We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Insets, clockwise from top: Timothy Chavez (Fresno police), Martha Hernandez (GoFundMe), Adrian Hernandez (GoFundMe). Background: Police in Fresno, California, retrieve a vehicle after it crashed into a canal (KFSN).
A tragic incident unfolded when a driver caused a fatal crash, sending a vehicle off the road and into a canal in California, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her 9-year-old son. Authorities reported that the driver fled the scene immediately after the accident.
Timothy Seth Chavez, aged 22, faces serious charges including two counts of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run. Additionally, he is charged with driving on a suspended license and lacking insurance at the time of the crash. The victims have been identified as 41-year-old Martha Hernandez and her son, Adrian Hernandez.
The collision took place shortly before 2 a.m. on a Monday at the intersection of McKinley Avenue and State Road 41 in Fresno, according to police sources. After causing the crash, Chavez reportedly escaped on foot.
Lilliana Perez, the niece of Martha Hernandez, expressed her dismay in a GoFundMe post aimed at assisting Hernandez’s surviving child. “This individual showed complete disregard for the lives affected by his actions,” she lamented. “My aunt and her youngest were left in a dire predicament, with their car submerged in a nearby canal.”
Emergency responders discovered Martha Hernandez inside the submerged vehicle and transported her to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Sadly, Adrian was not found with his mother at the scene.
“First responders were unaware her 9-year-old son was in the vehicle during the incident and was swept away by the water and found hours later miles away,” Perez wrote.
The mother and son were headed home from an Easter celebration.
“Our Adrian was a very pure and innocent person — a son, brother, student who loved school and was always involved in church with his mother,” Perez wrote.
Hernandez’s other son is set to graduate from high school later this year.
“He not only is left to face this milestone without his mom and little brother but also left with the weight to give his mother the funeral she deserves by giving her a service in her hometown and by transporting her to her childhood hometown in Mexico where her closest loved ones await,” said Perez. “The sudden loss has brought unexpected funeral expenses and living costs at a time that should be filled with hope and celebration.”
Chavez turned himself in to the Fresno County Jail on Monday night.
Victorian police are turning to the public for information following the “suspicious death” of a man who was fatally shot and buried in the state’s north-west.
Richard Wills, aged 65, was last observed departing his residence on Hughs Street in Ouyen around 8 a.m. on Sunday, April 5, as part of his regular routine.
Authorities were informed that he intended to head to his rural property located along the Mallee Highway for work.
Richard Wills was fatally shot and buried in a “shallow grave”. (Nine)
Concerns were raised when Wills failed to return home for lunch, prompting his family members to search the property.
His absence led his wife to report him missing the next day, as he had not yet returned.
Police initiated a search of the area, ultimately discovering Wills’ body around 1:30 p.m. on April 7.
He had been fatally shot and buried in a “shallow grave” on his farm.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Trewavas from the missing persons squad said that he was “clearly met with foul play”.
“What is still unclear is exactly who was involved, and why,” Trewavas said.
“We’re hoping that this appeal leads to someone coming forward and doing the right thing, it can be done anonymously, so that we can hold those responsible to account.”
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Aspiring Secret Service agent Joel Canvasser, aged 41, finds himself embroiled in legal trouble following his arrest on charges of unlawful eavesdropping, as reported by ABC News. The incident unfolded in Brunswick, Georgia, casting a shadow over the prestigious Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where Canvasser was honing his skills.
The arrest, which took place on a Wednesday, stems from allegations that Canvasser engaged in espionage against his roommate, who is also a Secret Service trainee. The alleged eavesdropping occurred over a month-long period, from March 8 to April 8, according to the Glynn County Police Department. Canvasser now faces a serious felony charge.
The situation came to light when Canvasser’s roommate, identified as Cade, reported suspicious activity to authorities at the training facility. Cade became aware of something amiss when he noticed his phone charger had disappeared around March 8. When confronted about the missing item, Canvasser reportedly suggested that the charger might have been taken by someone else.
