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Georgia high school wrestler breaks neck at state championship

A Georgia high school wrestler is facing a long recovery after he suffered a broken neck in a “freak accident” during a state championship tournament earlier this week.

Dominic Haines, a Jefferson High School senior, suffered a broken neck in the final seconds of his quarterfinal match of the GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championships in Macon, Georgia, on Thursday.

Dominic’s coach told FOX 5 that it was a “freak accident.” (Mary Williford)

Assistant wrestling coach Matthew Seaman called it a “freak accident,” telling FOX 5 Atlanta that it happened after his opponent performed a legal takedown.

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“It’s a heartbreaking situation all in all for both sides, obviously for us, but definitely for this opponent who did absolutely nothing wrong,” he told the station.

“This has been years in the works for him,” Seaman added. “Dom’s come up through the youth program at Jefferson, the middle school program, and the high school program; this is a true family. This was his year, everything was coming together.”

Dominic’s father, Zach Haines, said his son is slowly regaining feeling in his lower half. (Mary Williford)

Dominic’s father, Zach Haines, provided updates about his son’s condition in a series of Facebook posts.

WASHINGTON MAN FACES ASSAULT CHARGES AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKING TEEN REFEREES DURING SON’S HOCKEY GAME

He said after the accident, Dominic had “no feeling from the shoulders down.”

Dominic underwent surgery on Thursday, which his father said went “according to plan.”

In his latest update on social media, Haines said his son has shown positive signs of recovery with some feeling in his lower half. Dominic will undergo another surgery later this week “to fuse the vertebrae from the back since the muscles and ligaments were all completely torn,” his father said in a recent update.

Dominic was competing in a quarterfinal match of the GHSA Traditional Wrestling State Championships last week. (Mary Williford)

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Haines said if his son continues to progress, he could be transferred to a rehabilitation center in a week.

A GoFundMe campaign for Dominic has raised over $62,000 as of Tuesday.

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February 18, 2025
DOGE committee member cautions Democrats over next ‘reckoning’ for federal agencies

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., discuss the protests erupting nationwide from Democrats regarding Elon Musk’s DOGE budget cuts on ‘The Bottom Line.’

As the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reportedly gets closer to accessing more integrated data from federal agencies, one of the congressional subcommittee members previewed a budget “reckoning” in the works.

“These alphabet agencies are getting ready to see a reckoning. And I’m glad that Donald J. Trump is doing it. All he’s doing is keeping his word,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said on “The Bottom Line,” Monday.

White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields recently told Fox News that DOGE will soon have access to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system that contains sensitive taxpayer information and account details.

The news comes just after a federal judge in Washington on Friday handed Elon Musk’s government efficiency team a win by declining a request to temporarily block it from accessing sensitive data from at least three federal agencies: the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

ELON MUSK’S D.O.G.E. PREPARES TO AUDIT U.S. GOLD RESERVES AT FORT KNOX AFTER URGING BY SEN. RAND PAUL

The Justice Department has also argued that DOGE personnel are “detailed” U.S. government employees who have access to the requested information under provisions of the Economy Act.

DOGE is ready to unleash a “reckoning” on certain federal agencies, according to congressional subcommittee Rep. Tim Burchett. (Getty Images)

“The IRS is… porous… and the IRS is angry,” Burchett said. “The reason they’re angry is they’re going to have to start showing up for work. You know, I’m a United States congressman, and it can take me up to six months to get a dadgum response from them. That is not acceptable.”

“And then when we find out the IRS employees are getting audited themselves, and they’ve delayed their audits, there’s a lot going on there,” he continued.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin weighs in on the Department of Government Efficiency and their latest move to cancel ‘wasteful’ contracts within the EPA.

The newly minted DOGE agency, a key promise of President Trump’s reelection campaign, is aggressively slashing government waste when it comes to government spending. It was created via executive order and is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months carrying out its mission.

DOGE has long claimed its ultimate goal of reducing the national debt by at least $2 trillion, and as part of its budget overhaul, recently carried out layoffs, mandatory return-to-office mandates for federal workers and even closed agencies completely, like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

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O’Leary Ventures Chairman Kevin O’Leary discusses DOGE’s effort to cut government waste and fraud on ‘The Big Money Show.’

