A south Florida community is mourning the loss of a deputy who was killed in the line of duty Sunday afternoon.
Charlotte County Cpl. Elio Diaz was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Bill Prummell said in an evening news conference.
Limited details were available, but Prummell said Diaz was making a stop on a white pickup truck at a Chevron gas station across from the Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor.
TRUMP, DESANTIS JOIN THOUSANDS TO MOURN 3 FLORIDA DEPUTIES KILLED IN ROADSIDE CRASH
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Elio Diaz was shot and killed Sunday afternoon while conducting a traffic stop.(Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
During the stop, the suspect, later identified as 24-year-old Andrew Mostyn Jr., pulled out a rifle and shot Diaz, according to the sheriff. The deputy was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Mostyn fled the scene, prompting a massive manhunt, and was later found at a Popeyes on King’s Highway in Punta Gorda.
When deputies approached him, Prummell said he went to grab his rifle again, which resulted in a deputy shooting him in the head. Mostyn died after being flown to an area hospital.
FLORIDA DEPUTY ‘FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE’ FOLLOWING CRASH THAT KILLED 2 COLLEAGUES
Prummell was visibly upset when confirming the deputy’s death to local reporters Sunday night.
“[He] was a friend. A good family man. He loved his children and he was a really great cop. He’s going to be missed,” the sheriff said through tears.
Cpl. Elio Diaz was an 11-year veteran of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.(Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)
State leaders also reacted to Diaz’s death, offering prayers and condolences to the agency and the deputy’s loved ones.
“Heartbreaking news tonight. A Charlotte County Sheriff’s Deputy lost his life,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody wrote on X. “Please keep the CCSO, @CCSOFLSheriff Prummell and this hero’s family in your prayers. It’s going to be a very difficult holiday season for so many mourning this tragic loss.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also posted to X, writing that he was “devastated to hear of the passing of a Charlotte County deputy tonight.”
“I spoke with @CCSOFLSheriff Prummell to let him know Ann and I are praying for his team and the deputy’s family tonight. Please keep them in your prayers,” he wrote.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., was among state leaders who offered condolences to the loved ones of Charlotte County Cpl. Elio Diaz, who was killed in the line of duty on Sunday.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Diaz had served with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office since 2013, according to local outlet FOX 4 Now, and was chosen as the department’s law enforcement member of the first quarter in November 2023.
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One of the most famous Sherlock Holmes stories pivots on what Sherlock notes: the curious incident of the dog in the night. When the Scotland Yard inspector says the dog did nothing in the night, Sherlock explains that was what was curious. Understanding why the dog didn’t bark was essential to solving the mystery.
In our case, many political professionals, in the best Scotland Yard fashion, have noted that in the 2024 election, abortion “did nothing.” That’s a starkly different outcome than what Democrats expected, based on the post-Dobbs 0-for-12 loss record (with the results in Virginia in 2023 being counted as a draw), on abortion-related ballot initiatives and special elections, and crushing expected red waves.
Why was 2024 different? Did abortion just disappear as a concern, overwhelmed by the economy and illegal immigration? Or was there something that kept that dog from barking? The answer matters to future elections.
PRO-LIFE GROUPS SOUND OFF AFTER TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT RESTRICT ABORTION PILLS: ‘SERIOUS AND GROWING THREAT’
In early 2024, my firm, Suasion Insights, began research both nationally and with a deep dive in Pennsylvania, tasked with seeing if there was any way pro-life Republicans could at least neutralize the abortion issue without abandoning their principles.
Despite strident support for abortion on the left, the issue didn’t define the election. FILE: An abortion-rights demonstrator holds a sign demanding, “KEEP ABORTION LEGAL”(AP)
We shared our findings with federal GOP campaigns and organizations, starting with five foundational insights on what was driving, and triggering, those otherwise getable voters they were losing over this issue.
First, for 48% nationally, rough agreement with — i.e., not fearing — a candidate on abortion is a gateway requirement to then considering other issues.
Second, 50% think the GOP can’t be trusted on abortion, and two-thirds of Americans think Republicans lack empathy.
Third, the term “pro-life” has a toxic brand/perception outside of the pro-life community, meaning opposition to all abortions — maybe also opposition to exceptions (which are very important to voters), including possibly for the life of the mother. (The Left understands this, which is why even bills that only restrict abortion for late in a pregnancy are described as a ban, stoking the fears that a total ban is the real intent.)
Moreover, the label “pro-life” means support for only the fetus, not the woman (a problem when only 8% nationally think the baby is more important throughout the pregnancy) and a hypocritical support for “life” given likely simultaneous approval of the death penalty, support for guns, and opposition to funding for pre- and post-natal care, rare disease testing and social support through people’s lives.
