State Department revokes six visas over offensive Charlie Kirk assassination comments
The State Department on Tuesday said the United States isn’t obligated to take in foreigners who wish harm on Americans, before posting a list of six individuals whose visas were revoked for making vile comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The agency noted that the Trump administration will take action against those celebrating Kirk’s death. “The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the agency wrote on X. “@POTUS and @SecRubio will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws. Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.” Among those who had their visas revoked were an unnamed Argentine citizen who said Kirk “devoted his entire life to spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric” and deserves to burn in hell. LAWMAKER WHO TIED KIRK TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’ FACING EXPULSION CALLS AMID POLITICIAN BLOWBACK NATIONWIDE A South African citizen mocked Americans grieving Kirk, saying “they’re hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom” and alleging “he was used to astroturf a movement of white nationalist trailer trash.” A Mexican citizen said that Kirk “died being a racist, he died being a misogynist,” and added, “There are people who deserve to die. There are people who would make the world better off dead.” A German national said of Kirk that “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain.” A Brazilian visa holder wrote that “Charlie Kirk was the reason for a Nazi rally where they marched in homage to him” and that he “DIED TOO LATE.” PENTAGON SPEECH CRACKDOWN ON ANTI-KIRK POSTS ECHOES 2021 DRIVE AGAINST RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM A Paraguayan national said, “Charlie Kirk was a son of a b—- and he died by his own rules.” The State Department ended each example shared on X with “Visa revoked.” Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials have encouraged people to call out offensive language about Kirk that they see online. In a post last month, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said, “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.” “I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action,” he added. “Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.”
Duffy responds with ‘crocodile tears’ comment on banned California truck driver case
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday doubled down on the Trump administration’s order to crack down on English proficiency standards for commercial truck drivers. Duffy was responding to a local news report in California about an Indian citizen who drove a truck for a living but has since been banned because of new rules that restrict who is eligible for non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The Department of Transportation (DOT) singled out California for what it called “gross negligence,” saying more than 25% of CDLs issued to noncitizens or non-permanent residents were improperly granted. The truck driver featured in the news report spoke to a reporter in his native language, not English. SENATE REPUBLICANS TARGET OBAMA-ERA TRUCKING RULE WITH NEW ENGLISH PROFICIENCY BILL “Crocodile tears for a man who has spent a decade in our country but couldn’t be bothered to learn our language,” Duffy wrote on X. “Our new rules will keep you and your family SAFE on America’s roads!” The DOT also commented on the report. “This driver has been in the U.S. for TEN YEARS and does not know enough English to qualify for a trucking license,” the agency wrote. “This is exactly why @SecDuffy ordered @FMCSA to crack down on English proficiency standards.” “Do you want to drive on American roads? Being able to understand English is the BARE MINIMUM,” it added. CONNOR WAS KILLED BY A DRIVER WHO COULDN’T READ SIGNS. MAKE TRUCKERS LEARN ENGLISH AGAIN A Senate bill would require prospective truck drivers to demonstrate basic English proficiency before receiving a CDL. The legislation would codify President Donald Trump’s executive order, which similarly imposed stricter English language requirements. The bill, introduced by Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., would establish several standards, including ensuring that truck drivers can converse with the public, understand highway traffic signs and signals in English, respond to official inquiries, and make entries on reports and records. The issue gained attention after an illegal immigrant truck driver allegedly jackknifed his 18-wheeler while making an illegal U-turn in Florida, killing three people in August. His limited English drew sharp scrutiny after the DOT said he failed an English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment following the deadly crash in Fort Pierce, Florida. Singh provided correct responses to only 2 of 12 verbal questions and accurately identified just 1 of 4 highway traffic signs, the agency said. Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Trump blasts ‘weakened’ Schumer as Democrats again block GOP effort to reopen government
A long weekend away from Washington, D.C., did little to soften Senate Democrats’ resolve as they again blocked an effort to reopen the government for an eighth time Tuesday. The beginning of mass firings promised by the Trump administration and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought over the weekend also failed to sway Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. One pressure point was alleviated for both sides, however, with President Donald Trump’s directive to move money around at the Pentagon to pay military service members. Their paychecks are due Oct. 15. Still, another payday, this time for Senate staffers, is fast approaching on Oct. 20. SENATE SET FOR NEW VOTE TO END SHUTDOWN, BUT GRIDLOCK OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES REMAINS Both sides are still dug into the same positions that launched the shutdown earlier this month, too. Talks between the opposing factions are still ongoing but have not yet yielded a result that either side is ready to move on. Senate Democrats want an extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies before the Nov. 1 open enrollment date, and they argue that unless Congress takes action, Americans that rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits will see their premiums skyrocket. However, Trump appears unwilling to cave into Senate Democrats’ demands, and reupped Republicans’ argument that Democrats wanted to undo a total of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts from the “big, beautiful bill” and clawback of funding for NPR and PBS to give, in part, to illegal immigrants. “I don’t want to bore you with the fact that Schumer said 100 times, ‘You should never close our government,’” Trump told reporters at the White House. “But Schumer is a weakened politician. I mean, he’s going to finish his career as a failed politician, as a failed politician. He’s allowed the radical left to take over the Democrat Party.” SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON Senate Republicans have said that they’re open to negotiating a deal on the subsidies, with reforms to the program only after the government reopens. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., for now, has no intention of straying from his plan to continue to bring the House Republicans’ short-term continuing resolution (CR) to the floor again and again. “Democrats like to whine that Republicans aren’t negotiating, but negotiation, Mr. President, is what you do when each side has a list of demands and you need to meet in the middle,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “Republicans, as I and a lot of other people pointed out, haven’t put forward any demands. Only Democrats have made demands. And by the way, very expensive demands.” Schumer noted on the Senate floor that every time Thune has put the GOP’s bill on the floor, it has failed. “That means, like it or not, the Republican leader needs to work with Democrats in a bipartisan way to reopen the government, just as we did when we passed 13 CRs when I was majority leader,” he said. The administration’s movement on reductions in force (RIFs) over the weekend, and the lingering threat that thousands of nonessential furloughed federal employees may not get back pay once the shutdown ends have not swayed Senate Democrats. There were no surprises during the vote, either with most of the same Democratic caucus members, Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, breaking ranks with Schumer to vote for the bill. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has voted with Republicans on the same legilsation each time, did not vote Tuesday night. GOVERNMENT LIMPS DEEPER INTO SHUTDOWN CRISIS WITH NO DEAL IN SIGHT “Donald Trump, come to the negotiating table,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said at a rally outside the OMB on Tuesday. “Bring down costs and prices and stop inflicting harm and terrorizing federal employees and the American people.” While most action on Capitol Hill has ground to a halt as the shutdown continues — the House, for example, has been out of session for over three weeks — the Senate has moved on other legislation, including the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act and a massive package of Trump’s nominees. Thune also teed up the defense spending bill for a vote on Thursday in a bid to jump start the appropriations process in the upper chamber. The House already passed its version of the bill, too. The latest failed attempt comes on the 14th day of the shutdown and all but ensures that the closure will last into at least a third week. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It also puts this shutdown, in particular, into historic territory. While the longest shutdown on record, from late 2018 to early 2019, was under Trump’s first term, it was only partial. A handful of appropriations bills had already passed at the time, including funding for the legislative branch and defense. But the longest full shutdown happened over two decades earlier under former President Bill Clinton between late 1995 and early 1996. That shutdown lasted 21 days and was over a budget dispute between Clinton and then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich. That particular dispute also led to two shutdowns in that fiscal year, the first in November and the second setting the 21-day record.
Zohran Mamdani’s NYC mayoral campaign took foreign cash, raising compliance questions
New York City’s leading mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, raised nearly $13,000 from donors with addresses outside the United States, a Fox News review of New York City Campaign Finance records show — raising questions about campaign compliance and transparency. As of Oct. 3, at least 170 of the nearly 54,000 contributions to the Mamdani campaign may violate campaign finance rules, as only U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents are permitted to contribute to American political campaigns. Candidates are expected to return illegal donations. As of Tuesday, records revealed that 91 of the foreign donations have been refunded. According to data from the New York City Campaign Finance Records contribution refunds, $5,723.50 of the $7,190 has been returned to foreign donors. A review of the donors revealed that Mamdani’s mother-in-law in Dubai, Bariah Dardari, donated $500 in January. Her donation was refunded four days later. MAMDANI PROPOSES MASSIVE AMOUNT OF LEGAL DEFENSE FUNDING FOR IMMIGRANTS IN ‘TRUMP-PROOFING’ NYC PLAN The New York Post was the first to report on the out-of-town donations. ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S $1M FUNDRAISING HAUL FUELED BY OUT-OF-STATE DONORS, DATA REVEALS According to the campaign finance records, Dardari is a physician at Genesis Healthcare in Dubai, where she works as a pediatrician, according to Genesis’ website. Overall, records revealed that Mamdani brought in at least $4 million in private donations, $12.7 million in public matching funds and has $6.1 million in cash on hand. There are at least 79 outstanding foreign donations that have not been returned by the Mamdani campaign as of Tuesday evening. The Mamdani campaign told The New York Post over the weekend that “we will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law.” His campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News’ comment request. More than half of the $1 million that Mamdani’s mayoral campaign hauled in over the summer was from out of town, New York City Campaign Finance Board data revealed in late August. The Mamdani campaign said that the democratic socialist raised $1,051,204.85 in July and August, but while his campaign touted more than 8,628 in unique donors, Campaign Finance Board data revealed that 53.5%, or $562,422, of Mamdani’s fundraising came from outside the state of New York. As Mayor Eric Adams suspended his re-election campaign last month, New Yorkers will elect a new mayor on Nov. 4. Mamdani has emerged as the frontrunner ahead of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an Independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Fox News’ Ryan Rugani contributed to this report.
