Dont let George Wendts mild-mannered portrayal of loyal "Cheers" regular Norm Peterson fool you; the late actor had some pretty wild times with the cast.Wendt, who died on Tuesday at 76 years old after suffering from health issues, was cast on "Cheers" in 1982 following an audition that involved just one word: "beer."But his subtle comedic timing and authenticity quickly made his character an icon of 1980s television.Wendt reunited with former "Cheers" cast members Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson last year on their "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, and the trio quickly began to reminisce about the shenanigans they got up to, which closely resembled the way their characters joked around with each other.JEOPARDY! FANS SLAM CONTESTANTS FOR MISSING OBVIOUS TRIPLE STUMPER CLUE ABOUT CHEERSDanson revealed that when the cast noticed during rehearsals that another actor was "having trouble with a pretty hefty speech or something, we would get glints in our eyes and we would go Oh, well be there for you on the night."But instead of being supportive while filming, the cast would shoot spitballs at the actor.He continued of Wendt, "And there was actually a shot, I think, or at least this is the urban legend, where you can see a spitball in your hairline where one of us had managed to land one while you were doing your [speech].""Ill never forget I hit you right in the uvula once," Wendt replied. "You were laughing like that and your mouth was that open, and I saw it, and it was a Zen moment."Danson also remembered the time the cast got drunk before going live on air with Jey Leno to do a special interview following the last episode of the show in 1993.CHEERS STAR KELSEY GRAMMER REVEALS WHERE TED DANSON FALLING-OUT CAME FROM AFTER 30 YEARSHe said the cast was brought into Bostons Bowl and Finch Pub, which served as the bars exterior on the show, early in the afternoon hours before they went live on "The Tonight Show.""What do you do at a bar? You start drinking, and later you start smoking, so by the time literally that Jay Leno, he looked up from his notes, and they were going, five, four, three, two..,' he looked up and saw us all really for the first time and his eyes start to spin going, Oh my .' We got a lot of s--- for that, remember?" Danson said.Wendt said that may have been Lenos first live show, adding that the "Tonight Show" host might have never done another live show again after that."I wouldnt blame him, we were in poor shape to be doing anything," Harrelson said.Wendt, who came from an improv background at Chicagos Second City, revealed that the cast kept the show fresh through its eleventh season by not over-rehearsing, which they may have overdone."After a while, John [Ratzenberger] and I would be sitting there next to each other Im talking about year eight or nine or something and theyd go , OK, next scene, standby, and Id look at John and say, Any idea? Hed go, Nope. So, youd prayed that the first line wasnt your bit."The cast also like to prank each other.TED DANSON THROWS MORE COLD WATER ON HOPES FOR 'CHEERS' REUNION: 'I THINK IT'D BE A LITTLE SAD'Danson remembered that around six months after hed "pantsed" Harrelson during a show, Wendt and Kirstie Alley, who came onto the show as bar manager Rebecca Howe in the sixth season, and Wendt got him back.He said he went into his dressing room to take a shower and Wendt knocked on the door and says, "'You mind if I come in and shave while youre in the shower?' I went, No, thats fine. So, the door is primed by you to be open. And I cant quite remember, I think you dove in, grabbed the shower door and swung it open and Kirstie took a Polaroid of me in all my glory. And then it showed up during the wrap party."In fact, Wendt and Ratzenberger, who played know-it-all Cliff, helped Alley start the show with a bang.In 2023, during a cast reunion at the ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas, Wendt said the cast was having dinner before Alley's first show when they realized they should have bought the actress who wasn't at the dinner a gift.Danson, Harrelson, and Rhea Perlman, who played Carla on the show, all said they were busy, so Wendt and Ratzenberger were entrusted to get the gift.While driving down Melrose in Hollywood, they saw a Big 5 Sporting Goods store.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"And John goes, 'You wanna buy her a shotgun?'" Wendt told the audience."And, like you, I laughed for about five minutes," he told the crowd. "And then immediately pulled into the parking lot, and we bought her a freakin shotgun. John and I were never tasked with the gifts again."Ratzenberger added, "I think you even wrote on the card, 'You're gonna have to shoot your way out."Wendt told the "Still Here Hollywood" podcast last December that the cast was "horrified" by the present, but "Kirstie loved it."On Danson and Harrelsons podcast, Wendt recalled the time the men in the cast played "hooky" from the show during a "female-heavy" episode focused on Shelley Longs character Diane and Perlmans Carla."John had just bought a boat, and he was anxious to show it off, so we cooked up this getaway," Wendt said.Danson said when he and Harrelson arrived at the boat they were "already stoned" and they all called into the show from a payphone saying they werent feeling well."I think somebody said, Im seasick, heh heh," Wendt, added, joking, "I got peer pressured."Danson said before the ride, Harrelson got him to try mushrooms for the first time."And ate, I think, an extraordinary amount of mushrooms," he added.LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSThe men then took off for Catalina, a resort island off the coast of Los Angeles, and quickly hit leftover waves from a hurricane in Mexico."There was still a huge swell, so people not on mushrooms would be seasick pretty much. But I sat there getting more and more freaked out and whatever it is you get, stoned, or whatever it is on mushrooms," the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star remembered.Danson said that he saw Harrelson looking relaxed, stretched out on a bunk, so he decided to go up on deck to attempt to calm down.He told Wendt: "And I came and sat down next to you, and you looked at me and you went, Youre high on something arent you? I kind of nodded sheepishly and John was like, Oh, for crying out loud. But you spent the whole next 45 minutes poking me about every minute or two and said, "Breathe," because I would literally forget to breathe and feel like I was dying and youd poke me.""He was our lifesaver," Danson added of Wendt, who said while he didnt do any mushrooms, he was seasick on the ride.Danson called the ride there and back the worst four hours of his life.The