A retired geologist has claimed he's found a lost Bronze Age settlement in his backyard — after learning to identify artifacts by watching "Time Team," a popular TV series in the U.K. that features specialists who work to uncover details about Britain's archaeology and history. Andrew Beckly of Wellington, in Somerset, England, has amassed a horde of more than 2,500 artifacts, including blades and axes, after a chance discovery under his own lawn, according to SWNS, the British news service.He turned up an arrowhead while sifting through soil in his backyard — and said the discovery "shot the history of the area back by 4,000 years." ARCHEOLOGISTS UNCOVER 850-YEAR-OLD TREASURE IN ANCIENT GRAVE: ‘SENSATIONAL FIND’ He said he found it not long after he finished rewatching the popular history program "Time Team" with his wife.He said, "I was sieving earth in the back garden to get the stones out of it," he told SWNS. "And during [the COVID] lockdown you couldn’t get building materials, and I was building a wall and was using the stones for that."He added, "Finding the arrowhead was the starting point. I went to my wife and said, 'Guess what I found?’"He said he "knew enough to recognize an arrowhead like that. I was a geologist and I am an avid fan of ‘Time Team.’"STRANGE ROCK UNCOVERED DURING SEA SEARCH TURNS OUT TO BE ANCIENT BATTLE GEARBeckly said he and his wife "rewatched" all the "Time Team" programs not long ago. "All knowledge helps and you learn things without knowing it. That, and visiting museums and having a general interest — but otherwise I might not have known." Beckly wasn’t sure if the arrowhead was a "stray shot" or evidence of something much bigger — so he expanded his search to nearby fields, he said. There, he unearthed other evidence.He said, "I went and got a couple of books on prehistoric flintwork and gained an outline [of some] knowledge. But primarily I let the artifacts teach me. I drew every single piece in detail to scale on graph paper across four volumes of books. That’s how I built my knowledge of the material. I let it do the educating rather than trying to fit the books to what I found," as SWNS reported.GIRL, 9 YEARS OLD, FINDS RARE PREHISTORIC MEGALODON TOOTH IN MARYLAND WATERS: ‘I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT' He also said, "What I have discovered is repeat examples of things here [that] don’t appear in the textbooks. My gut feeling is this would have been a great location for historic hunter-gatherers." Referencing the work of archaeologist and "Time Team" star Francis Pryor, Beckly said he had "good reason" to think the Wellington hillside would have been the "perfect place" for ancestors — in part because what is now the M5 highway would have made for an attractive route for migrating animals to travel, SWNS said.He said his findings include the discovery of so-called microliths, small tools that date to the lifetime of woolly mammoths.He added, "There is an assumption there isn’t very much prehistory in the west country and now this suggests there may be an awful lot more than we realized." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERBeckly said when he first brought his findings to heritage experts, they were dismissed — before people later apparently recognized them as Bronze Age tools. The Bronze Age lasted roughly between 3,000 B.C. and 1,200 B.C.His findings may now be examined by experts in the U.K. to assess the collection, SWNS reported. Beckly said he discovered a "bladelet," which appears very similar to samples usually found in France. He said, "There are things here like this bladelet … We could have evidence of connections 10,000 years ago. It could tell us there was trade and migration between France and the U.K., but we don’t know."He added, "We are at an early stage in the evaluation."For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

Let's do a monologue. So, America, whatever happened to white supremacy? Remember when the Biden White House said the number one domestic threat facing the nation was "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists who advocate for the superiority of the white race"? Ah, the good old days. It turned out the number one threat to us and Biden's presidency is a teleprompter and the party that props up its desiccated and deranged reader. Because when you look at the crowds currently fighting cops in the streets and shutting down our campuses, threatening White Jewish students and keeping them from simply attending school, we realize these are not the white supremacists that we were promised. The white sheets have been replaced by black ski masks and balaclavas. I, for one, feel cheated. It's insurrection affirmative action. They're taking all the racist jobs without even trying. But I guess when they said celebrate diversity, they meant among bigots as well. And they're bigots, all right. Except with brand-new tents. Who's paying for all these? How do they get them there so quickly? Do their parents work for Dick's Sporting Goods? Did they just loot a Bass Pro shop? Are these kids using the cash they stole from us by shirking their student loans? Nope. Someone is funding them. And that someone is a nice way of saying Democrats. And no one is happier about it than Hamas. This week, a senior Hamas leader pledged support to the protesters and called for the "escalation of their struggle." So what does the party of hate do now? As the Dems claim the greatest threat to democracy is Trump and all the evil White supporters, their most vocal inspired part of their base has gone full Nazi. Hell, I leave for one week and everything goes to s***. Our campuses are occupied, our streets are overrun with wild-eyed Jew haters, Jesse's been using my office to apply body spray, Joe Biden says his uncle was eaten by cannibals. ILLHAN OMAR, DAUGHTER APPEAR AT COLUMBIA UNIVERISTY ENCAMPMENT AMID NATIONWIDE ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTSI guess unlike the Dems, they find value in white meat. And it's only gaining steam. Democratic Senate leader and shameless panderer Chuck Schumer found his house surrounded by a chanting, anti-Israel mob demanding a Gaza cease-fire. Funny, I don't recall these same crowds out in the streets on October 7th when 1400 Israeli Israeli civilians were raped, kidnaped and murdered. But in their defense, maybe they were holding out for the free tents. Now, what did Chucky see when he looked out his window that night? Well, it wasn't a crowd that looked like a Dave Matthews concert. No, this looked more like the mayhem he and his fellow Dems have helped create in our cities, but even more diverse. He pushed group identity and now the group identity is pushing back. This was a perfect DEI mob. It looked like the floor at the Democratic National Convention, all marching against Israel and supporting Hamas, a State Department-designated terrorist organization. And let's be clear-- this crowd isn't just anti-Israel. When you're screaming, "I am Hamas," and forming a rugby line to block Jews just trying to get to class, we're well past that. Be careful kids, it's getting so we won't be able to call Trump supporters Nazis anymore if you dopes make it too obvious. But what's new this time around is combining antisemitism with all the typical progressive tropes the left reveres today. So now, if you support Israel, you must also be pro-American, racist, patriarchal, transphobic, a monster. The progressive little chickens have come home to roost. Now Chuck and the rest of the Dems are pulling what's left of their fake hair out, trying to manage this horde of child monsters that they've created, and they need Republican help. And as Israel prepares to enter Rafah and the reaction here grows more extreme, the Dems expect all of us to share this risk and to do the heavy lifting, which Republicans are fine with because this does need to end. But you got to ask yourself, what if a Republican were in charge, say, a certain guy with a reddish glow and hair that'sWhite somewhere between a rhombus and a parallelogram? COLUMBIA ALUM OBAMA SILENT AS JEWISH FACULTY, STUDENTS FACE ANTISEMITIC HARASSMENT ON CAMPUSWould the Dems help Trump? No, they would be attacking the White House like they were Joe Biden's dogs. The Dems would simply fan the flames and the media will ignore it like American hostages held…

