In a historic milestone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that the U.S. death rate plummeted to an all-time low in 2025. According to their provisional data, this marks a significant achievement in public health.

The latest Vital Statistics Rapid Release report highlights that the death rate stood at 689.2 per 100,000 people. This represents a remarkable 4.6 percent decrease from 2024, establishing a new record for the lowest death rate the nation has ever seen.

In examining the underlying causes of mortality, heart disease and cancer continue to top the list as the primary culprits. These are followed by unintentional injuries, strokes, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, which remain as significant health challenges.

Although the first seven leading causes of death remained unchanged from the previous year, the list did see a shift in the final three. In 2024, Nephritis, chronic liver disease, and suicide were prominent. However, the 2025 data shows influenza and pneumonia, along with kidney disease, rising in prominence, while chronic liver disease continues to be a major concern.

The report also sheds light on demographic disparities, revealing that death rates were notably higher among males, older adults, and Black individuals. This underscores ongoing public health challenges and highlights areas needing targeted intervention.

“The death rate decreased from 2024 to 2025 for all demographic groups except American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Asian people. Although the death rate decreased for people age 85 and older during this period, rates for this group remained higher than those for all other age groups,” the report stated. 

“Death rates also decreased for several race and ethnicity groups; however, rates for Black people remain higher than those for all other groups.” 

The data used for this report was derived from the National Vital Statistics System and accounted for 99 percent of deaths that occurred in 2025. 

The report identified four limitations to the findings: The data is provisional, the timeliness of death certificate submissions varies by jurisdiction, race categories may have been misclassified and the methodology of population estimates varied between 2024 and 2025. 

“Despite these limitations, this report provides an overview of provisional mortality in the United States during 2025,” reads the report. “Provisional death estimates can give researchers and policymakers an early signal about shifts in mortality trends and provide actionable information sooner than final mortality data. These data can inform public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing mortality.” 

Where did the infamous pirate Captain Kidd hide his considerable treasure?

Could it have been stashed away in the Caribbean, on the coast of Africa, or perhaps on a secluded island far from civilization?

In truth, Kidd selected an island setting, specifically nestled within the exclusive Hamptons on Long Island, New York. This region is renowned as a luxurious summer retreat for affluent Wall Street figures and A-list Hollywood personalities. Little do they know, buried beneath this opulent area are supposed riches of gold, silver, and invaluable gems, hidden away back in 1699.

If Captain Kidd and his wife Sarah were somehow alive today, they might be mingling with the elite, relishing gin and tonics, and partaking in rounds of golf. Indeed, Kidd was a married man, and they had two daughters together.

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“They were New York’s power couple,” Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos said. “He was a very, very stellar member of New York society. He owned a great deal of real estate. They had dinner parties. They had silver. They had china and fine linens.”

Captain Kidd’s surprising story is told in the new series, “Crazy American History with Eric Shawn,” now streaming on Fox Nation.

A pirate who was married with two kids and a big mansion. That’s crazy!

“It’s easy to believe the lore of pirates because people find it kind of sexy. You know, these are really hyper-masculine men who are out there, swinging swords and cutting people to pieces and coming around with bags of gold. And that’s kind of like, you know, dashing and dark and it’s all of that,” said Geanacopoulos, who wrote the biography, “A Pirate’s Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd.” “He was a normal guy.”

And that treasure? 40 pounds of gold, silver, silk and precious rubies and stones?

“He hides the treasure on Gardiner’s Island,” said Samuel Marquis, author of “Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal.” He also is Kidd’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson. (That’s the ninth great-grandson.) Gardiner’s Island is a privately owned property on New York’s Long Island still in the hands of the same family as when Kidd buried his booty there. Marquis says Kidd also stashed valuables elsewhere, including Connecticut and Rhode Island. New Jersey is also a suspected spot.

We will show you the pirate’s secret spot where he buried his booty and go along with a man who still thinks more may be out there on the East Coast.

The American who you certainly do not know — the posh pirate — a crazy and curious story we tell in the third episode of “Crazy American History with Eric Shawn” now streaming on Fox Nation.

In a tragic incident in Texas, a man delivering for DoorDash has been charged with manslaughter. This follows a harrowing event where he allegedly accelerated his Tesla shortly before crashing it into a home, leading to the death of a 76-year-old woman.

The driver, 44-year-old Michael David Butler, faces charges connected to the crash that occurred on June 19 in Katy. During the accident, his Model 3 Tesla veered off the road, hurdled a curb, and collided with the front of a family home in the suburbs.

