Woman objected to trans sex offender roommate — then she was sent back to prison, legal group says
FIRST ON FOX: A woman was allegedly sent back to a federal prison after objecting to rooming with a biological male sex offender at a Rhode Island halfway house, according to a public records request obtained by Fox News Digital. The conservative America First Legal asked the Bureau of Prisons on Monday in a public records request, obtained by Fox News Digital, for information about the re-incarceration of Sarah Cavanaugh, who had been serving out the remainder of her sentence at Houston House, a halfway house in Rhode Island operated by the nonprofit Community Resources for Justice. The request raised concerns about whether Bureau of Prisons contractors were complying with President Donald Trump’s day-one directive that agencies make sure biological men are not detained in women’s prisons, part of the administration’s broader effort to tighten policies surrounding transgender people. “Men should not share intimate spaces with women; this includes in our federal prisons,” Emily Percival, AFL senior counsel, said in a statement. “The BOP has a duty to provide for the safekeeping, care, and protection of federal inmates.” BLUE STATES CALLED OUT BY WOMEN’S GROUP FOR IGNORING RISKS POSED BY TRANSGENDER INMATES Percival accused the Bureau of Prisons of “[shirking its] duty when it allowed its contractor to send a woman back to prison after she raised concerns with sharing a room with a biological male convicted of a heinous sex crime.” Cavanaugh, who had been sentenced to about six years in prison in 2023 for a stolen valor conviction, was transferred to Houston House by the Bureau of Prisons after the agency determined she was a good candidate for the move. While there, Cavanaugh learned last August that she would be assigned a new roommate named Haley Lynn Rose, according to AFL’s records request. After searching the name online, Cavanaugh discovered the individual was named Anthony Ninfo, a male who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in 2024. Cavanaugh raised concerns with staff, expressing discomfort about sharing a room with a man convicted of a sex offense, AFL’s filing said. Staff told her to follow up with the facility’s management, but the following day she was instead given an accusatory incident report charging that she had violated conditions of being at the halfway house, according to AFL. The incident report said, according to AFL, that Cavanaugh created “a hostile environment for the [transgender felon], and [overstepped] boundaries by inquiring about the gender identity, genitalia, charges, and room assignment of another Houston House resident.” TRUMP IS RETURNING SANITY TO THE GENDER CONVERSATION The report stated that “asserting [sic] preferences regarding room assignments is inappropriate.” As a result of the incident, Cavanaugh’s placement at the halfway house was revoked, and she was returned to prison for six months, AFL said. The legal group wrote in its complaint that the alleged incident was at odds with Trump’s executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which states that only two sexes exist and that inmates must be separated by sex. The case comes amid ongoing legal challenges from civil rights groups over the implementation of Trump’s order. While some provisions have faced lawsuits, courts have allowed certain aspects affecting prison housing policies to move forward. Citing the Freedom of Information Act, AFL asked the Bureau of Prisons for records related to staff interactions with Cavanaugh, the incident report issued to her, actions taken against her, and the Bureau of Prisons’ contractual relationship with Houston House. The Bureau of Prisons said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it could not provide more information on Cavanaugh because of privacy reasons. “For privacy, safety, and security reasons, the BOP does not release information regarding the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual,” a BOP spokesperson said. “However, we can share that the BOP is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all individuals in our population, our employees, and the public. Humane treatment of the men and women in our custody is a top priority. The BOP is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, and professionalism in the operation of its facilities.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Houston House and Community Resources for Justice for comment.
