Fox News RSS Feed

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was barricaded in a room at San Francisco State University Thursday night after she was physically assaulted following a speech to students about saving women's sports at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute event on the campus.

Louis Barker, Riley's husband, said he had brief conversations with her while she was barricaded in the room for nearly three hours.

"She told me she was hit multiple times by a guy in a dress. I was shaking. It made me that mad. It makes me sick to feel so helpless about it," Barker said. "She was under police protection and was still hit by a man wearing a dress."

On Twitter, Gaines shared footage she took showing her being rushed out of the venue by police officers amid an onslaught of verbal attacks from the detractors who surrounded her. 

ATHLETE RILEY GAINES PROTESTED AT UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: 'I'M DOING SOMETHING RIGHT'

"The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU...I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man," Gaines wrote in the tweet. "This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces. Still only further assures me I'm doing something right. When they want you silent, speak louder."

While Gaines spoke to the students, many of whom expressed opposition to her viewpoints, other footage from the event showed the swimmer's remarks being drowned out by a group of pro-trans protesters who had become increasingly loud outside the room.

"Tonight, Riley Gaines spoke at San Francisco State University to share her personal story of competing against a biological male athlete, Lia Thomas, at the Women’s NCAA Swimming Championships last year," Eli Bremer, Gaines' agent, said to Fox News Digital in a lengthy statement.

"In the past year, her goal in speaking at universities has been to educate her peers about her experience and what the impact of the growing number of biological males in women’s sports will do to the integrity of Title IX. She has been questioned in civil and somewhat uncivil manners about her views many times, and she thoroughly encourages diverse viewpoints and debate on this issue.

"Instead of a thoughtful discussion tonight at SFSU, Riley was violently accosted, shouted at, physically assaulted, and barricaded in a room by protestors. It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights.

"This will not stop Riley from boldly educating people of the dangers of biological males in women’s sports. She will continue to speak the truth against the radical left that no longer understands the difference between men and women."

SWIMMER RILEY GAINES SLAMS ESPN FOR LIA THOMAS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH SEGMENT

Footage shared to social media by Golden Gate Xpress, the school's student-run newspaper, showed a small protest emerge ahead of Gaines' arrival at the school Thursday evening. 

Other pieces of footage from the outlet showed the protest growing in size – eventually becoming so chaotic that Gaines was escorted out of the room and down a hallway by police and barricaded in a separate room.

While she was being moved to a safer location, protesters were captured on video chanting various phrases along the lines of "go the f--k home" and "trans women are women" while placing transgender flags on the school's walls.

The outlet also shared images showing some members of the TPUSA staff being held up and escorted out of the venue amid the protests. Chris Trudell, the assistant dean of students, was reportedly seen trying to deescalate the situation.

In a statement to Fox, a TPUSA spokesperson said the counter-protest to Gaines' speech was "organized by SFSU’s Queer and Trans Resource Center."

The spokesperson said the rowdy protesters outside the room "rushed in when the event was over."

Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer, became a national figure when she objected to trans swimmer Lia Thomas participating in women’s sports. Many athletes, such as former Olympian Nancy Hogshead-Makar, have warned that biological males have a clear advantage over biological women when they compete.

The San Francisco Police Department and SFSU did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment on the situation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/zu6Ta9x
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

The New Mexico State Police released additional information Thursday on a deadly shooting that happened the day prior in Farmington after officers mistakenly responded to the wrong home and shot one of its occupants to death.

In a Thursday statement, the NMSP said an officer with the Farmington Police Department fatally shot the victim, identified as Robert Dotson, 52, after responding to a call for a domestic violence incident at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Farmington police officers responded to the area but visited the wrong address.

"Once on scene, officers mistakenly approached 5305 Valley View Avenue instead of 5308 Valley View Avenue," the NMSP said. "Officers knocked on the front door of 5305 Valley View Avenue and announced themselves as Farmington police officers. When there was no answer at 5305, officers asked their dispatch to call the reporting party back and have them come to the front door."

