Hundreds of people are without power, and seven people remain missing after a violent explosion at a fireworks facility in Yolo County, California, early Tuesday evening.At least two people were injured in the explosion, which happened just before 6 p.m. local time at a facility housing commercial fireworks in Esparto.During a news conference on Wednesday, Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence confirmed firefighters initially entered the building, but were later pulled out due to "the severity and the risks that were there."CREWS RESPOND TO MASSIVE EXPLOSIONS AT FIREWORKS FACILITY IN CALIFORNIAOfficials said they have not re-entered the building to search for the missing people, opting to use drones for aerial reconnaissance over the large debris field.Though it is unclear if the missing people were employees at the facility, no firefighters were injured in the explosion.CHINA CHEMICAL PLANT EXPLOSION LEAVES AT LEAST 5 DEADLawrence said officials do not know when it will be safe enough for firefighters to go back to the site.Initially, more than 30 fire apparatus responded. As of Wednesday afternoon, only a few remained."I can say I have not seen anything like this," Lawrence said. "This is obviously an incident of great magnitude. My next priority is going to be working with the command team to start working on trying to reduce this exclusion zone so that we can start to get our constituents back into their houses and try to get what we can reenergized in the area when it's safe."Evacuation orders remain in place for two nearby zones, and more than 150 customers do not have power.EXPLOSION ROCKS PALM SPRINGS, DAMAGING BUILDINGS AND SENDING DEBRIS INTO THE STREET"Our agency, being here in the local in a small community, we are primarily volunteer agencies," Lawrence said. "I would be remiss if I didn't add that I'm really thankful and proud of all of our responders that stepped up yesterday, and even today, and came out here. We appreciate all the responders and the mutual aid partners that came and assisted us."CAL FIRE confirmed the building was owned by an active pyrotechnic license holder, though the owner's identity has not yet been released.The Office of the State Fire Marshal, which is leading the investigation, sent an arson and bomb investigation team to the area, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office.As of Wednesday afternoon, 78.3 acres had burned with 0% containment, according to CAL FIRE.Officials have not yet released the cause of the fire.

A high school student's free speech battle against a North Carolina school board took an important step towards closure after a court hearing Tuesday.Christian McGhee, 17, was suspended last year after school officials deemed he made a "racially insensitive" comment about "illegal aliens" in class. The suspension led to a year-long legal battle with the Davidson County Board of Education.Last month, a proposed settlement was reportedly reached between McGhees parents and the school board. On Tuesday, Judge Thomas DavidSchroeder of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina ruled that the proposed settlement was "fair, reasonable and in the best interest of [Christian]," according to a press release released Wednesday by the student's legal representatives at the Liberty Justice Center.The school has reportedly agreed to remove the racial bias incident from McGhee's record, issue a public apology, and acknowledge that a former board member responded inappropriately to the incident. Additional terms of the agreement are sealed, but the New York Post reported that the family is also slated to receive a $20,000 payment.SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO REVIEW FREE SPEECH CASE INVOLVING STUDENT WHO WORE 'ONLY TWO GENDERS' SHIRTBecause the student is a minor, a court hearing was required to finalize the settlement, according to the legal group.The teen received a 3-day suspension in the spring of 2024 after asking his teacher if a conversation in class was centered around "spaceship aliens" or "illegal aliens who need green cards" after he returned to the classroom from the restroom.A Latino student present in the class reportedly "joked" that he was going to "kick Christians a--," leading the teacher to escalate the situation to the assistant principal.McGhee's mother, Leah, who was behind the legal push against the district, told "Fox & Friends" last year that their family tried "for weeks" to resolve the matter privately but were forced to file a lawsuit after getting no response from the school board.NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ISSUE APOLOGY, PAY $20K TO STUDENT SUSPENDED OVER 'ILLEGAL ALIEN' COMMENTThe lawsuit accused the school board of violating McGhee's constitutionally-protected rights to free speech and due process."The courts approval represents a critical step towards finally vindicating Christians constitutional rights and clearing his record of false allegations," Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Dean McGee said of this week's ruling.McGhee's parents said they were grateful and celebrating the legal win."We are grateful for the Liberty Justice Centers tireless efforts to bring justice to our son, and to the members of the current school board who chose to work with us to help resolve the case," Leah and Chad McGhee said. "Together with the help of our community, we have proved that constitutional rights do not end at schoolhouse doors. We are celebrating this victory and hope it encourages other families to stand firm in the face of adversity."The Davidson County School Board did not immediately return a request for comment.Fox News' Taylor Penley contributed to this report.

