Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) is considering rejoining the Democratic Party and jumping into the presidential race, according to several reports.
Fox News’s Bret Baier reported that Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May and registered as an independent, is “considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat into the ring for President.”
Manchin has been described as being a moderate Democrat.
Baier added that CNN anchor Jake Tapper had been the first to report the news.
In a post on X, Tapper wrote that “sources close to” Manchin had revealed the senator is “considering re-registering” with the Democratic Party.
News that Manchin is considering rejoining the Democratic Party comes hours after President Joe Biden revealed that he was withdrawing from the presidential election. Biden went on to offer his “full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Since Biden’s announcement that he would not be seeking reelection, several Democrats such as former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) have issued statements of support for Harris to be the party’s nominee.
Manchin has previously considered launching a third-party run for president. In February, Manchin put months of speculation as to whether he was launching a run for president to rest.
Meghan Markle’s impending lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard has been dealt a fresh blow after its trademark application had been refused.
The Duchess of Sussex’s application was rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), who warned that businesses cannot trademark geographical locations, The Telegraph reports.
American Riviera is a sweet nod to Santa Barbara, Calif., where Markle resides with her husband Prince Harry and their two children.
Meghan Markle’s impending lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard has been dealt a fresh blow after its trademark application had been refused. ZUMAPRESS.com
The USPTO said on Saturday the addition of the word Orchard “does not diminish the primarily geographical descriptiveness of the applied for mark.”
It added that since there is a location mentioned in the brand’s name, “a public association of the goods and services with the place is presumed.”
Markle’s team considers the pushback “routine and expected” when filing for trademarks. It expects to respond in due course, The Post hears.
The government agency also warned that the “Suits” alum’s product descriptions could fit into multiple trademark categories, the outlet adds.
American Riviera is a sweet nod to Santa Barbara, Calif., where Markle resides with her husband Prince Harry and their two children. Netflix
The document also included screenshots of another Santa Barbara-based company using the term “American Riviera” to sell a candle, proving that the nickname is widely associated with the area.
However, that evidence was deemed not enough, as the USPTO said the purpose of such rulings is “to leave geographic names free for all businesses operating in the same area to inform customers where their goods or services originate.”
“Furthermore, the purchasing public would be likely to believe that the goods and services originate in the geographic place identified in the mark because the attached evidence shows that applicant’s founder, ie, Meghan Markle, resides in the geographic place identified in the mark,” it added, per the outlet.
While products from her brand are not available for purchase yet, Markle sent out jars of strawberry jam to an exclusive group of celebs in April. Instagram/nachofigueras
The former actress, 43, now has three months to address the response made by the USPTO, or risks having her application dropped.
She must also pay an additional $700 to move forward with the trademark filing.
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The mom of two unveiled her new business venture in March, teasing its impending launch. But six months later, there’s still no release date or information about the products that customers can expect to be up for sale.
While products from her brand are not available for purchase yet, Markle sent out jars of strawberry jam to an exclusive group of celebs in April, prompting a “strong start” to the company’s rollout.
The former actress, 43, now has three months to address the response made by the USPTO, or risks having her application dropped. Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds
Since then, the mom of two has sent dog biscuits to her celeb pals and has teased a future rosé wine range.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Markle could be looking to make a whopping seven-figure sum within the first year of launching the brand.
There’s a new doctor in the house for those needing immediate care — and CityMD may need to watch its back.
NYU Langone Health on Tuesday launched a new walk-in service at two recently opened clinics to help connect patients with primary care physicians in its system, the hospital giant announced.
The “Care on Demand” program provides a new and appointment-free way for New Yorkers to “procure the full spectrum of top-ranked clinical specialists available at one of our more than 300 locations,” NYU Langone CEO Robert Grossman said.
NYU Langone Health opened two “care on demand” clinics in Manhattan. Matthew McDermott
NYU Langone opened a primary care facility on Aug. 19 on Hudson Street in the West Village and another a week later near East 83rd Street on the Upper East Side.
On-site clinicians can also treat maladies that include allergy and asthma symptoms, gastrointestinal issues and viral illnesses such as influenza and COVID-19.
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The new clinics differ from urgent care centers like CityMD, which are used to treat non-life-threatening medical problems that require prompt attention when a primary care doctor is unavailable.
The primary care centers, meanwhile, are best for routine check-ups, managing chronic conditions and preventive care such as cancer screenings and vaccinations.
