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Year: 2025

Trump stands by RFK Jr. after heated Senate hearing: ‘I like the fact that he’s different’

Trump stands by RFK Jr. after heated Senate hearing: ‘I like the fact that he’s different’

President Donald Trump stood by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. after he faced an intense grilling from senators on Capitol Hill Thursday, telling reporters, “I like the fact that he’s different.” While speaking with the press during his dinner with technology industry leaders at the White House, Trump was asked about the hearing. “Mr. President, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, effectively, ‘We’re denying people vaccines.’ Do you have full confidence in what RFK Jr. is doing?” a reporter asked. Trump noted that he “didn’t get to watch the hearings today,” but spoke highly of Kennedy, saying, “He’s a very good person. RFK JR. INVOKES DEMOCRAT FATHER’S WORDS TO DEFEND TRUMP-BACKED CDC SHAKEUP AT SENATE HEARING “He means very well. And he’s got some little different ideas. I guarantee a lot of the people at this table like RFK Jr., and I do, but he’s got a different take, and we want to listen to all of those takes,” the president said. “But I heard he did very well today,” Trump added. “It’s not your standard talk. I would say that, and that has to do with medical and vaccines. But if you look at what’s going on in the world with health and look at this country also with regard to health, I like the fact that he’s different.” While testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Kennedy faced intense criticism from Democratic senators, including Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who accused Kennedy of putting children into “harm’s way” with his policies. Wyden pressed Kennedy during the hearing, saying he believed Kennedy had “no regrets” about a “fundamentally cruel” agenda.  RFK JR. DEFENDS FIRING SPREE AT CDC, VOWS ‘NEW BLOOD’ AT AGENCY “This is about kids being pushed into harm’s way by reckless and repeated decisions to get scientists and doctors out of the way and allow conspiracy theories to dictate this country’s health policy,” Wyden said at the end of his questioning.  “I don’t see any evidence that you have any regrets about anything you’ve done or plans to change it. And my last comment is, I hope that you will tell the American people how many preventable child deaths are an acceptable sacrifice for enacting an agenda that I think is fundamentally cruel and defies common sense.” Kennedy countered by noting Wyden’s decades in office while chronic disease rates climbed significantly. “Senator, you’ve sat in that chair how long? Twenty, 25 years, while the chronic disease of our children went up to 76%. And you said nothing. “You never asked the question of why it’s happening. Why is this happening? Today, for the first time in 20 years, we’ve learned that infant mortality has increased in our country. It’s not because I came in here. It’s because of what happened during the Biden administration that we’re going to end.” TRUMP HEALTH AGENDA SPARKS REVOLT: 3 WEST COAST GOVERNORS FORM VACCINE ALLIANCE Vice President JD Vance also came to Kennedy’s defense Thursday, saying the senators who grilled him are “full of s— and everyone knows it.” “When I see all these senators trying to lecture and ‘gotcha’ Bobby Kennedy today all I can think is: You all support off-label, untested, and irreversible hormonal ‘therapies’ for children, mutilating our kids and enriching big pharma,” Vance wrote in an X post. “You’re full of s— and everyone knows it.” Kennedy reposted the vice president, writing, “Thank you @JDVance. You put your finger squarely on the preeminent problem.” Kennedy’s testimony came one day after over 1,000 current and former HHS employees signed a letter calling for his resignation Wednesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also called for his resignation.

