NYC hospital staff told injured detectives to ‘go elsewhere’ after identity mix-up

New York City detectives say they were treated rudely and disrespectfully last week after they were mistaken for federal immigration agents while seeking treatment at a hospital after an arrest.

The officers went to NYU Langone/Cobble Hill Hospital in Brooklyn after a fight with a drug suspect, the New York Post reported.

“[Hospital staff] were nasty to the officers in the waiting room, accused them of being ICE and suggested they go elsewhere,” one source familiar with the incident told the newspaper.

HOCHUL CONFRONTED ICE AGENT, SAID HE WAS ‘TERRORIZING PEOPLE’ BY WEARING A MASK

“They properly identified themselves,” another source added. “It’s despicable to attempt to deny care or suggest they go elsewhere.”

An NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital the hospital apologized to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch over the incident.

“Representatives from the hospital apologized to Commissioner Tisch and the NYPD and said hospital staff had a misunderstanding of their policy,” the spokesperson said. “Commissioner Tisch asked that all hospital staff be retrained to ensure that this type of incident never happens again.”

The hospital told Fox News Digital it expressed, in a discussion with Tisch, “our regret for how the situation was handled and reaffirmed our commitment to continue providing the highest quality care to the New York Police Department and all law enforcement agencies.”

It noted that, in 2025, NYU Langone provided care to nearly 1,000 NYPD officers. 

“We provided care to the injured officer who was asked to temporarily secure his weapon, as per our policy,” a hospital representative said. “The other two officers were allowed to keep their weapons. NYU Langone always values the opportunity to provide care to members of law enforcement.”

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The hospital did not comment on the alleged references to ICE. The incident occurred as thousands of nurses across the city were on strike.

In a statement, the NYPD Detectives’ Endowment Association denounced the treatment of the officers.

“It is an outrage that any NYPD detective injured in the line of duty should have to worry about being treated at any hospital in the city they protect,” the group said. “As nurses across the city strike over issues like workplace safety, treating detectives poorly is not how to make hospitals safer. 

“No one — especially detectives injured in the line of duty — should face such treatment.”

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, also criticized the hospital and called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to hold it accountable.

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“A hospital that politicizes emergency care is no longer a hospital. It’s an activist institution pretending to practice medicine,” Adams wrote on X. “These NYPD officers put their lives on the line. Medical staff are sworn to treat the injured, not pass political judgment. We send them into danger and then leave them bleeding when it’s inconvenient.”

Somali-born activist warns of ‘political suicide’ as Trump sounds alarm on migration

After President Donald Trump took to the World Economic Forum stage in Davos to declare that Western civilization must defend itself from an existential attack, Somali-born activist and author Ayaan Hirsi Ali said “Trump is right.”

Trump shocked other politicians and leaders gathered in Switzerland Tuesday night by declaring, “The West cannot mass import foreign cultures.”

“The situation in Minnesota reminds us that the West cannot mass import foreign cultures which have failed to ever build a successful society of their own,” he said. “We’re taking people from Somalia, and Somalia is a failed [state]. It’s not a nation, got no government, got no police, got no military, got no nothing.

“The explosion of prosperity, in conclusion, and progress that built the West did not come from our tax cuts. It ultimately came from our very special culture. This is the precious inheritance that America and Europe have in common. 

TRUMP CITES MINNESOTA FRAUD CASES TO WARN AGAINST MIGRATION FROM ‘FAILED’ SOCIETIES

“We share it, we share it. But we have to keep it strong. We have to become stronger, more successful and more prosperous than ever. We have to defend that culture and rediscover the spirit that lifted the West from the depths of the Dark Ages to the pinnacle of human achievement.”

In response, Hirsi Ali told Fox News Digital Trump is communicating a critical truth.

“I don’t think it’s an important thing. I think it is the most important thing,” she said. “Trump is right … and I can’t think of a better and more powerful platform than that of the president of the United States to say, ‘Hey, you guys wake up.’”

As a child in Somalia, Hirsi Ali was subjected to a severe form of female genital mutilation. Later in life, she fled the country to escape a forced marriage and served as a Dutch lawmaker. She is now based in the U.S. and uses her platform to advocate for women’s rights, critique Islam and voice support for Western greatness. 

