A Louisiana pastor claimed he was fired from his second job at a local library this month for refusing to use a transgender employees preferred pronouns.Luke Ash, lead pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, was a library technician at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library until he was fired on July 10, he recently told Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, on his show "Washington Watch."According to Ash, he was in conversation with a co-worker on July 7 about a new staffer that she was training. The new staff member, Ash says, was a biological female who preferred to be called by male pronouns."I refused to use those preferred pronouns. The next day I was reprimanded by my supervisor and the head of reference, and Thursday morning I was fired," he told Perkins.UTAH BATH & BODY WORKS MANAGER SAYS SHE WAS FIRED OVER COMPANY'S PRONOUN POLICYAccording to WBRZ, Ash was handed a copy of the library's inclusivity policy, which says it fosters an environment where all employees are "welcomed, accepted and respected" and have the right to be addressed by their chosen name and pronouns.But the Christian employee said he couldn't "lie" and violate his religious convictions. He was notified a few days afterward that he had been terminated.At a library meeting last Thursday, a group of local pastors confronted the Baton Rouge library board and demanded Ash's immediate reinstatement.Pastor Lewis Richerson spoke at the meeting but was repeatedly interrupted by board members who told him his comments were not on the meeting agenda and therefore in violation of Louisiana's Open Meetings Law.CHRISTIAN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT FIRED FOR OPPOSITION TO TRANS POLICY HAS DAY IN COURT"Sir, do we need to get security for you? Because you are not following open meeting laws," board president Candace Temple told the pastor.Richerson defended his comments to WAFB, saying that the group's demands pertained to the library budget.Over 30 pastors also penned a letter to the library board on July 17 calling on the board to change its policy and "correct this injustice."The East Baton Rouge Parish Library did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A shark attack at a South Florida beach left a man hospitalized on Tuesday, authorities said.The attack happened around 3 p.m. near the 4100 block of Ocean Drive at Hollywood Beach, WTVJ-TV reported, citing Hollywood Fire Rescue."Upon arrival, the units identified a male with an injury to his upper torso, they then applied a tourniquet and were able to take him to a local hospital," Hollywood Fire Rescue and Beach Safety spokesperson Chai Kauffman told the station.Officials later confirmed the man suffered a shark bite to his upper arm. His condition has not been released.LARGEST GREAT WHITE SHARK RECORDED IN ATLANTIC SPOTTED OFF POPULAR BEACH TOWNKauffman said that initial reports indicate the man was in the water when he suddenly jumped out, 'screaming' for help.Officials confirmed the mans injury was the result of a shark bite and called everyone out of the ocean. Kauffman said the protocol is to then wait 30 minutes and, if no threats are spotted, allow people back into the water.MULTIPLE SHARKS SPOTTED AT POPULAR BEACH THAT SAW DEADLY ATTACK 5 YEARS AGOOfficials have not released the man's identity or said what type of shark was involved.Fox News Digital reached out to Hollywood Fire Rescue but did not immediately hear back.Earlier this month, a surfer at Volusia Countys New Smyrna Beach dubbed the "shark bite capital of the world" survived a separate shark encounter.

The Agence France-Presse news agency said its freelance journalists in Gaza are suffering constant health issues while a union is warning they will die "without immediate intervention."The news agency works with one freelance reporter, three photographers and six freelance video journalists in the Gaza Strip since its own staff fled the war-torn territory in 2024, according toThe Society of Journalists at AFP union."They're spending so much time and energy trying to source food and also just they just feel so weak," Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director, told NPR. "They talk about constant headaches, constant dizziness. So just the ability physically to, you know, get to a story is diminished.""Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die," the union said in its own statement. "With a few others, they are now the only ones reporting what is happening in Gaza. The international press has been banned from entering this territory for nearly two years."AMERICAN VETERANS ATTACKED, INJURED WHILE DISTRIBUTING AID IN GAZA WITH US-BACKED GROUP"Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger. We refuse to see them die," it added in a post on X.The union said its lead photographer in Gaza, which it identified as Bashar, wrote on Facebook Saturday that "I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can no longer work.""Bashar, 30, works and lives under the same conditions as all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another amid Israeli bombings. For over a year, he has lived in absolute poverty and takes enormous risks to do his job. Hygiene is a major issue for him, with recurring bouts of severe intestinal illness," The Society of Journalists at AFP said."Since February, Bashar has been living in the ruins of his house in Gaza City with his mother, four brothers and sisters, and the family of one of his brothers. Their house is completely without amenities or comfort, shared with a few cousins. On Sunday morning, he reported that one of his brothers had fallen, due to hunger," it added.DOZENS