State’s new sex ed standards include lessons on gender identity, sexual orientation

The Michigan State Board of Education approved new state sex education standards, which include recommendations that students be taught about gender identity and sexual orientation.

The “Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines” were adopted on Thursday after a 6-2 vote, despite pushback from some parents and pastors, who argue they undermine parental rights and religious liberties.

Proponents of the standards, however, contend that they are age-appropriate and will help LGBTQ+ students understand themselves.

State education officials say parents still have the option to take their children out with no penalty. Language was also added to the new standards addressing what state law says about health and sex education, local control of schools and parent choice.

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More than 100 people spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, either in person or online. Some people waved small pride flags during public comment.

“What is the hurry? Why now? Why today? Why this? If you really want to address health and sex ed, let’s take time,” Citizens for Traditional Values President Eileen McNeil said.

John Grossenbacher, a Clinton Township parent and candidate for state House, said the position of parents should be the only one that matters. He organized a petition in which 1,600 people called on the board to withdraw or reject the proposal.

Macomb County resident Sheila Cahoon said: “We need to keep the gender ideology religion at home and let the parents teach that.”

Other speakers argued that it was time for the state to embrace change and welcome new sex ed standards. Many of them, including parents of transgender students, called on the board to adopt the standards, saying they offer information students may need to understand their identities.

“Young people and Generation Z and the community that you serve are calling for comprehensive and inclusive sex ed and standards,” Brianna Bryant of Detroit said.

Another speaker, Stella Shananaquet, linked the issue of sex ed in schools to other culture war issues regarding LGBTQ+ students.

“Deniers lost the bathroom wars, so here we are again with it wearing a different dress,” she said. “Nobody’s teaching your kids gender identity. They already know. They’re just too scared to tell you about it. The bottom line is, you don’t have to believe in it. You don’t have to accept it, but it exists.”

Speakers also touched on issues such as student mental health, religious values and how LGBTQ+ topics are discussed.

The revised standards detail what students should know by the time they complete a certain grade.

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By the end of eighth grade, for example, students should be able to “define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and explain that they are distinct components of every individual’s identity.”

The state Department of Education emphasized that the standards are only guidelines and not mandates, adding that schools are still required to comply with all relevant state law.

“The standards provide guidance to local school districts and, as in previous versions, local control remains in place and parents retain the right to decide whether their children should participate in sex education instruction,” the state Department of Education said in a news release after the vote.

“Local boards of education determine the health curriculum for their districts which may include sex education curriculum — if the district decides to offer sex ed— that has been reviewed by local sex education advisory boards that must include 50% parent representation,” it added.

The state Department of Education also says the update complies with Michigan’s revised civil rights law, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which lawmakers amended in 2023 to protect people from discrimination based on gender identity.

Last month, Republicans in the state House questioned Interim State Superintendent Sue Carnell at an Oversight Committee meeting about how many genders there are and the reasoning behind the proposal.

The committee has issued a subpoena to compel the state Department of Education to produce documents related to standards.

State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, a Republican, asked whether the department even has authority to establish these standards.

Board member Tom McMillin, also a Republican, said there are no penalties under state law for schools that do not distribute opt-out forms. He said he is concerned the state will pass standards that go against the law, will be legally challenged and cost taxpayers money.

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Board member Tiffany Tilley, a Democrat, said the standards were “long overdue for an update.” This is the first update to state health education standards since 2007.

Under current state law, Michigan parents are allowed to opt their children out of sex education with no penalty. Students must take health to graduate friom high school but cannot be penalized for opting out of sex education.

Schools are required to provide instruction on HIV/AIDs, but have wide flexibility regarding how much they teach about sex.

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If a school district offers sex education, they must have a sex education advisory board made up of community members, including students and parents.

Teachers are not allowed to talk to students about abortion as a means of family planning, and condoms may not be distributed on campus.

Royal family member reveals ‘total hell’ behind palace walls as betrayal lurks

Being a member of the British royal family can be a “living hell,” where isolation and betrayal lurk behind palace walls.

The claim was made by royal commentator Kinsey Schofield, host of the YouTube series “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” who weighed in after actress Sophie Winkleman — known as Lady Frederick Windsor — described royal life as “total hell,” shattering the illusion of a fairy-tale existence. Still, she believes the Prince and Princess of Wales — Prince William and Kate Middleton — have a different approach to royal life thanks to their family life and dedication to duty.

