Judge blocks Fani Willis from fighting $16.8M legal fee demand in Trump case

A judge in Fulton County, Georgia, ruled Monday that District Attorney Fani Willis cannot participate in a fight over President Donald Trump’s and his co-defendants’ attempts to recoup millions of dollars in legal fees spent during her failed racketeering case against them.

Judge Scott McAfee said in an order that because Willis was already “wholly disqualified” from the prosecution, she could not be party to the battle over what amounted to $16.8 million in fees sought by Trump and his co-defendants. Trump requested Willis’ office reimburse him more than $6.2 million in attorney fees and costs earlier this year. 

 McAfee’s order marks a victory for Trump in his yearslong feud with Willis, who he said was a “rabid partisan” on a “witch hunt” during the prosecution.

The defendants, whom Willis criminally charged with conspiring to illegally overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, are pushing for legal fees based on a state law passed in 2025 that allows them to be paid back for cases in which prosecutors are disqualified.

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McAfee said Fulton County could be involved since the money would come out of the county’s budget, but Willis’ lawyers argued in court filings that she too should have a say.

“Without intervention by the District Attorney, any award would violate basic fundamental notions of due process by denying her an opportunity to be heard or even challenge the reasonableness of the claimed attorney fees before it is taken from her budget,” the lawyers wrote.

Trump’s lead attorney in the case, Steve Sadow, said in a statement that McAfee’s decision was correct.

“Judge McAfee has properly denied DA Willis’ motion to intervene in POTUS’ action for reimbursement of attorney fees because her disqualification for improper conduct bars Willis and her office from any further participation in this dismissed, lawfare case,” Sadow said. 

Willis brought a sprawling Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations case against Trump and 18 co-defendants in August 2023, alleging they conspired to interfere with the 2020 election, but the case was whittled down significantly because of plea deals and dismissed charges.

The biggest blow to the prosecution came in 2024, however, when the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis, finding that an undisclosed romantic relationship she had with her lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, presented a conflict of interest. Her disqualification flipped the case into the hands of the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council to decide what to do with it. The council’s director, Peter Skandalakis, moved to dismiss the case, and McAfee granted his request.

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“In my professional judgment, the citizens of Georgia are not served by pursuing this case in full for another five to ten years,” Skandalakis said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

Hero NYPD officers honored for foiling alleged ISIS-inspired terror plot

Two NYPD officers are being honored by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after jumping into action to thwart an alleged ISIS-inspired terror attack outside Gracie Mansion over the weekend. 

NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro received high praise from Mamdani and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a press conference on Monday, just days after both men put their lives on the line to stop a potentially catastrophic terrorism attack after two explosive devices were dropped at a protest on Saturday. 

Edwards reportedly jumped over a barrier and tackled Emir Balat, 18, to the ground after he allegedly hurled an improvised explosive device at a group of protesters and was about to throw a second batch handed to him by Ibrahim Kayumi, 19.

As the chaos unfolded, Navarro ran toward a second improvised explosive device as it was lit and smoking after allegedly being dropped on the ground by Balat, “without hesitation and without regard for [his] own safety,” Tisch said.

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Mamdani thanked both men for their bravery after also recognizing them in a private meeting. 

“That is courage, that is selflessness, and I am deeply grateful to both of them and to every member of the NYPD who works every single day to keep New Yorkers safe,” Mamdani said.

Edwards was recently promoted to borough chief of Manhattan North in December of last year after serving nearly 23 years as an NYPD officer, according to the New York Post.

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Edwards was inspired to become an officer after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City. 

“I was a college student back in September 2001,” the new commanding officer of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Manhattan North told the Post last year. “I saw what happened, and I took one of the first tests” for the academy.

“I saw it, I felt it. When everyone was running out [of the Twin Towers], we had our police officers and the other first-responders running in. I thought that was selfless heroism. It just drew me to the profession,” Edwards said. “Since I started, I fell in love with policing.”

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On Monday, Tisch said the officer’s actions on Saturday followed the same theme of his inspiration to join the department. 

“We saw that same spirit carried forward in the way that he responded,” Tisch said, according to the New York Daily News.

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Additionally, Navarro has reportedly been on the force for 11 years and joined the NYPD after a friend encouraged him to take the exam. Like Edwards, he was promoted to his current rank in December. 

Both Balat and Kayumi are facing federal terrorism charges stemming from the alleged attack. 

The NYPD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Beatles icon reveals Yoko Ono’s shocking claim about John Lennon’s sexuality

Paul McCartney claims Yoko Ono once made an interesting claim about John Lennon’s sexuality.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, the former Beatle said Ono — who was married to Lennon for over 10 years before his death in 1980 — told him that her husband “might have been gay” during a phone call shortly after Lennon was murdered in 1980.

“I swear [Ono] rang me shortly after John died and said, ‘You know, I think John might have been gay.’”

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“I went, ‘I’m not sure.’ I said, ‘I don’t think so. Certainly not when I knew him’… because we’d been in the ’60s. We’d been around with loads and loads of girls. And I bumped into seeing him jacking … a lot of girl action.”

