MMN Editor

Following Trump’s lunch with AI leaders at the White House, the industry remains largely unchanged on AI safety.

A CNBC investigation shows how former Fed advisor John Rogers became entangled with a man U.S. officials identify as a Chinese intelligence operative.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette loves the game of football, but back home in Mullins, South Carolina, a true country lifestyle is how he, his family and friends love to spend their time.Whether it’s taking care of his horses, which NFL fans have come quite familiar with since the Panthers took him in the first round in 2024 out of South Carolina, fishing, or riding around town on what he calls a “trail ride,” Legette’s southern roots are shown in full force whenever he’s back home.Before the 2026 season, Legette was able to show some of his Panthers teammates what it’s like in his small South Carolina town that has less than 4,000 residents, including his quarterback, Bryce Young. Sports Illustrated was along for the ride, as Legette showcased a day in his life with the entire town alongside him for the trail ride.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEIt was an experience that had Legette quite grateful, not just for himself and allowing his teammates to experience the special side of his life off the field, but for the people in Mullins.”To tell you the truth, man, that part of it was great — for them to be able to come and do those things. But I think the best thing really in my eyes about the whole situation was them boys being able to come in my community,” he told OutKick in a recent interview, while highlighting his partnership with Bojangles. “People in my community being able to see other people other than me, you know what I’m saying? Because they always see me.”PANTHERS’ BRYCE YOUNG, XAVIER LEGETTE SPEND OFFSEASON WEEKEND RIDING HORSES AND RIPPING ATVSLegette, with his southern accent and unique hobbies, has become a fan-favorite in the Panthers community, as well as the NFL in general. Viral moments, from his first news conference after being drafted to telling folks he didn’t mind trying asparagus for the first time, made him someone football fans couldn’t get enough of.Legette is nothing but positive and genuine, two of the many characteristics he had growing up surrounded by the people he loved most in his small town. Now that he’s at this stage of professional life, all he wishes to do is give back and grow the place he still, and will always, call home.Having Panthers teammates there to see that meant the world to him.”I grew up there and I’m one of the first ones to be able to be in this position that I am being from Marion County.” he added. “So just being able for them to see other faces, they was excited.”Everyone know everybody, but my family, it stands out to me, you know what I’m saying? They’re the ones that helped me able to [do this]. They shaped me into being who I am today. I got my love for them. It’s out of this world and being able to just go through the growing pains with them, ups and downs, and then it’s nothing but smiles on their face. That’s what I love to see.”Oh, and one of those viral moments mentioned before includes his admittance to eating raccoon, squirrel and other animals that he and his family find on hunts. When his teammates were in town, they had to try the local cuisine.”Oh yeah, we had the raccoon out there. A couple of them tried it,” Legette said, noting that Young left early before it was ready. Fellow receiver David Moore was among those who tried the raccoon.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!COUNTRY MEETS SPOOKYLegette’s southern lifestyle is one that came to life for a one-of-a-kind content series by Pepsi and Bojangles, and it stars one of his prized horses, affectionately known as Dime Piece, as Halloween and football come together.Legette had a smile ear-to-ear as he discussed the Bojangles Bite Box which, starting Oct. 1, will come with limited-edition haunted house packaging.”I think it’s a great collab. It’s one of the biggest ones I’ve ever did, and man, I hope we can come up with something else for the future.”They understand my love for the horses and they wanted to bring that to life with this commercial. It’s great.”While Legette will be heading to Bojangles whenever he can to get his Bite Box, he’s also excited for another Halloween, where he might just have to be his favorite superhero yet again.”All I wanted to be was Spider-Man every year,” he said, laughing.

