Credence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty heaped praise on legendary musician Bruce Springsteen for calling out President Donald Trump in a Rolling Stone interview published Monday.

Fogerty praised Springsteen for speaking out against Trump and defending his values.

“I’m really proud of Bruce for just sticking up for his values and, and not being afraid to voice them,” said the “Down on the Corner” singer.

KID ROCK CALLS OUT BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S ANTI-TRUMP RANT ON EUROPEAN TOUR, SAYS IT WAS A ‘PUNK MOVE’

Springsteen has been a vocal critic of President Trump for almost a decade now. During his latest world tour, the “Born To Run” singer has incorporated a brief anti-Trump speech into his sets where he implores audiences to recognize the president as a threat to civilization that must be resisted. 

“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” he said in between songs at his Manchester show in May.

“Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring,” he continued, elsewhere during the set adding, “There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous s— going on out there right now.”

TRUMP CALLS SPRINGSTEEN ‘HIGHLY OVERRATED’ AFTER ROCKER LABELS HIM ‘TREASONOUS’ OVERSEAS

Trump responded to Springsteen several days later in a post on his Truth Social platform. 

“I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country.”

Springsteen announced last year that he would be voting for former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race.

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While speaking with Rolling Stone, Fogerty suggested that Trump made a mistake by going after Springsteen publicly, noting how President Richard Nixon chose not to publicly spar with his critics.

“Even though they’re very similar, President Nixon would’ve realized not to give the other side publicity by acknowledging and talking about it. ‘Cause you just make it more famous when you do that,” he said. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A grieving mother is commending President Donald Trump for his mission to make Washington, D.C. safe again after losing her 21-year-old son, who was killed in a senseless shooting.

President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans to take control of public safety in Washington, D.C. and is activating the District of Columbia National Guard and seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym, whose son Eric was a congressional intern who was killed in a D.C. drive-by shooting in June, says the president is “spot on” in his remarks on making the city safe again. 

TRUMP TAKES CONTROL OF METRO POLICE, DEPLOYS NATIONAL GUARD TO TAKE ON WASHINGTON CRIME 

“When I heard the news today, and he mentioned my son, not by name, and mentioned the others who have been victims of violent crime, I was so happy and I said, I looked at Eric’s ashes, and I said ‘Eric, you haven’t died in vain.’ Things will change so other people are safe when they go visit DC or work in DC and that’s my goal, to make people safe,” she told “The Story” on Monday. 

Tamara says she heard there were surveillance cameras from the scene, but they are all grainy and told Fox News that even cabbies were afraid when she was in DC to identify her son’s body, saying the area was dangerous at night. 

No arrests have been made in Eric Tarpinian-Jachym’s killing. President Donald Trump said he and first lady Melania Trump were “heartbroken” for the family in a letter sent to Eric’s parents in July. 

“While we may never fully understand the impact that Eric has had during his meaningful life, we know he will be remembered for his kindness, faithfulness, and devotion to your family and his many friends,” Trump wrote in the letter. “He will also be remembered for his commitment to our country. I know how proud Congressman Estes was to have Eric represent his office, the people of Kansas’ Fourth Congressional District, and our Nation.” 

Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym said she still has many unanswered questions about Eric’s death.

“I know nothing. I know about what’s happening,” she lamented. “I don’t know exactly how many bullets hit my son. All I know is from what the death certificate says, several bullet wounds. I don’t know where he was hit, but I have an idea. I know nothing and maybe that’s for the better, so they can catch this person or these persons. I am praying it will happen.” 

The grieving mother expressed satisfaction in the work of Judge Jeanine Pirro, the new U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on the case, expressing a desire to find the perpetrator so the person pays the price for their crime. 

“She doesn’t pull punches. She’s for victims and I respect that woman and I respected what she told me, ‘It’s going to take a long time, Mrs. Jachym. We’re going to do our dual diligence’ and I believe her. She is for victims,” Tamara said. 