One walk-in clinic is on the Upper East Side and the other is in the West Village. The above image shows NYU Langone’s main medical campus along 1st Avenue between 30th and 34th Street. Matthew McDermott
The concept “offers not only convenient care, but continuity of care all across our entire network,” said Andrew Brotman, NYU Langone’s chief clinical officer.
“This includes access to the NYU Langone Health app, and the NYU Langone Health MyChart patient portal, which connects each patient with Virtual Urgent care, telemedicine appointments, lab results and easy communication with their providers.”
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, (D-Mich.) will be targeted by two ads in a Michigan Senate race that has tightened up. She faces Republican Mike Rogers in November.
AP
Republicans are hammering Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin on immigration — attempting to tie her to the Biden Harris open border policies in two new ads released Wednesday.
Both ads target Slotkin, a three-term congresswoman, for positions that have supported while serving in the House.
One ad features Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy, and approaches illegal immigration from a law-and-order perspective. Last month, Murphy’s department hosted former President Donald Trump for a speech focusing on on crime and illegal immigration.
“As sheriff, I see every day how illegal immigration has affected Michigan,” Murphy said in the 30-second spot. “I hold Kamala Harris and Elissa Slotkin responsible.”
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy appeared in one of the ads targeting Slotkin. NRSC IE
Murphy continues: “Harris and Slotkin have opened our borders to illegals. And then they reward them with taxpayer-funded benefits. These liberal policies are a threat to families and taxpayers.”
The second spot focuses on illegal immigration from an economic perspective. It features mother-of-four Vanessa Holden, from Webberville — outside Lansing. Inflation has made daily life more expensive.
“Higher prices are costing us thousands more every year,” Holden says. “And while we pay more, Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin gave our money away to illegal immigrants.”
Both ads reference Slotkin’s March 2021 vote in favor of Biden’s Covid-19 stimulus package, the American Rescue Plan. The Michigan House delegation voted for the American Rescue Plan down party lines, with seven Republicans in favor and seven Democrats opposed. Both senators, Dems Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, also supported the bill.
Mom-of-four Vanessa Holden called out Slotkin for “higher prices” and inflation. NRSC IE
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“Elissa Slotkin and Kamala Harris seem to care more about helping illegal immigrants than helping Michiganders who are struggling with rising prices,” said Maggie Abboud, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Slotkin faces Republican ex congressman Mike Rogers in the November election.
The ad campaign is part of a $100 million Senate Republican effort to flip the upper chamber. While Slotkin has been leading in polls and holds a fundraising advantage, the race has tightened. Cook Political Report lists Slotkin-Rogers as a toss up, a change from lean-Democrat.
Some tourists are no longer seeking a relaxing vacation — but rather are on the hunt for serious adventure. More visitors are traveling to countries that the State Department advises against, for a variety of reasons, according to travel experts who shared insights with Fox News Digital.
In a trend known as dark tourism, “risk travelers” are visiting countries such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan today. Dark tourism involves travelers visiting the sites of natural disasters, mass murders or other events or situations in which something bad has happened.
One man in his 20s, Eli Snyder, from Kansas City, Missouri, backpacked through Afghanistan.
“I live for visiting places as dissimilar as possible from how I’ve grown up in suburban America outside of Kansas City,” he told Newsweek back in May.
“Sometimes this means visiting a dangerous place. But it remains true, as I’d much rather visit Pyongyang [the North Korean capital] than Winnipeg.”
Rob DelliBovi, CEO of RDB Hospitality Group and based in New York, told Fox News via email that he calls this trend “thematic travel.”
“A lot of people ‘collect’ experiences, and some are more sinister than others,” he said.
Eli Snyder backpacked through Pakistan and posted about the experience on social media. @snydexplores/Instagram
Eli Snyder visited Afghanistan despite the State Department listing it as a Level 4 “do not travel” area. @snydexplores/Instagram
“It can be compared to people who travel just to eat a great meal – only the other side of the coin emotionally.”
He added, “If they’re going to a place with a travel warning or a hurricane coming, etc., it’s also an added ‘thrill’ of being there and making it out,” he said.
DelliBovi said the Middle East definitely has the most volume in terms of visitors to dangerous areas — followed by Central America and then Africa.
A senior director at FocusPoint — a company for critical event management, specializing in providing emergency responses for individuals and organizations — told Fox News Digital there is a reason a country or region is designated as a “do not travel” area.