Fourth, and in contrast, “pro-choice” has a centrist brand perception, seen as a catchall, including anything from a six-week limit to unrestricted abortion. Moreover, pro-choice voters assume that, of course, Democrats don’t want abortions, and that late-term abortions are not only few but medically necessary, making GOP rhetoric not credible.
Fifth, voters across all groups are open to supporting candidates who support less restrictive policies than their personal preferences, but not more restrictive. The post-Dobbs abortion ballot initiative track record illustrates this point: no state ballot initiative that would make that state’s law more restrictive has passed.
But our research also showed a winning message would stop politicizing abortion — a trap Democrats fell into with, for example, their overwrought ad of the woman on the floor dying while a GOP senator prevents her from getting treatment for a miscarriage.
Pro-life supporters march in Washington D.C., United States on January 20, 2023. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)(Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
We showed there were better ways for Republicans to express their empathy and concerns for women and their needs at this difficult time, both individually and necessarily as a party.
We were gratified to see the GOP change their platform language as the old language would have been used as a club against every GOP candidate. President-elect Donald Trump talked about exceptions whenever he spoke about abortion. He explicitly ruled out a federal law. And most GOP candidates were very clear that, like the top of the ticket, they opposed any national ban.
You could hear the air come out of the abortion issue for the left, something that only accelerated after Vice President-elect JD Vance’s debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, which was a masterclass in reassuring women that this wasn’t a game to make every state look like Alabama.
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Vance never pivoted from the issue. He never used the term “pro-life.” He began with empathy, not politics or policy, telling the story of a woman he loves who had an abortion that she felt saved her life. He acknowledged there were different opinions on the issue. He talked about the need for Republicans to rebuild trust.
He used the high-ground, pro-woman argument: we need to give women control (affordability, family planning/contraception/fertility treatments) to solve the real problem (unwanted pregnancies), not just focus on the symptoms of the problem (abortion). He did not talk about adoption and foster care, which are seen more as anti-abortion than pro-woman, but did reclaim freedom and talked about childcare and fertility, two big issues for women.
Even when he went on offense, he did not talk in the usual activist way about “killing babies” or use other emotional language that backfires but stuck with facts and the idea that the left goes “too far” — the way most people talk. He was clear in his opposition to a ban and never used the word “ban” outside of the context of partial-birth abortions.
He reminded us we are a diverse country and underlined the importance of letting voters decide. In recognizing that different states will have different policies, Vance showed that he is listening to women and voters and recognizes the need to win back trust, hearts and minds.
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We showed there were better ways for Republicans to express their empathy and concerns for women and their needs at this difficult time, both individually and necessarily as a party.
Changing how the GOP was perceived on the issue of abortion, minimizing fear and being empathetic and reassuring was the dog that didn’t bark and made it possible for voters to focus on the other issues.
As we look forward to future elections, the question will be: will the pro-life movement and GOP politicians learn how to neutralize the issue, so they don’t lose more ground? Will they in fact choose to win (because there is a way they could get nearly 70% support for their less extreme positions)? Or will they revert to barking in the way that satisfies their most hardcore supporters while creating collateral losses elsewhere? Only time will tell.
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As the saying goes, behind every great man is an even greater woman.
Mario Lopez and wife Courtney Lopez proved that point, as they both starred in their first Great American Family holiday film together, “Once Upon a Christmas Wish.”
However, working with a spouse isn’t always easy, and Mario admitted there were some challenges.
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Courtney Lopez and Mario Lopez both star in “Once Upon a Christmas Wish,” the couple’s first movie for Great American Family.(Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
“The biggest challenge, I would say, is you still have to navigate the balance of husband and coworker,” Mario told Fox News Digital.
“Watch the tone and when conveying certain things, sometimes, because . . . you may be speaking to them as an actress, but she’s still listening as a wife . . . that was challenging.”
“The biggest challenge I would say is you still have to navigate the balance of husband and coworker.”
— Mario Lopez
Despite what the couple may face, Mario said he and his wife always “pull it off” as they continue to work together on several projects, including a radio show and hosting “Access Daily” together on occasions.
“She is sharp and talented, so I enjoy it,” Mario gushed.
Mario said he and his wife always “pull it off” when they’re met with challenges.(Getty Ima)
He continued to describe the “incredible time” he had working on his first Great American Family Christmas movie with his wife and son, Dominic.
“I thought, what better way . . . to launch this relationship than with a project with my actual family and my wife, who’s wildly talented,” he continued.