Tamara said people should be able to walk around the city and not be fearful of being shot at, mugged or raped. 

“The interns are from other parts of the country. They didn’t know how dangerous D.C. was. It was like a well-kept secret, if you want my honest opinion.” 

It was mid-July. And the House of Representatives was already done for the summer. 

That’s right around the same time Halloween decorations like gigantic yard skeletons and Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate pumpkins began materializing in stores.

Those weren’t phantasms. Halloween is the next big consumer holiday on the calendar.

I mean, what would you buy to decorate for Labor Day? 

But there’s a spooky alignment between July and Halloween when it comes to Congress. If you begin to see Halloween paraphernalia in July, that’s practically October in Capitol Hill terms. The reason? Congress didn’t finish its annual spending bills before the annual August recess and that means it will be a sprint to finish them by October 1, the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

GRIDLOCK CRUMBLES AS SENATE ADVANCES SPENDING BILLS IN RACE AGAINST SHUTDOWN

Right around the same time that the rest of the nation starts thinking about ghosts and goblins for Halloween. 

The funding deadline is enough to convert the U.S. Capitol into a chamber of horrors for the entire month of September. Congress is always dragging to complete spending measures in July. Then August comes and concerns about the spending bills vanish like a ghost. Then the appropriations bills rise like mummies out of their coffins when Congress comes back in September. The battle over averting a government shutdown is like a vampire. It sucks most other legislative activity out of Congress until there’s a deal. That’s because most Members want no part of a government shutdown. Lawmakers from both sides know that government funding is one of the most important inflection points on the political calendar.

Let’s examine where we stand with government funding. 

Congress approved a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown in March. That interim spending package funded the government through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. The House approved the bill. But lawmakers worried about a potential government shutdown because breaking a filibuster on the measure required 60 votes. That entailed support of some Democrats since Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate. 

At the last minute, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he would help Republicans crack the filibuster. Schumer didn’t vote yes on the bill itself. But the New York Democrat argued that avoiding a shutdown at that point was better than enduring one under President Trump – and Elon Musk who was then fully empowered at DOGE.

Some longtime Capitol Hill hands and Congressional observers feared the government might shutter for a lengthy period if it closed. Schumer and other Democrats asserted that the President and Musk would use that as justification for never re-opening some parts of the government since they lacked funding from Congress.

Progressives excoriated Schumer for not extracting a major concession from President Trump and Congressional Republicans which reflected Democratic values and priorities. Liberals used Schumer’s decision as justification to demand new Democratic leadership in the Senate. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appeared to seethe at Schumer’s maneuver, sidestepping questions from reporters about the break.

White House Budget Director Russ Vought says he wants a less bipartisan appropriations process. That’s fine. But this is about the math. House Republicans must stick together to pass any spending package there. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose three votes and still pass a bill without Democratic assistance. Likewise, Senate Republicans can only lose three votes there, too. But the real hurdle is the filibuster. That’s where 60 votes are necessary. And that means the GOP must lean on Democrats – assuming they’re willing to help out.

HILLARY RIPPED AS ‘MASSIVE LIAR’ AFTER SCATHING REACTION TO TRUMP’S PLAN TO FIX DC CRIME

It’s really unclear if Republicans can stick together to approve a spending package. Keep in mind that it’s almost a certainty that any spending measure must simply renew all current funding on a temporary basis. A lot of Republicans are fed up with this appropriations rut – especially since Johnson promised to do things differently once he claimed the Speaker’s gavel in October 2023. Remember that some conservatives helped bounce former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., less than two years ago because he propounded an interim spending plan. 

Some Republicans are beginning to lose patience with Johnson on spending plans. But remember that most Republicans will support whatever appropriations plan the GOP brass concocts – as long as it has the blessing of President Trump. 

So Vought may advocate for a more partisan process. But that won’t result in policy achievements and GOP spending priorities unless Republicans convince Democrats to play ball. 

