Musk claims feds are ‘actively blocking’ life-saving tech from reaching Helene-ravaged areas
Elon Musk on Friday slammed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), claiming that it is blocking shipments of Starlink satellite internet deliveries in hurricane-ravaged North Carolina.
“FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!” the billionaire claimed on X.
Musk said he had just received a note from a SpaceX engineer, Starlink’s parent company, in Asheville, North Carolina, who said the company has “powered up two large operating bases for choppers to deliver goods into hands. We’ve deployed 300+ starlinks and outpour is it has saved many lives.”
But Musk said the engineer claimed that FEMA is “actively blocking shipments and seizing goods and services locally and locking them away to state they are their own. It’s very real and scary how much they have taken control to stop people helping. We are blocked now on the shipments of new starlinks coming in until we get an escort from the fire dept. but that may not be enough.”
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He later shared a text exchange with the engineer in which he claimed that FEMA was about to shut down the airspace to “‘regulate’ the private choppers we are riding in to deliver Starlink and supplies. We are pushing back with Trump team as well to help us, but not looking good.”
FEMA categorically denied the claims in a response to FOX Business.
“The claims about FEMA confiscating or taking commodities, supplies or resources in North Carolina, Tennessee, or any state impacted by Helene are false,” FEMA’s Director of Public Affairs Jaclyn Rothenberg told FOX Business. “FEMA is continuing to work with our federal family and state and local partners in the impacted areas to effectively bring in life-saving resources to the people and communities who need it most. As of Oct. 3. FEMA has deployed more than 11.5 million Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), over 12.6 million liters of water, more than 400,000 tarps and 150 generators to areas impacted by Helene.”
As of late Friday, the death toll was 230 in Helene’s wake, with most centered in North and South Carolina in the worst hurricane devastation since Katrina in 2005.
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Rothernberg added that Starlink units have been set up in North Carolina and other states in the wake of Helene.
“Connectivity is crucial to disaster response,” he told FOX Business. “FEMA has successfully deployed Starlink in multiple disasters to support disaster operations including disasters in Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. FEMA has helped provide Starlink terminals to the state of North Carolina, including to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and critical lifeline locations as determined by the state. These units are supporting state and local municipalities, Urban Search and Rescue and disaster coordination. Starlink units have been sent to multiple states in support of Hurricane Helene response efforts.”
FEMA also directed FOX Business to its rumor response page, which says rumors about the agency turning away and stopping vehicles with donations and confiscating supplies are “all false” and “often spread after a disaster.”
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“FEMA does not take donations and/or food from survivors or voluntary organizations. Donations of food, water, or other goods are handled by voluntary agencies who specialize in storing, sorting, cleaning, and distributing donated items,” it said. “FEMA does not conduct vehicle stops or handle road closures with armed guards — those are done by local law enforcement.”
Starlink and Elon Musk did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
Passengers intervene on flight when commotion erupts in first class — and it’s all on video
Several passengers intervened on an American Airlines flight this week when a man allegedly attacked a woman sitting next to him, video taken by another passenger appeared to show.
The incident happened Wednesday on a flight from Miami to Charlotte, North Carolina.
“This evening, there was a violent incident on my @AmericanAir Flight AA 310 from Miami to Charlotte,” another passenger, journalist Arjun Singh, who took the video posted on social media, said. “Several men jumped to subdue another man in first class, who entered an altercation with the lady next to him. The flight landed 26 minutes early, but we aren’t getting off soon.”
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“Don’t f—— touch her! Get your f—— hands off of her right now!” one of the passengers could be heard saying to the man in the video.
“You touch her again, you’re gonna get f—— arrested,” he added.
Flight attendants soon arrived, and the woman said she was OK, but agreed to move to a seat across the aisle from her alleged attacker.
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After the woman moved, she told the man who accused her of assaulting him: “You weren’t assaulted. I put my hand over your mouth to shut you up. I didn’t slap you. I put my hand over your mouth.”
Minutes later, after the flight landed, an officer arrived and passengers were asked if any of them had seen him assault her. He began taking statements from those who said they’d seen the attack.
