ATF sends in top experts to investigate Tennessee plant explosion as 18 still missing

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said it deployed an “elite team” Saturday to help investigate the massive explosion at a Tennessee manufacturing plant, where 18 people still remain missing.

Officials said “multiple” people were dead after the blast at Accurate Energetic Systems near Bucksnort, located about 50 miles west of Nashville, just before 8 a.m. local time Friday. 

“ATF’s National Response Team is an elite team comprised of highly trained investigative experts, with state-of-the-art equipment, specializing in explosives, fire and bombing investigations,” the agency said in a statement. “The team, which can deploy anywhere in the United States within 24 hours of notification, is made up of special agents, certified explosives specialists, bomb technicians, explosives enforcement officers, fire protection engineers, certified fire investigators, chemists, and other specialists.”

“Team members, who are deploying from all over the country, are expected to arrive on scene today,” the ATF added, noting that the team previously investigated “national-level incidents such as the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon; the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta; the Oklahoma City bombing and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.”

TENNESSEE MANUFACTURING PLANT EXPLOSION LEAVES MULTIPLE PEOPLE DEAD, 18 MISSING 

“The team’s primary responsibility will be leading the investigation into the origin and cause of the explosion, including analyzing, processing and documenting the scene,” the ATF also said.

Describing the incident Friday, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told reporters that, “This has probably been one of the most devastating situations that I’ve been on in my career.” 

Jeremy Moore was identified by WZTV as a longtime employee at the facility who is now missing. 

“I did find out it was the building, Building 602, that he worked in and that he was on the missing list,” his mother, Ava Hinson, told the station. “The last I heard from him, he dropped his daughter off with me and was headed to work.” 

“It’s unbelievable, the not knowing, I almost, I don’t want to hear bad news, but I’d almost feel better if I knew,” she added, according to WZTV.  

Accurate Energetic Systems released a statement about the explosion on its website. 

“At approximately 7:45am this morning, there was a tragic accident at our facility,” Accurate Energetic Systems wrote. “Emergency response teams and investigative agencies remain on scene, and the situation is under active investigation.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, coworkers, and community members affected by this incident,” the statement added. “We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions. We will provide updates as more verified information becomes available.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Accurate Energetic Systems on Saturday morning seeking additional information but did not immediately hear back. 

Signs near the site on Saturday asked for prayers for the families, according to The Associated Press. 

EXPLOSION CAUGHT ON CAMERA ROCKS BEACH TOWN AFTER HIT-AND-RUN DRIVER HITS GAS LINE, FIREFIGHTERS INJURED 

Rescuers had to wait for hours to begin their search because of the burning field of debris and risks of secondary explosions at the site southwest of Nashville, authorities said. The area is now secure and there is no longer a risk. 

Davis said he expected that the investigation would span at least days before authorities would know what could have caused the explosion that happened just before 8 a.m. on Friday. He cautioned that there wouldn’t be a “short-term explanation.” 

Davis said the explosion Friday resulted in a number of fatalities, which he didn’t specify, and that 18 people were still missing. He referred to them as “souls.” 

The manufacturing plant sits on 1,300 acres in Bucksnort, Tennessee, an unincorporated rural community approximately 60 miles southwest of Nashville. There are eight plant buildings that manufacture, store and research explosives for customers beyond just the military, including aerospace, oil and other commercial demolition industries. 

The company also uses the sprawling campus to test explosives, according to its website, measuring the velocity of explosions as well as their impact on surrounding areas under varying environmental conditions. 

“At the height of the response yesterday, there were more than 300 emergency personnel from 18 local, state, and federal agencies on scene collaborating on the ongoing investigation and response,” the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Saturday. “This coordinated effort is focused on ensuring public safety, supporting impacted families, and determining the cause of the incident.” 

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“We ask Tennesseans to join us in prayer for the families impacted by this tragic incident,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee wrote on X on Friday. 

Portland mayor orders removal of police perimeter at ICE facility despite federal request

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson ordered the removal of police tape near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility this week despite the federal government’s call for the establishment of a perimeter around the ICE location, according to a report on oregonlive.com.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the ICE facility on Tuesday and Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day noted that authorities had the vicinity cordoned off for the occasion. 

But the perimeter was removed on Wednesday, according to the report.