Here’s another dynamic: some members of the conservative Freedom Caucus are hinting they simply want to re-up the current levels of funding again. Yes, lawmakers approved those spending plans under President Biden and a Democratic Senate. Therefore, much of the federal government is still operating under Democratic spending blueprints. But Democrats would demand more money for the next spending round. The same with some Republicans. So voting to renew the old money – regardless of who pushed for it – is less than Congress could have spent. That’s why some Freedom Caucus members suggest this would serve as a de facto spending cut.

They’re not wrong. Federal spending is almost always on an upward trajectory. This would level things off and bend the annual spending curve for the first time in decades. 

TRUMP FIRES BACK AT ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER WHO CALLED HIM A ‘PIECE OF S—‘ AT RALLY

So, if your goal is to trim funding, this may be the most plausible option under the present political circumstances.

Remember, it’s about the math. 

Moreover, Republicans have only approved a pittance of the funding cuts demanded by DOGE. Congress passed a bill to slash $9 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid. That’s not a lot. And Republicans could barely approve that bill. How they rescind other funding remains to be seen. However, Republicans could greenlight all the old money – and then promise budget hawks they will attempt to claw back other tranches of spending through future recissions packages later in the fall or winter.

But Democrats won’t go for that. They’d view that as Republicans dropping a Hershey’s bar in their trick or treat bag – and then exchanging it for a rock.

It’s unclear if Democrats have explored soaping the Republicans’ windows at the Capitol this fall if Republicans attempt that gambit. But this could be a chance to find out. 

That brings us to the conundrum facing Schumer. One might question how the politics have changed since March – although President Trump and Musk are no longer in league with one another. But progressives will expect Schumer to demand a king’s ransom in exchange for Democratic votes breaking a filibuster. 

In other words, both Johnson and Schumer face decisions of frightening proportions very soon. 

It may seem as though October 1 is a long way down the calendar. It’s not. To ignore how complicated this may become is the legislative equivalent of whistling past the graveyard. 

A tourist from New York was killed while visiting Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny concert, according to police.

25-year-old Kevin Mares was shot in the left side of his abdomen early Sunday morning in the La Perla area of San Juan, Puerto Rico, which has a history of violence. The shooting took place in the early morning hours on Sunday at a night hangout spot called “Refuge for Mistreated Men” in the coastal community.

Several people who were near Mares got into an argument, resulting in one person pulling out a gun and shooting at least three others, which included the New Yorker. Mares was taken to a local hospital but died, homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz said.

Two other people, a brother and sister in their mid-40s, remain in the hospital.

20 YEARS AFTER NATALEE HOLLOWAY VANISHED, SUSPECT’S CONFESSION STILL LEAVES QUESTIONS: PI

Ruiz said Mares was in San Juan to see Bad Bunny perform in concert, where his 30-show residency recently began.

Officials don’t have many details from the shooting and don’t yet have a description of the suspect.

“We have very little information,” Ruiz said.

La Perla was once known as a major distribution hub for heroin, which brought high rates of violence to the area. In 2011, federal agents raided the shantytown and made dozens of arrests.

POLICE INVESTIGATE VESSEL WITH 11 DECOMPOSED BODIES WASHED ASHORE IN CARIBBEAN

A GoFundMe raising money for Mares’ funeral describes him as a “deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him.”

“His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones. Kevin had a bright future ahead, with plans to propose to his girlfriend of six years this fall, and he was always creating memories with those closest to him,” Mares said. “Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void in our lives.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An MSNBC contributor had a strong reaction on Monday to President Donald Trump’s announcement that his administration would take over the Washington, D.C. police department, and claimed that the president was trying to distract from the Epstein story. 

“I’m trying to hold my temper… you have to understand this within the context of Donald Trump’s racial politics and within the context of his effort to get Epstein off the front pages,” MSNBC commentator Eddie Glaude said.

Trump announced that he was sending 800 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and putting the district’s police department under federal control on Monday. He also announced federal legislation to end the practice of no-cash bail, which allows judges to send suspects home from jail without them paying bail. 