Lauren Snchez Bezos and Jeff Bezos' lavish three-day wedding celebration shared a surprising connection to the royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton.On June 27, Ellie Goulding sang at the billionaire and the former entertainment reporter's wedding reception on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy, according to People magazine. The British singer previously gave a performance at William and Kate's second wedding reception after they tied the knot April 29, 2011, in London.The Prince and Princess of Wales shared their first dance while Goulding sang her cover of Elton John's 1971 hit "Your Song."Goulding also performed "Your Song" at Bezos and Snchez's star-studded bash Friday. Famed opera singer Andrea Bocelli's son, Matteo Bocelli, sang a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" as the newlyweds' first dance song.JEFF BEZOS, LAUREN SNCHEZ CELEBRITY WEDDING GUESTS TAKE VENICE BY STORMWilliam and Kate's first wedding reception was a lunchtime affair thrown by the late Queen Elizabeth II while King Charles hosted the pair's second, more intimate wedding reception in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.Elton John, a close friend of William's mother, the late Princess Diana, attended the second reception with David and Victoria Beckham.While Goulding has yet to speak publicly about her performance during the Bezos-Snchez wedding festivities, she previously opened up about singing for William and Kate.During a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail, Goulding recalled meeting William before the royal nuptials and learned that they were fans of her music.However, the two-time Grammy nominee shared she was shocked when she received an offer to perform for the couple on their wedding day."I knew they liked my songs, but I didnt walk away from meeting William thinking it might lead to a gig at Buckingham Palace," she recalled."Then I got a phone call suggesting there might be something in the offing, but I didnt tell anyone for a long time," Goulding continued.LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS"I wasnt told to stay quiet, but I thought it best to keep things under my hat," she added. "I knew there would be massive interest in the wedding, so I wanted to keep something private. In the end, somebody leaked it, but Im glad we managed to keep it under wraps for a while."Goulding admitted she was nervous ahead of her high-profile gig as William and Kate's wedding singer."Performing the first dance of the night, Your Song' was nerve-wracking," she recalled. "But William and Kate were very appreciative. They are an awesome couple and told me how much they enjoyed it. My band and I stayed at the reception all night, and its something Ill treasure forever."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERGoulding later serenaded William and Kate again with her 2011 song "Starry Eyed" and some of her other original tracks. She also performed covers of famous songs, including The Killers "Mr. Brightside" and Stevie Wonders "Superstition."In 2022, Goulding reunited with William and Kate when she performed at the prince's Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony.Bezos and Snchez's reception also featured performances by Usher, who sang his hit "Yeah," and sets by DJ Cassidy, DJ Kygo and DJ Mei Kwok, according to People.Numerous celebrities attended the reception, including Orlando Bloom, Tom Brady, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Khlo Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Sydney Sweeney, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Karlie Kloss, Josh Kushner, Bill Gates and Queen Rania of Jordan.

CBS News anchor John Dickerson lamented parent company Paramount's multi-million dollar settlement with President Donald Trump on Wednesday."Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, settled a suit with President Trump today," Dickerson said on CBS Evening News Plus, a news program on their streaming service. "Journalists dont like to report on themselves. Sometimes thats false humility. Mostly, its a practical limitation. Reporters try to find order in chaos."Dickerson said the settlement and ones like it hinder the press' ability to "hold power to account.""The Paramount settlement poses a new obstacle," Dickerson said. "Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks youve traded away that trust? The audience will decide that our job is to show up to honor what we witness."CBS SETTLEMENT WITH TRUMP SLAMMED BY JOURNALISTS, COMMENTATORS AS 'APPALLING' SURRENDERFox News Digital has learned that the sum being paid to Trump could reach north of $30 million with $16 million being paid upfront for his future presidential library, in addition to another allocation in the eight figures set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future.Current Paramount management disputes the additional allocation, and a source familiar with Paramount's current leadership told Fox New Digital only $16 million was sanctioned by the official mediator, and they have no knowledge of any deal Trump made with incoming ownership as Paramount is set to merge with David Ellisons Skydance Media. However, Fox News Digital has learned that the incoming ownership will be responsible for the additional allocation.During the "CBS Evening News" program, which airs on broadcast TV to a much-wider audience, Dickerson had less to say about the settlement."In the end, Paramount decided to settle a suit it said is without basis in law and fact and an affront to the First Amendment," Dickerson said, quoting from a previous filing from Paramount.'60 MINUTES' CORRESPONDENT SCOTT PELLEY WARNS A CBS SETTLEMENT WITH TRUMP WOULD BE 'VERY DAMAGING'Trump initially sought $20 billion in his lawsuit against CBS over its handling of a "60 Minutes" interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of election interference leading up to the 2024 contest. CBS is not acknowledging any journalistic wrongdoing with the settlement.