PORTLAND MAYOR CONDEMNS FEDERAL INTERVENTION, CLAIMS VIDEOS OF ANTI-ICE RIOTS WERE FROM YEARS AGO

According to the City of Portland, a message to Day from U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott Bradford stated, in part, that “all federal officers must be able to come and go from the ICE office without harassment or hindrance” and that “Portland must create a perimeter around the ICE office.” He specified that this “perimeter must be at least as large as the perimeter state and local police set up today for the Secretary’s visit.”

The city also indicated that in a message to General Counsel for DHS James Percival, Mayor Wilson noted, in part, “You have requested that federal officers be able to ingress and egress from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility without hindrance. The Mayor and our local public safety professionals will continue to evaluate the situation on the ground, and they will continue to make public order decisions based on what they believe will be in the best interest of Portland and our community.”

NOEM: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DOUBLING DOWN WITH NEW FEDERAL FACILITIES IN CHICAGO, PORTLAND

Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon on Friday and to the City of Portland to request comments from Bradford and Wilson, respectively.

Last month, President Donald Trump called for deploying National Guard troops into Portland, but his plan has been stymied amid legal wranglings.

‘UNTETHERED FROM REALITY’: LAWYERS FOR TRUMP, OREGON SPAR OVER NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN COURT CLASH

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“At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” he declared in a September Truth Social post.

Trump peace plan faces hurdle as experts warn Hamas ‘will remain in Gaza’

The emerging Gaza peace framework crafted by President Donald Trump could reshape regional dynamics, but analysts warn that unless Hamas is fully stripped of its weapons and power, this will amount to little more than a pause for the terrorist group before it renews conflict.

Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Moshe Dayan Forum at Tel Aviv University and one of Israel’s foremost experts on Hamas, says any plan that assumes the group will dissolve misunderstands its nature.

“Forget words like peace and coexistence — that won’t happen,” he told Fox News Digital. Hamas leaders, he explained, have made clear they will not accept an international mandate or a Tony Blair-style trusteeship. “They’re prepared to let a cosmetic Palestinian administration run daily affairs, but Hamas will operate behind the scenes, like Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

EXCLUSIVE: ISRAELI AMBASSADOR SAYS NO PEACE IN GAZA UNLESS HAMAS HANDS OVER ALL 48 HOSTAGES, DISARMS

Milshtein said Hamas’ rhetoric about “freezing” weapons — rather than surrendering them — reveals its strategy. “They’re willing to stop growing stronger but not to disarm. They’ll hand over what’s left of their rocket infrastructure but keep light weapons and explosives,” he said. “Hamas will remain in Gaza under every scenario — as a military and social force. The war may end, but Hamas stays.”

An Arab source knowledgeable about the negotiations told Fox News Digital he believes Hamas will agree to disarm — but only if it is confident Prime Minister Netanyahu will not restart the war or pursue its leaders after they lay down arms, admitting phase two will be hard to negotiate.

Ghaith al-Omari of the Washington Institute says the current optimism rests on extraordinary regional coordination. “Trump has amazing instincts when it comes to recognizing openings and opportunities,” he said. “He identified the moment and went for it.”

Al-Omari said the convergence of several pressures — the attack on Qatari soil, growing Gulf anxiety over instability, and fear of the conflict spreading — pushed Arab states to act. “They have tremendous leverage,” he said, “and this time they used it.”

One of the key players, he emphasized, is Turkey. “Bringing in the Turks was key,” al-Omari explained. “Ankara had its own interests with Washington and moved quickly to be part of the equation.” He said Turkey’s leverage over Hamas is both political and personal: it hosts Hamas leaders, controls financial channels, and offers an ideological model through its ruling AKP party. “They can tell Hamas, ‘Look at us — we started out illegal and unarmed, but we learned to work within the political system. If you disarm, you can become a political organization too.’”

TRUMP UNVEILS 20-POINT PLAN TO SECURE PEACE IN GAZA, INCLUDING GRANTING SOME HAMAS MEMBERS ‘AMNESTY’

That example, he said, could encourage Hamas to “play the long game — step back now, survive politically, and wait for the Palestinian Authority to weaken.” But he warned that this approach does not amount to dismantling Hamas; it merely channels its ambitions into politics rather than open warfare.

Al-Omari is uneasy about signs that Arab unity on disarmament is already fraying. “I am concerned when I hear the Egyptian foreign minister say that disarming Palestinian weapons is an internal issue,” he noted. “And Emirati officials have said they’d send troops only to the Rafah border. That kind of slippage is dangerous.”