Of working with his wife Courteny, Mario says, “The biggest challenge, I would say, is you still have to navigate the balance of husband and coworker.”(Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
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“We met on Broadway. We got to showcase all of her skills . . . we were singing and dancing . . . we had some romance. My son Dominic did a great job, really impressed me. And the movie had a lot of heart. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”
Mario Lopez (R) and then-costar Courtney Laine Mazza pose at the closing night party for “A Chorus Line” at Bond 45 on August 17, 2008, in New York City. The two have now been married for 12 years.(Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
The “Access Hollywood” host met his wife, Courtney, when they worked together on the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” in 2008.
In their heartwarming holiday movie, Mario played Mayor Brian Ortega as he discovers his childhood Christmas wish list. Returning to town for Christmas is Brian’s childhood friend Nina Meyers, played by Courtney. The two form a romantic connection during the holiday season.
In real life, the acting duo have been together for the past 15 years, and recently celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary.
WATCH: MARIO LOPEZ TALKS GROWING UP IN THE ’90S
Mario Lopez rose to fame on the ’90s show “Saved by the Bell,” playing A.C. Slater.(NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)
While Hollywood marriages are often short-lived, the “Saved by the Bell” star shared the secret to his successful relationship.
“She’s the quarterback of the team . . . I just let her call the plays and listen accordingly,” Mario quipped.
“We respect each other, and she understands the schedule’s a little crazy, and I support her… we make it all about the kids. I’m very happy with my life at the moment. I feel very blessed and lucky.”
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Mario and Courteny have three children: Gia Lopez, 14, Dominic Lopez, 11, and Santino Lopez, 5.(Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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One of the couple’s three kids, 11-year-old Dominic, also starred in “Once Upon a Christmas Wish.”
While Dominic has previously been featured as a guest in other projects, Mario explained that this is the first movie he’s acted in.
The couple’s 11-year-old son Dominic also stars in “Once Upon a Christmas Wish.”(Victoria Sirakova/Getty Images)
“He was very well-prepared, and I didn’t have to give him too many notes . . . he really likes it, and he was a natural. I’m very proud of him,” Mario told Fox News Digital.
“Just to brag a little as a dad, in the middle of shooting this movie, he also entered a wrestling tournament in Chicago and jujitsu tournament . . . took first place in both.”
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Mario and Courtney tied the knot in Punta Mita, Mexico, in 2012. The couple share three kids – Gia, Dominic and Santino.
The Hollywood actor joined the list of talent for the first ever Great American Family Christmas Festival, including “Full House” star Candace Cameron Bure and “The Wonder Years” star Danica McKellar. Bure became the Great American Family Channel’s chief creative officer in 2022.
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She detailed why the company decided to create this holiday experience.
“We’ve been dreaming of this for so many years, and we really wanted to create an environment where you can bring the whole family and experience Christmas. Kind of like being in one of our movies,” Bure previously told Fox News Digital.
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(L-R) Trevor Donovan, Danica McKellar, Candace Cameron Bure and Cameron Mathison pose with Santa Claus during the Great American Family Christmas Festival at UBS Arena.(Marleen Moise/Getty Images)
Dubbed the “Queen of Christmas Movies,” Bure stars in “Home Sweet Christmas,” “A Christmas Less Traveled” with Eric Johnson and “Let it Snow” with Jesse Hutch.
McKellar has been writing for Great American Family Media, as well as acting in its movies, including “A Cinderella Christmas Ball.”
During the holiday event, festival goers can take photos with Santa, go ice skating and enjoy great food and games.
The Great American Family Christmas Festival is hosted at the Northwell Park at USB Arena in New York and is scheduled to run until Dec. 24.
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About 40% of American adults live with obesity — and for many of them, it can feel a bit like a roller-coaster as their weight fluctuates up and down.
The cycle of losing and regaining weight on repeat, commonly known as the yo-yo effect, could be due to a type of “metabolic memory,” where the body remembers and strives to return to its former state of obesity, according to a new study.
“Obesity is a chronic condition with significant metabolic consequences, strongly linked to various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases,” study author Dr. Ferdinand von Meyenn, assistant professor for nutrition and metabolic epigenetics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, told Fox News Digital.
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“A well-documented observation is that the body tends to defend increased body weight, making weight loss and maintenance notoriously challenging.”
The cycle of losing and regaining weight on repeat, commonly known as the yo-yo effect, could be due to a type of “metabolic memory,” a new study found.(iStock)
Obesity is a common chronic disease in the U.S., with one in five children and two out of five adults meeting the criteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The new research, published in November in the journal Nature, points to epigenetics (genetic activity) that may play a role in regaining weight after weight loss.
What is epigenetics?
“Epigenetics, which involves chemical markers that influence gene activity without altering the DNA sequence, is crucial in how cells function and respond to environmental factors,” Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School,told Fox News Digital.
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“These markers can be altered by lifestyle factors, such as diet, and can remain stable for years, effectively creating a cellular ‘memory’ of past states, such as obesity,” added Stanford, who was not part of the study.
It is well-known that cells keep their genetic identity as they divide. The researchers were curious about what happens to fat cells — which live on average for 10 years before the body replaces them, von Meyenn said.
The researchers investigated what happens to fat cells, which live on average for 10 years before the body replaces them.(iStock)
This differs from other cells in tissues, which divide much faster – intestinal cells, for example, generally divide every other week, he added.
Fat cells still must adapt to external stimuli and undergo epigenetic adaptations, von Meyenn noted.
The researchers set out to determine whether these changes could be reversed.
Fighting ‘memory’ in fat cells
In mouse studies, the researchers found that even after significant weight loss, their cells have a “memory” of obesity encoded in the epigenome, which controls the activity of genes, von Meyenn noted.
“Our study indicates that one reason maintaining body weight after initial weight loss is difficult is that the fat cells remember their prior obese state and likely aim to return to this state,” he told Fox News Digital.
“The body tends to defend increased body weight, making weight loss and maintenance notoriously challenging.”
“This means one would have to ‘fight’ this obesogenic memory to maintain body weight.”
Based on this research, a failure to maintain weight loss after dieting is not necessarily due to lack of effort or willpower, but could also be driven by an underlying biological phenomenon, von Meyenn added.
Potential limitations
The research looked only at fatty tissue, and the genetic mechanisms were studied only in mice. Even so, the researchers said they believe that similar mechanisms also apply to humans.
Other experts cautioned, however, that the study shows only association and does not prove that epigenetic changes cause the yo-yo effect.
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“The authors pointed out that they cannot say for certain that the epigenetic modifications directly cause people to regain their lost weight, nor pinpoint which specific epigenetic markers may be driving this effect,” Petronella Ravenshear, board-certified nutritionist and author of “The Human Being Diet,” told Fox News Digital.
Florida-based Ravenshear, who was not part of the study, noted that the results should not lead people to claim, “It’s not my fault, it’s my genes!”
Plans for future research
“We will need to now expand, see how the memory can be erased and whether other cells or tissues are also affected, [such as] the brain or the liver,” von Meyenn said.
It’s possible that if people maintain a healthy weight for a year or longer after dieting, that may be enough time to erase the memory in fat cells, according to Ravenshear.
The term “diet,” in its original connotation, means “way of living” — but it is now synonymous with short-term dietary changes that are unsustainable, one expert said.(iStock)
“This discovery underscores the importance of preventing obesity, particularly in children and adolescents, to avoid establishing this epigenetic memory that complicates long-term weight management,” Stanford noted.
“Understanding these mechanisms further could lead to more effective treatments and prevention strategies, emphasizing the need for a proactive approach to weight management from an early age,” she added.
‘Way of living’
The term “diet,” in its original connotation, means “way of living” — but it is now synonymous with short-term dietary changes that are unsustainable, Ravenshear noted.
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People often regain the weight they lose when they return to the eating habits that led to weight gain in the first place, many experts agree.
Ravenshear cited Professor David Benton at Swansea University in the U.K., author of “Tackling the Obesity Crisis,” who recently shared in a Guardian interview, “The mantra is that diets fail.”
One expert recommends focusing on breaking addictions to sugar and refined carbohydrates and embracing a new way of eating.(iStock)
“They fail because to avoid regaining lost weight, you need to permanently change your diet.”
After finishing a diet, many people return to the previous lifestyle that caused the problem in the first place, he noted.
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“Frequently snacking, and eating calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods, disrupts our blood sugar, raises insulin levels and adds to inflammation – and the inflammation itself makes it harder to lose weight,” Ravenshear told Fox News Digital.
“Eating calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods disrupts our blood sugar, raises insulin levels and adds to inflammation – and the inflammation itself makes it harder to lose weight,” one expert cautioned.(iStock)
She recommends focusing on breaking addictions to sugar and refined carbohydrates and embracing a new way of eating.
The expert suggests choosing nutrient-dense whole foods, eating three meals a day, and fasting with nothing but water for five hours between meals.
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The weight loss occurs as a side effect of rebalanced hormones and lowered inflammation, she noted.
Ravenshear added, “When we are getting the calories, but not the nutrients that our body and brain need, we’re always hungry because our brain drives us to keep searching for food.”
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on Capitol Hill this week for a series of meetings with senators after being chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head up the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in his next term.
Kennedy is expected to spend four days on the Hill before lawmakers leave town for Christmas.
