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Rogers warns Michigan voters against El-Sayed’s ‘extreme’ agenda ahead of election

Rogers warns Michigan voters against El-Sayed’s ‘extreme’ agenda ahead of election

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers took aim at Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed during a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, warning voters that his rival’s policies would hurt the state. Rogers accused El-Sayed of having a “pattern of deception” and called him a “manufactured candidate,” claiming the Democrat has misrepresented his political positions. “He is the most extreme candidate. He has called for defunding the police. He has called for letting criminals out of prison,” Rogers said.  TRUMP TAKES BORDER CRACKDOWN TO DEEP-RED STATE AS SHOCK SENATE BATTLE THREATENS GOP STRONGHOLD “He has called for the Green New Deal, which for Michigan is a killer.” Rogers also touted his campaign’s ground operation, saying volunteers are approaching 6 million doors knocked across Michigan. “That’s the energy, and what we’re getting off of those doors is, ‘Yes, we’re voting,’ ‘No, we’re not going to be a DSA state,’ ‘No, we’re not going to let this happen on our watch.’” The Republican also said his campaign is seeing support from voters who traditionally back Democrats. MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT CONFIRMS SISTER-IN-LAW’S TERROR WATCHLIST LAWSUIT DAYS BEFORE OBAMA CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE Rogers later took questions from voters, including a Jewish woman who said she sometimes feels afraid to show her Jewish identity in public. Rogers said he had heard similar stories from Jewish students at the University of Michigan who said they concealed religious symbols because they were being harassed. Rogers also pointed to housing, education and skilled trades, saying he wants to make it easier for young adults to buy homes and bring more defense industry work to the state. ‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS DEFEND EL-SAYED COMPARING HIMSELF TO JFK OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SCRUTINY He also called for putting shop classes back in Michigan high schools, arguing that expanding skilled-trade education would give students more paths to well-paying careers. Rogers closed by again targeting El-Sayed’s policies, arguing Michigan “cannot afford” them. “We certainly can’t risk his ideology,” he said. El-Sayed’s campaign could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

JD Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu despite Trump’s strong backing

JD Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu despite Trump’s strong backing

Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid, saying he intends to stay out of Israel’s election despite President Donald Trump throwing his support behind the Israeli leader. During an interview Monday with Mark Halperin on “2WAY Tonight,” Vance said his focus remains on U.S. candidates ahead of the midterms, Politico reported. “The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history,” Vance said. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on in the midterms. So I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.” OMAR RAID DRAWS OMINOUS WARNING FROM VANCE AS HE BLASTS PROGRESSIVE REP’S ‘RAGE’ TOWARD AMERICA However, Vance made clear that his decision should not be interpreted as opposition to Netanyahu. “I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” the vice president added. The comments come one day after Trump gave Netanyahu his “Complete and Total Endorsement” in a lengthy Truth Social post, praising the prime minister as a key U.S. ally and partner in confronting Iran. “Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote. TRUMP SAYS NETANYAHU NEEDS TO BE RE-ELECTED, OR ELSE US WILL HAVE TO ‘FINISH THE JOB’ AGAINST IRAN ALONE Trump said Netanyahu had remained strong despite intense political pressure. “Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump said. Netanyahu quickly welcomed the president’s backing, thanking Trump for what he called his “extraordinary endorsement.” “President Trump, my friend Donald — thank you for your extraordinary endorsement,” he said. “Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House. Together we will never let Iran’s regime get nuclear weapons. Thank you for your clarity, courage and unwavering support.” NETANYAHU PRAISES TRUMP’S ‘WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR,’ DEFENDS IRONCLAD ALLIANCE AHEAD OF HISTORIC ISRAEL VOTE Vance’s decision to stay out of Israel’s election comes after he reportedly waded into another foreign political contest earlier this year. The vice president previously traveled to Hungary in April, where he campaigned alongside then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban shortly before Orban lost his reelection bid, according to Politico. The White House could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

