SCOTT BESSENT: President Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ will unleash parallel prosperity
The same issues that drove the Founders to declare independence from the Crown in 1776 drove 77 million Americans to the polls in 2024: heavy taxes, weak leadership, and an overreaching government numb to the needs of its citizens. President Trump won in a landslide victory by offering powerful solutions to each of these problems. He is the American people’s declaration of independence from business as usual in Washington.
The president seeks to serve “the forgotten men and women of America.” And the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which he signs into law today, is central to that mission. This historic legislation will make life more affordable for all Americans by unleashing parallel prosperity—the idea that Main Street and Wall Street can grow together.
NEW PROJECTION SIGNALS GOOD NEWS FOR FAMILIES, WORKERS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
The One Big, Beautiful Bill represents the priorities of the new Republican Party, which includes millions of working-class Americans who once called themselves Democrats. This bill builds on the blue-collar renaissance started by President Trump.
Since President Trump took office in January, blue-collar wages have increased 1.7%. This represents the largest increase in working-class wages to start a presidency in more than 50 years. For comparison, working-class wages decreased during the same period under every single president since Richard Nixon with only one exception—President Trump in his first term.
Key to sparking the president’s second blue-collar boom has been his efforts to end illegal immigration. The open-border policy of previous administrations accelerated our nation’s affordability crisis. The influx of millions of illegal aliens put an unsustainable strain on healthcare, housing, education and welfare. It also supported a black market in labor that artificially suppressed working-class wages for decades. But that ends with the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The One Big Beautiful Bill is more than just a tax bill. It works to ensure that illegal immigrants are not taking advantage of the safety net created for Americans. The bill also funds the completion of the border wall and provides resources to hire thousands of additional federal agents to protect our country against future illegal immigration. The goal is to redirect the estimated $249 billion in annual wages paid to illegal workers to lawful workers and American citizens. Ending the black market of undocumented labor by funding enforcement of our existing immigration laws will result in a massive pay raise for the working class.
We have seen American workers benefit from the president’s economic approach before. Under President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, the net worth of the bottom 50% of households increased faster than the net worth of the top 10% of households. That will happen again under the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The bill prevents a $4.5 trillion tax hike on the American people. This will allow the average worker to keep an additional $4,000 to $7,200 in annual real wages and allow the average family of four to keep an additional $7,600 to $10,900 in take-home pay. Add to this the president’s ambitious deregulation agenda, which could save the average family of four an additional $10,000. For millions of Americans, these savings are the difference between being able to make a mortgage payment, buy a car, or send a child to college.
The president is delivering on his promise to seniors as well. The bill provides an additional $6,000 deduction for seniors, which will mean that 88% of seniors receiving Social Security income will pay no tax on their Social Security benefits.
The One Big Beautiful Bill also codifies no tax on tips and no tax on overtime pay—both policies designed to provide financial relief to America’s working class. These tax breaks will ensure Main Street workers keep more of their hard-earned income. And they will bolster productivity by rewarding Americans who work extra hours. All Americans can learn how President Trump’s tax cuts will impact their lives for the better with a new White House calculator.
These productivity-enhancing measures dovetail with the second booster in the blue-collar boom: providing 100% expensing for new factories and existing factories that expand operations, plus car loan interest deductibility to support Made-in-America.
Economic security is national security. This became especially clear during COVID, which exposed glaring vulnerabilities in our critical supply chains. By providing 100% expensing for factories—in addition to rebalancing trade to encourage greater domestic production—President Trump is fortifying our supply chains and reawakening the might of America’s industrial base.
To help fuel this effort, the president is unleashing American energy by removing onerous regulations, increasing oil and gas lease sales, eliminating the perverse subsidies of the Green New Scam, and refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. These measures will make life more affordable for American families by bringing down the costs of gas and electricity across the country.
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Through the One Big Beautiful Bill, President Trump is taking a bottom-up approach to restoring the economy. To that end, the bill makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent to give businesses of all sizes the certainty they need to grow, hire, and plan for the long term. It also provides targeted relief for small businesses by more than doubling the cap on overall small business expensing. These tax provisions will put billions of dollars back in the hands of America’s small business owners, which they can then use to expand their workforce and reinvigorate Main Street.
