A note to Kamala Harris: Your role is to challenge the radical elements within your party, not to placate them.

Recent reports reveal that the former vice president and unsuccessful 2024 presidential hopeful is seeking an alliance with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in an effort to revitalize her political career.

Just three years ago, Mamdani was a vocal activist, using a bullhorn to confront Chuck Schumer over his stance on Israel.

(Despite this, Schumer wasn’t exactly a champion for Israel, as he was focused on efforts to unseat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.)

Now, Mamdani stands as a key figure in the Democratic Party. Although he won his position by a slim margin in a three-candidate race and has only been in office for a few months, he has transformed New York City into a platform for his brand of “democratic socialism” — a contradiction, as no government can dominate an economy without curtailing its citizens’ ability to self-govern.

Mamdani has endorsed fellow socialists in Democratic Party primaries — and they have defeated long-term incumbents. Not just in New York City, but in Colorado as well.

Democratic presidential hopefuls see which way the wind is blowing.

After Mamdani’s team won several races, Gov. Gavin Newsom came out in favor of a nationwide “billionaire tax.” Billionaire Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who slammed Mamdani last year for attacking billionaires, has softened his tone, even praising Mamdani for his sense of “fight.” Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, has come out as a full-throated, Israel-hating radical.

And Harris is looking for support, hinting that she will support his position on “Palestine.”

Harris appears to buy the left-wing line that the reason she lost to Donald Trump in 2024 was because President Joe Biden had not been tough on Israel. Biden gave Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars, and denied some arms to Israel, but that wasn’t enough, the radicals say. 

They are right about one thing: Biden’s stance hurt — because he was indecisive, not because he was pro-Israel. His weakness only invited further aggression from Iran and its proxies.

Harris also seems to think that she lost because she was barely given 100 days to mount a campaign. But she didn’t have to run. She’s the one who cleared the field after Biden quit.

How often did we hear that Trump had to stand up to the extremists on the right?

He did. Now it’s Kamala’s turn.  

On Thursday, a Mexican national who acquired lawful permanent residency in 2018 confessed to his crime in court. He admitted to binding three pens with hair ties and attempting to stab a fellow passenger “through the eye to reach his brain” during a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas, federal authorities reported.

The shocking incident erupted roughly 30 minutes before the aircraft’s scheduled landing in Las Vegas. Julio Alvarez Lopez purportedly got up from his seat, headed to the restroom, and upon return, commenced to attack a passenger seated diagonally from him with punches and jabs, as outlined in a federal criminal complaint accessed by News Media.

Witnesses shared with investigators that the scene was drenched in blood while the victim’s wife frantically urged Lopez to cease the assault on her husband. Amid the chaos, the complaint notes she was hit as she tried to protect their 7-year-old son.

Following the assault, Lopez reportedly proceeded toward the front of the plane, asserting repeatedly, “I’ll only talk to the FBI,” as he strode up the aisle, according to an eyewitness account provided to investigators.

A sworn law enforcement officer aboard the flight ordered Lopez to sit down before flight attendants provided flex cuffs and passengers restrained him for the remainder of the flight, according to the complaint.

The flight landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, where officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department took Lopez into custody.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon stemming from the Jan. 24, 2024, attack.

During an interview with FBI agents and after waiving his Miranda rights, Lopez admitted he made the weapon before boarding the aircraft by bundling three pens together with hair bands.

Investigators said Lopez told them he believed the victim, identified in court documents as C.R., had been following him during the flight. Lopez also said he believed C.R. “was the Cartel” and that he was trying to get him to stop following him.

The complaint further states Lopez told investigators he had never seen C.R. before the flight but, “planned on attacking and killing him.”

According to investigators, Lopez admitted he intended to kill the victim by stabbing him in the eye.

“I planned on attacking and killing him,” Lopez told investigators, according to the complaint.

Lopez also admitted to investigators he was trying to stab C.R. “through the eye to reach C.R.’s brain to kill him.”

According to prosecutors, the victim suffered injuries to his body and eye area that required stitches.

Court documents say witnesses noticed Lopez acting strangely before the attack. One passenger told investigators Lopez appeared “fidgety,” repeatedly put gloves on and took them off, got into his backpack several times and avoided making eye contact with other passengers.

A witness described Lopez as having “gray/white hair tied in a bun on the top of his head,” and wearing a sweatshirt at the time.

Another witness said Lopez stood up twice as the aircraft began descending into Las Vegas, went to the restroom, then returned to his seat before suddenly launching the attack.