While he’s there, Kennedy is expected to be pressed on his beliefs about abortion, which have left some Republicans with questions, as well as the efficacy of vaccines, which bipartisan lawmakers have publicly expressed concern about.
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President-elect Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head up HHS.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I want to know what his real concerns are and what he would want to do different. But I do not want to lose our vaccine programs,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., recently told reporters, reflecting on his time as governor overseeing such programs.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., shared that while he will meet with Kennedy, he is already a resounding “yes.”
“I’ve had the privilege to already sit down and answer most of my questions. We will meet, but I was supportive of the president nominating him for it,” he said.
“So, I was supporting before that even took place.”
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Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he’d spent time with RFK Jr. on the campaign trail.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Mullin, a close ally of Trump, noted that he had spent significant time with Kennedy on the campaign trail.
Kennedy is a prominent vaccination skeptic and has expressed his own criticism of many popular shots. This has drawn criticism from some on both sides of the aisle, as vaccinations have been commonly relied on for preventing viruses in childhood and diminishing their spread.
Since getting behind Trump before the end of the campaign, however, Kennedy has moderated his tack on vaccines somewhat. In an interview with NBC News, he pushed back at the suggestion that he is “anti-vaccine.”
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Vaccines have come under new scrutiny following the Covid-19 pandemic.(iStock)
“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away,” he promised.
“So, I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital that he expects to meet with Kennedy. A staunch pro-life advocate, Lankford has previously said he had many questions about Kennedy’s position on abortion.
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RFK Jr.’s selection by Trump for HHS is stirring some concerns among Republicans. (Reuters/ Istock)
A number of other Republicans have previously expressed to Fox News Digital their interest in talking to Kennedy about abortion.
At the same time, Kennedy has managed to appeal to some politicians with his plans to tighten food regulations and “make America healthy again.”
The longtime Democrat-turned-independent could potentially gain support from those on the Democratic side of the aisle, given that there is bipartisan backing for addressing food safety.
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It’s unclear with whom Kennedy will meet on Capitol Hill, but some Democrats have signaled that their doors are open.
A representative for Kennedy declined to comment to Fox News Digital on the visits planned this week.
While Santa Claus is often pictured flying across the night sky on Christmas Eve, a team of archaeologists may have unearthed a sarcophagus containing the remains of the saint whose spirit of generosity is still celebrated in the modern world more than 1,600 years later.
“We believe that we have encountered a sarcophagus to be in situ (original position) for the first time,” said associate professor Ebru Fatma Findik, who is heading the excavation team through Hatay Mustafa Kemal University’s Department of Art History.
The discovery was made at St. Nicholas Church in the Demre district of Antalya, Turkey, as part of an excavation initiated by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
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The sarcophagus was found in the church’s two-story annex, which is believed to be the original burial site of Saint Nicholas, a bishop who lived in the ancient city of Myrna during the fourth century.
During an excavation in Turkey, a sarcophagus was discovered that is believed to be the burial site of Saint Nicholas.(Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey)
“While drilling inside the structure, we encountered a surprise sarcophagus,” Findik said.
“We are working inside the 20-meter-long, two-story structure that borders the church courtyard from the south. This work, among the undecorated sarcophagus group, is made of local stone and has a slightly high barrel roof.”
The lid has a handle, Findik said, and the underground part of the approximately 2-meter-long sarcophagus is estimated to be 1.5-2 meters high.
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“According to initial evaluations, its similarity to the types of sarcophagi in the region is striking,” Findik added.
The sarcophagus is strikingly similar to the ones used in the fourth century.(Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey)
She explained to A News, a Turkish news agency, that the exact location of Saint Nicholas’ burial remains uncertain.
“Some historical sources mention that St. Nicholas was buried near the sacred area of the city of Myra,” Fındık told A News.
“The discovery of a sarcophagus near the church, which is believed to be the resting place of St. Nicholas, could indicate that this site may indeed be the sacred area in question. We can say that we have reached archaeological evidence that confirms historical sources about St. Nicholas’ burial place being in the city’s sacred area.”
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Before the team reached the sarcophagus, they found other artifacts of interest.
The sarcophagus was discovered in the two-story building next to the church and is believed to be the burial place of Saint Nicholas.(Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey)
“In addition, many terracotta oil lamp fragments and animal bones were unearthed before reaching the sarcophagus during the drilling,” Findik said.
Saint Nicholas, known for his acts of generosity, was born in the third century Greek village of Patara, which is now on the southern coast of Turkey.
It is said his wealthy parents died when he was young and that he used his inheritance to assist the needy and suffering, especially children.
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He served as the bishop of Myra and died in 343 CE.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey believes its team may have discovered the sarcophagus belonging to Saint Nicholas.(iStock | Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey)
Around 200 years after his death, his remains were moved to the Church of St. Nicholas, which was built in his honor.
