‘Miracle’ dog found alive in underground Virginia cave

A group of cavers in Virginia made a miraculous discovery on Sunday while exploring an underground cave littered with animal skulls and bones – a dog that was still alive.

Dave Jackson and Jesse Rochette, of Colorado-based educational cave simulator company CaveSim, told The Associated Press that they were exploring Giant Caverns with a local couple in the town of Narrows in Giles County when the first member started down the cave and spotted the lone dog.

"He said, ‘Whoa! There’s a dog down here!’" Rochette said. "And I asked if it was alive and he said ‘Yes!'"

Rochette said he rappelled 40 to 50 feet down into the funnel-shaped cave with a piece of salami for the dog.

LOCAL FIREFIGHTER ADOPTS DOG AFTER RESCUING IT FROM DECEASED OWNER'S HOME: ‘JUMPED INTO MY ARMS’

"She instantly came over and sucked up the salami and she loved that," Rochette told the outlet.

The exploratory outing quickly turned into a rescue mission. The group wrapped the shivering dog in space blankets, foam pads and the hood from an old jacket they found in the cave, he said. 

Jackson said they always carry some rescue gear on outings and used what they had to improvise a way to lift the dog out of the cave. A tarp and webbing became a dog harness rigged up into a pulley system to haul out the dog strapped to Rochette.

"As the two of us cleared the edge of the pit and made it to fresh air, she instantly perked up," Rochette said. "She lifted her head up and started sniffing the air."

The rescue took about three hours, the cavers said.

The property owner said he did not recognize the dog, prompting Rochette and Jackson to take the pup to a veterinary hospital. She was then taken to the Giles County Animal Shelter.

WASHINGTON, DC POLICE REUNITE WOMAN WITH FRENCH BULLDOG STOLEN DURING ROBBERY

In a Facebook post on Monday, the shelter called the dog "a living miracle." 

"Yesterday, we received a call about a dog who had fallen into a cave in Narrows," the shelter said. "To be honest, we didn’t know what the next hours or even minutes would look like."

The dog, who Rochette said was dubbed SPAR-C, an acronym for small party assisted rescue with a C added for canine, had no broken bones, according to the shelter.

While she couldn't use her back legs well without assistance, the shelter said it expected her to be up and moving within days with medication, rest and good nutrition.

On Wednesday, the shelter posted an update saying Sparsy was up and moving, and her medical expenses have been covered. The shelter was still seeking her owner, but said that if she continued healing at this pace, she would be ready for a new home soon.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/160oZ3q

Cowboys' Dak Prescott downplays concerns about foot after walking boot pic emerges

Dak Prescott raised eyebrows among Dallas Cowboys fans last week when he was seen in a walking boot around his ankle with only months to go before Week 1 of the 2024 season.

With Prescott only under contract for one more season, the national spotlight is certainly going to be on him no matter what he is doing. Prescott talked to reporters on Tuesday and downplayed the boot, saying he was not injured and that his ankle was just sore.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"Honestly, I'm getting older. It's the same ankle that I snapped and had a nasty surgery on four years ago," he said, via The Athletic. "Couple of hard days of training and, you know, you get a little sore, and you're going on a fishing trip, and you want to protect it and make sure that things don't get worse. 

"Literally, it's absolutely nothing. People are reaching, trying to make things that they aren't. I'm getting older. Have to take care of my body. Have to be smart. If I can take precautions and lessening something by putting on a boot, I'm gonna do it. So, sorry that it caused such a whirlwind."

BENGALS' JOE BURROW EXPRESSES OLYMPIC ASPIRATIONS AS FLAG FOOTBALL WILL MAKE DEBUT IN 2028

Prescott is coming off of an MVP-caliber season in 2023 in which he led the NFL in touchdown passes (36) and finished with 4,516 passing yards.

However, concerns have been expressed over whether the Cowboys will re-sign Prescott to a long-term deal. The Prescott negotiations are just one of the things Dallas has on its to-do list. CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons extensions are also on the list.

Prescott said there had been conversations about an extension and expressed optimism something would get done, but he will leave all of that to his agent.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/a29qYHc

'Pulpit AI' aims to help pastors use artificial intelligence to preach beyond Sunday services

A new artificial intelligence platform aimed at helping pastors preach their sermons more effectively is set to launch later this month.

Pulpit AI, created by Michael Whittle and Jake Sweetman, will be released officially on July 22 and will include both free and paid versions, according to both men. 