OF PALESTINIANS KILLED, NEARLY 200 WOUNDED WHILE ON THEIR WAY TO COLLECT AID IN GAZAThe union said each of its freelance journalists in Gaza are receiving a monthly salary from the AFP, however, "there's almost nothing to buy or what is available is prohibitively expensive."Representatives for the AP and Reuters also expressed concern for their teams there, but would not say how many people are working for them."We are deeply concerned about our staff in Gaza and are doing everything in our power to support them," said Lauren Easton, a spokeswoman for The Associated Press. "We are very proud of the work our team continues to do under dire circumstances to keep the world informed about what is happening on the ground."Reuters said that it is in daily contact with its freelance journalists, and that "the extreme difficulty sourcing food is leading to their and all Gaza residents experiencing greater levels of hunger and illness."The agency said it is providing extra money to help them.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A hiker in Alaska was rescued with the assistance of a drone after being mauled by a bear.Anchorage Police Department spokesman Christopher Barraza said the female hiker was attacked on Tuesday by a brown bear while on the Basher Trail in Anchorage, Alaska, according to the Anchorage Daily News.Barraza said the woman suffered "non-life threatening" injuries.He said that the hiker told emergency responders that the bear eventually ran away.TOURIST WHO MISSED NORWEGIAN CRUISE SHIP DISCOVERED DEAD ON MOUNTAIN TRAIL IN ALASKAThe woman called emergency officials herself and remained conscious to help rescuers locate her, Barraza said, adding that a drone was used to locate her."Shes not able to walk, and they were having trouble locating her," Barraza said. "She called us, she was on the phone with us the entire time."AMERICAN CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DISAPPEARS AFTER HIKING AT SUMMER VACATION DESTINATIONThe Anchorage Fire Department, Alaska Department of Public Safety, Alaska Wildlife Troopers as well as nearby Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson assisted in the rescue of the woman.Barraza said this incident shows how important it is for hikers to be prepared."Be prepared, bring your bear spray. Be on the lookout. Bears are everywhere," he siad.

Low Cut Connie, a Philadelphia-based rock band, is claiming its scheduled performance at a music festival this week was canceled because of politics.Frontman Adam Weiner posted a message to fans on social media on Monday saying the band had been pulled from the lineup for the "Rocking the River" festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Friday."For the first time ever, my show has been canceled for political reasons," Weiner wrote to the bands Facebook page. "The promoters in Luzerne County, PA feel that this weekend's Low Cut Connie show in Wilkes-Barre will be too controversial and polarizing ---Low Cut Connie shows are quite the opposite!!"The annual summer concert series is advertised as a free event open to all ages. An AC/DC cover band has replaced Low Cut Connie for the July 25 lineup.ROCK BAND FRONTMAN DECLARES TRUMP VOTERS ARE 'NOT ALLOWED' AT HIS SHOWSIn a video message, the musician called the county's decision "so disappointing and upsetting.""Why did they cancel the show?" he asked. "They wont tell us, but they have indicated they are canceling my show for political reasons. Now, let me give you a little bit of context. If youve been to a Low Cut Connie Show, you know that onstage, I speak about diversity."Weiner said he believes diversity is one of Americas strengths, and he wouldn't "apologize" for using the terms."People dont like the word, but I will continue to use it because everyone is welcome at a Low Cut Connie show. Diversity and inclusion should not be dirty words," he said.RAPPER PULLS OUT OF MUSIC FESTIVALS ALLEGING THEY WANTED HER TO MAKE FREE PALESTINE STATEMENTS ONSTAGEWeiner also suggested the band's protest song called "Livin' in the USA" couldve factored into the decision.The song, released in May, addresses the "terror, the unease, the fear thatso many people are experiencing right now in the United States.""Because of these ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids that are absolutely inhumane and anti-American," Weiner said.He called the show promoters decision to cancel the performance "cowardly.""We could have had a beautiful show this Friday," he said, before comparing his experience to that of late-night host Stephen Colbert's, whose late-night comedy show was canceled last week. Colbert is an outspoken progressive."Artists like myself are losing work because of our principles, just like Stephen Colbert," he said.A Luzerne County spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Our goal is to have a place where we can enjoy music, food, promote our community, have fun, be safe and free of politics and propaganda."Low Cut Connie also pulled out of a scheduled Kennedy Center show in March in protest of President Donald Trumps takeover of the venue.