“I think every American and every European should know that what the president is trying to say is that what made America and Europe great is there’s this unique culture. If we don’t understand that culture and if we do not defend it, we risk losing it,” she said.

“The economy is very important. Military is very important. All these other aspects of government are extremely important, but more important than all of that is our value system. And it’s our heritage. And it is our national identity.”

Regarding Trump’s critique of the Somali immigrant population’s involvement in the massive Minnesota fraud scheme, Hirsi Ali said, “I wholeheartedly agree with the president.”

TRUMP SAYS MEDIA FOCUSES TOO MUCH ON MINNESOTA ICE COVERAGE, NOT ENOUGH ON CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

“The president is right when he says Somalia hasn’t even made it into a nation,” she said. “Every attempt at building something, making something out of Somalia has always failed because of the clan code, because of Islam, because of Marxism. We’ve had all the bad ideologies, and, as Somalis, we’ve run away with them.”

Further, Hirsi Ali said the situation in Minnesota exposes a “subversive agenda in the United States to transform it and to Islamize it using American institutions and the American vocabulary of civil rights.”

“You see that the Somalis exploit and extract the benefit system,” she said. “They tell everyone, ‘If you expose this, investigate it, object to it, stop it, you’re racist. You’re an Islamophobe. You are a bigot.

“If we keep on doing what we are doing, getting huge numbers of people from the Third World to come and establish themselves in the United States and European countries and depend on welfare benefits, that is to take and take and never contribute, then we’re setting ourselves up not only for failure. We’re committing a cultural and national and political suicide.”

To combat this, Hirsi Ali said European nations must follow the Trump administration’s example in sealing their borders. She said the U.S. and Europe must also address their broad welfare systems, which she said are “just too expensive.”

In Minnesota, Hirsi Ali advocated a hardline stance on the Somali immigrant population to assimilate into American culture.

TRUMP UNLOADS ON BIDEN POLICIES FROM DAVOS, WARNS EUROPE TO DROP THE OLD PLAYBOOK

“We’ve got to force them either to assimilate, or we’ve got to give them that choice and say, ‘If you don’t want to assimilate into American society, then you will be denaturalized,’” she said.

“This isn’t just like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s another day in politics. It’s existential.'”

Hirsi Ali called Trump’s Davos speech a “breakthrough” in getting European leaders to understand that defending Western civilization must be “priority No. 1.”

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“JD Vance put it this way: [It’s] not what are we fighting against, but what are we fighting for? What are we fighting to preserve? If you can’t answer that question, then I think you are lost. And the European leaders are lost. And I think he’s trying to help them find their way,” she said.

The era of liberal talk shows only inviting Dem candidates is over, FCC says

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is cracking down on partisan talk shows in both daytime and late night in an effort to provide equal treatment for political candidates.

The FCC announced Wednesday it is providing guidance to the three broadcast networks to adhere to the “statutory equal opportunities requirement,” citing the Communications Act of 1934, “including their airing of late night and daytime talk shows.”

“Under section 315, if a broadcast station permits any legally qualified candidate for public office to use its facilities, it shall provide an equal opportunity to all other legally qualified candidates for that office,” the FCC wrote in a press release.

LATE-NIGHT COMEDY SHOWS BOOKED 90 LIBERAL GUESTS TO ONE CONSERVATIVE IN LATE 2025, STUDY SHOWS

There has been a longstanding “bona fide” exception for news programming that wouldn’t require equal time for an opposing candidate, but the FCC now says it “has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on the air presently would qualify for the ‘bona fide’ news exemption.”

“Moreover, a program that is motivated by partisan purposes, for example, would not be entitled to an exemption under longstanding FCC precedent,” the FCC states. “Any program or station that wishes to obtain formal assurance that the equal opportunities requirement does not apply (in whole or in part) is encouraged to promptly file a petition for declaratory ruling that satisfies the statutory requirements for a bona fide news exemption.”

‘THE VIEW’ HAD 128 LIBERAL GUESTS BUT ONLY TWO CONSERVATIVES IN 2025, STUDY FINDS

FCC Chair Brendan Carr wrote on X, “For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night & daytime talk shows qualify as ‘bona fide news’ programs – even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes. Today, the FCC reminded them of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities.”

The move will likely rattle ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” as well as its late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which has been canceled but will remain on the air until May.