Whittle is based in Nashville, while Sweetman is senior pastor of Cathedral Church in Los Angeles, which he and Whittle began. The two have been friends for over 10 years, Whittle told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. 

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? 

"Pulpit AI is a generative AI app that allows churches and pastors, church leaders, to upload any version of their sermons," Whittle said. That includes audio, video, a manuscript or an outline, he said.

"Then our app automatically turns [the sermon] into all kinds of associated content that a pastor or a church could need, based on that sermon," he said. 

This includes but is not limited to "devotionals, discussion questions and guides for small groups, newsletters, social media content – really anything that a church would need to communicate with its congregation," Whittle said. 

The idea for Pulpit AI came from a desire to communicate a sermon to the congregation more effectively, while at the same time creating less work for the church's staff.

'AI AND THE CHURCH' TECH INITIATIVE AIMS TO BRING GOD'S POWER TO THOSE IN NEED

"I kind of ran into [Sweetman] one day and I said, 'Hey, what if we could build a tool that lets you just upload your sermon to an app … And what if it could turn it into just a devotional that our congregation could read every day of the week based on the sermon?'" Whittle recounted. 

The two then asked a team member at Cathedral Church what she thought of the idea.

"She was like, 'Yeah, this would save hours of my week if we could do this,'" Whittle said. "So that was kind of the genesis."

"The reality is that pastors put lots of hours into the preparation of a sermon," Sweetman told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview. 

Sweetman said he spends "anywhere from 10 to 15 hours a week writing a sermon." 

'AI JESUS’ TALKS DATING, RELATIONSHIPS, MORALS — EVEN OFFERS VIDEO-GAMING TIPS

Despite all this work, "for most preachers, their sermon doesn't live on beyond the Sunday," Sweetman said, "except for maybe getting uploaded to a podcast." 

Using tools in Pulpit AI, he said, "is very helpful from a discipleship standpoint" and is able to turn a sermon into additional content without "a huge time investment and a big cost investment." 

Sweetman added, "Pulpit AI just opens a huge door for content to be able to be distributed to our churches. I mean, we're going to spend 15 hours a week writing a sermon. Obviously, we think it's valuable, and it's valuable enough to live on in [the congregation's] minds just beyond the 90-minute Sunday service." 

Unlike other AI programs, which have been accused of inaccuracies and bias, Pulpit AI will not, say, suddenly start spouting heresy without warning, Whittle said.

"The way our app is built, what you put into it is what it creates from," Whittle said. 

So "you're uploading something that you have created." 

PASTOR WHO USED AI FOR CHURCH SERVICE SAYS IT WAS A 'ONE-TIME DEAL': 'LET'S NEVER DO THAT AGAIN'

Pulpit AI, he said, does not generate the sermon itself. 

Instead, it creates content "based directly from the sermon and not pulling from a bunch of different sources around the internet." 

"This isn't something where you're going in and having, you know, ChatGPT write you a sermon from scratch," Whittle said. 

"We're not adding any commentary. We're not adding any exegesis or anything to the app that would veer off into creating something that wasn't the original intent of the person who wrote and uploaded the sermon to our app." 

Dr. Charlie Camosy, a professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine and holder of the Msgr. Curran Fellowship in Moral Theology at St. Joseph Seminary in New York, told Fox News Digital that he believes the church should be cautious about the use of AI, although he did not outright dismiss it. 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, USED BY NASA AND IN NEUROSURGERY, COULD REMAKE CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, SAYS TECH EXEC 

"I think we need to go slow on this," Camosy told Fox News Digital in an email, adding that he thinks the church should "slow down and think and pray and observe." 

He added, "In principle, I think using AI as a tool at the service of human interactions is fine. Sometimes, even better than fine. Great, even."

But he said he worries that AI could have the effect of "undermining human interaction." 

"What would it mean if the craft of taking one's sermon notes and using them to create other documents goes away? Maybe nothing. But do we know that yet? Hard to predict," Camosy said. 

"The church tends to think in terms of centuries, with a primary focus on service and love of others in the imitation of Christ, not primarily in terms of what is the most efficient, time-saving thing." 

"The bottom line is that no one knows what the consequences will be of using these technologies," he said. "And the church is perhaps uniquely positioned to take a decades or even centuries-long view of whether this is a good idea." 

One pastor who used Pulpit AI prior to its release told Fox News Digital that he found it easy to use and intuitive, which in turn freed up his team to work on other projects.

