Ex-NBA star, who nearly defeated Democrat in 2010, announces another run for governor
A former Portland Trail Blazers player is taking his best shot at being the next governor of Oregon.
Chris Dudley, a Republican and 16-year NBA veteran, announced his candidacy for the role in a video posted online.
“I love Oregon, and even though we have some serious problems, there are solutions and I believe our best days are ahead of us,” he said in the video.
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“However, in order to solve these challenges, the empty promises, the name calling, finger pointing and fear mongering that has solved nothing must stop. You deserve better.”
Dudley spent six of his 16 NBA seasons in Portland as the team’s center.
Dudley, who was born in Connecticut and went to high school in San Diego, California, played in Portland from 1993-97 before returning for the 2001-02 season. He played his final two seasons with the Trail Blazers before retirement.
Dudley came within less than two percentage points of becoming Oregon’s governor in 2010, falling to then-incumbent Democrat John Kitzhaber, 49.3% to 47.8%.
He joins a field now of 14 Republicans who have all announced they will be running to defeat current Gov. Tina Kotek. Kotek and five other Democrats also announced they are running.
The Oregon primary election is set for May 19.
Dudley began his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who selected him in the fourth round of the 1987 NBA Draft. He played parts of three seasons there before a trade to the New Jersey Nets.
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Dudley spent four seasons with the Nets before joining the Trail Blazers. After his original four-season stint, he landed with the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns before his return to Portland.
Charlamagne predicts political purge, prosecutions following Trump administration’s end
Radio host Charlamagne tha God criticized the Trump administration during his Monday broadcast, telling listeners he believes there will come a day when President Donald Trump and his allies are prosecuted.
Charlamagne was one of many commentators reacting to the death of 37-year-old activist and nurse Alex Pretti following a confrontation with federal immigration agents. Debate surrounding Pretti’s death centered on the fact that he was carrying a holstered firearm, prompting a national discussion over whether individuals are within their constitutional rights to carry guns at protests, particularly during confrontations with police.
“How many people who serve this regime are going to continue to wipe their a– with the document that represents the Supreme Law of the United States?” Charlamagne asked. “That document is the Constitution. I thought this document quite clearly outlined the structure of the federal government and guaranteed us fundamental rights. But clearly, that changed, and nobody told ‘We the people.’”
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Charlamagne objected to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s rhetoric about the shooting, particularly how she spoke about Pretti’s possession of a firearm at a protest.
“You ask, ‘Why did he bring a gun to a protest?’ Why do people bring guns to Starbucks?” Charlamagne asked. “Now all of a sudden it’s wrong to carry any and everywhere, even though we live in a country that lets you carry damn near any and everywhere. Well, that’s what happens when you are under an authoritarian government. Okay? They are hellbent on distorting our reality.”
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He continued, “I’m gonna tell y’all something, America, I don’t know how dark or how bad things are gonna get, but I keep hearing people referencing 1940s Germany. But I want y’all to remember something when you are bringing up that history. The Nazis ultimately lost. Nazi ideology was outlawed through de-nazification. One day we will see the de-MAGA-ification of this country. It will come. And you know what else happened? Leaders of the Nazi regime were prosecuted and tried as war criminals.”
The White House and DHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Snow leopard mauls female skier who approached predator for photo, according to video
A female skier was viciously mauled by a snow leopard on Friday after approaching the predator too closely for a photo, according to chilling footage of the incident.
The encounter, which left the woman’s face severely bloodied, occurred around 7 p.m. in Fuyun County, along China’s northern border with Mongolia, according to Jam Press.
Footage shows a woman, who reportedly edged as close as 10 feet to the leopard, lying motionless in the snow as the predator hovered nearby after the mauling. Witnesses then appeared to help guide her away as blood poured from her face.
Local reports noted that the woman miraculously survived partly because her helmet helped prevent more serious harm.
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Authorities previously issued warnings after multiple people reported animal sightings near the hotel the day before, according to Jam Press. The leopard was believed to be lingering around the area due to a lack of food.
Reports indicated that a skier spotted the leopard while making her way back to the hotel. When she was unable to get a good angle for a photo, she reportedly kept approaching until the leopard pounced and mauled her face. The predator was eventually driven off by a ski instructor waving his poles.
The injured skier was transported to a local hospital for treatment and was reported to be in stable condition.
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In the days leading up to the attack, authorities had warned visitors of multiple snow leopard sightings in the area. While snow leopards on humans are historically rare due to the animals’ shy and elusive nature, officials noted that the big cats still possess “aggressive tendencies” and urged tourists to avoid lingering or approaching them for photos.