Fox News host Sean Hannity breaks down the latest in New York v. Trump and the Supreme Court hearing the case on presidential immunity Thursday on "Hannity."LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP NY TRIAL TESTIMONY RESUMES AS SUPREME COURT HEARS IMMUNITY ARGUMENTSSEAN HANNITY: Well, important – very important – oral arguments today at the U.S.Supreme Court on presidential immunity. A decision here will not only have an immediate impact on the weaponized DOJ quest to prosecute Trump from now until Election Day in 193 days, but it will have lasting ramifications or as Neil Gorsuch, as the justice put it: "We're writing a rule for the ages."The question at hand can a U.S. president be prosecuted for his actions in office, is there absolute immunity? Is there limited immunity? Can Obama be charged, for example, for killing Americans in a drone strike which happened overseas? Can George W. Bush be charged with allegedly lying to Congress about Iraq, if a far left prosecutor decides to cook up charges? And could Joe Biden be charged for killing a family in Afghanistan during his deadly withdrawal?---Ultimately, the constitutional, judges on the court seem to favor limited immunity over absolute immunity. But in other words, that would be a huge win for Donald Trump. Official acts carried out by a president would be immune from prosecution. However, a president could still be charged for personal acts like taking bribes oh, maybe from, like, the former first lady of Moscow. That's right, the Russian oligarch that Joe had dinner with at Cafe Milano.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Atlanta Falcons pulled off the biggest stunner of the first round of the NFL Draft by selecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick.Last month, they signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal, leaving just about everyone to think that Penix wasn't even an option there.But, the Falcons apparently like the 24-year-old southpaw, as Cousins, 35, is coming off an Achilles injury.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMSurely, your franchise quarterback is typically in the know about what would go on with a top-10 pick. But apparently, the Falcons and Cousins didn't have many conversations about the pick.During the NFL Network's broadcast, Daniel Jeremiah said he got in touch with Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, who told him the Falcons kept their plans of Penix under wraps from Cousins."Kirk Cousins was not given really a heads up on this whole thing," Jeremiah said.FALCONS SELECT QUARTERBACK MICHAEL PENIX JR IN DRAFT STUNNER AFTER SIGNING KIRK COUSINSESPN refuted that report just a tad - McCartney told the outlet that "the only heads up the Falcons gave Cousins about picking…Penix was a call while the team was on the clock."The Athletic reported that Cousins "understood" that a quarterback would be considered, but he did not believe his successor would be taken in the first round - thus, the Penix selection left him "stunned."It was even more surprising, considering the fact that many had Penix as the presumptive fifth quarterback, as J.J. McCarthy turned out to be this year's wild card. However, McCarthy was selected 10th by the Minnesota Vikings, who moved up a spot to get him.It is ironic that the Falcons took Penix as Cousins recovers from his own serious injury - he has torn his right ACL twice, once in 2018 and once in 2020 with Indiana, and he had a clavicle fracture in 2019 and an A/C joint separation in 2021.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Bill Belichick isn’t in the New England Patriots war room this offseason, but the veteran head coach certainly has an opinion on the team’s first round draft pick. Appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" draft night special, Belichick sounded lukewarm in his take on the Patriots selecting former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night. Belichick seemingly shaded the selection over Maye’s own comparison to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen, he’s been doing that for quite a while – we’ll see about that." He continued, "I think there are some similarities in terms of size and athleticism, but Josh Allen is a pretty special player now."After dealing away Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the offseason, Belichick admitted that the quarterback position was one of the Patriots "top" needs in the first round. But Maye didn’t appear to be the guy Belichick would’ve selected. PATRIOTS SELECT DRAKE MAYE WITH NO. 3 PICK AFTER RUMORS TEAM WOULD TRADE DOWN"A very talented kid, good size, runs well, has a good arm – just, he hasn’t played very much. He really doesn’t have a lot of experience.""He’s gonna need some work in reading defenses, reading coverages," Belichick added. "This is a kid that can make all the throws, he just needs to be more consistent."Maye enters the Patriots under a new regime, including a new offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt.In his two seasons at UNC, Maye threw for 7,929 yards with a 64.9% completion rate. He threw for 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while running for 16 more scores. He was All-ACC first-team in 2022 and second-team last season. He passed for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.Fox News’ Ryan Morik and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Some NFL Draft history was made in Detroit Thursday night when the Denver Broncos took Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick. Nix was the sixth quarterback taken in the first round, making it the fewest number of picks by which that many signal-callers were selected in NFL Draft history. The stunner was Michael Penix Jr. being selected by the Atlanta Falcons. But after the Minnesota Vikings traded with the New York Jets to land J.J. McCarthy at No. 10, the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton got Nix. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMNix will be in a quarterback room that includes Jarrett Stidham, Ben DiNucci and the recently-acquired Zach Wilson, who the Jets traded to Denver earlier this week.  It's a crowded room, and it will be up to Payton how much of a quarterback battle this will be. FALCONS SELECT QUARTERBACK MICHAEL PENIX JR. IN DRAFT STUNNER AFTER SIGNING KIRK COUSINSThe Broncos didn't want to be in the position of taking a quarterback in this year's draft when they traded for Russell Wilson with the Seattle Seahawks two seasons ago. However, that marriage didn't last long. Denver released him and eat tons of dead cap money to make way for a new era at quarterback. Can Nix solidify the quarterback of the future role in year one? Or will he need time to develop in Payton's system at Mile High? Nix began his collegiate career at Auburn, where he played three seasons but never really shined with the Tigers. He transferred to Oregon in 2022, and after 13 games, he set career highs in yards (3,593), touchdowns (29) and completion percentage (71.9). But 2023 was easily his best year. He broke out for 4,509 yards with 45 touchdowns and a 77.4% completion rate. The Broncos hope Nix can continue playing at that level, and he has some weapons to work with. Courtland Sutton is the top wide receiver on the squad, and they added Josh Reynolds. They could also make moves later in the draft to bring in more offensive firepower. Before Nix can even imagine what those connections will be like, he must first win the quarterback competition that is sure to ensue in Denver. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Every NFL Draft, there is always a wild card. This year’s was J.J. McCarthy.The Michigan quarterback and reigning national champion shot up draft boards in recent weeks, months after not even being considered a first-rounder to begin the 2023 college season.Even Jim Harbaugh, his college head coach, made the bold prediction McCarthy would be the first quarterback taken off the board. But he wound up being the fifth.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAfter all the  rumors and speculation, McCarthy fell to the 10th pick and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings, who moved up a spot to snag him.The New York Jets initially held the selection. But once Michael Penix Jr. was surprisingly selected at No. 8 by the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings apparently felt they couldn't wait any longer.Minnesota sent No. 11, a fourth-rounder and a fifth-rounder in exchange for No. 10 and 203.In two seasons as Michigan's full-time starter (29 games), McCarthy completed 68.5% of his passes for 5,710 yards, 44 touchdowns and nine interceptions.FALCONS SELECT QUARTERBACK MICHAEL PENIX JR. IN DRAFT STUNNER AFTER SIGNING KIRK COUSINSDespite his name shooting up the rankings, there is still doubt whether he can carry a team. Even in the national championship, McCarthy was 10-for-18 passing for 140 yards and zero touchdowns in the 34-13 victory over Washington.But, in maybe the biggest drive of his career during the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal, he delivered down seven to Alabama with less than five minutes to go. McCarthy completed a 27-yard pass on 4th and 2, then ran for 16 yards, found Roman Wilson for another 29, then threw a four-yard score to Wilson that sent the game to overtime. Michigan, of course, wound up winning.Now, he finds himself in some fairly decent company. He'll be throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and, when he returns from a torn ACL, T.J. Hockenson.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The top three receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft class have found their new homes in the pros.Let's take a look at where these pass-catching studs have gone. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMWith the Cardinals 100% behind quarterback Kyler Murray, there was no question they needed a wide receiver, and they got a top target for their signal-caller. Arizona lost Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Rondale Moore this offseason, so Harrison, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., should slot right in. A two-time All-American and the 2023 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year at Ohio State, Harrison could be the Cardinals' next Larry Fitzgerald or DeAndre Hopkins. BEARS SELECT CALEB WILLIAMS WITH NO. 1 PICK OF 2024 NFL DRAFTAfter a pedestrian freshman season in 2021, Harrison exploded in 2022 with 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Buckeyes. He backed that up in his junior season with 1,211 yards on 67 receptions and 15 touchdowns. NFL Network suggested Harrison resembles Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb with his exceptional hands, crisp route running and ability to play at any receiver position. Harrison has a lot to live up to considering his father’s illustrious career, but there is no doubt he is a first-round talent. Instead of GM Joe Schoen selecting his own quarterback, he decided to get help for Daniel Jones, who is coming off an ACL injury in a disappointing season after getting a four-year contract extension. The Giants haven’t had a true No. 1 wide receiver in some time, but it could easily be Nabers this season. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is with the Washington Commanders after going No. 2 overall, might have won the Heisman Trophy last season. But he wouldn’t have done so without Nabers, who had 1,569 yards on 89 catches with 14 touchdowns in his only All-American season during his three years with the Tigers. COMMANDERS SELECT HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER JAYDEN DANIELS WITH 2ND PICK OF NFL DRAFTNabers, at 6-foot-1, 188 pounds, is yet another LSU receiver who is explosive, technical and reliable. Nabers crushed defenders in the SEC on all three levels, using his change of speed, tight route running and sticky hands to wreak havoc all over defenses. NFL Network compared Nabers to another LSU star, Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson.ROME ODUNZE: CHICAGO BEARS (NO. 9)GM Ryan Pole is cooking in the first round, landing Caleb Williams, the new face of the franchise at quarterback, with the first overall pick. And he quickly got another weapon. Odunze joins Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore in a loaded wide receiver corps, and running back D'Andre Swift signed with Chicago this offseason. At tight end, Cole Kmet is as reliable as they come. A high-octane Washington offense showed Michael Penix Jr. consistently finding his top target, Odunze, whenever he needed a big play. Odunze had a whopping 92 catches for 1,640 yards with 13 touchdowns last season, when the Huskies made a national championship run but fell to the Michigan Wolverines. The Las Vegas native ran a 4.45 40-yard dash with a 39-inch vertical.Odunze also has a knack for tracking the ball over both shoulders and making catches with defenders hounding him, which will happen in the NFL. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Several moms in suburban St. Louis have been working to get toxic sites in the area cleaned up, a major undertaking to fix widespread contamination that some government officials apparently covered up for decades."This was the best kept secret of St. Louis. The Manhattan Project wasn't well known here, and it's still a pretty good secret here," Just Moms STL co-founder Karen Nickel said. Nickel formed her group alongside her neighbor, Dawn Chapman, in 2013. "Over the years, we had heard bits and pieces of the story and what we thought was the story," Nickel said. MORE PEOPLE EXPOSED TO MANHATTAN PROJECT CHEMICALS DESERVE COMPENSATION, ADVOCATES SAYThe two moms spent several years going through thousands of documents that revealed those in charge of disposing of toxic waste in Missouri likely knew that crew had mishandled those chemicals. "Right away, we were going, ‘Oh my God. This is so different than what we thought,"’ Chapman said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said, over time, more details about the Manhattan Project in St. Louis came to light. "As early as the 1960s, you had the public beginning to get some sense of it. But really, it wasn't until the ‘80s and the ’90s that the full scope of this began to come into view," Hawley said. "As recently as last year, we got a new cache of documents that showed the full extent of the government's knowledge and what the government knew years ago — 30, 40, 50 years ago — that they had poisoned the creek, that their landfill that they dumped the waste into was going to cause huge problems, environmental problems and health problems. And they lied about it."ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO TANK NATURAL GAS PROJECT AMID NATIONWIDE ARCTIC BLASTHawley is pushing to expand and extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which will expire this year. The legislation would make it so people who may have been sickened by chemicals in St. Louis and other areas could receive compensation from the government.  "We've come to find that St. Louis was a uranium processing site. So was Kentucky. So was Tennessee, that the extent of the testing that was done in the West was far greater than we knew," Hawley said. The documents included internal memos from Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, a company hired by the U.S. government to process chemicals for nuclear weapons. The cache also included testing and sampling from government agencies as well as warnings that sites exposed to those chemicals may not have been safe.SEE THE DOCUMENTS BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE."The evidence was there, the facts were there, and it told the story from beginning to end," Nickel said. Mallinckrodt Chemical Works in St. Louis worked to process uranium that would eventually help create the first sustained nuclear chain reaction. After the plant shut down, the company worked to dispose of the chemicals. An internal memo from 1949 revealed workers discussed health and safety concerns that came with where they stored the waste."Point No. 2 concerns the problem of the disintegrating K-65 drums at the airport," the memo stated. "This is recognized as a severe problem." Federal officials first stored the waste at a site near St. Louis Airport. The location was near a creek that stretched 14 miles through North St. Louis County. The barrels were left out in the open and exposed to the elements."Right away, you could see that the government knew how dangerous this waste was," Chapman said. WHITE HOUSE ECO COUNCIL AT ODDS OVER TECHNOLOGY CENTRAL TO BIDEN'S GREEN GOALSThe internal memo from Mallinckrodt detailed concerns among workers that the chemicals could have leaked into the creek."The health hazard to workers handling the K-65 material, especially in broken drums, is much more serious and immediate than the possible hazard of stream pollution," it said. "They were so toxic that they were told, ‘Do not touch those. Those are too dangerous,’" Nickel said. High water and flooding have been additional yearly concerns along Coldwater Creek. "Of course, they wouldn't put dangerous waste next to a creek that floods," Chapman said. "They knew it was probably leaking into the creek, but they didn't know how much."Army Corps of Engineers officials said because of the flooding throughout decades, their cleanup job today has been complex. JOE MANCHIN THREATENS TO OPPOSE BIDEN NOMINEES OVER UPCOMING POWER PLANT CRACKDOWN"Wind and rain, and also flooding events, took some of those contaminants, and they were carried down the stream in the sediment and then deposited during flooding events and also just during the normal flow," U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District Program…

