Perhaps we should stop calling the fifth month of the year May and just start calling it Maybe. Like Maybe CNN anchor Jake Tapper will be honest about how much he and his network covered up the Biden presidency. Or, Maybe things are getting better even though the press wont admit it. Tariffs and trade deals didnt end the economy, despite media rhetoric. That doesnt mean all is right with the world. It never is. But our friends on the left always say the sky is falling. Maybe theyre just nuts. And that takes me into the land of crazy news. Here are seven reasons why last month May(be) crazy.1. Irresistible: Its always a battle to see which major print outlet is the most ridiculously left-wing. The Washington Post, where democracy used to "die in darkness," has a strong claim. But the other major player is The New York Times and its been that way pretty much my entire life. Thats a long darn time. (Cut me open and count the rings.) Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger made news this month denying all that.Sulzberger claimed that Gray Lady is "not the resistance." Thats like saying rain isnt wet and Tapper isnt egotistical. You can say it, but nobody should believe you. Instead, he didnt double down, he billioned down. "We are nobodys opposition. Were also nobodys cheerleader. Our loyalty is to the truth and to a public that deserves to know it," he pretended. After nearly a decade of attacks on The Donald, along with years pretending Biden ran the White House, Sulzbergers keyboard probably melted just typing that.NEW YORK TIMES PUBLISHER SAYS 'WE'RE NOT THE RESISTANCE,' HITS TRUMP FOR ANTI-PRESS RHETORIC2. Bored in the USA:Aging pop stars like Bruce Springsteen keep their PR teams busy with nonstop drivel. Bruuuuuuce has been a lefty since before Ronald Reagan was in the White House. The Boss and a parade of similarly out-of-touch stars performed "No Nukes" concerts back in 1979. Its no surprise that now hes trying to make news bashing President Donald Trump. And, trying to profit from it.Whats pathetic is how little effort he made. Like him or not, Springsteen has written some amazing lyrics. But his anti-Trump comments read like a 22-year-olds Huffington Post blog: "[T]the America Ive written about, and has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration."Hardly up to snuff for the man who wrote, "Is a dream a lie if it don't come true? Or is it something worse?" The best part is hes selling a six-track EP with two of the tracks bashing Trump. From "Born to Run" to "Born to Resist."3. Mask maker, mask maker:The COVID pandemic reaction on left and right stems from foundational differences about how safe we expect to be. Safetyism is why lefties think its good to censor speech online and off because words make them feel unsafe. Leftists worship infinite safety.DAN GAINOR: JOURNALISM'S ORIGINAL SPIN. 7 WAYS THE TAPPER/THOMPSON BIDEN BOOK ATTEMPTS TO ABSOLVE MEDIAWhich takes me to one of my favorite former Washington Post staffers Taylor Lorenz. Thats because she is still obsessed with COVID. To hear her talk, we should all be living life like John Travolta when he played "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble."Her Bluesky feed is special. "If youre not masking right now during an ongoing pandemic you should feel shame. In a just world youd be socially ostracized for cavalierly killing and disabling people." she wrote. That included Lorenz, "celebrating FREE SPEECH at the PornHub awards!" while wearing a mask. And no, those arent old comments. Theyre from this May.4. CNN+ or minus?:Weve all seen movies where they note the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. CNN, come on down. The lefty cable outfit is doing the Michael Keaton thing from "Multiplicity" and making copies of copies. CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced this month that the network is going to provide a "simple and centralized way" to get all their content.Naturally, you have to pay. According to The New York Times, "CNNs new service wont look like CNN+, its failed $300 million splashy foray into streaming that was stuffed with well-known news and entertainment personalities." In other words, they dont have any money, plan to do this on the cheap and are praying like crazy somebody will rain cash. Maybe they will if the network offers a Tapper-free tier.5. Knock, knock, whos there?:In an era of AI videos, stories like this one scream tricks for clicks. Turns out, its probably legit. Florida residents had unwelcome visitors door-to-door gators. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded after an alligator kept knocking on a door. The men in blue (or whatever gator-wrangling deputies wear) saw the "suspicious" alligator trying to get into a home.Now, I already view my neighbors to the south with caution because they let gators roam golf courses like eager caddies. But when your future pair of boots knocks on the door and wants in, I want out. Thats how Chubbs Peterson lost his hand. ("Happy Gilmore," folks.)6. Florida Man has competition:Readers of this column know I love animal stories from gators to baby goats. This month, weve got a raccoon with a meth pipe. Shockingly, this story comes from Ohio, not Florida. Springfield Township Police Department found Chewy the raccoon gnawing on the end of a meth pipe. As Mike Gavin from NBC New York put it, "No, the raccoon will not be charged with drug possession."PET RACCOON CAUGHT WITH METH PIPE IN ITS MOUTH WHEN COPS PULLED OVER OHIO WOMAN: 'EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED'Acting on the tip from Chewy, police searched the vehicle and the driver "was charged with three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and cited for driving under suspension." Raccoons, taking a bite out of crime!CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION7. Size matters:Before Antifa loons started ripping down statues, leaving your mark on the world with a statue in your honor was a sign of import. From the Piet to the Lincoln Memorial, some of the greatest works of art honor famous people looking their best. Others are iconic and stand for freedom, like the Statue of Liberty. Then theres "Grounded in the Stars," by artist Thomas J Price. Its a temporary bronze statue in Times Square of a 12-foot-tall Black woman looking kind of plump.Now, as a man of some girth, I might have let this one fade into well-deserved obscurity, except the official Times Square website's description of Grounded in the Stars bashed the two great men who have permanent statues there: "Installed at ground level on a wide low base, the work invites engagement with the hundreds of thousands of people who traverse the plazas each day, the woman inGrounded in the Starscuts a stark contrast to the pedestaled permanent monuments both white, both men which bookend Duffy Square, while embodying a quiet gravity and grandeur.""Both white, both men," like thats somehow a bad thing. The two figures are famed Army Chaplain Father Francis P. Duffy, the author of "Youre a Grand Old Flag," and, none other than himself, George M. Cohan. Price was just doing his own version of tearing down statues. He failed.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAN GAINOR

It may have zero calories and no added sugar, but experts say Diet Coke is not generally considered a healthy beverage.Previous studies have linked diet soda in general to increased metabolic and cardiovascular risks, among other health effects."Research shows that drinking two or more artificially sweetened beverages per day may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke," Michelle Routhenstein, a New York-based registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, told Fox News Digital.CELEBRITY CHEF GUY FIERI'S MESSAGE TO AMERICANS: LET'S 'EAT BETTER' TO LIVE BETTER"Another study showed that just one diet soda increases the risk of Afib, an irregular heartbeat that increases the risk of vascular events, like stroke."Some studies show this may be due to how artificial sweeteners are processed in the body and the metabolites they produce, Routhenstein said, while other research suggests that diet sodas may negatively change the balance of gut bacteria, which plays a role in chronic disease."Many of my clients who have ditched Diet Coke mention how they never realized how addictive it can be," she added.Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, noted that Diet Coke contains artificial sweeteners that have been linked to weight gain and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.DRINKING CERTAIN TYPES OF COFFEE CAN BRING SOME HEALTH BENEFITS, BUT THE ADD-INS MATTER"Aspartame, the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke, has been labeled as possibly carcinogenic by the World Health Organization and may negatively affect our gut microbiome," she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.Many industry experts maintain that aspartame is still safe for consumption, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.VIRAL 'MCMIGRAINE' REMEDY HAS SOME RUSHING TO MCDONALD'S FOR HEADACHE RELIEFIn 2023, the FDA issued the below statement on its position on aspartame."Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions," the agency said. "The sweetener is approved in many countries. Regulatory and scientific authorities, such as Health Canada and the European Food Safety Authority have evaluated aspartame and also consider it safe at current permitted use levels."Fox News Digital reached out to Coca-Cola for comment.Routhenstein recommends swapping diet soda for a more health-conscious choice."While it may be hard to find an exact alternative that meets the taste, carbonation and mouth feel, there are other healthier alternatives to consider," she told Fox News Digital.One of Routhenstein's suggestions is low-sugar kombucha, a fermented tea that offers gut-promoting benefits.Freirich echoed the benefits of kombucha as a source of probiotics, which are beneficial for gut health."You can also add a splash of lime or lemon to carbonated water, adding vitamin C for immune and heart health," Routhenstein suggested.Sparkling green tea is another option, as it offers carbonation while still providing anti-inflammatory benefits, according to the above source.For those who prefer "bubbly" drinks, Freirich also recommends choosing unflavored seltzer water or lightly sweetened carbonated beverages."If you are interested in the caffeine of Diet Coke, I recommend replacing it with lightly sweetened tea or coffee," she suggested.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER"These are a great source of natural antioxidants and some caffeine. Green tea in particular is incredibly anti-inflammatory."For more Lifestyle articles, visitfoxnews.com/lifestyleThe best option of all, however, is plain water, experts agree."Many of us could benefit from drinking a little more water in our day," Freirich said. "Hydration is important for energy, good digestion and the health of our hair, skin and nails."

