Dem Senate hopefuls under scrutiny for ‘choke them out’ rhetoric after Trump attack scare
A handful of Democratic hopefuls are under scrutiny for comments made before the apparent third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump that appeared to support violence against Republicans. Political rhetoric, particularly the kind that skews toward violent or aggressive imagery from Democrats, and its role in political violence have time and again come under the microscope during Trump’s second term in office. After the apparent third assassination attempt against Trump over the weekend, in which alleged shooter Cole Allen was subdued by federal law enforcement during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., the Senate’s campaign arm is putting a spotlight on aggressive comments three hopefuls, Graham Platner, Abdul El-Sayed and former Gov. Roy Cooper, made in the past. REPUBLICANS RUSH TO GREEN LIGHT WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM FOLLOWING THIRD TRUMP ASSASSINATION SCARE National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson Bernadette Breslin slammed Democratic candidates running for the Senate for not lowering the temperature, something they once called for, and for not condemning the shooting over the weekend. “Today’s Democrats are beholden to a Trump-hating base that is dragging their party down a dangerous path,” Breslin told Fox News Digital. “Republicans have consistently made clear that political violence has no place in America, while Democrats’ silence is deafening.” Calls to tone down the rhetoric reached a zenith after the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk last year. But that moment has done little to quiet the back-and-forth, particularly on the campaign trail. HOUSE GOP PUSHES BACK ON SENATE’S ‘SKINNY’ PLAN TO END RECORD-BREAKING DHS SHUTDOWN Platner, who is running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in a race that could determine control of the Senate, did little to tone down his speech on the heels of Kirk’s assassination. “I don’t wanna beat Susan Collins, I want to trounce Susan Collins,” Platner said at the time during an interview with Meidas Touch. “I want to give the Republican Party a battering.” Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his past rhetoric or on whether he condemned the shooting. Just a few weeks later, fellow progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is locked in a contentious three-way Democratic primary vying for the seat held by outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., went after Republicans with heated rhetoric. EXPERT WARNS DEMOCRATS RISK BACKLASH OVER FAILURE TO CONDEMN VIOLENT RHETORIC IN THEIR RANKS He put a new spin on a phrase coined years ago by former first lady Michelle Obama during a Fight Oligarchy tour stop run by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in Michigan. “When they go low, we don’t go high,” El-Sayed said. “We take them to the mud and choke them out.” El-Sayed did condemn the shooting in Washington, D.C., and said in a post on X that he was “relieved that no members of the administration, media, staff, or bystanders were hurt,” but his campaign did not comment on his past rhetoric against Republicans. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running to flip retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’, R-N.C., seat in the upper chamber, blasted Trump as a “threat to democracy” and argued that “defeating him is imperative” during the 2024 presidential cycle. A spokesperson for his Senate bid told Fox News Digital that Cooper believed “that political violence of any kind is unacceptable, and he’s grateful to the brave law enforcement members who worked to keep the president and attendees safe on Saturday evening.” Meanwhile, the White House is pinning the blame for the weekend shooting on Democrats’ far-left base. “The left-wing cult of hatred against the president and all of those who support him and work for him has gotten multiple people hurt and killed, and it almost did so again this weekend,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
Gucci heiress launches special edition Mother’s Day handbag benefiting Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future
