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Karen Read murder trial: Dashcam emerges from night of police officer boyfriend's death
Dashcam video shown in court during day three of Karen Read's murder trial was the public's first glimpse of the night Boston police officer John O'Keefe was killed, but the footage was obscured by heavy snowfall and police flashlights against the pitch-black night sky.
The video is about three minutes long and was initially played in a quiet courtroom, with no comment or questions from the prosecution or defense.
Then the lawyers sparred during first responders' testimony, where they gave conflicting accounts of what they heard. They described a "frantic" and "distraught" woman yelling, but what she actually said isn't clear.
One first responder testified that she had yelled, "I hit him, I hit him, oh my God I hit him." Another testified, "He's dead. He's f---ing dead." A third said a woman had yelled, "Is he alive?"
The blurry dashcam clearly showed a commotion in front of the police vehicle, and first responders moving a gurney with O'Keefe's body to an ambulance.
But first responders had difficulty even distinguishing themselves in the footage from Jan. 29, 2022, outside of Boston police officer Brian Albert's home in Canton, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb.
That's when O'Keefe was found dead in four to six inches of snow in a T-shirt and missing a shoe.
Read was charged with O'Keefe's murder. Prosecutors alleged she backed over her boyfriend, O'Keefe, with her Lexus SUV during an alcohol-fueled fight.
Read pleaded not guilty to all charges, and her defense team claimed she was framed in an elaborate cover-up to protect the Albert family, an influential family with ties to law enforcement, first responders and prosecutors in the area.
WATCH FULL DASHCAM VIDEO SHOWN IN COURT
Two Canton first responders, Fire Lt. Anthony Flematti and firefighter Kaite McLaughlin, testified that they had heard Read incriminate herself by repeatedly saying, "I hit him."
During cross-examination, Flematti seemingly walked back his original comments.
Read's high-powered attorney, Alan Jackson, asked him if he heard that phrase "in any context either to the police or to the grand jury before today?"
KAREN READ MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WOMAN CHARGED WITH OFFICER BOYFRIEND'S MURDER
"I don’t recall," Flematti responded.
Canton Fire Lt. Francis Walsh said he had heard a distraught woman yelling, "He's dead. He's f---ing dead."
Read's lawyer specifically asked Walsh whether it was "easy for you to discern that her words were, 'He's dead. He's f---ing dead'?" Walsh responded, "Correct."
He also testified that he heard a woman yell, "Is he alive?"
"I think they were all over the map, weren’t they?" one of Read's lawyers, David Yanetti, said about the testimonies heard Thursday. "Everybody had a different version of what was said, and I think much of it was unreliable."
After the trial's fiery opening statements, which included several stunning accusations from the defense, jurors heard testimony from the first responders, as well as O'Keefe's family.
On Friday, jurors visited the crime scene, as testimony continued.
Massachusetts jurors will decide whether the Boston cop, who was 46 years old when he died in January 2022, was killed by Read, as her defense alleges a cover-up scheme to protect an influential local family.
The trial is predicted to last six to eight weeks.
House Dems seeking re-election seemingly reverse course, call on Biden to 'bring order to the southern border'
Five vulnerable Democrats who voted against measures to strengthen border security in the past have seemingly changed their tune as they seek re-election to their posts in the lower chamber.
Following President Biden's signing of a $95 billion package with aid to both Ukraine and Israel last week, five Democrats – Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Mary Peltola of Alaska, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas and Don Davis of North Carolina – released a joint statement agreeing with calls for Congress and the president to "act and bring order to the southern border."
"Beyond defending our allies, we strongly agree with the National Border Patrol Council that Congress and the President must act and bring order to the Southern border," the lawmakers stated. "That is why we also voted for H.R. 3602 on Saturday, and why we all voted last month for $19.6 billion for Border Patrol so that it could ramp up its efforts to secure the border."
The comments from the five Democrats – three of whom (Golden, GluesenKamp, and Davis) are engaged in tough re-election battles that have been labeled "toss up" races by the Cook Political Report, and another two (Peltola and Gonzalez) competing in races labeled "lean Democrat" – came after each one of them voted against the Secure the Border Act of 2023.