“It shows that every department is corrupt, and you’re going to see the money, where it flows back to, and it goes right out of the American taxpayer’s pocket into the back pocket of politicians in Washington,” Burchett claimed. “And you’re going to see congressmen, I hope it’s not on both sides of the aisle, but I’m afraid it will be because that’s who will start pitching a fit.”

“We’ve found them in the past, they’ve been funneling money into campaigns and things like that. And yet these so-called legacy media, which is in bed with these folks, has decided to turn a blind eye.”

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Fox News’ Hillary Vaughn, Stephen Sorace, Michael Dorgan, Breanne Deppisch and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

February 18, 2025
Kathy Hochul does apparent about-face on natural gas as NYC utility signals major rate hikes

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has approved permits to expand capacity on a major bi-state pipeline despite years of pushing green policies like bans on natural gas use in new construction.

The Hochul administration signed off on permits to expand capacity in the Iroquois Pipeline – a crucial 414-mile route from St. Lawrence County — near the border with Cornwall, Ontario, – running down the Adirondacks, through western Connecticut, under Long Island Sound and forking toward Commack, Long Island, or Hunts Point, Bronx.

That move comes as the state Department of Environmental Conservation admitted the approvals are “inconsistent with” statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits imposed in recent years, according to the New York Post.

Hochul said this week that just as she is trying to institute $500 “inflation refunds” for middle-to-low income families, that money is going “right out the door” to Consolidated Edison (ConED).

REPUBLICANS RIP HOCHUL’S INFLATION REFUNDS: BRIBE TO MAKE NYERS LIKE HER

ConEd, the main utility provider in New York City and Long Island, is planning to implement 11.5% increases in electric rates and 13% increases in gas rates – amounting to about $500 per year – unless the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) steps in, according to FOX-5.

The PSC is already under pressure from Hochul to audit the salaries of ConED executives amid chatter about the rate hikes. Hochul’s actions come after years of crackdowns on fossil fuel production and consumption by New York Democrats.

In 2019, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act from then-Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-Long Beach, which moved the state away from fossil fuels and established a net-zero goal by 2040.

Two years later, the state shuttered the massive Indian Point nuclear energy production facility on the Hudson River opposite Haverstraw.

Cuomo said at the time that he had been concerned for years about the safety of the plant. “It does not belong on the Hudson River and in close proximity to the most densely populated area in the country… This is a victory for the health and safety of New Yorkers, and moves us a big step closer to reaching our aggressive clean energy goals.”

Albany Democrats, led by Hochul, have since banned furnaces and gas heating in new construction.

The governor also announced a “cap and invest” program to force Big Oil to invest in green energy by paying for emissions. According to the Post, a report from the PSC also indicated ConED and fellow utility National Grid were also “barely able to provide adequate [energy] supply” during a recent Arctic storm that brought temperatures near 0 degrees Fahrenheit to the Empire State.

HOCHUL’S CHRISTMASTIME BOAST OF SAFER SUBWAYS CAME AMID STRING OF VIOLENT ATTACKS

The sun sets on the Empire State Building, One Vanderbilt and the Chrysler Building in New York City on March 14, 2021. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

As for Hochul’s efforts to audit ConED, Republicans agreed the rate hikes are and have been outrageous, but that particular move would not help.

“Natural gas is a proven, reliable source of energy and vital for consumers in the Northeast,” said State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay. “The green dreams of environmental extremists are meaningless if people can’t heat their homes in mid-February. It’s incredible to see radical liberals protest a necessary measure that allows New Yorkers to stay warm in the winter. But reliability, affordability, and common sense have never been priorities of New York’s climate cult.”

Additionally, the state’s natural-gas-rich Southern Tier – a 200-mile area roughly running from Jamestown to Hancock along the Pennsylvania border – has been affected by a statewide ban on fracking, which state lawmakers representing the area have fought yet-unsuccessfully to undo.

This, even as communities just a few miles southward in Pennsylvania continue to extract natural gas from the same Marcellus Shale Range on their side of the line.

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Hochul added to the ban by further prohibiting a new, safer form of fracking using carbon dioxide instead of liquids.

