewers and did not expect so much positive feedback.
“So many people are commenting on how it brought them to tears. There are many people who simply just need love,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We love. We point to Jesus,” he added. “It’s often [in] the small moments that we have huge opportunities to reach a broken and hurting world.”
A reader replied on social media, “This brought tears to my eyes. God bless that family.”
The Seiwerts are preparing to move to Wichita, Kansas, at the end of this year to begin a church called Harvest House.
Country star’s anti-ICE lyrics spark anger as Nashville legends fire back
Country star Zach Bryan’s new song about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is sparking backlash across Nashville.
Bryan previewed his new song, “Bad News,” on Instagram this week, featuring lyrics that were a not-so-subtle dig against the actions of ICE under President Donald Trump.
“My friends are all degenerates, but they’re all I got, the generational story of dropping the plot,” the lyrics read. “I heard the cops came, Cocky motherf—ers, ain’t they?” and, “And ICE is gonna come bust down your door, try to build a house no one builds no more, but I got a telephone, Kids are all scared and all alone.”
COUNTRY STAR ZACH BRYAN TEASES NEW SONG ‘BAD NEWS’ CONDEMNING ICE RAIDS, ‘FADING’ OF THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Some fellow country artists said they could do without Bryan’s new, politically charged single. Singer Buddy Brown began by taking jabs at Bryan’s past arrest and making parallels to country artists like The Chicks, formerly The Dixie Chicks, who paid the price for getting political after they publicly criticized President George W. Bush ahead of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“He’s getting harder for any true country fan to defend,” country singer Buddy Brown told Fox News Digital of Bryan. “First time I heard of him, he was getting arrested and mad because he was telling the cops how famous he is. Next, you see him, jumping a fence to fight Gavin Adcock at a concert… he reminds me of a middle school desk, inked up and unstable. Now he’s bashing President Trump and ICE, the only thing I can think is he must be trying really hard for that Bud Light sponsorship!”
“Just ask the Dixie Chicks how this behavior played out for them,” he continued.
DHS HEAD KRISTI NOEM RIPS COUNTRY STAR ZACH BRYAN OVER HIS ANTI-ICE SONG LYRICS
While some social media users praised Bryan for showing “courage” with his new single, other critics called the controversy his “Bud Light moment.” The beer company used transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney as the face of one of its campaigns in April 2023, which led to consumer backlash and a drop in sales.
“God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood responded to Bryan’s new song by reflecting on how his own famous single sought to unite, not divide. The song, released in 1984, experienced a new surge in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, and it is now considered a patriotic American staple.
“Since my song ‘God Bless The USA’ was released in 1984, I have realized how the message of a song can influence people,” Greenwood told Fox News Digital. “‘God Bless The USA’ was intended to celebrate America. The song has become something for all Americans. It helped show support to our troops in Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It helped unite the country after the 9/11 attacks. It has been recorded by Beyoncé and Dolly Parton, among others.”
“I have never thought of using music to divide Americans, yet, the opposite — to bring them together,” he continued. “My song has been used by every President since Ronald Reagan, including Democrats and Republicans. I was a Presidential appointee under President Bush (43), President Obama, President Trump, President Biden, and now, again, under President Trump. I support our law enforcement, first responders, military and the Trump administration.”
Country artist John Rich reacted to Bryan’s song in posts on X, first lamenting that, “Nashville is full of guys like this.” He also asked, “Who’s ready for the Zach Bryan-Dixie Chicks tour? Prob a huge Bud Light sponsorship for this one,” before wondering if Bryan was trying to tap into a lesser-known wing of the country music fan base.
“Zach Bryan has every right to record a song bashing law enforcement, and fans have every right to keep supporting his career, or not,” Rich later posted. “Capitalism isn’t cancellation. Who knows, maybe there’s a large ‘anti law enforcement’ wing of the country music fan base. We’ll soon find out.”
COUNTRY SINGER ZACH BRYAN RELEASES STATEMENT ON CONTROVERSIAL SONG, INSISTING ‘I LOVE THIS COUNTRY’
Following the backlash, Bryan released a statement defending his song and his own patriotic ideals.
“This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media,” Bryan said, in part. “This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bryan for comment.
Brown told Fox News Digital that, at their core, country music fans love America.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Country music fans are very patriotic, and they respond to True GRIT, not temper tantrums,” he said. “I’ll stick with George Strait.”
‘Her hypocrisy is profound’: Lawmakers react to NY AG Letitia James’ criminal indictment
Lawmakers reacted sharply Thursday to the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud charges, with Democrats calling it a politically motivated act of revenge by President Donald Trump.
A federal grand jury in Virginia charged James with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The indictment centers on James’ purchase of a home in Norfolk. Prosecutors allege she falsely claimed it as a second residence to secure better loan terms before leasing it to tenants. James has denied wrongdoing, describing the charges as “political retribution.”