Rescuers were searching Thursday for 43 people missing in rough seas overnight after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near Indonesias resort island of Bali.The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya sank almost half an hour after leaving East Javas Ketapang port late Wednesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement. It was bound for Balis Gilimanuk port, a 30-mile trip.MULTIPLE PEOPLE DEAD, 2 MISSING AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES AT VACATION HOTSPOTThe ferry carried 53 passengers, 12 crew members and 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks, it said.HUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN SUNKEN BOAT BRING CLOSURE TO TEXAS FAMILY'S ALASKA TRAGEDYTwo bodies have been recovered and 20 were rescued, many of them unconscious after drifting in choppy waters for hours, said Banyuwangi police chief Rama Samtama Putra.Nine boats, including two tug boats and two inflatable boats have been searching for the missing people since Wednesday night, battling waves up to 6.5 feet high in the overnight darkness.Ferry tragedies are common in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, where ferries are often used as transport and safety regulations can lapse.

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The United States mens national soccer team turned a hot start on Wednesday night at Energizer Park and into victory over Guatemala to reach the Gold Cup final.This win marks the 13th time the U.S. has reached the Gold Cup final, and they will face the winner of Mexico-Honduras to determine who wins it all on Sunday.After needing a penalty shootout to reach the semifinals, the USMNT hoped it didnt need to go that far against Guatemala, and Diego Luna led the way to the 2-1 win.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMIt began in the fourth minute, when Luna was in the right place at the right time after a shot on net was saved. His one-two touch went right into the back of the net for the early lead.UNEXPECTED DRONE OPERATED BY UNIDENTIFIED PARTY SIGHTED NEAR USMNT TRAINING GROUNDS: REPORTSBut just a few minutes later, Luna really gave the USMNT some breathing room after a tremendous effort to extend the lead.Malik Tillman got the assist after Luna made one defender miss and launched a shot toward the left side of the net that got past the goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead.It was mostly silent as the first half ended and the second half minutes started to dwindle for Guatemala. However, a timely goal brought some momentum to their sideline.Olger Escobar got a ball past Matt Freese to make it a 2-1 game in the 80th minute.But the USMNTs defense was stellar at the end of the match to make sure they came away victorious.The U.S. is hoping to win its eighth Gold Cup, while Mexico, if they defeat Honduras, would be looking to extend its title lead. They have nine all-time.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social early Thursday to call out Republicans who are still refusing to get behind a House procedural vote on the "Big Beautiful Bill."With the vote having stalled late Wednesday with five Republican "nays" and another eight Republicans having yet to cast a vote the president touted the benefits the country is poised to gain with the bills passage."Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy," Trump wrote on Truth Social before turning his ire to GOP holdouts: "What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND ITS COSTING YOU VOTES!!!"SENATE REPUBLICANS RAM TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' THROUGH KEY TEST VOTETrump later wrote that the vote should be an "EASY YES" for Republicans, calling the holdouts refusal to vote, "RIDICULOUS."A procedural "rule vote" allows lawmakers to debate ahead of a final vote on the "Big Beautiful Bill" before it would head to the presidents desk for a signature.By early Thursday, the following House Republicans were a no on the procedural vote: Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky who changed his vote from a "yay" to a "nay."When asked why he switched his vote, Massie told Fox News Digital, "Because most of the world isnt concerned about the difference between the rule resolution vote and the final passage vote."MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET BIG, 'BEAUTIFUL WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSEThe following Republican lawmakers have yet to cast their vote: Reps. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andy Harris of Maryland, Bob Onder of Missouri, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and Chip Roy of Texas.Leaving a room with other holdouts and critics of the bill just after 1 a.m. on Thursday, Burchett told reporters, "We're just getting very close, I think, to getting something resolved."He would not say how he would vote for the legislation, however.GOP lawmakers can only afford to lose three votes. Republican leaders have now kept the rule vote open for over four hours to try to pressure the holdouts to get a majority vote.House Speaker Mike Johnson had recalled lawmakers to Washington, eager to seize on the momentum of the bill's passage the day before in the Senate and vowed to press ahead."Everybody wants to get to yes," Johnson told Fox News as the voting was underway.Quickly convening for the vote on the more than 800-page bill was risky gambit, one designed to meet Trump's demand for a holiday finish. Republicans have struggled mightily with the bill nearly every step of the way this year, often succeeding by the narrowest of margins, only one vote.Their slim 220-212 majority, leaving little room for defections.

The House of Representatives has voted to advance President Donald Trumps $3.3 trillion "big, beautiful bill" to its final phase in Congress, overcoming fears of a potential Republican mutiny.Its a significant victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., though the fight is not over yet.Lawmakers voted to proceed with debate on the mammoth-sized Trump agenda bill in the early hours of Thursday a mechanism known as a "rule vote" teeing up a final House-wide vote sometime later Thursday morning.The House adopted the rules for debate on the measure in a dramatic 219 to 213 vote with all but moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., voting to proceed.TAX CUTS, WORK REQUIREMENTS AND ASYLUM FEES: HERE'S WHAT'S INSIDE THE SENATE'S VERSION OF TRUMP'S BILLThe vote had been stalled for hours, since Wednesday afternoon, with five House Republicans poised to kill the measure before lawmakers could weigh the bill itself.Several members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies, meanwhile, appeared ready to skip the vote altogether in protest of GOP leaders' compromise bill.But both Johnson and Trump spent hours negotiating with holdouts, apparently to some success.But the process could still take hours. Democrats could still call up various procedural votes to delay the final measure, as they did when the legislation passed the House by just one vote for the first time in late May.Plus, the bill itself could still face opposition from both moderates and conservative Republicans.Conservative lawmakers were threatening to derail the rule vote as recently as Wednesday over changes the Senate made to the legislation, which fiscal hawks argued would add billions of dollars to the federal deficit.But those concerns appear to have been outweighed by pressure from House GOP leaders and the president himself who urged House Republicans to coalesce around the bill.The Senate passed its version of the bill late on Tuesday morning, making modifications to the Houses provisions on Medicaid cost-sharing with states, some tax measures, and raising the debt ceiling.SENATE PASSES TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMAModerates are wary of Senate measures that would shift more Medicaid costs to states that expanded their programs under Obamacare, while conservatives have saidthose cuts are not enoughto offset the additional spending in other parts of the bill.Two members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus who also sit on the House Rules Committee, Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, voted against the measure during the Rules Committee's 12-hour hearing to consider the bill.Johnson himself publicly urged the Senate to change as little as possible in the run-up to the vote. But the upper chambers bill ultimately passed by a similarly narrow margin as the House with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote."Im not happy with what the Senate did to our product," Johnson told reporters late on Tuesday afternoon. "We understand this is a process that goes back and forth, and we'll be working to get all of our members to yes."But Trump took to Truth Social after the Senate passed the bill to urge House Republicans to do the same."It is no longer a House Bill or a Senate Bill. It is everyones Bill. There is so much to be proud of, and EVERYONE got a major Policy WIN But, the Biggest Winner of them all will be the American People, who will have Permanently Lower Taxes, Higher Wages and Take Home Pay, Secure Borders, and a Stronger and More Powerful Military," the president posted."We can have all of this right now, but only if the House GOP UNITES, ignores its occasional GRANDSTANDERS (You know who you are!), and does the right thing, which is sending this Bill to my desk. We are on schedule Lets keep it going, and be done before you and your family go on a July 4thvacation. The American People need and deserve it. They sent us here to, GET IT DONE."Both the House and Senate have been dealing with razor-thin GOP majorities of just three votes each.THOM TILLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM SENATE AFTER CLASH WITH TRUMPThe bill would permanently extend the income tax brackets lowered by Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), while temporarily adding new tax deductions to eliminate duties on tipped and overtime wages up to certain caps.It also includes a new tax deduction for people aged 65 and over.The legislation also rolls back green energy tax credits implemented under former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump and his allies have attacked as "the Green New Scam."The bill would also surge money toward the national defense, and to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the name of Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants in the U.S.The bill would also raise the debt limit by $5 trillion in order to avoid a potentially economically devastating credit default sometime this summer, if the U.S. runs out of cash to pay its obligations.New and expanded work requirements would be implemented for Medicaid and federal food assistance, respectively.Democrats have blasted the bill as a tax giveaway to the wealthy while cutting federal benefits for working-class Americans.But Republicans have said their tax provisions are targeted toward the working and middle classes citing measures eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages while arguing they were reforming federal welfare programs to work better for those who truly need them.Progressive Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., told reporters it was Democrats' intent to delay proceedings on Wednesday for as long as possible."This last go around, we were able to delay the bill upwards of 30 hours. And so we're going to do the same thing, do everything we can from a procedural point of view to delay this," Frost said.Meanwhile, there were earlier concerns about if weather delays in Washington could delay lawmakers from getting to Capitol Hill in time for the planned vote."We're monitoring the weather closely," Johnson told reporters. "There's a lot of delays right now."Fox News' Dan Scully contributed to this report.

A University of Massachusetts-Amherst student who was a Congressional student intern was killed in a triple shooting in Washington, D.C., on Monday.Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, a rising senior who was majoring in finance with a minor in political science, died at the hospital after being one of three people shot in northwest D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department.He was a Granby, Massachusetts, resident who started interning for U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan., in June, according to police.Third District officers responded to gunshots on 7th Street and discovered Tarpinian-Jachym unconscious with gunshot wounds. An adult female and a 16-year-old male were also found shot at the location, but were conscious.HOUSE STAFFER VICTIM OF ARMED CARJACKING IN POPULAR WASHINGTON NEIGHBORHOODPolice said multiple suspects began firing shots at a group after exiting a vehicle at the intersection of 7th and M Street, Northwest. The suspect's vehicle was recovered and detectives said in a statement that they believe Tarpinian-Jachym was not the intended target."The university has learned of a students death in Washington, D.C. and is in communication with the students family. We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew him and will be communicating with the campus shortly to offer support," UMass Amherst told FOX 5 DC.Estes and his wife, Susan, released a statement expressing their deepest condolences and prayers to Tarpinian-Jachym's family."I will remember his kind heart and how he always greeted anyone who entered our office with a cheerful smile," Estes said. "We are grateful to Eric for his service to Kansas 4th District and the country. Please join Susan and me in praying for his family and respecting their privacy during this heartbreaking time."State Committeeman Chris Ryan also released a statement on behalf of the Massachusetts Republican Party, saying "The loss of DC Congressional student intern and Granby resident Eric Tarpinian-Jachym is a loss for Massachusetts and our nation. His family is now without its son, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be missing a promising young graduate from its Class of 2026."DRUGGED SUSPECT IN 'ALTERED MENTAL STATE' STABS SIX, ALONG WITH HIMSELF, DURING DC RAMPAGE: POLICEHe went on to say that "The Massachusetts Republican Party extends its deepest sorrows to his family and the office of Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS), all of whom are mourning the passing of this bright and talented young man."The Fund for American Studies also expressed sympathies for Tarpinian-Jachym, who was once part of a group of students completing a Washington Fellowship."The Fund for American Studies is heartbroken at the tragic and untimely death of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. Eric was one of a select group of students who participated in the Washington Fellowship held January to April 2025," the group said. "He was a hardworking intern, a dedicated student and was well thought of by his peers. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."Metropolitan police ask anyone with knowledge of the incident to call them at202-727-9099or text TIP LINEto50411.A reward of up to$25,000is available to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible.