What UNC feeds its football players in the Bill Belichick era

Not all college football players are excited to eat their vegetables. But Bill Belichick's staff at North Carolina has found ways to make sure their players are.

Through a precise food science that requires chopping vegetables into "micro" pieces, or even sneaking extra grains and vitamins into the batter used to fry chicken, the staff is taking every liberty to gain a competitive advantage in the lunch room. UNC's nutrition, hydration and training strategy has become more critical than ever as the team looks to make a second-year jump, as each player has a specific strategy curated to them and their biology.

The strategy even includes a contingency plan, when the team is on the road, sometimes in locations where access to anything but fast food is limited. Public records show the team spent $129,644.38 at vendors that classify as fast food or fast casual during the 2025 season, but head nutritionist Amber Rinestine-Ressa claimed there was a scientific method behind those transactions.

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UNC football head chef Josh Grimes was the New England Patriots executive chef under Belichick from 2018-24. When they came to UNC last year, they recalibrated the nutrition strategy, an NFL-style approach, and Belichick says it is aligned with the fundamental purposes of Tom Brady's approach to nutrition.

"In New England, we had a lot of components and certainly some of Tom's things were important," Belichick told Fox News Digital.

"In the NFL we trained a lot of players who were significantly older than our players are here, and so some of the things that Tom did have more application than players who are older. But still fundamentally, good nutrition, good hydrations, pliability in the muscle tissues and so forth are are fundamentally good things that Tom worked with and that we embrace as well."

For UNC and its players, the strategy may also have NFL Draft implications.

"When you look at an NFL performance. Everything's important and everything that leads to your performance is important. So preparation training nutrition hydration, technique, fundamentals, it all adds up," Belichick said of whether he previously looked at a college player's diet and nutrition program when scouting them for the NFL.

Director of nutrition Amber Rhinestine-Ressa and Grimes aim to make food that players actually want to eat in order to keep them eating in the team cafeteria, and not out. To do that, they prioritize flavor, and work in the nutrition from there.

"If they're not going to change for me, I have to change my approach for each one of them," Rhinestine-Ressa said.

"We don't live in a perfect world, and to create buy-in, I have to have a little leniency... 80% of our diet, we are eating great food for us."

Of the remaining 20%: "Would we rather eat brown rice or a piece of bread? Well, brown rice might have more fiber, but how does our whole day look? Okay then, maybe we could eat this piece of bread."

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She admitted that some players have harder times eating their vegetables than others.

"Some of these kids come in and they see a whole green bean, and not a canned green bean, and they're not receptive to it," she said. "A lot of guys come in here and they have a very small box."

Once they work what kind of food the players want to eat, then come the "sneak" plays to make it as healthy as possible.

"Anywhere we can manipulate an ingredient to where it tastes good, but they don't know, we do," Grimes said.

The kitchen micro-dices vegetables into barely-noticeable pieces, and mixes that into several dishes, along with quinoa, to bolster the vitamin value.

The nutrition team even has a way of manipulating batter for deep-frying things like chicken, Grimes said through a combination of whole wheat flower and Avocado oil.

"We kind of use the fried stuff as more strategic, kind of morale. Like, we try to keep them happy," the chef said.

Grimes said he gave the players a suggestion box when building the menu, and the number one-selected suggested dish that came back was Oxtail. Thus, Oxtail has become a recurring favorite in the team cafe, and a critical play by the staff.

Famed Kansas City Chiefs former head dietitian Leslie Bonci employed similar strategies when curating food to keep the Chiefs healthy through the start of the Patrick Mahomes era and their first two Super Bowls in the last decade.

"Hide the health. Start with familiar and then amplify the nutrition for the intuition in the kitchen," Bonci told Fox News Digital in response to UNC's strategies.

The university credit card statements for Rinestine-Ressa, during the 2025 season and training camp (Jul. 1 to Dec. 4), were been obtained by Fox News Digital via a public records request. 