A study conducted last month by the Media Research Center found that “The View” had 128 liberal guests on the show throughout 2025 while only inviting two conservatives. 

The two conservatives cited in the study were actress Cheryl Hines, the wife of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.

For years, liberal late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers rolled out the red carpet for Team Blue, so much so that the Media Research Center found that while dozens of Democrats appeared on their programs in 2025, zero Republicans were given such a platform.

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Woman reveals Trump’s son saved her life after witnessing alleged assault

A woman who said she was violently attacked by her ex-boyfriend last year told a London court that her friend Barron Trump unexpectedly saved her life after she managed to call him during the assault, United Kingdom media outlet Metro reported Wednesday.

After answering the FaceTime call and witnessing the alleged assault, the 19-year-old son of President Donald Trump reportedly contacted emergency operators, prompting UK police to respond to the scene on Jan. 18, 2025, shortly after 2 a.m. local time.

The woman, who cannot be named, reportedly claimed that her former Russian partner, 22-year-old Matvei Rumianstev, of east London, was jealous of her friendship with Trump. 

She added that she was raped on the day she called Trump and alleged that her ex-boyfriend, who first became violent six months into their relationship, had a history of assaulting her, including stranglings, Metro said, citing hearings at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION

According to bodycam footage from the day of the alleged attack, Trump was heard over the phone telling officials, “I just saw a ceiling and could hear screaming. I could see a guy’s head on the phone, and then the camera turns to her crying and getting hit.”

Trump, who reportedly attempted to call his friend for a casual conversation before finally receiving a callback, said the call lasted only 10 to 15 seconds, after which he contacted the authorities.

According to the 999 emergency call played in court, Trump reportedly said, “I just got a call from a girl I know. She’s getting beaten up.”

After giving them her address, he emphasized that, “It’s really an emergency, please. I got a call from her with a guy beating her up.”

When police arrived, the woman identified their anonymous caller as Trump, explaining, “I am friends with Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s son.”

An officer was later heard on bodycam footage telling a colleague, “So apparently, this informant from America is likely to be Donald Trump’s son,” he said. “This female is friends with Donald Trump’s son. She was on a Facetime with him when this assault happened, and he’s called us.”

‘CLASS ACT’: BARRON TRUMP SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE FOR SHAKING HANDS WITH BIDEN AT DAD’S INAUGURATION

To confirm to the police, the woman called Trump again, asking, “Hello, Barron, did you call the police or anything?”  

“I had someone call the police,” Trump said. “I called you guys, that was the best thing I could do. I wasn’t going to call back and threaten things to him because that would just make the situation worse.”

During her testimony, the woman said Trump “helped save my life. That call was like a sign from God at that moment.”

BARRON TRUMP, CELEBRATING 19TH BIRTHDAY, PRAISED AS ‘SMART GUY’ BY HIS FATHER

The trial between Trump’s friend and Rumianstev remains ongoing. 

While Rumianstev has denied the allegations, the woman said she has been repeatedly attacked and sexually abused, including being raped in November 2024 and on January 18. She also alleged that Rumianstev has been pressuring her to withdraw her complaints.

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The Russian defendant, of New Providence Wharf, east London, has denied assault, actual bodily harm, two counts of rape, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for more information.

Trump slams UK island handoff deal that could put key US military base at risk

President Donald Trump dramatically reversed course Tuesday on a U.K. plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while warning it could jeopardize U.S. access to the Diego Garcia military base.

Trump’s reversal highlights what a defense expert called a “new Trump Doctrine” before linking the president’s opposition to the Chagos deal with his Greenland push and citing fears Mauritius could later back out.

Writing on his Truth Social platform Tuesday, Trump called the U.K.’s Chagos decision “an act of great stupidity.”

“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” Trump wrote. “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”

TRUMP ISSUES STERN WARNING TO NATO AHEAD OF VANCE’S HIGH-STAKES GREENLAND MEETING

“Trump has done a 180, partly because of the U.K.’s support for Denmark’s sovereign claims over Greenland and partly because of a new strategy outlined by the White House,” John Hemmings, director of the National Security Center at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

“These moves are linked and part of a ‘new Trump Doctrine’” outlined in November’s National Security Strategy,” he explained.