The intent of all these policies—be it tax cuts for the working class, full expensing for manufacturers, or new deductions for small businesses—is the same: to improve the lives of Americans on every rung of the economic ladder. With visionary leadership, President Trump is laying the foundation for the Golden Age he promised through tax deals, trade deals, peace deals, and deregulation.
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The One Big Beautiful Bill will Make America Affordable Again. It will cement the blue-collar boom, reignite U.S. manufacturing, and unleash the commercial potential of the greatest economy in the world. Today marks the passage of the largest tax cut in history for our nation’s workers. It is a tribute to the Founders who demanded lower taxes themselves and is the perfect way to begin America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
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National Guard deployed as floods kill 13 and at least 20 children missing at Texas camp
The National Guard was deployed in Texas on Friday after a devastating river flood killed at least half a dozen people and swept away children at a local Christian camp.
Heavy rain on Friday morning caused the Guadalupe River to reach nearly 30 feet, surging 20 feet in only an hour.
At least six people have been reported dead, according to FOX affiliate KABB.
Two young girls attending Camp Mystic remain missing, and other campers are being evacuated via helicopter, KSAT 12 reported.
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY CLOSES CAPITOL GROUNDS FOLLOWING ‘CREDIBLE THREAT’ TO LAWMAKERS
Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. issued a disaster declaration amid emergency evacuations.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement on X the state is surging all available resources to respond to the devastating flooding in Kerr County.
“That includes water rescue teams, sheltering centers, the National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety,” Abbott wrote. “The immediate priority is saving lives.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, posted on X asking for prayers.
“Please pray right now for everyone in the Hill Country, especially Camp Mystic,” Cruz wrote on X. “Today, I’ve spoken with Gov Abbott, Lt. Gov Patrick, the head of TDEM & President Trump. Multiple helicopters are performing search & rescue. President [Donald] Trump committed ANYTHING Texas needs.”
FLOODS KILL AT LEAST 111 AS NORTHERN NIGERIA BATTLES CLIMATE CHANGE, DRY SPELLS AND HEAVY RAINFALL
The Kerrville Public Utility Board outage map showed nearly 3,000 people were without power, as of 3 p.m. eastern time.
Local funeral homes told Fox News Digital they are completely overwhelmed.
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A local Walmart is being used as a temporary reunification center and shelters have been activated, according to the City of Kerrville Police Department.
The Red Cross is assisting, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.
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Kerr County spokesperson and county Judge Rob Kelley and the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Florida official ‘shocked’ as city votes to defy immigration law despite warnings
A Florida city commissioner said she was shocked to find herself “standing alone” after her colleagues in the state’s southernmost municipality voted this week to end an agreement between the police department and federal immigration authorities.
Key West city Commissioner Lissette Carey told Fox News Digital that she considered the potential consequences of severing the 287(g) agreement, which allows police officers to stop, question and detain illegal immigrants.
“I did my research prior to the meeting,” Carey said. “I was the only member of the Commission who understood the consequences and respected our state and federal government enough to uphold the law.”
DESANTIS ADMINISTRATION THREATENS TO PUNISH ISLAND CITY THAT VOTED TO END POLICE AGREEMENT WITH ICE
In a 5-1 vote, the commission voted to void the agreement, a move that came amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and nationwide mass deportation operations.
“I was deeply disturbed by the lack of understanding and the disregard for the safety, security, and long-term well-being of our city,” Carey said. “As the first to cast a vote on this matter, I was disheartened—and frankly shocked—to find myself standing alone in recognizing the importance of upholding this agreement.”
The move has already met opposition from leaders in the state capital of Tallahassee.
In a letter dated Wednesday to the commissioners, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said their vote violates state law and has essentially made Key West a “sanctuary city.”
“Florida law unequivocally forbids sanctuary cities,” Uthmeier wrote while demanding the city leaders reverse course. “Failure to take corrective action will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including removal from office by the governor.”
LARGE CITY SIGNS ONTO DEAL WITH ICE: ‘KEEP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE SAFE’
He added that they could face removal from office if they don’t reverse course.
Carey, whose mother and grandparents arrived in Key West from Cuba in the 1950s, said she supports legal immigration.