EXCLUSIVE: Heiress of the Gucci family and founder of the purpose-driven luxury brand AGCF Alexandra Gucci Zarini has launched a new handbag for Mother’s Day, designed in support of first lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative, Fox News Digital has learned. The handbag is a limited edition of Zarini’s “UNITY Bag,” which she launched in December 2025. That bag was the first dedicated to supporting the first lady’s Fostering the Future initiative, which provides scholarships and educational opportunities for children in the foster-care community. That purse sold out within one week of launch. GUCCI HEIRESS LAUNCHES NEW ‘UNITY’ HANDBAG WITH PROCEEDS BENEFITING MELANIA TRUMP’S ‘FOSTERING THE FUTURE’ The Mother’s Day edition Bag will directly support Fostering the Future initiatives, funding scholarships and opportunities for foster children. Zarini’s AGCF, a U.S.-based luxury accessories brand with a mission to protect and empower children, will donate 20% of all proceeds from the special edition “UNITY Bag” to benefit Fostering the Future. AGCF says protecting the most vulnerable children is “in its truest sense, an act of collective motherhood.” “Motherhood is one of the most powerful forces for good in the world,” Zarini told Fox News Digital. “This special edition is dedicated to every woman who carries a child in her heart — whether by birth, by choice, or by the extraordinary grace of fostering.” FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SCORES WIN FOR AMERICA’S FOSTER YOUTH WITH $25M INVESTMENT “Some of us find our mothers. Some of us become them for others,” Zarini continued. “And some of us learn that family is something you have to build yourself, from love that had nowhere else to go.” She added: “It is an honor to celebrate the mothers and mother figures who give their unconditional love and devotion to their children with this special edition.” Like every Unity Bag, the Mother’s Day edition bears AGCF’s signature gold oval plaque, hand-stitched into the interior and engraved with its unique edition number, which the company says is a “hallmark of authenticity and lasting collectability.” Zarini’s first Unity Bag, which Fox News Digital exclusively reported on in December 2025, was a tribute to Fostering the Future, with Zarini saying the initiative is “the purest expression of everything AGCF stands for.” “Giving back to protect and empower vulnerable children is the highest form of luxury — it is the heart of our brand and AGCF’s reason for being,” Zarini told Fox News Digital in December 2025. Zarini, during that interview, praised the first lady. “I have always admired her quiet yet unwavering devotion to children—especially the foster youth who are so often overlooked,” Zarini told Fox News Digital. “Her vision for Fostering the Future is truly inspiring, and it is an extraordinary honor to support her initiative.” President Donald Trump, alongside the first lady, in March signed the Fostering the Future executive order, which secures commitments for new educational and employment pathways for youth transitioning out of foster care. MELANIA TRUMP CHALLENGES CONGRESS TO MAKE HER FOSTER CARE EXECUTIVE ORDER PERMANENT LAW: ‘THEIR BIRTHRIGHT’ The first lady in September 2025 also launched Fostering the Future Together — a global coalition of nations committed to enhancing the well-being of children through the promotion of education, innovation and technology. AGCF told Fox News Digital that the “UNITY Bag” carries a “quiet yet powerful message of hope and shared vision: that we must come together — in unity for our children — to protect and uplift them toward a brighter future.” The purse is available exclusively at AGCF.com and at the AGCF Boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. The purse retails for $2,800. Zarini created AGCF in 2020, and her nonprofit Alexandra Gucci Children’s Foundation, to raise awareness about child abuse. Zarini, in 2025, won a civil lawsuit against her former stepfather who sexually abused her beginning when she was 6 years old and through early adulthood. “Alexandra’s own childhood story drives her personal commitment to protecting children has shaped her vision of building a brand that transcends exquisite luxury fashion, championing meaningful social change,” AGCF said. AGCF donates 20% of all of its profits to causes related to empowering and protecting children. The company aims to create “sophisticated and enduring pieces that combine ethical artisanal craftsmanship with contemporary vision.”
