Woman killed on Christmas after neighbor’s new handgun practice goes wrong
An Oklahoma man is facing a first-degree manslaughter charge after authorities say a bullet he fired while doing target practice in his backyard struck and killed a woman sitting with her family on Christmas Day.
Cody Adams, 33, was charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection with the shooting, court records show.
At approximately 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 25, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a shooting in Stephens County, Oklahoma, where Sandra Phelps was fatally struck while sitting on her front porch holding a child, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Witnesses told deputies they periodically heard gunshots over several minutes north of the residence, before Phelps said “ouch” and collapsed, the affidavit states. Moments before, Phelps allegedly commented that someone got a new gun for Christmas.
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Investigators determined the bullet entered Phelps’ upper right arm and traveled into her chest, consistent with a steep downward angle.
A canvass of nearby properties identified one residence without a suitable shooting backstop, which belonged to Adams, according to the affidavit.
Adams told deputies he had been shooting a new Glock .45-caliber handgun he bought for himself for Christmas, and he showed police where he had been shooting in his backyard at a Red Bull on the ground.
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The affidavit states that “there was nothing behind his property to stop any bullets from traveling beyond his property and hurting someone.”
Investigators also found spent shell casings and a piece of broken ceramic tile in front of the target, which they say likely caused the bullet’s altered trajectory, according to the affidavit.
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Adams later told police he was “sorry” and “became visibly upset” after being informed they believed his bullet caused Phelps’ death.
Adams appeared in court on Friday and was released on a $100,000 bond, according to court records.
University president offers hopeful message as school bucks trend of left-wing bias
PHOENIX — The president of a private university in Michigan whose values are based on America’s founding principles is hopeful for the future of academia, despite higher education’s reputation for administrative bloat and fealty to left-wing values.
Dr. Kent MacDonald is the president of Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, home to more than 2,000 undergraduate students.
“The way we approach it at Northwood University is what we call the ‘Northwood Idea,'” MacDonald told Fox News Digital at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference in Phoenix. “It’s been around for decades. These fundamental beliefs on free enterprise, limited government, rule of law, private property, and my favorite as a father and as a president is personal responsibility.”
The school’s leader was featured during a Dec. 20 breakout session at the conference titled, “Restoring Higher Education With Ideals That Built a Free Nation.” Several of his students, whom he knows on a personal basis, were in attendance.
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Those uniquely American principles, MacDonald said, comprise what he calls America’s “free enterprise university.” Most students focus strictly on business and management educations, and one in three alumni owns their own business.
“We’re absolutely unapologetic in our belief that free enterprise and capitalism is what will make the country prosper, and it’s fundamentally based on the founders’ principles and what they believed this country should be,” he said.
The school, which says it has no debt and prides itself on abstaining from superfluous administrative bloat, leaves no room for institutional bias.
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We talk a lot about civility in campuses,” MacDonald said. “There’s a lot of times I don’t see it anymore, but at Northwood, it’s a peaceful place. We have our students deal with uncomfortable topics. We deeply believe in freedom of speech, and I’ve said, look, if you are uncomfortable at Northwood at some point, we’ve done our job.
During his panel at AmericaFest, MacDonald spoke about what he termed “ideological drift,” an idea that American universities have moved and are continuing to move further to the political left.
“It goes back maybe a hundred years and we’ve had evidence of there being faculty and students who exposed the left-leaning views of a disproportionate number of people in positions of authority, including the most important ones at a university — the faculty,” he said.
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“These great schools that people come from around the world [to attend] continue to have a disproportionate number of faculty, in particular with left-leaning ideologies, and that makes its way into the classroom and I think that that does not do a service to people who have studied [at] universities, who believe in what we’re supposed to be doing.” he said, adding that the institutional bias is an “absolute disservice” to the mission of higher education.
In his talk, MacDonald also referenced declining participation in higher education among men, which he believes starts in the K-12 education system.
“What I think we need to do is find an opportunity and be positive in terms of masculinity,” he said. “Allow [men] to be gentlemen on our campus, engage them in different ways, find programs that they feel that they’re going to be successful. So it really is more of a societal issue that we need to start to deal with because it’s not just for those men, it’s for society as a whole.”
