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Anti-Israel demonstrators gather at UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor's office, smear red paint on building

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Anti-Israel demonstrators gather at UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor's office, smear red paint on building

Anti-Israel demonstrators gathered at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus on Saturday ahead of the commencement ceremony.

A protest was held at the campus’ Peace and Justice Plaza, where the campus chapter for Students for Justice in Palestine celebrated suspended seniors who participated in the protest at UNC, according to ABC 11.

“We know the movement for the liberation of Palestine is guided by sacrifice and deep love for the people,” Students for Justice in Palestine at UNC said in an Instagram post. “Amnesty for our students is tied to the steadfast struggle against the genocide in Palestine, and we invite you to join us in taking the university back together. BRING YOU KUFFIYEHS. BRING YOUR JOY. BRING YOUR VOICE.”

UNC FRAT MEMBERS WHO PROTECTED AMERICAN FLAG RECOUNT CHAOTIC PROTEST: ‘BLEW MY MIND’

Protestors stamp red handprint stains on the Chancellor’s building at UNC Chapel Hill, Saturday, May 11, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital)

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After the celebration, the group marched through the campus, carrying picket signs and tents, to the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower near Kenan Memorial Stadium, hours before the 7 p.m. graduation ceremony.

Protesters marched over to the South Building, which houses the Chancellor’s office, where some chanted and others threw red paint on the stairs and placed red handprints on the pillars. Some protesters also wrote on the building using chalk.

A group of several dozen protesters were on the lawn circling the Old Well, where they began chanting as students and families took graduation photos. The demonstrators then held a 15-minute moment of silence in honor of the thousands who have been killed in Gaza since October, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, leading to military retaliation from Israeli forces.

UNC STUDENT WHO DEFENDED AMERICAN FLAG  FROM CAMPUS MOB ‘HONORED TO GIVE BACK TO THE NATION’

SEE PHOTOS: Vandalism on campus

“There are a lot of students who are brutalized and arrested and are not able to graduate today,” student protester Samuel Scarborough said at the demonstration. “Students that have been banned from campus. And so the response has been no business as usual, no justice, no peace.”

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UNC graduate Alicia Buckminster said: “As a UNC graduate, we were taking our 2020 graduation away from us in high school. So, I just hope and pray that tonight we’ll be able to graduate as a class and celebrate it the correct way.”

Police later moved protesters away from the area.

SEE PHOTOS: Commencement continues

SEE PHOTOS: Clean-up operation

The protest comes after a recent demonstration sparked a clash between anti-Israel protesters and law enforcement at an encampment that was set up in Polk Place. The university said 36 protesters were detained after failing to follow orders to disperse. 

Six of the protesters detained at Polk Place were arrested and charged with trespassing and were later released on a written promise to appear. Three of the protesters arrested are UNC students, while the other three are not affiliated with the university.

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Sylvester Stallone axes $35 million mansion sea barrier plans after angering Palm Beach neighbors

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Sylvester Stallone axes  million mansion sea barrier plans after angering Palm Beach neighbors

Sylvester Stallone is standing down on his initial plan to build an underwater barrier near his Palm Beach home. 

After he angered several neighbors in his affluent, waterfront community, Stallone made a plea during the Town Council meeting in Palm Beach on Thursday. 

Stallone previously addressed concerns about marine life and water quality on the Palm Beach shore near his $35 million mansion. 

SYLVESTER STALLONE ANGERS PALM BEACH NEIGHBORS WITH UNIQUE REQUEST TO PROTECT $35 MILLION MANSION

“Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone abandoned his initial plan to build an underwater barrier near his Palm Beach home.  (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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“We wanted to bring back this, it’s almost a sanctuary,” Stallone, 78, pleaded, according to The Palm Beach Post. 

“You’re great neighbors and you’ve been here a long time… we respect your work and the way you see this,” Stallone said, adding that his plan for the barrier “was not just a vanity thing.”

While the “Rocky” star attended the Town Council meeting with his wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone, neighbors continued to be angered by his message and dismissed his plea. 

Sylvester Stallone and his wife

Stallone made a plea during a Palm Beach Town Council meeting with his wife, Jennifer Flavin. (Getty Images)

“If you’re out there in the channel … and a big boat comes, you have to get out of the way quickly,” a former U.S. Army major general argued to the council and explained how the barrier would create a safety issue.