“I am proud of my heritage, and I honor the many contributions immigrants make to our communities,” she said. “But I also believe in following the law and ensuring public safety.”
“Key West is often seen as a carefree, liberal town, but it’s also home to conservatives like me who support law enforcement,” added Carey.
Earlier in the week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the issue is a matter of following state law.
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“I think the attorney general has weighed in on that, and I’ll let him do the analysis and send them whatever warnings need to be sent,” DeSantis said at the opening of the new “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in the Everglades.
“But the reality is you have a responsibility for full participation,” he added. “And you can virtue signal and try to make political statements, but the reality is local governments have to abide by Florida law.”
Choosing not to cooperate with immigration authorities only puts residents in those municipalities at risk, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“Local officials refusing to work with federal law enforcement will not stop the Trump Administration’s mission to remove dangerous, criminal illegal aliens from American communities,” the spokesperson said. “It will only put American citizens living in their jurisdiction at risk. Quickly and efficiently deporting violent aliens makes every American community safer.”
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Other Florida cities have done the opposite. In Miami, city commissioners there narrowly voted in favor last month to allow police officers to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by entering into its own 287(g) partnership.
Caitlyn Jenner’s longtime friend and manager dies in devastating Malibu accident
Caitlyn Jenner’s longtime friend and manager, Sophia Hutchins, has died at the age of 29 after she was involved in an ATV accident in Malibu, California, on Wednesday morning.
TMZ first reported the news. The outlet was informed by law enforcement and family sources that Hutchins was riding her ATV down a road where Jenner lives when she collided with the bumper of a moving car — which sent her and her ATV off the shoulder of the road, plummeting down a 350-foot ravine.
Sources told TMZ that first responders pronounced Hutchins dead on the scene. The two individuals who were in the car that Hutchins collided with were uninjured, but it is still unclear whether anyone else was harmed on the ATV.
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TMZ reported that it has reached out to Jenner concerning the incident, but did not hear back.
Hutchins and Jenner first met in 2015 after the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star publicly announced her transition.
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Hutchins made appearances on several episodes of the E! docuseries “I Am Cait,” and served as CEO and director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation.
Born on April 1, 1996, in Bellevue, Washington, Hutchins was a 2019 Pepperdine University alumnus with a degree in economics and finance, according to Deadline. She also founded and served as the CEO of the health technology company LUMASOL.
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Trump fires back at Dems over ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ as battle lines get drawn for midterms
President Donald Trump quickly took aim at Democrats for opposing his sweeping domestic policy bill.
“Not one Democrat voted for us, and I think we use it in the campaign that’s coming up the midterms, because we’ve got to beat them,”
The president spoke as he headlined a July 4th-eve event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to kickoff celebrations of next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Hours earlier, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, in a 218-214 vote on Thursday nearly entirely along party lines, lifted the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” to final congressional passage. Earlier in the week, Vice President JD Vance broke a tie in the Senate to advance the measure 51-50.
POLITICAL FIGHT OVER ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ SHIFTS TO CAMPAIGN TRAIL
The president is scheduled to sign the massive spending and tax cut bill into law Friday at 5pm, at a White House signing ceremony.
With the legislative battle over the bill finished, and Trump and congressional Republican leaders victorious, the campaign trail war now begins over the controversial measure, which many of the most recent public opinion polls suggest is not very popular with Americans.
‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ON WAY TO WHITE HOUSE AFTER NARROWLY PASSING FINAL HURDLE IN CONGRESS
“Every Democrat voted to hurt working families and to protect the status quo,” argued a memo from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) released minutes after the final House passage of the bill.
And the NRCC, which is the campaign arm of the House GOP, emphasized that “House Republicans will be relentless in making this vote the defining issue of 2026.”
House Republicans will be defending their razor-thin majority in the chamber (220-215 when the House is at full strength) when all 435 seats are up for grabs in next year’s midterm elections.
NRCC chair Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, in an opinion piece published on Friday morning, charged that House Democrats “rejected common sense” by voting against the bill.
“And we will make sure each one of them has to answer for it,” he vowed, as he pointed to next year’s congressional elections.
The bill is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit.
It includes extending his signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.