actors all got chewed out the next day.Wendt remarked, "It would have been extravagant, but I thought [James] Burrows, [the co-creator of Cheers], should have rented a helicopter with the girls and brought them and meet us on the pier, and when we got off the boat go, OK, A scene is up. What? Oh, Jesus."Danson said the producers told them they would have let them go out on the boat if they had let the show know, "But thats not hooky, Jimmy," he said he told Burrows.While often goofing off, the cast was also sentimental.Danson remembered before Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach on the show, died during the third season, his heart condition had left him forgetful, and he began to cover every surface of the set with his lines, including one about a friend whod died that read: "Its almost as if hes still here with us."He said the cast noticed the line the first time they came back to the set after Colasanto's death."I think we all basically burst into tears cause it was how we were all feeling. And then we would make a ritual, for the next four or five years, as we came down to greet the audience, everyone would touch the [line] Its almost like hes here with us."One day, set painters painted over the line on the wall in the off-season, he said, "and we all damn near quit, we were so angry when we came back."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe cast also insisted that a photograph of Geronimo that Colasanto had in his dressing room be hung on the wall of the set in memory of him.On Tuesday, Danson paid tribute to Wendt, saying in a statement to several outlets: "I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us. I am sending all my love to [Wendts wife] Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie."

On the surface, newly-released data from the Census Bureau looks to be good news for big cities. In the wake of the Covid panic that drove residents to the suburbs and beyond, city populations generally rebounded. "Cities of all sizes grew on average from 2023 to 2024," the Bureau reported. "Cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains".The number 94 percent of cities showing population growth is impressive, overall. But a closer look tells another story about some of the largest "blue" state cities, governed by Democratic mayors. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia continue to have lower populations than in 2020. New York City has had the largest drop from 8.805 million to 8.478 million, or 3.7 percent. Philadelphias population has fallen by 1.9 percent; Chicagos by 1 percent, and LAs by .5 percent.An even slightly-closer look at these cities quality of life and affordability factors that are the function of the effectiveness of their local governments offers explanations for the trend.THE LEFT'S HOMELESS PLANS WRECKED OUR CITIES. NOW HELP MAY COME FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCEHousing costs in New York, according to the national tracking service RentCafe, are 21.8 percent higher than the national average despite the fact that the city has more price-regulated and public housing than any other. Low turnover rates in the nearly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments help drive up the price of the remaining market-rate housing, as city residents play a costly game of housing musical chairs, with those not able to get apartments priced artificially low forced to pay more. Where is housing cheaper? Look to Houston, which has gained 3.9 percent in population. Its housing costs are the mirror image of New York Citys 21 percent lower than the national average. Not surprisingly, Houstons population, per the Census, is 3.9 percent higher than it was in 2020.To explain Chicagos population loss, look to its crime rate. The Windy City last year led the nation in murders 653 almost twice the number of Baltimore, the city with the second-highest number. Instances of gang violence have spread from the low-income South Side to the "miracle mile" of downtowns Michigan Avenue. Yet for the privilege of being subjected to high crime, Chicagoans have paid more and more and more in property taxes. As the civic group Chicago Federation reports, between 2014 and 2024, Chicago increased its property taxes by $2.7 billion, or 53.3 percent, compared to an inflation rate of 35 percent. The separate property tax levied by the Chicago Public School (CPS) district, increased $1.4 billion, from $2.4 to $3.8 billion. Yet, according to the Illinois Policy Institute, "in spring 2024, 30.5% of CPS students in third through eighth grade met proficiency standards in reading and 18.3% were proficient in math." A 2022 report found that, in 55 Chicago public schools, zero percent of students were proficient in either.Los Angeles, another population loser, stands out on another measure: street homelessness, as exemplified by the tent encampments in its Skid Row area. The citys 71,000 homeless constitute, per the Brookings Institution, 670 for every 100,000 residents. Even more notably, 70 percent of LAs homeless, some 472 per 100K are "unsheltered", higher than any major city except San Josewhich is also among the few cities with lower populations than in 2020. Its no wonder that California Governor Gavin Newsom, with his eye on higher office, has moved to ban street encampments in the state.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThe other population-losing cities have their own versions of the same stories. Philadelphia ranks among the homelessness leaders, with 18 percent of the homeless among the "unsheltered", the highest number among cities in the Northeast. The unsheltered homeless rate in San Jose, down 1.6 percent in population, stands at 77 percent, the nations highest.It's fair to argue that the combination of mild weather and air-conditioning, over the long term, has lured Americans from the Northeast and Midwest to the Sunbelt. But the new Census data shines a light on whats happening right now, as cities even in California as well as the Rust Belt and the Northeast, fail to recover their pre-Covid population levels. Its hard to avoid the conclusion that ineffective governance has played a role; crime and homelessness, high tax levels and poor-performing public schools are not magnets to draw back former residents or draw in new ones. The fact that all the population-losing cities are run by Democratic mayors helped Donald Trump win the popular vote; even in New York City he ran better than he had in 2020.Cities can be the engines of economic innovation and prosperity. But not if local government fails to provide effective essential services. Americans have given a negative Census report card on just those services, delivered to some of our largest cities.

