Civil rights activist Robert L. Woodson Sr. has long been a critic of the mainstream media for pushing the narrative that America is inherently racist, but hes particularly offended by The New York Times and MSNBCs Al Sharpton.Woodson, 88, penned an opinion piece in theWall Street Journallast week, urging the nation to "disregard race in how we judge one another" before it leads to "national ruin."He believes the media has been "demeaning the values of the country in the name of promoting social justice."Woodson has been an outspoken critic of The New York Times controversial 1619 Project, which aimed to "reframe" Americas history through the lens of slavery.The 1619 Project won a Pulitzer Prize but has been criticized for historical inaccuracies, and Woodson is furious that it has been integrated and insinuated into the curriculum around the country."It is embedding in America that America should be defined by its birth defect of slavery," Woodson told Fox News Digital.HOW MAINSTREAM MEDIA BECAME 'PART OF THE RACE GRIEVANCE INDUSTRY' HARMING BLACK NEIGHBORHOODSBecause of Nikole Hannah-Jones' 1619 Project, along with other coverage, Woodson said the Times has been among the most egregious mainstream news organizations when it comes to belittling the values of the country."The New York Times has been the leading culprit in condemning the country, burning the flags, and celebrating those who demean these values. It is, in fact, those same values of the founders that enabled Blacks to survive slavery in Jim Crow," Woodson said.AL SHARPTON HITS BACK AT TRUMP ACCUSATION ABOUT PAID ENDORSEMENT OF KAMALA HARRISA New York Times spokesperson provided Fox News Digital with the following comment: "This 1619 Project was a piece of deep and original reporting that brought to light new and underexplored truths, and it's only natural that principled and rigorous reporting like this would spark reflection and discussion. The series deepened many readers' understanding of the nation's past, the lingering effects of slavery and its centrality to Americas story and the significant contributions of Black Americans to this country."The statement continued: "Readers have benefited immensely from the groundbreaking journalism of Nikole Hannah-Jones and the full team of writers and editors who brought us this transformative work. The New York Times is proud to continue pursuing vital journalism like this."With regard to the comment about flag burning, the Times spokesperson added: "In fact, the central essay of the 1619 Project, the one that won a Pulitzer Prize, made a case for why Black Americans should embrace the flag, and the illustrated book that came out last year featured a gallery of patriotic images of people with the flag."Woodson also has a bone to pick with Sharpton, an MSNBC weekend host who often leads divisive rallies and put his network in an awkward situation ahead of the 2024 presidential election.MSNBC admitted it was "unaware" that Vice President Kamala Harris campaign paid $500,000 to Sharptons National Action Network nonprofit ahead of afriendly interviewwith the Democratic nominee.Harris sat down for asoftball interviewon Oct. 20 with MSNBCs Sharpton, an open supporter of Harris and the Democratic Party. Following Harris loss to President Donald Trump,FEC filingsrevealed the Harris campaign gave two $250,000 donations to Sharptons nonprofit organization in September and October but the MSNBC host did not inform viewers of the contributions or the conflict of interest before or after the interview.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE"They would never tolerate this from someone White," Woodson said."You would never have a television anchor going out leading demonstrations or accepting [donations] from a political candidate and then interviewing them on their network," he continued. "Al Sharpton has been a special exception."MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks claimed that President Donald Trump ordered Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, to rhetorically use "mustard gas" on American democracy by launching redistricting efforts.Texas Republicans, encouraged by the Trump administration, are pursuing a congressional map aimed at adding up to five GOP-leaning districts, prompting fierce backlash and counteraction. Texas Democrats have fled the Lone Star State to Democratic-stronghold states. Their goal is to break quorum and halt the vote.As first noticed by NewsBusters, Brooks appeared on "PBS NewsHour" on Friday, where he was asked if he believed that politics had boiled down to nothing more than an indefinite power struggle between the two parties.CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR DEMANDS TRUMP ABANDON TEXAS REDISTRICTING PUSH, THREATENS BALLOT MEASURE RESPONSEHe told "NewsHour" co-anchor Amna Nawaz, "I understand the argument. But let's do a little ethical experiment here. You're in World War I. The Germans use mustard gas on civilians, and it helps them. Do you then decide, 'Okay, we're going to use mustard gas on civilians?'" he responded. "What Trump ordered Abbott to do in Texas is mustard gas on our democracy. Some people would feel, 'Okay, that was terrible. We have to fight that. It's horrible. It's horrible. But we're going to fight back. It's just that's war.'"Brooks was also critical of redistricting efforts on the other side of the political aisle, slamming California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his role in helping to "destroy our democracy.""Gavin Newsom is leaping into this with both legs. And, to me, there's a moral stain that will accompany anybody who does this, because basically they are destroying our democracy," he said. "You don't let politicians pick voters. You let voters pick politicians."The New York Times opinion columnist asserted that those who oppose gerrymandering are "the ones defending democracy," and warned that the opposing