In a twist, Canvasser later provided Cade with a replacement charger, an action that only deepened the mystery surrounding the original disappearance. The police report outlines these details, adding an intriguing layer to an already complex case.
Afterward, police say Canvasser gave Cade another charger.
About a week after Cade began using the new charger, the report states he started receiving “odd test messages” from various numbers, which he believed were spam.
When going to Canvasser for help with his phone, the report says Cade found it odd that it had automatically connected to Canvasser’s Wi-Fi after being reset, since he reportedly had never connected to the network before.
The report says the “odd text messages” Cade was receiving then stopped, but returned around a week later.
“There was a specific instance where Mr. Cade was using the bathroom and his phone was in his pocket,” the report states. “When he finished, he checked his phone and saw a message referencing him using the bathroom. It was at this point that Mr. Cade realized the individual was not watching hum through his phone camera, but instead from another device.”
Cade then found that the charging block he had received from Canvasser was a camera, according to the report.
“He realized this because when he had pulled it out of the wall, the light hit the device in such a way that made the lens visible,” the report states.
Canvasser was arrested later Wednesday. According to ABC News, he has since been released from jail on an $8,458 bond.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn shared the following statement to ABC News regarding the incident:
“On April 8, disturbing facts involving a Secret Service trainee assigned to a special agent training class at FLETC in Glynco, Georgia, were brought to light. An initial investigation by the Secret Service and FLETC led to the individual’s arrest by local authorities. The charges are deeply troubling and raise significant concerns about the individual’s character and fitness to serve. As this matter is now before the courts, we will allow the facts to be presented through the judicial process. We commend the swift actions of Secret Service trainers and FLETC personnel, whose prompt response ensured the matter was quickly brought forward and addressed through appropriate legal channels.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. – In a dramatic turn of events, the Georgia State Patrol apprehended a teenager after a high-speed pursuit. The incident unfolded on April 6 when 17-year-old Luke Daniel Sachau attempted to evade law enforcement on the Bobby Jones Expressway.
Authorities reported that Sachau, behind the wheel of a BMW, reached speeds of up to 137 mph at the height of the chase. The pursuit captured attention as the teenager reportedly discarded small plastic bags, commonly associated with drug use, from both the driver’s and passenger’s side windows during the chase.
The chase concluded when Sachau eventually brought the vehicle to a halt, leading to his arrest by the troopers. The incident adds to ongoing discussions about road safety and youth involvement in high-speed pursuits.
Sachau was reportedly seen throwing small plastic bags, often used for drugs, out of the both the driver and passenger side windows.
He eventually stopped the vehicle and was arrested.
CHICAGO (WGN) – In a chilling case from South Shore, a 32-year-old man, Jeremiah Campbell, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempting to drown his son in a bathtub. This tragic event was halted due to the quick thinking of a vigilant Lyft driver.
The court records indicate that Campbell admitted to the charge of attempted murder. In March, he received a 12-year sentence from the Illinois Department of Corrections. He has already been credited with 942 days of time served. Legally, he is required to serve a minimum of 85 percent of the imposed sentence.
Prosecutors revealed in court documents that the incident was averted thanks to the Lyft driver who, on August 25, 2023, immediately contacted the police after dropping off Campbell and his young son at the 7700 block of S. South Shore Drive. The driver reported being alarmed by Campbell’s disturbing comments during the ride.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Court records: Lyft driver’s 911 call halts father’s attempt to drown 2-year-old son
According to the Chicago Police Department’s arrest report, the driver informed authorities that Campbell was speaking about conspiracies and had intentions of sacrificing his son by drowning him as an offering to Jehovah.
It was around the same time that 911 call was made, that an arrest report shows an anonymous call was made from someone at that same address, who said his two-year-old son drowned in the tub.
A CPD arrest report showed officers arrived on scene and knocked twice, but nobody answered. They were able to look inside the window and saw a man bending over the bathtub, making suspicious movements.
Based on information CPD received from dispatch, provided by both the Lyft driver and the anonymous caller, court documents show the officers had enough information to believe they were witnessing a possible drowning, and forced their way inside.
