Liberal enclave in panic mode after ICE arrests dozens in wealthy vacation hotspot
Martha’s Vineyard residents are unhappy with the Trump administration deporting illegal immigrants from their liberal enclave, The Washington Post reported this week.
The community has been reeling since Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers arrested dozens of illegal immigrants in a recent raid, according to the report.
“It’s bullying,” one Martha’s Vineyard resident, Charlie Giordano, told the Post. “I don’t know how many are illegal or legal, I don’t give a s—. But I do care about how they’re treated.”
TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SCOTUS TO AUTHORIZE RAPID MIGRANT DEPORTATIONS TO COUNTRIES OTHER THAN THEIR OWN
The Washington Post’s story on the Martha’s Vineyard ICE raid comes as the federal law enforcement agency has been the focus of riots in downtown Los Angeles for the past several days.
ICE agents carried out operations at businesses across Los Angeles on Friday, sparking protests and clashes outside multiple locations that grew so chaotic that President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops into the city, followed by several hundred U.S. Marines, to restore order. Some California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have accused the administration of exacerbating the situation.
As the Post reported, ICE agents performed a massive sting throughout Massachusetts in late May that resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests. Forty of those arrests happened on the two islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
RIOTERS SMASH WINDOWS AT LAPD HEADQUARTERS AS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH AUTHORITIES
The arrests have ignited “fear among undocumented workers who form the backbone of the workforce here just as the busy summer season gets underway,” the outlet reported.
“After the raid, many immigrants panicked and shuttered themselves indoors. Many spoke to The Washington Post only on the condition of anonymity because they fear being targeted the next time ICE arrives on the island. They recounted taking extraordinary measures that day and in the week after to protect themselves,” the Post said, adding that the liberal community on the island had been shaken as well.
“The arrests hit a nerve in a liberal enclave known for welcoming everyone: presidents — former president Barack Obama has an oceanfront property here — LGBTQ+ activists, racial minorities, celebrities and a large cluster of immigrants from Brazil,” the paper noted.
One Brazilian resident, who admitted to the Post he is undocumented, warned that the local economy will crater because of the arrests and deportations.
CALIFORNIA LT. GOVERNOR SAYS LOS ANGELES RIOTS ARE ‘GENERATED BY DONALD TRUMP’
The anonymous man, who also owns three businesses in Martha’s Vineyard, said, “The money is just going to stop flowing. The U.S. is only losing in pushing us out.”
The Island has become a safe haven for many illegal immigrants from Brazil in recent decades as they fled their home country due to hyperinflation and other economic problems. According to the outlet, many came over on work or tourist visas, but ended up staying in the country.
The Post reported that these immigrants “established businesses offering food and cleaning services that are now crucial to daily life in a resort town. Today there are few restaurant menus here that don’t offer Brazilian-inspired options like croquettes or traditional cheesy bread.” It noted just how prevalent the Portuguese language is within the community as well.
An anonymous Brazilian woman, who owns a business and has raised three children on the island, told the paper, “The American people love us because we work so hard to help the community prosper and grow.”
“This was a safe place,” she added.
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Residents said that the recent arrests “felt arbitrary and included valued community members who had committed no crime,” according to the Post. A Brazilian pastor on the island told the outlet, “ICE would come here to get criminals and that is good. But the way they did it now, that was not it.”
However, the paper acknowledged ICE’s recent statement disputing those claims. According to the agency, more than half of all the illegal immigrants detained in Massachusetts last month had a criminal record.
ICE did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Martha’s Vineyard was at the center of the nation’s immigration debate in 2022, when Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered 50 illegal immigrants detained in Florida to be flown to the island. DeSantis was attempting to highlight the record influx of migrants at the southern border.
Trump surprises crowd at Fort Bragg with big announcement
President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will restore the original names of several U.S. Army bases that were renamed during the Biden presidency, calling the previous changes unnecessary and politically driven.
