ESPN star regrets Heisman vote for quarterback who lashed out at media
One Heisman Trophy voter on Wednesday expressed regret for voting for Vanderbilt Commodores star Diego Pavia to win the prestigious award.
Rece Davis, an ESPN broadcaster for college football and basketball, said he was glad Pavia didn’t win after the quarterback dropped an explicit message following the revelation that Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the trophy.
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Pavia apologized for saying “F— all the voters,” but the message still resonated.
“Heisman gets a lot of talk, and I don’t want to wrap this up by piling on Diego Pavia because he apologized for his post-Heisman behavior and understandably so,” Davis said on the “College GameDay Podcast.” “I didn’t feel like he owed the voters an apology. He can say whatever he wants to them. As a voter, I saw some people who took umbrage with that, but I did not. He could say what he wants.
“But the one thing that his behavior, even with the apology included and accepted, did for me was that it made me regret my Heisman vote. I voted for Diego Pavia because I know what the history of Vanderbilt is. I thought he was the most dynamic player. I’m predisposed in Heisman voting to vote for guys who create ‘wow’ moments.”
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Davis said he was more upset about the slight toward Mendoza and that he’s made Heisman Trophy votes for the last two decades and regretted only one vote once before because of poor judgment he made toward a person.
“This one was different. I regretted the vote because after Pavia’s behavior in the aftermath, I was like ‘Man, I’m glad he didn’t win.’ I’m glad he didn’t win,” Davis added. “That’s not the way you should feel about a player as great as Pavia is on the field.
“I am delighted Mendoza won because he will represent the Heisman, but in the way that I think should be represented.”
Mendoza finished with 643 first-place votes to Pavia’s 189.
“I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to,” Pavia said in his apology. “I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.
“Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award. I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah [Love] and Julian [Sayin] had this season. I’ve been doubted my whole life,” he wrote.
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“Every step of my journey I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because I’ve learned that nothing would be handed to me. My family has always been in my corner, and my teammates, coaches and staff have my six. I love them — I am grateful for them. — and I wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. I look forward to competing in front of my family and with my team one more time in the ReliaQuest Bowl.”
Police confirm physical evidence — including DNA — found after Brown attack
The Providence police chief
has confirmed investigators recovered physical evidence, including DNA, at the Brown University shooting scene that police are working to process.
When Fox News on Wednesday asked Col. Oscar Perez whether investigators were able to find live ammunition from the scene, the police chief said investigators were able to get physical evidence.
“Oh yeah, we seized a few physical evidence and we’re in the process of examining that evidence,” Perez told Fox News. “And yes, we have some DNA that we manipulated and so it just progresses everyday.”
Perez added: “It progresses everyday with forensics, it progresses everyday with witness statements and so yeah, we’re just trying to find out and we are going to do our best.”
A law enforcement official familiar with the case told The New York Times on condition of anonymity that DNA, along with fingerprints, came from shell casings from the shooting scene.
Fox News’ Bryan Llenas and Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Fox News contributor Paul Mauro said sources told him that live ammunition was found at the shooting scene at Brown University, marking a positive sign for the investigation as police continue to search for the unidentified shooter.
“What I can tell you from my sources is that I think quite significantly, they have live rounds, that is, rounds that were not fired on detonated rounds,” Mauro said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. “Why does that matter? Because shell casings have enclosed a detonation. That’s how bullets work. Which means they often destroy evidence and they’re scorched.”
“In the case of live rounds, think about what happens there on a nine millimeter automatic,” Mauro continued. “The perpetrator has to fat finger those live rounds, bullets, into a magazine, which is the sleeve that holds them and that gets put into the handle of the gun. That’s how a semi-automatic works.”
Mauro said the evidence could be a “positive sign for the investigation” that has stretched into a sixth day Thursday.
“Live rounds at the scene, I think, is a hopeful sign for getting usable DNA, even if he’s not in the database,” Mauro said.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told Fox News on Wednesday the city will “certainly be doing a review” of its cameras following a fatal shooting at Brown University on Saturday.