He said the decisive test will come after the first phase. “If Hamas doesn’t disarm, we won’t have to wait years,” he said. “Things could reignite within weeks.”

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that a truce is not peace. “This is only a pause,” he told Fox News Digital. “There will be peace only when Hamas lays down its weapons, surrenders all role in governing Gaza, and the Trump Peace Plan is fully implemented. That will require relentless focus from the president and his team to cut through Hamas’ games and end its grip on the Gazan people.”

Dubowitz dismissed hopes of voluntary compliance. “They will never give up willingly,” he said. “They must be pushed out of Gaza and relentlessly hunted down inside the Strip by the IDF and whatever international security force is willing to take action.”

ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE TAKES EFFECT, IDF BEGINS PULLING BACK IN GAZA

Tamir Heiman, a former Israeli intelligence chief, described three possible scenarios once the hostages are released and fighting subsides. In the best case, Hamas cooperates with the establishment of an alternative technocratic government supported by international policing forces. If it refuses, Israel could still transfer limited security control to an international force “in separate sectors, gradually,” he said.

The third scenario — and, in his view, the most likely — is that no foreign force steps in. “The IDF would remain in areas along what we call the yellow line, operating like a security buffer similar to southern Lebanon,” Heiman said. Under that model, Israel maintains freedom of operation while Hamas retains light weapons but is stripped of rockets and missile factories. “It’s not peace,” he added, “but it’s managed security.”

Taken together, the analysts paint a cautious picture. The Trump team has aligned regional interests and generated rare cooperation among Arab capitals, they say, but sustaining that unity through disarmament and reconstruction will be the true measure of success.

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If Hamas continues to exist as a hybrid militia-government, experts warn, the world may soon discover that the “peace” is only an intermission between rounds — a pause mistaken for an ending.

Border agents arrest actor from popular ’90s sitcom on felony fugitive count

“Family Matters” star Darius McCrary was arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border in California.

According to arrest records obtained by Fox News Digital, the actor was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on Sunday, Oct. 5, on felony charges and is being held in a San Diego jail. He has not yet been sentenced and is not currently eligible for bail. The records list it as a “fugitive arrest.” 

McCrary’s rep, Ann Barlow, told Fox News Digital, “Darius was picked up at the Border of Mexico because he was partnering with a real estate developer that is building homes for the homeless in Tijuana, Mexico. Darius was doing a GOOD DEED when he discovered he had a felony warrant at the Border of Mexico for a missed court appearance.”

She continued, “The missed court appearance was for an ongoing child support dispute, whereas Oakland County mailed the notice to appear to Darius PO BOX giving him only 3 days to appear in Michigan Court. Unfortunately, Darius had COVID therefore did not check his PO Box until the day after his court date.”

EX-NBA PLAYER MARCUS MORRIS ARRESTED ON FELONY FRAUD CHARGE

“However, he immediately notified the judge with a doctor’s note diagnosis of COVID,” his rep added.

His first court date is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Best known for playing Eddie Winslow on the hit 90s sitcom, the actor has faced legal issues in the past.

His ex-wife, Tammy Brawner, filed for divorce from McCrary in 2017, citing irreconcilable differences and stating she was concerned for their 3-year-old daughter’s safety. She received full legal and physical custody of their daughter in 2019, per People.

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McCrary was ordered to attend alcohol and drug abuse and batterers’ intervention classes within 12 months and was granted visits with their daughter. He was also reportedly ordered to pay $1,366 per month in child support.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ in February 2018, Brawner made several allegations against McCrary. One claim was that he “held [our daughter] over a hot stove with fire going and boiling water going,” stating she was “no more than eight or nine months old” when the incident occurred.

She also alleged that McCrary told her he did not like their daughter “and that he wish[ed] he didn’t have her.‘” 

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That same year, McCrary told TMZ, “None of these allegations are true … I would never do anything to harm my child.

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Navy vet sounds alarm on critical labor crisis: ‘America grinds to a halt’

Walk onto any construction site in America, and you’ll hear the same story: We can’t find enough skilled workers. Electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, plumbers and heavy-equipment operators are in dangerously short supply, and the gap is widening.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently warned that building America’s artificial-intelligence infrastructure will require an army of electricians.The demand for data centers – both cloud and AI – is expected to double year over year. Mike Rowe has been sounding the alarm for years: the most “essential” jobs are the ones our culture stopped celebrating.

Here’s the truth: without skilled tradesmen, America grinds to a halt. No power. No housing. No data centers. No cloud. No AI.