NEW MEXICO COMMUNITY TO RESUME POLICE SERVICES AFTER 3 YEAR GAP

The addresses are located across the street from one another. Police said the occupants of 5305 Valley View Avenue opened the door armed and an exchange of gunfire ensued.

"Body camera footage shows as the officers backed away from 5305 Valley View Avenue, the homeowner, Robert Dotson, 52, opened the screen door armed with a handgun. At this point in the encounter, officer(s) fired at least one round from their duty weapon(s) striking Mr. Dotson," police said.

ONE DEAD, 1 HURT AFTER SHOOTOUT WITH POLICE ON VIRGINIA INTERSTATE

The NMSP added: "After the initial shooting, Mr. Dotson’s wife, also armed with a handgun, fired from the doorway of the residence. Once again, officer(s) fired. Once she realized that the individuals outside the residence were officers, she put the gun down and complied with the officer’s commands."

Robert Dotson was pronounced deceased at the scene. The other occupant was uninjured and was not charged with a crime, police said.

The Farmington police officers were not injured.

The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau is continuing to collect evidence and interviews as this incident remains under investigation.

Additional details may be released at a later time.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/5cUNdYK
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

"Those are my children."

The message was simple, and there was no mistaking it was from God.

I had been listening to a radio broadcast while driving my kids to school one morning and heard the story of a man who adopted a child from foster care. I had to stop for a minute; I knew God was speaking to me – revealing His heart for children who don’t have parents to love them.

I couldn’t shake what I heard. Even though I’m raising five children of my own, I knew my family could help children find a forever home. Our family has been through a lot, and together, we’re now on the other side of unimaginable loss.

I'M A MOM TO 6 KIDS – ALL ADOPTED. HERE'S WHAT I WANT OTHER MOTHERS TO KNOW

My husband was killed in a car collision six years ago. After walking through that grief with my children, we decided we wanted to open our home to kids in need and give back a little of the support and love we received in the wake of tragedy. We decided to adopt a sibling pair to ensure they could stay together and have someone else in the family who could fully understand and relate to them. And after considering international adoption, we decided to look no further than our own backyard here in southeastern Oregon, where kids are waiting to be wanted and loved.

So I began the application process to adopt a child from Oregon’s foster care system. But I was in for quite a shock when state officials denied my application because of my faith.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) requires that individuals seeking to adopt "respect, accept, and support" the gender identity and gender expression of any child the department could place in an applicant’s home. State officials demanded that I agree to use a child’s preferred pronouns, possibly take a child to Pride parades, and even potentially take an adolescent child to receive dangerous pharmaceutical interventions like hormone shots.

During my application process, I alerted ODHS that I would happily love and accept any child, regardless of their gender identity or expression, but I cannot say or do something that goes against my faith. But because state officials disapprove of my religious beliefs on human sexuality, they rejected my application, excluding me from adoption because I refused to abandon my religious beliefs.

PAUL BATURA: THE BEST RISK MY WIFE AND I EVER TOOK

At the same time, Oregon accommodates people of other religious and cultural backgrounds and tries to pair children with families who are well suited to each other. Devout Jews need not agree to accommodate foreign gods because some children wish to erect a family shrine to Hindu gods. And a family that hunts need not refrain from eating meat because some children are vegan.

The message was crystal clear: Oregon officials exclude people of faith from accessing any child welfare service because of our beliefs about the differences between men and women. According to the Oregon agency, people who hold the state’s view on gender identity are fit to parent, while those with religiously informed views that are different aren’t even qualified to babysit newborn infants.

Oregon prides itself on fostering diversity – except when it comes to making space for those who disagree with the state’s views on sexual orientation and gender identity.

State officials won’t even let me adopt kids who share my religious beliefs and would love to grow up in our household surrounded by siblings excited to welcome them into our family and worship together on Sundays. The state’s policy makes a sweeping claim that all persons like me who hold certain beliefs – beliefs held by millions of Americans from diverse religious faiths – are categorically unfit to care for children. No one is allowed to hold a dissenting view under this state orthodoxy.

Well, they’re not done with this mother yet.