“A barrier like this would merely trap the trash and push it farther down the line,” a lifelong resident echoed. 

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Council President Bobbie Lindsay joked and told Stallone, “It’s tough being so famous.”

WATCH: SYLVESTER STALLONE SHARES HE HAS ‘TONS OF REGRETS’

“I think today we’re being asked by our residents, and you can see where this is heading, to not support this particular application,” she said. “And I would hope that when we do that … that we also at the same time invite you to please work with us to go after some of these injustices that are happening in our waterway.”

The meeting concluded with Stallone agreeing to withdraw his application. 

SYLVESTER STALLONE’S DAUGHTER HAS SCARY EXPERIENCE WITH STRANGER IN NEW YORK

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Reps for Stallone did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Stallone’s plans to build the underwater barrier in the Intracostal Waterway near his massive Palm Beach home stemmed from an application he previously submitted that neighbors were reportedly blindsided by, according to the outlet. 

Sylvester Stallone looks off in the distance during a panel

The “Tulsa King” star’s application also included a request for a lease of state land due to the positioning of the barrier which is owned by the state, according to records. (Getty Images)

What appears to be billed as an environmental project needed to keep out debris and seaweed from the waterway, “the overall project purpose is to exclude boaters” from being near the property, a public notice from the Army Corps stated. Seaweed is listed as a secondary concern.

The proposal request from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection stated Stallone’s surrounding neighbors have until 5 p.m. on Christmas Day to comment on the actor’s project, according to the outlet.

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The “Tulsa King” star’s application also included a request for a lease of state land due to the positioning of the barrier which is owned by the state, according to records.

Records indicated the barrier application was submitted in January 2023, with plans received by the Army Corps in August. A month-long public comment period began on Oct. 24, where one question was submitted regarding manatees becoming entangled, and the proposed project’s effects on seagrasses.

Jennifer Flavin, Sistine Stallone, Sylvester Stallone and Sophia Stallone

In 2021, Stallone was confirmed as the buyer of a sprawling $35 million home, which sits on approximately 1.5 lakefront acres, facing over 250 feet of beach with a dock. (Amy Sussman)

“He bought a beautiful property,” Stallone’s neighbor Bradford Gary told the outlet, calling the home “one of the nicest West Indies houses” in the North End. “I can see why you’d want to protect it. But you can’t just kind of stake your claim and think you own the water.”

In 2021, Stallone was confirmed as the buyer of a sprawling $35 million home, which sits on approximately 1.5 lakefront acres, facing over 250 feet of beach with a dock.

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The total living space – including a main house, a guest house and a pool pavilion near the keyhole-shaped pool in the backyard – is over 13,000 square feet. Between the main and guest spaces, the property has seven bedrooms and 12 baths.

Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.

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Former porn star calls on government to enforce 'mandatory' age verification for adult websites

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Former porn star calls on government to enforce 'mandatory' age verification for adult websites

Former porn star turned pastor Brittni De La Mora is calling on age verification laws to become “mandatory” to “protect children” as Florida is set to effectuate legislation on the matter in January. 

Pornhub will soon no longer be available to Florida users after the Sunshine State instituted a new age verification rule for access to adult sites. Taking effect Jan. 1, 2025, the age verification rule is tied to the state’s HB 3, a measure that aims to protect minors online.

Pornhub’s parent company, Aylo, emphasized to Fox News Digital that it favors implementing effective age verification, just not specifically in the way Florida’s law was designed, saying other outlets have incorrectly reported it doesn’t support age verification at all. 

“They’re deflecting accountability by saying that they don’t want to follow a simple law, which is age verification for pornography,” De La Mora said on “The Ingraham Angle.” “I don’t know exactly what they’re doing with their money, but I do believe that they are not out to protect young children.”

“Fifty-eight percent of minors that have watched pornography for their very first time — they watched it by stumbling upon it through a pop-up ad and so forth. And they weren’t looking for porn — porn was looking for them,” De La Mora said.

