Mayor Mamdani ignites outrage after photo-op at notorious NYC jail: ‘F—ing ridiculous’
As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been embracing his Muslim faith amid Ramadan, he decided to break his religious fast with inmates who share his faith in New York’s notorious Rikers Island jail, calling it “one of the most meaningful evenings” he’s had as mayor.
Although Mamdani has visited Rikers Island in the past as a state legislator, this marked his first visit as mayor of New York City.
Shortly before arriving, he reiterated his pledge to shut down the jail and have the city absorb the incarcerated population into its borough-based jails. He also hinted at plans to hire a facilitator to expedite those plans.
“This is me just being a Muslim New Yorker,” Mamdani said during the visit to Rikers, according to NPR. “There are some for whom that is a political act.”
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Mamdani was joined during the visit by Yusef Salaam, a member of the so-called “Central Park Five” who were exonerated of a 1989 rape and assault. Salaam currently serves as a member of the New York City Council.
Social media erupted after Mamdani’s X post, with many critics questioning his decision to visit inmates at Rikers, which is notorious for its violent criminals.
Mystery novelist Daniel Friedman, who according to his bio on Macmillan Publishers’ website, lives in New York City, noted, “You have to be an absolute monster to be sent to Rikers Island these days.”
“Offenders on Rikers all have long histories of doing things so horrible that even the woke, pro-crime judges and prosecutors in NYC don’t want to be responsible for what they’ll do if they let them go,” Friedman added.
Moshe Hill, a long-time Long Island resident and candidate for the Nassau County legislature, agreed with Friedman.
“Criminals in prison are just ‘New Yorkers in custody,’ according to Mamdani. Why are they in custody? You don’t go to Rikers Island for nothing!” Hill quipped.
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“Mayor likes to hang out with the people who victimize us. F—ing ridiculous,” Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt posted on X.
Meanwhile, Emmy-Award winning producer and columnist Daniella Greenbaum Davis made her own post, asking the New York City mayor if he had also visited the victims of the inmates he was meeting with.
“Visiting people in jail is admirable but just wondering if you’ve also visited their victims / the families of their victims?” she questioned. “Seems like there is a bizarre progressive determination to invert victimization I can’t quite understand.”
Among Mamdani’s celebrations during Ramadan was an iftar, or a daily fast-breaking, at the Museum of the City of New York. That also triggered some responses, including from a former college football coach and lawmaker, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.,
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Tuberville shared a photo of Mamdani at the iftar alongside a photo of the Twin Towers on fire after planes hit them on Sept. 11, 2001. “The enemy is inside the gates,” Tuberville captioned the post.
Tuberville has faced backlash over the post, but the GOP senator stood firm and defended his social media post.
“I just go by his rhetoric,” Tuberville said.
“He’s made a lot of statements about his stance with Islam and radical Islam, all the things that go along with what he preaches every day. And I’m just kind of repeating what he’s saying,” the senator told D.C. News Now’s Reshad Hudson.
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“We don’t need a division in this country. We need everybody to go with the Constitution, understand we have moral values. And if we all stick with those — I don’t care if you’re Muslim or Catholic or Baptist, it makes no difference,” he continued.
He added, “We need to make the country better; we don’t need to divide it. That’s what he’s doing in New York.”
Joseph Duggar hit with 8 new charges as wife Kendra is also arrested
Joseph Duggar received eight additional charges on Friday after being arrested earlier this week on child molestation charges.
Joseph has been charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment in Arkansas, Fox News Digital has learned. These charges are not related to the child molestation charges he’s facing in Florida.
Joseph’s wife, Kendra, was also arrested Friday on the same new charges. She was taken into police custody and released on $1,470 bond, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
JOSEPH DUGGAR ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MOLESTING 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL DURING FLORIDA VACATION
Northwest Arkansas News previously reported that Kendra was not home when Tontitown police initially went to the Duggar residence Friday at 1 p.m. to serve a warrant for her arrest.
