Max Verstappen keeps it blunt, yet cryptic when asked about future with Red Bull

Formula 1 is at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, a fan and driver favorite, for the Belgian Grand Prix. We’re in the midst of a great title battle between Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

However, much of the focus this weekend is on Red Bull's Max Verstappen. It's been a tough season for the four-time champ, who currently sits down in P7 in the standings, and that's because the rumor mill has been churning about his future with the team.

Verstappen has not committed to Red Bull for next season and was recently linked with a potential move to McLaren. On top of that, he himself has even floated the idea of stepping away from F1. He hasn't been a fan of the direction the series has taken with its current cars, and has recently done more sports car racing.

So, he was asked about all of this on Thursday during his driver press conference, and the Dutchman gave some answers that were both blunt and cryptic.

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"Is there any update you can give us?" a reporter asked.

"No," Verstappen said.

Verstappen was then asked about what he makes of all of the speculation about his future, to which he replied, "Nothing."

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He was then asked whether he had a date in mind for providing an update on his plans.

"No, there's nothing to say from my side," he said.

"So, full commitment to Red Bull in 2027?" the reporter asked.

"I said there's nothing to say," Verstappen reiterated.

Now, Verstappen is known for handling press conferences like this, but, man, is that not going to keep the rumor mill from churning?

It is worth noting that while Red Bull's struggles have been well documented this season, Verstappen has said he has a good relationship with team boss Laurent Mekies, who took over partway through last season.

"It’s been really good. I get on very well with Laurent. We speak a lot on track, but also off track," he said, per the Associated Press. "I think the relationship that he has also within the team is great.

"Everything for me feels very positive, and I think it’s always nice when you can discuss a lot of things with your team boss. So from that sense, yeah, very happy. It’s all very open and transparent."

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'The Dog Stars' trailer shows Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin surviving post-apocalyptic world

A new trailer has dropped for the upcoming movie "The Dog Stars."

Basic info:

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There has been some significant hype for "The Dog Stars" ever since the first preview was released. I've never read the book, and likely won't before the movie comes out.

However, I know a fire trailer when I see one, and the new one for the post-apocalyptic thriller is absolutely outstanding.

It's a shot of adrenaline to the soul, and it looks like the exact kind of movie made for guys who love action, suspense and high stakes in a world where civilization has collapsed.

Check out the preview below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Seriously, how great does this film look? It has all the ingredients to be a successful film. Ridley Scott is a legendary director. "Black Hawk Down" remains arguably the best war movie ever made, and his list of accomplishments runs long.

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The cast is also loaded with Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin and Margaret Qualley. Three legit grade-A talents. What's not to love?

I'm certainly excited, and will be adding it to my list of movies to see.

You can check out "The Dog Stars" in theaters starting Aug. 28. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

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Powerful LGBTQ+ group's endorsements could tank vulnerable Dems over radical youth trans agenda

Endorsements from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a pro-LGBTQ+ advocacy group, are raising questions about whether the candidates they’ve endorsed hold the same beliefs as the organization — stances that could fly in the face of attempts to paint a moderate image.

The endorsements highlight the struggle candidates face to manage their associations — especially on topics and in areas that may draw controversy.

Among their stances, HRC has a few that put it solidly in the progressive camp.

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The organization has supported gender-affirming care for minors in the form of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. It has also opposed state restrictions on their implementation and has promoted elementary school lessons on gender identity, resisted efforts to restrict Critical Race Theory and promoted removing police from schools.

"Our goal is to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people, and particularly those of us who are trans, people of color and HIV+, are treated as full and equal citizens within our movement, across our country and around the world," the organization states on its website.

The organization has advocated fiercely against virtually all LGBTQ+ restrictions.

In one such case, after the Supreme Court ruled that parents had a right to pull their children out of LGBTQ+ classes and lessons, HRC blasted the decision.

"This decision elevates the religious beliefs of some parents, who believe that being LGBTQ+ is wrong, over any acknowledgement in the classroom that LGBTQ+ young people and their families exist," the organization said in a statement.

In 2026, the organization endorsed 11 Democratic newcomers and 18 incumbents in battleground districts.

Among them, HRC has endorsed members like Rep. Josh Riley, D-N.Y., Derek Tran, D-Calif., and Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, — all of whom won their races by less than five points.

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Those members did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on whether they stood by HRC’s positions.

Headed into the midterms, HRC framed their success as key to taking pressure off of the LGBTQ+ community from the Trump administration.

