Two men have been taken into custody after allegedly duping an 85-year-old man from Washington, D.C., into surrendering over $200,000 in gold bars. Authorities revealed this during a Friday announcement.

Identified as Chu Lin, 50, from Fresh Meadows, New York, and Xiean Cheng, 42, from Cornelius, North Carolina, the suspects were apprehended when they reportedly arrived at the elderly man’s residence to retrieve the gold, said the Metropolitan Police Department.

The pair are facing charges of second-degree financial fraud.

The fraudulent activity commenced on July 8 when the scammers first reached out to the victim through email, followed by phone calls, all while masquerading as officials from a federal agency, the police detailed.

The scammers allegedly told the victim that funds in his bank account were “in jeopardy of being lost” unless he secured the money by purchasing gold bars and turning them over.

Believing the scheme was legitimate, the victim attempted to purchase more than $200,000 worth of gold bars before the gold dealer recognized the apparent scam and alerted him, police said.

EXCLUSIVE: FBI ADDS ALLEGED COVID FRAUDSTER ACCUSED OF TAKING $5M FROM KIDS’ MEAL PROGRAM TO MOST WANTED LIST

“Thinking that the scam was legitimate, the victim attempted to purchase over $200,000 worth of gold bars and was alerted by the gold dealer that he was being scammed,” police said.

The gold dealer then alerted MPD’s Financial and Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI, according to authorities.

When the alleged scammers later arrived at the victim’s home to retrieve the gold bars, officers with MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division arrested Lin and Cheng, police said.

In a candid revelation, a food critic from Tennessee disclosed that she recently endured a grueling battle with cyclosporiasis. This intestinal illness plagued her for nearly a month, tying her to the bathroom out of sheer necessity.

Christina Hart, 29, well-known as the host of “The Locally Owned Series” on TikTok, shared her troubling experience with her sizable audience of almost 160,000. Initially, Hart thought she was dealing with a typical case of food poisoning or perhaps a stomach virus, only to discover that she was indeed infected by the parasite notorious for causing “explosive diarrhea.”

“If I had to describe the experience in one word, it would be ‘miserable’,” Hart confessed in an interview with USA Today.

Enduring a week filled with unsettling stomach issues, Hart finally sought medical attention to identify the root cause.

“I went for tests,” she explained. “I had seen reports about cyclosporiasis, and recognized my symptoms. It made me insist on being tested for it. Sure enough, the results came back positive,” she recounted.

“I was sick for three weeks with it. And then around the three-and-a-half-week mark, I started feeling better.”

Despite seeing the headlines about the “diarrhea parasite” exploding across the US, sickening over 22,000 people, Hart was unaware of how severe the illness could be.

“The timestamps in between having to go (to the bathroom) was just a little extreme for me,” she said.

“That kind of stopped me from just living my everyday life because I was scared to go out in public.”

Hart explained that during her bout of the parasitic illness, she was “scared to go out in public,” because “you lose complete control” over your bodily functions.

“It’s not a fun experience…you will need to be near a restroom if you have it,” she quipped.

After battling with cyclosporiasis for almost a month, Hart now feels “fantastic” and “completely normal,” but stressed that the food-borne illness that is believed to have stemmed from tainted iceberg lettuce is “very uncomfortable.”

She explained that despite not eating much throughout the ordeal, she dealt with severe bloating and lost 17 pounds.

The TikTok food critic initially thought her “explosive diarrhea” diagnosis would impact her social-media career as she had to put her social media show on pause, which was “kind of depressing.”

However, the cyclosporiasis battle ended up launching her toward more “success,” she said.

The “whole parasite thing flipped everything upside down and then launched it into even more success,” the influencer said, adding that a lot of her viewers initially reached out wondering where she went when she stopped posting.

“It’s not the most pleasant thing to be like, ‘Well, I’m stuck in the bathroom,” she told the outlet.

But “a lot of doors kind of opened unexpectedly through this miserable experience, so I’m grateful for it,” Hart added.

“I hated the whole experience, but now I’m finding the blessing in (it).”

The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed more than 10,000 lab-tested cases of cyclosporiasis across the US, which has claimed the lives of two Michigan residents.

The total number of cases throughout the US, however, is much higher — with many states, including the hardest-hit Wolverine State, using different testing protocols that have indicated much higher figures of the foodborne illness.