At least seven people were killed and 69 injured when two bridges were blown up in separate Russian regions bordering Ukraine ahead of planned peace talks aimed at ending the three-year-old war in Ukraine, Russian officials said on Sunday.A highway bridge over a railway in the Bryansk region was blown up at 10:50 pm (1950 GMT) on Saturday night just as a passenger train carrying 388 passengers to Moscow was passing underneath, Russian investigators said.Just four hours later, a railway bridge over a highway was blown up in the neighboring Kursk region, showering the road with parts of a freight train, the investigators said.GEN. KELLOGG REVEALS WHAT CONCERNS HIM ABOUT RUSSIARussia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, linked the incidents and said explicitly that both bridges were blown up.In the Bryansk region, social media pictures and videos showed passengers trying to climb out of smashed carriages in the dark. Part of the passenger train was shown crushed under a collapsed road bridge and wrecked carriages lay beside the lines."The bridge was blown up while the Klimovo-Moscow train was passing through with 388 passengers on board," Alexander Bogomaz, the region's governor, told Russian television.Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, linked the incidents and said explicitly that both bridges were blown up.There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the incidents, which took place just a day before the United States wants Russia and Ukraine to sit down to direct talks in Istanbul to discuss a possible end to a war which, according to Washington, has killed and injured at least 1.2 million people.Ukraine's HUR military intelligence agency said on Sunday that an explosion had derailed a Russian military train hauling cargo and fuel trucks near the settlement of Yakymivka, in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.PUTIN MASSES 50,000 TROOPS ON UKRAINE'S NORTH FRONT AS TRUMP AGAIN AGREES TO MEET RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN LEADERSThe agency did not claim responsibility or attribute the explosion to anyone, though Ukraine has in the past claimed a series of attacks deep into Russia.Russian politicians lined up to blame Ukraine, saying it was clearly sabotage aimed at derailing the peace talks which the United States has demanded."This is definitely the work of the Ukrainian special services," the chairman of the defense committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Andrei Kartapolov, told the SHOT Telegram channel."All this is aimed at toughening the position of the Russian Federation and stoking aggression before the negotiations. And also to intimidate people. But they won't succeed."President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the bridge blasts by the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Emergency Ministry throughout the night, the Kremlin said. Putin also spoke to the governor of Bryansk, Alexander Bogomaz.U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded the sides make peace, and he has threatened to walk away if they do not - potentially pushing responsibility for supporting Ukraine onto the shoulders of European powers.But as politicians talk of peace negotiations, the war is heating up, with swarms of drones launched by both Russia and Ukraine and Russian troops advancing at key points along the front in eastern Ukraine.Ukraine has not committed to attending the talks in Turkey, saying it first needed to see Russia's proposals, while a leading U.S. senator warned Moscow it would be "hit hard" by new U.S. sanctions.

The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people, including current events and the sights and sounds of the United States.This week's quiz highlights legendary landmarks, fruitful facts and more.Can you get all 8 questions right?For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyleTo try your hand at more quizzes from Fox News Digital, click here.Also, to take our latest News Quiz published every Friday click here.

