Cracker Barrel debuted its new logo on Tuesday, removing the man resting on a barrel and leaving only the name of the restaurant serving southern-style comfort food.The new design marks the first time in 48 years that the logo only features text.The Old Country Store opened in 1969 with a text-only logo before adding the iconic image of the man sitting against a barrel in 1977.Cracker Barrel said the new logo "is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all."CRACKER BARREL EXECUTIVE INSISTS RESTAURANT REMODELS ARE 'WHAT THE GUESTS ASKED FOR'"Anchored in Cracker Barrels signature gold and brown tones, the updated visuals will appear across menus and marketing collateral, including the fifth evolution of the brands logo, which is now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all," the company said in its announcement.The brand also said popular menu items like "farm fresh scrambled eggs and buttermilk biscuits" even served as inspiration behind the "hues of a refreshed color palette."The new logo was revealed as part of its "All the More" campaign that also includes new menu offerings and a collaboration with country music singer Jordan Davis, who starred in a new commercial for the company."Cracker Barrel has always felt like home to me," Davis said in the announcement. "It's where the food hits just right, the people treat you like family, and the pace lets you slow down and take a breath. Thats something I try to bring into my music too; real moments that feel good and bring people together. I'm proud to be part of this next chapter and to celebrate what makes Cracker Barrel so special to so many."The company is also offering customers in the U.S. a complimentary Classic Side with any purchase on Aug. 23 and 24 at its nearly 660 locations nationwide."We believe in the goodness of country hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us," Cracker Barrel Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Moore said. "Our story hasnt changed. Our values havent changed. With 'All the More,' were honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy, thoughtful craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our guests this fall."Fox News Digital has reached out to the company for additional comment.The new design is just the latest aspect of Cracker Barrel's modern makeover.CRACKER BARREL CUSTOMERS 'HATE' RESTAURANT CHAIN'S NEW LOOK IN VIRAL SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOSCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLast year, the company updated the antique Southern feel of its interiors to a brighter modern vibe.Moore told Fox News Digital earlier this year that the Tennessee-based restaurant chain has been testing "various levels of remodels.""We've been very transparent about our goal of making our stores feel brighter and even more welcoming than they already are, while maintaining that country hospitality and charm that we're known for," Moore said at the time.

Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., will no longer slap people with felony charges for possession of rifles or shotguns in the nation's capital, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.The change means federal prosecutors will not seek charges under the D.C. law that made it illegal to carry rifles or shotguns in the district, except in limited cases for permit holders.Under the new policy, the U.S. attorney's office will continue to bring charges when a person is accused of using a shotgun or rifle in a violent crime or has a criminal record that prohibits them from possessing a firearm. The new policy also covers large-capacity magazines, but it does not include handguns.JEANINE PIRRO SAYS CURRENT DC JUSTICE SYSTEM 'ISN'T CUTTING IT' AS TRUMP TAKES FEDERAL CONTROLLocal officials may also prosecute people for illegally possessing unregistered rifles and shotguns.Pirro, a former Fox News host, said in a statement that the new policy is based on guidance from the Justice Department and the Office of Solicitor General.She also said the change complies with two Supreme Court rulings protecting gun rights.Pirro said a blanket ban on possessing shotguns and rifles violates the court's 2022 ruling that struck down a New York gun law and held that people have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. She also cited a 2008 ruling blocking D.C.'s ban on handguns in the home.The change comes amid President Donald Trump's move to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in the district in an attempt to reduce crime. Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C.The White House said 76 firearms have been seized since the federal takeover began earlier this month.Pirro has been a staunch critic of local officials' efforts to tackle crime in D.C. since Trump tapped her to lead the nations largest U.S. attorneys office in May.US ATTORNEY PIRRO SAYS ADMINISTRATION WONT TOLERATE OUT OF CONTROL CRIME IN THE NATIONS CAPITALCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"We will continue to seize all illegal and unlicensed firearms, and to vigorously prosecute all crimes connected with them," Pirro said in her statement, adding that she and Trump "are committed to prosecuting gun crime."Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. attorney's office for additional comment.Violent crime in D.C. dropped by 35% between 2023 and 2024, the U.S. attorneys office said in December under prior leadership, stating that there were 3,388 incidents last year compared to 5,215 incidents the year before.