Gatlinburg police free black bear that locked itself inside hotel bathroom in wild viral video

A black bear in Tennessee decided to ditch the great outdoors in favor of indoor plumbing.

In a video that’s now going viral, officers with the Gatlinburg Police Department responded to a truly peak Smoky Mountains call this week after a black bear locked itself inside a bathroom at the Quality Inn & Suites in downtown Gatlinburg.

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According to the police report obtained by OutKick, officers responded to the motel at approximately 2:33 a.m. Friday after an employee reported a bear inside the bathroom. Officer Quayvaughn McCollum wrote that an employee "observed a bear enter an exterior bathroom and lock itself inside."

God forbid a guy wants a little privacy!

The footage shows officers carefully opening the bathroom door before the confused bear casually strolls out and heads down the sidewalk to freedom while officers and bystanders scatter out of the way. One officer beats sticks together while they both holler to deter the animal.

By the looks of it, though, the bear had no interest in the humans anyway.

Fortunately, the officers handled the situation perfectly, and nobody was injured during the ordeal. The whole thing ended with only some minor property damage.

The report notes that officers observed "a broken mirror shattered on the floor, which the bear had caused." Damage was estimated at $50.

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As anyone familiar with East Tennessee knows, black bears wandering through Gatlinburg neighborhoods, parking lots and hotels is hardly unusual this time of year. But one locking itself in a hotel bathroom? That’s a new one.

I guess it does answer the age-old question, though: Does a bear s**t in the woods? 

Not always.

source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-culture/gatlinburg-police-free-black-bear-locked-inside-hotel-bathroom-wild-viral-video

Left-wing governor ripped for ‘insane’ answer on whether he’d support minor son’s gender transition

Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is facing social media backlash after saying during an interview he would support his underage son if he wanted to transition his gender identity. 

"Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he would let his son go through gender mutilation as a minor if he wanted to," RNC Research posted to X on May 7, accompanied by footage of the clip.

Moore, a prominent Democratic governor who has repeatedly clashed with Trump, has signed measures positioning Maryland as a haven for transgender rights and gender-transition care. He was asked a hypothetical question regarding his own son during a discussion on a podcast with American businessman Patrick Bet-David last week. 

"Your son comes in saying he wants to transition, what do you do," Bet-David asked Moore on his "PBD Podcast." 

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"If this is a journey that he wants to go down, um I want him to always be comfortable in his own skin," Moore responded, saying his son would always have his "undying love." 

Bet-David pressed Moore on the question, asking whether he would still support his son if he were a minor. Moore said he would. 

"I want him to feel safe in his own skin, safe in his own decision-making, but also know that, at 14 years old, I want to be involved inside of that process as well," said Moore. "I’m not going to condemn him nor castigate him, I’m not going to kick him out of the house. I’m not going to do anything that’s going to hurt him, but I just want to make sure that I’m involved."

However, Moore — a father of two children under 18 — said it would be "deeply unfair" to allow a child to go on puberty blockers, indicating he would not permit his own son to do so.

Social media commenters unleashed on Moore for appearing to support minors making life-altering decisions.

"That's not empathy. That's insanity. As a parent, you are called to guide your children toward the right decisions, not to affirm life-altering destructive ones. This speaks to Gov Wes Moore sacrificing his own child on the altar of woke transgenderism," wrote Maryland Freedom Caucus vice chair Kathy Szelgia on X.

PARENTS MUST STAY ALERT AS PUBLIC SCHOOLS HIDE LIFE-ALTERING DECISIONS FROM FAMILIES

"There is a 0% chance he believes this. But this is how insane the Democrat party is," said Outkick founder Clay Travis.

"This is the man trusted to run Maryland.  Just thought you should know where he stands," write the account Blue Lives Matter.

"INSANE: Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he would let his 12-year-old son go through gender mutilation as a minor if he wanted to," conservative commentator Steve Guest posted in response. 

"A child who can’t smoke, buy alcohol, vote and whose frontal lobe doesn’t fully develop till their mid 20’s is suddenly capable of rationally electing to permanently mutilate their body for the rest of their life," wrote an X user. "Wes Moore has no business being an elected official."

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"Good to know that you wouldn't kick him out of the house, disown him, or hurt him. Next Question: Would the administration of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones be hurting him," asked another user.