“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” James said in a statement.
James, a longtime Trump adversary, previously sued the president’s business empire for civil fraud and won a nearly $500 million judgment.
TRUMP TO FORCE OUT VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR AMID PRESSURE TO INDICT LETITIA JAMES
Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said James faces up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine on each count and forfeiture if she’s convicted.
“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said James has weaponized her office to go after Trump and his allies.
“Her hypocrisy is profound as she campaigned on the mantra that ‘no one is above the law,’ yet she now faces allegations of committing the very type of financial misrepresentation she baselessly pursued against President Trump,” Stefanik said.
“I have spearheaded congressional efforts to expose James’ abuses over the past several years through ethics complaints, bar complaints, public demands for investigations and oversight exposing her corruption“.
TRUMP RIPS TRIAL JUDGE WHOSE $500M PENALTY WAS ERASED ON APPEAL
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., noted James’ past statement that “no one is above the law.”
“Today, Leti[t]ia James was indicted for bank fraud regarding a mortgage loan,” she wrote on X.
Democrats rallied to her defense, accusing Trump of abusing his power.
“The politically motivated indictment of Attorney General Letitia James is an abuse of power — a weaponization of government — at its most outrageous and egregious,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. “Rather than addressing the grocery and utility bills crushing American families, Donald Trump remains pathologically preoccupied with his personal enemies list.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., called the charges a “blatant abuse of power,” while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the case amounted to “nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department.”
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani praised James as “a champion for justice,” saying Trump’s actions showed “fascist tactics — prosecuting his opponents, weaponizing the federal government and attacking the very fabric of our democracy.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump was using the Justice Department as his “personal attack dog.”
“This is what tyranny looks like,” Schumer said. “President Trump is targeting Attorney General Tish James for the ‘crime’ of prosecuting him for fraud — and winning. This isn’t justice. It’s revenge.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, called the indictment “political weaponization of our courts, plain and simple — and proof that when you stand up to corruption, they come for you.”
James’ initial court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Norfolk, Virginia.
Rock singer known for hits that shaped the sound of the ’60s dies at 82
John Lodge, the legendary bassist and vocalist of The Moody Blues, has died. He was 82.
In a statement shared with Fox News Digital on Friday, Lodge’s family said that he died “suddenly and unexpectedly.” The family added that Lodge “peacefully slipped away surrounded by his loved ones and the sounds of The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly.”
Birmingham-born Lodge joined The Moody Blues in 1966, two years after its formation, along with fellow singer Justin Hayward, following the departure of Denny Laine and Clint Warwick. He remained with the band until they stopped performing live in 2018.
MIKE PINDER, MOODY BLUES CO-FOUNDER AND KEYBOARDIST, DEAD AT 82
Lodge was a pivotal force behind the group’s groundbreaking fusion of orchestral rock and psychedelia.
His contributions to albums like 1967’sDays of Future Passed” and 1968’s “In Search of the Lost Chord” set the tone for the rock movement.
Lodge was also featured on the 1977 album “Octave,” which saw The Moody Blues embrace a more pop-oriented sound.
ALLMAN BROTHERS GUITARIST DICKEY BETTS DEAD AT 80
His career with The Moody Blues was far from over when the band released their final studio album, “December,” a collection of Christmas songs, in 2003.
The band continued to take the stage until 2018 — the same year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“As John would always say at the end of the show, thank you for keeping the faith,” his family noted in their statement.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Lodge is survived by his wife, Kirsten, whom he married in 1968. The couple had two children, Emily and Kristian, with the former being referred to on The Moody Blues song “Emily’s Song” from the 1971 album “Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.”
Known for his deep faith, Lodge was also an Evangelical Christian, a belief he credited for helping him stay grounded throughout his long career in the rock world.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Ozempic users face potential medical imaging complications, study warns
Researchers have revealed a surprising new side effect linked to GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
These popular treatments for diabetes and obesity could interfere with medical imaging, such as PET and CT (“CAT”) scans.
CT scans are often used to get detailed internal images to detect injuries, tumors or other abnormalities, according to Cleveland Clinic. A typical use of PET scans is to examine organs and tissues, detect cancer activity or monitor how the body is responding to treatment.
DANGEROUS ‘GRAY-MARKET’ WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS FLOODING US AS EXPERTS WARN OF RISKS
In the case review, presented this week at the 38th Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine in Barcelona, Spain, researchers analyzed cancer scans of patients who were taking GLP-1 medications, according to a press release.
They found some “atypical” scan results that could be mistaken as signs of disease.
“We noticed an unusual uptake in one of our patients on a GLP-1 agonist, which prompted a wider review across our network,” lead author Dr. Peter Strouhal, medical director at Alliance Medical Ltd in the U.K., stated in the release.