With the legal assistance of Alliance Defending Freedom, I’m suing the state of Oregon for putting politics above children. I only ask for the opportunity to help those in need, yet the state is excluding me on every level – because of my faith.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER

I’m also suing because Oregon is depriving children of loving families and forever homes. We need more families willing to take in children, not fewer. When the government discriminates against people of faith from adoption and foster care, it’s children in need who suffer.

Kids deserve better than that. And that’s why I’m taking this stand. Oregon officials don’t get to pick and choose which religious or ideological views they prefer and which ones get shut out. The First Amendment protects my right to live out my faith without being penalized by the government.

My faith is what motivated me to pursue adopting and caring for orphans in the first place; all I’m seeking is the opportunity to love and care for them.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/8DXnJK0
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

First-generation German-American Robert Strohecker dreamed bigger and sweeter than any candy salesman before him.

He’s known in confectioner’s lore as the "Father of the Chocolate Easter Bunny."

The source of Strohecker’s legend is a massive 5-foot-tall (or perhaps even taller) solid chocolate rabbit he displayed outside Pennsylvania retailers in 1890 to popularize smaller versions of his new Easter sweets born of German tradition. 

Sales of the chocolate Easter bunnies multiplied like — well, bunnies, in the aftermath of Strohecker’s moment of American marketing bravado. 

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO IS THE ‘TRUE FATHER OF BASEBALL," NEW YORK CITY PHYSICAN DANILE ’DOC' ADAMS

"This man had a profound impact on the food industry," Phyllis LeBlanc, the president of Harbor Sweets in Salem, Massachusetts, told Fox News Digital. 

Strohecker lived an almost fairy-tale existence of chocolate enchanter.

He traveled the hills and hollows inhabited by the Pennsylvania Dutch, hawking cure-alls, confections, and tastes of their Old-World homeland from his mule- or horse-drawn wagon. 

The idyllic image of yester-yore belies a transformative figure in global consumer culture. 

Strohecker sold candy and cough drops at a time when American industrial enterprise was modernizing old ways of pitching product.

The buzz around his giant edible chocolate bunny was so great that the bunnies soon became an essential part of the Easter basket — the most beloved part of the Easter basket. Especially the ears, according to numerous surveys and countless squeals of childhood delight on Easter Sunday. 

HOLY WEEK LEADS THE FAITHFUL TO EASTER SUNDAY: HERE ARE THE SPECIAL DAYS OBSERVED AND WHAT THEY MEAN

LeBlanc, president of Harbor Sweets, is heir to Strohecker’s delicious legacy. 

Her company was founded by Strohecker’s grandson, Benneville Strohecker, now deceased, in 1973 to pursue his own penchant for the chocolate arts and pay homage to family tradition.

LeBlanc estimates that Strohecker’s legendary 5-foot-tall Easter bunny of solid chocolate weighed 400 to 500 pounds and would cost $10,000 today to make.

Harbor Sweets’ signature seasonal product today is the Robert L. Strohecker Rabbit, a tribute to the legend who made American Easter sweeter.

It’s available in both milk and dark chocolates — and shaped to look exactly like the giant bunny that changed American Easter forever in 1890.

Robert Lincoln Strohecker was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 16, 1864, in a nation — and a state — bloodied by Civil War. 

His middle name was popular around Pennsylvania at that moment in history. 

The Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the Civil War, was fought just six months earlier and a mere 35 miles southwest of Harrisburg. 

Regina (Geissler) Strohecker, the daughter of German immigrants, was seven months pregnant with her son Robert when President Abraham Lincoln rolled through the region to deliver the Gettysburg Address. 

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO WROTE ‘THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC’

The Stroheckers surely had friends and family who died at the largest battle in American history. Lincoln's challenge that followed to preserve a nation "of the people, by the people, for the people" was especially powerful in an immigrant community that had fled oppression in Europe.

Strohecker carried names representing both his ancestry and the hero of his homeland.

His father, Herman Strohecker, was born in Baden-Wuerttemberg, moved to the United States and became a stonecutter in Reading.

"He was well-known here and highly esteemed," read an obituary for the elder Strohecker. 