“For a little breaking news,” Trump said during a speech at Fort Bragg, “we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee.”
TRUMP WARNS ANY POTENTIAL PROTESTORS AT HIS MILITARY PARADE WILL BE ‘MET WITH VERY BIG FORCE’
The crowd erupted in cheers and Trump continued: “We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change. And I’m superstitious. You know, I like to keep it going, right? I’m very superstitious. We want to keep it going.”
The seven bases were renamed in 2023 under a Pentagon directive carried out by the Biden administration, following a 2021 law passed by Congress.
TRUMP HONORS FALLEN AMERICAN HEROES, PRAISES GOD IN MEMORIAL DAY ADDRESS: ‘GREAT, GREAT WARRIORS’
In response to Trump’s announcement, the U.S. Army released a statement defending the original decision. “The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu,” the statement said. “Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star.”
Among the individuals honored under the Biden-era renamings: 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroic action in World War II; Col. Robert B. Hood, also a Distinguished Service Cross recipient for valor in World War I; and Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
Others included Pvt. Fitz Lee, Gen. James H. Polk, Capt. Edward W. Rucker, and three Medal of Honor recipients: Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, honored at what was formerly Fort A.P. Hill.
“That’s a big story,” Trump said. “We just announced that today to you for the first time. They said, ‘Why didn’t you wait till Saturday?’ Said, ‘I can’t wait. I got to talk to my friends here today.’”
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A military parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 in Washington, D.C.
The White House has confirmed the restoration of the Army base names to Fox News Digital.
Musk regrets attacks on Trump after heated exchange over spending bill
Tech executive Elon Musk said Wednesday that he regrets making some of his recent social media posts attacking President Donald Trump, admitting they went “too far.”
“I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk wrote on X.
This comes after a recent public spat between the two as Musk began criticizing Trump for his “big beautiful” spending bill after the billionaire tech executive spent months working to cut wasteful spending as part of the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk has since departed.
At one point, Musk claimed Trump was in the Justice Department’s files on its investigation into accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, saying that was why the president’s administration has not made them public.
MUSK SIGNALS POTENTIAL SOFTENING OF FEUD WITH SIMPLE ONE EMOJI RESPONSE TO CLIP OF TRUMP WISHING HIM WELL
“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Musk wrote. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
Musk later deleted the post.
Other posts from Musk included a claim that Trump would not have won the election without his help while accusing Trump of “ingratitude.” In another post, Musk suggested that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President Vance.
Trump said last week he is not interested in talking to Musk, telling Fox News that “Elon’s totally lost it.”
The president also said while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office last week that he was “very disappointed” in Musk’s vocal criticisms of his spending bill. Trump claimed Musk knew what was in the bill and “had no problem” with it until electric vehicle incentives were cut, an assessment Musk slammed as “false.”
TIMELINE: INSIDE THE EVOLVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRUMP AND MUSK FROM FIRST TERM TO THIS WEEK’S FALLOUT
Trump also criticized Musk on social media, saying in one post: “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!”
But this week, Musk and Trump have appeared to soften their stances against one another.
“We had a great relationship and I wish him well — very well, actually,” Trump said on Monday.
Musk, who had also been Trump’s senior advisor before his recent exit from the federal government, responded to the clip with a heart emoji.
The public spat between the two billionaires appeared to be losing steam after Musk seemingly issued support for Trump’s response to the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles.
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“Governor Gavin Newscum and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they’ve done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots. These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists,” Trump said late Sunday in a post Musk shared.
Musk also reacted to a post by Vance, who shared a screenshot of a post from Trump about how his administration would address the demonstrations in Los Angeles.
“This moment calls for decisive leadership,” Vance said along with the screenshot. “The president will not tolerate rioting and violence.”
Musk responded to the post with a pair of American flag emojis.
Car plows through protesters as police vehicles vandalized in growing unrest
A car drove through a crowd of demonstrators Tuesday night as hundreds of anti-ICE protesters gathered in Downtown Chicago.