Yet we keep pushing young people toward four-year degrees, often leaving them with six-figure debt, while treating the trades as a second-class option. Meanwhile, a “silver tsunami” is coming as baby boomers and Gen X tradesmen are retiring faster than replacements are entering the field.

HELP WANTED: US MUST FILL LOTS OF SHIPS-AND-CHIPS JOBS TO BEAT CHINA

According to Rewiring America, we’ll need 1 million additional electricians in the next decade, on top of today’s workforce of about 800,000.

Failing to emphasize and incentivize skilled work isn’t just a cultural mistake. It’s an economic time bomb.

Fixing the Imbalance: Use the Tax Code

The quickest, fairest way to reverse course is through the tax code.

Here’s our proposal: create aggressive tax breaks for tradesmen themselves, not just the companies that employ them.

If you choose to become an electrician, welder or plumber, you should enjoy the same level of government support that college graduates receive.

• Allow tradesmen to deduct the full cost of their tools, certifications and training.
• Offer meaningful federal tax breaks – or even temporary income-tax exemptions – for every year they remain actively employed in a certified trade.

TRUMP ADMIN TACKLES URGENT ELECTRICAL GRID CRISIS AS AI SET TO DOUBLE DEMAND

If we can make tips non-taxable for service-industry workers, we can certainly extend that logic to the men and women literally rebuilding America’s infrastructure. And frankly, it’s absurd that our active-duty service members or full-time first responders pay federal income taxes at all.

Want to attract a new generation into these professions? Incentivize the behavior that sustains the nation’s backbone.

By their late 20s, these tradesmen could be debt-free, earning solid middle- to upper-class wages, buying homes and raising families; not just chasing the American Dream, but rebuilding it.

Compare that with many college grads today: burdened by debt, underemployed and watching automation threaten their jobs.

We should reward the work America’s future depends on – not funnel kids into a path that may not exist a decade from now.

This Is Also About National Security

This isn’t only an economic issue, it’s a national-security one.

AMERICA HAS THE POWER TO LEAD THE AI REVOLUTION – AND THE LEADERSHIP TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

The Pentagon already warns of labor shortages in shipbuilding and mission-critical infrastructure. Data centers – the central nervous system of AI and national defense – are desperate for electricians and cooling technicians.

Without a robust pipeline of skilled tradesmen, our ability to compete with China in the AI race collapses before it begins.

Our national security depends as much on the American welder and HVAC tech as it does on the fighter pilot. It’s time our policies reflected that truth.

This Isn’t a Subsidy, It’s an Investment

Critics will call this a giveaway. They’re wrong.

Tax incentives aren’t handouts, they’re investments in the backbone of America, in the men and women who keep the lights on, the water running and the servers cool.

If Washington can shovel billions into green-energy dreams and Ivy League programs producing fragile, perpetually offended graduates, then it can certainly afford tax relief for the Americans who actually build, wire and power this country.

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The conservative answer is clear: reward hard work, build self-reliance and restore dignity to the trades.

Congress Should Act Now

Year after year, calls for reform fall on deaf ears in Washington, especially among Democrats more interested in partisan shutdown theatrics than solving the real problems facing working Americans. It’s time to stop putting politics above people and start rebuilding the middle class that keeps this country running.

Congress can start by:

• Creating aggressive tax breaks for individual tradesmen tied to accredited training and continued employment.
• Allowing full deductions for tools, certifications and licensing fees.
• Offering bonus incentives for those who stay in the trades 10, 15 or 20 years to retain mission-critical expertise.

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This is simple, fair and fiscally sound. The alternative is to watch American growth and resilience grind to a halt.

America’s prosperity and security now depend on the trades more than ever. Let’s start treating tradesmen and women with the respect they have earned.

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At least 4 killed, 12 injured in downtown Leland, Mississippi shooting, mayor says

At least four people are dead, and 12 others were injured overnight in a shooting in Leland, Mississippi, at a downtown event taking place during Leland High School homecoming weekend, the city’s mayor told Fox News Digital on Saturday. 

Leland Mayor John Lee said he had no information as to the identity of the shooter, who has not been located as of Saturday morning. He added that, “justice will be served.”

“I just want to say, you know, our prayers and condolences go out to the family of the deceased and the ones that’s been injured and shot,” Lee said. 

