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As the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry deepens, a resurfaced account claims Princess Diana once quietly prepared her younger son for the possibility of becoming king.Veteran royal writer Richard Kay, a close confidant of the late Princess of Wales, revealed on the Daily Mail’s “Palace Confidential” podcast that Diana believed William was already aware of his destiny, yet remained “shy” and quietly uneasy about the future awaiting him.”I think William has been a bit of a surprise,” said Kay. “He was a shy young man. Certainly, when his mother was still alive, she would tell me that she never really thought that William wanted the ‘top job,’ as she called it. The idea that he would one day wear the crown.”PRINCE WILLIAM HONORS PRINCESS DIANA WITH NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN CHILDHOOD PHOTO ON UK MOTHER’S DAY TRIBUTE”She, in her mind, was preparing the way for the possibility that it would be Harry who succeeded his father,” he claimed. “And she had a little nickname for Harry: she used to call him ‘Good King Harry’ — a throwback to medieval days. And, of course, things haven’t worked out that way.”Several royal experts who spoke to Fox News Digital pushed back on the claim, arguing that Diana always knew who would be king — and it wasn’t Harry.”Prince William didn’t come out of the gate campaigning for the crown,” Kinsey Schofield, host of “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital. WATCH: PRINCE WILLIAM STILL HAUNTED BY PRINCESS DIANA’S TELL-ALL: AUTHOR”He matured into it. That trajectory aligns well with the modern monarchy, which values duty over ambition. It positions him as thoughtful, measured, and crucially not entitled. In contrast, those who clamor for relevance tend to reveal exactly why they were never suited for the top job in the first place.””This reads less like prophetic insight and more like a mother managing two very different little boys,” Schofield shared. “Diana was very sensitive to Harry feeling second best, so floating the idea of ‘Good King Harry’ feels like emotional equalization, not constitutional foresight. Prince William was always the introspective one, burdened early by the weight of expectation. Diana didn’t predict destiny so much as she tried to soften it.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER”The monarchy has never been uncertain about succession, only about sentiment,” Schofield continued. “Diana understood the emotional cost of the role better than most, and she saw that William felt it deeply. Questioning whether he wanted it wasn’t doubting the institution; it was acknowledging that the job comes with a psychological price tag. That’s maternal realism, not constitutional anxiety.”Kay noted that, similarly, people used to speculate whether Princess Margaret would be better suited for the role of monarch than her sister, Princess Elizabeth.”I think the consensus is ‘we got the right one,’ and I think we got the right one,” he said. “We’ve got the right one in William as Prince of Wales. He seems to have grown into the role. As observers, we probably all agreed that he seemed a bit reticent, a bit reluctant, a bit shy. But he’s really grown into it.””What I quite like about what I’ve seen of him … is that he is coming up with some quite different ways to approach royalty,” said Kay. “I think he recognizes that some aspects of monarchy … don’t resonate well with the modern public. And I think he’s aware that he’s going to have to make some big changes to ensure its survival.”Before William accepted his royal fate, he wanted a badge, not a crown, British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. The heir’s childhood dream reportedly sparked a reaction from his brother.”As a young child, William expressed disinterest in being king,” said Chard. “Instead, he wanted to become a police officer to protect his mother from press intrusion. In fact, like many children, he was obsessed with becoming a police officer, something William had passed on to his son, George.”LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS”Harry couldn’t believe his ears, deciding he would jump into his brother’s shoes and become king,” said Chard. “Princess Diana reassured Harry, nicknaming him ‘Good King Harry’ to comfort him, aware he needed extra love and validation.”Schofield pointed out that in the later years, Diana made it known who would be king someday.”Let’s be clear, in the BBC ‘Panorama’ interview, she never once suggested Prince Harry as future king,” she said. “In her own words, if the line of succession were ever to skip anyone, she pointed directly past then-Prince Charles to Prince William. That isn’t ambiguity. It’s conviction. She knew exactly who she believed should wear the crown. It was her firstborn son.””Diana was always concerned about Harry’s future role in life, as William was always given special privileges,” chimed in royal expert Ian Pelham Turner.”Giving Harry personal grooming may have been her way of redressing the balance. I believe William has every desire to become king. … Harry has shown strength in leadership both in the Army and in protecting his family abroad.”The royal experts agreed that rivalry between the brothers was inevitable. Diana recognized that early on and urged them to stay close despite the vastly different paths that would ultimately pull them apart.”We always thought the brothers were close, but Harry’s ill-advised memoir ‘Spare’ clearly showed he was jealous of his brother, whose future was clearly mapped out, whereas his was not,” said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.”Harry may still be fifth in line to the throne, but he is not a working member of the royal family, from whom he is currently estranged.””William may have once been shy, but as his future role draws ever closer, he has been successful with his careful balance of activities. He is concentrating on several specific charities, has diplomatic skills, prioritizes his family, and uses his unique profile as future head of the world’s most high-profile monarchy both nationally and internationally very skillfully.”Diana passed away in 1997 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash. She was 36. Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. William and Harry last reunited in August 2024 at the memorial for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes. The brothers are said to not be on speaking terms.