Warren pushed ‘free and easy’ IRS filing system, but docs reveal what she used instead
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., didn’t use the free government tax-filing system she had spent years promoting when it became available in her state, records show. As far back as 2016, Warren pushed for a free IRS online tax preparation and filing service, a precursor to what became Direct File. The senator touted it as a way for taxpayers to save time and money. When Direct File launched a pilot program serving Massachusetts for the 2024 tax-filing season, however, Warren’s publicly released tax return indicated that she opted to use a private accountant instead. Warren was ineligible to use Direct File during the 2024 tax-filing season because she chose not to take the standard deduction that year. The standard deduction under the program is a restriction critics say illustrates why the program was too limited to serve many taxpayers. “The Direct File pilot program has been a huge win for taxpayers,” Warren said in April 2024. “This year, thousands of taxpayers saved hours of their time and the $150 typically spent on TurboTax and other junk filing fees — money that could be spent on groceries or rent … I’m excited to continue to work with the IRS and the Treasury Department to permanently extend and expand this free and easy tax filing solution for Americans.” HAWLEY, WARREN TEAM UP TO BACK TRUMP, CRACK DOWN ON DEFENSE CONTRACTOR PAYOUTS Warren has characterized herself as one of the top legislative architects of the Direct File system. “For years, Senator Warren has been the Direct File program’s biggest champion — yet her own tax returns show she hired a private accountant,” David Williams, president of the Taxpayer Protection Alliance (TPA), a right-of-center fiscal advocacy group, told Fox News Digital. “Direct File was ill-equipped to handle investment, property and interest income — limiting the tax credits and deductions Americans deserve. At its core, the government would not have any incentive — as the tax preparer, collector, and auditor — to maximize those deductions,” he added. The Trump administration moved to suspend Direct File in 2025, and the IRS later told states the program would not be available for the 2026 filing season. Even after her own return showed she used a private accountant and not Direct File for the 2024 tax-filing season, Warren continued to push for the system. On April 15, Tax Day 2026, Warren took a recently-introduced bill to the Senate floor seeking to revive the program. “Filing your taxes should be easy and free … Let’s save people time and money, and show the American people that government can work for them,” Warren said. SEN WARREN UNLOADS ON TRUMP’S FED NOMINEE KEVIN WARSH IN EXPLOSIVE HEARING SHOWDOWN Usage of the Direct File was low during the 2024 tax-filing season, with only 161,042 of the estimated 19 million eligible Americans submitting returns through it, according to an IRS report. Among those who did use the service, however, 90% rated their experience as “excellent” or “above average,” according to the IRS. Large majorities of respondents reported that Direct File was easy to use and had high quality customer service support. The TPA, however, says that 25% of Direct File users rated their experiences negatively, citing its analysis of user responses obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. THE SIMPLE TAX HABIT THAT COULD SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OVER YOUR LIFETIME Critics of Direct File, such as conservative economist Stephen Moore, have argued that allowing the IRS, which has an incentive to maximize tax revenue, to prepare taxes for Americans creates a conflict of interest and that the program isn’t truly free, given its administrative costs. Proponents like the left-of-center advocacy group Public Citizen, meanwhile, argue that eliminating filing costs could save taxpayers billions of dollars per year at a relatively minor public expense. Firms such as Intuit and H&R Block lobbied aggressively to kill Direct File, which many believed would cut into their profits. Warren’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent Monday.
Trump surgeon general pick sparks backlash, splits MAHA movement
President Donald Trump’s new nominee for surgeon general is exposing divisions in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, the health-focused coalition elevated inside the administration by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “The new surgeon general nominee, Dr. Nicole Saphier, may have a great pro-life testimony, but she gets an F when it comes to all things MAHA,” said Turning Point USA health and wellness podcaster Alex Clark — a comment shared by other MAHA activists like Kelly Ryerson, an anti-pesticide advocate also known online as “Glyphosate Girl.” “DOGE the Surgeon General!!! We want medical freedom!!!! If not Casey – we take no one!” added Vani Hari, also known online as “Feed Babe” and a prominent figure inside the MAHA movement. She recently told The Atlantic that failing to confirm Means would “ruin the soul of MAHA.” TRUMP SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE CONFIRMATION HEARING POSTPONED AS SHE GOES INTO LABOR After Trump’s initial pick for surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was withdrawn in 2025, Trump selected Casey Means, a Stanford-trained physician, wellness author and entrepreneur, and vocal MAHA proponent who was close to Kennedy as he helped develop the Trump administration’s health agenda. Means’ nomination was withdrawn Thursday, and she was replaced with radiologist and former Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier amid a stalled confirmation process leading up to the eventual pivot. Trump announced