EXCLUSIVE — A new website will be serving as a home for non-woke college newspapers across the country in the style of Drudge Report.
The Collegiate Network, a program from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) that provides grants to student-led publications combating liberal groupthink, has launched an aggregate platform that will highlight stories and reporting on college campuses.
“More than anything, we want these students to be in pursuit of the truth with no ideological bias,” Collegiate Network executive editor Marlo Slayback told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We’re trying to train these students to be trustworthy and reliable fixtures in newsrooms that are relied upon by the public to accurately and honestly report on what’s happening, not just at their campus, but hopefully one day outside the campus bubble.”
Founded in 1953, ISI’s stated mission is to promote “conservative thought and the Western tradition” on college campuses. Grants provided to the student-run newspapers go towards operational expenses like cameras, printers and costly materials for physical copies.
Collegiate Network is the school newspaper program from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which promotes “conservative thought and the Western tradition” on college campuses.(Sarah Culver)
Over the decades, the Collegiate Network has backed over 90 publications at some of the nation’s most elite universities, including The Cornell Review, University of Chicago’s The Harper Review, Harvard University’s The Yard Report, Columbia University’s The Sundial and The Stanford Review. The network fosters complete editorial independence among its papers.
The website, Slayback said, will elevate underrepresented voices and reporting that restores the basic tenets of journalism in the hopes that students will carry with them in the professional world.
Collegiate Network executive editor Marlo Slayback told Fox News Digital its new website will promote the work of student journalists who feel underrepresented on their campuses.(Sarah Culver)
The initiative hits close to home for Slayback, who was a student journalist at the University of Pittsburgh and worked as an education reporter for The Daily Caller before joining ISI.
“We’re taking the work that they’re doing and showcasing it in a way that gives them national visibility. And that’s all in pursuit of kind of building out a talent pipeline,” Slayback said. “Success means more young journalists are feeling confident that their work matters and that their voices, especially those that aren’t always amplified, have a real audience.“
More than 90 college newspapers around the country are part of the Collegiate Network.(Sarah Culver)
There has been a reckoning at universities in recent years, specifically regarding their implementation of DEI practices and how they address the increase in antisemitism on campuses.
“There’s a growing demand for insight into what’s happening on college campuses, but I think there’s also recognition that not all perspectives are equally visible, and I think this platform addresses both those gaps,” Slayback said. “So it does provide that real reporting from students on the ground, and it ensures that viewpoints, particularly conservative ones, the ones that might otherwise be overlooked as part of the national conversation, that those are prominently featured.”
The health of Nobel Peace Prize winner Nargis Mohammadi, who is in jail in Iran, has suddenly deteriorated. After this he was immediately admitted to a hospital in Zanjan city of north-western Iran. This information was given by his foundation.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Nargis Mohammadi, who was in jail in Iran, suddenly got seriously ill. Due to this, he was hurriedly admitted to a hospital in north-western Iran. His foundation gave this information on Friday.
According to the Nargis Mohammadi Foundation, the Nobel laureate suffered fainting spells twice and a serious heart problem. The foundation said Mohammadi had fainted twice in the prison in Zanjan city on Friday. His lawyers told him after meeting with him in late March that he had possibly suffered a heart attack. At that time she was looking weak and was taking help from the nurse to walk.
Allegation of negligence in treatment
The foundation said Mohammadi was not given proper treatment for 140 days after his arrest on December 12. According to the foundation, jail doctors had already advised that Nargis could not be treated in jail. Doctors had asked him to be treated by a specialist team in Tehran.
The family had demanded several times for better treatment.
Mohammadi’s family had advocated for weeks for him to be sent to a hospital to provide better treatment. Quoting the family, the Foundation said that his admission to a hospital in Janjan on Friday seems to be a very late decision and a last-minute step.
My health had deteriorated earlier also
On March 24, Mohammadi’s fellow prisoners found him unconscious. He told this in the meeting with his lawyers a few days later. During a subsequent examination at the prison clinic, a doctor told him that he had probably suffered a heart attack. Since then he was suffering from chest pain and difficulty in breathing.
The jail administration had refused to admit him to the hospital.