The unidentified gunman, who killed two Brown University students and wounded nine others, is still at large as the manhunt drags into a fifth day.
“We will certainly be doing a review to think about where we might need additional camera footage,” Smiley said. “We do have a network of technology, including things like license plate readers, which are aiding in this investigation.”
He added the local police department is sending officers out to speak to residents about obtaining their doorbell or home security camera footage.
“Many of the residences have cameras, which is partially one of the reasons why it’s taking so long, because we have to go door to door, but also why we’re continuing to generate good new video because we’re looking through vehicles [like Teslas, which have] cameras,” Smiley said.
Fox News’ Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.
Kimmel brushes off Senate questioning of Carr, laments no one was held accountable
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel brushed off the Senate’s questioning of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr on Wednesday and said nothing was likely to come of it.
Kimmel joked that the hearing stemmed from an “unwanted vacation” he took in September and quipped that Carr “is the tough guy who threatened the company I work for, saying we could do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Carr appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee, testifying for the first time since his comments in September targeting ABC’s handling of Kimmel over his controversial remarks about the Charlie Kirk assassination.
Kimmel noted that the hearing aired on C-SPAN3, joking, “You know it’s bad when you can’t even make the main C-SPAN.”
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“In the end, none of the Republicans confronted the commissioner anyway. No one watched this. No one admitted to anything. Nothing was done to prevent it from happening again. No one’s held accountable and your freedom of speech is only guaranteed depending on what you have to say. It was not the bipartisan effort we might have expected,” Kimmel said.
FCC Chair Carr did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Kimmel also said he couldn’t believe he was the subject of a Senate hearing.
“It was so weird watching this morning while I made bagels for my kids. If you told me 30 years ago the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation would be holding a hearing about me, I guess I would assume I got drunk on a plane and tried to force the door open in the air?” he joked.
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Kimmel was briefly suspended due to remarks he made about Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter in September, but returned to air a few days later.
The suspension drew bipartisan criticism, with some conservatives expressing concern over Carr’s comments about ABC.
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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at the time that Carr’s remarks were “dangerous as hell.”
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“I think it is unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off-air if we don’t like what you’re saying,” Cruz said on his podcast.
Coach terminated after storing alcohol in desk, university cites ‘serious misconduct’
Ohio University’s termination for cause involving head football coach Brian Smith reportedly involved a violation of the school’s policy related to “alcohol and other drugs.”
Smith’s personnel file with the university was obtained by The Athletic, which stated he met with athletic director Slade Larscheid and other administrators on Nov. 24 to discuss an allegation that Smith violated not just the school’s policy, but his contract as well.
The file had a Nov. 24 letter detailing the meeting, where Smith allegedly acknowledged storing alcohol in his desk drawer, while also admitting to the consumption of alcohol in his office during business hours.
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The letter also said Smith acknowledged “on occasion, a few assistant coaches, all over the age of 21, joined him privately in his office after games for a single drink of bourbon.”
According to Ohio University employee policy 41.133, it is prohibited to “use, possess, manufacture or distribute drugs and/alcohol, or be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, while in the workplace or in university vehicles and equipment and while on duty.”
OHIO UNIVERSITY FIRES HEAD FOOTBALL COACH FOR ‘SERIOUS PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT’
Smith added that he and the others who were allegedly involved were never under the influence, while insisting alcohol did not affect his performance.
“You further acknowledged that you were initially unfamiliar with the policy but now understand its requirements,” a letter from Larscheid as a formal reprimand read, per The Athletic. “You affirmed your commitment to comply with university policy moving forward and recognized that consuming or storing alcohol on university property is strictly prohibited.”
In a statement released by Smith’s attorney, Rex Elliott, on Wednesday, he said they “vigorously dispute Ohio University’s grounds for the termination for cause.”
Smith had been on administrative leave since Dec. 1.
“At the request of your department, you are placed on paid administrative leave from your position as Head Coach, Men’s Football, pending the outcome of an investigation regarding allegations of inappropriate conduct and possible violations of university policy and your employment agreement,” a Dec. 1 letter read, confirming Smith being placed on leave, per The Athletic.