that Means’ nomination would be withdrawn from his Truth Social platform Thursday and replaced with Saphier amid the stalled confirmation process, in part caused by Means’ pregnancy during the process and the need for extensive vetting, a source familiar with the nomination told Fox News Digital. Minutes before Trump announced the pivot to Saphier on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump called Means “a strong MAHA Warrior, at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy, who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone.” Kennedy also praised Means as news was coming down that she would be replaced by Saphier. Meanwhile, the pair also lambasted moderate U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Chairman of the Senate’s powerful health committee in charge of getting the surgeon general nomination approved, for allegedly sabotaging Means’ nomination. RFK JR. ‘WRONG’ ABOUT VACCINATIONS, GOP SENATOR SAYS Delays and concerns about Means’ qualifications and views on vaccines, among other things, slowed down the process, until, according to a source familiar with the confirmation process, it was determined that not enough support would be garnered to secure Means’ appointment. Saphier has been described by Trump as “an INCREDIBLE COMMUNICATOR” who “will do great things for our Country,” and Kennedy has also publicly supported Saphier’s nomination. But MAHA activists became alarmed by the decision to withdraw Means’ nomination. Clark described Saphier as a “catastrophic mistake” at a time when the MAHA coalition is “very fragile.” “She is one of the most pro-vaccine advocates in medicine, even defending Hep B on the first day of life,” Clark wrote on X. “My position isn’t to replace Dr. Saphier. It’s to completely DOGE the Surgeon General role. If we don’t, we risk accelerating the loss of one of the most activated voting blocs the GOP is already watching slip away.” “Doge the SG!!!!” Hari said in a post on X Sunday, lamenting that the pivot is just “more of the same.” “We’re seeing a system that protects itself,” she added, according to The Washington Post. “A system that says it wants change but recoils the moment real change shows up.” REMOVING ONE FOOD INGREDIENT FROM YOUR HOME IS FIRST STEP TO ‘DOING MAHA,’ INFLUENCER SAYS “I am so proud of Casey, and the way she conducted herself during this process,” her brother, Calley Means, another early leader within the MAHA movement said on X before laying into Cassidy. “I am also proud to work for the Trump admin, who has marshaled the disruptive MAHA message and driven victories against dark forces personified by Bill Cassidy.” Fox News Digital reached out to Saphier for comment on the criticism that she is not skeptical enough of vaccines, but did not hear back. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Saphier has been “an outspoken voice” against “intrusive COVID-19 mandates, the politicization of science, and the federal government’s role in America’s chronic disease epidemic.” “She will be a powerful asset … to deliver on every facet of (the president’s) MAHA agenda.” Others aligned with the MAHA world appeared less concerned with Means’ departure, such as the Independent Medical Alliance, which is anti-pesticide, promotes questions about vaccine efficacy and supported two of Kennedy’s picks for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel. TRUMP FDA NOMINEE TURNS VACCINE QUESTION ON DEM, RECALLING CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN DECISION Dr. Joseph Varon, the group’s president and chief medical officer, said Saphier was “exactly who America needs,” describing her as “a real doctor, treating real patients, who has the spine to tell the truth even when it’s unpopular.” Dr. Robert Malone, a leading contrarian to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and lockdown measures and a supporter of the broader MAHA movement, described Saphier as “moderate-MAHA” in a blog on his Substack. Malone also attempted to assuage fears Saphier is too pro-vaccine. “This is the part MAHA readers care about most, and it is the part where Saphier’s record is most genuinely mixed,” Malone wrote on his blog. “She is pro-individual-vaccine on the merits. She is supportive of parental autonomy on schedule. She is critical of universal pediatric mandates absent benefit data. She is explicitly sympathetic to MAHA’s vaccine-safety-surveillance reform agenda,” he continued. “She is not, in any reading I can construct from the documentary record, an anti-vaccine voice in the medical-freedom register that, say, Children’s Health Defense operates in. She is also not, in any reading I can construct, a CDC-establishment-defending voice of the kind Cassidy is looking for.” Kennedy, known for being a vaccine skeptic, faced backlash when he attempted to make formal changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule — changes ultimately blocked by the courts. Fox News Digital reached out to MAHA
DOJ sentences pair in $522M DNA testing fraud scheme after suspect tried to flee US