The iconic Borg-Warner Trophy is a constant in the legendary Indianapolis 500 race every year.Each winner gets their name, average speed, the year they won, and their face engraved on the trophy that weighs roughly 110 pounds and stands just over five feet, four inches tall.The first time the trophy was unveiled was in 1936, when it was given to Louis Meyer and declared an annual prize for Indy 500 winners.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMWhile the trophy was created in 1935, it honored the winners from 1911 onwards as they had their name, year, average speed and faces engraved on the trophy.In its original form, the trophy was 52 inches tall and 80 pounds of sterling silver. It was made to commemorate 70 race winners. Two bases were added to the trophy in 1987 and 2004, and those additions to the trophy can commemorate the winners of the Indy 500 through 2033.There is one non-race winner who is engraved on the trophy, and that is Anton Hulman. Hulman owned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death in 1977. His face is the lone one on the trophy that is gold.The trophy is permanently housed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.TheIndy500 will be broadcast May 25 on FOX with coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. It will also be available tostream live on FOXSports.comand the FOX Sports app.INDY 500 IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT FOR FIRST TIME IN ALMOST A DECADE; 350,000 FANS EXPECTEDBelow is a list of every winner of the Indy 500:1911 Ray Harroun1912 Joe Dawson1913 Jules Goux1914 Rene Thomas1915 Ralph DePalma1916 Dario Resta1917 Not held due to World War I1918 Not held due to World War I1919 Howdy Wilcox1920 Gaston Chevrolet1921 Tommy Milton1922 Jimmy Murphy1923 Tommy Milton1924 Lora L. Corum, Joe Boyer (Co-drivers)1925 Pete DePaolo1926 Frank Lockhart1927 George Souders1928 Louis Meyer1929 Ray Keech1930 Billy Arnold1931 Louis Schneider1932 Fred Frame1933 Louis Meyer1934 Bill Cummings1935 Kelly Petillo1936 Louis Meyer1937 Wilbur Shaw1938 Floyd Roberts1939 Wilbur Shaw1940 Wilbur Shaw1941 Floyd Davis, Mauri Rose (Co-drivers)1942 Not held due to World War II1943 Not held due to World War II1944 Not held due to World War II1945 Not held due to World War II1946 George Robson1947 Mauri Rose1948 Mauri Rose1949 Bill Holland1950 Johnnie ParsonsINDY 500 POLESITTER ROBERT SHWARTZMAN FLOWS ON AND OFF THE TRACK1951 Lee Wallard1952 Troy Ruttman1953 Bill Vukovich1954 Bill Vukovich1955 Bob Sweikert1956 Pat Flaherty1957 Sam Hanks1958 Jimmy Bryan1959 Rodger Ward1960 Jim Rathmann1961 AJ Foyt1962 Rodger Ward1963 Parnelli Jones1964 AJ Foyt1965 Jim Clark1966 Graham Hill1967 AJ Foyt1968 Bobby Unser1969 Mario Andretti1970 Al Unser1971 Al Unser1972 Mark Donohue1973 Gordon Johncock1974 Johnny Rutherford1975 Bobby Unser1976 Johnny Rutherford1977 AJ Foyt1978 Al Unser1979 Rick Mears1980 Johnny Rutherford1981 Bobby Unser1982 Gordon Johncock1983 Tom Sneva1984 Rick Mears1985 Danny Sullivan1986 Bobby Rahal1987 Al Unser1988 Rick Mears1989 Emerson Fittipaldi1990 Arie Luyendyk1991 Rick Mears1992 Al Unser Jr.1993 Emerson Fittipaldi1994 Al Unser Jr.1995 Jacques Villeneuve1996 Buddy Lazier1997 Arie Luyendyk1998 Eddie Cheever1999 Kenny Brack2000 Juan Pablo Montoya2001 Helio Castroneves2002 Helio Castroneves2003 Gil de Ferran2004 Buddy Rice2005 Dan Wheldon2006 Sam Hornish Jr.2007 Dario Franchitti2008 Scott Dixon2009 Helio Castroneves2010 Dario Franchitti2011 Dan Wheldon2012 Dario Franchitti2013 Tony Kanaan2014 Ryan Hunter-Reay2015 Juan Pablo Montoya2016 Alexander Rossi2017 Takuma Sato2018 Will Power2019 Simon Pagenaud2020 Takuma Sato2021 Helio Castroneves2022 Marcus Ericsson2023 Josef Newgarden2024 Josef NewgardenFollow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The ongoing legal showdown between President Donald Trump and Paramount Global could come to a head any day as both parties continue mediation in hopes of resolving his $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News.The lawsuit stems from the "60 Minutes" primetime election special that aired in early October, just weeks before the 2024 presidential election, which featured interviews with then-Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The Trump-Vance ticket snubbed the program's invitation. "I wish that Donald Trump had agreed to participate in that program," one veteran "60 Minutes" producer told Fox News Digital. "Because we've been doing fair but tough interviews with the candidates of both parties every four years for 50 years."60 MINUTES PRODUCERS RAIL AGAINST TRUMP'S 'BULLS---' LAWSUIT, DREAD PROSPECTS OF PARAMOUNT MAKING SETTLEMENTTrump had an icy relationship with "60 Minutes" prior to 2024, most notably from his 2020 sit-down with "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl, who famously dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop scandal as it emerged during a tense exchange with the then-GOP incumbent.In the Harris interview, she was pressed by "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker about why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration. The exchange first aired in a preview clip on "Face the Nation.""Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region," Harris responded. Her remarks were immediately ridiculed as "word salad" by conservative critics.CBS NEWS STAFFERS RATTLED BY CEO'S ABRUPT EXIT AS TRUMP LAWSUIT LOOMS OVER NETWORKHowever, in the primetime special that aired the following night, a shorter, more focused answer from the vice president was shown to the same question."We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end," Harris said in the primetime special.The answer swap immediately erupted on social media, fueling allegations that CBS News deceptively edited Harris' comments to scrub her viral "word salad" comments from primetime television viewers. Days later, Trump filed his lawsuit alleging election interference."60 Minutes" producers tell Fox News Digital, "Everything was above board.""Every 60 Minutes interview is edited," the veteran producer said. "'Face the Nation' used part of the