The Metropolitan Police Department’s 3,400 officers will be under the command of DEA administrator Terry Cole. The National Guard troops will be commanded by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced. Trump vowed to remove homeless encampments popping up around the city and have the U.S. Park Police remove graffiti in the nation’s capital. 

TRUMP’S PLAN TO DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD IN DC SPARKS BACKLASH FROM RESIDENTS—BUT SOME WELCOME IT

“He really doesn’t really care about what’s actually happening in D.C. On a certain level because he’s not trying to get at the underlying root causes,” Glaude continued. 

The president is allowed to federalize local D.C. police for up to 30 days in the event of an emergency, according to the Home Rule Act which granted the nation’s capital self-governing rights in 1973. Congress can lengthen the president’s emergency powers through a joint resolution. 

“Watch them, the police are standing, and they’re told not to do anything under any search or this, and you can see they want to get at it. And they’re standing there and people are spitting in their face, and they are not allowed to do anything, but now they are allowed to do whatever the hell they want,” Trump said. 

Trump has long railed against what he sees as out-of-control crime in the nation’s capital. Metropolitan Police Department data shows that while the homicide rate is falling, the last five years saw the greatest number of murders since 2008. 

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Glaude, a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, claimed that Trump’s announcement was just an attempt to throw “red meat” to his base in an attempt to distract them from the Jeffrey Epstein case. 

Epstein, a former longtime friend of Trump, former President Bill Clinton and other high-profile individuals, killed himself in federal prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking of minors charges. Many in the MAGA world have demanded the release of the so-called “Epstein files,” while Trump has dismissed the affair as “pretty boring stuff” and denounced the “past supporters” agitating around it. 

Despite Democratic lawmakers fleeing and holding up vital relief efforts, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s flood relief was faster than California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s response to the L.A. wildfires.

This weekend, Abbott helped to present more than 60 of the families most impacted by the catastrophic floods in the Texas Hill Country with $25,000 relief checks, which the governor called an initial “down payment” on the relief still incoming.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott explained the funds were a result of Texas partnering with country music legend George Strait and other private groups to ensure that funds raised by the star went straight to those who suffered the worst damage.

Abbott said that both he and Strait agreed there is a “need for speed to help these people as quickly as possible.”

ABBOTT VOWS INDEFINITE SPECIAL SESSIONS, SAYS FLEEING DEMS COULD FACE ARREST ‘FOR LITERALLY YEARS’

“We’ve seen in other states when there’s been travesties that occurred there, like the fires in California, and so much money was raised and never has gotten to the people who needed it, we want to make sure that did not happen in the state of Texas,” Abbott explained.

“There has been an outpouring of support to Texas organizations to help the people of this state,” he added. “Now our job is to make sure it gets into the hands of the people who need it the most.” 

This comes just over a month after much of central Texas suffered a devastating flood that killed over 100 and decimated homes and businesses.

In response to the suffering, Strait, a Texas native, held a concert on July 27 to raise funds for those most impacted. Just two weeks later, victims are already receiving relief checks from the concert.

Abbott said that Strait was insistent that “he was doing this for one reason, because he was sick and tired of the people who’ve been damaged and harmed the most by the storm are not getting the money they need.”

CALIFORNIA LAUNCHES REDISTRICTING FIGHT TO ‘NULLIFY’ TEXAS GOP PLAN, WITH DEMS POISED TO GAIN 5 SEATS

“So, what we did we set up an operation to make sure we were able to identify who sustained the worst damage, then make sure that they would be on the receiving end of these checks,” he explained.

Strait’s concert closely resembles a similar star-studded benefit concert, titled “FireAid,” in California that raised more than $100 million for victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles.

FireAid billed itself as “a benefit concert for wildfire victims.” Aside from music by the likes of Lady Gaga, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry and Olivia Rodrigo, the five-hour show featured multiple stories from victims of the Altadena and Palisades fire who had lost their homes.