FIRST ON FOX: Two men were sentenced Monday for charges related to orchestrating a sprawling $522 million fraud scheme that targeted Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers — using kickbacks, fake medical orders and DNA samples collected from patients across the country. Reyad Salahaldeen, 57, of Buford, Georgia, was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Mohamad Mustafa, 28, of Duluth, Georgia, was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to paying illegal health care kickbacks, according to the Justice Department. “Under the guise of health care, these two fraudsters attempted to steal more than half a billion dollars from taxpayers,” the Justice Department said. Federal prosecutors said the scheme led to roughly $84 million in payouts from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers, highlighting the scale of fraud authorities say is draining taxpayer-funded health programs and driving a broader federal crackdown. JURY CONVICTS FORMER NFL PLAYER KEITH J GRAY IN $328 MILLION MEDICARE FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING KICKBACKS The scheme relied on a network of marketers who targeted individuals — many covered by Medicare — and persuaded them to take genetic tests by promoting them as free or medically important screenings, including for cancer risk. Prosecutors said the tests were often not medically necessary and were ordered by medical providers who had not treated the patients and did not use the results in their care. That allowed the laboratories to bill government health programs for costly tests that would not otherwise have been approved, officials said. Both men were also ordered to pay substantial restitution. Salahaldeen was ordered to repay more than $84.5 million, while Mustafa must pay more than $64.3 million. Salahaldeen also was ordered to forfeit more than $3 million from bank accounts, along with a 2019 GMC Yukon and properties in Texas and Georgia. Mustafa was born in the United States, while Salahaldeen is a Palestinian national who became a lawful permanent resident in 2004, according to officials. The scheme ran from 2018 through August 2020 and used a network of marketers making telemarketing calls, door-to-door outreach and health fairs to collect DNA samples and insurance information from patients. Court documents say Salahaldeen controlled multiple laboratories across New Jersey, Georgia and Texas, including Express Diagnostics and BioConfirm Laboratories. Prosecutors said marketers were paid illegal kickbacks to obtain genetic testing orders from medical providers who had not treated the patients and did not use the results in care. Authorities said Salahaldeen falsified requisition forms, letters of medical necessity and other records to make the tests appear legitimate. MAN CHARGED IN $90M MEDICARE FRAUD SCHEME; DOJ SAYS SUSPECT MAY HAVE ENTERED US ILLEGALLY Mustafa, who co-controlled some of the laboratories, helped carry out the scheme by paying kickbacks and creating sham contracts and invoices to disguise illegal payments as legitimate marketing services. In total, the labs billed roughly $522 million in fraudulent claims. Government health programs and private insurers paid out approximately $84 million, officials said. Authorities said Salahaldeen attempted to evade arrest after learning of the charges, traveling from North Carolina to Texas and attempting to cross into Mexico using another person’s identification before being apprehended at the border. A TIMELINE OF THE ‘LARGEST COVID-19 FRAUD SCHEME’ IN THE UNITED STATE Federal officials say many of the largest schemes are no longer isolated — but driven by organized networks coordinating across multiple states. Authorities have pointed to major cases in recent years, including a COVID-19 pandemic-era fraud scheme in Minnesota that prosecutors allege siphoned more than $240 million in federal funds meant to feed children. That case, known as Feeding Our Future, has led to dozens of charges and sentences of up to 28 years in prison. Prosecutors say the scheme relied on shell nonprofits, fake meal counts and falsified records — tactics similar to those used in the genetic testing fraud case. The case is part of a broader federal crackdown on health care fraud. Eleven additional co-conspirators — including marketers, nurse practitioners and doctors — already have been sentenced, receiving penalties ranging from probation to nearly four years in prison. Justice Department officials said the case reflects an intensified push to combat fraud under Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President JD Vance. Since 2007, the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has charged more than 6,200 defendants responsible for over $45 billion in fraudulent billing, according to the department. Attorney information for Salahaldeen and Mustafa was not immediately available.
FIRST ON FOX: Powerful House Ways and Means chair throws hammer down on ‘foreign-aligned influence network’
FIRST ON FOX: Congress’s powerful Ways and Means Committee is expanding its investigation into an alleged “foreign-aligned influence network” that happened to be at the heart of the anti-American, pro-communist protests unleashed on the country’s streets on May Day. Just after 1 p.m. on Friday, a black minivan pulled up to the curb on Union Square East in Lower Manhattan, and David Chung, organizing director of a national nonprofit, the People’s Forum, started quickly unpacking megaphones and bright yellow pre-made protest signs, including the message, “TRUMP IS THE SYMPTOM. CAPITALISM IS THE DISEASE. SOCIALISM IS THE CURE!” Below the denunciation of the U.S. free enterprise system was the name “PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION,” a self-declared Marxist communist group that worked closely with the People’s Forum as part of a network of 600 groups with $2 billion in collective funding behind protests on May 1, known as May Day. The scene repeated itself in cities across the country, with foot soldiers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Washington, D.C., chapter among the first to arrive for May Day protests, pulling identical bright yellow pre-made signs out of a black Subaru Outback parked on 21st Street NW. 600 GROUPS WITH $2B IN REVENUE MOBILIZE 3,000 MAY DAY PROTESTS IN A ‘RED-BLUE’ ALLIANCE, PROBE FINDS Fox News Digital has now learned that House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith is escalating an investigation into an alleged malign