The unfortunate collision struck the Barbour family residence, where two parents, three young children, and their cherished grandmother, Martha Avila, were inside at the time of the crash. Thus, Avila tragically lost her life.

The shock from the incident profoundly affected the family, who expressed their sorrow to KHOU, stating, “She (Avila) didn’t deserve to go this way.”

As detailed in the arrest affidavit, Butler emerged from the crash with no significant injuries. When law enforcement arrived on the scene shortly afterward, he was found alone inside the vehicle.

The criminal charge comes after investigators seized Tesla’s ‘black box’ and reviewed data from the vehicle and the dash camera footage, concluding that Butler overrode Tesla’s full Self-Driving system by pressing the accelerator to it’s maximum position, shortly before impact.

However, crucially, Butler had pressed the accelerator not just once on the drive but several times.

According to court documents, Butler initially told deputies he had been using the Tesla technology while making DoorDash deliveries and claimed to have been distracted while trying to change the music on the car’s touchscreen.

He claimed to have ‘passed out’ and conveniently had no memory of the moments before the crash.

But investigators say the Tesla’s own electronic data tells another story.

Authorities allege the car automatically slowed as it approached a residential intersection, before Butler suddenly pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor, overriding the automated driving system.

The vehicle then surged to about 73mph along a residential street before failing to negotiate a left turn.

Investigators say there was no evidence Butler attempted to brake before the Model 3 struck a curb, launched into the air and slammed into Avila’s home with devastating force.

Doorbell footage uploaded to X revealed the harrowing moment. The video also caught the loud screech the car emitted as it crashed into the home.

The 76-year-old grandmother was inside the property when the car crashed through the wall. 

Emergency crews rushed to the scene where Life Flight airlifted Avila to hospital, and was later pronounced dead after life-saving measures were rendered unsuccessful. 

Authorities said investigators found no indication that a mechanical fault, unintended acceleration or vehicle defect caused the collision.

Butler tested negative for alcohol and common recreational drugs, while medical examinations reportedly ruled out a heart attack, seizure or stroke that could explain his claim that he lost consciousness.

Authorities further allege that Butler’s cellphone contained condemning internet searches made before the crash expressing frustration that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software was not driving aggressively enough.

Tesla, who has faced mass scrutiny in the past over their self automated option has maintained that the company was not at fault.

Defensive executives took to social media to dispute Butler’s account, saying the car’s driver pressed the accelerator pedal down and adding the sadistic detail that Butler kept it pressed even after the crash.

Owner of Tesla, billionaire Elon Musk himself took to X to refute the matter, penning the words ‘This makes no sense.’

The automaker says that Full Self-Driving is designed to require continuous driver supervision and that drivers remain responsible for controlling the vehicle at all times.

However, the fatal crash has intensified scrutiny of Tesla’s driver-assistance technology as federal regulators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continue investigating incidents involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.

A year prior, NHTSA launched an investigation into roughly 2.9 million Tesla vehicles over ‘Full Self-Driving’ running red lights and driving the wrong way, and the agency upgraded that probe in March 2026 to an engineering analysis.

Meanwhile, Avila’s devastated family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Butler and Tesla, suing them for $1 million, alleging negligence and arguing the crash could have been prevented.

Butler remains in custody at the Harris County jail, according to court records.

Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor of New York City, openly expressed his desire on Wednesday to resolve his ongoing, albeit one-sided, dispute with rapper 50 Cent.

During an appearance on the “Complex” podcast, Mamdani faced an intriguing question from host Jillian Superstar. She posed, “If you were to host a dinner party — which I assume you’d invite me to after our chat — who would be your ultimate dream guest, whether alive or deceased?”

Without hesitation, Mamdani named former Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as his first pick, praising him as the greatest mayor New York City has ever witnessed.

He then mentioned, “I’d also invite 50 Cent to join us so we could discuss tax policy over dinner.”

The interviewer quickly agreed, noting, “That’s indeed a very much needed conversation.”

During an interview on “The Breakfast Club” last year, the mayor noted that while he was a fan of 50 Cent, the musician wasn’t a fan of his tax policy.

“I know if 50 Cent is listening, he’s not going to be happy about this. He tends to not like this tax policy, but I want to be very clear: This is about $20,000 a year. It’s a rounding error.

“And all of these things together, they make every New Yorker’s life better, including those who are actually getting taxed now,” Mamdani said during the June 2025 podcast.