“He is shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and we plan to fight this wrongful termination to protect his good name. Coach Smith is an ethical man who has done an exemplary job for the University. He wants nothing but the best for the players, coaches, and the entire Bobcat community,” Elliott’s statement read.
Smith, 45, led the Bobcats to an 8-4 record in his first season as full-time head coach after taking over for Tim Albin last year after he moved on to Charlotte.
The Bobcats named defensive coordinator John Hauser as interim head coach with the team scheduled to face the UNLV Rebels in the 2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23.
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“The termination follows an administrative review of allegations that Smith violated the terms of his employment agreement by engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the University,” the school said in its statement on the matter.
“A search for a permanent head coach for Ohio football will begin immediately,” the statement concluded.
Experts reveal the daily drink that may be speeding up bone loss in older women
Certain beverage habits may influence the bone health of older women, with effects varying depending on consumption levels and other lifestyle factors, new research suggests.
Very heavy coffee consumption — more than five cups a day — was associated with lower bone density, particularly among older women who also reported higher lifetime alcohol use, a known factor in fracture risk, according to a decade-long study from Flinders University in Australia.
Tea drinkers, meanwhile, showed a small but consistent difference in hip bone density, with modest support for bone health over time, the researchers said.
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“Even small improvements in bone density can translate into fewer fractures across large groups,” Enwu Liu, adjunct associate professor and one of the study’s authors, said in the university’s news release.
Researchers looked at the beverage-drinking habits of nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older and also examined long-term changes in bone mineral density — a key measure in assessing osteoporosis risk.
The study findings were published in Nutrients.
Women who drank tea showed slightly higher hip bone density than those who skipped it, according to the news release.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Liu said the measured difference of about 0.003 g/cm² at the hip represents about a one-year slowing of age-related bone loss among tea drinkers, compared with non-drinkers.
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He noted that many common teas — including black, green, oolong and decaf — are rich in flavonoids and catechins, natural compounds also found in produce and dark chocolate that have been tied to bone-supporting benefits.
“Choose unsweetened varieties [of tea] without added sugar.”
But the choice of tea and how it’s prepared matters.
For tea consumption, “it is preferable to choose unsweetened varieties without added sugar,” Liu said.
Moderate coffee consumption did not harm bone health, researchers found — but that changed dramatically at very high levels of drinking it.
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Women who reported drinking more than five cups of coffee a day showed significantly lower hip bone density, with the effect more pronounced among those who also consumed more alcohol over their lifetimes.
“When it comes to tea, drink it if you enjoy it — but if you prefer coffee, just keep it in moderation.”
Researchers observed that women who consumed very high amounts of coffee and had greater lifetime alcohol use tended to have lower bone density, though the study did not establish whether the factors interacted or simply coexisted.
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“Tea consumption may be a healthy beverage choice for older women” and could provide a small supportive benefit, Liu said — but that should be viewed as complementary, not a standalone strategy for preventing osteoporosis.
Fox News Digital reached out to the National Coffee Association for comment.
New Jersey–based dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, author of the “2-Day Diabetes Diet,” reviewed the findings of the study — she was not affiliated with it — and said the results highlighted how everyday beverage choices can play a meaningful role in bone health as women age.
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“When it comes to tea, drink it if you enjoy it — but if you prefer coffee, just keep it in moderation,” she said.
Palinski-Wade also emphasized pairing beverage habits with bone-building basics, including consuming adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, plus doing regular strength training.
She warned against factors that weaken bones, such as smoking and excessive alcohol use.
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While caffeine can have a minor impact on calcium absorption, she said this is usually not a concern for people who get enough calcium in their diets or add milk to their coffee.
Vatican confirms resignation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, announces new archbishop of New York
The Vatican on Thursday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and announced that Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, will become the next archbishop of New York.
Hicks, 58, will succeed Dolan, who has led the archdiocese since 2009. He will become the fourteenth bishop and the eleventh archbishop to lead the Archdiocese of New York. Dolan submitted his mandatory letter of retirement upon turning 75 in February.