VULNERABLE HOUSE DEMS DO A U-TURN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AFTER CALLING CRISIS 'NON-EXISTENT THREAT'
That bill, which passed in the House, would have expanded the type of crimes that make someone ineligible for asylum, limited the eligibility to those who arrive at ports of entry, mandated a system similar to the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system, and created additional penalties for visa overstay.
In addition to not supporting the Secure the Border Act, the same five Democrats voted on two different occasions against GOP-led efforts to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom many Republicans have argued is largely responsible for the migrant crisis at the southern border.
Certain Democrats, like Gluesenkamp Perez, who was first elected to Congress in 2022 and co-chairs the Blue Dog Coalition with Golden and Peltola, have made dismissive comments about the border crisis in recent years.
The Washington lawmaker previously faced criticism from Republicans over border-related comments she made in March 2023 during an appearance on Pod Save America, which came prior to the ending of the Title 42 public health order.
"Listen, nobody stays awake at night worrying about the southern border," she said at the time. "That's just not… people stay awake at night worrying that their kid is gonna relapse or that, you know, someone's going to drop out of school or they're going to lose their house."
Gluesenkamp Perez was also one of many Democrats who defended Mayorkas amid calls for his impeachment earlier this year, saying it was "frustrating to see" Republicans push for his ouster because "he doesn't set policy, he implements it."
Despite her past remarks, Gluesenkamp Perez has been critical of Biden's handling of the border crisis in recent months, saying in April that she voted in support of H.R. 3602, which provides for criminal penalties for certain conduct that interferes with U.S. border control measures, because "President Biden has failed to end the crisis at our Southern Border."
"Every country has an obligation to protect its citizens and secure its sovereign borders, and H.R. 3602 focuses on the urgent need to restore operational control of the Southern Border. Unlike the unworkable and un-American immigration proposals pushed by far-right extremists, this bipartisan bill doesn’t create burdensome government mandates that would harm small businesses, agricultural employers, rural communities, and our economy," she said at the time.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a member of the congresswoman's press team insisted that she has "called on the [Biden] Administration her entire time in office to fix the crisis at our Southern Border, and for Congress to do its job to pass meaningful border security legislation."
The spokesperson also touted the Washington lawmaker's introduction of the "Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act to restore operational control at the Southern Border by restoring expulsion authority for Border Patrol and requiring the President to reinstate Remain in Mexico," as well as her support for the End Fentanyl Act.
"Marie continues to urge Congress to get back to work to address the real crisis at our border and end the petty gamesmanship," the spokesperson said.
Gonzalez is another Democrat who made dismissive remarks prior to the expiration of Title 42, which provided the ability for American officials to bar migrants from entering the country during a health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a July 2023 stop in Edinburgh, Texas, Gonzalez reportedly shot down questions and concern over whether Biden was doing enough to secure the southern border amid an overwhelming influx of illegal immigrants.
"We have seen major improvements along the border.… If you go to the border now, in our region, it’s pretty unremarkable what you see," Gonzalez said, according to the Rio Grande Guardian. "When they lifted Title 42 and implemented Title 7, which I advocated against… I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong. What the president did, what Secretary Mayorkas has done, has positively impacted our border and that’s a fact."
"People could point fingers and say things, but the reality is, undocumented crossings are down by 70%," he added at the time.
A little more than a week after Gonzalez gave those remarks, the Texas Tribune reported that Border Patrol agents "made more than 130,000 arrests along the Mexico border [in July 2023], preliminary figures show, up from 99,545 in June."
Gonzalez is one of 154 Democrats who voted this January against the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, which would have created hefty federal penalties for illegal migrants who evade U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers during motor vehicle pursuits. The measure was named after a Border Patrol officer who died in a vehicle crash in Texas last year during a pursuit.
Along with Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez, Gonzalez was one of 201 Democrats who voted in July 2023 against the Schools Not Shelters Act, which would have prohibited "the use of the facilities of a public elementary school, a public secondary school, or an institution of higher education to provide shelter for aliens who have not been admitted into the United States, and for other purposes."