Talarico torched after pastor’s ‘disgusting’ Trump shooting remark as Cornyn says ‘Texans should be outraged’
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called on Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to “condemn” his pastor’s Sunday sermon, claiming that Talarico’s pastor “made light” of the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this past Saturday. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has centered his campaign and progressive policies — which include anti-ICE and open borders messaging — on his faith background. At the same time, he has railed against Christian nationalism and called for the separation of church and state. “James Talarico claims to be campaigning on love and kindness, but his Pastor made light of an assassination attempt on the President of the United States in Washington, DC this weekend where a Secret Service officer was seriously injured,” Cornyn posted on X. “All Texans should be outraged and Talarico must condemn it.” On Sunday, Talarico’s minister, Dr. Jim Rigby, mentioned the assassination attempt during his sermon, saying that he knows “a lot of people have mixed feelings” about the third attempt on Trump’s life. His comment garnered light laughter from the audience. WATCH: DEMS AND REPUBLICANS CLASH ON HOUSE FLOOR FOLLOWING MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR CHARLIE KIRK “But it’s really important that if we’re going to be the healing agents of the world to realize that violence is not going to get rid of the problem we have,” Rigby said. He went on to say that the Confederacy is the “heart of the MAGA movement” and that it’s a “fascistic movement.” The White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday was cut short after an armed gunman rushed the doors leading to the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel. He fired several shots before being apprehended by law enforcement. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the alleged attempted assassin Cole Thomas Allen, 31, was “set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,” according to a preliminary review of evidence. CROCKETT DISMISSES CRITICS WHO THINK ‘HITLER’ AND ‘FASCIST’ COMPARISONS CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICAL VIOLENCE In a statement to Fox News Digital, Rigby accused Cornyn of taking his words out of context. “In my sermon yesterday I made it perfectly clear that violence is not the answer. Senator Cornyn is editing my words to deceive voters in Texas,” Rigby said. “In no way do I speak for James Talarico nor his campaign.” A spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign referred Fox News Digital to a post made by Talarico on Sunday following the assassination attempt, in which he condemned political violence. “I am thankful the President, Vice President, and the rest of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attendees are safe after last night’s shooting,” Talarico said in the statement. “Political violence is unacceptable in every form, and we must continue to call it out wherever it rears its ugly head.” A spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign did not immediately comment on Rigby’s “mixed feelings” remark about the alleged assassination attempt. National Republican Senate Committee Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell slammed Talarico’s silence on Rigby’s remark. “It’s hard to believe James Talarico is serious about condemning political violence while he stands by and helps his pastor radicalize an entire congregation,” Cantrell said. Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft called Talarico’s “self-proclaimed mentor’s” remark “disgusting.” DEMOCRAT RISING STAR CALLED OUT FOR ‘CREEPY’ COMMENT ABOUT TRANSGENDER CHILDREN “But it is nothing new,” Kraft said. “Democrats have fanned the flames of radical left-wing violence for years and gleefully put targets on the back of President Trump, Charlie Kirk and conservatives, and conservatives across America. To Talarico and Democrats, murder is simply the cost of doing business in their conquest for power.” Rigby is a vocal supporter of leftist causes. The Washington Examiner reported in March that Rigby spoke at a pro-Palestinian protest in 2009. “If there is to be hope for humankind, then we must all realize that the true jihad is the struggle for peace and justice,” Rigby said during his speech. In the Islamic faith, jihad is understood by some to be an inner struggle meant to bring an individual closer to God, but the term has been invoked by terrorists and Islamic extremists to commit acts of violence in broader political contexts.
