Former CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane announced on Monday that he is joining the far-left media company MeidasTouch.

MeidasTouch, which was initially formed as a political action committee designed to attack President Donald Trump in 2020, has since piled up over 6 million subscribers on YouTube. Earlier this month, MacFarlane bolted CBS News amid editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ reshaping of the organization. 

“I have a new platform for my independent, unfiltered reporting. Effective immediately, I am chief Washington correspondent for the MeidasTouch network,” MacFarlane said when announcing the move on social media. 

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MacFarlane said he would anchor a daily program starting in the coming weeks. 

“MeidasTouch and I share the same north star of communicating. When you have news to break, or something important to explain, just get to it,” MacFarlane said as he snapped his fingers at viewers. 

“Straight to the point, as soon as you open the camera and open the microphone, simply, declaratively, conversationally, explain what’s happening. Explain what it means,” he added. “Put aside the production theater, and the useless bells and whistles. Just get to it.” 

NPR referred to MeidasTouch as “unapologetically partisan” and an “amped-up MSNBC” in a report last year. MSNBC, the progressive cable news network, changed its name to MS NOW late last year.

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MacFarlane then said he’s not an editorialist or a politician, but rather an “enterprise reporter.” 

MacFarlane, who provided extensive Jan. 6 reporting for the network in recent years, said we’re living in a moment of “unique political toxicity and unique political danger.”

“The MeidasTouch and I have long shared this same philosophy; you don’t platform lies. You don’t platform conspiracy theories, and you don’t allow for the whitewashing of history,” MacFarlane said. 

Many have speculated that MacFarlane simply wasn’t a good fit at CBS under Weiss, who is seeking to tone down the partisan coverage at the network. His move conjures up memories of former CBS News reporter Kate Smith, who left the network to take a news director position at Planned Parenthood in 2022.

Many conservatives took to social media to offer thoughts on MacFarlane’s move. 

Journalist Mike Cote wrote, “This is why nobody on the political right buys the ‘legacy media is unbiased’ claptrap. When a longtime CBS reporter gets a new job with a Resistance slop clickbait farm in less than 2 weeks, the truth is pretty damn obvious.”

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White House director of communications Steven Chueng said the move shows how “biased news media has become.”

“Every reporter who ‘leaves’ (more like fired from) their outlet always comes out as a deranged liberal. Every. Single. Damn. Time,” Chueng wrote. 

Titles of recent videos posted to the MeidasTouch YouTube page include “Trump PANICS and LIES He MADE DEAL TO END WAR,” “Trump HIT BY KARMA in WAR as TABLES ARE TURNED,” “Trump’s HEALTH CRASHES in WAR as 25th AMENDMENT DEMANDED” and “Trump PANICS as Troops TURN AGAINST HIM in WAR.”

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Forensic team investigating at the scene. – Photo: Amar Ujala

Expansion

A progressive Chicago alderwoman is being widely panned on social media over her response to a local college student being allegedly shot and killed by an alleged illegal immigrant over the weekend. 

Shortly after Sheridan Gorman, 18, of Westchester County, New York, was gunned down while taking a walk with friends shortly after 1:30 a.m. Thursday along Chicago’s lakefront, Chicago Alderwoman Maria Hadden posted a video suggesting Gorman was in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and that she may have “startled” the individual who shot and killed her.

The comments quickly sparked outrage on social media from commenters making the case that Hadden’s video was not only insensitive, but shows the lack of concern from local Democrats when it comes to crime. 

“Unbelievable,” Manhattan Institute’s Rafael Mangual posted on X. “Perhaps these politicians can put out a comprehensive list of the places we should avoid and the times we should avoid them so as not to get shot to death by strangers.”

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“Imagine being an alderman, having a college freshman murdered in your ward, and, before the suspect is even identified, posting a video in which you brainstorm an excuse that maybe the victim ‘startled’ the guy who killed her,” reader-funded public safety news outlet CWB Chicago posted on X. “God Almighty.”

“This is disgusting,” comedian Tim Young posted on X.

“This is how most Democrats think about crime, she’s just saying it out loud,” New York City Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. “They have no interest in taking any kind of action, because they don’t think any of it is a big deal. Criminals have a right to be criminals, don’t get in their way, and who are we to judge.”

“That’s what we’re up against here,” Paladino added.

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“The only person who was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ was the illegal immigrant who should have never been allowed into our country,” former Trump campaign deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine posted on X.

“‘Wrong place’ = anywhere in Chicago, ‘Wrong time” = 24 hours, 7 days a week,” conservative influencer account End Wokeness posted on X. 