Senate candidate James Talarico, D-Texas, has been facing an intense online firestorm after a resurfaced video showed him calling on Texans to ditch meat to fight climate change.Republicans and conservative influencers have widely panned the remark as a potentially fatal blow to his Senate bid and suggested his anti-meat stance could dog him on the campaign trail. “Democrats are trying to fool Texans into believing James Talarico isn’t some whacked out lib, but the clips keep coming,” Andrew Kolvet, Turning Point USA spokesman, wrote on X. “In 2022, Talarico, wearing a mask, scolded Texans about going meat-free (!!) to stop climate change. This is TEXAS. This will haunt him in the general.””That just isn’t poor taste, it’s political poison,” Lawrence Jones said on “The Will Cain Show” on Thursday.Talarico, a three-term state legislator and self-described Presbyterian seminarian, is seeking to unseat Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is facing an insurgent primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, in a primary battle earlier this month.TALARICO REPORTEDLY KNEW COLBERT INTERVIEW WOULDN’T AIR ON TV BEFORE HE LEFT TO FILM ITTalarico’s anti-meat remarks stem from a speech he delivered in April 2022 to the Texas Humane Legislation Network, during which he said his reelection bid was a “non-meat” campaign.”We have, I think, heard more and more issues of animal welfare,” Talarico said while wearing a mask. “I think, not just because it’s the right thing to do and the moral thing to do, but also, it’s, as all of you know, necessary to fight climate change. It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption and that we try to respect animals in all aspects of society.””So, I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign,” Talarico continued. “So, we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.”Amid the backlash, the Talarico campaign blasted out a photo of the candidate wearing a Texas flag shirt and taking a large bite out of a turkey leg.”Official Statement from James Talarico on Vegan Accusations,” the campaign wrote.‘OPEN BORDERS TRUMP-HATING RADICAL’: GOP UNLEASHES EARLY BLITZ ON TEXAS DEMOCRAT TALARICOStill, the hits against Talarico from Republicans over his anti-meat stance keep coming. “Who wants to tell him that cattle is the #1 commodity in Texas?” the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, wrote on X.”Vote Republican this November. The steaks couldn’t be higher,” Cornyn wrote in response to the viral clip. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also labeled Talarico a “freak” who wants to “ban BBQ.”Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico’s campaign for comment.Republicans have also spotlighted Talarico’s past remarks when discussing religion and transgender issues.In 2021, he claimed “God is non-binary” when debating a bill to ban men from women’s sports on the Texas House floor. Talarico doubled down on that statement during an interview with The Bulwark on Thursday, arguing it was “provocative” but theologically correct.In an interview with an Austin-based Fox affiliate in 2021, Talarico called concern over biological males in women’s sports a part of “far-right conspiracy theories.” In 2023, when Talarico was asked on the “A Superbloom Podcast” about “something that you love, other than family and friends,” the candidate discussed “trans children.”Though Democrats have not won a Senate seat in Texas since the 1980s, Talarico is arguing that he is well-positioned to end that trend. His campaign published an internal poll on Friday showing him leading Cornyn and Paxton in head-to-head match-ups. 

