JD Vance found himself unsettled.

The very technology he had ardently supported for months was now posing a grave threat to America’s banks, hospitals, and water systems.

During a conference call in April with the nation’s leading tech executives, the Vice President issued a stark warning about the potential dangers spiraling from their own technological advancements.

Participating in the call were some of the wealthiest figures globally: Elon Musk, Sam Altman from OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella from Microsoft.

“We all need to work together on this,” Vance reportedly urged them.

The Vice President, whose Silicon Valley ties made him the White House pointman on AI, now had a stark warning for his allies: bring your technology under control.

It marks a stunning about-face.

For months, Donald Trump and his top officials insisted AI restrictions had to be torn down so the US could beat China in the Manhattan Project-style race for technological dominance.

On the April phone call, the Vice President warned that powerful new artificial intelligence models such as Anthropic’s Mythos could wreak chaos on vulnerable small-town hospitals and banks, exposing them to cyberattacks that local governments would be ill-equipped to repel

Some of the richest men in the world were present for the call, including Elon Musk

The catalyst was Mythos, the latest AI model from Silicon Valley giant Anthropic, and its astonishing ability to autonomously hunt down and exploit cybersecurity flaws. 

So dangerous is the model that Anthropic has withheld it from public release, fearing Mythos could be turned loose on America’s critical infrastructure. 

In testing, it behaved like an elite hacker, uncovering a 27-year-old flaw in OpenBSD, an operating system prized for its security, that had eluded human researchers for decades.

It was also able to discover weaknesses in the Linux kernel, the backbone of most of the world’s servers.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last month summoned the chiefs of America’s biggest banks to Washington for an emergency closed-door meeting on the threat.

The summit was attended by CEOs including Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, Morgan Stanley’s Ted Pick, Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan, Wells Fargo’s Charlie Scharf and Goldman Sachs’s David Solomon.

Vance’s alarm was triggered by a White House briefing on Mythos days before his April call to the tech bosses. 

The White House is now weighing an executive order that would formally create an oversight process for the most advanced models, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Mythos is so capable of autonomously hunting down and exploiting cybersecurity flaws that the company responsible for it withheld the program from public release, fearing the model could be used to damage America’s critical infrastructure

Trump officials have asked Anthropic to halt any expansion of Mythos access to additional companies and organizations overseeing critical digital infrastructure. 

The Silicon Valley behemoth has restricted Mythos to roughly 40 elite firms under a confidential program dubbed ‘Project Glasswing’, among them Apple, Microsoft, Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citi and Morgan Stanley.  

The AI company had deemed the model too dangerous for wide release, but reports indicate it has leaked anyway. 

Unauthorized users from a ‘private online forum’ managed to break into Mythos through a third-party vendor in the same week as Vance’s call, Bloomberg reported.  

The group reportedly got in by making ‘an educated guess about the model’s online location based on knowledge about the format Anthropic has used for other models.’ 

The users told Bloomberg they were simply ‘interested in playing around’ with new AI models, not in wreaking havoc.

‘We’re investigating a report claiming unauthorized access to Claude Mythos Preview through one of our third-party vendor environments,’ an Anthropic spokesperson said.

Musk and Peter Thiel, two of the biggest donors to Trump’s 2024 campaign, both hold sizable financial stakes in AI companies, complicating any crackdown. 

The relentless rise of Chinese AI, including state-backed labs, adds increased pressure and raises the grim specter of a national security crisis should US companies find themselves restricted by lawmakers in Washington.

Trump flies to China next week to meet Xi Jinping, where AI will loom large over the summit amid tensions over Taiwan – the chip-making hub which Beijing has threatened to invade.

Anthropic has already found itself at the center of America’s defense, securing a two-year Pentagon deal worth up to $200 million to supply AI tools for military and intelligence work.

It leaves the White House caught between two fears: move too fast and AI could trigger the catastrophe Vance warned about, but move too slow and Beijing will leave America in the dust.