Of the $129,644.38 that was spent on fast food or fast casual, the team spent the most money at was Al's Burger Shack, at $15,803.

"Al's Burgers, they use 90-10 meat with me," Rinestine-Ressa said, adding they often purchased the burger place for post-game meals last season, for up to 260 people. "So I can influence what they use because we're buying it in such quantity."

Chick Fil-A was second at $13,092.03.

"Chick Fil-A is only ever done when we're about to get on a plane, because it's heavy, they're about to go on a plane, they're about to sleep, and we have no activity for the rest of that day. So I don't really care that much."

Jersey Mike’s was third at $12,613.51 and Mission BBQ was fourth at $12,598.52. Other big spends on the statements were made at popular national chains like Zaxby’s, Moe's Southwest Grill, Dave's Hot Chicken, CAVA and Panera Bread.

Still, there were zero transactions for American fast food staples McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, KFC, or Taco Bell. That is where Rinestine-Ressa draws the line.

"Hell no, those are hard no's, because I can't manipulate those, I can manipulate every other place," she said.

As UNC looks to improve on its 4-8 record from 2025, it will lean on the creativity and discipline of its chefs and nutritionists to make sure the players are fueled to do their jobs.

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Rep Burlison demands FBI probe after top US scientists vanish or turn up dead

House Oversight Committee member Eric Burlison is demanding the FBI get involved after a string of "disturbing" disappearances and deaths involving U.S. scientists and researchers with access to top-level secrets.

Burlison described the pattern as "too coincidental" to ignore after at least 10 researchers have gone missing or turned up dead in the last two years.

"This is a rattling call to pay attention to this issue and make sure that our nation's top scientists are safe and secure. This is too coincidental," the Missouri republican said Friday on "Fox & Friends."

"We have to be investigating this. We need to have our nation’s top investigators, the FBI and every agency looking into this matter," he added.

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Burlison said his office first became aware of the trend last year when an individual scheduled to speak with him, Matthew Sullivan, died by suicide under what he described as suspicious circumstances. He said his office referred the case to the Office of the Inspector General and the FBI, which he said deemed it "credible and urgent."

The recent disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland in February was another wake-up call. McCasland had been involved in research on unidentified anomalous phenomena and held top roles in space research.

Authorities at the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico said he walked out of his home while his wife was out, leaving his phone behind but taking his wallet and a gun. McCasland’s wife wrote on Facebook that her husband retired years ago, and that it’s "quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him."

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Still, Burlison said the number of cases warrants an investigation.

"What's really disturbing when you look back and reflect on it, you've got Monica Reza, you've got Anthony Chavez, you got Melissa Cassius and you have Steven Garcia, all of which, along with General McCasland, walked out of their homes," Burlison said.

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"These are some of the most advanced scientists, researchers in our nation, some of the most important people for our nation's national security efforts, and they all just mysteriously disappeared," he added.

President Donald Trump addressed the disappearances this week but did not say whether he believes the cases are connected. He noted that he would know more soon, having just emerged from a briefing on the subject.

"Hopefully, I don't know, coincidence, if you want it, whatever you want to call it. But some of them were very important people, and we're [going to] look at it," Trump said.

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California high court orders disbarring of former Trump attorney over effort to dispute 2020 election results

The California Supreme Court has disbarred John Eastman, an attorney with ties to President Donald Trump's efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election outcome.

"The California Supreme Court disbarred attorney John Charles Eastman today," the State Bar of California said in a statement.

"This after the State Bar Court Review Department in July 2025 affirmed the findings of the State Bar Court Hearing Department’s March 2024 recommendation, which found Eastman culpable of 10 out of 11 charges for egregious and deceitful conduct and recommended his disbarment," the statement added.

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Eastman, a close advisor to the president leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, authored a memo regarding a plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject electoral votes for Joe Biden while presiding over the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress in a bid to keep Trump in office, according to The Associated Press.