“Diego Garcia is a potential threat to Beijing’s strategy to control vital shipping lanes between the oil-rich Middle East and China’s industrial heartland,” he added, describing how “nearly 23.7 million barrels of oil transit the Indian Ocean every day, with the base being vital in any U.S.-China conflict over Taiwan.”

TRUMP TELLS DAVOS US ALONE CAN SECURE GREENLAND, INSISTS HE WON’T ‘USE FORCE’

In a separate post, Trump explicitly linked the Chagos dispute to his Greenland push.

“The U.K. giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of national security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired,” Trump wrote.

The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius during Britain’s decolonization process, a move the International Court of Justice ruled unlawful in 2019. 

The U.K. later agreed to transfer sovereignty while leasing Diego Garcia back for at least 99 years at a cost of at least $160 million annually.

Diego Garcia is a hub for long-range bombers, logistics and power projection across the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Africa. Around 2,500 personnel, mostly American, are stationed there.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON GREENLAND PUSH AS POLLS SHOW LITTLE PUBLIC SUPPORT

“If Mauritius were to offer the islands to China after taking de jure control, it would put immense pressure on the U.S. in the eyes of international public opinion,” Hemmings explained.

“After all, once Mauritius has de jure sovereignty, it can renegotiate the lease terms or even renege on the treaty at any time it wants.

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“It might also provide access to the exclusive economic zone, with all of its rich fishing grounds, to Chinese fishing fleets, adding another layer of risk to U.S. Air Force operations around the island,” Hemmings said.

“At this moment, the U.S. base at Diego Garcia is thought to be secure, with Mauritius promising the U.K. (and by proxy, the U.S.) a 99-year lease, which will not, it is supposed, interfere with the operations of the air base at all. But the devil is in the details.”

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

Judge orders redraw of New York’s only Republican-held House district

A judge ruled Wednesday that the configuration of New York City’s lone congressional district represented by a Republican is unconstitutional, ordering the state to redraw the district by next month.

State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman ruled that the composition of New York’s 11th Congressional District — which covers all of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn — unconstitutionally diluted the votes of Black and Hispanic residents. He ordered the Independent Redistricting Commission to complete a new map by Feb. 6.

The district is held by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who won her seat in 2020. She slammed the ruling in a statement Wednesday, calling it “a frivolous attempt by Washington Democrats to steal this congressional seat from the people and we are very confident that we will prevail at the end of the day.”

The district has trended Republican in recent elections, voting for President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and backing GOP Senate candidates in 2022 and 2024 after previously supporting Democratic incumbents.

FEDERAL COURT CLEARS CALIFORNIA’S NEW HOUSE MAP BOOSTING DEMOCRATS AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

The lawsuit, filed by Democratic attorney Marc Elias’ law firm, argued that the existing district dilutes the voting power of Staten Island’s growing Black and Latino populations, violating minority protections under the New York Voting Rights Act.

“We are pleased that the court correctly recognized that the current district lines have systematically diluted the votes of Black and Latino Staten Islanders, despite decades of demographic growth in those communities,” Elias Law Group Partner Aria Branch said.

Branch added that the ruling reaffirms that New York’s Constitution “provides robust protections against racial vote dilution, and we are proud to have stood with our clients to vindicate those rights.”

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS MOVE TO SEIZE REDISTRICTING POWER, OPENING DOOR TO 4 NEW LEFT-LEANING SEATS

The judge said in the ruling that there was strong evidence of a “racially polarized voting bloc,” as well as “a history of discrimination that impacts current day political participation and representation,” and “that racial appeals are still made in political campaigns today.”

Republicans are expected to appeal the ruling, escalating the national battle over congressional maps as both parties move to reshape districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Ed Cox, chairman of the New York State Republican Committee, criticized the ruling as partisan, arguing that Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Democrats had a chance to alter the district in 2024.

“This entire exercise is a cynical attempt to enact an illegal partisan gerrymander under the guise of a voting rights case,” Cox said in a statement. “It is shocking that the Governor and Attorney General did not defend the law that the legislature passed and the Governor signed in 2024 – they are clearly colluding with the plaintiffs in this case.”

REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

New York was forced to redraw its congressional districts after the 2020 census, sparking a legal battle over maps used in the 2022 midterms. Democrats’ initial map was struck down as unconstitutional gerrymandering, leading a court to order an independent redraw that dramatically reshaped districts. While those maps were used in 2022, they were later thrown out and redrawn again ahead of the 2024 election.