Trump admin tightens vise on student aid fraud in ‘ghost student’ crackdown
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is stepping up its crackdown on fraud and “ghost students,” launching a real-time fraud detection tool for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), Fox News Digital learned. “Instead of student aid and education grants going to students who deserve it, corrupt Democrats and the inept bureaucrat class of the Biden Administration allowed it to flow straight into the pockets of fraudsters for years,” a spokesperson for Vice President JD Vance, who President Donald Trump recently tapped as the administration’s fraud czar, told Fox News Digital. The Department of Education launched a screening tool Monday morning directly into the FAFSA process that flags potentially high-risk applicants, requiring them to provide government-issued identification before accessing federal student aid, including Pell Grants and loans. The Education Department estimates its efforts to identify and deny aid to fraudulent students will save taxpayers over $1 billion during this year’s FAFSA cycle, with the tool already screening 50,000 applications as of Monday afternoon. READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD The new fraud detection efforts follow a surge in “ghost student” scams tied to loosened verification requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Department of Education. Ghost students are a growing trend involving fabricated or stolen identities, often powered by AI bots or criminal networks using real Americans’ personal information, used to enroll in programs, trigger financial aid disbursements, and then disappear. SBA FREEZES OVER 100,000 CALIFORNIA BORROWERS IN SWEEPING $9B PANDEMIC FRAUD CRACKDOWN “Americans deserve education. Fraudsters deserve nothing,” a senior White House official told Fox News Digital. Key verification safeguards were removed during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Biden administration, the Education Department reported, when less than 1% of students were required to verify their identity following their FAFSA submission. “This new fraud detection tool will stop fraud at the start of the process, before money goes out the door, strengthening the integrity of our programs and expanding opportunity for students who depend on these resources to finance their postsecondary education,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told Fox News Digital. The announcement comes as Trump established the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vance, to combat fraud across federal programs. UNDERPERFORMING DC SCHOOLS’ STAFF HAS GROWN 7 TIMES FASTER THAN ENROLLMENT: AUDIT “Under the Vice President’s task force, student aid will go to students and students only,” the vice president’s spokesperson added. The increased verification process follows the Trump administration uncovering more than $1 billion in student aid fraud last year, including stopping suspected bots and ghost students from obtaining taxpayer-funded loans. The administration also previously uncovered $90 million that was disbursed to suspected scammers in 2024, including $30 million in loans to dead people and more than $40 million disbursed to companies using bots disguised as fake students. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Timeline: How Mali went from democracy beacon to instability
Mali’s security crisis has worsened since rival armed groups have allied and launched coordinated attacks across the country. Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has claimed responsibility for attacks by gunmen that began on Saturday. They were carried out in Kati near Bamako as well as the capital’s airport and other locations farther north, including Kidal, Mopti, Sevare and Gao. Tuareg rebels claimed participation in the assaults. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in the attacks. The attacks have exposed security vulnerabilities in the country, which once was a beacon of democracy in the region but has been reeling from political and security crises since 2012. Here’s a timeline of how the security situation has deteriorated in Mali: 1960: Mali gains independence The former French colony became independent on September 22, 1960, and Modibo Keita was elected the country’s first president. Keita was a staunch proponent of African socialism. But his rule of the country through socialist policies of nationalisation failed to yield economic benefits. The country also experienced severe droughts, which led to poor harvests under his leadership. In November 1968, Keita was overthrown in a bloody military coup led by Lieutenant Moussa Traore. 1968-1991: Military dictatorship After leading the coup, Traore established himself as president for the next 23 years. According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Traore established “a highly repressive regime that routinely opened fire on protesters and eliminated rivals or those that dared to voice dissent”. Advertisement In a 2020 report, the centre noted that Traore’s government was likely responsible for the killing of thousands of Malians while economic growth was “anaemic”. Corruption was also rampant during his rule, the report said. In March 1991 after mass student-led protests, Lieutenant Colonel Amadou Toumani Toure led a coup to overthrow Traore. “After his ouster, Traore was tried and convicted for the killing of at least 200 protesters in March 1991. He was later pardoned for his crimes by President Alpha Oumar Konare in 2002,” the report added. 