Young Robert was apparently raised by his father’s second wife, Elizabeth, after his mom died when he was just 2 years old. 

He was brought up in an immigrant community that would have cherished its Easter bunny tradition. 

"The tradition of chocolate Easter bunnies dates back to 19th-century America, which borrowed it — and the Easter bunny in general — from Germany," writes Smithsonian Magazine. 

Strohecker graduated from Warrensburg Normal High School in Missouri, where he lived for some time in his youth, before moving back to Pennsylvania apparently while still a teenager. 

He landed his first job in Reading working for Isaac Barrett, who owned a confectionary store on Penn Street. 

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO INVENTED SLICED BREAD: OTTO ROHWEDDER, HARD-LUCK HAWKEYE

He then became a salesman for W.H. Luden Confectioner — by some accounts its first employee — founded by fellow German-American William H. Luden.

The tandem would soon spread the name Luden around the world, not through chocolate, but through cough drops. 

"Luden launched a backroom candy business in 1879 in the rear of his father’s jewelry shop at 35 N. 5th St., Reading," local historian Joseph Webb wrote in 2021 on his website, GoReadingBerks.com, noting that Luden’s "factory" was actually the family kitchen. 

"An early product was ‘moshie,’ a Pennsylvania Dutch (German-American) candy made with brown sugar and molasses. Luden collaborated with a pharmacist to develop a cough drop formula."

Luden colored his amber instead of the traditional cough-drop color of red to stand out among consumers. 

Partnered with Strohecker, they would prove to have a knack for making their products stand out among consumers.

Rohecker’s entire professional life was spent convincing retailers and consumers to buy Luden’s candy and cough drops. Luden's Cough Drops is a widely recognized global brand today.

The two industries are much closer in origin than people might imagine today. 

Candy comes from medicinal tradition, "The Candy Professor" and Rutgers University scholar Samira Kawash told Smithsonian Magazine in a 2010 interview.

"An apothecary in the 18th century would prescribe you sugar candy for things like chest ailments or digestion problems," said Kawash. 

"Back then, the ‘spoonful of sugar’ idea was literal — if you had some sort of unpleasant medicine to take, usually a concoction of herbs that might not taste very good, the apothecary would suspend it in sugar."

Strohecker and Luden were at the right place at the right time — when apothecary and confectionary grew into separate businesses in a nation with rapidly evolving transportation infrastructure and consumer wealth. 

"Candy of the sort that you might recognize today really took off … after the Civil War, after the price of sugar [had] fallen," said Kawash. 

"And then the new industrial machines of the late 19th and early 20th centuries made it possible to produce candy in a whole new way."

The area around Reading, Pennsylvania, rich in German heritage, remains the center of the American Easter bunny business. 

Reading native Richard M. Palmer served in World War II and returned to the region to a nation that had to find ways to enjoy chocolate in limited quantities. 

"World War II played a role in the evolution of the chocolate Easter bunny," Harbor Sweets reports on its website. 

"They were typically solid, but wartime rationing forced chocolate makers to get creative — the hollow chocolate Easter bunny was born."

The returning veteran launched R.H. Palmer Candy in 1948, specializing in hollow chocolate Easter bunnies.

R.H. Palmer made international news for unfortunate reasons just last month: An explosion killed seven employees, leaving the beloved local company and the community in shock. 

An employee told Fox News Digital this week they still had only two phone lines working and were struggling to recover in a city where chocolate Easter bunnies have been a tradition for over 130 years.

"R.M. Palmer has been part of the West Reading community since 1948, and while the tragedy has affected us all, it has not shaken our resolve," the company said in an online statement. 

"The strength and support of our employees has been inspiring, and we are committed to continuing to giving back to the communities that have given us so much."

Robert L. Strohecker died of a heart attack at his home at 737 North Fourth St. in Reading on March 31, 1932. He was 68 years old. 

He worked for most of his adult life at Luden, retiring four years before his death.

"He sold the first box of candy manufactured by Mr. Luden … and for many years traveled about Berks and adjoining counties with a large wagon drawn by a team of mules, disposing of the products of his concern to the various stores," reads his obituary in the Reading Eagle, published on the day of his death. 