His legal representative in France said at the time that Mohammadi had been denied hospitalization and access to his cardiologist. A prison official was present during the brief meeting with Mohammadi’s lawyers.
Nobel laureate’s sentence extended by seven years
Mohammadi, 53, who became the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate while in prison, was arrested in December during a visit to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad. He was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison. Before her arrest on December 12, Mohammadi was already serving a sentence of 13 years and nine months on charges of conspiracy against state security and propaganda against the government of Iran. However, due to medical concerns he was released on parole from the end of 2024.
Prosecutors in Florida said Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of dozens of sloths from South America that were set to be displayed at a controversial new theme park.
A Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) report revealed last week that 31 mammals taken from rainforests in Peru and Guyana by the owners of Sloth World, a forthcoming tourist attraction in Orlando, perished in an unheated warehouse between December 2024 and February 2025.
The Central Florida Zoo posted on Facebook on Wednesday that one of 13 other sloths since rescued from the warehouse in poor health, and named by its owners Bandit, had been euthanized. Meanwhile, the theme park’s proprietor has reportedly filed for bankruptcy and abandoned plans to open for business.
On Friday, James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said in a post on X that prosecutors from his office were assisting counterparts from the state’s ninth circuit in an “ongoing criminal investigation” into the animals’ deaths and the circumstances of their seizure from their natural habitat.
“Our office in unwavering in its commitment to pursuing justice on behalf of those who are unable to protect themselves,” Uthmeier wrote in a letter to Democratic state representative Anna Eskamani, who a day earlier had demanded an investigation.
“We will ensure accountability wherever the evidence requires.”
Uthmeier said state prosecutors would usually only otherwise become involved in an animal welfare investigation if there was “evidence of a pattern of racketeering activity”. Prosecutorial authority, he said, remained with Monique Worrell, state attorney for the ninth circuit.
Worrell did not immediately return a request for comment.
Eskamani, who is running to become mayor of Orlando, questioned in a letter to Uthmeier on Wednesday why the state had granted permits for the animals to be imported, and how the self-styled “slotharium” was given approval to open.
“The loss of dozens of animals under preventable conditions demands accountability,” she wrote. “These reports raise not only questions of individual responsibility, but also broader concerns about regulatory oversight and enforcement.”
In an email to the Guardian on Thursday, a spokesperson for the FWC said permit holders were required to maintain detailed records of animals in their care, but had no responsibility to report fatalities.
The deaths only came to light after an unannounced visit by FWC officials in August 2025 to the warehouse, during which Sloth World’s then-owner Peter Bandre told inspectors that 21 two-toed sloths from Guyana were victims of a “cold stun” after temporary heaters failed.
Ten more sloths came in a shipment from Peru, Bandre said, with two dead on arrival and eight others succumbing to “poor health issues” after appearing emaciated.
Bandre subsequently parted company with Sloth World, and his former business partner, Ben Agresta, the sole owner and president, did not respond to a request for comment sent through the park’s website, which was still online on Friday.
The FWC spokesperson said that Sloth World reported the import of 61 mammals between December 2024 and March 2026, which the theme park said it intended to put on display in a 7,500 sq ft building on International Drive, the heart of Orlando’s tourism district.
The commission said a veterinarian it consulted to look into the sloths’ deaths found several cases of systemic viral infections, evidence of neurological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disease, and evidence of immune suppression.
The necropsies did not definitively establish the primary cause of death or origin of infection, the spokesperson said. They added that all Sloth World facilities had closed, no sloths remain in any of the previously permitted facilities, and that FWC investigators were working with the owner to relinquish all permits.
On Monday, the Central Florida Zoo said it had taken in 13 sloths voluntarily surrendered by Sloth World. “Upon arrival, all of the animals were examined by our expert veterinary staff,” a statement said.
Bandit, one of the 13, was in especially poor health and showing signs of severe lethargy, dehydration, nutritional imbalances and gastrointestinal complications. Richard Glover, the zoo’s chief executive, said staff were “heartbroken” at the sloth’s death.
“Our team did everything possible to give him the best chance at survival and ensure he was comfortable in his final days,” he said in a separate statement posted Thursday on the zoo’s website.