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LAURA INGRAHAM: THE PORN INDUSTRY HAS BEEN FREE TO PROFIT OFF SELLING TOXIC MATERIAL TO MINORS

Per the bill, a website or application that “contains a substantial portion of material that is harmful to minors” will be required to verify the age of the user. Through an “anonymous or standard age verification method,” it must confirm the user is 18 or older to proceed with engagement. 

In response to the specifications of the measure, Aylo elected to halt access to the adult site in Florida, saying in a statement that collecting “highly sensitive personal information” puts “user safety in jeopardy.” 

“First, to be clear, Aylo has publicly supported age verification of users for years, but we believe that any law to this effect must preserve user safety and privacy, and must effectively protect children from accessing content intended for adults. Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide, including Florida, have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous. Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy. Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws,” Aylo told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

The statement later continued: “The best solution to make the internet safer, preserve user privacy, and prevent children from accessing adult content is performing age verification at the source: on the device. The technology to accomplish this exists today. What is required is the political and social will to make it happen. We are eager to be part of this solution and are happy to collaborate with government, civil society and tech partners to arrive at an effective device-based age verification solution. In addition, many devices already offer free and easy-to-use parental control features that can prevent children from accessing adult content without risking the disclosure of sensitive user data.”

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Florida residents still using the app ahead of the deadline are met with a countdown pop-up of how many more days they have access to the site. 

“Did you know that your government wants you to give your driver’s license before you can access PORNHUB?” the pop-up reads. “As crazy as that sounds, it’s true. You’ll be required to prove you are 18 years or older such as by uploading your government ID for every adult content website you’d like to access.”

ADULT FILMMAKERS IN UTAH SEEK TO DELAY PORN SITE AGE VERIFICATION LAW

The pop-up also addressed how it supports minors not having access to the site, and said that preventing use is a “good thing.” It directed readers to alternative methods of blocking minor access, such as “Device-Based Age Verification.”

PornHun logo on a phone

In this photo illustration, a PornHub logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen in Athens, Greece on March 16, 2022. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

De La Mora continued: “I was in the porn industry for seven years, and I would be paid extra money to do aggressive, abusive scenes.”

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She expanded on how the “pulling hair, spitting and choking” acts often used in porn clips have become “sexual education” for young people. 

After speaking with some young girls, De La Mora said many expressed not wanting to have sex again after their first sexual experience.

“I don’t blame the young boys. They are watching pornography, and this is what’s filling their minds, and this is what’s teaching them how to have sex,” she said.

“Protecting children is not a violation of your First Amendment rights in any way. I believe that our government has an obligation to protect children,” De La Mora said, arguing that adult content is “not created with children in mind.” “It is created for adults, and yet there has been no accountability for porn companies.”

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Marco Rubio’s US Senate seat

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Lara Trump removes herself from consideration for Marco Rubio’s US Senate seat

Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. 

“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate,” she wrote on X Saturday. 

The president-elect has nominated Rubio to be secretary of state. 

“I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida,” Lara Trump added.

TRUMP SAYS HE DOESN’T EXPECT DESANTIS TO NAME DAUGHTER-IN-LAW LARA TRUMP AS RUBIO’S SENATE REPLACEMENT

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Lara Trump, President-elect Trump’s daughter-in-law, said Saturday she is removing herself from consideration for Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s seat in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son, stepped down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee earlier this month.

” I have read so many of your kind messages and I cannot thank you enough,” Lara Trump said, adding she has a “big announcement that I’m excited to share in January.”

She said she remains “incredibly passionate about public service and (looks) forward to serving our country again sometime in the future. In the meantime, I wish Governor DeSantis the best of luck with this appointment.”

The president-elect had previously pressed DeSantis to name Lara as Rubio’s replacement, a source in his political orbit told Fox News Digital, but he later told reporters he didn’t necessarily expect him to select her. 

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Marco Rubio at the RNC

The president-elect has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION

“That’s his choice,” the president-elect added. 

Rubio’s senate replacement will be appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s term. 

In 2026, the seat will be open for a full six-year term. 

Lara Trump with her husband at President-elect Trump's election night party.

Lara Trump is married to President-elect Trump’s son, Eric Trump.  (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Lara Trump had previously said she was “seriously considering” the position, although she wasn’t sure it was right for her. 

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DeSantis previously said he would make an appointment by early January. 

Lara Trump did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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