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“It is a living hell to be a member of the royal family,” Schofield told Fox News Digital. “The public has higher expectations of you. You are held to a higher moral standard. Other people have a say in who you marry. You are expected to look beautiful and always behave yourself.”

“Last year, reality TV flunky Narinder Kaur made headlines after criticizing the appearance of Catherine, Princess of Wales,” said Schofield. “She said the princess was aging poorly — and this is after we all knew Catherine had cancer.”

Winkleman, a British actress who married into the royal family, told The Times of London that the lifestyle isn’t picture-perfect despite the pomp and pageantry. 

“The more I get to know the royal family, the more I get that their lives are total hell and that level of unasked-for fame is a form of torture,” the 45-year-old told the outlet.

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“None of them went on [the U.K. reality music competition] ‘Pop Idol’ or something to be famous,” she said. “To have that sort of blinding spotlight in your face from when you’re born, not knowing quite whom you can trust, not knowing if someone’s going to betray you, people writing lies about you the whole time, is just brutal.”

Schofield agreed.

“Imagine surviving the fight of your life, only for commentary to focus on your physical appearance,” she said, referring to Kate’s cancer battle in 2024.

“Your babies are immediately in the public eye,” she said. “You struggle in school to make friends because you don’t know who sincerely wants to be your friend and who is using you. Worse, sometimes your friends get desperate for cash and sell stories about you to the tabloids. You must keep your opinions to yourself — which is such a rare characteristic today. Your schedule is created six months to a year in advance, and you’re taught not to deviate from it.”

“Isolation is certainly a problem,” Schofield continued. “That’s why the late queen loved surrounding herself with her cousins and old friends. The queen knew she could trust her family members — and that they understood her unique circumstances.”

Winkleman married Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent — the late queen’s first cousin — in 2009. According to the outlet, Winkleman “willingly” left the entire wedding preparation to her mother-in-law, Princess Michael of Kent, including the picking of her wedding dress. The matriarch is “sometimes unkindly” nicknamed “Princess Pushy,” the outlet reported.

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“I didn’t know anyone at my wedding,” Winkleman recalled. “I had my best pals there, but basically it was full of faces I’d never seen before.”

“I feel for them all,” she added about her in-laws. “I don’t think a life with that much scrutiny and pressure is remotely healthy — but they have no choice.”

Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that being a working member of the royal family — where your destiny is pre-planned — isn’t for the faint of heart.

“The reality is you’re living in a fishbowl that leaks,” he explained. “You are living a life of power, money and position, with some family members believing they have total control to live however they wish — and behave without impunity. So I really do feel sorry for the royal family. [But] if this was such a hellhole existence, why not follow the example of Harry and Meghan and leave? Would they be missed? To me, they love the life.”

Winkleman told the outlet that many of her in-laws use their positions for good — even as they remain frequent targets of negative press coverage. There are specific family members who have been essential in highlighting key causes.

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“The senior royals work really hard with thousands of charities in Britain and around the world — behind the scenes as well as front-facing,” Winkleman said. “There’s no getting away from the fact they add huge prestige and heft to whatever cause they’re supporting.”

“The King’s Trust is the greatest engineer for social mobility in Britain,” she continued. “Princess Anne does nearly 500 engagements per year. The Duchess of Edinburgh has just come back from Sudan, meeting surgeons who operate on violently raped toddlers — that is traumatic, serious work.”

“I truly think my communist grandfather would be convinced by my arguments in favor of the royal family,” Winkleman added.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that specific members of the royal family have worked tirelessly to support their country.

“The importance of monarchy goes far beyond the trappings of power,” he said. “You can make a difference, as King Charles has with his Trust. It helps the unemployed and disadvantaged.”

Anne, the late queen’s only daughter, has been president of Save the Children U.K. since 1970. It aims to support the needs of children worldwide. She is involved with over 300 charities, organizations and military regiments in the U.K. and overseas. Known as the “hardest-working royal,” the 75-year-old devotes a large part of her life to engagements and visits, with zero plans to slow down.

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Kate, married to the heir of the British throne, has committed to raising awareness about children’s mental health and emotional well-being. Her goal is to bring attention to issues impacting children, including abuse, poverty and neglect. The 43-year-old mother of three aims to highlight how mental health can impact children well into adulthood, along with their families. She is also an advocate of sports, the great outdoors and the arts to enrich people’s lives.