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation told Fox News Digital that it is assisting in the investigation.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER DIES AFTER GAME IN MISSISSIPPI

The conditions of those injured were not immediately clear Saturday.

POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY WHILE SERVING WARRANT; SUSPECT FOUND DEAD, OFFICIALS SAY

The mayor told Fox News Digital he is asking for prayer for his city, “Because this is not something that’s ever happened here before.” 

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“It was homecoming weekend, of course, and everybody’s family and friends and neighbors [were] together having fun in the downtown area, as we do every year,” Lee added.

Photographer’s granddaughter reveals truth behind Marilyn Monroe’s flying dress

As a gust of wind from a New York City subway grate sent Marilyn Monroe’s white dress fluttering past her legs, cameras captured what would become the “shot seen ’round the world.”

The 1955 comedy “The Seven Year Itch” — arguably the star’s most iconic film — turned 70 this year. The family of photographer Sam Shaw, Monroe’s close friend whose now-famous images cemented her status as a sex symbol, has released a new book, “Dear Marilyn: The Unseen Letters and Photographs.” It reveals the little-known story behind the making of that legendary photograph.

“The behind-the-scenes story, the origin story of my grandfather’s ‘Seven Year Itch’ photographs, is not really well known,” Shaw’s granddaughter, Melissa Stevens, told Fox News Digital. 

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“It started in 1941 when he was a photojournalist. … It was during World War II, and he photographed these young women and sailors, who were on a break in Coney Island. He took these photographs of women standing over the grates in Coney Island, and the wind is blowing their skirts up. And one of these images appeared on the cover of a magazine called Friday in 1941.”

“So fast-forward to 1954, Sam was hired to be the still photographer for ‘The Seven Year Itch,’” Stevens shared. “He read the script, and there’s a line where Marilyn is coming out of a movie theater. She walks over the grate, and a subway car is passing underneath. And then there’s this wind. The line in the script is something like, ‘Oh, do you feel the breeze? Isn’t it delicious?’”

“The minute that Sam read that in the script, he remembered the 1941 photograph from Coney Island and how successful it was,” said Stevens. “He essentially repurposed that photograph . . . which is very joyful and fun.”

WATCH: MARILYN MONROE’S FAMOUS PHOTO HAS A HIDDEN BACKSTORY

“It became a bigger event than he had ever anticipated,” she added.

According to the book, Shaw asked the movie studio to “arrange for an additional number of police officers to handle the crowd that was sure to gather” at New York City’s Lexington Avenue and 51st Street. A technician would operate a wind machine under the spot where Monroe would step on to simulate a passing subway.

On Sept. 15, 1954, thousands, mostly men, gathered to see the blonde bombshell’s dress fly up in front of cameras. With every camera flash, the 29-year-old’s white underwear was visible to the roaring crowd.

“The police were completely off guard, more fascinated watching Marilyn, forgetting the mob,” Shaw wrote. “Not one person in the crowd broke through. They were too mesmerized by what they were seeing.”

Stevens said filmmakers were worried about how far they could go.

“People may think today, ‘What’s the big deal about a woman with her skirt blowing up a little bit?’” said Stevens. 

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“Yet it was very controversial at the time. Also, given the censorship and the rules of the Hollywood studio system, those things were not allowed. Sam talks about this in the book. He writes about how they had to tread very carefully in the filming of the scene and the way he was photographing it. Otherwise, it would be cut from the movie. It would’ve been censored.”

“Even though that seems ridiculous today from the point of view of just how much skin we see daily, I think we have to really understand the context of the time in 1950s America,” said Stevens.

The final cut was modest compared to what everyone saw that evening. In the film, Monroe’s dress isn’t seen going dramatically over her waist. Still, the Catholic Legion of Decency and other morality groups would criticize the scene as indecent.

Shaw wrote that Monroe “enjoyed the whole experience more than anyone — even more than the man below at the wind machine.”

The scene was reshot in a Los Angeles sound studio where Shaw had control over wind and lighting “without thousands of onlookers.” The blowing skirt shot became the key ad image for the film.

“The Seven Year Itch” made Marilyn Monroe a legend. It also came at a price.

“It was during the subway grate photo shoot in New York for ‘The Seven Year Itch’ that [Monroe’s husband] Joe DiMaggio was reported to walk away in anger,” Shaw wrote. 