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A probationary firefighter at a rural fire department in Missouri had a unique experience when responding to her first fire on Monday.The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District, located in the very small town of Doolittle, said it has one vegan, and that happens to be Jenna Ulrich a new firefighter whose father is also a firefighter.Ulrich was working on Monday morning when the department received a call reporting a tractor-trailer on fire on Interstate 174 eastbound.The catch? The truck was carrying 40,000 pounds of ribeye steaks.FIREFIGHTERS CUT OPEN PLAYGROUND SLIDE TO RESCUE 40-YEAR-OLD MAN STUCK INSIDEUlrich was stationed on the hose line during the ordeal and can be seen spraying water on the beefed-up inferno in the video posted online by the department.Her dad, Glenn, was working alongside her.HOT DOGS SPILL ACROSS INTERSTATE AFTER TRACTOR TRAILER CRASH TO CLOG COMMUTE FOR STEAMED MOTORISTS"Nothing says welcome to the fire service like sending the probie to put out 40,000 pounds of flaming ribeye!" the district joked on Facebook.Despite a job well done on the firefighters' behalf, the department said the steaks were "a total loss."This is not the first time the small department has been called to extinguish flaming trailers carrying food.In June, a tractor-trailer "fully-loaded" with onions caught on fire, resulting in another total loss.

Some books not only never grow old, they instead grow more relevant to the present day and indeed, even more pressing.One such book isThe Gathering Storm, the first volume of Winston Churchills six-volume history of the Second World War.In its preface, Churchill begins by telling the reader that he "must regard these volumes as a continuation of the story of the First World War which I set out inThe World Crisis, The Eastern Front, andThe Aftermath."MORNING GLORY: TRUMP MEETS PUTIN AMID AN ERA DONE AWAY WITH JOHN QUINCY ADAMS' 'ABROAD'"Together," he continues, "they will cover an account of another Thirty Years War."Churchill does not relate that the first Thirty Years War raged in Central Europe from 1618 until 1648 and claimed up to 8 million lives. Many classify that conflict as a religious war, others a civil war, and most classify it as nothing at all because they have no knowledge of it. But it ravaged Europe so thoroughly as to beggar comparisonsuntil the titanic struggles of the 20th Century.One man had a commanding view of both conflicts from 1914 to 1945 Churchill. He was part of the highest councils of Great Britain for all but brief periods of both wars. In the First WoldWar Churchill was, at its beginning, the civilian head ofthe United Kingdoms vast fleet. Except for his six months in the front-line trenches as a Lieutenant Colonel of Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front, Churchill held high offices through the war and for a decade after it.He was exiled by his own political party to the political wilderness in 1929 and would stay there for a decade, throughout the rise of Hitler. Churchill was banished for petty reasons by petty rivals throughout the 1930s until finally, when Hitler invaded Poland in September of 1939, then Prime Minister of Great Britain Neville Chamberlain asked the great man to return to office.Chamberlain appointed Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty in that fateful September, 1939, in the aftermath of Germanys invasion of Poland, the same position he had held at the beginning of the First World War. Chamberlain, the architect of the disastrous policy of appeasement of Hitler, had ignored Churchills years of warnings about the intentions of "Corporal Hitler." Churchill returned to a position of power as Hitler rampaged through Poland and prepared for an assault on France. It was not until May 10 of 1940, however, as Frances armies melted away and the British Expeditionary Forces retreated towards Dunkirk, that Chamberlain resigned the post of prime minister as the Parliament and people of the country turned its wrath upon everyone associated with the failed policy of appeasement.Churchill was the only serious choice to rally a reeling nation, and he did just that for five years, assuming supreme command of Britains war effort from May 10, 1940 until an election after the Allies victory in Europe, when a post-VE Day election led to his partys defeat and his return to the opposition bench on July 26, 1945. That defeat at the polls allowed him the time to write this masterful history, and to do so with the cooperation of a partisan government opposed to his policies but aware of the enormous value such a history would have as the Cold War dawned.Five of the six volumes of his history of the Second World War focus primarily on the war from the time Churchill became Prime Minister and, concurrently, minister of Defense.But the first volume reviews the critical years from 1919 through the fall of France in the spring of 1940 and Churchills rise to leadership. The greatest man of the century was 65 when he took over a disastrous situation, one that he had warned against for a decade. He was 70 when the voters expelled him, and 76 when he led his party to victory again and became Prime Minister again, and served in that office until he was 80.Churchill wrote 43 books that span 72 volumes, and at the