Prince William’s goal, as he prepares to be king, is to preserve the environment. In 2020, he launched The Earthshot Prize, described by the royal family’s website as “a global environmental prize and platform to discover, award, celebrate and scale groundbreaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet every year until 2030.”

Previously, in 2014, he founded United for Wildlife to help ensure that traffickers couldn’t “transport, finance or profit from illegal wildlife products.” In 2023, he founded Homewards, a program that aims to tackle homelessness. The 43-year-old also supports his wife in having public discussions on mental health, opening up about his own personal experiences in ways that make him a relatable royal.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is a patron of over 70 charities. The wife of Prince Edward visits hundreds of schools, hospitals, military bases and community groups every year to highlight their ongoing projects. Her key causes include supporting people with disabilities, young people in need of additional care, championing the blind, as well as agriculture and gender equality.

The Times reported that last year, Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston — Lord Frederick Windsor’s sister — died by suicide. The loss inspired Winkleman to work with James’ Place, a charity that helps men experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Schofield said that two key members of the monarchy, in particular, are continuing to breathe new life into the ancient institution — and shaping its future.

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“The Prince and Princess of Wales have gone above and beyond to give their children as normal a life as possible,” Schofield said. “They do the school runs, attend sporting events. Friends are allowed to come over, and they play outside with the dogs. The family loves being outdoors.”

“It’s the antithesis of William’s upbringing, which at times was chaotic and inappropriate for a child,” she added.

DNA breakthrough reveals brutal truth of what killed Napoleon’s troops in retreat

Scientists say they’ve discovered traces of the deadly pathogens that ravaged Napoleon’s soldiers during his doomed 1812 retreat from Russia — offering a clearer picture of the circumstances of the French general’s downfall.

A study published in the journal Current Biology on Nov. 3 analyzed DNA from the teeth of French soldiers who were buried in a mass grave in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The soldiers served under Napoleon during his disastrous invasion of Russia in the winter of 1812. They were among the roughly 300,000 French Grande Armée soldiers who perished in the campaign.

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The teeth contained bacteria that causes paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever, said the researchers — indicating that several infections circulated among the soldiers who were weakened by hunger and the freezing temperatures.

These two pathogens had not been identified previously among Napoleon’s soldiers, though historians have documented the harsh conditions of their deaths for over two centuries.

After marching into Moscow, Napoleon’s campaign quickly unraveled. The French emperor was forced to retreat amid the harsh Russian winter, dwindling supplies and fierce counterattacks.

Study author Nicolás Rascovan, speaking to Reuters, said Vilnius “was a key waypoint on the 1812 retreat route.” The mass grave contains the remains of up to 3,000 soldiers.

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“Many soldiers arrived exhausted, starving and ill,” the microbiologist said. 

“A substantial number died there and were interred rapidly in mass graves.”

“[The study] lets us put names to infections that symptom-based accounts alone cannot resolve.”

Rascovan said that starvation, numbing temperatures and typhus were long known as major causes of death, but that the study conclusively proves that paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever were also present.

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These “may have contributed to debilitation and mortality,” Rascovan added.

Four of the 13 soldiers tested positive for the paratyphoid fever bacterium, while two others tested positive for the relapsing fever bacterium. 

Both bacterial infections cause fever, headache and weakness, and can spread quickly in crowded, unsanitary conditions.

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Paratyphoid fever is spread through food and water, while louse-borne relapsing fever is spread by body lice.

Rascovan emphasized that studying ancient DNA “lets us put names to infections that symptom-based accounts alone cannot resolve.”

“The co-occurrence of pathogens with different transmission routes underscores how dire sanitary conditions were,” he said. 

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“Future work across more sites and individuals will refine the disease landscape of 1812.”

Fast-food giant set to close hundreds of locations nationwide next year

Fast food giant Wendy’s plans to close hundreds of its U.S. stores next year as part of a broader effort to revive its domestic business, which has been under pressure from slowing sales.

Interim CEO Ken Cook said during the company’s earnings call on Friday that a “mid-single-digit percentage” of its 6,011 U.S. restaurants are expected to close next year. A mid-single-digit percentage is about 4% to 6%, which means the least number of closures would be 241 stores. 

FOX Business reached out to Wendy’s for comment. 

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This comes as Wendy’s executives said that its business and sales “remain under pressure” and that it is “acting with urgency” to return sales at its U.S. stores to growth. 

In its latest fiscal quarter, global sales were down 2.6% and sales at U.S. locations fell 4.7%. The company blamed the drop in U.S. sales largely on fewer customer visits, though this was partially offset by higher spending per order.