Peltola joined 218 Republicans in voting in favor of that measure at the time, while Davis did not vote.
"I remain dedicated to addressing the border crisis. However, we must not inflict harm on American agriculture in the process," Davis said in a statement to Fox. "Initially, I had concerns about the e-verify provision in HR-2, but it was removed, allowing me to fully lend my support, along with just four other Democrats, to H.R. 3602, the Bipartisan End the Border Catastrophe Act."
Asked whether he believes Biden is responsible for the border crisis, Davis said his "votes speak for themselves."
CBP records show the first six months of fiscal year 2024 had 1,340,801 total encounters, exceeding the first six months of fiscal year 2023, which set a record of 1,226,254 total encounters.
Noem addresses feeling 'threatened' by Nikki Haley, a controversial dog killing, Trump VP speculation in book
A highly anticipated 2024 ticket, a controversial dog tale, and feeling "threatened" by Nikki Haley - Gov. Kristi Noem's, R-S.D., newest book unpacks her role in leadership and experience behind the scenes of D.C. politics.
Noem's book, titled "No Going Back" details her life lessons through her family farming business, service in congress, and current role as Governor. And despite not yet hitting the shelves, the conservative's book has already stirred up the news cycle.
The Governor hunkered down on her support for former President Donald Trump, who she described as a "bull in a china shop" in the book, shared with Fox News Digital ahead of its release Tuesday.
Trump recently confirmed the Republican governor was on his shortlist for vice president, and when asked about the coveted position, Noem said she wants the former president "to pick who's going to help him win."
DEFIANT KRISTI NOEM DEFENDS KILLING FARM PUP AMID CRITICISM FROM DEMS, GOP
"He knows that I'll do whatever I can to help him win. But every day, it's clear to me that our way of life is under attack. And unless he gets in the White House, this country is going to see some very challenging times ahead," Noem told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview ahead of the book launch.
Ahead of the book launch, there was one released excerpt in particular that drew serious controversy - a story of Noem putting down her hunting dog.
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The story went as follows. Noem had a young dog, Cricket, who she described as "untrainable" and having an "aggressive personality." One day, the dog jumped out of her car, proceeded to kill several of her neighbors' chickens, and nearly bit Noem as she tried to control it. So Noem decided to put the dog down, along with a "demon goat" on her farm.
Lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, criticized the governor on social media for the story, with a bipartisan group even launching the Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus just days after the excerpt was released. The governor defended including the story in her book, telling Fox "it was a difficult decision and a vulnerable story."
"I'm not surprised that those who have always attacked me are attacking me. Republicans and Democrats who attacked me during Covid are the same ones who are attacking me now," Noem said when asked about the backlash from the story. "But I think the average citizen, when they read that story will recognize that I put the safety of people in my hands above an animal that was killing livestock and attacking people."
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Noem also recalled a phone call with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, revealing that she felt "threatened" by the former presidential candidate.
"That’s the thing with Nikki Haley: you never know who she’s going to be tomorrow," Noem wrote. "She’s going to be whatever the polls or donors tell her to be. And that should be very scary to the American people. The people who know her the best, including some colleagues in her home state, seem to have the same concerns."
After Haley's team told Politico the story was a "twist" of the conversation, Noem told Fox News Digital that she was "not surprised" by the response.
"I think Nikki says whatever is convenient for Nikki that day," Noem told Fox. "I've watched this for years now. You never know who she's going to be tomorrow. She tends to be motivated by what works and what the polling says, and that's not the kind of politicians we need leading our country."
Reflecting on GOP losses in the 2022 midterms, Noem wrote that "the fact that our party did not achieve a majority in the US Senate was a failure by the Republican National Committee." Noem added "Donald Trump and a handful of brave folks broke politics. But what do we do now? Instead of "fixing" politics by going back to the "good old days," let’s step into the chaos and move the nation forward. Our best days truly are ahead."
Noem's book will be officially launched on Tuesday, May 7th.
"The new book is called No Going Back. And it's about what's wrong with politics and how we're going to move America forward. It talks a lot about how Donald Trump really when he entered the political stage, he broke politics," she told Fox. "And this book is the how-to guide to everyday Americans how they can be a part of moving this country forward."