By making his first-termtax rates permanent – they were set to expire later this year – the bill will cut taxes by nearly $4.4 trillion over the next decade, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
WHAT’S ACTUALLY IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’
The measure also provides billions for border security and codifies the president’s controversial immigration crackdown.
And the bill also restructures Medicaid — the nearly 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. Additionally, Senate Republicans increased cuts to Medicaid over what the House initially passed in late May.
The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage.
And the $3.4 trillion legislative package is also projected to surge the national debt by $4 trillion over the next decade.
Democrats for a couple of months have blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes.
“BREAKING: House Republicans vote to kick 17 million people off health care,” screamed the headline in an email from the Democratic National Committee to supporters, moments after the bill passed the House on Thursday.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries charged that “extreme House Republicans just approved the largest cut to Medicaid and food assistance in American history to fund tax breaks for their billionaire donors.”
And Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair Rep. Suzan DelBene pledged that “the DCCC will make sure every battleground voter knows how vulnerable House Republicans abandoned them by passing the most unpopular piece of legislation in modern American history, and we’re going to take back the House majority because of it.”
Expect to see ads from Democrats as early as this holiday weekend taking aim at Republicans over their passage of the bill. And the Democrats are expected to turn up the volume on the messaging campaign next month, during the August congressional break.
HOW MUCH THE ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL CUT YOUR TAXES
But Republicans are also going on offense, targeting Democrats for voting against tax cuts.
Republicans are shining a spotlight on a poll conducted by a GOP-aligned public policy group that indicates strong support for the bill due to the tax cut provisions.
A release earlier this week from the group, One Nation, argued that “polling shows that the public supports the Republican plan to cut taxes for families, eliminate taxes on Social Security, overtime, and tips, and reign in waste and abuse in the federal budget.”
The president, as he returned to the nation’s capital early Friday after his event in Iowa, touted his bill.
“I think it’s very popular. It does many things, but one of them is the biggest tax cuts in our country’s history. And that alone makes it very popular,” Trump said.
But Democrats spotlighted a slew of national polls conducted last month that indicate the bill’s popularity in negative territory.
By a 21-point margin, voters questioned in the most recent Fox News national poll opposed the bill (38% favored vs. 59% opposed).
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The bill was also underwater in other national surveys conducted last month by the Washington Post (minus 19 points), Pew Research (minus 20 points) and Quinnipiac University (minus 26 points).
About half of respondents questioned in the Fox News poll said the bill would hurt their family (49%), while one quarter thought it would help (23%), and another quarter didn’t think it would make a difference (26%).
Sixty percent felt they had a good understanding of what is in the measure, and while those voters were more likely to favor the legislation than those who are unfamiliar with it, more still think it will hurt rather than help their family (45% vs. 34%).
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The latest surveys all indicated a wide partisan divide over the measure.
According to the Fox News poll, which was conducted June 13-16, nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73%) favored the bill, while nearly nine in ten Democrats (89%) and nearly three-quarters of independents (73%) opposed the measure.
Iran’s regime confiscates phones, cuts internet as citizens face brutal new reality
In the wake of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the regime appears to be turning inward — escalating repression with chilling speed.
According to Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, the Islamic Republic is accelerating toward what he said is a “North Korea-style model of isolation and control.”
“We’re witnessing a kind of domestic isolation that will have major consequences for the Iranian people,” Aarabi told Fox News Digital. “The regime has always been totalitarian, but the level of suppression now is unprecedented. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
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A source inside Iran confirmed to Fox News Digital that “the repression has become terrifying.”
Aarabi, who maintains direct lines of contact in Iran, described a country under siege by its own rulers. In Tehran, he described how citizens are stopped at random, their phones confiscated and searched. “If you have content deemed pro-Israel or mocking the regime, you disappear,” he said. “People are now leaving their phones at home or deleting everything before they step outside.”
This new wave of paranoia and fear, he explained, mirrors tactics seen in North Korea — where citizens vanish without explanation and information is tightly controlled. During the recent conflict, Iran’s leadership imposed a total internet blackout to isolate the population, blocking Israeli evacuation alerts, and pushed propaganda that framed Israel as targeting civilians indiscriminately.
“It was a perverse objective,” Aarabi said, adding, “They deliberately cut communications to instill fear and manipulate public perception. For four days, not a single message went through. Even Israeli evacuation alerts didn’t reach their targets.”