Leftist Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed finds himself under fire after comments resurfaced hinting at his disdain for Mackinac Island, a treasured vacation destination in Michigan.

Following his victory over moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens in Tuesday’s primary, El-Sayed has become a rising star in liberal circles, amassing over $2.3 million in just 48 hours post-win.

Yet, the candidate, who enjoys backing from Bernie Sanders, is engulfed in controversy over a 2018 video that recently went viral, where he expresses dislike for the picturesque island, nestled nearly 300 miles north of Detroit, close to the Canadian frontier.

The video, dating back to his gubernatorial campaign, features El-Sayed lamenting the prospect of spending time on Mackinac Island, where the state governor traditionally gets a seasonal residence.

‘It’s funny,’ he remarked, ‘because, like, if we win, this will be, like, the summer home. I’m just standing here thinking, every time I’ve ever come here, I’ve hated it. Why am I here?’

El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, has pounced on the resurfaced gaffe, posting multiple photos of himself and his wife enjoying time on the island. 

‘There’s no place like Mackinac,’ wrote Rogers, captioning a photo of himself and his wife enjoying ice cream on the island. 

El-Sayed, who Donald Trump has already referred to as a ‘communist loser’ – has clumsily doubled down on the statement, having responded to a social media account that referred to Mackinac as ‘the most American place in Michigan.’

‘Not sure about “End Wokeness,” but I don’t think the most “American place in MI” can be a place that…bans cars,’ he said in an apparent reference to Michigan’s history as an auto production powerhouse. 

Cars have been banned from the island since the 1890s, with the only option for travel by foot, bicycle or horse-drawn carriage.  

El-Sayed lost Mackinac County in the primary to Stevens by four points, though only around 1,400 people voted. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the El-Sayed campaign for comment.

Conservative strategists have long wanted El-Sayed as the opponent for Rogers, who ran unopposed after an early Trump endorsement cleared the GOP field.

El-Sayed is wasting no time, challenging Rogers to five debates.

‘We took on a machine,’ he told supporters in Detroit. ‘The power of our many is greater than the power of their money.’

Stevens telephoned him on Wednesday morning to concede and pledged her support.

Vice President JD Vance also jabbed at El-Sayed while giving remarks at the White House on Wednesday, saying that you never know what a future administration could look like, adding: ‘God forbid you’re gonna have President El-Sayed in three years.’

Michigan’s Senate seat, open because two-term Democrat Gary Peters is retiring, could decide control of the Senate. Republicans have not won a Michigan Senate race since 1994, though Rogers came within a whisker of beating Elissa Slotkin in 2024.

Jessica Anderson, president of the Sentinel Action Fund, which is backing Rogers, said the result ‘should make the choice easy in November,’ pitting ‘a far-Left socialist’ against ‘an America First leader.’

‘This election is no longer just Democrat versus Republican. It is socialism versus solutions,’ she added. Sentinel and its sister group Right Vote have committed a combined $15million to Michigan.

What polling forecasted to be a double-digit thumping turned out to be a squeaker of a result that left nail-biting Democrats anxious and angry. The New York Times estimated El-Sayed would ultimately win by 1.5 percentage points, based on more than 90 percent of the vote that’s been counted. 

Even before the primary night call, Republicans signaled they were savoring a fight with El-Sayed, a 41-year-old doctor, born and raised in Michigan. 

Rogers was caught on tape saying he would be ‘in good shape’ in a general election against El-Sayed. 

And even Democrats impressed with El-Sayed’s raw talent are raising concerns he can pull together a broad enough coalition to win in November.

‘He enters the general election trailing his Republican opponent in the gold standard MI poll, in a state Biden won in 2020 while other Democrats are posting leads over Republicans in states Trump won by double digits,’ wrote Adam Jentleson, a Democratic strategist, forecasting what soon awaits El-Sayed. 

‘I believe Abdul can win because he is so talented. But it is also not irrational to worry,’ he added.

El-Sayed’s lead had shriveled through the night as votes crawled in from Wayne County, home to Detroit and the state’s biggest prize.

Rogers is not a novelty opponent. He came within 19,000 votes of Elissa Slotkin in 2024, losing 48.6 to 48.3 – just three-tenths of a point – in the same cycle Trump carried Michigan.