While former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf enacted a moratorium on state parkland fracking, there has been no fracking activity to speak of along the NY-17 corridor for many years.

After then-Gov. David Paterson announced the state’s original fracking moratorium in 2008 – later becoming an outright ban under Cuomo – some Southern Tier villages whose economies depended on energy production considered trying to “secede” to Pennsylvania.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul and ConED for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 18, 2025
Scientists link gene to emergence of spoken language
- A new study links a particular gene and a protein variant found only in humans to the origins of spoken language.
- Researchers used CRISPR gene editing to replace the NOVA1 protein found in mice with the type exclusively found in humans, and it changed the way the animals vocalized when they called out to each other.
- The author of the study, Dr. Robert Darnell, hopes the recent work could lead to new ways to treat speech-related problems.
Why did humans start speaking? Scientists suggest genetics played a big role – and they say the evolution of this singular ability was key to our survival.

A new study links a particular gene to the ancient origins of spoken language, proposing that a protein variant found only in humans may have helped us communicate in a novel way. Speech allowed us to share information, coordinate activities and pass down knowledge, giving us an edge over extinct cousins like Neanderthals and Denisovans.

The new study is “a good first step to start looking at the specific genes” that may affect speech and language development, said Liza Finestack at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved with the research.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER ANCIENT ‘CITY OF THE DEAD’ IN ITALY: ‘PERFECTLY PRESERVED’

What scientists learn may someday even help people with speech problems.

The genetic variant researchers were looking at was one of a variety of genes “that contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens as the dominant species, which we are today,” said Dr. Robert Darnell, an author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Casts of skulls are seen inside an exhibit of early human species inside the Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins on July 20, 2023, at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Darnell has been studying the protein – called NOVA1 and known to be crucial to brain development – since the early 1990s. For the latest research, scientists in his lab at New York’s Rockefeller University used CRISPR gene editing to replace the NOVA1 protein found in mice with the exclusively human type to test the real-life effects of the genetic variant. To their surprise, it changed the way the animals vocalized when they called out to each other.

Baby mice with the human variant squeaked differently than normal littermates when their mom came around. Adult male mice with the variant chirped differently than their normal counterparts when they saw a female in heat.

Both are settings where mice are motivated to speak, Darnell said, “and they spoke differently” with the human variant, illustrating its role in speech.

‘DRAGON MAN’ CLAIMED AS POTENTIAL NEW HUMAN SPECIES AFTER ANALYSIS OF CHINA SKULL

This isn’t the first time a gene has been linked to speech. In 2001, British scientists said they had discovered the first gene tied to a language and speech disorder.

Called FOXP2, it was referred to as the human language gene. But though FOXP2 is involved in human language, it turned out that the variant in modern humans wasn’t unique to us. Later research found it was shared with Neanderthals. The NOVA1 variant in modern humans, on the other hand, is found exclusively in our species, Darnell said.

The presence of a gene variant isn’t the only reason people can speak. The ability also depends on things like anatomical features in the human throat and areas of the brain that work together to allow people to speak and understand language.

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Darnell hopes the recent work not only helps people better understand their origins but also eventually leads to new ways to treat speech-related problems.

University of Minnesota’s Finestack said it’s more likely the genetic findings might someday allow scientists to detect, very early in life, who might need speech and language interventions.

“That’s certainly a possibility,” she said.
February 18, 2025
Elon Musk’s DOGE launches agency accounts to solicit cost savings tips
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin weighs in on the Department of Government Efficiency and their latest move to cancel ‘wasteful’ contracts within the EPA.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government of Efficiency (DOGE) on Monday launched new social media accounts for a slate of federal agencies to make it easier for the public to provide tips about waste, fraud and abuse.

David Sacks, who is serving as the Trump White House’s artificial intelligence and crypto czar, wrote in a post on X, “There are now @DOGE accounts for every department, exposing the waste, fraud and abuse. Awesome.”

DOGE accounts were created on X for more than two dozen agencies. Those accounts are listed as affiliates with the main DOGE account.

The posts said that “DOGE is seeking help from the public!” and instructed the public to “DM this account with insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse relating to the agency.

WHAT HAS DOGE CUT SO FAR?

