NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! California’s still-unsettled election results are the consequence of the state’s vote-by-mail system, according to election law expert Hans von Spakovsky, who said the process can keep ballots moving through verification and counting for days and even weeks after Election Day.The Golden State is continuing to count ballots cast in its June 2 primary elections, a process that has extended beyond Election Day due to the state’s election laws, administrative procedures, and vote-counting policies, said von Spakovsky. The delay is not the result of an isolated incident or unexpected complication but stems from the structure of its electoral system before final results can be certified. “There are four reasons why California takes so long,” von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “First of all, it’s almost entirely a mail election now.”The Los Angeles mayoral race has captured the nation’s attention as Republican-aligned candidate Spencer Pratt awaits a tally determining if he or Democrat-aligned Nithya Raman will advance to the runoff election in November against incumbent Democrat Karen Bass. While former Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration, Xavier Becerra, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat…

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his first official trip to Venezuela this week, five months after the high-risk U.S. military operation that removed the country’s strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro, from power.Caine held bilateral discussions with senior leaders of the interim government and with U.S. embassy personnel. During those meetings, he underscored the importance of Venezuelan stability, broader security across the Western Hemisphere and the military’s commitment to implementing Trump’s “three-phase plan,” Joe Holstead, a spokesman for Caine, said in a statement.The plan focuses on avoiding chaos, bolstering an economic recovery and — eventually — facilitating a transition to democracy. A key pillar of the effort has been restoring Venezuela’s oil industry, which Trump previously characterized as a “total bust.”All of that changed with Operation Absolute Resolve. The sprawling military raid — which involved more than 150 aircraft — culminated in Delta Force commandos descending on a heavily fortified compound and capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The pair were later flown to New York, where they each face criminal charges.The U.S. military, meanwhile, continues to maintain a robust presence in the region, with the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group sailing into the…

America turns 250 on the Fourth of July, and communities across the country are marking the milestone with a yearlong lineup of concerts, fireworks, festivals and historical events. From California to Boston, destinations are building special travel experiences around the Semiquincentennial, making this a memorable time to hit the road.We rounded up eight destinations worth adding to your itinerary for America’s 250th anniversary, including iconic historical landmarks and a few lesser-known stops. Read on to start planning your trip, and the gear we recommend you take with you along the way. READ MORE: America 250 is coming: What to know and the best commemorative gear to buy No destination is more closely tied to America’s 250th anniversary than Philadelphia. The city is marking the milestone with the Wawa Welcome America Festival, a multi-day celebration running June 19 through July 4 that includes six days of fireworks and culminates in a free concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway featuring Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, The Roots and more. Visitors can also explore the First Bank of the United States, which reopens to the public July 1 for the first time in decades.Where to stay: Penn’s View Hotel Penn’s View Hotel is an Italian American…

As artificial intelligence companies developed models with weaponization potential, they have an obligation to be considerate of their systems, the Department of Defense chief technology officer said.On the heels of President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on AI innovation, Emil Michael, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said that he’s concerned about the category of “cyber weapons” that companies are releasing, such as Anthropic’s Mythos.“These companies have a responsibility to ensure that their weapons, what they call weaponization potential of these models, to be careful and thoughtful about what they’re doing,” Michael said Thursday at The Washington Post’s inaugural Building America Summit.Lawmakers have increasingly warned against the weaponization of AI models by U.S. adversaries against citizens, businesses and government agencies, calling for their crafting to include resilient security measures to safeguard against hacks.On Tuesday, the White House released an executive order that establishes an “AI cybersecurity clearinghouse,” through which AI industry partners can volunteer to have the Defense Department scan their systems for software vulnerabilities before their release.Michael said that companies that have models with a “weaponization capability” could allow the federal government to spend 30 days examining their systems. The government could potentially identify vulnerabilities across the…

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! We could be seeing the end of an era unfold in real time as a legacy NFL franchise with a century of history in its signature American city is moving forward with plans to leave town: The Bears are advancing their stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana.The team announced Friday afternoon that it has taken this significant step toward pulling up stakes from Chicago and even the state of Illinois.The Bears’ board of directors met on Thursday, into the evening, and voted to advance the stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana — with an exact stadium site to be selected.”We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana and the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across the neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement.BEARS INCH CLOSER TO INDIANA AFTER KEY STATE HOUSE COMMITTEE CLEARS STADIUM MEASURE”It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses.”This is the first time the team’s board has voted on a stadium site. So this is notable and significant, but…

The Milwaukee Health Department is monitoring three patients for the Ebola virus. All are considered to be a very low risk according to health officials. The health department in Milwaukee said that it is taking appropriate steps to monitor the situation and will continue working with public health partners as needed. Previously, both Brazil and Italy ruled out Ebola in suspected cases. There are currently no cases in either country. It appears that the United States will soon be in this same boat, taking safety measures out of an abundance of caution. Brazil And Italy RULE OUT Ebola In Previous Suspected Cases None of these are even being labeled as “suspected” cases at this point, and health officials have clarified that there are currently no suspected Ebola cases in Milwaukee and no public health threat to residents. “People Are Hiding” During Ebola Outbreak, Making Containment Difficult The department noted that it monitored 39 low-risk contacts during the Ebola outbreak between September 2014 and June 2016. None of those individuals were confirmed to have Ebola, according to a report by WKOW27, a local ABC News affiliate.  The health department also said it is following the same response plan used for any…

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! YouTuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife revealed this week they terminated a pregnancy after learning their unborn child had Down syndrome, sharing an emotional account of what they described as one of the most difficult decisions of their lives.Ridgway announced the diagnosis and their decision in a Wednesday post on X, saying they wrestled with the choice after doctors informed them their baby was likely to be born with the genetic condition. “This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,” Ridgway wrote. “The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.” Ridgway, whose YouTube channel McJuggerNuggets has more than 4 million followers, had kept followers in the loop during his wife Ashley’s pregnancy. He posted a video to his personal channel where they read the confirmation of the Trisomy 21 diagnosis, and his wife wept over the news.FAMILY WITH DOWN SYNDROME SON WENT FROM SHOCK TO GRATITUDE: ‘LOST THE AIR IN MY CHEST’ He acknowledged that some fans…

The Defense Department would be required to report on the total cost of U.S. operations in Iran, including the costs of damaged property, expended munitions and unplanned deployments and mobilizations, under a proposal advanced by the House Armed Services Committee on Friday.The measure, which has bipartisan support, was added as an amendment to the House version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, a massive defense funding and policy bill. After more than 14 hours of debate, the committee sent the bill to the full House, where it’s expected to go to the floor for a vote in July. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., introduced the amendment. Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran, previously grilled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the cost of the war. During an April 29 hearing, Moulton guessed the cost could reach $100 billion, or about $600 per U.S. taxpayer, he said.“For the American taxpayers out there, I’m just wondering if they have an extra 600 bucks lying around to pay for your war,” Moulton said. “That’s a question we ought to ask.”The measure requires the defense secretary to provide the House and Senate armed services committees with an unclassified assessment of the total cost of the…