As of Monday evening, Hurricane Genevieve, a powerful force in the Pacific Ocean, was making waves far from any coast, even as Tropical Storm Fausto lost strength but sent big swells crashing onto Hawaiian shores.

Early on Monday, Genevieve had swelled to a Category 5 hurricane, marking it as the first of such intensity in the East Pacific in two years, according to reports from the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasts suggested that Genevieve would steer clear of land, charting a path parallel to the Mexican coastline.

Packing a punch with sustained winds clocking in at 145 mph, Genevieve was monitored closely by the hurricane experts based in Miami.

The eye of Genevieve was positioned roughly 505 miles southwest of the Baja California peninsula’s southern extremity, advancing northwestward at a speed of 12 mph.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, but the hurricane center said that swells from the storm — likely causing “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” — were affecting parts of Mexico’s southwestern coast and the Baja California peninsula.

Genevieve was expected to fluctuate in intensity before weakening later in the week.

Farther northwest in the Pacific, Hurricane Fausto weakened to a tropical storm Monday evening as it continued on a path in the general direction of the Hawaiian Islands.

Forecasters said Fausto is expected to pass north of Hawaii, but residents should still monitor the progress of the storm for impacts

Large surf and strong currents were increasing on east-facing shores along Hawaii’s islands, the hurricane center said.

Fausto had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.

It was centered about 415 miles east-northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and traveling west-northwest at 16 mph.

James Comey, the former Director of the FBI, has made a formal request to a federal judge to throw out a criminal indictment against him. The indictment accuses him of allegedly making threats to harm President Donald Trump.

Comey challenges the legitimacy of the case, arguing that it defies ‘dictionaries, context, precedent, and common sense,’ dubbing it a ‘seashell-based federal case.’

The crux of the controversy is an Instagram post by Comey, his defense team explains, featuring seashells meticulously arranged on sand to form the numbers ’86 47.’ His lawyers insist this arrangement fails as evidence of a ‘true threat’ aimed at Trump, necessary for a criminal indictment.

According to Comey’s legal advisors, the combination ’86 47′ is a widely recognized political slogan that voices criticism of the president. For this reason, they claim it’s a form of political speech safeguarded by the First Amendment. 

His attorneys argue that ‘no reasonable observer’ viewing the post would deduce any violent intentions, much less imagine Comey himself posing a threat to the President. This assertion refutes claims made by Trump and his supporters.

Comey’s post was ‘mere political hyperbole, not a true threat,’ said the filing, submitted to the Eastern District of North Carolina. He faces federal trial in October.

In April, Trump slammed ‘dirty cop’ Comey for posting the number 86, which he said is a ‘mob term for “kill him.”‘

‘The mob uses that term to say, when they kill somebody, they say “86 that son of a gun” … They use another term, but that’s a mob term for killing,’ Trump explained.

Pressed on whether the post made him fear for his life, Trump said, ‘Probably, I don’t know.’

The phrase 86 generally refers to removing or getting rid of. And 47 refers to Trump being the 47th President. Past postings of the numerals by other political figures are now being resurfaced in light of the Comey case.

The motion to dismiss comes more than a year after Comey posted a photo of the shell arrangement on his Instagram page. 

He said he had encountered it while on a walk with his wife in North Carolina, and captioned the post: ‘Cool shell formation on my beach walk.’ Within hours, the post sparked intense backlash, and Comey removed it. 

Comey has denied any wrongdoing in posting the photo last year, noting at the time that his wife associated it with her time as a restaurant server, where the term ’86’ means taking something off the menu.

The former FBI director has maintained that the accusations and charges are the result of political animus by the commander-in-chief and his ‘bottomless desire’ to exact retribution against his public critics.

His lawyers echoed as much in their motion to dismiss. The government ‘now singles out Mr. Comey to prosecute one of the President’s most prominent critics for publishing another person’s statement of political opposition,’ they said. 

‘That attempt to suppress core political speech contravenes both the statutes at issue and the First Amendment.’