State Bar chief trial counsel George Cardona said, "After extensive proceedings before the State Bar Court’s Hearing and Review Departments, both of which found Mr. Eastman culpable of serious ethical violations, the Court has imposed the discipline warranted by the clear and convincing evidence that he advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials, and the American public."

"The Court’s order underscores that Mr. Eastman’s misconduct was incompatible with the standards of integrity required of every California attorney," Cardona added in a statement released by the State Bar of California.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Thursday.

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A statement provided to Fox News Digital by Eastman's attorney, Randall Miller, declared plans to pursue review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The California Supreme Court has allowed to stand a State Bar Court recommendation that we contend departs from long-standing United States Supreme Court precedent protecting First Amendment rights, especially in the attorney discipline context," the statement said.

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"We disagree with that outcome and believe it raises pivotal constitutional concerns regarding the limits of state regulation of attorney speech. We will seek review in the U.S. Supreme Court to repudiate this threat to the rule of law and our nation’s adversarial system of justice," the statement added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Fed-up dumpster company empties full load onto lawn of customer they say refused to pay bill

A California trash removal company was caught on video emptying the contents of a dumpster onto the front lawn of a customer they claim refused to pay their bill.  

The owner of Express Rental Dumpster in the Bay Area said people moving out of a house in San Pablo had rented a dumpster from the company for debris removal, but the credit card they gave for the transaction became a problem, according to KTVU. 

"It's declined. They declined the card," Martin Perez told the station. "They keep saying, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna pay later. I'm gonna pay later. I'm gonna pay later,' and never did. Or say, 'I'm gonna put money on the card so you can charge.' On Monday — happened like Monday — we tried again. Called. 'Oh, I forgot.'" 

In footage taken from a Ring doorbell camera, a truck operator was first seen talking to a person off camera. He opened the back door of his dump truck, causing some trash to fall onto the homeowner’s yard. The man then got into the driver’s seat of the truck, backed it up toward the property and fully emptied the contents of the dumpster onto the lawn. 

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At one point, a man appears to emerge from the home and yell profanities in Spanish in the direction of the dump truck. 

Perez said he already lost money on the dumpster delivery and pickup and would have to pay hundreds more in dumping fees if he took the trash to the dump, KTVU reported. 

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Police later responded to the scene and required the driver to remove debris from the edge of the sidewalk onto the property, the station added. 

A neighbor told KTVU that the homeowner claimed to have paid for the dumpster.

"She says she paid $700 for it, and then, all of a sudden, I see him back up and dump it all on the ground. I don't really know what that was about," the neighbor said. 

The pile of trash reportedly was cleaned up and covered by a neighbor after being picked through by scavengers. 

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WATCH: Ex-NATO chief draws red line as Trump fumes alliance abandoned US during Iran war

Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg signaled clear limits on the alliance’s role in the Iran conflict, saying it should not be pulled into supporting U.S. military operations even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on European allies — exposing a growing divide over what NATO is meant to do.

"NATO is a defensive alliance," Stoltenberg, now Norway’s finance minister, told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday. "The strikes or the war against Iran were never an attempt to make that into a NATO operation."

Stoltenberg framed the disagreement not over whether Iran poses a threat, but over how to confront it, with European governments favoring sanctions and diplomatic pressure over direct military involvement.

"We all agree the Iranian nuclear program is dangerous," he said. "The question is how we achieve that goal."

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The divide reflects a deeper mismatch between Washington and its allies: Trump has treated the conflict as a test of NATO support — urging countries that benefit from the Strait of Hormuz to help secure it militarily — while European governments have largely rejected that approach, arguing the war falls outside the alliance’s mandate.

Trump has sharply criticized NATO allies for refusing to back U.S. operations tied to the conflict, at times questioning the alliance’s value and warning it had failed a key test as tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz.

"NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future," Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social. 

