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Pumpkin bread crushes the competition as fall favorites are revealed across America

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Pumpkin bread crushes the competition as fall favorites are revealed across America

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It’s finally starting to feel like fall in much of the country, and as people break out their sweaters and tune in to football, another festive favorite is returning.

“Every year there’s arguing over whether pumpkin as a fall flavor is dying or at least plateauing,” said Mike Kostyo, a Chicago food “trendologist” and vice president at food industry consulting company Menu Matters. “Overall, pumpkin and pumpkin spice are here to stay. It’s a seasonal favorite in the same way peppermint is for winter.”

‘Tis the season for pumpkin-flavored everything, but while demand is nearly universal, what people prefer it in depends on where in the U.S. they live.

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From breads and cookies to soup and seeds, pumpkin favorites vary state by state, according to an analysis of Google Trends by the blog Coffeeness.

The company analyzed more than 30 different pumpkin-based foods and drinks — including pumpkin ravioli and curry — comparing search interest across all 50 states over the past year. While tastes vary by region, a few items clearly dominate. In the Northeast, for example, pumpkin purveyors favor muffins, cookies and other seasonal sweets.

Pumpkin bread, muffins and cookies dominate kitchens nationwide as fall flavors return. (iStock)

Pumpkin bread was the No. 1 searched item in 20 states, particularly across the South and Midwest: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

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Recipes for pumpkin bread date back to the 1830s, and experts trace its roots to early American settlers who adapted European spice breads and puddings using the gourd popular among Native American tribes.

Pumpkin bread is rising as the season’s star, while spiced lattes quietly keep their crown, the analysis found. (iStock)

Convenient, on-the-go pumpkin muffins followed as the top search in 11 states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Pumpkin cookies were the favorite in Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Utah, the analysis found.

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“Some of what you’re seeing in the search trends reflect that people are cooking at home more,” Kostyo said. “That is partly because of pricing pressures, and it’s much cheaper to cook at home, but also because we’ve seen a general shift towards people cooking at home since the pandemic.” 

He added that social media recipe sharing has boosted interest in homemade treats like breads and muffins.

Pumpkin soup was the top search term in Florida, Texas, New York and Michigan. (iStock)

A few states, however, prefer their pumpkin blended into a cozy soup. 

Florida, Texas, New York and Michigan all favor the savory option. In some parts of the Lone Star State, recipes even include citrus zest for a Southwestern twist.

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In warmer climates such as Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi, nutrient-packed pumpkin seeds were the top searched item, beating out heavier baked goods.

Over the years, interest in savory pumpkin items has surged, according to Kostyo. 

“It was a natural white space opportunity for pumpkin after every sweet beverage and dessert was pumpkin-ified,” he said. “It also reflected the fact that consumers kept asking for real pumpkin, not just pumpkin flavor, and real pumpkin on its own is actually savory.”

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Pumpkin pie topped the list in only North Dakota and Wyoming, while the iconic pumpkin spice latte was No. 1 in just South Dakota.

Starbucks introduced the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003, and it remains a top seller. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service)

Nonetheless, Starbucks announced that it saw its best Tuesday sales ever this year when it brought back the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Kostyo noted, proving that the seasonal favorite is far from fading. He said people likely aren’t searching for “pumpkin spice latte” because they already know where to find one.

Consumer psychology expert Matt Johnson noted that pumpkin’s appeal persists even in regions without a traditional fall season, like his home state of California. 

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“We’re dealing with something primarily psychological and cultural rather than environmental,” he told Fox News Digital.

“We’re not talking about a seasonal flavor preference, but rather a culturally constructed vibe that’s become deeply embedded in how Americans conceptualize autumn itself.”

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Former MLB great Mark Teixeira makes stance on Minnesota ICE shooting clear

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Former MLB great Mark Teixeira makes stance on Minnesota ICE shooting clear

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The Minnesota ICE shooting that resulted in the death of Renee Good has drawn strong reactions everywhere.

According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Good was operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit. Good, according to Noem, refused and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”

After Vice President JD Vance delivered a strong statement defending ICE agents for their work, the White House posted a graphic with a portion of Vance’s plea and the caption, “STAND WITH ICE.”

 

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Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Ameriquest Field Aug. 7, 2005, in Arlington, Texas. (Tim Heitman/USA Today Sports )

Former MLB All-Star Mark Teixeira, who launched his campaign for Texas’ 21st Congressional District in August as a Republican to “help defend President Trump’s America First agenda,” voiced his support.

“I stand with ICE,” the former Texas Ranger, Atlanta Brave, Los Angeles Angel and New York Yankee wrote on X.

Teixeira’s announcement followed Rep. Chip Roy’s decision not to seek re-election and run for Texas attorney general. Roy, who represents the district, made the announcement in a campaign video shared on X last year. His video centered on preserving the Lone Star State’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.”

Former New York Yankee Mark Teixeira throws out the first pitch before a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees in the 2019 ALDS at Yankee Stadium.  (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)

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Noem called the incident “domestic terrorism.”

“An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him,” she said.

Federal authorities said Good tried to run over ICE agents who were part of a 2,000-member team sent to the Twin Cities to round up and deport undocumented immigrant criminals.

Teixeira, 45, played 14 seasons in the majors. He debuted with the Rangers in 2003 but is perhaps best known for being an MVP candidate and World Series champion with the Yankees, the final stop of his career.

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New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira hits an RBI single against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum May 22, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (Kelley L Cox/USA Today Sports)

One of the best hitters in the game, Teixeira was a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and finished his career with a .269 batting average and 409 home runs. He was a five-time Gold Glove winner and was a member of the Yankees’ 2009 World Series championship team. 