As more restaurants experiment with eliminating tips, the idea of a no-tip dining model is gaining traction — but not without resistance from some industry professionals who fear it could drag down service.The shift is a response to growing frustration among diners. Hidden fees, service charges and inflated gratuities have left many customers feeling blindsided when the check arrives.For some operators, a no-tip system offers a clearer alternative.AMERICANS ARE FED UP WITH TIPPING CULTURE, YET MANY STILL SHELL OUT 20% AT RESTAURANTS”There are two categories of reasons — one for the guest experience, one for the staff,” Joseph Magidow, chef and owner of La Cigale in San Francisco, told Fox News Digital.His restaurant, which opened last year, has adopted a no-tip model.”Diners have broadly lost patience with mandatory fees and surcharges being added to their bill at the end of the meal,” Magidow said.Instead, Magidow said his restaurant builds labor costs directly into menu prices, creating what he describes as a more transparent experience.AMERICA’S BIGGEST TIPPERS REVEALED: THE 5 MOST AND LEAST ‘GENEROUS’ STATES”By offering a fully inclusive pricing model, our guests do not get an unpleasant surprise after their experience dining with us,” he said.The model also aims to address income instability among workers.”For staff, the tipped model creates a raft of unpredictability and perverse incentives,” Magidow said. Now, “by paying them a flat hourly wage — the cost of which is baked into our prices — they are no longer showing up to work every day not knowing whether they will earn enough to make rent this month.”But other restaurant owners say that vision clashes with economic reality.Derek Simms, who operates multiple restaurants in Frisco, Texas, said he believes the traditional tipping system works — particularly for servers, who can average $40 to $60 per hour.BARTENDERS SAY ONE COMMON REQUEST COSTS THEM TIPS — AND SOME CUSTOMERS HAVE NO IDEABy contrast, kitchen staff typically earn far less, he added — complicating efforts to restructure pay across the board.”The cooks don’t have access to the tips,” Simms said, adding that it’s a “misleading narrative” that servers are “getting paid less, because they’re not.”Simms, who worked in California before moving to Texas, said eliminating tips would force restaurants to raise wages in a way that most business models can’t sustain.”If you hire everybody at $15 or $20 an hour … the restaurant loses all their profit and will eventually close down,” Simms said.FORMER NFL STAR SPARKS VIRAL DEBATE OVER TIPPING PRACTICES AT SELF-SERVICE RESTAURANTSTo stay afloat, restaurants would be forced to either cut staff or lower service standards, he said.Simms said he expects “service levels to go way down” in California, where La Cigale and other restaurants are using a no-tip model.Michelle Korsmo, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C., said research shows that tipped servers earn a median of $27 per hour, “and that earning potential is a major reason people choose careers in restaurants.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERShe previously told Fox News Digital that “for years, full-service restaurant operators and their employees have worked together to preserve tipping because it works for servers. It supports higher earnings for workers and helps ensure restaurants remain places where people can build careers that fit their lives and long-term goals.”Beyond the financial concerns, some owners worry about what happens to the culture of hospitality itself.CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES”There’s no incentive for the servers to be attentive and give extra-good service,” Vicki Parmelee, owner of Jumby Bay Island Grill in Jupiter, Florida, told Fox News Digital. “And I think they might lose a little bit of motivation there.”Simms agreed with that.”I like the tip system,” he said. “I think it rewards people. It keeps people hustling for you.”Taking away the enticement of working for tips would lead to “degrading service levels,” Simms warned.Parmelee, like Simms, is not convinced the trade-off is worth it.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ”I don’t particularly care for that — and I don’t think that the servers do either,” Parmelee said. “I don’t know. Some restaurants are trying that out. I’m not interested in doing that here.”