Trump renews push to rename New Mexico ‘New America,’ touts higher home values and incomes

Trump renews push to rename New Mexico ‘New America,’ touts higher home values and incomes

President Donald Trump is giving New Mexico another branding pitch, urging the state to swap “Mexico” for “America” and suggesting the change could boost everything from home values to state pride. “New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The name would add great value and prestige to the State! Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag!” The president also worked in a swipe at the state’s elections. AFTER ‘LAKE AMERICA,’ TRUMP SUGGESTS A NEW NAME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO “Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!” he wrote. MAP IT: DOJ ILLEGAL VOTING CRACKDOWN SWEEPS 17 STATES AS RAZOR-THIN ELECTIONS FACE SCRUTINY Trump offered no evidence in the post to support his election allegation or explain how a name change would increase property values and incomes. The suggestion revives an idea Trump floated last month, when he shared a map showing “Mexico” crossed out in red and replaced with “America.” The White House amplified that post on its official X account. TRUMP TAUNTS CANADA ON RENAMING LAKE ONTARIO THE ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID RISING BORDER TRADE RIFT Trump also pitched the change during remarks at the RNC Midterm Convention on Sept. 9, suggesting neighboring New Mexico become “New America” and claiming the idea was popular. “You have a neighboring state, New Mexico. We think it should be called New America,” Trump said. “I’ll tell you, the people love the idea.” “I don’t know about the radical left. I’m sure it doesn’t like it, but the people love it,” he added. New Mexico’s Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, pushed back at the time, telling Fox News Digital that the state’s name “isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed.” She accused the White House of focusing on a distraction while her administration worked on child care, education, health care and housing. NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL REJECTS TRUMP’S ‘LAKE AMERICA’ RENAMING WITH BLUNT MESSAGE “While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” Lujan Grisham said last month. Trump’s latest post calls for the state to change its name but does not lay out a formal process for doing so. New Mexico’s name is expressly written into Article I of its constitution, which states, “The name of this state is New Mexico.” HOUSE DEM DEBBIE DINGELL PLACES TRUMP’S LAKE ONTARIO NAME CHANGE IN THE CROSSHAIRS The proposal follows Trump’s moves to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” for federal use and the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

Smithsonian screening dispute puts museum’s commitment to diverse views on trial: ‘Right kind of Black?’

Smithsonian screening dispute puts museum’s commitment to diverse views on trial: ‘Right kind of Black?’