The complaint also states Lopez told investigators he was seeking asylum in the United States and believed the mafia had been chasing him for several months.

Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22.

This week, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are set to say “I do” in an extraordinary ceremony at Madison Square Garden. As anticipation builds, astute fans are realizing that clues about Swift’s wedding plans have been subtly revealed for quite some time.

According to reports, the couple, both aged 36, will host a rehearsal dinner on July 2, welcoming 100 of their closest friends and family. The official ceremony will follow the next day, with approximately 1,000 guests expected to witness the occasion, as covered by the New York Times.

The transformation of Madison Square Garden into a fairy tale setting is well underway. Witnesses have observed crews bringing in trees and greenery, along with two large white banisters, hinting at an elaborate design that promises to transform the arena into a lush garden topped with an impressive castle.

Remarkably, it appears Swift may have been foreshadowing her wedding plans for over a decade now, with subtle hints woven into her public life and music.

Taylor Swift’s wedding: Read all the top stories

THE LOVE STORY CASTLE  

Swift seems to be enthralled by all things medieval and fantasy.

She often mentions things like crowns, kingdoms and castles throughout songs like Long Live, Call It What You Want, You Need to Calm Down, Look What You Made Me Do and King of My Heart, for example.

And some fans are now convinced that the castle she is constructing inside MSG is an ode to her 2008 hit Love Story.

In the music video for the song, Swift portrays a modern-day Juliet, singing from the balcony of a medieval castle, waiting for her Romeo. 

It also showed her sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night to meet up with her secret lover in the garden outside. 

NOT-SO-SECRET GARDEN 

When crews were seen bringing trees into MSG this week, fans went into a frenzy. 

Gardens seem to be particularly romantic to the star since she has used them throughout her lyrics as the setting of late-night rendezvous and dramatic reunions.

And where better than the most iconic ‘Garden’ in the world?  

In her hit Cruel Summer, she sang about sneaking in to visit a guy through the ‘garden gate’ every night.

In her tune Betty, a song told from a guy’s point of view, he wondered if he showed up at his ex’s house if she would accept his apology and ‘lead him to the garden.’

She also mentioned escaping to a ‘secret garden’ during her darkest moments on the track I Hate it Here.

‘I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child / No mid-sized city hopes and small town fears / I’m there most of the year / ‘Cause I hate it here,’ the lyrics read.

Kelce famously popped the question to Swift in August 2025 in the yard of his home, which he had transformed into a lush garden filled with roses, lilies, vines and trees.

OBSESSION WITH MSG  

Taylor Swift’s wedding: Read all the top stories

The pop star actually mentioned Madison Square Garden by name in a song that came out in 2012.

In her track The Lucky One, Swift sang about a star who disappeared from the spotlight. And in the tune, she gave a shoutout to the iconic arena that will now be the place where she and her NFL star fiancé will become husband and wife.

‘They say you bought a bunch of land somewhere / Chose the Rose Garden over Madison Square,’ reads the lyrics.

Swift has a long history at MSG, as it was actually one of the first major venues she ever performed at.

In 2003, at just 13 years old, she participated in a talent competition at MSG during halftime at a Knicks Game, singing an unreleased song called Lucky You. 

She went on to perform at MSG during her Fearless tour in 2009 and her Speak Now tour in 2011. She also performed at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball concert five different times over the years, which takes place at the Garden. 

HAMDEN, Ohio (AP) — In the quaint village of Hamden, Ohio, residents are grappling with shock and disbelief after police removed 16 children from a home fraught with neglect. The arrest of the parents and grandparents has left the community questioning how such a dire situation persisted unnoticed for years.

The family’s neighbors, local shop employees, and even the authorities involved are puzzled by how this situation could unfold so quietly. With little information publicly shared, many are left speculating about how such circumstances could exist under the radar.

According to investigators, the children were neither attending school nor seen by the neighbors as the family had been transient for twenty years. The children were mostly confined to a diminutive room, living in conditions described as appalling.

Emily Collins, owner of VC Farm & Floral in neighboring McArthur, expressed her disbelief: “Right under our noses and nobody was able to help them sooner.” She lamented the fact that this dark revelation overshadows the positive aspects of their close-knit community. As a mother of three, she tried to lift her spirits by decorating the sidewalk with vibrant chalk designs.