The administration has taken a very strong stance against gender mutilation and puberty blockers following an executive order last year.

In December, the Department of Health and Human Services rolled out a series of policy updates and regulatory actions that would effectively defund hospitals that provide gender transition procedures,

Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of Governor Wes Moore and the White House for comment.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/left-wing-governor-ripped-insane-answer-whether-hed-support-minor-sons-gender-transition

White House economist projects GDP growth could top 5% amid capital spending boom

A top Trump economic advisor is projecting a surge in U.S. growth, saying the country could see GDP expansion greater than even 6% amid a capital spending boom, particularly if the conflict in Iran ends soon.

"I think we really could be looking at numbers north of four, north of five, north of even six [percent], because there’s so much capital stock growth right now," National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told "Sunday Morning Futures."

Hassett elaborated on the acceleration in capital spending, noting that investment jumped 3.3% in March alone, not at an annualized rate.

"So multiply that by 12, and you're looking at historic capital spending numbers," he added, arguing that the surge is being driven by the Trump administration’s tax policies and onshoring efforts.

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He said the surge in investment is laying the foundation for a sustained period of stronger economic growth once new factories and infrastructure come online.

"Remember that the 2% number that you saw for GDP growth, the reason why it was 2% and not 4 or 5% was that we imported a record number of capital goods because we're building all these factories," he said.

"Once we turn those factories on, you're going to really see growth unlike anything we've seen before."

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Hassett also pointed to the pace of capital stock growth.

"That's sort of like how much stuff that we make stuff with," he explained.

"It's between 5 and 8 percent right now. If you divide that by three, that's about how much GDP growth you get out of just capital spending."

Hassett also discussed the potential for gas prices to fall in the near future, pointing to increased supply once oil shipments begin moving more freely through the Strait of Hormuz.

"That's going to help put prices down relatively quickly," he said.

"Now, there's a little bit of a time lag from that. We've got to get the boats to move from the Persian Gulf to especially Asia, where jet fuel prices are so high, and that can take a month or two but once, basically the gusher opens, then we expect that oil prices could drop relatively quickly and certainly ahead of the election."

source https://www.foxnews.com/media/white-house-economist-projects-gdp-growth-could-top-5-amid-capital-spending-boom

Virginia Democrats’ $70M redistricting gamble backfires after court defeat, ignites blame game

Virginia Democrats’ redistricting push was meant to lock in an advantage. Instead, it’s unraveling after a costly court defeat—triggering a growing blame game inside the party.

The high-stakes effort to redraw congressional maps, backed by tens of millions of dollars and significant political capital, briefly delivered a narrow on-paper win. But in a 4–3 ruling, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the maps, citing legal deficiencies, and forced a redraw—wiping out those gains.

Democrats are left arguing over whether party leaders ignored legal warnings and pushed a strategy that was always at risk of collapsing.

DAVID MARCUS: VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS STEP ON A $70M RAKE AND NOW THEY’RE CRYING

In hindsight, critics say the outcome was avoidable. Republicans had urged an earlier court review before votes were cast and money spent, a step they argued could have clarified the maps’ legality. 

Democrats pressed ahead anyway, betting the strategy would hold.

"Violating the Virginia Constitution and bypassing the rule of law to further one’s own political power is wrong," Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said in a statement to The Hill. "Had [Democratic Gov.] Abigail Spanberger and the rest of Virginia’s Democrats succeeded, they would have caused irreparable harm to our democracy and disenfranchised millions of Virginians."

Allies of Spanberger say legal concerns were raised early and not fully heeded, pointing to state lawmakers for pushing forward. Lawmakers and other Democrats counter that litigation was inevitable and the maps were defensible.

DEMS WHO RAN ON AFFORDABILITY NOW FACE BACKLASH AS COSTS CLIMB IN NY, VIRGINIA

The dispute reflects a broader divide within the party over how aggressively to pursue redistricting. Some Democrats argue such efforts are necessary to counter Republican-led maps nationwide.

"I feel like the system is fundamentally broken, but let’s be clear. Republicans began the redistricting arms race," Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital in an earlier interview. "And so Democrats are left with no choice but to level the playing field for the sake of democracy."

"Look, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t have political gerrymandering," Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, added. "But because we don’t live in that world, we’ve got to fight fire with fire."

Others, however, are more blunt in assigning blame.