Dolan will continue to oversee the archdiocese as apostolic administrator until Archbishop-designate Hicks formally takes office on Feb. 6, 2026, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States.
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Dolan most recently participated in the conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV in May. He also participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis in March 2013.
“The last week since I found out, I’ve gotten to know him [Hicks]. And I already love him and appreciate him and trust him. Is there sadness in my heart? Sure. Because I love the archdiocese in New York. That sadness is mitigated by the gift that this new archbishop already is,” said Dolan at a press conference.
Hicks grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and was ordained as a priest for the archdiocese in 1994. After early pastoral assignments in Chicago, he shifted into seminary leadership roles and later spent five years in El Salvador as regional director for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a Catholic charitable organization.
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He returned to Illinois in 2015 and was named vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop in 2018, and he became bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in 2020.
In the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Hicks chairs the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations and sits on the Episcopal Advisory Board for the Catholic Leadership Institute.
“I would like to simply begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to Pope Leo the 14th for this appointment,” Hicks told reporters Thursday.
“If you want to know the core of who I am and what I stand for, you should know this: I love Jesus with my mind, heart, and soul, and I strive to love my neighbor as myself. My desire is to be obedient to the Holy Spirit and to do the will of God, serving with a shepherd’s heart,” he added. “I trust, and I surrender my life and my will to God, and with great humility, I accept this appointment. I ask for your prayers. I ask for your support as we take these next steps together.”
Responding to a question about immigration and New York’s Latino community, Hicks said he agrees with the USCCB’s recent statement on the issue, stressing the importance of both border security and treating migrants with dignity and respect under due process.
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The archbishop-designate has spoken warmly about his relationship with Pope Leo XIV, who grew up in the neighboring Chicago suburb of Dolton.
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“He doesn’t seem like some figure or theory out there. But he’s a normal guy from a normal neighborhood we grew up in. For me, it makes him so relatable,” Hicks told WGN Chicago.
“I recognize a lot of similarities between him and me. So we grew up literally in the same radius, in the same neighborhood together,” he said. “We played in the same parks, went swimming in the same pools, liked the same pizza places to go to. I mean, it’s that real.”
Minnesota officials issue warning about ‘fraud epidemic’ as losses mount statewide
Minnesota officials and prosecutors are warning that the state is facing an unprecedented fraud crisis in its social service programs, with losses potentially reaching as high as $2 billion, according to those who have investigated the cases.
Republican state Sen. Michael Kreun said Minnesota has long been aware of the problem but failed to contain it.
“Minnesota has an epidemic of fraud, as the rest of the nation is learning,” Kreun said. “We’ve known here in Minnesota for quite some time that we’ve had a massive fraud problem. And it’s turning out that probably Minnesota is the epicenter of fraud in the United States right now.”
The warnings follow the massive Feeding Our Future case, one of the largest pandemic-related fraud prosecutions in U.S. history, and growing scrutiny of other state programs, including false claims related to the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS).
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Kreun pointed to the HSS program as a clear example of how fraud allegedly spiraled out of control.
The program, launched nearly four years ago, was initially expected to cost about $2.6 million annually. Instead, spending surged to more than $100 million last year and was on pace to exceed $120 million this year before the program was shuttered.
“We’re learning [it is] probably at least $300 million in fraud right now,” Kreun said. “And the fraud was so pervasive that they basically had to shut that program down.”
An in-person investigation by Fox News Digital found that many addresses listed on the HSS and Feeding Our Future claims were fabricated. Some led the team to empty parking lots, nonexistent office suites and legitimate businesses with no association to the fraud entities in question.
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Kreun warned that similar problems may exist in other social service programs, including autism-related services.
“The autism services program, for example, probably has that level of fraud, maybe even more,” he said.