Elon Musk’s DOGE launched new affiliate accounts on X for public suggestions in rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/GC Images / Getty Images)

Among the agencies with new DOGE-oriented accounts on X include:
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Department of Defense (DOD)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Department of Transportation (DOT)
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Department of Labor (DOL)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Treasury Department
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Commerce Department
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- Department of Education (ED)
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- National Park Service (NPS)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Department of the Interior (DOI)
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
- State Department
- Government Services Administration (GSA)
DOGE ASKS PUBLIC FOR ‘INSIGHTS’ ON POTENTIAL WASTE AT SEC

DOGE has a website where it’s spotlighting its cost-cutting efforts. (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

As of early Tuesday, the accounts have only solicited suggestions from the public about identifying and addressing waste, fraud and abuse, but haven’t posted DOGE’s cuts at the respective agencies.

DOGE launched a website last week that was updated on Monday to include a “wall of receipts” that features the DOGE team’s moves to cancel various contracts and leases to save money.

The website also features a pair of top 10 lists breaking down the agencies where DOGE has saved the most money through canceling contracts and which agencies saw the largest contract savings as a percentage of the agency’s budget.

DOGE has targeted USAID as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to move it into the State Department. (Getty Images/Photo illustration / FOXBusiness)

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which DOGE and the Trump administration are looking to absorb into the State Department, topped both lists.

The Department of Education ranked second in terms of total contract savings, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was second in terms of savings as a share of the agency budget.
February 18, 2025
UN accuses Rwanda-backed rebels in Congo of killing, recruiting children
- Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights chief, said his office “confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23… We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons.”
- The United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this month launched a commission to investigate atrocities committed by both Congolese government forces and the rebels since the beginning of the year.
- The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in valuable minerals that are used in much of the world’s technology.
The U.N. human rights chief accused Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a second major city in eastern Congo of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid.

Volker Türk said in a statement Tuesday that his office “confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week. We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons.”

13 UN PEACEKEEPERS, ALLIED SOLDIERS DEAD IN CONGO AS M23 REBELS MAKE GAINS IN KEY CITY

He provided no details or did not refer to specific events, but U.N. agencies have previously accused both Congolese government forces and the rebels of recruiting children. The United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this month launched a commission that will investigate atrocities, including rapes and killings akin to “summary executions” committed by both sides since the beginning of the year.

The M23 rebels on Sunday captured Bukavu, the city of 1.3 million people, after seizing Goma, 63 miles to the north last month. At least 3,000 were reported killed and thousands displaced in the Goma fighting.

Red Cross workers clear the area in Bukavu, east Congo’s second-largest city, one day after it was taken by M23 rebels, on Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Janvier Barhahiga)

The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts.

Rwanda accuses Congo of enlisting Hutu fighters responsible for the 1994 genocide of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. M23 says it’s fighting to protect Tutsis and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination and wants to transform Congo from a failed into a modern state — though critics say it’s a pretext for Rwanda’s involvement.

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Unlike in 2012, when the M23 briefly seized Goma and withdrew after international pressure, analysts have said the rebels this time are eyeing political power.

The decades-long fighting has displaced more than 6 million people in the region, creating the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

A Ugandan military official said Tuesday that Ugandan troops had entered the eastern Congolese city of Bunia to assist the Congolese army in quelling deadly violence by armed ethnic groups.
February 18, 2025
Red state bill seeks to force local compliance with federal immigration law

The Indiana House Judiciary Committee voted to advance a bill that gives the governor authority to punish local governments that fail to comply with federal immigration authorities.

Indiana House Bill 1531, which allows local law enforcement agencies the ability to carry out federal immigration laws and threatens to withhold funding from local governments who fail to comply with federal immigration laws, passed through the committee on a party line vote after hours of tense testimony and now moves to the full House, according to a report from the Indy Star Monday.

The bill would also allow the state’s attorney general to impose civil penalties if a local government agency fails to comply with a federal immigration detention request, requires state judges to report any non-U.S. citizen convicted of a crime to federal authorities, prohibits employers from recruiting or hiring illegal immigrants, and grants immunity to government bodies or employees for action taken on immigration detainer requests.