Fox News host Jesse Watters argued Thursday on "Jesse Watters Primetime" that despite Democrats' efforts to keep former President Trump trapped in courtrooms, he manages to get his campaign message out, whether it be a visit to a bodega or greeting construction workers.JESSE WATTERS: Trump's always loved a good construction site for a real estate mogul like him at home. Judging by the "We love Trump" chants, they love him, too.…SCOTUS SEES ‘DANGEROUS PRECEDENT’ IN TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE IF PRESIDENTS CAN PROSECUTE RIVALS: EXPERTSThese are lifelong Democrat unions wrapping their arms around Trump, group Joe Biden won by 16 points last time. But Biden can't even put a hard hat on the right way. Remember, when he does talk to them, he talks down to them. … This is exactly why Democrats need Trump trapped inside of his cage in court. Every time he escapes, whether it's a construction site or a bodega, as MSNBC said, it's a dangerous situation. He earns the hearts and minds of crowds, and Biden loses his bets. Trump says he's making a play for New York.…After hanging out with a bunch of hard hats this morning, animal control caught "The Donald" and threw him back in his cage, the freezing cold courtroom in Manhattan. But that didn't break his spirit.…The president not having immunity just opens up a Pandora's box. If Trump gets charged, does that mean Bill Clinton gets charged for bombing aspirin factories in Africa? Does Obama get charged for a drone strike, getting a U.S. citizen? Can Biden be charged for human trafficking along the border, cocaine possession or for his windmills? Murdering whales? I mean, they're endangered species. That's one year per whale. You take away a president's immunity in his free speech, and there's no coming back. These are all legal Hail Marys to keep Trump chained inside of the cage, away from the campaign trail and away from you, the voter. But good luck keeping them in his cage. 

A massive fire broke out at a vacant restaurant at the end of the Oceanside Pier in North County San Diego on Thursday afternoon, the Oceanside Fire Department confirmed. The nearly 2,000-foot-long wooden pier was built in 1888, and is a focal point of the beachside Southern California city not far from Camp Pendleton. "The Oceanside Fire Department is currently engaged in fighting a fire on the Oceanside Pier," the department wrote on social media Thursday. "We are asking all citizens to please stay away from the immediate area." PILOT REPORTED THAT PLANE CARRYING FUEL CAUGHT ON FIRE BEFORE FATAL ALASKA CRASHVideo of the fire showed smoke billowing up over the pier, which could be seen from as far as Vista, 10 miles east, and Del Mar, 20 miles south, according to FOX 5 San Diego. The fire also appeared to have spread to Brine Box, a fish shack at the end of the pier.6 DEAD, 20 INJURED AFTER EXPLOSION CAUSES RESTAURANT FIRE IN EASTERN INDIA The restaurant posted an update on social media, writing, "What’s happening on the pier is sad and scary. We want you to know that our team is safe. From what we have heard the fire started under the pier, and everyone made it off ok. We will keep you updated as we learn more. Thank you for all of your kind words of support. We appreciate you all so much." The U.S. Coast Guard battled the blaze from the water while helicopter drops were made by the Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Diego Gas & Electric, the station reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThere has been no official word on potential injuries or what may have sparked the blaze. 