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However, the company said in its earnings call that it is making “meaningful progress on key actions to enhance the customer experience” and that it is seeing this payoff in its U.S. company-operated restaurants. Earlier this year, the company said it was working on simplifying its programming and execution.

Rather than adding more stores, the company is trying to focus on increasing sales at each U.S. location. To do this, Wendy’s launched Project Fresh, a major plan that was designed to improve performance, boost its profits and ensure viability.  

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Wendy’s story isn’t unique. In fact, the entire quick-service restaurant sector has come under pressure as its core customers feel strained by higher living costs, which are shrinking their discretionary income. This has forced many industry giants to ramp up promotions in an effort to drive more traffic.

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Will Auchincloss, who serves as the EY‑Parthenon’s Americas retail sector leader, previously told FOX Business that its consumer research points to the fact that Americans are beginning to adjust discretionary spending to offset rising costs for essential goods and services like food and housing. Restaurant spending, across all income cohorts, is the first to take a hit, he said. 

“With nearly 40% of lower-income households already pulling back, recent QSR [quick-service restaurant] price cuts may be a signal of a broader industry shift,” he said, adding that “brands are facing mounting pressure from value-conscious consumers, and if this trend accelerates, we could see a realignment of pricing strategies across the sector.”

Former FBI director’s hidden ‘burn bag’ papers expose alleged plot against Trump

In the annals of “smoking gun” documents, the recently revealed handwritten notes by James Comey rank right up there with the infamous tapes that imploded Richard Nixon’s presidency.  

Unfortunately, the ex-FBI potentate is “Nixonian” in a myriad of ways — needy, narcissistic, vindictive and manipulative. They both professed honesty but treated truth with utter contempt. Nixon gave us Watergate while Comey bequeathed the Russia Hoax. Each was forced from office mired in disgrace.  

Alas, there’s one more eerie resemblance. Just as Nixon tried to sabotage his infamous Oval Office recordings, Comey’s combustible notes were consigned to an incinerator.     

Stuffed in one of five “burn bags” that were secretly squirreled away in a locked high security room at the FBI, his self-incriminating scribbles were supposed to go up in smoke. For reasons unknown or undisclosed, they did not.

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In one damning note, Comey confirms what some of us have known and argued all along — he knew almost at the outset of the Russia collusion narrative that it was an odious fiction conjured up by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign and personally approved by her on July 26, 2016.  

Clinton’s objective, according to Special Counsel John Durham’s 2023 report, was “to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security services,” thereby tipping the upcoming presidential election in her favor.  

When later questioned by Congress about his knowledge of the epic deceit, Comey claimed an acute case of amnesia. He feigned no recollection whatsoever of Clinton’s opprobrious plot to smear Trump.  

However, Comey’s missive to himself puts a conspicuous lie to that testimony. It reads, “HRC plan to tie Trump.” It is not something that anyone would ever forget. 

While it is difficult to discern, the information appears attributable to “JB,” which is almost certainly then-CIA Director John Brennan. This comports with Brennan’s own declassified handwritten notes that intelligence communications had uncovered Clinton’s political chicanery.

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At an urgent White House meeting, Brennan had disclosed the shocking information to President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Comey. Instead of divulging the truth to the American public, they all remained mum and watched idly — perhaps happily — as the hoax gradually morphed into full-blown faux scandal that nearly toppled Trump’s presidency.    

Comey’s notes verify his awareness of the “Clinton Plan,” as it was dubbed. They are written on an FBI notepad marked “Director” and dated Sept. 26, 2016, which coincides in time with a meeting of high-ranking U.S. national security officials that included Brennan and James Clapper, director of National Intelligence (DNI).  

Instead of pursuing Clinton for a criminal scheme to defraud the government in a presidential election, as U.S. intelligence officials strongly recommended to the FBI in a “Referral Memo” on Sept. 7, 2016, the unscrupulous Comey did just the opposite. He appropriated Clinton’s fabrication to target her opponent.  

When later questioned by Congress about his knowledge of the epic deceit, Comey claimed an acute case of amnesia. He feigned no recollection whatsoever of Clinton’s opprobrious plot to smear Trump.  

Simultaneously, Comey concealed the “Clinton Plan” because it was highly exculpatory. If it became known or if Congress was informed, it would unmask Hillary’s treachery and exonerate Trump of any wrongdoing in the collusion fable. 