The filing, submitted to the Eastern District of North Carolina, marks the second time in as many years that Comey’s lawyers have sought to dismiss federal criminal charges that were brought against him during Trump’s second presidential term.

Comey was indicted last September in the Eastern District of Virginia on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction stemming from his testimony to lawmakers in 2020.

The charges were dismissed by a federal judge in November, who ruled that Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s former personal lawyer who brought the criminal case, was unlawfully appointed to the role. 

The court fight comes as Comey and Trump have sparred very publicly for years since Trump’s first presidential term.

Trump fired Comey in 2017, years before the end of his 10-year tenure as FBI director. 

Comey, in the years that followed, emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent and unsparing public critics – blasting him in his memoir and in congressional hearings as both unethical and ‘untethered to truth.’ 

If the seashell-based criminal case moves to trial, and Comey is convicted, he could face up to a decade in prison and up to $250,000 in criminal fines.

It is unclear if, or when, the federal judge in North Carolina might move on Comey’s motion to dismiss. A federal judge in Washington, DC, recently ruled that demonstrators whose flag had the same ’86 47′ message did not have to take it down, writing that ‘no reasonable observer could have viewed’ the numerical phrase as ‘a threat to the president’s life or physical safety.’

Martin Lederman, a Georgetown Law professor and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, echoed this skepticism on Monday.

‘This should be one of the most easily and swiftly granted motions ever,’ Lederman said on social media, sharing a link to the full motion to dismiss. ‘The indictment is an embarrassment.’

A wave of violent assaults targeting Christians in Egypt, coupled with the arrest of a man who converted from Islam to Christianity, has drawn international attention. The U.S. State Department has publicly called for Egypt, a predominantly Muslim country, to uphold the right to religious freedom for all its citizens.

The plight of Egypt’s Christian minority is not only a critical issue for religious liberty but also has wider implications for the nation, which is a significant recipient of American aid, receiving $1.3 billion annually. Thus, the international spotlight on Egypt continues to intensify.

Raymond Ibrahim, a noted expert on the dynamics of Christian communities within the Muslim world, highlights on the Gatestone Institute’s website the case of Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek. As a high-profile example of religious persecution, Abdelrazek’s story underscores the broader struggles for religious freedom in Egypt, as his case has gained significant attention.

Converting to Christianity back in 2016, Abdelrazek has since endured relentless persecution, including years of harassment, arrest, and mistreatment. His case took a dire turn on April 13 when prosecutors advanced the matter to a terrorism court. His defense team has faced obstruction, being denied access to crucial case documents. Despite these challenges, Abdelrazek remains detained, and advocacy groups report he has been subjected to torture, physical abuse, deprivation of necessary medical treatment, and repeated trial delays.

In another case, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) reported that a mob of Muslims tossed stones at a church in Upper Egypt on July 8, injuring Christians and causing damage to the building and a priest’s car.

Just days later, a group of men attacked the Rev. Matta Roushdy, 49, a priest at the Virgin Mary and St. Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church in Dahab, South Sinai Governorate.

A State Department spokesperson told News Media that President Donald Trump has stated, “America will always defend the right of every person to live out their faith openly, freely, and without fear.” The spokesperson added, “Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. We aspire for all others to enjoy the same freedom, protection, and benefits.”

However, there has been some progress in combating bias against Coptic Christians. The organization Coptic Solidarity wrote last week that a breakthrough unfolded with respect to the alleged longstanding discrimination against Coptic athletes in soccer.

“In an unprecedented move, Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that its investigation found sufficient evidence of misconduct by a coach at Alexandria’s Al-Ittihad Club who allegedly excluded a junior football player, Makari Younan, because of his Christian name,” the organization announced.

It added, “The decision deserves recognition. Whether motivated by public pressure or a genuine policy shift, the Ministry’s response represents a notable departure from the longstanding official tendency to dismiss such allegations.”

The organization continued, “It appears to be the first official acknowledgment that discrimination against Copts in Egyptian sport is not merely an allegation raised by disappointed families or human rights organizations, but a matter requiring government intervention.”