A Maryland high school athletic director was arrested after he allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to create racist and antisemitic audio in the voice of his boss, officials said Thursday.Dazhon Darien, 31, an athletic director at Pikesville High School, allegedly made the recording to retaliate against his boss, Pikesville Principal Eric Eiswert, who was pursuing an investigation into Darien's potential mishandling of school funds, authorities said.At a press conference on Thursday, Robert McCullough, chief of Baltimore County police, said that officials were first made aware of the voice recording on Jan. 17, and thoroughly investigated the allegations before sharing the information with the public."On January 17, 2024, the Baltimore County Police Department became aware of a voice recording being circulated on social media," McCullough said. "It was alleged the voice captured on the audio file belongs to Mr Eric Eiswert, the Principal at the Pikesville High School. We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic."AI CAN PREDICT POLITICAL ORIENTATION FROM BLANK FACES – AND RESEARCHERS FEAR ‘SERIOUS’ PRIVACY CHALLENGESAuthorities said that in their "extensive investigation," both the FBI and a forensic analyst with the University of California, Berkley, concluded that the audio recording was phony.In the audio recording, that was first sent school-wide to teachers and faculty and then widely spread on social media, the AI-generated voice of Eiswert is heard ranting and raving about Black and Jewish families at the school."It should be noted that comments in the recording spoke to [Eiswert's] alleged frustrations with test scores of African American students and assertions that they [African American students] were unable to 'test their way out of a paper bag,'" charging documents, obtained by The Baltimore Banner said."The recording went on to make disparaging comments about Jewish individuals and two teachers who 'should have never been hired' at the school. The recording depicted a conversation between [Eiswert] and one of PHS' Assistant Principals," charging documents obtained by the local outlet said.Authorities said that the audio had ramifications against Eiswert — who was on the receiving end of a "wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school."CAN AI HELP SOMEONE STAGE A FAKE KIDNAPPING SCAM AGAINST YOU OR YOUR FAMILY?"The audio clip had profound repercussions," police said. "It not only led to Eiswert’s temporary removal from the school but also triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school. The recording also caused significant disruptions for the PHS staff and students."At the press conference Thursday, Baltimore County School Superintendent Myriam Rogers said that the administrative process to discipline Darien had begun, and the school was investigating other teachers who were involved in spreading the audio.Darien faces several charges including theft, stalking, disruption of school operations, and retaliation against a witness. Following a court appearance on Thursday, Darien was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.Baltimore County School and the Baltimore District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Wild horses will stay in North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park amid fears from advocates that park officials would remove the beloved animals from the rugged badlands landscape, a key lawmaker said Thursday.Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven said he has secured a commitment from the National Park Service to maintain wild horses in the park, though the number remains to be determined. Roughly 200 horses now roam the park.THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK TO REMOVE NEARLY HALF ITS BISON POPULATIONHoeven said the Park Service will abandon its proposed removal of the horses under an environmental review process begun in 2022 and will continue to operate under an existing 1978 environmental assessment that calls for a reduction in their numbers."They’ve committed to me that we will have a thoughtful and inclusive discussion on how many horses they keep in the park," Hoeven told The Associated Press. There is no timeline on that, he said.In a statement, the park said its decision to terminate the review "was made after careful consideration of the information and public comment received during the (environmental assessment) process." In a text message, park officials acknowledged an email seeking comment but didn't immediately provide one.Park visitors, much to their delight, often encounter the horses while driving or hiking in the rolling, colorful badlands where a young, future President Theodore Roosevelt hunted and engaged in cattle ranching in the 1880s in what was then Dakota Territory."People love horses," Hoeven said. "And where do you go to see wild horses? I mean, it’s not like an easy thing to do, and most people don’t have horses, and they love the idea of wild horses. They see it as part of our heritage in America."Earlier Thursday, Hoeven's office said in a statement the decision "will allow for a healthy herd of wild horses to be maintained at the park, managed in a way to support genetic diversity among the herd and preserve the park’s natural resources."The horses roam the park’s South Unit near the Western tourist town of Medora. In 2022, park officials began the process of crafting a "livestock plan" for the horses as well as about nine longhorn cattle in the park’s North Unit near Watford City. Park officials have said that process aligned with policies to remove non-native species when they pose a potential risk to resources."The horse herd in the South Unit, particularly at higher herd sizes, has the potential to damage fences used for wildlife management, trample or overgraze vegetation used by native wildlife species, contribute to erosion and soil-related impacts ... and compete for food and water resources," according to a Park Service environmental assessment from September 2023.Proposals included removing the horses quickly or gradually or taking no action. Park Superintendent Angie Richman has said the horses, even if they ultimately stay, would still have to be reduced to 35-60 animals under the 1978 environmental assessment. The park will continue to manage the longhorns as done previously, according to Hoeven’s office.Thousands of people made public comments during the Park Service review, the vast majority of them in support of keeping the horses. North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature made its support official in a resolution last year. Gov. Doug Burgum offered state help to maintain the horses.The Park Service reached out to the five tribal nations in North Dakota to find out if the tribes want to be involved in managing the horses, Hoeven said. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe indicated interest, he said.The senator’s announcement comes after Congress passed and President Joe Biden recently signed an appropriations bill with a provision from Hoeven strongly recommending the Park Service maintain the horses. The legislation signaled that funding to remove the horses might be denied.Chris Kman, president of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, said she was in tears when she read Hoeven's announcement. She said she plans to pursue federal protection for the horses and explore potential state legislation."If they don't have federal protection, then they're at the mercy of the next administration that comes in or whatever policy they want to pull out and cite next time and try to get rid of the horses again," Kman said by phone from the park.The horses descend from those of Native American tribes and area ranches and from domestic stallions introduced to the park in the late 20th century, according to Castle McLaughlin, who researched the horses as a graduate student while working for the Park Service in North Dakota in the 1980s.

Lawyers for an American believed to be held by the Taliban for nearly two years are asking a United Nations human rights investigator to intervene, citing what they say is cruel and inhumane treatment.Ryan Corbett was abducted Aug. 10, 2022, after returning to Afghanistan, where he and his family had been living at the time of the collapse of the U.S.-backed government there a year earlier. He arrived on a valid 12-month visa to pay and train staff as part of a business venture he led aimed at promoting Afghanistan's private sector through consulting services and lending.AMERICAN NEARING 600 DAYS IN TALIBAN CAPTIVITY AS WIFE PLEADS WITH BIDEN OFFICIALS FOR HELPCorbett has since been shuttled between multiple prisons, though his lawyers say he has not been seen since last December by anyone other than the people with whom he was detained.In a petition sent Thursday, lawyers for Corbett say that he's been threatened with physical violence and torture and has been malnourished and deprived of medical care. He's been held in solitary confinement, including in a basement cell with almost no sunlight and exercise, and his physical and mental health have significantly deteriorated, the lawyers say.Corbett has been able to speak with his family by phone five times since his arrest, including last month. His family has not been able to see him — his only visits have been two check-ins from a third-party state delegation — and their characterizations of his mistreatment are based on accounts from recently released prisoners who were with him and his openly dispirited tone in conversations."During Mr. Corbett’s most recent call with his wife and children, Mr. Corbett indicated that the mental torture and anguish have caused him to lose all hope," said the petition, signed by the Corbett family attorneys, Ryan Fayhee and Kate Gibson.The petition is addressed to Alice Edwards, an independent human rights investigator and the special rapporteur for torture in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the U.N. It asks Edwards, who was appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, to "urgently reach out to the Taliban to secure Mr. Corbett’s immediate release and freedom from torture, as guaranteed by international law.""This situation is just dragging on, and I’m increasingly concerned and taking steps that I hope will make a difference and help the situation — just increasingly concerned and panicking about Ryan’s deteriorating health and physical and mental health," Corbett's wife, Anna, said in an interview. "And that was leading me to take this next step."The U.S. government is separately working to get Corbett home and has designated him as wrongfully detained. A State Department spokesman told reporters last month that officials had continually pressed for Corbett's release and were "using every lever we can to try to bring Ryan and these other wrongfully detained Americans home from Afghanistan."A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry in Afghanistan said this week that it had no knowledge of Corbett's case.Corbett, of Dansville, New York, first visited Afghanistan in 2006 and relocated there with his family in 2010, supervising several non-governmental organizations.The family was forced to leave Afghanistan in August 2021 when the Taliban captured Kabul, but he returned the following January so that he could renew his business visa. Given the instability on the ground, the family discussed the trip and "we were all pretty nervous," Corbett's wife said.But after that first uneventful trip, he returned to the country in August 2022 to train and pay his staff and resume a business venture that involved consulting services, microfinance lending and evaluating international development projects.While on a trip to the northern Jawzjan province, Corbett and a Western colleague were confronted by armed members of the Taliban and were taken first to a police station and later to an underground prison.Anna Corbett said that when she learned her husband had been taken to a police station, she got "really scared" but that he was optimistic the situation would be quickly resolved.That, however, did not happen, and Anna Corbett, who has three teenage children and makes regular trips to Washington, said she's trying to advocate as forcefully as she can while not letting "anxiety take over.""I feel like it’s the uncertainty of all of it that just is so difficult because you just don’t know what’s going to come at you — what call, what news," she said. "And I’m worried about Ryan and the effect of the trauma on him and then also on my kids, just what they’re experiencing.…