President Donald Trump signaled this week that the United States could take action on Cuba, raising new questions about what would happen if mounting pressure triggers a political shift on the island.The warning comes as Cuba faces one of its most severe internal crises in decades, with a collapsing economy, widespread blackouts and fuel shortages straining the regime’s ability to govern. The situation has worsened as shipments of subsidized fuel from Venezuela have declined, cutting off a key energy lifeline.But as pressure builds from both inside and outside the island, experts say the central question is not who could replace President Miguel Díaz-Canel — it’s that there is no clear successor at all.TRUMP TOUTS US HAS ‘TREMENDOUS’ AMOUNT OF VENEZUELAN OIL, VOWS TO ‘TAKE CARE’ OF CUBA AFTER IRAN FOCUS”Cuba’s leadership vacuum is the result of a system that has spent decades making sure no independent leadership can exist in the first place,” Melissa Ford Maldonado, AFPI Director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative, told Fox News Digital.She added that the regime has “controlled communication, restricted the gathering of people, surveilled its own people, killed press freedom, criminalized dissent and ultimately made a powerful opposition force highly unlikely.””Who replaces Díaz-Canel is more symbolic than anything else,” Sebastián A. Arcos, interim director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, told Fox News Digital.Arcos said Díaz-Canel “has very little power,” describing him as a figure installed to project a younger image without altering the system.”The key person continues to be Raúl Castro,” he said, referring to the 94-year-old former Cuban leader.That dynamic, analysts argue, explains why even a dramatic shift — whether driven by internal collapse or external pressure — may not immediately produce a new leader.And yet a small group of insiders, technocrats and opposition figures are seen as potential players in any transition — though none represent a clear or unified alternative.THE SOUND OF FREEDOM: CUBA’S REGIME IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME — NOW THE US MUST ACTA relatively unknown figure to most Cubans, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga has quietly risen through the ranks.The 54-year-old electronics engineer serves as deputy prime minister and minister of foreign trade and foreign investment, and is the great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro.”He’s part of the family,” Arcos said, underscoring how even emerging figures remain embedded within the same ruling network.Arcos said his rapid rise makes him one of the more plausible faces of a controlled transition.”He might be a good technocrat… based on the standards of the Castro system,” he said.But any such move would likely be cosmetic. “They might take Díaz-Canel down and replace him with someone like Pérez-Oliva… as a gesture… but it doesn’t change anything,” Arcos said, explaining it would be a technocratic reshuffle designed to ease pressure, not reform the system.TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PRESSED TO CLOSE CUBA EMBARGO LOOPHOLE AS OIL SET TO RUN OUT WITHIN DAYSRaúl Castro’s son, Alejandro Castro Espín, represents the regime’s security backbone.A longtime intelligence official, he is closely tied to Cuba’s internal security apparatus and the inner circle of power, according to El País.While not publicly positioned as a successor, his influence underscores how power remains concentrated within the Castro family and military-linked elite, which experts say could lead to a hardline continuity scenario rooted in security control.Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz remains one of the most visible figures in Cuba’s current leadership.But Arcos noted that Marrero’s tenure is deeply tied to the country’s economic collapse. “He’s been there during this dramatic decline… so he’s closely associated with the catastrophe,” he said.Experts cited by El País similarly assess that figures like Marrero are unlikely to represent meaningful change, and that he represents continuity tied to the current crisis, with little credibility for reform.As a senior Communist Party official, Roberto Morales Ojeda represents the regime’s institutional core. His power lies within the party apparatus, enforcing loyalty and ideological control.Like other insiders, he is seen as part of the continuity model rather than a break from it.CUBA IS APPROACHING ITS BERLIN WALL MOMENT — AMERICA MUST HELP THEM BREAK THROUGHWhile regime insiders dominate succession discussions, opposition figures remain largely outside the island.Rosa María Payá, a prominent activist and founder of Cuba Decide, has emerged as a leading voice for democratic change from exile.”The Cuban opposition is organized, we are present both inside Cuba and in the diaspora and we have a concrete plan,” Rosa María Payá told Fox News Digital. “Cubans do not need to be liberated from the outside and handed a government. We are ready to lead. What we need is for the United States and the international community to ensure that when this regime falls, the opposition has a seat at the table.””The first priority is political prisoners and guaranteeing basic civil liberties,” she described their plan. “They must be released immediately, and that has to be a non-negotiable condition of any agreement. The second is dismantling the repressive apparatus… From there, the plan moves to a transitional government, addressing the humanitarian situation and setting a clear timeline toward free and internationally monitored elections.”Arcos spoke positively about Payá role and the broader opposition movement. “They are honorable, respectful, smart people, who want the best for Cuba,” he said. “They’re not just seeking power… they’re doing this based on a sense of duty.”Still, analysts caution that the system leaves little room for an opposition-led transition in the near term.”The reality is that much of Cuba’s real opposition no longer lives on the island,” Ford Maldonado said, noting that repression has pushed leadership into exile.Despite speculation around individual names, experts say the real issue is structural.”If Raúl dies tomorrow, that could open the Pandora’s box,” Arcos said, suggesting internal power struggles could surface.Even then, he warned, the regime is unlikely to relinquish control easily after decades in power.”There’s likely no real path forward that runs through the Castros or the current regime,” Ford Maldonado said.For now, Cuba’s succession question remains unresolved, not because there are no names, but because the system itself was designed to ensure there is no true alternative waiting in the wings.