The alleged aggressor and the woman were escorted off the plane, according to the New York Post.
It wasn’t clear what the man and woman’s relationship was or if the man was arrested.
Fox News Digital has reached out to American Airlines and the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department for comment.
“Two customers traveling together were engaged in an altercation aboard American Airlines flight 310, with service from Miami (MIA) to Charlotte (CLT) on Oct. 2.” American Airlines told the Post.
“Local law enforcement responded and escorted the customers from the CLT airport. We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation.”
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The airline wrote in the comments of Singh’s post: “Our first priority is the safety of the crew and our customers, and we take these matters very seriously.”
Texas diners’ response to Will Ferrell’s trans friend has comedian regretting the visit
Actor Will Ferrell said he regrets his visit to a Texas restaurant after his trans co-star, Harper Steele, received an awkward response from diners.
It happened while Ferrell and Steele, a former “Saturday Night Live” head writer, were filming their new Netflix documentary, “Will & Harper,” which follows their 17-day road trip across the country “to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self” after Steele came out as transgender in 2022.
They received what they described as an unexpected and uncomfortable response from diners at a Texas restaurant after Steele mentioned the state hadn’t done enough for trans rights, the New York Times reported.
“I’m from Iowa, but I will raise a glass to your great state of Texas,” Steele said to a receptive audience of diners at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, where Ferrell and Steele planned to attempt the restaurant’s famous 72-ounce steak challenge.
“I wish you guys would do more for trans rights in this state,” Steele added, which silenced the cheers and was met with a few groans from the audience, Chron reported.
“Cheers to Texas and trans rights, right?” Ferrell added. The toast didn’t make it into the documentary, but Steele and Ferrell shared their responses to the moment afterward.
“The room started to feel very wrong to me,” Steele said in the film. “I was feeling a little like my transness was on display, I guess, and suddenly that sort of made me feel not great.”
“The saddest part for me is … I just feel … I feel like I let you down in that moment,” Ferrell said in response.
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“I didn’t really have a grasp on how intense it was going to be and felt responsible for not properly vetting the situation we were putting ourselves in,” Ferrell told The New York Times. “That felt like it was going to be this benign place where you eat a big steak in the amount of time, and then you walk in and it’s a thousand people seated in this room and I was like, ‘Oh, why are we here?'”
Steele described the feeling of being “on display” in that moment.
“We gave a little toast, and I said something about passing a trans bill, and the room did a kind of reversal and a little bit of a boo and a woman shouted out, ‘We still love you.’ I hate the phrase,” Steele said. “I could be misinterpreting this woman completely, but this is the feeling I had in the room: The ‘still’ is conditional. You still love me when I finally give up being trans and give my life over to Christ. They still love me even though I’m some kind of sinner or something. I felt that.”
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“I wished I’d walked in and said: ‘No. This is going to be terrible. Let’s just go,'” Ferrell said in response. “I was feeling that remorse and guilt of even going there.”
Steele had previously criticized the New York Times in an interview with The Independent as “generally left-leaning, but also sometimes very anti-trans. It’s odd…”
“It’s why I first tend to ask reporters who interview me if they believe in me,” Steele added in that interview. “Do they believe that I exist? That I’m valid? Because that’s not always part of the conversation. I like to start there. Because there are many people in the liberal community who can’t seem to get their heads around it for one reason or another.”
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Ferrell also said that “transphobia” comes from people “not being confident” in themselves.
“There is hatred out there,” Ferrell told The Independent. “It’s very real, and it’s very unsafe for trans people in certain situations.”
“It’s so strange to me, because Harper is finally… her,” he added. “She’s finally who she was always meant to be. Whether or not you can ultimately wrap your head around that, why would you care if somebody’s happy? Why is that threatening to you? If the trans community is a threat to you, I think it stems from not being confident or safe with yourself.”
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Reporter details allegations against VP Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s representative called a Daily Mail report detailing three unnamed sources who accused him of having slapped a former girlfriend during a 2012 trip to the Cannes Film Festival “untrue.”