Tennessee lawmakers in the GOP-dominated Statehouse on Thursday passed legislation making it illegal for adults to help minors find and receive sex reassignment care without permission from the child’s parents. The bill is now heading to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk, where it could be signed into law.Last week, the state’s senate passed its version of the bill before sending it to the House for approval.The law would penalize any "adult who recruits, harbors, or transports an unemancipated minor" in Tennessee "for the purpose of receiving a prohibited medical procedure for the purpose of enabling the minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex or treating purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between the minor’s sex and asserted identity, regardless of where the medical procedure is to be procured," and classify the crime as a felony.TENNESSEE LAWMAKERS PASS BILL CRIMINALIZING ADULTS WHO HELP MINORS GET TRANSGENDER PROCEDURESOn Wednesday, Tennessee Republican lawmakers passed the so-called "anti-abortion trafficking" proposal, which has almost identical language but geared toward stopping adults from helping young people obtain abortions without parental consent.Lee, also a Republican, has not commented on either bill. He also did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on the matter.Still, supporters of the bill are confident the governor will sign both bills into law.MAINE CONSIDERS BILL THAT WOULD ESTABLISH 'LEGAL RIGHT' TO ABORTION, TRANSGENDER SURGICAL PROCEDURESLee has yet to issue a veto as governor, and he approved the state’s ban on abortion and sex reassignment care for minors.Tennessee Democrats opposed both bills and critics worried about the bills’ possible broad application.GOP AGS WARN MAINE TO KILL ‘TOTALITARIAN’ BILL MAKING SANCTUARY STATECharges could stem from talking to a minor about a website on where to find care, to helping a minor travel to another state with looser restrictions on sex reassignment services.Currently, Idaho is the only other state in the U.S. that has a law to crack down on adults who help facilitate abortions for minors. But Tennessee could become the first that applies penalties to adults relating specifically to gender-transition procedures and treatments.Recently, Maine drew the attention of more than a dozen Republican attorneys general for a bill under consideration that would effectively establish Maine as a sanctuary state for both abortions and procedures like sex-change surgeries for minors — a move the AGs say is "totalitarian." Providers would be shielded from so-called "hostile" lawsuits if the bill passes. Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A man killed in a traffic stop last month when plainclothes Chicago police officers fired their guns nearly 100 times was shot 13 times, according to an autopsy report released Thursday.The March 21 police shooting that left Dexter Reed, 26, dead has prompted protests with activists calling for the five officers involved to be dismissed. Reed’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit questioning plainclothes tactical squads. And a police oversight agency and the Cook County state’s attorney are investigating.CHICAGO MAN SHOT 9 TIMES WHILE PUMPING GAS, AS VIOLENT EASTER WEEKEND LEAVES 7 DEADEarlier this month, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates police shootings, released videos and documents from the traffic stop where the officers arrived in an unmarked squad car. The office said Reed fired first at the officers, who pulled him over purportedly because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The officers returned fire, shooting 96 times in 41 seconds, according to the office. Reed was pronounced dead at a hospital, and his death was classified as a homicide.Reed was struck five times on his legs, four times in the buttocks, twice in the chest and hit on the back and shoulder, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s autopsy report. A toxicology screen also released Thursday showed his system contained THC, marijuana’s main psychoactive ingredient.Police have offered few details about the shooting, which left one officer injured. The officers were placed on 30-day administrative leave.

Newly released body camera footage from the Boston Police Department shed light on a police officer's interaction with anti-Israel demonstrators as protests continue to rage across America's college campuses.The body camera footage obtained by Fox News Digital shows an unidentified police officer approaching a group of demonstrators from Emerson College huddled on a street corner in front of a public alley entryway in the Massachusetts city at 1:30 on Thursday morning.The officer is heard attempting in vain to reason with the agitators."We don't want to arrest anybody. We support your right to protest. I'm indifferent. I don't have a side either way. I want you to be able to peacefully do this," the officer said. "However, with the blocking the street — I cannot have that.""I need to have this open," the officer is heard calmly saying to the protesters who were blocking the Boston street. "I have to remove you from there. I do not want to arrest anyone."EMERSON COLLEGE ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH BOSTON POLICE; 4 OFFICERS INJURED, OVER 100 ARRESTEDThe officer is heard telling the protesters that he did not want their continued protest to "screw up" the end of their college semester. "I want you to be able to protest. Again, I'm indifferent. We're not trying to prevent you from protesting. I don't sympathize either way, however, there is a fire code that has been broken and a lot of things going on here that we cannot allow," he said. "There's a building here that people are employed and that need emergency access."With that being said, I think you can tell, that we don't want to arrest anyone, we don't want anyone to get hurt, we don't want anyone to get screwed up at school with grades or whatever,"  the officer continued. "I'm trying to work with you all. Trust me, I'm not the enemy on this."The Boston police officer said that he had been reasonable with the anti-Israel protesters, but that they needed to disperse."You guys have been protesting all day. I get it and I support what you are trying to do. However, at this point it is late. People live here. We've been getting a lot of complaints," he said.ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CONTINUE NATIONWIDE DISRUPTIONS WITH ESCALATIONS AT USC, HARVARD AND COLUMBIA"We let it go for a while. We were supposed to come down at 10 p.m., we're looking to give you space to let you all do this, but at a certain point, they have to go to work in the morning as well," he said. "We're trying to be reasonable with you all.""So again, I'm not trying to be unreasonable. I've given you several extra hours. I do not want to arrest anyone. I want you all to go back to school tomorrow and finish your finals," the officer said. "You can protest, but you have to do it the right way.""We don't want to escalate this," he added.TRUMP SAYS HE'LL ‘FIRE THE RADICAL LEFT’ FROM COLLEGES, FOCUS ON ‘DEFENDING’ AMERICAN ‘TRADITION’ IF ELECTEDAs the officer came to the end of his plea to the students, they suddenly interrupted the officer, loudly chanting, "Free, free Palestine! Free, free Palestine! Free, free Palestine!"WATCH:Following the officer's attempt, the Emerson University protest spiraled and resulted in four officers being injured and 108 people arrested.Dramatic footage showed protesters clashing with police officers in the late-night chaos.Emerson canceled classes Thursday in the wake of the arrests.Emerson College did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A plan by federal agencies to rebuild the sardine population in the Pacific was not properly implemented and failed to prevent overfishing, a judge in California ruled this week.Monday's decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia DeMarchi was a victory for environmentalists who said officials did not ensure sardine stocks would bounce back within a legally required timeframe.The nonprofit Oceana sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2021, claiming that Pacific sardines collapsed by more than 98% between 2006 and 2020.FEDS PLAN TO REINTRODUCE GRIZZLY BEARS TO WASHINGTON STATE'S NORTHERN CASCADESThe small oily fish enjoyed by humans are also essential food for whales, dolphins, sea lions, pelicans and salmon. The loss of sardines can create problems throughout ocean ecosystems, environmentalists said.The Fisheries Service must develop a plan that supports rebuilding and set "hard, science-based caps on how many fish could be caught each year," the judge wrote in her order. The agency said it doesn't comment on litigation."We’re grateful that the court followed the science and recognized the need for a real plan with enforceable catch limits that will rebuild Pacific sardines for a healthy, abundant, and resilient ocean," Dr. Geoff Shester, a senior scientist for Oceana, said in a statement.DeMarchi declined to grant some of Oceana's motions, including one asking that she order a new environmental impact statement.The judge ordered the parties to discuss and submit proposals for a remedy by May 6.