“What we often see [are] persons who purchase our membership and then visit a country that is a Level 3 (recommend against travel) — and then, during their stay, the country becomes a Level 4 (do not travel),” said the director.
The company does not sell travel insurance but provides travel risk memberships, both short-term and annual plans.
“Countries are assigned a Travel Advisory, Level 1-4,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“The levels of advice in our Travel Advisories are based on established risk indicators such as crime, terrorism, kidnapping or hostage taking, civil unrest, natural disasters, health, wrongful detention, and other potential risks.”
Afghanistan, Lebanon, Haiti, Iran and Bangladesh, among other countries, are listed as Level 4 “do not travel” areas.
The State Department warns the US government may have “very limited” resources to help evacuate a citizen if they get in a dangerous situation. AP
When asked about what dangerous countries Americans have been visiting, the spokesperson said, “US citizens are not required to register their travel to a foreign country with us, so we cannot track with fidelity how many US citizens are in any particular country.”
A FocusPoint international senior director said the government is not going to assist you” in most cases.
The director added, “Your government is not going to evacuate you under most circumstances.”
FocusPoint memberships do not cover in-country responses for persons who travel to a country where their home country’s government — or the Home Office of Canada and Britain, or the US State Department — provide “do not travel” guidance.
“During an emergency, the US government may have very limited ability to provide assistance,” said a State Department spokesperson.
“Conditions in any country may change at any time.”
A Chicago man who allegedly shot and killed four passengers at random as they were sleeping on a train on Monday has been charged.
Rhanni S. Davis, 30, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, Fox Chicago reported.
The four victims were sleeping on a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train around 5:30 a.m. when they were shot, authorities said.
Rhanni S. Davis, 30, of Chicago allegedly shot and killed four passengers sleeping on a Chicago-area train.
The train arrived at the Forest Park station and CTA workers notified police.
Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene. The fourth victim was taken to Loyola University Medical Center before being pronounced dead.
Two of the victims were identified as Adrian Collins, 60, and Simeon Bihesi, 28. The other two victims have so far been identified only as a male and a female.
Rhanni S. Davis is charged with shooting and killing four random passengers sleeping on a train. Forest Park Police Department
Davis fled the scene after the shootings but was arrested on the CTA’s Pink Line. Police reportedly recovered a gun during the arrest.
“This heinous and egregious act of violence should never have occurred, nonetheless on a public transit train,” the CTA said in a statement.
“This heinous and egregious act of violence should never have occurred,” the CTA said in a statement. AP
Three out of four victims were pronounced dead at the scene. AP
Surveillance video allegedly showed Davis walking through a train car and shooting three of the victims seated separately, police said.
For the first time in a year, Shohei Ohtani took the field for a regular-season game at Angel Stadium on Tuesday. This time, he did so in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.
The reception as Ohtani walked to the batter’s box captured many facets of his exit and return from the franchise with which he spent the first six seasons of his MLB career. There were mostly cheers, reflecting his MVP-level success (and likely more than a few Dodger fans in attendance). There were a few boos, reflecting that not everyone was happy to see him sign a $700 million contract with a crosstown rival.
And it just wasn’t a full crowd, reflecting how much the franchise lost when he went away.
The Angels didn’t treat Ohtani’s return with too much reverence. The Athletic’s Sam Blum reported that as of Monday, there were no plans to honor Ohtani before the game, and that mostly held.
The team had a graphic showing his accomplishments — Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, two Silver Sluggers — but played a video only on social media. It’s probably worth pointing out that they did play a video when Ohtani visited for a spring training game.
The Angels also had some fun with Ohtani, dropping “Used to work here” as his fun fact on the videoboard in the fifth inning.
Ohtani grounded out to first in his first at-bat but came through for an RBI triple to tie the game in his next trip to the plate. He finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory in 10 innings.
Ohtani played a role in the extra innings, as the Angels intentionally walked him in the 10th to reach Mookie Betts rather than face their old superstar. Betts responded with a game-winning, three-run homer.
It wasn’t the first time the Angels made the difficult decision to let Ohtani walk.
Shohei Ohtani will always be part of Angels history
The game was Ohtani’s first at Angel Stadium in a visiting uniform, on the anniversary of his final game in an Angels uniform. Ohtani played his first six MLB seasons in Anaheim, outperforming the outsized expectations he arrived with as a high-profile prospect out of Japan.