The protests in Chicago come as Los Angeles has faced days of unrest.
Protests in LA started on June 7, with rioters burning cars, throwing objects and fireworks at police, smashing the windows of the LAPD’s headquarters and looting stores.
Tuesday’s footage from FOX 32 Chicago shows what appeared to be a woman driving through the Chicago demonstrators walking with signs and biking on Wabash and Monroe.
A police officer attempted to hit the window of the moving vehicle in an apparent attempt to get the driver to stop, but it kept moving, FOX 32 reported. It is unclear if anyone was injured during the incident.
DOZENS OF ANTI-ICE RIOTERS ARRESTED IN LA AS TRUMP SENDS IN NATIONAL GUARD TO QUELL VIOLENCE
The Chicago Police Department told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening that they were waiting to hear from responding officers when asked if the car’s driver would face charges for driving through protesters.
While most Chicago protesters were peaceful on Tuesday, some demonstrators clashed and vandalized police vehicles, and public transportation was temporarily suspended downtown, FOX 32 reported.
LA NEWS ANCHOR CLAIMS PEOPLE ARE HAVING ‘FUN’ WATCHING CARS BURN, RIOTS ‘RELATIVELY PEACEFUL’
Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez noted on X that multiple police cars had been vandalized.
“I guess we haven’t learned,” he wrote in one Tuesday evening post.
RIOTERS SMASH WINDOWS AT LAPD HEADQUARTERS AS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH AUTHORITIES
“I’m so sick of anarchy apologists and their ‘It’s not violent, just property damage bro’ bull—-,” he said in another.
An earlier protest Tuesday was part of a campaign called “From LA to Chicago: ICE Out!” according to FOX 32.
“I just think it’s not right what’s going on right now … people are being snatched off the street, so you just gotta do something about it,” Benjamin Rose, one of the protesters, told the outlet.
DEMONSTRATOR STEALS POLICE CAR DURING ANTI-DEPORTATION PROTEST IN ARIZONA
Demonstrations have been popping up across the country, from Asheville, North Carolina, to Chicago to Los Angeles, where unrest broke out over the weekend following a raid. The Department of Homeland Security said ICE raids in LA over the weekend resulted in “hundreds of illegal aliens [being] arrested by ICE officers and agents,” including “many with a criminal history and criminal convictions.”
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DHS listed more information about 19 suspects that ICE Los Angeles arrested on June 7 who are accused of crimes ranging from robbery to second-degree murder to rape.
“America’s brave ICE officers are removing the worst of the worst from LA’s streets, while LA’s leaders are working tirelessly against them,” DHS said in a Sunday statement as riots continued through the weekend.
ABC insider sheds light on dramatic firing of Terry Moran following anti-Trump post
ABC News was left with “no alternative” but to let longtime correspondent Terry Moran go over his now-deleted X post attacking President Donald Trump and top White House aide Stephen Miller, according to one network staffer.
“It’s just sad honestly,” the ABC News staffer told Fox News Digital. “It’s sad for him, a long-time colleague, friend, a good person, family man… It’s just unfortunate, but there was no alternative, especially in these times.”
The network insider acknowledged that, with the industry-wide issue of distrust of the legacy media, not addressing Moran’s post promptly and having the drama dragged out could have cost ABC viewership.
“We f—ing took it seriously and dealt with it pretty g–d— quickly,” they said.
TERRY MORAN OUT AT ABC NEWS FOLLOWING X POST ATTACKING TRUMP, STEPHEN MILLER
The ABC staffer said Moran, who had been with the network for 28 years, was beloved by his colleagues and insisted he wasn’t some “psycho liberal” like his X post may have suggested, saying he used to clash internally with liberal colleagues over politics.