The regime’s aim, he said, was twofold: to keep people off the streets and erode the surprising bond that had formed between Iranians and Israelis. “At the start of the war, many Iranians welcomed the strikes,” Aarabi noted. “They knew Israel was targeting the IRGC — the very forces responsible for suppressing and killing their own people. But once the internet was cut and fear set in, some began to question what was happening.”
Dr. Afshon Ostovar, a leading Iran scholar and author of “Vanguard of the Imam: Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards,” said domestic repression remains the regime’s most reliable strategy for survival.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR IRAN’S TERROR ARMY, THE IRGC, AFTER DEVASTATING MILITARY SETBACKS?
“Repressing the people at home is easy. That’s something they can do. So it’s not unlikely that Iran could become more insular, more autocratic, more repressive — and more similar to, let’s say, a North Korea — than what it is today. That might be the only way they see to preserve the regime: by really tightening the screws on the Iranian people, to ensure that the Iranian population doesn’t try to rise up and topple the regime,” he told Fox News Digital.
Inside the regime’s power structure, the fallout from the war is just as severe. Aarabi said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is facing an internal crisis of trust and an imminent purge. “These operations couldn’t have taken place without infiltration at the highest levels,” he said. “There’s immense pressure now to clean house.”
The next generation of IRGC officers — those who joined after 2000 — are younger, more radical and deeply indoctrinated. Over half of their training is now ideological. Aarabi said that these newer factions have begun turning on senior commanders, accusing them of being too soft on Israel or even collaborating with Mossad.
“In a twist of irony, Khamenei created these extreme ideological ranks to consolidate power — and now they’re more radical than he is,” Aarabi said. “He’s struggling to control them.”
A purge is likely, along with the rise of younger, less experienced commanders with far higher risk tolerance — a shift that could make the IRGC more volatile both domestically and internationally. With Iran’s conventional military doctrine in ruins, terrorism may become its primary lever of influence.
“The regime’s three pillars — militias, ballistic missiles, and its nuclear program — have all been decapitated or severely degraded,” Aarabi said. “That leaves only asymmetric warfare: soft-target terrorism with plausible deniability.”
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Despite the regime’s brutal turn inward, Aarabi insists this is a sign of weakness, not strength. “If the Islamic Republic were confident, it wouldn’t need to crush its people this way,” he said. “It’s acting out of fear. But until the regime’s suppressive apparatus is dismantled, the streets will remain silent — and regime change remains unlikely.”
Anti-Trump actress battles tech giants over ‘special exemption’ for AI content
Left-leaning actress Natasha Lyonne is at the forefront of Hollywood efforts to get the government to address creators’ concerns about AI infringing on their work.
“My primary interest is that people get paid for their life’s work,” Lyonne said in a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The story detailed Lyonne’s efforts to lobby Hollywood heavyweights to sign onto her letter to the Trump administration in March, urging against the loosening of regulations around AI, which they deem a potential threat to their intellectual property without proper protections in place.
The WSJ noted the White House’s pending AI action plan “could influence how U.S. copyright rules are applied to training large language models,” with tech companies like Google and OpenAI saying they need such models to keep theirs up to date and compete globally with rivals like China.
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The Hollywood letter said the companies “are arguing for a special government exemption so they can freely exploit America’s creative and knowledge industries, despite their substantial revenues and available funds. There is no reason to weaken or eliminate the copyright protections that have helped America flourish.”
Lyonne and more than 400 others, including such figures as Paul McCartney, Ron Howard and Ben Stiller, signed the letter.
Lyonne, known for her roles in the series “Poker Face” and “Russian Doll,” is a partner in a new studio called Asteria, which describes itself as “an artist-led generative AI film and animation studio powered by the first clean and ethical AI model.”
Like many figures in Hollywood, Lyonne is not a fan of the president, endorsing Kamala Harris in 2024 and posting in a now-deleted X post in 2020 about turning Texas blue to defeat Trump.
Earlier this year, she told The Hollywood Reporter she was concerned for marginalized communities, saying of Trump, “It’s very weird to have like a showbiz guy in charge, is surreal. I’m actually pretty horrified by how strategic and effective this whole thing has been.”