Whatever happened to: The Qatar Air Force One jet

Whatever happened to: The Qatar Air Force One jet

The U.S. accepted a luxury Boeing Jet as a gift from Qatar in May, with plans to retrofit it to become the next Air Force One. The Air Force says the effort will cost less than $400 million for the updates. Other estimates show it could cost more than $1 billion.  Meanwhile, a separate deal with Boeing to produce two new 747-8s has faced significant delays and cost the company more than $1 billion. “They’re getting a new Air Force One. I didn’t want to do it because if I did it they’d say, ‘Why are you doing that?’” President Donald Trump said in January 2016. “I don’t mind getting that plane, but, you know, it does seem like an awful lot of money, doesn’t it?” The Air Force first announced the plan to develop the 747-8s in 2015, when President Barack Obama was in office. PUTIN EXTENDS INVITATION TO ZELENSKYY AS FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS OF DANGER “The president doesn’t need a new plane right now. But eight years from now, whoever is president, they are likely to need a new plane,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in October 2015. Nearly ten years later, the Air Force One project has yet to deliver, prompting President Trump to look for other options. “I’m not happy with Boeing. It takes them a long time to do, you know, Air Force One,” President Trump said in February. “I could buy one from another country, perhaps. Or get one from another country.” The Air Force and Boeing now say their jets could fly by 2027. A White House report estimates the debut might not take place until 2029. President Trump told reporters July 29 the retrofitted Qatar Jet could be in the air by February.  “I think it’s another example of them pulling us so closely to them that our interests become aligned, even if they’re not,” Free Press staff writer Jay Solomon said. According to an investigation by Solomon and fellow Free Press writer Frannie Bock, Qatar has spent almost $100 billion to establish its influence in the U.S. Qatari officials have funneled money into Ivy League universities to build campuses in Doha, newsrooms like Al Jazeera and corporations to establish offices in Qatar. Doha has also made an effort to invite congressional delegations to visit, while paying lobbyists to align with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. President Trump even made a stop in the country as part of the first major foreign trip of his second term. “Their national security apparatus is fused now into the United States. They’re surrounded by Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, countries they’re either kind of frenemies with or not friends at all,” Solomon said. Qatar’s ties to Iran and extremist groups lead many of its neighbors to sever diplomatic relations for several years. “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” President Trump said in June 2017. The blockade ended with little impact on Qatar’s economy and without Doha meeting the demands to end its ties to terror groups. “They sort of use their relationship with the United States as a way to project what is a very aggressive foreign policy. Which there are a lot of questions, is that foreign policy really aligned with the U.S.?” Qatar allowed the Taliban to open a political office in Doha in 2013 while maintaining close relations with the U.S. The Qataris have also worked to negotiate peace between Israel and Hamas. FATHER LEADS INTERNATIONAL EFFORT TO FIND A CURE FOR SON’S BRAIN TUMOR “It’s really unfair accusations for [saying] Qatar’s trying to buy influence. Throughout the last 25 years or 30 years, you will see, you’ll find Qatar always by the side of the U.S. in many areas and many things,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said. Qatar said it is proud of its relationships with U.S. entities and its effort to mediate conflicts, but some question the country’s intentions. “I stew over this, to be honest. A lot of people do. I think they have gotten some of the hostages. If you look at it on a positive note, they helped Americans get out of Afghanistan. They helped negotiate the end of our role in Afghanistan. You could look at that and say, ‘Wow, that’s positive,’” Solomon said. “But I do think they empower groups in a lot instances that are not our friends.” Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle express unease over Qatar’s controversial record on human rights and terror links. “Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said in May. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said at a press conference with other Democrats that “there is no such thing as a free palace in the sky.” And Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., noted “the Trojan Horse was a gift.” The White House deflected concerns. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN, “The French gave us the Statue of Liberty. The British gave us the Resolute Desk.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a hold on approving all Justice Department nominees until the White house gave more details about the jet deal. POLISH REPORTER CHALLENGES TRUMP ON RUSSIA POLICY, GETS FIERCE OVAL OFFICE RESPONSE “This just isn’t naked corruption. It’s also a national security threat,” Schumer said on the Senate Floor in May. Democrats have now delayed more than 140 judicial nominees. “When it comes to gifts, we have ethics rules. We have them in the Senate. We’ve got them in the White House. Those rules need to be followed. And, ultimately, what we want is to make sure that we’ve got the president traveling in a way that’s as safe as possible,” Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said. A memo reviewed by ABC News stated the donation of the jet is unconditional and that “the aircraft may be used or disposed by the DOD in its sole discretion.” U.S. laws generally

Zohran Mamdani levels counter proposal after Cuomo challenges him to debates in all 5 NYC boroughs

Zohran Mamdani levels counter proposal after Cuomo challenges him to debates in all 5 NYC boroughs