Intelligence officials voice alarm over US researchers’ collaboration with China
For many years, American and Chinese scholars worked shoulder to shoulder on cutting-edge technologies through open research, where findings are freely shared and accessible to all. But that openness, a long-standing practice celebrated for advancing knowledge, is raising alarms among some U.S. lawmakers. They are worried that China — now considered the most formidable challenger to American military dominance — is taking advantage of open research to catch up with the U.S. on military technology and even gain an edge. And they are calling for action. “For far too long, our adversaries have exploited American colleges and universities to advance their interests, while risking our national security and innovation,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican and chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has introduced legislation to put new restrictions on federally funded research collaboration with academics at several Chinese institutions that work with the Chinese military, as well as institutions in other countries deemed adversarial to U.S. interests. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party makes it a priority to protect American research, having accused Beijing of weaponizing open research by converting it into a “pipeline of foreign talent and military modernization.” The rising concerns on Capitol Hill threaten to unravel deep, two-generations-old academic ties between the countries even as the world’s two largest economies are moving away from each other through tariffs and trade barriers. The relationship has shifted from engagement to competition, if not outright enmity. US UNIVERSITIES TRAINING CHINESE MILITARY SCIENTISTS ON TAXPAYER DIME, COMMITTEE WARNS “Foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting the open and collaborative environment of U.S. academic institutions for their own gain,” said James Cangialosi, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which in August issued a bulletin urging universities to do more to protect research from foreign meddling. The House committee released three reports in September alone. They targeted, respectively, Pentagon-funded research involving military-linked Chinese scholars; joint U.S.-China institutes that train STEM talent for China; and visa policies that have brought military-linked Chinese students to Ph.D. programs at American universities. The reports recommend more legislation to protect U.S. research, tighter visa policies to vet Chinese students and scholars and an end to academic partnerships that could be exploited to boost China’s military powers. More than 500 U.S. universities and institutes have collaborated with Chinese military researchers in recent years, helping Beijing develop advanced technologies with military applications, such as anti-jamming communications and hypersonic vehicles, according to a report by the private U.S. intelligence group Strider Technologies. TRUMP’S CHINESE STUDENT VISA PUSH SETS OFF ALARM BELLS AMID RISING CCP ‘INFLUENCE’ IN US Despite efforts in recent years by the U.S. government to set up guardrails to prevent such collaboration from boosting China’s military capabilities, the practice is still prevalent, according to Strider, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The report identified nearly 2,500 publications produced in collaboration between U.S. entities and Chinese military-affiliated research institutes in 2024 on STEM research, which includes physics, engineering, material science, computer science, biology, medicine and geology. While the number peaked at more than 3,500 in 2019, before some new restrictive measures came into effect, the level of collaboration remains high, the report said.This collaboration not only facilitates “potential illicit knowledge transfer,” but supports China’s “state-directed efforts to recruit top international talent, often to the detriment of U.S. national interests,” the report said. Foreign countries can exploit American research by stealing secrets for use in military and commercial settings, by poaching talented researchers for foreign companies and universities and by recruiting students and researchers as potential spies, authorities say.Fostering a climate of robust academic research takes funding and long-term support. Stealing the fruits of that labor, however, can be as easy as hacking into a university network, hiring away researchers or coopting the research itself. That’s why, authorities say, it’s so tempting for American adversaries looking to take advantage of U.S. institutions and research. The most recent threat assessment report from the Department of Homeland Security highlights concerns that American adversaries — and China specifically — seek to illicitly acquire U.S. technology. Authorities say China aims to steal military and computing technology that might give the U.S. an advantage, as well as the latest commercial innovations. TRUMP’S CHINESE STUDENT VISA PUSH SETS OFF ALARM BELLS AMID RISING CCP ‘INFLUENCE’ IN US Abigail Coplin, assistant professor of sociology and science, technology and society at Vassar College, said there are already guardrails for federally funded research to protect classified information and anything deemed sensitive. She also said open research goes both ways, benefiting the U.S. as well, and restrictions could be counterproductive by driving away talent. “American national security interests and economic competitiveness would be better served by