"He was responsible for the preparation of the menthol cough drop formula, which later became internationally known. He devised the extensive advertising methods, which placed cough drops in practically every country in the world."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

His obituary remembers him mostly not for his work in candy and cough drops, but for his commitment to church, community and children of Reading. 

His wider legacy is found today in the wide-eyed children across the nation who will awake on Easter morning to find their most delicious gift of the season: a chocolate bunny. 

Americans consume about 90 million chocolate bunnies each year, according to industry data, almost all of them at Easter.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We love the story. I think a lot of people love the story," said Phyllis LeBlanc of Harbor Sweets, who took over the company in recent years following the death of its founder, her mentor and Strohecker's grandson Ben Strohecker.

"Ben wanted to commemorate his grandfather's work and his legacy. He was proud of his grandfather."

To read more stories in this unique "Meet the American Who…" series from Fox News Digital, click here.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/r3pmadV
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

Europe’s greatest armed conflict since World War II is poised to see the largest mobilized effort since the war in Ukraine began as Kyiv prepares for an anticipated spring offensive. 

Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War believe that, based on information released from Russia and Ukraine, previous war movements and historical patterns of ground warfare, Kyiv is readying its troops for another significant offensive push. 

"We are now on the eve of a Ukrainian counteroffensive," George Barros, a Russia analyst and leader of the Geospatial Intelligence Team for the Institute for the Study of War told Fox News Digital.

"And I think we're going to see some major map changes if the Ukrainians are able to be successful in the direction or directions they choose," he added. 

INSIDER WITH PUTIN'S SECRETIVE SECURITY SERVICE DEFECTS FROM RUSSIA, BLASTS FORMER BOSS AS 'WAR CRIMINAL'

Barros said he and his team assess that the anticipated offensive could take place within the next two months, but he noted that he wouldn’t be surprised if he woke up to the news that it had begun already.

Since December, the focus of the war effort has appeared to take place in the Bakhmut sector, where brutal fighting has ensued and trench warfare resembling battlefield scenes reminiscent of the World Wars have reigned. 

But analysts at the Institute believe Ukraine and Russia have their sights set on a bigger prize — the Zaporizhzhia region.

Zaporizhzhia, a region Russia President Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed in late September, has largely remained out of major headlines except for late last summer when nuclear experts were increasingly concerned by the threats levied at the power plant there.

But the region holds considerable value to both Ukraine and Russia.

Barros explained that Ukraine needs the region for its port access to the Sea of Azov and the mineral industry in, not only Zaporizhzhia, but in the neighboring Donetsk region to the east.

GERMAN CHANCELLOR OLAF SCHOLZ DEFENDS DECISION TO DELIVER ARMS TO UKRAINE

"If you're going to control the port, you're also going to control the mineral extracts here, but the fact of the matter is that militarily this territory is necessary to control what the Russians have in Kherson," he said, referring to the region directly west of Zaporizhzhia. 

The Zaporizhzhia region sits in between Kherson and Donetsk, which the analyst explained is not only needed if Ukraine wants to take back sea lanes as far west as Odesa, but to block Russia’s ability to adequately supply forces in Crimea through its Kherson networks. 

If Kyiv wants to take back the Zaporizhzhia region to then pinch Russian forces out of Kherson, push its troops northeast through Donetsk and make headway for Crimea – which Russia has occupied since 2014 – then it is the highways Ukraine must secure. 

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, WIFE ARRIVE IN POLAND TO THANK THE COUNTRY FOR ITS CRUCIAL SUPPORT

"The Russians are logistically incapable of supporting all of the troops that they have positioned [in Kherson and Crimea] through the bottleneck of the Kerch Strait Bridge," Barros said.

The analyst explained that the land bridge that connects Russia to Crimea was not built to handle immense amounts of traffic, is geographically poorly positioned and is still damaged from the October attack, meaning Russia relies heavily on Ukraine's eastern highway system.

Ukrainian officials have said they will not stop fighting Moscow until they have ousted all Russian forces from Crimea, and the way to do this is by punching south into a vital triangle area formed by the cities of Melitopol, Tokmak and Vasilyevka, Barros explained. 