"We have started small groups on our sermons and podcasts since Pulpit AI has created this platform," Pastor Adam Mesa of Patria Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California, told Fox News Digital in an email.

"Our team has been able to expand our communication emails, small group questions and content due to the massive amount of category summaries the system gives us," he added. 

Patria Church has about 12,000 members, Mesa said, "and we have even heard from many that they have really enjoyed our updated communication frequencies." 

He added, "My team heavily relies on Pulpit AI weekly, and for me, it's a massive benefit because it takes certain tedious things out of their workload."

After uploading the sermon to the app, "it takes about five minutes to transcribe the full audio, regardless of length," Mesa told Fox News Digital. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

Using Pulpit AI, Mesa is able to produce two podcast episodes each week, he said. 

"Once loaded, it only takes a few minutes for each tool to provide us with [content]," Mesa said. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

This content includes a summary of the episode, a full transcription, discussion questions, key points and an e-mail recap, Mesa said. 

Plus, Pulpit AI creates "highlights and quotes" for social media use, he said. "Overall, we have loved the platform."

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/PuiMRJK

House Dems launch united effort against election bill requiring voters prove citizenship

House Democrats launched a united effort to vote against a Republican-backed election bill that would require voters provide proof of citizenship to cast ballots in federal elections. 

Republicans are pushing the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, otherwise known as the SAVE Act, which would amend the National Voter Registration Act, and require states to obtain proof of citizenship from voters for federal elections, as well as purge noncitizens from voter rolls. 

Democratic leadership is urging its House members to vote against the bill in the lead-up to the vote, saying it would place "an extreme burden [on] countless Americans" in order to vote. 

"As we've seen a number of times this Congress, House Republicans continue to irresponsibly call into question the credibility of our elections. Despite numerous recounts, challenges in court, and deep-dives by conservative think-tanks, there has been zero evidence of the widespread fraud that this bill purports to target. It is already illegal under current law for noncitizens to register to vote or to vote in federal elections," the office of House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., wrote in a "whip question," Axios first reported. The whip vote rounds up this coming weeks' votes and outlines guidance regarding how Democratic House members should vote. 

'TRAITORS': MUSK CALLS FOR ULTIMATE PENALTY FOR THOSE OPPOSED TO REQUIRING VOTERS TO PROVE CITIZENSHIP

"Democrats are urged to VOTE NO on H.R. 8281," the whip question states. 

Republican House leadership, meanwhile, is urging the bill's passage, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posting on X that "the SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections."

He detailed in the X thread that, if passed, the law would: require "state election officials to ask about citizenship before providing voter registration forms"; require "an individual to provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections"; allow "state officials to accept a wide variety of documents that will make it easy for CITIZENS to register to vote in federal elections"; provide "states with access to federal agency databases so they can remove noncitizens from voter rolls and confirm citizenship for individuals lacking proof of citizenship," among other directives. 

Under the legislation, voters would be required to provide proof of citizenship via IDs and documentation such as a passport, a government-issued photo ID showing proof the individual was born in the U.S., military IDs, or a valid photo ID as well as documentation showing proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, the legislation states. 

WE NEED TO SAVE OUR ELECTIONS FROM ABUSE AND HERE’S HOW

Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy introduced the legislation in May, with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introducing the Senate's companion bill, and received widespread support from Republican lawmakers who said it would secure elections. Johnson notably unveiled the bill earlier this year alongside former President Trump in a high-profile press conference at Mar-a-Lago. 

"Secure elections are a key cornerstone for any representative government; without them, we won't have a country. Radical progressive Democrats know this and are using open border policies while also attacking election integrity laws to fundamentally remake America. That's why I am proud to introduce the SAVE Act with Speaker Johnson and my Republican colleagues, along with the invaluable support of citizens and organizations that recognize we must end the practice of non-citizens voting in our elections," Roy said on May 8. 

MAJORITY OF HOUSE DEMS VOTE TO ALLOW NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC

Johnson circulated a 22-page report late last month urging House members to pass the legislation, contending there is "irrefutable evidence that noncitizens have been illegally registering to vote and have illegally voted in U.S. elections."

"While falsely claiming the 2016 election was 'stolen' due to ‘foreign election interference,’ Democrats ignore the real threat of foreign election interference posed when noncitizens are allowed to register and vote in U.S. elections," Johnson wrote in the report. "Lax voter registration laws make it possible for noncitizens to register and vote in federal elections while campaign finance loopholes allow noncitizens to fund U.S. election activities – both of which can affect the outcome of our elections."

