NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Bill Ferguson, Maryland’s Democratic Senate president, beat back a surprisingly serious challenge from a progressive candidate who goes by the social media moniker “Captain Bobby” in what became the state’s most closely watched race.Though state Senate races rarely garner much national attention, Ferguson’s challenger, activist Bobby LaPin, drew outsized attention for his offbeat online presence, where he repeatedly accused Ferguson of being too establishment.LaPin, an Army veteran, charter boat owner and social media personality, pitched himself to voters by saying, “I’m a Bernie Sanders” while calling Ferguson “a Chuck Schumer,” according to News From the States.On Tuesday night, Ferguson fended off LaPin’s challenge, winning 56.6% of the vote to LaPin’s 43.4%. Ferguson’s primary victory in deep-blue Maryland Senate District 46, which is centered in Baltimore, all but guarantees he will retain his seat.MARYLAND LT GOV REJECTS TRUMP’S CORRUPTION CLAIMS OVER MAIL-IN VOTING ERROR: ‘IT HAPPENS’ LaPin took particular issue with Ferguson’s opposition to a redistricting bill that would have eliminated Maryland’s sole Republican congressional seat. LaPin’s campaign website ripped Ferguson, saying he “single-handedly prevented Maryland from answering Trump’s assault on democracy by preventing redistricting efforts championed by the Democratic Caucus of the…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani cemented his status as a political kingmaker after all three Democratic Socialist candidates he backed won their primary races. Major upsets unfolded in New York City on Tuesday night as Mamdani-backed candidates Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Reps. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., and Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., respectively.And in the open 7th Congressional District, Democratic Socialist Claire Valdez won in spite of outgoing incumbent Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., endorsing another candidate.The victories for the Mamdani-backed candidates have sparked questions about where the Democratic Party is headed is headed and whether the traditional party establishment’s influence is waning. MAMDANI DISCOURAGES HAKEEM JEFFRIES PRIMARY CHALLENGER, TELLS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TO ‘FOCUS’ ON NYCRep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., alleged that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., cut a deal with Zohran Mamdani to ensure New York City Council member Chi Ossé did not challenge him, claiming Jeffries feared he would lose if Ossé entered the race.”Tonight’s results in New York City prove one thing, @RepJeffries cut a deal with @ZohranKMamdani to save himself and threw everyone else under the bus,” Lawler wrote on X, alleging that Ossé would have primaried Jeffries.”The…

The U.S. Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing President Donald Trump to halt U.S. military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress.The Senate voted 50-48 in favor of the war powers resolution, which passed the House of Representatives early this month, reflecting growing concern even among some of Trump’s Republicans about the unpopular conflict that began on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran.It was the first time both chambers of Congress had passed a resolution directing a president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities since the War Powers Resolution, more commonly known as the War Powers Act, was enacted in 1973. While likely to remain largely symbolic, the vote was a setback for Trump, who until recently had enjoyed near-unanimous support from Republican members of Congress.It also comes as the administration is expected to ask Congress to authorize tens of billions of dollars to pay for the war.Trump’s Republicans hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House, but a few have broken with the president on a handful of issues ahead of mid-term elections in November, which will determine whether the party will retain…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dror Yahav, a former commercial pilot and now CEO of Universal Avionics, said he often flew approaches in low-visibility conditions where runways did not appear until late in the landing sequence. Now, he’s helping bring a cockpit vision system to market for commercial aircraft.AerSale developed the system, AerAware, in partnership with Universal Avionics and has received Federal Aviation Administration certification for the Boeing 737 Next Generation.The system uses a nose-mounted enhanced vision camera and a wearable head display that overlays flight data and imagery into the pilot’s field of view.PILOTS TEST FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND-COCKPIT ALERT SYSTEM THAT DETECTS POSSIBLE COLLISIONS ON RUNWAYS Yahav said the system reflects his experience with low-visibility night approaches.”You turn your head up and look outside, and there’s just nothing — pitch black or foggy,” he said.He said the system combines sensor data and imagery to support situational awareness during takeoff and landing. AerAware departs from traditional head-up displays and instead equips both pilots with a dual wearable system that delivers the same information to each cockpit seat.Yahav said the concept draws from military helmet-mounted displays used in aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II.UNITED FLIGHT FROM…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday called for a major expansion of the country’s naval forces, suggesting the regime should build two large warships each year for the next five years.Speaking at a commissioning ceremony for a new destroyer, Kim suggested North Korea should build two warships comparable in size to its 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class vessel each year over the next five years, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Kim was celebrating the deployment of the new multipurpose destroyer at the port of Nampho. In April, he observed launches of two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the vessel.The destroyer successfully completed military operational tests over the past 14 months, according to KCNA.KIM JONG UN OVERSEES CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHES FROM PRIZED NEW NORTH KOREAN WARSHIP Kim previously hailed the development of the Choe Hyon as a major step toward expanding the operational reach and preemptive strike capabilities of North Korea’s military.Kim also said the navy’s nuclearization is “advancing along its own course,” contributing to the country’s nuclear deterrence.The naval buildup comes as Kim seeks to strengthen what analysts have long viewed as one of the weaker branches of…