Campbell heard the commotion and removed the child from the bathtub, according to the arrest report. Coughs could be heard coming from the toddler as Campbell pulled him out.
According to police, a responding officer grabbed the child and handed him off to paramedics, who rushed him to the hospital.
Days after the incident, WGN-TV spoke with neighbors and witnesses who saw the aftermath.
“It was just awful. It was just awful,” said Tonya, who was visiting a family member the night of the incident. She recalls what she describes as piercing screams, as she was alerted to the commotion.
“They brought the child out and he was just drenched and coughing,” said Tonya. “The thought that ran through my head; I just saw my grandson. It was just awful.”
At the time of the attempted drowning, Campbell was on probation in a 2021 domestic violence case, court records show. He was sentenced to 36 months’ probation in Nov. 2021 after pleading guilty to aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm and domestic battery resulting in bodily harm.
Records from the IDOC show Campbell is currently incarcerated at the Stateville Correctional Center.
Spring Break has unveiled the latest trend in America’s tipping culture.
As families, college students, and thrill-seekers embark on their spring adventures, a novel tipping scenario has emerged.
Many Americans are already exasperated by increasing tip percentages on receipts and the mounting pressure to tip for services ranging from pedicures to plumbing repairs.
Now, the scope of tipping has extended beyond the mainland—to American cruise ships, rather than overseas.
Recently, a traveler expressed frustration after being advised to tip $5 per bag to baggage handlers at a cruise port.
‘Why do they need to be tipped? They have good union jobs making a buttload of money and they really don’t provide a service,’ the cruise passenger complained on Reddit.
This passenger ended up not tipping because the luggage attendant had so much cash in his hands he couldn’t help out in the first place.
‘My wife and I were just on a cruise and when we got to the port, we already had our luggage tags on our bags. When we got to the area where the luggage goes, the guy just told me to put them on the luggage carrier myself,’ they explained.
As families, college students, and adventurers set off on their springtime travels, a new opportunity for gathering gratuity has popped up
The list of tipping beneficiates has spread across oceans – not to other countries, but to American cruise ships.
‘Apparently, he could not be bothered since he had a shitload of cash he received in his hands. So, I put our bags on the thingie and just walked away without tipping. My wife then asked me why I didn’t tip the guy like everyone else did. I told her that he didn’t do anything to warrant a tip. She just shrugged.’
People on Reddit were outraged by this latest tipping demand.
‘Damn. You’re expected to tip on cruises? They are already sooo expensive’ someone wrote.
Another said: ‘If you don’t give them a bribe, they will put your bag on a cart and then hand it off. If you do bribe them, they will put your bag on a cart and then hand it off. There’s no difference. They’re not going to magically walk it up to your stateroom because you gave them a $5. Their job is to load carts with bags. That’s it.’
‘They don’t need to be tipped, they want to be tipped. They want a piece of the tipping culture,’ a different user wrote.
‘I just do not see the logic in handing the guy a fiver when I am completely capable of handing my luggage myself,’ another added.
A similar conundrum arose last year, when it became apparent that hotel staff were increasingly expecting tips.
Some Marriott and Hyatt properties started asking for tips at the front desk during check-in – a move many found off-putting.
A recent traveler complained that they had been told to tip baggage handlers at a cruise port $5 per bag
Traditionally, hotel guests might tip for services like luggage assistance or leave cash for housekeeping.
But now, places like Marriott’s LaSalle Hotel in Bryan, Texas, and the Hyatt Centric Faneuil Hall in Boston have begun requesting a tip at check-in, View From The Wing reported.
‘Needless to say, we ignored the tip request,’ a guest asked to tip using a QR code at the Marriott LaSalle told the publication.
The guest added that they were ‘smugly happy we don’t stay at Marriott very often anymore.’
Hotel chains have argued that prompting their guests to tip is an effective way to boost staff pay without having to raise wages.
