Trump admin makes massive energy announcement over national security concerns
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s Department of Interior announced on Monday that, effective immediately, leases for all large-scale offshore wind projects being constructed in the United States will be paused.
In a press release, DOI wrote that the pause is due to “national security risks” identified by the Department of War in “recently completed classified reports.”
In a press release, DOI says the pause will “give the Department, along with the Department of War and other relevant government agencies, time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects.”
“The prime duty of the United States government is to protect the American people,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, said in the press release.
BURGUM, ZELDIN, WRIGHT: THIS IS HOW AMERICA WILL ACHIEVE ENERGY DOMINANCE
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers. The Trump administration will always prioritize the security of the American people.”
The Department of Interior listed five leases that will be paused: Vineyard Wind1, Revolution Wind, CVOW, Sunrise Wind, and Empire Wind.
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The department highlighted unclassified reports from the U.S. government in the past that have “long found” that massive turbine blades in large-scale offshore wind projects can create radar interference called “clutter” that can obscure legitimate moving targets and generate false targets.
In 2024, a Department of Energy report found that while the radar threshold for false alarm detection can be increased to reduce some of that “clutter,” the radar can “miss actual targets” when that threshold is increased.
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“Today’s action ensures that national security risks posed by offshore wind projects are appropriately addressed and that the United States government retains its ability to effectively defend the American people,” the press release states.
Conservatives erupt on social media after Minnesota’s AG posts about fraud
Minnesota’s attorney general was widely mocked by conservatives on social media over the weekend for a social media post touting his work to crack down on fraudsters at the same time a massive fraud scandal that could total up to $9 billion has exploded in the state over the last several years.
“Scammers thought Minnesotans were easy targets,” Democrat Keith Ellison, who has been Minnesota attorney general since 2019, posted on X on Friday in a message that is approaching 1 million views.
“They were wrong. From student loan scams to fake utility callers, we shut them down this year — fast.”
Ellison’s video, where he promoted various wins cracking down on robocalls and online scams, was blasted online by those pointing out the fraud scandal involving government agencies and welfare programs that has rocked the state under his watch.
OMAR ACCUSED BY GOP OPPONENT OF OPENING UP THE DOOR TO MASSIVE MINNEAPOLIS FRAUD: ‘DEEP, DEEP TIES’
“Arsonist claims to be fire fighter….,” GOP Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X.
“Seriously?” Former sports broadcaster Michelle Tafoya, rumored to be mulling a run for Senate in Minnesota, posted on X.
“How could your team make this video when it was under your nose that Somalis in your state stole up to $9 billion of taxpayer funds meant to help Americans in need?” Post Millennial senior editor Andy Ngo posted on X.
“Spare us your feign outrage, Keith,” Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer posted on X. “You’ve done nothing but enable and exacerbate fraud in Minnesota. This all happened on your watch. Welcome to the party.”
“Scammers were right,” former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, who worked on the Feeding Our Future fraud case in the state, posted on X. “Minnesota was an easy target. That’s why they stole literally BILLIONS of dollars from us.”
MEDIA ‘COMPLICITY’ BLAMED AS FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD CRISIS COULD REACH $9B: ‘SHOWN THEIR TRUE COLORS’
“You’re kidding right?” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “They literally created a new term called ‘fraud tourism’ to describe how easy it was to defraud Minnesota taxpayers.”
“No s—, Sherlock,” conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X. “Minnesota was an easy target. Per CBS News, $9 BILLION worth of Medicaid fraud happened right under your nose. And the largest funder of Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia is the Minnesota taxpayer.”
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In a statement to Fox News Digital received after publication, a spokesperson for Ellison’s office said, “The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has broad authority in civil law to protect consumers, and Attorney General Ellison regularly uses that authority to protect Minnesota consumers from scams, deception, and fraud by businesses, corporations, and other individual bad actors.”
“That’s what the video is about. When it comes to criminal fraud against federal- and state-funded Medicaid programs, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of Attorney General Ellison’s Office works closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute it, including on the very cases in which the Justice Department announced new indictments on Thursday.”
