Liberal correspondent gives blunt assessment of VP Harris’ remarks during sit-down
An NBC News reporter took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris for “not explaining why her positions have changed” during her first interview as the Democratic nominee.
On Thursday, CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Harris about her various policy flip-flops that have raised eyebrows in recent weeks, abandoning the far-left agenda she campaigned on in 2019.
“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris told Bash.
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Liberal NBC News correspondent Yamiche Alcindor called out Harris’ non-explanation.
“Harris keeps saying ‘my values haven’t changed’ while not explaining why her positions have changed,” Alcindor wrote.
“Harris is also preparing how to describe shifting views on policy and stances such as fracking. A source told NBC News a way Harris might message on that would be to explain that her views have evolved since she got access to the presidential daily briefing and after having traveled extensively talking with everyday Americans for three years as vice president,” Alcindor added.
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Alcindor, known for her past pro-Biden-Harris coverage, sparked online reactions to her blunt assessment of Harris’ remarks.
“An interview so catastrophic that the regime press has to acknowledge it,” The Blaze columnist Auron MacIntyre posted.
“Um, based Yamiche???” Habibi Bros. co-host Siraj Hashmi exclaimed.
“When you’ve lost Yamiche …” former Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh wrote.
“Madame Vice President, Yamiche has fallen,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Joe Gabriel Simonson quipped.
CNN ANCHOR: DID HARRIS ‘WAIT TOO LONG’ TO SCHEDULE HER FIRST INTERVIEW?
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Harris had gone nearly a whopping 40 days before sitting down for an interview since she emerged as the Democratic nominee. Her reluctance to grant interviews and hold press conferences was increasingly criticized, which only intensified following last week’s Democratic convention.
The vice president also was slammed for doing her first interview on candidate alongside her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, rather than a solo sit-down.
NHL star and brother reportedly killed in accident on eve of sister’s wedding
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were reportedly killed in a cycling crash in New Jersey on Thursday night when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver. The NHL team confirmed news of their passing in a statement early Friday morning.
Gaudreau was 31, and his brother was 29.
“The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy. Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend,” their statement read.
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“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew.”
According to FOX 29, officials said the brothers were riding bikes on a rural road in Oldmans Township at around 8:30 p.m. when they were struck by a car. The driver of the car reportedly stayed on site.
According to New Jersey State police, the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road when 43-year-old Sean Higgins, driving in the same direction, attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Higgins was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto and jailed at the Salem County Correctional Facility.
Gaudreau, who joined the Blue Jackets in 2022 after nine years with the Calgary Flames, and his brother were reportedly set to be groomsmen at their sister’s wedding in Philadelphia on Friday, The Columbus Dispatch reported, citing a post on a wedding website.
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“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice. He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him,” the Blue Jackets’ statement continued.
“Johnny embraced our community when he arrived two years ago, and Columbus welcomed him with open arms. We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy. At this time, we ask for prayers for the Gaudreau family and that their privacy be respected as they grieve.”
Gaudreau and his brother both played hockey at Boston College. Matthew Gaudreau, 29, also played hockey for various minor league teams.
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“Johnny Hockey,” the nickname he was given in college after helping lead the Eagles to a national title in 2012, was drafted by the Flames in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft. He played nine seasons in Calgary before signing a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets in 2022.
“The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path.”
“He will be remembered fondly in Calgary, where he played his first nine seasons with the Flames from 2013-14 to 2021-22, emerging as one of our League’s brightest young stars while compiling the franchise’s fifth-highest career points total. His loss also will be felt profoundly in Columbus, the city in which he chose to settle his family and where he was one of the respected, veteran leaders of a club building toward the playoffs. And both Johnny and Matthew will be mourned at Boston College, where they were teammates the year Johnny won the Hobey Baker Award in 2013-14, and at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, where both played and where Matthew was the head hockey coach following his own five-year pro playing career.”
Anchor warns VP Harris in for a difficult debate with former President Trump
CNN host Abby Phillip warned Vice President Kamala Harris that she could not afford to ignore former President Trump on stage despite her refusal to respond to criticisms from him during a CNN interview on Thursday.
“Let’s not be mistaken, Donald Trump is tall and very loud, and he’s very persistent,” Phillip said in a discussion Thursday night about Harris’ ability to ignore Trump’s criticisms while on stage with him for a debate.
Harris refused to respond to comments that Trump made at the National Association of Black Journalists about the vice president’s presentation of her racial identity during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.
