NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., said Thursday that he expects to return to Congress “in the next couple of weeks” after missing 100 consecutive House votes during an extended absence tied to what his office has described only as a “personal health matter.””My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean, 57, told the New Jersey Globe in his first public comments since stepping away from Capitol Hill in March.”I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents,” he added. “I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I’ll return to voting and to the campaign trail.”Kean last voted on March 5 and has missed every House roll call vote since then, according to GovTrack. His absence has drawn heightened attention because Republicans hold a slim majority in the House and because Kean represents one of the country’s most competitive congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.TOM KEAN JR’S PROLONGED ABSENCE PUTS PRESSURE ON HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ RAZOR-THIN MAJORITY His office has repeatedly declined to disclose details about the illness, saying only that the congressman is focused on recovery and…

Editor’s note: This report contains discussion of suicide. Troops, veterans and family members experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 and dial 1, text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.Despite a military suicide rate that has generally continued to climb since 2011, most military services don’t have accountability measures to ensure troops are taking required prevention training. And, according to a new report from the top federal watchdog organization, they don’t know if the training actually makes a difference.A new report from the Government Accountability Office, published Wednesday, found that each of the four largest military service branches — Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps — had latitude to create their own nonclinical suicide prevention training, which each service administers on an annual basis. The Army and the Navy each allow unit commanders to develop their own alternative trainings “as long as these trainings meet certain objectives,” according to the report.The Army’s training regimen, according to the report, includes its “Ask, Care, Escort” bystander training program, also shared by the Air Force and National Guard Bureau. The Marine Corps’ training doesn’t follow a named program, but emphasizes awareness and “Think/Decide/Act” decision-making. The Navy is the…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attempt to connect with Gen Z voters during his first-ever Twitch stream Thursday exposed a generational divide, as the progressive leader admitted he’d never played Minecraft, struggled with internet slang and appeared unfamiliar with modern rap culture.During the broadcast, which was also available on other social media platforms, Fox News Digital observed numerous Twitch viewers questioning why there were no moderators in the chatroom, as spam and explicit messages filled the message board.When a commenter asked if the mayor plays the popular video game Minecraft, Mamdani admitted he had never played it and confessed, “I sound so old because, to me, Minecraft is a movie that I knew was based on a video game.”GEN Z LOVES BOTH TRUMP AND MAMDANI FOR THE SAME REASON The disconnect continued when he was asked to name his favorite “underground” rapper.The mayor admitted he felt a “little bit washed” and cited early-2000s Canadian artists like k-os and K’naan, leaving his younger co-host, popular pro-Palestinian TikTok creator “Moose,” unfamiliar with the references.Twitch has more than 240 million monthly active users, with 72% under the age of 34, according to a report…

The United States is deploying 5,000 troops to Poland, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.Trump, in a Truth Social post, wrote that the decision was sparked by the “successful election” of Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, whom he “was proud to endorse.”This comment was met with some consternation, however, since Nawrocki was elected almost a year ago and inaugurated last August. Trump’s social media post added that the deployment was also a byproduct of “our relationship” with the Polish president.The move came more than a week after the U.S. Army had abruptly canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to Poland. Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, on Tuesday called it a “temporary delay” as part of the administration’s plan to scale back the total number of Brigade Combat Teams assigned to Europe from four to three.“This decision was the result of a comprehensive, multilayered process focused on U.S. force posture in Europe,” he asserted. Parnell went on to hail Poland for demonstrating “both the ability and resolve to defend itself,” noting that “other NATO allies should follow suit.”In recent months, the president has reevaluated America’s military posture across Europe, amid his…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The NASCAR world was stunned on Thursday when Kyle Busch, one of the sport’s all-time greats, died suddenly at the age of 41.Busch, 41, was hospitalized Thursday because of an undisclosed but “severe illness,” according to a statement put out by the Busch family. NASCAR, the Busch family and Richard Childress Racing announced the death Thursday evening, but did not offer a cause of death.When news of Busch’s death broke, fellow NASCAR drivers mourned their lost competitor. One of those drivers was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who had an infamous fistfight with Busch after a race roughly two years ago, but he put their differences aside to pay homage.Plenty of others paid their respects.Busch’s last Cup Series win came in June 2023. While he struggled for much of this season, Busch did start on the pole in February’s Daytona 500 and was coming off a season-best finish of eighth two weeks ago at Watkins Glen. He also just won a Truck Series race in Dover last week. TWO-TIME NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION KYLE BUSCH TRAGICALLY DIES AT 41 AFTER HOSPITALIZATIONThe statement announcing Busch’s death said “the future Hall of Famer” was “a rare talent,…