Findik said her team looks forward to gathering more information as the excavation continues.
“The fact that a sarcophagus has been unearthed very close to the church that is thought to contain the tomb of St. Nicholas excites us greatly,” Findik said.
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“As part of the project, we will be happy to complete the excavation and restoration of the area where the sarcophagus is located and contribute to our country’s tourism.”
Gretchen Eichenberg is a contributing reporter for Fox News Digital.
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UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s alleged killer, Luigi Nicholas Mangione, graduated from a top Ivy League school, and now he’s behind bars, charged with second-degree murder. An elite university professor explained how Ivy League campuses across the country perpetuate radicalization, painting a picture of the suspect’s educational environment.
Thompson, 50, was shot from behind on the sidewalk outside a New York City Hilton hotel on Dec. 4 before a shareholder conference. After a five-day national manhunt for the killer, Mangione, 26, was taken into custody on Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Raised by a prominent Maryland family, the murder suspect graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with bachelor and master’s degrees in computer science and was part of the Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society for Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“It is fairly uniform in the Ivy League and other so-called elite educational institutions that they skew extremely heavily to the left among the faculty,” Cornell Law professor William Jacobson told Fox News Digital. “The modern Democratic Party . . . leans very heavily to the left, has a very strong anti-American, anti-capitalist wing to it . . . so it would not surprise me if somebody growing up and getting educated in that atmosphere becomes radicalized.”
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CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione shouts as officers restrain him as he arrives for his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.(David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital)
This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson.(AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group)
Jacobson said that there has been a shift in the attitude of educators at elite universities over the last two to three decades.
“Activism is now considered a vital part of the teaching role for many professors,” he explained. “They do not distinguish between their teaching and their activism.”
“That most clearly manifests itself on the anti-Israel front. But it’s elsewhere, too, on the anti-capitalist front . . .if you’re educating yourself in that atmosphere, I certainly could understand why someone would have hostile views towards a health insurance company.”
A professor at Mangione’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, took to TikTok and Instagram to praise the suspect, which she has since retracted.
UPenn School of Arts and Sciences Deputy Dean Jeffrey Kallberg issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday regarding the post from UPenn Assistant English Professor Julia Alekseyeva.
“Much concern was raised by recent social media posts attributed to Assistant Professor Julia Alekseyeva,” Kallberg said. “Her comments regarding the shooting of Brian Thompson in New York City were antithetical to the values of both the School of Arts and Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania, and they were not condoned by the School or the University. Upon reflection, Assistant Professor Alekseyeva has concurred that the comments were insensitive and inappropriate and has retracted them.”
SUSPECTED UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO KILLER LUIGI MANGIONE MUGSHOT RELEASED
Luigi Mangione pictured in a Facebook photo. Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Monday morning in connection with the ambush murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.(Luigi Mangione/Facebook)
Mangione subscribed to anti-capitalist and climate change causes, according to law enforcement sources, the New York Post reported.
When the suspect was taken into custody, four fake IDs, a gun and silencer resembling those used in the shooting, and a handwritten manifesto denouncing the health insurance industry were found on him. In his manifesto, Mangione mentioned UnitedHealthcare specifically, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Fox News.
The Ivy League graduate had an outburst on Tuesday, as he was escorted into a Pennsylvania courthouse, revealing more of his ideology.
“It’s completely out of touch, and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and its lived experience!” Mangione shouted, as he was hurried inside.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT HAS OUTBURST OUTSIDE PENNSYLVANIA COURTHOUSE
The University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia.(Jumping Rocks/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
An exterior view of SCI Huntingdon State Correctional facility in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. Luigi Mangione is currently being held at the detention center after being arrested on Monday for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.(David Dee Delgado for Fox News Digital)
A profile suspected of belonging to Mangione on the social media site Goodreads periodically posted on the platform and wrote a review for a book by the infamous Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
“But it’s simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out.”
Writing about Kaczynski’s “Industrial Society and Its Future,” he quoted another online “take that [he] found interesting.”
“When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive,” he wrote. “You may not like his methods, but to see things from his perspective, it’s not terrorism, it’s war and revolution.”
WHO IS LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER?
Luigi Mangione pictured in a Pennsylvania mugshot after his arrest in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.(Obtained by Fox News Digital)
A Princeton University professor recently spoke to Fox News about an op-ed he wrote for the New York Times, in which he gave advice to college students who feel they’ll be discriminated against at elite universities for being right-leaning or conservative.
“They fear being treated unfairly by faculty members who are hostile to their beliefs,” Robert George wrote. “To these students, I say, with regret: You’re right to worry. I’ve seen these things happen.”