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“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now, she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said of Harris during the July event. “So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”
“Same old tired playbook,” Harris said when questioned about Trump’s comments by Bash. “Next question, please.”
Phillip was not convinced that Harris’ response to that and other digs by Trump would be adequate during the debate between Trump and Harris on Sept. 10.
“It’s not going to be so easy to just say, ‘OK, let’s move on,’ he’s going to be right there on stage,” Phillip said.
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CNN political commentators on Phillip’s panel were divided on how Harris would counter Trump on the debate stage.
Former National Coalitions Director for Biden-Harris 2020, Ashley Allison, said that Harris should ignore Trump’s comments during the debate.
“The vice president is not very tall,” Allison said of Harris. “She is a petite woman. Let him look like the bully. Let him throw out red meat and you rise above the occasion. That’s why I think it was so important that she did answer the question about race, because actually that behavior is below the office of the president.”
CNN analyst David Axelrod said that Harris made the right decision in her CNN interview.
“That behavior of Donald Trump’s really does raise the question, ‘do you want this for the next four years or do you want someone who’s focused on your problems?’ And I think that pivot works,” Axelrod said.
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The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Police officer killed, 2 others injured in shootout with gunman
The Dallas Police Department says it is “hurting” Friday after one of its officers was killed and two others were injured by a suspect who later died in a shootout with police following a chase.
Investigators say the incident began around 10 p.m. Thursday when Dallas Police responded to an officer in distress in the 900 block of East Ledbetter Drive. When they arrived, they found an officer “shot in a marked squad car” and “exchanged gunfire with a suspect at the scene”, during which two other officers were struck.
“A suspect sped from the scene, and officers pursued the suspect which ended in Lewisville in the 1000 block of Stemmons Freeway,” Dallas Police added. “The preliminary investigation determined the suspect got out of the vehicle with a long gun and was shot by Dallas Police officers and he died at the scene.”
Dallas Police spokesperson Kristin Lowman said at an early morning news conference Friday that “our department is hurting” and “we have officers who are injured who are in the hospital and we lost one of our own.”
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“We ask tonight and this morning for the thoughts and prayers of our city, for not only those who are recovering in the hospital but for our fallen, for their family, and for their loved ones, and for us as a department as well,” she said.
The names of those involved have not been released and the suspect’s motive is unclear.
Dallas Police say one of the injured officers is in critical condition, while the other is in stable condition.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia wrote on X this morning that he has “no words.”
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“Flags at all city facilities will be flown at half-staff,” the department also announced Friday, noting that an investigation is ongoing.
Dozens of police officers could be seen throughout the night waiting outside the Methodist Dallas Medical Center, where the fallen officer had been taken, according to KDFW.
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That officer later was taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office in a procession that unfolded around 4 a.m., the station adds.
Parents fume after all-male migrant shelter opens just feet away from elementary school
As New York City students prepare to return to class, residents in Brooklyn are infuriated by city officials’ decision to open an all-male migrant shelter just feet away from an elementary school.
“I try not to worry about this too much,” Brooklyn mom Irina Edelstein said on “Fox & Friends First” Thursday. “There’s enough running around and getting ready for school as it is. And, trying not to let anxiety get to me.”
The 400-bed migrant shelter opened in Gowanus in April, roughly 1,000 feet from City Life Academy, a private Christian K-12 school.
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School leaders and residents in the Brooklyn neighborhood were left outraged over an alleged lack of transparency from city leaders, as well as the proximity of the shelter to the school.
“No one told us from the city side about the shelter’s coming up,” the mother of three said. “We found out from local residents when they stopped us at the pickup and they said, did you guys know right around the corner here, the shelter’s opening up for 400 men. None of us knew. Even the principal didn’t know.”
City officials did not follow environmental testing protocols and violated other building codes to accelerate the shelter’s opening, according to an investigation by the International Women’s Forum (IWF).
“Our school hosted the meeting where council members said that ‘we reached out to all the schools, we spoke to all the principals,’ which is absolutely not true,” Edelstein said.
The NYC Mayor’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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While Brooklyn is thousands of miles from the southern border, the borough, like the rest of New York City, is facing an overwhelming surge of migrants. According to city officials, over 200,000 migrants have descended on New York City since the spring of 2022.
The migrant surge has prompted the city to cut budgets and allocate more spending for sanctuary city services. New York City is soon projected to have spent more than $5 billion over the last two years on the migrant crisis – an estimate that is expected to double by 2025.
Along with expenses, the migrant surge has also led to a rise in crime, including high-profile crimes like the attack on NYPD officers earlier this year and a migrant accused of raping a woman at knifepoint earlier this month.