Police explained that their initial visit to the home on Tuesday was part of an unrelated inquiry. During their visit, they found children ranging from 18 months to 18 years in age, some of whom were non-verbal.

Seven were taken to hospitals, including one who was in critical condition, investigators said. Their current conditions weren’t immediately known Thursday. Child welfare officials have temporary custody of the children.

Lawyers: Let the case ‘play out’

Four people who are the children’s parents and grandparents were arrested on child endangerment charges. Gary Siders Jr., 36, Gary Siders, 73, Elizabeth Siders, 33, and Christina Siders, 67, pleaded not guilty to child endangerment. Bond was set at $300,000 each.

“In fact, my client’s first question to me when I walked into the jail and introduced myself was about her kids. She asked if her children were OK, she asked if I knew where they were, and she asked when she’d be able to see them again,” Stolly said.

He wasn’t able to answer those questions, “but I thought it was telling that her first concern was not, ‘When can I get out of jail,’ but was ‘Are my children OK.’”

Stolly said his client told him that all of the children were born in area hospitals and she considers herself a full-time mom. She left high school after the 11th grade, he said, and Gary Siders Jr. was driving for Door Dash and looking for another job, he said.

Stolly said the prosecutor’s office has not yet shared their evidence with him, but so far he hasn’t seen anything that supports Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson’s description of the family as “pure evil.”

“Evil requires malice, and I did not see any malice in Elizabeth,” Stolly said.

He added: “I think that this is more so a case of isolation than a case of evil, and I think that there’s an important distinction there. Because if that’s all you know — and you have to think someone at 15 years old doesn’t know a whole lot about being an adult, about being a mother, about being a wife — and that’s been your worldview for the past 17 or 18 years, you get shaped by that.”

Stolly said Elizabeth didn’t characterize herself as a victim, but “I think it may be too early to actually determine what was going on there.”

“While the headlines may be sensational, there’s a real human component to this and so I would ask people to give this process time to play out,” Stolly said.

An attorney for the elder Siders also urged the public to wait before passing judgment.

Attorneys for Siders Jr. and Christina Siders declined to comment.

Little traffic on home’s rural road

A man who lives three houses down from the Siders family said he had seen “no kids at all” there.

“It’s a sad situation,” said Joseph Stewart, 60, who has lived in the “quiet neighborhood” for six years.

Authorities wouldn’t publicly share the nature of the other investigation that led them to the house Tuesday. However, court records show a warrant was issued for Siders Jr. that day on misdemeanor indecent exposure charges related to alleged incidents on four days in May. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Thursday, windows and doors at the formerly wide-open home, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus, had been boarded up. Police tape and piles of refuse remained.

The previous day, a door was ajar and heaps of trash and children’s toys were visible inside. A wood deck and the backyard were filled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris.

The house sits on a road tucked alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains to a rail yard in the village of fewer than 1,000 residents. The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.

Kids not seen in schools

Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided creating a medical or governmental paper trail. The Vinton County Local School District, the only district in the area, said it has no records indicating that any of the children were ever enrolled.

“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson, the state attorney general, said Wednesday.

The children’s absence from school, and the apparent lack of regular visits with medical professionals, likely contributed to keeping the dire situation unknown, said Jacqueline Yahn, an associate professor at Ohio University.

“When kids are isolated or not participating, you don’t have someone who’s trained to know the clues,” said Yahn, who specializes in rural education and poverty. “A well-check is called that for a reason: They’re checking for well-being and development.”

Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children’s services agencies in the past.

The children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters), according to investigators, who noted that human waste was all around.

“They looked like almost feral animals. It was terrible,” Wilson said.

___

For over a decade, Michael Scurr has dedicated his Thursday mornings to volunteering at Britain’s National Archives, meticulously cataloging documents to assist future historians and researchers.

However, last May brought an unexpected twist for the former insurance executive when he unearthed something extraordinary among the letters of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain.

Amidst a report concerning the capture of the American privateer Dalton on Christmas Eve in 1776 was an inconspicuously labeled enclosure referred to only as “another paper.” As Scurr delicately unfolded the document, he was astounded to see the word “Declaration” prominently displayed at the top.

“I thought, oh, right, OK, this sure looks like a Declaration of Independence,” Scurr shared with The Associated Press, his excitement palpable. “How thrilling is this?”

The document spreads the news of independence

Following Scurr’s discovery, experts at the National Archives identified the document as a rare early version of America’s founding Declaration, printed mere days after the original was endorsed on July 4, 1776. This copy was intended to circulate the momentous news that 13 North American colonies had broken away from British rule.