parties' redistricting battle is a "race to the bottom."CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURENewsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last week that California will move forward with a plan for a special election in early November to place its own redistricting plan on a ballot measure before voters.The Golden State governor said the move was a counterpunch to Texas and was being done in a transparent fashion, but would also likely see Democrats pick up five seats if the measure is adopted. The plan would allow Democrats to temporarily bypass the states independent redistricting commission and adopt a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections.While Brooks was critical of Newsom's decision to fight fire with fire on the redistricting front, he noted that the California governor wasn't the one who started the battle."I fully grant you that Trump started it. So I'm not saying it's totally morally equivalent. But there's a moral stain. And what's going to happen is, people are going to say, 'It's those politicians,'" he argued.In closing, Brooks contended that the real losers in this scenario would be the voters and that the politicians working on redistricting are "literally disenfranchising people.""Loss of faith in the system, loss of faith in democracy, and literally less democracy, because, if you are a Texas voter or a California voter, or if New York does it or if Missouri does it, whoever all the states that are going to do this, you are literally disenfranchising people, because you can pick the district so carefully that the voters don't matter so much," he concluded.Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Governor Abbott's office for comment.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPFox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Police in England have arrested a Liverpool fan after the teams opening match of thePremier League against Bournemouth Friday was interrupted when Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo accused a man of racial abuse.Merseyside Police released a statement Saturday confirming that a 47-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after the incident at Anfield."The suspects identity was confirmed, and he was removed from the ground following the report," the statement said. According to police, the man was being interviewed in police custody.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ONFOXNEWS.COMThe incident happened in the first half at the 28-minute mark when Semenyo, who is Black, was preparing to take a corner. After speaking with the referee, Semenyo ran to speak with both coaches and both team captains.The delay lasted only two minutes. Semenyo remained in the game, scoring both of Bournemouths goals in the 4-2 loss. At halftime, an anti-discrimination message was read to the crowd inside the stadium.WAYNE ROONEY RESPONDS TO TOM BRADY'S 'VERY UNFAIR' CRITICISM DURING HIS BRIEF STINT AS BIRMINGHAM CITY MANAGERSemenyo released a statement on social media Saturday thankingsoccer fans, teammates, opponents and officials for their support."Last night at Anfield will stay with me forever - not because of one person's words, but because of how the entire football family stood together," his post began. "To my @afcb teammates who supported me in that moment, to the @liverpoolfc players and fans who showed their true character, to the @premierleague officials who handled it professionally - thank you. Football showed its best side when it mattered most."The overwhelming messages of support from across the football world remind me why I love this sport," he continued. "We keep moving forward, together."The Premier League announced in a separate statement it will investigate the incident and "offer our full support to the player and both clubs."The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

European leaders in a "coalition of the willing" are rushing to show unity before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Washington Monday.The push comes after Axios first reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from two eastern regions during his Friday summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska.Trump is now pressing for a three-way summit with Putin and Zelenskyy "fast," possibly as early as Aug. 22.French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet virtually Sunday.SUMMIT WITH PUTIN SET TO TOP TRUMPS AGENDA THIS WEEK AS UKRAINE WAR TAKES CENTER STAGEThe "coalition of the willing" aims to form a singular front before Zelenskyy faces Trump. In their Aug. 13 joint statement, Macron, Starmer and Merz said the coalition would "reject territorial concessions under force" and push for binding security guarantees for Ukraine.Axios reported Putins terms would shift far more land to Russia than Ukraine would gain. He also floated China as a possible guarantor, a move that would push NATO aside. European nations see that as a direct challenge to their security system.President Trump said European leaders are looking to him to drive results."There are a lot of European leaders, but they rely on me very much rely on me. If it wasnt for me, this thing would never get solved until the last person breathing is dead," Trump said at a press briefing last week.ZELENSKYY THANKS NATO, EUROPEAN LEADERS FOR BACKING HIS PUSH TO JOIN TRUMPPUTIN SUMMITThe White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.For Zelenskyy, the stakes are high. He'll arrive in Washington on Monday as President Trump takes the lead in pushing for a settlement. European leaders believe their coalition can give Zelenskyy added support as he enters the talks. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.Trump has told Zelenskyy and other leaders he wants to move quickly toward a three-way meeting with Putin as early as Aug. 22, according to reporting from Axios. The goal, he has said, is to get all sides in the same room and test whether a breakthrough is possible. Such a summit would mark the first direct encounter between the three men since the war began.The phrase "coalition of the willing" once described the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Today, Europe is using it to block any peace deal that redraws Ukraines borders by force.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPSundays meeting, Zelenskyys White House talks Monday and Trumps push for a three-way summit will show whether Europes coalition has real influence or if Washington and Moscow set terms alone.The offices of President Macron, Prime Minister Starmer and Chancellor Merz did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Selena Gomez is turning up the heat and the mood lighting.The 33-year-old singer and actress gave fans an intimate glimpse into her bedtime routine with a sultry mirror selfie shared from what appears to be her bedroom.Gomez posed in soft pink satin lingerie with lace detailing and a thigh-high slit. The former Disney star embraced a relaxed, feminine aesthetic while basking in the warm glow of candlelight.DISNEY ALUM DEMI LOVATO FLAUNTS NEWLYWED GLOW IN SIZZLING HONEYMOON PHOTOSThe "Only Murders in the Building" star wore red-rimmed glasses to match the romantic mood of the room, as she snapped a selfie in front of a vanity with beauty products on display.A large lit candle and a notebook were also seen in the photo adding to the cozy atmosphere.Gomezs post instantly drew attention from her more than 400 million Instagram followers.SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR SIZZLES IN SWIMSUIT DURING TROPICAL GETAWAYHer fianc, Benny Blanco, additionally swooned over Gomez in the comments section."wait im gonna marry u," he wrote in a sweet comment.Last December, Gomez and the record producer announced they were engaged to be married.LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS"The Wizards of Waverly Place" alum took to Instagram at the time to share in her excitement, displaying a large engagement ring on her finger with the caption "forever begins now."In the photo carousel, Gomez was seen on a picnic and shared a close-up of the ring in another snap.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERThe last picture showed Blanco giving Gomez a smooch as they showed off their engagement bliss.In the comments, Blanco said, "Hey wait thats my wife."The two have been romantically paired since December 2023 but were first linked when they worked together in 2019 on the song "I Can't Get Enough."Below the post, fellow stars can be seen flooding the comments with congratulatory messages, including Taylor Swift and Jennifer Aniston."yes I will be the flower girl," Swift commented.The "Friends" star congratulated Gomez and added, "HONEY!! Congratulations sweet mama!"

EXCLUSIVE: First Lady Melania Trump wrote a "peace letter" to Russian President Vladimir Putin telling him "it is time" to protect children and future generations around the globe, Fox News Digital has learned.Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the "peace letter" the first lady penned to Putin, which President Trump hand-delivered to the Russian leader before their summit in Alaska, Fox News Digital has learned.TRUMP RATES PUTIN SUMMIT A '10 OUT OF 10' AND TOUTS 'VERY GOOD PROGRESS' TOWARD PEACEImmediately upon receiving the letter, Putin read it as the American and Russian delegations looked on."Dear President Putin," the first ladys letter begins. "Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nations rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger.""As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generations hope," the letter continued. "As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few.""Undeniably, we must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for allso that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded," read the letter. "A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generations descendants begin their lives with a purityan innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology."The first lady continued that "in todays world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around thema silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future."TRUMP REVEALS 10 STRIKING TAKEAWAYS FROM PUTIN SUMMIT IN HANNITY INTERVIEW"Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter," the first lady wrote. "In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia aloneyou serve humanity itself.""Such a bold idea transcends all human division, and you, Mr. Putin, are fit to implement this vision with a stroke of the pen today," she wrote. "It is time."Mrs. Trump's "peace letter" was written ahead of her husband's historic meeting with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, Friday. The high-stakes meeting was the first U.S.-Russia summit sinceJune 2021, which was under former President Joe Bidens administration and only eight months before Putin invaded Ukraine.Though Trump and Putin had not met in person in years prior to Friday, they have spoken on the phone numerous times this year to discuss an end to the Russia's war with Ukraine.Following the meeting, President Trump, said the summit was "extremely productive," but that the parties were "not there yet" on ending the war."There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say," Trump told the press following the meeting. "A couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway. So, there's no deal until there's a deal."Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Washington D.C. to meet with President Trump on Monday."On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation," Zelenskyy wrote on X.Zelenskyy said Trump told him about the main points of his meeting with Putin, adding that he fully supports Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S.