1992-2012: Democracy prevails After the 1991 coup, Toure served as interim head of state during a transition that led to a new constitution and multiparty elections. While the northern part of the country was still unstable with Tuareg rebels seeking to secure their own independent region, the country held municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections in 1992. Alpha Oumar Konare was elected president. Konare served two terms from 1992 to 2002 during which, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, there was steady economic growth and citizens enjoyed civil liberties and political rights. During this time, Mali also became a founding member of the intergovernmental Community of Democracies in 2000. In 2002, elections were held again, and Toure, who led the 1991 coup, was elected president. During his two terms, which lasted until 2012, corruption was rife in government institutions and the economy shrank. Interim President Dioncounda Traore lays a wreath at a monument in Bamako in 2013 on Martyrs’ Day, which commemorates the day when General Moussa Traore was overthrown on March 26, 1991 [File: Adama Diarra/Reuters] 2012-2020: Military coup and security deterioration In March 2012, Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo led a coup weeks before elections and forced Toure to resign. He established a military government, and Dioncounda Traore was made interim civilian president until elections could be organised. During this period, ethnic Tuareg separatists, allied with fighters from an al-Qaeda offshoot, launched a rebellion that took control of northern Mali. The instability in the north led leaders from neighbouring African countries to suggest that members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) fight alongside the Malian military against the Tuareg rebels. Sanogo, however, refused the deployment of foreign forces and asked for logistical support only. Fighters from another armed group, Ansar Dine, swiftly pushed out the Tuareg rebels and seized key northern cities. This triggered French military intervention in early 2013 at the request of the government. Ansar Dine later merged with several other groups to form the JNIM. Advertisement In September 2013, the country held elections, and Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was elected president. His fragile democratic rule ended in 2020 in yet another military coup. During his time in power, the United Nations brokered a peace deal between his government and northern Tuareg groups fighting for an independent Azawad in 2015. 2020: Another military coup Colonel Assimi Goita led the coup that deposed Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020 after months of mass protests over severe economic problems and the renewed advance of armed groups in the north. In September that year, Bah Ndaw, a retired colonel, was sworn in as interim president with Goita as vice president. Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with interim Malian President Assimi Goita at the Kremlin in Moscow on June 23, 2025 [Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters] 2021-2026 – Yet another military coup and Goita’s rule In May 2021, Goita seized power in a second coup. Mali is currently ruled by Goita’s military government. Initially, it pledged to return Mali to civilian rule by March 2024, but it has not kept this promise. Goita invited Russian mercenaries to support the military administration in its fight against armed groups in December 2021 after asking French troops, who had been helping to hold off rebels in the north, to leave the country. France and other supporting European Union nations eventually withdrew in 2023, leaving a security vacuum in Mali. During Goita’s rule, Mali along with Burkina Faso and Niger withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2025. Together, the three nations formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Last week, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop attended a security forum in Senegal, where he said the withdrawal from ECOWAS was “final” but AES would maintain a constructive dialogue with the bloc on freedom of movement and preserving a common market. In January 2024, Mali’s rulers terminated the UN-brokered 2015 peace deal with Tuareg rebels in the north, accusing them of not complying with
Plane crashes near South Sudan’s Juba, killing all 14 on board
Preliminary reports indicate Cessna aircraft may have crashed due to bad weather conditions that caused low visibility. By AP and Reuters Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026 A plane has crashed on the outskirts of South Sudan’s capital, Juba, killing all 13 passengers and the pilot. The country’s civil aviation authority said on Monday that initial reports indicate the aircraft may have crashed due to bad weather conditions that caused low visibility. The Cessna 208 Caravan, which was operated by CityLink Aviation, lost communication while flying from Yei to Juba International Airport, it added in a statement. Among those onboard were two Kenyan nationals, while the rest were South Sudanese. A team has been sent to the site to gather information and support emergency services, the aviation authority said. Videos of the crash site, located some 20km (12 miles) outside of Juba, showed the remains of the aircraft in flames. Adblock test (Why?)
Germany’s Merz says US has no strategy in Iran war
NewsFeed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US has no clear exit strategy with their war on Iran, warning “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership”. Published On 27 Apr 202627 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Arvind Kejriwal to skip HC hearing, expresses distrust in Judge Swarana Kanta, eyes SC appeal
The case relates to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, in which the CBI has challenged the discharge of Kejriwal and other accused persons.
Who was Sheikh Yusuf Afridi? How was Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed’s close aide killed?
Sheikh Yusuf Afridi was considered an important link in the US-proscribed terror group’s operations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, and investigators are treating his death as a targeted assassination.
Rebranded Raghav Chadha? Ahead of Punjab polls, Rajya Sabha MP tries to arrest backlash, explains AAP exit, calls it ‘toxic workplace’ : Watch
Raghav Chadha took to Instagram account and posted a video saying his move to Join BJP was driven by concerns over what he described as a toxic work environment within his former party, AAP.