According to a retired FBI negotiator, the latest developments concerning the alleged first ransom note in the Nancy Guthrie case raise doubts about its authenticity as a legitimate ransom demand. The details appear misaligned with typical kidnapping scenarios.

“The swift request to end communication suggests an ulterior motive that diverges from a genuine ransom demand,” explained Jason Pack, a former supervisory agent with the FBI. “It’s not consistent with the usual dynamics of a kidnapping.”

Pack elaborated that authentic kidnappers typically strive to maintain open lines of communication. This strategy facilitates negotiation for ransom payments and preserves leverage over the victim’s family. Therefore, the reported call to cease contact comes across as highly unorthodox.

Pack emphasized, “The demand for no further negotiations stands out as a red flag. Real kidnappers aim to keep communication flowing to better negotiate terms.”

The sender did, however, incorporate known pressure tactics, including setting a deadline, making threats and telling the family that Guthrie knew what would happen if they failed to comply, Pack said.

But cutting off communication before the deadlines passed was also unusual, he added.

Guthrie was taken from her home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. She has not been seen since, and no proof of life was ever provided.

In a second purported ransom note, the sender indicated Guthrie had died soon after she was taken and been buried “with nature.”

New excerpts from what is reportedly the first note received by local media shed light on why Pack believes the communication departed from a traditional ransom demand.

Briana Whitney, who was working for the Phoenix-based AZ Family news outlet when the case broke, joined “Crime Junkie” host Ashley Flowers on Wednesday to discuss the note her former outlet received. “Crime Junkie” declined to share copies of the text.

“Hello Savannah, we have your mother Nancy,” she began, reading from what she said was the first note sent to local media. “She is safe but scared. She will be held for ransom, and once payment is received, she will be released unharmed. We will be holding her for a maximum of seven days.”

As previously conveyed by authorities, the sender gave two deadlines with increased money demands the longer it took.

“Once payment is received to the Bitcoin address below, she will be released within 12 hours of deposit to a safe drop-off location back in Tucson,” Whitney read. “If the payment is not received by the last deadline on Monday the 9th at 5 p.m., she will be killed. Your mother is aware of this, and her life is in your hands.”

The sender left no room for further dialogue.

“It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible,” the note reportedly continued. “You will not be able to contact me from here on out. There will be no negotiation. Do not play games. Law enforcement will not be able to help you.”

The note also included details that may have only been available to investigators and the suspect at the time, including the location of Guthrie’s Apple Watch and details about the smashed floodlight in her backyard — but even that is not enough to pin down kidnapping for ransom as a motive, Pack said.

“The details about the security camera and the spotlight that was out, that proves that they know what the home was like, what the environment may have been like, but it’s not a real proof of life,” he said.

In most ransom kidnappings, he said, the abductors will want to prove they have possession of the victim and that the victim is alive.

“All these things put together don’t seem really like they go with the kidnapping for ransom,” he said.

Investigators appear to be split on the notes’ authenticity. While one person has already pleaded guilty to sending an impostor ransom note to Guthrie’s other daughter, Annie, and her husband Tommaso Cioni, that case is not believed to be connected to the notes sent to local media stations.

“The FBI and its task force partners have received several ransom notes over the course of this investigation,” the FBI’s Phoenix office said in a statement in June. “Some have been deemed to be extortion attempts without legitimacy. Other ransom demands may potentially be legitimate and are still being investigated as such. This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case. The FBI has and will continue to offer all assistance possible in the investigation — however local authorities remain the lead.”

Some investigators said they were confident that the ransom demands are all bogus, while others are cautious about reaching that conclusion while Guthrie’s whereabouts remain unknown, federal law enforcement sources told Fox News and News Media. Still, the two notes that Whitney mentioned have been deemed potentially authentic by investigators and by the Guthrie family.

The only known suspect remains publicly unidentified — a masked intruder who appeared on Nest doorbell camera video that the FBI recovered with help from Google.

He is described as standing between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall with an average build. He was wearing a black Ozark Trail backpack. It remains unclear whether he acted alone.