RED STATE AG PROMISES LEGAL FIGHT WITH ICE-RESISTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk down a street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We’ve been doing as much as we can with existing authority under labor trafficking laws to go after this issue of illegal aliens being employed in the state,” Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Blake Lanning told the Indy Star. “But in many ways, Indiana law was not designed for this problem, to address this problem.”

Lanning said the attorney general’s office worked closely with the state’s GOP legislature to craft the bill, which comes after Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita threatened to sue local jurisdictions who do not comply with federal immigration orders.

“Now that’s a problem in Indiana, particularly because there’s an Indiana state statute that I enforce that says what you have got to give, whatever level of cooperation is allowed by federal law, you shall give it as a state or local law enforcement official,” Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday.

“And, so, that’s what’s happening here. That defiance I need to look into now.”

‘CLAWED BACK’: DHS CHIEF NOEM SECURES EYE-POPPING SUM SENT TO NYC FOR MIGRANT HOTELS

Local law enforcement cooperation with ICE is a point of contention in many liberal-leaning jurisdictions, even in red states. (ICE)

DOGE PUTS DEI ON CHOPPING BLOCK WITH TERMINATION OF OVER $370M IN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRANTS

The push comes as President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to both secure the border and deport immigrants already in the country illegally. However, some of those efforts have been hindered by so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, which ban local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

Indiana’s legislation faces stiff opposition from Democrats and outside groups, who question the constitutionality of the bill.

“This is unprecedented to have this many anti-immigrant bills in one legislative session for Indiana. So it really is kind of a race to be the most racist. Any argument against that is just disingenuous,” Carolina Castoreno, the co-founder of the Alliance for Latino Migrant Advocacy, told the Indy Star after testifying against the bill.

President Donald Trump on Jan. 31, 2025, with an executive order on his desk. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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“The rhetoric that they are continuing to use in these rooms — the mentioning of cartels, the mentioning of Hispanic men, talking about the Spanish speaking language,” Castoreno added. “They’re not talking about Ukrainian immigrants. They’re not talking about immigrants from any other part of the world, except for Latin America.”

However, efforts to defeat the legislation face an uphill battle in Indiana, where Republicans enjoy supermajorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate as well as control the governor’s office.

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 18, 2025
Yankees’ Aaron Judge talks Mets’ Juan Soto’s playoff belief

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge thinks the Yankees have a better chance of winning the World Series than their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets.

Judge, 32, was asked about his former teammate, Juan Soto, and Soto’s apparent conclusion that he had a better chance to win with the Mets than the Yankees.

“That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him. I wasn’t too surprised by it, I think that’s where he wanted to be,” Judge said to reporters on Monday during a press conference.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, #99, smiles during spring training batting practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field. (Dave Nelson-Imagn Images)

Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets this offseason. If Soto opts out after the fifth year of his contract, the Mets can void it by making the total value of the contract $805 million.

“The Mets are a great organization and what they have done in the past couple of year showing the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team, to try and grow a dynasty, is one of the most important things,” Soto said when asked why he chose to sign with the Mets in free agency.

Soto’s deal is the richest contract in the history of professional sports, and Judge said Monday he is happy for his former teammate.

“I think that’s where is best for him and his family. He got a pretty nice deal over there, you can’t say no that. But I’m happy for him, he got a good deal. He’s going to be in a great spot. It’s going to be great having him in town. We are going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years. I’m definitely happy for him,” Judge said.

Judge and Soto were the big leagues’ best duo last season.

Judge won the American League MVP after clubbing a league high 58 home runs and driving in the most runs in baseball (144) while maintaining a sparkling .322 batting average.

RED SOX STAR RAFAEL DEVERS CREATING DRAMA WITH NEW TEAMMATE, ALEX BREGMAN: ‘THIRD BASE IS MY POSITION’

New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto, #22, looks on after taking batting practice during a spring training workout at Clover Park. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Soto finished third in the AL MVP race, as he had the best season of his career while hitting in front of Judge.

Soto hit a career high 41 home runs and hit .288, while getting on base at a .419 clip.

Judge knows it is impossible to replace Soto, but he likes what the Yankees have done to make up for his loss.