“This is who’s running your city,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X.

Hadden’s comment also drew pushback from Gorman’s family, who released a statement referencing Hadden’s remarks and said the slain college student “deserved the future that was stolen from her.”

“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to the idea of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not an abstraction. This is the loss of a daughter. The loss of a sister. The loss of a future filled with milestones that will now never come. Our family is forever changed.”

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The family added: “We cannot accept a world where moments like this become something people grow used to. We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to violence. When we begin to accept these tragedies as inevitable, we all become vulnerable to them. Apathy is not harmless—it allows these moments to repeat.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Hadden’s office for comment.

The illegal immigrant charged with the murder of the Loyola University Chicago student entered the U.S. during the Biden administration before being apprehended and released into the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Sunday.

DHS also confirmed that Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, had been previously arrested for shoplifting in Chicago, marking a prior criminal incident before the alleged murder.

It is “outrageous” that a convicted fraudster tracked down by Sky News in Tenerife is still on the run, the Speaker of the House of Commons has said.

Pamela Gwinnett isolated 89-year-old Joan Green from her family during the COVID-19 pandemic, convinced Joan to give her lasting power of attorney, then raided her life savings.

Gwinnett spent almost £300,000 of retired accountant Joan’s money on Botox, expensive meals and mortgages on properties she owned.

She fled to Tenerife and did not attend her trial, but was given a six-year prison sentence in her absence last year for theft and fraud by abuse of position.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who is the local MP for Ms Green’s family, told Sky News: “Here she was, found guilty, sentenced to six years.

“What a way to have your sentence, in the sun in Tenerife! Lap of luxury.

“Living in an apartment, taking the sun every day, going out for meals.”

He added: “People will be asking – why? I’m also asking why. That extradition order needs to take place now. Enough is enough. Let’s get on with it.”

The Speaker said he fears there could be other victims out there.

“My worry is, how many others have also lost money in the same way?” he said.

He added: “She was a master of manipulation of vulnerable people. So please, if there are other people out there, do come forward. I don’t think this is a one-off. I hope it is, but I suspect not.”

Joan, from Chorley, Lancashire, died in 2022.

Gwinnett, 63, fled to Tenerife in breach of her bail conditions while awaiting trial and has been living in a picturesque seaside apartment in the south of the island for the last 11 months.

When Sky News caught up with her, despite her conviction, she claimed Joan’s family had taken the money, adding: “They have made me a scapegoat.”

The Speaker said it was “appalling” that Lancashire Police had initially dismissed Joan’s family’s concerns as a civil matter.

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When presented with the same evidence – gaping holes in Joan’s bank accounts – Greater Manchester Police launched a criminal investigation.

Lancashire Police said: “We can confirm that in March 2023 we were contacted in relation to an allegation of fraud.

“Our handling of that allegation is currently subject to an ongoing complaint which is with our Professional Standards Department and for that reason it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time.”

The Speaker thanked Sky News for our investigation into Gwinnett.

“These people are scamming vulnerable people,” he said. “Without you, we wouldn’t be highlighting this case nationally and internationally”.

What began as a grim discovery inside a Southern California apartment has exploded into a coast-to-coast case — one Murrieta police say is “unusual” for their community, with investigators alleging a murder-for-hire plot tied to a victim’s ex-girlfriend and three other suspects.

Officers with the Murrieta Police Department were called to The Arbors at California Oaks apartments just after 9 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2026. Inside one of the units, they found a man dead. From the start, investigators treated the case as a homicide.

The victim was later identified by family as 30-year-old Aaron “AJ” Parr — a son, brother and father whose loss has left loved ones reeling.

Just over two weeks later, police arrested Ignacia Perkins, the victim’s ex-girlfriend, along with James Petri, who authorities described as an acquaintance of Perkins.

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But the case quickly grew beyond California.

As detectives dug through physical and digital evidence, they began working with law enforcement agencies across the country, ultimately identifying two more suspects believed to be involved.

On March 18, authorities arrested Jerry Wheeler, 34, in Brookhaven, Georgia, and Kenneth Maxwell, 39, in Midfield, Alabama. Both men are now awaiting extradition to California.

Police say the case centers on an alleged murder carried out for financial gain, along with a broader conspiracy to make it happen.

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Wheeler and Maxwell each face charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder and a special circumstance allegation that the killing was done for financial gain, police said.

The arrests were carried out with help from multiple agencies, including Brookhaven Police and North Metro SWAT in Georgia, as well as FBI teams in Alabama.