Comey was not about to let that happen. He had already launched without predicate his dilating investigation of Trump and was deeply invested in protecting Hillary.

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You will recall that, on July 5, 2016, Comey stood before television cameras and, absent any authority, inexplicably cleared the presumptive Democratic nominee of the various crimes that she had clearly committed in her notorious email fiasco over the deliberate and reckless mishandling of classified records. But that’s not all.  

Comey also scuttled the bureau’s investigation into suspected criminal activity surrounding the Clinton Foundation and the millions of dollars funneled into it from Russian and other foreign sources. Substantial evidence developed by U.S. attorneys was thereafter buried on his orders. You can read about it in the Durham Report, pages 78-81. 

July 5 was also a pivotal day for another reason, as I explained in my 2018 book, “The Russia Hoax.”  

At the very moment that Comey was absolving Clinton, his FBI was furtively meeting with the author of the phony anti-Trump “dossier” funded by Hillary and Democrats. Although the FBI swiftly debunked Christopher Steele’s scurrilous document, Comey was undeterred. He exploited it as a pretext in a malicious attempt to frame Trump for unidentified crimes he never committed. 

Comey’s motivation was obvious. His newly unearthed emails show that he expected Clinton would win the election. He even bragged that he would soon be working for a president-elect Clinton who would be “very grateful.” His gamble fueled corrupt acts.

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Comey never imagined that Trump would prevail. So, he politicized his power and weaponized the FBI to meddle in the presidential contest for the benefit of Hillary. When his illicit scheme failed and Trump was elected, Comey doubled down on the collusion hoax in an attempt to destroy Trump and drive him from office.  

This is what abuse of power looks like. Facts were invented or exaggerated. Laws were perverted and ignored. The law enforcers became the lawbreakers. They falsely accused Trump while shielding the real culprit, Clinton.  

Comey’s “smoking gun” notes only came to light because he recently filed several motions to dismiss his federal indictment in Virginia for false statements and obstruction of Congress. Among other things, he ironically asserts vindictive prosecution by Trump and separately contends that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s appointment was improper. The outcome of those matters is pending.  

Prosecutors responded to the first motion by sharing a trove of documents — many of them classified — discovered in the five “burn bags.”  

They were destined for a smoky grave just days before Trump assumed office again on Jan. 20, 2025, in what can only be described as a brazen attempt to obstruct justice and commit the crime of willful destruction of documents under 18 U.S.C. 2071. Who was behind it, we don’t yet know.

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Comey’s motivation was obvious. His newly unearthed emails show that he expected Clinton would win the election. 

In addition to the notes that Comey penned, other uncovered records cited in the court filing further substantiate the government’s charges that he lied to Congress when he denied authorizing anonymous leaks to the press in violation of FBI guidelines. He was covertly manipulating media reporting through a conduit.  

After one successful leak, Comey sent a message to his collaborator stating, “Well done my friend. Who knew this would. E [sic] so uh fun.” (Who knew this would be so fun.) Deploying a Gmail account, he hid his intrigues under the alias “Reinhold Niebuhr,” a deceased ethicist. There was nothing moral about what Comey was doing. It was sleazy.  

But that’s not all. Among the “burn bag” contents were materials that reveal the appalling breadth of the lawfare campaign waged first by the Obama administration and, later, the Biden administration against Trump and many others. Some of the documents shed vital light on the January 6 breach of the Capitol, the 2020 election dispute and the FBI’s dubious raid on Mar-a-Lago.  

All of that was leveraged by Special Counsel Jack Smith to ignite the double indictments against Trump that were eventually tossed. The evidence is compelling that both prosecutions were politically motivated to stop him from retaking the White House.   

The genesis of those two cases arose from a secret FBI investigation code named “Arctic Frost,” approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland and then-FBI Director Christopher Wray in April 2022. In due time, Smith surreptitiously obtained nearly 200 subpoenas to capture personal telephone communications of more than 400 Republicans. Anyone in Trump’s orbit was targeted, including eight U.S. senators and even media organizations.     

It is no accident that the stunning discovery of the “burn bags” dovetails with a newly impaneled grand jury investigation in South Florida that encompasses the whole gamut of corrupt acts aimed at Trump — from the “Crossfire Hurricane” debacle to the errant “Arctic Frost” probe. The former evolved into the latter that led to the misbegotten Smith prosecutions. Altogether, they impacted three successive presidential elections. More than two dozen subpoenas are reportedly being issued for the grand jury to consider.   