Joseph appeared in court Friday morning for his original charges. He waived his right to an extradition hearing in Arkansas, meaning he will be sent to Florida to face his charges there.
The former “19 Kids and Counting” star was arrested and charged with molestation of a victim younger than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 years or older, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
In the booking video released Friday, a deputy conducts a thorough search and pat-down of Joseph. The officer first takes off and checks Joseph’s hat before removing his handcuffs and having him put his hands against the wall. After completing the pat-down, Joseph is directed to a bench where he sits with his hands behind his back.
Later in the video, Joseph put his socks back on after taking off his shoes and socks, so an officer could check his feet.
WATCH: JOSEPH DUGGAR IS BOOKED IN JAIL AS HE FACES A CHILD MOLESTATION CHARGE
The Duggar family have begun speaking out about Joseph’s arrest, with his cousin, Amy Duggar King, sharing a statement with Fox News Digital saying she is “deeply angry.”
“In light of the recent allegations involving my cousin, Joseph Duggar, I am sickened, heartbroken and deeply angry. My first thoughts are with the victim, a child who deserved to be safe, protected and surrounded by people she could trust,” King said.
“The courage it took for her to come forward, especially after years of carrying something so heavy, cannot be overstated. That bravery deserves to be honored above all else.”
King explained that she “was utterly shocked to hear about these allegations and Joseph’s arrest.”
“At the same time, I am not surprised that another alleged predator has emerged from this toxic system. For years, I have spoken out about the importance of truth, accountability and protecting children, even when it meant going against my own family. Family ties should never equal automatic trust or access, especially when it comes to the safety of children,” King explained.
“In light of the recent allegations involving my cousin, Joseph Duggar, I am sickened, heartbroken and deeply angry.”
She said she is praying for the victim and her family.
“Recognizing that we do not yet know the full picture, I am also praying for Joseph’s wife, Kendra, as she begins to process this, and for the protection of their children. I’m praying for eyes to be opened and, above all, I pray that justice will be served to the fullest,” King concluded.
Josh Duggar, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for possessing child pornography, said through his lawyer that the allegations against his brother are not true.
“Josh understands the stigma of being accused,” his attorney told the Daily Mail. “He lives with the painful reality of how false accusations can destroy a life. He understands how the targeting of a person for publicity can twist the truth into sensationalized fiction.
“Josh and Joe are not in frequent communication,” but he “hopes and prays for his brother’s well-being in this difficult time.”
Josh is expected to remain in prison until 2032 after his appeal for a new trial failed in 2023.
On Thursday, Jill Duggar Dillard’s family blog posted a statement, sharing that they were “shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar’s) arrest.”
“We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020. We are shocked and heartbroken,” the post said.
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“We strongly condemn abuse. We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved. Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family,” it continued. “We pray God gives her strength, comfort and hope and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
The alleged victim, now 14, told investigators during a forensic interview that the alleged crimes occurred while she was on a vacation in Panama City Beach in Florida with her family in 2020.
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During the vacation, the former reality star allegedly asked the girl to sit on his lap. Then he asked her to sit next to him and covered both of them with a blanket, the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
“Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” the press release said.
Duggar later apologized for what he allegedly did to the girl, and it stopped, officials said.
The girl’s father confronted Duggar about the crimes on Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said, adding that Duggar admitted to what he had done to the father and police.
TLC canceled “19 Kids and Counting” in 2015. The allegations against Josh date to 2006 after a family friend sent a tip to authorities that he had allegedly molested four of his sisters. But the investigation ended because the statute of limitations had passed.
The show followed the lives of devout Baptists Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar and their 19 children, all of whose names began with the letter “J.”
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Blue state recycling law ignites fresh claims of Dem hypocrisy on voter IDs
Connecticut Democrats recently rushed through an emergency anti-fraud law requiring bottle redemption centers to collect a copy of a person’s driver’s license when they cash in more than 1,000 cans or bottles in a day — a document demand that Republicans say undercuts the party’s attacks on voter-ID rules.