Fox News Digital reported in July that six months later, victims in the city’s most impacted neighborhoods still had not received any direct funds raised by the concert. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for FireAid told Fox News Digital that “to most effectively deliver aid to the community as quickly as possible, we partnered with vetted and trusted local nonprofits who had the capacity and infrastructure to directly reach the individuals in need.”

The spokesperson said “this assistance provided food security, housing, resources for schools and more directly to individuals in the affected communities.”

TRUMP AND NEWSOM FIGHT OVER NATIONAL GUARD HEADS TO TRIAL IN CALIFORNIA

They said that to date, FireAid has “distributed two rounds of funding totaling close to $75 million to organizations helping people on the ground and expect to distribute the remaining $25 million by the end of the year.” 

“The funds address the urgent needs from individuals in our communities— from immediate financial assistance, to childcare, groceries, mental health and housing and rebuilding public spaces as well as fire prevention. The grants have been distributed to more than 160 frontline nonprofits, schools, and local organizations which were identified and selected by FireAid,” said the spokesperson. 

Abbott claimed that several factors have made Texas’ response to the flooding disaster very different from California’s.

“It starts with generosity … but the second thing is we don’t let things slow us down. We are very empathetic with those who have lost their homes, who’ve had their lives turned upside down, who are trying to get back into their homes,” he said. “So, we were able to cut through all the red tape and make sure that the money got into the hands of those who needed it the most.”

He went on to say that “now we’re working with the local governments to make sure these people are going to be able to take these dollars, these resources, and actually begin that construction process to get their homes rebuilt.”

This comes despite the governor’s ongoing showdown with Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives, who fled the state and brought the legislature’s efforts to pass new flood relief measures to a grinding halt. The Democrats fled the state in protest of redistricting plans that would potentially give Republicans five additional seats in Congress.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT THREATENS TO REDISTRICT 8 SEATS FOR GOP IF DEM LAWMAKERS DON’T RETURN TO TEXAS

The governor and other state leaders, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Leader Dustin Burrows, both Republicans, have filed legal action to arrest the rogue lawmakers and have threatened to remove them from their offices. Thus far, however, the Democrats have been able to evade Texas authorities and hold up any progress by denying the state House the necessary quorum to pass legislation.

“We’re able to give that to the victims, even though we have Democrats who’ve fled the state and been dishonorable to our state,” said Abbott, adding, “One thing about Texans is we stand and fight if we have principles we want to fight on. And what these Democrats have done, they fled the state, and that’s very un-Texan on their part.”

He went on to say that “we’ll get the financial resources to those who need it, but also we’re working to provide greater assistance for them in the meantime.”

“That said, there are laws that need to be passed, such as creating early warning systems, such as making sure we change what the rules are in the flood zones, and things like that. That’s going to require these Democrats showing back up and casting a vote,” he explained.

WATCH: TRUMP SAYS FBI ‘MAY HAVE TO’ HELP TEXAS ROUND UP AWOL DEM LAWMAKERS

“Know that the gears of government to improve the response to this disaster are being slowed down and denied because Democrats are not showing up and doing their job,” he went on. “So, despite the fact that we have a bunch of cowardly Democrats who turned tail and ran out of state and right here to do their job, my main focus that I put my time and attention to is helping out the flood victims of this tragedy to make sure they’re getting the resources they need and so we can accelerate the rebuilding process to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.”

A spokesperson for Newsom’s office directed Fox News Digital to a press conference he held with several Texas Democrats, including state Rep. Ann Johnson, who claimed during the event that Democratic lawmakers “waited to address that issue” of flood relief for two weeks but that “they only put one bill up for us to debate in the House and it was redistricting.”

“We have an arrest warrant for us to go back to Texas for one bill only. They don’t want us to come back for flooding,” said Johnson.

She accused Republicans of “using those families as a distraction,” saying, “the governor can write a check right now to try to start the process and so its his decision what’s valuable to him.”

