Southeast
Florida lawmaker says calling Kamala Harris a 'DEI hire' is like using the 'N word, racial slur'
Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost said on Tuesday that calling Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a “DEI hire” was like using a “racial slur.”
“DEI” is an acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“This is a right-wing campaign that’s going to be racist [and] misogynist against the vice president. But we‘re going to stand on the issues and what really matters is the fact that she is qualified,” Frost told anchor Jim Acosta on “CNN Newsroom.”
“They want to call her a DEI president – a DEI candidate. She has more experience than Trump and J.S. Vance combined times a million, right? She worked at the state level. She was the attorney general,” he added.
Rep. Maxwell Frost told CNN’s Jim Acosta that calling Vice President Harris a “DEI hire” was equivalent to “the ‘N word.” (Screenshot/CNN)
MAJORITY OF DEMOCRATS THINK KAMALA HARRIS WOULD BE A GOOD PRESIDENT, POLL SHOWS
Frost added that any “DEI” comments about Harris are “racist dog whistles.”
“She’s Vice President of the United States. She was a senator representing one of the largest states in the entire country. And so these are just racist dog whistles whenever you hear DEI, I want you to think about the ‘N word, and we need to think about racial slurs. That‘s what they actually mean,” Frost said.
Frost’s comments came after Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett on Monday called Harris a “DEI hire” in an interview with CNN. Rep. Burchett suggested that Harris was selected as vice president solely because she was a Black woman.
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“One hundred percent she is a DEI hire,” Burchett told CNN’s Manu Raju. He continued, “Her record is abysmal at best.”
Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green also slammed Harris for being chosen as Biden’s running mate solely due to her racial identity.
“She wasn’t chosen because she was truly highly ranked amongst Democratic voters throughout the country. She was chosen for a reason. And it seems to be that her, unfortunately, her gender and maybe her skin color was part of that,” Greene told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Maxwell Frost slammed Republicans for calling Vice President Harris a “DEI hire.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
While some are calling Harris a “DEI hire,” other GOP officials believe it is best for Republican nominee and former President Trump to campaign against Harris in other ways, such as her lackluster 2020 Democratic primary campaign and her crime record in California.
Less than 36 hours after President Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Harris announced that she’d locked up the nomination.
MSNBC GUEST REVEALS ENTHUSIASM GAP BETWEEN DEMS, REPUBLICANS
“I am proud to have earned the support needed to become our party’s nominee,” the vice president wrote in a social media post just after midnight early Tuesday morning.
Harris showcased that she’d won commitments of backing from a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention, which kicks off Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Harris’ clinching of the nomination will likely become official within the next two weeks, as the Democratic National Committee moves forward with a virtual presidential nomination roll call of the delegates.
Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
Rep. Frost’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Repeat offender truck driver charged with bank robbery after claiming C-4 explosives, firing on officers: feds
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A North Carolina truck driver, who is a repeat offender, has been federally charged following a bank robbery and a shootout with law enforcement, authorities said.
Willie Edward McGee Jr. is charged with bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to a complaint.
Authorities said that McGee entered a First Citizens Bank in Zebulon, North Carolina, on Dec. 26, and demanded money from a teller while claiming to have C-4 explosives. The teller gave him $3,234, and McGee fled in a semi-truck, they said.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to an armed bank robbery investigation that led to the arrest of Willie Edward McGee Jr. in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)
Deputies with the Rocky Mount Police Department said that McGee’s truck was found in a Hobby Lobby parking lot following the initial robbery.
According to surveillance and officers at the scene, McGee allegedly exited the vehicle armed with a Ruger AR-style 5.56 rifle and fired at officers.
Police returned fire and struck McGee. No law enforcement officers or civilians were injured. While taking McGee into custody, officers recovered the AR rifle he allegedly used to shoot at officers and a handgun from his waistband.
No officers or members of the public were injured as law enforcement safely took the suspect into custody after a coordinated response in Rocky Mount. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)
McGee, according to records reviewed by WRAL-News, has a lengthy criminal history. The local outlet said that the suspect has dozens of charges dating back more than 20 years.
WRAL reported that he has offenses spanning from Duplin, Wake and Durham counties.
Federal and local law enforcement recovered guns and evidence following the arrest of a suspect charged with armed bank robbery and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina)
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the incident “domestic terror.”
“As alleged, this defendant didn’t just rob a bank — he threatened innocent civilians with explosives and then opened fire on police officers,” Blanche said. “That is not desperation, it is domestic terror. Thanks to the extraordinary courage and professionalism of our law enforcement partners, he is alive, in custody, and facing decades in federal prison.”
“Let this serve as a warning: if you bring violence into our communities or target the men and women who protect them, this Department of Justice will meet you with the full weight of the federal government and ensure you are removed from the streets for a very long time.”
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The investigation remains active. Anyone with further information about the alleged crimes is asked to please call the FBI at (704) 672-6100. Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina, for comment.