POMPEII, Italy — On Friday, Pope Leo XIV called for an end to “fratricidal hatred” around the globe as he marked the anniversary of his election in the historic city of Pompeii. The occasion coincided with a feast day of personal significance to him, which also marked the beginning of his papacy last year.

Pope Leo made the journey to Pompeii by helicopter from nearby Naples for a full-day visit to celebrate the May 8 feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. This date is significant as it marks the laying of the cornerstone of the shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Pompeii back in 1876.

The shrine is situated near the famous archaeological digs of Pompeii, the city that was buried under volcanic ash and gas in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. While millions of tourists flock to the Pompeii ruins every year, the shrine draws Catholic pilgrims, especially those devoted to the practice of praying the rosary.

Addressing the gathered faithful inside the sanctuary before Mass, Leo expressed his joy, saying, “What a beautiful day, how many blessings the Lord wanted to give to all of us. I feel I am the first blessed to be able to come here to the sanctuary of the Madonna on the day of her feast and on this anniversary.”

This visit marks the beginning of a series of short trips Pope Leo plans to undertake across Italy in the coming weeks, as he seeks to become more familiar with the Italian church of which he serves as the symbolic head in his role as the bishop of Rome.

A prayer for leaders to be enlightened to pursue peace

In his homily at the sanctuary, Leo entrusted his pontificate to the Virgin Mary and prayed for peace.

“We cannot resign ourselves to the images of death that the news presents to us every day,” Leo said. “May the God of peace pour out an overflowing abundance of mercy, touching hearts, soothing grudges and fratricidal hatred, and enlightening those who bear special responsibilities of governance.”

Friday marked the anniversary of the election of the former Robert Prevost as history’s first U.S.-born pope. Leo had referred to the Pompeii feast day on the night of his election, when he emerged on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and was introduced to the world. That night, he led the faithful in the piazza below in a prayer for his pontificate.

He said then that Mary, the mother of Christ, “always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love.”

“Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole church, for peace in the world, and let us ask Mary, our Mother, for this special grace,” Leo said then.

The Pompeii sanctuary is closely associated with the figure of St. Bartolo Longo, who founded the basilica and is venerated especially in Italy for his charitable works for orphans, prisoners and other marginalized people. Pope Francis had approved the miracle necessary for Longo’s canonization from his hospital room, just a few weeks before he died, and Leo made him a saint in October.

Pompeii welcomes Leo

Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.

In his opening remarks, Leo recalled that when Longo arrived in the Pompeii valley, “he found a land plagued by great poverty, inhabited by a few very poor farmers, and ravaged by malaria and bandits.”

“He was able to see, however, the face of Christ in everyone: in the great and the small, and especially in the orphans and the children of prisoners, to whom he made the beating of God’s heart felt through his tenderness,” he said.

Leo was met by throngs of cheering Italians, some of whom had been waiting since the middle of the night to greet him. They seemed keenly aware of Leo’s recent sparring with U.S. President Donald Trump over the Iran war, and said they liked what they saw.

“He doesn’t let anyone intimidate him. Look at the recent issues with Trump,” said Rita Borriello, from nearby Torre del Greco. Trump criticized him, but Leo “simply answered, ‘I preach the Gospel’. I see him as a very humble pope, very close to us, a pope who entered in our hearts.”

In recent discussions, President Donald Trump suggested that Iranians might “fight back” if they possessed weapons, sparking renewed debates among Iranian dissidents, military experts, and some Republican lawmakers. The central question on the table: Should Western nations take a step further than their current “maximum pressure” strategy on Tehran and actively support armed resistance within Iran?

During his appearance on “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” Trump remarked, “They need to have weapons. I believe they are acquiring some. Once they have them, they will fight as effectively as anyone.” His comments were made in the context of anti-regime unrest and the Iranian government’s harsh crackdown on demonstrators.