Johnson suggested that Democrats “will gladly show up” to address flooding, school testing, human trafficking or court infrastructure but not for the redistricting vote. 

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Texas House Democratic Caucus for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick, appeared to fire back at criticism from sports podcasters who opened up about their interaction with her.

Charlotte Wilder and Madeline Hill, the co-hosts of “The Sports Gossip Show,” recently revealed they spoke to Hudson about coming onto their show and that she introduced herself as “the president of your universe.”

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Amid the descriptions of how the call went down, Hudson shared critical feedback of the episode in which Wilder and Hill described the conversation with Hudson as tension filled.

“This was such a disappointing take for me,” the Instagram user sportslawheather wrote on their Instagram Stories. “’She shouldn’t because the money/fame means more to someone else?? Because of her boyfriend??’ Be real.

“Do I have to seriously argue against (female! Sports journalists that (Hudson) has is justified in pursuing Miss Maine USA, Miss America for her own career and interests regardless of who she is dating.”

TOM BRADY IMPLORES PARENTS TO ‘TEACH YOUR KID THE RIGHT VALUES’ AMID RISE OF NIL IN COLLEGE SPORTS

Wilder and Hill both initially thought Hudson wanted to speak about the Miss Maine USA pageant. Wilder revealed Hudson was, at one point, yelling at her and crying and the talk later turned contentious. She added that it “felt like we were always waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

The sports podcasters talked about their interaction with Hudson in one of their latest episodes.

Hudson became a focal point of the college football offseason for a hot minute when she abruptly cut off a CBS interviewer’s line of questioning toward Belichick about how they met. It started a firestorm of criticism toward Hudson and Belichick.

But Belichick has made clear that Hudson has no role in the football program.

“That’s really off to the side. That’s a personal relationship and she doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football,” Belichick told ESPN back in May.

“I’m excited to be back in the coaches’ meetings and getting ready for June and August when we get to training camp. June will be a big recruiting month for us and then August we start getting ready for the season.”

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Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic descriptions.

Recently released police documents have shed new light on the final weeks of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste’s life, revealing disturbing allegations of escalating abuse and multiple attempts to flee her living situation. 

The 36-page report from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office outlines interviews with her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, following the discovery of the unresponsive child on July 27. 

Rebekah was later pronounced dead three days later at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Both adults are now facing charges of first-degree murder.

Detectives say the family had been living off-grid in a rural campsite near Concho, Arizona, in a yurt without electricity or running water since relocating from Phoenix earlier in July. The family slept on thin mattresses on the yurt floor and hauled water in plastic jugs from a Concho convenience store 15 miles away.

GEORGIA TEEN WHO RAISED ‘AWARENESS’ ABOUT MOTHER, STEPFATHER’S DEATHS ON TIKTOK NOW CHARGED WITH THEIR MURDER

Woods initially claimed a neighbor found Rebekah unresponsive after she had run away. However, law enforcement noted this was not the first time the child had attempted to escape. 

Records indicate Rebekah had previously jumped out of a window in Phoenix and made several other escape attempts after the move to Concho, the final one occurring on the day she was taken to the hospital.

Despite Rebekah’s visible deterioration, including being too weak to drink from a straw, Woods, who claimed she had a background in nursing, told authorities she believed the child “would be fine” and chose not to seek immediate medical help.

When questioned, both Woods and Baptiste initially denied knowledge of what caused the child’s condition, suggesting she may have been injured in a fall. 

HIKER DISAPPEARS FROM ‘EDGE OF THE WORLD’ CAMPGROUND ON TRIP WITH FATHER

However, medical professionals found extensive signs of physical abuse, including a brain hemorrhage, burn marks, missing toenails and hair, and numerous cuts and bruises.

When shown “horrendous photos” of his daughter’s injuries, Baptiste “lacked in expressing any emotion,” one detective wrote in the probable‑cause affidavit.