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Southeast
Homeless drifter accused of killing Barnes & Noble Christmas shopper blamed ‘fight or flight’ outburst: report
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The man accused of fatally stabbing a woman inside a Palm Beach Gardens Barnes & Noble days before Christmas had traveled through several states before entering Florida, authorities said Tuesday.
Palm Beach Gardens police identified the suspect as Antonio R. Moore, 40, and said he is accused of killing 65-year-old Rita B. Loncharich inside the popular bookstore on the evening of Dec. 22.
Investigators said Moore is not a Florida resident and had moved through multiple states, including through Georgia and North Carolina, before coming to Florida. Police said Moore boarded a bus on Dec. 15 from Orlando to Titusville and then traveled onward into Palm Beach County.
Antonio Moore, 40, is facing a murder charge following the alleged stabbing at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Google Maps/Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office)
WOMAN IN FLORIDA BARNES & NOBLE STABBED TO DEATH, POLICE SEEK MOTIVE
According to the arrest affidavit obtained by WFLX Fox 29, Moore entered the bookstore around 7:29 p.m. and Loncharich arrived shortly afterward. Investigators said Moore approached Loncharich in a store aisle and stabbed her in the back with a pocketknife.
According to the Palm Beach Post, Moore allegedly told police a “fight or flight” response overtook him, and he took a fixed-blade knife from his jacket pocket. He reportedly told police that he stabbed Loncharich because she was the closest person to him at the time and said he did not have any prior interaction with her.
A Barnes & Noble location in San Diego, Calif. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Bystanders helped the victim until first responders arrived, the local outlet reported. Loncharich was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she died during surgery.
MAN WITH VIOLENT CRIMINAL HISTORY ON PAROLE ALLEGEDLY STABS TEEN TO DEATH: OFFICIALS
Police received a 911 call at 7:52 p.m. and located Moore several blocks from the scene minutes later. He was taken into custody without incident.
Moore, who police say is homeless, told investigators he had no prior relationship with the victim and offered no motive for the attack. According to authorities, he admitted to sitting in the store charging his phone just before the stabbing.
Jail records from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office show that Moore was booked on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. He is being held without bond.
The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said it is searching for a motive in the Barnes & Noble stabbing. (Palm Beach Gardens Police Department)
Local family members and community members described Loncharich as a “kind, gentle” person whose life was cut short during what should have been a routine holiday outing.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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Southeast
University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean
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A University of Alabama student reportedly suffered multiple skull fractures and other injuries after he fell while on vacation with his family in the Caribbean.
A GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Polaski and his family reads, “What should have been a joyful time together quickly became every parent’s worst nightmare.”
“Mike, Steph, Matthew, and Evan were on a family vacation in the Dominican Republic during the holidays while Matthew was home on winter break from his freshman year at the University of Alabama,” the GoFundMe page added.
“On December 28th, Matthew suffered a severe head injury after a fall. He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling on his brain and save his life. He remains in critical care and was placed in a medically induced coma,” it continued. “Once stabilized, Matthew was transported by international medical flight to Miami, where his treatment continues.”
POLICE SHOULD BE TAKING ‘CLOSER LOOK’ AT COLLEGE STUDENT’S DEATH AFTER MOTHER’S ALLEGATIONS: FORMER PROSECUTOR
Matthew Polaski, left, is recovering after suffering a fall while on a family vacation to the Dominican Republic, a GoFundMe page said. (GoFundMe)
The circumstances of the fall were not immediately clear.
“University staff have been in touch with the family to offer support, and our thoughts are with Matthew and his loved ones during this time,” the University of Alabama told Fox News Digital in a statement.
The GoFundMe describes Polaski as a “hardworking, respectful young man with a deep passion for gymnastics.”
“He recently began his college journey at Alabama, joined Sigma Pi fraternity, and has his whole future ahead of him. Mike and Steph have always been unwavering in their support — traveling to countless meets, tournaments, and college visits to help Matthew pursue his dreams,” it added.
AMERICAN TOURIST ATTACKED BY SHARK IN VACATION HOT SPOT
Matthew Polaski was vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic when he suffered the fall, the GoFundMe page said. (iStock)
An update posted Wednesday on the GoFundMe page described how Matthew Polaski suffered “skull fractures, fractured pelvis and lower back vertebrate fractures.”
“They reduced sedation and checked motor responses, both arms and legs responded on chest stimulation, another good early sign. Much is still being determined with mostly with the head injury for unknowns,” the update added. “Probably the most emotional update as a parent, Matthew started motion on his own, opened his mouth, and squeezed Steph’s hand in responses. I can’t imagine how many tears Steph had in that moment.”
The Robbinsville Police Department in New Jersey said Matthew’s father used to be its chief.
The GoFundMe page said Matthew Polaski’s medical bills in the Dominican Republic have reached nearly $75,000.
Polaski is a first-year student at the University of Alabama, according to the GoFundMe page. (Getty Images)
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“International medical transport costs alone are estimated between $35,000 and $55,000. Unfortunately, insurance provides very limited coverage for international medical care, and even with insurance, medical expenses in the U.S. add up quickly. This is only the beginning,” it said.
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