The brother of the missing woman featured in the hit Netflix docuseries "Amy Bradley is Missing" spoke with Fox News Digital to disclose further information in the case that was not discussed on the show.Amy Bradley has been missing for 27 years since she vanished from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas just before it docked in Curaao on a March 1998 vacation. The documentary sheds light on Bradley's case - from the circumstances of her disappearance, to witness sightings, to her family's grueling decadeslong quest for answers about what exactly happened to her.The series focuses heavily on Alister "Yellow" Douglas, referred to only as Yellow by those familiar with the case, who was the bassist in the cruise ship's band and is the Bradley family's top suspect in her disappearance.AMY BRADLEY CASE HINGES ON 'SOMEBODY REMEMBERING' AS INVESTIGATORS HUNT FOR NEW LEADS 27 YEARS LATER: EXPERTOn the night of March 23, 1998, Amy and her brother, Brad Bradley, stayed up late partying aboard the ship. Amy was seen dancing with Yellow, who had taken a keen interest in her, in the Blue Orchid Lounge, a dance club on the ship's upper deck.Around 3:35 a.m. on the morning of March 24, Brad returned to the family's cabin to relax, followed shortly thereafter by Amy, who retired to the room only about five minutes later. The pair spent time on the balcony of their room, smoking cigarettes and talking until Brad went to bed.At 5:30 a.m., Ron Bradley, Amy and Brad's father, woke up and saw Amy asleep in a lounge chair on the balcony. The balcony door was closed.Around a half-hour later, Ron checked on Amy again, but she was gone. The balcony door was slightly ajar and her shoes and the yellow shirt she had been wearing were still inside the room.YOUNG CREWMEMBER MURDERED ABOARD LUXURY SUPERYACHT IN PARADISE DESTINATIONThe Bradley's then started a frantic search for Amy, alerting the ship's crew that she was missing. Royal Caribbean said all the rooms and public spaces on the ship were checked, but Amy was not found.The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard searched for Amy for four days to no avail, and the FBI was dispatched to investigate."Let me preface by saying we are forever grateful to Ari Mark and Phil Lott," Brad Bradley told Fox News Digital, referring to the film's producers and directors. "The producers did an amazing job. We're very happy with the show and how much attention it's garnered around the world. I mean, I've said on many interviews, it has literally single-handedly revitalized [Amy's] name around the word."When asked what he wished to convey that was not seen in the documentary, Brad immediately honed in on the FBI's investigation, or in his view, the lack thereof."Making people understand, in my opinion, the failure of the FBI in our case to do their due diligence to investigate the case properly and thoroughly," he said when asked what he wishes more people knew about the case.Brad said that the FBI immediately dropped the ball on the investigation, beginning with the most basic investigative procedure: establishing a timeline of the disappearance.Just before 6:00 a.m. on March 24, two women named Lori and Crystal, who were sitting on the deck of the ship, watched Amy and Yellow ride a glass elevator up to the Blue Orchid Lounge. That was around the time Ron noticed Amy was missing from the ship.TOURIST WHO MISSED NORWEGIAN CRUISE SHIP DISCOVERED DEAD ON MOUNTAIN TRAIL IN ALASKAThey reported seeing Amy with a camera, and Yellow handing her a brown drink. Soon after, the women said, Yellow briskly walked past them alone. They were two of the last witnesses to see Amy alive.They returned to their room just a bit later and were let in by one of the girls' mothers. Since they did not use a key to get into the room, there was no certain way to know exactly what time they entered, which is critical to piecing together when exactly Amy disappeared."On the Netflix series, you'll hear the agent from the FBI say, 