HOUSE LEADERS AIM FOR VOTE ON TRUMP-BACKED ELECTIONS BILL NEXT MONTH

Johnson's X thread championing the legislation last week received support from fellow Republicans, as well as critics of the Democratic Party. Tech billionaire Elon Musk notably sounded off that lawmakers who vote against the bill are "traitors" to the U.S. 

"Those who oppose this are traitors. All Caps: TRAITORS What is the penalty for traitors again?" Elon Musk posted in response to Johnson's post. 

The Constitution calls on traitors guilty of treason to be sentenced to death or be imprisoned for no less than five years. They are also to be fined no less than $10,000 and be barred from ever holding office in the U.S.

The bill comes as the immigration crisis continues mounting under the Biden administration, with at least 1.6 million migrants designated as "gotaways" alone between Fiscal Year 2021 to Fiscal Year 2023, Fox previously reported. Gotaways are individuals who evade Border Patrol agents. 

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/jZld7pf

Rice brings great save out of Sommer

Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer dives full stretch to turn a long range shot from England's Declan Rice behind.

from BBC News https://ift.tt/4nLGyTB

Top Democrats who pushed 25th Amendment during Trump years silent on triggering it for Biden

Several top Democrats that called for the 25th Amendment to be used to remove former President Trump from office during his tenure have remained silent on whether it should be triggered to remove President Biden, which some Republicans have suggested.

Fox News Digital reached out to Reps. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Jamie Raskin, D-Md.; and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., along with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who all declined to comment on whether the 25th Amendment should be in play with President Biden as they suggested it should be for former President Trump.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment authorizes the vice president and a majority of the executive cabinet to make the decision whether the president is fit to continue in office or not.

At various points during the Trump presidency, Democrats called for the 25th Amendment to be triggered against the president for a variety of reasons ranging from the coronavirus, to Trump’s competence, to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot.

MEDIA FLOATED 25TH AMENDMENT FOR TRUMP HUNDREDS OF TIMES WHILE IN OFFICE, VIRAL VIDEO SHOWS

"It’s long past time," Waters told MSNBC in October 2020 when asked if it was time to trigger the 25th Amendment based on Trump’s "erratic and bizarre behavior" and "spreading the virus personally."

That same month, in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Raskin and Pelosi introduced legislation that would create a commission involving Congress in the process to remove the president if he became "incapacitated."

"This is not about President Trump," Pelosi claimed at a press conference at the time. "He will face the judgment of the voters, but he shows the need for us to create a process for future presidents."

CORNELL LAW PROFESSOR CALLS TO INVOKE 25TH AMENDMENT AFTER BIDEN'S DEBATE PERFORMANCE

"Congress has a constitutional duty to lay out the process by which a president's incapacity and the president of any party is determined. This bill honors the duty by creating a standing commission of top former executive officials and medical experts selected in a bipartisan, bicameral way. A president's fitness for office must be determined by science and facts. This legislation applies to future presidents, but we are reminded by the necessity of action by the health of the current president," she said.

The legislation was the reintroduction of the same bill from Raskin in 2017. 

"Since January, President Trump has thrown our country into chaos at every turn," Raskin said in a 2017 press release.

"For the security of our people and the safety of the Republic, we need to set up the ‘body’ called for in the 25th Amendment. The President can fire his entire Cabinet for asking the same question tens of millions of Americans are asking at their dinner tables, but he cannot fire Congress or the expert body we set up under the Constitution. At a moment of unprecedented presidential chaos, the Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity is essential, urgently needed and indispensable."

Following the Jan. 6 riot, Pelosi, Raskin, Jayapal and every other Democrat in the House voted for a resolution calling on Vice President Pence to "declare President Donald J. Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting President."

"We are demanding Mike Pence and the Cabinet finally put America first and uphold their constitutional duty to invoke the 25th Amendment, ending Trump’s terror and his total control over the military," Jayapal said. "Assuming the Vice President continues to put this lawless, dangerous president over the people of this country, the House of Representatives must urgently join my call to once again impeach Donald Trump."

That move was backed by Schumer, who said Trump is "dangerous and should not hold office one day longer."

Following Biden's widely panned debate performance that has caused some Democrats to call on him to drop out of the race, several Republicans have floated the idea of triggering the 25th Amendment due to concerns over Biden's mental abilities.

"Over the past 3 years, it has become painfully clear that our inaugurated President has slipped into a rapid decline," Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said Wednesday.