Earlier this month, an emergency certification bill, SB 299, was introduced by top Democratic leaders in the state’s legislature. It was later passed in both chambers in late February and was signed by Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, on March 3.
It requires people wishing to recycle cans for money to present a copy of their driver’s license, put in place because the state has had issues with non-residents crossing their border to take advantage of it’s higher return rate of 10 cents a can instead of five cents. The issue was reportedly causing the state to lose significant revenue.
Meanwhile, the state still does not require its residents to present a driver’s license, or some other form of formal identification. Instead, residents wishing to vote simply have to attest, under penalty of the law, that they are a citizen of the United States.
Additionally, both of Connecticut’s senators, Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., recently voted against advancing the SAVE Act earlier this week, which Republicans introduced to pass stricter photo-ID requirements for voting in federal elections, including a national proof-of-citizenship requirement for anyone wishing to register to vote.
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“In Connecticut, it seems that they are committed to securing recycling, but not to securing elections,” said Anna Pingel, America First Policy Institute’s Campaign Director for Secure Elections. “Requiring photo ID to collect cash from recycling but opposing photo ID to cast a vote tells you everything you need to know about the hypocrisy of politicians fighting against commonsense legislation like the SAVE Act. What is more important to safeguard—bottles or ballots?”
Fox News Digital reached out to Blumenthal, Murphy and Lamont for comment but only heard back from Blumenthal.
“Let’s be very clear: the SAVE America Act requires a birth certificate or passport to register to vote, which Republicans know 21 million Americans do not have,” Blumenthal told Fox News Digital. “This is not a voter identification bill. It is a voter purge bill.”
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Earlier this week, the Senate voted 51-48 to begin a debate on the House-passed SAVE Act vehicle, S. 1383. Blumenthal and Murphy both voted ‘Nay.’ The House had already passed the bill 218-213 on Feb. 11, but the measure still faces the Senate’s 60-vote hurdle to advance toward passage — a threshold Democrats have said they intend to block.
In speeches on the Senate floor trying to downplay the seriousness and scope of illegal citizen voting, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., tacitly acknowledged the existence of a problem they’ve argued is immaterial: that illegal immigrants may be able to unlawfully participate in federal elections.
“The evidence is that almost no illegal aliens vote,” Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor. Warnock similarly acknowledged the issue while listing statistics about voting records in his home state. “8.2 million people are registered to vote in Georgia. The Republican Secretary of State found 20 instances of non-citizens who were registered, and only nine had ever attempted to vote,” Warnock said.
Democrats have fiercely opposed the Republican-led bill, citing concerns that its voter integrity measures are overly heavy-handed and could inadvertently burden communities that may struggle to provide documented proof of citizenship.
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Republicans, who argue that lax identity requirements may have already allowed an unknown number of non-citizens onto voter rolls, have launched a marathon standoff over the bill on the Senate floor.
The Senate will be holding weekend sessions as the deadlock continues.
Warren downplays Nazi-linked symbol after scrutinizing Hegseth’s Christian tattoos
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sidestepped Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo in her glowing endorsement Thursday, despite previously expressing alarm over Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Christian tattoos.
Warren, one of the Senate’s most liberal members who is seeking to recruit progressive candidates, endorsed Platner’s campaign in a video posted to social media Wednesday, calling him “the real deal.”
“Graham Platner has the grit to go against the grain and to fight for what is right,” Warren said. “And the people in Maine are fired up and excited for change.”
The 41-year-old oyster farmer has been widely criticized for having a chest tattoo of a skull and crossbones resembling a Nazi-linked symbol associated with the SS. Platner has since had the tattoo removed and pleaded ignorance, saying he was unaware of the symbol’s meaning.
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When asked about Platner’s host of controversies, Warren largely brushed it off.
“Look, he has apologized for that, and he’s out there talking to the people of Maine every single day,” Warren told Huffpost on Thursday.
Warren’s remarks sharply contrasted with her scrutiny of Hegseth for his Christian tattoos. In the lead-up to Hegseth’s confirmation hearing in early 2025, Warren implied that Hegseth could be a traitor for having certain Christian symbols on his body.