The rapper responded shortly after by asking, “Where did he come from? Whose friend is this? I’m not feeling this plan. No. I will give him $258,750 and a first-class one-way ticket away from NY. I’m telling Trump what he said too!”

Mamdani noted during Wednesday’s interview that he was still a fan of 50 Cent, even if 50 Cent wasn’t a fan of his policies. Superstar showed this to be true, playing a clip of the mayor quoting the rapper’s song, “Get Rich or Die Tryin,’” during a recent commencement speech.

“So, it’s a one-sided beef?” the interviewer asked.

“It’s a one-sided beef,” Mamdani agreed.

“I think we’re always going to have a disagreement on that tax policy,” he added.

“I want to increase taxes on the wealthiest. He does not want that to happen. But I will still appreciate the song ‘Many Men,’ whatever our disagreements are.”

Representatives for 50 Cent did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Authorities in Nevada claim they intercepted a potentially catastrophic mass casualty event by apprehending a transgender suspect. The individual allegedly planned an attack on the Las Vegas Strip and had amassed an arsenal that included machine guns, grenade launchers, and over 50 firearms.

Identified as Allison Howlett, 36, by the police, the suspect, reported as transgender in the arrest documentation, was taken into custody on June 27. The arrest followed a frantic 911 call from Howlett’s spouse, detailing a domestic altercation, a theft of a firearm-laden vehicle, and threats of “suicide by cop” alongside plans for a mass shooting.

Through vehicle tracking technology, officers from Henderson Police pinpointed the stolen SUV to a Sunset Station casino parking garage. Inside the vehicle, they found Howlett, unyielding to commands and playing loud music, leading to a strategic blockade to apprehend the suspect.

Authorities reported that officers eventually persuaded Howlett to open a window by offering water, which allowed them to remove the suspect from the vehicle. A Taser was used during the ensuing struggle to gain control.

“It should be noted that the suspect had been sitting on a handgun and had access to a fully automatic, silenced MP5-style machine gun in the back seat of the vehicle, further corroborating the reported threats of suicide by cop and having the means to carry out a mass shooting,” Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said during a news conference Tuesday.

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Authorities say detectives recovered 22 guns from the stolen vehicle, including handguns, rifles, a fully automatic firearm, suppressors, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

A subsequent search warrant executed at Howlett’s Henderson residence uncovered 30 additional guns, including automatic weapons, an M2 .50-caliber machine gun, two Colt AR-style rifles equipped with M203 grenade launchers, seven suppressors and thousands of rounds of ammunition, investigators said.

As the investigation unfolded, Henderson police enlisted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office.

Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said investigators uncovered evidence that Howlett allegedly made threats over an extended period of time.

“Some of that information included the threat of wanting to become an active shooter or to conduct a mass attack here in Las Vegas,” Koren said.

Police also played audio during Tuesday’s news conference that investigators said was recorded in 2024 and captured Howlett allegedly threatening a future mass shooting.

“If the FBI doesn’t come … arrest me, there’s gonna be a … massacre. … One day … hundreds of people [are] going to lose their lives,” the person heard in the recording says.

“Obviously, for our community here in Las Vegas, after dealing with One October, those types of threats are taken very seriously,” Koren said, referencing the 2017 Route 91 Harvest festival shooting, which authorities have called the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Investigators said the alleged threats, coupled with the cache of weapons, prompted the immediate expansion of the investigation into a counterterrorism case.

Howlett now faces 35 criminal counts, including making threats related to an act of terrorism, assault with a deadly weapon constituting domestic violence, grand larceny of a vehicle, 22 counts of grand larceny of a firearm, multiple weapons offenses involving machine guns, suppressors and short-barreled rifles and resisting a public officer while armed with a firearm.

A Clark County judge later set Howlett’s bail at $500,000.

The investigation began after Julie Howlett called 911 to report that her spouse had allegedly taken her vehicle and threatened a mass shooting.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Julie Howlett later told FOX5 Las Vegas that the 22 guns recovered from the stolen vehicle belonged to her and were part of her inventory as a gun dealer preparing to transport them out of state.

According to Julie Howlett, the confrontation began after she discovered Allison using her credit card without permission.

“That morning, I woke up to Allison spending money on my credit card,” Julie told FOX5. “She came in with a gun.”

Julie said she struggled to wrestle the firearm away after Allison allegedly pulled the trigger.