'unfortunately, we weren't able to corroborate their timeframe,' essentially in kind of a dismissive way," Brad said."But we found and have, through even very recent conversations in the past week, my mom has spoken with the mother of one of the two girls who let them into their room just after 6 a.m. and the FBI never questioned her on the boat, and they never have questioned her to this day. They never interviewed her," he continued."And again, after speaking with the mother the other day, she remains adamant that she let them in just after 6 a.m., and they were out at the time they said they were," Brad said.AMERICAN CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DISAPPEARS AFTER HIKING AT SUMMER VACATION DESTINATIONAlso, Brad continued, there was a third witness, who was not mentioned in the documentary, around the 6:00 a.m. timeframe to see Amy.The third witness, named Elizabeth, later testified before a grand jury that she saw Amy and Yellow in the lounge and watched Yellow make Amy a brown drink. She said she then watched the pair move out of her line of sight, according to Brad.Then, according to Brad, she testified to a shocking detail that has not widely been made public."And then she says a young girl about 18 or 19 years old, she suspected comes out of the back yelling senorita kidnap, senorita kidnap, more than one time," Brad said.The Bradleys are currently attempting to locate Elizabeth in hopes of gathering more information.Further, Yellow approached Brad at about 7:30 a.m. as he sat on the deck of the ship. Brad was dejected as the immediate search for Amy was unsuccessful.He says that Yellow apologized to him about his missing sister, before any public announcement had been made about Amy's disappearance."I don't know, but I think [Yellow] went and handed [Amy] off to somebody who took her down into the crew quarters," Brad said, positing a theory about the disappearance. "The two girls that, on the outside, that saw him go up the elevator with her, said that he came down some minutes later by himself and walked directly past them, never looked at him, when he'd been trying to holler at them previously."Over the years, there have been several sightings of a woman believed to be Amy.Tourist Judy Maurer said in the documentary that she witnessed a woman she believed to be Amy while in a public restroom in Barbados, before three men allegedly escorted the woman away.MADELEINE MCCANN SEARCH RESUMES AS SUSPECT'S PRISON RELEASE LOOMS AFTER YEARS BEHIND BARSDavid Carmichael, a Canadian diver, also said in the docuseries that he may have seen Bradley while visiting Curaao, adding that she was "flanked by two people," one of whom he suspected was "Yellow." Another Curaao sighting was reported by Navy veteran Bill Hefner, who believes he saw a distressed Bradley at a taboo local bar, but did not report it because of fear of reprisal from his military superiors.From 2002 until 2008, risqu photos bearing a striking resemblance to Amy surfaced on the website of what appears to be a now-defunct Venezuelan tourist escort resort, according to a blog dedicated to finding Amy. Those photos were featured in the docuseries.Other theories have also been posited about her disappearance, mainly that she either fell off the balcony accidentally or jumped off intentionally. The Bradley family vehemently denies either of those explanations.In his heart of hearts, Brad knows Amy is still alive, and so does the rest of the Bradley family."My parents and I have shared kind of an unexplainable gut feeling in this sense that she's still out there, and I don't know how to better explain that to people or make it more relatable, because it's an unrelatable kind of thing," Brad said."People just don't understand how we could possibly feel like that, and I can't really explain it, but we do, we've all shared it, we've never talked about her in the past tense."Royal Caribbean did not return a comment request. Neither did Yellow.The FBI declined to comment.