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" was signed into law earlier this month, with Republican lawmakers celebrating a broad range of GOP victories in the massive tax-and-spending legislation.That includes billions of dollars aimed at Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration in the U.S. Nearly $30 billion is marked for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alone, and $45 billion is going toward building up detention facility capacity.House Republicans who spoke with Fox News Digital last week hailed that funding boost, even as critics of the Trump administration accuse the White House of taking too heavy a hand on the issue."Having that money to now be able to work on the wall along the southern border, to be able to hire more agents, to pay them more, to invest in the technology, to patrol and secure the border it is hugely important," Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital. "If you ask President Trump, that was the most important issue of the 2024 election."COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR'S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: 'THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE'Rep. Michael Guest, R-Tenn., who chairs the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the detention facility funding is particularly significant.Guest urged ICE to use those funds to ramp up "targeted" enforcement against illegal immigrants.It comes as many on the left and some on the right have urged the Trump administration not to go too far in rounding up suspected illegal immigrants who otherwise pose no known threat to the public.148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS"I think targeted enforcement, making sure that they're going after the worst of the worst those individuals who have either committed crimes in the United States or we learn after they released into the interior that they had committed crimes in their country origin, [or] those people who have final orders of removal," Guest said."Those are the people that I believe that ICE needs to be targeting. Those are the people where you see widespread support from the American public that they want to get off the street."Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., pointed out that ICE had been asking for that funding for some time."Tom Homan has done a tremendous job. He's indicated for a while he needs more money to keep doing his job. And he's being fought by everybody, particularly the sanctuary cities, to prevent that from happening," Norman said. "The least we can do is provide the funding, and we did it."And Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said he hoped the increased border and immigration crackdown would help fight the ongoing drug crisis still plaguing the U.S."So in order to have a secured border, in order get rid of these criminal, illegal aliens that are raping and murdering American citizens on the regular, we have to have a very strong immigration enforcement system," Van Orden said.Reps. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., highlighted the funding for Trump's border wall and for more ICE personnel, respectively.The bill passed the House earlier this month and was signed into law by Trump on the Fourth of July.In addition to funding immigration operations, it also extends key parts of Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), rolls back some Biden administration-era green energy subsidies, and imposes new work requirements for federal aid.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., condemned the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics Tuesday, warning that plans to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and allow agents to operate in masks could lead to "vigilantism" and "depravity."Speaking on "The Bulwark" podcast, Murphy criticized the administrations push to hire more ICE officers to execute mass deportationsa centerpiece of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda. He argued that such rapid expansion, coupled with the anonymity provided by masks, could attract undesirable candidates and create dangerous conditions for misconduct.Murphy said that officers wearing masks can be "just a cover for illegality and for brutality, because if nobody can identify the law enforcement officer that's beating the hell out of an immigrant, then everybody can get away with it."MASSACHUSETTS BILL WOULD FORCE ICE AGENTS TO UNMASKThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has raised concerns about the doxxing of ICE agents, claiming attacks have skyrocketed by 830% since January. The DHS has called on the Justice Department to prosecute anyone suspected of "doxxing" ICE agents by posting agents photos and personal information online or in public.Murphy said he wants federal agents to be treated with respect but warned that as Trump beefs up ICE by hiring more officers, "There is an element of folks who are going to be drawn to these jobs that see it as a bonus that they can get away with masked vigilantism.""As you hire into ICE so quickly, the standard for who you hire is going to go down and down and down," he said. "If ICE decides to hire 10,000 people this year, man, there are going to be some pretty unsavory people who get hired, and the masks allow them to sort of get away with a level of depravity that none of us should accept."He compared the hiring pace to the Border Patrol, which, he claimed, struggles to find even 1,000 people a year who meet their criteria.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURECLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPBulwark host Tim Miller suggested that immigration raids by masked officers seem "pretty risky" in a heavily armed country like the United States, and Murphy offered a theory."One of my colleagues was speculating that the reason that these very high-profile raids are happening in a place like California and not happening, at least as visibly, in places like Arizona, is because of the worry that in a community with folks who have concealed weapons, it's going to lead to a shootout," he said."And that shouldn't ever be the reason why you aren't enforcing the law, that you're worried you're going to get shot at," he added.