These remarks come at a time when the Iranian regime is perceived as weakened after enduring weeks of conflict. Meanwhile, many Iranians continue to harbor frustration following years of unsuccessful protests met with brutal responses from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2026, advocating for regime change in Iran, following U.S. and Israeli military actions that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Advocates of a more confrontational strategy argue that sanctions, diplomatic efforts, and nonviolent demonstrations have not achieved significant change within Iran. They suggest that the current climate might be the most opportune in decades to mount an internal challenge against the regime. However, critics caution that discussions about supporting armed resistance might expose protesters to greater danger, escalate divisions within the opposition, and potentially propel Iran toward a civil war.

The idea of armed resistance echoes aspects of the Reagan Doctrine, the Cold War-era strategy in which the U.S. backed anti-Soviet resistance movements around the world, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua.

“We need to give Iranians the tools now, and they’ll finish the job themselves,” Brett Velicovich, founder of Powerus and a former U.S. military and intelligence specialist focused on drone warfare, told Fox News Digital.

“It’s their time to do something. There has never been a better chance.”

Smoke and flames rise at an oil depot in Tehran after airstrikes on March 7, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, leading to Iranian missile retaliation and increased concerns about global energy and transport disruption. (Sasan/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Velicovich described the strategy as “Reagan Doctrine 2.0,” updated for the age of drones and decentralized warfare.

“Cheap FPV drones, loitering munitions, and small arms let motivated fighters turn Iran’s streets and mountains into a nightmare for the IRGC,” he said. “This isn’t fantasy; it’s asymmetric warfare that works.”

He argued that modern drone technology has fundamentally changed the balance between governments and insurgent or resistance movements.

“Drones democratize power,” Velicovich said. “The regime’s monopoly on violence ends the day the people get eyes in the sky and precision strike capability.”

Iran is building a decentralized FPV drone capability in basement factories using Chinese parts, defense expert Cameron Chell warns, citing a potential threat to the U.S. homeland. (Getty)

Still, even some critics of the Iranian regime caution that the comparison to Cold War proxy movements has limits.

Unlike Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe or Afghanistan in the 1980s, Iran is a highly nationalistic country with a fragmented opposition and deep fears of foreign intervention following decades of conflict across the Middle East.

Still, calls for more direct support for anti-regime forces are increasingly moving into mainstream Republican foreign policy discussions.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recently called for what he described as a “Second Amendment solution” inside Iran.

“If I were President Trump and I were Israel, I would load the Iranian people up with weapons so they could go to the streets armed and turn the tide of battle inside Iran,” Graham said on “Hannity.”

The question of who would actually receive support, however, remains deeply controversial.

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi speaks at the Women’s Forum hosted by Vital Voices in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 2023. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)

Some opposition supporters continue to rally around exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose name has surfaced during anti-regime protests inside Iran and who has urged the international community not to give Tehran “another lifeline.”

Another group that has acted in various operations against the regime is the controversial People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran, or MEK, which has long positioned itself as an organized opposition force against the Islamic Republic. The MEK recently posted videos showing its members targeting “regime centers and symbols of crime and repression,” in response to the execution of two of its members last month — Hamed Validi and Mohammad (Nima) Massoum-Shahi.

Others point to existing armed or semi-organized anti-regime groups, including Kurdish organizations, Baloch insurgent networks and underground resistance cells operating inside Iran.

Sardar Pashaei, director of the Hiwa Foundation and a former Iranian wrestling champion now living in the United States, warned that publicly discussing arming protesters could itself put lives at risk.

“I think we must be extremely cautious on this issue, especially publicly, because the regime can use it as a pretext to arrest protesters, fabricate cases and even justify executions,” Pashaei told Fox News Digital.

A woman walks across a nearly empty public square in Tehran, Iran, with a large billboard displaying the portrait of the late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the background on March 3, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

“For decades, the Islamic Republic has used accusations of ties to the United States, Israel, or espionage to target dissidents and political prisoners.”

Pashaei argued the better approach is supporting Iranian civil society, restoring internet access and backing democratic opposition groups that reflect Iran’s ethnic and political diversity.

The issue became even more sensitive after Trump said during a phone interview with “Fox News Sunday” in early April that his administration had previously attempted to send firearms to Iranian protesters through Kurdish channels, though the effort failed.