The Massachusetts Democrat specifically referenced a Reuters report detailing Hegseth being removed from National Guard duty during former President Joe Biden’s inauguration by a supervisor, who appears to have made a dubious assumption that he could be an “insider threat” over his Christian tattoos.
Hegseth had volunteered for inauguration security as a member of the D.C. National Guard and had been employed by Fox News at the time. A senior National Guard member expressed concern over his tattoos of the Jerusalem Cross and the Latin phrase “Deus Vult,” which translates to “God wills it.”
Four years later, Warren used the incident to question Hegseth’s loyalty to the United States, despite his completing multiple overseas deployments and earning two Bronze Stars.
“We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow servicemembers feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat,” Warren wrote in a 33-page letter to Hegseth.
Fox News Digital reached out to Warren’s office for comment.
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Hegseth defended his tattoos in an exchange with Sen. Kristen Gillibrand during his confirmation hearing. Gillibrand, who chairs Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, is notably backing Gov. Janet Mills, Platner’s opponent in the Senate primary.
Both Mills and Platner are vying for the Democratic nomination to unseat longtime Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
The tattoo is spotlighted in a blistering new attack ad against Platner launched by Mills’ campaign.
The ad, which the Mills campaign says it’s spending six figures to run statewide, closes with video of Platner shirtless as the narrator in the spot says, “The closer you look, the worse it gets.”
Controversial comments Platner made over a decade ago on Reddit about rape are also included in the ad.
The Mills campaign’s spot highlights Platner’s comments while an actor — in a voice that resembles the candidate — reads the comment aloud. Among the comments is one from 2013, which Platner later deleted, saying people concerned about rape should not “get so f—ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”
Four women in the Mills ad responded to the comments, calling them, “a horrible thing to say,” “disgusting” and “disqualifying.”
Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.
“For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” he said in a video that went viral.
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The Mills ad was launched as Platner appeared to be gaining momentum while drawing large crowds at campaign events across the state. According to recent polls, Platner holds a large lead over Mills with less than three months until Maine’s primary.
Democrats view Collins as vulnerable as she seeks a sixth Senate term in the left-leaning New England state. The race is considered a must-win contest for Democrats as they try to claw back the chamber’s majority from the GOP in this year’s midterms.
Elon Musk’s bold move that could upend TSA workers’ pay standoff amid DHS shutdown
Elon Musk offered to cover the salaries of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel during the ongoing government funding standoff.
“I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” Musk said in an X post on Saturday morning.
Musk’s offer comes as a partial government shutdown passes one month, with lawmakers unable to reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the TSA.
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The DHS shutdown has left TSA agents working without pay, triggering staffing shortages and long airport lines nationwide, while raising concerns about the ability to prevent attacks.
Republicans have pushed to fund DHS, while Democrats have sought standalone funding for agencies like TSA that would exclude immigration operations.
TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even during a shutdown, though pay can be delayed.
Musk’s offer appeared aimed at easing the strain as airport lines grow and staffing pressures build.
Major U.S. airports have experienced severe delays, with security wait times exceeding 3 hours in some cases, due to high TSA officer absenteeism. Hardest-hit airports include Houston (HOU, IAH), Atlanta (ATL), New Orleans (MSY), and Philadelphia (PHL).
Footage from PHL, shot early Thursday morning, showed hundreds of passengers waiting on elevators and escalators to clear a security checkpoint.
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It comes as a top TSA union leader warned Thursday that airport security risks linked to the shutdown are set to “get worse,” given that TSA has been under a hiring freeze since last year.
It remains unclear how Musk’s proposed arrangement would work or whether it would be legally possible for a private individual to fund federal workers.
Long-term alcohol habit may be tied to a troubling cancer trend, doctors warn
Colorectal cancer is now officially the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women 50 and younger, according to research from the American Cancer Society.
While some risk factors — like age, family history and genetics — can’t be controlled, there are some lifestyle behaviors that can increase the chances of the disease.