Edelstein recounted one time when an alleged migrant was spotted trying to break into her car while she was picking up her children from school.
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“I was walking back to my car and one parent stopped me and she said, there are two guys [that] just walked by your car and tried to open it while you were inside the school. And she said that looked like the guys who were residents of the nearby shelter,” she told host Todd Piro.
Illegal immigrant suspect in Laken Riley murder case wants certain evidence hidden
FIRST ON FOX – Jose Ibarra, the suspect charged in the February murder of Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley, is asking for a hearing to suppress a list of evidentiary items, including cellphones, a buccal swab and social media accounts.
Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, is accused of attacking and killing Riley, 22, while she was out for a run along dirt trails on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on the morning of Feb. 22.
Specifically, Ibarra is asking to suppress “(a) two cellular devices believed by the State to belong to Defendant and the information contained within them; (b) genetic and physical information taken from the person of Defendant; (c) the contents of Defendant’s social media accounts, which include Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram; and (d) location data obtained from Google, Inc. In support of this motion,” a court document filed on Thursday reads.
Ibarra’s defense is arguing that the aforementioned items were unlawfully collected by law enforcement and that detectives entered his residence without a search warrant. He is asking for the evidence to be suppressed under the “fruit of the poisonous tree” doctrine, which makes certain evidence inadmissible if acquired through illegal measures.
SUSPECT IN LAKEN RILEY’S MURDER IS INDICTED
Ibarra’s defense further states in court documents filed Thursday that the suspect was “detained without reasonable suspicion that he had committed any offense on February 23, 2024.”
In addition to his request to suppress evidence, Ibarra is also asking to exclude testimony from a witness who performed DNA testing during Riley’s autopsy, alleging that the results “did not exclude Defendant, but also did not exclude another known individual associated with the case.”
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“Due to the complexity of the mixture used in testing, the testing was analyzed by using TrueAllele Casework Software. Results of this analysis were reported by [Ashley Hinkle, forensic biologist for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation] on April 3, 2024. Those results gave various probabilities of whether or not the sample in question was more or less likely to be a particular individual or a coincidental match,” court documents state.
A Georgia grand jury in May indicted Ibarra on counts of malice murder, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape, two counts of aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a person from making a 911 call, tampering with evidence and being a “peeping Tom.”
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The suspect is accused of causing Riley’s death by inflicting blunt-force trauma to her head and “asphyxiating her in a manner unknown to jurors,” the indictment states.
The suspect is also accused of going to a residence on UGA’s campus, where he “peeped through” a window and “spied upon” a university staff member on the same day he allegedly killed Riley, the indictment alleges.
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Ibarra and his brothers, also in the United States illegally from Venezuela, lived in an apartment building that sits on the edge of the on-campus park where Riley was running, allegedly murdered the aspiring nurse in what UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described as a “crime of opportunity.”
The quiet, wooded loop Riley ran that morning is easily accessible from behind Ibarra’s apartment complex. It is a five-minute walk from Ibarra’s door to the approximate scene where Riley was found dead.
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The 26-year-old suspect illegally crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, ICE and DHS sources previously told Fox News. His older brother, Diego Ibarra, is charged with green card fraud and had ties to a known Venezuelan gang in the U.S., according to federal court documents.
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UGA said in a February statement following Riley’s death that the school has invested $16 million “over the last eight years to hire more police officers, install more security cameras, enhance lighting, establish a nightly rideshare program, and create a UGASafe app.”
Since February, the school has committed more than $7.3 million to more safety measures, including a 20% increase to UGA’s police budget, emergency blue lights, and a university-focused rideshare program.
Ibarra’s trial is scheduled to take place in November.
‘The King of Queens’ star explains why she’s divorcing husband of over 20 years
Leah Remini and Angelo Pagán have decided to call it quits after 21 years of marriage.
The former couple shared a joint statement on social media and detailed the reasons they’re getting a divorce.
“Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,” the lengthy Instagram post began.
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“This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us. We are proud of how we have worked through this together.”
The couple accompanied their statement with a throwback photo of the two, next to a picture of them in the present day.
“This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us. We are proud of how we have worked through this together.”
“Yes, we’re sad, and we’ve got some figuring out to do as we continue to move forward into our new normal—together still in many ways, and apart in some new ones,” the post continued.
Despite being “best friends” for many years and still gathering as a family, the pair listed reasons why they have decided to part ways.
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“To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore. After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today,” they added.