risk of upsetting Churchill scholars, I thinkThe Gathering Stormis the most important of all his many great works, at least for readers in 2025. (The scholars will point to his magisterial "Marlborough" as his greatest literary achievement, but Im sticking with my pick.)A hundred years ago in 1925 Churchill had written an essay to which he refers in Chapter 3 ofThe Gathering Storm, a column that asked "Might not a bomb no bigger than an orange be found to possess a secret power to destroy a whole block of buildingnay, to concentrate the force of a thousand tons of cordite and blast a township at a stroke?"In the same column he warned that "[a]s for poison gas and chemical warfare in all its forms, only the first chapter has been written in a terrible book."The great leader of countries at war was thus also a prophet of the terrible future of war, and so eloquent a writer that he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.Because of his first-row center seat to the rise of the Nazis, though without power to do anything except orate, detailed unheeded warnings from the back benches of Parliament, because of his leading role in the dramas of the actual combat of last century and because of his gift for writing, I recommend every serious person order the The Gathering Storm and read it.Ive begun it again now in order to discuss it on air with Dr. Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College, and the equal of any Churchill scholar living. The first of our conversations about The Gathering Storm is here. The second here.Dr. Arnn is as good a guide as can be found, but his commentaries are a prompt not a summary. This is a book you ought to read.Because "The Gathering Storm" is about today as much as it is about 1919-1940, about the innocence and indifference of a country worn out by war and wanting very much to be done with it, refusing for two decades to believe that war might not be over.It is prophets testimony about prophecies ignored, and about the disaster that followed that need not have happened at all.The United States did not fall into complacency after World War II, but gathered its strength and rebuilt the West while holding the Soviet Union at bay. It took a holiday from history in the 1990s, and 9/11 was the price. President George W. Bush oversaw the rebuilding and deployment of the American military and victory was achieved at great cost in both Afghanistan and Iraq, only to be thrown away by President Biden in the former instance and President Obama in the latter.Now the entire Democratic Party has succumbed to a sort of thinly disguised pacifism wrapped in a ridiculous wokeism and only President Trumps bold decision to obliterate Irans nuclear program stopped a theocracy administered by fanatics from acquiring the fateful "bomb the size of an orange" that Churchill warned about.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONNow President Trump is attempting to both broker peace in Central Europe and rebuild our hollowed-out military. Incredibly, much of legacy media appears to hope he fails in the former effort lest his position in history as a peacemaker be secured even against the libels of the TDS-afflicted.If you have any doubt about the urgent need for him to succeed and for the GOP to remain in control of Congress for the foreseeable future, readThe Gathering Stormand keep up with Dr. Arnns commentaries. The world isnt growing less dangerous, only more so. A Third World War would be as to the First and Second as those two wars were to the Thirty Years War: Destruction and death on an exponential scale with no Marshall Plan available after the war with which to rebuild. Every country would go down swinging. The battlefields of Ukraine tell us that.If you cant get past your dislike of the president, you ought to be first in line at the used book store on Amazon to pick up the volume. It may clear your head. It is not a time for absurd policies and silly alarms about "fascism" at home. There are totalitarians enough abroad who wish us all evil, whether we are "red" or "blue." Americans ought to worry about the new "Gathering Storm" and act together to prevent it, not repeat the mistakes of Great Britain in the "peace" between the world wars of the 20th century.Hugh Hewitt is host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channels news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman Universitys Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM HUGH HEWITT

California has always touted itself as a beacon of democracy. In 2008 and 2010, voters enacted constitutional amendments establishing an independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which is the gold standard for redistricting and should serve as the national model.Here in California, unlike other states, our citizens pick their representatives the representatives dont pick their citizens. In our Constitution, our criteria is that we keep cities, counties, and communities of interest together while drafting district lines in public, during hearings across the state.Gavin Newsom wants to go against our Constitution. He drafted maps behind closed doors without community input, splitting counties 16 times and cities more than 100 times, again, without public hearings. The result will be no competitive districts in the state of California. Where voters today have a voice on who is elected, that will go away with Newsoms redistricting scheme.NEWSOM, CALIFORNIA DEMS MOVE FORWARD WITH REDISTRICTING EFFORT TO COUNTER TRUMP-BACKED PUSH IN TEXASGavins gerrymander gamble will also cost the state between $200 and $250 million dollars. I find it interesting that the governor could not find the money to fund Proposition 36, which would make crime illegal again in California and passed by nearly 70% of voters in 58 counties. But he did find the money to pay for his redistricting ploy that would go against our Constitution.The governor says this is a temporary measure, but from my experience, nothing is temporary when it passes. The supermajority said the tax increase would be temporary, but it became permanent. The Golden Gate Bridge toll was supposed to be temporary, but it became permanent. I do not believe for one second that this is temporary, and neither should you.Here is another problem: when governors abandon a system built to prevent precisely this kind of manipulation, whether in Texas or California, they undermine democracy itself. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has weighed in, not with partisan rhetoric, but with sober warning. In an interview, the former governor stated his strong opposition to gerrymandering: "I have seen it first-hand, how its the evil of politics," and added, "Its very clearly an attack on the peoples choice. It is gaining more power for the politicians." Schwarzenegger has urged Newsom to uphold the independent commission rather than abandon it.At stake is not a congressional seat or two, but the principle that votersnot political partiesshould draw their own districts. One op-ed from a former chair of Californias first independent redistricting commission stated that "Californians should demand that Newsom and legislative leaders respect the will of the people and not sacrifice the independent redistricting commission, nor the states limited financial resources, for short-term political gain."CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONI support California Congressman Kevin Kileys pro-democracy legislation, which abolishes mid-decade redistricting nationwide and call on the governor, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and all lawmakers to join me in supporting the federal legislation. California must neither sacrifice nor sidestep the citizen-led redistricting commission to fight gerrymandering because it will invite a dangerous trend. When one side bends democratic rules for advantage, the other follows. When both do, democracy stops being about voters, and instead becomes a race to redraw lines. Two wrongs do not make a right.Democracy is not about winning seats through clever gerrymanders. It is through winning the trust of our citizens and their votes. California must not abandon our system for temporary gain when the long-term health of our democracy is at stake.

"Fromthe instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action to develop a safe and effective vaccine at breakneck speed We harnessed the full power of government, the genius of American scientists, and the might of American industry to save millions and millions of lives all over the world The gold standard vaccine has been done in less than nine months."Thats not a pharmaceutical company executive, scientist or public health official talking. Its President Donald Trump.President Trump made thoseremarksin 2020 at a White House summit celebrating his administrations Operation Warp Speed initiative.Traditional vaccines often take years to develop. But thanks toa groundbreaking technology called mRNA and tremendous partnerships between government agencies and private companies,apowerfulvaccine for COVID-19 was developed less than a year after the virus was sequenced.His prediction that those vaccines would bea game-changerturned out to be correct. COVID-19 vaccines saved at least3.2 millionlives in the United States andmillions morearound the world. During a very dark time, it was an incredible achievement for our country.AFTER COVID CONFUSION, HOW CAN WE REBUILD TRUST IN PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERS?Yet Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is undermining that achievement bycancelingsubstantial federal research investments in mRNA the technology thathas already led to approved vaccines for COVID-19 andRSV, andholds tremendous potentialfor future treatments and cures for many diseases.Instead of supporting researchers on the verge ofrevolutionizingvaccine scienceand saving countless lives,Secretary Kennedy has chosen to tie theirhands.This decision will slow our progress, leave ournationunderprepared for the next major public health emergency,and significantly damage Americas leadership in the scientific and medical fields.President Trump should direct Secretary Kennedy toimmediatelyreverse this shortsighted decision.As a pediatrician for more than 30 years, I cared for childrenfromallwalks of life. Some had great health insurance; others had none. Some lived in wealthy neighborhoods; others grew up in poverty. But regardless of their circumstances, I strived to give every one of my patients the best possible care.Thatshow every doctor should approach medicine, andits also how policymakers should approach their jobs. Health is too important to be politicized.Scientists have been studying mRNA technology fordecades, and the more than13 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have been administered worldwide since 2020 have allowed researchers to assess their impact. The results are clear. mRNA technology has already saved millions of lives.