As the Department of Government Efficiency enters a new era with the departure of Elon Musk on Friday, it has caused numerous changes in recent months on matters of immigration and border security."DOGE has helped to transform the Federal government by eliminating waste and bloat that has been ignored for years. DOGE is playing a key role in eliminating millions of taxpayer money being misspent, including contracts for illegal alien facilities that sat empty during the Biden Border invasion and funding for hotel rooms to house illegal gang members. DOGEs mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse continues!" Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday.In February, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they had gutted an $83 million contract for "an empty illegal alien facility during an invasion at the southern border" and the $80 million in FEMA funding to provide lodging for illegal immigrants in New York City, like the Roosevelt Hotel. DOGE STAFFING SHAKEUP AS ELON MUSK HANGS UP HIS HAT, WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMSIn March, a contract to resume wall construction along seven miles of the border was cleared by DOGE."Secretary Noem announced that we officially awarded the first [DOGE] approved contract to restart construction on President Trumps border wall," DHS posted on March 17.DOGE also posted to X in April that it had found that many illegal immigrants who were on the FBIs terror watchlist and those who have a criminal history were taking out public benefits. Four on the terror watchlist and 901 other "paroled aliens" were "collecting Medicaid," 41 received unemployment benefits, 22 got student loans from the federal government and 409 got a "net" tax refund in 2024, according to the department. The cost of the tax refunds was $751,000, Medicaid cost $276,000, and the student loans totaled out to $280,000, the department said.TOP 5 MOST OUTRAGEOUS WAYS THE GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED YOUR TAXES, AS UNCOVERED BY ELON MUSK'S DOGE"Under the Biden administration, it was routine for Border Patrol to admit aliens into the United States with no legal status and minimal screening," the post stated. "So far, CBP identified a subset of 6.3k individuals paroled into the United States since 2023 on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center watchlist or with criminal records. These paroles have since been terminated with immediate effect. Despite having no other legal status, paroled aliens are able to file for work authorization and receive social security numbers."Outside of immigration and border security, DHS said the Coast Guard is expected to save $32.7 million by scrapping an information technology system that was deemed "ineffective." In a video posted in May about the partnership between DOGE and DHS, it said the funds are going to "frontline operations.""Another win for government efficiency at DHS!" DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to Fox News Digital in April.TRUMP, MUSK GET SUPPORT FROM FORMER NFL STAR AMID CRITICISM OVER DOGE CUTS, OTHER ISSUES"Continuing the crucial work of DOGE, the Coast Guard eliminated an ineffective IT program, saving over $32 million and focusing its resources where theyre most needed to protect the homeland. The USCG continues to deliver on the Presidents priorities, maximizing its efficiency while securing our borders and maritime approaches," Noem added.DHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also recently announced a planned crackdown on illegal immigrants' use of public housing benefits.And last month, DHS announced that, in the spirit of cracking down on "waste, fraud and abuse," it was ending FEMAs Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.DOGE DISCOVERS THE BIDEN-MAYORKAS ILLEGAL MIGRATION FUNDING MACHINE"The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters," a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement at the time. "Under Secretary Noems leadership, we are committed to ensuring that Americans in crisis can get the help and resources they need."Fox News reached out to DHS for additional comment. The changes come as President Donald Trump made major policy changes during the early days of his second term, which has led to a sharp decrease in encounters at the border and a continued crackdown on illegal immigrants with a criminal background in the U.S. interior.In total, DOGE has estimated it has saved $175 billion for taxpayers so far.Fox News Greg Wehner and Preston Mizell contributed to this report.