The sum of rewards in the case is over $1.2 million.

Anyone with information is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Tucson’s Crime Stoppers affiliate at 520-88-CRIME.

In South Korea, the owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant could be facing both legal troubles and a hefty fine for serving an unconventional dish — ants atop sorbets. The potential penalty? A year behind bars and a financial sting of approximately $13,510.

While the Seoul eatery’s owner has confessed to the unusual culinary choice, ants are not on the list of insect species approved for human consumption under South Korea’s stringent Food Sanitation Act. According to the BBC, the law permits the consumption of ten different insect species, but ants aren’t among them.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stumbled upon this breach through discerning customers. Patrons took to social media and online reviews to express their surprise and curiosity about the ant-infused dish, sparking the investigation.

Interestingly, South Korean regulations embrace a diverse roster of insects for culinary use based on nutritional value. These include grasshoppers, mealworms, silkworm pupae, locusts, and two-spotted crickets, all deemed safe for dining.

However, prosecutors argue that the ants served contained alarmingly high levels of heavy metals, reportedly up to 55 times beyond the approved limit set for other edible insects, raising serious health concerns.

They accuse the restaurant of importing dried ants and using approximately 49,000 of them in dishes since 2021.

Defense attorneys disputed that figure, according to The Chosun Daily. 

Ants were offered as an optional garnish for the sorbet, the restaurant owner’s defense argued, and only 60% of diners chose them over other options, including fermented vinegar and edible flowers, the South Korean newspaper reported.

The court is expected to render a verdict in September.

Globally, the edible insect market is expanding, as Fox News Digital previously reported.

The market is estimated to grow from $1.73 billion in 2025 to $13.23 billion by 2034, driven by growing interest in sustainable nutrition, resource efficiency and diversified protein sources, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Beetles dominated the insect-based food market in 2025, accounting for 33% market share, Persistence Market Research reported.

The yellow mealworm and lesser mealworm also topped the list, while crickets and grasshoppers were the fastest-growing insect segments.

A small study by researchers at the University of Beira Interior in Portugal recently found that people exposed to insect-based foods were more curious and receptive to them than expected.

It’s “exciting to see that consumers may be open to new abundant sources of nutrition,” Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, told Fox News Digital.

Several insect-based food products are already available to consumers in the U.S. Chirps Chips are tortilla-style chips made with cricket flour, while other companies market cricket protein powders and snack bars.

Jiminy’s grain-free cookies for dogs are made with crickets and grubs.

JD Vance is currently facing a barrage of online criticism as he gears up for a potential presidential bid in 2028. His supporters assert that this orchestrated online hostility is financially backed.

Voicing his frustration on Friday, Donald Trump Jr. expressed, “This is the same nonsense the globalists and RINOs pulled on my dad,” in reaction to a segment featuring Mark Halperin that highlighted the GOP establishment’s disapproval of the Vice President.

“It’s a rinse and repeat scenario,” he continued. “It didn’t work before, and it won’t succeed now. Everyone can see through the establishment’s ploy.”

Vance has been candid about his views, indicating that certain factions within the Israeli government have been at odds with U.S. initiatives in the Middle East, especially regarding diplomatic negotiations with Iran.

Now, his advocates assert that Vance is being targeted by a foreign campaign. This comes at a time when Vance and his wife Usha are celebrating the recent arrival of their fourth child.

A Washington Post analysis found that a rash of posts slamming the expected 2028 candidate as ‘unfit’ – hitting his willingness to negotiate with Iran.

‘Never Vance,’ was another slogan circulating online.

Some of the accounts appeared to be based in foreign countries. A Time report published this month found that a group of MAGA-aligned influencers had been paid by a pro-Israel group to allegedly post attacks against the VP. 

The campaign was being waged by Brad Parscale, Trump’s 2016 campaign guru, who has since seemingly fallen out of grace with the President. 

‘You know, my response to that is, ‘Well, go to hell,” Vance told Rogan of the campaign in a recent podcast interview.