One of those is drinking alcohol, which has been linked to an increased risk of at least six different types of cancer.
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The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies alcoholic beverages as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means there is strong, sufficient evidence that it causes cancer in humans.
Dr. Tereza Cristina Sardinha, MD, chief of colon and rectal surgery services at Catholic Health on Long Island, New York, confirmed that alcohol is a well-known risk factor for all cancers, but particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract.
“The alcohol, or ethanol, will metabolize and break down into acetaldehyde,” she shared with Fox News Digital. “This metabolism of alcohol is very toxic to the DNA of the cell, which over time can lead to the development of cancer.”
Alcohol also changes the microbiome of the gut, which is another strong factor in cancer risk, according to Sardinha.
“The microbiome has a significant effect on many pathogens in the colon and rectum, and diet and alcohol definitely affect the types of bacteria in your gut.”
When the gut’s “first line of defense” is disrupted, it can trigger a series of changes — particularly DNA damage, inflammation and oxidative stress within cells, the doctor said.
“These processes are closely linked to cancer development, which is why alcohol is considered a carcinogen.”
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The relationship between alcohol and colorectal cancer risk is “dose-dependent,” she said.
“Patients who drink regularly for a long period of time, meaning at least 10 years, will have a lifetime increase in the development of colorectal cancer.”
Research shows that for those who drink at least two drinks per day — which is considered “moderate consumption,” the doctor said — the lifetime risk of colorectal cancer will increase by at least 25%.
A heavier drinker, consuming more than two drinks a day, will have an exponentially greater risk.
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“What really makes the difference is not only the volume, but the frequency,” Sardinha said. “I just saw one of my patients who I operated on last week and she drinks six beers a day, and she developed colon cancer. She’s not morbidly obese, she’s not a smoker. The only risk factor she has is alcohol.”
The doctor advises her patients to avoid alcohol, “or at least minimize intake.”
“What really makes the difference is not only the volume, but the frequency.”
If someone stops drinking, the risk won’t disappear immediately, the doctor noted.
“It takes about an average of 10 years to know if cancer risk decreased or not,” she said. “But we do know that if you continue drinking, your risk will definitely increase.”
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“That’s why we recommend that patients stop drinking or exponentially decrease their intake, in the same way we tell them to exercise and increase fruits and vegetables in their diet.”
Sardinha pointed out that alcohol isn’t the only culprit.
“Not all heavy drinkers develop cancer, so there has to be some other mechanism that plays a role,” she said.
And not all types of alcohol are equal in terms of colorectal cancer risk, according to Dr. Nathan Goodyear, integrative medicine physician at Williams Cancer Institute in California.
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“The negative impact of spirits (hard liquor) is greater than beer, which is more than wine,” he told Fox News Digital.
A Danish study also found that wine consumption was associated with a lower risk of death, while beer and spirits were not, Goodyear pointed out. Spirits had the highest risk, especially at three to five drinks per day.
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“The effects of wine, beer and spirits were independent of each other,” the doctor said.
The context in which alcohol is consumed can also play a role, he noted.
“In the U.S., alcohol is often used in the context of addiction — another hit to keep the high,” Goodyear said. “But in some communities, such as Sardina, Italy, and Ikaria, Greece, wine is part of the culture, social connections and community.”
“Wine is taken outside the context of addiction, and taken within the context of a plant-based diet, social settings, daily movement, faith, community and life.”
Other ways to minimize risk
In addition to stopping or limiting alcohol intake, Sardinha shared other healthy lifestyle behaviors that have been shown to decrease the chances of colorectal cancer.
One “huge and well-established” factor is regular exercise, she said.
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“If you don’t exercise, if you don’t move, you definitely increase your risk of colorectal cancer,” she told Fox News Digital. “Even for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, once they have surgery and are able to exercise, that will improve their long-term prognosis.”
Smoking is another highly carcinogenic habit — and it’s a common myth that it’s only associated with lung cancer.
“We do know that if you continue drinking, your risk will definitely increase.”