The NYPD officer who was accused of punching an erratic man, who was reportedly harassing customers outside an Apple Store nearly three years ago, has been cleared of all charges, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) of the City of New York announced on Thursday. The PBA said a Manhattan judge found New York City Police Officer Salvatore Provenzano not guilty of assault for a single punch he threw to protect himself from a repeat offender causing mayhem in an Upper West Side Apple Store back in 2021. "We're grateful that the judge in this case [made] the right and only decision to find our police officer not guilty," PBA President Patrick Hendry said following the ruling. Provenzano was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in July 2023, and suspended without pay, despite the fact that the suspect was not injured and two security guards, who were eyewitnesses, were never called to testify before the grand jury.EX-CON NYC MURDER SUSPECT SMILES WITH DA BRAGG SHORTLY BEFORE SHOCKING ARRESTHendry added that despite having Provenzano cleared, the case should never have been in a courtroom because it did not fit the prosecutors' narrative. "This was never about fairness or justice, this was about derailing a hardworking police officer. That's what this case was about, from the beginning," Hendry explained. Hendry said the man Provenzano was accused of assaulting had been banned from the Apple Store, as well as another one, for threatening security in the store, throwing himself on the floor and refusing to leave for over 30 minutes, causing chaos. ILLEGAL MIGRANT FLIPS MIDDLE FINGERS AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH ATTACKING NYPD IN TIMES SQUAREOther officers who witnessed the altercation reportedly tried to intervene and reason with the man, but it did no good. "Police Officer Provenzano was simply doing his job, trying to protect himself and the public from an individual who has repeatedly caused mayhem in places of business. We’re grateful that the court recognized that reality and acquitted him, but unfortunately a lot of damage has been done," Hendry said.The police union called prosecuting Provenzano a waste of time."A good, hardworking cop has been sidelined for nearly a year, and police officers across this borough are wondering if their careers will also be derailed by baseless charges. Manhattan prosecutors need to stop wasting time and resources targeting cops over nonsense and start working with us to address real public safety issues," Hendry said. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A former Arkansas mortuary worker pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that she sold 24 boxes of stolen body parts from medical school cadavers to a Pennsylvania man for nearly $11,000.She was among several charged recently in what prosecutors have called a nationwide scheme to steal and sell human body parts from an Arkansas mortuary and Harvard Medical School.4 ARRESTED IN ARKANSAS BLOCK PARTY SHOOTING THAT KILLED 1, WOUNDED 9Candace Chapman Scott, 37, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. She had pleaded not guilty when she was indicted last year in the case.An indictment unsealed last year accused Scott of setting up the transactions with Jeremy Pauley, a Pennsylvania man she met through a Facebook group about "oddities."In September, Pauley pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the theft and sale of the body parts from the Arkansas mortuary and Harvard.Scott was employed at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services, where part of her job was to transport, cremate and embalm remains. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock has said that’s where the medical school sent remains of cadavers that had been donated for medical students to examine.An attorney for Scott declined to comment Thursday afternoon.Under a plea agreement with Scott, federal prosecutors dropped 10 other wire and mail charges sought against her. She faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine on the transporting stolen property charge. She also faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine on the mail fraud charge.A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

A transitional council tasked with bringing political stability to Haiti was installed Thursday in the capital of this Caribbean country, which is marred by gang violence and soaring hunger and poverty.The freshly sworn-in council will appoint a new prime minister and Cabinet, and create a road map to eventually hold long-awaited general elections. Its mandate expires Feb. 7, 2026, when a new president would be sworn in.ARIEL HENRY RESIGNS AS PRIME MINISTER OF HAITI AS COUNTRY CONTINUES TO FACE DEADLY GANG VIOLENCEThe council is made up of eight men and one woman. Seven members have voting powers.Here’s a glimpse at who they are:VOTING MEMBERSSmith Agustin — Former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, legal expert and sociologist. He is tied to the EDE/RED political party. He recently replaced former nominee Dominique Dupuy, a UNESCO ambassador, who resigned following political attacks and death threats.Dr. Louis Gérald Gilles — The former senator will be the representative of the signatories of the Dec. 21 agreement within the council. That group is associated with outgoing prime minister Ariel Henry. Gilles is linked to the New Orientation United to Free Haiti party.Fritz Alphonse Jean — Economist and president of INHOPP (Haitian Institute of Public Policies.) He is a former central bank governor and ex-interim prime minister. He has frequently travelled abroad seeking support from Haitian communities. He is affiliated with a civil-society group known as the Montana Accord.Edgard Leblanc Fils — Former president of Haiti’s Senate from 1995 to 2000. Fils finished second to Jocelerme Privert in the parliamentary indirect presidential election of February 2016. He is general coordinator of the Organization of the Struggling People. He represents the January 30 political group.Laurent Saint-Cyr — President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti and executive director at Haiti’s Alternative Insurance Company.Emmanuel Vertilaire — The judge of the Cap-Haïtien court is a specialist in criminology and anti-corruption efforts. He is linked to the Pitit Desalin political party and the National Peasants’ Network.Leslie Voltaire — Veteran politician who was a member of the administrations of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and René Preval. His influence dates back more than 30 years. He is a former minister of education and of Haitians living abroad. He ran for the presidency himself in 2010, but claimed later the vote was rigged against him. He is linked to the Fanmi Lavalas party.OBSERVERSRégine Abraham — Agronomist and Cabinet director at the Ministry of the Environment. She rose to the position after the resignation of René Jean-Jumeau due to his alleged involvement in the squandering of PetroCaribe funds. She has worked for the World Bank and the European Union.Frinel Joseph — The evangelical pastor became prominent as treasurer of Haiti’s electoral council, representing the country’s religions. Four years later, in 2020, the Conference of Haitian Pastors accused him of being too focused on his personal political objectives at the council. He and another seven members of the council resigned due to local pressure. The pastor is also famous at home for his lectures on spirituality.

Mexico City prosecutors sought Thursday to downplay the case of a suspected serial killer who kept women’s bones and a saw in his room, and apparently targeted women over the course of more than a decade.The city’s head prosecutor said the remains of six women were found in the suspect’s rented room, "not 20 as some unfounded reports have suggested."POLICE FIND 7 BODIES, 5 OF THEM DECAPITATED AND 1 DISMEMBERED, IN MEXICO'S FIFTH LARGEST CITYCity prosecutor Ulises Lara stressed that only three of his crimes occurred during the present administration, which took office in late 2018. He said the others apparently occurred in 2012, 2015 and 2018, meaning the killer went uncaught for at least 12 years.Lara slammed reports that all the crimes took place in 2023 and 2024 — during the term of ex-Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who is now running for president — as "absolutely false and unfounded."And Lara claimed the killer was essentially unstoppable because "he showed no signs of violent or aggressive behavior in his daily life."Lara did not specify the nature of the remains found in a search of the suspect’s rented rooms last week, but local media reported they were skulls. Under Mexican law, the suspect can only be identified by his first name, "Miguel." Local media reported he worked as a chemist.Investigators also found blood stains, bones, a saw, cellphones and missing women’s ID cards, as well as other "biological material" in the rooms. Lara said five of the ID cards belonged to women who have been located alive, but did not say how many belonged to women who are still missing or among the dead.Last week, Lara said investigators also found "a series of notebooks that may well be narrations of the acts that Miguel carried out against his victims."Lara rejected criticisms that Mexico City authorities do little to investigate the cases of missing women until their bodies pile up, saying the number of reported women's killings have declined.But the suspect in this case wasn't caught until he broke into a neighbor's apartment to kill his seventh victim last week, was interrupted and left a surviving witness.According to prosecutors, the suspect apparently waited for a woman to briefly leave her apartment last week and then rushed in and sexually abused and strangled her 17-year-old daughter.The mother returned and saw him leaving, but he slashed her in the neck and fled. The mother survived but her daughter did not.Because the suspect lived near the scene of the crime, he was quickly identified and caught.The suspect has been held over for trial on charges of murder and attempted murder, both related to his latest victims.Without proper funding, training or professionalism, prosecutors in Mexico's capital have routinely failed to stop killers until the bodies pile up so high they are almost unavoidable.In 2021, a serial killer in a Mexico City suburb was only caught after years of alleged crimes — 19 bodies were found hacked up and buried at his house — because of the identity of the final dismembered victim: the wife of a police commander.In 2018, a serial killer in Mexico City responsible for the deaths of at least 10 women was caught only after he was found pushing a dismembered body down the street in a baby carriage. He dumped most of the bodies of his victims in vacant lots.