“We found that these altered patterns are increasingly common, yet there is currently no national or international guidance in the U.K. addressing this emerging issue.”
“It’s something we’ll keep an eye on in our industry, but more information is needed.”
Misunderstanding these scan results can lead to extra tests, incorrect cancer assessments and delays in treatment, which can cause stress and anxiety for patients, the release noted.
“Knowing how GLP-1 medications can affect scan images helps doctors avoid confusion and unnecessary procedures, so patients get the right care quickly and confidently,” Strouhal said.
Despite these findings, the researchers said they don’t recommend that patients stop taking GLP-1s prior to having a scan — but they did emphasize that imaging teams should consider patients’ medication use when interpreting scan results.
Looking ahead, the research team plans to gather more data from global imaging centers to strengthen these findings.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Sue Decotiis, M.D., a medical weight-loss doctor in New York City, pointed out that the results of the study are still very preliminary.
“They just noticed an increase, but it didn’t mention which organs or specific body parts,” Decotiis, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“It will be important to see more data from many more patients to understand exactly what they saw. It’s something we’ll keep an eye on in our industry, but more information is needed.”
Adam Wolfberg, M.D., chief medical officer at Virta Health in Massachusetts, also reflected on the study.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“GLP-1s have many effects on the body, and one of them is altering the way glucose is metabolized,” Wolfberg, who also did not take part in the study, told Fox News Digital. “Since the tracer agent used in these PET scans contains glucose, uptake of the agent — a metabolic ‘dye’ of sorts — can be impacted.”
“Interpretation of the corresponding images would require knowledge of this clinical background.”
He echoed, however, that he doesn’t think this finding is a “big deal.”
“PET scans are always interpreted in the context of the whole patient,” Wolfberg said. “A skilled oncologist or radiologist would always take into account a patient’s medical history as well as the medications they are taking when reading this type of scan.”
Wolfberg agreed that much more data would be required before these observations should impact medical practice.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment, as well as to manufacturers of GLP-1 medications.
Gaza ceasefire begins with Israel pulling back troops, making hostages’ release imminent
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect at 12:00 p.m. local time, marking the beginning of the end of the brutal war that has gone on for more than two years. The development also brings the hostages one step closer to returning home.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Friday morning that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that Israel completed the first phase of the withdrawal and that Hamas’ 72-hour window to release the hostages had begun.
The Israeli government approved and signed the deal overnight, local time, kicking off a 24-hour countdown clock during which time troops had to withdraw to a pre-determined position.
“Following the political echelon’s instructions and due to the situational assessment, the IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement. As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon. The IDF continues to be deployed in the area and prepared for any operational development,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on X.
TRUMP PEACE DEAL TRIGGERS 72-HOUR COUNTDOWN FOR HAMAS TO RELEASE 48 HOSTAGES FROM GAZA
Hours later, the IDF confirmed that the ceasefire commenced and that troops had positioned themselves “along the updated deployment lines.”
While Israel’s presence has decreased in Gaza, the peace agreement stipulates that it will still occupy 53% of the enclave until the next phase.
IDF spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee sent out a statement in Arabic regarding the exact situation on the ground. He warned Palestinians against approaching IDF troops, as doing so “endangers your life.” Adraee also said that the northern part of the Gaza Strip is still “extremely dangerous,” particularly the areas of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shejaiya and any other area with a “concentration of troops.” Other areas included in the warning were the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor.
“Do not move toward Israeli territory, and do not approach the security zone. Approaching the security zone is extremely dangerous. For your safety, do not begin moving to these areas until official approval has been granted,” Adraee said in his message.
Now that the IDF has completed its repositioning, Hamas has 72 hours to release all the hostages, living and dead. This includes the bodies of U.S. citizens Omer Neutra and Itay Chen.
WORLD LEADERS PRAISE ‘LANDMARK’ ISRAEL-HAMAS PEACE DEAL MEDIATED BY US: ‘NEW HORIZON OF HOPE’
The U.S. is not deploying troops to Gaza; however, two U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News that 200 troops from CENTCOM will be sent to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire. They will facilitate security and humanitarian flow and monitor the implementation of the deal, including transportation, logistics and engineering, the officials said.
President Donald Trump said in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he expected the hostages to be home on Monday or Tuesday. The president also announced that he would be making a trip over to the Middle East for the official signing of the agreement.
“We secured the release of all of the remaining hostages, and they should be released on Monday or Tuesday,” Trump said, adding that the day the hostages return will “be a day of joy.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
On Wednesday, hours after the announcement that Israel and Hamas signed the first phase of the deal, Trump spoke with family members of hostages being held in Gaza. The families thanked the president and praised him for securing a deal that would bring their loved ones home after more than two years in captivity.