continuing — if not increasing — research funding than they are by implementing costly research restrictions,” Coplin said. Arnie Bellini, a tech entrepreneur and investor, also said efforts to protect U.S. research risk stifling progress if they go too far and prevent U.S. colleges or startups from sharing information about new and emerging technology. Keeping up with China will also require big investments in efforts to protect innovation, said Bellini, who recently donated $40 million to establish a new cybersecurity and AI research college at the University of South Florida.Bellini said it’s imperative to encourage research and development without giving secrets away to America’s enemies. “In the U.S., it is a reality now that our digital borders are under siege — and businesses of every size are right to be concerned,” Bellini said. According to Department of Justice figures, about 80% of all economic espionage cases prosecuted in the U.S. involve alleged acts that would benefit China. Some members of Congress have pushed to reinstate a Department of Justice program created during the first Trump administration that sought to investigate Chinese intellectual espionage. The so-called “ChinaInitiative” ended in 2022 after critics said it failed to address the problem even as it perpetrated racist stereotypes about Asian American academics.
Russia strikes Kharkiv hospital, UN convoy as Ukraine seeks US Tomahawks
The latest attacks on civilians come days before talks in which Zelenskyy hopes to secure the long-range missiles from Trump. Russian forces have struck a hospital and a United Nations convoy in Ukraine, officials say, in attacks likely to bolster President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pitch for long-range Tomahawk missiles when he meets his United States counterpart later this week. Officials said on Tuesday that overnight attacks involving drones and glide bombs struck a hospital in Kharkiv, injuring 57 people and forcing the evacuation of 50 patients. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked a UN convoy that was delivering aid to the front-line town of Bilozerka in the partially occupied southern region of Kherson, UN and Ukrainian officials said. No casualties were reported. The attacks in Kharkiv and Kherson – condemned, respectively, by Zelenskyy as a “terrorist” attack and by the UN as a violation of international law – come days before a scheduled meeting between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on Friday when the pair is expected to discuss the potential supply of long-range, precision-strike Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv to allow it to hit back at Moscow. Trump has suggested in recent days that he was considering providing Kyiv with Tomahawks, which would be the longest-range missiles in Ukraine’s arsenal and could allow it to accurately strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow. Washington had previously ruled out supplying Ukraine with the cruise missiles, which the Kremlin has warned could have serious consequences and would entail direct US involvement in the conflict. Hospital attacked The overnight attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, hit the city’s main hospital, Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Advertisement He described the strikes as an “utterly terrorist, cynical attack on a place where lives are saved”. A Russian attack caused injuries, evacuations and damage at a hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine [Handout/Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP] He said the main targets of the overnight raids across the country had once again been energy facilities and power facilities in the Kherson and Sumy regions were hit. “Every day, every night, Russia strikes power plants, power lines, and our [natural] gas facilities,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. For the past three years, Russia has started to target Ukraine’s power grid before each winter in a campaign to demoralise the population by leaving millions without power in freezing conditions. In response to the escalating attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities, which forced outages across the country on Monday in a bid to reduce pressure on the grid, Zelenskyy has called on Ukraine’s allies to help blunt Russia’s long-range attacks by providing more air defence systems. Ukraine has dispatched a senior delegation to Washington to discuss boosting its defence and energy resilience, officials said on Monday. Attack on aid convoy Meanwhile, in Kherson, the UN said its convoy of four vehicles, clearly marked with World Food Programme branding, came under attack from Russian drones and artillery while delivering aid. Two trucks were damaged in the strike although no one was injured, said the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale. “Such attacks are utterly unacceptable. Aid workers are protected by international humanitarian law and should never be attacked,” he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike “another brutal violation of international law, proving Russia’s utter disregard for civilian lives and its international obligations”. The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, told the AFP news agency that the convoy was carrying 800 individual packages “containing essential items for older persons, women and girls”. Aid groups have reported throughout the nearly four-year invasion that their staff and facilities have come under attack from Russian forces. Adblock test (Why?)