“Smoking is a risk factor for most cancers, and colorectal cancer is one of them,” Sardinha said.
Taking steps to address and prevent obesity is also a well-established way to minimize risk, as is adopting a healthy, high-fiber diet to promote proper bowel function, according to the doctor.
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“Diets that are lower in fiber are often more constipating — and therefore, if there’s anything in the food that is carcinogenic, that is going to have more direct, prolonged contact with the bowel wall, with the cells, and increases the chances of DNA damage,” she said.
“Obviously, we cannot change our family history — but those good lifestyle habits will make a difference in the risk of colorectal cancer.”
Tallest college basketball player ever towers over 6-foot-8 opponent in viral March Madness moment
Not often does a 6-foot-8 basketball player look small on the court, but that’s what the tallest college basketball player ever did on Friday night.
Florida’s Olivier Rioux entered the game late in the team’s dominant 114-55 win over No. 16 Prairie View A&M at Benchmark International Arena, and at 7-foot-9, he floored his opponents with his height.
Prairie View A&M forward Hassane Diallo, who stands at 6-foot-8, a full foot shorter than Rioux, went viral for sizing up the towering 20-year-old as he entered the game. Rioux was the world’s tallest teenager before his birthday last month.
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Rioux has been little used throughout the year as he continues to develop, but has become a fan favorite in short order. Whenever the Gators are up big late in games, the Florida crowd chants Rioux’s name at head coach Todd Golden, wanting to see the tall center in action.
Rioux sent the crowd into a frenzy when he checked into the game with about two minutes left. He sent them into even further hysteria when he slammed home a put-back dunk for his first career NCAA tournament points, as fans rained down “Oli! Oli!” chants.
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Florida’s victory was historic, as the 59-point margin of victory was the second-largest in NCAA tournament history.
Prairie View A&M was down 30 points when head coach Byron Smith was asked by the TNT broadcast during a midgame interview what it would take to slow down Florida.
“We need some help from the Lord,” Smith replied.
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Prairie View A&M did not end up getting any help from above, as the defending champions steamrolled their way into the second round.
No. 1 Florida will play No. 9 Iowa on Sunday at 7:10 p.m. ET, when Gator fans hope for another chance to see Rioux in action.
Young girl dies after dangerous trend goes viral as parents warn ‘life and death’
A Texas girl has died after accidentally strangling herself while taking part in the viral “blackout challenge,” as her family is speaking out to warn other families of the dangerous trend sweeping social media.
JackLynn Blackwell, 9, was killed after she choked herself in the backyard of her family’s Stephenville home on Feb. 3, according to CBS News.
“She goes out to play like she always does, out in the yard. I noticed it’s kind of quiet — quieter than it should’ve been,” her father, Curtis Blackwell, told the outlet as he described the moment he found his daughter.
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“Then I saw her kind of around the corner that goes to the carport, saw her hair. I said, ‘JackLynn!’ I thought she was bending over playing ’cause she was always in that area playing, but she wasn’t playing.”
The father quickly went to check on his daughter, who was found motionless with a cord wrapped around her neck.
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“I tried to do everything I could to save her,” Curtis Blackwell told the outlet. “I got her off the cord. I tried to give her CPR until the first responders got there. It was the most terrifying, shocking thing I’ve ever seen.”
The incident unfolded after JackLynn showed her grandmother a video of the online challenge in which children and teens film themselves intentionally being choked to the point of blacking out or experiencing a euphoric “high,” according to CBS.
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“It was horrible to see my daughter in such a vulnerable state because of something so senseless.”
In light of their daughter’s tragic death, JackLynn’s parents are slamming social media companies for allowing such dangerous videos to circulate on their platforms, CBS reported.
“It’s not a joke, it’s not a game, it’s life and death,” Curtis Blackwell said, according to the outlet.
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“Most of the kids are like 9 years old to 14 years old. A lot of kids her age, their brains aren’t fully developed, and they are very easily influenced.”
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Approximately 80 children have died from the online trend, according to the CDC, CBS reported.
