Southeast
Wife of slain deputy US Marshal speaks of suspect publicly for first time: 'No regard for human life'
The bereaved wife of Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. “Tommy” Weeks, who was among four law enforcement officers killed last week in a shootout at a wanted suspect’s Charlotte home, spoke of her husband’s killer before hundreds gathered for his Monday memorial service, including U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“This tragedy was the result of someone who did not have any regard for human life,” Kelly Weeks said of the killer, 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr.
Hughes died at the scene after fatally shooting Weeks; North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) Officers Sam Poloche and William “Alden” Elliott, who were members of a USMS fugitive task force along with Weeks; and CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer from the second floor of his Galway Drive home in Charlotte on April 29.
Four more law enforcement officers were injured at the scene while trying to serve a warrant for Hughes’ arrest. The suspect had an “extensive” criminal record, according to North Carolina Public Records and CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings.
Kelly Weeks, center, the widow of slain Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., glances over at attendees of her husband’s memorial service at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, May 6, 2024. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
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Two additional persons of interest – both female, one just 17 years old – were taken into custody. Authorities are still working to determine whether anyone else was involved in the shooting.
Authorities recovered an AR-15 rifle, a 40-caliber handgun, magazines and ammunition from the residence, and Jennings said that over 100 rounds were fired in the shootout.
“Tommy’s mission in life was to make the world safer and fight for justice,” Weeks’ wife said. “So what do I need? I need this country to come together, to support our law enforcement officers so they can continue to fight for justice just like my husband did. Thank an officer every single day, encourage our children to show police officers the proper respect.”
The widowed mother of four hoped the memory of her 48-year-old husband would inspire others to “lift up his fellow brothers and sisters in any law enforcement capacity.”
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Thomas M. Weeks. Weeks was a deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to the Western District of North Carolina and was one of four officers killed April 29, 2024 in Charlotte, N.C. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP)
Weeks said her husband was a devoted father and husband, always walking on the inside of the street to protect her from traffic and wanting her within arms length.
“I woke up every single day to a man telling me he loved me, ‘You’re the most beautiful woman,’ ‘How lucky I am to have you.’ What he didn’t realize is I was the lucky one.”
Weeks would “do anything” to make his loved ones “feel special,” his wife said, “insisting you drink a Guinness or have a glass of whiskey” and “inviting you to play golf or come to the lake, or just give you a call to see how you were doing.”
Weeks was a 13-year veteran of the marshals service and had worked in Charlotte since 2014, the agency said. After beginning his career in law enforcement in Washington, D.C. in 2011, he spent eight years with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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The home where four law enforcement officers were killed remains destroyed in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Four officers were killed in a shootout on Monday while trying to serve a search warrant. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
CHARLOTTE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO DIED IN SHOOTOUT IDENTIFIED: ‘FOREVER INDEBTED’
Her husband’s service made Weeks aware of the risks law enforcement officers take daily to “protect our bubble.”
“As I look out on this crowd, I see so many law enforcement officers here to pay their respects. It is a clear reminder of the sacrifice these men and women make every day,” she said. “If you do not serve or have a family with individuals who do serve, you sleep peacefully at night knowing you’re protected by many brave men and women.”
Garland told mourners that he had called Weeks’ spouse hoping to lift her spirits – unexpectedly, he said, she lifted his.
“When I called you last Tuesday to convey the Justice Department’s deepest condolences to your family,” Garland said. “I hope to in some way be able to provide you with comfort and support in the midst of your unimaginable loss. What I did not expect is that you would end the call by asking me what you could do to support the Marshal Service and the Justice Department in this time of immeasurable sadness.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland climbs the stairs to the lectern to speak during a memorial service for slain U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr., at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday, May 6, 2024. Weeks Jr. died during a standoff with a gunman on Monday, April 29. (Jeff Siner/The Charlotte Observer via AP)
Last week, former FBI agent with Miami’s Violent Fugitive Task Force Nicole Parker called upon Garland and the Department of Justice to establish more concrete protocols for arrests and takedowns carried out by the agencies it oversees, including the U.S. Marshals.
She likened last week’s shooting to an incident in February 2021, when FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were killed while attempting to serve a warrant on a Florida suspect wanted for violent crimes against children.
CHARLOTTE POLICE CHIEF BREAKS DOWN REMEMBERING 4 SLAIN OFFICERS, SAYS SUSPECT HAD ‘EXTENSIVE’ CRIMINAL HISTORY
(L-R) Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Investigator William “Alden” Elliott, Police Officer Joshua Eyer and Investigator Samuel “Sam” Poloche were killed in a police shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday, April 29, 2024. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP/NCDAC/Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department/Sean Rayford via AP/Getty Images)
She noted that no formal changes were made to protect federal agents in similar situations in the future.
Like Weeks’ wife, she called for respect for law enforcement officers, both from the public and the federal government.
“Until our country wakes up and shows respect, learns lessons from these tragedies, shares those lessons and makes some changes, it’s going to keep happening,” Parker said. “That’s why everyone’s leaving – law enforcement officers don’t feel like anyone has our backs.”
President Biden visited Charlotte on Thursday to meet the fallen officers’ families and members of CMPD, and wrote in a statement that “we must do more to protect our law enforcement officers.”
“That means funding them – so they have the resources they need to do their jobs and keep us safe,” the President said in a Monday statement. “And it means taking additional action to combat the scourge of gun violence. Now. Leaders in Congress need to step up so that we ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns and pass universal background checks and a national red flag law. Enough is enough.”
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Southeast
Sylvester Stallone axes $35 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)
“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.
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.
Council President Bobbie Lindsay joked and told Stallone, “It’s tough being so famous.”
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“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.
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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.
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.
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.
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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Southeast
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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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.”
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.”
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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.”
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.”
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.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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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.
“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
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.
The president-elect has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“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 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.
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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