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She added she was concerned that 12-year-olds wouldn’t be able to get abortions, later clarifying that she was referring to young victims of rape or incest who may be forced to give birth.
The WSJ reported that Trump officials were unsure whether they’d take any action on the AI front, due to the complexities involved and having to take one side over another.
There have been mixed rulings on the subject as well, with fair use arguments favoring companies like Meta and Anthropic in two cases last month because the copyrighted material used to train their AI models was sufficiently transformed, the Wall Street Journal reported. But others have favored copyright holders, depending on the context.
OpenAI and Google put forth their own submissions earlier this year to the White House Office of Science and Technology asking their respective companies to be able to train their models on copyrighted material.
“The federal government can both secure Americans’ freedom to learn from AI and avoid forfeiting our AI lead to the PRC [People’s Republic of China] by preserving American AI models’ ability to learn from copyrighted material,” OpenAI’s letter states.
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Google’s letter states, “Balanced copyright rules, such as fair use and text-and-data mining exceptions, have been critical to enabling AI systems to learn from prior knowledge and publicly available data, unlocking scientific and social advances. These exceptions allow for the use of copyrighted, publicly available material for AI training without significantly impacting rightsholders and avoid often highly unpredictable, imbalanced, and lengthy negotiations with data holders during model development or scientific experimentation.”
This week, a deal that had been reached between Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, over how states can regulate artificial intelligence was pulled from President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill.
The collapsed agreement would have required states seeking to access hundreds of millions of dollars in AI infrastructure funding in the “big, beautiful” bill to refrain from adopting new regulations on the technology for five years, a compromise down from the original 10 years.
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Lyonne’s representatives, as well as Google and OpenAI, for comment.
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Barry Morphew case rattled by rare compound found in wife’s body: former prosecutor
The investigation into Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance appeared to be at a standstill following the dismissal of Barry Morphew’s murder charge in 2022. That changed when investigators found a rare chemical compound inside her body, which prosecutors say ties Barry Morphew directly to her death.
Barry Morphew was arrested near Phoenix, Arizona on June 20 following a grand jury indictment for allegedly killing his wife, 49-year-old Suzanne Morphew, a mother of two, who vanished on Mother’s Day in 2020. The Morphews lived near Salida, Colorado. Morphew waived an extradition hearing and is now at the Alamosa County Jail in Colorado.
Just months after murder charges against Barry Morphew were dismissed in 2022 due to prosecutorial misconduct, investigators found Suzanne Morphew’s body in September 2023 while searching in Saguache County, located in the southwestern part of the state.
According to the June 20 grand jury indictment charging Barry Morphew with first-degree-murder after deliberation, many of Suzanne Morphew’s bones were found “significantly bleached” when her remains were found in 2023.
BARRY MORPHEW TO APPEAR IN COURT AFTER GRAND JURY INDICTMENT CHARGING HIM WITH WIFE’S MURDER
When an autopsy was performed in 2024, according to prosecutors, a deer tranquilizer called “BAM” was found in her bone marrow, which stands for the chemicals butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine.
Court documents say that Barry Morphew used the “BAM” deer tranquilizer to transport deer on his farm in Indiana.
Barry Morphew was the only individual with a prescription for the deer tranquilizer within the area of Colorado he lived in.
“Ultimately, the prescription records show that when Suzanne Morphew disappeared, only one private citizen living in that entire area of the state had access to BAM: Barry Morphew,” the indictment states.
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Barry Morphew’s attorney, David Beller, told Fox News Digital that Morphew “maintains his innocence.”
“Yet again, the government allows their predetermined conclusion to lead their search for evidence,” Beller said. “The case has not changed, and the outcome will not either.”
Colin McCallin, a Colorado-based lawyer and former deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Colorado, told Fox News Digital the alleged connection between Barry Morphew and the deer tranquilizer makes this case “very strong.”
“And so now with the discovery of Suzanne Morphew’s body and of course the forensic evidence that the autopsy has yielded, we can see that this tranquilizer was indeed found inside Suzanne Morphew’s remains,” McCallin said. “And when I initially heard that, I was like, okay, well, there could be explanations for that. But then you find out how rare this compound is, this tranquilizer.”