Andrew Cuomo challenged his NYC mayoral opponent, Zohran Mamdani, to five different debates across all five New York City boroughs during a press conference Thursday. The challenge came as the former governor slammed Mamdani at his press conference in Manhattan’s Upper West Side for failing “to give a straight answer” to reporters’ questions and changing his mind “on everything” he has said on the campaign trail. “When you try to ask [Mamdani] a question, he will simply not answer, and he obfuscates. And, frankly, you guys let him get away with it,” Cuomo told reporters Thursday. “I won’t let him get away with it. And New Yorkers won’t let him get away with it.” ADAMS, CUOMO TRADE JABS IN INTERVIEWS AS DEMS-TURNED-INDEPENDENTS COURT ANTI-MAMDANI VOTE Hours after Cuomo leveled his challenge to Mamdani, the self-described democratic socialist shot back a proposal of his own: debate President Donald Trump. “Let’s cut out the middle man. Why should I debate Donald Trump’s puppet when I could debate Donald Trump himself?” Mamdani’s campaign told Fox News Digital in a statement. “If Donald Trump is serious about intervening in the mayoral race, he should come to New York City and debate me directly about why he’s cutting SNAP benefits for hungry New Yorkers to give tax breaks to his wealthy donors.”   The back-and-forth between Cuomo and Mamdani comes amid speculation that President Donald Trump is weighing whether to offer jobs in his administration to incumbent NYC Mayor Eric Adams and the GOP candidate for NYC mayor, Curtis Sliwa. The move to offer the two candidates a job is reportedly a bid to clear the field for Cuomo, multiple sources with intimate knowledge about the matter have said.  WHITE HOUSE SILENT ON REPORT THAT TRUMP ALLIES HAVE WEIGHED LURING ADAMS TO ADMINISTRATION TO UNDERCUT MAMDANI The former governor indicated during his press conference Thursday that he was aware of media reports about Trump possibly offering his NYC mayoral opponents jobs, subsequently clearing the field for him, but added that he has “no idea” if the reports are accurate. Cuomo said he has not spoken to either Mayor Eric Adams or President Trump about the matter. “I know nothing about that speculation,” Cuomo told reporters Thursday about the matter. His campaign did not respond to requests for comment.  Neither Adams nor his team responded to Fox News Digital’s inquiries on Thursday either, but media reports Thursday indicated Adams met in Florida with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, one of the president’s closest advisors, to discuss a potential job with the Trump administration.  News of the Adams meeting came after media reports last week indicating Trump had personally phoned influential businessman John Catsimatidis, an Adams ally, to set a deadline for the mayor and Sliwa to drop out. JUDGE TELLS CUOMO TO STOP USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO ‘RESURRECT HIS PUBLIC IMAGE’ IN LEGAL CASE The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter.  Cuomo, who has positioned himself as the moderate left-wing alternative to Mamdani in the race, described Mamdani’s policy proposals Thursday as “absurd,” “out of the mainstream” and “discordant with what New Yorkers believe.” Shortly after launching his independent bid for mayor last month, Cuomo proposed that all the other candidates in the race, with the exclusion of Mamdani, make a pledge to agree that whoever is not leading in the polls by mid-September, would step aside. The aim of the pledge, Cuomo indicated, is to ensure the candidate with the best opportunity to defeat Mamdani runs against him under the most favorable conditions possible. However, the proposal has been rejected by Adams, and Sliwa suggested to Fox News Digital Thursday that Cuomo and Adams are not even the main frontrunners who New Yorkers want to win. “This is a race between the two major party nominees, myself and Mamdani, and New Yorkers know I’m the only one with the experience and grit to take him on,” Sliwa told Fox News Digital. “I’m running to save New York City from decline and give working people the future they deserve.” Speaking specifically to Mamdani’s response to Cuomo’s debate challenge, Sliwa added that Mamdani “is desperate to distract from his own radical agenda, so he hides behind cheap theatrics.”

DNC again embraces Mamdani despite communist rhetoric, refusal to denounce globalize the intifada: ‘big tent’

DNC again embraces Mamdani despite communist rhetoric, refusal to denounce globalize the intifada: ‘big tent’