answer, and we used a different part of the same answer. And the only reason for that was clarity and brevity.""Any piece, unless it's live, is not airing the full answer of every question," a second "60 Minutes" producer told Fox News Digital. "And the standard at 60 Minutes is that you not mix and match questions and answers, which was not done, but is what Trump alleges on social media, which is a lie. So he's lying about what happened, and I think people hear that and think that he's telling the truth."SANDERS, WARREN WARN PARAMOUNT THAT SETTLING TRUMP LAWSUIT COULD BE ILLEGAL BRIBERY ACTTrump has repeatedly asserted in comments to reporters and on social media that CBS News took comments from a completely separate Harris response and inserted them in the exchange about Netanyahu.The raw transcript and footage released earlier this year by the FCC showed that both sets of Harris' comments came from the same response, but CBS News had aired only the first half of her response in the "Face the Nation" preview clip and aired the second half during the primetime special."The fact is that standard journalism procedures were followed," the second producer said.The "60 Minutes" producers who spoke with Fox News Digital firmly dismissed the notion that the edit was made to aid Harris and her campaign, insisting it was "completely circumstantial" and that there was no motivation behind it besides saving time for the one-hour special."They're both, quite frankly, not great," the second "60 Minutes" producer said of the two Harris responses that aired. "She's not great in an interview. She wasn't a great communicator It's such a sign that this is just a political maneuver. You know, it's just Trump making noise and trying to get people to hate the media."What was also stressed by the "60 Minutes" journalists was the timeline between "Face the Nation" on that Sunday and the primetime special Monday night. "Face the Nation" had access to portions of the Harris footage and chose what it wanted to air that Sunday morning while "60 Minutes" was still editing the primetime special for the following night."That's why we don't let a 90-second answer run, because then you'd use a tenth of your story on the ums' and hmms' like you ask a question in an interview and the person meanders around and then finally gets to the answer, and you're like 'Okay, that's the answer' but they were processing it," the second producer said. "If Trump wants to say that was like some agenda by '60 Minutes' to make Kamala look better, I just don't think it was, and look what happened. That's the other thing: she didn't win."While the "60 Minutes" producers were confident that what CBS News aired followed the network's standards and practices, they couldn't say if there was any instance similar to the Harris interview where two different portions of the same answer aired separately, sparking so much confusion among viewers.During the initial uproar, there were loud calls for CBS News to release the unedited transcript, which the network refused to at the time. Earlier this year, FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to hand over the transcript of the interview as part of its investigation into whether the network violated the FCC's "news distortion" policy after a complaint was filed.PARAMOUNT FACING MOUNTING PRESSURE FROM CBS STARS, DEM LAWMAKERS AS COMPANY MULLS SETTLING TRUMP LAWSUITOne producer suggested "60 Minutes" take a page from the playbook of PBS Frontline's Transparency Project, an initiative involving the publishing of full interview footage and transcripts online when their films are released."We might be at the point where we need to start doing that," the second "60 Minutes" producer said. "If I were the head of 60 Minutes, I would probably be thinking about some sort of transparency project like that. Like, fine, watch the whole interview."Even with the release of the raw transcript, as the "60 Minutes" producers point out, Trump never withdrew the lawsuit and has only doubled down on the "lies.""What Donald Trump has continued to do for months and months and over and over since we released that transcript is to make charges that are false," the veteran producer said. "He is telling lies. And it's clearly demonstrable that they are lies. And it doesn't stop him from telling them."Bill Owens, the "60 Minutes" executive producer who resigned last month, was defiant as the Trump lawsuit loomed over CBS News."There have been reports in the media about a settlement and/or apology," Owens reportedly told his staff in February. "The company knows I will not apologize for anything we have done."Owens left CBS News over what he said was his inability to maintain an independent newsroom at "60 Minutes." Leading up to his exit was the growing involvement of Shari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder who favors settling the lawsuit.Redstone wanted to "keep tabs" on upcoming "60 Minutes" segments involving Trump and urged CBS execs to delay any sensitive reporting on Trump until after the Skydance merger deal closed. CBS News journalists, despite Paramount's denial, have openly linked her desire to settle the lawsuit to the merger deal, which seeks the FCC's approval."The conditions that they were attempting to oppose on [Owens] were intolerable It was not something that any self-respecting editor would tolerate," the first "60 Minutes" producer said about his resignation. "It made all of us feel terrible because it was so wrong and so unfair."CBS CORRESPONDENT SCOTT PELLEY HITS TRUMP FOR SUING JOURNALISTS FOR NOTHING IN FIERY COMMENCEMENT SPEECHDespite the turmoil that has rocked CBS News in recent months, including Monday's ousting of the network's CEO Wendy McMahon, the "60 Minutes" journalists say they remain committed to their work, but offered a warning to corporate honchos like Redstone if they continue to interfere regardless of the pending outcome of Trump's lawsuit."If pressure continues to be exerted on 60 Minutes journalists from the corporation, then I could see people leaving," the second producer said. "Like if we enter our next season, and I'm reporting on a story that involves the Trump administration and I get the sense that my story is being changed because of something that Shari Redstone likes or doesn't like, I think that for me and I think other people on the staff, that would be the line."Pressure continues to mount as Paramount mulls settling Trump's lawsuit, possibly to the tune of $30-50 million.CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert called out the parent company for the huge payout it is currently contemplating, saying "handing over a pile of cash to a president over a frivolous lawsuit to get your broadcast license approved sounds so shady."Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen.Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent an ominous letter to Redstone suggesting her push to settle Trump's lawsuit to benefit the Skydance merger could be interpreted as bribery."Under the federal bribery statute, it is illegal to corruptly give anything of value to public officials to influence an official act. If Paramount officials make these concessions in a quid pro quo arrangement to influence President Trump or other Administration officials, they may be breaking the law," the lawmakers told Redstone.A spokesperson for Paramount told Fox News Digital "This lawsuit is completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process. We will abide by the legal process to defend our case."A spokesperson for Redstone told Fox News Digital she recused herself from Paramount discussions of a potential settlement in February. CBS News and President Trump's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. The prospects of an announced settlement in the coming days isn't out of reach. "60 Minutes" aired its final episode of the season this past Sunday and won't be airing new episodes until the fall, preventing someone like Scott Pelley from sounding off to viewers on the network drama like he did last month following Owens' exit.Earlier this month, in the midst of the legal drama plaguing Paramount and CBS News, the "60 Minutes" election special at the center of it all received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Edited Interview.

After a recent Vanity Fair article attempted to slam high-protein diets and connect the dietary choice to the MAGA movement, one of the doctors mentioned in the article is speaking out.Dr. Gabrielle Lyon rejected the politicization of high-protein diets, telling Fox News Digital, "Health is for everybody. Health doesn't have a political belief, nor should it. It should be about unifying us and making us stronger. Because at the end of the day, if you have a strong country... then you have... Strong character, strong children."Dr. Lyon is a board-certified physician and bestselling author of "Forever Strong," and she promotes the importance of a high-protein diet and resistance training."What a wasted opportunity to actually correct some of the science. The reality is, the majority of individuals are overweight or obese. According to the dietary reference intake, the majority of us, 95% or so, are over-consuming refined carbohydrates and grains. We're not over consuming high-quality proteins," Dr. Gabrielle Lyon told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.5 EXCELLENT PROTEIN SOURCES THAT AREN'T MEAT, ACCORDING TO NUTRITIONISTSThe May 1 article titled "Why Are Americans So Obsessed With Protein? Blame MAGA," attempts to compare Americans eating a diet aimed at promoting muscle growth and longevity to the MAGA political movement.The piece claims that American "protein mania" has been building over the last few decades and says the trend is part of the "manosphere," an umbrella term for sites and influencers that promote masculinity and anti-feminism.Despite the Vanity Fair article focusing almost entirely on men, Dr. Lyon said women are realizing the importance of protein and being strong."We're really entering an era where women want to be strong and recognize the importance of it. And listen, muscles for everybody. We need more women who believe in strength," she said.PROTEIN-PACKED AMERICAN-GROWN RICE ALTERNATIVE HAS TWICE THE AMOUNT AS QUINOADr. Lyon is described in the article as a "prominent pro-protein online personality" with content primarily targeted towards women.In response to her mention, Dr. Lyon said, "What does it matter that I've had over a decade of training from some of the world-leading scientists? I think it was unfortunate. It was very unfortunate and truly a missed opportunity from the writers to be able to highlight the importance, and of course correct what's happening in our country."Additionally, Dr. Lyon argued that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is too low. The RDA suggests adults should obtain 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.MEAT 'CHEAT MEALS' AMONG VEGETARIANS, VEGANS 'MORE COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK'The article makes the claim of more men being interested in increasing protein in their diets."I dont have a good sense on whats driving that right now, other than if its just the usual manosphereor manomania, here in the United States," Pieter Cohen, an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and associate professor, mentioned in the piece. Cohen made this claim because he said he had more male patients bring up the interest of increasing protein than women patients."Why wouldn't a woman want to be strong and take care of this tissue, and also, weights, and red meat is not just for guys, it's for everybody," Lyon said."Protein is the most essential macronutrient and, actually, it's the only macronutrient that we need more of as we age. Of course, there's carbohydrates, but the body can generate its own carbohydrates based on the food that you're eating. And the need for essential fatty acids is very low. But protein, dietary protein, while we call it protein, it's actually made up of 20 different amino acids. And each of these amino acids do various things that are critical for overall health, and it's not interchangeable," she added.