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“Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different. We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate.”
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The post referred to their daughter, Sofia Bella. Remini and Pagán welcomed Sofia on June 16, 2004. Pagán has three additional sons from a previous relationship.
“From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success,” the statement continued. “And now, we’re looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way.”
Remini and Pagán explained they wanted to be as “transparent” as possible, since their marriage had been in the public eyes for years. The two actors were featured in special projects that aired on VH1 and had a reality show, “Leah Remini: It’s All Relative” that ran for two seasons on TLC from 2014 to 2015.
“We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly.”
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They added that they want people to “have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year.”
“We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren’t failures. We’ll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter. Love, Leah & Angelo.”
Remini and Pagán tied the knot in 2003 after they met at a Cuban club, El Floridita, in Los Angeles, where Pagán was performing in 1996.
Their announcement comes a week after longtime friend Jennifer Lopez additionally filed for divorce from Ben Affleck.
In May, Remini and Lopez reconnected after having a falling-out in 2022 over Affleck, according to Page Six.
“The King of Queens” actress warned Lopez to remember the reason she originally broke up with Affleck when they first dated in 2002: “Because he is selfish and is not fully committed as a partner,” a source said at the time.
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Remini did not attend Lopez and Affleck’s second wedding ceremony in Georgia.
Reps for Remini and Pagán did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Navy veteran, ‘pirate’ performer cited for ‘liquid littering’ after blowing bubbles in park
A Navy veteran in California has been entertaining the local community with his creative bubble performances for over 10 years.
But Sandy Snakenberg, known as the “Bubble Pirate,” was donning his pirate costume and performing his usual bubble show at La Jolla Cove in San Diego last week when he was issued a ticket by park officials, he told Fox News Digital.
The ticket alleges that Snakenberg, 63, violated San Diego’s municipal code against littering due to the fluid from his bubbles.
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Snakenberg said in a phone interview that he asked the park ranger to note that the liquid was from bubbles, but the officer did not do so, he said.
The ticket mandates that Snakenberg appear in court in October.
Snakenberg told Fox News Digital he is a disabled Navy veteran who has traveled all over the world for a variety of jobs in his life.
He once owned a gym in Singapore, he said, to benefit individuals with special needs.
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Snakenberg said he has dyslexia. He makes his living from his bubble artistry and entertainment, he said. The van with all of his equipment and props doubles as his home.
“I was becoming more involved with bubbles, more professionally, making my own juices, my own devices. I did a Ted talk while in Singapore,” he said.
The Ted talk he delivered in 2016 is called “Lessons of the Bubbles.” It’s described online as a presentation of “his journey and lessons learned not just from the bubbles but from his observations of others when exposed or re-exposed to their magic.”
Said Snakenberg, “During that time, I suffered heart failure, [then] started to do a trip around the world doing bubbles modeled after my Ted talk
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The talk was based on a sociological experience with bubbles and their “connective” properties, he said.
“I was just enjoying blowing the simple bubbles that you blow and people walking by were enjoying them,” he told Fox 5 San Diego. “I got kind of hooked sharing the joy of it.”
That grew into what he practices today.
“I practice what is known as bubbleology. It’s a real thing,” he said.
Lately, said Snakenberg, vendors and artists in the community have been getting “herded” into designated four feet-by-eight feet areas by officials.
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“They’re making everybody fight for these four by eight spaces, which are limited,” he said.
“They are not in locations the artists would have chosen for themselves. I choose my location for safety reasons, both environmental and public, because if my bubbles go flying off into the streets, so will the kids.”
A City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital via email, “The City of San Diego values the rights of community members to engage in expressive activity in City parks, including artistic expression. This does require those engaging in these activities to do so in accordance with other City codes and regulations, including those related to littering and disposal of waste.”
“Rangers issued the lowest level citation available.”
The spokesperson added, “In this instance, Park Rangers attempted to educate the individual numerous times that the residual substances from the bubbles are in violation of the City’s municipal code as it relates to littering (SDMC 63.0102(c)(8) Littering). The individual uses up to six gallons of liquid per day with the residual chemicals ending up in the lawn areas, which can cause damage to the grass.”
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“After witnessing numerous violations and receiving complaints from other park users, Rangers issued the lowest level citation available.”
Snakenberg said, “If I thought I was in any way damaging the environment or hurting people, I wouldn’t be around very long. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years.”
“It’s not just my livelihood, it’s something that is actually part of the community now,” he told Fox 5 San Diego — noting that many of the same people have been coming to see him perform for years.