FIRST ON FOX — A Black conservative filmmaker is challenging the Smithsonian to explain why his documentary questioning progressive views on race has yet to secure a public screening at its African American history museum, which has previously showcased films examining systemic racism. “White Guilt,” directed and co-produced by Eli Steele, is based on a book by his father, noted Black conservative academic Shelby Steele. The younger Steele, who is Black, Jewish and deaf, has drawn on his own experiences to challenge prevailing views on race and identity. The documentary argues that White guilt over America’s racial history, along with fears of being labeled racist, has pushed institutions to prioritize racial identity over individual merit. The dispute comes as the Smithsonian faces mounting pressure from President Donald Trump and his administration over allegations of ideological bias in its portrayal of American history. The White House has accused the institution of promoting progressive narratives and threatened to restrict federal support, escalating a broader battle over whose perspectives are represented in the nation’s museums. SMITHSONIAN AMERICA 250 EXHIBIT FEATURES 3X MORE LIBERAL ITEMS THAN CONSERVATIVE ONES Steele provided communications to Fox News Digital showing that the museum declined his proposed screening dates and offered him a private rental option instead. The filmmaker says the museum has yet to respond to his request for alternative dates for a public screening. “The film is professionally shot, the quality is there. A comparable film that they’ve shown is ’13th,’ which itself is a very controversial film,” Steele told Fox News Digital. “So that’s the big question we have here: Do we have viewpoint diversity or do we not? Do you have to be the right kind of Black to be shown at the Smithsonian?” “That’s the big question that we have to address in this room. But I hope that it’s not about any of that,” he continued. The filmmaker has questioned the apparent decision to not screen his film, given that the museum has allowed numerous other films with more progressive messages to have public screenings, though stopped short of accusing the museum of ideological discrimination. “13th,” the film mentioned by Steele, is featured in educational and public programming at the NMAAHC. It argues that the 13th Amendment’s exception permitting forced labor as punishment for a crime enabled racial control to persist after slavery by allegedly criminalizing Black behavior. Other films shown by the NMAAHC in public screenings include such titles as “Hidden Figures” in 2016, “I Am Not Your Negro” in 2017 and “Faith in Blackness: An Exploration of AfroLatine Spirituality” in 2023, the latter presented in partnership with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. LIBERAL FACULTY STILL HUGELY OUTNUMBER CONSERVATIVES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: REPORT While Steele was hesitant to speculate as to why his film hadn’t been scheduled for a public screening, other Black conservatives saw the museum’s handling of his request as part of a familiar pattern. “Academia is not what it was years ago when I went to graduate school, when it touted itself as a marketplace for ideas,” Carol Swain, a retired Black conservative professor and prominent media commentator, told Fox News Digital. “There would always be a token conservative included. And I have found over the years that conservatives were tolerated less and less. And if they were black, at some point they were not tolerated at all.” “When you look at an institution like the Smithsonian, that’s supposed to belong to all of us, to all Americans, you would think that it would be open to divergent views,” Swain, who spent her career at institutions such as Princeton and Vanderbilt, continued. “That is not what we find.” Wall Street Journal columnist and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jason Riley shared a similar perspective. FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM “I think the type of people who run the Smithsonian Institute are part of the broader liberal intelligentsia in this country that prevails in academia, prevails and the media. And this is not a point of view. That they take kindness to,” Riley told Fox News Digital. “In fact, this film takes some rather direct shots at that group of people. So there might be some self-interest here. It might cut a little too close to these folks.” “I do think that they have a vested interest in putting forward a narrative out there to advance a political agenda. And I think that’s what’s really going on here at places like the Smithsonian,” Riley continued, citing his experience as a Black commentator who has spent his career sparring with White liberals. TRUMP V. SMITHSONIAN: A TIMELINE OF HOW THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHT OVER ‘WOKE’ HISTORY UNFOLDED Both Riley and Swain argued that viewing the film could do a service to White progressives by challenging their assumptions about race and forcing them to confront whether their preferred policies are actually helping Black America. Riley stated that the Black Americans who regularly attend the NMAAHC could benefit from Steele’s film as it challenges the popular assumption that they are blocked from social mobility by virtue of their race. In recent months, the Smithsonian has been the target of criticism from Republican elected officials, including the president, who argue that the institution has allowed political bias to overshadow the neutral presentation of history, an argument some within the organization reject, claiming that they are simply presenting the good and the bad aspects of the American story. As part of its effort to pressure the Smithsonian over what it describes as ideological bias, the Trump administration has threatened to restrict federal support, including discretionary grants and cooperation from federal agencies. While Riley and Swain raised questions about the Smithsonian’s motives, the museum told Steele that his proposed dates were unavailable but did not explain whether it would consider alternative dates for a public screening, according to correspondence reviewed by Fox News Digital. Steele and his team reached out to the Smithsonian in late August about a public screening of

Reporter’s Notebook: Senate sneaks in one last political play before voters have their say

Reporter’s Notebook: Senate sneaks in one last political play before voters have their say

