Dem operative fished for oppo research in antisemitic, lewd text messages, House Republican charges
Several Republican members of Congress are accusing a liberal political action committee of impersonating a GOP staffer to extract potentially damaging information from elected officials and raise funds for Democrats – with one text exchange that targeted a female lawmaker including antisemitic and sexist language, Fox News Digital has learned. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she received a text this summer from a person posing as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s chief of staff. Before long, however, the individual launched into personal attacks, denigrating Luna as a “fake” Jew and making lewd comments about her. Luna says she’s currently facing a different harassment campaign, too, as her re-election bid comes down to its final weeks. She revealed the bizarre details about the opposition research scheme when Fox News Digital inquired about the other allegations. A person posing as Abbott’s new chief of staff in July attempted to set up a phony phone call between Luna and Abbott regarding Luna’s re-election effort, according to screenshots of a text conversation supplied to Fox News Digital by Luna’s office. JUST BECAUSE HUNTER BIDEN PLEADED GUILTY DOESN’T MEAN OUR JOB STOPS: REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA “Rep. Luna – Hello, I’m the new [Chief of Staff] to Gov Abbott. May we set up a call for tomorrow? Robert Black,” the first text to Luna on July 18 reads. Robert Black is the name of Abbott’s actual chief of staff, who officially joined the office on July 22, according to a press release from Abbott’s office at the start of July. Luna responded: “Yes! What time?” “He wants to talk about how to help you beat Fox,” the supposed Abbott staffer said, while suggesting a time for the alleged call. Luna is facing Democratic opponent Whitney Fox in her re-election battle this year. “Whitney Fox?” Luna asked, before brushing off concerns over the race. “I’m always willing to take advice but full transparency I’m in a R + 8 so we’re not super concerned. Did he see a poll or something?” she asked. “Hearing from Dems she raised a lot and has oppo,” the phony Abbott staffer responded. Another screenshot from the text exchange shows the Abbott office impersonator asking Luna about her border policies and “what do you want Gov to say on border,” but Luna stopped responding. The person then asked Luna, “You there?,” before launching into a series of personal attacks. “You are really clever APL. But you’re going to lose. At least you still got your fake t–s,” stated one text. “Fake smile. Fake life. Fake Jewish person,” the texts continued. “If you were a real Jew, you wouldn’t be texting on the Sabbath.” ANNA PAULINA LUNA CALLS FOR $10,000 PER DAY FINE ON GARLAND FOR BIDEN-HUR AUDIO TAPE Luna said she believes the scheme was concocted by a liberal PAC that has targeted fellow lawmakers, including Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. Boebert told Fox News Digital she set up a time and place to meet with the alleged Abbott staffer when she received similar texts – a meeting that she said could have left her in a “dangerous and compromising situation” if she had actually attended. Boebert told Fox News Digital that during the 2024 Republican National Convention in July, her staff received text messages from a person posing as Abbott’s chief of staff. “The phone number used, which had an area code from Austin, Texas, claimed Gov. Abbott wanted to meet with me,” Boebert said. She also accused a liberal PAC of carrying out the scheme, which included the individual sending her office “numerous details and texts, including a room number at a specific hotel where many VIPs were staying” for a meeting. The meeting was never held, however, as Boebert figured out “the whole thing was a hoax,” but said “if there had been a credible threat waiting for my arrival, this could have been a dangerous and comprising situation for my staff and me.” “The people involved with this shady organization have a regular pattern of behaving in a mentally deranged manner and have the potential to cause harm, if given the opportunity,” she said. “These sad, obsessed stalkers should be placed on a law enforcement watchlist.” Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was also reportedly targeted and had a text exchange with a person he believed worked in Abbott’s office regarding an endorsement during primary season, screenshots of the texts posted by a liberal PAC to X showed. FLORIDA REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT TEAM UP TO TACKLE STUDENT LOAN DEBT AS BIDEN-HARRIS FORGIVENESS BIDS DERAIL Fox News Digital reached out to the PAC and its president in direct messages on X but did not receive a response. Fox News Digital also called the number that originally texted Luna and left a message inquiring about the matter, but did not receive a call back. THERE’S NO WAY THAT I THINK BIDEN WILL BE THE NOMINEE FOR THE ELECTION CYCLE: REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA The revelation of the scheme against Luna comes as she faces additional harassment in her Florida district. Luna was first elected to Congress in 2022. Luna on Saturday posted a lengthy statement on social media explaining that supporters of her political opponent, whom she did not name in the post, launched a social media campaign on Friday “to publicly dox, coordinate, and solicit individuals to send threatening packages to my home address.” “If she is ‘’hiding ‘ ‘, I know where she lives if anyone is interested in sending her a love letter…….something. She dwells riiiiight around the corner,” one message posted to Fox’s campaign Facebook account states, according to Luna. Luna said she contacted the FBI, local sheriff’s office and police regarding the threatening messages. The sheriff’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that it is investigating the matter. The FBI told Fox Digital when asked about the matter that under DOJ policy, it “can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a specific investigation,” as the agency cannot “comment on complaints or tips we may or
New poll reveals this political event swayed only a fraction of Harris-Trump supporters
Only a handful of voters say that last week’s presidential debate caused them to reconsider their support for either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, according to a new national poll. A slew of political pundits and media analysts said that Harris bested Trump in the debate – their first and potentially only face-to-face encounter ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5. However, only 3% of debate watchers said the showdown in Philadelphia caused them to reconsider whom they may support as president, according to a Monmouth University national poll released on Tuesday. NEW POLL INDICATES WHICH CANDIDATE HAS THE EDGE IN THE MOST IMPORTANT BATTLEGROUND Just more than seven in 10 respondents said that the debate between the Democratic and Republican Party presidential nominees did not raise any doubts about the candidate they were already supporting in the White House race. Eight percent of those surveyed said some doubts were raised but that the debate did not change their minds on their support. Additionally, 17% offered that they did not see or hear any part of the debate. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SHOW “How much this election is shifting is measured in inches rather than yards right now,” Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said. “We are basically at the point where turning out 10,000 extra voters in a key swing state could determine the outcome. Polling tells us the broad contours of the race, but it cannot measure these types of micro-shifts,” Murray emphasized. Trump, in social media posts and in a couple of Fox News Channel interviews following the debate, said that he won the showdown with Harris. “That was my best Debate, EVER,” he wrote in a social media post. During a “Fox and Friends” interview, he argued that “we had a great night, we won the debate.” However, Harris, in her first rally last week after the debate, charged that Trump’s performance “was the same old show, that same tired playbook that we’ve heard for years… with no plans for how he would address the needs of the American people because, you know, it’s all about him, it’s not about you.” According to the Monmouth poll, 49% of registered voters nationwide said they would either definitely (39%) or probably (10%) vote for Harris. In a separate question, just over four in 10 said they would definitely (34%) or probably (10%) cast a ballot for Trump. Nearly every national poll conducted after last week’s debate indicates Harris with a lower to mid-single digital advantage over Trump in the race to succeed President Biden in the White House. However, it remains a margin-of-error race in the seven key battleground states that will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. Pointing to those surveyed who said they are extremely motivated to vote, Murray spotlighted that “Trump right now is doing better with motivated voters than he is with the overall electorate. This includes a good number of voters who may have sat out the 2020 contest. Perhaps they were exhausted by the Trump era when they stayed home four years ago, but that feeling has faded, and now they are more upset with the Biden presidency.” “To counter that, Democrats will be trying to light a fire under voters who already have concerns about Trump but aren’t fully engaged in the election,” he added. The Monmouth University poll was conducted Sept. 11-15, with 803 registered voters nationwide questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Last major union yet to endorse in Harris-Trump showdown nears final decision