"Our community is facing an all-out assault on our rights and its coming from a congressional majority bowing to Trump and his MAGA followers. They’re trying to strip away our freedoms and push us back into the closet while doing nothing to meet the urgent needs of the American people," the group’s president, Kelley Robinson, said in a statement.

In the past, some of the candidates HRC has endorsed have framed their appreciation as a matter of shared interest in anti-discrimination.

That was the way Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., acknowledged their endorsement of him in a 2023 special election.

"I am grateful for the support and endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign. This will be a tough race, and the support of HRC, which has been dedicated to anti-discrimination research, advocacy and education for more than 40 years, means a great deal to me," Suozzi said.

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HRC has renewed its endorsement of Suozzi in the 2026 midterms.

The organization did not immediately respond to questions about what factors go into their endorsement process or whether they ask candidates for permission before publicly endorsing them.

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Missouri nurse found dead months after anesthesiologist husband admitted to assaulting woman

Mystery deepens surrounding the death of a Missouri nurse and wife to a prominent anesthesiologist.

Alexandra "Allie" Hummel, 36, was found unresponsive in her home on June 23, on Lone Cedar Trail in New London after investigators responded to a 911 call.

The Ralls County Sheriff's Office said the coroner called for an autopsy.

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Records indicate Hummel was a licensed nurse in Missouri; her husband, Dr. Andrew Hummel is a licensed anesthesiologist.

Fox News Digital made contact with Hummel's husband who declined to comment on the investigation.

Court records reveal in March 2026 he pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman. He was first arrested in July 2025 on charges of strangling and striking a woman of whom he was "in a continuing relationship of romantic nature" in the face.

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Dr. Hummel is currently self-employed at Northern Ozark Anesthesia Solutions, his own LLC, according to LinkedIn.

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He most recently worked at Hannibal Regional Hospital.

Andrew Hummel has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing in his wife's death.

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Hummel would have celebrated her 37th birthday, on July 7.

The investigation into Hummel's death is ongoing.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hannibal Regional Healthcare System.

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MLB commissioner says Trump 'interested' in MLB CBA negotiations but 'will pass' on potential help

President Donald Trump has tried his hand at helping college sports, and if it were up to him, he'd probably do the same for Major League Baseball.

The league's current collective bargaining agreement expires in December, and with the sides perhaps as far apart as they've been since 1994, the 2027 season is in limbo.

Many may remember the 2022 season was delayed because of an owners' lockout after the expiration of the previous CBA that December. However, the sentiment at the time among baseball experts was, if you thought that was bad, wait until 2026.

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Well, 2026 is here, and they weren't kidding. The owners, for the first time since 1994, have formally proposed a salary cap, which players have said is nonnegotiable.

Ahead of Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters, and one asked whether he thought Trump would intervene in the negotiations.

Manfred did not want to "speculate" about Trump's potential involvement.

"Look, I think it would be wildly, wildly inappropriate for me to speculate what the president of the United States might do or not do in a hypothetical situation," Manfred said. "We know this. He's a great sports fan, and he is really knowledgeable about the business of sports, so it doesn't surprise me."

Manfred did say, however, that Trump is "interested," but it doesn't yet seem he wants his help.

"Behind that, I'm going to pass," he said.

Last month, Trump said it is "shocking" the league does not yet have a salary cap.

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"If you don't have a salary cap, you don't have a sport. They can't help themselves. In sports, they can't help themselves. Football has a salary cap. They should have done it a long time ago. I know so much about sports, they should have done it a long time ago...

"Major League Baseball — it's shocking, frankly, that they didn't put a cap on many years ago. They had a chance to do a cap, and they blew it."

The White House did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Major League Baseball is in serious danger of losing games, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, for the first time since the 1995 season was reduced to 144 games as the players' strike stretched into the following year. The 1994 postseason was even canceled, and the sport was hanging by a thread.

Now, baseball is seeing another boom, as rule changes implemented by Manfred have helped games move more quickly, bringing more fans into ballparks. Attendance could increase for a fourth consecutive year for the first time since 2004-07. It is not currently on pace to do so, but the summer is still young.

"The best way to lose momentum is to stand still," Manfred said.

Earlier this year, Trump held a college sports roundtable and signed an executive order focused on "saving college sports." Unlike the NHL, NBA and NFL, MLB has never had a salary cap.

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Microwaved squishy toy explodes onto boy's face and chest amid viral trend, causing horrific burns

An Alabama teenager and his family are warning about the dangers of a viral social media trend after he suffered third-degree burns when a microwaved sensory toy exploded.

Eli Blackmon, now 13, was 11 when he saw videos on TikTok showing people putting NeeDoh squishy toys in the microwave in order to soften them.

