aatm shakti

Well, NASCAR has committed the cardinal sin: They've pissed off Dale Earnhardt Jr. You simply can't do that. There are a lot of folks you can anger in the world of racing, and get away with.

Dale Jr. ain't one of them. You need him on your good side. Even a decade after his retirement, he's the leading voice in the sport. That's not hyperbolic, either. He's got the biggest racing podcast on the planet. He's extremely active on social media. Fans still, overwhelmingly, turn to Junior for all things racing.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

That, by the way, is a major indictment on the current Cup drivers, but that's a story for another time.

Anyway, all the fuss right now in the racing world is centered around a rumor involving NASCAR fans' worst nightmare ... electric cars. That's right. E-cars!

Just the thought of it makes folks feel queasy. Fans can take a lot, but even getting a whiff of an electric car in NASCAR sends them running for the hills.

John Probst, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, floated that possibility this week, telling Sports Business Journal that NASCAR could one day implement a crossover utility vehicle EV into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Nope. Don't love that. At all. Sure, it's all shop-talk right now, but that's how these things start. Before you know it, the fellas are out there racing in cars we can't hear and don't recognize, and pit crews are replaced with charging stations.

We can't have that, and NASCAR's O'Reilly Series really can't have it. In a year where viewership is down pretty much across the board, the O'Reilly Series on the CW has been surging. Fans love it, and a lot of it has to do with A) the racing, and B) the car.

Switching to an electric car, which has long been in development in the NASCAR R&D shop, would be a disaster.

And if you don't believe me, fine. But at least listen to Dale Jr.

"I think making a switch to anything unlike we have would be a massive, massive mistake," he said on this week's "Dale Jr. Download." "Any kind of change like that, as dramatic as that would be, would destroy the series. I would not be interested in that. I don't think JR Motorsports would be interested in that."

NASCAR DRIVERS TAKEN BACK BY WILD FAN RECEPTION AT NEW YORK'S FANATICS FEST

Yikes. Tell us how you really feel, Dale!

That last part is the part that will get NASCAR's attention, by the way. Like I said at the jump, if Dale Jr. isn't on board with something, it's a pretty good harbinger of things to come. If you want to know how fans will react to something, check out how they respond to something Junior says.

NASCAR can't afford to lose JR Motorsports in the O'Reilly Series. They can't afford to piss off Dale Jr. They really can't afford to lose the viewership the series is suddenly bringing in.

Going electric may be the way of the world, but that doesn't mean it's one size fits all.

Hopefully, NASCAR listens to its most important voice.

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The deadly shooting at a popular tourist site weeks before the World Cup has rocked Mexico.

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Israel Flores Ortiz, 18, an illegal alien, was sentenced to 360 days on Tuesday after being convicted for groping several female classmates in Fairfax High School hallways earlier this year.

With time served and the calculations for a misdemeanor, he has 135 days left in prison.

Judge Melinda Vanlowe delivered the sentence, calling it a "very difficult case," adding the actions were "targeted" and representing a "pattern" of "deplorable" behavior. 

Fairfax County public defender Jamie Hospes asked Judge Vanlowe for a sentence of 9 days, calling the offenses just "butt-grabbing," adding, "sometimes we arrest people for that, sometimes we elect them to be president of the United States."

ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGED GROPING OF MINOR GIRLS AT HIGH SCHOOL BEING INVESTIGATED BY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Flores Ortiz wore a green prison jumpsuit and listened to the proceedings through an interpreter.

He read a statement in Spanish, saying he apologized to the girls he had grabbed and their families. 

"I hurt them," he said, also apologizing to his own mother and father.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF EASTER KIDNAPPING, SEX ASSAULT IN COLLEGE TOWN; ICE RIPS SECOND ATTACK IN WEEKS

Flores Ortiz was charged as an adult, but he was tried in juvenile court because most of the victims were minors. He was convicted in nine cases, acquitted in three and had one charge dismissed. He had originally been accused of assaulting 13 female classmates, according to the Fairfax Police Department.