New research shows that U.S. alcohol use has declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, but drinking remains above pre-pandemic levels — with one particular group showing a sharp increase in heavy intake.A study led by the University of Southern California/Keck Medicine found that among adults ages 50 to 64, alcohol use increased by nearly 4% from 2018 to 2024, while heavy drinking increased by more than 36%.Across all age groups, alcohol use declined by nearly 2% and heavy drinking declined by more than 8% from 2022 to 2024. However, overall alcohol use remained above pre-pandemic levels.BEER, WINE OR LIQUOR? MASSIVE STUDY REVEALS WHICH WAS LINKED TO LOWER DEATH RISKAmong Gen Z adults, alcohol use declined by more than 5%. Millennials drank approximately 17% less from 2022 to 2024.The findings, which were published on Sept. 21 in Annals of Internal Medicine, were based on self-reported data from the National Health Interview Survey, which included 114,352 U.S. adults from 2018 to 2024.Heavy drinking was defined as five or more drinks per day or 15 or more drinks per week for men within the preceding 12 months, and at least four daily drinks or eight weekly drinks for women.Men were found to have a larger alcohol decline than women (2.4% vs. 1.1%), but women had a larger reduction in heavy drinking (9%) compared to men (7.7%).ALCOHOL TIED TO SURPRISING CANCER DEATH PATTERN IN ADULTS UNDER 55, RESEARCHERS FIND”Women’s heavy drinking rose more than men’s during the pandemic and is still about 13% above where it was in 2018,” lead study author Brian P. Lee, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, told Fox News Digital. “Women develop liver damage at lower levels of drinking than men, so that number carries more weight than it looks.”The study was funded in part by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institutes of Health.The chief limitation of the study is that people reported their own levels of drinking, which tend to run low, according to Lee.”It also can’t tell us why drinking changed, only that it did,” he told Fox News Digital. “And we have two years of decline after four years of increases, so I’d describe this as a promising turn rather than an established trend.”The researchers also did not investigate the reasons younger adults reduced alcohol consumption.Dr. Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said many factors may contribute to the increased rate of drinking among older adults.”As we approach our 50s and 60s, we start reflecting on our lives, and changes start to happen,” Tuell, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.The loneliness epidemic in the U.S., and the fact that people are more “polarized” and “disconnected,” may also come into play, according to Tuell.Grief and loss may also lead to increased drinking as people seek a way to escape or cope with the loss of friends and family members.”One out of four people will experience some mental health issue … depression, anxiety, loss, grief — these are real things that are impacting people,” Tuell said. “And it’s at a time where a person might feel very vulnerable.”BRAD PITT SAYS HE CAN DRINK IN ‘RESTRAINED MANNER’ AFTER 7 SOBER YEARS, BUT EXPERT RAISES RED FLAGAs people age, there may also be increased issues related to chronic pain and medical issues, resulting in reduced function.”Now I have these aches and pains, or maybe I’m diagnosed with something more serious,” Tuell said as an example. “So that becomes a problem that I now have to deal with.”Many aging adults are also approaching retirement age, which can result in a loss of structure and change the identity they’ve had for decades, the expert noted.”I wake up and something I’ve done every day for many, many years is no longer happening. So I’m more bored. What do I do with my time? This is unfortunately a perfect storm for things like substance use.”As older adults experience body changes, they don’t metabolize alcohol the same way they once did, Tuell noted.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES”What I used to drink maybe five years ago … that same amount now can affect me differently, because I’m not metabolizing it like I used to,” he said.Women are especially impacted by alcohol, Tuell said, likely because they may have less body fat and don’t have as much water in their bodies.Lee noted that while alcohol doesn’t harm everyone equally, the risk starts at low levels and goes up with every additional drink.”There isn’t a level the evidence shows to be safe.”To determine whether someone has a problem with alcohol, Tuell recommends using the “three Cs.”Alcohol can still be problematic even if someone doesn’t have an addiction, Tuell noted.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERFor example, they might drink more than they should, to the point where they get a hangover or put themselves at risk.”Maybe it’s impacting my interactions with other people, interpersonal relationships, hobbies, interests,” he said. “Maybe it’s affecting my sleep.”In a normal sleep pattern, people go through a cycle four to five times per night — but when they drink, it’s more like two to three times, Tuell said. “So, we’re not getting good rest during that period.”It’s never too late to seek help with alcohol dependency, he pointed out.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ”I’ve treated people in their 80s who still have a lot of life left,” Tuell said, pointing out that Americans are living longer. “So we’re aging, we’re getting older, and there are a lot of life changes happening … physically, emotionally, psychologically.”For those who are over 50 and drinking more than they did before 2020, Lee recommends asking a doctor about liver health, “even if nothing feels wrong.””There are clear increases in cancer and liver risk with alcohol, even at low levels,” he warned. “Even advanced liver disease might have no symptoms, and the earlier alcohol-related liver damage is caught, the more of it can be undone.”