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“The lack of productivity and human value that we’re losing in these young men is a serious concern and that will lead to all kinds of other challenges socially,” he continued.
Students who spoke with Fox News Digital after MacDonald’s session are all-in on Northwood, particularly at a place where the free exchange of ideas is welcome.
Julian Lee is part of an accelerated MBA program at the school. He’s of Hmong descent, a small ethnic group in Southeast Asia known for offering support to American troops in the Vietnam War. He’s proud of his heritage, and also proud to be an American.
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“I truly believe in capitalism,” he told Fox News Digital. “Like, your merits are what get you things in life, and also based off of your merits, you will see the fruits of your labor. And so I truly believe in that, and on campus, you can see that with the students in how competitive they are, and how focused they are in their own craft and what they want to do.”
Lee also said many students at the school are rooted in their Christian faith, though the school has no official religious affiliation.
“Our university gives us the freedom to debate, the freedom of religion, the freedom to express whatever ideas that you may have,” he said.
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Caiden Doan is a junior studying business management and entrepreneurship.
“You can sit in a classroom and debate with people who might not agree with you, and you can hear their side, but no one — like [MacDonald] said — you’ll go out to lunch with them right after,” he said. “It’ll be the same friendship that you had.”
Despite its problems, MacDonald has hope for the institution of academia. He also said that America’s universities are still the envy of the world.
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If we can go back to the values of respect and integrity and civility and seek truth in all of our learning, life will get a lot better,” he said.
“It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be a long journey, but I’m still hopeful and on this one I believe in higher educationI deeply believe in American higher education, and I don’t have to go any further than walking to campus at Northwood University to say there is hope. And it’s not just us. There’s others, and there’s pockets in other institutions. We just need to celebrate those.”
Packers fan shoves Ravens star out of stands after touchdown celebration gone wrong
A Green Bay Packers fan was seen pushing Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers after the player performed his own rendition of the Lambeau Leap.
Flowers scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Huntley in the fourth quarter to help push the Ravens’ lead to 10 points. The Pro Bowl wide receiver found a Ravens fan sitting in a sea of yellow and green and jumped into the stands to celebrate the score.
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The Packers fan sitting next to the Ravens supporter pushed Flowers out of the stands and back onto the field. A security officer who was near the barrier between the field and the fans scolded the Packers backer. It didn’t immediately appear that the incident escalated from there.
The incident comes nearly a week after a Detroit Lions fan was involved in an altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf. The Steelers star was seen taking a swing at the fan who heckled him. Metcalf was suspended for two games over the incident.
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There is still a mystery over what was said that sparked the incident. The reports indicated that derogatory and racial remarks were hurled toward Metcalf. But the fan said at a press conference earlier this week no such remarks were made.
Ravens star Lamar Jackson was involved in a fan incident at Highmark Stadium during a game against the Buffalo Bills. He pushed a fan back into his seat after the fan slapped the helmets of Ravens players. The fan was reportedly indefinitely banned from all NFL stadiums.
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Meanwhile, the Ravens defeated the Packers on Saturday night and kept their playoff hopes alive.
America’s silent killer lurks as surgeon general warned of loneliness ‘epidemic’
In 2024, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring loneliness a public health epidemic. He wasn’t exaggerating. The data shows social isolation is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and raises the risk of premature death by nearly 30%. Yet as a nation, we’ve done remarkably little to address it.
I’ve been a practicing psychiatrist for more than 50 years. This holiday season, my phone won’t stop ringing. Patients are desperate for appointments — not because of clinical depression or anxiety disorders, but because they’re profoundly alone. A recent AARP survey found 40% of adults 45 and older feel lonely, up five points from just a few years ago. The holidays only amplify the problem.
This isn’t just a personal tragedy for millions of Americans — it’s a policy crisis. Loneliness drives up healthcare costs, reduces workforce productivity and strains an already overburdened mental health system. When people lack social connection, they get sicker more often, recover more slowly and die younger. Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers are footing the bill for what is, at its core, a social problem masquerading as a medical one.