Recently, my five kids got a taste of European living. We visited Big Ben and the Tower of London and back at our Airbnb, we sweltered in 80-degree heat with no A/C and hung our laundry to dry.They loved the sightseeing. The no-air-conditioning part? Not so much.In Maryland, our summer electricity bills soar as temperatures rise. Every now and then, the utility company includes cheerful tips to cut costs along with our bill suggestions like turning the A/C down or off and line-drying laundry. Well, I just spent a week doing exactly that. Lets just say I have no plans to make it a permanent lifestyle.CALIFORNIA'S GREEN NEW SCAM COULD COST YOU $20,000This summer, were bracing for even higher bills and potential outages. On especially hot days, we were already getting texts from our energy provider warning of strain on the grid. Its only going to get worse this year.When we first moved in and signed up for service with our energy company, we opted for a budget plan. Then we learned it came with a catch: they could cut or reduce our power during peak demand. That constant cycling on and off ended up breaking our already-finicky HVAC system. The savings from that program shaved a few dollars off our bill every month but it cost us over $10,000 in a new HVAC unit.The way to lower our costs isnt these bait-and-switch programs, but changing the irresponsible way our state government handles our energy.GREEN NEW HEADACHE: DEMS FLEE GOVS GREEN ENERGY MASTER PLAN AS ELECTION APPROACHESIncreased usage with the seasonal weather changes isnt the only reason costs are climbing. Maryland residents are now paying more to import electricity from out of state, thanks to lawmakers who pushed to shut down coal and natural gas plants our primary energy sources without any viable alternatives in place.Marylands climate goals are nothing if not ambitious: a 60% reduction in emissions by 2031 and net-zero by 2045. But these targets seem less like a plan and more like numbers pulled from a hat. No roadmap, no accountability, and certainly no grasp of the real-world impact on families like mine.Worse, Maryland began phasing out power plants with no replacement ready to go. Only 7% of our electricity comes from renewables, so were importing more at higher cost. Those costs are, of course, passed directly to taxpayers.It doesnt stop there. The governments of Baltimore, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County are pursuing lawsuits against energy companies, blaming them for climate change. These suits claim fossil fuel companies have long known their products were damaging the planet. HOCHUL SPEARHEADS PLAN TO PAY NYERS TO SWITCH TO GREEN APPLIANCES AMID STATE MONEY WOESSuing them doesnt cool our homes; its an exercise in futility. But the cost of fighting this litigation passes more costs down to their constituents: businesses and families just trying to survive.If successful, these lawsuits could force energy companies to pay billions. Those costs wont come from corporate profits theyll show up on our bills. Companies may leave the state or raise rates just to keep the lights on.Meanwhile, taxpayers are funding feel-good programs that are failing to deliver real results. One such program: Maryland taxpayers shelled out $51 million to promote electric vehicles and build charging stations. Watchdog groups say these programs lost money and failed to accomplish their goals.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThese issues arent unique to Maryland. We rank 14th worst in the country for electric costs and 13 of those 14 states are deep blue. What does that tell you?TRUMP SCORES WIN AS NJ HALTS OFFSHORE WIND PROJECTAs summer heats up, families in progressive-run states face tough choices: rework the family budget or hang up a clothesline and start sleeping in the basement.Im charmed by parts of European living but Im not signing up for the whole package.One would think, after seeing how the government in England has tried to force renewable energy onto its citizens, and the crushing financial burden it has placed on residents, that the rest of the world would have learned from their mistakes.As in the U.K., we know that, especially for folks like a single mom or recent immigrant living paycheck to paycheck, they don't just find high energy costs inconvenient theyre potentially financially devastating. They mean the difference between making rent or not, between dinner on the table or an empty fridge.There was a time when progressives loved to say, "Check your privilege." Funny, we dont hear much of that anymore especially from the policymakers pushing costly climate agendas that burden the very people they claim to represent. Handsomely paid legislators are spending our money in their pursuit of their own progressive ideology and agendas.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM BETHANY MANDEL

More than half of sleep sessions end with the snooze button, with people sneaking in an extra 11 minutes on average, a new study reveals but experts say it may not be a good idea.Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from the Sleep Cycle app, which included sleep habits from more than 21,000 people globally.Among the more than three million sleep sessions tracked, nearly 56% ended with the snooze button.MOST SLEEP-DEPRIVED CITIES IN US REVEALED IN REPORT: WHERE DOES YOURS RANK?The heaviest users of the snooze button who used it for more than 80% of the mornings included in the study slept an average of 20 extra minutes.These heaviest snoozers were also shown to have "more erratic sleep schedules" than those who used the snooze button less often, the researchers found.The snooze button was more likely to be used on weekdays and less so on Saturdays and Sundays.The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports."Unfortunately, the snooze alarm disrupts some of the most important stages of sleep," said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD, in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital, in a press release."The hours just before waking are rich in rapid eye movement sleep. Hitting the snooze alarm will interrupt these critical stages of sleep and typically only offer light sleep in between snooze alarms."Its common for people to feel grogginess upon waking up, called "sleep inertia," which can make the snooze button tempting, according to Dr. David Kuhlmann, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Missouri."While hitting snooze may make it easier for some to wake up, its not recommended," Kuhlmann, who wasnt involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "Falling back to sleep for just a few extra minutes disrupts your sleep cycle, which can impact your mood and energy throughout the day."HERE'S WHY 90% OF AMERICANS DON'T SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, ACCORDING TO EXPERTAlex Dimitriu, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, agreed that hitting the snooze button is disruptive to ones rest."Snoozing feels good, but effectively results in less sleep," Dimitriu, who also did not participate in the research, told Fox News Digital."Snoozing specifically impacts REM sleep or dream sleep, which happens most in the morning hours."REM (rapid eye movement) sleep has wide-ranging benefits, according to the expert including that it helps regulate emotions by repeating past events and preparing for the future."There is evidence that our brains get emotionally calibrated during REM sleep so it matters a lot," Dimitriu added."When the alarm goes off, we should feel ready to start our day," Dr. Stephen Carstensen, a dentist and sleep expert in Washington, told Fox News Digital.Its as simple as breaking the habit, noted Cartensen, who wasn't part of the MGB study.HEAT EXPOSURE LINKED TO BETTER SLEEP, EXPERTS SAY HERE'S WHY"Habits are changed by determination, which is always easy to say, hard to do," he said. "Just dont do it, and soon the habit is gone."If someone feels like they need those extra minutes, however, the expert suggests thinking about what might need to change."Maybe you arent going to bed early enough, or sleep quality suffers from snoring or other breathing problems," he said. "You might have another sleep problem or a bed partner who keeps you from getting good sleep.""The issue isnt really the snooze button, but why you need it."To optimize sleep and feel rested the next day, experts recommend setting the alarm for the latest possible time and getting out of bed when it goes off the first time."Most people use the snooze button either because they go to bed too late or because an early-morning wake time does not line up with their natural sleep cycle," Dimitriu said.In both cases, he recommends adhering to a consistent sleep schedule that you can stick to, with "regular(ish)" bedtimes and wake times."It also helps to put down shiny, colorful screens full of interesting information in the hour before bed," Dimitriu added. "You need to slow down to get sleepy, or you won't get sleepy."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER"I tell my patients tech off at 10 dimming the lights and reading a book helps a lot."Kuhlmann recommends that people keep their phones across the room at night to force them to get out of bed when the alarm goes off."If youre hitting snooze regularly, it could be a sign that you arent getting enough or good-quality sleep," he noted. "To improve your sleep, prioritize healthy sleep habits, like keeping a consistent bedtime, avoiding large meals and alcohol before bed, and aiming for at least seven or more hours of sleep per night."For more Health articles, visitwww.foxnews.com/healthIf someone is still overly reliant on the snooze button even after improving sleep habits, it may be a sign of unrefreshing sleep from an underlying disorder, Kuhlmann warned."In that case, speak with your healthcare provider, who may refer you to an AASM-accredited sleep center for treatment."

More than half of sleep sessions end with the snooze button, with people sneaking in an extra 11 minutes on average, a new study reveals but experts say it may not be a good idea.Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from the Sleep Cycle app, which included sleep habits from more than 21,000 people globally.Among the more than three million sleep sessions tracked, nearly 56% ended with the snooze button.MOST SLEEP-DEPRIVED CITIES IN US REVEALED IN REPORT: WHERE DOES YOURS RANK?The heaviest users of the snooze button who used it for more than 80% of the mornings included in the study slept an average of 20 extra minutes.These heaviest snoozers were also shown to have "more erratic sleep schedules" than those who used the snooze button less often, the researchers found.The snooze button was more likely to be used on weekdays and less so on Saturdays and Sundays.The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports."Unfortunately, the snooze alarm disrupts some of the most important stages of sleep," said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD, in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital, in a press release."The hours just before waking are rich in rapid eye movement sleep. Hitting the snooze alarm will interrupt these critical stages of sleep and typically only offer light sleep in between snooze alarms."Its common for people to feel grogginess upon waking up, called "sleep inertia," which can make the snooze button tempting, according to Dr. David Kuhlmann, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Missouri."While hitting snooze may make it easier for some to wake up, its not recommended," Kuhlmann, who wasnt involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "Falling back to sleep for just a few extra minutes disrupts your sleep cycle, which can impact your mood and energy throughout the day."HERE'S WHY 90% OF AMERICANS DON'T SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, ACCORDING TO EXPERTAlex Dimitriu, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, agreed that hitting the snooze button is disruptive to ones rest."Snoozing feels good, but effectively results in less sleep," Dimitriu, who also did not participate in the research, told Fox News Digital."Snoozing specifically impacts REM sleep or dream sleep, which happens most in the morning hours."REM (rapid eye movement) sleep has wide-ranging benefits, according to the expert including that it helps regulate emotions by repeating past events and preparing for the future."There is evidence that our brains get emotionally calibrated during REM sleep so it matters a lot," Dimitriu added."When the alarm goes off, we should feel ready to start our day," Dr. Stephen Carstensen, a dentist and sleep expert in Washington, told Fox News Digital.Its as simple as breaking the habit, noted Cartensen, who wasn't part of the MGB study.HEAT EXPOSURE LINKED TO BETTER SLEEP, EXPERTS SAY HERE'S WHY"Habits are changed by determination, which is always easy to say, hard to do," he said. "Just dont do it, and soon the habit is gone."If someone feels like they need those extra minutes, however, the expert suggests thinking about what might need to change."Maybe you arent going to bed early enough, or sleep quality suffers from snoring or other breathing problems," he said. "You might have another sleep problem or a bed partner who keeps you from getting good sleep.""The issue isnt really the snooze button, but why you need it."To optimize sleep and feel rested the next day, experts recommend setting the alarm for the latest possible time and getting out of bed when it goes off the first time."Most people use the snooze button either because they go to bed too late or because an early-morning wake time does not line up with their natural sleep cycle," Dimitriu said.In both cases, he recommends adhering to a consistent sleep schedule that you can stick to, with "regular(ish)" bedtimes and wake times."It also helps to put down shiny, colorful screens full of interesting information in the hour before bed," Dimitriu added. "You need to slow down to get sleepy, or you won't get sleepy."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER"I tell my patients tech off at 10 dimming the lights and reading a book helps a lot."Kuhlmann recommends that people keep their phones across the room at night to force them to get out of bed when the alarm goes off."If youre hitting snooze regularly, it could be a sign that you arent getting enough or good-quality sleep," he noted. "To improve your sleep, prioritize healthy sleep habits, like keeping a consistent bedtime, avoiding large meals and alcohol before bed, and aiming for at least seven or more hours of sleep per night."For more Health articles, visitwww.foxnews.com/healthIf someone is still overly reliant on the snooze button even after improving sleep habits, it may be a sign of unrefreshing sleep from an underlying disorder, Kuhlmann warned."In that case, speak with your healthcare provider, who may refer you to an AASM-accredited sleep center for treatment."