The Department of Veterans Affairs has disclosed 367 artificial intelligence use cases operating across the agency, including 215 classified as high-impact systems supporting healthcare, benefits processing, records management, communications and internal operations. The recently released 2025 VA AI Inventory catalogs cases of AI use across the department, from clinical tools used during patient care to systems that help process benefits, automate records management and support customer service functions. Among the systems identified is Ambient AI Scribe, a clinical documentation tool used during medical appointments. According to VA, the technology listens to clinician-patient conversations and generates clinical notes, reducing administrative workload and allowing providers to spend more time focused on veterans. VA’s disclosure also details widespread use — by more than 50,000 personnel — of commercial AI products across the department, including Microsoft Copilot Chat, Microsoft Teams Premium, Grammarly GitHub Copilot and other platforms for support tasks such as meeting transcription, document drafting, report summarization, information retrieval and software development. Nearly Every Major VA Function Features AI Health and medical applications represent the largest category of use cases, followed by systems supporting benefits administration, information technology, service delivery, financial management and administrative operations. Applications identified in the inventory assist clinicians with…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Florida man was arrested after allegedly kidnapping a teenage girl and hiding her inside a clothes dryer at his Key Largo home, authorities said.Christopher Michael Veit, 53, faces charges including kidnapping, false imprisonment and unlawful sexual activity with a minor, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.Authorities responded to a home on Miramar Drive at approximately 11:45 a.m. Sunday, after the alleged victim called 911 and reported that she was being held hostage.Deputies later found the teenage girl hidden inside a clothes dryer at the residence, according to investigators.FBI RESCUES MISSING TEEN FROM FLORIDA HOTEL AFTER MONTH-LONG HUNT FOR ACCUSED KIDNAPPER Authorities said Veit restrained the girl before placing her inside the dryer.Investigators said Veit allegedly took the girl’s cellphone after she said she wanted to leave the home.The victim was found without life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.FLORIDA TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEX WITH STUDENT WHOSE PARENTS TRACKED HIS LOCATION Authorities said the girl is not from Key Largo, though her connection to Veit was not immediately clear.Investigators said they uncovered evidence of an ongoing sexual relationship between Veit and the victim.The teenage girl was taken to a local hospital…

The Marine Corps will shift to a new AI-enabled reporting platform next month, replacing its manual process for Situational Reports, or SITREPs, and after-action reviews with a system designed to provide commanders with near real-time operational updates.Beginning July 7, all Marine units must use the Operational Data Integration Nexus, or ODIN, to report operations, activities and investments, according to a Marine administrative message.ODIN operates within the Maven Smart System, or MSS, the Pentagon’s flagship artificial intelligence and data platform designed to aggregate, analyze and visualize operational information. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Maven assists officials with analyzing large and oftentimes complex data sets. “In practical terms, this means that the use of MSS can speed up targeting decisions without sacrificing analytical rigor or judgment quality,” the organization reported. Lt. Gen. Jay Bargeron, deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations at Marine headquarters, described ODIN as “more than a reporting tool,” saying it is designed to reduce administrative burden.“By automating the flow of data from the tactical edge to strategic decision makers, we are equipping our Marines with the near real-time information required to outpace our adversaries and fight effectively in a distributed environment,” Bargeron said.Marine officials…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., received a letter from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps, saying they wouldn’t be facing any discipline for what has now been labeled a controversial moment.Hawley, making an appearance on “The Will Cain Show,” was happy with the response from Manfred and MLB.”It looks like they’re admitting they’re wrong, Will, which is exactly the case,” Hawley told Cain. “I mean, the commissioner admitted in that letter that he should not have warned ‘the players.’ That they are entitled to not wear the uniforms, that they’re entitled to express their religious beliefs. And he said, as you just quoted, ‘No player will ever be disciplined or fined for their religious beliefs.’ “I don’t frankly care who he blames for it so long as he admits that he’s wrong, so long as players’ religious liberty rights are protected.”Hawley added that he believed this was a “great outcome” despite the fact that he needed to reach out to MLB about it.MLB COMMISSIONER TELLS SEN. HAWLEY GIANTS PLAYERS WON’T BE DISCIPLINED OVER BIBLE VERSES ON PRIDE NIGHT HATS”I want…

The Space Force’s top-ranked uniformed officer sported the service’s new mess dress uniform ahead of its formal wear testing this fall.Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman donned the first wear-test asset of the mess dress at the Air Force Weapons School graduation on June 13, a Department of the Air Force spokesperson told Military Times.The uniform, as worn by Saltzman during the ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada, can be worn for black-tie events. The mess dress is all black with silver buttons along the front of the uniform and contains a silver outline that swirls into a diamond shape around the Space Force’s emblem on the sleeve’s wrist. On the shoulder of the jacket, there are four silver stars outlined by the shape of the service’s delta symbol.The formal and mess dress uniforms are worn for official formal events and occasions, an August 2025 Space Force personal appearance and dress guidance memorandum reads. It is the civilian equivalent to a white and black-tie tuxedo or evening gown.Until the Space Force’s own mess dress is widely available in military clothing sale locations, the Air Force’s mess dress uniform is available for use optionally for enlisted personnel. Officers and enlisted personnel…