This practice also reflects the broader trend of ‘tipflation’, where tipping prompts are increasingly appearing across industries, shifting more of the responsibility for worker compensation onto customers.
The Australian War Memorial has revised a display honoring former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith following charges related to alleged war crimes involving the deaths of unarmed Afghan civilians.
Roberts-Smith, recognized as Australia’s most decorated living veteran of the Afghanistan conflict, was detained at Sydney’s domestic airport on Tuesday morning. The arrest follows accusations that he was involved in the murder of Afghan individuals while serving in the country from 2009 to 2012.
On Friday, Matt Anderson, the director of the Australian War Memorial, announced that the plaque dedicated to Roberts-Smith’s Victoria Cross has been updated to incorporate these recent developments.
“We’ve amended the interpretive panel associated with the display to acknowledge these most recent events. He remains on display for his actions on a particular day in Afghanistan that led to the award of the Victoria Cross,” he said.
In 2023, the memorial updated the plaque following a civil judgement by Federal Court justice Anthony Besanko, which found there was “substantial truth” to allegations Roberts-Smith had been “involved and complicit in unlawful killings in Afghanistan”. It also said Roberts-Smith had appealed the decision.
Besanko’s findings were on the balance of probabilities, rather than the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt.
Roberts-Smith appealed that decision to the full bench of the Federal Court but was unsuccessful, and a subsequent application for special leave to appeal to the High Court was refused.
He was charged on Tuesday afternoon over five alleged murders in Afghanistan, including two counts of murder and three counts of aiding and abetting murder.
A photo released on Tuesday afternoon by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) showed officers speaking to Roberts-Smith while standing on the aerobridge to a Qantas flight.
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, was arrested on Tuesday. Source: Supplied / Australian Federal Police/Australian Government Office of the Special Investigator
In a video, officers are seen escorting the disgraced former special forces soldier onto the tarmac and into a vehicle.
Earlier on Tuesday, AFP commissioner Krissy Barrett confirmed a 47-year-old former Australian Defence Force (ADF) member was expected to be charged with five counts of war crime murder but declined to directly name Roberts-Smith.
What charges does Ben Roberts-Smith face?
The OSI comprised of 54 investigators, launched an investigation into the soldier in 2021.
In collaboration with the AFP, it has launched 53 investigations involving allegations of war crimes by ADF members in Afghanistan, 39 of which have been provisionally finalised.
The charges Roberts-Smith faces relate to alleged unlawful killings of civilians in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Province between 2009 and 2012.
The AFP and the OSI allege he intentionally caused the death of a person on or about 12 April 2009 at Kakarak, and separately aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to do so on the same date and location.
He is also alleged to have aided, abetted, counselled or procured the intentional killing of a person on or about 11 September 2012 at Darwan.
Further charges relate to events on or about 20 October 2012 at Syahchow, where it is alleged he acted with another person to intentionally cause the death of an individual, and separately aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to do the same.
“It will be alleged the victims were detained unarmed and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed,” Barrett told reporters on Tuesday.
Each of the offences carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Asked if others were involved in those matters, the Office of the Special Investigator said investigations were ongoing.
‘We don’t have crime scene access’
The OSI also defended its protracted investigation into Roberts-Smith.
“The challenge for investigators is that because we can’t go to that country, we don’t have access to the crime scene … We don’t have photographs, site plans, measurements, the recovery of projectiles, blood spatter analysis: all of those things we would normally get at a crime scene,” director of investigations Ross Barnett said.
“If you add to that, we don’t have access to the deceased,” he added.
Ben Roberts-Smith at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 2011. Source: AAP / Alan Porritt
“There’s no post-mortem; therefore, there’s no official cause of death. There’s no recovery of projectiles to link to weapons that might have been carried by members of the ADF.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to comment on Tuesday, saying: “I’m not going to confirm anything to do with the legal matter.”
“That is a matter that is very important that there not be political engagement in what is a matter that is now the subject of legal proceedings, so I don’t intend to comment,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) said it strongly supports the Australian judicial system and has confidence that it will thoroughly and fairly deal with the allegations.