The NeeDoh, a sensory toy similar to a stress ball, is described on the company’s website as a "gratifying super soft, super stretchy dough filled groovy glob."

DANGEROUS TIKTOK TREND LEAVES BOY BADLY BURNED AS DOCTORS ISSUE WARNING

"I thought it was harmless because an adult tried it and nothing happened," he told Fox News Digital this week.

"When I took it out, my older sister held it for a few minutes, then I was playing with it. As soon as I squeezed it, it burst and the hot gel exploded onto my neck, chest and hands."

The hot gel caused third-degree burns on the boy’s neck and chest.

"At first I was just feeling frantic because I wasn’t sure what was going on because he was just screaming and not communicating," the teen’s mother, Fallon Blackmon, told Fox News Digital.

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"My husband is a fire medic and I work in emergency call taking, so I had a little knowledge of how serious it was. That obviously didn’t keep me from panicking on the inside."

She was not aware of this trend before her child's injury, she said.

"If I was aware, we would have had a conversation about not doing it."

Eli Blackmon recalled feeling extreme pain after the injury.

"I thought I was going to die. I kept telling my parents, ‘I don’t want to die, I’m sorry,’ and I that I loved them."

Blackmon was transported by ambulance to the emergency department at the local children’s hospital, and was later sent to the burn unit for wound care and debridement.

'TANMAXXING' TREND COULD COME AT A DANGEROUS COST, SKIN CANCER EXPERTS WARN

"With how severe the burn was, they would typically recommend skin grafts, but they wouldn’t consider it for him because of the risks to his airway," his mother said.

Blackmon had weekly visits with the burn unit for four months, during which the doctors scraped off dead skin and performed wound care.

"This was done with no pain meds or numbing, so all his follow-up appointments were very painful," Fallon Blackmon said.

"Once the wound started to heal and the scarring began, they had to do chemical burns because he was developing granulation tissue."

The teen also developed a rash from the bandages, which quickly turned into a staph infection.

"Another issue was that the burn was pulling fluids from his body, and this caused severe lower GI issues for months," his mother said.

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Blackmon, who is a jiu-jitsu athlete, missed months of training and competing due to the injury. The family also faced thousands of dollars worth of hospital bills, doctor bills and wound care supplies over the four-month care period.

Now, the teen and his mother aim to help prevent other families from going through the same ordeal.

"If you purchase these types of toys, please just mention this trend and not to do it," she urged parents. "Even if they don’t have social media, kids in school are hearing it from other kids."

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Today, Blackmon attends to his scar each day so that it doesn’t cause any issues with neck mobility.

"I have to do stretches and moisturize and massage it daily," he said.

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"It hasn’t really changed my confidence because all my friends and family are very supportive and tell me my scar is cool."

To other kids who may be thinking about participating in this social media trend, Blackmon’s advice is simple: "Don’t do it! It’s stupid! It causes so much pain and other problems."

"Actually, just don’t do any trends on TikTok, even if you think they are harmless," he added. "Talk to your parents."

Blackmon’s mother agreed, noting that sharing the story and receiving negative criticism from adults online would be worth preventing another child from being "scarred for life" and experiencing something so traumatic.

A spokesperson for TikTok USDS Joint Venture previously shared with Fox News Digital that any content that "promotes dangerous behavior" and may lead to serious injury is considered a violation of the platform's Community Guidelines. The company claims that it immediately removes these videos when they are found.

Fox News Digital reached out to the manufacturer of NeeDoh requesting comment.

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Armed man arrested at US Capitol barricade as police probe why he drove onto restricted grounds

An armed man was arrested Monday after driving to a security barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, prompting a police investigation into why he came to the heavily protected complex and temporarily shutting down part of the Capitol grounds.

U.S. Capitol Police said officers arrested the man at the North Barricade after discovering he had a firearm.

Firearms are prohibited on Capitol Grounds, and authorities immediately closed the area while investigators processed the scene.

"Our investigators are working to learn more about the suspect and why he drove to the U.S. Capitol ," Capitol Police said in a statement.

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Authorities have not identified the suspect or announced any charges.

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Police remained at the scene Monday afternoon, where officers were seen removing items from a Ford Bronco parked diagonally in front of the barricade.

From a distance, the items appeared to include water bottles and other belongings.

A dog that had been inside the vehicle was removed safely and taken away in an SPCA vehicle.

The North Barricade remained closed as the investigation continued.

Fox News' Dan Scully, Chad Pergram, and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.

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