“She was going to kill me,” Julie said. “She took off. I ran outside. I had the gun still in my hand. I unloaded it.”

During Tuesday’s news conference, authorities confirmed investigators believe the firearms recovered from the vehicle belonged to the spouse. Officials said detectives are continuing to determine how the weapons were acquired, whether they were legally possessed and what role they allegedly played in the case.

Police have also alleged that Howlett made similar threats dating back to January 2024, including warning in a recorded statement that “there is going to be a mass shooting one day” if the FBI did not arrest the suspect.

Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said investigators are still working to determine a motive but warned the case highlights how rapidly violent threats can escalate.

“The time from thought to act — that window has closed,” Walsh said, explaining that suspected attackers today can move from making threats to carrying them out in a matter of days or even hours.

KSNV reported that, during a recorded interview with detectives after the arrest, Howlett denied planning a mass shooting or threatening anyone.

According to the outlet, Howlett said she and Julie Howlett had been married for four years and were both transitioning to female while taking estrogen and progesterone. Howlett also told investigators she took Julie’s vehicle simply to leave after an argument, acknowledged knowing firearms were inside because Julie had planned to transport them out of state, and claimed users on the online communications platform Discord had falsely accused her of making threats.

KSNV further reported that Howlett said all of her personally owned firearms had previously been legally transferred to Julie through an ATF-approved process.

Walsh urged anyone who hears credible threats of violence, particularly in domestic situations, to report them immediately, saying early intervention gives law enforcement the best chance to prevent tragedy.

As Southern Nevada prepares for Fourth of July celebrations, officials said law enforcement agencies remain on heightened alert and credited the coordinated response between Henderson police, Metro, the FBI and other regional partners with stopping what investigators believe could have become a mass casualty attack.

News Media reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office for additional comment. Both agencies said they had nothing further to add beyond officials’ remarks during Tuesday’s press conference.

A Ukrainian woman, labeled ‘armed and dangerous,’ has become the primary suspect in a bomb explosion in Monaco that left a Ukrainian oligarch and his mistress critically injured.

On Thursday, Monaco’s Prosecutor General, Stéphane Thibault, revealed the suspect to be a Ukrainian woman in her 30s, who is currently registered in Germany.

He announced, “An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect, and she will appear on an Interpol Red Notice starting this evening.”

A high-ranking investigating authority reported that the woman tried to disguise herself as a man during the assault, but was still identified by a witness.

The same source suggested she is likely evading capture with help in Italy, but could have already escaped to the Balkans.

The prime suspect is said to have targeted billionaire Vadym Yermolaiev, 58, his mistress, Anna Nasobina, 46, and their young son on Monday night. 

The woman – who has not yet been named publicly – was filmed outside the ‘Sun’s Palace’ – a lavish apartment block owned by Mr Yermolaiev. 

It was in the foyer, just before 9pm, that a dumped rucksack exploded after the woman triggered it using a mobile phone. 

Ms Nasobina had both her legs amputated following the blast, while both she and Mr Yermolaiev suffered severe shrapnel wounds and burns. 

‘The prime suspect was identified by a witness,’ said an investigating source. ‘She is a Ukrainian woman in her 30s.’ 

Footage from nearby surveillance cameras showed the woman wearing a black bucket hat fleeing on foot across the border to France, where there are no checkpoints. 

She headed into the French town of Beausoleil, and then made her way to Italy, investigators believe.

‘She is armed and dangerous, and thought to be in the company of accomplices,’ said the source. ‘She should be approached with extreme caution.’

Judicial authorities in both France and Monaco have opened a criminal enquiry for ‘attempted murder’, ‘the planting of an explosive device on a public road with criminal intent’ and ‘criminal conspiracy’.

Cameras first picked up the suspect in the area on Monday morning, before she returned to place the bomb, according to the same security sources.

She is thought to have been ‘around 12 metres away’ when she triggered the device, said one.

The wounded boy has made a rapid recovery, and is currently providing evidence to police and prosecutors.

‘He is telling them exactly what he saw, although clearly his memory is very blurred,’ said a security source.

‘It appears that his mother took the full force of the blast, while he suffered relatively minor burns and shrapnel injuries.’

Ms Nasobina has been described in the past as Yermolaiev’s ‘common law wife’. 

She is a Ukrainian national who comes from Yermolaiev’s home city of Dnipro, while spending a lot of time in England. 

Nasobina describes herself as ‘London-based’ and is listed as a director of Wycombe Square Investments LLP in London since 2023, but frequently resides in Monaco, particularly during the summer. 