influence of Neville Roy Singham, an American-born Marxist tech tycoon living in Shanghai, funding the People’s Forum and two other pro-communist, pro-China nonprofits headquartered in the U.S., BreakThrough BT Media Inc. and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which regularly publish pro-China propaganda criticizing the U.S. as the “belly of the beast” and an “imperialist” power. On Monday, Smith sent letters, obtained by Fox News Digital, to the three groups, raising “significant concerns” about “foreign influence or control” in the U.S. and the “financing arrangements and the structure of a foreign-aligned influence network, not protected speech or association.” According to a Fox News Digital investigation published into the so-called “House of Singham,” the wealthy tech mogul has pumped a documented $278 million into a network of nonprofits, including the three groups, since 2017, pressing anti-American, pro-communist ideology in the U.S. and globally. Smith repeatedly describes the three groups as part of an “interconnected network of organizations,” telling each nonprofit, “The Committee is considering whether legislative or regulatory reform is necessary to ensure that tax-exempt status is not used to facilitate or obscure foreign influence across an interconnected network of organizations.” POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM While the congressional investigation isn’t a direct response to the May Day protests, the deepening investigation reveals a wider concern among lawmakers and Trump administration officials in the Treasury, Justice and State departments. They tell Fox News Digital they are concerned that overseas interests are exploiting U.S. nonprofit laws to create an infrastructure and industry that asserts “foreign malign influence” in the U.S., operating through tax-exempt organizations, donor-advised funds, shell companies, fiscal sponsorships and media platforms. In his letter to the People’s Forum, Smith alleged that Singham and his wife, CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans, had funneled money into groups “through shell companies and donor-advised funds that, by design, obscure the true source of contributions.” REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP The Missouri Republican lawmaker has ordered each organization to turn over internal documents related to the investigation by May 18, including communications with Singham, records of foreign-linked donations exceeding $5,000, contracts tied to fiscal sponsorship arrangements, communications with foreign principals and lists of grant recipients located outside the U.S. The letters to the People’s Forum, BreakThrough and Tricontinental reveal a congressional strategy in which lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Oversight Committee have been trying to use their jurisdiction over tax-exempt organizations to examine whether nonprofit law is equipped to deal with the infrastructure that influence-peddlers allegedly build to bankroll activism, amplify propaganda and influence elections. At a hearing earlier this year into the role of malign foreign influence in the U.S., Smith rebuked the groups for “sowing discord” in the country. Smith’s letters also show the common defense mounted by the groups, whose lawyers argue that the inquiry is political, exceeds the committee’s jurisdiction, improperly invokes the Foreign Agents Registration Act, called FARA, and threatens First Amendment rights. Smith rejected those arguments, writing that “none of those challenges withstands scrutiny.” TOP GOP SENATOR CALLS OUT CODE PINK, THE PEOPLE’S FORUM ALLEGEDLY PUSHING CCP PROPAGANDA IN US According to the letters, Washington, D.C., attorney Andrew Herman is representing BreakThrough and Tricontinental, along with Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, a far-left 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that is also representing the People’s Forum. Herman and Verheyden-Hilliard didn’t respond to requests for comment. According to digital records, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund shares the same address at a Florida Avenue NW townhouse that is used by the ANSWER Coalition, a self-described communist group that also operates out of the People’s Forum headquarters on W. 37th Street in Midtown Manhattan. When approached outside the People’s Forum in late January, People’s Forum Executive Director Manolo De Los Santos, ANSWER Coalition and Party for Socialism and Liberation co-founder Brian Becker and BreakThrough editor-in-chief Ben Becker refused to answer questions about Singham’s funding to their groups. De Los Santos is a researcher at Tricontinental. MAY DAY DEMONSTRATIONS EXPECTED TO DRAW THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AS LEFT-WINGERS PROTEST ‘BILLIONAIRES’ At the center of the congressional investigation is the influence of Singham. In 2017, Singham sold Thoughtworks, a company that he established, to a private equity firm, Apax Partners, for an estimated $785 million. He then used cash from the sale to build a network of nonprofits that promulgates anti-American Marxist ideology. A spokeswoman for Apax Partners told Fox News Digital that
India loses its last left-wing government after five decades