Ashley Garibay

Dale Schultz

Christopher Claunch

What we know about the shooting

According to emerging insights from U.S. intelligence, Russian President Vladimir Putin may contemplate an offensive against a NATO ally in the foreseeable future. This potential move is seen as an attempt to dismantle the alliance’s structure formed after World War II and to challenge the core of its collective defense principle, Article 5.

In previous analyses, U.S. intelligence believed Putin would refrain from targeting a NATO member while engaged in the Ukraine conflict. However, with Ukraine gaining ground, indications are emerging from the U.S. and Europe that the Russian leader is looking to test NATO’s resolve. This shift in strategy was highlighted in a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Recent incidents adding to these concerns include a drone striking an apartment building in Romania and cruise missiles landing in Polish territory, both of which are NATO countries.

NATO’s Article 5 is foundational, declaring that an attack against one ally is considered an assault on all member nations.

The assessment said it would likely be a limited attack that could range anywhere from a cyberattack to a small-scale land incursion and would likely be focused on the Baltics or Poland.

The attack could happen any time between this fall and 2029, the assessment said.

“The question mark is how the United States would respond in that case,” Heather Conley, senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, told the Journal. “It has always been a goal [of Russia’s] to challenge the credibility of NATO and to separate the United States from its allies.”

The assessment also comes amid claims the United States’ munitions stockpile has been depleted by arms sent to support Ukraine and due to the war in Iran.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, however, called those claims false.

“We have everything required to strike at the time and place of the president’s choosing,” Parnell told the Journal. “Across multiple combatant commands, we have already executed successful operations while maintaining a deep, ready arsenal to defend our people and our interests. Any adversary who confuses media noise with American weakness will discover the truth the hard way.”

A land incursion was deemed the least likely because it would trigger Article 5, but it’s unclear what the response would be to something like a cyberattack.

“This has always been NATO’s challenge to respond to a sub-Article 5 attack, and it’s been very true that to this point, NATO allies have preferred not to escalate,” Conley told the Journal.

News Media has reached out to NATO for comment.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, a NATO spokesman, told the Journal, “We are always thinking through and preparing for any number of scenarios. NATO is watching, and we are ready to deter and defend as necessary, which we continue to demonstrate.”

In a thrilling display of athleticism seen in the Double-A Southern League, one of the most stunning catches of the year in professional baseball unfolded on Friday night.

Mark Coley II, a promising talent in the Brewers’ lineup, dazzled fans by robbing a home run with remarkable flair, thwarting a homer by one of baseball’s top-100 prospects, in what may be one of the most outstanding plays of the 2026 season.

In his fourth Double-A appearance, Eric Hartman—a celebrated Braves outfielder ranked 73rd overall and the second-highest prospect on MLB Pipeline—brought his impressive record from High-A, where he belted 24 homers, and launched a powerful drive deep into right-center field at Synovus Park in Columbus, Georgia.

Stationed at center field, Coley pursued the soaring ball until it neared the wall. Timing his leap perfectly, he reached for the descending shot, making contact with his glove at the critical moment.

However, Coley’s initial attempt wasn’t enough to secure the catch, as he inadvertently knocked the ball onto the warning track in a heart-stopping moment.

As he fell to the dirt, though, Coley caught the ball with his glove while on his backside for what was an incredible F8 putout in the scorebook.

Coley helped save his starter, Manuel Rodriguez, who would have served up back-to-back-to-back home runs had the catch not been made.

It harkened back to Nationals center fielder Jacob Young, who made a circus catch at the wall — using his foot to catch a rebound — last September against the Mets’ Brett Baty.

Dewayne Wise, notably in 2009, saved White Sox hurler Mark Buehrle’s perfect game with a near-identical catch as Coley, though Wise caught his second effort with the bare hand.

Hartman later did get a measure of revenge, doubling to center on a play Coley was unable to catch.

Coley didn’t factor in at the plate for Double-A Biloxi in an 0-for-3 night during a 4-2 loss, but his defense turned plenty of heads.

Royce White has announced his intent to enter next year’s WNBA Draft, marking him as the second former NBA player to make such a declaration amidst the ongoing debate around transgender athletes in sports.

This development follows Enes Kanter Freedom’s similar announcement. Standing at 6ft 10in, Freedom played in the NBA for 11 seasons and revealed his plans to join the WNBA just last Friday.