In his op-ed, he recalled a student being removed from a leadership position on a sports team because some of her more liberal teammates accused her of expressing an opinion about policing that they disagreed with.
“That sort of atmosphere where you’re surrounded by claims that the United States is not legitimate,that capitalism is a unique evil in the world, where you do not get taught the horrors of communism and socialism . . . it’s not surprising that somebody would look at health care and blame an executive of a company without understanding what health care looks like in other places,” Jacobson said, noting that he does not know Mangione’s specific motives and cannot say definitively whether the suspect was radicalized during his studies.
OBAMACARE PROVISION AMONG IVY LEAGUE MURDER SUSPECT’S POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: RET. FBI AGENT
The University of Pennsylvania, Luigi Mangione’s alma mater, refused to comment directly about their former student’s arrest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.(iStock)
Mangione has been charged with second-degree murder, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument in the killing of Thompson, according to a felony arrest warrant in New York.
“I think people need to focus on what the evidence is, what in his background might have radicalized him . . . what in his background would have led him to engage in such an elaborate plot,” Jacobson said.
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“This is not a spontaneous act of violence. This was obviously clearly planned. [The suspect] identified the person, identified the company, identified where he would be, identified when he would be vulnerable.”
Fox News’ Audrey Conklin and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, has filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor who allegedly prescribed abortion drugs to a woman in the Lone Star State, violating Texas law.
Paxton accused Dr. Margaret Carpenter of mailing pills from New York to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County, Texas, where the woman allegedly took the medication when she was nine weeks pregnant, according to the lawsuit.
When she began experiencing severe bleeding, she asked the baby’s father, who had been unaware she was pregnant, to take her to the hospital.
The filing does not state if the woman successfully terminated her pregnancy or if she experienced any long-term medical complications from taking mifepristone and misoprostol.
PRO-LIFE GROUPS SOUND OFF AFTER TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT RESTRICT ABORTION PILLS: ‘SERIOUS AND GROWING THREAT’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing abortion drugs to a Texas woman, violating laws in the Lone Star State.(AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Paxton’s lawsuit is the first attempt to test legal protections when it comes to states with conflicting abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protection on the matter.
Texas has enacted an abortion ban with few exceptions, while New York protects access to the procedure and has a shield law that protects providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions, which has been viewed as implicit permission for doctors to mail abortion pills into states with restrictions.
Texas has promised to pursue cases like this regardless of the shield laws, though it is unclear what the courts may decide on this issue, which involves extraterritoriality, interstate commerce and other legal questions. New York’s law allows Carpenter to refuse to comply with Texas’ court orders.
ABORTIONS SLIGHTLY DECLINED THE YEAR ROE V. WADE WAS OVERTURNED, CDC SAYS
It is also unknown whether New York courts would side with protecting Texas’ law, which prohibits prescribing abortion-inducing drugs by mail and prohibits treating Texas patients or prescribing medication through telehealth services without a valid Texas medical license.
The woman allegedly took mifepristone and misoprostol when she was nine weeks pregnant.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Texas’ abortion laws prohibit prosecuting a woman for getting an abortion, but do allow for physicians or others who assist a woman in receiving the procedure to be prosecuted.
The lawsuit says Carpenter, the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, knowingly treated Texas residents despite not being a licensed Texas physician and not being authorized to practice telemedicine in the state. Paxton urged a Collin County court to prohibit Carpenter from violating Texas law and impose civil penalties of at least $100,000 for each violation.
Texas law states that physicians cannot prescribe abortion medication by mail and forbids physicians without a Texas license from providing telehealth services or prescribing medication to patients in the Lone Star State.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
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“In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient,” Paxton said in a statement. “This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs — unauthorized, over telemedicine — causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications. In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.”
Carpenter also works with AidAccess, an international abortion medication provider, and helped found Hey Jane, a telehealth abortion provider.
Dist. 9 Atlanta City Council member Dustin Hillis has been named an honoree of the National League of Cities (NLC) Centennial Under 40 Impact Award.
The honor, given each year to leaders under the age of 40 from NLC (a national advocacy nonprofit) member locations, commemorates recipients for their “outstanding contributions to public service, governance and community development,” according to a release.
Hillis, elected in 2018, has held leadership roles on all seven city council committees, including being appointed as chair or vice-Chair of the Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee each year.
During his tenure, Hillis has focused on increasing funding for public safety, expanding and improving parks, trails and greenspaces, and renewing investments in Atlanta’s infrastructure.
Prior to joining the council, Hillis was an ICU and Serious Communicable Diseases Unit nurse at Emory University Hospital, as well as a leader in his local community.
In response to receiving the NLC award, Hillis expressed his appreciation.