US will fall behind in AI race without onshoring chip production: 'Can't just design,' expert says
The United States will suffer in the race to command the development of artificial intelligence (AI) if production and manufacture of semiconductor chips and processors remain offshore, according to an industry expert.
"If you're not making things and all you're doing is designing the software, and maybe designing the chips, but they're completely built and packaged elsewhere, you don't end up innovating as much when you literally have people's hands making some of these technologies," Jonathan Klamkin, CEO of semiconductor company Aeluma, told Fox News Digital.
"You innovate across the supply chain, you'll innovate the manufacturing equipment that's used in the pads, you'll innovate how to operate the pads, you'll innovate the design of the chips," Klamkin said. "The U.S. needs to be vertically integrated in semiconductors. We can't just design the chips and write the software code."
The U.S. faces competition from rival nations for the possession of the kinds of chips necessary to power the research and development of AI models. The demand for semiconductor chips and microprocessors skyrocketed along with mainstream interest in AI models and platforms.
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Chip manufacturer Nvidia’s revenue rose 206% over the prior year in its latest quarter thanks to the surge in AI interest and demand.
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has forecast a 13.1% jump in global chip sales to $595.3 billion this year, compared with a drop of about 8% in sales in 2023.
The United Kingdom, for example, pledged to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on purchasing chips to allow researchers and developers to pursue breakthroughs and remain at the cutting edge of the industry as nations jockey for a leading role in AI.
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The tightening supply with the high demand has pushed countries to seek out simpler chips to make up for the lack of more advanced chips and a stockpiling effort between companies.
Gregory C. Allen, the director of the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, previously told Fox News Digital that AI "is the hottest category in global venture capital markets and technology investment."
"Many different companies are being created to pursue AI technology, and so many major technology giants are remaking themselves around AI technology, especially after the more recent breakthroughs in generative AI and foundation models," Allen said.
Part of the problem comes from the fact that the U.S. does not produce much of the global supply of chips. As of the passage of the CHIPS Act in 2022, the U.S. produced 12% of the advanced chips, compared to 37% in the 1990s; Taiwan produces the vast majority of advanced chips while China seeks to rapidly expand its manufacturing capabilities.
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"I'm not saying we need to make 100% of those chips, but maybe the number should be 30 or 40%," Klamkin said. "So, that's what the CHIPS Act is doing, and I think that's good. That's about supply chain and national security, but it also means we're going to be innovating and inventing more technologies in the U.S., and that has to be a big thing."
"In my experience, what's happened in the semiconductor industry in the past, the government has made investments that were seemingly very ambitious," Klamkin said. "Sometimes they invested in the short term and expected it to just sustain itself very quickly, and it didn't."
"So, you can argue, was that a good investment? Well, probably because some development happened, some technology might have gotten commercialized, but it didn't meet, you know, very ambitious goals," he said.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in February started courting more investors for trillions of dollars necessary to try and boost production of chips, the Wall Street Journal reported. Altman’s plan would seek to transform global manufacturing and accelerate the development of advanced AI.
The report claims that Altman has met with investors from the United Arab Emirates and the CEO of Softbank in recent weeks about funding the project, and he has also discussed it with chipmakers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Vulnerable Dem. Sen ripped after raking in cash from corporate PACs despite previous objections: 'Hypocrisy'
FIRST ON FOX: Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has long decried the existence of corporate PAC money in politics and once pledged not to accept them while mulling a presidential run, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate PACs this year.
Brown, who has served in the Senate since 2007 and is widely believed to be one of the most vulnerable Democrats running for reelection this fall, raked in almost $300,000 from a variety of corporate PACs in the first quarter of 2024 that were donated to either his campaign or aligned super PACs, according to FEC filings.
Some of the corporate PACs supporting Brown include the New York Life insurance PAC, PriceWaterhouseCoopers PAC, Visa Inc. Political Action Committee, The Boeing Company Political Action Committee, and The Bank Of New York Mellon Corporation-Federal PAC.
Dating back decades, Brown has spoken out against the influence of corporate PAC money and the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Brown pledged not to accept corporate PAC dollars while he was mulling a presidential run in 2019.