RSL Australia national president Peter Tinley AM said: “As the current case goes before the courts, it must be allowed to run its course without interference.”
“Without doubt, the overwhelming majority of Australians who served in Afghanistan did so with honour, bravery and at significant personal cost. RSL Australia will not, and Australia should not, allow the alleged conduct of individuals to define the service of the many,” he added in a written statement.
“Regardless of the legal proceedings, RSL Australia’s primary responsibility is to the veteran community, and we are here to support all those who may be impacted. For those connected to the Special Forces, those involved in the proceedings, and those who may be called to testify, RSL Australia is here for you.”
The statement said the RSL’s 1,100 sub-branches across the country stood ready to provide support to anyone who needed it, with Tinley encouraging anyone “struggling with today’s news” to reach out to their RSL state branch or local sub-branch, or to any other veteran support services.
— With reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
Just before a ceasefire agreement was set to take effect on Tuesday between the U.S. and Iran’s clerical leadership, the regime called upon both children and adults to act as human shields around its energy sites. This was in direct response to President Trump’s warning of potential strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Observers suggest that Iran’s strategy of involving civilians, especially children, as a defense tactic is intended to influence American public opinion. The aim is to turn sentiment against the conflict should U.S. military actions result in civilian casualties, thus potentially galvanizing support for the regime within Iran.
With significant peace negotiations on the horizon between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan, Tehran’s prowess in media manipulation is evident. It has demonstrated a sophisticated ability to influence global narratives, surpassing even its allied groups in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as in Yemen and beyond.
A billboard in Tehran displays a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, overlooking an empty square on Thursday, March 5, 2026.(Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)
“Godfather of propaganda”
Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iranian affairs, shared with Fox News Digital that the regime’s use of civilians in warfare is a long-standing tactic in its dealings with the West. “The Islamic Republic has mastered propaganda over 47 years, often saying one thing in negotiations and doing another in practice. The Trump administration should approach these talks with great caution, as the regime’s track record on keeping promises, especially concerning weapons, is unreliable,” she advised.
She pointed to Tehran’s “record of positioning civilian infrastructure — hospitals, mosques, schools and now power plants — as military shields. They did it in Lebanon through Hezbollah. They did it in Gaza through Hamas. And they are doing it now on their own soil, with their own people, under coercion. Iranians who refuse to participate face consequences.”
Daftari, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Desk, added that, “Iran’s regime has never hesitated to use its own people as a shield. The difference now is they’re doing it in front of cameras, in real time, knowing exactly which images will make prime-time news around the world. This is propaganda. And the two-week ceasefire just gave them more time to manipulate the West and continue on in their narrative warfare.”
Members of security forces watch over the crowd during a funeral procession held for IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri, alongside other senior naval commanders and their families who were killed in US-Israeli strikes in late March, on April 1, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Capitalizing on a tragedy
Right at the beginning of “Operation Epic Fury”, the world’s media was full of accounts from Iran of an air strike that reportedly hit an Iranian school for girls in the town of Minab Feb. 28. The air strike reportedly killed 175 people, most of whom were children, at the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school, according to the regime. The school was located on the same street as buildings used by the IRGC. A Pentagon investigation was launched in March to look into the allegations that a U.S. missile struck the school.
Speaking to Fox News Digital last month, Iranian-American journalist Banafsheh Zand, who has been following the reporting, pointed to the fact that the school that has been there for more than a decade and its reported affiliation with Iran’s military. She said that while the regime claims between 168 fatalities and 180 fatalities, mostly girls between the ages of 7 and 12, along with teachers and parents from the school, there has been no independent confirmation of the reported casualty figures.
“There is no confirmation on the number of people, from anyone other than regime sources,” she said. “Some people in the area said it was 65 boys. Sixty-five boys? What are 65 boys doing in a girls’ school at 10:30 on a Saturday morning?”
Both Democratic and Republican U.S. administrations have classified Iran’s regime as a leading state-sponsor of terrorism.