"If they can take this triangle, they will have effectively interdicted the key roads and the key highways that are necessary for supporting everything west of this position," Barros added. "And that’s going to cause a major logistical problem for the tens of thousands of Russian troops that are in this territory."

But this will be no easy feat. 

Ukraine, which has successfully employed informational warfare against Russia in past campaigns, has made its intentions in southeastern Ukraine clear, and Moscow has responded by heavily fortifying its troops in this triangle sector. 

"These are things like trenches, tank traps, dragon's teeth, concrete pillboxes, other field fortifications, revetments, things of that nature," Barros said, explaining that these protective measures are layered and often concentrically ringed around certain locations. "They are actually positioned in tandem with the key supply routes, key arterial roads that connect the various different major settlements and towns and that constitute the main supply lines that actually protect the Russian position."

But Ukraine does have a unique advantage in the area. It is the No. 1 site for civilian resistance groups in all of Ukraine. 

"Melitopol in particular is the single most hotbed for partisan activity and partisan attacks," Barros said. He explained that, not only do these groups inform on Russian positions, they are a constant nuisance for the Russian forces in the area as they routinely employ improvised explosive devices and car bombs against them. 

But Barros said the emphasis placed in this region could also be a ploy by Kyiv in a similar move it used in the lead-up to its successful recapture of Kharkiv. 

Late last summer, Ukraine was again putting a lot of emphasis on its plan to retake Kherson. This prompted Russia to move troops from the northern Kharkiv region to the south and left Russian forces in the north undermanned and enabling Ukraine to swoop in to achieve one of its greatest successes in the war to date. 

But Kyiv also continued with its operational goals in the south and was able to exhaust Russian resources and force occupying troops to withdraw from the city of Kherson by November. 

"We know that the Ukrainians conducted the Kharkiv counteroffensive last September with four brigades," Barros said. "And the Ukrainian government has discussed explicitly how for this [next] counteroffensive effort they have formed no fewer than, I believe, eight or nine brigades."

RUSSIA WARNS NATO AS BELARUS SEES NUCLEAR UPGRADE ON PLANES, MISSILES

Barros pointed out that, not only is Ukraine’s spring counteroffensive expected to be at least twice as large as last year’s major offensive push, these are new brigades Kyiv has formed explicitly to lead its strike force.

The analyst said Ukraine could again employ a similar tactic to last year’s offensive and direct its counteroffensive efforts in multiple locations, like the Bakhmut sector.

The team at the Institute have assessed that Kyiv can win this war against Russia, and it will likely achieve this by relying on Putin’s hesitancy to mobilize more men for the front lines, coupled with the fact that the troops already in Ukraine continue to be lacking in arms, training and morale.

UKRAINE PREPARES FOR RUSSIAN SPRING OFFENSIVE

"The Ukrainians will present a series of military and logistical dilemmas to the Russian military and force the Russian military to pick from a buffet of bad options," Barros predicted. "Decisions like, ‘Do we prioritize the defense of the south or do we prioritize the defense of a different area on the frontline?’

"And this is important because it means that, ideally, the Russians [will] have to make a series of suboptimal decisions and not ever be able to make a preferable decision." 

Kyiv has said it will look to conclude the war by the end of the year, but after roughly four months of little traction from either side, defense officials, including Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, have said this is unlikely. 

Barros said that periods of stagnation in war are "normal" and enable troops to be refitted and rest up, but he noted that Ukraine, eager to end this war quickly, would have continued its momentous push through the winter months had NATO and the U.S. adequately armed its troops. 

Both Western policymakers and Putin have prolonged the war over concerns of escalating the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders and drawing NATO into a full-fledged war with Russia.

Putin failed to mobilize men in the lead-up to his invasion, which resulted in an embarrassing withdrawal from the Kyiv region and subsequent failures across Ukraine in the more than 13 months since the war began. 

The West has shown repeated reticence and then acquiescence when it comes to supplying Ukraine with the arms and equipment it needs to oust Russian troops, like tanks and warplanes. 