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the only union among the nation’s top 10 that hasn’t endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 faceoff with former President Trump, could make an announcement later this week on whom they’re backing in the White House race. “We are going to look at any and all options, and I can’t commit to what we’re going to do,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien told reporters at the union’s national headquarters in the nation’s capital. O’Brien spoke after he and other Teamsters leaders met behind closed doors with Harris on Monday for a roundtable discussion. The vice president didn’t speak with reporters as she departed the Teamsters headquarters after making her pitch, as the Democrats’ presidential nominee works to maintain her party’s traditional high level of support from organized labor. 50 DAYS UNTIL THE NOVEMBER ELECTION AND THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE IS ROCKED AGAIN O’Brien late last year announced the union’s first-ever interview process for their 2024 presidential endorsement and invited the major party candidates to make their cases. The Teamsters met earlier this year with Trump and separately with President Biden, whom Harris succeeded atop the Democrats’ national ticket two months ago. WATCH: WHAT THE TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT NOT BEING INVITED TO SPEAK AT THE DEMOCRATS’ CONVENTION O’Brien made history in July as he became the first Teamsters president to address a Republican National Convention. But his speech also sparked controversy, as he drew the ire of some other top Teamsters leaders and some of the rank-and-file membership. Democrats didn’t invite O’Brien to address their convention last month in Chicago. O’Brien said on Monday that the Teamsters are finishing up their polling of the union’s membership ahead of an executive board meeting on Wednesday, and added that the results of the polling would be publicly released. He said the endorsement is “going to come down to the rank and file members, the polling and also the discussion and deliberation of the general executive board.” WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE SHOW “There’s no secret that the Teamsters union is very different than most unions, and I mean that with total respect; we represent everybody from airline pilots and zookeepers, O’Brien noted. “We don’t just represent registered Democrats, we represent registered Republicans and independents, and so we have to take [that] into consideration.” “We need to make sure we make the right decisions,” he emphasized. “Our sole focus is representing those workers, negotiating strong contracts and organizing new members.” O’Brien said the Teamsters asked the same questions of Harris that they did of Biden earlier this year and noted that the president and vice president gave similar answers. “There wasn’t a whole lot of difference,” he said. The Teamsters have asked the presidential candidates about their support for the PRO Act, a sweeping set of union-friendly changes to federal labor law, as well as where they stand on bankruptcy reform and antitrust policies. Biden made history as the first sitting president to join striking workers on a picket line, and O’Brien highlighted that Biden has been “great for unions.” O’Brien also reiterated his criticism of Trump’s recent comments in an interview with billionaire business mogul Elon Musk – when the former president praised the tech CEO for retaliating against striking workers by firing them – which is illegal. Asked if Trump’s comments would impact the Teamsters endorsement, O’Brien said “it plays into the decision.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
GOP demands Trump have ‘same level’ Secret Service protection as Biden after 2nd assassination attempt
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are demanding the Secret Service (USSS) increase former President Donald Trump’s security following a second assassination attempt against him in just over two months. “It is imperative that the USSS detail assigned to President Trump be afforded additional protective resources, including greater staffing capabilities that would allow agents to secure a broader perimeter,” Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., penned in a letter to Acting Director Ronald Rowe on Tuesday. The second assassination attempt took place on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was golfing. Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after he allegedly pushed the muzzle of an AK-47 through the chain-link fence around the course. TOP SENATE DEMOCRAT ‘ANGRY’ OVER BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN ‘STONEWALLING’ AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS The Secret Service opened fire after the suspect was seen raising the firearm, and Routh fled in a black Nissan before being apprehended. Marshall and Tuberville, joined by six other senators, including, Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., requested that Rowe and the Secret Service “designate President Trump as a protectee with the same level of protective resources afforded to a sitting president.” SCHUMER REVIVES DEM-BACKED IVF BILL AFTER TRUMP PROPOSAL “In two months, there have been two unprecedented assassination attempts on President Trump’s