“After seeing these photos, I knew there would be no way a father would not notice the extensive injuries on his daughter, it would be impossible in my mind, for a father not to see these huge marks and bruises on his child,” the comment read. 

According to police, Baptiste later confessed to striking his daughter with a belt as punishment for running away, but denied causing the head injuries. Authorities also discovered bloody clothing in the tent the family shared, which had been changed before emergency services were contacted.

Fox News Digital reviewed the three 911 calls made by Woods on July 27. In the calls, Woods referred to Rebekah as her daughter and claimed she was providing rescue breaths, though her tone lacked urgency. 

In one call, she told the dispatcher they were driving toward Holbrook, believing there was an EMS station there. The dispatcher instructed her to pull over, so medics could reach them. 

When asked if CPR was being administered, Woods said she was breathing into Rebekah’s mouth but had not begun chest compressions. The dispatcher asked her to place the child on firm ground, but Woods hesitated, noting she was unsure about laying her on the rocks.

Emergency crews arrived shortly afterward, but Rebekah did not survive her injuries.

THIRD TEEN DEATH IN NATIONAL FOREST RAISES ALARM AS TWO HIGH SCHOOLERS FOUND SHOT DURING CAMPING TRIP

Both Woods and Baptiste are now facing murder and child abuse charges related not only to Rebekah’s death, but also to the alleged mistreatment of her two younger siblings. 

During interviews with investigators, Woods stated that a possible punishment for her might be “some jail time,” while Baptiste expressed remorse, saying he did not deserve to be a father.

Prosecutors have alleged that Rebekah suffered ongoing physical and sexual abuse.

Concerns about the family’s wellbeing had been raised multiple times by staff at Empower College Prep, where the children were enrolled, 12News reported.

School officials reportedly contacted Arizona’s Department of Child Safety (DCS) 13 times over the past two years, including one report from a school resource officer who visited the family’s home following Rebekah’s unexplained absence.

DCS has since launched a review into whether the agency failed to adequately protect the child. 

“Anytime a child in our community is harmed, it deeply affects us all, especially when we know the family,” a statement from DCS to Fox News Digital read. “Our dedicated staff work tirelessly to ensure the safety of all children, but tragically, those who intend to harm children can sometimes evade even the most robust systems designed to protect them.” 

The department added that it will “continue to be transparent and release information related to this case” as well as their involvement with the family as they are legally permitted to do so.

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Gov. Katie Hobbs has also acknowledged the growing public concern and pledged to fully investigate the case.

“First, let me say this is obviously a very tragic situation, and we are certainly looking into what happened,” Hobbs previously told 12News. “The information we had at the agency prior to this case and what led up to her death, we’re certainly going to be investigating, and if there was something that we did not do right, we will do everything we can to correct that. That is our job. It is our responsibility to ensure Arizonans are safe and we’ll fix what went wrong. If that’s the case.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Hobbs’ office and Empower College Prep for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. 

Though it’s been nearly 40 years since Martin Scorsese‘s “Taxi Driver” hit theaters, the Oscar Award-winning director still recalls the extreme measures he considered taking in order to convince the studio to greenlight the 1976 film in its entirety. 

In a preview clip for Apple TV+’s documentary “Mr. Scorsese,” the 82-year-old director, along with Steven Spielberg, recalled the studio’s (Columbia Pictures) concern about the movie’s bloody content.

“Marty was very upset,” Spielberg, 78, said at the beginning of the clip. “I get a call at the office, and he said, ‘Steve, Steve, this is Marty. Can you come over to the house?’”

JODIE FOSTER CLAIMS ROBERT DE NIRO WAS ‘SCARED’ OF HER WHEN SHE WAS 12 IN ‘TAXI DRIVER’

“They wanted me to cut all the blood spurting,” Scorsese reveals. “They wanted me to cut the guy who loses the hand…”

“You got a gun?” an interviewer asks him behind the scenes.

“I was going to get one,” he admits. 

“So you said you were going to get a gun?” the interviewer asks. “And you said you were going to do what with the gun?”