Hailed as the Japanese Babe Ruth, Ohtani signed with the Angels in 2017 at 23 years old and quickly delivered on his promise as a generational two-way player. He earned AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 while thriving at the plate and in limited appearances on the mound.
In his first MLB season, Ohtani slashed .285/.361/.564 with 22 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He posted a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings pitched through 10 starts. The campaign set the table for high expectations in Anaheim with Ohtani paired alongside Mike Trout, who won his third MVP trophy one season later.
Tommy John surgery limited Ohtani on the mound after his rookie season, but he continued to develop at the plate as one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters. When he returned to the mound full-time in 2021, his combined efforts as a hitter and pitcher earned Ohtani his first MVP trophy.
He finished in the top four in Cy Young and MVP voting in 2022, then returned to the Angels on a one-year, $30 million contract that avoided arbitration. He earned MVP again in 2023 in a season that turned out to be his last with the Angels.
While Ohtani’s play exceeded the hype, the Angels couldn’t translate his talent into team success. The Angeles never made the postseason in Ohtani’s six seasons with the franchise, and he left the team last offseason in arguably the most anticipated free agency in MLB history. He joined the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million contract but reportedly gave the Angels an opportunity to match the deal.
In his six seasons with the Angels, Ohtani slashed .274/.366/.556 with 171 home runs, 437 RBI and 86 stolen bases. In 481 2/3 innings pitched, he posted a 3.01 ERA and 1.082 WHIP with 608 strikeouts and 173 walks.
Elbow surgery has kept Ohtani off the mound again in 2024, but he’s the overwhelming NL MVP favorite, thanks to a historic season at the plate. Ohtani entered Tuesday slashing .292/.377/.616 with 44 home runs, 98 RBI and 46 stolen bases, with his eyes on an unprecedented season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.
The White Sox achieved a terrifying new level of White Sox when third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) collided with left fielder Andrew Benintendi, center, and was unable to catch a fly ball hit in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
For any MLB team, a collision between defenders with the bases loaded is an embarrassing misplay. For the Chicago White Sox, it’s just another game in what is shaping up to be the worst season in MLB history.
Ignominy arrived yet again in Chicago’s game Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles. The situation: bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, with the Orioles already ahead 4-0. The batter: Eloy Jiménez, once a pillar of the White Sox’s future, now an outfielder they traded away as a rental.
The play: an easy fly ball into shallow left field. The outcome: a black eye, both figurative and literal.
White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas, shortstop Jacob Amaya and left fielder Andrew Benintendi all converged on the ball. On such occasions, it’s usually the outfielder’s ball, but Vargas appeared to think he had it. That is, until he ran face-first into Benintendi’s shoulder.
That made it 7-0 Orioles, in a game they would win 9-0.
As announcer Kevin Brown said, “Oh my goodness, the White Sox have just gone full White Sox.”
The pain didn’t stop there for Chicago. Vargas remained in the game despite being clearly shaken up, but he later exited while sporting a black eye. The White Sox announced that he left with an abrasion on his right eye and was being further evaluated.
The whole thing is a comically awful play for a comically awful team run by a comically awful owner, yet it gets worse the more you look at it.
A deeper dive into the Chicago White Sox
Vargas getting injured is especially bad because he was one of the young players acquired at the MLB trade deadline, when the White Sox decided to get even worse this year to provide more hope for the future. That move plucked Vargas from the Los Angeles Dodgers, current owners of the best record in MLB, and placed him in Chicago, where he entered Tuesday hitting .122/.240/.195 in 25 games.
In exchange for Vargas, the White Sox sent Michael Kopech to L.A. as part of a three-team trade. Kopech held a 4.74 ERA in 43 2/3 innings with Chicago this year. He holds a 0.63 ERA in 14 1/3 innings with the Dodgers.
Jiménez, another player the White Sox traded away, entered Tuesday hitting .284/.321/.392 for the Orioles after slashing .240/.297/.345 for the White Sox.
And let’s not forget that Benintendi, hitting .218/.279/.375, is in the second year of a five-year, $75 million contract, which is the largest amount of guaranteed money Reinsdorf and the White Sox have ever given a player.
So what you just watched was a hitter doing much better after leaving the White Sox, having his easy fly ball bungled by a young player whose numbers have cratered since joining the White Sox, because he ran into the most expensive player in White Sox history, resulting in Chicago falling further behind an Orioles team that, like the White Sox, did a full teardown a few years ago and is now gunning for the playoffs.
There might not be a play that better encapsulates the hopelessness of the White Sox all year.