Cincinnati freshman offensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly died unexpectedly at 18 years old this past April.A coroner's report, according to ESPN, said that Kelly died of "cardiac hypertrophy" - a condition where the muscles in the heart thicken.Kelly's death was the ultimate shock to his mother, Chiniqua, who told ESPN that he was the "healthiest child" and "never had any issues" growing up.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMDespite receiving "some closure" with the coroner's report, Chiniqua wants her two other sons to see a sports cardiologist."It just makes you want to be more aware, like if there's something that you can possibly save your child from," she told ESPN.Chiniqua said her son was relaxing at home the day before his death and was even wearing a heart monitor while doing physical activity.A spokesperson for the school told ESPN that Kelly had passed a physical before practicing with the team, which was required by the NCAA - Kelly had been enrolled early at the school and was practicing in the spring.COLORADO'S DEION SANDERS ADMITS HE'S 'STILL GOING THROUGH SOMETHING' AS FOOTBALL SEASON APPROACHES"The Cincinnati football program and athletics department continue to mourn Jeremiah's passing," the team said in a statement. "He is deeply missed by all of us."Kelly was part of the Avon Eagles football team that went 16-0 in 2024 and helped deliver the schools first state championship. Kelly received first-team all-conference and all-district honors and was named SWC lineman of the year as a senior.As a junior, Kelly helped lead the Eagles to a 14-1 record and was teammates with current Cincinnati running back Jakorion Caffey.The Bearcats went 5-7 last season and 3-6 in the Big 12. It was Scott Satterfields second season as head coach after Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin prior to the 2023 season.Fox News' Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

An Oregon woman was fatally stabbed on Saturday while her five young children were inside her home, police said.Neilyann Ysman, 24, was found dead with stab wounds at a home in Portland and the suspect in the case, 28-year-old S Mate Joseph, was arrested in Vancouver hours later and is facing murder charges, police said.Ysmans five children, who are all under six years of age, were rescued and were unharmed.Police used explosives to open a garage door to get to the children as they were unsure if the suspect was still in the house at the time, per Fox Carolina.KNIFE ATTACK AT MASSIVE PORTLAND RAVE LEAVES FOUR TEENAGERS WOUNDEDNeighbor Julia Mannthey told the outlet she saw police rescue the children from the home, and she said she was heartbroken."They just looked numb to the situation, like they couldnt process their emotions," Mannthey said. "Just so sad, I feel so bad for them."The Medical Examiner determinedthe cause of death as a stab wound and the manner of death a homicide, PPB said.Police did not say if the children were in the same room when their mother was stabbed. The deadly incident unfolded in the 6400 block of Southeast 143rdCourt, about 9 miles east of Downtown Portland.Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said they responded to the scene at around 12:30 p.m. Joseph was tracked down and arrested by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) just before 4 p.m.CHICAGO DRIVE-BY SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 4 DEAD, 14 WOUNDEDJoseph, of Battleground, was booked into the Clark County Jail on an arrest warrant for murder in the second-degree domestic violence and burglary in the first degree.According to jail records, Joseph also has open or pending cases including bail jumping, stemming from a failure to appear in court on a prior misdemeanor charge and two separate counts of driving with a suspended license. He also has charges for violating a domestic violence protection order, assault involving domestic violence, driving under the influence (DUI) and harassment in the context of domestic violence.It is unclear what Josephs relationship to Ysman was and to her children.Another neighbor, Shawn Lioyryan, said she was rattled by the news."Its scary, its very startling," Lioyryan told Fox Carolina. "It is scary to see such a heavy police presence. It is a neighborhood where I ultimately feel safe. I dont see much police because its not needed, so to see so much police activity is definitely alarming."

A beach-goer in New Jersey was left hungry after a seagull swooped in and stole the sandwich she was eating right out of her hand.The incident happened on Saturday on Wildwood Crest's beach. While some were asking on social media why she was filming herself eating, Victoria Shannon Reed had set up the camera to watch for gulls."I decided to film myself eating a sandwich on the beach because I knew the seagulls were aggressive," she told newsgathering website Storyful."While filming, a seagull came from behind me and grabbed my sandwich. This scared me and caused me to scream, become completely stunned and then decided to chase after them."SHARK BITES BEACH FISHERMAN WHO DRAGGED THRASHING PREDATOR BACK TO WATER AFTER CATCHWildwood Crest is located in Cape May County, New Jersey. The beach is known for "swimming, sailing and sunsets," its website says.NYC TEMPORARILY SHUTS DOWN QUEENS BEACHES AFTER SHARKS SWIM DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO FOURTH OF JULY CROWD"If your vacation dream is to awaken to the sound of the ocean and the call of the sea gulls, or step out of your room for a romantic walk on the beach, then Wildwood Crest is for you," the beach's description reads.JERSEY SHORE BOARDWALK MAYHEM PUTS BLUE STATE'S 'SOFT' CRIME APPROACH UNDER MICROSCOPEThe location is less than an hour's drive away from Atlantic City. New Jersey's beaches are well-known tourist destinations during the summer.