Murrieta is generally considered a relatively safe city, with a crime rate about 2.2 times lower than the national average, according to City-Data.

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For Parr’s family, the arrests have brought a complicated mix of grief and relief.

“The world kept moving, but ours stopped the day we lost you,” a woman identifying herself as Parr’s sister wrote in a social media post weeks after his death. “Not a moment goes by that you aren’t on our minds… in our tears, and in our prayers.”

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She said the arrests have offered “a small sense of relief” as the case moves forward, though the pain remains.

“There is no celebration in it, because nothing will ever bring you back,” she wrote.

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A fundraiser created for the family describes Parr as a beloved son and brother, and says his parents are “salt-of-the-earth people” who have spent their lives serving others. The funds are intended to help cover funeral costs and other unexpected expenses following his death.

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Authorities say the latest arrests mark a major turning point in the case, effectively wrapping up the active phase of the investigation as detectives shift focus toward preparing for a potential trial.

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Investigators have not released details about how the alleged plot unfolded or the specific roles each suspect may have played, citing the ongoing nature of the case.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

An Iranian man who was charged after allegedly attempting to enter the UK’s nuclear submarine base has been released from custody pending further inquiries, the Crown Office has confirmed.

Prosecutors have also decided there should be no proceedings against a Romanian woman who was also charged following the alleged incident.

The 34-year-old man and 31-year-old woman were arrested after Police Scotland was alerted to an alleged incident at HM Naval Base Clyde, known as Faslane, at about 5pm on Thursday.

The pair were due to appear before Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Monday.

In an update later in the day, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the man was “liberated from custody pending further inquiries and did not appear in court”.

The case remains “live and under consideration”.

And following “careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case” against the woman, COPFS has decided there “should be no proceedings”.

A COPFS spokesperson said: “The Procurator Fiscal received a report concerning a 34-year-old man in connection with an alleged incident on 19 March 2026.

“After full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, he was liberated from custody pending further inquiries and did not appear in court.

“The case against him remains live and under consideration.”

COPFS said it also received a report relating to the woman.

The spokesperson added: “After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, the Procurator Fiscal decided that there should be no proceedings.

“The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future should further evidence become available.”

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Faslane, on the banks of Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, is the Royal Navy’s headquarters in Scotland and is home to Britain’s nuclear submarines, which includes the Vanguard vessels armed with Trident missiles.

A permanent peace camp has been based outside the site since 1982, with the country’s stock of nuclear warheads stored nearby at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) Coulport on Loch Long.

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Sky’s defence and security analyst Michael Clarke noted that HMNB Clyde is “the biggest military base in Scotland”, with around 6,000 to 7,000 people there, both civilians and military.

“Faslane is probably Britain’s most important single installation,” he added.

“We have seven attack submarines. And if they’re all out of maintenance, then this is where they operate from.”

Newly released video reveals the disturbing moment an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York City’s LaGuardia airport, killing both pilots on board. 

The video posted by FDNY Response Videos shows the jet careening down Runway 4 and slamming into a Port Authority fire truck as it was turning with its emergency lights on around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday. 

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The emergency vehicle subsequently flips several times as the plane appears to lose control on the rain-soaked runway. 

In an air traffic control audio clip recorded just moments before the crash, a controller appears to give clearance for the fire truck to cross the tarmac before frantically asking the driver to stop the vehicle.

LAGUARDIA PLANE CRASH AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO REVEALS FRANTIC CALL FOR TRUCK TO ‘STOP, STOP, STOP’

“Stop, truck one. Stop,” the transmission said. “Frontier 4195, stop there please. Stop, stop, stop, stop.” 

The aircraft then strikes the fire truck, ripping the nose off the plane.

At the time of the collision, the jet was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, according to officials. 

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Both pilots aboard the CRJ-900 aircraft were killed in the collision, though their identities have not yet been made public.

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Dozens of passengers aboard the plane were also hurt in the crash, and at least two Port Authority firefighters in the truck also suffered “serious injuries,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

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A Port Authority spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle was responding to a separate incident as the aircraft was landing on Runway 4 at LaGuardia.

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Jack Cabot, a passenger aboard the flight, described many of the passengers as bleeding from their heads.

“I remember looking behind me after we got off and there was some guy with just blood coming off his face,” he said. “A lot of people got pretty hurt.”

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By 2 p.m. Monday, officials announced LaGuardia airport had reopened, adding travelers should expect delays or flight cancellations from their airlines as officials work to resume normal operations. 

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“LaGuardia Airport is now open, expect delays and/or cancellations,” airport officials posted on X. “Plan ahead and check with your airline for the latest updates.”