Fox News Digital has not been able to independently confirm the allegations.
“This report is untrue,” an unnamed representative for Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband told news outlet Semafor. “Any suggestion that he would or has ever hit a woman is false.”
Daily Mail reporter Josh Boswell appeared on “Jesse Watters Primetime” and outlined the claims that Emhoff slapped his then-girlfriend in 2012.
“The process that I went through was extremely thorough and careful about this, because you’re right, we’re on the eve of an election, but the thing that made these sources come forward is not because there’s an election, but because the Kamala Harris campaign was using Doug Emhoff, showing him as this feminist ally, baking up his credentials as an ally to women and that just enraged them,” Boswell said.
“I quoted one of them in the piece saying this, that she thought that it was disgusting, that they were portraying him this way, when in fact, these friends knew what had really happened.”
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The woman who was allegedly slapped is described by the Daily Mail as a successful New York attorney and is identified only by the pseudonym “Jane.”
The incident was alleged to have occurred in 2012 while Emhoff and Jane were in a valet line at a Cannes Film Festival in Nice, France.
“Jane got into a cab. The valet, either with €100 that she slipped him or the fact that there was this domestic dispute going on apparently, ushered her into a car, but then Doug forced his way in too,” Boswell recalled the alleged story. “That’s what the friends told me. That’s when she got really scared. Jane called her male friend who was in New York at the time. So, it was kind of bedtime for him, but he took this call, and she told him what had happened. The next day she questioned Doug about it, and he seemed to be completely nonchalant about it. He used some tennis metaphor because he’s into tennis. So, Jane slapped him back when he slapped her, and she slapped him back twice like this, one with each hand. Doug said, ‘You got one down the line and across the court. So, it’s no big deal.’ That’s all he had to say about it, and so Jane, of course, immediately broke up with him and never saw him again. They left. They went home separately. ”
The allegation was made to the Daily Mail by three people who described themselves as Jane’s friends and who shared their recollections of the incident, along with travel itineraries and correspondence between Jane and Emhoff to corroborate the story. All three requested anonymity out of fear of potential retaliation from Emhoff.
“Those sources were each independently talking to us and their accounts closely corroborated each other,” Boswell said. “So, that’s part of what gave me the confidence in this story. “
One friend said Jane told her about the alleged incident at the time.
“He hauled up and slapped her so hard she spun around,” the source is quoted as saying. “She said she was in utter shock. She was so furious, she slapped him on one side, and then on the other cheek with the other hand.”
Another friend — described by the Daily Mail as a New York businessman — also gave his recollection of the alleged slap.
“It was very clear what she was telling me,” that source said, according to the Daily Mail. “She said she was with a guy, her date, she was at the Cannes Film Festival, and he hit her. She was in the car with the guy at the time.”
A third friend, described as a female executive, told the Daily Mail that she learned of the alleged incident in 2014, and purportedly found out new details from Jane in 2018, when Harris, then a senator from California, made headlines with her questioning of a Supreme Court nominee who had been accused of sexual assault.
The third source said that she had asked Jane if Emhoff had ever apologized and was told that he had not, but that “he commented about the hit she gave him. It was a tennis metaphor. But no apology at all.”
According to the Daily Mail’s sources, Jane and Emhoff had been dating for about three months before the reported trip to France. Emhoff allegedly cut the trip off early and returned to LA for his daughter’s 13th birthday.
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“Documents were very important,” Boswell said. “They helped prove that firstly, the relationship, you know, we’ve got this photograph of them together. We had other material like that. Then, the email actually references the fact that Doug had to leave early because he had to get back to L.A. in time for his daughter’s birthday. Her birthday is May 29th. Their flight was scheduled to leave on May 29th. So, you can see that matched up. We got the flight details, and you can see they took a layover flight to take them to Nice. It all added up with what each of the sources were saying. Those sources were each independently talking to us and their accounts closely corroborated each other. So, that’s part of what gave me the confidence in this story.”