The spokesperson added that Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is “one of the most successful units of its size in the country: in the last 7 years, it has won more than 300 convictions and $80 million in judgments for the State.”
“In a recent audit, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognized Minnesota for winning more Medicaid fraud convictions than any other comparably sized state.”
Ellison, along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have been the target of heated criticism from conservatives and Republican officials in the state over the fraud scandal that has infiltrated several government agencies and, according to a press conference from federal prosecutors last week, could end up costing taxpayers up to $9 billion.
“Tim Walz was responsible for putting into place the commissioners of the different departments who are allowing all this money to go out, and then you had Keith Ellison, who not only should have done something about stopping the fraud once he had a sense that things were happening, he should have started to investigate it,” Teirab told Fox News Digital in an interview earlier this month.
“He now tries to say that he was working hand in hand with the federal government… absolutely false, lying about what he did, what he knew and when he knew it.”
CBS reporter rips her boss to colleagues after ’60 Minutes’ segment pulled at last minute
A last-minute decision by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss to yank a planned investigative segment about allegations of abuses at the notorious El Salvador prison CECOT has caused an outcry and also a sharp rebuke from the segment’s reporter.
The segment “Inside CECOT” was going to feature correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviewing “some of the now released deportees, who describe the brutal and torturous conditions,” and was promoted by CBS heading into the weekend. “60 Minutes” airs on Sunday nights.
But CBS announced Sunday that the segment was being held and would air in a future broadcast, reportedly due to concerns about not yet having an on-the-record response from the Trump administration for the newsmagazine segment. A CBS spokesperson told Fox News Digital it was determined the segment needed “additional reporting.” It is highly unusual for a pre-planned report to be pulled that close to airing.
’60 MINUTES’ POSTPONES SEGMENT ON MIGRANT INMATES FROM EL SALVADOR’S CECOT PRISON
“My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready,” Weiss said in a statement.
In a remarkable note to fellow “60 Minutes” staffers that quickly leaked to the media, Alfonsi said her segment was being held for political reasons, not editorial ones.
Alfonsi said Weiss had “spiked” the story and not given her a chance to discuss it further.
“Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices,” Alfonsi wrote. “It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now, after every rigorous internal check has been met, is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”
BARI WEISS’ CRITICS INSIDE CBS NEWS FALL INTO TWO DISTINCT CAMPS, NETWORK INSIDER SAYS
She added that “60 Minutes” made requests for comment to the White House, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department. Their silence was their statement, she wrote, and allowing that to delay the story was effectively giving them veto power.
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” she wrote.
Abandoning the sources who spoke with them at personal risk, Alfonsi said, would be journalistic malpractice.
“We have been promoting this story on social media for days,” Alfonsi wrote. “Our viewers are expecting it. When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of ‘gold standard’ reputation for a single week of political quiet.”
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The Trump administration has faced controversy for deporting hundreds of Venezuelan gang members to CECOT earlier this year.
It marks another difficulty for Weiss as she continues trying to impose her leadership on a staff that doesn’t appear entirely receptive. Following the Paramount-Skydance merger this year and subsequent acquisition of her site The Free Press, Weiss was appointed to her new post in October, and she has ruffled feathers with her work to root out what she views as liberal bias.
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Since she took over, CBS has scored several high-profile Trump administration interviews, including with the president. Weiss also did a town hall earlier this month with Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk, which irked liberals and drew low ratings.
Vance hits back at Fuentes, Psaki with profanity-laced two-word message
Vice President JD Vance is not mincing his words, telling the news outlet UnHerd during an interview that those who attack his wife Usha “can eat s—.”
He declared that “anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat s—. That’s my official policy as vice president of the United States,” according to an interview transcript.
Fuentes is a controversial podcaster widely described as a White nationalist with antisemitic views, while Psaki, a President Joe Biden-era White House press secretary, hosts a show on MS NOW.