Men and women hold Kurdish scarves and roses during Nowruz festivities in Saqqez, Iran, on March 15, 2024. (Barbod Khorshidi/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them. We sent them through the Kurds. And I think the Kurds took the guns,” Trump said.

Several Kurdish groups have denied receiving such shipments.

Pashaei warned that claims of foreign weapons support could deepen divisions inside the opposition while also exposing Kurdish groups to further retaliation from Tehran.

“During the so-called ceasefire period, Kurdish opposition groups were targeted more than 30 times with drone and missile attacks,” he said, adding that four young Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed, including 19-year-old Ghazal Mowlan.

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

One source familiar with discussions surrounding Iranian opposition strategy said supporters of a more aggressive approach increasingly believe the current moment presents a rare opportunity to identify, train and support local resistance networks capable of protecting protesters and challenging the regime from within.

The source argued that while Iran spent decades building and cultivating proxy networks across the Middle East, Western governments largely avoided investing in organized anti-regime infrastructure inside Iran itself.

Others warn that empowering armed factions could trigger ethnic fragmentation, civil war or a Syria-style conflict inside Iran.

According to the source, supporters of a more aggressive approach increasingly believe the current moment presents a rare opportunity to identify, train and support local resistance networks capable of protecting protesters and challenging the regime from within.

Whether Washington is willing to move beyond pressure campaigns and sanctions toward something closer to a modernized Reagan Doctrine remains unclear.

Members of security forces watch over the crowd during a funeral procession for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri and other senior naval commanders killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran, on April 1, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

For now, Trump’s comments have pushed a once-theoretical conversation into the open, while some argue the current moment may represent the best opportunity in decades to challenge the regime.

Jennifer Hudson was moved to tears when her son, David Jr., made a surprise appearance on her talk show for a heartfelt Mother’s Day tribute.

The 16-year-old captivated the moment by presenting his mother with a cake and a bouquet of flowers, adding to the emotional atmosphere.

As she hugged her son, the host of “The Jennifer Hudson Show” proudly introduced him to the studio audience, saying, “This is my baby.”

Still overwhelmed with emotion, the 44-year-old “American Idol” star expressed her surprise, revealing that her producers had successfully orchestrated the touching moment.

David Jr. shared that the cake was baked using Hudson’s “mom’s special recipe,” and added, “I made it for Mother’s Day. I know it’s special to you.”

Hudson shared with viewers that her “mother always made this pound cake” — and David Jr. has been carrying on the “family tradition” for years.

“For Mother’s Day, birthdays, all special occasions, he always makes it for me,” she gushed. “Thank you, baby!”

Hudson shares her teen with ex-fiancé David Otunga.

The former couple started dating in 2007, with the WWE wrestler proposing to Hudson the following year after seven months together.

David Jr. was born in August 2009.

Hudson and Otunga called it quits in November 2017 and settled their custody agreement in 2019 after a contentious legal battle.

The actress is currently in a relationship with Common.

This is a developing story…

The long-anticipated release of UFO files on Friday unveiled astonishing accounts from eyewitnesses who encountered inexplicable phenomena during the historic Apollo moon missions.

In a groundbreaking move, the US Department of War disclosed hundreds of pages filled with documents, photographs, and audio recordings that purportedly offer evidence of extraterrestrial sightings, tracing back to the 1940s.

This initial release, heralded as the first of several UFO file unveilings expected from the Pentagon this year, included transcripts from the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions to the moon.

The documents, along with a series of images captured by astronauts on the lunar surface, detailed numerous encounters with mysterious objects that seemed to maneuver around their lunar landers.

Specifically, during the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, astronauts Gene Cernan, Jack Schmitt, and Ron Evans reported witnessing a luminous object rotating and flashing rhythmically as it hovered in space, adding to the intrigue surrounding these otherworldly sightings.

Cernan said: ‘I’m looking at what – what Jack was talking about; and it’s definitely not a particle that’s nearby because there is another one I can look at and get a three-dimensional comparison with.’

‘It is a bright object, and it’s obviously rotating because it’s flashing. It’s way out in the distance, as I say, because there are particles that are close by and it’s obviously not one of those,’ the astronaut described.