Hochul welcomed the ruling, saying the state Constitution guarantees fair representation.

“The court’s decision underscores the importance of these constitutional principles and directs the congressional map be redrawn by the New York Independent Redistricting Commission so impacted communities are fully represented and have a voice in our democracy,” she said in a statement.

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Staten Island Republican Party Chairman Michael Tannousis reacted to the ruling, calling the decision “a complete sham.”

“They are trying to fracture our community because they don’t like how we vote,” he said in a statement. “It’s rigged. It’s transparently partisan, and it’s wrong.”

Texas chain crushes Costco and Trader Joe’s to claim America’s top grocery store title

A Texas-based chain has once again been named America’s top grocery store, beating out major competitors, including Amazon, Costco and Trader Joe’s.

San Antonio-based H-E-B was ranked the No. 1 grocery retailer in the U.S. for the fifth time in nine years, according to Dunnhumby’s latest annual ranking of grocery stores. 

The family-owned company, which was founded in 1905 and operates more than 440 stores, is “firmly entrenched as the top retailer due to its superior ability to deliver a combination of better savings, quality, experience, and assortment,” the study found.

Massachusetts-based Market Basket ranked second, followed by Wisconsin-based Woodman’s in third.

GROCERY CHAIN LAUNCHES MASSIVE EXPANSION WITH 180 NEW US STORES

“For the first time, the leading three retailers in the United States are all regional chains,” Dunnhumby noted.

Costco was ranked No. 4, followed by Aldi, WinCo Foods, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, Wegmans and ShopRite rounding out the top 10.

Amazon, which topped the rankings in 2021 and 2022, slipped two spots this year, while Sam’s Club dropped six places.

NYC’S VIRAL GROCERY STORE FOUNDER BREAKS SILENCE: ‘I’M AN ACTIVE TARGET’ — AND IT’S GOOD FOR BUSINESS

The study evaluated 81 major U.S. grocery stores, combining financial performance with survey responses from more than 11,000 American shoppers.

Participants were asked about pricing, quality, convenience, operations and online ordering.

The rankings come as consumers face mounting financial pressure.

Shopper confidence declined last year amid concerns over rising prices, limited job opportunities and stagnant wages, according to Matt O’Grady, president of the Americas for Dunnhumby.

BOSTON OFFICIALS EXPLORE CITY-RUN GROCERY STORES TO COMBAT RISING FOOD PRICES: REPORT

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“Consumers across all income levels are feeling the squeeze and making more price-conscious choices,” O’Grady said in a statement. “In this environment, building trust with American shoppers has never been more critical.”

Overall food prices were up 0.7% in December and 3.1% from a year ago, according to the December consumer price index (CPI).

The all-items CPI index showed inflation pushed prices 0.3% higher last month and 2.7% on an annual basis.

Families forced to pay $300K for protesters’ bodies as Iran claims ‘victory’

Reports have emerged from eyewitnesses in Iran alleging sexual assaults on teenagers held in custody, as well as authorities forcing families of those protesters killed to pay as much as 10 billion rials to recover their bodies.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) also told Fox News Digital Wednesday that the “barbarity continues” across the nation, with prison detainees allegedly being killed and their bodies burned.

The reports came as Iran’s government claimed it had successfully crushed weeks of unrest that swept the country.

Beginning Dec. 28, the protests erupted amid deep public anger over political repression, economic hardship and state violence before rapidly expanding nationwide.

LINDSEY GRAHAM SPEAKS AGAINST PENDING EXECUTION OF 26-YEAR-OLD IRANIAN PROTESTER: ‘THIS REGIME MUST FALL’

“The sedition is over now,” Iran’s prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi said, according to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency.

“And we must be grateful, as always, to the people who extinguished this sedition by being in the field in a timely manner,” he added, according to the New York Times.

The regime’s claims emerged on day 25 of the protests with the number of confirmed fatalities reaching 4,902, and the number of deaths still under review standing at 9,387.  

The total number of arrests has risen to 26,541, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

IRAN STATE TV HACKED TO SHOW EXILED CROWN PRINCE PAHLAVI

The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) also said it received information indicating that some families were forced to pay sums of up to 10 billion rials to recover the bodies of their relatives.

In many cases, funeral ceremonies were held under heavy security control in the hometowns of those killed. 