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"It takes so much money to run campaigns nowadays," Brown told the Washington Post in 2002. "There's a lot more pressure on Democrats to take more corporate money. It's not good for Democrats, and it's not good for the country."
On social media in recent months, Brown has touted his record of standing up to big banks and "corporate greed."
"I’ll Always Stand Up To Greedy Corporations That Shrink The Size Of Their Products Without Cutting Their Costs, Brown posted on X in April.
"Corporate Greed Is A Threat To Ohio Small Businesses And Workers," Brown posted on X in March. "I Will Always Stand Up To Corporations And Special Interests To Fight For Ohioans."
The Federal Election Commission designates "Corporation PACs," also known as corporate PACs, as political action committees that are operated by a single corporation that solicits contributions from executives, managers, stakeholders, and their families.
During his time in office, Brown has raked in millions of dollars from corporate PACs, the Washington Free Beacon reported in 2019.
Over the last several years, prominent Democrats have pledged to stop accepting money from corporate PACs which critics say allow candidates to become beholden to special interest groups.
"Refusing corporate PAC money is one way to show a commitment to addressing the problem of money in politics, and its popularity helps keep the issue at the top of the agenda," Adam Bozzi, vice president for communications at End Citizens United, told Roll Call in 2022.
"We expect the trend to continue to grow, and it will help us work toward progress on anti-corruption legislation, like ending dark money."
Brown is currently the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and FEC records show his re-election campaign took money from Visa and Mastercard, both of which have lobbied on the Credit Card Competition Act which came before the banking committee.
"Sherrod Brown has spent his career in politics and will do anything necessary to stay in office," Reagan McCarthy, spokesperson for Brown’s GOP challenger Bernie Moreno, told Fox News Digital.
"Brown tells hardworking Ohioans that he is opposed to big corporations when his re-election campaign is bankrolled by corporate PACs. He is the ultimate Washington insider and Ohioans won't be fooled by his election-year hypocrisy in November."
"When he wanted to run for president, Sherrod Brown told voters he would reject corporate PAC money," Philip Letsou, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee told Fox News Digital. "Now that he’s running for reelection, he’s taking more special interest cash than nearly any other United States Senator. 50 years in politics have turned Sherrod Brown into a hypocrite who tells voters one thing and does another."
Brown has been referred to by some as the "sheriff" of Wall Street as he has led public crusades against big banks and big corporations during his 3 years at the top of the Senate banking committee. Brown has also been promoting the RECOUP Act which supporters have called the strongest bank reform bill since Dodd-Frank.
"Sherrod is one of the nation’s strongest leaders in taking on big corporations on behalf of Ohio workers—that’s one of the reasons Ohioans continue to elect him to the U.S. Senate and why he will win this race in 2024," Reeves Oyster, spokesperson for Friends of Sherrod Brown, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"We are proud of the grassroots coalition he’s built and have no doubt it will show up to support him again this year."
Brown's race against Moreno in November will be one of the most closely watched in the country. Many view it as one of the best opportunities Republicans have to take back control of the Senate, which Democrats currently hold by a 51-49 margin.
The Cook Political Report ranks the Ohio Senate race as a "toss up."
Republican Senate primary in crucial Michigan race heats up with claims front-runner covered for Clinton
FIRST ON FOX: The GOP Senate primary in battleground Michigan is becoming more combative as a wealthy investor making his second bid for office is pouring big bucks into a major statewide ad blitz that takes aim at the front-runner in the race, who's backed by former President Trump.
And a new campaign commercial from businessman Sandy Pensler, which launches statewide on Monday in Michigan, hits former Rep. Mike Rogers for his role a decade ago as chair of the House Intelligence Committee in the congressional investigation into the deaths of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
The ad, shared first with Fox News on Monday, is the latest from the deep-pocketed entrepreneur who's self-funding his Senate bid. The spot is part of what Pensler's campaign says is a seven-figure ad buy on broadcast and cable TV and digital.
Rogers, a former FBI special agent before serving in Congress, enjoys the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. And in March, Rogers landed the endorsement of Trump, the party's presumptive presidential nominee. Rogers has teamed up with the former president twice in the past month at Trump campaign events in the crucial Great Lakes swing state.
TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE AIMS TO FLIP DEMOCRAT HELD SEAT IN KEY SENATE BATTLEGROUND
Besides Rogers and Pensler, the crowded GOP primary field also includes former Rep. Justin Amash. The eventual Republican nominee will likely face off in November with Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the race to succeed longtime Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election this year.
The seat is one of a handful that Republicans are aiming to flip from blue to red in November as they push to regain the Senate majority they lost in the 2020 cycle.
The 30-second ad alleges that Rogers helped Hillary Clinton cover up key facts involving the Benghazi attack. Clinton was secretary of state in then-President Obama's administration at the time of the attack in which Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, U.S. Foreign Service officer Sean Smith and two CIA contractors were killed.
The narrator in the Pensler spot calls the attack "Hillary Clinton's worst scandal" and charges that "Mike Rogers helped Hillary cover it up."
WHAT HAPPENED DURING AND AFTER THE 2012 BENGHAZI ATTACK
The ad includes a video clip of Kris Paronto, a former Army Ranger who was one of a handful of CIA contracted guards defending the consulate during the attack. Paronto and fellow guards said in a book that they were told to stand down by CIA and State Department officials for 20 minutes while the attack was unfolding.
"I looked Mike Rogers in the eyes and said that if we would have not been delayed, we would have saved the ambassador’s life," Paronto says in the clip.
The spot's narrator says that "Rogers called our soldiers liars."
Rogers is then heard in an audio clip saying that "it’s just all nonsense. This didn’t happen the way they said back then."
The report from the heavily polarized House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence investigation into Benghazi spotlighted that bureaucratic and interagency blunders contributed to the Americans' deaths but didn't specifically blame Clinton or any other American officials.
"The Obama administration's White House and State Department actions before, during, and after the Benghazi terrorist attack on September 11, 2012, ranged from incompetence to deplorable political manipulation in the midst of an election season," Rogers wrote in an op-ed piece following the publication of the report.
Pensler's commercial is his second in a week. The previous ad, which went up as Rogers joined Trump at a rally in Michigan, targeted Slotkin for failing to condemn Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for controversial comments the far-left "Squad" House member made about the war between Israel and Hamas.
"Rashida and Elissa, you have no moral compass," Pensler says in the ad. "You’re an embarrassment to Michigan and America."
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As they work to win a Senate election in Michigan for the first time in three decades, Republicans were hoping to avoid a potentially costly and combustible primary, especially with Slotkin facing little competition for the Democrat nomination.
Former Rep. Peter Meijer recently ended his campaign, and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig dropped out of the race in February.
But Pensler is vowing to run ads straight through the Aug. 6 primary.
"He’s going to spend a serious amount," Pensler campaign senior adviser Stu Sandler told Fox News. "We’re just going to keep putting them on the air."
NRSC spokesperson Mike Berg said the committee would "do what it takes" to make sure Rogers is the party's nominee.
And NRSC Chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said during a recent Christian Science Monitor breakfast in the nation's capital that "I think the Trump endorsement of Mike Rogers really seals the deal in that primary."
But Sandler, who was NRSC political director last cycle when Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was steering the committee, said "the Michigan voters are going to decide this."
The NRSC had a hands-off policy in GOP Senate primaries in the 2022 cycle, which many blamed for a handful of divisive primary battles that critics said contributed to the party's failure at winning back the Senate majority.
This cycle, Daines and the NRSC have been hands-on, elevating candidates and mostly avoiding nasty primaries.
When it comes to Trump, Pensler's campaign says its candidate is a major supporter of the former president.
This is Pensler's second run for the Senate GOP nomination in Michigan. He lost his 2018 bid to now-Rep. John James after James ran ads attacking Pensler for slamming Trump "behind closed doors."
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
2 bodies found in 'human-dug cave' in Los Angeles: officials
Two bodies were found inside an excavation in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday morning, according to fire officials.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news alert that firefighters arrived at a residence on the 8700 block of N. Lindley Avenue at approximately 10:38 a.m. Sunday and located two victims.