life. Enough is enough, the current level of Secret Service protection around President Trump is insufficient,” Senator Marshall said. “It is clear to every American that the threats to President Trump have reached a level that warrants additional security. That’s why we are demanding that President Trump receive the same amount of security resources as the President and Vice President. We are not a third-world country. Keeping President Trump safe is non-negotiable and remains paramount; any response less than this or debate around his safety and security is unacceptable,” Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital. In his own statement, Tuberville said, “After two assassination attempts in 65 days, it is clear that the current level of Secret Service protection around President Trump is completely insufficient.” “The status quo is completely unacceptable. Former U.S. presidents, and especially those who are running for reelection, should have the best security in the world. We are less than two months from the election. I am calling on President Biden and Vice President Harris to give President Trump the same Presidential protection they have today. Their silence is deafening. We don’t want more tweets, we want action,” he continued. The senators asked for “a briefing to Members of Congress and staff regarding the attempts against President Trump’s life, the ongoing threat environment, and how the USSS will continue to operate successfully in their no-fail mission.” DEMS POUR $25M INTO GROUND GAME AS GOP INCHES CLOSER TO SENATE MAJORITY Additionally, they called on the acting director to provide responses within 10 days to several questions, including what additional protective resources were allocated following the July 13 assassination attempt, and what steps the USSS had taken to further enhance Trump’s protection. The Republicans referred to a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, indicating that there had been “significant physical and technical enhancements” in July after the first attack. TAMMY BALDWIN FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONCERNS OVER PARTNER’S WALL STREET GIG The senators referred to a statement made this week by President Biden, in which he claimed that he had directed his administration to “ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former president’s continued safety.” “What additional protective resources will this order allocate, and how will the USSS further ensure President Trump’s protection?” they questioned. The DHS and Secret Service did not provide immediate comment to Fox News Digital.
Atishi’s net worth: Know assets owned by Delhi’s next CM
Atishi will succeed Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi’s Chief Minister, becoming the third woman to hold the position.
PM Modi to visit US from Sep 21 to 23 for Quad and UN summits
PM Modi will address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23.
Feds open probe into RFK Jr for allegedly decapitating a dead whale
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) opened an investigation into former Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for allegedly decapitating a dead whale 20 years ago, Fox News Digital confirmed. The controversy arose in August after Kennedy’s daughter, Kick Kennedy, shared in a resurfaced 2012 Town and Country interview that her father once beheaded a washed up whale with a chainsaw. According to an interview with the outlet, he reportedly attached the whale’s head to his car and drove it to New York. However, Kick Kennedy described the event as just an average day for her family. “Every time we accelerated on the highway, whale juice would pour into the windows of the car, and it was the rankest thing on the planet,” she told the outlet. “We all had plastic bags over our heads with mouth holes cut out, and people on the highway were giving us the finger, but that was just normal day-to-day stuff for us.” RFK JR TARGETED BY ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP AFTER DEAD WHALE HEAD STORY RESURFACES When asked about the incident, the agency told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that it is “long-standing NOAA practice not to comment on open investigations.” Kennedy made the initial assertion that he was under federal investigation for the decades-old incident during a campaign event for former President Donald Trump on Saturday. RFK JR URGES BIDEN NOT TO APPROVE LONG-RANGE MISSLES FOR UKRAINE: ‘RECKLESS ESCALATION’ The former presidential candidate-turned-Trump ally told rally goers that the investigation was a “weaponization of our government against political opponents.” The Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund called on the NOAA to investigate the events described by Kennedy’s daughter just days after he suspended his presidential bid to join forces with Trump in August. The group, which endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2024, claimed that Kennedy violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, as whales remain protected under those laws.