More than half of sleep sessions end with the snooze button, with people sneaking in an extra 11 minutes on average, a new study reveals but experts say it may not be a good idea.Researchers from Mass General Brigham analyzed data from the Sleep Cycle app, which included sleep habits from more than 21,000 people globally.Among the more than three million sleep sessions tracked, nearly 56% ended with the snooze button.MOST SLEEP-DEPRIVED CITIES IN US REVEALED IN REPORT: WHERE DOES YOURS RANK?The heaviest users of the snooze button who used it for more than 80% of the mornings included in the study slept an average of 20 extra minutes.These heaviest snoozers were also shown to have "more erratic sleep schedules" than those who used the snooze button less often, the researchers found.The snooze button was more likely to be used on weekdays and less so on Saturdays and Sundays.The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports."Unfortunately, the snooze alarm disrupts some of the most important stages of sleep," said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD, in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital, in a press release."The hours just before waking are rich in rapid eye movement sleep. Hitting the snooze alarm will interrupt these critical stages of sleep and typically only offer light sleep in between snooze alarms."Its common for people to feel grogginess upon waking up, called "sleep inertia," which can make the snooze button tempting, according to Dr. David Kuhlmann, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and medical director of sleep medicine at Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Missouri."While hitting snooze may make it easier for some to wake up, its not recommended," Kuhlmann, who wasnt involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "Falling back to sleep for just a few extra minutes disrupts your sleep cycle, which can impact your mood and energy throughout the day."HERE'S WHY 90% OF AMERICANS DON'T SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT, ACCORDING TO EXPERTAlex Dimitriu, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, agreed that hitting the snooze button is disruptive to ones rest."Snoozing feels good, but effectively results in less sleep," Dimitriu, who also did not participate in the research, told Fox News Digital."Snoozing specifically impacts REM sleep or dream sleep, which happens most in the morning hours."REM (rapid eye movement) sleep has wide-ranging benefits, according to the expert including that it helps regulate emotions by repeating past events and preparing for the future."There is evidence that our brains get emotionally calibrated during REM sleep so it matters a lot," Dimitriu added."When the alarm goes off, we should feel ready to start our day," Dr. Stephen Carstensen, a dentist and sleep expert in Washington, told Fox News Digital.Its as simple as breaking the habit, noted Cartensen, who wasn't part of the MGB study.HEAT EXPOSURE LINKED TO BETTER SLEEP, EXPERTS SAY HERE'S WHY"Habits are changed by determination, which is always easy to say, hard to do," he said. "Just dont do it, and soon the habit is gone."If someone feels like they need those extra minutes, however, the expert suggests thinking about what might need to change."Maybe you arent going to bed early enough, or sleep quality suffers from snoring or other breathing problems," he said. "You might have another sleep problem or a bed partner who keeps you from getting good sleep.""The issue isnt really the snooze button, but why you need it."To optimize sleep and feel rested the next day, experts recommend setting the alarm for the latest possible time and getting out of bed when it goes off the first time."Most people use the snooze button either because they go to bed too late or because an early-morning wake time does not line up with their natural sleep cycle," Dimitriu said.In both cases, he recommends adhering to a consistent sleep schedule that you can stick to, with "regular(ish)" bedtimes and wake times."It also helps to put down shiny, colorful screens full of interesting information in the hour before bed," Dimitriu added. "You need to slow down to get sleepy, or you won't get sleepy."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER"I tell my patients tech off at 10 dimming the lights and reading a book helps a lot."Kuhlmann recommends that people keep their phones across the room at night to force them to get out of bed when the alarm goes off."If youre hitting snooze regularly, it could be a sign that you arent getting enough or good-quality sleep," he noted. "To improve your sleep, prioritize healthy sleep habits, like keeping a consistent bedtime, avoiding large meals and alcohol before bed, and aiming for at least seven or more hours of sleep per night."For more Health articles, visitwww.foxnews.com/healthIf someone is still overly reliant on the snooze button even after improving sleep habits, it may be a sign of unrefreshing sleep from an underlying disorder, Kuhlmann warned."In that case, speak with your healthcare provider, who may refer you to an AASM-accredited sleep center for treatment."

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