A ship traveling in the Gulf of Aden came under attack Thursday, officials said, the latest assault carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels over Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.The attack comes after the U.S. military said early Thursday an allied warship shot down a Houthi missile targeting a vessel the day before near the same area. The Houthis claimed that Wednesday assault, which comes after a period of relatively few rebel attacks on shipping in the region over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.YEMEN'S HOUTHI REBELS CONTINUE TO LAUNCH ATTACKS DESPITE MONTH OF US-LED AIRSTRIKESIn Thursday's attack, a ship was targeted just over 25 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Aden, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.The captain "reports a loud bang heard and a splash and smoke seen coming from the sea," the UKMTO said. "Vessel and all crew are safe."The attack was also reported by the private security firm Ambrey.Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack late Thursday, identifying the ship the rebels tried to target as the MSC Darwin.European Union forces separately shot down a drone launched from Houthi territory on Thursday, Gen. Robert Brieger said. Separately on Wednesday, the British warship HMS Diamond began the first in the Royal Navy to shoot down a missile since 1991 when it destroyed a Houthi missile targeting merchant ships.The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen and shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and firing off drones and missiles steadily in the last months.However, Wednesday's attack was the first one by rebels in some time. An explosion struck some 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden, the UKMTO said.Early Thursday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said the explosion came from a coalition warship shooting down the missile likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a U.S.-flagged, owned and operated vessel with 18 U.S. and four Greek crew members."There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition or commercial ships," Central Command said.Saree claimed that attack but insisted without evidence that the missile hit the Yorktown. Saree also claimed the Houthis targeted another ship in the Indian Ocean, without providing proof. The Houthis have made repeated claims that turned out to not be true during their yearslong war in Yemen.The Houthis have said they will continue their attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.Most of the ships targeted by the Houthis have had little or no direct connection to Israel, the U.S. or other nations involved in the war. The rebels have also fired missiles toward Israel, though they have largely fallen short or been intercepted.

Thousands of Indigenous people marched on Thursday in Brazil's capital, calling on the government to officially recognize lands they have lived on for centuries and to protect territories from criminal activities such as illegal mining.With posters bearing messages like "The future is Indigenous," they walked towards Three Powers Square, where Congress, the Supreme Court and the Planalto presidential palace are located in Brasília.BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT COMPARES ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR TO HOLOCAUST, NETANYAHU SAYS HE CROSSED A LINEA group of Indigenous leaders entered the palace to talk to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, while others shouted toward the building: "Our rights are not negotiable." Last week, he backed down from the creation of four Indigenous territories, citing opposition from state governors.In addition to calls for more land recognition, some tribes protested a proposed 950-kilometer (590 miles) rail project to transport soybeans from the state of Mato Grosso, in the central part of the country, to ports along the Tapajos River, a large Amazon tributary.Indigenous leaders from the Kayapo, Panará and Munduruku tribes said they hadn't been adequately consulted and feared the new infrastructure would lead to increased deforestation.Thursday's rally marked the culmination of the annual Free Land Indigenous Camp, now in its 20th edition. This year's gathering marked a critical view of Lula's administration. Unlike the two previous years, the president was not invited to visit the camp, set up in Brasilia's main esplanade."There is political instability, disrespect and mistrust," Marivelton Baré, head of the Rio Negro Federation of Indigenous Organizations, told The Associated Press during the march."We expected a lot from the government, but it’s doing very little. We knew that Congress would be hostile, but not as much as it has been. And in Congress, the government is using the Indigenous and environmental issues as bargaining chips," added Baré, whose organization represents 24 Indigenous tribes from the northwest part of Brazil´s Amazon.Previously president between 2003 and 2010, Lula began a third term in January of last year. Since then, his administration has created 10 Indigenous territories, which Indigenous leaders say is not enough. According to the non-profit Socio-Environmental Institute, at least 251 territories have pending claims for recognition before the federal government.Indigenous territories comprise about 13% of Brazil's territory. Most of these areas are in the Amazon rainforest.Even at a slow pace, Lula's demarcations represent a stark contrast to his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who kept his promise not to create a single centimeter of additional Indigenous land. However, Indigenous demands face mounting opposition from the powerful agribusiness sector, which has the support of hundreds of Congress members and several governors across the country.

Paris’ Moulin Rouge cabaret club in France lost the sails of its historic windmill — a symbol almost as iconic to the City of Lights as the Eiffel Tower — overnight Wednesday. The sails, or blades, fell from the red windmill that tops the tourist venue, known for its can-can dancers, sometime before 2 a.m., the Moulin Rouge’s general manager told reporters. "The Moulin Rouge, in 135 years of history, has experienced many adventures, but it is true that for the wings, this is the first time that this has happened," Jean-Victor Clerico said.He added, "A little before 2 a.m., the wings of the windmill gave way, fell on the boulevard and fortunately at this time the boulevard was empty of passersby. We are relieved this morning, especially to know that there were no injuries."MASSIVE POLICING FOR PARIS OLYMPICS TO INCLUDE SECURITY CHECKS FOR SOME OF THE CAPITAL'S RESIDENTSThe Moulin Rouge generally has two 90-minute shows each night, at 9 and 11 p.m. "I heard it on the radio. As I live next door, I wanted to come and see with my own eyes what it was like and it's very sad," resident Laurence Plu told Reuters. "It's not the Moulin anymore, it lost his wings, it lost his soul."NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL: A TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN THE RESTORATION PROJECT The Moulin Rouge was founded in 1889, and its famous can-can dancers have been depicted in paintings by the likes of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who also frequented the place in its early days. It was also depicted in the 2001 musical starring Nicole Kidman of the same name. Clerico said the club will investigate what caused the sails to fall but said it didn’t appear to be intentional. Danish tourist Lise Thygesen told Reuters she hoped the sails would be restored, so it would remain the "old Moulin Rouge" and German tourist Florence Chevalier said that the windmill symbolized Paris for him."It's weird to me, it's Paris. It's like the Eiffel Tower, it's Paris. It's weird, you can't say it any other way," he explained. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe incident comes almost exactly five years after a 2019 fire destroyed Notre-Dame cathedral’s wooden spire,  wooden roof and damaged its walls. Restoration work is still underway. A new spire was revealed in February. Reuters contributed to this report. 

Kurdish-led authorities in northeastern Syria on Thursday handed over 50 women and children — family members of Islamic State militants — to a delegation from Tajikistan for repatriation back home.The 17 women and 33 children, all citizens of Tajikistan, were handed over to a delegation headed by the Tajik ambassador to Kuwait, Zubaydullo Zubaydzoda, Syrian Kurdish officials said.TURKEY DENIES PRO-KURDISH MAYOR-ELECT THE RIGHT TO ASSUME OFFICEAfter the Islamic State group declared its caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in June 2014, thousands of foreigners, including hundreds from Tajikistan, came to Syria to join IS and live with their families in the so-called caliphate.After IS was defeated, most of the militants family members were held in the sprawling al-Hol camp and the smaller Roj camp in northeastern Syria.The Syrian Arab Red Crescent said the women and children were taken to the airport of Qamishli where they boarded a plane "to be reunited with their families" in Tajikistan on Thursday.The repatriation came almost a month after an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 144 people. The massacre was carried out by four suspected attackers who were arrested and identified as Tajik nationals. IS claimed responsibility and said four of its fighters had targeted the hall in Russia.Over the past few years thousands of people, mostly Iraqis have been repatriated from al-Hol, which houses tens of thousands, mostly IS militants' wives and children but also supporters of the militant group.The heavily-guarded al-Hol, overseen by Syrian Kurdish-led forces allied with the United States, was once home to 73,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis. Over the past few years, the population dropped to about 43,000, according to Sheikhmous Ahmad, a Kurdish official overseeing camps for displaced in northeastern Syria.Tajikistan has said that at the height of IS, more than 1,000 fighters from the country joined extremists groups in Syria and Iraq, including IS. One of the most prominent was Gulmurod Khalimov, an officer with Tajikistan’s special forces who defected and joined IS in Syria in 2015.Khalimov rose through IS ranks to become one of its top military commanders. In September 2017, the Russian military said he was killed in a Russian airstrike in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.Thursday’s repatriation of Tajik citizens is not the first. Last May, 104 Tajik citizens were returned home, including 31 women and 73 children. And the year before, 146 women and children were repatriated.