She is the daughter of the former first deputy state prosecutor of Dnipropetrovsk region. 

Nasobina studied law at Dnipropetrovsk National University, followed by an International Institute of Management, before relocating to London.

She is a co-founder of Club Eclectique, a private members’ and literary-arts society registered in Oxford Street with a linked Monaco office. It was established in 2016.

The club’s events feature Russian entertainers with pro-Kremlin ties, and attendees include members of the Moscow diaspora in London.

One 2017 event she hosted, in honour of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev, saw guests including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Yasmin Mills, designer Julien Macdonald, party queen Jo Wood, singer Camilla Kerslake and actress Camilla Rutherford attend. 

In turn, Yermolaiev’s wife, Anna Yermolaiev, uses a high-security family villa in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, the nearby French Riviera resort town which is the second most expensive residential location in the world, after Monaco.

It is likely that the suspect was using a so-called burner phone – one that can be bought relatively cheaply, without providing any kind of identification.

Such phones are frequently used by lawbreakers, and then disposed of once a crime has been committed.

Stéphane Thibault, the Monaco prosecutor who is leading the investigation in Monte Carlo, said: ‘We are attempting to arrest the suspect.’

Police and French Army helicopters with searchlights and numerous drones have all been seen in the search zone over the days and nights since the attack.

While there are theories that Ukraine’s SBU security service may have been behind the bombing, ‘a settling of scores’ by gangsters is currently the favoured line of investigation.

The blast signalled the first attack of its kind ever to take place on the so-called Rock tax haven, which is less than two miles square and considered neutral territory.

Mr Yermolaiev had made multiple enemies over the years, and one of the reasons he moved to Monaco was because of the security it was meant to provide.

Seyar Kurshutov, a Ukrainian businessman from Crimea, who now spends a lot of time in Monaco, said his friend was ‘obsessed with security’. 

Kurshutov told Le Monde: ‘Vadym was living on a razor’s edge.’ 

Reports in France on Wednesday suggested that investigators are examining the possible involvement of the Security Service of Ukraine [SBU] in the suspected assassination bid. 

The blast may have been a ‘warning’ rather than a deliberate attempt at murder.  

Ukrainian police said previously that the oligarch may have been blown up over his alleged links to a suspected €100million call centre fraud scheme. 

Police sources claimed that the violent attack is thought to be linked to a network of fraudulent call centres in Dnipro, Ukraine, allegedly used to carry out large-scale financial scams across Europe. The Yermolaiev family is alleged to have played a significant role in the scheme. 

In late 2025, Artur Yermolaiev – 35, and Vadym Yermolaiev’s eldest son – was arrested in Cyprus for his role in the scheme. 

Extradited to Estonia, where approximately 500 clients lost around £5million each, he was sentenced to five years in prison, with four months to be served behind bars. 

‘He now lives in Israel,’ said Seyar Kurshutov. 

Igor Komarov – a 28-year-old businessman involved in the call centres racket – was kidnapped, tortured, killed, and dismembered while on holiday in Bali, Indonesia, in March 2026. 

Another security source said: ‘The killers have never been found. This gives an idea of the kind of enemies Yermolaiev is up against.’  

Meanwhile, Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported that the attempted assassination was thought to have stemmed from a suspected failed agreement to divide territory and unpaid debts allegedly owed to organised crime bosses in Dnipro.  

Like many oligarchs who became rich following the fall of the Soviet Union, Yermolaiev has faced accusations of criminality, including money laundering, which he denies. 

Responding to reports linking him to ‘boiler room’ fraud, Theo Koshlyakov, the businessman’s legal assistant in Monaco, said: ‘To date, no legal proceedings have been initiated against Mr Yermolaiev in any jurisdiction’. 

Yermolaiev has been living in the principality since 2021, according to reports. 

In 2019, he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship and obtained a Cypriot passport, and in December 2023, he was subjected to personal sanctions by Kyiv. 

France is assisting in a search for the suspect. An aide to France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, said yesterday that police were working ‘to find the perpetrator, who has fled’. 

There was a claim in the Nice-Matin news outlet that Yermolaiev planned to deliver a speech to the European Parliament alleging corruption in Ukraine. 

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) — In a startling discovery over the weekend, the serene waters of Lake Mattoon became the center of a grim investigation. Boaters enjoying their day on the lake were shocked to find part of a human arm, prompting responses from authorities and the Illinois State Police to delve into the unsettling situation.