Elon Musk has led the Department of Government Efficiency to incredible success in a mere four months, exposing hundreds of billions of dollars in government waste. However, with his tenure as a special government employee ending, what becomes of DOGE and the waste its identified? What about Tesla and SpaceX? The answers to all these questions are incredibly positive.Musks success in so many fields is no accident. The man has an uncanny ability not only as an executive who optimizes institutions and procedures, but also as a delegator. After he gets a project going, he expertly selects someone to take his place, freeing himself up for other ventures.This explains why Musk is able to run so many different, but still wildly successful businesses, including Tesla, Starlink, X Corporation, the Boring Company, Neuralink, and others. He consistently replaces himself with capable people who can take over operations in his stead.DAVID MARCUS: MUSKS DOGE CHANGED THE WAY AMERICA SEES FEDERAL SPENDING WASTEThis model of leadership handoff in the private sector has translated to the public sector with DOGE, so the American people should anticipate continued success from the Department, even now that Mr. Musk has departed.DOGE has made remarkable progress, yet theyve still only scratched the surface. The reality is that the federal budget is almost $7.5 trillion, and itll take a considerable amount of time for the DOGE crew to work their way through it all.That said, the early progress made by Mr. Musk specifically and DOGE broadly is all the more remarkable because of all the roadblocks thrown in their way. Activist judges were constantly ordering a halt to DOGEs activities, while apparatchiks left over from the Biden administration purposely hid information and tried to torpedo DOGEs investigations.As each roadblock is removed, however, the pace at which DOGE works through the federal budget is steadily increasing, and that will continue even after Mr. Musks departure. This is not the end of a book, but simply a new chapter.DOGE has been successful in two key areas. First, sunlight is the best disinfectant, and the Department has cast blindingly bright light on all manner of abuse, corruption, fraud, and wasteall of which the political establishment would have liked to have kept hidden from public view.By making the American public aware of how their tax dollars are being wasted, political pressure was created to stop that waste. But it all required knowledge of the problem.Before DOGE, for example, there was no proof thatover 12.3 million peoplewere 120 years old or older in the Social Security system, a clear sign of fraud. They have now been correctly labeled as deceased to prevent illegitimate payments.Likewise, the public was completely unaware that the Treasury Department was distributing money with no way of tracking where it was going. Because of DOGE, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve now label every payment, so the spending of tax dollars can be tracked.While some of the waste identified by DOGE can simply be ended by executive action, much of it will need to be clawed back by Congress. To that end, DOGE cuts will begin to be codified into law as early as next week when the White House begins sending recission packages to Congress, the first of which will be over $9 billion.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThats a good start, but only a start with the aforementioned $7-trillion-plus budget. To realize the hundreds of billions of dollars in potential cuts that DOGE has already identified (and much more in anticipated cuts) will require additional recission packagesand in some cases, new legislation.As for Mr. Musk and his many companies, they have bright futures because of their leaders proven track record of success. While companies like Tesla have seen turbulent stock prices over the past few months, that has largely mirrored the broader stock market, as opposed to being a reflection on Teslas valuation specifically.Furthermore, Teslas share price has risen 60% since failed vice-presidential candidate Tim Waltz infamously mocked the previous decline in Teslas share price. Whos laughing now?Whether its Tesla, DOGE, or X Corporation, the future looks very bright. Mr. Musk has a real knack for building both metaphorical and literal rocket ships.

President Donald Trump shared a post on social media this weekend claiming that President Joe Biden died in 2020 and was replaced with clones.Trump shared a link to the post from his personal account on Truth Social on Saturday. The post originated from a small account on the platform responding to discussions about Biden's health."There is no Joe Biden executed in 2020," the post says. "Biden clones, doubles and robotic engineered soulless, mindless entities are what you see.""Democrats don't know the difference," it adds, before listing a litany of hashtags.POLITICAL WORLD REACTS TO FORMER PRESIDENT BIDEN'S 'AGGRESSIVE' CANCER DIAGNOSIS: 'INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT'Trump added no words of his own to the post, merely sharing the link on his personal account.The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.Trump shared several links to Truth Social posts without offering his own commentary Saturday night. Most of the posts detailed Trump's efforts to return steel manufacturing to the U.S.JOE BIDEN DIAGNOSED WITH 'AGGRESSIVE FORM' OF PROSTATE CANCER WITH METASTASIS TO THE BONEThe Saturday post comes amid new controversy over Biden's health while in office. Speculation has exploded in the days since Biden announced he has stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, a diagnosis that typically takes years to develop.The nature of the diagnosis has led to speculation that members of the previous administration were aware of the cancer but withheld information about it from the public, even as they attempted to run Biden for a second term.Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump were "saddened" to learn of Biden's diagnosis and wished him a "fast and successful recovery" in a post on social media this weekend."Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Bidens recent medical diagnosis," Trump wrote. "We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."