Tom Cruise’s recent effusive praise for Kate Middleton was not just Hollywood flattery, according to royal experts.The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 44, joined Cruise at the world premiere of the 64-year-old actor’s new movie “Digger” in London on Sept. 22. During an interview with “Extra” at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Monday, Cruise raved over the royal couple and shared a particularly glowing assessment of Middleton.”It was just so fun sitting there watching them watch it and for them to be part of it,” Cruise said, via People magazine.”I have so much respect for them, you know, they’re amazing people and how dedicated they are to their country and also…what they give to the world. They’re just beautiful people and fun, very funny.”KATE MIDDLETON’S CAREFULLY PLANNED PATH TO THE THRONE REVEALED AS EXPERT SAYS SHE ‘PLAYED THE LONG GAME’”She’s got a great sense, incredible sense of humor,” Cruise said of Middleton. “I mean, obviously very intelligent and fun.””They’re so charismatic and so elegant,” he gushed. “That dress that she was wearing? Stunning.”PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON FINALLY FEEL FREE TO SHOW AFFECTION IN PUBLIC: EXPERTS”William did well,” Cruise added with a smile. “Way to go, smart choice. Yeah, I gotta give it to William. Way to go. Smart choice.”Cruise’s comments quickly made headlines, with royal experts arguing they reflected Middleton’s unique standing within the monarchy rather than simply offering another celebrity compliment.KATE MIDDLETON HAILED AS THE MONARCHY’S ‘SAVING GRACE’ AFTER CANCER BATTLE TRANSFORMED HER ROYAL ROLE: EXPERTSWhile speaking to Fox News Digital, royal expert Christopher Andersen said that the Hollywood icon’s admiration underscores why Middleton has become one of the royal family’s greatest assets, pointing to her enduring appeal and scandal-free reputation.”Do not underestimate the importance of her immense popularity,” he said. “Kate Middleton is universally adored, and unlike most celebrities, is virtually untouched by scandal. Like everybody else on the planet, Tom Cruise certainly wouldn’t mind having some of that fairy dust rub off on him.”PRINCE WILLIAM FACES ‘WORK-SHY’ CRITICISM BUT IS SECRETLY RUNNING MONARCHY LIKE A CEO, EXPERT SAYSAndersen, who authored the 2026 biography “Kate!: The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen,” noted that Cruise was also likely drawn to Middleton’s beauty and style.”If she wasn’t movie-star gorgeous and stunningly fashionable, I don’t think Tom Cruise would be drooling all over her,” he said.Fox News may be compensated for or earn a commission if you buy through our referral links.Royal commentator Amanda Matta echoed Andersen’s opinion, arguing that Cruise’s praise speaks to Kate’s central role within the monarchy.”While this was definitely an easy soundbite for Cruise to pull out, it also happens to be true,” she told Fox News Digital. “I think what Cruise is picking up on with this remark is that Kate is the entire reason the Wales brand works.”PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON’S ‘GENUINE LOVE STORY’ IS BUILT ON BEING A ‘VERY NORMAL FAMILY’: AUTHOR”She wasn’t born into nobility, but that worked in her favor to help the Palace connect with the modern public,” Matta continued. “Kate’s grounded humor and elegance are both central to William’s public image now, and the public’s warmth toward her is one of the monarchy’s most valuable assets.”Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Cruise’s remarks simply reflect the majority of the public’s perception of Middleton.KATE MIDDLETON SCALES UK’S THREE HIGHEST PEAKS IN 24 HOURS WITH A DEEPLY PERSONAL MESSAGE FOR CANCER SURVIVORS”He’s just saying what most people think,” Fitzwilliams said. “She is exquisite, her intelligence, humor and dress sense are part of her personality, which has given them both a worldwide aura as a couple. This is of enormous help to Britain, as soft power is so significant and also to the charities they both do so much for.”Royal experts also told Fox News Digital that Cruise’s remarks about Middleton carried extra weight given the action star’s decades-long relationship with the British royal family.KING CHARLES RESPONDS TO CHARLES SPENCER’S CLAIMS ABOUT PRINCESS DIANA IN A RARE STATEMENTThe actor met the late Princess Diana at the 1992 London premiere of “Far and Away” alongside his co-star and then-wife Nicole Kidman. Andersen recalled that he had previously written about their first encounter and the “schoolgirl crush Diana had on Cruise” in his 1998 best-selling book “The Day Diana Died.””Diana joked that she wouldn’t mind if Kidman were out of the way. ‘Nicole kept giving me dagger eyes,’ Diana told a friend, ‘as if to say keep your hands off my handsome husband!’” Andersen remembered.After their first meeting, Cruise and Diana went on to develop a friendship. In 1995, Cruise invited the princess and her sons, William and Prince Harry, to visit the set of the original “Mission: Impossible” movie at Pinewood Studios outside London.In 2022, royal expert Neil Sean wrote that Cruise was “devastated” when Diana died in a car accident at the age of 36 in August 1997.”She was a magical person and really engulfed you with her personality,” Cruise told Sean.KATE MIDDLETON WEARS PRINCESS DIANA’S PEARL BRACELET AT TROOPING THE COLOUR AS CHARLOTTE MIRRORS HER MOTHERCruise and Kidman were among the celebrity guests who paid tribute to the late princess at her funeral on Sept. 6, 1997.William would later forge his own friendship with Cruise, who held a special screening of his 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” for the prince and Middleton ahead of the movie’s release. Cruise invited the royal couple after learning that William, who previously served as a pilot with the Royal Air Force, was a huge fan of the original film. The Prince and Princess of Wales later attended the London premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” at the invitation of Cruise.At the time, Cruise told PA News Agency that he and William had “a lot in common,” explaining, “We both love England, and we’re both aviators. We both love flying.”The actor later appeared in King Charles III’s 2023 coronation concert and previously took part in Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.”Cruise perhaps more than most Hollywood stars has had a fairly up close and personal relationship with the royal family,” Andersen noted.Having witnessed both Diana’s extraordinary popularity and Middleton’s rise within the royal family, Andersen explained he believes Cruise’s admiration is well-founded.GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE”Obviously Kate is meeting, if not transcending, the public’s inevitable expectations based on her Diana- like approachability,” he said.Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that Cruise’s comments captured the qualities that have made Middleton one of the world’s most admired royals.”His remark managed to sum up what is so immensely universally appealing about her, that she is dignified, discreet, elegant, intelligent and poised all whilst being wonderfully warm as well as interested in others, so authentically,” she said.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS”It was also no doubt reference to her affability, regarding her sense of humor and that she’s so accessible versus the outdated image of a formal royal court,” Fordwich added. “He also managed to keep the focus on her service versus any sort of celebrity status.”PUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT KNOWLEDGE TO THE TEST AND SEE HOW YOU SCOREFordwich said that Cruise’s ties to Diana made his compliments about Middleton and William “even more powerful.””He’s associating the Waleses with Diana’s extraordinary public magnetism, the most beneficial aspect of her legacy, her accessibility and emotional connection with all of whom she met.” Fordwich said.