“I’m honored to receive the National League of Cities Centennial Under 40 Impact Award,” said Hillis. “This recognition is a testament to the partnerships, hard work, and shared vision of progress with my colleagues and the residents of Atlanta. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our city and building a brighter future for everyone across Atlanta.”
To view the full list of honorees, visit the National League of Cities website.
Georgia Senate leaders have started to outline specifics of their plans to reduce child care costs when they meet back at the Capitol next month.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones backed three tax credit tweaks in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution op-ed Thursday morning, and at the Capitol Thursday afternoon, a Senate study committee on affordable child care unanimously approved a list of recommendations that could soon be crafted into legislation.
Committee chair Brian Strickland, a McDonough Republican, said he’s optimistic that lawmakers in both chambers will have the appetite to take some serious action this year.
“Even though we’ve seen other issues come up in the past – other people have worked on this particular issue – this is the first time I’ve seen this much conversation about it,” he said. “It’s something that impacts, of course, anybody with children in our state. If you don’t have kids, you have grandkids or you know someone with kids and it’s something that everybody’s dealing with. So I’m just glad to see this conversation happening at such a high level. And so I do think you’re going to see some real reforms.”
Some of the committee’s list of over a dozen recommendations mirror those put forward by Jones.
The lieutenant governor says he’ll back an increase in the tax credit for child and dependent care expenses from 30% to 40%, a new Georgia Child Tax Credit of $250 per child under 7 and an expansion of Georgia’s tax credit for employer-sponsored child care.
“These measures will help families who are struggling to afford the cost of child care and will encourage more businesses to offer child care as an employee benefit,” Jones wrote in Thursday’s column. “Crucially, these efforts will also make day care more affordable and accessible for day care workers themselves, helping to address a critical shortage in that field.”
The committee’s recommendations also aim to bolster recruitment and retention of child care workers by evaluating pay rates for infant and toddler teachers compared with pre-K and K-12 teachers.
Parents could see more slots in the Child and Parent Services Program, or CAPS, which helps low-income families with child care costs or an expansion of lottery-funded pre-K services to 3-year-olds. Parents who are also students in public universities or technical schools and studying for high-demand careers could benefit from new child care grant money.
Atlanta Democratic Sen. Elena Parent, who also served on the committee, said there is bipartisan agreement about the issue, but there will likely be debate during the session about how much the state should chip in.
“It’s a really important issue that has a ripple effect throughout our entire system, communities and economy, so that’s fantastic,” Parent said. “I think that there’s no doubt that in order to try to make child care more affordable for families, it will take some state investment, and so then the question is how much are the Republican leaders willing to make a meaningful investment in these critical needs that Georgia parents have?”
Strickland suggested lawmakers will be cautious about funding and may prefer to focus on expanding existing programs like CAPS rather than creating new programs that could call for high initial investments, such as a proposed early child care trust fund that could cost billions up front but yield more in returns over years and decades. The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute testified that investing $1.5 billion into such a trust fund could yield $1 billion in returns in the first ten years, while a $4 billion initial investment would yield nearly $2.8 billion in the same time frame.
“There’s the idea of increasing the current programs we have, such as more slots for CAPS, and that’s one thing, but you do have to be careful about creating a new program,” he said. “So we did mention in our report evaluating what some sort of trust fund program would look like, but I don’t think you’re going to see someone saying, here’s $2 billion, create a new program right now, because we have to be careful to stay within our finances and and look at what we’re spending.”
Parent argued that a trust fund, which could be a heavy political lift requiring a constitutional referendum and voter approval, would be a good use of the state’s $11 billion-plus surplus because it would continue to yield yearly payouts from the initial investment.
“Gov. (Brian) Kemp has made it clear, as have some of the other leaders, I think Speaker (Jon) Burns said this recently, too, that he does not see the very large surplus we have as being an appropriate use of year-over-year spending,” Parent said. “That’s kind of what I like about the trust fund idea, because it would be self-sustaining, and it would be the type of meaningful generational impact investment that you could make now that we have saved up this huge amount of money.”
The recommendations also call on lawmakers to consider legislation on pregnancy discrimination after hearing testimony that women who become pregnant have been discriminated against and forced out of their jobs.
Strickland, who is the father of two young children, said specific bills based on these recommendations will begin to be filed in January, and he expects more discussions on measures to help the families of the youngest Georgians.
“Looking beyond this, our current law on paternity leave, and we saw a paternal leave law for state employees doubled this last year, and should we go further with that?” Strickland said. “I think you’re looking at a big conversation around doing more to help people with children find ways to work, because it’s obviously good for these families, but it’s also good for businesses and employees as well.”