‘It’s apparently rotating in a very rhythmic fashion because the flashes come around almost – almost on time. And it’s as we look back at the Earth, it’s up at about 11:00 about – oh, maybe 10 or 12 Earth diameters. I don’t know whether that does you any good, but there is something out there.’

A photo from the Apollo 17 moon landing that highlights three dots in the sky as seen from the moon’s surface

This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible

During the 1972 lunar landing, which was the last NASA time humans stepped on the moon’s surface, the crew of Apollo 17 also reported seeing multiple small objects moving near the spacecraft during their flight.

‘Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,’ Evans told the command center on Earth.

‘Roger. Understand,’ the center replied. ‘There’s a whole [bunch] of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window,’ Schmitt added.

Evans reported: ‘Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling.’

The astronauts revealed that right after they fired their thrusters to change direction, the crew began to see the bright particles and jagged, angular fragments drifting past the windows.

Jack says it looks like the ‘Fourth of July’ out Evans’ window, with big bright pieces tumbling slowly around the capsule.

The astronauts were also recorded describing the strange objects as pieces of something solid, not fluid, very bright, and mostly moving with the spacecraft but with occasional faster ones zipping by. Evans reported taking pictures of them.

Three years earlier, the Apollo 12 moon mission also reported strange sightings as they neared the lunar surface.

This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features highlighted areas above the horizon in which unidentified phenomena are visible

This archival photograph depicts the lunar surface as viewed from the landing site of Apollo 12. This image features a highlighted area of interest slightly to the right of the vertical axis of the frame, above the horizon, in which unidentified phenomena are visible

While looking through a special telescope known as the Alignment Optical Telescope, in the dark part of the sky, one astronaut in the lunar module reported seeing flashes of light and particles sailing past.

The three-man crew, which included Pete Conrad and Alan Bean in the lunar lander ‘Intrepid’ and Dick Gordon in the command module called ‘Yankee Clipper,’ said the objects appeared to come from behind the spacecraft, before moving quickly into space.

‘They really haul out of here and just press off at the stars,’ Bean said.

Multiple images from the Apollo 12 moon mission in 1969 released with the UFO files on Friday revealed bright objects off in space which were visible from the lunar surface.

The Daily Mail has reached out to NASA for comment regarding the UFO files release and the records from the Apollo missions. 

The recent arrest of two Israeli air force personnel on espionage charges has brought attention to Iran’s intensified attempts to infiltrate Israel’s military. These developments underscore Tehran’s strategy of recruiting operatives from within Israel’s ranks.

In the last 18 months, Israeli police, in coordination with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), have delved into over 20 espionage cases involving approximately 40 to 50 suspects. While most of these individuals remain detained, authorities suspect that several others may still be evading capture.

Captain Sefi Berger, part of the Israel Police’s Lahav International and Major Crimes Unit, which is responsible for probing Iranian espionage cases, explained to Fox News Digital that Iran’s primary interest lies in acquiring intelligence useful for planning attacks, along with details about high-profile individuals and other critical targets.

One notable arrest is that of Ami Gaydarov, who was taken into custody by Israeli authorities on March 9. He is suspected of collaborating with Iranian handlers to target a senior official. This arrest further illustrates the ongoing risks posed by Iranian espionage activities.

Payments vary widely. One network of seven suspects reportedly received about $300,000, while an Iron Dome reservist was allegedly paid $1,000 — and in some cases, even less.

“People may think they will get rich, but the money is not life-changing,” Berger said. “In one case last year involving two soldiers, one received just $21 and has been in prison for a year and a half.”

Iranian recruitment tactics include infiltrating WhatsApp and Facebook groups used by Israelis seeking freelance work, as well as pornography websites, where agents allegedly use compromising material to blackmail individuals into cooperating. Recruitment also relies on emotional manipulation of individuals whose moral judgment may be compromised.

“When recruiting a person, a relationship can develop between the handler and the spy. Sometimes the asset is looking for a father figure or a friend — someone who listens without judgment,” Berger said.

Former Shin Bet handler Gonen Ben Itzhak, who spent years recruiting sources within Palestinian society, told Fox News Digital that the issue is particularly serious, saying he has not previously seen so many attempts — and some successful cases — of spying against Israel.

Israel Police arresting a suspect in relation to Iranian espionage in Haifa. (Israel Police Spokesperson)

“The million-dollar question is who makes a good recruit. We don’t have a clear answer. There are certain indicators that someone may be more susceptible. The Iranians use social media — something we didn’t have in the same way — and it’s a powerful tool to identify potential motives,” he said.

As a handler, Ben Itzhak said he sought to recruit as many viable candidates as possible while avoiding individuals likely to attract suspicion, such as known criminals. He described the process as gradual and often uncertain.

“At first, they need to agree to meet in secret. Sometimes they come but won’t share information. I would start with simple questions — who leads Hamas in their village,” he said.

“Sometimes it takes time. Some refuse to cooperate, some may even act as double agents. In many cases, they are trained to collect information without being exposed. It’s a process,” Ben Itzhak added.

Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

On Friday, indictments were filed against an Israeli civilian and three soldiers arrested in March on suspicion of working for Iranian intelligence and carrying out security-related missions under its direction before enlisting in the IDF.

As part of the alleged operations, the defendants documented and sent their handlers photos and videos of locations including train stations, shopping centers and security cameras, and were at one point instructed to purchase weapons. They also allegedly transferred documents from the Air Force Technical School, where some of the suspects had studied.

In March, 22-year-old Haifa resident Ami Gaydarov was arrested on suspicion of manufacturing explosives intended to target a senior Israeli figure at the direction of an Iranian agent.

A billboard depicting Iran’s supreme leaders since 1979, from left to right, Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026) and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent), is displayed above a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026. Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as its supreme leader on March 9, 2026. (AFP/Via Getty Images)

Last month, a man from the Israeli-Arab city of Qalansawe was detained on suspicion of allegedly spying for “a hostile actor, mediated through the Al Jazeera channel.” According to the investigation, Miqdad Moder Hosni Natur made contact with his handler after being introduced while searching for job opportunities through the Qatari-owned news organization.

Under Israeli law, contact with a foreign agent carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Providing intelligence can result in more than 10 years’ imprisonment, while aiding the enemy during wartime carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment and, in extreme cases, the death penalty.

Berger also warned against attempts by Israelis to deceive foreign agents, stressing that any contact is a serious offense.

“We had a hotel worker near the Dead Sea who falsely told Iranians that a group of Israelis would arrive. He said it was a lie, but I explained he had effectively put a target on that hotel, its staff and guests, and encouraged an attack,” Berger said.

“People unfamiliar with this world should not engage in it. Contact is an offense, providing information is an offense, and aiding the enemy is the most severe,” he added.

Israeli citizen Moti Maman stands in a courtroom after he was accused by Israeli security services of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot targeting prominent people including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Beersheba District Court in southern Israel, Sept. 19, 2024. (Reuters/Stringer )

While most suspects remain in custody awaiting trial, some cases are advancing through the courts.

One concluded case involved 70-year-old Moti Maman, who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison after twice entering Iran, where he met with intelligence agents to discuss carrying out terrorist activity in Israel. He also discussed the possibility of assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Former Mossad operative Gad Shimron told Fox News Digital that while the espionage efforts have caused damage, their impact appears tactical rather than strategic. However, he cautioned against complacency.

“The electronic Iron Dome is trying to catch Israelis willing to work for the Iranians, and I believe it is quite efficient,” he said. “But one should never underestimate the enemy. I am sure they are investing a lot of effort and that they have some successes we don’t yet know of.”

Chet Hanks, son of the renowned actor Tom Hanks, has traded the glitz of Hollywood for a more rustic lifestyle. Now pursuing a career in country music, Chet has settled in Nashville and embraced a life on wheels, living in an RV.

During a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the 35-year-old artist shared his unconventional housing choice. He explained that after furnishing a condo in Los Angeles, he was reluctant to go through the process again when he relocated to Tennessee.

“I just didn’t want to get an apartment,” he confided during the April 29 interview. Chet found that renting homes quickly became tiresome and decided to opt for the simplicity and mobility of an RV.

His new home on wheels provides him with all the essentials he needs, offering a unique blend of comfort and freedom as he embarks on this new chapter in his life.

He, instead, got set up in an RV, which has “everything [he] need[s].”

Chet explained, “I just like having my own space. I got my kitchen. I got a walk-in shower — that’s a big deal in trailers.”

He clarified that the trailer park he resides in is far from “sketchy,” including primarily “retirees.”

“I’m probably the youngest person in the trailer park by 30 or 40 years,” Chet quipped, dubbing his neighbors “good people.”

This is a developing story…

Apollo 17 astronaut compared UAP fragments to ‘Fourth of July fireworks’

On Friday, the Trump administration unveiled a highly anticipated collection of UFO files, making public an array of videos, photos, and documents concerning Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) that had remained unseen until now.

These records were made accessible on the Department of War’s official site following President Donald Trump’s directive to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to declassify materials related to UFOs and purported alien activities.

Among the most remarkable findings were visual and textual materials from NASA’s Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 lunar missions. A photograph captured on the moon’s surface intriguingly shows three unidentified spots floating in the sky’s dark expanse above the moon.

Additionally, a transcript from the Apollo 17 mission revealed astronauts conversing about enigmatic objects seen moving close to their spacecraft during the journey.

“Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” one astronaut reported to mission control, highlighting the mysterious sightings.

Another replied: ‘There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window.’

In recent weeks, the news cycle has been relentless, and one significant story from Chicago hasn’t received the attention it deserves. Today, let’s delve into a case that starkly reveals systemic issues, highlighting the heavy toll on both Chicago’s citizens and its police force.

This is the story of Alphanso Talley, a 26-year-old with a criminal history tracing back to his juvenile years—records of which remain sealed. Talley now stands accused of murdering Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and severely injuring another officer. Critics argue that his presence on the streets at the time of the crime is a direct consequence of the Illinois SAFE-T Act, which introduced cashless bail in 2021.

Talley’s legal troubles are numerous and complex, with overlapping cases that can be difficult to untangle. In April 2025, he was charged with armed carjacking and robbery in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Despite the serious nature of these charges, Talley was released in December 2025, placed under electronic monitoring while awaiting trial.

Cook County Circuit Judge John Lyke Jr. was responsible for Talley’s release during a December hearing, stating, “There’s no doubt these bails would have been set at monetary amounts that he presumably couldn’t afford.” His decision reflects the ongoing debate over the effects of the cashless bail system.

On April 25, 2026, police responded to a shooting near Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital in Chicago. The incident involved Alphanso Talley, whose booking photo has been provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. The scene was captured by John J. Kim of the Chicago Tribune, highlighting the gravity of the situation.

Skip forward to March 8, 2026. Talley is accused of violating the curfew on his ankle monitor and not just a little bit. He stayed out all night. In fact, because he did not return home, he did not charge his ankle monitor and the battery went dead, prosecutors say. That generated an alert, which told the Cook County Chief Judge’s office that “the individual’s whereabouts are unknown.” No one went and picked up Talley.

More than 48 hours later, pretrial services notified Judge Lyke that the ankle monitor went dead and Talley missed a court appearance. Lyke then signed an arrest warrant. No one went and picked up Talley. 

Saturday morning, April 25, 2026, one minute after the Family Dollar store opened, Talley and a man alleged as his accomplice, 18-year-old Jeron Tate, followed cashier Maria Velazquez inside, prosecutors allege. Velazquez was robbed at gunpoint and beaten with the pistol so severely her nose was broken. The bruises on her face are punctuated by a knot on her head the size of a golf ball and she can’t sleep.

“I wake up early in the morning, I’m sleeping and I can see his face. I see his face and I can’t sleep,” she said in Spanish to our Fox affiliate in Chicago. For obvious reasons, the single mother of three feared for her life. “If I would have died, what would happen to my children? They are still so young and they depend on me.” 