Bengaluru, India – In the sultry August heat of 2007, India’s government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sweating over the future of negotiations with the United States over a landmark nuclear deal. The proposed agreement aimed to ease access to nuclear fuel and technology in exchange for greater international scrutiny of India’s facilities. The problem? India’s communists – suspicious of the US – were opposed to the deal. And they were India’s kingmakers. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list With 62 seats in India’s lower house in parliament, their support was holding up the Singh government. And the so-called Left Front threatened to withdraw that support if the PM went ahead with the deal. Though Singh eventually gambled and convinced other parties to support him in parliament, and pushed through the deal in the face of communist opposition, that moment marked the high point of the political left’s clout in India. On Monday, nearly two decades later, that influence appeared to have reached its nadir. According to early results from a range of state elections, the left has been swept from power in Kerala, the southern state that was the first in the world to have a democratically elected communist government – and the last state in India where communists were in power. The United Democratic Front, led by the Congress party – the main national opposition – had won or was leading in 98 seats in the legislature of 140 seats by late afternoon. The Left Democratic Front – as the grouping of left-wing parties in Kerala is called — had won or was leading in 35 seats. Advertisement The state has long been a stronghold for left-wing politics and ideology. In the late 1950s, it gave the world its first democratically elected communist government, when the Communist Party of India (CPI) led Kerala from April 1957 to July 1959. That was before the government of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress leader and India’s first prime minister, sacked the communist authorities after they started land and educational reforms. Since 1977, at least one Indian state has always been ruled by the left. Not any more. “This year’s election results indicate that, for the first time, the left may not come to power in any state,” Rahul Verma told Al Jazeera. He is a political scientist and a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a think- tank based in New Delhi. Left losing across the country The Left Front, an alliance of left-wing political parties in West Bengal, was in power there from 1977 to 2011, when the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, ended its long rule. In Tripura, the Left Front ruled from 1993 until 2018, when the BJP won. In Kerala, the LDF and the UDF have swapped power for decades: Before the latest election, the left was in power since 2016. Even in India’s parliamentary elections, the left has seen a steady decline — from 62 in the 2004 election, to just eight seats now. Rajarshi Dasgupta, an assistant professor at the Centre for Political Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera that the left’s hold was always limited, and only managed to develop pockets or regions where they became influential and electorally powerful, such as Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal. “Their presence in the Hindi-speaking belt [primarily in North India] was largely limited to industrial areas, which declined with the decline of trade union politics,” he said. “The larger reason for their limited outreach is, in my opinion, their incapacity to address questions of caste and gender, and the changing nature of capitalism, especially after liberalisation,” he added. Harish Vasudevan, an independent social activist and public interest litigation specialist lawyer, told Al Jazeera that the political trend in India is where right-wing ideology is favoured. “But more than that, the left has partially lost their leftist ideology and [has] compromised,” he said. Role of the left in Kerala The left first came to power in Kerala under the CPI in April 1957. EMS Namboodiripad, an iconic communist leader, became the state’s first chief minister. His government brought about important land and education reforms in the state. Advertisement But those reforms sparked major protests from the Congress – ruling nationally, but in opposition in the state and the church, which were worried about their influence being weakened. The Nehru government used a controversial constitutional provision to sack the Namboodiripad government. In 1960, when new elections were held, the CPI lost to a Congress-led-alliance. The CPI subsequently fractured into several parties that, since the 1970s, have worked together. The outgoing government of LDF Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has focussed on improving Kerala’s infrastructure and welfare schemes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his government’s strategy to tackle the coronavirus was widely praised as a model for containing the pandemic, as other parts of the country struggled to stop its spread. “As far as the poor and vulnerable are concerned, Kerala has given them special attention during these difficult times. We have strived to ensure total social security. Accordingly, 55 lakh [5.5 million] people – elderly, differently abled and widows – in Kerala have been paid 8,500 rupees ($89) each,” Vijayan told Al Jazeera in a May 2020 interview. A year later, when elections were held in the state, he made history by returning to power, breaking a 40-year tradition of alternating power with the Congress-led UDF. Last November, after carrying out his four-year Extreme Poverty Alleviation Project (EPEP), Vijayan declared Kerala free from extreme poverty, becoming the first Indian state to achieve that. But experts say, despite the successes, the LDF’s credibility in Kerala has taken a beating in recent years. “In Kerala, the LDF had always played their rebel role against the power abuse. But in the last five years, the party started speaking in the language of power,” Vasudevan told Al Jazeera. He noted that in this year’s state elections, traditional left voters voted against the LDF “as
Does Trump hold ‘all the cards’ against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz?