He said the 12 other sloths were in stable condition, he said.
Jonathan Morris, general counsel for captive animal law enforcement for People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (Peta), urged Uthmeier to hold Sloth World to the fullest extent of the law.
“These sloths were snatched from their rainforest homes and endured a terrifying journey thousands of miles away before being left to die in a barren warehouse,” he said in a statement.
“Wild animals are not props for roadside attractions, and Peta is calling on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to hold Bandre and Agresta accountable for their actions and ensure that they never own animals again.”
Six transgender Idaho residents have filed a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s new bathroom law, which makes it a crime to enter a bathroom designated for the opposite sex, arguing the measure is unconstitutional, discriminatory and too vague to enforce.
The complaint, filed in federal court Thursday, alleges House Bill 752 would expose transgender residents to “violence, harassment, and psychological harm” and could subject them to criminal penalties for using public restrooms that “align with their gender identity.”
“I’ve been enjoying life as a man and using the men’s restrooms hasn’t been a big deal,” Diego Fable, one of the plaintiffs, said in a press release. “But this law would force me to use the women’s facilities, and doing so would only invite suspicion, questions, and raised eyebrows… The only safe option truly available is to just stay home — or leave the state entirely, leaving my treasured friends and community behind.”
HB 752 passed the Legislature in March and was signed by Gov. Brad Little on April 1. It is set to take effect July 1. The law would make it a misdemeanor offense to “knowingly and willfully” enter a restroom or changing room designated for the opposite sex.
A protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty waves a transgender pride flag outside the Supreme Court in Washington as it hears arguments on Jan. 13, 2026.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
A first offense is punishable by up to one year in jail. A second offense within five years could bring a felony charge and up to five years in prison.
The bill includes 10 exceptions, including for law enforcement, custodial workers, emergency responders, people providing medical aid and those assisting a family member of the opposite sex. It also includes an exception for someone in “dire need” of a restroom.
Supporters say the law is meant to protect privacy and safety in sex-separated spaces.
“Private spaces such as restrooms, changing areas and showers are sex-separated for a reason,” said Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene, who sponsored the bill. “Individuals in these vulnerable settings have a reasonable expectation of privacy and security.”
Boise City Hall took its Pride flag down in March after the Idaho Legislature passed a law that bans the flag at government offices.(Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The six residents, represented by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, argue the law violates their rights under the 14th Amendment and are asking a judge to block it before it takes effect in July.
They also say the law is unusually broad because it applies not only to government buildings but also to businesses open to the public.
“It creates confusion, increases suspicion and surveillance, and disrupts the status quo ante without any demonstrated need to do so,” the complaint says. “The law will not make restrooms in Idaho safer.”
Nineteen states have laws restricting bathroom or changing-room use in certain settings, such as schools, based on biological sex. However, the Idaho law’s application to private businesses open to the public makes it one of the strictest in the nation, according to the Associated Press.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador and 43 county prosecuting attorneys are named as defendants in the complaint.
Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador speaks to members of the media outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.(Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Labrador’s office gave Fox News Digital the following statement:
“Idaho has the right to set its own policies on public safety and privacy. The legislature passed this law, the governor signed it, and our office will defend it. Courts have already upheld Idaho’s authority to maintain sex-specific spaces and we expect the same result here.”
Kristine Parks is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Read more.
Trump says the Iranian offer sent via Pakistan contains terms he’s not satisfied with.
Published On 1 May 20261 May 2026
Donald Trump has said that he is “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal to end the war which has killed thousands and triggered a global energy crisis.
Speaking to the media on Friday, the US president said he was uncertain whether a deal with Iran would be reached, warning that he would “blast them away” if negotiations failed.
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“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said, as a ceasefire in the conflict continued for a third week.
The president added that he would prefer to reach an agreement that prevents a return to war, but threatened that a resumption of the conflict might be necessary.
“They’re asking for things I can’t agree to,” Trump said.
Stalled talks
Negotiations to end the war have been stalled for weeks. Talks in Islamabad, which began on April 11 and lasted for more than 21 hours, failed to produce even a basic framework for further discussions.
