The U.S. Senate has passed a new bill that would offer a tax deduction on tips worth up to $25,000.This bill, if enacted into law, would also extend to business tax credits for payroll taxes on tips in beauty and spa services.Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, is pushing the proposal which passed unanimously an outcome considered rare for substantive legislation.NEW PROJECTION SIGNALS GOOD NEWS FOR FAMILIES, WORKERS IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'There are stipulations in the new bill: an employee with compensationexceeding $160,000in the priortaxyear would not be eligible to claim the newtaxdeductionfortips.The bill is limited to cash tips received by occupations that are customarily tipped."Tipped occupations" are jobs where tips are common in the U.S., such as waiters, waitresses and professionals providing beauty services like barbering, hair care, nail care, esthetics, body and spa treatments.'FAILURE'S NOT AN OPTION': TRUMP BUDGET BILL WILL BE 'BIG' HELP FOR SENIORS, TOP HOUSE TAX-WRITER SAYSThe Budget Lab at Yale say they estimate there will be approximately 4 million workers in tipped occupations in 2023.They must also be reported by the employee to the employer for withholding payroll taxes. Under the current law, only tips exceeding $20 per month are required to be reported.According to the report by Budget Lab, a non-tipped worker in 2023 was a minimum of approximately 10 years older than the typical tipped worker. They also say one-third of the number of tipped workers were below 25, with 13% being teenagers.This new bill, if passed, would cost $110 billion in federal revenues over 10 years, according to estimates by the center-rightPeter G. Peterson Foundation.Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, pointed out during her floor speech that this bill was one of PresidentDonald Trump's key campaign promises."I am not afraid to embrace a good idea, wherever it comes from. So I agreed we need to get this done," she said.The passing of this bill through the Senate occurs as congressional Republicans attempt to seek advancement of amassive tax cut and spending packagethat will create a tax break on tips for the next four years.The next step is the House of Representatives before it becomes law.

Karen Read's defense revved up its attacks on unexpected new expert findings Tuesday, which contradict the timeline they say proves she didn't hit boyfriend John O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV and leave him to die in a blizzard in 2022.Shanon Burgess, an expert on vehicle and phone data from the digital forensics firm Aperture, returned to the stand for a second day of brutal cross-examination with defense attorney Robert Alessi at the wheel.Alessi pointed out inconsistencies in Burgess' resume and revealed he got the dates wrong on a timeline that was supposed to be accurate "to the second." And nothing in Burgess' findings directly indicated that a fatal crash happened.EXPERT WITNESS IN KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL CAUGHT WITH ERRORS INFLATING HIS CREDENTIALS"As you sit here today, none of the information in that black box that you referred to on direct testimony indicates that there was a collision on Jan. 29," Alessi said. "Does it?""Not by itself," Burgess replied.Special prosecutor Hank Brennan pumped the brakes when he returned for redirect questioning, asking the expert about flaws he had found in a previous analysis that indicated O'Keefe, a Boston police officer, was interacting with his iPhone after the time when prosecutors allege he was fatally struck by the defendant.KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL: NIECE REVEALS FRANTIC BEHAVIOR ON MORNING BOSTON OFFICER WAS FOUND DEADThe math veered out of alignment, Burgess testified. A defense expert had relied on call logs to synchronize the internal clocks in Read's Lexus SUV and O'Keefe's iPhone.But that doesn't work, Burgess explained, because the expert used calls that Read made when her car was powered off, so the vehicle's internal clock had nothing to do with them. Their timing was the product of the internal clock on her smartphone, which he said synced up with the Lexus the next time she turned it on.Those calls indicated a variance of just one or two seconds between the vehicle and the victim's phone.KAREN READ JUDGE BLOCKS SANDRA BIRCHMORE MENTIONS; EXPERT SAYS CASES SHOULD BE WAKE-UP CALL FOR POLICEUsing other metrics, including user data stored in the Lexus that prior analysts failed to identify and recover, the variance inflates to between 21 and 29 seconds, Burgess testified.It is unclear whether Burgess' credibility is running out of gas with jurors after Alessi found online resumes that wrongly stated he has