“It’s like a waxing and waning, you know, type of, like, whimsical philosopher… that was his shtick,” the staffer said. “He was very folksy in the way that he did things like this… I kind of see maybe what he was trying to do. He used the wrong f—ing words, obviously. I can get maybe what he was trying to say, but like, dude, put the phone down and go to bed.”
ABC NEWS STAFF DISAPPOINTED BY TERRY MORAN’S ‘VERY STUPID’ ATTACK ON TRUMP THAT LED TO SUSPENSION
Moran was officially axed Tuesday by ABC News, just before his contract with the network was set to expire on Friday.
“We are at the end of our agreement with Terry Moran and based on his recent post – which was a clear violation of ABC News policies – we have made the decision to not renew,” a spokesperson for ABC News told Fox News Digital.
“At ABC News, we hold all of our reporters to the highest standards of objectivity, fairness and professionalism, and we remain committed to delivering straightforward, trusted journalism,” the spokesperson added.
Moran found himself in hot water both inside and outside the Disney-owned network when he called Trump and Miller “world-class” haters early Sunday morning. Moran, who’s been with the network since 1997, was initially suspended after ABC News honchos woke up to the viral backlash.
“The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism,” Moran began his post. “Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy. But that’s not what’s interesting about Miller. It’s not brains. It’s bile.”
“Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater,” Moran wrote. “You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”
Moran’s post went on to also call Trump a “world-class hater” but added that “his hatred [is] only a means to an end, and that end [is] his own glorification. That’s his spiritual nourishment.”
ABC’S TERRY MORAN SUSPENDED AFTER JOURNALIST SLAMS TRUMP, TOP ADVISOR IN SINCE-DELETED POST
Moran’s firing came less than six weeks after he interviewed Trump as part of a major primetime special for ABC marking Trump’s first 100 days in office. Trump repeatedly chided Moran for his various lines of questioning.
“They’re giving you the big break of a lifetime,” Trump told Moran. “You’re doing the interview. I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that’s OK. I picked you, Terry, but you’re not being very nice.”
ABC News previously settled a defamation lawsuit Trump brought against the network, shelling out $15 million and issuing an apology last December after George Stephanopoulos falsely claimed a jury found Trump “liable for rape.” He was actually found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case brought by accuser E. Jean Carroll, which has a distinct definition under New York law.
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The latest network drama comes as public trust in the media continues to steadily erode. A Gallup survey last year showed a record-low 31% of Americans expressed at least a “fair amount” of trust in the media to report the news accurately.
Drinking alcohol linked to another deadly cancer as new research sounds alarm bells
Following the surgeon general’s January advisory linking alcohol consumption to seven types of cancer, a new study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has revealed another possible risk.
The research, recently published in the journal PLOS Medicine, classified alcohol as a carcinogen, highlighting a particular increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
The surgeon general’s previous advisory named cancers of the breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth and throat.
PSYCHEDELICS AS POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT ARE EXPLORED BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The researchers associated the pancreatic cancer risk with beer and spirits/liquor, but not with the intake of wine.
“Alcohol consumption is a known carcinogen, but until now, the evidence linking it specifically to pancreatic cancer has been considered inconclusive,” said senior study author Dr. Pietro Ferrari, head of the IARC Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, in a press release.
“Our findings provide new evidence that pancreatic cancer may be another cancer type associated with alcohol consumption, a connection that has been underestimated until now.”
For the study, researchers recruited 2.5 million participants with a median age of 57, following them for about 16 years.
FDA APPROVES FIRST AI TOOL TO PREDICT BREAST CANCER RISK
Out of the group, 10,067 cases of pancreatic cancer were recorded.
Each increase of 10 grams of ethanol per day in alcohol consumption was associated with a 3% increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer, the study found.
Women who consumed 15 to 30 grams of alcohol (about one to two standard drinks) per day had a 12% increase in pancreatic cancer risk.
Men who consumed 30 to 60 grams (two to six standard drinks) per day had a 15% increased risk of pancreatic cancer, and intake of over 60 grams per day was associated with a 36% greater risk.
