NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! BANGOR, Maine — It’s judgment day for Graham Platner, the embattled Democratic Senate candidate in left-leaning Maine who is aiming to oust longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a crucial race that’s among a handful that will determine if the GOP holds its slim Senate majority in the midterm elections.Platner, an oyster farmer and military combat veteran who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and other top progressive champions, is facing a slew of controversies, which could make his expected Democratic primary victory in Maine much more interesting than originally expected.Meanwhile, one week after President Donald Trump’s endorsement-winning streak in high-profile Republican primaries was snapped, the president’s immense clout over his party is facing another key test in South Carolina’s GOP gubernatorial nomination face-off.Those two ballot box showdowns will take top billing and grab plenty of national headlines as Maine and South Carolina, along with Nevada and North Dakota, hold primary elections on Tuesday.PLATNER TO SUPPORTERS: ‘MAINE, YOU HAVE MY BACK’ Platner has been playing defense the past month, amid mounting controversy. It includes inflammatory online comments made on Reddit, a well-publicized and now covered-up tattoo on his chest that…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Vice President J.D. Vance Monday announced that he has referred allegations involving Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to the Justice Department’s fraud division for a potential criminal investigation over alleged fraud in federally funded social services programs.Vance made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” when he was asked about a report released by the House Oversight Committee alleging that state officials, including Walz and Ellison, were warned of fraud in the state but did not take action to stop it in part because of litigation threats and concerns about being accused of discrimination.”We’re certainly going to investigate this, Jesse, and I guess now I can make a bit of breaking news because I left the White House to come here to do this interview with you. And before I did, we actually referred this particular case to the Department of Justice for a full criminal investigation. We are not going to do what the Biden administration did and make judgments of the law before all the facts are in,” Vance said.MINNESOTA FRAUD REPORT ACCUSES STATE AG OF ‘INCOMPETENCE, WILLFUL BLINDNESS OR WORSE’…

The fight doesn’t end with the last shot. Here’s what you need to do in the moments after a defensive shooting.Most of the conversation in the concealed carry world centers on the fight itself: draw speed, shot placement, threat assessment and the mechanics of stopping a threat. That’s essential training, and none of it should be shortchanged. Nevertheless, there’s another aspect that doesn’t get nearly enough attention:What happens in the minutes after the shooting stops, before the first squad car rolls onto the scene?The gap between the last shot fired and the moment a badge walks through the door can get you killed, not by the bad guy, but by a responding officer who doesn’t know yet that you’re the good guy.The Arvada, Colorado, incident illustrates this with brutal clarity.A deranged gunman with a vendetta against law enforcement showed up at a shopping center and ambushed an Arvada police officer, killing him. Other officers nearby failed to engage. A Good Samaritan named John Hurley ran toward the threat, engaged the gunman and stopped him. Five of six rounds connected. The attacker went down.By any measure, Hurley did everything right in the fight. Then, things went wrong.After neutralizing the shooter, Hurley…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The headlines say Donald Trump “stormed” out of his interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker.The reality was a little more subtle.It’s easy to second-guess. The natural tension that comes with interviewing any politician for television – but especially this president, who can dominate this kind of sit-down – calls for split-second judgments.Having interviewed Trump numerous times – especially in a high-stakes session two weeks before the election, at his invitation – gives me a certain perspective.TRUMP STORMS OFF ‘MEET THE PRESS’ INTERVIEW, RIPS WELKER, ABC, CBS, CNN AS ‘CROOKED’ Things did not end well with Welker:”You’re crooked, your press is crooked, And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked.””To be fair, I’m not crooked.””Really? Well, you play right into their hands then. You’re either crooked or you’re stupid.”Geez.TRUMP RIPS OBAMA’S ‘STUPID’ IRAN DEAL IN CLASH WITH KRISTEN WELKERAnd then: “Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”I’m pretty sure Trump has never called me darling. He does seem to treat certain women differently.The other day he ripped CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for asking a question, saying she’s “beautiful” but he never sees her smile and that she has…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The Massachusetts legislature passed a bill that would remove “outdated and offensive language” used to describe people with disabilities in the state’s General Laws.The measure would eliminate various terms, including “handicapped,” “disabled,” and the “r-word” in favor of language such as “persons with a disability” and “person with an intellectual or developmental disability.”The bill, which was introduced by Democratic state Sen. Pat Jehlen and listed with 17 petitioners, now heads to Democrat Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.The 61-page bill updates 346 sections of Massachusetts law.CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ‘PERSONALLY OFFENDED’ WHEN SPEAKER SAYS ‘HOMELESS’ INSTEAD OF ‘UNHOUSED’ “Language is constantly changing. And it’s changing because of the activism of people who were ignored and demeaned for too long,” Democrat state Sen. Pat Jehlen, the Senate’s primary sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement. “When people tell us they feel insulted and offended by the use of outdated words, we worked to change the legal language.  It took a long time, because we kept finding more examples of offensive language. Language and activism will continue to evolve, and there’ll always be more work to do, but this is a gigantic step forward in respect.”Some…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The home team in the NBA Finals remained winless in their building, as the San Antonio Spurs took Game 3, 115-11, in much-needed fashion on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.New York still owns the lead, 2-1, in the series, but the Spurs closed out thanks to tremendous defense, timely buckets, and forcing the Knicks to go 2-of-12 from three-point territory in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Knicks’ 13-game playoff win streak has been snapped.Victor Wembanyama, who had a chance to win Game 2 but missed his final shot, finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the Spurs. But it was Wembanyama’s teammates, De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle putting in clutch baskets, to help the winning efforts.The Spurs came out with a clear determination to set the tone on the road, and it’s what all basketball fans should’ve expected considering where the series stood at tip-off. San Antonio owned an 11-point lead after the first quarter, as Wembanyama scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Castle was a perfect 3-of-3 for seven points.SPURS COACH MITCH JOHNSON CONTRADICTS HOW HIS STAR FEELS ABOUT TRUMP’S PRESENCE BEFORE GAME…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! With closing arguments looming on Tuesday, Karmelo Anthony’s defense rested without calling him to testify — a move that came as legal analysts questioned whether his self-defense claim will persuade jurors.Anthony is charged with murder in the April 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Memorial High School athlete Austin Metcalf during a confrontation at a Texas high school track meet. Anthony admits he stabbed Metcalf but claims he acted in self-defense.Anthony’s defense rested its case on Monday, setting the stage for closing arguments when court resumes at 9 a.m. local time Tuesday.The case has drawn national attention, fueled by debate over Texas self-defense law, questions surrounding race, competing narratives about what happened beneath a Memorial High School team tent and demonstrations outside the Collin County courthouse. Ritter: Defense faces uphill battleAs the defense case neared its conclusion Monday, an unexpected delay in proceedings fueled speculation about what was happening behind the scenes.DIDDY DEFENSE’S COURTROOM STRATEGY IS A ‘CALCULATED RISK’: EXPERT Speaking on Fox News’ “The Story,” legal analyst Joshua Ritter suggested one possibility was that Anthony and his attorneys were discussing whether he should testify. “Perhaps they’re talking to Karmelo Anthony about whether…