a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama.GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB"This expert needs to go home," said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts defense attorney who is following the case. She said the prosecution is risking the chance that jurors will find him "shady" and disregard his findings, even though a bachelor's degree is not required in his field."This is a murder trial," she told Fox News Digital. "And the fact that he got the beginning and the end date on the slide wrong just screams his work is sloppy and he does not fact-check his work."She pointed to Burgess apparent mix-up of bits and bytes when referring to data obtained from Reads SUV."Attorney Alessi set up a trap that he walked into, which destroyed Burgess on the stand," Edwards said. "Precision matters when you are a tech expert."FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XBurgess testified that he does not have a bachelor's degree, despite his official Aperture bio and an old LinkedIn account, which appears to have been deactivated in the past few days, stating otherwise.Brennan attempted to repair the damage by showing jurors two updated resumes, from last year and this year, that Burgess had submitted to the defense prior to trial, showing his credentials. Neither claimed that he has a bachelor's degree."Did you ever hear of Bill Gates?" Brennan asked."Yes," Burgess replied, referring to the billionaire Microsoft founder who famously dropped out of Harvard before graduation.Burgess eventually said he would like to get his bachelor's degree some day, but "work, family and life" keep getting in the way."As a personal objective,I would like to finish my bachelor's," Burgess testified. "But again, work and life gets in the way."After he left the witness stand, Brennan played three clips of Read discussing the timeline in her own words for a TV documentary. She said she believes O'Keefe died around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022.The next witness was Christina Hanley, an analyst at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab who examined the broken glass found near O'Keefe's remains at 34 Fairview Road in Canton, about 20 miles south of Boston.Hanley is expected to return to the stand at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Karen Read's defense revved up its attacks on unexpected new expert findings Tuesday, which contradict the timeline they say proves she didn't hit boyfriend John O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV and leave him to die in a blizzard in 2022.Shanon Burgess, an expert on vehicle and phone data from the digital forensics firm Aperture, returned to the stand for a second day of brutal cross-examination with defense attorney Robert Alessi at the wheel.Alessi pointed out inconsistencies in Burgess' resume and revealed he got the dates wrong on a timeline that was supposed to be accurate "to the second." And nothing in Burgess' findings directly indicated that a fatal crash happened.EXPERT WITNESS IN KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL CAUGHT WITH ERRORS INFLATING HIS CREDENTIALS"As you sit here today, none of the information in that black box that you referred to on direct testimony indicates that there was a collision on Jan. 29," Alessi said. "Does it?""Not by itself," Burgess replied.Special prosecutor Hank Brennan pumped the brakes when he returned for redirect questioning, asking the expert about flaws he had found in a previous analysis that indicated O'Keefe, a Boston police officer, was interacting with his iPhone after the time when prosecutors allege he was fatally struck by the defendant.KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL: NIECE REVEALS FRANTIC BEHAVIOR ON MORNING BOSTON OFFICER WAS FOUND DEADThe math veered out of alignment, Burgess testified. A defense expert had relied on call logs to synchronize the internal clocks in Read's Lexus SUV and O'Keefe's iPhone.But that doesn't work, Burgess explained, because the expert used calls that Read made when her car was powered off, so the vehicle's internal clock had nothing to do with them. Their timing was the product of the internal clock on her smartphone, which he said synced up with the Lexus the next time she turned it on.Those calls indicated a variance of just one or two seconds between the vehicle and the victim's phone.KAREN READ JUDGE BLOCKS SANDRA BIRCHMORE MENTIONS; EXPERT SAYS CASES SHOULD BE WAKE-UP CALL FOR POLICEUsing other metrics, including user data stored in the Lexus that prior analysts failed to identify and recover, the variance inflates to between 21 and 29 seconds, Burgess testified.It is unclear whether Burgess' credibility is running out of gas with jurors after Alessi found online resumes that wrongly stated he has a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama.GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB"This