The president has alternated between pressuring allies to step up and downplaying their importance, at one point calling NATO’s response a "very foolish mistake" while also insisting the United States "doesn’t need any help."

Major European powers have resisted Trump’s push to provide military support. 

"The feeling is, this is not Europe’s war," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters in an interview published March 17. 

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Spain blocked U.S. aircraft involved in the Iran conflict from using its airspace and denied access to key bases at Rota and Morón, forcing American forces to reroute missions. France has provided limited logistical support but restricted certain overflight requests tied to military operations, reviewing them on a case-by-case basis.

Stoltenberg pushed back on the idea that Europe has broadly abandoned the United States, arguing most allies have still provided logistical support behind the scenes.

"The majority of European allies have made sure that their bases and infrastructure were available for the United States," he said. "There are some exceptions, but most have contributed."

Countries like the United Kingdom and Romania have allowed U.S. forces to use bases for refueling, surveillance and defensive operations even as they declined direct combat roles.

The tension underscores a broader split inside the alliance: Trump has framed the Iran conflict as a test of NATO support, while NATO leadership has drawn a clear distinction between formal obligations and political expectations, maintaining the war falls outside the alliance’s core mission.

Asked whether he would pull the U.S. out of NATO, Trump said the move was "beyond reconsideration" in an interview with The Telegraph on April 1. 

The Iran conflict began in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets triggered retaliation from Tehran, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s energy supply. The U.S. has since launched airstrikes and imposed a naval blockade aimed at increasing pressure to reopen the strait.

The economic fallout from the conflict is also shaping how European countries view the war and their role in it.

European natural gas prices surged — jumping around 50% early in the conflict and, at times, nearly doubling as LNG supply disruptions intensified.

For Norway, however, the impact is more mixed. As one of Europe’s largest oil and gas exporters, the country stands to benefit from higher prices even as broader economic instability creates risks at home.

"There are two effects," Stoltenberg said. "When prices are going up, our oil and gas revenues will increase. But at the same time … when inflation increases and economic growth slows, it will affect our economy."

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.

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House Dems launch impeachment push against Hegseth

House Democrats filed formal articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the Trump Cabinet member of abusing his office and committing war crimes.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth along with 12 other House Democrats.

"Pete Hegseth broke his oath to the Constitution, put U.S. troops at grave risk through the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, engaged in abuse of office and conduct beneath the dignity of his office, and carried out unlawful military actions despite his obligation to refuse — including strikes on civilians and a girls’ school in Minab, Iran," Ansari said in a statement announcing formal filing of the resolution.

She further claimed Hegseth’s "conduct meets the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors and warrants immediate removal by Congress."

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Axios first reported the impeachment push after obtaining a copy of the resolution.

The first article of impeachment accuses Hegseth of an "unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members." It focuses on strikes the U.S. launched without seeking a formal mandate from Congress and accuses Hegseth of recklessly endangering U.S. service members by signing off on ground operations that involved extreme and unnecessary risks.

The second article accuses Hegseth of "Violations of the Law of Armed Conflict and targeting of civilians," alleging the secretary of authorizing or failing to prevent operations that resulted in significant civilian casualties. It cited the bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran, and reports of "double tap" strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean.

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The third article accuses Hegseth of "Negligence and Reckless handling of sensitive military information," focusing on an incident in which Hegseth and other top officials used a Signal chat to discuss active strikes in Yemen — and inadvertently included a prominent magazine editor in the chat.

The remaining three articles accuse Hegseth of obstructing congressional oversight, abuse of power and the politicization of the armed forces, and a broader charge of bringing "disrepute" upon the U.S. and its armed forces.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that the impeachment push "is just another charade" by Democrats.

"This is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the Presidents’ objectives in Iran," Wilson said. "Secretary Hegseth will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength. This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War." 