“I have all the cards,” posted the White House on its X account on Sunday, alongside an image of President Donald Trump holding playing cards from the Uno game, in a message appearing to signal Washington’s confidence in its ongoing war on Iran. Uno is a card game in which the winner is the first to get rid of all their cards. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The post came after Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the US military would begin guiding ships stranded around the Strait of Hormuz by the war on Monday, in a sign that the conflict could further escalate, despite the near-month-long fragile ceasefire. Tehran has been effectively blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf for more than two months, after the US and Israel attacked Iran two months ago, disrupting global energy supplies. “We have told these countries that we will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said, dubbing the campaign “Project Freedom”. “They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!” The president added that US negotiators were engaged in “very positive discussions” with Tehran, which could lead to “something very positive” without further elaboration. Iran, however, reacted by insisting that the security of the waterway was in the hands of its armed forces, and warned that “any safe passage and navigation in any situation” should be “carried out in coordination with the armed forces”. On Monday, the Iranian Fars news agency reported that a US warship had been hit by two Iranian drones, the claim was denied by US Central Command. Advertisement So what leverage do the US and Iran hold over each other, and what happens next? In response to Trump’s “I have all the cards” social media post, Iran’s Consulate General in Hyderabad, India, posted its own image on X. “Yes, we have less cards,” Iran’s consulate in the Indian city of Hyderabad wrote on X, together with a photo of an Iranian military spokesperson holding four Uno cards compared to Trump’s five, pointing out that usually holding all the cards means you are losing, not winning, in the game of Uno. In response to Trump’s “Project Freedom” declaration, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that ships deemed to be in breach of its rules in the Strait of Hormuz “will be stopped by force”, while insisting there has been no change in how it manages traffic through the strategic waterway. On Monday, it issued a new map of the Strait of Hormuz with boundaries extending further to the east than its previous one, and said any ship travelling between the two sides must coordinate with the IRGC first. “There has been no change in the management process of the Strait of Hormuz,” spokesperson Sardar Mohebbi said, adding that vessels that comply with the “transit protocols issued by the IRGC Navy” will be “safe and secure”. “Other maritime movements that are contrary to the declared principles of the IRGC Navy will face serious risks. Violating vessels will be stopped by force,” he said. What leverage does the US have over Iran? Sanctions The United States’ most enduring source of leverage over Iran remains its sanctions regime, which was launched in 1979 when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared Iran an Islamic Republic. Successive US administrations over the past 47 years have hit Tehran with a series of financial restrictions targeting Iran’s banking, oil exports and access to international markets – the US says the sanctions are a response to Iran’s nuclear programme. Sanctions have significantly constrained Iran’s economy, limiting government revenue and contributing to inflation and currency depreciation. Measures enforced through the US Treasury also deter other countries and companies from engaging with Iran, further strangling its economy. The economic pressure has been central to US strategy towards Iran, particularly during its attempts to force Tehran back to negotiations over its nuclear programme, under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Military power Beyond economics, the US maintains overwhelming military superiority, especially air power. Aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and precision strike capabilities give Washington the ability to target Iranian infrastructure with relatively low risk to its own forces. Advertisement US bases across the Gulf, as well as military partnerships with regional allies – most notably Israel – reinforce this advantage. American forces, together with the Israeli army, have killed more than 3,000 people, and struck thousands of sites across Iran in the current war, including Iran’s energy and nuclear sites. Naval blockade Since mid-April, the United States has enforced a widespread naval blockade of Iranian ports and ships. The operation began on April 13 after talks between Washington and Tehran collapsed, with US forces ordered to stop or divert vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports. US forces have since intercepted or turned back dozens of ships, and seized a container ship, the Touska. On Monday, the US announced that its crew had been repatriated to Iran from Pakistan, where they were taken after their ship was captured in the Gulf of Oman last month. According to Trump, the blockade is designed to choke Iran’s oil exports, its main revenue source. US officials say the measures have severely disrupted Iran’s trade, which relies heavily on sea routes. What leverage does Iran have? Strait of Hormuz The vital waterway is Iran’s most significant strategic asset, the narrow passage ships one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies in peacetime. Tehran has effectively closed the strait since the war began on February 28, sending global oil and gas prices soaring and energy markets into turmoil. Iran has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to target shipping, seize vessels, or conduct military exercises, demonstrating its ability to close or restrict the strait. The result is soaring energy prices globally, forcing many countries to implement severe austerity measures to soften the blow. Last week in the US, the average price of a gallon (3.8 litres) of gasoline
Satellite imagery reveals how Sudan’s war scorched its ‘breadbasket’