‘I’m going to do what I have to do for the American people. I represent Americans first, and that’s the way that I’ve tried to do this job.’

Trump has publicly toyed with the idea of who he’d like to be the next president, having mused about whether audiences of his prefer either potential 2028 candidate.

During a May event in the White House Rose Garden, he asked attendees to cheer for who they like more, Rubio or Vance. 

The audience in one recording sounded like they cheered louder for Vance. 

‘Alright,’ Trump responds. ‘Sounds like a good ticket,’ he continued, pairing the two together, not alluding to who’d be on top with a slight smile. 

But recently, Vance has reportedly caught the President’s attention and favor with the successful launch of his recent book tour and efforts regarding the Iran war.  

‘It’s become, ‘JD’s our guy, we gotta help JD,’’ a senior administration official told MS NOW. 

Sources also told the outlet that Vance’s weight loss has impressed the President. 

The father of four, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy and other administration officials are reportedly on a sauerkraut-heavy diet pushed by physician Sean O’Mara.

Vance is still the favorite among GOP expected candidates for the 2028 race, according to the latest Daily Mail/JL Partners survey taken in July. 

The poll of over 1,000 US voters found Vance had 48 percent support among Republican primary voters. 

Rubio had support from 18 percent of the GOP primary voters. 

Vance, for his part, has repeatedly noted how the Secretary of State and potential 2028 rival is his ‘best friend’ in the administration. 

He’s also said he is focused on the challenges of today and not focused on a White House bid at this time. 

Rubio has said he’d defer a presidential bid if Vance opts to announce. But Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is still actively considering a challenge to Vance.

In a daunting incident, an Illinois maintenance worker found himself stuck for over six hours inside a 130-foot-tall gas station sign due to a malfunctioning lift.

The worker, identified as AJ Gow, was conducting maintenance on the massive sign located near Lorenzo Road off Interstate 55 in Wilmington on a Tuesday afternoon.

Emergency services were alerted at 1:55 p.m. when the Wilmington Fire District received a report of a worker trapped within an enclosed section of the sign, perched high on the sign pole.

“The telescopic boom lift used malfunctioned, and it was reported that the worker had been stuck in the elevated spot for approximately three hours,” explained the fire district officials in a social media update.

“The telescopic boom lift used by the worker had malfunctioned and Fire District personnel were told he had been at the elevated position for around 3 hours,” officials with the fire district said in a statement on social media.

Additionally, the sign pole had no stairs or ladders built into it, making it impossible for rescue teams to climb up without another lift, officials said.

Another problem was that the Wilmington Fire District’s trucks have ladders that only go 100 feet in the air, which meant Gow was 30 feet out of reach.

Eventually fire officials located another boom lift in the Joliet area, which is roughly 20 miles north of the rest stop. The lift was brought to the sign with an Illinois State Police escort, officials said.

After the new lift was in place, firefighters were able to reach Gow and get him back to the ground, the fire district said.

Gow thanked all the first responders from different departments that came to his aid, saying that “seeing that lift roll up with police escorts was the highlight of my day for sure!!”

Gow later said on social media that he spent over six hours in a cramped position within the interior of the sign.

“I was too hot and thirsty to be anxious. I was moreso nauseous and dizzy. And incredibly uncomfortable to be in for over 6 hours. It was only 16″ wide and wasn’t even tall enough to stand fully upright either,” Gow wrote in response to someone commenting on the fire district’s post.

In another comment, Gow said the sign “kept swaying with the wind.”

Gow said that after he got down, he went to the hospital to be treated for dehydration. News Media reached out to Gow for comment.

World leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are set to converge on Tuesday for the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. However, alongside bidding farewell, these leaders may also engage in crucial diplomatic talks during their visit.

As Benjamin Netanyahu lands in town, he is slated to meet with President Trump, as confirmed by Netanyahu’s office.

According to an official statement, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted President Trump’s invitation and will travel to Washington next Monday for an official visit.”

The statement further elaborates that during the Washington visit, Netanyahu will not only meet President Trump at the White House on Tuesday but will also attend the funeral ceremonies honoring Senator Lindsey Graham, a long-time ally of Israel.