The congressional race is set for November 2026, with a primary scheduled for March.

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Republican senators hit border, touting tougher security and tax cuts, in 2026 kickoff

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Republican senators hit border, touting tougher security and tax cuts, in 2026 kickoff

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Aiming to not only hold but expand their 53-47 majority in November’s midterm elections, top Senate Republicans are showcasing the plummeting rates of border crossings during a stop Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

And the group, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, is also highlighting how President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers are “putting more money in Americans’ pockets.”

The stop at the border, hosted by One Nation, a nonprofit outside group closely aligned with Thune, is seen as an unofficial kickoff by Senate Republicans ahead of the midterms to tout the sweeping “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” Trump’s signature domestic achievement last year that was passed nearly entirely along party lines in the GOP controlled Congress.

At the event at the border, which was a regular stop for Republicans amid the surge in border crossings during then-President Joe Biden’s administration, the GOP senators are teaming up with members of the National Border Patrol Council. And they are highlighting how the passage of the domestic policy measure “secured transformational border security funding,” according to One Nation.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune and fellow Senate Republicans speak to reporters at an event at the nation’s southern border with Mexico, on Jan. 9, 2026. (One Nation)

“This is a remarkable, remarkable difference in just a year,” Thune said at the event. “It’s been an incredible year of progress when it comes to the southern border and the American people are experiencing the benefit of that in the form of having safer streets and safer communities and safer neighborhoods.”

But with Democrats enjoying decisive victories and overperformances in the 2025 elections and in a slew of special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, which were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation, the Republican senators are also using Friday’s trip to spotlight the tax cut and energy policy provisions in the bill, which they rebranded as the “Working Families Tax Cut.”

“The Working Families Tax Cut will make buying groceries more affordable for working Americans this year,” the Senate Republicans touted on social media on the eve of the border stop. “Every Democrat voted against it.”

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And they also highlighted that “Senate Republicans have worked closely with President Trump to lower energy prices and make life more affordable — and the results speak for themselves.”

Thune, at the border, pointed to the tax cut provisions in the GOP measure, including no tax on tips and overtime and reduced rates for seniors on Social Security, along with “the jobs that are going to be created by the pro-growth policies that we put in place….are going to lead us to a place where the American people are seeing their incomes go up.”

But Democrats see the cost of living as their winning issue heading into the midterms.

“If the Republican agenda actually made life more affordable for working Americans, then they wouldn’t be desperately flailing as families struggle to afford groceries, health care, and housing,” Lauren French, communications director at Senate Majority PAC, the top Senate Democrat-aligned outside group, told Fox News Digital. “Instead of focusing on working people, Trump and Senate Republicans are focused on bringing chaos and instability into our communities.”

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., holds a political and policy event Friday at the nation’s southern border with Mexico. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Joining Thune, the longtime senator from South Dakota, at the border is Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, number two in Senate Republican leadership.

There are also Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who faces a bruising GOP primary showdown in March against challengers Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt; and Republican Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio and Ashley Moody of Florida, who were appointed last year and will face voters this November.

HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS

GOP Sens. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who are up for re-election this year, are also on the trip, as are former Rep. Mike Rogers and former Republican National Committee chair Mike Whatley, the GOP Senate candidates in battlegrounds Michigan and North Carolina who are backed by Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

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“We’re seeing signs already that the economy is starting to tick up and is starting to take hold as the President’s policies are getting in place,” Whatley argued last month in a Fox News Digital interview. “We need to make sure that we have the trade policies, the tax policies, the regulatory policies from this administration that are going to help our small businesses, our manufacturers and our farmers across North Carolina.”

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But Democrats are energized as the midterm year begins, as they continue to keep their focus on the issue of affordability.

“Donald Trump has lost the economy, is losing his mind, and is going to lose the midterms,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin claimed in a recent statement.

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Body found during search for missing Texas teen Camila Mendoza Olmos as another teen girl disappears

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Body found during search for missing Texas teen Camila Mendoza Olmos as another teen girl disappears

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A body was found Tuesday evening as authorities in Bexar County, Texas, grapple with a series of disappearances involving teen girls who all went missing within a week.

The body was found during the search for 19-year-old Camila Olmos, though police said it is too early to determine whether the remains belong to her.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a news conference that investigators had “just recently found a body in a field” around 4:40 to 4:45 p.m., adding that the medical examiner will determine both the identity of the body and the cause and manner of death.

The body was found by a joint team of sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents in an area of tall grass near a landscaping business, a few hundred yards from Olmos’ home, according to Salazar.

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MISSING CAMILA MENDOZ OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE

Camila Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve. (Bexar County Sheriff)

A firearm was recovered near the body, which authorities said had been an item of interest during the search.

Salazar said investigators do not currently suspect murder and noted there were indicators consistent with possible self-harm, though he stressed it is too early to draw conclusions while the scene is still being processed.

Olmos was last seen leaving her home in far northwest Bexar County around 7 a.m. on Dec. 24, authorities said. Her case came as two other girls were reported missing in the area. Fourteen-year-old Sofia Gabriela Peters-Cobos has since been found safe, while 17-year-old Angelique Johnson remains missing, according to police.

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Law enforcement has said there is no confirmed connection between the cases.

MISSING CAMILA MENDOZ OLMOS: DASHCAM CAPTURES LAST SIGHTING OF TEXAS TEEN WHO VANISHED CHRISTMAS EVE

Angelique Johnson, from San Antonio, Texas, was reported missing. (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)

Texas Department of Public Safety said the Clear Alert for Olmos has been discontinued, though authorities urged anyone with information related to the cases or the whereabouts of Angelique Johnson to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

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The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and the San Antonio Police Department did not respond immediately to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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