Quickly following this gruesome find, two individuals, 26-year-old James Adams and 62-year-old Robin Turner, have been charged. The charges they face include concealment of a homicide and dismemberment of a human body, according to reports from Illinois State Police.

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As the investigation continues, the charges brought against Adams and Turner underscore the severity of the incident, shedding light on the need for answers in the face of such a disturbing and curious case.

The shocking revelation unfolded as boaters, out with family and friends, attempted to clear what they initially thought to be dead fish from their path. This routine endeavor soon turned ominous as a more macabre scene came into focus.

Sammy Flynn, one of the boaters who made the chilling discovery, recounted the experience. “Pushed that first fish away, then got to the second one and it just didn’t look like the first fish,” Flynn described. “I was like okay. I got a little bit closer, and I looked again, and I looked and – I was yelling at everybody behind me. I was like, ‘Guys, that’s not a fish. That’s an arm.'” Her alarm promptly set off a wider reaction from the group, leading to the immediate involvement of law enforcement.

The group immediately called 911.

Investigators later found additional human remains in Lake Mattoon, police said. Illinois State Police said investigators used what they described as distinct tattoos to identify the victim.

According to police, the remains belonged to 38-year-old Dalewayne Turner of Plainfield.

Illinois State Police executed a search warrant at a Plainfield home on Wednesday as part of the investigation.

Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges are expected.

Adams and Robin Turner are expected to appear in court on Monday.

Upon setting foot on the grounds of Liberty National Golf Club for the first time two months ago, Craig Thomas found himself in unfamiliar territory. A seasoned golfer, he hadn’t anticipated what lay ahead at this prestigious venue.

Thomas, a Marine Corps veteran who served from 1982 to 1986, has been the head golf professional at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains since 2007. He was there to participate in the inaugural Liberty Cup, an extraordinary tournament uniting all five branches of the military—Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard—on the golf course.

In a grand gesture to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary, Liberty National Golf Club hosted this inaugural event in early May. Dan Fireman, the club’s owner, founded the tournament, and it was later aired as a televised special on the Golf Channel on July 4 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Reflecting on the experience, the 63-year-old Thomas expressed awe at the caliber of talent he encountered. “I’ve played a lot of golf in a lot of tournaments, and I hadn’t played with many players this good,” Thomas remarked, impressed by the skilled competitors drawn from the Veteran Golfers Association. He mentioned being paired with a young man named Travis Bryant, whose impressive skills on the course stood out. “I hadn’t played with anybody who was that good, and hit it as well as him who wasn’t already on tour,” he noted, singling out Bryant’s prodigious talent.

Bryant himself is an Army combat veteran, having served five years and among those on one of the final planes out of Afghanistan. Now pursuing a career as a golf professional, he is a testament to the exceptional quality of players at the Liberty Cup.

“The Liberty Cup is more than a golf tournament,’’ Josh Peyton, president and CEO of the VGA, said. “It is a celebration of the men and women who have served our country and the bonds that continue long after military service ends.’’

The idea for the event was hatched by Dan Fireman, whose father, Paul, who founded and developed Liberty National, served in the Army.

“He was always proud that he did his duty and did his service,’’ Dan Fireman said of his dad.

“The idea was to focus on America’s 250th anniversary and use this event as a way to tell the story of the military and also tell the story of golf.”

Liberty National has hosted PGA Tour events, LPGA Tour events, a Presidents Cup and has the BMW Championship coming in 2027. And Fireman called his experience hosting this event “the tops.’’

“It blew my mind,’’ he said. “I’ve not been in the military, so I felt like I learned a lot about the military — about the sense of community and culture. With the storytelling, the depth of the history of the military, the different branches of armed services — I just felt like this has a lot of opportunity to become a real mainstay of Liberty.

“There was also a sense of appreciation for being there that I really loved.’’

One of those who loved it was Thomas.

“Meeting a lot of the guys was a highlight for me,’’ Thomas said. “There’s a small percentage of guys at that competitive level in the VGA who served around my time or before me. Most of them are more recent — people who served in a lot of these conflicts recently, whether it’s Afghanistan or wherever.

“It’s really interesting to be around them and hear some of the stuff they went through. Just to be around the guys, there’s a lot of camaraderie there. You’re meeting guys who went through a lot of the same stuff, which I’m sure is very helpful to them in their lives. It’s been a great experience.’’