Some families were reportedly subjected to threats and pressure to falsely attribute responsibility for the killings to protesters.

KHRN further said that two protesters, including a 16-year-old, said they were sexually assaulted by Iranian security forces who detained them in Kermanshah, according to reports.

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Meanwhile, NCRI’s Ali Safavi said eyewitnesses reported that “several young women and men were forced to undress, so the military could see whether they had pellet wounds.”

“There has been barbarity with people who were detained. When they were killed, their bodies were burned,” he added.

Safavi also said clashes continued in multiple cities Tuesday night, including “Kermanshah where protesters and armed units of the IRGC fought in parts of the city.”

“There was the same in Rasht and Mashhad where the people and the regime will not return to the status quo even if the uprisings have slowed down. This is because of the blood of thousands of martyrs on their hands.”

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“The regime is still in power, and it won’t abandon brutal and bloody suppression so there is no pathway to a velvet revolution in Iran.”

“The shoes and sneakers seen left along the sidewalks remind us of the 30,000 MEK members and Iranian prisoners who were hanged during the 1988 massacre based on a fatwa by Khomeini,” Safavi added.

Dozens sickened as potentially deadly fungus spreads in southern state

A potentially deadly fungus has been spreading throughout Tennessee, health officials have warned.

Over 35 cases of histoplasmosis, a lung infection caused by exposure to the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, have been confirmed in a three-month period in the Maury and Williamson County area, according to numbers presented on Jan. 12 by the Tennessee Department of Health.

A family has also spoken out with claims that one woman died after contracting histoplasmosis, with a positive test result returned two days after her death, according to a local report.

DEADLY ‘SUPERBUG’ IS SPREADING ACROSS US AS DRUG RESISTANCE GROWS, RESEARCHERS WARN

However, during a briefing at the Williamson County Board of Commissioners, state epidemiologists said an investigation is underway and that the infection has not yet been confirmed as the direct cause of any fatalities.

They also noted that the average age of those infected is 50.

The fungus comes from soil that is contaminated with bird or bat droppings, according to state officials. People are exposed when they breathe in the fungal spores. A single common source has not been identified in the Tennessee outbreak.

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In most cases, people don’t get sick, but there is the potential for histoplasmosis to cause respiratory symptoms, ranging from mild to life-threatening, per the CDC. 

Symptoms of histoplasmosis — which can include fever, cough, extreme fatigue, headache, body aches, chills and chest pain — typically emerge within three to 17 days after exposure to the fungus.

“Histopplasmosis can be deadly to certain patients, but it doesn’t have to be.”

Because these symptoms are similar to the cold and flu, the condition is often missed or misdiagnosed.

Dr. Zaid Fadul, CEO of Bespoke Concierge MD in California, noted that most people aren’t at a high risk. “Most of the time, we don’t get sick because the amount of spores we breathe in is minimal (assuming we are not working outside all day),” he told Fox News Digital.

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Higher-risk groups include people with weakened immune systems or those with high exposure levels to the spores, according to the doctor. “If the immune system is compromised, histoplasmosis can run amok and cause a life-threatening illness,” he warned.

While most people do not require treatment, there are antifungal medications for severe cases. Some of the Tennessee patients have been hospitalized and some are “critically ill,” the state officials confirmed during the briefing.

Healthcare providers can confirm the infection by testing blood or urine samples in a lab. Other possible means of testing may include respiratory fluid, X-rays, CT scans or a tissue biopsy.

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To prevent infection, health officials recommend limiting activities where soil is disturbed and to consider wearing masks during “high-risk” outdoor activities.

“It is very healthy to be outside, but if it is dusty or you will be outside for a prolonged time, you should be wearing some kind of mask to limit any spores you might breathe in,” Fadul advised.

Before this outbreak, histoplasmosis was a “reportable disease” in only 14 states (Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Washington), according to the CDC.

The infection does not spread between humans and cannot be transmitted from humans to animals.

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Anyone who experiences symptoms and believes they have been exposed to the Histoplasma fungus should contact a doctor for testing, especially if antibiotics are not helping.

“With this outbreak, and the new CDC-approved antigen testing, any vague respiratory illness should lead to a quick diagnosis and treatment,” Fadul said. “Histopplasmosis can be deadly to certain patients, but it doesn’t have to be.”