“Soto is one-of-a-kind man, he’s a special player. Excited for him and his new chapter with the Mets, but we added a lot of new pieces here, starting with (Cody) Bellinger and (Paul) Goldschmidt. Two guys that are former MVP’s, guys that are still wanting to improve, still want to get better,” Judge said.

WORLD SERIES CHAMPION BOBBY JENKS BATTLING STOMACH CANCER

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, #99, hits a ball during spring training batting practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field. (Dave Nelson-Imagn Images)

“They are going to add such a different dynamic to this team. It really lengthens our whole lineup when you have those guys batting in the middle of your order a lot of good things are going to happen. You can’t replace a guy like Juan Soto, but you bring in guys like this that are All Star, MVP caliber players.”

The Yankees acquired Bellinger in a trade with the Chicago Cubs and signed Goldschmidt to a one-year deal in free agency.

Bellinger won the 2019 NL MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has spent the last two seasons with the Cubs.

Bellinger hit .266 and hit 18 home runs with the Cubs last season, and he plays a strong centerfield.

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New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto, #22, takes batting practice during a spring training workout at Clover Park. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Goldschmidt won the NL MVP in 2022 but struggled last season as he got off a slow start before bouncing back. He hit .245 with 22 home runs in 154 games last season.

Those two will be tasked with replacing the hole Soto left in the Yankees lineup, as they try to make it back to the World Series after losing to the Dodgers in five games.

Soto will be relied upon to anchor the Mets lineup alongside Francisco Lindor, as the Mets have World Series aspirations after a surprise run to the NLCS last season.

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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.

February 18, 2025
American farmers turning to AI to aid uncertain future

Karen Ross, the secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, discusses the outlook for the 2025 agriculture industry.

Tulare, Calif. – The U.S. agriculture industry is used to overcoming obstacles, but 2025 is shaping up to be a particularly daunting year. Labor shortages, water restrictions and the pending threat of tariffs are at the forefront of every farmer’s mind.

“There’s always challenges in agriculture, but so many are happening at the same time right now,” said Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “I think this happens about once every generation where there’s just a bunch of driving forces.”

In 2023, the agriculture industry earned over half a trillion dollars in cash receipts – $267.4 billion for crops and $249.6 billion for animal products. But 86% of farms are “small farms” – meaning they gross under $350,000 per year. These are the farms feeling the pressure the most.

EGG FARMER HIT HARD BY BIRD FLU, DESCRIBES ‘NIGHTMARE’ OF LOSING 3 FLOCKS

“Production agriculture tends to be a marginal business when it comes to profit. You’re talking about a typical average kind of return on investment of low- to mid-single digits on farm is pretty typical,” said Roland Fumasi, head of RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness. “So any kind of downward pressure on markets… really puts a lot of pressure on farm finances that are already marginal at best anyway in most years.”

In 2023, the agriculture industry earned over half a trillion dollars in cash receipts – $267.4 billion for crops and $249.6 billion for animal products. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post / Getty Images)

Now, farmers are turning to technology for help, and at the World Ag Expo – the largest agricultural trade show in the world – manufacturers were keen to show off their latest products.

Over 1,200 farm equipment manufacturers descended on California’s Central Valley last week in hopes of finding buyers among the more than 100,000 people in attendance. Tulare, California, has been home to AgExpo since 1968, and this year, a buzzword was making waves – AI.

AI, or artificial intelligence, is being utilized in all sorts of ways. From driving autonomous vehicles to performing arduous tasks to analyzing environmental changes, AI is addressing everything from solving labor shortages to increasing crop yield – and farmers are on board.

“We’re part of that first wave of AI that allows us to see things that are happening in the field,” said Paul Mikesell, founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics. “The farmers are incredibly inquisitive. They’re very innovative and inventive, and so they got what we were doing right away.”

DEADLY BIRD FLU DETECTED IN NEVADA DAIRY CATTLE

Mikesell’s company generated a lot of buzz around their product, the LaserWeeder, which uses AI to identify weeds and kill them at the stem using a laser. Not only does it cut out the physical toll that comes with weeding, it also eliminates the need for herbicides.

“It can kill weeds that humans can’t even see. And we get in and kill them before they steal nutrients to compete with the crops,” added Mikesell.

Farmers are turning to technology, including artificial intelligence, to confront challenges they expect to face in 2025. (Sandy Huffaker/AFP via / Getty Images)

Another company is using AI to help one of the ecosystem’s busiest and most threatened employees – bees. According to Project Apis m., colony rates are seeing unprecedented losses, at more than 50%. Some beekeepers are reporting 100% colony loss, a scary prospect for almond farmers, who rely on bees to pollinate their trees.

BeeHero uses AI sensors inside beehives to measure everything from acoustic signatures from the queen to the number of bee visits per minute to give farmers a real-time understanding of bee coverage and pollination. This provides beekeepers with the information they need to help the bees thrive.

“The beekeepers who work with us, their colony collapse rates are 33% lower than the industry average,” said Brent Wellington, BeeHero’s director of product marketing.

John Deere, which commands more than 40% of the market share in the U.S. agriculture machinery industry, is also on board with AI. The company developed the 5ML autonomous tractor that’s being used for blast spraying, essentially spraying nut trees with chemicals to protect the trees. Normally, it’s a task that must be done at night, in a hazmat suit, driving under 3 mph, six to eight times a year – a chore farmers would much rather pass to machines.

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DE DEERE & CO. 480.22 +14.00 +3.00%

“The response has been really, really positive. The average age of farmers in the U.S. is around 58 years old, and many of them are working 12 and up to 18 hours during peak seasons just to manage their operations due to shortages of qualified labor,” said Jason Brantley, John Deere’s vice president of production systems for small agriculture and turf.

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The ag industry is changing, but farmers and manufacturers alike are embracing whatever it takes to keep their crops growing and animals producing, said Ross.

“It’s very important that we continue to look for ways to automate, to ease the jobs that we have,” Ross said. “How do we think about the use of technology, autonomous vehicles, robotics, as a way to create new and better jobs for the existing farmworkers, as well as attract young people to bring that energy and that creativity to the new tools and technologies that are absolutely essential to our survival.”

February 18, 2025
Education Department cuts $600M in taxpayer dollars for ‘divisive’ training programs

The Department of Education (DOED) is pulling the plug on the use of taxpayer dollars to fund “divisive” and “inappropriate” training programs for educators, announcing hundreds of millions in cuts as the Trump administration cleans house on “wasteful” spending within the federal government.

On Monday, the DOED announced the cancelation of $600 million dollars in grants funding programs that teach educators “divisive ideologies” such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the “instruction on White privilege and White supremacy.”

The latest spending cut comes just days after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk to cut government spending, announced the slashing of over $370 million in DEI training programs from the Education Department.

The grants that were terminated included funding for training programs “requiring practitioners to take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities (e.g., racism) and critically reassess their own practices,” according to the DOED.

DOGE PUTS DEI ON CHOPPING BLOCK WITH TERMINATION OF OVER $370M IN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRANTS

The Department of Education terminated $600 million in DEI funding. (Getty Images)

Also slashed in the cost-cutting sweep was funding to one program that provided “spaces for critical reflection to help educators confront biases and have transformative conversations about equity,” and another that worked on “building historical and sociopolitical understandings of race and racism to interrupt racial marginalization and oppression of students in planning, instruction, relationship building, discipline and assessment.”

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROBING SOME VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS OVER GENDER IDENTITY POLICIES

“Less money on DEI nonsense means more money to make sure teachers know how to teach students to read! #MakeAmericaLiterateAgain,” Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice said in a post on X.

The move also received a thumbs up from Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, who expressed her support on social media.

The Department of Education building. (iStock)

According to the DOED, many of the grants also included teacher and staff recruiting strategies that were “implicitly and explicitly based on race.”

“The Department of Education has canceled $600 million in ‘teacher training grants,’ which do little more than promote left-wing race and gender ideologies,” Chris Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, said of the announcement. “It’s time to shut it all down.”

Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Images)

President Donald Trump’s administration has made axing DEI programs in education a focal point of their efforts to reform the department, ordering all 50 state education departments last week to remove DEI policies within 14 days or risk losing federal funding.

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The president has signaled his intention to eventually abolish the department during his term to allow individual states to make decisions about their own education departments.

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.

February 18, 2025