“Recently, snow leopard activity has been detected in Gem Valley, Keketuohai,” the warning said, according to Jam Press. “Snow leopards are large predators with strong aggressive tendencies. When passing through this area, please move quickly and do not linger. Do not get out of your vehicle or approach to take photos, and never walk alone in the surrounding area.”
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Tourists staying at a nearby guesthouse confirmed that they saw a leopard in the area prior to the attack, according to the outlet.
“We saw it last night, a few kilometers from where the attack took place, but we can’t confirm if it’s the same snow leopard,” one witness said.
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China is home to the largest population of wild snow leopards in the world, according to the Snow Leopard Trust, with the country harboring the majority of the global population.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing.
Chicago teacher may be out of a job after posting 2-word message supporting ICE online
FIRST ON FOX: A Chicago area teacher is on administrative leave and facing calls to lose his job over a Facebook post last week offering support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“GO ICE,” the teacher at West Chicago’s Gary Elementary School, posted on Facebook last week. Shortly after the post was made, activists in the predominantly Hispanic community quickly began sharing the post and calling for action to be taken against the teacher, who Fox News Digital is not naming due to safety concerns.
“Imagine working as a teacher in an elementary school in West Chicago where the Latino community is highly populated and promoting ICE, sick AF,” one social media post said.
Another commenter called the teacher a “f****** piece of s***.”
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Activists began circulating a flyer online, with a Change.org petition, calling for the employee’s job and for students to stay home from school in protest, saying, “the casual way in which he publicly promoted the actions of ICE in our area is inappropriate and unsuitable for an educator.”
“The best way to show our district that we need action to be taken – is to show them that keeping this teacher will disrupt the emotional welfare and therefore, the education of our students,” the flyer said.
Fox News Digital could not independently locate the employee’s comment or the Facebook post that the employee was responding to and his account appears to have been deleted. The Change.org petition described the comment as being “in response to a community article.”
Local leaders also got involved, including Karina Villa, an Illinois state Senator representing the 25th District, who posted a message saying she stands in “unwavering solidarity” with families upset about the “disturbing comments reportedly made by an educator.”
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Villa went on to acknowledge that freedom of speech is a “protected right” but “as educators we have the responsibility to our students and their families to create a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
In an email sent to parents by the district’s superintendent, Kristina Davis, and obtained by Fox News Digital, the district explains that “the employee submitted a written resignation” on Friday before an investigation could take place, but the employee then withdrew that resignation before the board could approve it, therefore allowing him to come to work on Monday.
“The district has obtained legal counsel to conduct an investigation beginning on Monday,” Davis wrote. “The district will share additional information as appropriate. District 33 remains committed to providing safe, caring, and inclusive learning environments for all students. Thank you for your continued partnership.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to West Chicago Elementary School District 33 for comment and specifics on what, if any rule, the teacher violated by posting support for law enforcement on Facebook.
The city of West Chicago held a “listening session” on Monday at the request of Mayor Daniel Bovey, that included a Spanish translator, where a variety of parents and locals expressed concerns about the post, including a woman who said “kids do not feel safe” as a result of the post and another woman who said the post was “cruel.”
On Monday afternoon, a district spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the teacher had been placed on leave after a Monday meeting.
“On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the District learned of concerns regarding a disruptive social media comment made by a District employee on his personal account,” the statement said. “The teacher initially submitted his resignation. Later that day, he withdrew his resignation before the Board had an opportunity to take action.”
The statement continued, “Following a meeting with District administration today, the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and will not be permitted on any District property while on leave.”
“We understand that this situation has raised concerns and caused disruption for students, families, and staff. We want to ensure our schools are safe spaces, and we look forward to seeing all students back in school tomorrow. Thank you for your patience, trust, and partnership during the ongoing investigation.”
The spokesperson did not respond when asked by Fox News Digital what specific policies the teacher had potentially violated by supporting law enforcement on Facebook.
Deadly cancer risk spikes with certain level of alcohol consumption, study finds
Drinking heavily and consistently over an adult’s lifetime could lead to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study published in the journal Cancer by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
The study analyzed 20 years of data from more than 88,000 U.S. adults to determine how long-term drinking impacted the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) or precancerous colorectal adenomas (polyps).
The participants reported their average weekly intake of beer, wine and liquor intake during four age periods — 18 to 24, 25 to 39, 40 to 54, and 55 and older.
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“Heavy drinkers” were identified as having more than 14 drinks per week and “moderate drinkers” had between seven and 14 drinks per week.
The observational research revealed that consistent heavy drinking over adulthood was linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, especially rectal cancer.
Heavy lifetime drinking was associated with a 25% higher overall CRC risk and nearly double the risk of rectal cancer. Moderate lifetime drinking had a lower overall CRC risk.