“There really isn’t a safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer risk.”
The research did have some limitations.
“This observational study examined alcohol intake evaluated at a single time point during mid-to-late adulthood and included a limited number of Asian cohorts,” the researchers wrote.
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“Further research is needed to better understand the role of lifetime alcohol consumption — for example, during early adulthood — and the influence of specific consumption patterns, such as binge-drinking.”
Dr. Adam Scioli, an addiction psychiatrist at Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, previously commented to Fox News Digital that “alcohol is a toxin.”
“There have been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” Scioli, who is not affiliated with IARC, told Fox News Digital.
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Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, was not involved in the study but spoke with Fox News Digital about the findings.
“This is in keeping with alcohol as a toxin that directly inflames and damages pancreatic cells,” he said.
Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is in some way linked to alcohol use, according to Scioli.
Dr. Neha Pathak, WebMD’s chief physician editor of health and lifestyle medicine, noted that the study highlights a new, independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
“What’s important to know is that there really isn’t a safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer risk,” Atlanta-based Pathak, who also did not participate in the research, told Fox News Digital.
“This study reinforces that message — but it also shows how complex these links are, and how we need to keep digging deeper into the role of alcohol and different drinking habits in cancer development,” she added.
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ actress Dakota Johnson’s brutally honest dating requirement
Dakota Johnson is sharing her dating deal-breaker.
On Monday, the 35-year-old actress appeared on “Today” with Chris Evans to promote their upcoming movie, “Materialists,” in which Johnson plays a professional matchmaker and the Marvel star portrays her ex-boyfriend. During the episode, host Craig Melvin asked the duo, “If either of you were to engage with a real-life matchmaker, what would be one non-negotiable for you?”
While Evans, 43, shared that any potential interest “must love dogs,” his co-star had a more blunt reply.
“Like, not an a——,” Johnson said to laughter from Evans, Melvin and the audience.
“That’s concise,” Evans quipped with a smile. “There it is. Nail on the head.”
DAKOTA JOHNSON, CHRIS MARTIN SPEAK OUT ABOUT RUMORED SPLIT
Johnson might be back in the dating pool after she reportedly split from Chris Martin after eight years together. During an interview June 4 with the Los Angeles Times, Johnson sparked speculation that she and Martin had called it quits as she shared her view on relationships.
“For a long time we’ve all been so quick to judge relationships or how they should happen, how they should exist in the world. When people should get married. Divorce is bad. All these things that actually, if you think about it, why is divorce bad?” ” the “Fifty Shades of Grey” star said.
“Why do people have to get married or at a certain age or only once? Why? It doesn’t matter,” Johnson added.
Later that day, People magazine reported that Johnson and Martin had ended their on-and-off again relationship and the split appeared to be permanent.
“It feels final this time,” a source told the outlet.
Johnson and the Coldplay frontman have been dating since 2017. Martin was previously married to Gwyneth Paltrow for 10 years. The former couple, who share children Apple, 21, and Moses, 19, announced their separation as a “conscious uncoupling” in 2014. Their divorce was finalized in 2016 but the two have remained on good terms.
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In December 2020, Johnson and Martin sparked engagement rumors when the “Madame Web” actress stepped out sporting a large emerald ring on her left ring finger.
A source told People magazine in March 2024 Johnson and Martin “got engaged years ago but were in no rush to get married.”
In August 2024, a representative for Johnson denied rumors the pair had decided to part ways.
“The reports are not true,” Johnson’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “They are happily together.”
At the time, a source told People magazine Johnson and Martin’s relationship was “going strong.”
“They’ve had ups and downs, but now they’re definitely back on,” the insider shared.
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The actress previously spoke with Elle U.K. and shed some light on her low-profile relationship with the “Fix You” singer.
“We’ve been together for quite a while, and we go out sometimes, but we both work so much that it’s nice to be at home and be cozy and private,” Johnson said in 2021.