The case had heightened concerns among parents about student safety after years of former President Joe Biden's open borders policy.

Flores Ortiz, originally from El Salvador, is in the country illegally, having reportedly arrived in 2024.

TWICE-DEPORTED HONDURAN ACCUSED OF STABBING PASSENGER ON CHARLOTTE LIGHT RAIL FACES FEDERAL CHARGES

The defense asked the court to impose just nine days of incarceration, arguing Flores Ortiz’s age should weigh heavily in sentencing. Counsel said his "brain is physically not as developed" as that of a 25-year-old and argued his actions were not driven by sexual gratification.

Instead, the defense characterized the assaults as immature behavior, telling the court Flores Ortiz acted "for fun" and that "it was like a joke or prank." 

"Only a teenager would think like that," counsel said.

TRUMP'S DHS SAYS BIDEN RELEASED 'BARBARIC' ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NOW ACCUSED OF HEINOUS CRIME

After the hearing, an attorney representing one of the teenage victims rejected the political framing. 

"This should not be politicized," the attorney said.

The defense said the defendant "is sorry" for his actions and "he agrees it was deplorable; he agrees it was a pattern."

ICE PRESSURES SPANBERGER AS FAIRFAX MURDER SUSPECTS TRIGGER NEW DETAINERS IN ‘SANCTUARY’ CLASH

Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano, who has been under fire for this case, as well as other high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Northern Virginia, spoke to the media after the sentencing. He called Fairfax County, "The safest large jurisdiction in the country."

Prosecutor Jenna Sands read from a letter written by one of the victims who said for her this was not about immigration, but about "a guy who made me feel unsafe."

"I want to back to being a normal kid," the victim added.

SEXUAL PREDATORS, DRUG TRAFFICKERS AMONG ICE'S 'WORST OF THE WORST' ROUNDUP IN VIRGINIA

The judge allowed Flores Ortiz and his attorney to remain seated during sentencing, then sharply rebuked him as she laid out the impact of the assaults and his conduct after being confronted by one of the victims.

Referring to the evidence, the judge said that on March 4, "one of the students actually confronted you," and made it "very clear it hurt her." 

Despite that, the judge said, Flores Ortiz went on to assault another victim two days later.

BIDEN-ERA ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF GROPING TEEN GIRLS AS CRITICS BLAST SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR

The judge said that for the victims, the offenses had "adjusted how they move through life," underscoring the lasting effect the assaults had on the students involved.

After serving his sentence, Flores Ortiz will be placed on two years of probation. The judge also ordered him to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and complete any treatment recommended as a result.

Addressing Flores Ortiz directly, the judge struck a more measured tone at the close of the hearing, telling him, "I absolutely believe in redemption" and, "this does not define you."

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH CHILD SEX CRIMES AFTER HIS RELEASE BY LOCAL POLICE DESPITE DETAINER

She added, "You can go on to do great things."

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano told reporters after the hearing that he was "happy with the outcome," and said prosecutors "stand ready" if Flores Ortiz chooses to appeal.

The case stems from a series of incidents in crowded school hallways that prosecutors said involved Flores Ortiz groping female students. The allegations sparked scrutiny in Fairfax County over school supervision and hallway safety.

Both Jake Gibson and Peter Pinedo reported from the courtroom.

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A 67-year-old Carnival Cruise passenger died last week while snorkeling off the coast of mainland Australia during an excursion.

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was a passenger aboard the Carnival Splendor, which offers snorkeling excursions to the Tangalooma Wrecks. She reportedly drowned near Moreton Island on April 17, Cruise Hive reported.

"Carnival Cruise Line is deeply saddened by the death of a guest on Moreton Island on Friday," the cruise line told local media. "Our Care Team is supporting the guest’s family during this difficult time."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Carnival.

FATAL FIRE ENGULFS CRUISE SHIP WITH HUNDREDS OF PASSENGERS ABOARD: ‘I PANICKED'

Local authorities said the woman, a resident of Tasmania, was found unresponsive in the water.