Supreme Court declines Alex Jones challenge to defamation judgement
In 2022 it was ruled that the conspiracy theorist would have to pay $1.4bn to families of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting which, he claimed, was a hoax. By Reuters Published On 14 Oct 202514 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United States Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to a $1.4bn judgement awarded to families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut over the Infowars website founder’s false statements that the 2012 incident was a hoax. The high court made the decision on Tuesday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The justices turned away his appeal of the Connecticut Appellate Court’s decision in a defamation lawsuit against him to uphold most of the judgement issued by a judge and jury in 2022 to 14 family members of children and school employees who were killed, and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting. In doing so, the top US judicial body left the judgement in place. Twenty-six people – 20 students and six staff members at the school in Newtown, Connecticut – were killed in the incident by a 20-year-old former student who then fatally shot himself. Jones has argued that the judgement in the lawsuit brought against him in Connecticut violated his rights under the US Constitution to due process and free speech. It is believed to be the largest judgement in US libel case history, according to his filing to the Supreme Court. He also lost a similar lawsuit in Texas, though the roughly $50m judgement in that case was far lower. Jones is separately appealing that judgement. He declared bankruptcy after losing the lawsuits. Jones was sued for defamation after calling the shooting a “false flag” operation meant to stir up anti-gun-rights sentiment among Americans, and he has said that the parents of slain children were “crisis actors” who were faking their grief in television interviews. Advertisement Jones refused to cooperate in the legal proceedings. He has objected to the fact that Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis determined he was liable for defaming the parents, and that a six-member jury was asked only to consider how much he should pay. Jurors awarded compensatory damages of $965m in the trial held in the city of Waterbury. The judge then added $473m in punitive damages, and an appeals court later reduced that amount to $323m after Jones appealed. In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Jones challenged the original $1.4bn sum. Multiple cases The verdict is so large that it “can never be paid”, according to the filing, and a bankruptcy court has ruled that Jones cannot use his personal bankruptcy to avoid paying the debt. In his filing to the Supreme Court, Jones said that the judge’s default judgement was based on “small discovery errors” and “trivial” missteps by his lawyers, and led to an unfair trial. Jones previously asked the US Supreme Court to intervene in the Connecticut case in 2021, after Bellis imposed sanctions on Jones for public statements he made during the litigation but before he was found liable for defamation. The Supreme Court declined to take the case at that time. Jones is separately appealing his loss in Texas, and is currently challenging a court order that would force the sale of Infowars. Jones faces two more defamation lawsuits from other Sandy Hook parents and the family of a man who was falsely identified as a school shooter. Those cases have not yet gone to trial. Adblock test (Why?)
Forever Chemicals: A Toxic Legacy
Pervasive and permanent, Forever Chemicals have poisoned the planet. We meet those fighting to hold someone to account. From remote polar regions to the depths of the Amazon, one group of chemicals can be found almost everywhere. PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – have caused one of the most widespread contamination crises in history. They’re known as Forever Chemicals because they don’t biodegrade, staying and accumulating in our bodies and in the environment. And they’re toxic, with exposure linked to a list of health problems, including cancer. For decades, PFAS have been used in countless products, lauded for their heatproof, waterproof and greaseproof qualities. They’re in cooking utensils, cosmetics, raincoats, firefighting foam, motor oil and thousands more. But now they’re in our bodies, too. People & Power tells the story of how a single group of chemicals poisoned the entire planet, and meets the men and women fighting to bring those responsible to justice. Published On 14 Oct 202514 Oct 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
After IPS Y Puran Kumar’s death, another cop dies by suicide in Haryana, accuses deceased officer
Sandeep Kumar, who had been serving as an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Rohtak’s Cyber Cell, was investigating a corruption case against Puran Kumar. In a final video message, he said he was sacrificing his life for the truth. Read on for more on this.
Bihar Election 2025: BJP releases first list of 71 candidates, Samrat Chaudhary to contest from…; Check full list here
BJP on Tuesday released the first list of 71 candidates for the Bihar Assembly elections. Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary to contest from Tarapur, Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha from Lakhisarai, State Minister Nitin Nabin from Bankipur and Renu Devi to contest from Bettiah.