The Army’s $252.8 billion fiscal 2027 budget proposal contains more than $8.4 billion for barracks improvements and construction, but the plan, which would quadruple the service’s spending for unaccompanied housing, faces an uphill battle in Congress.The service’s fiscal 2027 budget request includes $2.9 billion in discretionary funds — the portion of the budget that supports programs, procurement and other expenses — and $5.8 billion in a special apportion for barracks that would pass under a separate bill, known as reconciliation.Army Budget Director Major Gen. Rebecca McElwain said Thursday the budget would enable the Army to balance current readiness and “future dominance,” furnishing equipment, training, security and quality of life for those now serving while also investing in the future.That includes fixing and building new barracks “faster and less expensively,” McElwain said during a forum on the Army’s budget plan at the Association of the United States Army on Thursday in Arlington, Virginia. The reconciliation funding would help with that effort, McElwain said.“You’re going to see this over and over, but barracks is a very centrally focused area,” McElwain said.RELATEDThe Army has struggled for years with its aging infrastructure, and following media reports in 2023 of poor living conditions like mold,…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Philadelphia pizza shop is about to start selling slices for $55 — each.What makes this particular piece of pizza from Marina’s Pizza Co. in the Fishtown neighborhood so special is caviar, a gold plate and a mother-of-pearl spoon visitors get to keep (the plate stays at the restaurant).”Debuting on Friday, May 22, Marina’s new ‘Caviar Pizza’ is a large white slice with a blend of imported Italian cheeses that’s served with a one-ounce jar of premium caviar from Caviar XS, on a gold plate, complete with a mother-of-pearl caviar spoon keepsake,” the restaurant announced in a news release.AMERICA’S BEST-TASTING PIZZA CHAIN IS AN OLD-SCHOOL FAVORITE, SURVEY FINDS”Customers can opt to have Marina’s adorn the slice with caviar, or take the jar and serve themselves as they please,” the restaurant also said. “Slices cost $55 and will be available for a limited time only. Availability each day will be limited, and caviar slices are available for dine-in only.”The post garnered nearly 400 likes in less than 24 hours and generally positive reactions. “I’ll have 3, please,” wrote one Instagram user. “I support this slice,” wrote another.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ”I’ll be…

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Subscribe here.Operation Epic Fury may have strengthened the case for directed energy weapons, but the U.S. Navy’s dream of putting “a laser on every ship” may take significantly longer than expected to realize.In a posture statement delivered to the House Armed Services Committee on May 14, Chief of Naval Operations (and noted directed energy champion) Adm. Daryl Caudle delivered a forceful argument for why high-energy laser weapons are a necessity for the sea service — namely, to take over missile defense from kinetic interceptors and free up space for offensive weapons across the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which he proclaimed “the workhorse of the surface Fleet, as illustrated clearly by Operation Epic Fury.”“Directed energy is a critical component of future naval warfare, particularly for ballistic missile and terminal defense,” Caudle stated. “The current paradigm, which forces a trade-off between defensive interceptors and offensive strike weapons within the limited space of the Vertical Launching System (VLS), is unsustainable. Every VLS cell used for a defensive missile is a lost opportunity for a long-range offensive strike.”But Caudle’s testimony also contained an admission…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Steve Sarkisian found himself in the crosshairs of Ole Miss fans last week after implying that getting a degree from Texas is a whole lot harder than some other schools across the country.Yes, you might remember the Texas football coach bringing up “basket weaving” classes at Ole Miss, which drew plenty of pushback and jokes from across the country.Honestly, Sarkisian enticed me to sign up for one of these basket weaving classes that I will still take next week because I found the entire conversation intriguing.Geaux Tigahs, again: Ed Orgeron returns to LSU, joining Lane Kiffin’s chaos crew on the Bayou A bad example by Sarkisian, should’ve said yogaBut on Thursday, while speaking at the Houston Touchdown Club, the Longhorns coach made it a point to say that his quote was taken out of context and that he only used Ole Miss because of his relationship with Lane Kiffin, along with the current head coach Pete Golding.”The only reason the Ole Miss thing came up is because two of my best friends were there, Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding,” Sarkisian noted. “So, I know when we would compete with them they were able…

Even as the Army abruptly cancelled a planned deployment to Poland earlier this year, the service is continuing to expand military cooperation with the country through the Pentagon’s counter-drone initiative, the Army announced on Wednesday. The service touts the program as a way to help Washington and its allies purchase defense technology faster, as the U.S.-managed marketplace connects partner nations with emerging technology in an attempt to speed up slow procurement systems that have often lagged behind ever-changing threats.Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Thursday posted a photo on social media with Poland’s Deputy Minister of National Defense, Paweł Zalewski, as he signed a statement of intent to join the initiative. Australia and South Korea also agreed to enter the marketplace, the Army said this week, joining the United Kingdom and Romania as participants. The platform allows allies access to interoperable capabilities and is run by the Pentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401, which was established in 2025 to streamline counter-drone procurement. “This partnership gives our allies and partners direct access to proven counter-drone technologies as we continue to expand the marketplace,” Maj. Matt Mellor, who is the lead acquisitions specialist for the task force, said in a statement. “Our mission…