WATCH: NEW EPISODES OF ‘MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS THE SAINTS’ NOW STREAMING ON FOX NATION

“I don’t know. I was angry. I said I was going to threaten them… I’ll maybe just shoot or something. I had no idea. I mean, I was just threatening. What I wanted to do, and not with a gun, I would go in, find out where the rough cut is, and break the windows and take it away. They were going to destroy the film anyway, you know. So let me destroy it. I’ll destroy it. But before destroying it, I’m going to steal it.”

“Spielberg said, ‘Marty, stop that. Marty you can’t do that.’ I said… The more they said no, the more I said I was going to do it,” he continues.

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Spielberg said someone, possibly Scorsese, “mollified” the Motion Picture Association of America.

“What if we take that whole sequence and tone the color down and make it feel more like a tabloid,” Scorsese said.

“He saved the movie because he didn’t have to cut any of the violence, he just had to take the color red down to a kind of brown,” Spielberg explained.

A representative for Scorsese did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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The film, which starred Jodie Foster and Robert De Niro, received four nominations at the 49th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (De Niro) and Best Supporting Actress (Foster).

In 2024, Foster — who has been acting since she was 3 years old — opened up about her experience filming the thriller. 

“I first worked with Martin Scorsese when I was about 10 on ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,'” she said in an interview with W magazine. “By the time I was 12, I’d made a lot more films than De Niro or Scorsese.”

“They were definitely scared of me. ‘What do we do with this 12-year-old?’ I was in my hot pants and corkies, or whatever those platform shoes were called.”

Foster played a child prostitute in the 1976 drama. De Niro was 31 during filming, and he’d been acting for around a decade. Scorsese had directed seven full-length films and a number of shorts at the time.

Fox News Digital’s Emily Trainham contributed to this report.

Actress Malin Ackerman said in an interview last week that her new Netflix show “The Hunting Wives” used first lady Melania Trump as a main reference point for her role where she plays a manipulative, affair-having politician’s wife.

During an interview with pop culture outlet Vulture, the actress claimed the creative team behind Netflix’s pulpy show told her to think of Trump when playing Texas housewife, Margo, whose character is the wife of a rich wannabe politician and has a sordid past that includes murder, adultery and abortion.

“During filming, she says, the series’ creative team described Margo as a bit like Melania Trump, someone who ‘came into a marriage to this rich man as one woman,’ then finds the expectations for her have shifted once he becomes politically ambitious,” the outlet stated.

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“That was the only reference, really,” Ackerman added.

Her character’s background comes to light during the show and includes a poor upbringing, sex work, and a series of affairs.

“But once her husband, Jed (Dermot Mulroney), decides to run for governor on a pro-gun, anti-abortion, happy-marriage platform, Margo realizes the increased public scrutiny could threaten everything she has built for herself, exposing elements of her life Jed’s voters won’t like,” Vulture stated.

Among the things she’s hiding are “the abortion she just had after her boyfriend, a high-school student, got her pregnant; the murder she committed to cover up that fling; and the affair she’s currently having with new-to-town Sophie (Brittany Snow).”

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Ackerman mentioned that in addition to Trump, she tried to emulate her impression of “high society” types in her portrayal, a set of people she doesn’t see as too genuine.

“Other than that, it’s just high society. I’ve mingled with aristocrats and high-society people and seen the games that go into it. For lack of a better word, I wouldn’t say ‘authenticity’ is how those people lead,” she told Vulture.

The actress noted Margo’s character is a “survivor” who acts out of necessity in everything she does to get ahead.

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Melania Trump has often been a target of the media since her husband first ran for president in 2016. However, she hasn’t taken harsh media treatment lying down.

The first lady’s lawyer last week forced Democratic strategist James Carville and the crew of his “Politics War Room” podcast to remove comments from a recent episode that suggested that Trump met her billionaire real estate mogul husband through a modeling agency connected to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

At the outset of the episode, Carville said, “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”

The White House and Netflix did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.