While investigating the scandal, federal agents discovered that one suspected scammer, Asha Farhan Hassan, defrauded the state’s autism-treatment program of roughly $14 million. Hassan allegedly billed Medicaid for fake therapy sessions, used untrained staff and paid parents $300 to $1,500 a month to keep their kids in the program. She sent hundreds of thousands of dollars abroad, including to purchase real estate in Kenya, prosecutors said.
The autism program’s budget jumped from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
At least 85 entities are under investigation.
‘Shockingly Easy’ to Commit Fraud
Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, who briefly worked on the Feeding Our Future case, said the scheme was notable not only for its size, but for how easy it was to carry out.
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“Honestly how easy this fraud was to do,” Teirab said. “These fraudsters were just saying that they were spending all this money on feeding kids… and they were just making up these PDFs, putting false names into Excel sheets.”
“I could do that in five minutes on a computer if I had absolutely no conscience,” he added.
Teirab said oversight failures within the Minnesota Department of Education and other agencies played a significant role. He argued that officials had incentives to avoid scrutiny, citing political sensitivities surrounding Minnesota’s Somali community.
“There were huge incentives to just turn the other way,” Teirab said. “There’s a sense of, ‘If we say something, are they going to call us racist?’ And that’s exactly what happened.”
A widely circulated DHS whistleblower account alleged that staff who raised internal fraud concerns were ignored, reassigned or sidelined — which tracks with Teirab’s account.
Political Pressures
Townhall columnist Dustin Grage described alleged political pressures after the Minnesota Department of Education briefly halted payments to Feeding Our Future due to suspected fraud.
“Omar Fateh… as well as Jamal Osman, a city councilman in Minneapolis, they actually ended up lobbying to the governor and saying, ‘Hey, this is racist if you are to do this,’” Grage said.
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A lawsuit was filed against the state following the suspension of payments, though it was later dismissed. Payments resumed, and the guardrails were once again shaved down.
Grage also pointed to the governor’s authority to subpoena bank records tied to Feeding Our Future, a step he said was never taken.
“They have that tool in their disposal, and they refuse to use it for whatever reason,” Grage said. “Maybe they knew about it. Maybe it’s just complete incompetence.”
Aimee Bock, the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, and Salim Said, a local restaurant owner, were found guilty of their roles in the scheme, with prosecutors stating that they splashed their cash on luxury homes and cars, as well as their lavish lifestyles.
They claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota.
Total Losses Could Exceed $2 Billion
Teirab said Feeding Our Future was not the only organization implicated. Another nonprofit, Partners in Nutrition (also known as Partners in Quality Care), has also been publicly identified in Fox News Digital reporting.
When combining alleged fraud within Feeding Our Future, Partners in Quality Care, housing stabilization and other programs, the total losses exceed $1 billion. Teirab and former acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson estimated the figure could surpass $2 billion.
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“So that is what we’re dealing with,” Teirab said. “It’s a travesty that our hard-earned taxpayer dollars are being wasted away.”
What Comes Next
The revelations have intensified calls for greater oversight, transparency and accountability across Minnesota’s social service programs. Lawmakers and prosecutors warn that without systemic reforms, similar fraud schemes could continue undetected.
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As investigations and audits move forward, Minnesota officials face growing pressure to explain how such extensive fraud occurred and how the state will prevent it from happening in the coming years.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gov. Tim Walz’s office, Jamal Osman and Omar Fateh for comment.
Border Patrol chief, Democrat mayor square off amid tense immigration operation
A heated confrontation unfolded Wednesday in Evanston, Illinois, where city Mayor Daniel Biss — a progressive Democrat and congressional candidate — confronted Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino during a street-level Title 8 immigration enforcement operation that drew “a couple dozen” protesters and quickly turned chaotic, according to video and accounts posted on X.
The standoff occurred around 11:30 a.m. near Green Bay Road and Dodge Avenue in the city outside Chicago, where an 11-vehicle Border Patrol convoy had arrived to detain multiple individuals. Eyewitness Mark Weyermuller wrote that agents “appeared to detain at least two” people as the crowd formed.