The other Democrats who signed onto the resolution include Reps. Sarah McBride, D-Del., Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., Al Green, D-Texas, Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Nikema Williams, D-Ga., Dina Titus, D-Nev., Dave Min, D-Calif., Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., Mike Quigley, D-Ill., and Brittany Pettersen, D-Col.

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David Axelrod trying to tamp down speculation after meeting the pope

David Axelrod, a senior advisor to former president Barack Obama, put out a statement on X quelling rumors that a Thursday meeting between himself and Pope Leo XIV was a precursor to a potential Leo-Obama summit.

"To be clear, I was gratified and honored that Pope Leo XIV granted my request for an audience and thrilled to spend a some time with him last week," Axelrod wrote.

"It was scheduled months ago and unrelated to any prospective meeting with President Obama," his Tuesday post concluded.

Despite the statement, Obama has been open about his desire to meet with Pope Leo. Obama-Biden White House alum Christopher Hale posted on X that there are "early talks" about a potential one-on-one.

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Axelrod, now a CNN analyst, was responding to a video from his own network in which conservative commentator Hal Lambert accused Pope Leo's recent criticisms of President Donald Trump and the war in Iran of being politically motivated.

"David Axelrod goes and visits Pope Leo last week. They're talking about Obama going to visit. Pope Leo is from Chicago. All of a sudden, now Pope Leo is out attacking Trump and the policies of the United States and Israel," Lambert said during a CNN panel show.

"Axelrod is the chief strategist for Obama. The pope was saying he's not political. Why is he meeting with the chief strategist for both Obama's campaign and in the White House?" Lambert asked.

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In addition to being a senior advisor to Obama in the White House, Axelrod was also the chief strategist for both Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns and was widely seen as the brains behind his successful runs.

The veteran politico met with Pope Leo on April 9. The pope's criticism's of Trump's military actions predate the meeting. He's been critical of both military actions in Venezuela and in Iran, telling a Palm Sunday Mass in March that God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war."

But one day after his meeting with Axelrod, Pope Leo wrote what appeared to be a direct rebuke to the administration.

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"God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs," Pope Leo wrote in an April 10 post on X.

"Military action will not create space for freedom or times of Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples," he concluded.

The post, which has been followed with at least 10 direct or indirect references to war and peace in the five days since, came days after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke of the rescue mission to save a downed airman in Iran.

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"Shot down on a Friday — Good Friday — hidden in a cave — a crevice — all of Saturday and rescued on Sunday," Hegseth said. "Flown out of Iran as the sun was rising on Easter Sunday, a pilot reborn. All home and accounted for. A nation rejoicing. God is good," Hegseth said in an April 6 press conference.

Trump responded to comments from Pope Leo, calling him "weak on crime and "terrible for foreign policy," in a post on Truth Social.

"Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church," Trump also wrote.

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The heightened rhetoric has contributed to an atmosphere that many are increasingly viewing as political.

"It’s not about when it was scheduled. It’s about why? David Axelrod is a powerful Democrat political strategist. That’s his job for the past 30 years. Millions of people would like a private audience with the pope, but he is meeting with a powerful strategist for the opposition party to President Trump," Lambert told Fox News Digital.

"This is all about the midterms and trying to turn Catholics against President Trump and Republicans," Lambert concluded.

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Besides incurring the pope's ire, Trump has also irked Christians across the board after posting an AI-generated image of himself on Truth Social that many viewed as depicting himself as Jesus Christ.

Trump deleted the photo and denied the charge, claiming he thought the photo was depicting him as a doctor.

"I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross… which we support, and only the fake news could come up with that one," Trump told reporters.

"As a Chicagoan, I've been eager to meet Pope Leo from the moment he stepped out on the balcony," Axelrod told Fox News Digital.

"My admiration for him as a great moral leader has only grown since. The audience, which I requested, was scheduled months ago. No one sent me and the only mission I was on was to visit with him and pay my respects," he concluded.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Vatican and an Obama representative for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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