ESPN host Monica McNutt went viral for making an on-air mistake Saturday.During a segment that included an appearance by influencer Drew "Druski" Desbordes, who was wearing the jersey of former Detroit Lions superstar running back Barry Sanders, McNutt incorrectly assumed it was the jersey of Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders."The jersey, let's get into it, because obviously this ties into one Shedeur Sanders," McNutt said.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMDesbordes interrupted the host to correct her."No, no, no, no, no, no," Desbordes said. "This is Barry Sanders."The jersey also had the No. 20 on the front. Quarterbacks are not allowed to wear No. 20 as a jersey number in the NFL. In college football, quarterbacks are technically allowed to wear No. 20, but still typically wear a number within the range of 1-19. Sanders wears No. 12 in the NFL and wore No. 2 in college.EX-NBA PLAYER MAKES SHEDEUR SANDERS-LEBRON JAMES COMPARISON AFTER QB'S PRESEASON DEBUTMcNutt's mistake quickly went viral on social media, prompting criticism from Barstool founder Dave Portnoy and OutKick founder Clay Travis.McNutt previously drew criticism when she suggested that being a "White girl from the middle of America" helped WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark's popularity in an interview with the BBC."But I think Caitlin represented, and, again, some of this to me probably is not fair to her because it was not anything that she said or was truly based on her personality, but she was a White girl from the middle of America. And, so, she represented a whole lot to a lot of people, whether that is truly what she prescribed to or not," McNutt said in March."We attach our fandom to these icons for all types of reasons, and sometimes they may not be based in truth."Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Even birds can get turned around from time to time.A rare subtropical wood stork was spotted in a very unexpected place recently Wisconsin, after the bird apparently got lost inflight.The wood stork typically lives in the Gulf Coast states as well as Central and South America.The bird, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, was first seen last Sunday by a man hunting deer in the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, Wisconsin, northeast of Madison.TEACHER CAPTURES IMAGES OF VERY RARE' BIRD NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN US"It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up," Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls, who is also a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources, said."This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds," he added.The hunter first sent Bahls photos of the wood stork that he took during the sighting on Sunday.Bahls viewed the bird for himself on Monday, saying he thinks its a juvenile that hatched this spring because of its light-colored bill.As wood storks get older, their bills eventually turn black.RARE WHITE MAGPIE THRILLS MAN IN WALES: 'WOW, WHAT A THING THAT WAS'He said young wood storks typically go exploring in the summer because they have no territory.They are also the only species of stork that breeds in North America.The stork was last seen on Tuesday flying northeast with a flock of pelicans.The wood stork was once endangered with only 5,000 nesting pairs in the United States in the 1970s, but as of 2023 that had grown to more than 11,000 nesting pairs, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.The birds became a protected species in 1984.Wood storks have also been forced to move north because of habitat destruction and climate change.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"The wood stork has made a remarkable comeback, but wetland destruction from urban sprawl still looms large over the species," Stephanie Kurose of the Center for Biological Diversity previously said in a statement. "The Service needs to ensure that wetlands will be protected. Its also crucial to continue to adequately monitor the storks population to make sure ongoing threats dont undo this hard-fought success."The Associated Press contributed to this report.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Saturday he is deploying the West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) to the nation's capital to support President Donald Trumps initiative to restore cleanliness and public safety to Washington, D.C.The response was prompted by a request from the Trump administration, Morrisey said.WVNG will provide mission-essential equipment, specialized training and about 300 to 400 skilled personnel, according to the governor's office. The mission will be funded at the federal level.400 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS DESCEND UPON DC; EXPANDED CRIME CRACKDOWN EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT"West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nations capital,"Morrisey wrote in a statement. "The men and women of our National Guard represent the best of our state, and this mission reflects our shared commitment to a strong and secure America."Trump federalized D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department on Monday under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to take emergency control of the police force for 30 days.WATCH: NATIONAL GUARD HUMVEES, ROUGHLY 30 TROOPS STAND GUARD OUTSIDE DC'S UNION STATION AMID POLICE TAKEOVERHundreds of National Guard members have been spotted in the city, along with agents from federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Capitol Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)."This initiative aligns with our values of service and dedication to our communities,"said West Virginia Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jim Seward, who will take command of the troops. "We stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region and contribute to the collective effort of making our nations capital a clean and safe environment. The National Guards unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking."DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH VOWS TO BE 'FORCE MULTIPLIERS' OF DC POLICEAttorney General Pam Bondi on Friday announced there have been nearly 200 arrests in the D.C. since the Trump administration federalized the city to tackle crime.Among those arrested were two homicide suspects, 17 suspected drug traffickers, 39 suspected illegal gun offenders, and two sexual predators, according to Bondi.The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.