Evidence of an expansive and ongoing conspiracy to torment Trump will likely be examined in the context of two federal anti-corruption statutes that criminalize abuses of power, 18 U.S.C. 241 and 242. These civil rights laws make it a felony to willfully deprive people of their constitutional rights under color of law or pretense of legal authority.  

Additional documents uncovered and declassified by current DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have contributed to the mounting evidence of manufactured intelligence and criminal wrongdoing that the grand jury will inevitably evaluate.

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As Comey works hard to avoid the Virginia trial that he insists he wants, his nefarious machinations that instigated the long-running lawfare campaign will not escape the direct attention of the Florida grand jury. The same is true of other government actors who mangled facts and contorted the law to persecute Trump in an unbridled crusade that ran roughshod over our legal system for nearly a decade. 

During that time, the rule of law came under sustained attack by high government officials like Comey and so many others who abused their positions of power to subvert our framework of justice and undermine the democratic process.

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The enemy is within. Trump was their target … and their victim. And so were the American people. They were harmed and forced to endure a divisive national trauma that should never have been. The wounds are still with us. And so, a reckoning awaits.  

Yet, just as Nixon evaded prosecution by courtesy of a pardon, will Comey somehow elude accountability? 

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Triple murderer becomes third inmate to be executed by firing squad in SC this year

A South Carolina triple murderer has become the third inmate to be executed by firing squad in the state this year. 

Stephen Bryant, 44, was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. Friday at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. He admitted to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen in October 2004 after stopping by his secluded home in Sumter County and saying he had car trouble. Bryant also shot and killed two other men, one before and one after Tietjen, in the same month, authorities said. 

Bryant chose to die by firing squad over lethal injection and the electric chair last month. He made no final statement and briefly glanced toward the 10 witnesses before the hood was placed on his head, according to The Associated Press. 

For his final meal, Bryant had spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and German chocolate cake.

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Bryant made no noise as the shots rang out, the AP reported. The red bullseye target that marked the location of his heart flew forward off his chest. He had a few shallow breaths and then a final spasm a little over a minute later. A doctor checked him with a stethoscope for a minute before he pronounced Bryant dead. 

Three family members of victims who served as witnesses held hands during the execution. 

In the killing of Tietjen, Bryant admitted to fatally shooting him, burning his eyes with cigarettes and painting “catch me if u can” on the wall with Tietjen’s blood.

Tietjen’s daughter called him six times, telling investigators on the final call that a strange voice answered and told her of killing Tietjen. 

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In the other two killings, Bryant gave the men rides in a vehicle and when they got out to urinate on the side of the road, he shot them in the back, authorities said. 

Bo King, a lawyer who works on death penalty cases in South Carolina, told the AP that Bryant had a genetic disorder, was a victim of sexual and physical abuse by relatives, and his mother’s binge drinking “permanently damaged his body and brain.” 

“Mr. Bryant’s impairments left him unable to endure the tormenting memories of his childhood,” King wrote in a statement.

Bryant is the seventh person put to death by South Carolina in 14 months after the state had a 13-year pause in executions when it couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs. 

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Mikal Mahdi and Brad Sigmon were executed by firing squad already in South Carolina this year. 

Vegas casino owners push for return of tourist court as visitor numbers drop

A disbanded court in Las Vegas may come back to life as lawmakers look to attract visitors to revive Sin City tourism.

Vegas tourism has continued to decline, with just over 3 million visitors in September, an 8.8% decrease from the same time last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA).

A specialized court was created in 2022 to handle offenses such as petty theft, assault, drug violations and loitering, with penalties including banning offenders from the Strip for a year. 

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The Resort Corridor Court, however, was disbanded less than two years later after judges raised concerns about its legality.

Supporters of the unique court — mainly casino and resort owners — have backed an amendment to Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s new crime package, The Associated Press reported.

The Resort Corridor Court was the first and only of its kind — an entity just for crime outside tourist hot spots, AP said. 

Nevada Resort Association president Virginia Valentine told the outlet the move to revive it is necessary.

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“It’s important for the safety of our guests and for our employees in the workplace,” said Valentine.

Workers’ unions are also backing the amendment, calling for better safety practices. 

Culinary Union Local 226 secretary-treasurer Ted Pappageorge told AP the court would help deter crime by protecting workers.

Pappageorge emphasized the importance of customer safety to sustain the local economy.