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONIt is alsoincrediblysafe;the vast majority ofside effects associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines areminorand do not require medical intervention.The beauty of thisparticulartechnologyis that scientists canquickly update and adapt those vaccinesto keep up with changes in the viruses they are targetingwithout sacrificing quality or safety.But the potential benefits of mRNA technology go well beyond a single virus. Scientists are working on mRNAvaccines and treatmentsthat can target multiple types of cancer, genetic disorders,several otherrespiratory viruses andall kinds ofrare diseases. Funding mRNA researchnow isalsocritical to helping us get ahead of the next bigpublichealth emergency, wheneverand wherever it arrives.That is why Secretary Kennedys decision toterminatefederal mRNA research investments and instead rely on older and slower vaccine technology isdeeply flawed. Health secretaries should not be denying Americans proven medical care. Stopping medical innovation in its tracks purely for ideological purposes isjust wrong.When it comes to your health, listen tothepeopleyou trust the mostyour doctor or nurse rather than politicians. As President Trump has said, COVID-19 vaccines are a "medical miracle," and mRNA holds so much promise for more Operation Warp Speed-type victories in the years ahead.But for that to happen,politiciansneed tounleash American innovation andletourscientists and researchers do what they do best.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DR. RICHARD BESSER

Josh Hokit, a former NFL fullback, took a swipe at the league on Tuesday night as he earned a UFC contract on Dana Whites Contender Series.Hokit knocked out Guilherme Uriel in the second round of their bout to earn a UFC contract on the show. He nailed Uriel with a few elbows while the Brazilian fighters back was on the mat. The referee had to stop the fight.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAfter the fight, Hokit cut a pro wrestling-style promo on the NFL."I left the liberal, snowflake NFL to do a real mans sport in a real mans promotion and here I am doing just that by earning this UFC contract," he said. "Ive been chewed up and spit out and I continue to find a way and I will find a way to that UFC gold. Mark my words."Hokit, in an American flag bandanna, also said he wants the UFC to line up pedophiles, sex traffickers, rapists and transgender fighters as his next opponents.COWBOYS HEAD COACH PREDICTS MICAH PARSONS WILL PLAY WEEK 1 DESPITE ONGOING CONTRACT DISPUTE: REPORT"Me and my new business partner, Dana White, have decided to get rid of this unentertaining heavyweight division, and instead, were going to create The Incredible Hok division but my opponents wont be these lazy, boring, heavyweights," he said."My opponents will be sex traffickers, pedophiles, rapists, hell you can even throw the transgenders in there. Line them all up, and one by one, I give them a good ol American beatdown inside the octagon to show the world that theres consequences for these types of behaviors in America."Hokit never played a down in the NFL regular season. He joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and was on the teams practice squad. He also competed for a spot on the Arizona Cardinals roster in 2022.Hes undefeated in his MMA career. He had two wins in Bellator before he moved to the Legacy Fighting Alliance. The fight against Uriel was the first tied to the UFC.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Caitlin Clark has been on the bench nursing an injury since the Indiana Fever were on the road against the Connecticut Sun just moments away from the All-Star break.Since then, her return to the floor has been closely guarded. Clarks injured right groin has failed to heal enough for her to even return to the practice floor. Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters that there was no timetable for her to return to the lineup.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"Until she can get into practice and until you guys see her in practice, its really status quo," she told reporters on Wednesday.To make matters more frustrating, multiple reports indicated on Wednesday that Clark suffered a bone bruise in her left ankle while rehabbing from her groin injury. A source told the Indy Star the ankle issue wouldn't have affected her timeline.Sophie Cunningham, who is also set to miss the rest of the season following a torn MCL against the Sun, dropped a few nuggets about Clarks injury and recovery process."She doesn't even know (when she'll be back). Literally, it's a day-by-day legit type of thing," she said on the "Show Me Something" podcast. "Yeah, it's close, you have to remember she would be playing if she wasn't in the WNBA right now. At this level, with how deep and how good people are nowadays in our league, which is the best it's ever been just trying to get her back in game shape is what they're trying to do."FEVER STAR SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM HIT WITH THIRD WNBA FINE AFTER PAIGE BUECKERS COMMENT ON HER PODCASTCunningham insisted she wasnt withholding any information.The Fever said on July 24 that the sharpshooter "underwent further medical evaluations earlier this week, which confirmed that no additional injuries or damage were discovered."Clarks return remains one of the biggest mysteries in the WNBA as the regular season comes to an end. Shes missed 22 games so far this season with three separate muscle injuries. She never missed a game in college and played in every Fever game last season when she won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.Indiana was sixth in the WNBA standings and won the Commissioners Cup this season.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

A trans athlete made a girls' high school volleyball team in Illinois, igniting chaotic debate among many of the town's parents.Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois saw a parade of angry parents speak out at its school district's board meeting Wednesday night amid the local controversy involving the biological male making the team.An anonymous parent told Fox News Digital that her daughter did not make the cut for the team while the male student did make it, prompting her daughter to break into tears after her first day of school Monday. The mother said the trans athlete quit the team the very next day amid the controversy.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMThe anonymous parent and another parent, in a Facebook post, claimed that the school's girls' volleyball coach quit her position amid the situation and is now only coaching boys' volleyball at the school.Many speakers at the District 211 board meeting on Wednesday spoke in opposition to trans inclusion in girls' sports, but others, in the left-leaning community, spoke in defense of it.One mother named Karen Powers, a mother of a Conant graduate, yelled loudly at the board members in outrage at girls having to compete against a biological male. Powers also referenced the apparent resignation of the coach from the girls' team."A long-time beloved coach of the girls' volleyball team quit, and if she is here or watching, I have the utmost respect for you standing firm on your morals and values," Powers said, later raising her voice to yell, "It's not a girl's responsibility to feel uncomfortable or unsafe for the sake of a boy pretending to be a girl! He should be participating in sports designated for boys because he will always be one! When do the girls in D 2-11 get to feel safe, recognized and protected!?"Fellow Illinois mother Angela Christman, a longtime teacher, delivered a tempered lecture in opposition of males in girls' sports."The current policy is trampling on the rights every other girl and her rights to privacy and protected spaces," Christman said. "My daughter will not hide in spaces where she was told she would be protected. And she will not be counciled into feeling comfortable taking her clothes off in front of a 6-foot-4 biological male, and frankly it's criminal that that's the solution that you offer."Another mother, Vickie Wilson, lambasted the district's current policy as "egregiously unfair.""While many of you may want to prioritize certain kids over others, two things must be said. One, that's clearly wrong and egregiously unfair and creates new issues with the kids you've decided are less important. Second, you aren't even helping the kids you're thinking you're prioritizing," Wilson said."Because if you actually cared about these kids, you wouldn't promote a dangerous ideology that does not get to the root of their problems. It pushes experimental and dangerous interventions that enables greedy people to turn them into lifelong lucrative patients, very often leading to serious regret and higher suicidality."ILLINOIS TRANS ATHLETE CONFLICT GROWS AFTER TENSE TRACK MEET AS STATE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR TRUMP'S HELPMany of the parents who spoke in opposition to allowing males on girls' sports teams referenced the story of former high school girls' volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered permanent brain damage when she was spiked in the face with a volleyball by a trans athlete during a game in 2022.One speaker there who expressed support for trans athletes in girls' sports suggested that McNabb's injury shouldn't be used to justify banning males from girls' volleyball, and that any female athlete who injures an opponent should also be banned in that case."Since 2012, more than 214,000 high school and college women's volleyball players have been injured. Almost everyone of those injuries involved cisgender peers. So why is no one calling for the cisgender athletes involved in those injuries to be banned from sports?" asked Justin O'Rourke. Fox News Digital can not independently verify O'Rourke's injury statistic.Conant High School is a site of significant history on the issue of trans athletes in girls' sports, after a 2015 incident and court battle over a transgender student seeking locker room access.The district reached a settlement with former President Barack Obama's Department of Education that ultimately allowed the trans student access to the girls' locker room. The district faced first-of-its-kind sanctions from the Obama administration for initially barring the trans student from the girls' locker room.Tension within the state over the issue has grown across multiple communities over the last year.In May, a youth track meet became the focus of national controversy after a biological male competed in the seventh-grade competition against girls at the Naper Prairie Conference Meet. The incident prompted a series of heated debates, which went viral on social media, at the Naperville 203 Community School District Board meeting that month.Naperville's school board saw more scrutiny this week as students returned to class when board members followed Title IX.Rep. Mary Miller, R-Illinois, sent multiple letters to President Donald Trump's administration asking for federal intervention to counter the issue.Currently, there is one federal Title IX probe in Illinois regarding transgenders impeding on female spaces, but it is only against one school.Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is facing a probe by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights after middle school girls were allegedly forced by school administrators to change in front of a trans student in the girls' locker room.Illinois mother Nicole Georgas brought light to the situation in March after filing a complaint to the Justice Department and then delivering a school board meeting speech that went viral on social media.Now, Georgas is looking for more action to be taken as the issue continues to plague girls' sports in Illinois and hopes the recent Naperville incident will be a turning point. She is pleading for the president's administration to bring more pressure to Illinois on the issue."The tides are going to turn after this. We as the parents have had enough," Georgas previously told Fox News Digital. "We are at the forefront, we are in the crosshairs and we need help. We need help right now. In our state nothing has changed from March, and it's getting worse!"They're using these kids to just almost test President Trump because they know they're not doing anything. They've forgotten about Illinois. They've forgotten about us."The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced in April it will not comply with Trump's executive order to keep trans athletes out of girls' and women's sports. Transgender athletes have been permitted to compete in girls' sports in Illinois since 2011.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Erik and Lyle Menendez are set to appear before Californias parole board this week a pivotal moment nearly 30 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents in one of the countrys most infamous criminal cases.Eriks parole hearing is scheduled for Thursday, followed by Lyles on Friday, both held via videoconference from Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.This marks the first time the brothers have been eligible for parole, following a May decision by a Los Angeles judge to reduce their sentences.The Menendez brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life without the possibility of parole for the 1989 killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in the familys Beverly Hills mansion. At the time of the crime, Erik was 18 and Lyle was 21.ERIK MENENDEZ HOSPITALIZED WITH KIDNEY STONES AS ATTORNEY DEMANDS RELEASE BEFORE PAROLE DECISIONProsecutors argued the murders were financially motivated, pointing to the couples multimillion-dollar estate. The defense, however, claimed the brothers had endured years of sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of their father, leading to a violent confrontation.For decades, the Menendez brothers have remained behind bars. However, in May 2025, a judge reduced their sentences to 50 years to life, citing a California law that allows parole consideration for individuals who were under 26 when their crimes were committed.A panel of two or three parole commissioners, appointed by the governor, will evaluate each brother individually. The board will weigh rehabilitation efforts, prison conduct, expressions of remorse, and plans for reintegration into society.Even if parole is granted, their release would not be immediate. The boards chief counsel has 120 days to review any decision, after which California Gov. Gavin Newsom has an additional 30 days to affirm or reverse it. Newsom has said in past remarks that he takes his oversight role seriously and will assess each case carefully.MENENDEZ BROTHERS BANK ON NEW TRIAL AS BACKUP IF PAROLE BID FAILSOn his podcast, "This is Gavin Newsom," last month, he told "Monsters" creator Ryan Murphy that he intentionally avoided watching the Netflix series about the Menendez brothers to ensure his judgment remains free from outside influence.Newsom, who had previously ordered a comprehensive risk assessment (CRA) in response to a clemency petition, has said he takes public safety seriously and has both upheld and overturned parole board decisions in the past.The governor holds the final say and is expected to make a decision by Labor Day if the parole board recommends release."This weeks parole board hearing is important, but its not the end of the road for Erik and Lyle Menendez," Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital.Rahmani added that the parole board commissioners will "render a recommendation that same day, usually immediately or after conferring privately for less than an hour.""If they recommend release, that decision will go to the governors desk first, so the Menendez brothers wont be released immediately," Rahmani explained. "Newsom will have to sign the order and it may take days to do so. Similarly, if the board denies parole, Newsom can still pardon the brothers or commute their sentence. If the brothers are not paroled, they will have to wait years to go before the board again."Newsom's office declined to comment. Separate from the parole process, legal efforts to overturn or reconsider the brothers' convictions are still underway. In May 2023, attorneys for the brothers filed a habeas corpus petition citing new evidence of abuse. A judge has since ordered prosecutors to explain why the convictions should not be reconsidered, signaling potential movement in the case.Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman labeled the petition a "Hail Mary" effort, stressing that justice and the law demand the convictions stand.MENENDEZ BROTHERS SCORE CRUCIAL LEGAL VICTORY IN DECADES-LONG FIGHT AS THEY AWAIT POTENTIAL FREEDOMAhead of the hearings, Hochman's office released a statement, along with a 75-page filing, maintaining a firm opposition to the Menendez brothers parole on the grounds that they have never fully accepted responsibility for the murders of their parents."The Menendez brothers have never fully accepted responsibility for the horrific murders of their parents, instead continuing to promote a false narrative of self-defense that was rejected by the jury decades ago," Hochman's office said. "We have consistently opposed their release because they have not demonstrated full insight into their crimes or shown that they have been fully rehabilitated, and therefore continue to pose a risk to society."Hochman said his office will evaluate their final stance based on the evidence presented at the hearing.Meanwhile, the brothers' lawyer, Mark Geragos, advocated for Eriks release last month after a hospitalization due to a serious but undisclosed medical condition. Erik has since returned to prison.The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition, a family-led initiative advocating for the brothers' release,shared a statement ahead of the parole hearings, saying they remain hopeful, but understand the hurdles they still have to overcome."As always, our family remains cautiously optimistic, grounding ourselves in the reality that Californias parole process is incredibly rigorous, with low grant rates. We respect that and know Erik and Lyle are prepared for that level of scrutiny," the statement read."For more than 35 years, they have shown sustained growth," the coalition added. "Theyve taken full accountability. They express sincere remorse to our family to this day and have built a meaningful life defined by purpose and service. Something that has really stayed with us, especially as we near the parole hearings, is what Judge Jesic said during resentencing: that while Erik and Lyle have a stellar record, it was the letters of support from individuals who had never spoken up for an incarcerated person before that impacted him most. Its a reminder that no paper file can fully capture a persons character. But we see it. Correctional staff see it. Now, we hope the parole commissioners will see the same. We know that Erik and Lyle will come home, that is no longer a doubt. We just hope that they are granted this second chance in time to hug their Aunt Joan and Aunt Terry."Interest in the Menendez case has surged again in recent years, fueled by popular media portrayals and changing public sentiment. Netflix released"Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" and a companion documentary,"The Menendez Brothers," in 2024, drawing attention to the abuse allegations that played a central role in the brothers' defense.The series co-creator, Ian Brennan, shared what outcome he is hoping to see for the Menendez brothers during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, calling it a complex case."What I believe about the truth of the case really changes from hour to hour. The further we went into researching this, the more confused I got, because their testimony and story throughout did involve a lot of lies. The fact that Erik was writing a screenplay that involved murdering your parents is just weird stuff," Brennan explained."I think their story is a lot of lies, but theres a lot of truth to it. If they were somehow not granted parole, I would be very sad. Theyve paid that debt," Brennan said.Support for the brothers gained momentum after former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascn petitioned for their resentencing in 2023.Despite these developments, prosecutors have resisted early release, arguing that the Menendez brothers have not fully accepted responsibility for their crimes.Hochman's office said that while recent documentaries and films have drawn renewed attention to the brothers' case, "parole decisions must be based solely on the facts and the law.""In recent years, the defendants have continued to promote their fabricated defenses through popular media, including the 2024 Netflix documentary series. In that program, they repeated the same false narratives of abuse and self-defense that they manufactured after their arrests, and which multiple juries and courts have already rejected," Hochman stated in the filing."Their willingness to appear in such productions, and to leverage them for public sympathy, demonstrates that even more than three decades later, they remain committed to perpetuating lies rather than accepting responsibility for their calculated crimes," he continued.As Erik and Lyle Menendez face their first parole hearings, their future will be decided by the parole board and, ultimately, Newsom. The case, which has drawn national attention for more than three decades, now enters a new phase as the state weighs their potential release.