BARRY MORPHEW EXTRADITED TO COLORADO TO FACE MURDER CHARGES IN WIFE’S 2020 DISAPPEARANCE
The BAM deer tranquilizer, according to McCallin, is a tightly regulated substance used in certain situations – not on humans.
“It’s something that’s made by one company. It’s a highly regulated controlled substance that’s only usually used by veterinarians or parks and wildlife officers,” he said. “And then you found out that Barry Morphew is the only person in the region who has this prescription for this tranquilizer. All of a sudden, this looks like a strong case against Barry Morphew.”
Though an autopsy revealed the presence of BAM in her body in an April 29, 2024 announcement, it would be over a year before Barry Morphew was charged again. McCallin said this could be explained by 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly being “methodical” in her handling of the case.
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“Just because they found the body and they found that tranquilizer, investigators still have a lot of work to do. There’s no statute of limitations for murder. They can charge Barry Morphew now. They could charge him five, ten years down line. And I think they wanted to dot their i’s and cross their t’s and make sure that they were never in a position like the first prosecution,” McCallin said.
Eric Faddis, a Colorado-based attorney and former prosecutor, told Fox News Digital that the evidence allegedly tying Barry Morphew to the deer tranquilizer is a “game changer.”
“There are other folks in the region who have access to the drug, but my understanding is they’re mostly veterinarians, and people who work in animal sciences. And surely this revelation sort of points directly at Barry Morphew, which is a problem for the defense,” Faddis said.
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While Faddis says the alleged evidence tying Barry Morphew to the deer tranquilizer is an issue for the defense, he said that the prosecutors still face a major challenge.
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“I think prosecutors absolutely have an uphill battle and any sort of celebration for justice would be premature. I think that, you know, the case is largely circumstantial,” Faddis said. “And on top of that, the prosecution has been handcuffed by the court based on their prior prosecutorial misconduct. And so they are not going to be able to call many of the experts who would be beneficial to proving the case. So for all of those reasons this is by no means a slam dunk and, in fact, I think on the balance it’s actually going to be very difficult to prove.”
Want to eat like George Washington this July 4th? Expert shares favorite foods
Grilling hot dogs and hamburgers on the Fourth of July holiday is the epitome of eating like an American — but have you ever wondered how to eat like a Founding Father?
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Michael Politz, founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, revealed the Founders’ favorite dishes – and how to incorporate them into your Independence Day feast.
George Washington’s favorite foods included hoecakes, cherries and fish, along with hazelnuts, hickory nuts and walnuts, Politz said.
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To indulge, the American Cincinnatus enjoyed Madeira wine.
“Washington preferred simple, hearty meals, often featuring local fish from his own fisheries, plantation-grown fruits and vegetables,” Politz shared.
“He was especially fond of hoecakes – soft, cornmeal griddle cakes – eaten daily for breakfast with butter and honey, partly due to his dental issues.”
Another Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, enjoyed such favorite foods as peas, fresh vegetables and French cuisine in general.
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“Jefferson was a passionate gardener, growing over 250 types of produce at Monticello,” Politz noted.
“He often used meat ‘as a condiment to the vegetables which constitute my principal diet.'”
“Rumor has it Ben Franklin had a soft spot for turtle soup, a Philadelphia staple of the era.”
“Jefferson is credited with popularizing macaroni and cheese, french fries and ice cream in America.”
Farther north in Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin’s favorite foods included oysters, turkey, cranberries, almonds and Indian corn.
The Boston-born Philadelphian also had a bit of a sweet tooth, enjoying apple tarts and maple syrup.
Politz described Franklin as an early “locavore,” which refers to a person who only eats food grown in a local area.
“He advocated for Native American foods and introducing new ingredients like rhubarb and kale to the colonies,” the history buff said. “He even published a recipe for tofu in 1770 and helped popularize potatoes while in France.”
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“And rumor has it Ben Franklin had a soft spot for turtle soup, a Philadelphia staple of the era,” Politz added.
As a born-and-bred New England resident, John Adams drank hard cider daily and enjoyed apple pandowdy, a cobber-like dessert, along with Indian pudding.
He also feasted on New England boiled dinners, which were primarily made with corned beef with root vegetables.