Washington loves to debate healthcare spending. Here’s a conversation we’re not having: The most cost-effective intervention for many patients isn’t another medication or procedure — it’s human connection. And that’s something no government program can prescribe.
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But individuals can. Here’s what I tell my patients — and what I’d tell policymakers looking for upstream solutions to downstream healthcare costs:
Pick up the phone and actually call someone
Don’t wait for them to reach out. Ask how they’re doing. If it goes well, make plans. Commit to two calls a day. It sounds simple because it is.
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Help someone who has it worse
Serve food at a shelter. Join a toy drive. You’ll be surrounded by people working toward the same goal, and odds are you’ll stick around afterward to share a meal together.
Show up to your faith community
Churches, synagogues, mosques — they’ve been bringing people together during the holidays for centuries. There’s a reason it works. These institutions remain among the few spaces in American life designed specifically for communal gathering.
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Practice gratitude deliberately
When you’re lonely, you focus on what’s missing. Fight back. Write down what you’re grateful for. The research on gratitude’s psychological benefits is robust — this isn’t self-help fluff.
Get off the couch
I see it constantly — patients feel lonely, so they skip the gym. Wrong move. Exercise improves mood, and gyms, walking groups and fitness classes put you in proximity to other people pursuing the same goal.
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Stop saying no
You’d be stunned how many lonely patients admit they turned down holiday invitations. “I didn’t feel like it.” “I don’t really know them.” Enough. Say yes. You can always leave early — but only if you show up first.
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None of this requires legislation or appropriations. It requires individuals making different choices — and a cultural shift toward valuing in-person connection over digital substitutes. Our phones have made us more connected than ever and lonelier than ever. That’s not a paradox; it’s a warning.
The surgeon general was right to sound the alarm. But the cure for this epidemic won’t come from Washington. It will come from living rooms, houses of worship, community centers and every small decision to show up for another person. Loneliness isn’t a life sentence. It’s a choice we can unmake — starting now.
Ancient ‘pleasure boat’ found near ruins tied to history’s most controversial queen
Archaeologists recently discovered the remnants of an ancient Egyptian “pleasure boat” near the ruins of Cleopatra VII’s lost palace in Alexandria’s royal harbor.
The discovery was announced by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) earlier this month. The ruins were found in the great Portus Magnus of Alexandria, which is believed to hold the remnants of Cleopatra’s palace complex.
Directed by French archaeologist Franck Goddio, the excavation team uncovered an ancient vessel called a thalamegos.
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Thalamegoi were luxurious barges used for a variety of activities in Ancient Egypt, including feasting, religious ceremonies and leisure cruises.
The ship measures 115 feet long and 23 feet wide, with 92 feet of its structure preserved, the IEASM said.
“Its construction type was to obtain a maximum breadth for the ship to accommodate a central pavilion,” the organization noted.
“The particularity of the ship is the flat-bottomed hull with a hard chine at the bow and a rounded turn at the stern.”
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Archaeologists also found graffiti written in Greek, dating back to the first half of the first century A.D. — though what the graffiti says is a mystery.
The graffiti is still under study, the IEASM told Fox News Digital, but it still “reinforce[s] the hypothesis that the ship was built in Alexandria.”
The boat “would have had a luxuriously decorated cabin and seems to have been propelled only by oars,” the IEASM said.
In the press release, Goddio suggested the ship may have sunk during the destruction of the Temple of Isis in 50 A.D.
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Cleopatra, respected in Egypt but vilified in Roman accounts, promoted the cult of Isis during her reign.
“We might also suggest a ritual use for this barge,” said Goddio. “It could have belonged to the sanctuary and [have been] part of the naval ceremony, [when the] procession celebrating Isis encountered a richly decorated vessel, the Navigium.”
“This vessel was performing a yearly ritual voyage of the goddess from the Portus Magnus of Alexandria to the sanctuary of Osiris at Canopus alongside the Canopic Channel.”
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Officials stressed that research into the wreck is “still at an early stage.”
Even so, it offers a “fascinating journey into life, religion, luxury and pleasure on the waterways of early Roman Egypt.”
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The discovery follows another Cleopatra-related find that was uncovered in 2025.