"Attempts were made to revive the woman, however, she was pronounced deceased at the scene," a Queensland Police spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Investigations are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding her death."

CRUISE PASSENGERS WITNESS TERRIFYING RESCUE AT SEA AS STRANDED MAN AND CAT PULLED FROM FAILING SAILBOAT

The death occurred during the ship's four-night round trip cruise from Sydney, which included two days at sea and 10 hours at Moreton Island.

The waters around the island, located off the coast of Brisbane, are generally calm and are known for shipwreck snorkeling sites and diverse marine life.

The woman's death occurred only hours before another emergency on the same ship. On April 18, a passenger in his 70s reportedly climbed over the vessel's safety rails and went overboard.

An intensive search lasted for several hours before being suspended. The two incidents are not believed to be linked.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has asked officials in Democratic-run Harris County not to release an illegal immigrant suspect from custody after he allegedly beat a coworker to death with a sledgehammer on a construction site in a suburb of Texas’ largest city, Houston.

This comes as Texas officials feud with the City of Houston over a new policy limiting law enforcement cooperation with ICE. The confrontation mirrors the broader national debate between Democrats and Republicans over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. Disagreements over immigration enforcement have resulted in an ongoing lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security during a partial government shutdown.

Now, Venezuelan national Josue Abraham Chirino-Leonice has been charged with the murder of carpenter Juan Antonio Salinas Leija at a north Houston home earlier this month, according to reporting by local outlet KHOU-11. The outlet said Salinas Leija was found dead at a home under renovation with severe wounds consistent with a sledgehammer attack. Chirino-Leonice was later arrested driving the victim’s truck in east Houston.

ICE lodged a detainer — a request to hold — with the Harris County Jail last week. According to DHS, Chirino-Leonice was released into the country under Biden administration in 2023.

DHS SLAMS CALIFORNIA 'SANCTUARY' COUNTY AFTER MOM ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY 2 HONDURAN NATIONALS

DHS said U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Chirino-Leonice in November 2023. The agency said the Biden administration "subsequently released him into the interior of the country."

Gabriel Martinez, acting field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston, called the alleged murder a savage attack by an illegal alien "who never should have been allowed into the country."

"This criminal illegal alien — who never should have been allowed into the country in the first place — is accused of savagely beating a co-worker to death with a sledgehammer and leaving him to die in a house they were renovating together," said Martinez.

He said ICE officers in Houston are "working tirelessly to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system to bring an end to the carnage and unnecessary suffering in this country that’s caused by criminal illegal aliens," adding, "We won’t rest until we’ve accomplished that mission."

TRUMP BLASTS BIDEN ADMIN FOR RELEASING HAITIAN IMMIGRANT NOW CHARGED IN FATAL HAMMER ATTACK ON FLORIDA MOTHER

ICE has arrested thousands of illegal immigrants in the Houston area since President Donald Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January 2025. Those arrests have included at least 414 criminal illegal aliens who have been charged with or convicted of child sex offenses, according to DHS.

At the start of the month, ICE Houston said that in the span of five days it arrested nearly 150 criminal aliens, including five child predators, two drug traffickers, 14 thieves, 62 violent offenders, one arsonist, seven hit-and-run DWIs, and nine immigrants convicted of a combined 31 DWIs.

The Democratic-majority Houston City Council recently voted to end a policy requiring law enforcement to hold illegal immigrants for ICE for at least 30 minutes. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has called the policy a "breach of contract" with the state. Last week, he issued an ultimatum to the city to reverse the move or pay the state back $110 million in funding.

TWO BOYS DEAD AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM MEXICO ALLEGEDLY DROVE DRUNK AND HIT THEM ON A SIDEWALK

Democratic Mayor John Whitmire has called the situation a "crisis" for public safety. The city council is set to reconsider the policy this Wednesday.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris County Sheriff's Office for comment.

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The access route to Morro Dois Irmãos was blocked during the operation in Vidigal, leaving scores of alarmed sightseers stuck on the hill.

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At the 1972 Miss World contest, Cynthia Shange was one of two contestants from South Africa - one black and one white.

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