Emhoff was married to his first wife from 1992 to 2009. The marriage ended following his affair with their children’s nanny, who he got pregnant. Emhoff met now-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2013 when she was serving as California attorney general, and they were married in 2014.
The Harris campaign, the Office of the Vice President and a representative for Emhoff’s ex-wife, Kerstin Emhoff, did not comment despite repeated requests from Fox News.
Sean “Diddy” Combs warned Justin Bieber against speaking out publicly about “the things” they do together, according to a resurfaced clip.
In the video, the 54-year-old disgraced music mogul, who is in jail facing federal racketeering, sex trafficking and fraud charges, joined the 16-year-old Justin Bieber for an appearance on a 2011 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“What’s going on with you guys? Are you working together?” Kimmel, now 56, asked Combs and Bieber, who were sitting next to each other.
“I think that we have become friends in a strange way,” replied Combs, who was 42 at the time.
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“It’s like Rob and Big,” Bieber, now 30, joked, referring to the friendship between professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and his bodyguard, the late Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, who starred together in the reality show “Rob & Big.”
“Yeah, exactly,” Combs said as the audience laughed.
“I’m Big and you’re Rob,” Bieber quipped.
“He knows better than to be talking about the things that he does with big brother Puff on national television.”
“I mean, to a lot of us, he’s like a little brother,” Combs said. ‘You know what I’m saying? He’s not afraid to call and ask for advice. He’s somebody that industry wise, the record industry is a strong family.
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“He’s somebody that we definitely have our arms around, and we wanna protect him because he’s genuinely such a nice person besides his talents,” the Bad Boy Records founder continued.
“He’s one of the greatest kids you could ever know.”
In the clip, the “Baby” hitmaker reached over to pat Combs on the shoulder before the two shook hands and pointed at each other.
“You know, Diddy bought his son a Bentley. Maybe he could buy you one also while you’re at it,” Kimmel said.
“Yeah, he got me a Lamborghini,” Bieber replied.
“Oh, that’s nice,” the talk show host said.
“I haven’t gotten it yet, though,” Bieber remarked.
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“When is that coming? That Lamborghini,” Kimmel asked. “We talked about this last time.”
“Yeah, he had the Lamborghini for a day or two, and he had access to the house,” Combs said. “And he knows better than to be talking about the things that he does with big brother Puff on national television.
“Everything ain’t for everybody.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives for Combs and Bieber for comment.
In May, a video of Bieber and Combs having a get-together at the rapper’s house resurfaced.
The clip, titled “JUSTIN BIEBER’s 48 HRS with DIDDY!!” was shared to the “Peaches” hitmaker’s YouTube channel in November 2009.
In the clip, Combs shows Bieber the silver Lamborghini he said he would be giving the 15-year-old “as soon as you turn 16.”
“So, I’m going to be driving this next year?” Bieber asked.
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Combs responded, “Yeah, when you get 16, you come down and you gotta wear your seat belt …”
“I’m 15. You could ride in the passenger seat. I’ve got my permit,” Bieber told him.
Combs looked at Bieber and shook his head, saying, “No, you’re not ready. Let’s slow down.”
The two grabbed each other’s shoulders and then high-fived as Combs joked that Bieber would “get the mansion” when he turned 18.
Combs went on to explain how he and Bieber would be spending their two days together.
“He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, him and his boy,” Combs said while looking into the camera. “They’re having the times of their lives, like where we hanging out and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream.
“I have been given custody of him,” the “Last Night” singer added. “You know, he’s signed to Usher and I had legal guardianship of Usher when he did his first album. I did Usher’s first album.”
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“Let’s go get some girls,” Bieber told Combs when asked what he wanted to do.
“Man after my heart,” the rapper responded. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
On Sept. 16, Combs was arrested and charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty.
On Tuesday, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee claimed 120 accusers had come forward alleging “rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation” against Combs.
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Buzbee alleged the youngest accuser was 9 years old, with another 15-year-old alleged accuser. Buzbee acknowledged there were more minors involved in the lawsuits, which have yet to be filed.
Combs’ legal team denied the allegations in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” Combs’ attorney, Erica Wolff, said.