White House border czar Tom Homan pushed back against CNN’s Dana Bash Sunday morning after she asked Homan how “well-thought-out” a new plan to send immigration officers to help TSA agents could be.Homan took questions on “State of the Union” regarding President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to assist TSA agents in airports across the country with hours-long lines caused by staffing shortages during the ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.Homan confirmed he was working with the directors of ICE and the TSA to construct “a well-thought-out plan to execute” for ICE officers by the afternoon.TOM HOMAN PUSHES BACK ON CNN HOST WHEN PRESSED ON ‘REASONABLE SUSPICION’ CLAIM REGARDING ICE”With respect, if you’re doing this in 24 hours, how well-thought-out could it possibly be?” Bash asked.”ICE has been at airports across the country for a long time. It’s just expanding those things,” Homan responded, adding, “How much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit to make sure no one comes through that exit?””I mean, we’re talking about security options. And these officers are well-trained in security, and they’re well-trained in identification. And, look, we’re going to do what we can to help TSA move those people through the line,” Homan said.BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN FIRES BACK AT CNN HOST IN DEFENSE OF ICE TACTICS: ‘THEY’VE BEEN SHOT AT’Homan emphasized that he believes ICE agents will largely be used to relieve TSA agents of security measures based on enforcement that agents already execute at airports rather than screenings.”I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine, because we’re not trained in that. But there are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines,” Homan said.In a statement to Fox News Digital, the DHS defended Trump’s plan to counter the Democrats’ “pointless, reckless shutdown.””While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted. This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions,” the statement read.UNPAID DHS WORKERS ‘DISTRACTED’ AS TERROR THREATS RISE, FUELING AIRPORT SECURITY CONCERNSTSA agents have gone without pay for over a month as Trump and Republicans battle with Democrats over funding for the DHS and ICE enforcement. TSA officers are considered essential employees and are required to report to work even during a shutdown, though pay can be delayed.Airports across the country have reported huge numbers of employees calling out sick or not showing up for work. More than 400 TSA employees have quit their jobs.

NYC Congestion Toll Linked To Rising Subway Ridership

A report from the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee suggests that congestion pricing in New York City is increasing subway use, according to Bloomberg.

The policy charges most drivers a $9 toll to enter parts of Manhattan, encouraging some commuters and leisure travelers to shift from driving to public transit.

Data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows subway ridership reached 1.28 billion rides in 2025, a 7.7% increase from the previous year and more than double the 3.7% growth recorded in 2024. Even with the increase, ridership remains about 75% of what it was before the pandemic.

Most of the growth came from weekend and discretionary trips rather than weekday commuting. Weekend ridership rose by nearly 22 million rides, a 9.4% increase year over year. Morning rush trips into the tolled Manhattan zone rose by about 7%, while weekend entries climbed roughly 7.5%.

Bloomberg writes that traffic has also declined since the toll began. According to MTA data, about 72,600 fewer vehicles entered the congestion zone each day in 2025, an 11% drop.

Higher ridership has helped increase transit revenue. Subway fares generated $2.97 billion in 2025, up from $2.82 billion in 2024. That income helps service roughly $17 billion in long-term debt backed by transit fare revenue.

The policy has drawn criticism from opponents including Phil Murphy and Donald Trump, though a federal judge ruled that efforts to end the program were unlawful.

Tyler Durden
Mon, 03/23/2026 – 05:45

Fears over a prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz have kept investors on edge as oil prices swung in volatile trading Monday.