expert needs to go home," said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts defense attorney who is following the case. She said the prosecution is risking the chance that jurors will find him "shady" and disregard his findings, even though a bachelor's degree is not required in his field."This is a murder trial," she told Fox News Digital. "And the fact that he got the beginning and the end date on the slide wrong just screams his work is sloppy and he does not fact-check his work."She pointed to Burgess apparent mix-up of bits and bytes when referring to data obtained from Reads SUV."Attorney Alessi set up a trap that he walked into, which destroyed Burgess on the stand," Edwards said. "Precision matters when you are a tech expert."FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XBurgess testified that he does not have a bachelor's degree, despite his official Aperture bio and an old LinkedIn account, which appears to have been deactivated in the past few days, stating otherwise.Brennan attempted to repair the damage by showing jurors two updated resumes, from last year and this year, that Burgess had submitted to the defense prior to trial, showing his credentials. Neither claimed that he has a bachelor's degree."Did you ever hear of Bill Gates?" Brennan asked."Yes," Burgess replied, referring to the billionaire Microsoft founder who famously dropped out of Harvard before graduation.Burgess eventually said he would like to get his bachelor's degree some day, but "work, family and life" keep getting in the way."As a personal objective,I would like to finish my bachelor's," Burgess testified. "But again, work and life gets in the way."After he left the witness stand, Brennan played three clips of Read discussing the timeline in her own words for a TV documentary. She said she believes O'Keefe died around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022.The next witness was Christina Hanley, an analyst at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab who examined the broken glass found near O'Keefe's remains at 34 Fairview Road in Canton, about 20 miles south of Boston.Hanley is expected to return to the stand at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, a Democrat, signed a bill Tuesday legalizing physician-assisted suicide for certain terminally ill patients, arguing that the measure is about "compassion, dignity, and respect for personal choice."The End-of-Life Options Act, which takes effect next year, allows mentally capable adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given six months or less to live to request a prescription to self-administer and end their lives."We're acknowledging today that even in the last moments of life, compassion matters," Meyer said at the bill signing. "Every Delawarean should have the right to face their final chapter with peace, dignity and control."NEW YORK ASSEMBLY PASSES BILL TO LEGALIZE ASSISTED SUICIDE FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL"This signing today is about relieving suffering and giving families the comfort of knowing that their loved one was able to pass on their own terms, without unnecessary pain, and surrounded by the people they love most," he continued.Delaware is now the 11th state to allow medical aid in dying, joining California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Washington, D.C., also permits physician-assisted suicide."Today, Delaware joins a growing number of states in recognizing that end-of-life decisions belong to patientsnot politicians," Meyer said. "This law is about compassion, dignity, and respect. It gives people facing unimaginable suffering the ability to choose peace and comfort, surrounded by those they love. After years of debate, I am proud to sign HB 140 into law."Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, have also legalized so-called death with dignity.The Delaware Legislature narrowly rejected the measure last year, but Meyer pushed for it this session and it passed last month. The governor's signature now ends nearly a decade of debate on the issue.Under the new law, sponsored by Democrat state Rep. Eric Morrison, patients considering assisted suicide in the state must be presented with other options for end-of-life care, including comfort care, palliative care, hospice and pain control. The bill requires two waiting periods and a second medical opinion on a patient's prognoses before they can obtain a prescription for lethal medication.MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS PROPOSE CONTROVERSIAL MEDICALLY-ASSISTED SUICIDE BILLState Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, a Democrat, said the law "is about honoring the autonomy and humanity of those facing unimaginable suffering from terminal illness.""This legislation exists due to the courage of patients, family members, and advocates who have shared deeply personal stories of love, loss and suffering," he said in a statement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has reached a tentative deal with blue state Republican lawmakers to boost the cap on state and local tax deductions, or "SALT," to $40,000 in President Donald Trumps so-called "big, beautiful bill," Republican sources confirmed to Fox News late Tuesday.The proposed cap which is up from $30,000 would be per household for taxpayers making less than $500,000 per year.GOP HOLDOUTS UNMOVED BY TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL' TRIP TO CAPITOL HILLIt remains unclear whether GOP hardliners who oppose raising the SALT cap deductions will sign off on the measure.The tentative agreement, first reported by Politico and confirmed by Fox News, comes as House GOP factions have been engaged in high-stakes debates on taxes, Medicaid, and green energy subsidies while crafting the presidents "big, beautiful bill."SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and their surrounding areas.BLUE STATE REPUBLICANS THREATEN MUTINY OVER STATE AND LOCAL TAXES IN TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'Republicans representing those areas have framed raising the SALT deduction cap as an existential issue, arguing that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms.Meanwhile, Republicans representing lower-tax states are largely wary of raising the deduction cap, believing that it incentivizes blue states high-tax policies.Fox News Digitals Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Are there any Democrats out there who arent running for president? Sure doesnt seem that way.Back in the day, potential candidates would deny even thinking about it.I remember interviewing Marco Rubio in a Senate hallway about whether he might run in 2016. He denied even contemplating it. I knew it was bull. He knew it was bull. And, of course, he ranand lost to Donald Trump.Its like when candidates or officeholders say they never look at polls, or offer some bromide on how the only poll that counts is Election Day. Hogwash. They all look at polls, erratic as they may be, or talk to consultants who look at the surveys for them.LESS THAN 4 MONTHS INTO TRUMP'S 2ND TERM, DEMS ARE ALREADY EYEING THE 2028 RACEBut now a new dynamic is taking hold, one that might be summarized as: Hell yeah, Im running!I mean, there are obligatory nods to focusing on next years midterms. But there is no longer the Kabuki dance of pretending a lack of interest.The New York Times has a nice piece on this.Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is telling reporters he "would consider" a White House run. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says if hes "asked to serve" by whom? he will do "whatever it takes" to run. Excuse me, how does Walzs big flop as Kamalas running mate qualify him for the top spot?HEATING UP: NEWSOM, PRITZKER, BUTTIGIEG MAKE EARLY MOVES IN 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACEArizonas Ruben Gallego, whos been a senator for about 12 minutes, said hes awaiting the birth of his third child but added: "Babies get older."Many of these White House wannabes have little name recognition, which means they have nothing to lose by running, which can at least lead to a cable news contract.Pete Buttigieg, having been bitten once by the bug, is obviously running again, but the former Transportation secretary is playing coy"Right now Im not running for anything" right but its nice to hear from people who backed him.My favorite quote is from Gallego, who told NBC: "Has it ever crossed my mind? Of course," adding an expletive. "Im an elected official. It crosses my mind."DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING EARLY MOVES TO LINE UP 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BIDSThe prognosticators have counted at least 19 potential contenders. Many of them wont make it to Iowa. Or wont make it to the debate stage because their polls are too low. Or are forced out of the race when their fundraising dries up.The Great Mentioner was openly replaced by the media, which in turn yielded to social media and podcasters. But the good old legacy media now deemed a grievous insult still have the chance to do the most original reporting.Its expensive to cover campaigns. Media organizations are charged for riding on Air Force One or private charters. Their bosses must pay for their food and lodging for days on end. Some expense account dinners are legendary.But its fun, largely a young persons game. Theyre not sitting in some air-conditioned studio. Which is why youre reading about this now, over 3 years before the next presidential election.

A California man accused of murdering a man last week was released from jail in late 2024 because of his mental health, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.Jordan Murray, 25, is charged with murder in the May 18 stabbing death of a 40-year-old man in the Fair Oaks area, the sheriff's office said.In May and June 2024, Murray allegedly committed two violent robberies that landed him in jail, but he was released in November 2024 after courts granted him "mental health diversion.""Only six months after his release from jail, Murray committed this completely preventable murder," the sheriff's office said.LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLASTS 'PROGRESSIVE PROMISES' AFTER NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPEThe sheriff's office said deputies responded to an assault at around 8 p.m. on Sunday on Fair Oaks Boulevard, where the victim was found on the ground in the parking lot with multiple stab wounds. Life-saving measures were attempted, but he died at the scene.Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators began collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses, and learned that Murray and others were involved in a physical altercation involving the victim earlier that day.The victim walked away, which broke up the fight at the time, but later encountered Murray and one of the others from the altercation.Murray allegedly pulled a knife out of his pocket and began swinging it at the victim, slashing him at least once in the chest, causing a "mortal wound," police said.ICE ARRESTS CRIMINAL ALIEN RELEASED FROM PRISON WITH SEX CRIMES CONVICTION: 'HE WONT BE WELCOME BACK'He was located Tuesday morning in South Sacramento County and taken into custody without incident.When announcing his most recent arrest, the sheriff's office said Murray robbed a Dollar Tree in May 2024 and another business in Fair Oaks in June 2024.During both robberies, Murray allegedly sprayed an employee in the face with an "unknown caustic chemical" before fleeing. Deputies apprehended him as he rode away from the second robbery on an electric bike.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMurray was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on Tuesday, where he is being held without bail.Jail records show he is now charged with murder and felony robbery, on top of the previous two robbery charges. He is set to appear in court on Thursday.

JOHANNESBURG President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday for a make-or-break session, despite new accusations from the president this past Friday that South Africa is "out of control" and committing genocide.Speaking on Air Force One as it returned from the Persian Gulf region, Trump repeated his claim that white Afrikaner South African farmers are being slaughtered and forced off their land. The Afrikaners are descendants of mostly Dutch settlers who first arrived in South Africa in 1652.Secretary of State Marco Rubio elaborated on these claims Sunday on CBS, saying"all evidence [indicates] the farmers in South Africa are being treated brutally."Some 50 Afrikaners were flown to the U.S. as refugees last week. Rubio said theres "more to come". South Africa, and its president,deniesclaims of genocide and harassment.INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOESCould the Oval Office and the Wednesday meeting be the setting for a Zelenskyy-style dressing down of the South African president? In February, Ukraines president was involved in a shouting match with Trump and others, which reportedly led to him being ejected from the White House."The meeting is set to occur at a time when the relationship between the two countries has soured to unprecedented lows," analyst Frans Cronje, Yorktown Foundation for Freedom advisory board member,told Fox News Digital.TRUMP ADMIN MAKES NEW MOVE TO BRING SOUTH AFRICAN REFUGEES TO US AS PRESIDENT BLASTS NATION'S RULERS AGAINSouth Africa is "hosting Hamas and Hezbollah, doing business with Irans IRGC, prosecuting Israel at the ICJ and cozying up to Beijing and Moscow. These choices have consequences," Max Meizlish, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.Meizlish said South Africa has "attracted the ire of the president and key members of Congress, who play significant roles in shaping the future of U.S.-South African relations. Unfortunately, President Ramaphosa and his colleagues in the ANC do not appear to fully appreciate this fact. President Trump should insist on meaningful change and be ready to back his demands up with tools like targeted sanctions and tariffs."But will the White House meeting be icy, feisty, even loud? Not from the South African side, former U.S. diplomat and Daily Maverick Associate Editor J. Brooks Spector told Fox News Digital."Ramaphosa has a long track record of careful negotiating with adversaries.""He doesnt raise his voice, even when others become heated. Ive seen this firsthand. In a smoke-filled room in 1990 in South Africas dusty Free State, I watched Ramaphosa, then a leader of a black miners' union,sometimes even smile as he quietly and successfully calmed down [the] often-shouting white miners accused of killing black colleagues underground and got the murders stopped."Spector continued, "It is almost certain Ramaphosa and his team have closely studied the way three recent prior meetings with Trump have gone those with Zelenskyy (Ukraine), Starmer (the United Kingdom) and Carney (Canada) in an effort to draw lessons about how to present their best face. He will not make neophyte negotiation mistakes."WHITE SOUTH AFRICAN REFUGEES BROUGHT TO US DUE TO GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: STATE DEPTCronje told Fox News Digital that Ramaphosa and his country badly need the U.S."At home, Mr Ramaphosa is presiding over economic stagnation, with South Africa facing a rate of economic growth estimated at just over 1% together with an unemployment rate of over 30%. Mr. Ramaphosa will, therefore, be under great pressure to secure a deal."Some 600 U.S. companies operate in South Africa. Ramaphosa has taken four top ministers to Washington hoping to offer new deals, especially reportedly on natural gas, minerals and agricultural product sales to the U.S., and possibly finally the licensing of Elon Musks Starlink satellite internet system in South Africa.Cronje noted a military perspective the U.S. will also want to consider: "South Africa commands the southern sea route between the Indian and Atlantic oceans, which is an important trade and naval choke point."Meizlish added that South Africa "holds vast mineral wealth and could anchor U.S. investment in Africa, but that doesnt mean we should turn a blind eye to its alignment with Americas enemies."South Africas chief rabbi, Dr. Warren Goldstein, told Fox News Digital that South Africa could "easily withdraw" its ICJ case against Israel if it wanted to, adding that "opinion polls show that there is very little domestic support for his (Ramaphosas) anti-Israel stance, with most holding positive views towards Israel, sharing the same conservative Christian values that deeply resonate with Mr. Trumps support base in the U.S."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMeizlish said, "This visit cant be about optics or deals that fail to address the root of South Africa's malign foreign policy. Trump needs to push Ramaphosa to make substantive, structural reforms in his country's foreign policy while also creating pathways for greater U.S. investment. It can't just be one or the other."As South African politicians swept through Washington on Tuesday on a major lobbying exercise, trying to get traction on the idea of focusing on trade, Rubio told senators during a hearing that a reset in relations might be possible."If there's a willingness on their side to reset relations, obviously [that's] something we'll explore, but we do so with eyes wide open to what they've done so far," he said.Fox News Digital reached out to the South African government for comment but received no response.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. The father of a North Carolina college student who was shot in a "random" burglary earlier this month while she was staying with University of South Carolina students for the weekend was "furious" when he learned of the suspect's lengthy criminal history.Logan Federico, a 22-year-old aspiring teacher from Waxhaw, was visiting friends at USC in Columbia, South Carolina, and staying at a house on Cypress Street on the evening of May 2 through May 3.In the early morning hours of May 3, suspect Alexander Dickey, a 30-year-old "career criminal," entered the home in the early morning, stole several credit and debit cards and fatally shot Logan in what Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook described as a "random" crime during a May 5 press conference."She was supposed to go down the night before, and plans got canceled so she decided to do it on a Friday," Logan's father, Stephen Federico, told Fox News Digital. "That's the thing that's just gut-wrenching. She wasn't even supposed to be there. She was supposed to be home Friday."NC COLLEGE STUDENT SHOT DEAD BY CAREER CRIMINAL IN RANDOM SC HOME INVASION: POLICEOn Saturday afternoon, Logan's mother, Melissa Federico, was at home cooking when two officers showed up at her door to tell her the news that Logan had been shot dead in Columbia. Stephen had been golfing with friends when his wife called."Then, I heard the screams from my wife on the phone and she didn't want to tell me that, and I had to kind of pull it out of her," Stephen recalled. "And she finally said Logan's gone, and I said, What do you mean gone? She said dead. And that moment, I had no reaction. I was in shock."EX-DUKE FOOTBALL PLAYER CONFESSES TO KILLING REAL ESTATE AGENT FRIEND IN HER UPSCALE TOWNHOME: POLICEHe described his feelings upon learning that Logan had been shot as "a kick in the stomach" and "a panic."When he learned through local news that Dickey was a career criminal with nearly 40 prior arrests across different North Carolina counties, he felt "furious."MAN ACCUSED IN NORTH CAROLINA VACATION TOWN ROAD RAGE SHOOTING THAT LEFT DAD OF 3 DEAD SEEKS RELEASE"That was shocking. Absolutely shocking," he said. "I got a name, but obviously, I didn't get a lot of information. They were still investigating the whole background. They told me he was a career criminal. We referred him to something else. It is what it is that's the way I feel. But yeah, it was a shock that he was actually out on the streets."Logan had been studying at Central Piedmont Community College and working two jobs at the time of her death. She had aspirations to attend a four-year college and become a teacher after she developed a love of kids while babysitting her neighbors over the summer.Federico described her personality as "electric outgoing, personable, infectious.""Huge heart," he said. "Somebody that cared intensely about people that would go out of her way to make somebody feel included and find the people that felt excluded and make sure she pulled them in."ACTIVE-DUTY US AIRMAN CHARGED IN KILLING OF MISSING WOMAN ON MILITARY BASEIn the early morning hours of May 3, Dickey drove a stolen vehicle into the neighborhood and parked the car on Cypress Street, seemingly at random, according to Columbia police. He allegedly broke into one home and stole the keys to another vehicle and a firearm. He then broke into the home where Federico was staying, police said.There, Dickey allegedly stole several credit cards, saw Federico sleeping in one of the rooms in the house and fatally shot her with the stolen firearm.Authorities responded to the residence around 11 a.m., when Federico was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound. Columbia police described Logan as "a true victim and not an intended target."MOTIVE REVEALED IN KENTUCKY SHERIFF'S ALLEGED KILLING OF JUDGE AS BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT ANALYZES NEW VIDEOThe next day, Dickey went on a "shopping spree" using the stolen credit cards in West Columbia, and the stolen vehicle he was using broke down in Saluda County, police said. He allegedly called a tow truck to have the stolen vehicle transported to a residence in Gaston.Authorities began tracking Dickey as a person of interest and responded to the residence in Gaston on May 3. He allegedly fled the home when they arrived, and officials spent the remainder of Saturday searching for him.Around 4 p.m. on May 4, a Gaston resident reported seeing a man, later identified as Dickey, emerge from the woods and steal a car. He wrecked the stolen car and fled on foot to the initial Gaston residence law enforcement had responded to the day before and forced his way inside the home.ARIZONA PASTOR FOUND DEAD WITH HANDS PINNED TO WALL IN HOMICIDE AT HOMEAuthorities surrounded the residence and ordered him to emerge, at which point Dickey allegedly tried to set fire to the home. Lexington County Sheriff's Office deputies detained him at the residence.Federico said his daughter's murder robbed the world of a kind person who loved to help others and robbed the children who would have been Logan's future students of a great teacher.POLICE GROUP SLAMS GOFUNDME FOR OHIO FATHER ACCUSED OF KILLING DEPUTY LARRY HENDERSONLast week, Dickey appeared in court for a bond hearing. Federico and other family members attended the hearing. He said it was important to him to show up for Logan, and he will continue to do so until his daughter gets justice.The grieving father also thanked Columbia police for their quick work in tracking down and arresting Dickey, calling two officers in particular his "friends.""They're now my friends. All of them are," he said. "Just special people. Really special people. They found their calling."Dickey is charged with murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, two counts of grand larceny, grand larceny of a motor vehicle, three counts of financial transaction card theft.He was given a probation sentence for a burglary charge in 2023, which was reduced for compliance. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 25. He faces life in prison for the charges filed against him in Lexington County.Dickey's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An Idaho-based lawyer said she thinks Judge Steven Hippler will "absolutely" hold prosecutors and law enforcement accountable after sensitive information about the Bryan Kohberger quadruple murder case was leaked.A TV episode about the murders of four University of Idaho students was aired on May 9 and featured new cellphone records, surveillance video, search records and more. Kohberger is accused of killing Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20.New information about the murders was shared during the May 9 NBC "Dateline" program, which included surveillance video from a nearby house. The surveillance video showed a car similar to Kohberger's that was in the area of the King Road house several times just before the four students were killed.The program also claimed that FBI cellphone tower data showed that Kohberger's cellphone pinged nearly a dozen times to a tower that provides coverage to an area within 100 feet of 1122 King Road, where he allegedly killed the four students.JUDGE SAYS GAG ORDER 'LIKELY' VIOLATED IN BRYAN KOHBERGER'S IDAHO MURDER CASEEdwina Elcox, a criminal defense attorney in Boise, Idaho, told Fox News Digital she thinks Hippler is taking the leak very seriously."I think prosecutors/law enforcement will absolutely be held accountable," Elcox said, noting she has worked on cases with Hippler as the judge.Elcox said she "absolutely" thinks it's possible for evidence presented during the TV episode to be excluded in court.SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER"Can you imagine if the remedy for this was all that evidence being excluded?" Elcox said. "I ABSOLUTELY think that is in the realm of remedies.""Not only should it never have happened under any circumstances, there was the gag order," she added.Hippler said Thursday in an order that the court's gag order was "likely" violated by someone who, at one point, was associated with either law enforcement or the prosecution team.JUDGE RULES DEATH PENALTY TO REMAIN AS POSSIBLE PUNISHMENT AMID BRYAN KOHBERGER AUTISM DIAGNOSISHippler ordered anyone who worked with either law enforcement or prosecutors on this case to retain all communications and data relating to the murder investigation."Such violations not only undermine the rule of law, potentially by persons charged with upholding it, but also significantly impede the ability to seat an impartial jury and will likely substantially increase the cost to be borne by the taxpayers of Latah County to prosecute this case by extending the time it will take to seat a jury and potentially requiring lengthy period of juror sequestration," Hippler wrote.Hippler also said he's open to appointing a special prosecutor who'd investigate where the leak came from, but hasn't yet made a decision. He gave a seven-day deadline to prosecutors, who were ordered to submit a list, on camera, of all individuals within law enforcement and the prosecuting agencies that have access to the information shared during the episode.Idaho Statesman Investigative Reporter Kevin Fixler told Fox News' "America Reports" he was surprised when the "Dateline" episode aired."I have been on this case since literally day one, and this was a surprise. A lot of this information that was released just two and a half months before trial. So we're trying to better understand where that came from," Fixler said.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XForensic expert and Jacksonville State University Professor Joseph Scott Morgan told Fox News Digital there's a risk that the TV episode on Kohberger will taint the jury pool."I think the first place you have to look is the tainting of the pool, of the jury pool," Morgan said. "Progressively, it becomes more and more difficult because people form opinions, they put things out there that are not true, and you still have yet to pick a jury. And it's not like you're going to Manhattan. You're talking about Ada County, Idaho. You have a limited pool of potential jurors there.""They need to find out who's inside that investigative bubble that would release all of this digital data because you're talking about a copious amount, not just a new video that we're seeing that had never been seen before," Morgan added.GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUBMorgan said the leak might have the biggest impact if Kohberger decides to file an appeal, after a jury hands down a decision."Afterwards, if in fact [Kohberger] is found guilty, his attorneys are going to have a field day with stuff like this," he said.Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital he doesn't think the leak will have much of an impact on the case."People should follow court orders, but this is more bluster than anything and I dont think much will come of it. This is what happens when you have a very broad gag order and it takes 3.5 years to finally get a murder case to trial. Its not realistic to expect evidence not being leaked to the media for years in the biggest murder trial in the country," Rahmani said.