In politics, you sometimes just do what you can. All 100 duly chosen and sworn U.S. senators understood why the Senate met for a week at the end of September. Yes there was the college sports bill. Yes there was the confirmation of Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling. Yes there was a big hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith. But you’d be badly mistaken if you thought both sides were really there to hammer out a package to bring down the cost of living for Americans. Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of the senators. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: A GUIDE TO THE COLLEGE SPORTS VOTE AND SENATE’S OHIO SHOWDOWN You are correct to say that Democrats blocked two bills that Republicans say voters really want. One was a measure to diminish the costs consumers pay for data centers and a plan to restrict stock trades by lawmakers. The latter bill even included a voter ID requirement – crucial to the GOP and its base. But Republican senators knew that Democrats wouldn’t accept these proposals. This was about politics. And Democratic senators wouldn’t accept any of the GOP’s legislative propositions, either. So let’s start with the Ratepayer Protection Act. Both sides know that voters are tripped out about AI and utterly losing it when it comes to data centers. An internal GOP memo in August revealed that the party was especially leery of what this meant for Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate last year to succeed Vice President JD Vance. Husted helped foster development of data centers as an official back in the Buckeye State. So, the final week of the Senate’s session before the midterms crawled with politics. REPUBLICANS FEAR THEY ‘HAVEN’T DONE A DAMN THING’ TO LOWER PRICES AHEAD OF MIDTERM RECKONING Republicans aimed to curb skyrocketing utility costs associated with the construction of data centers. “(People) ought to be guaranteed no electricity bills will go up by a cent because of a data center,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “It sends a clear message that these AI companies and these data centers can’t just come into local communities and strip mine out (land). Raise the electricity rates. Kick people off the grid. Take their water.” But Democrats say the bill didn’t compel compliance by AI firms. This was just a suggestion that those who build the data centers help foot some of the bill. “It is a sham. A charade because it has no enforcement,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “Everything in that bill can already be done by a state regulator. Or it can already be done by a data center developer. And the bill requires nothing of them,” argued Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. I pressed Kaine on if “something was better than nothing.” He disagreed. “No. You shouldn’t trick people. And this is not even something,” replied Kaine. “It’s nothing,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., piled on with, “The Ratepayer Protection Act is a fraud. It does not require any protections at all. While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill.” The bill is laced with midterm politics. Democrats claim Republicans called the vote to throw a lifeline to Husted. Many Senate Republicans were ready for the Senate to leave town for the midterms. But they hedged their bets around the data center bill. And, Husted. “Can you say 110 precent this is not a vote to help Jon Husted in Ohio?” yours truly inquired of Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. “I think it will help him,” replied Hoeven. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., agreed with Hoeven. “The one thing I’ll just say is that this is clearly a political ploy,” said Kim. “This is not something that’s good for the American people. But it’s certainly good for Sen. Husted.” DATA CENTERS COULD BE THE SLEEPER ISSUE OF THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS The tilt between Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is one of the nation’s most contentious Senate contests. “I don’t think that there’s a secret that Sen. Husted is trying to pass a piece of legislation so he could go home and run a campaign ad,” said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. Husted conceded as much. “We gave everybody a chance to do something about affordability and the Democrats blocked it. So we’ll go campaign on it,” said Husted. So yes. The Senate’s last week of session was about the midterms. “Has there ever been a late September or October before an election that wasn’t all politics?” asked Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. The evolving positions on the data center bill by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., may be an example of that. Welch was a yea when asked about the legislation on September 23 , after it overwhelmingly cleared the House. “I support it and I’d be glad to vote on it,” said Welch. But the Vermont Democrat flipped to nay when the issue approached a roll call vote on the floor. “Why did you change? I asked Welch. “Well, two things. One, they won’t allow us to have an amendment. And the problem with this bill is that it has no teeth,” he replied. So the question is whether the sides prefer action. Or, if they’d rather have the issue. In fact it could be argued that Husted may have scored some political capital, deploying the blocked bill as a foil in an effort to contrast himself to Democrats. “It ought to be something that should be a no brainer here on the floor of the Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. TRUMP’S DATA CENTER PUSH FRACTURES CONGRESS AS LOCAL ANGER EXPLODES: ‘GRASPING AT STRAWS’ It’s rare that competitive Senate contests pivot on a solitary issue. And certainly an individual debate or vote. Democratic Maine Senate nominee Troy Jackson is pushing Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. It was one