Compared to light drinkers, the consistently heavy drinkers had about a 91% higher risk of CRC.
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For colorectal adenomas (precancerous polyps), higher current lifetime drinking did not show a strong pattern, although former drinkers showed a significantly lower risk of non-advanced adenoma compared to current light drinkers.
Out of the 88,092 participants, 1,679 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
The authors noted that the research was limited, as it was observational and not based on a clinical trial. It also hinged on self-reported alcohol use.
The findings suggest that consistently heavy alcohol intake and higher average lifetime consumption “may increase CRC risk, whereas cessation may lower adenoma risk,” the researchers stated. Associations “may differ by tumor site,” they added.
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The link between drinking alcohol and cancer is not a new discovery, according to health experts.
In a recent episode of the podcast “The Dr. Mark Hyman Show,” Dr. Mark Hyman, chief medical officer of Function Health in California, detailed how even moderate drinking can impact “nearly every organ system in the body,” due to metabolic stress, inflammation, impaired detoxification and its effect on hormones.
Drinking has been found to increase the risk of many cancers, metabolic dysfunction, gut microbiome disturbances and mitochondrial toxins, Hyman said.
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“Bottom line, alcohol taxes every major system in your body, especially your liver, your brain, your gut, your hormones,” he warned.
In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Pinchieh Chiang, a clinician at Circle Medical in San Francisco, shared that taking a break from drinking alcohol for longer periods of time can “reshape health more profoundly.”
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“Over months to a year, we see sustained improvements in blood pressure, liver function and inflammation,” she said. “Those changes directly affect long-term heart disease and stroke risk.”
Chiang added, “Reducing or eliminating alcohol lowers the risk of several cancers, including breast and colorectal, over time.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.
Search for missing Kansas elementary school teacher ends with tragic discovery
A Kansas elementary school teacher who went missing after leaving a downtown bar late Friday night was found dead in a wooded area near where she was last seen, authorities said.
The Emporia Police Department said Sunday that officers, assisted by K-9 teams, located the body of 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber about 300 yards south of West 4th Avenue, an area where she was last seen on video.
Police said Rauber was covered in snow and early indications suggest she may have succumbed to hypothermia during the early hours of her disappearance amid a snowstorm that intensified on Saturday.
The investigation into her death is ongoing, and her family has been notified.
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“We want to thank our community for the outpouring of care and assistance during this situation. We also want to thank KHP [Kansas Highway Patrol], Lyon County Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue of Kansas and the Lyon County Communications Center for their efforts in trying to locate Rebecca. All of the agencies listed poured many hours of manpower, involving many resources in the hope of positive outcome. Our hearts and prayers are truly with the Rauber family,” the Emporia Police Department said in a statement on its website.
Rauber was reported missing early Saturday after leaving the Town Royal bar on foot without her phone, purse or jacket.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed her walking alone westbound on West 5th Avenue late Friday night.
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Police said residential surveillance footage captured Rauber walking north on Neosho Street from West 5th Avenue at approximately 11:37 p.m., but a review of additional videos from the intersection of 6th Avenue and Neosho Street did not show her crossing at that location.
During the investigation Sunday, police said additional video showed the school teacher in the 700 block of West 4th Avenue at approximately 11:44 p.m. on Friday, about 300 yards from where her body was later found.
The KVOE radio station in Emporia reported that temperatures had dropped into the single digits at the time Rauber left the bar, with wind chills nearing -15 degrees.
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USD 253 Emporia Public Schools Director of Community Relations Lyndel Landgren told Fox News Digital in a statement that Rauber “was a valued member of our school community, and her loss is felt deeply across our district.”
“At this time, we are focused on supporting our students and staff as they process this difficult news. Counselors and district support teams will be available at our schools to provide care and assistance for anyone who needs it,” Landgren said.
Google to pay $68M to settle allegations of recording smart device users
Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class action lawsuit arguing that its voice-activated assistant secretly recorded smart device users in violation of their privacy.
A preliminary settlement was filed on Friday in San Jose, California, federal court, but still requires approval by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.
The tech giant was accused of illegally recording and disseminating private conversations after its Google Assistant tool was triggered so it could send them targeted advertising.
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Google Assistant, which is only supposed to record when a user says phrases such as “Hey Google,” or “Okay Google” or when someone manually pushes a button on the device, inappropriately recorded personal conversations when these “hot words” were not used, without the knowledge of the users of Google smartphones, home speakers, laptops, tablets, Chromecast media players and even wireless earphones, according to the lawsuit.
Users claimed they were targeted with ads based on things they had said when they had not attempted to trigger their smart devices using a hot word.