Firefighters said a "white powder substance" was also found inside the encampment, which they described as a "human-dug cave."
The substance was later determined to include fentanyl, according to NBC 4.
FIRE SEVERELY DAMAGES LA COUNTY FIRE STATION
"Upon further discovery, we found a powder which, with the assurance of our hazardous material squad, we determined to have portions of fentanyl and were able to mitigate that and secure it, and we disposed of that," Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Hilton told the outlet.
Hazardous Materials teams and Urban Search and Rescue specialists responded to the scene to help recover the two bodies.
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The bodies found were two adult males with no signs of foul play, first responders said.
Hazmat teams investigated the area and cleared the scene of any danger.
Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen divorce mocked during Netflix comedy roast of retired quarterback
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's 13-year marriage – and subsequent divorce – caught all kinds of flags off the field from comedians and fellow football players.
The NFL legend took jokes in stride while being honored during Netflix's live special, "The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady" hosted at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
Host Kevin Hart opened the roast by joking that Brady left former coach Bill Belichick "high and dry" for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he left the New England Patriots in 2019 after 20 seasons.
GISELE BUNDCHEN'S DIVORCE FROM TOM BRADY REVEALED SHE WAS 'STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT'
"You f---ed your coach, but let me tell you something, people, that's what you do to maintain your happiness. You sometimes got to f--k your coach. You who, who else f----d their coach? Gisele. She f----d that karate man."
Hart played into the joke against the supermodel and her jiu-jitsu instructor boyfriend Joaquim Valente, and then screamed at Brady, "What an idiot! Why would you do this? What an idiot!"
GISELE BÜNDCHEN POSES FOR RACY BEACH PHOTOSHOOT AFTER TEARING UP OVER TOM BRADY
"I mean, Jesus Christ, Tom," Hart said. "One of the smartest quarterbacks to ever play the game; how did you not see this coming? Eight f---ing karate classes a day? Eight karate classes a day?"
"Eight karate classes a day, and she's still a white belt."
Hart added, "The scariest part about this guy is if you have any problems, I'm worried for you. Jesus Christ, you can't lose any fight to the bonus dad. Kids gonna change their name. The guy knows karate, Tom. I can't help you with this, Tom."
Comedian Nikki Glaser added more fuel to the divorce fire and quipped, "You had seven rings, well eight after Gisele gave hers back."
Andrew Schultz joked that Tom became the "goat" (greatest of all time) by "being the fiercest competitor on the planet."
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"Tom was once asked which one of his rings was his favorite and he said, the next one," Schultz said. "Sorry, that was a Gisele quote. My bad."
Podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe made his way to the stage by mocking Brady's marriage.
"Nice shoes, b---h," he said to Brady. "Did you win those in the divorce?"
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The former couple officially announced their divorce in separate Instagram posts shared in October 2022.
"In recent days my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage," Brady wrote. "We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve."
Bündchen added: "The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always.
"I kindly ask that our privacy be respected during this sensitive time. Thank you."
ABC News president Kim Godwin steps down after reports of turmoil at the network
After viral reports over tension within the network, ABC News president Kim Godwin will be stepping down.
In an email sent out to staff on Sunday night, Godwin announced that she would be retiring from her position after being appointed in 2021.
"I have decided to retire from broadcast journalism," Godwin said in the email obtained by Fox News Digital.
She continued, "Anyone who’s passionate about what we do knows there’s no other business like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision. But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family."
Godwin also praised the network for hiring her as the first Black woman to head a national news network.
"I understood and appreciated the profound significance of being the first Black woman to lead a national broadcast news network when I accepted the role as president of ABC News a little over three years ago. It’s both a privilege and a debt to those who chipped away at the ceiling before me to lead a team whose brand is synonymous with trust, integrity and a dogged determination to be the best in the business," she said.
Disney Networks president Debra OConnell also sent out a statement thanking Godwin for her work.
"Dana and I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Kim for her service as president of ABC News. Kim has navigated this team through consequential times in our world, and she did so with respect for the brand and profession – and for that and more, we thank her," OConnell wrote.