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE DECLARES MARRIAGE TO WIFE USHA ‘IS AS STRONG AS IT’S EVER BEEN’
Fox News Digital reached out to Fuentes on X and emailed MS Now to request a comment from Psaki.
In a November 2024 post on X, Fuentes wrote, “Poo-sha Vance.”
He has also used an ethnic slur to refer to her.
And earlier this year he wrote, “When conservatives attack Zohran Mamdani for being a foreigner, I just want them to keep the same energy with Vivek Ramaswamy and Usha Vance. Let’s be consistent.”
VANCE SAYS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ MOVEMENT REJECTS ‘PURITY TESTS,’ WELCOMES CRITICAL THINKERS
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, while Usha Vance and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were both born in the U.S.
VANCE CALLS PSAKI COMMENTS ABOUT WIFE USHA ‘DISGRACEFUL’
UnHerd had asked Vance if he disavows Fuentes.
“My attitude towards anybody, again, who is calling for judging people based on their ethnic heritage, whether they’re Jewish or white or anything else, it’s disgusting,” Vance replied. “We shouldn’t be doing it.”
“[That said,] I think that Nick Fuentes, his influence within Donald Trump’s administration, and within a whole host of institutions on the Right, is vastly overstated — and frankly, it’s overstated by people who want to avoid having a foreign-policy conversation about America’s relationship with Israel,” Vance continued.
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Psaki made controversial comments about the second lady during an appearance on a podcast, saying she wonders what’s happening in Usha Vance’s mind, adding, “Are you OK? Please … blink four times … come over here … we’ll save you.”
Pressure grows on Walz as Comer unveils new action in multimillion-dollar scandal
FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee is widening its probe into allegations of widespread fraud within Minnesota’s social services programs, which prosecutors suggested could be worth billions of dollars.
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent letters to seven current and former Minnesota state officials on Monday morning, inviting them for transcribed interviews with his panel.
Comer sent two additional letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, seeking the federal government’s cooperation in the probe and requesting briefings for committee staff by Jan. 9.
LABOR SECRETARY ANNOUNCES ‘STRIKE TEAM’ GOING TO MINNESOTA TO INVESTIGATE RAMPANT FRAUD
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating reports of widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. As the Director of Nutrition Program Services and in your previous roles as the Assistant Director of Nutrition Program Services and Supervisor of Business Operations and Support Services for the Minnesota Department of Education, you have information that will assist the Committee’s investigation,” read one such letter, sent to Emily Honer, the director of Nutrition Program Services at the Minnesota Department of Education.
“Accordingly, we request your testimony at an in-person transcribed interview on January 26, 2026. If you do not voluntarily appear for the interview, we will be forced to evaluate the use of the compulsory process.”
Another current official, Minnesota Department of Education Assistant Commissioner Daron Korte, was asked to appear on Jan. 28.
Similar letters were sent to the following former officials with requests to appear on dates ranging from late January through early February: former Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead, former Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker, former Minnesota Department of Human Services Chief Financial Officer David Greeman, former Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Tony Lourey, and Eric Grumdahl, the department’s former assistant commissioner of Homelessness & Housing Supports.
ILHAN OMAR DEFENDS MEALS ACT DESPITE TIES TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME
“Whistleblowers have made it clear that American taxpayers were defrauded in Minnesota, raising serious questions about whether Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison failed to act or were complicit in the theft,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “Today, the Committee is requesting information from the Treasury Department and the Department of Justice, as well as transcribed interviews with Minnesota state officials.”
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged multiple people with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
The probe has since widened to multiple state-run programs being investigated for potential fraud.
Officials investigating are now questioning whether people at the very top of Minnesota’s government were aware of signs of fraud but did not act in any way to stop it.
Gov. Tim Walz, who is running for a third term, took accountability in remarks to reporters on Friday: “This is on my watch. I am accountable for this. And more importantly, I am the one that will fix it.”
He heaped doubt on federal prosecutors’ accusations that the fraud could have totaled in the billions, however.