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“Three weeks after the shoot, Marilyn told reporters her marriage was over. I never saw her cry except on television the morning she left Joe. … To the press and the waiting world, all tears. That afternoon, she was on set. Her spirits were high. She was back in the studio working, posing and remembering her lines, take after take. That evening, we went to dinner. She was all laughs and high enthusiasm.”

“What brought about the divorce? I do not know,” Shaw reflected. “Unfortunately, her [three] husbands never really understood her individuality. Like many men, they wanted to fashion her and remake her to their own standards. Joe … was known for his high standards and purity off the field.”

The film also made Monroe realize her worth in Hollywood.

“She demanded more than her starlet salary,” Shaw wrote. “The costumers, hairdressers and makeup artists were all paid more than Marilyn the superstar. She demanded better scripts and director approval. She broke her 20th Century Fox contract. She declared her freedom. She defied the conventions of her time. She asserted herself as an actress and a woman. … She was on strike against the most powerful movie studio in the business.”

“The studio was furious,” he continued. “They tried to stop her publicity and fame. But they needed her to sell the film. The very young woman they helped to stardom now declared herself free. She was a star. Her name above the title. Now they had to accept her on her own terms. For Marilyn, it wasn’t a fight for money but for story rights, executive and director approval. Marilyn didn’t need them to publicize her buildup. The press and the world were at her feet and at her whim, and her whim was a whim of iron.”

Shaw died in 1999 at age 87. Stevens said that her grandfather was fiercely protective of his friendship with Monroe, who passed away in 1962 at age 36. Many of his letters to Monroe are seen for the first time in the book, including one he wrote a year before her death. 

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“The tone of that letter is different than the other letters,” said Stevens. “The tone is more bittersweet. … He’s writing right after she separated from Arthur Miller. So, he refers to ‘the turmoil.’ … My grandfather says, ‘Do you want to come to Paris and stay with us? We have an extra room. My wife is asking about you. You’re invited.’ There’s clearly the concern of a good friend about how she’s doing.”

“There’s a lot of difficulty in Marilyn Monroe’s life,” said Stevens. “But Sam referred to something called ‘the joy of Marilyn.’ … Sam always focused on this young woman who really was funny, smart, joyful … Marilyn is always described as a victim and vulnerable. Sam did not describe her that way. Sam described her as tough and strong and that she was able, in fact, to deal and cope well with a lot of the adversity in her life.”

Stevens said fans are still fascinated by Monroe because she embodies “the American dream.”

“She started with nothing,” said Stevens. “No money and a troubled family situation. Yet somehow, she rose to the top. That’s the story Sam tells, the story of a hardworking young woman who really did make it.”

Rock star’s former Los Angeles home listed on the market for $2.6 million

Perry Farrell’s former California home is on the market.

The legendary rock musician’s former home in Venice is on sale for $2.6 million in partnership with listing agent Laci Buller of Compass.

Originally built in 1949, the two-story home includes 2,073 square feet of living space with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a great room and a loft.

Designed by architect Steven Ehrlich, the home features a vaulted ceiling which runs across the entire home and a floor-to-ceiling sliding glass wall that opens up onto the backyard, providing seamless indoor/outdoor living.

PAUL SIMON’S DAUGHTER UNLEASHES ON RICHARD GERE OVER BROKEN PROMISE TO PRESERVE CHILDHOOD HOME

The main room was also outfitted with studio-quality built-in surround sound, as the house was intended as a live-in music studio. In addition, the home also features a rooftop terrace, a three-car garage and a swimming pool.

Farrell is best known as the founder and lead singer of the iconic rock band, Jane’s Addiction. The band was formed in 1985 with guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins.

Their first album with a label, “Nothing’s Shocking,” was released in 1988 and launched them to new heights of fame and helped define what alternative rock music would become. 

They released another studio album in 1990, “Ritual de lo Habitual,” before breaking up in 1991 due to ongoing substance abuse problems with various members of the band and internal conflicts.

Following the breakup of the band, Farrell created Lollapalooza in 1991 as a farewell tour for the band, but it has since gone on to become the go-to music festival for alternative rock musicians, helping to launch the careers of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.

Farrell went on to pursue solo projects and formed a second band, Porno for Pyros, which he was a part of from 1992 to 1998.

Jane’s Addiction broke up and got back together a number of times over the years, most recently in 2024. The band was performing at a show in Boston in September 2024, when Farrell and Navarro got into a heated exchange on stage, resulting in Farrell punching the guitarist in the face, effectively ending the concert.