Mexico’s president said Thursday that the country’s violent criminal gangs and drug cartels are essentially "respectful people" who "respect the citizenry" and mostly just kill each other.The claims by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador are clearly at odds with the reality of millions of Mexicans who live in areas dominated by drug cartels. The cartels routinely demand protection payments from local residents and kill or kidnap them if they refuse to pay.A reporter asked López Obrador whether drug cartels behaved well when he visited the township of Badiraguato, Sinaloa — the hometown of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, which he has controversially visited as president about a half dozen times.AMLO 'OFFENDED' BY PREFERRED CANDIDATE'S DEBATE PERFORMANCE"Always!" López Obrador responded, adding that "Sometimes we come upon people who are strange, but respectful."Continuing on the subject of drug cartels at his morning news briefing, López Obrador said "There is something people should know.""Fortunately, the attacks that happen in this country generally occur between (criminal) groups," the president said. "They respect the citizenry."López Obrador has long refused to directly confront the cartels, who he claims were forced into criminality by a lack of opportunities. His "Hugs, not bullets" strategy offers job training programs for youths so they won't become cartel gunmen.In the past, he has also appeared to normalize the gangs’ presence, encouraging Mexicans to negotiate peace pacts among the cartels.But saying the cartels don't attack common citizens takes the issue to a new level. Experts and rights activists say thousands of Mexicans have been forced from their homes by cartel violence and extortion, and thousands of business owners, taxi and bus drivers have been killed for refusing extortion demands.Clandestine grave sites throughout Mexico are filled with the bodies of drug cartel victims.Thursday's statements by López Obrador come one week after he said he won’t fight Mexican drug cartels on U.S. orders. In what the president called a "Mexico First" policy, he said "We are not going to act as policemen for any foreign government. Mexico First. Our home comes first."Over the years, López Obrador has laid out various justifications for his policy of avoiding clashes with the cartels. In the past he has said "you cannot fight violence with violence," and on other occasions he has argued the government has to address "the causes" of drug cartel violence, ascribing them to poverty or a lack of opportunities.López Obrador has also encouraged leaders of the Catholic church to try to negotiate peace pacts between warring gangs.Explaining why he has ordered the army not to attack cartel gunmen, he said in 2022 that "we also take care of the lives of the gang members, they are human beings."He has also sometimes appeared not to take the violence issue seriously. In June 2023, he said of one drug gang that had abducted 14 police officers: "I’m going to tell on you to your fathers and grandfathers," suggesting they should get a good spanking.Asked about those comments at the time, residents of one town in the western Mexico state of Michoacán who have lived under drug cartel control for years reacted with disgust and disbelief."He is making fun of us," said one restaurant owner, who asked to remain anonymous because he — like almost everyone else in town — has long been forced to pay protection money to the local cartel.López Obrador has also made a point of visiting the township of Badiraguato in Sinaloa state at least a half dozen times, and pledging to do so again before he leaves office in September.It’s also a stance related to prickly nationalism and independence. Asked in November why he has visited the sparsely populated rural township so many times, López Obrador quoted a line from a defiant old drinking song, "because I want to."The president has also imposed strict limits on U.S. agents operating in Mexico, and limited how much contact Mexican law enforcement can have with them.

A top security official in Belarus claimed Thursday that the country has prevented attempted drone strikes from Lithuania targeting the Belarusian capital and surrounding areas. Lithuania denied the claim.Ivan Tertel, head of the Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB). told a session of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly that his and other agencies recently carried out security operations "which made it possible to prevent attacks by combat drones from the territory of Lithuania on objects in Minsk and its suburbs."He did not present evidence for the claim or give any details. He also said that "radicals" in Lithuania and Poland are producing drones to attack Belarus.HACKERS CLAIM BELARUS FERTILIZER PLANT INFILTRATED TO DEMAND POLITICAL PRISONER RELEASEThe All-Belarusian People’s Assembly includes officials, members of local councils, unions and pro-government activists and operates in parallel with the parliament.Lithuanian military spokesman Gintautas Ciunis told journalists later Thursday that Tertel's claims were not true. "This is nonsense; I can’t find another word," Ciunis said.The Lithuanian crisis management center said in a statement that the comments appeared aimed at a domestic audience in Belarus. It also say they could "be regarded as a continuous hostile provocation and an informational attack against Lithuania, which has nothing to do with reality."Belarus is a close ally of Russia, which has deployed tactical nuclear weapons, missiles and troops in the country. Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly boasted that Belarus would turn back any attempt by Ukraine of NATO countries to attack it.Although Belarusian forces have not entered the Russia-Ukraine war, the country has been a springboard for Russian forces that entered Ukraine’s north.Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, exiled in Lithuania, said Thursday that nobody aside from the Belarus leadership had heard about a drone attack on Minsk. "It is possible that Lukashenko started believing his own nonsense and disinformation," Tsikhanouskaya added.The Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved the new national security framework and a military doctrine that were put forward by Lukashenko to regulate the use of Russian nuclear weapons. Those, Lukashenko told the delegates, will allow Belarus "to resist any aggressor and inflict irreparable damage on them."Political analysts say this is merely rhetoric, and does not indicate plans by the Belarusian leader to get involved in military conflicts."Lukashenko is increasing the level of bellicose rhetoric in order to please the Kremlin and receive additional funds to fight the ‘common Western threat’," independent Belarusian analyst Valery Karbalevich told AP."Belarus has hosted Russian nuclear weapons, changed its military doctrine and now expects payment from the Kremlin for this, and Lukashenko’s loud statements should serve as a reminder of this," he said.

Flooding in Tanzania caused by weeks of heavy rain has killed 155 people and affected more than 200,000 others, the prime minister said Thursday.That is more than double the number of deaths reported two weeks ago as the amount of rainfall increases, especially in the coastal region and the capital, Dar es Salaam.Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told parliament that the El Niño climate pattern has worsened the ongoing rainy season, causing the flooding and destroying roads, bridges and railways. Flooded schools have been closed and emergency services have rescued people marooned by the flood waters.MORE THAN 100 INMATES ESCAPE FROM NIGERIAN PRISON AFTER HEAVY RAINS DAMAGE FACILITYMajaliwa warned those living in low-lying areas to move to higher ground and urged district officials to ensure that provisions meant for those whose homes were washed away go to those in need of the supplies. He said more than 51,000 households have been affected by the rains.The East African region is experiencing heavy rains, with flooding also reported in neighboring Burundi and Kenya.In Kenya, 35 people were reported dead as of Monday, and the number was expected to increase as flooding continues across the country.In the Mathare slum in the capital, Nairobi, at least four bodies were retrieved from flooded houses on Wednesday. Local media reported that more bodies were retrieved from the Mathare River.Kenyan President William Ruto chaired a multi-agency flood response meeting on Thursday and directed the National Youth Service to provide land for people in flood-affected areas.

Special anti-terrorism measures being put in place to safeguard the unprecedented opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the River Seine will also apply to all buildings along the route, meaning people who work and live there and their guests will be subjected to background security checks, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said Thursday.Those affected will be cross-checked against security services' databases, to see whether they have previously been flagged as suspected Islamist extremists or for other radicalism, Nunez said.MACRON TAKES PART IN CHARITY SOCCER GAME AHEAD OF PARIS OLYMPICSThe wildly ambitious July 26 ceremony is proving to be a gargantuan security challenge. Athletes will be paraded through the heart of the French capital on 94 boats along a 6-kilometer (nearly 4-mile) stretch of the Seine, from east to west. They'll be accompanied by 87 other boats for security, media and other people.All of the parade route will be inside a high-security zone that Nunez described as an "anti-terrorism perimeter." He said it will include the first row of buildings along the route."We wanted to include in the perimeter all of the buildings that have a view on the parade," Nunez said.The zone will be put in place from July 18 and be extended even further along both banks of the river on July 26, in the final hours before the evening ceremony.Anyone who wants to enter the zone in the eight days before the ceremony and on July 26 itself will need to pre-register online and will "systematically" be subjected to the background security checks known in France as an "administrative investigation," Nunez said.Those affected will include people who work and live inside the perimeter, as well as their guests, and people going to hotels or restaurants inside the zone, he said.Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said about 20,000 people live and work inside the perimeter. In the days before the ceremony, there will be places to cross the river and ways to visit the Louvre and other museums along the river without having to enter the security zone.Nunez said the security check for those affected won't include searching through their communications. "It’s not as intrusive as that," he said."We verify if the person is known in a certain number of intelligence files," he said.Anyone flagged by the checks could be barred from the zone. "It will obviously be case by case," Nunez said.Ticket-holders for the ceremony won't need to pre-register on the online platform that will open May 10. But Nunez said French intelligence services can do checks on them, too.Separately, the top administrative official for the Paris region, Prefect Marc Guillaume, pledged that tests on the water quality in the Seine will be made public, without specifying when or how regularly.Marathon swimmers and Olympic and Paralympic triathletes are scheduled to race in the river, which is being cleaned up for the Games. From July 1, samples will be collected from 36 spots on the river and its tributary, the Marne, Guillaume said."We will be totally transparent about our results," he said.