“Adams’ diet reflected New England’s apple-rich agriculture and cold climate, favoring root vegetables and preserved meats,” Politz said. “His wife Abigail made apple pandowdy, a rustic favorite.”
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All of their geographies contributed to their palates. In the Mid-Atlantic, Washington and Jefferson enjoyed abundant access to fish and shellfish while also having extensive gardens and orchards, Politz said.
“Recreating these historic dishes isn’t just a culinary exercise – it’s a way to connect with the roots of American hospitality and storytelling.”
In New England, Politz said, the cold climate “favored root vegetables, apples and preserved meats. Dishes like boiled dinners and apple desserts reflected the region’s agricultural realities.”
Want to cook like a Founding Father?
Politz has modernized some colonial classics to fit the kitchen of just about anyone.
But, he said, many Americans are eating like the Founding Fathers on Independence Day by default.
For example, Thomas Jefferson enjoyed creamy baked macaroni and cheese. Jefferson and Washington also devoured ice cream, Politz said.
“Jefferson wrote the first American [ice cream] recipe and Washington spent a fortune on it,” the hospitality expert said. “[Hosts can] offer classic vanilla or experiment with period flavors.”
But Politz noted that the recipes aren’t only an opportunity to impress house guests but a way to appreciate American heritage.
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“Recreating these historic dishes isn’t just a culinary exercise – it’s a way to connect with the roots of American hospitality and storytelling,” Politz said.
“These recipes offer opportunities for menu innovation, seasonal specials and educational dining experiences that resonate with guests seeking authenticity and a sense of history.”
George Washington’s Hoecakes
This recipe is a “simple, gluten-free cornmeal pancake,” according to Politz.
He said to serve it with butter and honey for a historic breakfast or brunch item.
Ingredients
2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Boiling water (enough to make a thick batter)
Butter or lard for frying
Honey or syrup for serving
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Directions
1. Mix cornmeal, salt and sugar in a bowl.
2. Add boiling water gradually, stirring, until you have a thick batter.
3. Heat butter or lard in a skillet or griddle.
4. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot surface; flatten slightly.
5. Fry until golden on both sides.
6. Serve hot, drizzled with honey or syrup.
John Adams’ Apple Pandowdy
Politz described a pandowdy as a “rustic apple dessert, ideal for fall menus or as a farm-to-table special.”
Ingredients
8 medium baking apples (e.g., Granny Smith), peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup maple syrup
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice + 2 teaspoons for apples
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
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½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter, cubed
2 pie crusts (store-bought or homemade)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons sugar + ½ teaspoon cinnamon for topping
½ cup maple syrup (for finishing)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss peeled, chopped apples with 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
3. In a large bowl, mix maple syrup, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Add apples and coat well.
4. Line a baking dish with one pie crust, pressing up the sides.
5. Pour in apple mixture; dot with butter.
6. Top with second crust; tuck edges in. Cut vents in the top.
7. Brush with milk; sprinkle with cinnamon + sugar.
8. Bake 35–40 minutes until golden and bubbly.
9. Remove from oven, break the crust into pieces and gently press into the apples.
10. Drizzle with ½ cup maple syrup and let sit 30 minutes before serving.
11. Serve warm, ideally with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Classic 18th Century Mushroom Catchup
The Founding Fathers, along with most early Americans, enjoyed a sauce called mushroom catchup, a precursor to modern ketchup, Politz said.
The shelf-stable sauce was considered a pantry essential in colonial times. It dates back to 17th century British and Chinese sauces.
“This dark, earthy and intensely flavorful sauce was prized for its ability to add depth and complexity to meats, stews and vegetables, much like Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce today,” Politz said.
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh mushrooms (brown or white)
A couple spoonfuls of salt
2 bay leaves
1 chopped onion
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Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon finely grated horseradish
¼ teaspoon cloves
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon allspice
½ cup apple cider vinegar
Directions
1. Chop mushrooms and mix with salt and bay leaves. Let sit overnight to draw out the juices.
2. Add onion, lemon zest, horseradish, cloves, cayenne, allspice and vinegar.
3. Cook the mixture for 15–20 minutes.
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4. Cool, then strain through cheesecloth, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.
5. Save the solids as a seasoning; bottle the liquid catchup for use as a condiment.