Open Doors, a global organization that aids persecuted Christians around the world, said of the attack on the priest, “These types of attacks are usually committed by members of radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Their statement added, “Their actions reflect a broader anti-Christian sentiment, especially in rural and village societies across the country where weak law enforcement leaves Christians vulnerable to attack. Though violent cases like this have decreased in the last decade, these attacks will continue until the state takes anti-Christian fanaticism as seriously as it deserves.”

News Media sent multiple press query emails to the Egyptian embassies in Washington and Tel Aviv and called the embassy in Washington.

Dalia Ziada, an Egyptian Middle East scholar and research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, told News Media, “These cases represent only a small fraction of what Coptic Christians endure in Egypt every day. We are speaking about a population of more than 20 million Egyptians. On paper, they are labeled a minority. In reality, they are at the essence of Egyptian identity. They are the preservers of the country’s history and cultural memory.”

According to Ziada, “Women and Coptic Christians constitute President El-Sisi’s most important political base. These were the two vulnerable groups that felt most threatened by the Muslim Brotherhood in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. They strongly supported El-Sisi then, and they continue to support him today. Consequently, he must maintain the appearance of protecting and pleasing them by visiting their church on Christmas every year. But beyond that, nothing is actually happening to make them less vulnerable.”

The U.S. State Department 2025 report on Christians depicts a bleak situation for the Egyptian Christian community. The community makes up an estimated 10% of the nation’s 120 million people.

According to the State Department report on Egyptian Christians, “Despite efforts for greater representation, Christians remain underrepresented in senior positions across the public sector. Currently, only two Christians – the minister of local development and the minister of parliamentary affairs – serve in Egypt’s 31-member cabinet,” wrote the State Department, adding: “Of 27 appointed governors, only one is Christian. In the senate, 24 Christians (17 elected and seven appointed) hold seats, out of 300 senators. One serves as deputy speaker. A Coptic Christian is the head of the constitutional court. No Christian serves as president of any of the country’s 27 public universities. Employment discrimination against Christians – especially within the security services, judiciary, and senior civil service – remains a significant issue.”

According to an April 29 Christian Today report, a Coptic Christian YouTuber, Augustinos Samaan, was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting Islam because he published videos defending the Christian faith.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has chimed in on the speculation surrounding Christian Pulisic’s potential move to New York City FC, encouraging the U.S. soccer sensation to consider the switch and “spread your wings” in MLS.

Garber shared his thoughts during a segment on “One Nation With Brian Kilmeade” on Fox News. The discussion revolved around the league’s trajectory following the completion of the World Cup.

Interest in Pulisic from NYCFC initially emerged in June. During an interview with The Post, the club’s CEO, Brad Sims, confirmed their keen interest in signing the Pennsylvania-born star, reinforcing the rumors.

As NYCFC anticipates relocating to a new stadium in Queens next year, Garber expressed support for the club’s pursuit of the high-profile player.

“Signing Christian Pulisic would be a remarkable move for them,” Garber stated. “I believe he would thrive in our league, and that the league could offer him significant opportunities. Think of this as a chance for him to replicate what Landon Donovan achieved—coming to MLS, becoming a star, and being close to home in Pennsylvania. I truly hope they make it happen.”

Pulisic’s contract with his current club, AC Milan, runs through June 2027 and the club holds an option to extend the deal another year. 

AC Milan has also said that they are not interested in moving Pulisic, which Sims acknowledged in his conversation with The Post in June, but it’s unclear how much longer Pulisic is interested in staying with the Italian club. 

Speaking earlier this month at an MLS media event in midtown Manhattan, Sims told reporters that the club is “believers that Christian is going to want to play in MLS, wants to be back home.” 

“At whatever point in time that is, we would think and hope that New York City FC would be very high on his list of teams that he would want to play for,” he said. 

While Pulisic has been one of the biggest names in American soccer, he struggled during the World Cup and faced criticism for his play during the tournament, which saw the U.S. men’s national team eliminated in embarrassing fashion in the Round of 16 by the Belgians.