"Western policymakers are extremely susceptible to Russian information operations," Barros said. "And we're very concerned about the possibility that Russia might employ a nuclear weapon or a tactical nuclear weapon if it seems like the Ukrainians are about to win.

"But, bottom line, we assess that … it's extraordinarily unlikely that Putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon," he added, noting that it cannot be ruled out entirely. "The way that this war has been fought so far shows that the Ukrainians can inflict defeats, and not just defeats, humiliating defeats against the Russian military. 

"And Putin can be forced to take losses," Barros added. "And [the Russians] find ways to be able to justify and explain it away." 

You can view the ISW interactive map showing the assessed control of terrain in Ukraine here.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/AtQazmo
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

Denver officials say that the city expects to spend up to $20 million on housing and caring for migrants within a six-month period, with costs estimated to be up to $1,000 per migrant per week.

In a briefing at a city council budget meeting on Monday, officials outlined the ongoing costs of the city-wide crisis that began in December when it saw a surge of migrants coming in via the southern border.

So far, the city has aided over 6,000 migrants, which marks just a fraction of the over 150,000 typically encountered across the overwhelmed southern border each month. The surge led Mayor Michael Hancock to declare a state of emergency. Numbers coming in have decreased sharply from the highs of December, but it has taken a deep financial toll on the city.

LIBERAL CITY'S ‘DISGRACEFUL’ MOVE BEFORE BASEBALL'S OPENING DAY HAS ACTIVISTS FURIOUS

Officials said the city is spending approximately $800-$1,000 per migrant per week. As a result, from January to June it expects to spend between $17 and $20 million on shelter, meals, hotels, transportation, staffing, supplies and other services.

How much it will cost from July to the end of the year is still to be determined, they said. 

DENVER PLACES TWO-WEEK LIMIT ON MIGRANT SHELTER, AS COLO. GOV STOPS BUSING MIGRANTS TO MAJOR CITIES

Officials said that the city can currently shelter approximately 1,200 migrants at any one time, and that it is expected to expand that capacity later this month. Denver put certain limits on migrant shelter earlier this year, including a 30-day limit for how long migrants can stay in a shelter, as well as bars on returns and migrants engaging in "illegal activity."

The state was embroiled in controversy in January over the migrant surge when it began busing migrants to New York City and Chicago. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis had defended the busing, saying that the majority of arriving migrants did not have the state as their final destination.

 As a result, the state said it was working with non-profits to "provide intake, processing, and transportation coordination to help migrants safely reach their desired final destination."

"People fleeing violence and oppression in search of a better life for themselves and their families deserve our respect not political games and we are grateful we have been able to assist migrants to reach their final destination," Polis said in a statement in January. 

The move sparked a backlash from Polis’ fellow Democrats in those cities with NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot telling Polis that the buses "do not live up to the values of a proclaimed welcoming state and should stop immediately." Those cities had been the target for a number of buses from Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott had ordered buses be sent to "sanctuary cities" to help ease the pressure Texas was facing from the migrant crisis at the southern border.

COLORADO CANCELS PLANS TO SEND MIGRANTS TO NYC, CHICAGO AMID OUTCRY FROM DEMOCRATIC MAYORS

Denver most recently face another controversy when it drew criticism from homeless advocates for removing encampments near Coors Field ahead of the Colorado Rockies’ opening day baseball game.

Meanwhile, at the border the Title 42 expulsion authority is due to end on May 11 along with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. That has led to concerns that a new uptick in migration could follow behind it, although the Department of Homeland Security says that it has a plan in place to deal with any increase in crossings.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/5dlXfwT
via IFTTT

Fox News RSS Feed

Tyrus is at the top of the mountain of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and will look to stay that way Friday when he squares off against Chris Adonis for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at NWA 312.

The event is set to take place in Highland Park, Illinois, at Studio One, and the wrestlers will be performing with heavy hearts through the weekend. The NWA and Madame Zuzu’s partnered to raise money for those effected by the July 4 mass shooting that took place in the suburb last year that left seven dead and dozens of others injured.