Iranian worshippers hold up their hands as signs of unity with Iran’s former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israel’s attacks on Iran, in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 20, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Fooling the media
Speaking on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime,’ on Thursday, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the American media was “essentially… carrying water for Iran.”
Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at JINSA, told Fox News Digital, “The regime wants to show the Iranian people that it is not weakened despite all the deaths in its leadership and losses in its arsenals, and to claim legitimacy by showing it is winning against the eternal American and Israeli enemies.”
He said, “Like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran uses civilians as human shields for propaganda purposes. It cares nothing for the safety and fate of its own people. It wants to portray the country as undaunted and willing to sacrifice for victory. And if civilians are killed, all the better for the regime’s political goals… Iran wants to undermine U.S. domestic support for the war by framing it as America doing Israel’s bidding, and by using AI-generated disinformation to depict massive destruction and casualties at U.S. bases in the Middle East.”
The regime suffered a crisis of legitimacy after millions of Iranians poured into the streets in January and demanded the dissolution of the Islamic Republic.
Both the IRGC and Basij — the regime’s street fighting paramilitary troops — played a key role in the mass murder of 45,000 Iranian civilians in January, who protested the regime. President Trump said in his address to the nation that the regime killed 45,000 people. The previous death toll was estimated to be over 35,000 people.
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on January 9, 2026.(MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Ruhe said, “As it did before the war, it also wants to delegitimize protesters and other internal opposition by depicting them as American and Israeli agents. It can be expected to ramp up all of these propaganda efforts during the ceasefire. The United States and our partners will be part of this intended audience, too.”
Using children in war
Adding to its deadly propaganda mix, the regime freely uses child soldiers to achieve its goals. According to Amnesty International, “Eyewitness accounts and verified audiovisual evidence show child soldiers having been deployed at IRGC checkpoints and patrols, armed with weapons, including AK47pattern rifles.”
Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, for Amnesty stated in the report that, “The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children as young as 12 to join an IRGC run military campaign, putting them in grave danger and violating international law, which prohibits the recruitment and use of children in the military. Recruiting children under 15 into the armed forces constitutes a war crime.”
Iranian schoolboys wear Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military uniforms and shout anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026(Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jennifer Dyer, a retired commander of U.S. Naval Intelligence, told Fox News “I’d say the remnant of the regime can’t muster enough human shields to be doing it all over the place. The people are too resistant. Protests continued in the country the last couple of days, and some reporting on social media indicated a crackdown by the Basij on protesters after the so-called ceasefire was announced.”
In late March, a deputy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Rasoul Allah Corps of Greater Tehran, Rahim Nadali, declared that the state launched a recruitment campaign called the “Homeland-Defending Combatants for Iran” that is “open to volunteers” aged 12 and older. The drive to recruit child soldiers took place in mosques and bases of the paramilitary organization Basij. The recruitment campaign sought adolescents to join “combatants defending the homeland.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Iran’s U.N. Mission in New York for a comment.
Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at benjamin.weinthal@fox.com
BEIJING – Gone are the days when China’s Communist government stuck strictly to dogmatic, rigid communication. Having taken firm control over the internet within its borders through extensive censorship, Beijing is now leveraging the dynamic capabilities of social media and artificial intelligence to shape its narrative, often taking aim at the United States and its leadership.
Recently, China’s state media released a five-minute AI-generated animation styled after classic martial arts films. This creative piece serves as a metaphor for the conflict in Iran. In the animation, a white eagle, clad in regal attire and representing the United States, lets out a sinister laugh as its forces prepare to attack Persian cats, which symbolize Iranians. These cats, dressed in black cloaks, pledge to fight back after losing their leader and sealing off a vital trade route.
The animation, filled with themes of injustice, revenge, and wisdom, is the latest in a series of AI-driven projects by China’s state media. These animations aim to portray the U.S. as a global bully, with past examples including satirical takes on President Donald Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland and his strategies for asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
This strategic use of AI in storytelling aligns with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s longstanding initiative to enhance China’s global messaging capabilities. By doing so, China seeks to assert a stronger voice in international affairs and challenge Western narratives that it perceives as biased or derogatory. Similarly, pro-Iran groups have used polished, AI-generated content to mock the U.S. and its president.