Now, Velazquez has learned that Talley was a frequent visitor of the criminal courts. “They kept letting him out, knowing he had a criminal history. Why did they let him free?” she asked. “This would have never happened. The police officer would not have died.”

John Bartholomew was shot and killed on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital in Chicago. (Chicago Police Department)

Talley was picked up a short time after the Family Dollar was robbed and Velazquez was beaten. No stranger to arrest, Talley executed a trick he had used in previous arrests, police say. The affidavit shows he claimed he had eaten five bags of drugs and needed to be hospitalized because he was having trouble breathing. It’s unclear how he was able to smuggle a gun into the hospital. But, it came out in court that Talley was allowed some privacy when it came time to remove his pants and put on the hospital gown.

Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara said that after metal handcuffs were removed so a CT scan could be conducted, Talley reached under a blanket and fatally shot Officer John Bartholomew in the face. Bartholomew’s partner was shot in the chin, leaving him in critical condition.

Pekara said Talley robbed a hospital staff member of his ID, shot out glass doors at the hospital and set off running practically naked with the hospital gown around his neck and electric monitors still stuck to his chest. 

Talley was found hiding under a porch and arrested for the second time that day.

On May 1, a hearing got underway at the Cook County criminal courts building to determine if, this time, Talley should be held in jail pre-trial. His family members filled at least two rows in the courtroom and shouted to Talley that they loved him. Talley interacted with them so much that a sheriff’s deputy hovered over him and Cook County Circuit Judge D’Anthony Thedford admonished him to stop “giggling” while beginning the criminal proceedings for killing a police officer.

Alphanso Talley allegedly killed Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew on Saturday. (Chicago Police Department and Cook County Sheriff’s Office)

When the hearing was over and Talley ordered jailed, I was able to ask John Catanzara, head of the Chicago police union, if Bartholomew would be alive were it not for the SAFE-T Act.

“Yes, it’s just a simple reality,” Catanzara answered. “I mean he wouldn’t have qualified for parole. He would not have qualified for electronic monitoring. He would have had a cash bond that he would not have been able to meet for those extremely violent offenses. So, that alone, the cashless bail let him out and gave him the ability to be out on the street terrorizing.”

“The electronic monitoring system is broken,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke. “Electronic monitoring is not an alternative to detention. It does not keep people safe.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who championed the SAFE-T Act, blamed Judge Lyke without naming him. “In most cases where Republicans have complained about the SAFE-T Act it’s actually been a bad decision by an elected judge,” said Pritzker. “A judge should have made the decision to keep that person in jail.” 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has called incarceration a “sickness,” went back to a familiar refrain against jailing criminals. “Look, we’ve had an addiction on jails and incarceration. More people get locked up in our country than anywhere else in the world. And yet, we have illegal weapons that flow through our streets and we have a lack of mental health support,” said Johnson.

“He’s a sickness and addiction that’s going to be gone in less than a year,” Catanzara responded. “And it can’t come soon enough. I didn’t think it could get worse with [Former Chicago Mayor Lori] Lightfoot, but we got dumber and just more racist and ignorant.”

Police responded to a shooting at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital in Chicago on April 25, 2026. (WFLD)

“We have a mayor of the City of Chicago saying that he doesn’t think this individual should be incarcerated,” Chicago Alderman James Gardiner said. “He’s an embarrassment.”

This is not an isolated incident. Lawrence Reed is a lifetime offender who was put on an ankle monitor. He also disregarded the curfew on his monitor. Court records show he had been out all night twice before Nov. 17, 2025. That night he violated his curfew again, boarded Chicago’s Blue Line train and set Bethany MaGee on fire, police say. Reed faces both state and federal charges.

Alderman Anthony Napolitano says nearly 1,000 people in Chicago are currently enrolled in Cook County’s troubled electronic monitoring program. “Empty jail cells are not a success when we have officers being attacked and shot constantly, and citizens being attacked constantly.”