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Several social media companies are reportedly blocking videos related to the deadly challenge or issuing warnings to viewers who search for related keywords.
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However, the warnings are too late for JackLynn’s grieving parents, who are looking to hold social media companies accountable for the videos posted to their platforms.
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“You could check on your kid, it could be kid-friendly videos, and then three minutes later it could be totally something dark because of the algorithms they start creating,” Curtis Blackwell told CBS. “There’s too many of these kids lost for these companies not to be held accountable in my eyes.”
DAVID MARCUS: Democrat logic: Chicago raises hotel tax … to attract tourists
Just when you thought that the hare-brained schemes of the Democrats who run our beleaguered big cities couldn’t get goofier, Chicago has passed a new doozy. The Windy City is raising hotel taxes to, get this, increase tourism.
Ordinance 2026-0022544 will raise the tax on hotel rooms within that district to 19% from the rate of 17.5%, with the proceeds going to an organization called Choose Chicago, which will use the cash for tourism marketing campaigns.
The top target on Choose Chicago’s wish list of events is the 2028 Democratic National Convention, and now, everyone who books a room in Second City gets to chip in a bit on the effort.
It’s quite a thing: Only a leftist Democrat could possibly think that making it more expensive to visit Chicago will increase tourism. Maybe they should throw in a complimentary mugging to sweeten the deal.
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Now, everyday working-class tourists and business travelers will be paying directly out of pocket to pay for a campaign run by Democrats to attract the Democratic Party to town.
What we are really seeing at play here is not so much an effort to woo travelers to Chicago, but rather a kind of Tammany Hall-style patronage program in which the Democrats who run the city hand out expensive jobs to their friends.
This is, on a somewhat smaller scale, is exactly the type of scandal that helped to sink Kristi Noem’s tenure as secretary of Homeland Security, after she allegedly gave advertising contracts worth hundreds of millions to those close to her and her reported paramour, Corey Lewandowski.
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Let’s be honest here, who are the Democrats who run Chicago likely to hire to attract the DNC? Probably exactly the same people who make their political ads.
It is telling that this costly effort to sell Chicago as a travel destination is not focused on the average family taking a trip to one of our nation’s great cities, but rather, on conventioneers racking up more hotel points.
It is the far-left Democratic Party in a nutshell: working class families paying the bills for the liberal elites.
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It is not just higher hotel taxes that keep the average Joe from packing up the minivan and heading to Chicago with the wife and kids. It’s that our urban centers are fast becoming playgrounds for the wealthy instead of family-friendly environments.
In big blue cities like Chicago, Portland, San Francisco and Philadelphia, one expects to walk over half-dead vagrants with needles in their arms, not a sight that any parent cherishes explaining to a young one.
But for the convention class, it’s no bother at all, they just step into their Uber X on the way to the steakhouse and fly right past the wrong sort.
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Chicago is sending the same message to working class Americans that Democrats all over the country are, that travel and tourism is not for you, that you should stay at home, watch Netflix and order UberEats while the rich people frolic.
Can Democrats just one time pass a city law that makes things less expensive for the middle class?
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The Left’s concept of governance seems to be to make everything basically free for the poor, and immigrants, show some thigh to the wealthy, and stick the ever-shrinking middle class with the bill.
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But don’t worry, the consultant class will do very well in this deal, as Choose Chicago offers them taxpayer-funded perks to bring their conventions which also pay the tax that goes right back to giving them perks.
Nice work if you can get it.
The family road trip is a staple of middle America, and Chicago, with its museums and fabulous architecture, should be the jewel of such trips. But the government of the city doesn’t seem interested in that. After all, those families have no political connections.
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If Chicago scores the DNC then I will likely be there, my company paying the new hotel taxes as I schmooze with expensive suits sipping pricey martinis. But if I want to take my son for a week, that just got more expensive.
It is the same old story with the Democrats, always taking money from hard-working Americans to hand over to their friends, and now, everyone who visits Chicago gets to chip in.
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