A ceasefire has been in place since April 8, freezing hostilities that began on February 28 after the US-Israeli attack on Iran. The pause has temporarily eased fears of a deepening conflict that could have catastrophic consequences for the region and beyond.
The international community remains eager for a deal that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz – through which 20 percent of the world’s shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas usually flow.
An Iranian diplomatic source told Al Jazeera that their country’s government submitted a new proposal to Pakistani mediators on Thursday.
A Pakistani official told Reuters that it had received Tehran’s latest peace proposal, which had been forwarded to the United States.
While the contents of the proposal have not been disclosed, Trump said it included terms he could not agree to.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is open to diplomacy if Washington alters what he described as its “threatening rhetoric” and “expansionist approach”.
Iran has repeatedly warned that it is prepared for the war to resume, threatening to strike US interests in the region and energy infrastructure.
‘Both sides want to save face’
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sultan Barakat, senior professor in public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, said both Iran and the US are eager to end the conflict, but in a way that does not make them appear weak.
“Both sides are really desperate to bring an end to this war in a way that allows them to save face,” he said.
Trump imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13 in a bid to pressure Tehran into returning to negotiations and accepting Washington’s terms.
Barakat said Tehran’s decision not to attack US warships involved in the blockade underscores Iran’s desire to reach a deal.
“They didn’t try to force their way across that blockade,” he said, but instead sought “alternative routes through Pakistan and elsewhere”.
Trump has repeatedly said that any deal with Iran must guarantee it will not pursue a nuclear weapon. Tehran, for its part, has denied plans to weaponise its nuclear programme, insisting it is solely for civilian purposes.
A heated exchange broke out Thursday on “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip” as commentator Scott Jennings and panelist Adam Mockler clashed during a discussion on U.S. foreign policy.
The confrontation escalated midway through the segment as the debate turned personal and visibly tense, prompting a sharp reaction from Jennings as Mockler gestured toward him.
“Get your f—ing hand out of my face,” Jennings said.
The exchange followed a broader disagreement over U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, where panelists debated the long-term costs and strategic outcomes of military engagement.
Scott Jennings and Adam Mockler clashed during a heated CNN panel discussion on U.S. foreign policy.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“We all know that Scott Jennings is more than happy to defend a war with a country that starts with letters I-r-a that we are currently failing, that is going to put us trillions and trillions of dollars more in debt,” Mockler said.
“I was only a few years old while you were in the administration defending prior endless wars,” he added.
Jennings pushed back forcefully, rejecting Mockler’s framing and escalating the tone of the exchange as the conversation turned more confrontational.
Mockler repeatedly pressed Jennings on the cost of the war and the lack of political concessions during the debate.(Screenshot/CNN)
Following the broadcast, Mockler addressed the exchange on X, disputing Jennings’ characterization of the moment and defending his conduct during the segment.
“Scott Jennings claimed I got in his face; Watch what actually happened in the full CNN segment,” Mockler said.
“He throws a personal jab… then folds the second he gets pressed. Scott loves to dish it but can’t take it.”
The exchange continued as the panel descended into overlapping arguments about the effectiveness and legality of the ongoing conflict in Iran, with Mockler pressing Jennings on what he argued was a lack of measurable success.
“Can you name a single political concession we’ve gotten from them? Anything at all?” Mockler said.
Jennings responded by outlining what he described as the central objective of the U.S. strategy, emphasizing a long-term goal rather than immediate concessions.
“We have a very simple goal to keep terrorists and a terrorist regime from having a nuclear weapon that can threaten the United States, our interests in the region, our allies in Europe,” he said.
Mockler repeatedly interrupted to challenge that framing, arguing that the lack of tangible outcomes undermined the justification for continued engagement.
“You can’t answer the question,” Mockler said.
Jennings fired back as the exchange became increasingly personal, dismissing Mockler’s argument and questioning his credibility in the debate.
“You have the attention span of a gnat,” Jennings said.
Mockler continued to challenge Jennings’ argument while Jennings reiterated that the strategic objective remained preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities.
CJ Womack is an associate editor at Fox News.
CJ joined Fox News Digital’s team in 2026, which highlights the vital role journalism plays in shaping politics and culture. He has years of experience analyzing and reporting on the news media.
CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism.
Story tips can be sent to cj.womack@fox.com, and you can follow on Twitter.
Andy Burnham has a credible plan to return to Westminster “within weeks”, his allies have said, with the Greater Manchester mayor expected to use a byelection fight to set out a new agenda for government.
In a sign that his campaign is more progressed than previously thought, Burnham’s team is understood to have lined up an “impressive” candidate to replace him as Greater Manchester mayor.
Allies said he planned to outline a “radical rewiring” of the state in the coming weeks – including sweeping changes to the electoral system and a 10-year growth plan – after a potentially devastating set of elections on 7 May that could end Keir Starmer’s premiership.
After a fortnight that left Starmer fighting for his political future over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, the number of MPs backing Burnham is understood to have grown to far more than the 80 required to challenge the prime minister.
However, his supporters said they hoped to avoid a formal leadership challenge and to engineer a process where Starmer would set out a timetable to stand down soon after next week’s votes for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and councils across England.
MPs have discussed the possibility of Burnham offering Starmer the chance to stay on as foreign secretary and continue work on the Iran war and Ukraine. Ed Miliband and Angela Rayner, another leadership rival, are expected to be offered top jobs in a Burnham government.
Burnham, who has made a series of policy speeches at ideologically aligned thinktanks in recent weeks, is said to be preparing an explicit programme for government that would be announced at a prospective parliamentary byelection campaign. Several possible seats have been identified in Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
Pledges backed by Burnham, a former health secretary, include introducing proportional representation across the UK, a 10-year plan for local services and an overhaul of inheritance tax to pay for the social care system.
It is understood that an “impressive” candidate, who is not a sitting MP, has been lined up to contest the mayoral election that would be triggered if he is allowed to stand for a parliamentary seat.
Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester city council, is seen as the frontrunner and has not ruled herself out of a contest. Craig declined to comment when contacted by the Guardian.
Backers of other potential leadership challengers – Wes Streeting and Rayner – are both said to have 80 MPs willing to back their candidates for an immediate challenge to Starmer.
But Burnham supporters said they hoped to convince the prime minister of the need for a more stable transition – rather than a bloody leadership contest – which would give the man dubbed “the king of the north” time to return.
“There are very strong possibilities of this happening within weeks but certainly months and over the summer,” one Burnham ally said.
Starmer is highly unlikely to play any part in facilitating Burnham’s return, and the two are not on good terms. Members of Labour’s national executive committee – which blocked Burnham from standing in Gorton and Denton – told the Guardian there was no route for the mayor through that committee.
Some allies of Burnham are believed to have been attempting to convince union general secretaries to change their views, with Unison the key target. Others, such as GMB, have ruled out supporting Burnham because of his closeness with Miliband, who is at odds with the union over oil and gas licences.
One Burnham ally said: “He’s just so obviously the person best placed to turn the Labour party around.
“He has popularity in terms of polling, in terms of personality and a plan – that will become more evident the other side of 7 May, when there will be more depth about how do you replicate and scale Manchesterism across the country. There will be a broader policy plan that will come out the other side [of the elections].”
But one MP backing Burnham said there was a lack of coordination between the disparate groups who might back him, including impatient modernisers and “red wall” or Blue Labour MPs.
“Andy’s big potential lies in the coalitions he can build,” another MP said. “His test will be whether he can build beyond a core of [the soft-left] Tribune group, who really don’t want Angela [Rayner].
“That kind of coalescing is what we need to show we’re different from the Tories, we don’t descend into months of bloodletting and chaos.”
One MP on the right of the party said: “I could get behind Andy but I need to know from him why someone like me should back him.”
Elections to the national executive committee, which some in Westminster have speculated could move things in Burnham’s favour, will not take effect until after Labour conference in the autumn and are unlikely to upset the balance significantly.
New polling suggests that just one in 10 voters believe Starmer should stay as prime minister after the May elections, if predictions are right that the party will lose more than 1,850 councillors – 75% of the seats it is defending.
The polling from Portland found Burnham was seen as the politician most likely to be “strong and decisive”, competent at getting things done and genuinely understanding the lives of ordinary people.
