1. Republicans cut Democrats out entirely with marathon overnight vote on border cash 2. Hezbollah disarmament deadlock risks civil war as US prepares peace talks 3. Pentagon sounds alarm on Iran mines threatening key route amid war fallout STREETS RECLAIMED — Blue city's staggering 40% violent crime drop a ‘blueprint for other cities.’ Continue reading … TOXIC FALLOUT — Deadly refinery chemical release kills workers as dozens seek care and questions mount. Continue reading … DOUBLE DISAPPEARANCE — Doctoral couple vanish back to back as family fears something is very wrong. Continue reading … CRISIS DEEPENS — Travel advisory warns tourists of terrorism, robberies in Mediterranean gateway. Continue reading … CHECK YOUR FRIDGE — Grocery staple recall gets urgent warning over risk of severe illness. Continue reading … -- COMMAND CHANGE — Navy secretary exits suddenly as leadership shuffle puts acting chief in charge. Continue reading … MAP WARS HEAT UP — DeSantis dares Hakeem Jeffries to visit Florida after 'f-around and find out' taunt. Continue reading … LEGAL SPOTLIGHT — Eric Swalwell faces fresh complaint he used political influence for financial gain. Continue reading … DARK MONEY TRAIL — Pro-communist group bankrolled by Chinese financier flew Omar's kid to Cuba. Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… HOT TAKE BACKLASH — Twitch streamer Hasan Piker stirs up controversy with remarks about Luigi Mangione. Continue reading … CAUGHT OFF GUARD — Elizabeth Warren sputters in outrage when told she sounds just like Trump. Continue reading … REFUSING TO ANSWER — Ilhan Omar tells 'stupid' reporter she won't discuss financial disclosures. Continue reading … HEATED EXCHANGE — GOP lawmaker accuses MS NOW host of spewing leftist talking points in fiery clash. Continue reading … HUGH HEWITT — Morning Glory: End the filibuster, pack the Court, kiss the Constitution goodbye. Continue reading … DAVID BEREIT — I led peaceful pro-lifers the Biden ‘Justice’ Dept hunted. We now know how far they went. Continue reading … -- TROUBLED WATERS — Angry cruise passengers say frustrating issue should have been disclosed before booking. Continue reading … PALACE SECRETS — Sarah Ferguson’s former dresser convicted of murder back in spotlight as case resurfaces. Continue reading … AMERICAN CULTURE QUIZ — Test yourself on fast food frenzy and aviation advantages. Take the quiz here … TINSELTOWN TAKEDOWN — Jack Nicholson's daughter exposes how the rich and powerful really live in Hollywood. Continue reading … FAMILY FAVORITE — Man duplicates his kids' fast-food meal of choice. See video ... KAROLINE LEAVITT — President Trump has made his red lines very clear to Iran. See video … KELLYANNE CONWAY — Virginia redistricting was about tipping the scales, not fairness. See video … Tune in as the 2026 NFL Draft spotlights a record-breaking top prospect and the high-stakes mindset behind building a franchise quarterback. Check it out ... What's it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading… Facebook Instagram YouTube Twitter LinkedIn Fox News First Fox News Opinion Fox News Lifestyle Fox News Entertainment (FOX411) Fox Business Fox Weather Fox Sports Tubi Fox News Go Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday. View the full article

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Mendoza Mania has arrived in the NFL. The projected No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, Fernando Mendoza brings one of football's most unexpected stories to the pros. Legendary football agent Leigh Steinberg, who has represented an NFL-record eight first overall draft picks, believes what sets Mendoza apart from the other hyped prospects is his words. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "The way he relates to people," Steinberg said was the most unique part about Mendoza, in an interview with Fox News Digital. "He seems to have a really nice touch in dealing with teammates. It seems to be a natural leader. He relates well in interviews. He relates well in everything. And so, the job of a franchise quarterback is to represent the franchise, and he becomes the most visible face of a franchise. And you know, he's handsome. He speaks well, and I think he's sort of an ideal representative or spokesman for the team." How did a kid from Florida who know one saw coming become a Heisman Trophy winner, national champion, and the NFL's next big thing? The reason Fernando Mendoza is in the U.S. and making his mark on football history is because of a bold decision by his grandparents decades ago. After Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba and installed a communist regime, all four of Mendoza's grandparents fled the country and came to America. "We all thought it was temporary," Mendoza's maternal grandfather Alberto Espino previously told The Washington Post of the "There was no way the United States would allow a communist regime 90 miles away." But Castro's reign endured, so Espino and the Mendozas remained in the U.S. and built their life as Americans. That meant American sports. Both of his parents grew up in Miami, Florida as the children of Cuban refugees. Mendoza's father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., was a rower at Brown University and a 1987 Junior World Championships gold medalist. But Mendoza's father also played football when he was younger, and was teammates with Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal at Christopher Columbus High School during the 1980s. Mendoza would go on to defeat his father's former teammate in this year's CFP national championship game. Meanwhile, his mother, Elsa Mendoza, played tennis at the University of Miami. When Mendoza was a child, his mother was diagnosed with a serious disease Mendoza was born in Boston in 2003 as the first of his parents' three