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If tourists don’t feel safe and instead go to different areas, workers lose business.

Fox News Digital reached out to Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley for comment. 

While violent crime is down 3.5% from the same time last year, shoplifting rose 12.6% and purse snatching went down 17.9%, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Rick Harrison of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas recently told Fox News Digital that, in his view, Las Vegas crime numbers are “skewed.”

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“You have all of Clark County here and that is the population you get, but sometimes you almost double the population, [given] the amount of tourists,” said Harrison. 

He added of the police, “I think Metro and Las Vegas do an unbelievably good job.”

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Republican Lombardo’s crime package, called the “Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act,” also proposes increased penalties for repeat offenders as well as a long list of crimes, including smash-and-grab robberies, possession of child pornography, assault and battery against hospitality employees, and DUIs involving death, according to AP. 

It also would expand crimes such as stalking to include cyberstalking.

A pastor shares Jane Goodall’s enduring faith and the lessons she left on life and death

For Dr. Jane Goodall, the English primatologist, anthropologist, and conservationist, belief in God was not ethereal or otherworldly, nor was it nebulous or a mere concept.

It is not an exaggeration to say that few people on Earth do not know the name Dr. Jane Goodall, who died on Oct. 1 and whose memorial service was held Wednesday in Washington, D.C. at the National Cathedral.

Dr. Goodall was well known — and rightly praised — for her remarkable efforts to leave the world better than she found it. She traveled globally for as many as 300 days a year, engaging world and corporate leaders, supporting the thriving Jane Goodall Institute she founded in 1977, and more than 20 additional institutes that take a holistic approach to conservation. Her Roots & Shoots program empowers young people to create projects that benefit animal, human and environmental life in more than 70 countries.

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But beyond these mighty accomplishments, I learned much about living out my personal faith from a long conversation we had in March of this year, just months before she took her last breath on Oct. 1. She was the last of 12 interviews I conducted for my book, “Witness to Belief: Conversations on Faith and Meaning” (Morehouse, Oct. 7, 2025). 

Whatever your faith tradition— or if you have none — there is much to gain from Dr. Goodall’s (or, as she asked me to call her, “Dr. Jane”) wisdom about faith and what it means when the final breath comes.

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Reared as an Anglican, her spirituality was broad and inclusive. Though she embraced God through a Christian lens, she never saw those who came to faith differently as any less regarded. “If I’d been born in Egypt, I’d be a Muslim and believe in Allah and so on,” she told me. Yet Dr. Jane confessed that throughout her life, “God was as real to me as the wind that rustled through our garden.”

Growing up, Dr. Jane regularly attended worship and, as she said, “I read EVERY chapter of the Bible,” creating a collection of her favorite verses on tiny strips of paper she placed in a “Bible Box.” These Scriptures offered daily encouragement and inspiration—among her favorites, Jesus’ admonition to persevere: “He who has once set his hand to the plough and looketh back is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.”

For Dr. Jane, these early steps of faith launched her vocation. While listening to a Bach piece in Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, she experienced what she called a moment of “mystical ecstasy.” 

In her words: “Either we agree with Macbeth that life is nothing more than a ‘tale told by an idiot’ … or, as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin suggested, there is something going on in the universe that looks very much like conception — like birth.” At that moment, she became “utterly convinced that there was a great spiritual power that we call God.” 

For Dr. Jane, “It was a call to action — the voice of God, if you will.”

From then on, she drew on her faith and God’s strength. Quoting the Apostle Paul, she told me only months ago, “At this point in my life, I have a very strong belief in the One in whom we live and move and have our being. How else could I cope with the crazy schedule I have now?”

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Much of her work centered on helping others understand the need for alternative energy sources, responsible stewardship of the Earth’s resources, and ethical care of animals. Her approach — a life lesson for anyone in 2025 — was this: “When I am talking with someone who believes in different values, ethics, morals—I have found that arguing or being aggressive does not work. I listen, trying to reach not the head but the heart. Only when head and heart work in harmony can we achieve our true human potential.”

These are among the life lessons I learned from Dr. Jane. But perhaps the most valuable lesson was what she taught me about death. “I have never been afraid of death itself,” she said. “Because I do not believe death is the end. It is, perhaps, more like the beginning. When you die, there is either nothing, or there is something. I do [believe]. My next great adventure is dying, and finding out what that is will be the most exciting adventure ever!”

For some, Dr. Jane Goodall’s life and legacy may one day be just a chapter in history — but that is not what she believed. 