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY DEMANDS MINNESOTA FIX SNAP BENEFITS FOR 4 COUNTIES IMMEDIATELY UNDER PILOT PROGRAM
“You should be equally outraged about $1 or whatever that number is, but they’re using that number, without the proof behind it,” Walz said. “But to extrapolate what that number is for sensationalism, or to make statements about it, it doesn’t really help us.”
Walz also said he was “partners” with the federal government in stopping the fraud, and said he stopped payments to programs suspected of fraud in July after being granted the ability to do so.
U.S. prosecutors held a press conference on Thursday announcing the fraud probe was widening to focus on 14 programs aimed at disbursing Medicaid funds.
Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said those programs have cost roughly $18 billion since 2018, of which he said a “significant amount” likely fell prey to fraud.
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“It is staggering, industrial-scale fraud,” he said during the press conference.
Thompson said some of those dollars have been traced to real estate investments in Nairobi, Kenya.
He also said “some money went to Somalia indirectly” and “might have gotten into the hands” of militant group Al-Shabaab, but stated there was “no indication that the defendants that we’ve charged were radicalized or seeking to fund Al-Shabaab or other terrorist groups.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office, as well as the offices of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education for comment.
Lions fan reveals what led to heated altercation with Steelers star wide receiver
A Detroit Lions fan was on the receiving end of some wrath from Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf on Sunday.
Metcalf was seen grabbing at the fan’s shirt and taking a swing. The CBS broadcast caught the interaction between the Steelers player and the man, who was wearing a black and blue shirt and a blue wig. It was unclear in the moment what led to the incident.
The man told the Detroit Free Press that he called Metcalf by his full name – DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf – and it sparked fury.
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“A little shocked. Like everyone’s talking to me. I’m a little rattled, but I just want the Lions to win, baby,” the fan, who was identified as Ryan Kennedy, told the newspaper.
“What, my full name isn’t is DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf,” he added. “He doesn’t like his government name. I called him that and then he grabbed me and ripped my shirt.”
Metcalf wasn’t penalized in the game as the CBS cameras only caught the moment by happenstance. The NFL told the Detroit Free Press it couldn’t intervene in regard to an ejection because the incident didn’t happen on the field.
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The fan was reportedly allowed to stay in the stadium as well.
Metcalf will be facing a fine or suspension over the incident.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had no real comment about the moment.
“I heard about it, but I hadn’t seen it,” he said. “I hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to DK.”
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Metcalf didn’t meet with the media after the 29-24 win. He had four catches for 42 yards.
Chuck Norris remembers former spouse as ‘kind, intelligent’ after her death
Chuck Norris is mourning the death of his ex-wife, Dianne Holechek, who died at 84 years old after a long battle with dementia.
“I am deeply saddened to share that my ex-wife, Dianne, has passed away,” Norris, 85, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “After being married for 30 years, we were able to find a way to remain close friends, and those years of friendship meant the world to me.”
“Dianne was an incredible person,” he continued. “She was kind, intelligent and lived life to the fullest. Her presence in my life will never be forgotten. She was also a loving and devoted mother to our sons, Mike and Eric, who were always her greatest pride.”
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“Even as our lives took different directions, we continued to care deeply for one another, and I will forever cherish the memories we built together,” he concluded.
Holechek died peacefully at her home in Texas after a long battle with dementia, their son Mike Norris told TMZ.
The former couple met while attending North High School in Torrance, Calif., and tied the knot in 1958, when they were 17 and 18 years old. They shared two sons, Mike and former NASCAR driver Eric Norris.
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Due to long absences while serving in the U.S. Air Force, Norris admitted to infidelity, which eventually led to their split years later.
They divorced in 1989 after three decades of marriage.
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Norris remarried Gena O’Kelley in 1998.
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Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s shot at ending turmoil with frail fathers is fading: experts
Multiple experts doubt Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s chances of reconciling with their ailing fathers as family tensions intensify.
“Meghan and her father will never reconcile,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams claimed to Fox News Digital. “It’s reported, though not confirmed, that she has said so by letter.
“Her family sounds appalling. Her half-sister was behind the staged paparazzi photographs, which led to a rift with her father, who has also widely criticized her in the media. That has certainly led to a complete breakdown in their relationship.”
MEGHAN MARKLE URGED TO SHOW COMPASSION FOR HER AILING FATHER OR RISK COLLAPSE OF HOLLYWOOD BRAND: EXPERTS
“Her relationship with her father — a tragedy for both of them — is nothing short of a mess,” Fitzwilliams added.
Fitzwilliams’ comments followed a report in The Times of London suggesting it’s unlikely the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will mend their “deeply damaged” relationships with their ailing fathers.
Thomas Markle, a former Hollywood lighting director who has reportedly undergone a left-leg amputation, recently told The Mail on Sunday he doesn’t want to die estranged from his daughter. On Dec. 12, King Charles III said an early diagnosis and treatment will allow doctors to reduce his cancer therapy in the new year.
WATCH: PRINCE WILLIAM’S MISTRUST OF MEGHAN MARKLE STALLS PEACE WITH PRINCE HARRY: AUTHOR
According to the outlet, there is “little hope” that a letter Meghan wrote to her father will lead to a meeting — or even a phone call. She also hasn’t sent a photograph of her children, whom he’s never met.
Harry will not spend Christmas with the royal family. The outlet reported he has not spoken to his father since their reunion in September and is not in contact with Prince William and Kate Middleton. A source in London called suggestions that Harry and his father are on speaking terms “laughable.”
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Fox News Digital that the report was “entirely speculative.”
“We wouldn’t comment on the Duke or Duchess’s relationship with their family,” the rep added.
Thomas and Meghan have been estranged since she married the British prince in 2018. People magazine reported that Meghan tried to reach her father during his health crisis, but her calls and emails didn’t get through. The 81-year-old is currently hospitalized in the Philippines after emergency surgery.
The Mail on Sunday claimed Meghan didn’t have his phone number and that he “never uses email.” People magazine reported that Meghan called several hospitals in an effort to locate him.
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The Mail on Sunday noted that Thomas first shared news of his health condition with its reporter, not his children. Thomas Markle Jr. told the U.K. outlet that a blood clot in his father’s thigh cut off circulation to his leg, leading to surgery.
Fox News Digital previously reached out to Thomas Markle Jr. for comment.
Harry has been estranged from his family since he and the former American actress stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. They went on to air their grievances in interviews and documentaries. Harry’s 2023 memoir, “Spare,” which reveals personal details about the royal family, further strained relations.
In September, Harry and his father reunited for the first time in 18 months. In May, Harry told the BBC he was ready to reconcile, saying, “There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that the wounds are too deep and fresh for any peace talks to occur on either side, especially during the holidays.
“I don’t anticipate any proper reconciliation with either of their sick fathers, given the massive rift in both instances,” said Fordwich.
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“The meeting between the king and Harry was more about constitutional duty and fatherly decency — at least from the king’s side,” she continued. “Even within royal households, there are differing views among courtiers, but there is unanimity regarding the Sussexes causing stress among all. Therefore, family relationships will remain fragile, at best.”
“From the royal perspective, it’s all about preserving the future of the monarchy and stability,” said Fordwich. “Duty always wins above all else. Both have their incentives, but trust is a huge issue.”
“I do not believe Meghan Markle has any genuine interest in repairing her relationship with her father,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital.
“Harry’s recent moves do little to suggest a sincere desire for royal reintegration. His appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show felt like an embarrassing bid for viral attention that risked creating diplomatic discomfort with President Trump. It’s also worth remembering that Colbert previously fueled infidelity rumors about the Prince of Wales during a period when the Princess of Wales was privately undergoing cancer treatment.”
“More recently, Harry made lighthearted remarks at his family’s expense while addressing the British American Business Council’s Christmas luncheon,” Schofield continued.
“None of this aligns with someone serious about reconciliation with his family. At best, it shows a lack of judgment. Ultimately, I think Harry is seeking greater exposure in the U.K. because it allows him to present himself internationally as a working royal.”
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The Times of London reported that Meghan wasn’t willing to speak to her father on the phone, fearing the conversation would be leaked to the tabloids. She chose to write a letter, which is considered more protected under U.K. privacy laws.
“Meghan has been seriously hurt by her father over the years,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital.
He added that the 44-year-old has kept herself at “a safe distance where he cannot complicate her life even further with his dalliances over revealing his often-changing perceptions of his daughter.”
“He is obviously not easy to live with,” Turner said. “Now with his amputation, it makes life more difficult still for Meghan — torn between her natural desire to help her father and, at the same time, not trusting him. She is protecting herself from the harm she felt she suffered in the past.”
The Times report also revealed that Harry’s hopes of reconciling with his father, who is battling cancer, were damaged by a misguided accusation that the monarch’s aides leaked details of their meeting in an effort to “sabotage” the relationship.
Fordwich previously claimed to Fox News Digital that Charles was “rather surprised and saddened” by the news, while The Times reported that friends of the king were “disappointed.”
Reports in Britain have claimed that “Project Thaw” was underway at the palace — a plan by aides to bring Charles, 77, and Harry, 41, back together. But royal experts who spoke to Fox News Digital said they weren’t buying it.
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“‘Project Thaw’ sounds like an ayahuasca hallucination,” Schofield said. “Launching peace talks would be a never-ending headache for the royal family. The late queen was unequivocal that there could be no half-in, half-out arrangement for the Sussexes. If the king is intent on safeguarding the monarchy’s authority, he will uphold that principle.”
“There isn’t any official ‘Project Thaw,’” Fordwich said. “It’s more of a media term — more about damage management.”
The royal experts all agreed on one thing — Meghan and Harry have each other.
Powerball jackpot prize just got a lot bigger — how much you could bring home
The Powerball jackpot surged to an estimated $1.6 billion ahead of Monday night’s drawing, making it the fifth-largest prize in U.S. lottery history.
The pot grew after no ticket matched all six numbers from Saturday night’s drawing.
The white balls were 4, 5, 28, 52 and 69. The red Powerball was 20 and the Power Play multiplier was 3.
It now has an estimated cash value of $735.3 million, according to the lottery.
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The odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Though there was no jackpot winner in the latest drawing, eight tickets matched all five white balls, the lottery said. Winning Match 5 tickets were sold in California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan (two), New Hampshire and Ohio.
Monday’s drawing – the fourth-largest in Powerball history – will mark the 46th in the current jackpot run, which the lottery says is a game record for the most drawings in a jackpot cycle.
POWERBALL JACKPOT SKYROCKETS ABOVE $1B AFTER PRIZE GOES UNCLAIMED
The Powerball jackpot was last won on Sept. 6, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize.
The winner can choose between a lump sum payment estimated at $735.3 million or an annuitized prize of an estimated $1.6 billion. Both options are before taxes.
SINGLE TICKET SOLD IN GEORGIA CAPTURES $980M MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT
If a winner opts for the annuitized prize, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase 5% each year.
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Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings occur three nights a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
The biggest U.S. lottery jackpots:
- $2.04 billion – Powerball; Nov. 7, 2022 – California
- $1.787 billion – Powerball; Sept. 6, 2025 – Missouri, Texas
- $1.765 billion – Powerball; Oct. 11, 2023 – California
- $1.602 billion – Mega Millions; Aug. 8, 2023 – Florida
- $1.6 billion – Powerball; Dec. 22, 2025 (current prize, estimated jackpot)
- $1.586 billion – Powerball; Jan. 13, 2016 – California, Florida, Tennessee
- $1.537 billion – Mega Millions; Oct. 23, 2018 – South Carolina
- $1.348 billion – Mega Millions; Jan. 13, 2023 – Maine
- $1.337 billion – Mega Millions; July 29, 2022 – Illinois
- $1.326 billion – Powerball; April 6, 2024 – Oregon