For the past three years, reports of wartime atrocities and dire humanitarian crises have been making the headlines from Sudan. Now, satellite imagery shows the extent of the damage to the country’s agriculture and industrial sectors. An Al Jazeera digital investigation using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) reveals the devastating toll of the war on Sudan’s largest irrigated farming projects in the central states of Gezira, Sennar, and Khartoum. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The fertile plains of central Sudan – known as the country’s “breadbasket” – have been devastated, the images show, with the vibrant, geometric green grids that once defined the country’s agricultural heartland now faded into a barren, dusty brown. Sudan descended into a bloody civil war on April 15, 2023 following a power struggle between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary force, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Fighting first erupted in the capital Khartoum, but soon spread to other regions. The RSF initially made swift gains, advancing across Sudan’s agricultural heartland, primarily in central and eastern Sudan, specifically the states of Gezira, Sennar, and Khartoum – in late 2023. The fighting devastated a vast swath of the region that is crucial for the food security of one of the poorest nations on earth. In the town of Abu Quta in northern Gezira state, RSF fighters equipped with heavy machine guns looted markets, the local police station, and the agricultural bank in December 2023. In response, desperate farmers resorted to flooding their own irrigation canals. They sacrificed their crops, turning fields into mud traps to halt the RSF’s heavily armed pickup trucks. (Al Jazeera) What began as a desperate defence on the ground has now been captured from space. Advertisement The data exposes a stark pattern: a catastrophic agricultural collapse during RSF control in 2024, followed by a fragile, limited recovery after the SAF regained territory in 2025. The collapse of Gezira For decades, the Gezira Scheme, an irrigation project launched in Gezira state, was the agricultural backbone of Sudan. Spanning some 924,000 hectares (2.28 million acres) between the Blue and White Nile Rivers, the project features more than 8,000 kilometres (4,970 miles) of canals and historically produced half of the country’s wheat. After the RSF captured Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state, in December 2023, the agricultural system disintegrated. The collapse was not caused by climate anomalies. Independent assessments, including a study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), confirm that wheat production in Gezira plummeted by 58 percent during the 2023-2024 season. This decline was the result of a systematic dismantling of agricultural infrastructure. The European Union Agency for Asylum documented RSF fighters diverting irrigation channels, flooding agricultural lands, and even using bags of harvested crops as makeshift bridges over canals. The FAO noted that the al-Haiwawa canal, a critical artery serving 2,360 farmers across 48 villages, was among the most severely damaged. The economic impact on the farming community was severe. Hussein Saad, a former farmer and member of the Gezira and Al-Managil Farmers Alliance, told Radio Dabanga that the cost of a 50kg bag of fertiliser skyrocketed from 20,000 Sudanese pounds ($33) to 120,000 ($200), while tractor rental prices tripled. Armed fighters looted the national seed bank and drained World Food Programme warehouses in Wad Madani that had held enough food to sustain 1.5 million people for a month. Furthermore, an RSF-imposed telecommunications blackout in early 2024 paralysed financial transfers. This forced the closure of 200 out of 300 local soup kitchens that were keeping displaced families alive. Similar devastation was recorded in the Rahad and Suki Schemes located in Sennar and Gedaref states, covering 126,000 hectares (311,350 acres) and 37,800 hectares (93,400 acres), respectively. Under RSF control throughout 2024, crop health in both areas drastically deteriorated. Reading the satellite data Measuring the destruction required distinguishing between actual agriculture and overgrown weeds. While the NDVI measures the density and health of green vegetation, it cannot inherently differentiate between crops and wild grass that often reclaims abandoned fields. Advertisement However, in engineered, irrigated schemes like Gezira and Rahad, agriculture relies on human coordination: operating pump stations, opening water gates on strict schedules, and applying fertiliser. When the system works, satellite imagery shows unmistakable, geometric rectangular grids. When the system collapses, as the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) noted, these distinctive patterns vanish, replaced by chaotic, irregular patches of green and brown indicating abandoned lands. A fragile recovery The satellite data highlights a direct correlation between military control and food security. In November 2024, the SAF recaptured Singa in Sennar state, followed by Wad Madani in January 2025. By March 2025, the army controlled most of both states. Following the army’s control, NDVI data from December 2025 showed a notable improvement in crop health across the Gezira, Rahad, and Suki Schemes. While far from pre-war levels, the return of geometric green grids indicates that farmers cautiously resumed planting. This aligns with an Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which previously warned that 25.6 million people, which is half the country’s population, faced acute food insecurity, including 755,000 in catastrophic famine conditions. By late 2025, the IPC noted that 3.4 million people were no longer in crisis levels, attributing the improvement explicitly to the gradual stabilisation in Gezira, Sennar, and Khartoum following the RSF withdrawal. The Khartoum control group To definitively rule out climate anomalies, investigators used Khartoum state as a “control group”. Khartoum shares the same climate zone and rainfall patterns as Gezira, located just 150km (93 miles) to the north, but it experienced a different military trajectory. The SAF only declared full control of Khartoum in May 2025, just six months before the December satellite analysis. Imagery of four major agricultural projects around the capital – North Bahri, East Nile, Sundus, and Kutranj, all located within Khartoum state, which came under army control in May 2025 – showed no significant recovery in 2025. The fields lacked
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West Bengal Election Results: Mamata Banerjee visits counting centre in Kolkata, accuses ECI of lapses | WATCH
As counting of votes for the West Bengal Assembly elections is underway, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited a counting centre in Kolkata and accused the Election Commission of India of irregularities in the process.