The battle between the Democratic Party's far-left flank and establishment wing spilled onto the stage Monday night during battleground Michigan's fiery Senate debate. The debate took place one week ahead of the pair’s Aug. 4 primary battle, with both candidates using the final face-off to sharpen their competing arguments over who could best represent Michigan — and defeat Republican candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in the November 3 general election. During Monday night's clash of the Democratic Party's competing wings, El-Sayed doubled down on his "ogre on a pike" remark and declined to apologize, but clarified it was not specifically directed at Stevens but rather a different moderate Democrat in Congress . Meanwhile, El-Sayed also repeated his attacks on pro-Israel and corporate spending supporting Stevens, while he also rejected the "socialist" label some have given him, describing himself as a "just a capitalist who understands how ca...

A gunman fired at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on Monday, marking the second time this year someone shot at the building, according to authorities. A single shell casing was found at the scene, and there was damage to the building's facade. No injuries were reported in the incident. "The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada are open and operating normally, though some routine U.S. citizen services in Toronto are being rescheduled," the consulate said in a statement. GUNFIRE SHATTERS TORONTO LATIN STREET FESTIVAL, LEAVING AT LEAST 2 DEAD AND MULTIPLE WOUNDED Toronto Deputy Police Chief Frank Barredo said there was a high-speed chase after the shooting that lasted an hour. However, no arrest was made and Barredo committed to continuing the search for those involved. "We will approach this investigation with great seriousness," Barredo said at a news conference. "We will bring the people responsible for this to justice." Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow descr...

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Patrick Clancy, the father of three young children strangled inside their Massachusetts home, became the first witness Monday in his ex-wife’s murder trial, offering jurors a harrowing account of the mental health decline he witnessed before their deaths. He was the first witness called in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, who faces murder charges in the deaths of the couple's three children in January 2023. Prosecutors argue she acted deliberately, while defense attorneys contend severe mental illness drove her actions. Patrick described watching his then-wife fall into a "big spiral" after she began taking Seroquel, testifying that she lost weight, became severely depressed and began expressing suicidal thoughts. "Awful," he said when asked how Lindsay was doing physically after starting the medication. "That was really w...

After months of backlash over a controversial rebranding that alienated many longtime customers, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is betting its future on returning to its roots, selling off secondary assets, cutting debt and focusing entirely on the iconic country restaurant chain. The Tennessee-based restaurant chain announced last week that it has completed two major strategic moves designed to strengthen its core business, while raising its profitability outlook for fiscal year 2026. The company completed a sale-leaseback transaction involving 26 company-owned restaurant locations, generating about $77 million in proceeds that it plans to use to reduce debt. It also sold most of its Maple Street Biscuit Company business to Biscuit Belly and said it will close the remaining 16 Maple Street locations, allowing the company to focus more heavily on the Cracker Barrel brand. CRACKER BARREL SELLS MAPLE STREET BISCUIT COMPANY, CLOSES 16 LOCATIONS "Our sale-leaseback transaction wil...

While serving as an infantry battalion and brigade operations officer in Alaska , I learned that the Arctic is among the most unforgiving battlefields on earth. Aircraft can deliver soldiers to remote areas, but they cannot improvise roads, fuel or supply units once the fighting begins. In extreme cold, poor preparation kills soldiers as surely as enemy fire. That lesson returned as I studied recent satellite imagery from Russia's far north. Advanced air-defense systems are disappearing from established Arctic positions even as Russia pours concrete for barracks and depots closer to Finland and Norway. The two trends look contradictory. They are not. Russian President Vladimir Putin is operating on two clocks: sustaining today’s war effort while building options for a confrontation on NATO's northern flank once the Ukraine conflict slows. TWO ICEBREAKERS HEADED TO ALASKA AS US COMBATS RUSSIAN, CHINESE INFLUENCE IN ARCTIC Start with what Moscow is giving up. Near the Rogachevo...

An Oregon man is facing charges for allegedly illegally catching and "wrestling" protected bluntnose sixgill and broadnose sevengill sharks in Puget Sound. The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife recently shared body camera footage of an officer confronting Connor Seifert, 27, in June in Pierce County, Washington. "You know your shark rules," the officer could be heard on the video telling Seifert. "You can’t fully or partially remove sixgill from the water.  SHARK SIGHTINGS SPIKE NEAR AMERICA'S BEACHES AS JULY 4 CROWDS HEAD TO SHORE FOR WEEKEND "When you wrestle a sixgill to shore like that, you hop on its back, you expose its gills to the air," the officer continued. "You know as well as anybody else does that Puget Sound is a nursery for these sharks. There has been a direct correlation between catching these sharks in this stage in their lives and the mortality of the pups inside the moms." He added, "Once they e...