McCartney — who recently opened up about The Beatles’ history in the new documentary “Man on the Run” — said that he had “slept with John very often, but there was never anything.”

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“There was never a gesture, never an expression. It was nothing. So I had no reason to believe this at all.”

The VF interview was conducted in 2015 but republished last month amid the documentary’s release.

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McCartney recalled rumors of Lennon’s sexuality swirling after traveling with Brian Epstein, The Beatles manager who was gay, in 1963. 

“But I saw that as a power play, which was very John,” McCartney said. “Brian would ask him as a homosexual thing – a good-looking boy who Brian fancied. They went down to Spain, had a fun time. No doubt John would play into the thing.”

“I personally didn’t think anything had happened,” he added. “Certainly never heard about anything happening. But I saw it as: ‘You want to deal with the Beatles? I’m the leader.’”

Lennon and Ono’s marriage wasn’t always smooth sailing. 

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From late 1973 through 1974, Lennon embarked on his “Lost Weekend” in Los Angeles while being separated from his wife. Ono had banished the singer-songwriter from their home after he had had “loud, raucous sex” with another woman at a party.

While Lennon was eager to return to Ono, she was wary about him coming home. That’s when she got by with a little help from McCartney. 

“There was a time when Sir Paul McCartney offered Yoko his willingness to speak to John in Los Angeles about the separation,” the couple’s pal, Elliot Mintz, told Fox News Digital in 2024. “She seemed grateful for that invitation.”

The former Los Angeles radio and TV announcer, who met the couple in the early ‘70s, released a memoir, “We All Shine On: John, Yoko, & Me,” in 2024 with the blessing of their son, Sean Lennon.

In the book, he described how McCartney gave a heartbroken Lennon sound advice on how to win back his love.

WATCH: JOHN LENNON’S EX MAY PANG ON YOKO ONO PUSHING HER TO HAVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIED BEATLE: ‘TEARS STARTED TO FORM’

“Paul came out here, he had a meeting with John,” said Mintz. “His advice to him was, ‘You can’t just say that you’ve changed. You have to show it. You have to prove it. It would be like dating her again. You have to bring her flowers, you have to take her out for dinners. You have to show her how important she is to you in your world.’”

Mintz said that Lennon took McCartney’s advice “to heart.” It worked.

“Yoko accepted him back in their home, and they resumed their relationship,” Mintz explained. “It was not fun to be around John during the lost weekend. Keep in mind that John had never really been a bachelor. From his days at Liverpool, he had always been married. So this was a time when he sowed wild oats. Yoko sent him out here [in Los Angeles] while they had problems in their marriage to find himself.”

“Actually, he lost himself during the lost weekend and climbed the ladder back to her heart,” Mintz reflected.

Beloved convenience store chain faces customer service crisis after devastating ‘F’ rating

It touts the cleanest restrooms in America and a brisket sandwich that built a cult following, but Buc-ee’s received the worst possible grade from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The BBB recently gave the Texas-based convenience store brand an “F” rating, citing a failure to respond to nearly 90 complaints filed against the business. The BBB assigns a rating between A+ and F, and although customer reviews do not impact the final grade, the company’s interaction and responsiveness to complaints are considered.

According to the BBB’s website, many recent complaints cite overpriced items, various product issues, poor or rude customer service, and the inability to return certain items.

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“Bought the chicken, bacon, avocado ranch wrap, it was so disgusting that I had to throw it out the window,” a complaint from Feb. 4 to the BBB reads. “There was no bacon, or ranch, and only a few pieces of chicken… [asked] my husband if he wanted some and he tried it too, and said it was the worst thing he’s ever ate. It tasted like the most flavorless mush, and on top of it it was $9.49.”

“Buc-cee’s has TERRIBLE customer service,” a January complaint says, referencing a lost or stolen gift card. “They have no phone number for you to call, only email. I have filled out their form with all of the information multiple times and have yet to hear back from them. I just want my gift card that I paid for and want them to treat their customers better.”

Buc-ee’s did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Despite the recent failing grade, Buc-ee’s has not dampened its expansion momentum. The company currently has 54 U.S. locations across 11 states, with plans to expand into Ohio, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Buc-ee’s large-format stores span tens of thousands of square feet, featuring 120 gas pumps on average and 700 to 1,000 parking spaces. Signature items like Beaver Nuggets and “fresh brisket on the board” have become regular road trip staples.

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The company ranked No. 5 in the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index for convenience stores, beating out major brands like Shell and ExxonMobil. In late 2025, Buc-ee’s earned America’s No. 1 quick-service restaurant spot in dunnhumby rankings, outperforming fast-food giants like In-N-Out and Chick-fil-A for customer preference.

The chain has also gained notoriety for its transparency in wages – starting pay can range from $16 to $20 per hour and full-time managers may earn $100,000 to $225,000, according to large hiring signs often posted at store entrances. Employee benefits include 401(k) plans with 100% company matching and three weeks of paid time off.

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