But the poll found people favoured Starmer as the politician with a more clear vision of the country and someone honest about trade-offs. The scores for each politician, however, were extremely low compared to the numbers polled who picked “none”.
The 2026 WNBA season tips off next month, marking the league’s 30th year and ushering in historic paydays for players under a new collective bargaining agreement.
Portland and Toronto will each add an expansion team in 2026. Ahead of the milestone season, ESPN ranked the league’s top 50 players entering the season. Back-to-back MVP and defending WNBA champion A’ja Wilson led the list at No. 1. She was also ESPN’s top-ranked player entering 2025.
Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young rounded out ESPN’s top five. Caitlin Clark, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, was ranked No. 10.
A basketball featuring the WNBA logo is seen during warmups between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash., on June 20, 2023.(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Clark was ranked behind last season’s Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, as well as Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum.
A string of injuries sidelined Clark in 2025, limiting the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader to 13 games in her second WNBA season. The injury woes last year included a groin strain followed by an ankle bone bruise.
ESPN highlighted Clark’s breakout rookie season as the foundation for her rapid rise.
“Clark received the fourth-most MVP votes as a rookie while setting a single-season league record for assists and posting the second-most 3-point field goals in a season. She became one of the league’s best passers and long-range shooters the moment she stepped onto a WNBA court, and was just getting started when she was named Rookie of the Year and first-team all-WNBA in 2024. Injuries limited her to only 13 games in 2025, but she was still named an All-Star.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark dribbles the ball against the Los Angeles Sparks in the second half of a WNBA game in Indianapolis on Sept. 4, 2024.(Michael Conroy/AP)
The rankings sparked strong reactions from fans
“There aren’t 9 players better then CC,” one fan wrote on X.
“Paige Bueckers, Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, Alisha Gray even Alyssa Thomas are not above CC,” another person pointed out. “What is this nonsense?”
“I love Paige, but how is she ahead of CC after one yr? Caitlin’s rookie year was better than hers if we’re going based off one season. Literally none of the four players ahead of CC make any sense,” a different X user noted.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark walks onto the floor before a game against the Phoenix Mercury at PHX Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on Sept. 2, 2025.(Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
Another fan took a more measured approach noting, “Coming off an injury riddled season this is fair.”
The New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream lead the pack with six players each, while the Aces, Chicago Sky and Los Angeles Sparks follow with five apiece. Rookies were considered in the rankings.
Clark went down early in the third quarter after a collision with a Dallas Wings player but avoided a serious injury. She limped to the bench and appeared to walk it off during a replay review that resulted in a Flagrant 1. Clark then made two free throws before watching the rest of the game from the sideline.
Clark finished with 21 points and quickly dismissed any concern about the injury.
“I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard,” she told reporters. “I know there’s a committee of people that really wanted them [the refs] to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it’s preseason, so you’re probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it’s going to improve the product.”
When the eyes of Westminster were on the committee rooms and voting lobbies of parliament this week, Keir Starmer’s political future was being decided elsewhere.
Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner were buttering up Labour MPs in the Strangers’ Bar in parliament as colleagues spoke of their “existential” fear about the crucial elections next week.
Starmer, meanwhile, tried to calm backbenchers’ nerves as he did the rounds in the members-only smoking room and his private office behind the Commons chamber. One former minister said the mood was so dark that several MPs refused to meet the leader, saying: “We don’t want to be seen with him.”
Andy Burnham was 800 miles away in Madrid as Starmer’s future dominated Westminster. But allies of the Greater Manchester mayor were ramping up his leadership campaign and said his return to parliament – and become the next prime minster – could happen “within weeks”.
Burnham has been quietly preparing his manifesto. Those close to the mayor said he would launch an explicit programme for government when he fights his eventual parliamentary byelection campaign, with several possible seats identified in Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
Pledges would include sweeping reforms to the electoral system – backing the introduction of proportional representation across the UK – as well as a decade-long vision to transform local services, higher defence spending and an overhaul of inheritance tax to pay for Britain’s creaking social care system.