close Video ESPN’s high-tech experiment flopped on national TV. The Worldwide Leader in Sports has decided to bench its controversial AI-generated “moving portraits,” which debuted during the NBA Finals and quickly drew backlash online.The digital misfire tipped off during Game 1 of the championship series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. As ABC headed to a commercial break, viewers were shown what was intended to be an animated version of a classic image featuring Spurs legend Tony Parker. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GLITCH AT ARIZONA COLLEGE GRADUATION SPARKS UPROAR FROM CROWD Instead, many fans saw what they described as an uncanny-valley nightmare. The network used AI to animate a photo of Parker celebrating after winning the 2003 NBA championship. But the result drew criticism online, with viewers saying the technology distorted the former Spurs star’s facial features.Social media users quickly piled on ESPN over the graphic. CHICAGO PAPER PUBLISHES AI-GENERATED ‘SUMMER READING LIST’ WITH BOOKS THAT DON’T EXIST Many questioned why the network, which has access to decades of NBA footage and photography, chose to use AI-generated animation at all. Video”Why use AI when they literally have the pictures?” one fan wrote on X.Another posted: “As soon as…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Vice President JD Vance addressed the United States’ diplomatic relationship with Israel Monday as President Donald Trump’s partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly been strained recently.”The Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests, but we also have some situations where our interests diverge,” Vance said on “Jesse Watters Primetime.””I think where the president has been very clear here is that while Israel obviously has some objectives that it has, the United States’ main objective in Iran is to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon,” he added.Vance’s remarks come after recent U.S. intelligence reports raised concerns about Israel’s surveillance efforts targeting American negotiators involved in U.S.-Iran peace talks.TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE IN HIGH-STAKES TALKS ON IRAN, GAZA PLAN Those who have reportedly been surveilled include the Pentagon’s top policy officer, Elbridge A. Colby, and Trump’s top negotiator, Steve Witkoff.Trump also recently confirmed calling Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” in a heated phone call over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, exposing a rare rift between the two leaders.As tensions between Israeli and American officials intensify over how to proceed with Iran negotiations, the…

Last Friday, just as Blade Show 2026 kicked off, GiantMouse launched a Kickstarter for its next folding knife release, the Pontius. It’s a collaboration piece that approaches the core GiantMouse values from a fresh perspective. But a collaboration with who? Chris Pontius, an adventurous soul best known for his time on the television show Jackass – that’s right, he’s that Chris Pontius, also known as Party Boy. Evidently, in addition to being a great dancer and general daredevil, Pontius is a dyed-in-the-wool knife nut: his IG feed consists of a not-insignificant amount of knife appreciation vids, and, in addition to this forthcoming GiantMouse piece, he’s got a collaboration ax coming out via TOPS. The full ti model on some less fully tied shoes “Ready for anything” was the core mantra for the Pontius design process, which was evidently a give-and-take between Party Boy and Jesper Voxnaes: Pontius would describe his needs and vision for the piece, and Voxnaes would translate them into a clean, GiantMousian final product. The 3.2-inch clip blade is broad for strong slicing performance, while the harpoon swedge brings a lot of mass to the tip without sacrificing its piercing capability. Blade steel across all variations will…