I am now in Mobile, Alabama. My Walk Across America has brought me to the Gulf Coast, where I see a city alive with the prideful sweat of American labor, deep faith and the quiet determination to enjoy a good quality of life.

Yet, when I look at the news on my phone, all I see is the turmoil up north in Minneapolis, where federal agents have been involved in two fatal shootings last month alone — first Renee Good and then Alex Pretti. It’s a stark cultural war flashpoint: one side demanding aggressive border security and law-and-order crackdowns under the current administration and the other crying foul over what they call excessive force and federal heavy-handedness in a blue city.

As I walk these Southern roads, talking to everyday Americans, I can’t shake the question: Are we losing sight of our foundational values in this bitter culture war that seems to know no bottom?

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Everyone claims the moral high ground for America, but the visions are diametrically opposed. On the one hand, you have personal responsibility and secure borders, and on the other, you have grievance politics and open-ended leniency. The progressive left, emboldened in places like Minneapolis, isn’t stopping there. They’re pushing policies that undermine law enforcement and excuse disorder in the name of social justice.

What’s truly at stake? The very idea of ordered liberty. Will we defend the rule of law, secure communities and the God-given right to self-reliance, or descend into endless division, eroded sovereignty and a nation where chaos replaces order? From what I’m witnessing on this walk, the antidote isn’t more government overreach or radical activism—it’s the timeless principles still alive in places like Mobile.

Mobile, one of America’s oldest port cities, wasn’t conjured from academic theories, DEI mandates or endless federal stimulus checks. It rose through generations of hard work, free enterprise, trade and personal accountability.

I can’t help but notice the contrast to the South Side of Chicago, where the focus is on the government debating bloated programs and wealth distribution schemes that trap people in cycles of dependency. The result is business vacancies, lack of resources and massive, dilapidated housing projects.

The Port of Mobile stands as living proof that jobs — good, honest jobs rooted in industry and initiative — deliver dignity far better than any government handout ever could. 

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But here in Mobile, the dockworkers, shipbuilders and logistics crews are out there every day creating real wealth and opportunity. The Port of Mobile stands as living proof that jobs — good, honest jobs rooted in industry and initiative — deliver dignity far better than any government handout ever could. When people are valued for what they produce rather than managed as wards of the state, communities flourish.

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I’ve spoken with families here whose livelihoods depend on this port, and they don’t wait for permission from Washington. They show up, work hard and build legacies. In sharp contrast to Minneapolis, where failed progressive policies have allowed crime, especially fraud, disorder and unchecked immigration, to fester before federal interventions turned deadly, Mobile reminds us that a strong work ethic and local economies free from overregulation are the true engines of prosperity and safety.

That’s precisely why I didn’t come to Mobile to lecture or “save” it. I came to listen and learn. True leadership doesn’t arrive with top-down government mandates or activist agendas. It walks humbly alongside communities, respects their God-given strengths and builds from the ground up. You can’t heal what you don’t love, and real transformation—like what we’ve fought for with Project H.O.O.D. in Chicago—grows organically when rooted in local faith, family and responsibility. 

In Mobile, pastors, parents and workers have welcomed me not as an outsider with all the answers, but as a brother in Christ seeking common ground. This stands in stark relief to the ideological battles paralyzing places like Minneapolis, where federal overreach meets radical resistance and commonsense solutions are lost in the noise.

The South’s quiet resurgence proves what coastal elites mock as “backward” is actually forward-thinking: lower taxes and living costs that let families thrive, stronger marriages and churches that anchor moral life, and a belief in personal ownership over government dependency. 

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Hurricanes have hammered Mobile repeatedly, yet the people rebuild without whining or waiting for bailouts. Neighbors helping neighbors, faith sustaining hope, responsibility trumping excuses. When faith erodes, as it has in too many urban centers, communities crumble.

Government can coerce compliance, but only God and the individual, rightly understood, can truly transform hearts and rebuild societies.

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A Republican candidate for governor in Florida announced on Monday that he launched a Tinder account so that he can campaign to young female voters in the Sunshine State.

James Fishback, a 31-year-old investment firm CEO, shared his latest campaign move on X.

“I’ve joined @Tinder to meet young female voters where they are, and share my plan to make it easier for them to get married, buy a home, and raise a family,” he wrote.

He added a screenshot of the profile that showed: “My hottest take is … Florida should offer paid maternity leave to all moms.”

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Less than an hour later, Fishback added an update: “i ran out of likes. could someone donate so i can get tinder plus?”

Fishback is running to succeed term-limited Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

He joins a crowded Republican field that includes U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins.

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If elected, Fishback has said he’d propose a hefty “sin tax” on OnlyFans content creators.

“Young women once aspired to be devoted mothers, doctors, lawyers, and nurses,” James Fishback told Fox News Digital in a statement last month.

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Fishback continued: “Today, young women are told by an online platform called OnlyFans that it’s morally right to sell nude photos of themselves to strangers on the internet. I will not tolerate this cultural degeneracy as Florida’s next Republican Governor.”

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

An American Airlines flight reported seeing a strange blue light while it was preparing to land last week — prompting an investigation.

The incident occurred early in the morning of Thursday, Jan. 29, as the plane was 5 miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shared in a statement with Fox News Digital.

The flight had departed from Charleston, South Carolina, according to American Airlines in a statement it shared with Fox News Digital.

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Ultimately, the flight landed safely — and no injuries were reported.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the crew reported this as a laser event,” the airline said.

American Airlines said its pilots receive training on how to handle potential laser illumination incidents and are instructed to report any such events immediately.

The information is then shared with air traffic control — which passes the report along to law enforcement officials for further review.

The FAA confirmed to Fox News Digital that it would be investigating the incident.

In 2025, pilots reported almost 11,000 laser strikes, the FAA’s website noted.

From those incidents, 10 injuries were reported, the FAA said.

Federal officials have repeatedly warned that laser strikes pose a serious safety risk to aircraft, particularly during takeoff and landing.

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“Laser pointers may seem like a toy, office tool or game. Pointed to the sky, lasers are a serious threat,” the FAA said.  

“A laser can incapacitate pilots, putting thousands of passengers at risk every year.”

People who shine lasers at aircrafts can face penalties.

The FAA said violators may be fined up to $32,000 per incident — and could also face criminal charges under federal law.

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Fox News Digital previously reported that the FAA was investigating a similar incident after the crew of a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter reported receiving illuminations by a green laser near Hector International Airport in North Dakota in 2025.

The incident occurred about two miles from the airport, and no injuries were reported.

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Alexandra Koch of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.