‘We don’t want to be seen with him’ … some MPs have not been willing to meet Keir Starmer, according to a former minister. Photograph: Jack Taylor/PA
Sources close to Burnham told the Guardian he had identified more than one seat that could become available soon after the 7 May elections – and that an “impressive” candidate was lined up to replace him as Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor.
It is understood this candidate is not a sitting MP but is believed to have the pedigree to win a high-stakes mayoral election against Reform UK.
Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester city council, is tipped for the candidacyand is understood not to have ruled herself out. She declined to comment.
“We could get a very good candidate over the line in Greater Manchester. Andy feels confident that can happen,” said one Burnham ally. “There are very strong possibilities of this happening within weeks, but certainly months and over the summer.”
Starmer’s team suggested this week that any attempted Westminster return would be fiercely resisted. Those close to the prime minister have said the prospect of losing the mayoralty is a risk not worth taking – though it is possible that changes to the electoral system in the forthcoming elections bill would give Labour a better chance against Reform in a more proportional voting system.
Some allies of Burnham are believed to have been attempting to convince union general secretaries to change their views, with Unison the key target. Others, like GMB, have ruled out supporting Burnham because of his closeness with Ed Miliband, who is at odds with the union over oil and gas licences.
“It would only happen if Keir effectively gave up and said: ‘OK, we’ll let Andy in so I can step down,’” one said. The chances of that happening, according to those close to Starmer, is close to zero.
Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester city council, who has been tipped to replace Burnham as Greater Manchester mayor. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
Yet a growing number of Labour MPs believe this position to be completely unsustainable after a fortnight of damaging headlines over Peter Mandelson and the battering many expect in elections across England, Wales and Scotland next week.
Several MPs involved in persuading their colleagues said they believed, with the right numbers, that Burnham would be in place by the autumn.
Some have raised the possibility of Burnham – or another candidate – appointing Starmer as foreign secretary in the next phase to demonstrate consensus.
That would be a highly unlikely outcome, given Starmer’s anger at moves to oust him, and particularly at Burnham’s conduct. “It would allow him to build on his legacy on Iran, on Ukraine, Europe,” one supportive MP said.
The plan, which is said to have the support of some cabinet ministers, would be to issue a statement calling for Starmer to prepare for an orderly departure. MPs expect at least 100 MPs to endorse that after 8 May. “We need to avoid a major internal Labour party row as far as we possibly can, and present it as a fait accompli,” said one MP, optimistically.
“The reason this feels different is because it’s not factional,” one frontbencher said. “It’s not soft left, or SCG [Corbynites] – it’s actually lots of people now coming to make the same point to No 10 that, on 8 May, he needs to set out a timetable to go.”
Another said: “Andy’s standing among Labour MPs is extremely strong. There is a clear view that bringing him into our Westminster team would boost our chances of defeating Reform and preventing Nigel Farage from entering Downing Street at the next election. There is no doubt that he would be able to secure the 80 MPs required in the event of a leadership election.”
They said Starmer had a “great legacy” and had brought the party back together after the fractious Jeremy Corbyn years: “He’s got the chance now to bring the party back together again with a graceful exit.”
“Before you broke that story, people were saying it would be difficult for Burnham to come back and that Keir would have until at least Christmas. But that [story] was the straw that broke the camel’s back: now it’s impossible to defend what we’ve seen,” said one MP.
They added: “It feels unanimous now that Burnham is the only game in town with the ability to save their seats, even among people you might have thought would be aligned to other candidates.”
Burnham is courting support from the new intake of Labour MPs, seen here with Miatta Fahnbulleh and the Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
There is significant support for Burnham growing among new intake MPs – but also among the centrist wing of the party. “We’ve spent the last nine months trying to see if something else works – including Keir – and it doesn’t,” said one frontbencher. “This is it – this is the plan. No other plan comes close.”
The soft-left Tribune group of MPs, led by several former ministers including Louise Haigh and Justin Madders, is expected to set out its own call for a change in direction post-May elections.
But MPs who are coordinating the statement demanding an orderly transition say this is a separate endeavour – and reaches all wings of the party. It is also separate to plans to potentially challenge Starmer directly, which would probably shut out Burnham from the contest.