In the days preceding his passing on July 11, Senator Graham visited Kyiv, where he met with President Zelensky. During this visit, Graham fervently advocated for new sanctions against Russia, marking his final diplomatic efforts.

Zelensky will be traveling to Washington for the funeral, but additional meetings could also take shape, according to a source familiar with the planning.

During a visit to the White House on Thursday, Los Angeles Dodgers standout Roki Sasaki reportedly displayed signs of unease, as observed by a body language authority.

Months after their intense Game 7 win, which secured them consecutive championships, the reigning titleholders took a brief trip to Washington, D.C., to commemorate their success with President Donald Trump.

The celebratory event unfolded in the Rose Garden, where the team showcased their recent Commissioner’s Trophies. They also gifted President Trump a personalized white No. 47 Dodgers jersey.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere, starting pitcher Sasaki seemed uncomfortable, portraying distress from his spot behind the President, according to insights from body language expert Inbaal Honigman.

Honigman’s analysis suggests that the Japanese athlete struggled with his placement behind Trump during the event.

‘During the first few minutes, Sasaki is seen wiping his face multiple times,’ Honigman said, via Casino.org. ‘This is a sign of mental fatigue, as if trying to wipe away a problem.

‘Sasaki’s eyes glance from side to side, looking as though he’s searching for an escape route, and his lips are pressed together, a sign of disapproval. His distressed expression never leaves his face. 

‘At times, his chin juts forward as if urging himself to stay brave; at others, he sways gently from side to side, seemingly soothing himself.

‘Sasaki’s body language, along with his sweating and constant movement, gives the impression that he doesn’t want to be there.’

While Sasaki, despite his distress, joined Shohei Ohtani and the majority of their star teammates in ignoring the fan backlash and attending the festivities, some key figures were noticeably absent from the podium.

Mookie Betts opted to skip the ceremonial visit entirely to spend time with his family, while Kike Hernandez missed out due to being on the injured list and not traveling on the team’s current road swing. 

Trump, meanwhile, opened his speech on the day with a slight dig at Joe Biden.

‘This is really the new Rose Garden. How beautiful this is. This used to be grass. And it was always wet. The White House is built on a wetland,’ he said on the day.

‘We had a lot of very upset women who would stand there in high heels. And they’d go down like quicksand. I decided to do something about it.

‘This has become an incredible area for dining, and news conferences. This is the first time we’ve ever used the new Rose Garden. You think Biden would do this? I don’t think so.’

He also revealed that he made a friendly bet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with the Dodgers having faced off against Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays in the seven-game series clash – a wager he was evidently proud of, according to Honigman.

‘When Trump talks about the bet he made with the Prime Minister of Canada, he comes across as proud of himself, as though the achievement were his own,’ the body language expert claimed. 

‘Raising his chin, the memory appears to fill him with a sense of power and superiority. Rubbing the sides of the podium with his hands, he seems excited to share the story.’

Honigman claimed that throughout the address Trump tried ‘his best to stick to the script,’ which was allegedly different behavior to that of his first term in the Oval Office. 

The President reportedly appears ‘keen to project a different, more responsible and focused persona than he used to.’

Honigman adds: ‘Trump’s body language as he cedes the podium is proud and delighted. He appears to feel that he’s done a fantastic job with the address. Trump’s tongue touches the corner of his mouth, a sign of smugness. He adjusts his jacket, a gesture that signifies status, as though he feels above everyone else there.’ 

Dodgers front-office leadership was also split for the trip, with owner Mark Walter, team president Stan Kasten and executive vice president Lon Rosen accompanying the players to Washington.

However, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes remained behind to focus on roster strategy ahead of MLB’s upcoming trade deadline.

Prior to the event, manager Dave Roberts, infielder Miguel Rojas and reliever Will Klein also made a separate afternoon visit to the Capitol building to meet with lawmakers.

The Dodgers flew into Washington on Wednesday night following their series against the Philadelphia Phillies and will travel up to New York for a matchup against the Mets.