children, before his family moved back to Miami, Florida where he would grow up. But when Mendoza was only about four years old, his mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It's a chronic, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain and spinal cord. She has spent the last few years in a wheelchair. Elsa Mendoza wrote about the experience in a 2015 letter to her sons that was published in The Player's Tribune. "I was diagnosed about 18 years ago, but of course you never knew that. You and Alberto were so young, and I was doing fine….. and mostly I didn’t want you to worry. It just felt like this impossible thing to place on you guys. On my sweet boys. And then I kept doing fine until about 10 years ago, when we went skiing and I broke my ankle and knee," she wrote. "But even after that, I wasn’t quite ready to tell you — only that my leg hadn’t healed all the way, which is why your mom had her limp. It wasn’t until five years ago, when I got Covid, that things started to go downhill in a way where there was no more hiding it. It was during football season, and I realized I wasn’t going to be able to travel. And the thought of you wondering if I supported you any less, because suddenly I wasn’t at your games? I hated that. So that’s when I knew we had to sit you and your brother down." She went on to recall, "how hard of a conversation it ended up being. 'Your mom has this degenerative disease … and while we don’t know how it will progress, it’s going to start to affect us in a few ways. But it won’t affect us in the ways that matter. We’ll have each other, and love each other, and be there for each other. I promise.'" As a young boy, Mendoza would gather mangoes from his grandparents' yard and sell them door-to-door to his neighbors. Not only did he embrace capitalism as a young man, but he also embraced Catholicism. He later followed in his father's footsteps of playing football at Christopher Columbus High School — an elite, $18,000-a-year all-boys private Catholic school with a football program. As the team's starting quarterback his senior year, he led his team to an 11-3 record and the 2021 FHSAA Class 8A state semifinals. INDIANA FOOTBALL STAR AND HIS BROTHER TURN THEIR NAMESAKE BURGER INTO BATTLE AGAINST MS But it wasn't enough to earn the affection of many college scouts. As a two-star recruit, Mendoza was ranked the 2,149th-ranked recruit in the country in his high school class. He didn't receive a single FBS scholarship offer. With limited offers out of college, Mendoza nearly accepted an Ivy League education and non-scholarship football spot at Yale. But instead, he went across the country to try his luck at California, Berkeley. He wasn't handed the starting job on day one; instead, he redshirted, studied the game, and quietly earned his business degree from the prestigious Haas School of Business in just three years. As a quarterback, he earned the starting job in 2023 and 2024, becoming Cal’s all-time leader in completion percentage (66.4%) and tying for 7th in 250-yard passing games. But his college football career hadn't even really begun. In 2025, Mendoza made the decision to transfer to Indiana. What followed is considered one of the most unlikely runs in college football history. He threw for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions, completing over 72% of his passes, while also adding seven rushing touchdowns, and won the Heisman Trophy. "It's very often not until the end of their [college] career that they show exactly those qualities. So a lot of maturation happened," Steinberg said of Mendoza's senior-year surge. "There have been a number of players who were late bloomers... you're getting them at the height of their arc, and they put it all together. It takes time to read defenses and see the field." Then when the playoffs started, he cemented his name in college football history. He threw eight touchdowns with only five incompletions in the initial playoff games against Alabama in the Rose Bowl and Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. In the national championship game, played in his home town of Miami against his hometown university Miami Hurricanes, he was named the CFP National Championship Offensive Player of the Game, delivering a crucial 12-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run to seal the title. Indiana became the first time in modern college football history to go a perfect 16-0 behind Mendoza's leadership, making a case for one of the greatest CFB quarterback seasons ever. With the Las Vegas Raiders set to pick first in the NFL Draft this year, Mendoza appears destined for Sin City. Steinberg believes the fit will work out well football wise and business wise. "He's a perfect pick for the Raiders because he's someone they can build a franchise around. He seems to have the proper leadership skills and motivational ability to lead a team. He's high character, he's got physical size. He's got great arm strength. He's indicated a number of times that he can bring the team back in critical circumstances," Steinberg said. "As a marketing proposition, Las Vegas is the hottest sports town as there is in America... It's a good environment to be in with supportive fans and companies for sponsorships and endorsements." Mendoza has already filed 12 trademark applications. These filings include his name, "Fernando Mendoza," "Mendoza," "Flippin'," and "HE15MENDOZA," aimed at covering athletic apparel and merchandising. "By picking 12 different areas, that pretty much covered the field. And that means that nobody can go ahead and put together distinctive Mendoza [merchandise] without dealing with him," Steinberg said. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. View the full article

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, embroiled in a controversy involving his relationship with former NFL reporter Dianna Russini, is stepping away from the team indefinitely to seek counseling and be with his family. The news, first reported by ESPN, means Vrabel will miss part of the NFL Draft that begins on Thursday and runs through Saturday. Vrabel will be away from the team the entire day on Saturday. Saturday is the day the NFL Draft will conduct rounds 4 through 7. The Patriots currently own eight picks in those rounds, including two in the fourth round. Club executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf will be orchestrating the entire draft for the Patriots along with vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden. Even if Vrabel is available by phone for input, it obviously won't be the same for the Patriots as it was in the 2025 draft, the coach's first with the team. PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL BREAKS SILENCE ON DIANNA RUSSINI SITUATION "As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them," Vrabel said in a statement released to ESPN. "In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them. "I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result." MIKE VRABEL RESPONDS TO TREVEYON HENDERSON BIBLICAL DEFENSE OF JADEN IVEY While it may seem like this is good news because Vrabel obviously sees a problem he needs to address, the timing of his separation from the team suggests the situation is dire and needs immediate attention regardless of the NFL calendar. It should be noted the Patriots also just started their offseason program this week and that will continue next week, possibly without Vrabel. The counseling is apparently a step Vrabel is taking to improve himself but also save his marriage. NFL GREAT SUGGESTS BILL BELICHICK'S RELATIONSHIP WITH MEDIA MAY HAVE PLAYED FACTOR IN FIRST-BALLOT HOF SNUB Vrabel plans to be with his wife Jennifer and his two sons outside of Massachusetts, ESPN reported. Vrabel and Jennifer have been married since 1999. In 2024 they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with a trip to Italy. The couple met while both were student-athletes at Ohio State University. It’s been a rough month for Vrabel, albeit because he brought it upon himself. Days after returning from the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix on March 31, Vrabel was contacted by the New York Post seeking comment on the fact the paper was in possession of seemingly compromising photos of the coach and Russini, who worked for The Athletic at the time as an NFL reporter. The coach and reporter spent time together in Sedona, Arizona prior to the league meetings at an adults resort, where they were photographed sunbathing by a pool, in a hot tub, at a bar, and on the rooftop of a bungalow holding hands and embracing. Both Vrabel and Russini, who is also married, denied any wrongdoing. The coach called the idea "laughable." PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL ROASTS REPORTER FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION DURING TRAINING CAMP MEDIA SESSION No one was laughing whenThe Athletic launched an investigation into its reporter’s behavior, which led to her resignation, and Vrabel was forced to speak with his family, Patriots' ownership and his players about the trip. He spoke to reporters about the situation on Tuesday, making his first public comments about the matter. Vrabel didn’t explain what happened and didn’t admit or deny anything about his relationship with Russini. But he admitted talking with the people he values has been hard. "I've had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players," he said. It seems the difficult conversations are not over. View the full article

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a Wednesday post on X that he expects that the U.S. blockade against Iran "could become global soon." The long-serving lawmaker noted that he had spoken to President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday morning. "I had a very good call this morning with @POTUS and @SecWar Pete Hegseth about the way forward regarding the Iran conflict. I think the President’s decision to leave the blockade in place is very smart. It is having a strong effect on the ability of Iran to continue to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism – which they appear intent on doing. I not only expect this blockade to stay in place until Iran shows a commitment to change their ways, I expect the blockade will be growing and that it could become global soon," Graham said in the post. IRAN SEIZES SHIPS IN HORMUZ AS US TALKS FALTER AFTER CEASEFIRE EXTENSION "To those assisting or thinking about assisting the Iranian regime in distributing its oil, which provides resources for terrorism, you do so at your own peril. Well done to President Trump and his team. This is the best chance since 1979 to change the behavior of the regime and I hope this can be accomplished through diplomacy," the senator added. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to request comment on Thursday. The U.S. has been engaging in a blockade against Iranian ports for more than a week. TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN 'STARVING FOR CASH,' 'COLLAPSING FINANCIALLY' AFTER EXTENDING CEASEFIRE "The U.S. military has global reach. American forces are operating and enforcing the blockade across the Middle East and beyond," U.S. Central Command wrote in part of a Wednesday post on X. Trump announced a ceasefire extension on Tuesday afternoon but said the blockade would continue. SENATE GOP BLOCKS FIFTH DEM BID TO END TRUMP'S IRAN WAR AS DIVISIONS GROW "Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal. I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," the president said in a Tuesday Truth Social post. View the full article