"As a Christian principled nation, We the People must revere our elders and shelter them from unnecessary struggle and anguish. The 25th Amendment allows America to respond to this moment of crisis by gently removing President Biden from the world’s most powerful elected position. It’s the right thing to do, the Christian thing to do."

Both the White House and Biden campaign have maintained that Biden is not dropping out of the race and is fit to serve as president.

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday, a Raskin spokesperson said, "Since 2017, Congressman Raskin has maintained that Congress has the structural authority and duty under the 25th Amendment to act to create another ‘body’ to assess with the Vice President presidential fitness to discharge the powers and duties of office in the event of a crisis."

"Nothing has happened in the meantime to change his view. He definitely does not believe there is any crisis compelling immediate action and does not think this serious issue should be undertaken as a last-minute partisan political mission."

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/ZFcwtlA

House Republicans privately worry about Democrats replacing Biden: 'Changes everything'

As questions continue to mount about President Biden's fitness for office, some House Republicans are privately concerned that replacing him at the top of the Democratic ticket could result in the GOP losing the White House in November.

"As a human, it's probably good for Joe Biden that he's now probably not going to have to be subjected to this another four years. But for the party, it's not great. It's not clear to me that it's good for us, either," one House Republican told Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity.

"We had Trump versus Biden, which was a very lopsided, in my opinion, a very lopsided fight… the Dems would be insane to run Biden again. Like, they can't, it's like they can't at this point."

With a potentially younger and more popular replacement, the GOP lawmaker said it became "a tougher race."

"It changes everything. It's just a completely unknown wildcard right now," the GOP lawmaker said.

JILL BIDEN BACKS HUSBAND AFTER BRUTAL DEBATE, TELLS VOGUE 'WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT'

They suggested that California Gov. Gavin Newsom or a similar popular figure somewhere like New York could inspire higher turnout among Democratic voters in those states, putting Republican-held swing seats in jeopardy in down-ballot races.

It comes after Biden's poor performance in Thursday night's CNN Presidential Debate, his first debate against former President Trump since 2020. 

The 81-year-old president spoke with a hoarse voice, reportedly due to a cold, and stumbled over his own answers several times during the primetime event. Viewers also observed him appearing tired and noticeably less sharp than he looked the last time he faced Trump.

FETTERMAN CITES OWN 'DIFFICULT' DEBATE IN ARGUING BIDEN CAN STILL WIN

Even Biden's top allies in Congress conceded he had a bad showing. One House Democrat told Fox News Digital, "Obviously, there are conversations that I believe need to be had at all levels, with the realization of, this is not just about the presidency, this is about down-ballot."

Republicans have long contended that Biden is unfit for office. However, the new speculation among Democrats poses a political problem for the right – having to deal with the opponent they know, or being forced to weigh a completely different scenario less than six months before the election.

"I think both [scenarios] are risky," a second House Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital. "We know what we know with Biden at the top… we don't know what we don't know with someone else."

A senior House GOP aide was more straightforward in their assessment, telling Fox News Digital point-blank that Biden running gives Republicans the best chance at victory.

"Virtually any Democrat that potentially replaces Biden has an exponentially better chance of defeating Trump. Biden staying at the top of the ticket is the best-case scenario for a Republican trifecta," the senior House GOP aide said.

BIDEN'S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

However, not everyone within the House GOP is concerned. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., argued that voters will be focused on Biden's policies while in office, which the majority of Democrats support, but Republicans argue have hurt the country.

He said a new candidate would ultimately be distilled to a "shinier, cleaner version of Joe Biden."

"What are they gonna do different?" Burchett asked, speculating that voters would assume a new candidate would back "the same policies that got us into this mess."

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital in response to House GOP concerns, "President Trump delivered the most dominant debate performance in history as Americans witnessed a clear contrast of proven America First policies versus Joe Biden's failed leadership at every turn…Democrats and their media enablers have created this problem by turning a blind eye to Biden's clear cognitive and physical decline for the last four years. Now they have to face the reckoning of having an inept candidate as their nominee."

A new CBS News and YouGov poll released over the weekend showed nearly three quarters of Democratic voters believe Biden does not have the cognitive health to serve as president. 

Despite the fallout from his debate performance, however, Biden has shown no intention of stepping aside, and top Democratic allies have publicly coalesced around his decision.

Biden's campaign did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

from Latest & Breaking News on Fox News https://ift.tt/CtgycY6