White, currently pursuing the Republican Senate nomination in Minnesota, shared with Fox News Digital his new transgender identity and expressed his eagerness to compete alongside talents such as Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham in the upcoming season.

He declared, “I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for the purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027 as well.”

Expressing confidence in his abilities, White said, “I think I’d be unstoppable. But I’m a team-first guy. I’m a pass-first kind of player. I do the little things. I led my team in all five major stat categories at Iowa State University, so I do a little bit of everything.”

‘I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do. I’ll do whatever the girls need me to do.’

White, a former first-round draft pick who only played three games in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, insisted that only the WNBA releasing ‘a definitive statement about guys with a pair of b**** playing in the Women’s Association’ could stop him.

‘I don’t want to be discriminated against,’ he continued. ‘I want fair treatment. I’m a young black, hopefully United States Senator, that would like a fair chance to participate as a sometimes-identifying-as-a-transgender-woman athlete.’

He also vowed to wear a wig while he’s playing and said WNBA players will have ‘nightmares… and they should’ about him potentially competing against them.

‘I am 260 pounds, 6ft 8, can palm a men’s basketball probably as easily as any player in history,’ White, 35, continued. ‘I think I had the third biggest hands in the history of the modern NBA Draft combine. I really feel like I’m going to be dominant.’

When asked if he would use the women’s locker room in the WNBA, he replied: ‘Of course. I don’t want to be discriminated against. Why wouldn’t I use the women’s locker room?

‘I have great respect for the skill of women’s basketball. They have to play a much more skilled game because they don’t have some of the physical God-given abilities as the men.

‘So I have great respect for the women’s game but there is a significant difference between biological men and women and we’ve blurred that line, like we’ve blurred many other lines unnecessarily, and I plan to exploit that for my economic and athletic benefit.’ 

White’s declaration comes amid an ongoing culture war within the WNBA, sparked by Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham after she said in an interview with ESPN that she wants to ‘protect young girls’ from ‘biological men’ in sports.

Since making the comments, the sports world has been left divided. 

While some, such as Riley Gaines and Stephen A. Smith, have seemingly sided with the Fever star, others have openly criticized her and booed her on the court. 

Recently, the bitter culture war deepened after Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams claimed she would happily welcome a trans player to her team.

‘I think trans rights, right now, is our new battle,’ Williams said in a recent interview, adding: ‘We see people’s trans rights being stripped away from them; there’s a lot of discourse around trans athletes and what they can compete in.

‘I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime,’ Williams added. ‘I don’t think it’s a problem in the world.’ 

In the wake of Cunningham’s comments, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve made her feelings on the topic extremely clear on Sunday – after opting to wear a ‘Trans Kids Belong’ t-shirt on the sidelines of their game against the Fever. 

Freedom shared his own declaration for the WNBA Draft with his fans through a post on social media on Friday afternoon.

In a video, the former New York Knicks and Boston Celtics star said: ‘After careful consideration and reviewing the current eligibility guidelines, I’m officially declaring myself a @WNBA prospect.

‘If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.

‘My team and I have carefully examined the WNBA’s eligibility criteria and governing framework surrounding self-identification and inclusion. Based on the current guidelines, I can and am officially declaring my eligibility for the upcoming WNBA draft in April 2027.

‘I know my presence on the court will stir up strong opinions. I am definitely not here to mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices.

‘I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone – the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for.

‘My team and I are prepared to ensure these guidelines are applied equally, consistently, and without exception, and I look forward to the #WNBA honoring its stated principles. See you at training camp.’

The 34-year-old was previously picked third overall at the 2011 NBA Draft, before enjoying a career that took him to the Jazz, Thunder, Knicks, Trail Blazers and Celtics. He has not played a professional game since 2022.

Freedom’s post quickly went viral on social media as a number of political commentators threw their support behind the NBA veteran and his decision.

Riley Gaines was among those to respond to the post, writing: ‘Genius. Perfect. Waiting to see which WNBA team recruits’.

Similarly, Piers Morgan wrote on X: ‘Brilliant… now let’s see how keen the @WNBA stars are for men to play in their League.’

Clay Travis, meanwhile, who recently offered to pay $10 million to WNBA champions the Las Vegas Aces if they can beat a high school boys basketball team of his choosing, wrote: ‘Amazing. Well done.’