Chicago, having already fired manager Pedro Grifol, been eliminated from the MLB postseason earlier than any team in history and set a team record for losses in a season, still has plenty of movement to make in the history books. They entered Tuesday on an 11-game losing streak, having already posted streaks of 21 and 14 games this season, and they need only 13 more losses in their next 23 games to break the 1962 New York Mets’ record for losses in a season.
USC quarterback Miller Moss (7) was accused of harassing his roommate in 2022, prompting the university to investigate the dispute. Moss said he regrets his actions. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
A dispute between USC star quarterback Miller Moss and his former roommate and ex-Trojan quarterback Mo Hasan escalated to the point that the university investigated the feud in early 2022.
The dispute was resolved through USC’s usual student conduct resolution process, a person familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times. Police were never involved, nor was any legal action taken.
Moss, who was just named Big Ten offensive player of the week for his stellar performance during USC’s win over Louisiana State, expressed remorse for his handling of the dispute in a statement on Tuesday.
“I fully cooperated and took accountability for my decisions, and the matter was resolved,” Moss said. “I regret my actions and have grown and learned from this matter, and my focus is on the season ahead.”
Read more: USC makes a big opening statement with thrilling last-minute victory over LSU
In a video, which was first obtained by TMZ, Moss can be seen first telling someone off camera that he’s “stealing this shirt, dude” and insisting to the person off camera that they’re not going to wear it.
In another clip, Moss, who was a freshman at the time, is shown with others rummaging through what appears to be his roommate’s closet. He then grabs a pillow off the bed, placing it behind his butt and releasing what appears to be a fart. He later suggests to one of the others in the room to take a jacket from out of the closet.
The roommate, a person with knowledge of the video said, was Hasan, who at some point filed a complaint with the university that initiated a student conduct resolution process. Moss eventually had to write a paper apologizing for the incident.
“We take all student conduct complaints seriously and are legally obligated to keep those matters private and confidential,” the university said in a statement. “Each and every case follows a prescribed and thorough adjudication process as described in the USC Student Handbook. If a student has been found responsible and has fulfilled all of the terms of their discipline, the matter is considered closed. In this case, the matter was resolved and settled two-and-a-half years ago.”
Read more: USC leaders Miller Moss, Kamari Ramsey use skills honed during years playing chess
Moss, who has played at USC since 2021, looked like one of the best quarterbacks in college football during a Week 1 win over LSU. In just his second start, Moss threw for 378 yards and a touchdown before leading a game-winning touchdown drive to beat the Tigers.
USC coach Lincoln Riley, when asked about the situation Tuesday, came to Moss’ defense, while suggesting the timing of the video’s release was “very, let’s call it, interesting.”
“That’s a high-quality individual there,” Riley said of his quarterback. “That’s one guy you gotta be careful about going after because the character of him, everything he does is high as anybody I’ve ever had.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed franchise stalwart and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cam Heyward to a three-year contract on Tuesday.
Heyward and the Steelers announced the news but not the terms. ESPN reports that the deal is for $45 million over three years with $29 million in new money and $16 million guaranteed. The guaranteed money — as it is with most NFL contracts — is key. At 35 years old, Heyward doesn’t project to play out the life of the deal. But the contract sets Heyward up to retire with the Steelers after 13 seasons with the franchise.
Heyward joined the Steelers as a first-round draft pick in 2011 and has remained in Pittsburgh since.
“There are certain guys who are one-helmet guys,” Heyward said, per a team release. “I want to be one of those one-helmet guys.”
Heyward shared an image on social media of himself smiling and signing the paperwork.
Can Heyward return to form?
The Steelers are banking on Heyward returning to form after a groin tear limited him to 11 games last season. He was projected to miss 9-12 weeks after he suffered the injury in Week 1. He returned after six missed games, but his performance suffered. He was limited to two sacks and 35 tackles in 11 games.
Prior to his injury, Heyward experienced his best NFL seasons in the latter half of his career. He made six straight Pro Bowls from 2017-22, including a 2022 campaign that saw him tally 74 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits. He was a four-time All-Pro during that span, including two first-team selections.
He returns to a Steelers team in transition and at risk of posting the first losing record of head coach Mike Tomlin’s career. Pittsburgh is starting Russell Wilson at quarterback this season after parting with former first-round pick Kenny Pickett. It’s playing in a tough AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns all projected to compete for a playoff spot.