The National Democratic Committee appeared to reaffirm its support for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in a social media post on Wednesday despite the self-identified Democratic socialist’s record of far-left, communist policies and extreme anti-Israel views.  The DNC clipped and posted Mamdani telling “I’ve Had It” podcast hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, “We welcome anyone to join this movement.” Mamdani was describing how he fostered a broad coalition of supporters to win the Democratic primary in June by welcoming anyone to join his movement, including those who voted for President Donald Trump.  Social media quickly seized on the post, criticizing the party for embracing Mamdani and upholding a candidate who has called for communist policies such as “seizing the means of production” and repeatedly declined to denounce the slogan “global intifada,” fueling claims of antisemitism from critics. The post was taken as yet another bellwether of a Democratic Party that is continuing to swing to the far-left. Manhattan Institute fellow Daniel Di Martino said the DNC’s post confirmed that the Democratic Party is “quickly finishing its transformation into a socialist party.”  MAMDANI’S FAILURE TO WALK BACK THESE POSITIONS COULD CAUSE RECKONING IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: ‘FIVE-ALARM WARNING’ The post comes as several party leaders, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have yet to endorse his campaign with just two months until Election Day.  THE PLOT TO STOP MAMDANI: DEMOCRATS SCRAMBLE TO BLOCK FAR-LEFT TAKEOVER IN NEW YORK However, when asked in July about Republicans trying to anchor Mamdani to vulnerable Democrats, DNC Chair Ken Martin told Fox News Digital, “The Democratic Party is a big tent party. We have conservative Democrats, we have centrist Democrats, we have progressives and we have these leftists.” A Fox News Digital review discovered that Mamdani’s growing circle of influence is littered with activists who have espoused anti-Israel views and socialist principles.  Some of Mamdani’s more controversial stances include supporting seizing the means of production, taxing “whiter neighborhoods,” and supporting a slate of anti-Israel positions such as supporting BDS, an acronym for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and sanctions against Israel.  At a Young Democratic Socialists of America conference in 2021, Mamdani urged attendees not to compromise on goals like “seizing the means of production.” “Right now, if we’re talking about the cancellation of student debt, if we’re talking about Medicare for all, you know, these are issues which have the groundswell of popular support across this country,” Mamdani said in a video to conference goers. “But then there are also other issues that we firmly believe in, whether it’s BDS or whether it is the end goal of seizing the means of production, where we do not have the same level of support at this very moment.” Additionally, a policy document titled “Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners” from Mamdani’s mayoral campaign website claims that the city’s current property tax system disproportionately benefits wealthy, White homeowners, particularly in Manhattan and affluent areas of Brooklyn.  To solve this, Mamdani’s document proposes a policy to “shift the tax burden from overtaxed homeowners in the outer boroughs to more expensive homes in richer and whiter neighborhoods.” A resurfaced video this summer also revealed that the socialist candidate floated the “abolition of private property.” “My platform is that every single person should have housing, and I think, faced with these two options, the system has hundreds of thousands of people unhoused, right? For what?” Mamdani asked in a resurfaced video that has been clipped and reposted across conservative social media. Mamdani’s support for communist ideals has also included proposing in a 2020 social media post to replace a statue of Christopher Columbus with Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two anarcho-communists executed in Massachusetts in 1927. When asked by Fox News Digital if he had a response to being called a communist, Mamdani declined to answer. Meanwhile, he has also faced criticism for claiming to be “Black or African American” on a college application. He has since confirmed this but defended the decision by citing his Ugandan heritage.  Mamdani has also been heavily criticized for his statements and actions regarding Israel and Jews as he runs for mayor in a city with the highest Jewish population in the United States outside of Israel. Despite repeated calls to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is interpreted as a call for violence against Jewish people, Mamdani has never done so.  In an interview with “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker in June, Mamdani was asked to condemn the phrase three times but refused. He attempted to justify his position, saying, “My concern is, to start to walk down the line of language and making clear what language I believe is permissible or impermissible, takes me into a place similar to that of the president, who is looking to do those very kinds of things, putting people in jail for writing an op-ed, putting them in jail for protesting.” “Ultimately, it is not language that I use. It is language, I understand there are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my vision for the city through my words and my actions,” he said.  In a June 2021 interview, Mamdani doubled down on his support for BDS, saying, “the ways in which we can marry our struggle to our day-to-day life and show our solidarity in that life, I think that’s critical to winning this fight because it can’t all be, as you’ve very well stated, just kind of exclusively considered a legislative battle. It has to be a society-wide battle.” In July, the organization Stop Antisemitism criticized Mamdani for posting a “sick” video mocking Jews celebrating Hanukkah to his X account last year. The video is originally from the Geeta Brothers Duet Group, a satirical and comedic duo who dressed themselves in stereotypical Jewish garb for the performance. “Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah,”

Trump’s DC crime operation ‘puts safety of families first’ as arrests surge past 1,800: FBI director

Trump’s DC crime operation ‘puts safety of families first’ as arrests surge past 1,800: FBI director

FBI Director Kash Patel said President Donald Trump’s “‘Make DC Safe Again’ operation is delivering real results,” announcing Thursday the initiative surpassed 1,800 arrests with dozens of guns and drugs seized in recent days. From Wednesday to Thursday morning, FBI agents reported 28 arrests, 12 gun recoveries, 10 drug seizures and 80 total arrests by federal partners. Patel said the crackdown is taking violent criminals off the streets and restoring law and order. “President Trump’s ‘Make DC Safe Again’ operation is delivering real results,” Patel said. “By working hand-in-hand with our federal, state and local partners, we are taking violent criminals off the streets and restoring law and order in our nation’s capital. This is exactly what it looks like when the federal government puts the safety of American families first.” DC ATTORNEY GENERAL SUES TRUMP OVER NATIONAL GUARD ‘INVOLUNTARY MILITARY OCCUPATION’ Trump federalized D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department Aug. 11 for 30 days under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.  Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in a memo Wednesday extended the mobilization through Nov. 30. The federalization was set to expire next week, and an extension seemingly needed to be approved by Congress. DC ARRESTS SURPASS 1,000 AS TRUMP-BACKED CRACKDOWN ENTERS 12TH HOMICIDE-FREE DAY About 30 minutes after Patel released the latest figures, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb shared on X that he filed a lawsuit to curb the administration’s efforts in the nation’s capital, arguing the deployment of 2,300 armed National Guard troops under federal command is unlawful. “D.C. did not request or consent to the deployment of National Guard troops. Yet there are 2,300 National Guardsmen on our streets in military gear, carrying weapons, and driving armored vehicles,” Schwalb wrote in the post. He added the deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act, threatens democracy and civil liberties and damages D.C.’s economy and public trust. The White House defended the action, saying the president acted within his authority and that the operation has been effective in combating violent crime.