Egyptian archaeologists recently uncovered a hidden harbor at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, another temple connected to the ancient queen.
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The Temple of Taposiris Magna, dedicated to the Egyptian god Osiris, is roughly 30 miles west of Alexandria.
Book revisits tense exchange between Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marlon Brando on ‘Tonight Show’
Johnny Carson’s tenure on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” produced many iconic moments.
In the new book, “Love Johnny Carson,” Carson’s superfan, Mark Malkoff, details some of the most legendary moments on the show, including a blowup between Hollywood juggernauts, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marlon Brando.
According to the book, Brando and Gabor appeared on the show alongside one another in May 1963, when Carson filmed episodes of the show live from Burbank, California.
“Brando walked out drunk and sat down next to Johnny’s previous guest, socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, who had been promoting her new face cream,” Malkoff wrote.
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While the two started off cordial, with Brando “calling Zsa Zsa fascinating and charming,” the love between them quickly faded, as Gabor began interrupting Brando constantly.
Things continued to spiral downward after Brando “told a weak knock-knock joke that garnered polite applause,” which Gabor pointed out, saying, “Only for Marlon Brando would they applaud for that.”
“Zsa Zsa changed the subject back to her face cream, rehashing the product’s incomparable benefits. ‘Are we going to have to sit here all night and listen to your crappy plugs?’ Brando asked,” according to the book.
Malkoff continues by saying that the conversation soon turned into an exchange of insults, after which “Zsa Zsa got up and stormed off the set,” while a still drunk “Brando offered a sly smile.”
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Brando is often regarded as one of the best actors of all-time. Throughout his career, the actor received eight Academy Award nominations, winning in 1955 and 1973 for his roles in “On the Waterfront” and “The Godfather” respectively.
The actor worked in Hollywood for over 50 years and had over 40 credits to his name, including both feature films and television projects.
While he continued to act, Brando’s career slowed down in the 1980s and into the early 2000s, with his final on-screen performance being in the 2001 movie, “The Score.” He died in July 2004 at the age of 80 from respiratory failure related to pulmonary fibrosis and congestive heart failure.
“Marlon Brando is one of the great men of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and we lesser mortals are obligated to cut through the s— and proclaim it,” Jack Nicholson told Rolling Stone in August 2004. “This man has been my idol all of my professional life, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. The impact of movies is enormous, and his impact in the movies was bigger than anybody else’s – ever. Mr. Brando will be there forever – that’s all there is to it. He might not like that, but he’ll be there forever anyway.”
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“To me, Marlon Brando was the greatest ever,” he later added. “That’s a truth I hold to be self-evident. But it’s like what Bum Phillips said once: ‘If he isn’t in a class by himself, it sure takes a very short time to call the roll.'”
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French screen siren Brigitte Bardot dies after decades fighting for animals
Legendary French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at 91, her foundation announced Sunday.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation announces with immense sadness the death of its founder and president, Madame Brigitte Bardot, a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation,” it said in a statement to the French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Bardot had been hospitalized briefly in late October at Saint-Jean Hospital in Toulon, where she underwent a minor surgical procedure, according to a statement from her office to AFP.
The iconic actress became known in the 1950s and 1960s for her “sex kitten” image, a label that came to define her on-screen persona.
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Bardot rose to international fame following the 1956 film “And God Created Woman,” a box office success that transformed her into a global sex symbol.
She worked with leading directors of her generation, including Jean-Luc Godard, Henri-Georges Clouzot and Louis Malle. Bardot is best known for films such as “La Vérité,” “Contempt (Le Mépris)” and “Viva Maria!”.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Bardot as a symbol of freedom, saying France had lost a “legend of the century.”
“Her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows, her generous passion for animals, her face that became Marianne, Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. French existence, universal brilliance. She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century,” he wrote on X.
Bardot famously stepped away from the spotlight in 1973 at the height of her career, later saying simply that she had “had enough.”
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“There was some exhaustion there, not just from the pace of work, but just [being] the endless subject of a camera lens, whether it’s a still camera lens or a movie lens,” James Clarke, a U.K.-based author and author of the photo book “Being Bardot,” told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “That is one of the things that come[s] out a little bit [in this book]. . . . She got to that point where it’s just like, ‘I’ve kind of done it and 20 years has been sufficient.'”