It is one of just 11 original copies of the so-called Exeter printing of the declaration that are known to exist, and the only one identified outside the United States, the National Archives said on Thursday as it unveiled the find ahead of this weekend’s 250th anniversary of American independence. This version was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, July 16 to 19, 1776.

But it isn’t just the age of the document that makes it important. It is also the fact that it was captured from a ship under the direction of the recently formed Continental Congress, with orders signed by its president, John Hancock, said Amanda Bevan, head of the National Archives’ project to catalog the correspondence of Royal Navy captains during the American Revolution.

While the public has heard about the dreadful conditions faced by the Continental Army at places like Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, little attention has been given to the Americans who went to sea to disrupt British trade and battle the mighty Royal Navy, Bevan said.

Discovery offers a nod to what was at stake

Finding a copy of the Declaration of Independence on board ship also suggests how it might have been used, Bevan said. She believes the Dalton’s captain would have read out his orders, as was customary, and also the declaration itself.

“They know why they’re fighting, but this puts it in a language which makes it greater than them,’’ Bevan said. “They’re not fighting because they’re aggrieved in particular. They’re fighting for an ideal. And I think that just to find the declaration in a theater of war where people are committing themselves to fight for their country on the wide ocean is really something special.”

As a privateer, the 18-gun Dalton was a privately owned vessel that fought under the auspices of the Continental Congress to supplement the tiny navy of the new nation.

Captain Thomas Fitzherbert, commander of the 64-gun HMS Raisonnable, chased the Dalton for seven hours on Christmas Eve 1776 before capturing her off the coast of Portugal. The Dalton’s 120-man crew was imprisoned in Plymouth, England, under harsh conditions.

Charles Hebert, who was just 19 when he was captured, described hunger, illness and repeated punishment in the journals he kept during more than two years of captivity before his release in a prisoner exchange.

Despite it all, many survived.

The joy of discovery is shared by Americans

Historians in the United States are also excited about the National Archives’ discovery.

This copy of the Declaration of Independence provides a direct link to the Dalton’s captain, who carried news of American independence to the world, said Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

“It’s not just a document, it’s an artifact,” he said. “It’s a tangible connection to the past, because holding that piece of paper in the archivist’s hand today is a way to transport us back to 1776. The baton being passed, in a way.”

The discovery is also proof that there’s still more for historians to uncover, Skic said.

“Even though 250 years has gone by, we still do not know everything about the American Revolution, and there are still finds left to be discovered.”

The American flag is an iconic symbol, but did you know its design could have turned out completely different?

In 1958, as discussions about adding two more states to the union were buzzing across the nation, the Eisenhower administration was inundated with numerous proposals for a potential 50-star flag.

“Many individuals began submitting their concepts for the new flag’s appearance,” explained Dr. Jim Ginther, who serves as the supervisory archivist at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas. This institution has preserved all of the proposals from that time.

“There was suddenly a renewed public enthusiasm regarding the flag’s design. Starting in July 1958, designs started pouring into the White House from the public, along with the Army’s Quartermaster Corps, from both across the United States and internationally.”

The story of the 50-star flag is told in the first episode of the new series, “Crazy American History with Eric Shawn,” now streaming on Fox Nation.

One star was added to the flag in January 1959 when Alaska joined the union as the 49th state. 

The 50th star was added with the admission of Hawaii as a state, and that new flag was officially raised for the first time July 4, 1960, at Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, site of the War of 1812 bombardment that inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

But in the two years before President Eisenhower settled on the new design for the Stars and Stripes, flag fever gripped the nation.

The White House eventually received more than 1,900 designs, many from school children as part of their lessons from the classroom publication “My Weekly Reader.”  

Adults from across the country, and even overseas, submitted their proposals.

“Some of them are coming in as simple as pencil drawings, some of them are as fancy as Draftsman’s drawing. Some of them are sewn flags made out of cloth. Some of them are crayon drawings,” Ginther noted.

The Eisenhower administration used the opportunity to educate Americans about the flag and responded to every submission with a letter from a top White House official.

“Several publications are produced by the government about the history of the flag, about flag etiquette, about various other aspects of use of the flag that they begin to send back out to the public, along with these letters thanking them for their submissions to educate the public about the flag.”

The Continental Congress enacted the flag on June 14, 1777, which is now observed as flag day. 