"I put this all on Democrats," Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, said, arguing the party failed to respond forcefully to earlier GOP redistricting efforts and is now facing the consequences.

The fallout is landing at a difficult moment.

A federal raid on May 6 on the office of a powerful state senator has added to a sense of instability, while former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder has suggested the turmoil could give Spanberger an opening to reset and impose discipline on a still-fractured political operation.

The episode underscores the growing role of courts in redistricting fights—and the risks of pushing legal boundaries in a high-stakes environment, with potential implications for control of Virginia’s congressional delegation.

In retrospect, even with the narrow 4–3 decision, it’s a steep price: roughly $70 million and much of Spanberger’s political capital spent on a campaign that won the battle but lost the war.

Democrats are left to sort out not just what went wrong—but who’s responsible.

Fox News Digital's Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/virginia-democrats-70m-redistricting-gamble-backfires-court-defeat-ignites-blame-game

Costco fans erupt after beloved food court item replaced by high-calorie newcomer

Costco’s new chicken tenders are gaining attention online — but shoppers aren’t exactly sold.

A TikTok video showing the oversized tenders has racked up thousands of views, with users reacting to both the portion size and calorie count. The video, filmed at a Costco location in Schaumburg, Illinois, shows a five-piece order priced at $6.99.

The item has appeared at select Costco locations across the U.S., with some customers noting it may be replacing the calzone at certain stores.

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It is unclear how widely the tenders are available or whether Costco plans a nationwide rollout.

Chicken tenders are not entirely new to Costco, however. The item has been available at some international locations, including Canada and Australia, in recent years, food-focused publication TastingTable reported.

The meal includes several large chicken tenders served with dipping sauce, quickly drawing buzz across social media as customers share photos.

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The reaction online, however, has been mixed.

Some shoppers questioned what the tenders might be replacing.

"What did they get rid of? The calzone?" one user asked.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Costco for comment.

Others focused less on the menu change and more on the calorie count.

The TikTok video shows the tenders total 1,640 calories, prompting strong reactions from viewers and questions about how the number could be so high.

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Some shoppers speculated the dipping sauce may be responsible for a large portion of the calories.

Still, not everyone was critical.

"Those look amazing," one user wrote, while others said they were eager to try the item if it expands to more locations.

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Fox News Digital previously reported that Costco recently reintroduced churros in a new format, though the change drew mixed reactions from shoppers.

Instead of the traditional full-size pastry, the retailer rolled out a caramel churro sundae topped with smaller churro pieces.

Some longtime customers expressed disappointment, saying they preferred the original version that had been a staple for years.

Others welcomed the update, noting that Costco frequently rotates items on its food court menu depending on demand and availability.

Deirdre Bardolf of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.

source https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/costco-fans-erupt-beloved-food-court-item-replaced-high-calorie-newcomer

Kevin Durant's media company says Caitlin Clark is the third most marketable WNBA player

Caitlin Clark has been a lightning rod since she entered the WNBA. She’s broken the minds of opponents and media members for years now. 

Fellow WNBA players like DiJonai Carrington have claimed her fans are racist. ESPN’s Monica McNutt has claimed her white skin is why fans are flocking to fill NBA arenas to watch her play. ESPN shockingly ranked Caitlin Clark the sixth-best rookie early in her rookie season. Even an anonymous media member decided to ruin Clark’s bid for a unanimous rookie of the year award, giving Angel Reese her solo first-place vote. Clark is no stranger to disrespect in rankings, awards, play and coverage over the years.

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On Friday, this was no different. Kevin Durant’s sports media and entertainment company, Boardroom, came out with their ranking of "The Most Marketable WNBA Players Entering This Season." Caitlin Clark should be first, right? Nope. She’s third behind reigning MVP A’ja Wilson and Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers. Angel Reese is fourth on the list.

If we're being honest, Caitlin Clark is EASILY the most marketable WNBA player. That’s a given by any metric. So either Boardroom is being contrarian for clicks, or they're trolling us. According to Covers’ new "WNBA Marketability Index 2026" from a few days ago, Clark tops the league with a score of 83 out of 100, while Reese came in second at 80. How can Boardroom be so drastically different unless there is some sort of agenda here?