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Google did not acknowledge any fault, but said it decided to settle to avoid the “uncertainty, risk, expense, inconvenience and distraction” of lengthy litigation, according to court documents.
Lawyers for plaintiffs may seek up to one-third of the settlement fund, or about $22.7 million, for legal fees.
Apple reached a similar settlement with smartphone users in December 2024 over its virtual assistant, Siri, for $95 million.
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Google has also settled other privacy complaints in the past, including one reached last spring, when it agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle a lawsuit claiming the company collected users’ data without permission.
It was also ordered in September to pay $425.7 million for invading users’ privacy by collecting data on millions of people who had turned off a tracking feature in their Google account.
In 2024, the company agreed to destroy billions of data records of users’ private browsing activities to settle a lawsuit accusing it of tracking people who believed they were browsing privately, including in “Incognito” mode.
Ivy League school’s new boss triggers instant anger from furious campus activists
Columbia University’s new president is already facing opposition from anti-Israel rabble-rousers, who have condemned her for previous actions taken against leftist encampments at her last college.
“Columbia just announced Jennifer Mnookin as its new president,” CU Apartheid Divest, an unofficial Columbia group, said on X. “As chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, she called riot police to beat up and arrest students for their Gaza Solidarity Encampment. She’ll fit in perfectly with the rest of the school’s fascist admin.”
In May 2024, Mnookin gave the order for police to tear down encampments by radical left-wing Students for Justice in Palestine and Wisconsin Young Democratic Socialists of America, who were at the time calling for divestment from Israel, according to the University of Wisconsin—Madison’s student newspaper, The Daily Cardinal.
Thirty-four people were arrested in what the newspaper described as a “raid.” Most were cited and released, and the encampment popped back up the next day.
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The Ivy League school’s board of trustees on Sunday announced that Mnookin will replace acting school head Claire Shipman effective July 1. The search for a new president began last April, after Minouche Shafik, the prior head of the school, resigned amid controversy over anti-Israel protests and encampments.
“Jennifer will be an exceptional leader for Columbia’s future,” said David J. Greenwald and Jeh C. Johnson, co-chairs of the Columbia University Board of Trustees. “She is a distinguished scholar who now leads a complex institution with clarity and vision. She understands the essential role that higher education and research play in advancing knowledge, serving the public good, and addressing our most pressing challenges.”
“She is also a keen listener who builds consensus and does not shy away from making difficult decisions when necessary,” Greenwald and Johnson continued. “As president, she will lead Columbia forward with strength and a firm commitment to the University’s cherished values.”
“I am honored and thrilled to join Columbia University at this important moment,” Mnookin said upon her appointment. “Columbia is defined by rigorous scholarship, a deep commitment to open inquiry, world-class patient care, and an inseparable and enduring connection to New York City, the greatest city in the world.”
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She sent her first message to students on Monday.
“The last several years have been challenging ones for higher education, certainly including Columbia,” Mnookin reportedly wrote in an email. “Having had the privilege for the past few years of leading a public flagship university in a complex time, I well understand the significant uncertainties and heightened scrutiny many universities are now facing.”
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Last July, Columbia reached a more than $200 million settlement with the Trump administration over discrimination against Jewish students on campus.
“I’m very pleased that we were able to bring those negotiations to a close and have an excellent working agreement now with Columbia. They knew they had an antisemitism problem,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said at the time.
Columbia did not immediately return a request for comment.
Iran wants ‘to make a deal’ as US positions military assets nearby, Trump says
President Donald Trump said Iran appears to be looking to negotiate with the U.S. amid a growing military buildup in the Middle East.
In a Monday interview with Axios, Trump suggested that Tehran had reached out on “numerous occasions” and “want[s] to make a deal.”
“They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk,” the president told the outlet.
According to U.S. officials, also cited by Axios, any potential agreement would need Tehran to remove all enriched uranium, cap its long-range missile stockpile, a change in support for regional proxy forces, and cease independent uranium enrichment, terms Iranian leaders have not agreed to.
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Trump also described the situation with Iran as “in flux,” and pointed to the arrival of what he called “a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” referencing the recent deployment of U.S. naval assets.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier entered CENTCOM waters in the Indian Ocean on Monday amid increasing threats from Iran, a senior U.S. official said.
Trump had told reporters Jan. 21, “We have a big flotilla going in that direction, and we’ll see what happens. We have a big force going towards Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
The U.S. military buildup comes amid widespread unrest inside Iran following protests that began Dec. 28.
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According to a recent report from Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the confirmed death toll from the protests has reached 5,848, with an additional 17,091 deaths under investigation.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been sheltering in a fortified underground facility, according to Iran International.
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Trump is expected to hold further consultations this week, Axios said, before adding that White House officials said an attack is still on the table.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.