Betsy Ross is credited with designing the first flag with the 13 stars in a circle for the original 13 colonies. 

The guidelines call for a design of alternating red and white stripes with a blue field for the stars. 

But Ginther noted that the way the stars were to be laid out was never specified, which means some of the designs can appear to be curious and compelling. 

But a massive change was not to be. 

“The flag is symbolic,” said Ginther.

“Radical change in it is going to be difficult. People are used to that symbol. It comes out in the deliberations over the flags, in the documentation,” he said. “Radically changing the flag is going to be expensive, so we have to take that into consideration as well. And then you have to consider that particularly, our military, has a vested sentimental interest, in that they have fought and bled under that flag.

“There is reason, perhaps, why you might not want a radical change, even though many people in the country were interested in submitting designs. There is also an argument to be made for not being very radical in a redesign of the flag as a symbol of the nation.”

In the end, President Eisenhower selected a similar design to the historical tradition, adding the two stars in alternating rows of six and five stars, on the blue field where it has been so familiar ever since. 

It is the flag that represents our freedoms and the American ideals on our nation’s 250th birthday. 

Watch “The Fifty-Star Flag,” the first episode of the new Fox Nation series “Crazy American History” for more on President Eisenhower and the flag.

The website of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home tells more about the flag and the president: https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/

On Thursday, Selena Gomez caught the attention of many while she simultaneously promoted her cosmetics line during her journey to attend best friend Taylor Swift’s wedding rehearsal dinner.

The 33-year-old Gomez mingled with a bevy of other stars at the opulent gathering, celebrating Swift’s upcoming wedding to Travis Kelce.

While heading to the intimate dinner for around 100 guests, she posted a video taken en route to the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, where the event was hosted.

Nevertheless, Gomez, who is rumored to be part of Swift’s bridal party, made headlines by choosing this significant occasion to spotlight a lipstick from her Rare Beauty line.

The video featured her elegantly applying the lipstick in the back seat of a car, dressed in a stunning black gown. Following this, she uploaded a close-up photo flaunting a new lip product from her collection that is slated for future release.

The move drew some criticism, given her best friend’s wedding has been shrouded in secrecy, and using the ceremony for promotion could risk Swift’s ire. 

‘Using other women’s success for relevancy…. stay away from her,’ one fan wrote.

‘Yesss use your best friends wedding to sell makeup,’ another added. 

‘Selena applying Rare Beauty lipstick in the car on the way to her bestie’s wedding rehearsal is the most on-brand thing ever,’ someone else quipped.

‘Taylor getting Rare Beauty PR boxes as her wedding gift,’ someone else joked. 

Though Gomez did not share a full view of her gown, she happily showed off her picture perfect glam.

The star’s raven tresses were slicked back, and she accessorized with diamond earrings and a matching ring from Fernando Jorge, with the pieces reportedly totaling $40,000. 

Gomez’s video was especially notable seeing as sources previously claimed to the Daily Mail that guests – including family and close friends – were required to sign an NDA before receiving any information about the wedding.

For added protection, Swift and Kelce have also individually watermarked each invitation using guests’ first and last names repeatedly across the design, making any leaked invite instantly traceable, revealed TMZ.

Swift and Kelce are set to officially tie the knot at Madison Square Garden in NYC on July 3, with more than 1000 guests in attendance.

Aside from Gomez, their more intimate rehearsal dinner was attended by stars Swift’s collaborator Jack Antonoff, 42, and Adam Sandler, 59, who were spotted heading to the festivities.

Meanwhile Lena Dunham, 40, was filmed being driven to the soiree – ahead of an awkward reunion with her ex Antonoff.

Gigi Hadid, 31, who is rumored to be one of Swift’s bridesmaids headed to the ceremony with boyfriend Bradley Cooper, 51, with the suited actor seen smiling as he headed off in photos obtained by PageSix.

Football stars including George Kittle, Andrew Whitworth and Ross Travis also joined the glittering line-up, alongside sport power couple, Erin Andrews and Jarrett Stoll.

On Tuesday, the Daily Mail definitively confirmed that Swift’s wedding would be taking place in New York City after a key member of her entourage was spotted at the venue.

The rehearsal dinner is said by a source to require ‘cocktail attire,’ and only family members have been invited for the pre-wedding event.

While it’s assumed that members of Swift’s squad – of which Hadid is a member – are likely to constitute her bridal party, few details have so far leaked about which of her friends will play a major part in her and Kelce’s wedding.