Tyrus, who is also a Fox News personality and is regularly seen with Greg Gutfeld and Kat Timpf on "Gutfeld!," will have a book signing for his New York Times bestseller autobiography, "Just Tyrus," at Madame Zuzu’s on Thursday at 7 p.m. local time. He will be featured with legendary women’s pro wrestler "Madusa" with her book, "The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"Giving back to just not my community where I live, being an active participant, being a good neighbor and a good citizen, I think if you have the ability to give back, you should," Tyrus told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "One of the things you’re a lot attuned to be in entertainment and to be on TV every week is that you make a nice living. So, you probably should humble yourself at times and give back. Something that’s always been important to me is to stay grounded and remember where you came from."

A portion of the process from the VIP packages that were sold for the benefit event and tickets to the book signing will go to the Highland Park Foundation. The charity has a special fund for victims and families effected by last year’s shooting.

"We’re going to sign a lot of autographs, take pictures, build awareness, and then Friday will be the big match between me and Chris Adonis," Tyrus said. "He’s trying to right his ship and get his redemption, but unfortunately, it just can’t be on my watch."

WWE CHAMP CHARLOTTE FLAIR DESCRIBES THE IMPORTANCE OF WRESTLEMANIA: 'TO ME, IT'S EVERYTHING'

"I like Chris. I’ve known him for years. This is the first time we’ve ever competed against each other in the ring. He’s pretty hyped about his Master Lock. I just don’t think he’s going to really get that on my shoulders. But that’s why we go out and have the match, and we’ll see who’s standing when it’s over, but I feel pretty good about my positioning and where I’m at right now."

Tyrus has been with NWA since 2021. He won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at Hard Times 3 when he pinned Trevor Murdoch, and later, he defended the belt against Matt Cardona at Nuff Said in February.

Being the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion means his name is up there with some of the legends in pro wrestling, including Ric Flair, Harley Race, Lou Thesz, Ricky Steamboat and Dusty Rhodes.

"To even be considered into that to me is humbling and a pretty phenomenal thing," Tyrus said. "But I’ve just been able to dominate, and I’ve really been able to do it my way in the NWA, and I think the success, the sold-out shows, the most-seen championship on the planet right now … I’m just riding a tremendous wave, and I’m just going to ride it until it goes down and then I’ll regroup.

"But at this point, if it all ends tomorrow, I have nothing but fond memories, and I’m really excited about how the last two years of my wrestling career has gone."

TRISH STRATUS-LITA RIVALRY HELPED REVOLUTIONIZE WOMEN'S WRESTLING IN WWE: 'IT’S EVERYTHING WE COULD ASK FOR'

Before NWA, Tyrus worked for WWE and Impact Wrestling. He told Fox News Digital he would possibly like to have one more match with the company but is happy where he’s at with NWA.

"It’s one of those things where, like, I think because I started there, it would be nice to go back and say goodbye," he said. "But as far as like a long-term run or anything like that, no, I’m not interested in that anymore. I’ll probably finish my career in the NWA, but it would be nice to come back and have a one-off or just say goodbye to the fans."

"Where I started in the WWE is a big part of my success and, again, like I said, a lot of it has to do with scheduling. I’m pretty busy with Fox and there are no part-time jobs in the WWE. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. I was with WWE on two different occasions, and on the second occasion, I did a lot of great things and really proud [about] that. So, if I never went back, no sweat. If I did, it’d be a nice close to a chapter and to move on. But my future is with the NWA for the time being, and I can’t really see that changing."

Tyrus said he is happy with how his time with NWA has panned out.

"All [of the last few years] have been a lot better than my expectations were," he told Fox News Digital. "I was excited just to kind of do my thing, and I didn’t realize that it would take off to the point which it did, but I couldn’t be more happy about it."

NWA 312 will take place Friday with a pre-show event beginning at 8 p.m. CT and the main card starting at 9 p.m. Wrestling fans who can't make it out to Highland Park will be able to watch the event on FITE TV for $24.99. There will be tapings of NWA Powerrr and NWA USA on Saturday.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/nvm5u09
via IFTTT