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Just weeks before her death, Dr. Jane wrote my wife and me a brief note, ending with these words: “These may be dark times, but there is one thing we can do—pray! To the Great Spiritual Force of the Universe, whom we know to be God.”

In a time such as ours, it is her faith that should inspire us all to live, as she did, until the last breath comes—making the world not darker, but lighter. And then, when the end comes, to face it without fear but with great expectation: that the greatest adventure is the last one.

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‘Mary Poppins’ icon, 99, opens up about the tough truths of growing old

Dick Van Dyke is opening up about the painful reality of growing old.

The actor, who turns 100 on Dec. 13, wrote an essay for The Times U.K. in which he gave a candid update on his health ahead of the milestone birthday.

“It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially,” the “Mary Poppins” star admitted. “I get invites to events or offers for gigs in New York or Chicago, but that kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no. Almost all of my visiting with folks has to happen at my house.”

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“On top of that, recent and unfolding current events could turn anyone sour and dark, young or old,” he shared. 

“I just lived through two Southern California wildfires in less than a month, right out my front door, including the worst one in history. Daily, I spiral into anguish over the mayhem and cruelty being inflicted on the entire world by those in power. So yes, I suppose at certain times of day I am the grumpy old man who yells at the TV.”

While the actor has always been young at heart, his body has finally caught up to him.

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“Mostly, it’s the physical deterioration that feels accurate,” he wrote. “Like my old characters, I am now a stooper, a shuffler and a teeterer. I have feet problems, and I go supine as often as is politely possible.”

“Those fake old-timers smacked their dentures,” said Van Dyke. “I chew nicotine gum all day long — still, decades after I quit smoking! My sight is so bad now that origami is out of the question. I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids, though I would never refer to them as ear trumpets. I’m not that old.”

Van Dyke also revealed that age carries both grace and grief — something his older characters captured on screen long before life gave him the chance to experience it firsthand.

“There was an underlying sadness to a lot of the old guys I played,” he wrote. “Their best years were behind them. They were dusty relics, forgotten by the world. I get all that, I do. Though I still do guest spots on TV, ads and videos, I miss going to the studio every day for a regular series. And every single one of my dearest lifelong friends is gone, which feels just as lonely as it sounds.”

But life for Van Dyke isn’t all somber. Staying active has been key to keeping himself physically strong and mentally sharp — and it also lets him pursue his love of dancing.

“I still try to hit the gym three times a week,” he explained. “I don’t know why this is something I still want to do, but it is. I’m not a ‘wake up and go back to bed’ type just yet, unless it’s cold and rainy. If I miss too many gym days, I really can feel it — a stiffness creeping in here and there. If I let that set in, well, God help me.”

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“At the gym, I usually do a circuit, going from one machine to the next without a break, in a circle,” he said. “I start with the sit-up machine. [My wife] Arlene says I could do 500, but that might be exaggerating. Then I do all the leg machines religiously because my legs are two of my most cherished possessions. And then the upper body.”

“The secret ingredient is the music,” he continued. “Most of my humming and singing really happens when I’m going from one machine to another. By ‘going’ I mean dancing. You heard me — dancing! And if I’m really feeling it, I’m no quiet warbler; I’m a Broadway belter.”

While exercise keeps his body moving, it’s love that keeps his heart young.

“I met Arlene in 2006, and she quickly became my soulmate and the love of my life,” he wrote. 

“Without question, our ongoing romance is the most important reason I have not withered away into a hermetic grouch. Arlene is half my age, and she makes me feel somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters my age — which is still saying a lot. Every day she finds a new way to keep me up and moving, bright and hopeful and needed.”

“Boiled down, the things that have kept my life joyful and fulfilling are pretty simple: romance, doing what I love and a whole lot of laughing,” he continued.

“Let me show you what that looks like on the ground, as they say. To pull the ‘grumpy old man’ away from the TV, Arlene will dance along to the pharmaceutical ads. This gets me out of bed, following her to the kitchen. Invariably, one of us will start singing, and the other will join in. And if it’s a good day, which it almost always is in our house, we’ll break into a little swaying and soft-shoe right there.”

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Looking ahead, the beloved entertainer’s biggest piece of advice is surprisingly simple: don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. A sense of humor, he says, can outshine the hardest parts of growing older.

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“As I get older, I have found that life is more and more a comedy of errors,” he said. “So if you can’t laugh at yourself, you’ve got big problems.”