Bardot said in a new 90-minute eponymous documentary “Bardot,” which began screening in France earlier this month, that she did not care if people remembered her and hoped instead they would remember the “respect we owe to animals,” according to The Sunday Times.
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“The more I advance in my life, the more I fear humans. I’m more animal than human,” she said.
Bardot was married four times and is survived by her son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier.
Wendy’s namesake reveals father’s apology for using her as chain’s face
Many Americans know that Dave Thomas named Wendy’s after his daughter — but fewer probably know he had reservations about his choice.
Wendy Thomas was just 8 years old when her father founded the now-iconic fast-food chain in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. The restaurant was successful early on and began franchising in 1972.
As its mascot, Wendy Thomas quickly became the face of a growing brand — a role that few children ever experience.
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Wendy Thomas told People magazine last month she felt pressure from the responsibility of being the face of the chain.
“I mean, there were times I didn’t want people to know because I didn’t want them to have assumptions,” she said.
“I guess my assumption was that they wouldn’t think I was cool or hip or whatever at the time.”
As an adult in the early 1990s, she recalled her father apologizing to her during a conversation they had.
“We talked about my name and namesake, and he just goes, ‘I’m really sorry I did that to you,’ which was really … To hear your father say, ‘Probably should [have] just named it Dave’s and that’d been a lot easier,’ was a lot,” she said.
“It was just nice to hear that he felt for me a little bit.”
“And I said, ‘Well, of course, but that’s a long time ago.’ But it was just nice to hear that he felt for me a little bit, like the pressure and the responsibility of being the namesake of a restaurant.”
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Wendy Thomas told Fox News Digital that her father’s “regret” stemmed from the attention she received, rather than linking her to the brand itself.
“He never regretted me being connected to Wendy’s,” she said.
“He was protective and worried the attention could add pressure to my life.”
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“For me, carrying Wendy’s name has been an honor,” she went on. “Like any family story, there were moments to navigate, but I’ve always taken pride in what the brand stands for and in the chance to help shape it over the years.”
She added that she and her family are “incredibly proud” of what the brand has become.
“You can still feel his fingerprints in the details,” she said.
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“The pride I have is really about the people, the restaurant crew members who bring our values to life and the guests who’ve made Wendy’s part of their own family traditions.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Wendy’s said that Thomas’ legacy “is the foundation of everything we do.”
“Since our founding in 1969, our commitment to freshness, quality and the values Dave instilled — like doing the right thing and treating people with respect — has remained unwavering,” the company said.
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“As our brand continues to evolve, those core principles continue to guide every decision we make.”
Dave Thomas died in January 2002 at age 69.
Retail experts say now is the time to buy these items before prices jump in early 2026
Consumers should be stocking up on essentials, particularly in the home goods category, as those items are expected to see “noticeable” price increases in early 2026, according to Wells Fargo.
Retailers “have largely tried to either hold or modestly increase prices this holiday season across categories, with many offering targeted promotions and even deeper discounts on select items,” according to Lauren Murphy, managing director of Wells Fargo Retail Finance.
In early 2025, many retailers “strategically front-loaded inventory purchases” before they were faced with additional tariffs.
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Those duties are expected to raise the cost of new shipments, which retailers will likely pass on to consumers in 2026, Murphy warned.
From May to September, retailers increased the amount of product they had on hand by 14%. But in early 2026, the amount of inventory still in transit from overseas suppliers is projected to rise by 62%.
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Home goods retailers in particular rely heavily on imports, leaving little room to absorb rising tariff costs, so price hikes hit faster than in categories like apparel. Home retailers have already begun implementing strategic price increases, which means consumers could expect to see even higher prices in the coming months, Murphy said.
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Murphy said apparel may still see increases, but its lower base price softens the impact. Comparatively, even a 10% jump for big-ticket items can price out buyers, she warned.
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She urged shoppers eyeing things like major furniture purchases to make them now because it could mean “significant savings before prices increase in early 2026.”