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Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau, took to Instagram after the show to explain what happened, saying the musician’s violent outburst occurred because his patience was wearing thin due to his health.

“Perry’s frustration had been mounting, night after night, he felt that the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band,” she wrote. “Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night. But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry, cussing at him that the band was [playing] too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it.” 

The on-stage altercation led to the group canceling the remainder of their tour.

Navarro took to his personal Instagram account to address the fans, citing “a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell” as the reason behind their decision.

“Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs,” he continued.

Navarro concluded his comments, writing, “We deeply regret that we are not able to come through for all our fans who have already bought tickets. We can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis.”

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Radio host blasts critics calling him ‘woke,’ says ‘world has turned upside down’

Shock jock radio host Howard Stern balked Thursday at the claims that he has gone “woke” amid rumors of his retirement, arguing both are untrue.

Stern was once on the cutting-edge of shock-jock radio, famously sparring with the FCC for decades to defend his raunchy and politically-incorrect show. In later years, Stern was accused of losing the very devil-may-care approach to humor that led to his rise in the first place. This has been a repeated claim over the years, as has been rumor of his retirement. 

“I was on vacation and the next thing I know, I was in ‘Stephen Colbert-land’ where I was being thrown off by the FCC somehow, I don’t know what, whatever it was or because I’m too woke… Too woke? I don’t even know what a ‘woke’ is. What is woke?” Stern asked. 

“If I’m too woke, the world has turned upside down,” Stern claimed. “I mean, the stuff I do and talk about, I don’t even know what that means. But you know what? If it means I’m awakened, God bless.”

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Fellow radio host Andy Cohen suggested this accusation, “might mean that you care about other people.”

“Yeah,” Stern agreed. “Suddenly, it’s not macho to give a f— about anybody, but I’m not being fired, I’m talking to Sirius right now about extending in some way, and if that works out, great.”

However, Howard has actually embraced being called “woke” in the past amid accusations of going soft in his comedy, offering his take on its definition. 

“I hear that a lot — that I’m not good anymore because I’m woke,” Stern said in September 2023. “By the way, I take that as a compliment. To me, the opposite of woke is asleep. And if woke means I can’t get behind Trump … or that I support people who want to be transgender … or I’m for the vaccine — dude, call me as woke as you f—ing want.”

He added further, “I am woke, motherf—er, and I love it. I want to be awake. I want to read legitimate news sources. Here’s how woke I am: I believe the election was not rigged,” Stern said of the 2020 presidential election. “I am woke. I think that’s a compliment.”

In 2022, he was accused of contradicting his past defense of free speech by appearing to sympathize with efforts against podcaster Joe Rogan, the very podcaster who many say replaced Stern’s niche with American men. 

Neil Young had recently demanded that Spotify remove his tracks from its service in January 2022, declaring the company “can have Rogan or Young. Not Both.” Young had previously called on Spotify to censor Rogan for what he claimed was false or misleading information about the pandemic.

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“I don’t think Neil Young is for censorship,” Stern argued at the time. “I just think he’s saying, ‘Look, I don’t want to be part of this organization, because if my music is helping people bring people to the table, and then they’re spreading something as lethal as don’t take the vaccine, do this.'”

Stern later added, “I’m against any kind of censorship, really, you know, I really am. I don’t like censorship, but when you’re talking about life and death.”

The radio host alienated some fans numerous times over the COVID-19 pandemic years, such as arguing those who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine should be denied medical treatment.

“If you don’t get it, in my America, all hospitals would be closed to you. You’re going to go home and die. That is what you should get,” he said. 

Stern also reportedly spent years holed up in his house, refusing to go back to his studio over concerns he might catch the virus. 

“I’m going crazy with this. My wife yelled at me last night. We got into a fight. You know how paranoid I am about getting COVID. I haven’t gotten it, and I’m pretty safe, and I really don’t want to get it,” Stern said in September 2023. After noting he had somewhat emerged for certain events, news of a new strain of the virus made him consider going back into lockdown. 

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More recently, shortly after the second attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, Stern said he “couldn’t agree with you more,” after a caller compared Trump to Adolf Hitler in September 2024. “It is the same playbook. We have seen it before in history.” 

“Hitler was perceived as a clown in Germany… He was one of these buffoonish characters. Somehow he won an election. And that was the end of Germany. He dragged them through hell and back,” Stern continued.  “This does feel like a replay of pre-World War II. I am one of those people who believe that if the election goes the wrong way, it’s the end of the United States.”