This unfolding scenario is part of a broader global information warfare, where the U.S. is committed to enhancing its strategies to counter foreign narratives that undermine American interests. The competition for narrative control continues to intensify on the world stage.
Recent cables by the State Department have warned that foreign messaging campaigns, carried on digital platforms by foreign state-controlled media, “pose a direct threat to U.S. national security and fuel hostility toward American interests.”
China finds new ways to spread its worldview
AI-generated “infotainment” spread via social media is likely to be more effective in persuading younger audiences worldwide to accept Chinese viewpoints and is becoming routine in the country’s messaging, said Shi Anbin, professor and director of Israel Epstein Center for Global Media and Communications at Tsinghua University.
“It is a new way for Chinese mainstream media to engage global Gen Z audience and social media users to understand Chinese standpoint and viewpoint of international affairs,” Shi said.
The short on the Iran war probably is one of the sleekest efforts by China’s state media.
Released by the state broadcaster China Central Television on social media, it has gone viral at home and garnered rave reviews from its Chinese audience for translating a complex geopolitical war into an easy-to-understand affair. It made its way to the English-language world after an X user subtitled it and posted the clip online, drawing more than 1 million views in only a few days.
“It’s hardly even like propaganda — it almost seems more just a historical fiction dramatization of the situation,” said Andrew Chubb, a senior lecturer in the School of Global Affairs at Lancaster University whose studies include political propaganda.
Messaging turns away from the dull
It’s a long way from the days when China’s messaging was dull. Party newspapers carried slogan-filled, hollow-sounding speeches lauding the country’s merits while denouncing Western influence. Students and junior officials complained of the dry study materials they were required to learn to pass exams on party history and ideology.
As young people turned away from stiff party language, Beijing began to change.
It no longer frowns upon impish web language but embraces it to retell the party history and has turned to rap music to extol the party’s feats. It now recruits pop singers and actors to star in patriotic films, counting on their popular appeal — rather than orders or free tickets — to draw young people to movie theaters. Even anti-corruption television series have become hits with intriguing plots, punchy lines and superb acting.
Urged to make messaging appealing and effective, state media are experimenting with nontraditional formats, including short-form, digitally native content using AI, said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general for the Beijing-based think tank Center for China & Globalization.
“Whatever one thinks about the format, the message itself clearly resonates with increasingly larger audiences, which helps explain why such content gains traction online,” Wang said.
A social media ‘matrix’ targets a global audience
China has directed money into promoting a narrative that targets a global audience, with the party building a massive “matrix” of social media accounts — managed by diplomats, state media, influencers and even bots — on various platforms, including X and Facebook. And they seize opportunities to send their message.
In February, the official Xinhua News Agency released an AI-generated music video lampooning the U.S. threat to take over Greenland.
“Anything I want, I’ll get it. One way or another, I’ll get it,” sings a bald eagle character dressed in military uniform.
In March, after Trump convened the “Shield of the Americas” summit, Xinhua posted a short video depicting a bald eagle caging small birds in the name of security.
“Sometimes, security comes with a little control,” the suited bald eagle tells the caged birds.
___
Tang reported from Washington. AP writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Inset: Charles A. Dupriest (Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Police entering the Wisconsin storage unit where Dupriest allegedly locked up his children (WISN).
A 33-year-old father from Wisconsin has been sentenced to prison after leaving his six children locked overnight in a storage unit while he slept nearby in an SUV with his wife and dog. The judge emphasized that the case was about making choices that endangered the children.
Charles Dupriest received a five-year prison term, followed by five years of supervised release, after being convicted by a jury on multiple charges. These included five felony counts of child neglect and one charge of possessing a firearm as a felon.
The judge’s decision underscored the necessity of holding Dupriest accountable for his actions rather than his financial situation. The prosecution argued that it was not a matter of punishing poverty but rather addressing the deliberate decisions that jeopardized the safety of the children.