Top Senate Democrat ‘angry’ over Biden-Harris admin ‘stonewalling’ after Trump assassination attempts
A top Senate Democrat blasted the Biden-Harris administration for “stonewalling” in response to requests for information on the assassination attempts on former President Trump and the potential failures of the U.S. Secret Service. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) within the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was “almost derelict in its duty by resisting our requests for documents, evidence and information that are necessary to investigate.” The Democrat reiterated his disappointment in the department, and added that he has become “angry” that DHS has not been more “forthcoming.” SCHUMER REVIVES DEM-BACKED IVF BILL AFTER TRUMP PROPOSAL The Democrat foreshadowed potential subpoenas being used in the future, telling reporters on Monday, “We may need to require more cooperation from them. And we have the power to do so through the compulsory process. In other words, the subpoena power.” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., PSI ranking member, echoed Blumenthal’s characterization of the DHS and its lack of transparency, claiming, “They’re holding all their cards close to the vest.” DEMS POUR $25M INTO GROUND GAME AS GOP INCHES CLOSER TO SENATE MAJORITY In fact, he said their withholding of information is “driving suspicion and driving conspiracy theories.” As for his Democratic counterpart on the PSI and HSGAC, Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., Johnson said, “I hope they’re getting frustrated.” TAMMY BALDWIN FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONCERNS OVER PARTNER’S WALL STREET GIG “I wrote a letter that it took us a couple weeks for all four offices to sign onto. That’s the one that upset them because we sent it to Secret Service and DHS. We got a response in four hours, and the response was pretty disrespectful,” he described. “And I think that fired up Chairman Peters and Chairman Blumenthal… I think that’s the reaction you heard last week. They’re not happy with the way they’re treating them.” Neither DHS nor the Secret Service immediately provided comment to Fox News Digital. JON TESTER CASTS DOUBT ON UNFAVORABLE POLL IN MONTANA SENATE RACE: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK’ On Sunday, the Secret Service opened fire at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, after seeing a suspect raising a weapon. The suspect fled the scene in a black Nissan SUV but was apprehended by authorities. The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, had allegedly pushed the muzzle of an AK-47 through the chain-link fence outside where Trump was golfing. The HSGAC and PSI had already been investigating the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, most recently receiving a briefing from Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe last week, which they said left them frustrated and disappointed by the uncovered failures.
What’s the point of international law? | Start Here
International law – explained. From the Gaza war to Ukraine – the role of international law has been under intense scrutiny recently. What exactly is international law? How does it work? And what’s the point of it if so often it doesn’t seem to lead to the accountability and justice that many people want? Sandra Gathmann takes #AJStartHere to The Hague – home of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) – to explain. Adblock test (Why?)
Doctors Without Borders halts Russian operations after losing legal status
The aid group announced the decision with ‘a heavy heart’ after losing its legal authorisation. Doctors Without Borders has said it has halted its operations in Russia after Moscow removed its authorisation to work in the country. The NGO, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), announced the decision late on Monday, saying it was compelled to stop activities because Russia’s justice ministry had removed it from a roster of approved foreign charities. “It is with a heavy heart that we have to close our activities in Russia,” said a statement by MSF, which employed more than 50 people in Russia. “To comply with the [justice ministry] decision, we had to close our operations in the country and terminate the contracts of our staff in accordance with all legal requirements,” spokeswoman Maria Borscheva told the AFP news agency. The decision applied to the Dutch branch of MSF in Russia but since this was the only association active in the country, it effectively ended the group’s presence there. A branch office dealing with nonoperational activities in Moscow will stay open, according to the group. The move puts MSF, which has operated in Russia for 32 years, as part of a growing list of foreign charities pushed out during the Ukraine war. Last year, Russia declared Western aid groups Greenpeace, Transparency International and World Wide Fund for Nature “undesirable,” effectively banning them from operating in the country. Kursk aid With a mission to offer medical assistance to “people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare”, MSF has been in Russia since 1992, operating programmes that give aid to homeless people and migrants, tuberculosis treatment and general healthcare. Russian doctors working for MSF take care of homeless people, most of whom suffer from various skin diseases, at the Kursky railway station in Moscow, on March 2, 1993 [Michael Evstafiev/AFP] Since the invasion of Ukraine, its aid operations have reached 52,000 refugees and displaced people, 15,400 of whom have received free medical, mental health and psychosocial support, the NGO said. One of its most recent goals was to respond to the humanitarian and medical needs of the internally displaced people in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have recently made inroads, it noted. “We are very sad to conclude our programmes in the country as many people in need of medical and humanitarian assistance will now be left without the support we could have provided to them,” said Norman Sitali, MSF operations manager in Russia. “MSF would like to still work in Russia again, if and when possible,” added Sitali. Adblock test (Why?)