OConnell also stated that she would be heading up the ABC News division as they move through this "period of transition."
Godwin reportedly faced internal backlash at the network over her leadership style, as frustrated insiders at ABC argued OConnell needed to take action.
"She has to take swift moves," a person close to ABC's internal operations told CNN of OConnell. "People there are restless. They are extremely frustrated."
Several ABC News staffers also told CNN that Godwin had made several prominent mistakes, including the creation of an inner circle that has "alienated staffers," according to the report.
Godwin has also privately complained of being micromanaged by OConnell, according to Puck News. The outlet reported that in conversations with several current ABC News employees, that "representation" and the fact that Godwin is the first Black woman to head a broadcast news division, had become the obvious, underlying problem in any discussions about the future of the company, and her possible firing.
"Race in the workplace is so nuanced that it can be easily weaponized by all sides and bad actors of any race," a Black ABC News veteran told Puck.
"Disney fell into the trap of the soft bigotry of low expectations and appointed someone everyone knows is unqualified to do the job... Now [they] are worried that firing the first Black woman would be an act of racism, when she is simply bad at her job," the person continued.
Mexican authorities reveal bizarre reason they believe Australians, American were murdered on surfing vacation
Mexican authorities say two Australians and an American were killed on a surfing trip because thieves wanted the tires from their truck. Relatives of those killed confirmed their identities on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
The latest details in the case come after a fourth body was discovered during a search for the missing men in Baja California. State prosecutors have not officially confirmed the identities of the missing men, but have said the victims’ family members are viewing the bodies to see if they can be identified by sight.
The corpses were found decomposing after the thieves dumped them into a remote well about 50 feet deep, some four miles from where the men were killed, authorities said. The well also contained a fourth cadaver that had been there much longer.
Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez said the probability that the corpses belong to the missing men is "very high," noting that they still appeared to be identifiable by sight. "If they say that they are not completely certain that it is their relative, we would then have to carry out genetic testing."
UTAH HUNTER FINDS SKELETAL REMAINS OF MAN MISSING SINCE 2019 IN REMOTE MOUNTAINS
The three men, brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad, were on a camping and surfing trip along a stretch of coast south of the city of Ensenada when they went missing last weekend.
Andrade Ramírez theorized the killers drove by and saw the foreigners' pickup truck and tents and wanted to steal their tires. But "when [the foreigners] came up and caught them, surely, they resisted."
She said that's when the killers would have shot the tourists.
The thieves then allegedly went to what she called "a site that is extremely hard to get to" and allegedly dumped the bodies into a familiar well. She said investigators were not ruling out the possibility the same suspects also dumped the first, earlier body in the well as part of previous crimes.
"They may have been looking for trucks in this area," Andrade Ramírez said.
MAN CONVICTED OF KIDNAPPING GIRLFRIEND, SUFFOCATING HER IN NEVADA DESERT
The thieves allegedly covered the well with boards. "It was literally almost impossible to find it," Andrade Ramírez said, and it took two hours to winch the bodies out of the well.
The site where the bodies were discovered near the township of Santo Tomás was near the remote seaside area where the missing men's tents and truck were found Thursday along the coast.
On Sunday, dozens of mourners, surfers and demonstrators gathered in a main plaza in Ensenada, the nearest city, to voice their anger and sadness at the deaths.
"Ensenada is a mass grave," read one placard carried by protesters. "Australia, we are with you," one man scrawled on one of the half-dozen surf boards at the demonstration. A woman held up a sign that read "They only wanted to surf — we demand safe beaches."
Baja California prosecutors had said they were questioning three people in the case, two of them because they were caught with methamphetamines. Prosecutors said the two were being held pending drug charges but continue to be suspects in the case.
A third man was arrested on charges of a crime equivalent to kidnapping, but that was before the bodies were found. It was unclear if he might face more charges.
The third suspect was believed to have directly participated in the killings. In keeping with Mexican law, prosecutors identified him by his first name, Jesús Gerardo, alias "el Kekas," a slang word that means "quesadillas," or cheese tortillas.
Andrade Ramírez said he had a criminal record, and that more people may have been involved.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.