“I don’t want the process to damage us,” one MP said. “I want it to be consensual. He must know things have to change. And, because I support Andy, obviously I think that process should give him a chance to serve then.”
MPs said Burnham had been making considerable effort to meet new MPs – including campaigning in London last week alongside ministers such as Ellie Reeves and Miatta Fahnbulleh.
The more sceptical MPs, some said, were the old guard who had served with Burnham in government. “He only knows about 100 MPs in this parliament and most of them aren’t backing him,” one sceptical minister said.
Nine years after he left Westminster, having served in the cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Burnham could be on the brink of a dramatic return. His team said it was now a matter of “political will” among MPs to bring him back.
“The will that he’s got to be allowed to contest stuff is building and at the same time [Starmer’s] position is weakening,” said one source close to Burnham. “MPs are very despondent, they’re very demoralised. They want an answer to the problems of the existential crisis the party’s facing.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ramping up efforts to crack down on food stamp fraud nationwide, targeting what officials say is a loophole allowing some wealthy individuals to qualify for government benefits.
Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X this week that a single state has 14,000 individuals on SNAP benefits who also drive luxury vehicles like Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis.
She warned fraudsters the USDA is working to close a loophole under the Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility policy used to qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits despite having the financial means to purchase cars for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Rollins told Fox Business this week that the department is “getting very, very close to being able to fix that” loophole.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins says changes are coming to the food stamps program.(Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters/iStock)
SNAP, the largest federal anti-hunger program in the United States, has long been a target of conservatives pushing for reforms, and Rollins spoke to “The Ingraham Angle” on Thursday night to shed light on just how widespread some of the issues are.
“We’ve found 500,000 people getting more than one benefit illegally, we found 244,000 dead people — this is just the red states,” Rollins said about what she’s discovered going through the data from the states that have agreed to provide it since her first day on the job.
“We have arrested 895 different people in the last year for illegally using the food stamp system and, of course, now we’re talking about what is happening with that money,” she added.
USDA data shows 4.2 million fewer food stamp recipients during President Trump’s first year in office as the administration continues to crack down amid reports from all across the country that food stamps are being misused.
A We Accept Food Stamps sign hangs in the window of a grocery store in Miami, Fla., on Oct. 31, 2025.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“Food stamp waste and fraud is out of control,” Republican congressional candidate in Orange County and CAL DOGE Director Jenny Rae Le Roux told Fox News Digital. “California alone loses nearly $14M every day from SNAP to EBT skimming, out of state and country beneficiaries, and eligibility lapses – at a time when technology exists to close every gap, quickly.”
In March, Fox News Digital reported on a Minnesota man, Rob Undersander, who said that despite being a millionaire, he was able to qualify for food stamps. Undersander has been sounding the alarm on the issue ever since and has testified on the issue in Minnesota and before Congress.
“Reintroducing basic guardrails like an asset test is a common-sense step to restore integrity, ensure benefits go to those who truly need them and protect the long-term viability of the program,” America First Policy Institute Health & Harvest Campaign Director Matt Schmid said in March. “This isn’t about taking help away. It’s about making sure SNAP works the way it was intended to.”
Additionally, USDA issued a press release on Thursday outlining the “reorganization” plan Rollins has within the SNAP program, which includes moving the food nutrition resources and staff out of Washington, D.C. to other cities like Indianapolis, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City.
A USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday the announcement “aligns with the Food and Nutrition Administration’s mission, to nourish those in need through financially sound programs that promote health and work, as well as champion the productivity of American agriculture.”
“As the Food and Nutrition Administration begins its refocusing of operations, all 16 federal nutrition programs will continue without disruption. Pertaining to Indianapolis, it has a lower cost of living, one of the top airports in the country, and has excelled at innovative program delivery.”
Ultimately, the administration says the reforms will end up helping the people who depend on the assistance the most.
“Since its inception, SNAP has helped our most vulnerable citizens afford the essential and nutritious food they need,” Rollins and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a Fox News op-ed in March. “At least, that is what the program is supposed to do.”
“Over time, however, SNAP has been taken advantage of, allowing many to game the system and leaving millions of vulnerable Americans without healthy, nutrient-dense food options.”
Fox News Digital’s Katelyn Caralle contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