Video shared by FOX 32 Chicago reporter Paris Schutz shows Biss, dressed in a dark tailored coat and dress shoes, visibly standing out from the bundled-up crowd, stepping directly toward Bovino as protesters yell and blow whistles around them.
Biss confronted him immediately, declaring, “The abuse has not been acceptable. The racism has not been acceptable. The violence has not been acceptable.”
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Bovino, surrounded by agents wearing protective masks and tactical gear, fired back, “Yeah, that’s why we’re here in your community.”
A nearby protester then shouted repeatedly at the commander, “Hey Bovino, we don’t want you here, bro! We don’t want you!”
As the shouting intensified, multiple protesters tried to block the roadway while police from Evanston and Chicago worked to keep a corridor open for vehicles to leave the area.
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Biss, who is running for Congress as a “pragmatic progressive,” later amplified his criticism in a post on X, writing, “The only ‘violent mob’ in Evanston today was Greg Bovino and his masked thugs, terrorizing innocent people and then lying about our city to try and sow chaos.”
He added that Evanston is “safe in spite of ICE/CBP, not because of it,” praised residents who “chased you out of town” and concluded with, “Don’t come back.”
Bovino disputed Biss’ claims and described the encounter as productive.
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He wrote that agents were in Evanston “to make his city a safer place through Title 8 immigration enforcement” and said the mayor “fell back into the divisive talking points that we’ve heard ad nauseam.” Bovino called it an “excellent day in Evanston.”
The Evanston Police Department and Chicago Police Department assisted with crowd control and ensuring federal vehicles could exit safely, according to Bovino’s account. In the video, officers directed traffic and created space as protesters attempted to approach the convoy.
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Title 8 is the federal legal framework for immigration enforcement and can involve operations far from the border when agents are conducting investigations or targeting specific individuals.
Wednesday’s confrontation reflects growing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and leadership in Democrat-run communities.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biss’ office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment.
Trump drops receipts on US savings since former President Joe Biden’s Oval Office exit
President Donald Trump rattled off how his economic policies have pulled America from “the brink of ruin” following former President Joe Biden’s tenure during his primetime address to the nation on Wednesday.
“Here at home, we’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin,” Trump said Thursday. “The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices and everything at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast.”
Trump said that under the Biden administration, car prices rose by at least 22%, gasoline rose 30% to 50%, hotel rates by 37% and airfares by 31%, and mortgage prices up $15,000 under “Democrat rule.”
“Now, under our leadership, they are all coming down and coming down fast,'” Trump continued. “Democrat politicians also sent the cost of groceries soaring, but we are solving that too.”
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The president announced his primetime address Tuesday as his administration zeroes in on its economic messaging following Democrats latching onto a winning campaign strategy of “affordability” while slamming Trump and Republicans for allegedly rolling out policies that have caused the housing crisis to worsen and costs at the checkout lines to rise.
Following a handful of high-profile elections in November handing wins to Democrats who campaigned on the platform, Trump has turned up the heat that Biden administration policies continue to haunt the current economy.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess. And I’m fixing it. When I took office, inflation was the worst in 48 years. And some would say in the history of our country, which caused prices to be higher than ever before, making life unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans. This happened during a Democrat administration, and it’s when we first began hearing the word affordability,” Trump said at the start of his speech.
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While costs rose under Biden, Trump touted the savings Americans are seeing under his leadership.
“The price of a Thanksgiving turkey was down 33% compared to the Biden last year,” Trump said. “The price of eggs is down 82% since March, and everything else is falling rapidly. And it’s not done yet. But boy, are we making progress. Nobody can believe what’s going on.”
“Under Biden, real wages plummeted by $3,000. Under Trump, the typical factory worker, we’re seeing a wage increase of $1,300. For construction workers, it’s $1,800. For miners – we’re bringing back clean, beautiful coal – it’s $3,300. And for the first time in years, wages are rising much faster than inflation,” he continued.
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Trump’s address included announcing the rollout of “Warrior Dividends” to all U.S. military members in honor of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding in 1776.
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“We are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that,” he said. “And the checks are already on the way.”