Before the sentencing, Dupriest addressed the court, expressing awareness of the consequences his actions had on his family.
“I recognize the gravity of the situation. This has deeply impacted them,” he stated. “My absence has already affected them, and further absence would only continue to harm them.”
Prosecutors pushed back on that framing, arguing that concern alone did not outweigh the danger the children were placed in.
“Mr. Dupriest may love his children, but preventing future harm requires more than that,” a prosecutor said in court. “It requires accountability. It requires a genuine commitment to change. We don’t see that here.”
The judge ultimately sided with the state, imposing a prison term tied to the firearm conviction, while ordering concurrent sentences on the child neglect counts. The court also required Dupriest to undergo parenting classes and mental health treatment as part of his supervision.
The children’s mother, who was also charged in the case, previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child neglect and received probation.
As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the Milwaukee Police Department at 1:33 a.m. on Sept. 16 responded to a report of a crying child inside a locked storage unit at the Storsafe in the 5500 block of North 27th Street. The caller told the dispatcher they were concerned for the welfare of the baby.
Upon arriving at the facility, first responders heard a child still crying inside storage unit B58, which had a garage-style door secured with a padlock. Fire department personnel cut the padlock to gain entry.
After the officer announces, “Milwaukee Police, we’re coming in,” he enters the pitch-black unit and can be heard saying, “Hey, what’s going on here?” according to the video played in court, some of which was posted by local ABC affiliate WISN.
The footage shows a sectional couch and twin bed surrounded by mounds of items, including a single bucket that authorities say the children were forced to use as a toilet.
Officer Nash Dathe reportedly testified that the unit smelled “like it was being used as a bathroom.”
A criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime provided additional observations made by police after entering the storage unit.
“Inside, they observed a bucket containing urine in the middle of the room and six children ranging in age from 2 months to 9 years. Detectives later learned that the only light visible to the children came through the crack of the garage door,” the complaint says. “[A detective] entered the unit and observed the six children sleeping. Five-year-old ‘ED’ told [the detective], ‘We’re not supposed to be loud.’ Shortly afterward, ED urinated in an orange bucket in the center of the unit.”
The oldest child told investigators that he was “responsible for caring for his five younger siblings” when his parents were not around. Aside from the 2-month-old infant, the children were 9, 7, 5, 3, and 2 years old.
“[The 9-year-old] reported that he stays at the storage unit about 50% of the time and that they use a bucket to urinate and defecate,” the affidavit says. “[The 9-year-old] stated he is supposed to give the 2-month-old a bottle or pacifier and pick her up when she cries. [The 9-year-old] told [the detective] he was hungry and had no device to contact his parents or anyone else in an emergency.”
Police said the stench from inside was “so putrid they could not remain inside even with the garage door open.”
An employee at the facility allegedly told investigators that he remembered in May hearing a male voice inside the unit saying “Sit down and be quiet,” and saw surveillance footage of the children being dropped off at the unit by their parents, which he reported to management.
At 2:11 a.m., authorities located Dupriest and Zielinski sleeping in a Ford Expedition parked in the lot along with their dog. Officers noted that the middle row of the vehicle was completely unoccupied while all the children, including their infant, were in the storage unit.
Dupriest and Zielinski said the family was “homeless,” but admitted the children could have been staying with other family members.
In a forensic interview, the 5-year-old girl victim, identified as “LD,” said she “felt ‘sad’ when locked in the storage unit and ‘mad’ so she made the unit dirty.”
“She said she tried to open the door but could not,” the affidavit said. “She reported using a bucket to urinate and defecate, sometimes with a bag placed inside. She said she was upset the dog got to sleep in the car while she and her siblings slept in the unit. LD stated her parents went to bed while the children were still awake. She said her father carried a firearm, pointing to her hip.”
The 9-year-old said his father disciplines him with “whoopings,” and that after one such whooping, he thought he should go to the hospital.