CAITLIN CLARK TOPS WNBA MARKETABILITY RANKINGS WITH ANGEL REESE CLOSE BEHIND IN NEW STUDY

I mean, come on. Every single Indiana Fever game is on national TV this season. All 44. Why? Caitlin Clark. A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, and Paige Beuckers aren’t drawing close to that kind of interest from sports fans. The WNBA and it’s media partners know Clark’s marketability is off the charts.

The main reason the WNBA is talked about at all nowadays, and has any chance at profitability, is Caitlin Clark. She’s the golden ticket. She’s the reason the WNBA Players Association was able to force the league to pay them more money. She’s the reason teams started flying private two seasons ago. She forces teams to move to NBA arenas and sells them out. 

A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese have both come out with signature shoes. Neither of them had more buzz than Caitlin Clark’s Nike Kobe crossover. It took only about a minute for her Kobe 5 Protro Rookie of the Year shoes to sell out. Most were going for well over $350 on the secondary market, with one pair even costing $642.

CAITLIN CLARK'S INDIANA FEVER SOLD 90 TIMES MORE TICKETS ON STUBHUB IN HER ROOKIE SEASON THAN IN 2023

Caitlin Clark’s sports cards sell for exponentially more too. For example, Caitlin Clark’s 1 of 1 rookie Flawless WNBA logowoman card sold for a whopping $660,000, while Angel Reese’s highest sports card sale, her 1 of 1 rookie Immaculate WNBA logowoman, sold for less than 5% of Clark’s ($30,000).

Caitlin Clark is the Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan of the WNBA. She’s a transcendent star, who will go down as potentially the most impactful and influential female sports star in American sports. She’s that popular. She moves the needle that much.

If we wanted to have a conversation about who is a better player between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, we can have that conversation. Both are rookie of the year award winners. Both had impressive college careers, though Bueckers' was derailed by injury. Paige Bueckers may be on countless commercials ranging from Gatorade to Carmax, but acting as if she is more marketable than Clark, is laughable.

I don’t know what metrics Boardroom was pulling from as they compiled this list, but it's getting lambasted online, rightfully so. This is par for the course for the media, though. Reese was put on the cover of the NBA 2K26: WNBA Edition over Clark. Reese and Wilson were on the cover of the Wall Street Journal over Clark after she won Rookie of the Year. 

The Indiana Fever and Clark tip off their season at home on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET against the Dallas Wings and their star Paige Bueckers, alongside the No. 1 pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft, Azzi Fudd.

source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/kevin-durants-media-company-says-caitlin-clark-third-marketable-wnba-player

Brewers' flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski lights up record books with triple-digit speeds in gem vs Yankees

The New York Yankees did not stand a chance against the hardest-throwing starting pitcher of all time -- and that is not a hyperbole.

Jacob Misiorowski took the bump for the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, and he was clearly pretty amped up for his first start against the Bronx Bombers.

In his first inning of work, "Mis" threw seven pitches at least 103 mph, and he'd throw three more of such speed throughout the night.

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He topped out at 103.6 mph, and he now owns the seven-fastest pitches of any starting pitcher in the Statcast era (since 2008), all of which were thrown against the Yanks.

Three of his pitches from Friday are also the ninth, 11th and 12th-hardest pitches by a starter over the last 19 seasons.

The first inning was just a preview of what was to come, as Misiorowski struck out 11 over six scoreless innings of work.

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Misiorowski had a no-hit bid through 5.1 innings before a hamstring cramp forced him out of a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals last week. He had five no-hit innings in his MLB debut last year but had to leave that game due to cramps.

In his second start, he was perfect into the seventh.

Shane Drohan tossed three scoreless innings for the save, as Milwaukee beat the Yankees, 6-0.

The 24-year-old right-hander called it a top-three performance in his major league career, which started less than a year ago but already has plenty of highlights.

Misiorowski won head-to-head matchups with 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw as a rookie. He had a 1.50 ERA in three postseason appearances last year.

"It's just adrenaline," Misiorowski said. "That’s all it is. You start getting hyped up and you want to perform for your teammates behind you because they're doing the same for me. That’s the whole goal."

Brewers manager Pat Murphy has another perspective on why Misiorowski shines the brightest when the stakes seem highest.

"Miz is interested in being great," Murphy said. "And he's in that process of being great."

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source https://www.foxnews.com/sports/brewers-flamethrower-jacob-misiorowski-lights-record-books-triple-digit-speeds-gem-vs-yankees