When asked how she and Martin manage to maintain a private relationship, Johnson added, “Most of the partying takes place inside my house.”
McDonald’s debuts new menu item — and it’s missing the mark with customers
McDonald’s recently added McCripsy Strips to its U.S. menu and, according to one analyst, they might not be hitting the mark with all customers.
The fast-food giant first launched the McCrispy Strips in late April, with all participating restaurants across the country selling them by May 5.
The company said in an April 24 press release that the strips, which are McDonald’s first new permanent U.S. menu item in about four years, are made with “juicy, 100% white meat, coated with crispy golden-brown breading and bursting with a bold, new black pepper flavor.”
Loop Capital suggested in a research note that some consumers have been less than impressed by their appearance in comparison to the Chicken Selects that McDonald’s once sold and chicken strips currently offered by other fast-food chains, Barron’s reported.
MCDONALD’S EXTENDING HOURS AT MOST US LOCATIONS THIS SUMMER AMID HIRING SURGE
In the note, Loop Capital analyst Alton Stump said the investment firm had “hoped the superior taste profile of the new chicken strips would overcome the product’s appearance” but has “received predominantly negative customer feedback to date,” according to the outlet.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCD | MCDONALD’S CORP. | 300.45 | -4.27 | -1.40% |
On the social media platform Reddit, some users have voiced criticism of the McCrispy Strips.
“These are horrible and taste like oversized Dino nuggets,” one user said. A different user said they “don’t hold a candle to the chicken selects of the past.”
Another called them “so stringy,” saying McNuggets “are definitely better.”
Others, meanwhile, praised the McCrispy Strips on Reddit.
One user said they were “my favorite thing at McDonald’s now,” while another said the McCripsy Strips were “so good.”
“They were good and loved the sauce!” another said.
Stump said Loop Capital had previously thought McDonald’s U.S. sales would get more of a lift from the McCrispy Strips debut, as well as the fast-food giant bringing back the Snack Wrap next month, but it now has reservations because of the negative customer feedback, according to Barron’s.
McDonald’s is set to bring the snack wrap back to menus starting July 10 with spicy or ranch flavor options, roughly nine years after the fan-favorite was discontinued nationwide.
MCDONALD’S CONFIRMS PERMANENT RETURN OF SNACK WRAPS AS MENU FAVORITE RETURNS
The snack wrap will have a McCrispy Strip inside it as well as shredded lettuce and cheese, McDonald’s said this month.
Stump suggested how some customers feel about the McCrispy Strips might be a bad sign for the upcoming snack wrap, but the tortilla “will mostly cover up the underwhelming appearance of the new chicken strip,” according to Barron’s.
McDonald’s will see a 2% increase in its U.S. comparable sales during the second quarter and a 1.2% jump over the entirety of the year, Loop Capital reportedly projected.
The company declined to comment on the Loop Capital research note.
Some other firms have reportedly had more rosy views on the McCrispy Strips.
For instance, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Harbour said in a research note that they should have a positive impact on sales, along with the snack wrap and McDonald’s plan to offer more drinks, Barron’s reported.
WITH ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY, AMERICANS ARE SPENDING LESS ON FAST FOOD
When the snack wrap returns, it will be a permanent offering on McDonald’s menus. The passion that McDonald’s customers have for snack wraps has prompted the fast-food giant to stage a comeback for the menu item.
Other fast-food companies like Popeye’s and Wendy’s currently sell chicken wraps.
Diddy’s ex reveals rapper’s disturbing fantasies as defense strategy takes shape
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend provided the jury more insight into the rapper’s life outside his music mogul status when she returned to the witness stand Tuesday for cross-examination in his federal trial for sex crimes.
Using a pseudonym, “Jane” testified that she broached the subject of rehab for the “Last Night” rapper after allegedly witnessing him “overdoing the partying.” She claimed he would offer her ecstasy before engaging in role play and that Diddy liked to use the words “voyeurism” and “escapism” to describe his fantasies of watching her participate in sexual encounters with male escorts.
Attorney David Seltzer told Fox News Digital that while Jane’s testimony was compelling, her claims did little to aid in the prosecution’s case to convict Diddy of the five charges he’s facing.
DIDDY’S EX PAUSES TRIAL TESTIMONY FOLLOWING STAND-OFF WITH RAPPER’S LAWYER
“The testimony from the latest witness, Jane, continues to show the world that Mr. Combs is a sexual deviant,” Seltzer said. “Someone who thought he was untouchable and above the law. Still, while there is no doubt Mr. Combs broke multiple laws. The charges he is facing in federal court are not laws he has broken.
“Jane’s testimony, voice notes and all, while chilling and demonstrate Mr. Combs’ controlling behavior, does not, in my opinion, prove the government’s case. Rather, it further depicts Mr. Combs as morally reprehensible and as such someone the jury should convict.”
DIDDY’S EX’S TESTIMONY COULD PROVIDE POWERFUL CORROBORATION TO ALLEGATIONS IN SEX CRIMES TRIAL: EXPERT
Former federal prosecutor Neahma Rahmani told Fox News Digital that this case “comes down to coercion versus consent.”
“Combs’ lawyers cross-examined victim Jane the entire day and suggested that Jane chose to participate in the hotel nights. For the first time, we heard the defense’s theory of their case,” Rahmani said.
“The testimony from the latest witness, Jane, continues to show the world that Mr. Combs is a sexual deviant.”
“Combs’ lawyers also suggested that he was a drug addict and taking antidepressants, likely to play the sympathy card for the jury.”
During cross-examination, Jane said in 2022 she was trying to figure out her relationship with Diddy and came upon the term “cuckold,” a word for a man turned on watching his woman have sex with another man.
According to Jane, she wanted to know what was driving the rapper and to find an understanding of his alleged fantasies. She said she found multiple reasons, including that a “cuckold” derives pleasure from seeing his woman receive pleasure from another man. Jane testified that “cucks” could also have a curiosity that they were too ashamed to experience themselves, so they used a woman.
Jane claimed Diddy liked to use voyeurism and escapism. “I would use the work ‘cuck’ for him,” she told his defense lawyers. She also testified that Diddy was upfront with her about dating multiple women at the start of their relationship in 2021.
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She explained the rapper was “polyamorous” and she was OK with that at the time. She testified at first she didn’t mind because she was just getting to know Diddy. According to Jane, she was forced to participate in “hotel nights.” During these sessions, which could last from 24 hours to multiple days, she was allegedly expected to have sex with other men while Diddy watched.
“Jane’s testimony, voice notes and all, while chilling and demonstrate Mr. Combs’ controlling behavior, does not, in my opinion, prove the government’s case. Rather, it further depicts Mr. Combs as morally reprehensible and as such someone the jury should convict.”
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While on the stand, Jane told defense lawyer Teny Geragos that she had been texting Diddy about him buying purses for another woman. Geragos commented that Jane received a bag of her own.
“No, I only got trauma … after three-and-a-half years, I really don’t think I garnered anything,” Jane told the court. Geragos pressed, “How much do Bottega bags cost?” to which Jane replied, “How much does my body cost?” before asking the court for a break from testimony. When court resumed, Jane apologized to Geragos.
“She claimed to be righteous and was going to walk away from Mr. Combs after her ask of ‘3 months’ of continued financial support, but here we are over a year later and Mr. Combs is still paying her rent and legal fees as she testified against him,” Seltzer said.
“Is that the testimony of a victim? Is that the face of fear? I think Jane is primed to really help boost the defense case when all these points are honed in on.”
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In a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 17, Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, in which witnesses have testified to alleged rape, sexual assault, severe physical abuse, forced labor and drug trafficking. The trial is expected to wrap by July 4.