“That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Fast-food chains around the country are soon featuring spooky – or altogether kooky – additions to their menus to celebrate Halloween.
At Burger King, the Addams Family menu will be available starting Oct. 10 until supplies last, a representative from the Miami-based chain told Fox News Digital.
“This year, Burger King wanted to take it up a notch by creating a menu line up of four items, with each delicious innovation inspired by a member of The Addams Family,” the spokesperson said via email.
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Customers will be able to sink their teeth into “Wednesday’s Whopper,” a Whopper with a purple bun made from purple potatoes; “Thing’s Rings,” onion rings with new packaging; “Gomez’s Churro Fries,” which a news release billed as “deliciously crispy, fried churros coated in cinnamon sugar and paired with chocolate dipping sauce”; and “Morticia’s Kooky Chocolate Shake,” featuring “creamy soft serve mixed with chocolate cake batter fudge and topped with black and purple cookie pieces.”
The new Halloween-themed items are the latest in the chain’s “unique innovations inspired by spooky season,” a Burger King spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The items were the result of a collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios consumer products, the spokesperson said.
On the breakfast front, Dunkin’ will also have a slew of Halloween-themed items, the Massachusetts-based company said in an Oct. 1 news release.
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The “Spider Specialty Donut” got a makeover for 2024 — it’s now purple instead of its typical orange.
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It is topped with a glazed chocolate Munchkin doughnut hole, “complete with chocolate drizzle for spider legs and white drizzle forming the eyes,” Dunkin’ said.
Joining the specialty doughnut is a pair of “Potion Macchiato” beverages with a similar purple hue.
“Available hot or iced, this showstopping beverage blends layers of espresso and milk with a vibrant, purple marshmallow ube flavor,” Dunkin’ said.
New this year is a “Halloween Munchkins Bucket,” which fits a 50-count of doughnut holes, Dunkin’ said.
These items will be available starting Oct. 16.
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“We’re excited to give customers a delicious way to celebrate the spooky season,” Beth Turenne, vice president of category management at Dunkin’, said in the news release.
Rare chance to see northern lights may be possible this weekend thanks to solar flare
After a recent solar flare, residents in some northern U.S. states may be able to see the stunning northern lights this weekend.
On Thursday, the sun emitted the strongest solar flare in seven years with a magnitude of X9.0, FOX Weather reported. An X flare is the most intense, and the number represents its strength.
The X9.0 is the strongest flare in Solar Cycle 25, which is uncommon, with a geomagnetic storm watch issued through Sunday.
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A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson told Fox News Digital via email that the U.S. is in the grips of a solar maximum of Solar Cycle 25.
“Solar cycles are an on-average 11-year period whereby the Sun goes from a minimum of activity to a maximum and back to a minimum. This happens because of the magnetic turmoil created when the Sun flips its magnetic poles every 11 years or so,” said the spokesperson.
Stargazers in certain states may get the chance to see the aurora.
“It may be possible under the best circumstances for the more northern tier of the NorthEast to glimpse the aurora along the northern horizon well outside of city lights under clear skies.”
“Although, it is tough to say what the auroral extent actually could be during geomagnetic storms – generally the upper end of G3 [geomagnetic storm] level may make it possible for northern New York residents to see the aurora,” said the spokesperson.
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If viewers are unable to visibly see the northern lights, they could possibly capture a faint glow with the right digital camera equipment, such as cell phones or DSLRs.
Tips for Northern Lights sightings
When it comes to seeing the magical dancing lights in the sky, there are a few factors that you may want to take into account in order to maximize your viewing pleasure.
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Location: Aim to find a place that has minimal tree lines or hills so that the northern horizon can be fully seen.
Timing: The prime hours to try to catch the aurora are usually within a few hours either side of the midnight hour.
Geomagnetic activity: On the Space Weather Prediction Center website, users can view a short-term forecast of the location and intensity of the aurora, which can help determine whether they will be able to be viewed in your area.
Darkness: To see the Northern Lights, find the darkest location that you can.