A woman on Reddit is going viral for sharing with others the situation she feels her husband puts her in on a regular basis when he springs last-minute party plans on her then criticizes her when she raises valid points about needing enough time for adequate preparation."My husband will invite his family and friends over without telling me until that day," she wrote on the social media site."He then expects me to clean, run to the store and prep/cook everything."NEW MOM FURIOUS AT HUSBAND FOR CHOOSING FRIENDS AND BARBECUE OVER HER AND THEIR NEWBORNShe said she "finally just decided to leave the house the last time he told me because I only had four hours until their arrival. He canceled."She also wrote in her post, "The thing is, his family is constantly judging and talking about each other, so when he says, 'It doesn't matter, they don't care,' I know, and he knows, he's full of it."The woman said this was not "just tidying the house. We are not regularly stocked [with] food or drinks to have people over," she added."When I got home, I asked what he was planning on having for dinner, and he responded, 'I don't know, I guess it's good that they aren't coming over anymore.'"THIS ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT $140 BUFFET FEELS LIKE A 'LUXURY RESORT VACATION'She continued that her husband then began "sulking," calling her "the problem because I can't go with the flow."She wrote, "I have told him multiple times I just need a couple days' notice to get things in order. But he insists I am just difficult, uptight and uncooperative."She then asked others for thoughts about the dilemma, with many people weighing in on the couple's relationship.Over 1,000 people shared comments with some 12,000 people reacting overall to the couple's situation."The fact that he canceled instead of doing the prep work and hosting on his own proves that he knows how much work is involved in 'going with the flow,'" wrote one person."If he doesn't want to do it, why should you?"CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERSaid another person, "Turn the tables. Tell him you're having an impromptu barbecue and he needs to clean up the garden, including mowing the lawn, getting out tables and chairs and the BBQ, going out and buying all the food and having it all set up before folks start arriving at 4 p.m. And it's his job because everyone knows barbecues and yard work are 'man jobs.'"This same individual added, "And when he says no, sulk, and when he puts pressure on you to clean and prepare food, do whatever he does to you when he invites these people over without warning and you ask for help."Another commenter weighed in with a few other thoughts."Unless he's doing the bulk of this last-minute cleaning, shopping and cooking for his guests (and it doesn't sound like he is), then he's treating you like staff and not like a partner."For more Lifestyle articles, visitfoxnews.com/lifestyleWrote another person to the woman, "I chuckled when I read that you left the house. That is just perfect, and I would do it every single time."The person added, "Why do you have to do all the cooking, shopping and cleaning for his family?"This same person said the woman is "definitely" not wrong for her actions or the way she feels."Im sorry your husband is a big baby," the individual wrote."I hope you let him read all these comments."

A pair of girls' track and field athletes did not stand on the medal podium alongside a transgender athlete for high jump at the Oregon state championship on Saturday night.Footage obtained by Fox News Digital showed the two high school seniors, Reese Eckard of Sherwood High School and Alexa Anderson of Tigard High School, step down from their respective spots on the podium next to a trans athlete who represented Ida B. Wells High School.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMEckard, in fourth place, and Anderson, in third, each finished ahead of the trans athlete, who tied for fifth place. But the two females faced the opposite direction as the other competitors received their medals from officials.The footage then showed an official confront the two young women, and gesture for them to move away. Eckard and Anderson were then seen walking away from the podium and standing off to the side.Fox News Digital has reached out to the Oregon School Activities Association for a response.The trans athlete previously competed in the boys' category in 2023 and 2024, Fox News Digital previously reported.Eckard and Anderson were praised for not standing on the podium on social media, and were even shouted out by prominent conservative activist Riley Gaines.CALIFORNIA TOWN RALLIES BEHIND TRUMP AS IT HOSTS TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP AMID TRANS ATHLETE CONTROVERSY"We didnt refuse to stand on the podium out of hate. We did it because someone has to say this isnt right. In order to protect the integrity and fairness of girls sports we must stand up for what is right," Anderson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.Girls and women making symbolic gestures to protest trans inclusion in sports has become a growing trend in 2025.On May 17 at a California track and field sectional final, Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High School stepped from the second-place spot onto the first-place medal podium after her trans opponent, AB Hernandez stepped down from it. Hogan's stunt was lauded on social media by Gaines and others.On April 2, footage of women's fencer Stephanie Turner kneeling to protest a trans opponent at a competition in Maryland, and subsequently getting punished for it, went viral and ignited global awareness and scrutiny against USA Fencing.Oregon is one of many Democratic-controlled states that saw transgender athletes compete in girls' track and field championships this weekend, with other highly-publicized incidents taking place in California, Washington, Maine and Minnesota.The America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a nonpartisan research institute, filed a Title IX discrimination complaint against Oregon for its laws that allow biological males to compete in girls' sports on May 27.The complaint was filed to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, which has already launched Title IX investigations against the high school sports leagues in California, Minnesota, Maine and Massachusetts."Every girl deserves a fair shot on the field, on the podium, and in life," said Jessica Hart Steinmann, AFPIs executive general counsel and vice chair of the Center for Litigation, in a statement."When state institutions knowingly force young women to compete against biological males, theyre violating federal law and sending a devastating message to female athletes across the country."President Donald Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order on Feb. 5 and his administration has made combating the continued enabling of trans athletes in girls' sports by Democratic states a priority.The U.S. Department of Justice has already launched a lawsuit against Maine for its defiance of Trump's executive order, and the president suggested on Tuesday that federal funding pauses could be coming against California amid the situation involving Hernandez.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

President Donald Trumps recent interventions on South Africa have been met with outrage in the liberal media, and its fact-checking machinery has been put into overdrive scrutinizing every misstatement or exaggeration of the president. Yet, on the essential issues it is Western audiences who are being misled by progressive journalists whose views are, in turn, dramatically out of step with ordinary South African opinion.South Africa is a violent society. Since it became a democracy in 1994, over650,000 South Africans have been murdered. That is more than the number of intentional homicides across the Western world over the same period eventhough the population of the West approaches 1 billion people while that ofSouth Africa is closer to 60 million. On a per-capita basis, that amounts to amurder rate of around 40 per 100,000 for South Africa, while the global rate is closer to six per 100,000.TRUMP'S CRITICISM OF SOUTH AFRICA'S VIOLENT CRIME CRISIS RECEIVES UNEXPECTED LOCAL SUPPORTIn that already violent climate, armed raids on commercial farmsteads have, over the past three decades, occurred at a multiple of the rate of similar attacks (essentially armed home invasion robberies) across the broader population. In addition, we calculate that roughly 20% of armed raids on farmsteads have resulted in murder as opposed to under 2% for similar attacks elsewhere. We also judge that the rate of attack on Black commercial producers is similar to that faced by their white compatriots.Because Black and White South Africans alike live amidst such violence,murderous chant, Kill the Boer, Kill the farmer, that Trump played at length during an Oval Office meeting with his South African counterpart last week, meets with strong popular disapproval locally. An April 2025 poll found that 80% of South Africans either disapprove of the chant, regard it as hate speech or believe that it should be banned. Western audiences may have been told that the chant is purely a metaphorical anti-apartheid song, but it was, in fact, first taught to guerrillas during the armed struggle against White rule in both Rhodesia and South Africa, where farmers were regarded as legitimate military targets.Western audiences are commonly informed that white South Africans, who make up just 7% of South Africas population, own "three-quarters" of agricultural land whereas black South Africans own just "4%". These figures are misdirection. The bulk of White land holdings are in the arid western half of the country. These are areas where the terrain, climate, and population density is similar to that of Arizona, Nevada, or New Mexico. Across the high rainfall and densely populated east of the country approximately half of land by productive value is in black possession, although not ownership. The reason for this is that the South African government continues to deny individual title across many Black communities preferring instead that land be held by the state or its proxies as a means of social and political control. Granting individual title would significantly shift land ownership patterns.The belief that land ownership patterns, as they are, represent a national crisis might be popular in Western media but is not a view held by South Africansthemselves. A recent poll found that top of the list of local concerns was jobcreation, mentioned by over 20% of respondents as South Africas single most important challenge. Promoting access to land came far down the list, beingmentioned by less than 5% of respondents.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONFinally, a recently enacted piece of expropriation legislation, which has drawnthe particular attention of the Trump administration, is not a benign eminentdomain measure, as it is presented. It allows any organ of state to seize anykind of property - not just land for below its market value. A recent poll found that this idea is opposed by just under 70% of South Africans and it is seen as a measure that will be abused by the notoriously corrupt political class.