Karl Marx believed that “Democracy is the road to socialism.” Socialists seem to have found a generation of dupes to buy their ahistorical, fanciful pitch. A new poll shows 43% now have a positive view of socialism. An astonishing 65% of Democrats have a positive view. Socialism is now the rage on the left.Like clothing styles, if you wait long enough, socialism tends to come back into style with generations with no memory of past failures. However, it is an astonishing trend in one of the most prosperous nations on Earth that outlasted a history cluttered with the broken failures of socialist and communist systems.A new slick packaging of socialism has emerged with leaders such as Zohran Mamdani offering to teach people of the “warmth of collectivism.” The Democratic Socialists of America are enticing voters with narratives like “Imagine the end of capitalism.” Those words promise voters that there is a brave new world without landlords, debt, mandatory work hours, and “food, education, energy, medicine, and transportation… are common goods and utilities.”MORE AMERICANS THAN EVER NOW HAVE A POSITIVE VIEW OF SOCIALISM, NEW POLL SAYSWhat is incredible is that many are buying this pitch.It is also ironic that this is happening not just on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence but also on the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations.MODERN CAPITALISM IS TURNING 250, TOO. WE NEED TO REMIND AMERICANS WHY IT’S IMPORTANTAs I write in Rage and the Republic:”While he never visited the United States, his theories seemed quintessentially American to many of his generation. For a revolution that was triggered by tariffs and fueled by events like the Boston Tea Party, Smith’s general principles read like an economic version of Common Sense. It was a type of declaration of independence not just from the British policy of mercantilism (emphasizing British exports over imports) but from economic controls over individual productivity and self-determination….””In summary, Smith was first and foremost viewed as a political theorist, and his economic theories were closely tied to his views on the natural liberties of humanity. He saw capitalism as a liberating system for individuals to allow them the wealth and resources to pursue their own chosen paths. Conversely, he saw government controls and subsidies as forms of control and potentially forms of suppression of the human will. If people are to be truly free, they must have the resources to pursue that freedom. The government dole can become a type of servitude or at least a subterfuge for citizens. If they are dependent on the government, they are never truly free.”The book compares many of these proposals to identical policies of the Jacobin movement in the French Revolution. Both the American and French revolutions arose during the same period, but one became the world’s oldest democracy while the other became the blood-soaked “The Reign of Terror.”DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES ARE WINNING PRIMARIES AND THEIR VISION FOR AMERICA IS VERY DIFFERENTNotably, the Jacobins pushed for the same unicameral system that the socialists are now advocating as well as attacks on the wealthy.The DSA is the direct descendant of the Jacobins in seeking to tear down moderating institutions and replace the president and justices with democratically elected figures by a Congress composed only of the House of Representatives.As with the original Jacobins, those demanding these changes are not the working class but professors, pundits and young college-educated voters.Pushing this analogy to a more menacing level, another poll shows that roughly 60 percent of Democrats responded positively to the idea of a military coup to remove President Donald Trump.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThe return of socialism is like the reappearance of low-rise jeans. You are left mystified by anyone who believes that this is a worthy theory to emulate after consistent and catastrophic failures. Long forgotten is the disaster of the socialist government of François Mitterrand in France.Most recently, Prime Minister Andy Burnham condemned the privatization policies of Margaret Thatcher: “The country surrendered control of the essentials — housing, water, energy, transport — and left people exposed to higher costs.” What he does not mention is that she followed the collapse of socialist policies under Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan in 1977–78 during the so-called “winter of discontent,” which I also discuss in the book.Perhaps Marx was right after all: “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.”CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY